Julius

Keanu going all Dead Poet's Society on us but it's a Cyberpunk 2077 ad

The game's page has gone up on the PlayStation website, shedding a bit more light on what the game will be like. First the summary: That last line And key features: Really excited about and curious to see some gameplay for this one. Hope we see or hear a bit more soon, fingers crossed it's coming in the first half of next year!

Yeah, I've heard very and seem very little about it being advertised, and I don't think reviews are going up until Friday? I know that it's a shorter, budget title when compared with the Battlefront games and Fallen Order, but still, I don't think EA are backing this enough (especially seeing as it's going to be standing on the pillars of an online community). I'm interested in seeing how the story plays out, but my expectations really aren't that high for the story. On EA's watch we've had the Battlefront II campaign, which was very predictable, uninspired (Luke killing bugs? Really?) and honestly a bit boring , and Fallen Order. While much, much better (and by far the best Star Wars game EA has to offer, Respawn did a great job), I do think it took quite a while to pick up some momentum, though it really kicks off in the second half. I think of some of my favourite moments in Fallen Order's story and I just don't see Squadrons having similar surprises in store, especially seeing as we've already seen so many characters coming in from the other Star Wars media out there. I really have no idea how long I'm going to end up playing this game. Absolutely in for the campaign (it having a Star Wars story is unfortunately enough to get me onboard), but I really don't know how much I'll play online? I put a lot of time into Battlefront's online (something like 150-200 hours?) and Battlefront II's online (probably half of what I put into Battlefront's?), but I really don't know how long I can see myself putting into Squadrons' online. My biggest concern is it being first-person, I can see that causing a lot of frustration. I still wish that we'd end up with a third-person perspective, but I'm not optimistic about our chances of that. Not long now, at least. I'm a big fan of getting smaller titles you can spend a week or two with, and this will be the third "budget" title I've picked up for around £30 (the other two being Tony Hawk 1+2 and Mafia Definitive Edition) in the last few weeks. Hopefully if this does well we can see a real Battlefront campaign or other single player adventure on a smaller budget. Maybe a Republic Commando revival? All of this just makes me want to break out the PS2 and play the best Battlefront again (the original Battlefront II)

Yeah, from John Bubniak to Ben Jordan for the face model. Literally a different person. Have to wonder why they'd make that call, I know they said Ben's a closer match to Yuri's capture, but still, it's super strange!

Spider-Man Remaster details and Parker's new look from the PlayStation Blog. Gameplay showing off 60 fps Performance Mode: And The Amazing Spider-Man Suit revealed as one of the three new suits to be in the game: Amazing Suit looks great, but such a bizarre choice to change face model 2 years after the original. I know Miles already had one in the first game, but still, seems like such a strange choice to change Pete's in a remaster of all places.

Oh heck yeah, I'd be onboard with that! Or Majima. Or the jolliest Yakuza character of all: Taichi. SUPER FLYING TAICHI KICK

Great points @dwarf, that was an informative read, thanks! Definitely more informed than I am on the matter, so I appreciate your insight When you mentioned the material explanation I think I was thinking of it more as applying only to the work productivity change you mentioned before, and that shift in the work-life struggle leaning overwhelmingly towards work taking priority, but I think that's just an example of me trying to oversimplify things, so that's my mistake! It definitely is across the board, and it's absolutely crazy how much money and work dictates so much of a person's day-to-day life, to the point where sometimes weekends just feel like a short respite from the dread of the work week rather than a time to shift focus to other things. That's the case for me at least, and some others I know. And yeah, honestly, the more I look into and learn about four day work weeks the better an option it seems for improving the workplace. Not even just because it sounds nicer on paper, but it's just about having that time to actually make decent progress elsewhere in life (studying part time, taking up a hobby, writing a book, etc.), rather than feeling like almost all of your energy is being sunk into someone else's gains. It's really difficult to find a decent work-life balance as it is, especially with how much pressure there is on doing well from a very young age especially, and I think it's a bit of an issue from the very bottom. It's one of those things that I absolutely want to see, but just seems too good to become a reality here in the UK (obviously I hope that I'm wrong). I honestly have no idea which side I land on politically, mainly because while I have an arm's length interest in politics and couldn't care much less for major politicians or parties, but I think that's just because since I've been born I've been around in a time where it seems to get consistently worse, where the next guy seems just as incompetent than the last, and little constructive change is made But that's me totally derailing the thread and a topic for another time

I'm also completely clueless, I don't think there have been any rumours about this next one that I can remember. Should be interesting to see who they've chosen to go with!

