The Friday Inbox seems to have been generally impressed by the PS5 reveal, although opinion is divided on Naughty Dog as a developer.
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Hunting the killer app
Just watched the PlayStation 5 reveal event and yeah, that was one of the best game showcases I’ve ever seen. Horizon Zero Dawn 2, Gran Turismo 7, Demon’s Souls, new Ratchet & Clank, new Spider-Man, Resident Evil 8, a whole host of third party AAA and indie games plus some smaller Sony exclusives like Astro Bot and LittleBigPlanet spin-offs. It even ended with a first glimpse of the console and a surprise digital only version!
However, and it’s a BIG however, one thing was seriously lacking and that was a reason why I need a PlayStation 5 to play all these. I criticised Microsoft’s showing for not demoing the benefits of a next gen machine and I don’t think Sony did much better in this regard. Other than Ratchet & Clank’s world hopping, which is exactly what I’d hoped SSDs would bring, nothing really screamed next gen.
Both Horizon and Spider-Man showed ‘PlayStation Exclusive’ branding, not limited to PlayStation 5, so I wouldn’t be surprised if these were cross-gen. It’ll be interesting to see over the next few months which of the games shown are true next gen-only exclusives. Regardless though, they looked awesome and had this been an E3 conference it would’ve been Sony’s best one in years.
Also, I thought the PlayStation 5 itself looked great, very different and pretty sexy, but is it just me or does it look even bigger than the Xbox Series X?
Adam
GC: We probably agree with most of that. Almost all the games looked good but there wasn’t any clear stand-out and Horizon Forbidden West wasn’t quite the upgrade we were expecting. It’s still likely to end up the best PlayStation launch since the PS1 though.
Blown away
I watched the PlayStation 5 reveal and while I was disappointed to see GTA 5 coming to that console as well I was soon blown away by the variety of games they chose to show, there was a lot to like for me.
Most of the games shown looked really interesting, especially that Little Devil Inside game. Horizon Forbidden West was just the icing on the cake as far as I was concerned.
Sony have won me over and I’ll definitely be pre-ordering a console at the first opportunity.
mitchell
PS: Are you going to get around to reviewing The Outer Worlds for Switch?
GC: No.
More than wow
Just caught up with the PlayStation 5 presentation and wow… just wow. Sony have really outdone themselves with the wealth of great looking games and showmanship. It exceeded my expectations.
Highlights for me included the Demon’s Soul remake, Astro Bot’s Playroom, Resident Evil 8, Little Devil Inside, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Horizon Zero Dawn 2, Destruction AllStars, Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Deathloop, and Pragmata.
And as someone that has inexplicably yet to play Grand Theft Auto 5 the expanded port on PlayStation 5 will now be my designated entry point to the perpetually lucrative classic.
As for the console design itself, I thought it looked incredibly stylish and striking. Love the space age like aesthetics of the hardware. Same goes for the controller. Weird how Sony didn’t divulge any information about the storage or pricing details though. Or did I miss something?
2020 has been a surreal, straining, stressful, and, unfortunately for some, sorrowful year but I predict the PlayStation 5 reveal did an efficacious job in easing minds, stimulating imaginations, lifting spirits, and helping gamers momentarily escape the hardships of the current climate.
I honestly got quite emotional at some of the reveals like Demon’s Souls, Astro Bot’s Playroom, Resident Evil 8 (the castle and village evoked Resident Evil 4!). I hope those last two games are compatible with VR too. The presentation was a perfect reminder of why I’m so ardent about this great pastime of ours.
Sony just raised the bar for the excitement and potential attached to the next generation of gaming. Over to you Microsoft, and to a certain extent, Nintendo!
Galvanized Gamer
GC: They were never going to say anything about price, we’re surprised they went as far as showing what the console looks like. Also, Astro Bot’s Playroom is just a tech demo for the DualSense, it’s not a follow-up to Robot Rescue.
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Instant sell
Now that’s how you show off a new console. The PlayStation 5 looks amazing, sleek, and futuristic. The roster of games looks varied and interesting. Some of the titles look like playable CGI films. Well done Sony, you have my money already and I’m counting the days to launch (whenever that is). Shall I go digital or stick to the disc version? Mmmm.
Keep up the good work guys. I read you every day. Look forward to your thoughts on the showcase.
Ghh69
Diverse line-up
Just finished watching the PlayStation 5 reveal event and I think Sony have done an amazing job. Focusing on the games, minimal chat, and revealing the form factor at the very end, exactly how it should be done.
I think perhaps showing GTA 5 first was their only misstep, it is a seven-year-old game after all. Still, fantastic work and I’m now very excited for next gen. Very classy touch with the subtle but important message of diversity in modern gaming development too.
Barry
Sega magic
Given how impressive travelling through the city looked in Ratchet & Clank at the PlayStation 5 event, can I request a little Inbox magic in the way of a new After Burner?
I’d ask for a new OutRun as well but I’m not sure how the Inbox gods work. Does asking for two games cancel out the first request and make them both less likely? Either way, I’ll just stick with After Burner for now please.
