VGChartz's Miles Gregory: "With amazing remakes of classic games, genre-defining titles, hotly anticipated sequels, and huge expansions to existing games, 2023 really spoiled gamers. Following up such a fantastic year would never be easy, and there are a lot of mysteries on the horizon. Will Nintendo release its follow up to the Switch? What are Sony’s studios working on? Will we begin to see the fruits of Microsoft's new acquisitions?
Though these burning questions are currently unanswered, we still have some fantastic games on the horizon to look forward to. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will continue the saga of Cloud Strife in Square Enix’s reimagining of what's considered to be one of the best RPGs ever made. The sequel to Capcom's cult classic Dragon's Dogma is on the horizon, as is Nintendo's remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, an entry that many consider to be the pinnacle of Mario RPGs. Fans of metroidvanias are eagerly anticipating the sequel to Hollow Knight in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Lastly, there's Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, the follow-up to Ninja Theory’s remarkable indie experience that was one-part graphical showpiece, two parts intimations of the effects of abuse and the complexity of mental health. There can be only one winner, though, so who will it be?"
Shaz from Pixel Swish: "Despite its bloated open world, ridiculous number of mini-games, and questionable narrative sensibilities that can oftentimes be at odds with itself in regards to tone, there's no denying the amount of love Square Enix has injected into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. A love that, though at times can lead to unnecessary padding, manages to keep a sense of wonder."
Agree... the pacing is awful, far too many mini games, questionable narrative choices... amazing game, loved it.
Yes you can and it’s ridiculous this keeps becoming a point of criticism. Ever played a Yakuza game? When’s the last time you heard there’s too many mini-games and it’s a valid complaint because unique gear is locked behind acing them?
This game has easily been a standout for me this gen and I loved every minute of it.
Opposite for me. It was the least enjoyable for me outof the four games. Still haven't beat it and I don't know if I will bother at this point.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II arrives August 12th optimized for PlayStation 5, and PS5 Pro Enhanced, with added features, performance mode and immersive haptic feedback for new ways to experience the award-winning and critically acclaimed next chapter of Senua’s story.
We don't have 2020.
Just a few years and discs for consoles are not a thing anymore.
Just like on PC already since 10+ years.
Yeah it's 2025, which is why it's surprising to me that the actual issue still has to be explained considering these kind of discussions have been happening for a good decade at this point.
It's not about the disc. Maybe it is for collectors, but for most people it's about ownership. Discs just happen to be the only way to get offline decentralized DRM management on console. Unless there is a digital alternative that doesn't use expiring licenses that require periodic online connectivity to be refreshed, discs are not going to be obsolete for this specific reason.
PC doesn't have the same problem as it's an open platform with ways around these issues. Ways that don't require a system level jailbreak. There even are stores that sell DRM free digital games like GoG for example. None of that exists on console, because it's a walled garden, hence discs are still a thing.
"...for most people it's about ownership"
Sure it is, as they play on a slim PS5 where the disc drive requires online activation, or a PS5 Pro where the disc drive is a totally separate purchase (and still requires that online check).
@Tacoboto: You do realize that there is a large overlap between the people complaining about the issue you're mentioning and the one I'm talking about?
Of course at some point if there is no other option, most people won't stop gaming and just take what they can get, such as in the case of the optional disc drive for example, but just because people are forced to relunctantly accept a one time online activation of a disc drive, doesn't mean they should accept always online single player games or online DRM when alternatives still exist.
Personally I won't stop gaming either, even if we go all in on online DRM, but my willingness to spend money will severely go do. I will never buy a digital only release for full price or anywhere near full price (unless I can get it DRM free like on GoG for example).
Pretty much the core reason I borrowed doom tda from a mate but have a gears reloaded pre order in.
Ive also skipped a few other games over the last 12 months to like star wars outlaws because again it wasn't on the disc it also turned out horrible so I dodged a bullet there.
I skipped buying any game keycard releases on switch 2 also
Its pretty much exclusively about ownership i dont want to spend a large amount of money on a new game inly to own it for 5 years and a publisher come to take it away.
It'd be like back in the day yamonochi from Nintendo breaking into their customers houses to steal their super mario bros carts after the all stars collection came out.
@Batman
"I will never buy a digital only release for full price"
Yeah, I too remember how no one on here, clutching their disc drives, bought Baldur's Gate 3 on release day. Biggest flop in history. No one also bought Hogwarts Legacy, because that disc is just a paper weight. Didn't break ANY sales records either, nope not at all.
Because gamers on the internet - they stay true to what they preach. It's why Xbox Live Arcade never became a thing back in the Xbox 360 days, because ewww digital games who would even.
@Tacobot
"...as they play on a slim PS5..."
He said "most" and you do know that the best selling SKU is the disc version, right? And the disc drive attachment is selling like hotcakes? This shows that many console gamers still appreciate physical.
Just quit it with the "buh buh buh...pc this, pc that..." if these gamers really want to go pc that much, they would already have! We are talking consoles here and physical has and should always be what sets it apart from pc!
What are you? Some corporate shills who are against gamers having choices?
Tacoboto, one of the dumbest arguments people like yourself are constantly making on the internet is arbitrarily grouping people together and treat them like an individual to call out some supposed hyporcrisy. How do you take a quote from my comment that specifically points to a standard I've set for myself, and then try to counter it by pointing at something that has nothing to do with me at all? I'm responsible for my own actions, not for the actions of others.
Fantastic game! I will play it again when ths launches...I love this franchise and hope we get more of it.
I bet it will make top-selling list on PSN in August...despite all the hate on N4G for this game.
Well considering how poorly it sold on PC and Xbox, you better believe that Microsoft is hoping for a strong debut on PS5 as well.
Does it really matter?
Senua´s fans on Playstation will get the opportunity to play this fantastic game, that´s all that matters.
Given the like/deslike ratio of this video on Youtube, you can really tell how some Playstation gamers opinions on NG4 in contrast with Playstation gamers out there is really night and day.
This game is hated on N4G for some reason. But it´s apparently loved out there.
Ummm, I'm 100% sure they are hoping that it sells well on PS5, I agree withy you.
They can use that $$ to fund a 3rd game in the series!
Everybody wins!!
“This game is hated on N4G for some reason.”
It’s boring and overrated imho. I couldn’t finish it, and I finish like 95% of everything I play (outside of Game Pass).
I fear the tech demo with great visuals might take a PS+ Slot sooner or later.
A damn shame the focus of the devs went so hard for the visuals and storytelling instead of gameplay.
Hollow Knight Silksong still has no release date, though the team has confirmed that it will be arriving before Holiday 2025.
FF7 Rebirth for me as well.
I'm hearing that Hellblade 2 can be completed in 6-8 hours after being in development for 5 years. Perfect for gamepass
FF7Rebirth for me but there’s a bunch of other games I want to play. Granblue, Stellar Blade, and a bunch of other games that have a physical disc. It will be interesting to see if Alan Wake 2 gets a physical print this year.
Silent Hill 2 Remake. Easily.
Persona 3 Reload, Wraith: Aeon of Ruin, Selaco, Loopers Plus, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine II, Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, Konosuba: Love For these Clothes of Desire, Twisted Tower, Lunaria: Virtualized Moonchild, Clockwork Revolution, The Last Exterminator, Date A Live: Ren Dystopia, Silent Hill 2 Remake and Metaphor for me.