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Astro Bot (6th September 2024)

Julius

By Julius
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Hero-of-Time
Hero-of-Time

*stolen from Era.  

Julius
Julius

Launch trailer: So close I can nearly taste it  really hoping we get some cool team-ups here between the Bots to have some franchises cross streams.  Just seen that Playroom has be

Julius
Julius

Per the PS Blog, a special celebration will be held inside Astro's Playroom in the hours leading up to release:  Absolutely love this! 

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drahkon Community Regular

drahkon

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2 minutes ago, Julius said:

films/TV in the meantime...

Watch the new Adam Sandler standup on Netflix.
Then watch more Dropout.

Then play the game.

Just now, Hero-of-Time said:

Play the PS+ trial of Vampire Survivors.

Or let H-o-T get you hooked on Vampire Survivors :D I think he's completely lost in the sauce...

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Julius Proficient

Julius

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06LVRK.gif

Less than a day to go – where has the time gone, huh? My copy from ShopTo shipped this morning so should be on track to arrive tomorrow :bouncy:

Glad I didn't start anything up and took a short break from games over the last few days to ready my hunger for this one – and boy am I ready for it! This evening I'll hop into Astro's Playroom for the last few of the Special Bots and probably make sure I'm on when the celebration goes down, because I'm really curious to see what Asobi have cooked up for that. 

Then, if/when it arrives tomorrow, first order of business will be digitally upgrading to the Deluxe Edition for some more avatars :D I've got a light day at work tomorrow and Monday off with no plans for the weekend outside of playing this game, so should get some good time in with it! 

Can't wait – not long to go now at all! :bouncy:

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EEVILMURRAY Explorer

EEVILMURRAY

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Got the notifications from the Amazon also. Fingers crossed for an early pickup, but not fussed if not.

Got the fourth bot yesterday. Again riddle deez nuts. I almost cancelled my pre order when it brought to my attention I could make Astro floss.

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Julius Proficient

Julius

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Reviews have dropped...

Did someone say GOTY? :p

Currently at a 94 on Metacritic and a 94 on OpenCritic – meaning it is currently ranking as the second highest rated gaming experience of the year, behind only Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and so it the best rated standalone title of 2024 as things stand .

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Oh boys we eating gooooooood this weekend :D

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Dcubed Collaborator

Dcubed

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Not surprised it’s reviewing so highly.  It’s the right game at just the right time.  PS5 media outlets are desperate for a game like this; especially a first party exclusive that defies the usual “Sony Formula”, at a time where first party productions are seen as being at their lowest point in a long time and where the PlayStation brand is really letting long time fans down.  The review scores in this case are highly politically driven, as it flies in the face of the failed GAAS initiative and offers a long overdue celebration of the IPs left forgotten by modern Sony.

That it also looks to be a quality 3D platformer in its own right is really just the cherry on top.

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drahkon Community Regular

drahkon

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5 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Not surprised it’s reviewing so highly.  It’s the right game at just the right time.  PS5 media outlets are desperate for a game like this; especially a first party exclusive that defies the usual “Sony Formula”, at a time where first party productions are seen as being at their lowest point in a long time and where the PlayStation brand is really letting long time fans down.  The review scores in this case are highly politically driven, as it flies in the face of the failed GAAS initiative and offers a long overdue celebration of the IPs left forgotten by modern Sony.

That it also looks to be a quality 3D platformer in its own right is really just the cherry on top.

That's certainly a take.

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Dcubed Collaborator

Dcubed

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5 minutes ago, drahkon said:

That's certainly a take.

The fact that pretty much every review is gushing about how much the game revels in Playstation nostalgia tells you everything really.  It’s the rare example of nostalgia pandering coming from a company that in modern times has had no respect for its past.

At a time where people really wanted to see a return to form for first party PlayStation productions and some love shown to PlayStation’s past? Astro Bot really couldn’t have come at a better time.  It’s no wonder why it’s reviewing so well.

And that’s not a knock against the game at all.  It certainly looks like a quality 3D platformer, but these review scores are more telling of its place in the zeitgeist than they are of the game itself really.  It’s a crowd pleaser in every sense of the word.

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Hero-of-Time Proficient

Hero-of-Time

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Maybe it's just a VERY good game? The fact that it was previewing very well was pretty telling. The signs were there even when it was first shown. Plus, both other Astro Bot games are amazing platformers. It's just continuing the trend of the previous entries.

The fact that we are possibly seeing a 3D platformer as a GOTY contender that isn't made by Nintendo is great to see. it's about time others tackled the genre.

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Julius Proficient

Julius

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36 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Such a cynical view. ::shrug:

At this point I'm convinced that @Dcubed just doesn't like games that are doing and are being received well :p which is fine but...meh. It is very cynical and it's not the first time, I don't think even Nintendo makes him happy anymore ::shrug:

PS5 sells great and is still aligned with PS4 but is slightly behind? Bomb. Switch 2? Double-barrelled bomb that's going to roll off a cliff at launch. Any game wins GOTY at TGAs? It was a lock and total GOTY bait. Because, ya know, Baldur's Gate III was such an obvious lock-in last year (was up against literal Game of the Decade from the 2010s contender's sequel in Tears of the Kingdom) and pandering to that GOTY crowd in the same way that it and Elden Ring and It Takes Two were all third-person over-the-shoulder linear story-heavy GOTY bait tripe we apparently see all the time winning these awards. 

Anyways, my hopes and expectations were aimed at 90+ ratings based purely on the quality of Playroom back at the launch of the PS5, and though I haven't played Rescue Mission myself, seeing @Hero-of-Time and others gushing about it absolutely gave me every bit of confidence that Asobi would deliver here. 

I just think it seems like it's a great game, which will come as a shock to literally no-one who has played an Asobi game, and I don't think any reviewer worth their salt is seriously seeing the lean into nostalgia as something heavily impacting their scores. Should it be considered? It's part of the game, so absolutely – but it's how it's handled, not the fact that it's there, which seems to be getting praise.

That it is doing so at a time where PlayStation has maybe lost their way, and their most recent GAAS attempt in Concord has unfortunately gone the worst possible way it could have? Makes for a really interesting talking point. What was that article I was reading earlier...oh, here it is: Astro Bot Isn't A Celebration, It's A Graveyard. 

But it in no way damns the game, nor do I think it is fair to have it undermine the discussion of the game's quality. I agree with H-o-T that we should be happy and grateful that someone besides Nintendo has finally pulled the trigger in making a quality modern 3D platformer. 

 

As an aside, and to take it back to the topic at hand, my friend played Playroom for a little bit when the PS5 launched waiting for Miles Morales to install – enjoyed it but never went back. I've been turning on the heat with my excitement for Astro Bot the last few weeks and after seeing the scores he says he'll pick it up – this coming after I let him borrow my copy of Shadow of the Colossus (the remake) to play through it for the first time these last few weeks, which has spawned some great conversations (especially as he typically leans to the more Western, narrative-heavy games like those from Naughty Dog). Hell, I seem to have finally worn him down into considering playing through Bloodborne next year, too.

Does this mean I win? :D

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Julius Proficient

Julius

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Digital Foundry have dropped their tech review:

Don't think it was ever going to be the most demanding game and so I'm not surprised that it would be "virtually flawless", but I'm curious to see if there are any hitches at all and hear what they might be down to. 

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