Latest news with #Returnal
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is the hardest game on PS5?
Returnal – not an easy game (Sony Interactive Entertainment) The Monday letters page calls for a new developer to take over the Halo franchise, as one reader recommends Test Drive Unlimited 2 on PS3. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Hard won reward There's always a lot of talk about difficulty in video games but for myself I admit I like a hard game. Not all the time but I like to see some variety. If a developer thinks a game should be played at a certain level, I don't like to see them forced to change it, if they don't want to. So that got me thinking about what is the most difficult game on the PlayStation 5? Which is what I play now. Demon's Souls is an obvious one, along with any other Soulslike, but I think it might actually be Returnal. I'm a big fan of the game and I think its difficulty is handled relatively well, in that it's quite possible to get through the majority of the game with careful upgrading of your weapons and learning the rooms. But the last section and getting to the end is so difficult. Beating the game, my heart in my mouth as I risk losing hours of progress, has been one of my exciting and rewarding gaming moments in a very long time (Saros is now my most anticipated game of next year). Curious to know what other readers think though. Zeiss Changing fortunes I realise this isn't exactly topical but if you'd told my young self that Sega would end up quitting the hardware business by the start of the century and that Nintendo would become the most successful (with a few dips) my mind would've been blown. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. To me, at my school, the Nintendo consoles were deeply uncool and overly expensive, which is quite the double-whammy. That can't be an unusual opinion as it's why Nintendo still underperforms here, compared to the rest of the world, and I still have trouble recognising the current reality. I've nothing against them but not only does it show how fortunes change but it also shows that what you assume to be common knowledge or an obvious truth can easily be you living in a bubble. Chondo Scrolling back Interesting Reader's Feature about Fallout and Bethesda. Although I think he's being a little unkind I can't argue that much when it comes to Bethesda's slowness and unwillingness to change (or acknowledge everyone loves New Vegas better than their games). I have to say it does sound very much like Todd Howard, or whoever, pushing their weight around but they've been slow now for decades, long before it became the standard. I'd also take the lack of Starfield news to mean they're starting to sweep the game under the carpet. I 100% agree that Fallout remasters are the way to go in the short term and I think the success of Oblivion pretty much guarantees. What I'd really like though, and what would help them get into fans' good books, is a remake – not a remaster – of Morrowind. There's such a huge difference between that and everything they've put out since that I would live to see them embrace that older style of more complex, stat-based role-player again. Dusker Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Superior drive In response to Magnumstache and games for his PlayStation 3, I would suggest one of my favourite games on the console and one of my favourite games of all time, that is Test Drive Unlimited 2 (if he hasn't got it already). Now that Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown has come out and has severely disappointed the fans, Test Drive Unlimited 2 has now absolutely solidified itself as a great game in the memories of those who played it first time around. And despite still playing Forza Horizon 4 and 5 these days, neither (or in fact any racing game, including any of The Crew games) have come close to being better than that old Eden Games classic. LeighDappa Hand off After seeing the news about the Halo devs being unhappy about their own game it does not sound good for what used to be my favourite franchise. I think it's long past time that the game be taken out of Halo Studios' hands and given to someone else. Much like Phil Spencer himself, I'm not sure how many years of repeated failure are needed before action is taken. I don't know what exactly is going on, and I doubt we'll ever find out, but the remake of Combat Evolved should be especially easy to farm out to someone else. Beyond that, there's plenty of other independent developers that could be given the main game to make. Saber Interactive, for example, or even give it to one of the Call Of Duty teams. Whatever happens it can't be left to rot even further. Mentos Two years later When Hogwarts Legacy was originally released in 2023 your review of it sold me to get it. I am not a Harry Potter fan at all. The price of the game back in 2023 put me off it, as it was £65 and based on Harry Potter franchise. Having conversations with real life friends they said it is an excellent game and I should get it. Before I sold my original Switch in late May I noticed a sale to buy the Switch version for £12.79. So, I did and I bought it to play on the Switch 2, as I knew Portkey were working on the Switch 2 version upgrade. So, when I bought my Switch 2 at launch I downloaded the update for £8.99 for Hogwarts Legacy. I have just completed it now, after 109 hours of playing. Yes, it could have been completed quicker, but this kind of game is right up my street. Explore at my own leisure. No achievements to hunt, which was a blessing. Just play the game at my own pace. No stress of achievement hunting. I can imagine some of the achievements, like