Julius

How are fan made Yakuza Miis selling me on this game?! Now I demand Nishiki, Goda, Mr Shakedown, Akiyama, Saejima (it was at this point I realised how long the list was about to get), and fake Kiryu!

Xbox unsurprisingly continuing to push hard on PC, cutting their fees from sales down to 12% from 30%, bringing them in line with the Epic Games Store.

Free next-gen upgrade coming this summer:

Yeah, that's totally fair, especially seeing as you're already on-board! Main reason I want to check some out is to get a better idea of the length and general flow to decide if I'm ordering it to play after Red Dead or if I'm fine leaving it a few months. Something interesting I heard in the previews and seems to be sprouting up in the reviews is just how skill-based the game is. Wouldn't be surprised if we see the discourse over game difficulty come back if that is the case.

Reviews have just started going up... Generally seems to be landing on 8's and 9's. Looks like Housemarque have done a great job, time to start watching some reviews!

Seems like some DLC might be on the way...

DC Fandome is coming back on October 16th. Seems a little on the early side compared to last year's events, I know the first one in August was a bit of pivot due to them having to cancel their E3 showing and not being at Comic Cons, but still. Hopefully a sign that there's a lot in store!

I hope he does a good job, but I'm pretty mixed on Greg to be honest. Think he and the people over at Kinda Funny can have some good discussions on stuff that they're knowledgeable about, but they seem pretty clueless at times on other things. And his work at certain shows at E3's previously has been pretty...meh. Blessing is the main reason I watch any Kinda Funny stuff these days, because there's a genuine enthusiasm there to learn more about games and the industry. Some of the other folks at KFG though, I'm not big fans of. Gary Whitta especially makes me want to bounce my head off a wall sometimes, he's Mr "I have zero bias but I only play on Xbox and will pull the most stupid arguments out of my ass to make PlayStation look silly when I don't play a lot of their games anyway". Sucks because obviously he worked on Rogue One and so as a Star Wars fan it's hard to not be envious of anyone who's worked on the franchise, but if you're covering games I think you have a responsibility to share your passions and interests - of course! - while being fair to others. Would he shout Star Trek down because he's worked on Star Wars? Also the guy swears more than all of the other KFG cast combined and I think detracts from the shows he's on greatly, even more so when the focus is on any of the platform holders other than Nintendo (which to be fair to him he does manage to stay level-headed about). I know Greg plays it up for the shows, and I mean he's getting compensated to do it so fair enough to him, but Tim is the one who grinds my gears when it comes to this. Other than a select few games for which you can tell he's actually excited, you can tell he plays up his opinions to be the hype man on their team, but unlike someone like Michael Huber from Easy Allies who clearly is genuinely hyped for just about everything but is honest and pure in doing so, it feels like Tim's lying half of the time, at least to me. It's super weird to watch. I probably sound like I'm hating on Kinda Funny, but it's just not for me. I soured on IGN somewhat to be fair too, so maybe it's just a through line from that, but there's a weird vibe to it sometimes that I just can't nail down. I think someone like Ben Hanson (Minnmax, formerly of Game Informer) deserves the success that we see these guys get, he's probably the only person in the industry I feel could walk into my favourite podcasts not in Easy Allies and is guaranteed to make it a better experience. I've actually been thinking of doing the same lately, I'm mainly just holding off on confirmation of when the shows are going to air. Though, I'm working from home as it is now, at the moment my job has shifted as I'm on a projects team rather than customer-facing for the next few months, which is mainly meetings and then just sitting around waiting for email responses, and I finish mid-afternoon. So I guess I could always just stick it on in the background, but then I won't be as consumed by the hype, but unless they're changing things drastically, normally there aren't many conferences overlapping with work hours anyways. But now that I think about it that's normally because they can be held at stupid o'clock, PlayStation especially when they were showing up. With this year's event being all-digital and likely pre-recorded, my biggest hope would be that they schedule things so that it's relatively friendly to a worldwide audience rather than just the US.

