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Returnal Hands-On Impressions (PS5) – A Roguelike Of AAA Quality That Isn’t Pulling Any Punches

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
Well I really like Roguelikes(lites?) and was skeptical about it even a week ago.But it feels good to finally have one with high production value, until now it was a niche indie genre.Even 3d roguelike were not very common.
And the last previews and videos greatly reassured me.There seem to be a complex artefacts,parasites,weapon(and proficiency) and Housemarque are great at arcadey gameplay.
But as I said I was skeptical because until a few days ago we had only seen quick cuts of gameplay and weird trailers.
Those videos shows a smooth challenging gameplay even though most are basically only showing the tutorial.
It went from wait for a sale to day 1 for me(although it may help that I will undergo surgery the 29th and if I survive it will be nice to have something to play while on recovery).
I hope it's good. I plan on getting a pS5 when they re-design the monstrosity but I'm all for new IP's rather than an 11th Ratchet and Clank, 8th Resident Evil and hundreds of other spin offs, remakes, sequels, and reboots. The industry has issues.
 

Shmunter

Member
Sony can’t get rid of something that they do not own.

Returnal looks pretty interesting though and I love science fiction settings but I was never really keen on rogue like games. Certainly a game I’ll keep an eye out whenever I luck up with a PS5.

Also I’m not sure why this is being compared to Recore, I mean Recore was decent and fun in its on right but it was last gen and doesn’t really have the high quality production values that Returnal has. Returnal looks to be HMQ’s signature game for the new gen, Recore very much seemed like a pet project that a Microsoft should have given a bigger budget and more time to Armature Studios(the definitive edition of Recore fixes some of that)
They aren’t a Sony studio? Didn’t know that.

Principle still stands tho, Sony are unwaveringly fully backing it since ps3
 

azertydu91

Hard to Kill
I hope it's good. I plan on getting a pS5 when they re-design the monstrosity but I'm all for new IP's rather than an 11th Ratchet and Clank, 8th Resident Evil and hundreds of other spin offs, remakes, sequels, and reboots. The industry has issues.
Well this year will also see Kena,Returnal,Horizon,Deathloop etc...
And I would add a few things ,1 it is not specific to this industry look at the cinema this year will be like the 11th Fast&furious movie and like the 30th James Bond'and all that in a nt so crazy year due to covid).
2 if people where more open to try new IP there would be more new IP look how hard iit is to sell new IP's compared to already established ones .It's a simple cognitif bias but you already have connections to characters you already know and knowing what they will play.
3Everything is basically a remake of another thing, at least in gaming it's honest, did you know ocean's eleven is a remake of a 50's(or 60's) movie?They can also be adapted from books or foreign movie redone.So yeah everything has been done now execution differs and that's where thing change.
Look at the people comparing Returnal and Recore both can be compared on a surface and sinopsys level but in execution they have nothing in common.Even BOTW is called by its creator a remake of the 1st Zelda.Uncharted is basicaly an indiana jones/Tomb Raider remake, everything can be considered a remake/spin off and that' not specially a bad thing.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
I started the conversation to put some of your more extreme stances on the game into a better light for you and others.
Not entirely sure if we should automatically assume it's like the best rogue-like games.
Although we have seen Selene pick up some materials, we haven't seen much built variety nor many different options bringing down enemies. It's very much dodge dodge shoot. Not saying that can't be fun, just replying to your point.
I don't assume it is one of the best but i'm sure it is above average and that Housemarque knows what makes a good game.

