Returnal's 'Tower of Sisyphus' mode might be one of the best post-launch modes added to a game. Whilst it doesn't entirely capture the arcade vibes, it's perfect in its own way and a great way to play Returnal untethered from its shortcomings.
More: backloggd.com/u/JoshM574/r...
This isn't to say how it handles the combination of elements doesn't warrant praise or that it can't be fun, I just don't think it's deserving of being held up as the peak of the medium/nominated for GOTY. If it was more artistically cohesive, then I think there's an argument.
I've changed how I view Crimson Desert which I think presents it in a more positive light, but I still find the sheer amount of praise and defence for a game so clearly ripping off others a bit weird. Even if it works/is well made, not sure how healthy that is for an already homogenising industry.
Pokémon Champions on Switch 2 has a weird bug where removing then reinserting the system from the dock gives the game a resolution boost.
We asked @cataferal.bsky.social of @digitalfoundry.bsky.social about what's going on: www.onemorecatch.site/pokemon-cham...
Returnal's 'Tower of Sisyphus' mode might be one of the best post-launch modes added to a game. Whilst it doesn't entirely capture the arcade vibes, it's perfect in its own way and a great way to play Returnal untethered from its shortcomings.
More: backloggd.com/u/JoshM574/r...
As a final note, the disconnected thematic elements feel even more hard to ignore when you consider that the game already pulls quite literally from others in ways I'd argue are kind of blatent. When the team is also making a Pokemon like game with a similar name, y'know, it's tough to deny lol
I understand why people have been enjoying it as much as they have, and even I've enjoyed it too - impressed by the attention to detail and discoveries people are making. Plus, the updates since launch have also been great.
But this can all be true for a 6/10 game scored on quality, not fun.
It's less about things making sense and - like Palworld - more just pure fun. You're given a bunch of tools to make your own fun and do whatever and go wherever. As such, the connection you build stems from personal investment rather than the game itself presenting it to you.
Also, it's totally fine if the game is essentially a blank slate when it comes to identity and thematics - maybe its identity is its collection of systems and how they work. However, this makes it pretty hollow, which I'd argue justifies some of the lower scores it received.
I think that's the thing I've yet to see anyone discuss properly: the identity of Crimson Desert.
I've seen people say story bad, gameplay good, and that the game gets 'better', but does it justify its world, why it has what it has? To me, feels like there's a lack of cohesion.
Based on the praise it's gotten when you get further in - I assume main quest-wise - I'm going to have to keep going because I could be completely wrong on it. Maybe there's explanations, maybe things do work etc. But I don't view more 'fun' inherently as it's suddenly a 10/10.
What has me concerned about potential re-reviews in the future, is that because of QoL updates, it's suddenly going to be viewed as some masterpiece. Maybe that's going too far, but I do think the game lacks inherent sauce from an artistic standpoint - even if as a game, it's decent/good.
Gonna play more of Crimson Desert before I give a more definitive verdict, but even if all its systems work together and that's why the game is fun, this feels like a surface level outlook. Imo the game lacks substance in its identity which prevents me from even comparing it to the likes of Skyrim.
I know this feeling too well lmao
Jumped into Hades tonight, and it rules. Its sense of progression is sublime - so much potential in playstyle, upgrades etc. feeling constantly rewarding yet ever increasing in difficulty.
And it's all presented with Supergiant's music/art direction that's a treat for the senses.
Been playing some Crimson Desert the last few days, and whilst I'm still relatively early (considering the size of the game lol), I got to write a list of tips for Eurogamer, covering things to look into if you're just getting started in Pywel: www.eurogamer.net/things-to-do...
Though as a side note, I am liking the game more with a higher difficulty and it's nice to have this in a game that I felt was on the short side. Curious to know how this changes going into Challenge Mode.
Replaying Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, it baffles me why they didn't add more (any?) i-frames when using the Rift Tether. It locks you into its animation for so long there's a high chance you get hit using it in combat and which can feel pretty bad. Also the radius of some AoE attacks are wild lol
Had the pleasure of working with Will over a couple of Black Fridays which was always a blast. Sending all my best wishes to everyone.
