AV_Gamer

Reading this post, actually made me go back and look through my PS2 collection, and I realized I have some genuine classics, but the PS2 library was so good, you can own over one hundred games, and they can all be classified as genuine, unforgettable classics. It also made me want to replay the PS2 version copy of Splinter Cell I have. No, it's not as good as the Xbox or PC version, with its slightly inferior lighting, shorten and missing levels, but that game holds a special place in my heart.

And I never forget how I turned my PS2 into a monster of a machine, simply using a Pro Action Replay hack. I wonder if the info on how to do so is still available online like it was decades ago. Good times

It would be funny if a mode that original wasn't supposed to be in a game called Fortnite, ends up killing the overall gaming industry, or at least the AAA aspect of it. Many people forget that Fortnite was originally supposed to be a horde tower defense game. Then PUBG happened.

I finished it.

The game was short, but an enjoyable cinematic experience. It reminds me a lot of The Order 1886, that came out for the PS4 shortly after it launched. And this is the interesting thing about the game. Had it come out at launch like Microsoft wanted it to, it would've been a great showpiece for what the console was capable of. Would it have surpassed Miles Morales on PS5? Likely not, because MM is an overall better playing game, that is also a great cinematic experience and a better story. But the game would've left its mark.

The things I enjoyed about the game were definitely the visuals and the combat. Yes, it's the same as the first game, but they did a good job making it seem more immersive and epic, with chaos happening all around while the combat is happening. A huge improvement over the first game. The puzzles weren't necessary, and sadly, neither was the so-called inner voice effect with the 3D audio. While impressive and powerful in the first game, the inner voice of the women being Senua's inner mind dropped the ball. They weren't nearly as effective. They basically just repeated everything Senua was doing during the whole game in different ways. The voice of the father constantly putting doubt in her mind was much more effective.

I give this game an 8/10 myself, just for the visual presentation alone. I played this game on high settings with upscaling turned on. But then after beating it, I replayed some of it on the low setting with TSR, which is the closet thing to a native setting the game has, and it still looks amazing. That game's low settings is most other game's ultra settings.

The game clearly isn't for everyone, but I'm glad to have played it.

Dune II 8/10

Better than the first film in every way. A lot of great action and a lot of good plot direction. Still, it's a little overrated. It's not the greatest action film ever made. That arguably still goes to Terminator 2. But the movie has a lot of nice set piece moments. I'm ready for the final film in the trilogy when it comes out.

Like the others have said, good detailed write-up about how the work and labor laws are in Japan, and that Iwata took a pay cut, not out of heroics, but because he was following the laws in Japan.

But the bottomline between him and Spencer, is that Nintendo is doing fine with their 1st party support from their games, and their current console sales. Spence and Xbox are struggling, to say the least.

When you're winning, nobody cares about how the sausage is made. They only care when you're losing. That's life. If Nintendo was having the same problems Microsoft is having now, these things might have been more exposed. But, Nintendo, has done such a better job with their PR as well, that it would likely not be as effective, as I mentioned in another thread. In business and politics, perception is reality. And Nintendo has done a great job making themselves look like the family friendly alternative to Disney.

It's similar to Mark Cuban, and how he portrays himself as the cool, down to earth, rich business investor, compared to others like him, when in reality, he is no different and just as cutthroat.

The way the whole Amico thing went down, reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos fraud scandal. And while Holmes is currently serving her time in a summer camp like prison facility, she was not convicted for defrauding the common people, only the rich investors.

Markminik came out of nowhere and shock the hornets nest. Jokes aside, he is right, but so is @bigsocrates. The switch is an inferior piece of hardware, even by last-gen standards. But is also one of the best-selling consoles of all time. Almost everyone and their Mama has a Switch. I have one, but I don't play it a lot because of the outdated hardware. The last time was when F-Zero 99 came out, which is pretty good. And herein lies the strength of Nintendo. They have a strong 1st party lineup, proven over console generations. Sure, it's the same four or five franchises over and over again, especially when it comes to Mario and Zelda. But almost every game they made in those franchises have become instant classics.

Compare that to Microsoft and how they fell off with their first party franchises over the years. The only one they have that is still going strong is Forza, and since that's a racing game, and racers have only a cult following, that series still being on top is not good enough. And even then, people are starting to complain about their recent motorsport entry and the microtransactions.

Nintendo also has an almost fanatically loyal fanbase. So when Nintendo pulls some BS, the backlash doesn't hit nearly as hard as it does Microsoft and Sony. Many of the recent news that has made both Sony and Microsoft look bad, would get a mere shrug from the Nintendo crowd, if it was Nintendo behind it. The only way Nintendo gets in real trouble, is if they one day announce they are no longer making any more Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon games. If they announce they are still making them, but now you have to pay $120 for each game. Sure, some Nintendo loyalist would cry foul... but they would still buy the games.

As I've said many times in the past, what is really saving gaming right now is the Indie genre. Because small studios that are developing these games are taking chances and coming up with new innovative ideas, or taking old ones and further evolving them. Unlike the AAA space, which is too scared to try anything daring or new, because too much money is invested and the fear of the gaming flopping is too great. This is why many of these AAA developers are trying their best to create their own Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, etc. Because they believe the future is creating a game that can last forever with updates and microtransactions. This is why I will always believe Blizzard lied about the PvE push for Overwatch 2 and their real goal was to make the game a free to play model, so they can nickel and dime their players. I recently played and beaten Dave the Diver thanks to it being on PS Plus, and I see now why that game got so much love. Would've put it on my 2023 top 10, had I played it the year the game came out. One of the best games of the year. And it's getting to a point that many people's top 10 list are filled with Indies, not AAA entries. Hades II will soon be another one.

This is actually good news. We might see an Intellivision 50 collection from Atari, and anyone who was a fan of the old console, should be happy considering how well they made Atari 50. At least all that hard work won't be in vain. Funny how all the Amico saga did in the end, was exposed Tommy Tellarico for the fraud that he is.

I think the PS5 has been successful when you consider Covid and everything else that has happened, like the console barely being available for a couple of years after launch. The Xbox consoles? not so much. The Series S sold well, because it was easier to purchase than the Series X. And most people were happy with it, until games started coming out that were too powerful for the Series S to handle, quickly showing the limitations of that hardware.

Then, the Series X when available, didn't sell so well, because of the lack of good exclusive games, which is needed to give people a reason to buy the console in the first place. Microsoft claimed they didn't care, because it was all about Game Pass, but recent events have proven this not to be the case.

I think the Sony's console will continue to do well, and when the PS5 Pro comes out, it will sell well to those who can afford one. Microsoft IMO will soon be like Sega, only they will still make consoles, but focus it on Game Pass and streaming, while their games become multiplatform. Nintendo is Nintendo, they will always be fine, unless they do something really major to screw things up. They have the most loyal fanbase, and I think they already confirmed that the Switch 2 will be fully backwards compatible, so they have already gotten over a major possible hurdle.