Julius

No idea how this Collection didn't get a dedicated thread before (probably due to the silly delay between PC and console releases), but it is FINALLY getting a WIDE RETAIL RELEASE IN THE WEST! and now I feel like a right spoony bard for importing... I'll update the thread title once it has released to make this the dedicated thread for the Collection in general, but for now: FINALLY!

Of course not doesn't make the trickle any less painful though Aye, I've finally got my friends back on World, though we did start over after such a long time out. I'm ~30 hours into it and assuming I continue to enjoy it as much as I have done, have to imagine I'll be picking Wilds up on Day 1 ...with or without my friends this time, though

Vampire Survivors arrives on PS4 and PS5 on 29th August:

They just keep coming...

Per Gematsu, S-E have released some new details on the game's new episodes about Ortega (who will be voiced by Dave Jones in the English release, and Hiroki Touchi in the Japanese release). The seafaring nation of Portoga, the small cherry blossom filled island of Jipang, and the isolated desert kingdom of Ibis are the focus of the new details shared about the game's remade world. More details at the link

The game's final trailer has released: Oh it's looking GOOOOOOOOOOOD

Yeah, this is exactly how I read it: the beds turning up are absolutely just some fun trailer humour. Would love if the bed were on the cover and used on a keyring for the game to take it a step further

The game has now sold over 2 million copies, and the first major update to the game has been announced as arriving in 2025: There will also apparently be two surprises coming this summer...

Here's your reminder that the PC adapter for PSVR2 launches today:

Now confirmed for 2025, here's 15 minutes of gameplay courtesy of Totally Indie Dev™ Nexon: And a developer diary expanding on the game's lore: Anime Souls is well and truly back on the table, boys

MinnMax, created by former GI Show host Ben Hanson and a landing point for a number of former GI employees since its inception (be it as guests or part-time), will be doing what GameStop couldn't and are going to be hosting a celebration of Game Informer! Love it. Hanson's always seemed a good egg, glad he's giving many of his former co-workers and friends a platform like this, especially after what GameStop put them through at the end of last week.

2.4 million PS5s shipped this quarter, meaning 61.7 million units shipped now across the console's 3 years and 9ish month lifetime. Sales launch aligned with the PS4, which show it is still just about straggling behind its predecessor. Got to imagine that GTA VI, should it arrive next year, will be what takes it over the line. I'm sure that any sort of consistency to releasing their AAA first-party offerings would also help

Imane Khelif has made the final of the women's boxing 66 kg weight class, after all of this nonsense surrounding her time at the Olympics, meaning she will at least be a Silver medallist. Going to be something else if she wins Gold. That would be sweet ass freaking retribution, and then some.

Another video, this time on the Heavy Bowgun: Seems like we'll be getting these daily, I guess leading up to Gamescom at the end of the month and Tokyo Game Show next month? This game's marketing strategy has been really weird so far

The PS4 and Xbox One version of the game has finally been announced for release on 17th September: Still can't believe they're attempting this, already anticipating the Digital Foundry breakdown!

Having not played many a Zelda game I don't know if there's an in-universe story reason for this (if there is someone please enlighten me, I'd very curious), but I take it as basically just being a descriptor for their respective appearances? Sea Zora = look like sharks, dolphins, etc., from the sea River Zora = look like ugly river fish that grew legs (and would give you recurring nightmares if encountered out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night)

Game has gone gold:

Roadmap for the game's Season Pass has been released: Almost feels a little nostalgic because I can't even remember the last time I saw a single player Season Pass roadmap, yet here we are. Bleh.

Traversing Hyrule trailer, which gives more of an overview – lovely to see so many of the classic Zelda races in this style! Clothing options too

Saw this before I managed to get to sleep last night and I didn't know what to think about it then, and I still don't now, mainly because it could be virtually anything. It could be a standard Yakuza set in earlier times when wars were more frequent – there's a LOT of history to explore to the series, I guess, so a bit of a history lesson through the eyes of an older character could be neat. It could be a Musou. It could be an SRPG. ...or it could be a mobile game. 'Yakuza Wars' fully sound like it could be a Yakuza game But I think you're right H-o-T, the title definitely seems to like up with what they teased previously. They're in such a weird spot where a final Judgment title (which should obviously be called 'Final Judgment') seems to be in complete limbo because of the fiasco with Yagami's actor, 9 is obviously going to be a ways off seeing as we only got 8 earlier this year, it feels too soon for another Gaiden (though I do seriously hope they circle back to do another one sooner rather than later!), and so something completely fresh and a bit of a departure for the series makes total sense. Personally, I think a Yakuza SRPG could be rad, and that's probably what I'd be hoping for based on its title, but even then, there's so much space that could be – something like Valkyria Chronicles or Sakura Wars, which are both SEGA franchises? Something more like XCOM? Or even something more traditional, akin to Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics? Being a lieutenant who works your way up through the ranks of a yakuza war in SRPG fashion as an actual strategist with the typical fun side activities of Yakuza could be a blast!