Why this generalisation? Returnal is as much "dodge dogde shoot" as Dork Souls is "dodge dodge hit".
You have a lot of weapons here which we haven't seen half of it. From mid range to ranged combat, a sword for close quarter combat, passive equipment and each weapon with a secondary fire mode.
You have the option to choose what to pick up or what to buy while you progress through the game which leads me to think that there will be a good amount of variety through players choice.
It is exactly that they are vastly different that makes me think it's relatively tough (not impossible) to represent the story well and make it impactful.
In a way, I'd say that audiologs do hinder gameplay. When you are in heavy action you probably won't be able to pay any attention to the audiologs. When I'm not in heavy action, i'd often still need to stand still or move very little to be able to keep the focus on audiologs.
And the question still remains if the audiologs will make enough impact on players. For me personally, I never cared much for audiologs.
As you said, Dark Souls and Returnal are very different. Dark Souls is an action RPG while Returnal is a rogue-like. Dark Souls' map is vast and interconnected. It's carefully crafted by hand with tons of enemy variety, enviromental variety, equipment variety, moveset variety and variety of where you want to go first. All these things give strength to its lore and help in theory crafting. Returnal is procedurally generated and pretty much small places with very little structures etc.
At this point it is all just guessing.

An audiolog is just one stylistic device to present the story in one way. What matters is what it will tell you. We already seen Selene picking up one of her Logs and than she didn't remembered that she ever recorded that.
This implies that it could be from the future. I think just this is already really exciting. I have no problem in blasting away aliens and listen to an audiolog. Better this than to read books full of lore.
It is not interrupting gameplay at all. If you need to stand still to listen than you are interrupting the gameplay. Your whole take on the logs is pretty subjective and you are missing the point.
It is about the content they provide.

A non procedural generated game will most of the time be better in that regard. But even in games like Returnal not everything is calculated on the fly. Some parts of the levels are fixed in their appearance just not in the point they emerge.
This leaves room for intricate crafted detail. Of course you won't find as much variety in the environment. But again it is all just guessing. I have not seen all of the biomes or all the enemies.

As for the variety of the moveset i thought Dark Souls was just "dodge dodge hit". :messenger_winking:

We really have to wait and see how it turns out. An item description sound boring on paper but From Software managed to make something special out of it.
So for both games it is not about what way they choose to present their story as much more the execution itself. Housemarque definitely has to prove something here.
First of all, I wasn't talking about how we perceive sound, but what kind of sounds the environment possesses. What have you seen in the environments that produces unique cool sounds?
Second, utilizing the Tempest technology only gives you a better idea of directional sound. It won't give the guns more oomph.
When you are able to play the final game and had the possibility to hear the game completely uncompressed on a decent setup i could accept this as a stance on the games sound design.

It is not just tempest. The audio has a dedicated chip now. File size and with it render quality is increased.
The Souls titles as well as Kojima titles all have memorable theme songs, boss music as well as memorable stage/level/combat music. Returnal so far does not.
What i tried to say was that these games are often quiet and use music very specific. It is not full on orchestral galore all the time.
Overall i think this has to do with a significant difference in budget.
I have, the flora is aware of your presence, but what gameplay elements did that bring?
As for teleportation portals, I meant teleportation whilst in combat. Like door sized portals you can dash in and out of to create strategic combat.
If it's in it, I haven't seen it. Would be helpful if you provide a link with timestamp.
You are right, it seems that all this has no additional impact on the gameplay.
I was just offended because you said the game looks dead and like a cardboard western.
I'm repeating myself but we haven't seen all of the biomes as of yet.
Yes, those options are available. But what we have seen up till now are just ledges, small hills and pillars.
However, I meant verticality within the environments where you can platform high up or downwards to fight flying enemies or grounded enemies which attack with projectiles.
For now it seems a bit limited in verticality.
We don't know yet. Neither of us nor the general public have played it yet.
I am basing all these things on what I've seen. How more objective do I need to be lol?
I'm not the one automatically assuming that Returnal is like the best rogue-likes without playing.
I'm not the one automatically assuming that it can have rich lore like the Souls games.
I'm not the one automatically assuming that they can make the most use out of the Tempest technology without playing the game.
I'm not the one automatically assuming that they can have music like the Souls games or Kojima games without hearing much music from the game.
I'm not the one automatically assuming the game is worth 70 bucks.

