there's actually a TON of people that never beat the first one. The first one, even the PS4 remake, has some absolutely atrocious gameplay that makes it very difficult for casual gamers to get through. this new remake contains even more accessibility options than TLOU2, the audio description option alone being rather groundbreaking. if you already played TLOU1 then great, but I don't think this remake is made with you in mind
Kinda lame they're locking accessibility features behind a new $70 version of their game. Also if you have a PS5 and PS+, you already have access to the PS4 version of TLOU1 because it's part of that collection of stuff.
the accessibility features are from the TLOU2 engine. I don't know why you'd expect them to release a complete engine remake as a patch
the original TLOU1 is a decade old now, I would be more surprised if it wasn't on PS+ by now
I wouldn't have expected them to spend years completely remaking a game that's already available on current gen consoles and still looks nice either. Idk, I just think it's a shame that they wasted the time of probably hundreds of people for multiple years on something I think is completely unnecessary and superfluous when they could've spent it creating something new and cool.
there's actually a TON of people that never beat the first one. The first one, even the PS4 remake, has some absolutely atrocious gameplay that makes it very difficult for casual gamers to get through. this new remake contains even more accessibility options than TLOU2, the audio description option alone being rather groundbreaking. if you already played TLOU1 then great, but I don't think this remake is made with you in mind
Kinda lame they're locking accessibility features behind a new $70 version of their game. Also if you have a PS5 and PS+, you already have access to the PS4 version of TLOU1 because it's part of that collection of stuff.
the accessibility features are from the TLOU2 engine. I don't know why you'd expect them to release a complete engine remake as a patch
the original TLOU1 is a decade old now, I would be more surprised if it wasn't on PS+ by now
I wouldn't have expected them to spend years completely remaking a game that's already available on current gen consoles and still looks nice either. Idk, I just think it's a shame that they wasted the time of probably hundreds of people for multiple years on something I think is completely unnecessary and superfluous when they could've spent it creating something new and cool.
I mean, you could make that same argument for Demon's Souls as well. in the end, it's going to allow a lot more people to play TLOU1 and beat it. if you already beat it years ago then I can certainly see not wanting to buy it at full price. no one is forcing anyone to buy it, so the outrage seems out of place especially compared to Demon's Souls which was by far even less of a 'remake' and still sold for $70
there's actually a TON of people that never beat the first one. The first one, even the PS4 remake, has some absolutely atrocious gameplay that makes it very difficult for casual gamers to get through. this new remake contains even more accessibility options than TLOU2, the audio description option alone being rather groundbreaking. if you already played TLOU1 then great, but I don't think this remake is made with you in mind
Kinda lame they're locking accessibility features behind a new $70 version of their game. Also if you have a PS5 and PS+, you already have access to the PS4 version of TLOU1 because it's part of that collection of stuff.
the accessibility features are from the TLOU2 engine. I don't know why you'd expect them to release a complete engine remake as a patch
the original TLOU1 is a decade old now, I would be more surprised if it wasn't on PS+ by now
I wouldn't have expected them to spend years completely remaking a game that's already available on current gen consoles and still looks nice either. Idk, I just think it's a shame that they wasted the time of probably hundreds of people for multiple years on something I think is completely unnecessary and superfluous when they could've spent it creating something new and cool.
I mean, you could make that same argument for Demon's Souls as well. in the end, it's going to allow a lot more people to play TLOU1 and beat it. if you already beat it years ago then I can certainly see not wanting to buy it at full price. no one is forcing anyone to buy it, so the outrage seems out of place especially compared to Demon's Souls which was by far even less of a 'remake' and still sold for $70
That's not a great argument. TLOU Part 1 deleted a major feature (multiplayer) while Demon's Souls re-enabled that feature (while also similarly making accessibility upgrades). It's also a change from a Ps3 game to a Ps5 game vs a Ps4 game to a Ps5 game. The standards of those platforms are VERY different.
