Julius

One of the surprises of today's Showcase for me, nervous about not being familiar with the developer, but felt this has the best showing of anything in the Showcase: I am so in

Launch trailer hype Less than a month to go!

Winter 2023 per today's Showcase: FINALLY shown as part of a big show, which gives me some confidence that it's actually going to make it out this year! Some

New accessories from today's Showcase, Project Q streaming portable and wireless earbuds: In for the earbuds, because my overears get waaaaaaaaaay too warm, but not that interested in Project Q.

Finally officially official: Sorely needed gameplay imho. Would love to hear H-o-T's thoughts on this, because that trailer - especially after all the leaks! - just felt super flat.

The Backbone One - PlayStation Edition for Android finally releases today:

Been watching some HBO shows I got in box sets for my birthday/Christmas last year. Band of Brothers – abso-freakin'-lutely brilliant and harrowing watch, it's been a while since I've watched something about WWII and just been left floored (the last to do it was probably when I first watched Schindler's List?). I think we're in such a weird moment in time where everyone is so focused on defining masculinity as being this or that, soft or hard, emotionless or emotional, and shows like this are a stark reminder, to me, of what I think masculinity is about...and it has naught all to do with masculinity in the first place, it comes down to your humanity, to defining what you think is right and then taking action. The men in this show paint a picture of what that means for and to them, individually, throughout, and that's what helps to make the show truly great. Episode 10 and the final words we hear from Winters crushed me. 10/10. Chernobyl – horrible tragedy, great show. It's a tricky one for me to gauge with how certain characters are painted, particular Dyatlov, because I came away with a lot of questions about his depiction, so I won't talk about how accurate a depiction it is or isn't, but instead just praise how effective the show was in taking coming up against a force of nature and more or less turning it into a horrifying monster. The way the Geiger counter is mixed into the sound design and music ratchets the tension up more than it has any right to, and I don't think a single foot was put wrong in the show's performances. I've seen Stellan Skarsgård in a few things before, but between his performance in this, Baron Harkonnen in Dune, and as Luthen in Andor, he's quickly become one of my favourite actors for the performances he's given in recent years. Was a bit funny seeing Jared Harris in this after being most exposed to him in Mad Men, and well, there are similarities. No surprise that Craig Mazin went on to work on TLOU after this, makes complete sense, as do some of the additions made to that show's story when looking at how he handled Chernobyl. My biggest gripe with the show is probably that we have a bunch of Russians and Ukrainians portrayed mostly by Brits, which at times I found a bit distracting with their accents (I loved Jared Harris's performance but I think you'd be hard-pressed to get a more British-sounding actor of his calibre of acting), especially when you get "comrade" thrown in throughout; I'm not one to normally get hung up on details like this, but considering just how serious and localised a tragedy it was, I do think it was a huge missed opportunity. No idea if it's something they looked at, so I can only speak to how the show turned out, but those are my two cents. 9/10. The Wire – S1 I finished last week, bit of a slow burn (not at all unexpected given, I mean, it's called The Wire) but when it going, man, it reeeeeeeeally got going. I knew one or two of the actors in the show going into it, but had no idea that certain other faces (such as Lance Reddick) would be turning up. Lester and, weirdly enough, Prez, were probably my favourite of the team, and I obviously loved everything they did/are doing with Omar too. As far as first seasons go? 9/10. S2 I finished today, and well, it was somehow an even slower burn than the first season was for me, and didn't quite hit the same heights by the time it wrapped up. No idea what this show's production was like, but I'm guessing with how neatly S1 wrapped up and how S2 takes a good while to unwrap some of that to get the ball rolling again, that the show was likely renewed for S2 (and probably S3) after S1 was well under way. S2 feels like a whole lot of foundation for what's to come, even if it is still brilliantly acted, and while the main story thread at the docks was intriguing, for me I was surprised by just how much the show continued some of the first season's lingering threads, and especially to the extent that it did. 8/10. Hoping S3 isn't as slow a burn, then. Here's hoping

Ray Stevenson, the voice of Gar Saxon and set to portray Baylan in Ahsoka, has passed away at the age of 58. He is also well known for his role as Voltsagg in the Thor trilogy. May he rest in peace. Baylan was definitely one of the characters we've seen in the marketing for Ahsoka that intrigued me the most. Ray was beaming every time he took to the stage in London at Celebration last month, and he seemed really excited for the role, so I'm hoping that the character gives him the send-off he deserves with one last character he helps to make beloved.

