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Returnal Is A “Mega-Hit” In Sony’s Eyes

Tschumi

Member
It is a glorious, unique game indeed!

CheerfulEminentIndianspinyloach-size_restricted.gif
Appreciate You Royce Da 59 GIF


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OT for the fiftieth time my prediction that this game would be a sleeper hit from the first reveal is well documented in these pages and so i own ALL the success and it is a personal triumph of mine.
 

kyoji

Member
Returnal felt like a modern nextgen version of Metroid Prime to me

Housemarqe did a superb job with this game
^ This + Prometheus/Aliens. The entire game is a vibe and is also my game of the year thus far.

I have a feeling there next game maybe more horror related Harry Krueger has been looking at alot of horror concept art on twitter, im all for it if they go that route.
 

tommib

Member
^ This + Prometheus/Aliens. The entire game is a vibe and is also my game of the year thus far.

I have a feeling there next game maybe more horror related Harry Krueger has been looking at alot of horror concept art on twitter, im all for it if they go that route.
One can only hope. I also follow him on Twitter and his interest for all things horror gives me a hard-on.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
You can platinum Ratchet in less than a dozen hours and there's no real reason to play after that. Doesn't mean it's a bad game, just be aware. I personally would say it's a toss up between Demons souls and Returnal. Just go with your personal preference and you won't be disappointed. Both are stellar games.
Yeah, Ratchet is the only one out of this bunch that's not on sale right now so I think I'll just skip it for now and wait until it's discounted.
 
True but it's still difficult to determine if it was a sales flop in their eyes. If their goal would be to sell over 100k copies then that could be seen as a success. While it pales in comparison to games that sell over 10 million copies it still can be profitable for Sony.
100k would not be a profitable amount.
It’s impressive to me that it’s low budget. It doesn’t look low budget at all.
What was the budget?
 
Honestly have no idea. I assumed a big one given how the game looks and plays.
I see some outlets described it as AA but it had a AAA price tag which is rather odd. So I imagine it cost around 10 million give or take. Sony are happy, the developer is happy, who cares how much it sold?
 

Jaysen

Banned
I see some outlets described it as AA but it had a AAA price tag which is rather odd. So I imagine it cost around 10 million give or take. Sony are happy, the developer is happy, who cares how much it sold?
Me. I want a sequel.

Actually, I want them to make a game with similar shooting and traversal mechanics, but in a more traditional single player game.
 

tommib

Member
Me. I want a sequel.

Actually, I want them to make a game with similar shooting and traversal mechanics, but in a more traditional single player game.
Add lots of horror and a killer soundtrack at the level of Returnal and I’m all in.
 

kyoji

Member
I see some outlets described it as AA but it had a AAA price tag which is rather odd. So I imagine it cost around 10 million give or take. Sony are happy, the developer is happy, who cares how much it sold?
which outlets described it as AA? that was only fanboys who never played the game every preview i read or review used Triple A, there are levels to triple A just like anything else, noone is saying its the size or budget of Gran theft auto or something but a smaller triple A yes no doubt.
 

GhostOfTsu

Banned
I'm not trying to disprove anything, what I'm saying is there's no proof that Returnal is a mega-hit

No, I don't conclude sales from acquisitions and PR. I conclude them from sales charts. I know, mind blown.
Returnal sold only half of the physical copies available on release week in Japan. Sony actually overestimated the demand for it.
You're in every UK thread saying physical sales charts don't matter, only digital. Now you are here saying PSN digital don't count, only japanese physical sales?

As usual the greens don't make any sense and keep flip-flopping.
 
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sainraja

Member
It should be.

People want a gameplay game, not stupid cinematic shit.

Returnal makes players feel like they are getting a challenge. Its hard game, and fun at the same time. Very rewarding.

This is the ps2 sony game. Not the boring ps4 sony game.

I hope they ditch the useless cinematic, and focus more on gameplay, like returnal, last of us 2 (less cinematic).

Gamers are bored from too much talking, no action game. They want to get lost in the game's world. Having fun, while playing the game.
People keep repeating this over and over to the point where it is accepted as being true when it's really not.

Playing through The Last of Us again and also going through Uncharted 4, I have to say that there is plenty of gameplay there. The only thing ND started doing with their own take on adventure & survival horror genre games was blend a character driven story; something they have mastered (yes, they can make mistakes too, I think they did with TLOU: P2 to an extent -- after thinking on the story/narrative aspect some more, I don't share every complaint that others had with it now or anymore -- but gameplay was solid). It is ND's staple now but it doesn't negate or take away from gameplay in their games, the gameplay just ends up supporting the narrative that is going on and lately they have tried to make it fit more. They even try to address criticism (some of which I think is unfair -- e.g. Nathan being a mass murderer while people conveniently forget the situations Nathan finds himself in but this argument is for another time) in sequels.