Hosts for this year's E3 have been revealed:

I was listening to this week's episode of Frame Trap from Easy Allies and Brad and Huber were both raving about the little that they could (both saying it might be one of the best feeling third-person shooters of the last few years, heard it does some interesting stuff with triggers too), and I feel like what they talked about informed me a lot more on the game than some of the gameplay clips I've seen up to this point. It looks like a couple of reviews have somehow slipped through ahead of tomorrow's embargo lifting too, and both seem very positive. I'll wait until the embargo lifts tomorrow and I can get a clearer picture of the game's overall flow, I think that's been the toughest part to sell me on so far, especially as someone who hasn't played many roguelikes. I've got to finish Red Dead first anyways, and I do feel like I'm starting to get a craving for a JRPG, but if this isn't too long (which I wouldn't expect it to be?), I can see myself caving and having to check it out for myself sooner rather than later. If Demon's Souls is anything to go by, the price likely won't be dropping by too much in the next six months anyways. Also, @drahkon's enthusiasm for the game has been constant these last few months, and I think it's finally starting to wear off on me

Yeah, I think it's an excellent tool! I definitely look up trophy guides ahead of playing some games or towards the end of others I've really enjoyed too, it's a great reference point, and helps to make a decision on what I do want to chase and what I won't (the latter turned out to be pretty much every Yakuza game up until 6 ). Thanks! Yeah, I find it works well, then I just keep the case of the game I'm playing next to the system for when I finish it, and like Huber from Easy Allies, my favourite thing after completing a game is then deleting it from the console after (on the PlayStation consoles at least). Got to get that additional dopamine kick plus taking the labels off too is always fun, got to feed that lizard brain! Only issue is the Switch cases being so damn tiny. I shouldn't complain, because it's great for the environment, but even on my smallest text option for my label maker, I have to trim it down a bit and it still finds a way to brush on things and peel off, like with my Sunshine label Yeah, folders are definitely one of the things I miss most from the PS4 so far. I'm sure they'll come eventually (...right?) but until then, I've got a good few games I own digitally that I'll just forget I own (the ports of the Resident Evil games for instance, or Symphony of the Night). In a sense I personally find the PS+ free games and PS+ Collection counterproductive in a weird way, just because it means it's more games to put space between me and the other digital games I own. I think I'm going to start collecting first party titles (and some exclusives) physically in particular too, so even though I could have owned Ratchet & Clank three times digitally if I'm remembering right (free on PS+, PS+ Collection and then as part of the Play at Home initiative) that copy of Ratchet & Clank arrived today after I hunted down a non-PS Hits version. Now, whether my mind changes when my bookcase is filled completely I'm not sure, but I could also just get another one. Or move to a bigger place. But for now, especially with how films come and go on streaming services too, think my physical collection will only continue to grow. Not a hoarder I swear