And yes I have seen their past titles.
But I'm not the one automatically assuming that because their past titles have been good, that this title will be automatically amazing (look at CD Projekt Red and countless sequels of great games which turned into disappointments) ;).
I was sold by the first trailer in combination with their past efforts.
They earned my trust and my money with that. Housemarque still has to prove themselves to me with this game. But i gladly let them.
Although it still could turn out mediocre, recent previews lead me to believe that the game is way above average and still has a lot of secrets left.

I'm just here to give people a different take.

On the one hand you acknowledge the fact that neither of us has played the game and yet you still compare it to other games that have already been released.
That is just not fair and should be stated.
 
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I started the conversation to put some of your more extreme stances on the game into a better light for you and others.
I think me and others are really greatful for your perspective and insight. So first of all I'd like to thank you for making these insightful posts.

I don't assume it is one of the best but i'm sure it is above average and that Housemarque knows what makes a good game.

Why this generalisation? Returnal is as much "dodge dogde shoot" as Dork Souls is "dodge dodge hit".
You have a lot of weapons here which we haven't seen half of it. From mid range to ranged combat, a sword for close quarter combat, passive equipment and each weapon with a secondary fire mode.
You have the option to choose what to pick up or what to buy while you progress through the game which leads me to think that there will be a good amount of variety through players choice.
That is how I interpreted your initial reply. I guess I took it too literally.
In a way you are definitely right. However Dark Souls has an incredible amount of variety thanks to its surroundings, traps, environmental hazards, weapons, offensive and defensive spells, the ability to one hand or 2 hand weapons, parrying, stamina management, weapon multipliers and a sizeable amount of stats you can build your character with. I'm not saying that Returnal doesn't have some of these elements, but probably not all of them.
As for the elements you meantioned for Returnal, yes I have seen those. That is why I said that Returnal does in fact look fun in my initial post. For how long that stays though, is a difficult question to answer for now.
At this point it is all just guessing.

An audiolog is just one stylistic device to present the story in one way. What matters is what it will tell you. We already seen Selene picking up one of her Logs and than she didn't remembered that she ever recorded that.
This implies that it could be from the future. I think just this is already really exciting. I have no problem in blasting away aliens and listen to an audiolog. Better this than to read books full of lore.
It is not interrupting gameplay at all. If you need to stand still to listen than you are interrupting the gameplay. Your whole take on the logs is pretty subjective and you are missing the point.
It is about the content they provide.

A non procedural generated game will most of the time be better in that regard. But even in games like Returnal not everything is calculated on the fly. Some parts of the levels are fixed in their appearance just not in the point they emerge.
This leaves room for intricate crafted detail. Of course you won't find as much variety in the environment. But again it is all just guessing. I have not seen all of the biomes or all the enemies.

As for the variety of the moveset i thought Dark Souls was just "dodge dodge hit". :messenger_winking:

We really have to wait and see how it turns out. An item description sound boring on paper but From Software managed to make something special out of it.
So for both games it is not about what way they choose to present their story as much more the execution itself. Housemarque definitely has to prove something here.
I too am excited for its story, however like I said I'm not sure as in how its story will be represented. Games which choose to present the story in the way you just described often fail to impress. Returnal seems like a challenging game, for this reason I'd much rather be it to represent the story with audiologs but also have cool cutscenes to further that reward. In the case of Dark Souls it works with reading item descriptions because the environments (which are also a lot grander in scale) tell a story as well. You see statues, NPC's, enemy types, hidden locations etc etc to bring those 'boring item descriptions' to life. Dark Souls also has an enormous community which helps to piece these things together with different kinds of interpretations. Returnal can't lean on these pillars. These pillars seem either missing entirely or on a much more limited scale.
I'm not saying that Returnal can't have detailed environments, but it is a much taller order to achieve than when it's completely hand crafted.
The moveset of Dark Souls in its very very basic essence is indeed dodge dodge hit. But because of the sheer amount of variety and intracies of all the elements I mentioned in my reply to your previous quote, it feels and plays very differently.
We both know that From Software is the best of the best when it comes to lore hidden in item descriptions. Because it has all the mentioned pillars to support and give life to those descriptions. I don't think we can assume Returnal can have the same amount of detail, considering some of these pillars are not present the gameplay footage we've seen.
When you are able to play the final game and had the possibility to hear the game completely uncompressed on a decent setup i could accept this as a stance on the games sound design.