AgentCole1981 (PSN ID)
GC: We’re not sure we understand the connection but we’re up for any updates of classic Sega coin-ops.
Unlucky colour
Well, the new futuristic design of the PlayStation 5 is definitely different, GC. It looks more like something evil wearing a long white jacket, having it’s collar stood up ready for the winter? It will seem very strange seeing an all-black version as a limited edition console in the future.
Now it’s all over to you Microsoft, to make your move!
JAH
PS: I was always led to believe, in the history of gaming, that a white coloured console is a sign of failure. Correct me if I’m wrong guys?
GC: The Xbox 360 was white, and we don’t think anyone would call that a failure.
A fan is born
It’s interesting to see Alex Kidd making a comeback in your news story. I might have just discarded it before but after just finishing Monster Boy And The Cursed Kingdom yesterday I’d be up for a remaster or remake of any of these old Sega platform games, as long as the right studios are making them.
I was surprised just how good Monster Boy was. Graphics, gameplay, and sound were top notch and I didn’t even mind the difficulty level of the game at any point. It’s become one of my favourite games of the last few years now, it was that good. It was polished to a very high standard in all departments.
Playing Monster Boy on Switch at 60fps in full HD, after just coming off the back off playing the Trine collection which only runs at 30fps was really noticeable. I don’t understand why people sometimes say they can’t tell the difference in frame rates when it’s really clear for me.
My point of writing in really was to heap praise on Monster Boy but I also wanted to mention The Game Atelier, who I think made it. I googled the studio hoping they’d have a back catalogue of similar titles and there’s not much to find except an April Fool’s of them making a remake of Disney’s Quackshot, which was a little disappointing for me. I was so impressed with the game that anything The Game Atelier are involved in now in the future would make me instantly following the progress of their work.
Nick The Greek
Currently playing: A Hat In Time.
GC: Monster Boy is indeed excellent, considerably better than the already good Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.
A whole hour
I just read that someone believes that God Of War is better than anything Naughty Dog has ever done. Well I played the latest God Of War. Everyone was raving about it. So I waited for the price to drop, because I was unsure if I’d like it. I played around an hour of it and turned it off. It just sits there on my home screen now, like a lost little thing wondering why it was ever downloaded.
Naughty Dog however! All of the Uncharted games blew me away. The way you feel for the characters and the build-up of each part of the game is a fantastic feeling. But that doesn’t even compare to The Last Of Us, which I played through four times and was amazed every single time, even though I knew the ending.
Naughty Dog has done what God Of War will never do, created the best game ever made. And The Last Of Us 2 will be a masterpiece. God Of War is like playing an old run ‘n’ gun Mega Drive game like Alien Storm or Altered Beast. Which at the time were amazing but like all dull arcade-like games they are a thing of the past. The way Naughty Dog makes games is the future and God Of War will fade into the past, thoughtless and forgotten.
Anon
GC: OK, well… that’s certainly a take. Especially for games that have quite similar approaches to storytelling and presentation. For the record, we agree with the other guy, even if it’s fairly close on some titles.
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One extreme to the other
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been replaying The Last Of Us Remastered and the four Uncharted games – as they were free on PlayStation – and I probably like them less now than I did on the PlayStation 3. While, admittedly I still enjoyed Uncharted 2, the first game is almost unplayable and 3 and 4 are boring to the point I was looking forward to the end.
How many times do I need to climb something for it to break, fall halfway down, and climb up again? I also have a real dislike for The Last Of Us as I didn’t care for the characters and it has the same woeful mechanics as Uncharted.
As you can probably tell, I feel that Naughty Dog are way overhyped and don’t deserve the love that everyone, especially critics, gives them, and I fully expect Part 2 to be getting 10s across the board over the next week or two.
I know that it’s each to their own but at times I wondered if I was playing the same games as everyone else.
What I will acknowledge is that Naughty Dog know how to make beautiful games, but what will be interesting is what people think of the undoubtedly generation-defining graphics on The Last Of Us Part 2 when it’s coming out right after the unveiling of the PlayStation 5 and its first games.
Mr.Saveloy
Inbox also-rans
Now THAT’S how you do a reveal event. Microsoft: take note.
SteJFin (NN ID)
Well that was impressive, Sony knocked it out of the park as far as I’m concerned. And then Demon’s Souls, take my money Sony.
Zombiekicker
Its 10.24pm and I just watched the PlayStation 5 reveal live and stick a fork in me I’m done. That’s what you call an event, so many games and in-game footage. Roll on Xmas but for me has to be Horizon Forbidden West looked amazing.
David
Alex Kidd In Miracle World was a game I played to death as a kid and I still play now three decades later so the announcement of an update has me happier than a dog with two tails!
Owen Hollifield
GC: Why would a dog want two tails?
This week’s Hot Topic
The question for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader Korbie, who asks what unlikely sequel or reboot would you most want to see in the next generation?
With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X now just months away from release, and already rumours of the return of numerous franchises – from Fable to Demon’s Souls – what old video game series would you most like to see get a sequel, reboot or remake?
The game can be as obscure as you like, as long as it hasn’t had any kind of new release this generation. Why do you want to see it return and what do you think are the chances it actually will?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
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