shoeboxjeddy on
+7
Zavianuniversal peace sounds better than forever warRegistered Userregular
there's actually a TON of people that never beat the first one. The first one, even the PS4 remake, has some absolutely atrocious gameplay that makes it very difficult for casual gamers to get through. this new remake contains even more accessibility options than TLOU2, the audio description option alone being rather groundbreaking. if you already played TLOU1 then great, but I don't think this remake is made with you in mind
Kinda lame they're locking accessibility features behind a new $70 version of their game. Also if you have a PS5 and PS+, you already have access to the PS4 version of TLOU1 because it's part of that collection of stuff.
the accessibility features are from the TLOU2 engine. I don't know why you'd expect them to release a complete engine remake as a patch
the original TLOU1 is a decade old now, I would be more surprised if it wasn't on PS+ by now
I wouldn't have expected them to spend years completely remaking a game that's already available on current gen consoles and still looks nice either. Idk, I just think it's a shame that they wasted the time of probably hundreds of people for multiple years on something I think is completely unnecessary and superfluous when they could've spent it creating something new and cool.
I mean, you could make that same argument for Demon's Souls as well. in the end, it's going to allow a lot more people to play TLOU1 and beat it. if you already beat it years ago then I can certainly see not wanting to buy it at full price. no one is forcing anyone to buy it, so the outrage seems out of place especially compared to Demon's Souls which was by far even less of a 'remake' and still sold for $70
That's not a great argument. TLOU Part 1 deleted a major feature (multiplayer) while Demon's Souls re-enabled that feature (while also similarly making accessibility upgrades). It's also a change from a Ps3 game to a Ps5 game vs a Ps4 game to a Ps5 game. The standards of those platforms are VERY different.
personally since I already beat it, I doubt I'm going to buy it anytime soon, and certainly not for $70. I'm just saying it's VERY dismissive to say the enormous amount of work they put into making it more accessible to more players was a waste of time. Maybe YOU don't have any disabilities, but for a lot of people, these kind of in-depth options make a huge amount of difference, especially for the blind and deaf. Personally, I think it should be applauded that devs are taking the time to make their games more accessible to more gamers. Here's a full rundown of what those are and the work they put into them:
If they want accolades for the accessibility stuff, that's fine. I just don't think this release timing or pricing is appropriate. It's certainly not admirable, get outta here with that suggestion. It's a product (an EXPENSIVE product), not some kind of social good.
Is there anybody seriously and genuinely pouring one out for the lack of multiplayer in TLoU? Multiplayer in that game at the time smacked of "Well multiplayer has to be in every single game because of "market reasons" so let's stuff this bullet point into this game somehow". Did anybody even play and enjoy it?
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
Is there anybody seriously and genuinely pouring one out for the lack of multiplayer in TLoU? Multiplayer in that game at the time smacked of "Well multiplayer has to be in every single game because of "market reasons" so let's stuff this bullet point into this game somehow". Did anybody even play and enjoy it?
Is there anybody seriously and genuinely pouring one out for the lack of multiplayer in TLoU? Multiplayer in that game at the time smacked of "Well multiplayer has to be in every single game because of "market reasons" so let's stuff this bullet point into this game somehow". Did anybody even play and enjoy it?
The Last of Us multiplayer was actually pretty fantastic
I'll pick up the remake whenever I'm ready to do a replay of Pt 1 and 2, or if it goes on a deep discount before then.
Really I'm seeing this aimed at people drawn in by the TV series coming out, as well as wanting to release a version on PC with the push in that direction and realising the original engine wasn't going to cut it, and also wanting to avoid people then complaining the best version of the game was only available on PC.
Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
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0
AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
It somehow both looks better and exactly how I remember. Not worth 70 smackers.
Sony is going off the rails this gen with their $70 exclusive and remaster price point and raising their console price mid gen.
Normally I'm inclined to agree but the other day I found out China has like a record breaking heatwave that's fucking supply lines up really badly so on top of them having crazy covid restrictions still they're all roasting to death
Turns out putting all our eggs in the China basket for ... Everything was a mistake
It somehow both looks better and exactly how I remember. Not worth 70 smackers.