One month out, meaning it's time for previews, apparently! Feel like I simultaneously know way too much and yet far too little about this game being a month out, but I'm excited nonetheless

Eiji Aonuma has a great interview with The Washington Post that just went up today, and it comes with the claim that the game was pretty much complete last March, but held for polish. The interview is well worth a read, but good lord, that's one hell of a choice to make! Kudos to them though, seems to have paid off and then some

Let's pretend we had no idea that this was happening because NetherRealm seem to want to challenge Ubisoft for the title of Leakiest (totally a word) Ship™ Turning into a great year for the big-hitting fighting games, between this, Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8 being scheduled for later this year/early next!

Some more details on PlayStation's accessibility controller - which they've now seemingly given an official title of 'Access controller' after previously referring to it as Project Leonardo? - have been shared for Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Good stuff

Yeah, it's definitely dropping somewhere in that autumn window. The Venom VA who broke his NDA a little while back seemed to think it was coming out in September with marketing going nuts in August, which is the same month as when the first game released in 2018, so maybe then? But we did get Miles in November (albeit tied to the PS5 launch), so anywhere in that window I guess. Love swinging around in those games Yeah, I feel like this needs to release within the next 12 months to strike while the iron is still relatively hot on the HBO series. With PlayStation's previously announced focus on delivering multiple live service games, which Factions is surely one of, and I'd say for love service games there's virtually no point in launching physical copies, or if they do, it could be an incredibly limited run. I'd say there's no chance this would happen, but I still want to throw it out there: can you imagine if the Factions trailer ended with 'T O M O R R O W'? I mean, let's face it, when it comes to live service games especially, there's increasingly little reason to market it as much as single player games, as word of mouth and social media buzz are the main force pulling players in. We don't need impressions, we don't need reviews, live service games - for me, at least - are maybe some of the best games to shadow drop, because you immediately gauge demand and interest following a showing at an event like this. So long as you have a runway to launch from and a map of where you're heading with your live service game (and there's also the benefit of not needing *everything* completed and ready to go at launch), I really think it's the way to go, and it would be especially potent with a series like TLOU, which would exponentially multiply the sort of hype a shadow drop can bring because of its existing fanbase. Again: don't think for a moment that it's happening. But I think it would be pretty stupid if one of the big players launch a live service game don't do it at some point. Yeah, Team Asobi could definitely have something to show. Astro's Playroom remains, for me, the most next-gen experience delivered, in terms of showcasing so much of what the PS5 and DualSense are capable of. I also got a little addicted to the speedrunning aspect, so that was fun I think a fully fledged game like that would be fantastic, I'm not sure if it would necessarily be selling at the upper mark on their RRPs of £70, but then again, I'd assume that their next game will have some optional/additional VR2 levels and integration thrown in too. I struggle to see their next title being VR2 exclusive, though, because that would have been a weird bet to make over the last few years with all of the things that slowed down PS5 sales for a while like the components shortage, not to mention that VR2 hasn't exactly come swinging out of the gates. Very excited for whatever they have planned next, especially if it's something including Astro. I don't know why, but typing this, I just realised I'd love for them to make a kart racer at some point in the future! Astro Kart has a lovely ring to it or Astro's Karting Adventure! I just checked something I posted in Jan and, yeah, I'd be shocked if Bluepoint aren't here in some way or another, because they've never gone more than 3 years between releases and we'll be at that 3 year mark sooner rather than later in November (to mark the 3 year anniversary of the Demon's Souls remake). I'm not sure if it will be Bloodborne, though I'd absolutely love for it to be having just played it for the first time earlier this year and I adored it (my new favourite From Soft game and in my opinion their best but some stretch of the ones I've played), but the biggest issue with that game is it's framerate, and while it could have higher fidelity assets, I don't think it would stand to gain quite as much as Demon's Souls did when it was remade. Not saying it's not happening, I'd be excited to go through it again already with a new set of polish (well, maybe not the Chalice Dungeons so much), I just feel like a remake almost comes with the expectation of a sequel at this point. It's also difficult to tell with Bluepoint because I believe they sized up and wanted to work on an original game. They could be working on a remake and an original game at the same time, but if the team were to be split like any of the other Sony teams do to manage multiple projects, that would probably mean not all being in on one project together but generally being split across two, and I do think a Bloodborne remake or something like a Metal Gear Solid remake would require a more focused approach. I think if they do have two