Next fighter being revealed tomorrow at 15:00 BST! Direct stream link:

Some of the people at my workplace definitely need to be reminded of that Absolutely. I think there are just too many factors to take into consideration here to point at one thing and go "Ha, that's it! There's the problem!" which I think Schreier is guilty of doing at times. It's human nature to be reductive and try to come to one conclusion, because that's so much easier for us to comprehend, but there's so much more under the belly of the beast that is "crunch". This is a difficult thing to find a solution for exactly because it's so easy to oversimplify the situation and chalk it up to "crunch = bad, therefore any company with crunch = bad". Is the typical, perhaps generalised idea of "crunch" we've come to be familiar with in the games industry - the one where people feel their livelihood is threatened, that they're burning the candle at both ends in some endless nightmare, and that their work isn't fully appreciated, and that they aren't fairly compensated - a problem? Yes, I think it's almost undeniable. But throw in, as you mentioned, work culture changes with a much different outlook on work-life balance, amongst many, many other things, and it's just such a difficult one to crack. Especially when it could potentially so much from person to person. It's great that we hear more, and I really want to hear what the thoughts are of those working overtime at CDPR right now. Do some feel their livelihood is threatened? Are others so proud of their work that they're happy to work these six day work weeks in order to get their work out there? Is one guy planning to propose and saving for a wedding , so he's putting in overtime? Was this all written down in their contract as a possibility? It's a multifaceted issue, and one especially difficult I think for Schreier to comment on. Yes it's a video game company, but, just as an example, outside of what we've even mentioned so far: just how familiar is he with the typical Polish work-life balance? Is this something that's a known quantity in Poland, and are other companies doing the same? I mean I'd have to imagine so because of the laws in place. It's not an easy thing to talk about, and I'm glad he continues to shine a light on it when others won't or can't for one reason or another, but it feels to me like gotcha journalism at the worst of times.

I mean, I hate PR speech in general so I'm with you there! I think he only mentioned it to avoid any misunderstandings that they aren't being paid fairly. I mean from what I've read elsewhere though, devs based in Poland really aren't making that much as it is? Could be wrong on that though. I want to hear more of what someone actually working there has to say, because all I gathered from Schreier's article was that he spoke with one of them, who yes did not want to be named, but all that's been attributed to them - and without a quote - is that they've been working paid overtime for a year. And yes, it's required by Polish law, but at the same time, that's still not the standard everywhere else - I know they likely wouldn't otherwise, but it's still a good law to have in place (commending Poland here and not CDPR just to be clear). I think Schreier has generally been good about this all, but at the same time, I'm not a fan of him going "ha, gotcha!" when things don't play out how CDPR wanted them too (and yes, I do think it was a bit cocky of them to declare something like that a year out). And speaking of things not playing out how CDPR wanted them to, I think the lack of a mention for the pandemic delaying things and impacting work schedules is a bit of an oversight on Schreier's side. It's not an excuse, but I think it's something worth mentioning. I'm not sure off the top of my head how badly Poland have had it, but I imagine it'll have impacted their plans to some degree. This too, it absolutely could be the case that people are asking for it. Happens at my work place too; I work for a bank, so as soon as COVID hit, everyone was offered overtime at triple the rate. But even normally, when OT is offered, it's normally at double the rate, which is all the time right now. Again, I don't know. If people are being pressured into OT, being given smug looks, made to feel ostracised, and feel their job security is threatened, then absolutely drag CDPR through the coals. But until we know more and hear more I think this is a bit of an empty yell trying to back up Schreier's other stories. CDPR's intentions are certainly in the right place, as far as I can tell, and hopefully things improve in the future and this can be avoided where possible.