Hello everyone. I come with the sad news that as you are no doubt already aware, we're saying goodbye to several of our friends and colleagues here at Eurogamer. Leaving us are Tom Orry, our editorial director; our video team of Ian Higton, Zoe Delahunty-Light, and Alix Attenborough; Alex Donaldson, our editor-at-large; and Will Judd, who worked across Digital Foundry, hardware and deals. I'll start with Tom, who over the past year-plus had made himself a hugely valuable source of advice, expertise, desert-dry humour and world class poker faces (I think we just about made him laugh once, for a moment, on his final day). Tom initially began the role when Tom Phillips was our editor-in-chief here, mostly working away diligently in the background in a two-Tom-tandem doing editorial director things, before taking on a more prominent role on the site itself over the past 11 or 12 months, gracing us with some signature console nostalgia and unjustifiably intense Project Gotham Racing enthusiasm. Tom, Dom, Alex and I, along with the rest of the team, worked together closely on what a 'new Eurogamer' might look like last year, and his experience in running multiple games media sites was consistently our rock to lean on. While he may have initially seemed an outsider of sorts compared to Eurogamer chiefs of old - at least to some on the surface, coming from his 20-plus years across our sister sites VG247 and USGamer, and before that the cult-favourite site he founded in our once-rival VideoGamer - I can't stress enough how much Tom 'got' Eurogamer. His goal was for us to be at the heart of the big stories that mattered most to our readers with original, diligent reporting and on-the-button commentary, and that will absolutely continue. In immaculately on-brand, limelight-dodging Orry style, Tom opted to sneak his farewell into this past weekend's What We've Been Playing column, but I'll be damned if he gets away with it that easily. Sorry Tom. Here's what he had to say…
From myself and the whole team at @eurogamer.bsky.social, a very fond farewell and huge thank you to our friends and colleagues (thread).💙
NEW: Sony no longer plans to release PlayStation games on PC, sources tell Bloomberg News, a major shift in strategy that sees the console maker returning to exclusivity after six years of flirting with multiplatform.
Ghost of Yotei and Saros are not coming to PC. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
It's def fun enough that I wanted to replay it right after finishing it tho, but I think that partly speaks to my wish there was more going on, particularly for Leon.
I'm thankful I ended up liking RE4R more the past few weeks tho and had fun with a randomizer I still want to mess around with.
Finished #RE9 and a bit disappointed tbh. It's a good game, but not quite up there with the best, missing the mark in a few ways - namely Leon sections that could've done with more enemy variety and density. Grace's sections/first half however are great!
More thoughts: backloggd.com/u/JoshM574/r...
PERSONAL NEWS: After 13 years working as a (legendary) video producer for @eurogamer.bsky.social I have been made redundant in the recent Gamer Network cuts. I loved that job so much (probably too much) and I will miss the people and the opportunities it gave me, but I'm not ready to give up yet!
Sadly my role as Video Producer on Eurogamer's YouTube channel has been made redundant. After 7 years it's a heart-breaking goodbye, but I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be continuing to create the deepest of dives into videogame lore on my own YouTube channel! 🔍
YouTube.com/ZoeDels
If Pokopia is where Pokémon is looking to go, into the future, then I truly hope it keeps going.
Our review: https://bit.ly/3N80UMu
I just want to give a bump to the fundraiser for Patrick Dane's family as they deal with the long aftermath of the horrific car accident that took him away from us all. They need it for the enormous costs incurred. Time off work. Fights. Hotels. Etc.
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...
NEW: Last year, Bluepoint Games pitched a Bloodborne remake. Sony didn't turn it down... but FromSoftware did.
Inside the tragic closure of Bluepoint, what they've been doing for the last five years, and why the studio was shut down: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
I was thinking that sudden Champions announcement is nice to be a bit spaced out, especially with Pokopia next week on top of FireRed and LeafGreen - nice little roadmap for the next few months though!
Ryu walking into the sunset in the ending of Street Fighter II. The caption reads: "Already seeking the next challenge, ceremony means nothing to him."
Personal news: I'm leaving my Editor-at-large role at Eurogamer & Gamer Network as part of new cuts. I last year approached my move to Eurogamer & VG247's skeletonization with reluctance, but I ultimately greatly enjoyed giving EG a go. But now after 10yrs & in difficult conditions, it's time to go.
