Sacred Symbols+, Episode XXXV: The Halo Effect
Added 2020-04-03 16:00:05 +0000 UTCWith a new Halo finally coming out this fall, it begs the question: Would we get such high-profile, high-caliber releases from first party publishers if they didn't have hardware to push? It's a relevant inquiry in the realm of PlayStation, too, what with The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima on the (indefinitely delayed) horizon. During today's mailbag-centric episode of +, we delve into the realities of being both a hardware manufacturer and game developer, the expectation of quality that comes along with it, and whether third parties could ever truly match the Big Three's output when it comes to quality. Plus: Is brand loyalty good or bad? What will PlayStation 5 physical game cases look like? Have we ever been stuck with just one or two games to play for long stretches of time? Will PS5's launch library truly matter? Is it wrong to "cheese" a boss or a section of a game? How can Sony best reach both its core and casual userbases? All of that -- and more! -- on the other side of Play.
Comments
Thanks, Pete!
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-10 01:55:20 +0000 UTCThat's a fair point, though I'll say that making games like Naughty Dog isn't only expensive, but really hard. Most teams couldn't even remotely make a game like The Last of Us even if they wanted to.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-10 01:55:03 +0000 UTCAwesome! Hell of a game.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-10 01:53:44 +0000 UTCOr even Killzone. But I'd definitely love Resistance back even more, no doubt.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-10 01:53:04 +0000 UTCWe've been getting that feedback about Bleeding Edge. Hey, I'm glad you're enjoying it. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-10 01:52:50 +0000 UTCHey C&C, Love these mailbag episodes. Kudos to patreon Chris for the insightful question. I'm with you on this one Colin. The strength of the PlayStation brand is quality first party exclusives. And it is was good to hear during that investor call recently that they're doubling down on this. You can even see this play out in how Sony is pushing the console with a focus on immersion through haptics and 3D audio. Let's hope it's not just a bunch of gimmicks, but rather results in some awesome gaming experiences. Cheers, Pete
Pete
2020-04-08 15:10:27 +0000 UTCI thought the question about the quality of exclusives was great. If Sony wanted to maximise per-game profit , rather than "big picture" profits (consoles sold etc.) then I think it is clear that they would make games differently. There is a reason third party publishers aren't copying Sony's approach to game making despite all the critical acclaim Naughty Dog, Santa Monica etc. get.
Ed White
2020-04-08 04:28:59 +0000 UTCThanks so much for your podcasts, Colin! Took up your recommendation of Days Gone and really loving it during these crazy times. Keep ya' head up!
Joshua m. anderson
2020-04-07 13:47:33 +0000 UTCI wish Sony would do the "Well they have Halo so lets make another Resistance" thing again :p
Chance Autwell
2020-04-07 09:55:59 +0000 UTCI think that we just have to see what happens with these Microsoft studios around fall of 2021 to see if Microsoft’s developer purchases paid off. I will say that I am really enjoying Bleeding Edge and glad Microsoft gave NT an opportunity to make a game that crosses DMC with Overwatch.
MeatSpin11
2020-04-07 04:40:41 +0000 UTCI had to look this up. LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-07 00:50:53 +0000 UTCThis Halo podcast is 1:17:00 long.
Ahmed Mohamed
2020-04-06 03:23:05 +0000 UTCI would love that. There's a story we'll go into on Episode 93 that seems like we may get more XDEV-style games from Japan...
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-06 00:43:58 +0000 UTCHey, I don't look at hidden Trophies for games I actually care about stories with... and TLoU2 won't have story spoilers in its Trophies. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-06 00:43:41 +0000 UTCI do hope Sony does get involved with more A and AA games. I miss the glory days of PSN where titles like Fat Princess and the Housemarque games really shined and appealee to hardcore PS fans.
Real Radec
2020-04-05 14:36:58 +0000 UTCSo you say you’ll look at hidden trophies of a game before they come out, even if it spoils the story. Are you going to do that for the last of us part 2? I feel like at that point your obsession with trophies starts greatly hindering your overall experience of the game, and kind of negates your media black outs in a way haha
Josh Lucas
2020-04-05 04:27:22 +0000 UTCIt's definitely not a game for me (I wouldn't play it regardless of the platform), but maybe Chris'll give it a go...
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-04 22:59:09 +0000 UTCI know. It doesn't mean it needed to be seen through. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-04 22:58:45 +0000 UTCI'd say that most people agree with you, if seeming sales figures are any indication. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-04 22:58:07 +0000 UTCIn that case, I'm glad I answered the question!
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-04 22:57:34 +0000 UTCIt's the only Gears I haven't played! Maybe one day. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-04 22:57:12 +0000 UTCYou guys need to give Bleeding Edge a chance, have played it for 22 hours since release that's about 2 hours per day the game is amazing. I don't play multiplayer games but gave this a chance because it's not your standard shooter or even overwatch type of gameplay where there's two frontlines fighting against eachother it's more like a brawl and i adore the characters, graphics, game modes and the maps are generally great albeit a bit few. There will be another character Mekko, coming in next patch. I gave the game a chance and ended up loving it so in my opinion i think it definetly has a place especially for me that can not stand battle royale.
SteelChevron
2020-04-04 15:20:22 +0000 UTCSorry if this wasn't the place to ask that question...
Corey Robbins
2020-04-04 13:24:35 +0000 UTCJust got me thinking because of that n64 ps1 question.
Braden Summers
2020-04-04 10:41:19 +0000 UTCI think you could do an entire SS+ on how Sony exclusives and Nintendo exclusives (or just sony) have evolved over the years.