probably fill the Room of Requirement. Sod that, just play the game and enjoy it, which I thoroughly did. Shame they haven't got the Star Wars licence, that would be gaming heaven. Same kind of game but with blasters and so on. Keep up the excellent work. woz_007 (NN ID) Old theory I'm beginning to think that GTA 6 will be Bonnie and Clyde inspired. The two heroes will start off normal small time crooks and build to a Red Dead finale. Would a bookie give me odds for this theory? Bobwallett GC: We doubt it. Not least because that was the rumour long before the official annoucement. Growing into it The only online, co-op or multiplayer gaming I engage in is once a week with my niece and nephew. Just not that interested in it and single-player gaming that I can get lost and absorbed in is what I enjoy. For them, online or multiplayer is pretty much all they play. I think that's typical for kids and teenagers these days. It genuinely makes me worry for single-player gaming's future. Maybe they'll grow into it. One of the problems is that most of the notable or worthwhile single-player games aren't really suitable for 12-year-olds. It's not all negative though. The games they do play all have a real sense of play at the core of them. The latest they're enjoying is Ultimate Chicken Horse on Game Pass, which plays like a multiplayer Super Meat Boy with the ability to place items and hazards into the levels to trip your mates up. They're also not obsessed with graphics, games being cross-gen or pushing the limits of the console in a way my generation seem to have grown up valuing. I have got the boy downloading Halo: The Master Chief Collection, so we can do all the single-player campaigns co-op. Seems a good place to start to get a bit of single-player campaigning into their gaming life. Simundo Inbox also-rans I just read that David Wise is not the composer for the new Donkey Kong Bananza game. That surprises me as he did such fantastic work on the other games. Nick The Greek Just found out that it's 10 years this month since Satoru Iwata passed away. Very sad but at the same but obviously Nintendo has done well anyway. Although I do wonder if they're still following his plan for Switch and now he's no longer with us there is no specific plan for the Switch 2. Gazza Email your comments to: gamecentral@ 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 and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: What is the easiest Soulsborne game? Arrow MORE: Select Games Inbox: What's the best superhero game?Games Inbox: What's the best superhero game? Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will Wii games come to Nintendo Switch 2?
Metro
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: Is there going to be a PS5 State of Play this summer?
The Thursday letters page worries what will happen if the new Marvel games are flops, as one reader laments the slow death of physical games. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Summer schedule I really hope that Sony is planning to make more first party games but I have a feeling there's no going back to how things were. It's been too long and too much has changed, including Sony still selling tons of PlayStation 5s even without any proper exclusives and Xbox going multiformat. I think it's reasonable to hope they will do more though. We can't stop them making any more live service games but they do seem to at least be slowing down a bit. The problem is that slowing up doesn't mean they'll speed up with single-player games instead. They could just end up making less overall, like they have over the last few years. We've got Ghost Of Yōtei this year, which I'm not super excited about (I'd had enough of the last one by halfway through) but I am very interested in seeing Returnal follow-up Saros next year, so hopefully things are slowly turning around. I want to be optimistic, but the problem is there's no sign of Sony having a not-E3 State of Play showcase this summer. The past two years they've had it at the end of May and I think we've probably gone past the point they were going to announce it if it was happening. I hope I'm wrong, or maybe it's later in June for some reason, but it doesn't look good. RaeBonn Your story is another castle I see the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel has had its name leaked as Super Mario World. I'm not sure your average Joe is going to get that reference, but would they actually bother doing an adaptation of the game's story? Does the game even have a story? I've beaten it twice and I honestly can't remember. Looking at Wikipedia, apparently it was all in the manual and basically Bowser kidnapped Peach and some dinosaur eggs. There's so little to work with I really have no idea what direction any of these films could do to justify themselves as anything other than a cash-in. The Paper Mario games are the only ones with an actual plot, but even then that's not what's good about them. Austin Risky business I've got a bad feeling about these upcoming Marvel games. I imagine Wolverine will be fine, but that Iron Man game will be almost two decades too late by the time it comes out. And I can't believe many people are interested in a Captain America and Black Panther team-up set in World War 2. Normally I'd just shrug my shoulders and write it off as an incoming flop but nowadays that means the whole studio could go down and how many hundreds of people are working on these two games? I'm not exaggerating either. Consider what happened to Firaxis after the (excellent) Midnight Suns flopped. All the lead developers left, the studio was fractured (I don't think it was a coincidence that Civilization 7 was a rare dud), and