Hey there!

You , and you , and now that the , it's time to see what you thought were the best games in 2023!

Survey Notes:

• This survey was open for one month from March 11th until April 12th.

• The link to the voting post has been on the sidebar and in sticky comments on many posts during the past month.

• We gathered 1,136 total responses in that time.

• Previous year winners and results can be found on our wiki at

Without further ado, here are tables to summarize and present the results:

Section 1 - Gaming Together

• Best Online Multiplayer Game - For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.

• Best Local Multiplayer Game - For outstanding local multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op, irrespective of game genre.

• Best Family Game - For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre.

Section 2 - Categories by Genre

• Best Strategy Game - For the best game requiring a well thought out plan to achieve victory

• Best Role Playing Game (RPG) - For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression

• Best Adventure Game - For the best adventure game, which may mix combat with traversal and puzzle solving

• Best Action Game - For the best game in the action genre focused on combat

• Best Fighting Game - For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat

• Best Sports / Racing Game - For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game

• Best Horror Game - For that game that scared the socks off of you this year, the cause of all of those nightmares

• Best Platformer Game - For outstanding design and creativity in a game where players must use skill to jump between platforms or over obstacles without falling or missing jumps

• Best Puzzle Game - For the most enjoyable time racking your brain for the solution to the puzzle

• Best Music / Rhythm Game - For the best game with a focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments

• Best Visual Novel - For the best Visual Novel, which may combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of interactivity

• Best Simulation Game - For games generally designed to closely simulate real world activities

Section 3 - Categories by Qualities

• Best Soundtrack - For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack

• Best Art Direction - For outstanding creative achievement in artistic design and animation

• Best Narrative - For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game

• Best Game Direction - Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design

• Best Technical Achievement - For the game which achieves a combination of gameplay and graphics which goes well beyond hardware expectations

• Best Voice Acting - For outstanding voice acting, direction, and use of audio dialogue

Section 4 - Release Categories

• Best Re-Release / Re-master - For the best game whose original release was not on a current generation console (pre-2021) (Switch/PS5/Xbox Series X)

• Nintendo Switch Exclusive Game - Best game released in 2023 as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive

• Best Non-Switch Game - Games for PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X

• Best DLC - The extra content that you felt was truly worth the money (or not in the case of free) and you don't regret the time taken to play it

• Best Ongoing Game - For outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time. Does NOT have to be a 2023 release

• Best Indie Game - For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system

• Best Free-to-Play Game - For budget-friendly games that you enjoyed and you don't regret the time taken to play it

Section 5 - Final Section

• Developer of the Year - Developer studio who displayed outstanding platform support through a combination of quantity and quality of new releases

• 3rd Party Publisher of the Year - Publishing studio who displayed outstanding platform support through a combination of quantity and quality of new releases

• Nintendo Switch Game of the Year - Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields

Section 6 - Bonus Questions

• What do you think the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be called? (short answer)

Top 10 responses, from 700 total:

1. Nintendo Switch 2 - 176+ responses

2. Super Nintendo Switch - 137+ responses

3. Nintendo Switch U - 18+ responses

4. New Nintendo Switch - 17+ responses

5. Nintendo Switch Pro - 14+ responses

6. Nintendo Switcheroo - 9+ responses

7. Nintendo s-Wii-tch - 9+ responses

8. Nintendo Switch Up - 8+ responses

9. Nintendo Switch Plus - 7+ responses

10. Nintendo Switch Attach - 7+ responses

• What price range do you think the next Nintendo console will fall into? (multiple choice)

• What is a category of games you feel is missing from our Games of the Year survey? (short answer)

Top 10 responses, from 262 total:

1. Shooter / FPS - 20 responses

2. Cozy game (casual, slice-of-life, chill) - 15 responses

3. Best Indie / Hidden Gem - 10 responses. ^(>< *^{We already have this category.}*)

4. Rogue-like or Rogue-lite - 9 responses

5. Best Shovelware / Worst Game - 8 responses

6. Best JRPG (6 responses), Best tRPG (5 responses), best aRPG (2 responses), and a few of these mention splitting up the RPG category in general