It is not just tempest. The audio has a dedicated chip now. File size and with it render quality is increased.
The fact currently is not that these sounds are already present and I want the sounds to be heightened or improved upon. But rather they are not present at all from the footage we got to witness.
What i tried to say was that these games are often quiet and use music very specific. It is not full on orchestral galore all the time.
Overall i think this has to do with a significant difference in budget.
Personally I'd say that Returnal seems to be a lot more minimalistic than the Souls and Kojima games. Compare Retrunal with the Souls games as well as Kojima games. The combat music are vastly different to Returnal in terms of feeling its presence.
You are right, it seems that all this has no additional impact on the gameplay.
I was just offended because you said the game looks dead and like a cardboard western.
I'm repeating myself but we haven't seen all of the biomes as of yet.
We haven't seen all of its biomes correct. But we have seen sizeable gameplay footage. Its purpose serves to give us as good of an impression as possible, without spoiling its story. It's meant to sell us. These features and interactivity I'd say can be put in many areas and are great selling points in my opinion.
For now it seems a bit limited in verticality.
I am glad you agree haha.
I was sold by the first trailer in combination with their past efforts.
They earned my trust and my money with that. Housemarque still has to prove themselves to me with this game. But i gladly let them.
Although it still could turn out mediocre, recent previews lead me to believe that the game is way above average and still has a lot of secrets left.

I'm just here to give people a different take.

On the one hand you acknowledge the fact that neither of us has played the game and yet you still compare it to other games that have already been released.
That is just not fair and should be stated.
I am not sold yet considering the price poin of 70 dollars and for me even 80 euros in Europe haha. But what I can say is, that it has got me more and more excited for the game. As for being way above average, I think it's fair to say that that's what Returnal needs considering a price point of 70 dollars/80 euros and its production value. Anything less would not be able to justify these prices in my opinion.
Neither of us have played it yet yes. But which do you think is more fair? Assuming things to be in the game without having seen it AND expecting these things to be great? Or judging the game by what we've seen and still giving the game a chance by having a wait and see approach to then see if I should buy it either full price or waiting for a price drop? As of now personally I'm waiting for a price drop, until proven otherwise.

Regardless, as I said in my original post, I do wish Housemarque the best as the game does seem to have a unique vibe and fun elements. Housemarque is also incredibly charming in my opinion. But that doesn't mean I'll get Returnal right away when the price point is this high and when so many questions are still unanswered.

Once again I'd like to thank you for your great points. I thoroughly enjoyed your posts. I think we just mostly have a different preference and style of approaching things.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
I think me and others are really greatful for your perspective and insight. So first of all I'd like to thank you for making these insightful posts.


That is how I interpreted your initial reply. I guess I took it too literally.
In a way you are definitely right. However Dark Souls has an incredible amount of variety thanks to its surroundings, traps, environmental hazards, weapons, offensive and defensive spells, the ability to one hand or 2 hand weapons, parrying, stamina management, weapon multipliers and a sizeable amount of stats you can build your character with. I'm not saying that Returnal doesn't have some of these elements, but probably not all of them.
As for the elements you meantioned for Returnal, yes I have seen those. That is why I said that Returnal does in fact look fun in my initial post. For how long that stays though, is a difficult question to answer for now.

