Month: September 2024

I know video game showcases, such as Sony’s “State Of Play” earlier this week, are supposed to have something for everyone. And I can only imagine that Sony’s showcase absolutely nailed that since I only came away with excitement for about a little less than half of what they showed off.

I’m kind of okay with that because what did excite me was great and I’m happy to look forward to some releases. However, what I also noticed is that Sony, while stacked with some great first party and exclusive IP, has nothing on the near horizon.

Sony knows this. They’ve said as much during investor calls and what not. It’s the reason we have a PS5 Pro coming out. They knew their first party titles, their franchises – all of them are currently in development or just starting. Nothing is ready for a holiday release. And if you think the Ghost sequel will hit in 2025, well…it’s not a bet I’m willing to make. The games will eventually come, but it’s going to be a while before we get the likes of new, big, first party titles.

There’s also Concord. Something Sony tried to the tune of FOUR HUNDRED MILLION dollars and dropped the ball. Bungie, another Sony studio, isn’t having the best of times at the moment either. And I’m not even counting Destiny in that.

Having said ALL of that, it’s not some feeling of doom and gloom for gaming. It honestly feels like the normal lull in a console generation life. And yeah, there are games galore waiting to be released so it isn’t like we’re hitting a dry spell as gamers, but when you look at exclusives and when you look at the first party IP line up, Sony, like a lot of us, are just sitting around waiting.

This is not to discount Astrobot, by the way. I don’t know how sales are doing for that game but the critics and crowds alike are singing its praises.

Speaking of singing, it’s the same old song and dance as we wait for a new Splinter Cell game. Ubisoft, it has been 4,058 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

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I’ve recently been on a nostalgia trip playing two games I probably haven’t touched in nearly 20 years.

The Burnout series has been one of my favorites since the sequel. A game I picked up on a rental just to check it out and completely fell in love with it immediately. And I got other people on the bandwagon as well. Since then, I’ve just been a massive fan of the series and the developers – most of which have left the company at this point.

With emulation and mods I’ve been able to play Burnout 3. A game you can’t play without an Xbox, or Xbox 360, or a PS2/PS3. Thankfully, we have emulation on PC so you can absolutely play it that way and it has been amazing to revisit this gem. I’ve also been playing Burnout Revenge for the 360 by way of backwards compatibility on the Series X and it also absolutely holds up.

What gets me most about both of these is how difficult it is to takedown other drivers in the events. So many years of only playing Burnout Paradise, the final game in the series, is that takedowns mostly took a simple nudge or slam from the side. Apparently that doesn’t cut it for the earlier games in the series. And I was pleasantly surprised how much more I enjoyed that challenge in the previous games. In fact, jumping back to Paradise after playing the earlier two games, I found myself preferring the old ways. Even though I can easily remember me defending their decisions for an open world racer.

Regardless, we need Burnout to come back. They remastered Paradise of all games and I’m almost positive they’d find profit in remastering either or both of Burnout 3 Takedown and Burnout Revenge. The hook of the games are still there. They still pull me in as they used to and time flies by while playing. I’ve missed it. And I never knew how much until I got to go back 20 years and feel it all over again.

Well, this is an easy segue. Speaking of games I’ve missed for years on end – Ubisoft, it has been 4,051 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

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One really quick note before I get into the show post today: If you can emulate your games, do it. Being able to play Burnout 3 on my PC or Steam Deck has been amazing and fun as all hell. I plan to start grabbing a lot of my favorites from the past and get those up and running. Something I just can’t really do now without the original hardware and games. Emulation is gaming preservation. Make it happen.

Now, who’s got $700 burning a hole in their pocket right now, because have I got a deal for YOU!

Look, I don’t know if it’s a deal or not, but a PS5 Pro has some pretty good improvements over a PS5. You might even notice them when you’re playing. If you’ve never had a PS5, go for the Pro, sure. Or, wait for the prices on base PS5’s to drop (they will – or aftermarket prices will).

Mid-generation refreshes of consoles aren’t bad, depending on what they can throw into the machines, but they don’t always feel like a leap forward. Hell, they sometimes barely feel like a step forward. Sure, if you’ve waited this long then maybe going for the newest and best on the shelf is what you want, but if you’ve already jumped in the upgrade is…pretty minimal.

But it’s a nice preview of where things are headed – technically speaking. Pricewise, however, is starting to look like a nightmare scenario.

For even more food for thought, I wonder which generation I’ll get to play a new Splinter Cell game. Ubisoft, it has been 4,026 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

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It’s never really good when a game fails. Now, there’s good reasons FOR a game failing, but, I mean, that’s people, with lives and families. And when a game fails now, it’s almost one and done for a studio in that regard.

Rocksteady failed with Suicide Squad, but they have 3 pretty big bangers in their history and they can (for the most part) survive to try again. But when a new studio shoots for the moon and misses, they fall hard – near to the point of oblivion. One and done. It’s over.

Concord will probably come back. But it clearly failed and it has a chance, somehow I’m sure, to redeem itself and pull a No Man’s Sky. Well, I should find a better example than the absolute KING of recovery stories. Because I don’t actually think Concord will pull off that kind of recovery. They can salvage this and maybe possibly perhaps live to fight another day. But it’s going to take some deft maneuvers on Sony’s part. I also don’t know if Free-to-Play is the answer, but given what they’ve said and the refunds, that’s probably the starting point.

Then what?

If Ubisoft pulls some executive suit-and-tie BS with the next Splinter Cell, so help me. That is to say I’ll still probably buy it, but it has been 4,019 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.

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