now we'll never get an XCOM 3. I don't know these developers behind Iron Man and the other one as well, but I do know that lots of jobs are now in danger, just because EA was late jumping on a bandwagon. Cerates Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Reliable reputation Glad to hear GC got Power Stone back and I like the sound of all the effort Capcom put into the collection and the reasonable price. I've never really been into fighting games, so it's not really of interest to me. But it Does make me think better of Capcom, for when something else I am interested in comes up. I wish this was something other publishers thought of, especially as Capcom is doing so well, financially speaking, at the moment. But unfortunately EA and Activision, and even Ubisoft to a degree, just rely on their big franchises and don't really put out much else anyway. Sony is another example of doing this well, because their reputation for first party games really wasn't that great until the PlayStation 4. They just built it up and became someone to rely on. Them throwing that all away now is so strange. Griefer Money issue I've been thinking for a while now about this, but Sony could take Xbox out the console market with just one sentence. You can put Game Pass on PlayStation. There wouldn't be any need for an Xbox and we know Phil wants it on there. Why Sony won't do that I'll never know. It's a win/win for Sony. You never know, Sony might allow them sooner or later and Xbox can go the way of Sega, just with a hell of a lot more money and just to make games. David GC: They won't do it because they make more money selling games on their store. Although they may change their mind in time, because they've begun to make more selling microtransactions than actual games. And another thing You know, I have been witnessing quite a bit of clamour over the last few days. More or less a lot of complaining and quite a stir of negativity. I've seen GTA 6 fall surprisingly prey to this. Either people have issues with the inevitably violent content, the sex or the aged fable of controversy. My take is my bond and I say that I gladly welcome the gratuitous violence, the sex, and the glory glitz of Leonida. Because I've waited over 12 years for an evolution and no echoes of bemusement will deter me from my course of securing the collector's edition as soon as possible. If that includes a statue or early access I will be immensely satisfied. My second point is the Nintendo Switch 2. I've already mentioned that I secured the Mario Kart World bundle from Amazon and I acknowledge the bricking controversy. But modding isn't my cup of tea, so Nintendo has nothing to worry about. I'd rather emulate PlayStation 2 games anyway. Thirdly, the PlayStation 6. It matters not the price, storage, exclusives or specs. I'm buying this system, as I did the PlayStation 5. Day one. If it arrives in 2027, the merrier it is for me. I will very much take great stride in playing Horizon Zero Dawn 3 and many other titles. Shahzaib Sadiq Mum's the word I was wondering when we might get some concrete thoughts about the Switch 2 launch games? Is there an embargo about when Switch 2 games are able to be reviewed? Or perhaps there is an embargo on when you can talk about an embargo, nothing from Nintendo would surprise me. Mark GC: There's always an embargo on when we can talk about an embargo, but especially when it involves Nintendo. Facing defeat I know the war was lost long ago (shops stopping second-hand games was the end, as far as I see it) but it is so tragic to see how small a part of gaming physical copies are now. I don't know anyone, amongst my friends or family, that buys physical copies anymore and what would be the point anyway, when they're not even stored on the disc?. Perhaps it was inevitable, since even if the initial game is on the disc it gets distorted and expanded by updates the second you put it in a console but it's the fact that there's literally no benefit to digital. People talk about convenience but what convenience? Not having to change discs is just silly and lazy. And it takes time to buy a physical copy? I could drive to the shops and back quicker that it takes me to download a modern game. Not that I'm in the habit of paying out £60 on a whim, that I suddenly decide I have to have a new game right then and there. Gaming got infinitely more expensive as soon as it became more difficult to sell on your games, especially with eBay's new payment rules. But apparently nobody cares. Maybe everyone else is a millionaire all of a sudden, and I didn't get the memo, but the death of physical is just handing more control to publishers and taking more cash out of the wallets of ordinary people. Rufus Inbox also-ransJust watched the Borderlands movie on Amazon. It's no Fallout or The Last Of Us but it's not that bad. I particularly liked Jack Black as the annoying android Claptrap. They should make a Brütal Legend movie – it would have a great soundtrack. Think I will check out the Like A Dragon movie next. Johnny Alpha SD Currently playing: Doom Eternal and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Thanks for the heads-up on Very, I managed to get my bundle with a camera so I'm very excited now. I went back and checked and it's still live though, which seems weird given no one else has any stock at all. Boysie More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ 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 and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: What will the GTA 6 collector's edition be like? MORE: Games Inbox: Is it weird to not like GTA games? MORE: Games Inbox: How extreme will GTA 6 in-game sex and violence be?