Personally after watching the Digital Foundry video on it yesterday I'm actually thinking I'll pick it up sooner rather than later, the AI upgrades by themselves seem like a big difference.
If I wasn't planning to do a GoW replay before Ragnarok I'd probably have ordered it already.
Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
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I'm hardly one to champion corporate greed, but when almost 2 years into a system's lifespan we're still at the 'literally can't keep them on shelves, it's rare for even hefty bundles to last more than a few days in stock' levels of demand, frankly I'm surprised they only raised the price $20 Canadian (~$15 US).
Sony will presumably have another year of massive profits, I doubt increasing the cost of the console by ~4% will be the thing that sends them to the moon.
A cursory Google'ing indicates that while 2020 was indeed a bit of a banner year, 2021 and 2022 have been a bit of a drop. Now, I believe this is Sony overall, while we're more focused specifically on the gaming side of the equation, but for a fairly modest bump in price, I'm more inclined to believe them that it's tied to sourcing parts than 'hey, let's just bilk these suckers for everything they're worth, they're paying 150-200% MSRP from scalpers, let's get a little taste of that too...'
I will also recognize that perhaps they realized that a 10-20%+ jump in one shot might've riled people up too much, but unless there's another price increase this year, that's my take on things.
We're not quite at the 'Forar can just walk into a Best Buy and grab a digital edition off the shelf on a whim' level here, but having a bundle in a cart from a few different retailers a couple of times in the last few months and choosing not to pull the trigger is closer than I'd been in the preceding year and a half.
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Was it supply issues that made their new games $70? Or determined the highest prices of their sub services? Do not provide cover for their actions, they are just nakedly greedy this gen, end of analysis.
Sony is not raising system prices in the only region that Xbox is seriously competitive. So it's very easy for Xbox to not raise prices in those other regions where it barely sells anything.
Nintendo meanwhile has always had a cushion of a hilarious amount of profit on the non-lite Switches. And I'm bracing for $400 for their next-gen hardware.
While Sony led the charge on $70 games, everyone is following there eventually.
Sony is not raising system prices in the only region that Xbox is seriously competitive. So it's very easy for Xbox to not raise prices in those other regions where it barely sells anything.
Nintendo meanwhile has always had a cushion of a hilarious amount of profit on the non-lite Switches. And I'm bracing for $400 for their next-gen hardware.
While Sony led the charge on $70 games, everyone is following there eventually.
"Sony is raising every price they believe they can get away with"... so uh, what's your argument? That they shouldn't be shit on for doing that? Because they DEFINITELY should be!
+1
AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
It somehow both looks better and exactly how I remember. Not worth 70 smackers.
Personally after watching the Digital Foundry video on it yesterday I'm actually thinking I'll pick it up sooner rather than later, the AI upgrades by themselves seem like a big difference.
If I wasn't planning to do a GoW replay before Ragnarok I'd probably have ordered it already.
My thing is, no matter how much footage I see, I always think "that's exactly how it looked when I played it." Even though that's objectively false, I can't deny I won't be getting anything new out of it since my brain keeps telling me it doesn't look any different. Marginally improved AI isn't enough to get me to bite, either.
no company raised console prices in-generation, let alone because of inflation. The tendency is to lower prices thanks to economies of scale and consolidation.
no company raised console prices in-generation, let alone because of inflation. The tendency is to lower prices thanks to economies of scale and consolidation.
I don't think there has ever been a supply side crunch quite like the chip shortage though. Maybe Sony is actually paying more now to get those chips then they were at launch? I don't know. It is a weirdly small amount that I don't think will actually effect sales one way or the other. People who wanted one and couldn't buy it are still going to wait until they can without going through a big hassle. Those of us who couldn't wait and were lucky enough to get one hopefully paid retail for it already so we don't have to worry about it.
I bought the game brand new on the PS3. I bought the DLC day 1 at full price as well. I bought the remaster at full price on day 1 on the PS4.
For me, the price threshold for buying it for a 3rd time is somewhere in the realm of 65% off (or more.) But that's just me.
