Julius

I remember wanting to get into the series about a year ago and doing a bit of research about which versions I should pick up. It resulted in this complete confusion about how there was only one half decent version available on home media of the most popular and recognisable anime that just made me give up I'm sure I'll try again someday, but man, it really is confusing!

What's funny is that it's been steadily ratcheting up, I remember hearing weeks back that the game was on the verge of blowing up, and the month before that too. Very interesting to think about, I think there was a particular streamer a little while back who was a big reason for it blowing up the way it has (for some reason I checked out the subreddit when I first heard about it and even then they were talking about it only being a matter of time!). I remember hearing on a podcast too about them needing to take servers down for a bit to do some work, so it's great to see it paying off. And fair play to them for cancelling the sequel given this is blowing up and just deciding to provide new content to this instead, can't imagine that was an easy decision to make. Hopefully those ideas are reworked well enough into the existing game. I've checked it out a few times over the last couple of weeks, playing on my phone with my brother and sister when my brother comes over to visit, and then the internet strangers. It's been a lot of fun, a lot of laughs! Not the most complicated of games to get your head around, which is great, because how many of those complicated games ever actually end up being fun? Highlight of my time playing so far was definitely the crew being right about one internet stranger being the impostor to finish one game, and them returning in the next game, and I followed my gut, making me call a meeting and telling everyone else that they were the impostor again and to vote for him. And I was right

Just a heads-up because I pre-ordered with GAME last week, have your account ready to go but if it doesn't work (I can almost guarantee it won't), checkout as a guest instead, you'll get through much faster. You can add it to your account after by adding the Order # for Tracking, good luck! Yeah I read about that the other day, they added it in after the first batch of pre-orders sold out (so luckily I didn't end up with it) and without telling people/advertising it. Knowing GAME I'm a bit surprised it wasn't there from the offset, I'm guessing they just forgot

23rd April in North America and Europe! And think it's safe to say the Japanese boxart looks a bit better...

TGS trailer: 22nd April 2021 release date at the end of the TGS trailer. Now if that's the date we get it over here I have no idea, but only a bit over 6 months for it to be out in some form! And it still looks nice Japanese boxart:

Arrived a day early! Probably won't pop it in and start it up until the weekend (Super Mario 64 is ace and taking up my gaming time at the moment), but over the last week or two have got quite excited for this. Fingers crossed!

I imagine it'll be split in two again, and/or they're aiming for the manga to end at the same time as the show?

Yeah, I think the confusion and small corner of outrage over this was a bit weird. It's a fully fledged remaster vs just your standard boosted performance. But, I do think their messaging has been cagey at best. For example, this isn't one of the options listed by Nibellion: PS5 standard + $20 upgrade (to the Ultimate Edition) for the Remaster, vs dropping $70 outright on the Ultimate Edition. I think confusion over how it can be purchased is warranted at this point, they haven't been very clear. Wouldn't surprise me if we got a PS Blog entry to clear this all up.

Great news, imagine that pretty much completes our business for the year. Kepa's confidence is rock bottom, I do feel sorry for him. Kepa is an example of one of those young players who just hasn't reached his potential for one reason or another (to me, it's clearly a confidence issue). Had a high potential and to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and was a favourite to take over as the next mainstay goalkeeper in the Spanish national team. In terms of pure potential I'd say that there were more expectations on Kepa joining Chelsea due to his age and price tag (he became the most expensive GK just a few weeks after Alisson had) than there was for Alisson going to Liverpool, but I do feel he had proved himself already at Roma as a solid goalkeeper. I think Alisson was better than Kepa when they arrived, but Kepa was expected to have a higher potential, it just unfortunately hasn't played out that way for us (and for him). And I do think Kepa was overpriced, but that couldn't be helped; that's business with Bilbao for you. They set a price tag with their release clauses and are very resistant to accepting a penny less.

