Sacred Symbols, Episode 210 | Sucker Punched
Added 2022-07-08 16:01:04 +0000 UTCIt's always fun to receive a letter, unless that letter happens to be very sad. Sony-owned developer Sucker Punch penned one such melancholy note to its audience in recent days, and it relayed sorrowful news indeed: The team isn't working on Infamous or Sly Cooper games now, they won't be in the foreseeable future, and -- perhaps most surprising -- no other studio is, either. Is the abandonment of Sucker Punch's history... well... a sucker punch of its own? We discuss. Plus: God of War: Ragnarok finally gets a release date, Forspoken is delayed into 2023, Rockstar abandons plans for a Grand Theft Auto IV remaster, and more news. Then: Listener inquiries! What are our expectations for Dragon Quest XII? Is there a future for digital game rentals? Will we ever 'retire' from playing games? Why does Colin hate phone calls so damn much?
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:05:38 - Merch is live!
0:07:49 - Shoutout to Gene Park
0:08:49 - Stand Down (in GameStop)
0:10:18 - Have we ever chosen not to argue on the show?
0:17:22 - Corrections
0:24:45 - Why don’t we like phone calls?
0:33:36 - Colin has infected your work emails
0:34:40 - Ubisoft is having an event in September
0:43:08 - Tokyo Game Show publishers and developers have been revealed
0:44:06 - NPD Group says game spending is trending down
0:49:18 - Crisis Core Reunion is getting more work than expected
0:53:51 - Several exciting indie games are making the jump to PlayStation
0:58:41 - Yuji Naka is still talking about Balan
1:04:15 - Sea of Stars looks promising
1:07:47 - What have we been playing?
1:20:11 - God of War: Ragnarok has a release date
1:36:11 - Sucker Punch says there are no plans for more Sly Cooper or Infamous
1:48:49 - Forspoken has been delayed. Again
1:57:53 - Remasters for GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption have been shelved
2:08:41 - Phantasy Star Online will come to PlayStation
2:13:44 - A Lollipop Chainsaw remaster is on its way
2:19:22 - Michael Jordan will be on the cover of NBA 2K23
2:21:41 - When is Dragon Quest XII launching?
2:26:24 - Will there ever be digital game rentals?
2:36:17 - Are 5 year development cycles detrimental to the industry?
2:46:26 - What caused the shift from Nintendo to PlayStation?
2:53:45 - Why is Colin offended about game recommendations?
2:58:54 - Will we retire from gaming?
Comments
I bought the PS3 around the time KZ2 was coming out (early 2009), and I didn't play these games in the order they were coming out. GTA 4 ran in some upscaled 640p resolution, so it looked blurry and murky, U1 was way sharper compared to it, and it didn't have cartoony, simplistic visuals. KZ2 had very impressive graphics when it came out - textures were kinda blurry, but that's it (and KZ3 fixed that, later on).
MISZCZOGRZMOT
2022-07-13 04:46:49 +0000 UTCI thought GTA4 looked awesome, personally. Uncharted came first, and I dug it, too.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:56:29 +0000 UTCI like meatballs.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:56:04 +0000 UTCYeah, I know.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:55:59 +0000 UTCYes.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:55:54 +0000 UTCI have lots of conversations about it behind the scenes, sure. Rising expectations and a decreasing willingness to pay are an unholy alliance.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:55:46 +0000 UTCYeah, we have that here, too. It's a cool service. Wish libraries did it when I was a kid!
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-13 00:55:11 +0000 UTCHey, GTA 4 was brilliantly written, satyrical, and the setting was great, but the gameplay was crap. From cars handling terribly, and sliding at every turn, to lack of features introduced in SA, or even back in GTA 3 or VC, cousin calling you constantly to go bowling which was so annoying it became a meme, to finally technical issues that made it barely playable, it was all a massive letdown. This was the first game i played on the PS3, and coming from PC, I honestly thought about selling the console if games were supposed to run and look like this - avg graphics, sub-HD resolution, poor performance all around(~20fps avg, and could go even to single digits when things got heated, or physics were involved), terrible, floaty, aiming implementation - I couldn't believe it got 10/10s everywhere (and I've played and enjoyed all GTAs since 1 at this point). A GTA game were driving and shooting is bad? Thankfully I played Uncharted 1, and Killzone 2 demo, later, which made me decide to keep my fat PS3, but I honestly feel like a GTA4 remaster would need a LOT of tweaking before it could be released again. There's just not much to do in this game aside from missions and 'dating', and even police chases were not fun. DLC brought some fun back into the game, but none of the new features worked with the base game. GTA V was a massive improvement on every front, it even ran better on the same hardware with greatly expanded features and scope.