Last of Us Part 1 is a fucking masterpiece of storytelling, level design, detail, audio design, and characterization. Everyone should play it. So while I personally don't have a burning desire for this remake, at least not right away, I'm certainly glad for other people to play it and enjoy it for the very first time.
LOU is truly one of those perfect 10's, no hyperbole.
I know everyone's got their own lists, but for me, LOU1 sits in a spot only held by two other games. LOU1 is a PERFECT video game. And it sits on a pedestal next to Half-Life 2 and Mass Effect 2. Games where storytelling, characters, plot, audio design, musical score, level design, gameplay, and everything else are all perfect. Sure there's tons of other great games out there. But very few perfect ones. And LOU1 is a perfect video game. So yeah. Be happy that other people get to experience it brand new for the very first time.
To actually address this, yeah kinda. I'm a big critic of sony esp raising game prices, but shit is going wrong globally for things to trend this way. Microsoft is quite literally too rich to worry about it, and Nintendo makes extremely cheap hardware to sell their really good but also cheaper to make software. Sony is selling expensive games on expensive consoles. They have a lower ceiling for sure.
Was it supply issues that made their new games $70? Or determined the highest prices of their sub services? Do not provide cover for their actions, they are just nakedly greedy this gen, end of analysis.
$70 US, or about $90 CAD, which is (give or take, depending on base edition/deluxe edition/super duper bells and whistles alpha tournament championship edition, etc) about what I've been paying for a new release.. forever? I'm pretty sure that's what I paid for Mass Effect 3 over a decade ago (though in hindsight, that might've indeed been the limited edition), and I definitely paid over a hundred bucks for a few top tier SNES games back in the 90's (which, adjusted for inflation, is probably way more than $90).
$75-100 Canadian is what I expect a new Triple A release to cost, and Sony hardly led the charge on that trend. It's also why I rarely buy at launch, especially these days where it's either "$Azeroth" for some Hyper Limited Edition with a bunch of swag that'll end up thrown out or in a drawer somewhere (and often doesn't include the actual game), so I reserve it for the rare game I'm actually willing to take the gamble on, rather than just wait for a sale or price drop 3/6/12 months later and potentially get it for a fraction of the opening asking price.
Sorry my fellow forumer, but just because that's the 'end of your analysis' doesn't mean I have to agree. It's a forum, you're welcome to your opinion, but I don't understand where the hostility is coming from. I'm not "providing cover", or 'carrying water', or whatever. They're a multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerate. I'm sure they do just fine regardless of my opinion, however high or low it might be.
Chip shortages, covid mucking with factories and distribution, container shortages, scalpers sitting on whole pallets of the damned things, etc. There are many factors present here, and boiling it down to "SONY GREEDY AND BAD, WITH ME OR AGAINST ME" is hardly conducive to a nuanced conversation.
Forar on
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Was it supply issues that made their new games $70? Or determined the highest prices of their sub services? Do not provide cover for their actions, they are just nakedly greedy this gen, end of analysis.
$70 US, or about $90 CAD, which is (give or take, depending on base edition/deluxe edition/super duper bells and whistles alpha tournament championship edition, etc) about what I've been paying for a new release.. forever? I'm pretty sure that's what I paid for Mass Effect 3 over a decade ago (though in hindsight, that might've indeed been the limited edition), and I definitely paid over a hundred bucks for a few top tier SNES games back in the 90's (which, adjusted for inflation, is probably way more than $90).
$75-100 Canadian is what I expect a new Triple A release to cost, and Sony hardly led the charge on that trend. It's also why I rarely buy at launch, especially these days where it's either "$Azeroth" for some Hyper Limited Edition with a bunch of swag that'll end up thrown out or in a drawer somewhere (and often doesn't include the actual game), so I reserve it for the rare game I'm actually willing to take the gamble on, rather than just wait for a sale or price drop 3/6/12 months later and potentially get it for a fraction of the opening asking price.
Sorry my fellow forumer, but just because that's the 'end of your analysis' doesn't mean I have to agree. It's a forum, you're welcome to your opinion, but I don't understand where the hostility is coming from. I'm not "providing cover", or 'carrying water', or whatever. They're a multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerate. I'm sure they do just fine regardless of my opinion, however high or low it might be.