I too am excited for its story, however like I said I'm not sure as in how its story will be represented. Games which choose to present the story in the way you just described often fail to impress. Returnal seems like a challenging game, for this reason I'd much rather be it to represent the story with audiologs but also have cool cutscenes to further that reward. In the case of Dark Souls it works with reading item descriptions because the environments (which are also a lot grander in scale) tell a story as well. You see statues, NPC's, enemy types, hidden locations etc etc to bring those 'boring item descriptions' to life. Dark Souls also has an enormous community which helps to piece these things together with different kinds of interpretations. Returnal can't lean on these pillars. These pillars seem either missing entirely or on a much more limited scale.
I'm not saying that Returnal can't have detailed environments, but it is a much taller order to achieve than when it's completely hand crafted.
The moveset of Dark Souls in its very very basic essence is indeed dodge dodge hit. But because of the sheer amount of variety and intracies of all the elements I mentioned in my reply to your previous quote, it feels and plays very differently.
We both know that From Software is the best of the best when it comes to lore hidden in item descriptions. Because it has all the mentioned pillars to support and give life to those descriptions. I don't think we can assume Returnal can have the same amount of detail, considering some of these pillars are not present the gameplay footage we've seen.

The fact currently is not that these sounds are already present and I want the sounds to be heightened or improved upon. But rather they are not present at all from the footage we got to witness.

Personally I'd say that Returnal seems to be a lot more minimalistic than the Souls and Kojima games. Compare Retrunal with the Souls games as well as Kojima games. The combat music are vastly different to Returnal in terms of feeling its presence.

We haven't seen all of its biomes correct. But we have seen sizeable gameplay footage. Its purpose serves to give us as good of an impression as possible, without spoiling its story. It's meant to sell us. These features and interactivity I'd say can be put in many areas and are great selling points in my opinion.

I am glad you agree haha.

I am not sold yet considering the price poin of 70 dollars and for me even 80 euros in Europe haha. But what I can say is, that it has got me more and more excited for the game. As for being way above average, I think it's fair to say that that's what Returnal needs considering a price point of 70 dollars/80 euros and its production value. Anything less would not be able to justify these prices in my opinion.
Neither of us have played it yet yes. But which do you think is more fair? Assuming things to be in the game without having seen it AND expecting these things to be great? Or judging the game by what we've seen and still giving the game a chance by having a wait and see approach to then see if I should buy it either full price or waiting for a price drop? As of now personally I'm waiting for a price drop, until proven otherwise.

Regardless, as I said in my original post, I do wish Housemarque the best as the game does seem to have a unique vibe and fun elements. Housemarque is also incredibly charming in my opinion. But that doesn't mean I'll get Returnal right away when the price point is this high and when so many questions are still unanswered.

Once again I'd like to thank you for your great points. I thoroughly enjoyed your posts. I think we just mostly have a different preference and style of approaching things.
You definitely have some well thought out arguments and with your latest reply i can understand your stance much better.
I don't have much more to add to all this and you summarized it already with you last sentence.

Lets agree to disagree.

I will try to bring more insight once i started to play the game since right now most of what i know is pretty vague and as you have read for yourself i'm assuming a lot, based on my experience with their older games.
We should definitely sit down again to have another conversation once the game is released. I'm thankful for your personal point of view!
 
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You definitely have some well thought out arguments and with your latest reply i can understand your stance much better.
I don't have much more to add to all this and you summarized it already with you last sentence.

Lets agree to disagree.

I will try to bring more insight once i started to play the game since right now most of what i know is pretty vague and as you have read for yourself i'm assuming a lot, based on my experience with their older games.
We should definitely sit down again to have another conversation once the game is released. I'm thankful for your personal point of view!
Even though I have counter arguments, i do understand your view on things. You were able to articulate your arguments really well. For what it's worth, I do hope all your expectations will come true.

I'm definitely interested in having a meaningful conversation with you, whether on Returnal or any other game we both have our eyes on. Your perspective on things are well appreciated 👌
 

skit_data

Member
I want the game to be amazing but I genuinely don't want it to sell well at 70 dollars. I don't want us to accept these price increases. They are bullshit imo.

Its just my personal opinion. If I can get a big game on disk from a retailer at a discoint I'll buy it. For example I managed to get demons souls for 54 pounds and that hurt allot but I was willing to stretch to that. It was crazy to think places were selling it at 65 to 70 pounds in the UK.