separate projects being worked on at the same time it might be a case of it being a smaller remake (let's be honest, if they do Bloodborne or Metal Gear Solid next, where the heck do you even go from there if we're talking about taking things up a notch like they have been?) and their original game, and if that's the case, I could see the smaller game being an ICO remake. That game is rough around the edges, sure, but given the impact that game had on the industry - it always blows me away when I read developer interviews and how many times ICO crops up as a huge inspiration for devs - making it accessible and shiny for a new audience would be an interesting prospect, especially with news on Ueda's and GenDesign's game surely ~ SURELY ~ being on the horizon (by the end of the year?) at this point. Again, it's a really tricky one to gauge, because PlayStation have got a bit aggressive with upsizing the last few years, we just don't see much news on it because, well, they don't talk about it. But, for instance, Cory Barlog has been working on something new for Santa Monica Studio for a good while now, and there's a lot of reason to believe it's a new IP (and furthermore, I would guess a potential revival of the scrapped sci-fi project which was being thrown around in the early days of God of War 2018's development?). His involvement, as far as I'm aware, on Ragnarök - and from the interviews I've listened to with the game's director, Eric Williams - was kept to a minimum (he's listed as creative director and producer in the game's credits); he basically gave Eric beats to hit storywise which they would have discussed at length and was available for further discussion, but otherwise seemed to be hard at work on his own project. We also know that SMS sized up and I would guess that they have the potential to take on two projects at once after that. Personally I think it's too early for a Last of Us Part III announcement, but similar to Factions, I don't see any reason to not strike while the iron's hot, so if they have a trailer like the one for Part II to throw out there, now could be the time for it. If their next project even is Part III, I think I'd wait until after Factions and Part II's adaptation has been completed before going for Part III, and instead take a bit of a breather with a new IP or something, because they've been doing The Last of Us over there nonstop since, what, Lost Legacy in 2017? And that was small and initially DLC for Uncharted 4 which sized up to be its own game. Insomniac have already announced Wolverine, I don't think you show that here so we can focus on Spidey 2, but they showed the trailers together at the last Showcase, so they could do here, especially if the gameplay is going to be pretty different (which I imagine it will be). And then, yeah, bunch of other potential stuff on the down low, again it's hard to tell with how many studios they have now and the constant upsizing and closures (yes, Japan Studio still hurts). This is being talked about as being something of a Phase 2 unveiling for PS5, so I'd guess that there's going to be a couple of new first party studio announcements we've not got on our radars - if I'd have to guess: Asobi, Bluepoint, and maybe SMS's new IP - and obviously they've set a high bar for how many live service games they want out there, so maybe we see more of those, even beyond Factions. Yeah, I'm sure a slew of third party exclusive stuff is probably on the way too, I mean we could see Rise of Ronin again, maybe something for Death Stranding 2 with how much Kojima loves his trailers. I could see KH4 cropping up again here - we only saw that at the KH anniversary event last year if I'm remembering right? - but Rebirth I'm not too sure, what with us being just over a month out from XVI and S-E seemingly making the (wise) choice to be mum about Rebirth until XVI is out there before winding that up. Maybe we get another trailer..? But I'd be shocked if we didn't get a final trailer for XVI here, too (we've had a lot of that game the last few months and I still don't feel like I have a full grasp on it, which is nice). I think you can do both but up to this point S-E haven't seemed too interested in marketing both side by side, and we've seen it a fair bit as of late that people seem to finally understand that (direct) sequels don't need nearly as much marketing, in games especially it's nice to keep some things under wraps, so could just be a case of them keeping things quiet there too. Personally, I have full confidence in Rebirth and don't feel like I need to see much more, I'm already in, so would take a final trailer for XVI and would take a trailer for whatever Yoko Taro has in store for NieR over Rebirth right now. Don't know where Dragon Quest XII would land, but unless S-E have their own event planned, Nintendo don't seem to be lining anything up for this summer in terms of a Direct as the Switch seems to be winding down, so I'd love to see DQXII here. Otherwise, maybe something from Atlus or RGG from SEGA? Feels like we're long overdue news about something from Persona which isn't a remaster, be it a remake or 6, and Yakuza loves to turn up to these things. Oh, and Capcom. Something Street Fighter 6, for sure. Something RE, for sure (ports of the PS1 classics, please, for crying out loud?! I want to play the OGs and remakes all on the same console). Maybe something Mega Man. And lastly, Konami news. I have no idea. Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania...could be any of them, could be all of them, could be none of them. What I do know is that it's May and we still have no idea when Suikoden I&II are landing, so just give me an update on those, I don't know if that's here or elsewhere but just get it done ya pachinko-pushing pariahs