7. Racing (6 responses) / Sports (5 responses) + 1 response that said they should be separate

8. Best Port - 6 responses. ^(>< *^{We already have a Re-release / Re-master category.}*)

9. Best Card Game / Deck-Builder - 6 responses

10. Best Metroidvania - 6 responses

Other notable suggestions: Most Anticipated (5), Puzzle (5)^><, Simulator (5)^><, Best Adult game (5), Best NSO addition (4), Biggest Disappointment (4), Most Impressive / Greatest Influence / Most Impactful (4)^><, Open World / World design (4), Best Debut or New IP (4), Party-style / mini-games (3), Best Ending / writing (3), Best Small / Short game (3), Best [motion] Controls / Use of JoyCon (3), Best Value / Best game under $30 (2), Most Played / Addictive / Time-sink (2), Best game for children / education game (2), Best Sequel (2), Most Improved (2)

(><) - We already have categories for Indie, Re-release, Puzzle, and Simulation. Impressive / Impact / Influence might be considered to fall under overall Game of the Year. Do these suggestions reflect changes/improvements needed in those categories?

• What do you think has been the best year for Nintendo Switch so far? (multiple choice)

You may have seen a preview of results from this question .

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That's it for this post! You can also view the results in the for quick charts, or request additional charts by pinging . We will be presenting results from the other three bonus questions (AMA Suggestions, Preference by Post Flair, and Game Rec MegaThread Suggestions) in separate posts so as to dive deeper into those discussions.

Congratulations to all the winners, and we are open to feedback to make this run smoother in the future.

I love Minecraft and other games where you can build up your base, but I miss the feeling of having to put it all on the line with the threat of losing everything. Rust comes to mind, but do you know of any other games like this? Single or multiplayer suggestions are more than welcome! Can be First/third person, top down, isometric etc.

Game Information

Game Title: Harold Halibut

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Apr 16, 2024)

• PlayStation 5 (Apr 16, 2024)

• PC (Apr 16, 2024)

Trailers:

Developer: Slow Bros.

Review Aggregator:

Critic Reviews

- -

Quote not yet available

- -

Though Harold Halibut leaves me with a lot to pick at, it’s a fitting debut for what’s sure to become one of gaming’s most exciting new studios. Like Harold himself, Slow Bros. finds itself pushing gaming’s mundane comfort zone into the stratosphere with an approach that few will dare to replicate. It’s a bold risk; I’m sure the studio could have made a lot of commercially viable games in the 14 years it took to put this together. But why settle for stagnation?

- André Pereira - Portuguese -

Harold Halibut is a beautiful game overflowing with love and ambition that would be better consumed in the form of a movie or series, falling just short in execution.

- -

Harold Halibut is a long-awaited game that more than pays off the wait. It’s a classic adventure game with a lot of soul that shouldn’t be missed.

- -

When an ambitious concept is as perfectly executed as it is here, it is imperative to celebrate the creative achievement that it truly is. Not only for the lasting emotion a superbly-told story gives but for all the artistic disciplines that coalesced to form this work of art. Harold Halibut is a feat rarely seen where a comedic sci-fi journey of self-discovery triumphs in leaving a mark that you will always treasure.

- -

Whether you’ll enjoy your time with Harold Halibut and the various Fedorans you’ll meet really comes down to what kind of person and gamer you are – if you enjoy deeply narrative games where the focus in more on story and a sense of place, with a very simple gameplay loop, then you’ll fit right in -and I suspect come to adore your time aboard the Fedora.

Hello everyone,

I would like to share my FINAL set of Optimized Settings for all LG OLEDs from 2017 to 2024 Series for both SDR / HDR / DOLBY VISION Movies & TV Shows + PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S and Switch gaming with the best PQ and lowest Input-Lag results possible (from 4ms to 21ms based on model).

These settings are the results of 7+ years of gathering professional calibration results (using external equipment and software), valuable online knowledge from the most reliable sources and direct testing & analysis.

Yeah, I know, "settings cannot be copy/pasted from TV to TV as they're all different" , but tested LG OLED variance between models is much lower then average, and even within a 3% variance you will still experience a much more accurate image compared to default presets, plus CMS and WB advanced options weren't touched in order to avoid variance error as much as possible.

There are 6 Profiles to independently 1-time-Setup for each source/content combination, and then forget about it.