Before ND released The Last of Us we had Capcom telling us how 'moving & shooting' doesn't work in a survival horror game and now look at the RE2/3 remakes, you can move & shoot. Before anyone responds by mentioning RE6, I will say that if TLOU or Dead Space didn't happen (putting TLOU a little bit above DS given the reception TLOU got), Capcom would have used that to justify their own statements.

With Uncharted, they blended platforming (yes, I know, it's a bit on the simple part) with cover based shooting (we can also run & gun); character movement also being pretty fluid. Uncharted isn't a full scale platformer so people using the simple platforming in it as a way to downplay it is sooo stupid. I can understand people not being into it but calling their games "movies" or "cinematics" is just shallow criticism.

And please, don't start with the "not innovative" or whatever else. Have you all not been playing games the past few years? There is a lot of overlap. Studios borrow and improve upon ideas and gameplay elements.
 
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zaanan

Banned
Very average and buggy game with repetitive gameplay, directed sneaking missions and bad story?
It is a game I love to describe as - more than sum of its parts... Because every part of the game is bad but the final product was still somehow quite memorable and I kinda liked it not sure why.
Whoooosh! ;)

Talking about sales figures pardner. Days Gone was the 19th best-selling game in USA for 2019, yet Sony calls *Returnal* the mega-hit?
Also, Returnal had some major bugs n glitches, like the save issue. So I think it’s a fair question and comparison.
 

zaanan

Banned
Good point, but when talking about Days Gone one must remember how long it was in development. It must’ve cost a ton of money to support the studio for that development time, and I think Bend overshot both their scope and budget by a mile. That’s probably the main reason behind Sonys decisions regarding a sequel.
Fair enough, you may be onto something there. But respectfully, if Sony believed in the world Bend had created, I think they would have greenlit the sequel anyways. That, and the former dev’s comments about metascore make me think there’s much more to it than that.
 
I honestly think Sony qualifies success with critical praise in addition to commercial performance. I'm sure Returnal didn't bomb, but the critical acclaim and community support for the game is something that Sony seems to consider regarding a game's success. Days Gone performed well, but it didn't permeate the market in the way that they wanted. This is probably where the "mega hit" thing comes from. That and marketing fluff and marketing fluff always plays a role.
 

kingfey

Banned
People keep repeating this over and over to the point where it is accepted as being true when it's really not.

Playing through The Last of Us again and also going through Uncharted 4, I have to say that there is plenty of gameplay there. The only thing ND started doing with their own take on adventure & survival horror genre games was blend a character driven story; something they have mastered (yes, they can make mistakes too, I think they did with TLOU: P2 to an extent -- after thinking on the story/narrative aspect some more, I don't share every complaint that others had with it now or anymore -- but gameplay was solid). It is ND's staple now but it doesn't negate or take away from gameplay in their games, the gameplay just ends up supporting the narrative that is going on and lately they have tried to make it fit more. They even try to address criticism (some of which I think is unfair -- e.g. Nathan being a mass murderer while people conveniently forget the situations Nathan finds himself in but this argument is for another time) in sequels.

Before ND released The Last of Us we had Capcom telling us how 'moving & shooting' doesn't work in a survival horror game and now look at the RE2/3 remakes, you can move & shoot. Before anyone responds by mentioning RE6, I will say that if TLOU or Dead Space didn't happen (putting TLOU a little bit above DS given the reception TLOU got), Capcom would have used that to justify their own statements.

With Uncharted, they blended platforming (yes, I know, it's a bit on the simple part) with cover based shooting (we can also run & gun); character movement also being pretty fluid. Uncharted isn't a full scale platformer so people using the simple platforming in it as a way to downplay it is sooo stupid. I can understand people not being into it but calling their games "movies" or "cinematics" is just a shallow criticism.

And please, don't start with the "not innovative" or whatever else. Have you all not been playing games the past few years? There is a lot of overlap. Studios borrow and improve upon ideas and gameplay elements.
No one is making fun of the gameplay of these 2.

I liked the gameplay of last of us 2. My main issue is the cut scenes being too long.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Whoooosh! ;)

Talking about sales figures pardner. Days Gone was the 19th best-selling game in USA for 2019, yet Sony calls *Returnal* the mega-hit?
Also, Returnal had some major bugs n glitches, like the save issue. So I think it’s a fair question and comparison.
Days gone for sure sold more. Nobody talks about returnal. It even feels niche
 
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sainraja

Member
No one is making fun of the gameplay of these 2.

