My guess is they were hoping to give themselves a nice revenue bump by shipping PVP first complete with cosmetic microtransactions or some kind of gacha metagame. Then they would have returned to the singleplayer concept with an ongoing stream of $$$. Stab in the back to the originial backers, but...that’s video games…

This is exactly how I felt when I was being crushed by Battletoads.

This resurgent trend of “punishment = fun” in gaming just makes me feel like a kid again wrapped in a deep depression because I couldn’t beat Mega Man 2.

Calling this a “Metroidvania” just makes me realize that if the actual Super Metroid or Symphony of the Night had been this hard, I wouldn’t remember them as fondly…

This in a nutshell. Toxicity will unfortunately always go hand-in-hand with Overwatch and every game like it - simply because of the sheer number of toxic people drawn to competitive multiplayer. Until human nature changes, no reporting system can be more than a bandaid on the gaping wound of racial slurs, misogyny…

SE’s gotta have that sweet, multiplayer-driven ongoing revenue. Games as service: it’s the future whether we want it to be or not.

Agreed 100% on all fronts. The experience of playing Heavy Rain was frustrating because I found myself loving the format and its ability to help you relate to the protagonist, but cringing at many of Cage’s creative choices, particularly in regards to women and minorities. It felt like a 14 year old, fedora-wearing…

I’ve always gathered that part of the FFVI’s charm in the West was the original Ted Woolsey translation, during which Kefka really came to life as a villain. Supposedly the dialogue is a bit more bland in the East (no “son of a submariner” and such), so it would make sense that its story didn’t have quite the impact…

You’re not alone in that desire...to be alone.

I ran a solo campaign covering roughly 15 years, dozens of revolving PCs and I don’t know how many hundreds of dollars spent on books. Mostly played through published adventures but also wrote quite a few of my own. Sure, I always new what was coming because I was both…

I’d be really interested in reading comparative psychological profiles of those who enjoy their games this stressful versus those who enjoy their games more relaxing and accessible.

I get that people can and do enjoy both in alternating doses, but with the internet full of “git gud” people making fun of “walking…

I sensed a great ambivalence in the industry, as if a million voices cried out with, “meh” and were suddenly unimpressed.

I watched Death Note. It was one of the few I’ve been able to watch from beginning to end. I definitely got invested in the story, but visually and stylistically it still kind of turned me off. Those behavioral tropes — though admittedly fewer — were still present. Wide-eyed, prolonged inner monologues in the middle…

Maybe you can help me. Getting into anime has been a brick wall I’ve been slamming my head up against for years. As a kid, I loved Voltron and Thundercats so it stands to reason I’d like something out there. Nevertheless I keep watching things recommended to me and walking away disappointed.

My biggest problem seems…

Unfortunately that’s the frustrating thing about the hobby. There’s no such thing as “future-proofing” a PC because technology advances so fast in both component development (GPU/CPU) and AAA game development. Today’s top of the line parts will be low-mid range in 3 years, meaning today’s 80 fps will be tomorrow’s 45…

Tifa. Childhood love over manic pixie dream girl any day of the week.

I feel for those seeking fun, competitive online multiplayer because it seems like every game in the macro-genre - FPS, MOBA, you name it - reaches peak toxicity once its popularity and saturation reaches a certain point. Developer tweaks and balance changes exacerbate that, but it just seems like overwhelming…

While it’s true that they remain married, they seemed to stop working together during production of Xenosaga Ep 2. Sources conflict as to whether she resigned from the series (she was technically a freelancer) or if she was let go. Either way, as good as Xenoblade has been, the writing’s just not the same without her.

Wouldn’t be the same unless they also brought back co-writer Soraya Saga, who was responsible to the more spiritual side of Xenogears that I thought made the game interesting and different...and felt lacking from the Xenoblade games.

Actually it’s their children and grandchildren who will be effected, many of which are already voting blue. Source: am child of a Republican climate change denier in Georgia.

Of course, but that doesn’t stop the perception of those who haven’t bought the game yet from going online, seeing the negative feedback and being scared away, or at the very least taking the franchise less seriously. That’s what a company like EA is concerned about: bad PR effecting future sales.

Listen, I enjoyed my…

You’re not alone in those fears. I’m afraid many companies once known for deep, singleplayer experiences are eyeing that GTA Online money and planning to go the way of Rockstar, pulling back from their history of solo storytelling for the sake of the multiplayer dollar.