Chip shortages, covid mucking with factories and distribution, container shortages, scalpers sitting on whole pallets of the damned things, etc. There are many factors present here, and boiling it down to "SONY GREEDY AND BAD, WITH ME OR AGAINST ME" is hardly conducive to a nuanced conversation.
Canadian pricing on games was $59.99, same as US, until around 2014 I think when it got bumped to $79.99. I just remember Lightning Returns was one of the first games I bought at launch at the new price point. Since then it's been $60/$80 equivilant, until this generation where it's now $70/$90.
And yeah, at that price point, I buy precious few games at launch. It has to be something fucking amazing that I need to have. Even then, barring something like a remaster that I already have prior knowledge that will be good, I'll usually wait a week or so for reviews and opinions to come out.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
Even when the core game might have been cheaper, I'd just cynically come to expect day 1 DLC or a 'digital deluxe' that pushed it closer to $100.
Sometimes that works out reasonably enough.
Sometimes your circle of friends buys a half dozen copies of Anthem and all of 2 of you end up playing it for an extended period of time.
Again, I'm not defending it, saying it's right, just, fair, or good. But it's hardly new.
At least back in the day, PC games would come with a manual the size of a small encyclopedia, filled with stats, diagrams, tips, lore, and maps.
But I picked up a PS4 in late 2017, and the only games I've paid full price for (on said PS4) were Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefront 2, Spider-Man, Anthem, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Everything else was Free 2 Play, came as part of my PSN subscription, or was snagged for half off or less on a sale.
Seeing as 2 out of the 5 games I bought at full price were controversial, if not failures on some level... whelp...
Forar on
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Even when the core game might have been cheaper, I'd just cynically come to expect day 1 DLC or a 'digital deluxe' that pushed it closer to $100.
Sometimes that works out reasonably enough.
Sometimes your circle of friends buys a half dozen copies of Anthem and all of 2 of you end up playing it for an extended period of time.
Again, I'm not defending it, saying it's right, just, fair, or good. But it's hardly new.
At least back in the day, PC games would come with a manual the size of a small encyclopedia, filled with stats, diagrams, tips, lore, and maps.
But I picked up a PS4 in late 2017, and the only games I've paid full price for (on said PS4) were Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefront 2, Spider-Man, Anthem, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Everything else was Free 2 Play, came as part of my PSN subscription, or was snagged for half off or less on a sale.
Seeing as 2 out of the 5 games I bought at full price were controversial, if not failures on some level... whelp...
Increasing the "normal" price will also increase the prices of everything else. Season passes used to be $20? Now they're $25 or $30. Why? Uh... inflation (whenever I say inflation, just assume I'm actually saying F*** you, because that's what they're doing). Collector's edition $100? Now it's $120. Etc. Ultimately, this behavior is self defeating. Normal behavior will shift even harder to sale waiting, their grand revenue totals may not increase at all. While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
If enough people had balked at paying $70, the price would have gone down.
They clearly feel that there are enough customers who are at that certain income level.
While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
If enough people had balked at paying $70, the price would have gone down.
They clearly feel that there are enough customers who are at that certain income level.
Yeah, but we're in a weird space right now. Every game has new and last gen console versions. I think the real test will be when the first next gen only games start hitting.
I'm not terribly broken up by this. The first game I ever bought back in the SNES days was $60 bucks. A hobby where prices stayed flat for decades is pretty unusual.
While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
If enough people had balked at paying $70, the price would have gone down.
They clearly feel that there are enough customers who are at that certain income level.
Yeah, but we're in a weird space right now. Every game has new and last gen console versions. I think the real test will be when the first next gen only games start hitting.
I'm not terribly broken up by this. The first game I ever bought back in the SNES days was $60 bucks. A hobby where prices stayed flat for decades is pretty unusual.