I liked the gameplay of last of us 2. My main issue is the cut scenes being too long.
You only need to view the cut scenes the first time and you can skip those by pausing the game.
 
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THEAP99

Banned
another thread that has nothing to do with the last of us is seemingly turned into a thread about the last of us. clearly, Druckman and co did something right
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Did Sony release sales numbers to go with this "mega hit" announcement? I've been told that unless you announce sales numbers you're just hiding a bomba. I don't agree, but that's been the narrative for years.

As long as it's enough to keep their doors open, I'm happy.
 
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No surprise if this game flopped just like DS. People don’t like to be tortured in their free time coupled with shorter attention spans is recipe for disaster. Once you get to Citadel, game stops respecting your time and cynically wants to ruin you in every way possible.
 

highrider

Banned
I be don’t know man if I ever can get a ps5 without jumping through hoops that game is probably the one I’m most interested in playing. I get a little Lost Planet but faster vibe from it. Ngl hearing about punishing difficulty isn’t a selling point though, it’s more just time.
 
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Shmunter

Member
Must be if they bought the outfit. Really enjoyed the game to a point, but I just don't have it in me to repeat over and over and shelved it.
 
No surprise if this game flopped just like DS. People don’t like to be tortured in their free time coupled with shorter attention spans is recipe for disaster. Once you get to Citadel, game stops respecting your time and cynically wants to ruin you in every way possible.
Citadel is one of the most brutal yet beautiful difficulty curves in a video game for me. Yeah Crimson Wastes is pretty tough, but Citadel will make you fucking beg for mercy. Fractured Wastes is even harder than Citadel because it forces you to go through all of the hardest challenges in one go. Abysmal Scar is legit a fun level, in my opinion. It can get pretty hectic but you reach your most powerful state in that game and Housemarque loves to make you feel like a demigod.
 

Hugare

Member
I hate rogue-like games

But I love Returnal. It's by far the best game that I've played so far on my PS5, beating R&C, Demons Souls, Miles Morales and others.

The gameplay is just delicious. Best usage of the Dualsense so far: you feel everything, the adaptive triggers feels awesome and etc.

I usualy preffer games that are heavy on story, but somehow I keep going back for Returnal. "Just one more run". Maybe because there are no loading screens and the gameplay is so fast, its very adicting.

The only negatives are the well known lack of a save mechanic and it really doesnt explain shit to you. I figured a lot of things by myself, but sometimes its annoying. I still dont know if I carry something from my past runs with me or not. Feels like I lose absolutely everything everytime I die (with the exception of stuff like the sword and etc.)

Dont know about the $70 price tag tho.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
It should be.

People want a gameplay game, not stupid cinematic shit.

Returnal makes players feel like they are getting a challenge. Its hard game, and fun at the same time. Very rewarding.

This is the ps2 sony game. Not the boring ps4 sony game.

I hope they ditch the useless cinematic, and focus more on gameplay, like returnal, last of us 2 (less cinematic).

Gamers are bored from too much talking, no action game. They want to get lost in the game's world. Having fun, while playing the game.


You're wrong! People WANT BOTH!
 

nekrik

Member
No surprise if this game flopped just like DS. People don’t like to be tortured in their free time coupled with shorter attention spans is recipe for disaster. Once you get to Citadel, game stops respecting your time and cynically wants to ruin you in every way possible.
Uh Huh Reaction GIF
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Once you get to Citadel, game stops respecting your time and cynically wants to ruin you in every way possible.

I managed through from the first try. Well, finished the game within 11 hours of release anyway. Citadel is the hardest level. Just run away when overwhelmed and be smart.
 

Jadsey

Member
They've undersold it there...

I would have gone within 'Generation Defining Masterpiece'

Having said that, that could be applied to all PlayStation first party games.
 

geary

Gold Member
how high do you think sony expected for a ps5 only game with only an install base of 10m? if its anywhere near just 1m, that would be very good.

Being an exclusive and with an install base most of enthusiastic games which were early adopters to play exclusive PS5 games, it should sell near the top limit of consoles.
Why those games bought PS5 so early in it's cycle? To play last gen games?
 

Duchess

Member
Thing is, different games are going to have different metrics for success.

Consider some other industries, such as the book publishing industry. A small publisher could sell 10,000 copies of a book and declare that a major success. For Penguin Random House, that would be a massive failure (and in extreme cases could mean them blacklisting the author for future contracts).

Sony may well have expected Returnal to sell fewer copies than it did. And there will be more sales to come, as the price drops. I'm still holding out until it hits £40, myself.
 
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