I actually have some history with Cybernator aka Assault Suits Valken for the SNES. Played it at a demo kiosk in my local video game story and fell in love with it. I remember liking the graphics and specifically the damage your weapons did to the terrain on the levels. I also liked how heavy the mech felt and you had to tilt the gun in different directions. It was a very different experience from all the platform shooters at the time. I really liked the varied levels as well, with the first level being grounded and the second being a side-scrolling shooter. Honestly, I think this game still stands out in terms of graphics and gameplay.
When I played it back in the day, I didn't know what the game was called. It was stuck in the back of my head for years, until the internet became a thing and I learned it was called Cybernator. Then I learned Square put Front Mission Gun Hazard that plays almost exactly like Cybernator, but you can get out of the mech and it's a lot crazier in terms of story and gameplay. So Front Mission Gun Hazard is worth checking out if you like the look of this game.
Nice feature btw, Danny. You can tell from the quality of the content when people are doing features they're passionate about.
I'm so glad Devil May Cry 5 at least cracked the top 20. Everyone on the podcasts kept saying "it was kind of a weak year for games," and sorta dismissing it, when it's the best action game in years. Control taking #1 is awesome as well.
I wrote off Devil May Cry 5 early, wondering why the heck so many people praised it. But when Dante enters the game, it soooo much better and honestly I wish Capcom did a lot more with the DMC5's final form (when you have all the crazy upgrades). Definitely one of the biggest surprises for me personally this year and the best DMC game since the first one. Even better than DMC3.
The Last of Us is a weird one for me. I think it's one of the best games ever made, but I really didn't want them to make another one, considering how the first one wrapped up. But a lot of time has passed, so I'm OK with them making another one now. As a package, it's just too good to not continue.
Did nobody at Square Enix at any point look at this game and say some improvements would probably be needed before it ships? My god, this game is awful. The next Best of Giant Bomb Quicks just made itself I think. To be fair though, I'd pay an extra premium just to watch East play through all of it.
Selling it exclusively on Epic Game Store is just greedy to the point of being stupid. I'll buy it when it's on sale, just out of principle. Shit like this really rubs me the wrong way.
I don't know if "greedy" is the right word really. These people worked several years on the game and you can't fault them for trying to get the best return on their efforts. Maybe I'm looking at it from a specific viewpoint because as an illustrator I've put hours into certain illustrations and if Site A is going to take a 70% cut from the proceeds of my artwork and Site B is going to take a 40% cut but my fans will have to register for this new website then I will definitely go to the place that gives me a bigger cut, because it's my hard work. Is it slightly inconvenient for fans of the series? Sure no argument there. Is the Epic store a very basic launcher with minimal functionality compared to Steam that has been on the market for over a decade? Of course. Do you still get to play the game? Yah.
So hey if you're a fan, go buy it now. If you don't care, wait a year for it to get to Steam with all the patches and whatever other extra content they bolt on. Just understand that a developer trying to get as much money back from 2-3 years of investment isn't necessarily an evil or greedy move.
I can absolutely understand that developers want profits back on investment. It's just basic economy and I would love to support 4A because I liked the previous Metro games a lot. But Epic basically bought the game and they have complete monopoly on the sales. Consumers have to deal with whatever Epic charges for the game now. I don't like the practice so I'm not supporting it. Instead, I'll be buying it when I feel like it's a good deal for me and not just Epic.
Would you be more ok with buying it through the Epic Store if it was also available on Steam at the same time?
It's unlikely that I would be buying it on Epic Store if it was also available on Steam. Steam allows other licensed retailers to sell keys and I'm always looking for the best deals when it comes to pre-order incentives on new games. Exclusive content, discounts or extra credit on stores or platforms I prefer. Free market capitalism. But Epic has no competition here, so they don't have to bother. And they haven't. It's just take it or leave it.
If publishers are just going to start selling their games in one single venue because they don't like the idea of splitting some of the revenue with other retailers, the end result is less competition and it doesn't benefit the consumer at all. Expect that some people like me will just wait until the price has gone down. I can afford to buy it now, but I'll wait until I feel good about it. Wait long enough and I might not even bother at all.
Selling it exclusively on Epic Game Store is just greedy to the point of being stupid. I'll buy it when it's on sale, just out of principle. Shit like this really rubs me the wrong way.
I don't know if "greedy" is the right word really. These people worked several years on the game and you can't fault them for trying to get the best return on their efforts. Maybe I'm looking at it from a specific viewpoint because as an illustrator I've put hours into certain illustrations and if Site A is going to take a 70% cut from the proceeds of my artwork and Site B is going to take a 40% cut but my fans will have to register for this new website then I will definitely go to the place that gives me a bigger cut, because it's my hard work. Is it slightly inconvenient for fans of the series? Sure no argument there. Is the Epic store a very basic launcher with minimal functionality compared to Steam that has been on the market for over a decade? Of course. Do you still get to play the game? Yah.
So hey if you're a fan, go buy it now. If you don't care, wait a year for it to get to Steam with all the patches and whatever other extra content they bolt on. Just understand that a developer trying to get as much money back from 2-3 years of investment isn't necessarily an evil or greedy move.
I can absolutely understand that developers want profits back on investment. It's just basic economy and I would love to support 4A because I liked the previous Metro games a lot. But Epic basically bought the game and they have complete monopoly on the sales. Consumers have to deal with whatever Epic charges for the game now. I don't like the practice so I'm not supporting it. Instead, I'll be buying it when I feel like it's a good deal for me and not just Epic.
Selling it exclusively on Epic Game Store is just greedy to the point of being stupid. I'll buy it when it's on sale, just out of principle. Shit like this really rubs me the wrong way.
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