Head of CDPR Adam Badowski has tweeted a response out to Schreier's article from yesterday: It's difficult. Enforcing 6 day work weeks isn't right, but at the same time, a 10% profit split between employees and being "well compensated" for additional hours worked, especially so close to launch...it's hard to fall on either side of this one. They shouldn't be obligated to work 6 day work weeks (I mean, unless their contract says so) but we've yet to hear from anyone working at CDPR directly about this, which we have elsewhere (such as with Naughty Dog). Until then, I think it's difficult to say where I personally land on this.

Not at all surprising, yet still very disappointing. I'm honestly still a bit surprised that we haven't seen this game delayed further. I think it might be too late now (6 or 7 weeks from release?), but my gut feeling is that this game needs a bit more time cooking. It's weird, because while I don't want to see everything the game has to offer...it does feel like we've seen such a small part of it up until now, and again, we're only 6 weeks or so out. But maybe that's just me?

Digital pre-orders for launch titles are going up, not directly on the PS Store but hosted on the PlayStation site (note: these are UK links): Spider-Man: Miles Morales Demon's Souls Destruction AllStars Sackboy A Big Adventure Godfall Not sure exactly who here is going digital, but I know for sure that @Ganepark32 is, so I'll tag him note that as on PS4, these require immediate payment! Oh and for anyone in the US, just change the 'en-gb' part of the URL to 'en-us' and @drahkon no idea if you're going digital with some of these, but just in case, I think you would just need to change 'en-gb' to 'de-de'.

Digital Deluxe Edition is on the way. Besides the Scythe, are the rest available in-game anyways (besides the OST of course), and this is just a boost at the start of your journey? Oh, and some more awesome images to drool over:

This got me excited and I'm not even getting the console at launch! If it wasn't confirmed before, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are coming to Series X|S. Really looking forward to a more fluid and stronger soundscape next gen. Between this and Tempest on PS5, should be a great time for our ears at least

Yeah, I really enjoyed using it on Final Fantasy VI on the SNES Classic as a very quick way to hop back in, and I've enjoyed it to varying degree on Virtual Console and Switch Online too. I mean, the PS4 (and I assume Xbox One? But could be wrong there) has application and game suspension already too, which I use a whole lot, though that's not quite the same (but still a great way to quickly get back in). Guess I was more questioning why I would personally need it for 2 games or more at a time, but hey, I guess just having the option is a good enough reason!

New gameplay and a look at special editions: The Jin Sakai one looks hilarious. Game looks super fun!

So uh, this is happening. Hope it's something original and not Simba's Pride UPDATE: THR reporting it's going to be a prequel.

EA Play coming to Game Pass Ultimate on November 10th. And December for PC:

Yeah, like I said, that's just me personally As we both mentioned, Game Pass is a great reason to pop in and try a game out, but I don't think that necessarily translates to having a bunch of games in Quick Resume, because if I don't like a game I gave a try on Game Pass, I'd just delete it and move on. And even then, these consoles have solid SSD's packed in, so the issue you have in loading up a game from scratch is probably going to be reduced anyways. Forza and games like that would be good games to pop into, I agree there for sure, and I guess I could see myself just wanting to pop in for a quick drive every now and then just to chill out a bit. So maybe I'm wrong in saying that I wouldn't use it at all. But on the flip side, the number floating around is that you can have a maximum of 12 games using Quick Resume at once, for backwards compatible games I believe, and that just seems a bit excessive to me. Options are great, but it's just odd is all: what's the aim? Personally speaking, for me the outcome with something like this, if I were to utilise it fully, is bound to be me just hopping from one game to another and not making any real progress with any of them. It'd be great for series speedruns I guess? Again, it's a neat enough idea and a cool feature, just one I don't think I'd personally utilise all that often (if at all).

Have no idea how I didn't post this any earlier, but some YouTubers in Japan will be getting some hands-on time with the PS5 on the 4th (this coming Sunday). Maybe we'll finally get our first look at the UI?