Yeah, for sure, the irony of gaming coming back bigger and stronger than ever for the one generation I personally heard about it potentially going away non-stop (and this as someone who at the time wasn't really following game news) is hilarious to me. I think a big part of PlayStation's - and the industry's - resounding success in recent years also lies with the revitalisation of Japanese development after what happened the generation before with HD development, and I think it's two-fold: big third party Japanese publishers like Square Enix and Capcom have seen a resurgence in recent years I feel as they have not only adjusted to developing on modern platforms but have made genuinely great games as a result, but also the average consumer being more open to new and weird experiences, which I think many Japanese games can offer (for better and worse). I think it might have something to do with the globalisation of things we've seen over the last 5 - 10 years as the reach of the internet and social media has spread, such as with anime (I mean, just look at how great the Demon Slayer film is doing!), and I think we've started seeing a similar thing for international films in recent years, strengthened by things like Parasite's critical success last year. I'm not saying these things weren't big before, but to me, it feels like the general audience is more willing to take risks and try new things, accepting that a good film or game is a good film or game, and that it doesn't matter where it came from or just how "different" it is. And it's easier than ever before to get a recommendation too. On the topic of digital and physical media, when it comes to games, I tend to split between the two. If there's a big release, whether it be a remaster, remake, or a brand new game, I go with physical because it's often a little bit cheaper at launch than digital (and generally this is the case for already released games unless a game is on sale digitally too). However, if it's an indie or effectively a straight port - especially if I need to go out of my way to find a physical version - then I stick with digital. Same goes for games I tend to hop in and out of, like FIFA, or anything I play online with friends, as there are times where we have longer sessions and hop between games. Especially if it's a port of a game which would cost a small fortune physically (ahem, Suikoden). But the PS3 and Vita stores nearly going away the other week has certainly reinforced the need for physical for me, and makes me want to go through this summer and pick up everything I want from those stores anyway (pain as it is now that the web store is no longer there). It's funny you mention that, because I actually seem to have the opposite issue. Maybe it's down to the lack of folders/organisation options on the PS5 (and Switch, if I'm remembering right?), but when I buy digital games, they get absolutely buried. Even for free games like the monthly PS+ games and the PS+ Collection, I add them to my library and unless it's something I want to play in the moment, it's effectively lost to the aether once it's no longer in that row of games greeting you when you start the console up. I remember last year not too long before lockdowns started, I definitely felt like I wasn't getting the most out of some games, as my mind was already trailing to the next. I'm no @Hero-of-Time when it comes to getting through games at a decent clip (are any of us? ), but I got through more games last year than I ever have before, even with some long breaks thrown in when I wasn't feeling like gaming or was on one of my anime marathons. What helped me massively was getting a better idea of roughly how many hours I had to invest in each game to at least complete its main story (and if I enjoy it I can always stick with it for longer, which has happened a lot!) from HowLongToBeat. I had a label maker lying around, so I stuck these times on all of my games, and then I pick around 10 which are really picking my fancy and set them aside in a pile separate from my other games. Like so: Knowing that I probably play games for 2-3 hours on weekdays and 4-5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays (sometimes more, sometimes less), it made it easier for me to break down how long I'd be spending with each game, and then it just became a question of what I was in the mood for out of those. Once I get near the end of a pile I'll either clear it or add a few more if my mind has changed a little on what I want to play at the time, I just add a few more to the pile from the other games (I haven't been in the mood for a JRPG lately for instance, so action-oriented games have been getting played and replaced by others, but I do feel that pang for them starting to set in). For instance, from the above, I've been saving Squadrons for a weekend where I'm in a Star Wars mood (I played it at launch but was ill so it's been on that pile for a while now as I'll probably need to start over), and I know I could probably complete Sunshine or Galaxy during the week, maybe throw in a weekend too if I'm in a mood for hunting everything down. Obviously, I don't have this option with digital, which is why I think I have a big problem getting to some older games at the moment: it's just not taking up the mindshare that my physical pile of games are. A lot of the Nintendo games I know I want to play on the NES and SNES apps just slip to the back of my mind, though when I remember to get around to one of them, I get through a few of the digital games on my Switch, which is always nice!

I mean, considering that it goes beyond a typical stock shortage and everyone is still hamstrung by the chip shortage as a result of the pandemic, it is pretty insane that it's still managed to outsell the PS4 they've sold all that they've shipped, which is just over half of what they initially projected to have shipped by their year end. And I genuinely think the demand would have been there for it to sell double what it has done, which would have mean doubling the PS4's sales - which is insane! Crazy to think that we're all but guaranteed to see record-breaking numbers again next-gen already at this early stage because of this (obviously granted that there isn't another chip shortage some 7 more years down the road for some reason or another).