Anyway, I hope it reviews well but I'm genuinely interested to see how reviewers discuss the games cost when they receive these codes for free. Not that I really trust reviews anymore but I'm looking forward to the honest discussions a few weeks after it launches.

There's always some form of justification from people who purchase a game at full price so even if there are legit flaws I expect these may be overlooked by peeps who don't want to feel like they have any form of buyers remorse.

This is the same for every game though and not exclusive to this one. I just can't shake the fact that everything I see about this game, no matter how well it plays looks like a game that should be 40 to 50 tops. I just don't know why but its the way it is.
Real shit games that give you much less than this have always been sold at full price every gen since the start of the video game industry.

I really cant see why everyone would start crusading against this particular game unless they have an agenda or selective bias.
 
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Elios83

Member
I want the game to be amazing but I genuinely don't want it to sell well at 70 dollars. I don't want us to accept these price increases. They are bullshit imo.

Its just my personal opinion. If I can get a big game on disk from a retailer at a discoint I'll buy it. For example I managed to get demons souls for 54 pounds and that hurt allot but I was willing to stretch to that. It was crazy to think places were selling it at 65 to 70 pounds in the UK.

Anyway, I hope it reviews well but I'm genuinely interested to see how reviewers discuss the games cost when they receive these codes for free. Not that I really trust reviews anymore but I'm looking forward to the honest discussions a few weeks after it launches.

There's always some form of justification from people who purchase a game at full price so even if there are legit flaws I expect these may be overlooked by peeps who don't want to feel like they have any form of buyers remorse.

This is the same for every game though and not exclusive to this one. I just can't shake the fact that everything I see about this game, no matter how well it plays looks like a game that should be 40 to 50 tops. I just don't know why but its the way it is.

Nice concern trolling.
Not only the usual "price is too high" but also reviews will be positive but it will be either because reviewers don't factor the price (the game should be punished for its price in reviews?) while gamers will never say something bad about something they paid good money for.
The solution is simple, just don't buy it or wait until the price is right for you, if you're really interested in the game. Other people will do whatever they like with their money.
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Real shit games that give you much less than this have always been sold at full price every gen since the start of the video game industry.

I really cant see why everyone would start crusading against this particular game unless they have an agenda or selective bias.
Because games werent this expensive last gen.

In the UK, last gen the majority of games were Vailable day one at 42.99 or maybe 44.99 tops. A lot would be 39.99. We have literally seen a 20 pound price increase in disk version pricing. More if you go digital. It sucks.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Nice concern trolling.
Not only the usual "price is too high" but also reviews will be positive but it will be either because reviewers don't factor the price (the game should be punished for its price in reviews?) while gamers will never say something bad about something they paid good money for.
The solution is simple, just don't buy it or wait until the price is right for you, if you're really interested in the game. Other people will do whatever they like with their money.

You know what you are 100 percent right. I didn't mean to come across looking like I was complaining about what others do with their money. I'll pick it up when it hits a price I feel its worth.
 

skit_data

Member
Because games werent this expensive last gen.

In the UK, last gen the majority of games were Vailable day one at 42.99 or maybe 44.99 tops. A lot would be 39.99. We have literally seen a 20 pound price increase in disk version pricing. More if you go digital. It sucks.
No they weren’t, but the ratio of cost vs enjoyment has always been off in many, many titles.

Idk how many generations you have spent your own hard earned money on video games, but running the risk of buying a game thats completely trash for the same price as some of the GOAT has been around for a while. This game is clearly not trash, we have more ways on informing ourselves on wether the game is or not now than before so I just find it incredibly wierd to pick up the pitchforks and concernedbanners in this case.
Also adjusted to inflation, the price increase has been a long time coming. Games have been pretty cheap, In many cases it’s only been a slight increase since the mid 90s.

