I would tend to agree with that, just because motorsport is a bigger thing in Europe than the States in general, but yeah, I have no data to back that up. Just think it’s absurd to call one of the three big gaming companies’ best-selling IP “niche” just because it’s not a capital-G “Gamer’s game” — and even then, if I…

Pretty sure it’s Sony’s all-time best-selling IP, absolutely not niche. GT1 is the best-selling PS1 game, GT2 is the third. GT3 and GT4 were only behind San Andreas on the PS2. GT5 was second only to GTA5 on the PS3. GT Sport was down, but GT7 is the sixth best-selling game overall of 2022 according to NPD, so it…

I am both a big achievement guy and a big “let the devs do whatever they want with their art” guy. I… agree: this seems pretentious.

Hitman 2 remains one of the funniest AAA games I’ve played in the past decade. The whole series is comedic (the whole Constant bit is so over-the-top hokey), but H2 really leans into it in a way the other ones don’t (and H3 kinda disappointingly pulls back from imo). Also, the New York level might be my favorite one…

i realize i’m late to replying to this, but if you never got around to finishing it, i’d say you only got another 10-15 hours left. i beat the whole thing in about 60 hrs, but that was after maxing all jobs, getting everyone to lvl 99 (ch. 6 dungeon + monstrous medleys + growth eggs = easy peasy), and beating the…

2001 for me. GTA 3 and Halo. There are not two more important games in the 21st century. But then also, MGS 2. Tony Hawk 3. Smash Bros. Melee. Animal Crossing. Final Fantasy X (and I don’t even like FFX!). Silent Hill 2. Devil May Cry. Max Payne. Gran Turismo 3. Even stuff like Jak and Daxter, Rogue Squadron II, and…

I’m 35 hours in. I took a slight break midway through the year, but the game really holds up throughout. Just make sure to savor all the side character development stuff, as this article suggests, it truly is where the game shines. 

put. the homer picture. back. now.

just a note (and slight spoiler warning)

I’ve owned every PlayStation ever made and haven’t played 13 of these games. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, and it’s nice to get them for (essentially) free!

EDIT: Also I don’t think comparing this to Game Pass is really the move. PS Now is a much closer to analogue to that — it’s still worse, no doubt, but…

yeah, i’ve used it fairly regularly from the beginning, even for games like F1 2020 that require more precise timing. barely ever had serious issues. technically, it’s the best cloud gaming thing i’ve ever used. it’s just google’s business model that makes it a weird thing to recommend to others.

Stadia is not a great product, but it actually runs games like Destiny far better than a base PS4 or Xbox One. It’s basically a relatively modern console/mid-range gaming PC, just without any physical hardware.

I have to agree, it’s been a nice surprise. Besides the games you mentioned, I also highly recommend If Found... (prob a top 5 game for me this year) and Necrobarista for those into interactive novels, as well as Little Orpheus, which is like a comedy version of Inside (that somehow works).

desktop. yes, i spend all day working here too. but i don’t care about myself, as evidenced by the sheer number of hours i spend playing and thinking about video games

At one point do games like 2K, Madden, or FIFA just drop the pretense and become F2P live service platforms? Anyone paying $60 for this for something besides MyTeam/Ultimate Team must be a masochist. IIRC PES started to do this with its microtransaction mode, but that’s PES.

Because they’d like to. I have done lots of really challenging things in games — shout out to Max Payne 3’s New York Minute Hardcore mode — but sometimes the “game” part of the game can get in the way of what I’m actually enjoying.

hot take: crystal dynamics has made 1, maybe 2 good games ever. gex sucks, tomb raider sucks, the early legacy of kain games were maybe okay.

SMB3, Galaxy, DKC1 (which has been called “overrated” so much that i think it’s actually vastly underrated now)

ding ding ding. it takes its sweet time getting there - and the game it surrounds undermines its point - but i thought it was clear the story examines and deconstructs “misery” (except it’s really grief) then loops back around into “people and life are worth it anyway.” but hey whatever, just our reading.

i think it’s totally fine for people to primarily seek games that offer escapism. i love those too. for me, though, i also crave games that disorient and fuck with the player, especially when they’re giant AAA titles like this (or Death Stranding last year, for instance). after playing these things for so long, it’s…