Metro
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Sony to increase first party games output as PS5 sales continue to fall
As Sony projects a decline in PlayStation 5 console sales over the next year, the company is hoping software will pick up the slack. Sony's first-party line-up for the PlayStation 5 has been an increasing disappointment over the past five years, with standouts like Returnal and Astro Bot, but too few new releases and too many remasters and failed live service experiments. The lack of first-party games is reflected in the company's financial report for the 2024 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2025). As outlined by Sony, first-party software sales dropped to 28.9 million in FY24, a 10.8 million decline from 2023's 39.7 million. While overall game sales were up over last year, at 303.3 million, Sony is expecting an increase in both first and third-party software sales over the 2025 financial year – which seems to indicate it has some surprises up its sleeve. Sony is set to release Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach in 2025, and according to Sony's definition of the term, the latter does count as first party even though it's not made by one of their internal studios. There are also projects like Bungie's Marathon and the Sony-published Lost Soul Aside, which are both slated for this year and also come under the definition of first party. While Sony will likely increase its first-party sales with these games alone, there's a chance another unannounced project might be lined up for 2025. Earlier this year, rumours claimed a new God Of War game set in Greece is planned for 2025, but nothing has been officially announced yet. It's also perfectly possible that other, current unguessed at, titles could be waiting in the wings. Despite these positive forecasts for software sales, Sony is less optimistic when it comes to hardware. The company is expecting PlayStation 5 sales to drop in the 2025 financial year, which isn't exactly surprising as we're over five years into the console's life cycle (and the next 12 months no longer has GTA 6 as a potential boost). More Trending Over the 2024 fiscal year, PlayStation 5 hardware sales totalled 18.5 million, selling 2.8 million in the last quarter. This is a small drop from the previous year's 20.8 million. This means total PlayStation 5 sales have hit 77.8 million, which is just 1.4 million units behind the PlayStation 4 at the same period in its life. However, whether that means it'll end up with a similar lifetime total, of around 117 million (making it the fifth most successful console of all time), is hard to guess. We'll likely have a better idea of Sony's upcoming software slate over the next month, if not through a State Of Play presentation, then at Summer Game Fest on June 6, 2025. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are available now at one UK retailer MORE: New Persona annoucement due this week but prepare for disappointment MORE: Horizon Zero Dawn 3 scheduled for 2027 as a cross-gen PS6 game claims rumour
Campaign ME
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
The great gaming stagnation
For the last decade, gaming has been untouchable, surpassing the combined global revenue of film and music. It has outpaced global GDP growth, exceeded industry expectations and evolved from a niche hobby into a dominant form of entertainment. Fast-forward to today and it's taking a soft nose-dive. Gaming in 2025 feels like an industry caught in a loop, where innovation is scarce, trust is low and the profits from social gaming are hiding a deeper existential crisis. The crash after the boom Between 2011 and 2021, the revenue from video gaming skyrocketed, growing at double the rate of the previous two decades. Then, in 2022, the market dropped by 3.5 per cent. By 2024, spending had completely stalled. The gaming boom during the pandemic didn't turn out to be the new normal everyone had hoped for. What's surprising is that this slowdown isn't just a return to pre-pandemic trends, but more of a full contraction. Global gaming spend has dropped 13 per cent since 2021. Player engagement? Down. Game sales? Stagnant. Even with supply chain issues resolved and a strong release slate, gaming hasn't rebounded. The lesson? Growth isn't guaranteed. Industries that depend on compounding network effects can collapse just as quickly as they rise. The illusion of growth There's a glimmer of hope in all this chaos: social gaming. Platforms such as Roblox and Discord have found success by shifting focus from traditional game mechanics to social interaction. Players aren't necessarily gaming more; they're just spending