I dont love games getting more expensive, just like most things get more expensive in a economy founded on the pillars of a predictable, hopefully controlled inflation of the money we make. But hey, gotta be this games fault, eh?
 
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IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
I honestly don't need reviewers to comment on price; just actually describe the amount of content.. how long the game is, and how much variety is in that length/replayability and I'll decide if a game is worth whatever price I can find it at.
 
Edited as it was not my intention to come across as concern trolling.

Twitter still going at it?

It's where I saw some of the concern trolling posts come from. Like the one that tried to prove Returnal doesn't have RT for example.

Edit: NVM I saw the original comment. I thought you posted something similar to M MonarchJT concern trolling comment which he got banned for. My apologies.
 
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Thirty7ven

Banned
I honestly don't need reviewers to comment on price; just actually describe the amount of content.. how long the game is, and how much variety is in that length/replayability and I'll decide if a game is worth whatever price I can find it at.

It would be ridiculous otherwise. Music, movies, theater, whatever you want of the kind doesn’t get reviewed on account of the price. It’s not like games were cheap last gen and they are expensive now. If reviewers start focusing on price this gen I will laugh my ass off.
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Twitter still going at it?

It's where I saw some of the concern trolling posts come from. Like the one that tried to prove Returnal doesn't have RT for example.

Edit: NVM I saw the original comment. I thought you posted something similar to M MonarchJT concern trolling comment which he got banned for. My apologies.

No worries, I was just commenting on price I didn't mean for it to come across the way it did.

I think this game looks great and I loved resogun.
 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
It would be ridiculous otherwise. Music, movies, theater, whatever you want of the kind doesn’t get reviewed on account of the price. It’s not like games were cheap last gen and they are now. If reviewers start focusing on price this gen I will laugh my ass off.
It does get mentioned for some games that come out cheaper. And if games are coming out at different prices this gen, instead of an outright standard "$60 unless it's a small indie title" then it's not unfair to mention it.

I just don't personally need it mentioned.. I was more saying I wish reviewers actually described the value better for a game, too many reviews leave that shit out and it drives me nuts. I've read reviews for RGPs that didn't bother to describe the leveling system lol
 
No worries, I was just commenting on price I didn't mean for it to come across the way it did.

I think this game looks great and I loved resogun.

The could be worth the MSRP we have to wait and see it that's the case. What I disagree with is that all games should be included day one in a gamepass like subscription model. Some publishers really do need the sales of the retail copies to make up for the development costs. That's my opinion on price.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
The could be worth the MSRP we have to wait and see it that's the case. What I disagree with is that all games should be included day one in a gamepass like subscription model. Some publishers really do need the sales of the retail copies to make up for the development costs. That's my opinion on price.
I'm a big fan of gamepass and I completely agree with you. I want gamepass to supplement gaming, I think there should deffo be games for sale day one and then they can come to gamepass months after.
 
I'm a big fan of gamepass and I completely agree with you. I want gamepass to supplement gaming, I think there should deffo be games for sale day one and then they can come to gamepass months after.

Let's assume a world where gamepass is the only option. Developers would miss out on a ton of revenue from retail sales so they would have to replan their budgets around the subscription service. It's why I believe Gamepass can be a great supplement but gaming would change alot if it was the only option.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Let's assume a world where gamepass is the only option. Developers would miss out on a ton of revenue from retail sales so they would have to replan their budgets around the subscription service. It's why I believe Gamepass can be a great supplement but gaming would change alot if it was the only option.

Exactly, like it doesn't make sense to have netflix, disney plus etc as the only delivery services for movies. Big budget releases need to be at the cinema or for sale at launch, then after a window of time they should and can come to the subscription service.
 
so the setting, female (ahem) protagonist and enemies do look like Metroid but it really isn't a Metroidvania at all, huh?

I was expecting it to punch some might level designs, but, like most roguelikes outside Sundered, level design is mostly eschewed and pointless, an A-to-B in disguise as you rush through the maps instead of carefully exploring and trying to find ways through it.

kinda sad, but can still be pretty involving, like Dead Cells or Enter the Gungeon
 

Entroyp

Member
Which places?