Just got back from a Columbia 100th Anniversary screening of Spider-Man (Raimi's, 2002) and...wow. I watched the film a few years back in preparation for No Way Home, and it's the Spider-Man film I grew up on alongside its sequel, and it means so much to me for how large a part it played in my childhood – one of a few films which are the personification for me of much simpler times. Chills throughout, genuinely close to tearing up at points, and Danny Elfman's score for the film is just phenomenal. Some things I found interesting/funny in hindsight: • name-drops for both Eddie Brock and Dr Connors in this first Raimi film, when they turn up later on in the trilogy and it makes no real sense for them to be around at this point in the context of the trilogy. Remember when Easter eggs could be just that? • obviously Willem Dafoe's Norman is known for his mirror conversations as he spirals into his Green Goblin personality, but something I found super interesting on this re-watch which I'd never noticed before but kept a keen eye out for when I started thinking that maybe they did do it: Norman's hair swoops, face-on, from left-to-right and over, and is parted accordingly; meanwhile, obviously, this is reflected in the mirror, so it swoops from right-to-left and is parted accordingly that way. We see him without the helmet once in the film, when he pleas with Peter at the end – and which way did I think his hair would be going, and which way was it? That's right: it matched the mirror. Freaking subtext, you know what's coming anyways but the film couldn't be more clearly saying to the audience that Norman was assuming his Green Goblin persona and not that of Norman when making those pleas with Peter. • maybe my favourite takeaway straight after coming out of the theatre ~ growing up, it seemed obvious to me why Harry would hate Spidey after this film and going into the second, obviously seeing Spider-Man over his father's body at the end of the film. I feel like that's the read for just about everyone I've talked to on the film, he hates Spider-Man just because of that. While it is undeniably partly down to that, the final scene Harry and Norman share, after an entire film of Harry feeling like he'd failed his father and that their relationship could never be better, is that of an apology and a promise to do better by Harry, that he'll be a better father. Obviously this doesn't come to pass due to his demise, and so Harry is holding onto the "what if?" of his father fulfilling his promise and being the father he never got to have growing up, and the next time he seems him, he's dead – which starts his next arc and hatred of Spider-Man*. Meanwhile, this juxtaposes almost perfectly with Ben's and Peter's final talk in the car about power and responsibility, and whereas Harry and Norman have had a rough relationship but end on a high note with the promise of being better, Ben and Peter leave things on a sour note which results in Peter taking that final lesson Ben imparted to heart and assuming the role of Spider-Man, with the regret following being a result that the next time Peter sees Ben, he is about to pass away. I'm sure if Spider-Man 3 were better you'd be able to compare Spidey's chasing down of Ben's killer with Harry's chasing down of Spidey. *the real kicker here, and something I've JUST realised after getting home and checking the final scene between Norman and Harry again...Norman's hair is almost perfectly split down the middle because of how it is disheveled – so it can be said to be left somewhat ambiguous in that scene whether Norman or Goblin is in control at this point (he learns of Peter's crush on MJ which hints at Goblin, but the earnestness of his words hint at Norman – perhaps it could even be argued that this is the last time we saw Norman Osborn in the movie?). Anyways, I absolutely adored it, and it puts so many of the superhero films we get today to shame. The CGI looks a little aged at times, but it's also used sparingly, and some of that shots still genuinely look really good, particularly the final swings around NY. I genuinely think it might be my favourite (and I might also argue the best?) first film of any superhero? Maybe only Batman Begins challenges it? Spider-Man 2 next week, and I seriously can't wait. Wouldn't be surprised if that one cracks me. Otto, pizza time, and the power of the sun in the palm of my hand – sign me up

But yeah, like H-o-T said, I think it's a very understandable position to be in – I feel like we're all still in that state of playing more PS4 games than PS5, despite now being close to 4 years into the life of the console, and a lot of those older games are making their way to PC now with remasters/remakes/what have you these days anyways, so if that's where you're playing everything anyways There's part of me which feels like it might be worth waiting until next month for the probable Showcase before pulling the trigger, though, because we know next to nothing about what PlayStation's roadmap looks like for first-party games beyond this year, and if they do have a Showcase, I feel like their hand has to be forced and they have to make some worthwhile announcements, and I imagine you might be interested in a few of those. At the very least, they'll probably talk about that leaked Spidey spin-off if it's coming next year, and could also give an update on Wolverine to give us any confidence that it's coming out in the next few years (Insomniac is virtually the only studio of theirs where I put stock in a game being announced years out and making it). Besides that, though, it's the usual wait and see with all their other big studios and whether or not they actually turn up and make some announcements: Bend and the Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Naughty Dog and Santa Monica with their potential new IPs, etc., though I'm not sure how much interest you'd have in those offerings over Insomniac and their upcoming Marvel games.

Still chipping away at this, unfortunately I feel like it's the sort of game which benefits from longer, dedicated play sessions, and I haven't really been able to give it that level of attention the last few weeks Just finished off everything on Tatooine by getting the second part of the Star Forge map, the swoop races were good fun (learning that I could trade in my wins with a certain Rodian over Yavin IV made them that much sweeter), enjoyed resolving the local conflict, and a smattering of other quests were really solid too. I'm really surprised by how much I'm enjoying the side content in this game, it's doing a great job of keeping me engaged consistently whereas the main story definitely takes its time and meanders. We've also picked up HK, who has given me a few good laughs already. My reaction when seeing how the krayt dragon in this game is handled after remembering how it was handled in Mando S2: Onto the Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk next...

I...honestly can't think of any, especially if we're talking a big gaming magazine with a print media element. Which is really insane to think about, and such a massive shame you've reminded me that I want to take the time to track down certain old copies of Edge though, they have some stellar covers from time to time

Thanks H-o-T, I'll update the release date in the thread title Kind of mental to me that they're still projecting Indy makes it out this year. For crying out loud, put that one on all platforms!