time in gaming spaces. Discord has more than 150 million monthly active users (and it's not even a game), while Roblox has 400 million monthly active users, with more than half its players aged 13 or older. But here's the catch: these platforms are struggling to convert engagement into sustainable profit. Roblox, for instance, loses $35 for every $100 spent by players after paying out to developers and app store fees. It's a paradox – social gaming might be the future, but it hasn't figured out a viable long-term business model yet. For marketers, this raises a key question. Does engagement always translate to revenue? In gaming, we're seeing that the two don't always align. The brands that figure out how to convert participation into value will be the ones that win in the long run. Marketing in a stagnant industry: what now? So, what can we as marketers and brands learn from gaming's missteps? Here are a few key takeaways: Stop chasing the past: audiences crave fresh ideas, not just recycled formulas. Embrace originality and risk-taking. Let go of outdated rules and the need for realism. A great example is Returnal, a game that transforms trauma into a journey of discovery within an alien world that feels like a fever dream. With each death, progress is erased, but every revelation makes you stronger. A cycle of loss and resilience integrated into the game's very design. Trust is everything: once consumers feel exploited, they disengage. Transparency and fair pricing are more important than ever. Making community engagement a priority and building a continuous feedback loop will not only fortify your foundations but will keep your consumers coming back for more. Engagement does not equal revenue: having an audience doesn't guarantee profit. Focus on creating meaningful value, not just participation. Non-exploitative monetisation models – such as downloadable expansions and rewarding subscription – are essential. Replay value is also crucial in gaming, driven by achievements, exclusive esports content and endless character personalisation. Social-first experiences are the future: Gaming's biggest success stories aren't traditional games, but actually digital hangouts. Brands need to rethink how they engage audiences in a social-first world. And I don't mean whatever you thought the Metaverse was. To effectively engage their audience, brands should focus on fostering social connections and creating shared experiences within gaming platforms. This can be done through a multifaceted approach. Firstly, incorporating features that encourage communication, collaboration and community building is essential. This could include in-game chat systems, voice chat functionality, social media integration and guild or clan systems that allow players to form groups and work together towards common goals. Additionally, creating digital hangout spaces similar to Discord servers can provide gamers with informal spaces to connect, socialise and build relationships. Next, brands should rethink gameplay to focus on shared experiences. This could involve designing games that require teamwork and cooperation to succeed, incorporating multiplayer modes that encourage friendly competition and social interaction, or creating multidimensional virtual worlds akin to Roblox, where players can explore, interact and build relationships with one another. By embracing these strategies and adapting to the evolving dynamics of the gaming industry, brands can position themselves for success in the years ahead. Those that fail to recognise the importance of social interaction and shared experiences risk becoming irrelevant in an increasingly connected and community-driven gaming landscape. Gaming in 2025 isn't going anywhere, but it does require many patches and bug fixes. And whether you're a publisher, a brand, or a marketer, the solution is the same: rebuild, rethink and start innovating again. Otherwise, we risk getting stuck in the loop, too … By Saad Al Abbassi, Cultural Strategist, VICE Media MEA
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
PS5《死亡回歸》團隊最新作《Saros》發表會壓軸公開，2026年內發售
13 日早上最新的 Playstation 發表會「State of Play」最後壓軸，由已成為 Playstation 第一方工作室，曾推出過《死亡回歸》（Returnal）團隊 Housemarque 最新作品《Saros》公開，預計 2026 年內發售，在異星殖民地尋找謎團真相。 《Saros》首支動畫預告，主角 Arjun Devraj 由英國演員 Rahul Kohli 演出，是異星 Carcosa 的執法者，他將不惜一切尋找他需要找到的人；與《死亡回歸》是未來科幻動作主題遊戲，但不同的是《死亡回歸》每次面對完全不同的世界，《Saros》可以永久升級你的裝備變得更強大，每次死亡將更有意義。 《Saros》將在 2026 年內於 PlayStation 5 和 PlayStation 5 Pro 平台發售。 緊貼最新科技資訊、網購優惠，追隨 Yahoo Tech 各大社交平台！ 🎉📱 Tech Facebook： 🎉📱 Tech Instagram： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 社群： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 頻道： 🎉📱 Tech Telegram 頻道：