Sure but they also found other ways to get people to spend more money on a game.
urahonky on
0
DemonStaceyTTODewback's DaughterIn love with the TaySwayRegistered Userregular
I mean shit when I was a kid there were games that were *more* than the standard game price today.
And let me assure you they had a shit ton less content as well.
While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
If enough people had balked at paying $70, the price would have gone down.
They clearly feel that there are enough customers who are at that certain income level.
Agree and disagree. Consumers were successfully able to slap Sony in the face with the pricing of Horizon Forbidden West such that the Ps4 upgrade was still $60. Sony then insisted it WOULD get its $70 next time, Gadget! So the correct response is clearly to fight them tooth and nail every time because they can and HAVE buckled on this point. Which is why I'm hostile to posts that are just shrugging their shoulders. We have a literal roadmap to forcing them to be more consumer friendly and STILL you guys want to make excuses for them? What else can you call that but caping for them?
The Horizon thing only happened because they were caught on camera saying that the game would have a free upgrade. A statement made months and months prior. And in no way legally binding, so they could have easily said "Sorry, the plan has changed", which it clearly had since it stopped the process. It's honestly a small miracle they decided to honor it.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
The HFW thing was mostly about them going back on what they'd already said; they'd said it'd be a free upgrade, and people may not like companies charging more money, but when they directly go back on their word, that's a lot harder to defend, and pisses everyone off.
And there's a difference between excusing something and understanding their reasoning. Ignoring that distinction is how you go from "I understand why Darth Vader did [this evil thing]" to being treated as saying "I fully support and defend Darth Vader's actions."
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I wouldn't have expected them to spend years completely remaking a game that's already available on current gen consoles and still looks nice either. Idk, I just think it's a shame that they wasted the time of probably hundreds of people for multiple years on something I think is completely unnecessary and superfluous when they could've spent it creating something new and cool.
I mean, you could make that same argument for Demon's Souls as well. in the end, it's going to allow a lot more people to play TLOU1 and beat it. if you already beat it years ago then I can certainly see not wanting to buy it at full price. no one is forcing anyone to buy it, so the outrage seems out of place especially compared to Demon's Souls which was by far even less of a 'remake' and still sold for $70
That's not a great argument. TLOU Part 1 deleted a major feature (multiplayer) while Demon's Souls re-enabled that feature (while also similarly making accessibility upgrades). It's also a change from a Ps3 game to a Ps5 game vs a Ps4 game to a Ps5 game. The standards of those platforms are VERY different.
personally since I already beat it, I doubt I'm going to buy it anytime soon, and certainly not for $70. I'm just saying it's VERY dismissive to say the enormous amount of work they put into making it more accessible to more players was a waste of time. Maybe YOU don't have any disabilities, but for a lot of people, these kind of in-depth options make a huge amount of difference, especially for the blind and deaf. Personally, I think it should be applauded that devs are taking the time to make their games more accessible to more gamers. Here's a full rundown of what those are and the work they put into them:
https://blog.playstation.com/2022/08/26/the-last-of-us-part-i-full-list-of-accessibility-features/
PS - Local_H_Jay
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Out of a cannon.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
https://www.gamesradar.com/its-a-masterpiece-in-its-own-right-why-thousands-of-people-are-still-playing-the-last-of-us-multiplayer-six-years-after-launch/
Yes, it had a fanbase.
The Last of Us multiplayer was actually pretty fantastic
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Really I'm seeing this aimed at people drawn in by the TV series coming out, as well as wanting to release a version on PC with the push in that direction and realising the original engine wasn't going to cut it, and also wanting to avoid people then complaining the best version of the game was only available on PC.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
Normally I'm inclined to agree but the other day I found out China has like a record breaking heatwave that's fucking supply lines up really badly so on top of them having crazy covid restrictions still they're all roasting to death
Turns out putting all our eggs in the China basket for ... Everything was a mistake
Also the whole global warming thing..
PS - Local_H_Jay
Sub me on Youtube
And Twitch
Personally after watching the Digital Foundry video on it yesterday I'm actually thinking I'll pick it up sooner rather than later, the AI upgrades by themselves seem like a big difference.