Only played for about an hour this evening. After cleaning up a couple of quests and doing a few jobs, I crossed the border with Irish to Mexico... ...and had what I'm sure would have been a great moment completely ruined by the game itself. The music started kicking in, which went on for about a minute before some wolves came at me. I'd tipped my hat and said hello to a stranger on the road before, so I knew things were somewhat muted for the music to be front and centre, so I tried to shoot at the wolves as they had already started attacking my horse. Well, another stranger on the road - who was also being targeted by said wolves - took the gunshots to mean that I wanted a firefight, and started shooting at me. My horse got killed by the wolves, I had to kill a stranger to survive, and had to stand around waiting for another horse to arrive. Tried to use my most recent auto-save to see if I could enjoy that moment properly, but because of the way the game works, I ended up at a safe place I hadn't even visited yet on the other side of Mexico. So yeah, that grinds my gears a bit. Which brings me to the AI in this game probably being where it most shows its age, because even when you capture someone alive with the lasso for someone who just got robbed/harassed/whatever in a town, everyone always seems to think I'm inclined to go on a killing spree with only my lasso out.

Xbox's results from Microsoft's Q3 FY21 are very impressive. I do wonder if they'll start sharing numbers with us again when it comes to console sales anytime soon. Though the current limitations on production and distribution, I imagine, might make them want to consider doing otherwise, when they stopped posting numbers last generation, it felt like they were essentially admitting defeat. The numbers don't even need to be better, but transparency for both console sales and Game Pass uptake I feel would be better for transparency and I think show them as being a bit more confident this time around.

Yep, really looking forward to it! And finally! Yeah, the movie and some parts of the first few seasons can definitely be rough, that's for sure. I've seen the whole show through a few times now, so when I return to it in comfortable just sticking to the essential arcs. I've had a quick flick through and if you are going to do any skipping of episodes mainly to get to The Bad Batch, I'd go with Gizmodo's essential arcs. It was put out before the seventh season was released last year, so I'd watch that based on the chronological order, then also add the first four episodes of season 7 (the introduction of the Bad Batch) as well as the last four episodes of season 7, which is the climactic finale to the show, to the end. At a rough count that's probably still some 70+ episodes, so a bit over half of the series, and I've already noticed one or two episodes missing which I'd probably stick in myself as personal picks, but aren't really all that essential. All of this being said, once you've seen 70+ episodes of the show considered essential, I personally think it might be difficult to do a more complete rewatch of the show later on, knowing that what you left out is likely weaker/not wholly necessary to the plot. Personally I think it highlights how great a job Lucas, Filoni, et al did in turning the ship around just considering how weak some parts of the earlier seasons (and the movie) were, you see the growth of the team and Filoni in particular has his identity as a director comes through more and more as the series goes on. No greater case to make for this point than considering how many weren't Ahsoka fans in the earlier seasons and film, and I think you could be missing out a bit if you care about the development of the production/writing/etc. of the show in that sense; I think sticking to only the "essential" arcs could make it seem like Ahsoka was better written than many make out from the outset. But, I guess you could also just take my word for it!

Bah, looks like you're right, I got ahead of myself. The wording of the translation I was reading made it seem like it was adding a lot. My interest has tempered, but looks like it's being received positively at least! Still, cool that it got an update now, and so far out from release too. Gives me hope that Nintendo do the obvious thing (which probably means they won't) and get some new content to other games of theirs with large install bases, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; nearly 35 million copies out in the wild, sell a nice package of stuff for £15 a pop, even if they hit only a fraction of the player base with it they'd be absolutely raking it in. Especially depending on how badly some games have been hit by COVID, it's an easier way to keep your fans happy.

Wow, they actually got around to adding stuff to it nearly two and a half years after release - I really thought it had been left for dead a long time ago! I held off on picking it up purely because I heard how little replay value there was compared to other Super Mario Party games. I'll wait for impressions, but what they're adding sounds like a lot of fun!