MISZCZOGRZMOT
2022-07-12 20:27:25 +0000 UTC"The last thing we need, is a game about a made up super hero when we have Spiderman and Wolverine" Colin "Meatball" Moriarty 2022
Greg Dawson
2022-07-12 16:01:38 +0000 UTCI can’t not say this. ASL stood for Age Sex Location. Not Age Sex Language. Come on Colin!! Just kidding I know it was just a slip of the tongue but I heard it and couldn’t stop thinking why would I need to ask someone their language???
Christopher Smith
2022-07-12 14:06:27 +0000 UTCJust something to keep in mind: a lot of women call friends/boyfriends when on their way home/to see you due to making them feel safe in case something happens to them.
Tenet OVB
2022-07-12 13:20:57 +0000 UTCHave there been any insights from devs in the AAA space as to why these games have ballooning costs? It’d be interesting to know wether these additional costs are coming from the development or other departments like marketing, localisation, etc.. I’d love for SE to remake FF’s 1 - 6 in the HD-2D style. I’m sure the Pixel Remasters are fine but the HD-2D style is just the perfect way to give these games a graphical glow up.
Sam Lee
2022-07-12 11:27:12 +0000 UTCHere in Sweden you can rent games for free at the library. No PS5 games last time I checked but tons of PS4, PS4, Wii, Xbox games etc. Its a bit crazy and I'm not sure how I feel about it since I develop games myself and rather have people buy them, not am I sure how popular this rental thing is. I only knew about this since my mom works there, but I would assume this service is popular among families with many children...
Rune Shimotsuji Storm
2022-07-12 10:12:16 +0000 UTCMe too.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-11 15:13:10 +0000 UTCI think it's good to take breaks!
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-11 15:13:06 +0000 UTCThey obviously need many types of games.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-11 15:12:58 +0000 UTCYeah dude, it's a lot.
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-11 15:12:38 +0000 UTCWhen an unknown number calls me, I just let it ring until that person gives up. Few things can annoy me as much as unexpected phone call.
Aladin_Run
2022-07-11 12:10:16 +0000 UTCI'm 31 years old and I'll go weeks without playing a game because I'm binge watching a show or doing something else but the moment a game comes out I wanna play or I think about a game I wanna replay I'm right back at it. My dad is 58 and still plays video games all the time. I've never heard of someone being like I'm gonna stop doing this hobby at this age for anything. Like do whatever makes you happy. Even if in 5 years you're only playing a few games a year as long as you enjoyed them that's all that matters in my opinion
thefury4815
2022-07-11 11:22:46 +0000 UTCThe idea that Sony only need one of each type of game in their line up seems shortsighted when their main competitor, MS, has multiple studios dedicated to some genres like RPGs, FPS, Racing, etc.
Mark Whittington
2022-07-11 11:16:53 +0000 UTCThanks for clarifying about recommendations. I guessed the part about people over the years recommending a lot of things. But I hadn't considered that you actually took people's advice and were burned many times. That would make one more defensive towards recommendations for sure.
Calcifer
2022-07-11 07:36:35 +0000 UTCif it's not fun (or challenging in a way that is satisfying to overcome) then is it a game? maybe not for you? perhaps you should drop half the games you are meaning to play, base it on a quality like no more than X number remain, or metacritic 80 or over only.
TheAlpineTreeline
2022-07-11 05:57:04 +0000 UTCIndeed. =)
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-11 02:56:50 +0000 UTCI think retirement homes for gamers will just be filled with old people trading stories about which game(s) they think are responsible for their carpal tunnel.
Dave Ramos
2022-07-11 01:47:38 +0000 UTCDon’t overthink it. Just play when you feel like playing and don’t when you’re not up for it. I went through this stage in my 30’s and now in my 40’s I’m back into gaming at a time when I probably shouldn’t! You’re here because you love gaming but sometimes we all go through temporary stages of wanting to do other stuff.
Matt Wiles
2022-07-10 22:17:18 +0000 UTCDo what makes you happy. =)
Colin Moriarty
2022-07-10 18:07:18 +0000 UTCI don't like the thought of gaming in my 60s at all. Tbh gaming stresses me out too much. I still love gaming but my situation is that I've got loads of games I've started and not completed and it drives me up the wall that it's so out of control. I'm at the stage where completing them takes up all my free time and it might as well be a full time job. Maybe I've got a messed up personality type where that stuff bothers me too much but eventually I need to just leave it and find something more relaxing to do.
Flaunty
2022-07-10 17:30:07 +0000 UTC