Splatoon 3 is the fastest-selling game on the Switch in Japan, not worldwide. That sold 3.45 million units in 3 days, this sold 2.24 million units in Japan in 3 days. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the fastest-selling Nintendo games of all time...with 10 million sold worldwide in 3 days. And Tears of the Kingdom just did the same. Now, based on the phrasing, I would guess that means Tears of the Kingdom came up short on taking that title (or they're still confirming figures and so just went with "fastest-selling in the franchise" for now). But that would still mean TotK is the second fastest-selling Nintendo game of all time, and that it matched the launch of the best launch for a Pokémon game. And that's all kind of nuts too. ETA: Over 4 million copies in the Americas too, per Business Wire: Well I'll be.

LET'S. FREAKING. GOOOOOOOOOOOO. The first PlayStation Showcase since September 2021 has just been announced! Very excited for this, and it's been rumoured for a good few weeks now. The rumours also said that this had been planned for the backend of last year, but got bumped in favour of studios polishing everything they had for a bigger showing. And with the only SIE-developed games with trailers at the moment being Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine, I'd say all signs point to there being a lot cooking, and plenty for us to feast on. I think the biggest sign that this will be a big show is that PlayStation are going first this summer, because, when it comes to E3 season they pretty much never go first (in fact, they pretty much always go after their most direct competitor so they can one-up them). I think that speaks to the level of confidence they have. Oh, and also, I guess they need a Spidey 2 trailer to stick in front of the new SpiderVerse film which releases the following week

10 million copies sold worldwide in its first three days of release!! Holy. Hot. Damn.

XVI is the next cover story for Game Informer! In case that tweet plays up or says it showcases sensitive content: Ain't she a beaut? Just five and a half weeks to go!

We're looking at an unsurprisingly stacked list of devs and publishers for next month's Summer Game Fest: Can't wait to catch the highlights

Eurogamer changing to a 5-star review system the day before this releases and then giving it a 4/5 lmao Yep, still there at 97 with 67 reviews now. Really want to see that next cover of Edge Right then, now I've seen the review scores but not watched a single one, I guess it's time for me to go see what all the fuss is about ETA: the Digital Foundry tech review is up, will definitely be taking a look at this one later ~

Taking my lunch break (I guess I meant in terms of talking about my time with the game, I'll leave after reviews drop )

Final two chapters of the Ask the Developer interviews for TotK are up!

ShopTo, you brilliant bastards, it's turned up a day early! (and yes I did finally break the Skyward Sword Joy-Cons out of their box just for this game ) Looks like my amiibo isn't arriving until tomorrow, but other than that, think I'll take my leave from this thread until the end of the weekend (in terms of talking about my time with the game) so that I can share some more cohesive thoughts once a few more of us are playing, and not to fill the thread up with spoiler tags and me going "OHMUHGOSH DID THEY DO IT DID THEY OR DID THEY NOT GO ALL THE WAY AND FIX THE PRO HUD?!" (also don't want to hint at anything else I might find) Hope everyone has a great first experience with the game!

Got the dispatch email myself yesterday morning around 09:00 after the email on Tuesday to say they would dispatch Wednesday/yesterday, and just woke up to find myself staring at an email saying it'll be delivered today (along with the amiibo). It's been with my local depot (which is a five minute walk at most from my apartment) since 06:00... So, uh, I don't want to jinx it, but it looks like my copy might be arriving today?

Of course pleasepleasepleaseberealpleasepleaseplease

(okay but fr I saw the tweet and then took a nap, thinking about how long it's been since a proper PlayStation Showcase...SO SUE ME)