Have firefox installed. Open 20+ tabs on incognito mode (or whatever FF calls it) and put yourself into the queue at PS Direct. There are many twitter accounts that notify subscribers like 30 minutes before the sale starts.

Costco, Walmart, BB, ANTonline, Sams Club all have like weekly drops. Same twitter accounts will notify subscribers when a drop.

I have bought 17 PS5s since November for my friends and family. They’re easy to get right now as I imagine demand is winding down. Easy is relative of course, you need to put some work into it.
 
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Entroyp

Member
From a few comments I’ve heard around twitter, this game will be reviewer’s worst nightmare due to the difficulty and lack of character level up mechanics.

Let’s see how that goes, I didn’t had a problem with DeS but leveling up cheesed the game a bit for me. Take that away, and who nows how gud I’d be able to get.
 
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tmlDan

Member
Target,Best Buy,Game Stop and Wal-Mart.... pretty much most of the main retailers.

You might have to buy a bundle.


Same goes for XSX.
Man, Now In Stock is a lifesaver, people really need to use it more often...its saved me many times lol
 

Shmunter

Member
so the setting, female (ahem) protagonist and enemies do look like Metroid but it really isn't a Metroidvania at all, huh?

I was expecting it to punch some might level designs, but, like most roguelikes outside Sundered, level design is mostly eschewed and pointless, an A-to-B in disguise as you rush through the maps instead of carefully exploring and trying to find ways through it.

kinda sad, but can still be pretty involving, like Dead Cells or Enter the Gungeon
I believe metrodvania elements are a big part of it according to some videos. Ability to destroy barriers, areas higher than reachable - all doable after gaining more abilities
 

Kangx

Member
I feel like this is a miss opportunity from housemarque and sony regarding the game difficulty. I have seen reviewers who complain about how brutal and hard this game is. Unlike the souls games, you can grind and beat the game, returnal mostly require good reflex to beat the game, and not everybody have good reflex. Sure you can train, but most people don't have patience for that. I was sure this game was going to get above 90 metacritic because of most positive previews, but more recent complains have me going for around 85. The gameplay, control, presentation and the graphic are top notch. A great game need more people to play. In the end, your goal to sell games to a wider audiences. I understand that housemarque have made mostly difficult game it the past. This is a major oversight. Couple the brutal difficulty with the 70 dollars, I dont think this game will sell well. I feel sorry for the developers. They have something special here and I think they drop the ball here.
 
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Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
A great game need more people to play. In the end, your goal to sell games to a wider audiences.
I get what you are trying to say but this should never be the focus of a game.

It sure is not an oversight!
 
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laynelane

Member
I feel like this is a miss opportunity from housemarque and sony regarding the game difficulty. I have seen reviewers who complain about how brutal and hard this game is. Unlike the souls games, you can grind and beat the game, returnal mostly require good reflex to beat the game, and not everybody have good reflex. Sure you can train, but most people don't have patience for that. I was sure this game was going to get above 90 metacritic because of most positive previews, but more recent complains have me going for around 85. The gameplay, control, presentation and the graphic are top notch. A great game need more people to play. In the end, your goal to sell games to a wider audiences. I understand that housemarque have made mostly difficult game it the past. This is a major oversight. Couple the brutal difficulty with the 70 dollars, I dont think this game will sell well. I feel sorry for the developers. They have something special here and I think they drop the ball here.

Maybe you should try the game for yourself before feeling sorry for the developers. As well, it's funny you should mention Souls. A franchise that does not compromise its vision to cater to the widest possible audience and is successful anyway.
 
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Xenon

Member
Games have never been cheaper. $60 when it was first introduced was more than $70 is today. Games before that were even more expensive when accounting for inflation, despite costing a small fraction of what games cost to produce today.


This looks interesting but Im not dropping $75 bucks on interesting. To me this seems like a $30-40 game. I'll get it when it gets there.
 
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