Right, this kicks off today! Xbox at 13:00 - 13:50 BST, probably going to announce that they've acquired Japan but in all seriousness, not really expecting too much from this showing. Maybe a surprise partnership with a Japanese studio at best (but I don't think any game announcements), but think it'll be geared more towards the Series S (think I just saw somewhere that it's going to be $30 lower in Japan? Not sure if that'll be low enough with the Switch in the same price range) and potentially some news on xCloud, which I think is the biggest potential gateway for Japanese customers at this stage into the Xbox ecosystem. Will it happen? No idea! Stream (unsure if this has a translator or subs, so I'll keep an eye out!): And then at 14:00 - 14:50 BST we have the Square Enix show, for which I think all of the games in attendance have been announced? Which is a bit of a shame. Most exciting thing in terms of fresh news I'm sure will be an update on NieR Replicant Ver. 122, and part of me will continue to hold out hope for a Final Fantasy I - VI Collection (but I mean...add some Dragon Quest games to that wishlist!). I don't think DQ XII shows here, imagine that's still cooking. But yeah, it does look like it's morphed more into a NieR showing (though, not complaining!). Stream (w/ English subs): Hopefully a decent pair of shows to open with, and one or two smaller surprises, is all I'm hoping for!

Final season of Attack and Titan starts airing 7th December!

Remaster is going to be exclusive to Ultimate Edition and there will be no upgrade options available for those picking up the standard PS5 edition (for now? Insomniac hasn't been too good on their Twitter account at sticking to one definitive answer). Think my plan for now is to play the game again on PS4 and see how I feel after, but leaning more and more towards picking up the Ultimate Edition instead, because the original game is one of those rare examples of a game where I could see myself going back to it again a few years from now, and the new trophies and assets are a big pull.

Eternals has also been delayed, from next February to next November. Not too shocked at this point, really. Black Widow confirmed to have a new release date of 7th May 2021. This being film of Phase 4 and, if the film does manage to release in May, releasing two years on from Endgame, and just shy of two years on from Far From Home, this is much more important for them than if it came out earlier this year now as was originally planned. They're banking on COVID being under control enough for them to draw a crowd, but also hoping for it to be the first big blockbuster to come out of the gates when people can get back, and reignite that MCU spark for fans. I also imagine that they saw the figures for Mulan and realised they're better off waiting to return to theatres, and I certainly don't think the controversy surrounding Mulan - and the increasing indifference movie fans seem to have towards their live-action remakes of classic animated films - helped it's chances of seeing a delay for theatrical release. It ended up being a very expensive experiment for them, and I'm sure it have them some interesting results, but I wouldn't expect the MCU to come back this way, or the other bigger franchises under the Mouse's flag. The only way I think we would've seen it is if Mulan was a success by their standards, and I think these delays might answer that question. Personally been a bit burnt out on the MCU since Endgame, it was such a fitting and awesome conclusion, and I do think they came out too early with Far From Home. I wanted a long break after Endgame, and now that due to unfortunate circumstances we've ended up with one, I can feel my hunger for the MCU slowly but surely coming back. And Spider-Man: Miles Morales has certainly been a big part of that! Might be time for an MCU rewatch soon...

Nightmare fuel ahead. Some context for what you're about to see: And what a Fall Guy looks like on the inside... I warned you

Them too? I thought it was just going to be SEGA

Because it's never too early for Geoff to announce that The Game Awards is coming on December 10th, live from L.A., London, and Tokyo! Choice quote from the Variety article tied to the announcement (and which is well worth a read, in my opinion): Seems like we have a lot to look forward to! Now just waiting to hear that the cut-off date is towards the end of November, instead of mid-November, otherwise they'll end up putting Cyberpunk 2077 and Demon's Souls out of the running (as well as potentially Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity) for this year. There's no way they get left out, right?