Braden Summers
2020-04-04 10:40:48 +0000 UTCColin, Bleeding Edge was in development years before Microsoft purchased Ninja Theory. They even put out a statement soon after the reveal to let people know it was a side project and the girl in charge of it said it was her small passion project. I think Xbox didn’t want to be the asshole to say “well your side project is shit. We own you and now it’s gone!” They haven’t really talked much about it so it appears they knew this was for a smaller audience.
bix hutch
2020-04-04 03:40:33 +0000 UTCI just became a patron. I was hesitant in the past because I like using spotify and was concerned I could only get free feeds on there. Is there a way to get the latest podcasts on there? Thanks
Corey Robbins
2020-04-04 02:16:44 +0000 UTCAs you know, there’s an unprecedented pandemic going on right now. People are losing their jobs; family and friends are getting sick and dying; the market is plummeting. Everything keeps going to shit and there’s no end in sight. Meanwhile, there is a game where tiny animals clap for you whenever you fucking do anything. I have control in that life! The market is stable there! I’m not fighting my human neighbors for toilet paper and frozen veggies now, no sir; we go fishing side by side in Animal Crossing. I may not be able to make money in the real world right now, but if I give a couple of fish to Tom Nook he’ll give me thousands of bells! Different strokes for different folks, but Animal Crossing couldn’t have come at any better time. My anxiety is through the roof but that game brings me peace for some odd reason. Yes, I know it’s stupid, but these are confusing times! Stay safe, and thanks for the relief all week
Zack Forney
2020-04-04 01:45:20 +0000 UTCAnnapurna is my favorite indie publisher right now. Almost every one of their games has a great story with a unique art style. Outer Wilds was my GOTY last year: a fully explorable solar system that experiences a supernova every 20 minutes makes for an amazing space Groundhog Day adventure!
Jakeytar
2020-04-03 21:23:13 +0000 UTCI just legit don't understand Animal Crossing at all. It was actually most quaint on the GameCube when you had to use those random codes to share shit and whatnot.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:17:00 +0000 UTCI've been criticizing Sony for making A and AA games for years, now, so I don't know where that comes from... particularly from the first party. This goes back to the so-called Year of PlayStation when I was still at IGN. Steam split at 20% is barely better than the standard 30% on consoles... but every little bit helps. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:16:33 +0000 UTCOhhhh man. I hope you are okay!
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:15:04 +0000 UTCI had two LG TVs and I hated them. They both broke.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:14:54 +0000 UTCEverything he writes these days comes from a certain political ideology. He never writes anything that's uplifting or puts the industry in a good light. I'm not saying you should skew only one way or the other. Quite the contrary: I think the stories you encounter should be the ones that are told, and he certainly must encounter stories counter to his rhetoric.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:14:43 +0000 UTCI only remember the whole political color thing happening starting with the 2000 election, but I could be wrong...
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:14:00 +0000 UTCHe's an essential employee.
Colin Moriarty
2020-04-03 21:13:41 +0000 UTCXbox has been putting out some lower quality games while improving the platform, but Colin, Gears 5 is the best Gears my man. It’s a phenomenal game that anyone could play for like $1 for 30 days. I know you’re busy with other stuff so you won’t play it, but you should really give Gears 5 a shot. You’ll be wholly impressed by the time you get into Act 2. It’ll remind you of a Sony-esque first party.
Caleb Greer
2020-04-03 20:37:07 +0000 UTCI HATE Animal Crossing. I was brain washed into trying it for Wii...then I snapped out of that (wtf am I doing). But for it to be this big when there are way better SIM games BEYOND me. I see all my friends on it while playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (highly reccomend-story) and it infuriates me! Thanks for the Quaritine content. My life is stuck in my parents as my new gf is a block away from me. I'm not allowed out (I'm a 33 yo man). But I'm understanding the safety issue concerns of my Boomer parents so I'll be considerate of their wishes. Luckily I love video games and have been playing MHW and now RE3 to pass time.
Erk-Prime
2020-04-03 20:12:08 +0000 UTCHey colin 2 things. I wanted to give you some more info on steam sales splits. The more money steam makes the less they take after money milestones. Examples being that it drops to as low as 20%. Now that’s also without behind the scenes dealings that could happen. 2. I think it’s funny you say why is Microsoft is letting their devs do more and agreeing to their smaller projects kinda confuses me. Only reason I say this is the history behind it. Xbox was accused of being to hard on their partners and even caused 1 studio to leave. While also the counter point is you have praised Sony in the past for doing exactly what micrsoft is doing taking chances and being more creatively free. I will also conced that you do as well criticize Sony sometimes as well for letting some of their first party to have freedom as well. So please take this as a friendly question and not a you’re a dumb fanboy comment.
Adamthm
2020-04-03 18:58:49 +0000 UTCListening to this as I sit in line to get tested. This is like something from a movie
John Lynch
2020-04-03 16:54:51 +0000 UTCLG is actually the worst
GameSimp
2020-04-03 16:40:56 +0000 UTCI’m sick and tired of Jason Shrier and his crusades. He said Naughty Dog was still crunching. I guess working from home in pajamas is considered crunch now. With so many people out of work I hope they turn on this guy because he’s been pissing me off for a long time now. This whole new wave anti consumer, anti crunch, anti exclusive, anti everything crowd is the worst, and he’s the head of the snake.
Dom posa
2020-04-03 16:29:19 +0000 UTCI always thought for some time that Red was associated with Democrats and Blue with Republicans, but it was the reverse. Ah, yes...Republicans are represented by the color associated with power and "evil". 🙄 Whatever; it's still one of my favorite colors (I am of the Libertarian Right).
Max Stahl
2020-04-03 16:20:16 +0000 UTCChris essential Ray gun! Love it!
Anthony J Sanchez
2020-04-03 16:12:39 +0000 UTC