Continued my journey this evening and just finished up at Fort Mercer. Game's definitely got into its groove a bit more and continues to grow on me. At the moment, I've changed my approach on quests and am talking to all of the Strangers I can find, and just pick away at whatever chooses my fancy and is in the general direction I'm heading anyways. What I've learned is to not pick flowers at night, because a cougar leaping on you out of nowhere will scare the crap out of you and make you bite your own tongue What I'm quite liking is the size of the map that I've experienced so far. Everywhere feels a stone's throw away from the next, so I've found myself using the fast travel option less and less - unless it's on the other side of the map and there's nothing else to hit on the way - and just taking in the vibe if the game more, running into helpless people whose wives keep getting hung and who die the moment I arrive. Oh well Other than that, I do have one major (minor) complaint, and that is the shotgun. Every other gun I own gives at least as much feedback through the DualShock as the shotgun, and honestly, most of them make it vibrate more. It's very jarring, and gives the shotgun I own at the moment no reason at all to be picked up, because it just doesn't feel great to use. Also been some weird NPC interactions. First time I arrived at Thieves' Landing I started walking towards the saloon only for this guy to rush out with a shotgun and kill me in a couple of hits, completely unprovoked and unrelated to any of the quests I had on me. I saved a guy from a cougar who then kept running, and running, which meant the music didn't go away, which meant after my earlier run-in with a cougar I was on edge after accidentally killing my horse. Yeah, I slipped and pulled R2 for the first time ever in a video game and ended up shooting my own horse at night surrounded by a pack of cougars. Go figure! there have also been one or two times where the writing just went off. Bonnie lecturing John on being a murderer after very kindly and calmly asking for some help with tracking something down just felt really out of the blue. The game continues to grow on me. It's still rough around the edges, and I think it could definitely do with being modernised in some way, even at this early point. I know the Xbox backwards compatible versions are the best way to experience it, but forgetting all of the technical issues, it just feels a bit clunky at times, like it's getting in it's own way (such as with the map like I mentioned before), and that is where it shows its age. Whether it's just a new coat of paint or being remade to stand proudly alongside it's sequel, I think it would benefit greatly from it, because I do get the sense that there's something special there.

Developer message: Had no idea it was the 25th anniversary of the series, there are so many of them this year!

This is a win for anime: Replicant has topped the UK sales charts. Suck it and weep, FIFA I'd been looking forward to this for a while, but it was one of the game pre-orders I cancelled a couple of weeks ago after I noticed just how many games on my shelves I still hadn't touched. I went to pre-order it a few times at the start of last week but managed to stop myself Do hope those playing are having a great time!

Yeah, definitely! Between this and the Switch I'm sorted on just new titles, then you their in ports and remasters of games I haven't played and suddenly my backlog doubles in size And then if we think The Last of Us' Factions could well be aiming for the latter stages of this year (depending on how much they've fleshed it out) in October/November, it's a pretty solid year all things considered, especially seeing as there's likely more to be announced. Horizon internally is probably aiming for a Q4 2021 release, and I genuinely think, internally, that has been the aim for Final Fantasy XVI too. Now, do I actually think that either of them will actually hit this year? Forget my usual optimism, and forget COVID impacting development and every other reason to delay them, because PlayStation have seemingly shipped just over half of their reduced projected shipments (6.5 million of 11 million, reduced from 15 million) as of the end of last month. It just straight up makes zero financial sense for Square Enix to be launching a new Final Fantasy exclusively on a console with an install base a fraction of what it could be. Horizon I suppose you could make the case is cross-gen and so doesn't need to rely so heavily on the number of PS5's in the wild, but unless XVI becomes cross-gen, I think Square Enix will wisely hold out, even if they do manage to finish it by the end of the year.

Right?! I did the same, read the tweet and was like "oh cool, that's a nice trailer", then I started doing something else before seeing everyone else's responses! Would love to see some more of Little Devil Inside, agreed that it's probably a bit too early for Kena as I imagine that would be saved hopefully for something bigger in June/July?

Only mentions extended gameplay for Rift Apart and updates on indies, but still, a State of Play is a State of Play

New gameplay trailer: And looks like we'll be seeing more in this week's State of Play!