So, listening to some video game music while working today (as you do), and came across this unused Main Theme from IX, from the FFIX PLUS album: That might be one of the best unused tracks I've ever heard? Obviously there's plenty of Melodies of Life in there (as there is throughout the entire game) but damn, I think that might be one of my favourite uses of it. There's a definite charm and power to this one that wasn't necessarily present in the other times you hear Melodies of Life. Seems a bit too energetic to be the overworld theme, and sounds like it was played with the instruments used in Zidane's Theme, so I wonder if it was maybe supposed to be the Title Screen theme instead? Or maybe to be used in the overworld later on in the game? Anyways, just thought I'd share it, because I love it

A lot of (nowhere near as telling, completely wild) rumours swirling around that MGS3 and MGS4 could be added too. Konami has an "Information Program" this Saturday at TGS, I wonder if it'll be announced then? If they are coming, fully expecting bottom of the barrel ports, but it would be interesting to see Konami releasing them. Wonder if they could also come to current gen? And also wonder if they'll leave Kojima's name on it?

I was wondering about that too, and it would make sense. Why would they want to advertise £50 and £40 versions (or something like that) of Miles Morales on the same store, for the exact same game? I don't think they'll be made available digitally on the PS5's PS Store I guess, I think you're right. Also got to imagine some of those older FIFA and annual sports games won't be coming over on the Store too, amongst many others which companies might have plans for Special Editions/Remasters down the road, even if not offering the same upgrade but just boosted performance (e.g. DMC V's Special Edition). Now I'm also stuck wondering where this would leave games like Ghost of Tsushima and TLOU2? I would say God of War too, but that's in the PS+ Collection, at least. They seem ripe for remasters.

I mean, even at launch you can also consistently get games at £5 - £10 less than the RRP listed on the PS Store at retail, like @Ganepark32 mentioned. And as you said Bob, the price goes down much faster (and much more consistently) at retail. Personally, I only buy digitally when there's a game I'm interested in and the deal is far too good when compared with the physical price, normally during the digital sales. Last month for instance, I picked up the Crash N. Sane Trilogy and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy for less than £30, when the physical copies would have cost me about £30 each at the time. To ganepark's question, I think it depends on if you think you'll be buying games on release day consistently. I imagine we're going to see RRP remain around the same for the next six months or so on both retail and digital storefronts, before inevitably we're going to start seeing the AAA first party games coming it at £65 instead of £70, whereas it will still probably be £70 on the store. AAA games normally don't get put on sale on the PS Store in their first 6 months or so from what I've seen, unless they're absolutely tanking, so I guess it depends on how much you can pick up some PS Store credit for. Though, you mention Cyberpunk, and we know that will be getting a free update from PS4 to PS5 with a Day 1 patch before we get the actual PS5 upgrade next year, meaning you could pick up the PS4 version and play it on the PS5? I've seen that going for £45 vs the £59.99 RRP it'll probably come in at, and you could potentially do the same for Miles Morales (£43-ish on PS4 I think, vs what will probably be £50 at RRP on the PS Store?), which will also come with a free PS5 upgrade. I imagine it's going to be a similar case for other AAA cross-gen titles on the way like Horizon Forbidden West, etc. Just something worth bearing in mind the backwards compatibility + free PS5 upgrades, because compared to the expected RRP that's already knocking off a decent chunk, and that £90 extra for the disc drive would probably pay for itself within a year or two (depending on how many games you get - but of course, if you wait on physical, it'll probably end up quite a bit cheaper too!).

(I mean, unless Goafer's name is Luke and you weren't going for that, but uh...)

Yeah, think it'll be fine. I picked up a regular, mid-to-lower end Samsung 4K TV (first TV I've bought!) earlier this year, but don't quite see myself putting in the money for an awesome 4K TV anytime soon. Plus, I'm really liking it so far, no complaints That money would be much better off for me being spent on the games EDIT: also, this is happening. Factions news, maybe..?