Apart from 802 GB storage being available after the OS partition and some tests on frame rate/resolution/boot speed, no, not really it's cool to see it all in action, though! Was thinking the exact same thing! I figured maybe one was from a console start-up and the other was going into it through Quick Resume, but the difference isn't big or small enough for them to be different? Super strange. After watching a decent chunk of these videos now, the Series X tests by DF in particular are the highlight by far, and seeing it brute force its way to sometimes double the frame rate without further optimisation is awesome, and I can't wait to see similar tests with the PS5 and see those comparisons (not because I care which is better, it's just cool to learn more about how both consoles are doing!). I can't wait to get around to playing Final Fantasy XV and Sekiro for the first time on next-gen hardware! That being said, it also highlighted so much of the other stuff which has personally has me holding off on picking up a Series X for now that it's hard to ignore. Why are we getting the first previews now and not in a month or so? Because there isn't a big ol' must-play exclusive launch title. Why are they showing off a five year old Halo as part of these previews? Because Infinite needed more work. Will I personally use Quick Resume if/when I get a next-gen Xbox? Absolutely not. It's a neat enough idea, especially with Game Pass giving access to so many games, but I play one game at a time, and enjoy games most that way. It's something I'd test for five minutes and be done with, and honestly, I expect that to be the case for most players with it only really applying to single player games.

Well that sucks, have they mentioned when they might be able to fulfill it by? Was always worried this might end up being the case; out of curiosity, did you register interest prior to then going up, or register interest/order it after? This is all making me nervous about my order! But fingers crossed for us all anyways, I know it's not the end of the world of it doesn't turn up on launch day, but it would still be nice! Out of curiosity, what's turning you off of the new consoles? I've seen you mention in the PC thread you were looking to potentially dive in, and especially if simulation games like the F1 games are more your thing, it does feel like that might be where the better experience ends up being for the foreseeable future. Anecdotally, I was talking to someone from my work the other day about it all, and he mentioned he didn't stick a pre-order in so that they can iron out all the kinks before he picks one up. I kind of get it, but my logic for getting one at launch right now is: a) the price isn't going down for a while, I've saved up the money for it and might as well pick one up now. b) with COVID in play, I don't think it's insane to think that production and shipping issues could crop back up after launch. c) i) my PS4 sounds like it wants to burn my apartment down every time it runs something too intense. ii) I've noticed an increasing number of games I feel would benefit greatly from PS5's backwards compatibility, and I'm really looking forward to returning to some of my favourites of this gen with better performance. d) the games. I know Miles Morales is on PS4 at launch too, but it'll undoubtedly be at its best on the PS5. And it's just an investment in the games and franchises I already love, and PlayStation Studios, which I trust to put out high quality games on a consistent basis. However, I will admit that I'm super excited to get the PS5, but not purely because of next-gen at this point, if that makes sense? Demon's Souls looks to be the most "next-gen" game, but even that is "just" an amazing looking remake of a decade old game. It's Bluepoint, it looks fantastic...but this is kind of what I would expect from a Bluepoint remake of Demon's Souls, if that makes any sense. Final Fantasy XVI looks visually like a PS4 game in many places (and not quite as good as VII Remake, even, though there's still time to smooth it out I'm sure!), and I think it's just that lack of games designed with next-gen front and foremost which is stunting my excitement for those possibilities right now. I think Ratched and Clank is the only game announced so far where I can say I'm excited by the possibilities and risks it might take. That's not to say the tech side of it is the only thing I'm looking forward to (far from it, solid gameplay and a good story is still more than enough to put a smile on my face!), but it's only there where I have reservations so far going into next-gen. Thanks for this! I skimmed the articles about the Kraken yesterday but barely mulled it over, that's pretty insane!

The save data can still be used I believe on the PS5 by using the PS4 version through backwards compatibility (so just boosted performance I guess), but I do agree that it's strange. Part of me wants to say they're going to be treated as different applications and potentially have different trophy lists, like with Spider-Man Remastered, because I really have no idea what else it could be. I had been thinking about sticking a PS4 version pre-order in, or at least picking up a copy after launch, just for the boosted performance when I do get around to it, but I'm too sure at this moment either. It's a super weird thing but what might sway me over to picking up a PS4 copy, even if I end up playing the PS5 upgrade version, is the fact that it was originally a PS4 title, and that you could then have 0 - 7 (and Judgment?) all in the same PS4 cases on the shelf, rather than this becoming the black sheep?