If I wasn't planning to do a GoW replay before Ragnarok I'd probably have ordered it already.
PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
Sony will presumably have another year of massive profits, I doubt increasing the cost of the console by ~4% will be the thing that sends them to the moon.
A cursory Google'ing indicates that while 2020 was indeed a bit of a banner year, 2021 and 2022 have been a bit of a drop. Now, I believe this is Sony overall, while we're more focused specifically on the gaming side of the equation, but for a fairly modest bump in price, I'm more inclined to believe them that it's tied to sourcing parts than 'hey, let's just bilk these suckers for everything they're worth, they're paying 150-200% MSRP from scalpers, let's get a little taste of that too...'
I will also recognize that perhaps they realized that a 10-20%+ jump in one shot might've riled people up too much, but unless there's another price increase this year, that's my take on things.
We're not quite at the 'Forar can just walk into a Best Buy and grab a digital edition off the shelf on a whim' level here, but having a bundle in a cart from a few different retailers a couple of times in the last few months and choosing not to pull the trigger is closer than I'd been in the preceding year and a half.
Only for Sony?
Nintendo meanwhile has always had a cushion of a hilarious amount of profit on the non-lite Switches. And I'm bracing for $400 for their next-gen hardware.
While Sony led the charge on $70 games, everyone is following there eventually.
"Sony is raising every price they believe they can get away with"... so uh, what's your argument? That they shouldn't be shit on for doing that? Because they DEFINITELY should be!
My thing is, no matter how much footage I see, I always think "that's exactly how it looked when I played it." Even though that's objectively false, I can't deny I won't be getting anything new out of it since my brain keeps telling me it doesn't look any different. Marginally improved AI isn't enough to get me to bite, either.
I don't think there has ever been a supply side crunch quite like the chip shortage though. Maybe Sony is actually paying more now to get those chips then they were at launch? I don't know. It is a weirdly small amount that I don't think will actually effect sales one way or the other. People who wanted one and couldn't buy it are still going to wait until they can without going through a big hassle. Those of us who couldn't wait and were lucky enough to get one hopefully paid retail for it already so we don't have to worry about it.
PSN:Furlion
I bought the game brand new on the PS3. I bought the DLC day 1 at full price as well. I bought the remaster at full price on day 1 on the PS4.
For me, the price threshold for buying it for a 3rd time is somewhere in the realm of 65% off (or more.) But that's just me.
Last of Us Part 1 is a fucking masterpiece of storytelling, level design, detail, audio design, and characterization. Everyone should play it. So while I personally don't have a burning desire for this remake, at least not right away, I'm certainly glad for other people to play it and enjoy it for the very first time.
LOU is truly one of those perfect 10's, no hyperbole.
I know everyone's got their own lists, but for me, LOU1 sits in a spot only held by two other games. LOU1 is a PERFECT video game. And it sits on a pedestal next to Half-Life 2 and Mass Effect 2. Games where storytelling, characters, plot, audio design, musical score, level design, gameplay, and everything else are all perfect. Sure there's tons of other great games out there. But very few perfect ones. And LOU1 is a perfect video game. So yeah. Be happy that other people get to experience it brand new for the very first time.
To actually address this, yeah kinda. I'm a big critic of sony esp raising game prices, but shit is going wrong globally for things to trend this way. Microsoft is quite literally too rich to worry about it, and Nintendo makes extremely cheap hardware to sell their really good but also cheaper to make software. Sony is selling expensive games on expensive consoles. They have a lower ceiling for sure.
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$70 US, or about $90 CAD, which is (give or take, depending on base edition/deluxe edition/super duper bells and whistles alpha tournament championship edition, etc) about what I've been paying for a new release.. forever? I'm pretty sure that's what I paid for Mass Effect 3 over a decade ago (though in hindsight, that might've indeed been the limited edition), and I definitely paid over a hundred bucks for a few top tier SNES games back in the 90's (which, adjusted for inflation, is probably way more than $90).