I think my biggest concern with this acquisition compared to others is that I just can't see the necessity for it from the outside, other than Microsoft having deep enough pockets. I wonder if they would've gone through with this if Zenimax/Bethesda were publicly traded? I'd bet not, because that seems too much of a hassle. I was not a fan in the slightest of what happened with Spider-Man coming to Avengers as PlayStation exclusive, because it feels less like exclusive content made for PlayStation and more content blocked from making its way over to Xbox. This could *potentially* be that with an entire publisher. This is Disney buying FOX, and theatres, and saying "pay up." It's a good business move, but not a good direction for games. Though, based on Microsoft's history this shouldn't be something to be too concerned about (until they flip that switch), as they're just interested in selling software and want platforms for doing so, it seems...wrong, almost. Again, "inorganically" being the word used could not be more accurate; it feels like they've ripped up a plot of the industry they had no real interest in and just threw it on the Game Pass pile of developers they've got growing. Before someone throws anything back my way over not wanting Xbox to do well, I think their previous acquisitions were fair and smaller acquisitions, and many of them made sense. It showed Xbox were going all out, but were willing to give things time to grow. This feels like them saying to hell with that and wanting to steamroll the competition, which I'm not all for. People will point at Insomniac being bought by PlayStation, or the potential for Bluepoint to be picked up by them, but as I said yesterday - that's already where their games were. People will say "but XVI is a timed exclusive! Moneyhatting!", and I will say...go look up how Xbox sells in Japan, and how well games like Final Fantasy sell on Xbox. Like it or not, those deals make sense, if nothing else because that's where the bulk of the audience is playing those games, if not a case where that's the place where the developer is releasing their games. Xbox has exclusivity deals for Yakuza 7 on next gen and I guarantee that that game still sells more on PS4 than it is played on Game Pass - it's deals like that which feel dirty to me (never mind the fact that SEGA Europe's cooperation with PlayStation is what turned the franchise and SEGA's recent fortunes around in the west, but anyways). Again, "inorganically" would be the word to use here too, because it is such an unnatural fit. I'm not saying PlayStation can do no wrong and that Xbox can do no right, but to the point of some others here asking what PlayStation need to do in response, saying they need to buy someone as soon as they can and react accordingly, I have to ask: is picking up the dying husk of Konami just for rights to their beloved IP's, to actually bring them back into the fold, really anywhere near as bad as this? And if not, then why on earth aren't Microsoft going there? It makes you wonder, because they could have bought Konami with ease (publicly traded I know, more hoops, but I'm talking more the money side of things), build PES into a worthwhile FIFA competitor, and throw EA out to die in 2022 when they pay up and get the official licensing for revised PES in their stead. And then there's Metal Gear. And Castlevania. And Silent Hill. How many PlayStation owners wouldn't buy an Xbox at that point? I know I would. I think the industry would be all the better for a returning Konami, and if Xbox did that, I'd be happy. I think picking up Konami and then forming a team around them after an overhaul to their core structure would have been the killer (and likely much cheaper) move, so it makes me wonder why they wouldn't go in that direction. Hey, maybe it's in the works, but it more makes me think the worst: that Konami isn't an active developer (right now, at least, because they seem to have be showing signs that some things are cooking) so they aren't exactly a threat or worth picking up. It's certainly not sending a message like Bethesda is. And seriously, what can PlayStation do? If laws against monopolisation weren't a thing, Microsoft would have bought Sony ten times over at this point, without even flinching. And Nintendo. If they had the choice, they would absolutely buy out the industry, and there wouldn't be any competition. It's a scary thought.

According to Deadline, Black Mirror's Toby Haynes is taking over as director from Tony Gilroy on the Rogue One spin-off series for Disney+. According to their sources it is due to travel and health concerns for Gilroy, and nothing more than that. Would be refreshing to have a director leave a Star Wars project for something other than "creative differences" for a change!

CNET interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Phil Spencer pretty much spells out they aren't done with the acquisitions just yet. Emphases mine, mostly to highlight some things and because we get a bit more of an idea as to how they'll be handling things. Not sure why, but the use of "inorganically" in this context seems so...gross. A lot of whispers going around from people who were on the ball with Final Fantasy XVI (though that wasn't too much of a surprise by itself), as well as some other things, which seems to be leading to the conclusion that Microsoft are looking to acquire two more studios. Favourites at the moment are looking like DontNod (Life is Strange) and Asobo (A Plague Tale: Innocence, and more recently Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020). Another two studios would take Microsoft up to a staggering total of 25 first party studios. Crazy.