$75-100 Canadian is what I expect a new Triple A release to cost, and Sony hardly led the charge on that trend. It's also why I rarely buy at launch, especially these days where it's either "$Azeroth" for some Hyper Limited Edition with a bunch of swag that'll end up thrown out or in a drawer somewhere (and often doesn't include the actual game), so I reserve it for the rare game I'm actually willing to take the gamble on, rather than just wait for a sale or price drop 3/6/12 months later and potentially get it for a fraction of the opening asking price.
Sorry my fellow forumer, but just because that's the 'end of your analysis' doesn't mean I have to agree. It's a forum, you're welcome to your opinion, but I don't understand where the hostility is coming from. I'm not "providing cover", or 'carrying water', or whatever. They're a multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerate. I'm sure they do just fine regardless of my opinion, however high or low it might be.
Chip shortages, covid mucking with factories and distribution, container shortages, scalpers sitting on whole pallets of the damned things, etc. There are many factors present here, and boiling it down to "SONY GREEDY AND BAD, WITH ME OR AGAINST ME" is hardly conducive to a nuanced conversation.
Canadian pricing on games was $59.99, same as US, until around 2014 I think when it got bumped to $79.99. I just remember Lightning Returns was one of the first games I bought at launch at the new price point. Since then it's been $60/$80 equivilant, until this generation where it's now $70/$90.
And yeah, at that price point, I buy precious few games at launch. It has to be something fucking amazing that I need to have. Even then, barring something like a remaster that I already have prior knowledge that will be good, I'll usually wait a week or so for reviews and opinions to come out.
Even when the core game might have been cheaper, I'd just cynically come to expect day 1 DLC or a 'digital deluxe' that pushed it closer to $100.
Sometimes that works out reasonably enough.
Sometimes your circle of friends buys a half dozen copies of Anthem and all of 2 of you end up playing it for an extended period of time.
Again, I'm not defending it, saying it's right, just, fair, or good. But it's hardly new.
At least back in the day, PC games would come with a manual the size of a small encyclopedia, filled with stats, diagrams, tips, lore, and maps.
But I picked up a PS4 in late 2017, and the only games I've paid full price for (on said PS4) were Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefront 2, Spider-Man, Anthem, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Everything else was Free 2 Play, came as part of my PSN subscription, or was snagged for half off or less on a sale.
Seeing as 2 out of the 5 games I bought at full price were controversial, if not failures on some level... whelp...
Increasing the "normal" price will also increase the prices of everything else. Season passes used to be $20? Now they're $25 or $30. Why? Uh... inflation (whenever I say inflation, just assume I'm actually saying F*** you, because that's what they're doing). Collector's edition $100? Now it's $120. Etc. Ultimately, this behavior is self defeating. Normal behavior will shift even harder to sale waiting, their grand revenue totals may not increase at all. While customers at a certain income level may not be bothered by the increase, others will be pushed out of new games at those prices. I don't believe the $70 is based on wise market analysis, I think it's based on short sighted greed.
They clearly feel that there are enough customers who are at that certain income level.
Yeah, but we're in a weird space right now. Every game has new and last gen console versions. I think the real test will be when the first next gen only games start hitting.
I'm not terribly broken up by this. The first game I ever bought back in the SNES days was $60 bucks. A hobby where prices stayed flat for decades is pretty unusual.
Sure but they also found other ways to get people to spend more money on a game.
And let me assure you they had a shit ton less content as well.
Agree and disagree. Consumers were successfully able to slap Sony in the face with the pricing of Horizon Forbidden West such that the Ps4 upgrade was still $60. Sony then insisted it WOULD get its $70 next time, Gadget! So the correct response is clearly to fight them tooth and nail every time because they can and HAVE buckled on this point. Which is why I'm hostile to posts that are just shrugging their shoulders. We have a literal roadmap to forcing them to be more consumer friendly and STILL you guys want to make excuses for them? What else can you call that but caping for them?
And there's a difference between excusing something and understanding their reasoning. Ignoring that distinction is how you go from "I understand why Darth Vader did [this evil thing]" to being treated as saying "I fully support and defend Darth Vader's actions."