In order to do it, just change the video source to the one you want to calibrate (for example: webOS Netflix app, or to HDMI1 connected to Xbox Series X / PS5) and then load up the type of video content you want to calibrate (for example: launch an SDR Game, or an HDR Game, or a Dolby Vision movie).

Once you're ready, apply the Optimized Settings specifically for your LG OLED Series (see the sections below to identify your TV settings).

Optimized Settings for LG 2023-2024 OLED Series:

• for the 1 Hour - Full Setup Video Guide

• for the 2023-2024 LG OLED Series' Overall Settings' Chart

• More information and reasoning about the settings

Optimized Settings for LG 2019 up to 2022 OLED Series:

​If you have a 2019-2022 LG OLED apply the following changes first, then proceed with the updated Overall Settings Chart below:

• Use "Game Console" Icon for game consoles and mixed usage scenario (Games + Movies & Media);

• You can change the HDMI icon going into "TV Home Dashboard" and then "All Inputs" section;

• Use "Original" aspect ratio for all sources except for gaming ones: for those use the "16:9" aspect ratio in order to fix potential input lag bugs.

• for the 2019-2022 LG OLED Series' Overall Settings' Chart

You can also unlock ALL settings and apply further tweaks by using the app (on Windows).

Optimized Settings for LG 2018 OLED Series only:

​Use the same settings of 2017 series below, then apply the following changes:

• SDR Game and SDR ISF Dark presets: bring back Tint to 0;

• Disable Dynamic Contrast everywhere;

• HDR Cinema Home: be sure Dynamic Contrast is OFF; set Dynamic Tone Mapping: ON;

• HDR Game: set Color value back from 65 to 55; be sure Dynamic Contrast is OFF; set Dynamic Tone Mapping: ON;

• Dolby Vision: change OLED Light value from 50 to 100.

Optimized Settings for LG 2017 OLED Series only:

• for the video guide

• Unlock ALL settings by using the app (on Windows).

__

__

NOTE: Don't forget to adjust HDR "Sliders" also in game settings if available. Usually, for these TVs, you need to "increase" the level of Max HDR Brightness "Slider" to make the game logo/icon totally disappear in a white background, or set it to a numerical number around 4.000 nits (for Dynamic Contrast or Dynamic Tone Mapping: On) or 800 nits for HGIG (1.000 nits for LG G2/C4; 1.500 nits for LG G3/G4).

Dolby Vision gaming is not recommended. Click to know more.

Paper White could be set around 200 nits in all cases (276 nits for G3/G4 only)

This is the reason why, even with both the console and the TVs properly calibrated, some games may look "dark" or "washed out" if these settings are left to default.

(YouTube Playlist)

Here you will find Very High Quality (among the best seen on YT), Direct-feed gameplay recordings in Native 4K, 60fps, color-accurate and Calibrated HDR after applying all my to my new PC (Full Specs and Setup in each video description)

For this reason, I highly recommend to see them from a true HDR display!

YouTube will still decently tone map them to SDR automatically if you can't.

I will periodically add new gameplay recordings for select games over time, so if you like them please support my work by leaving a Like & Subscribe on the YouTube channel and on !

NOTE:
In order to preserve the highest and smoothest quality of the recordings, the actual performance you see is around 5-10% slower than normal. Just consider that as a reference if you want to compare it with similar setups.

FAQ & Useful Insights:

______________________________

Let me know what you think.

Hope you enjoy it :)

Cheers,

-P

Important Notes:

• I do my best to include every sale, but at the same time I focus sale with a noticeable price drop, meaning sales start with at least 20% and up. I usually skip anything below that unless it's a worth while title.

• Click on the price to visit the store page for that game.

• The end date of the sale isn't mentioned, you can check the store page to see it.

• All of these sales are based on the US store front, so some sales may not be available depending on your country.

[~ PSN ~]

• Many Final Fantasy titles are on sale for -40% to -60%. (FF7/7 Reunion/8/9/12/14/Crystal Chronicles/World of Final Fantasy)

(On Mobile please Swipe left/right to see the prices and tags)

[~ Switch ~]

[~ Xbox ~]

[~ Steam ~]

If you want to check the games yourself:

~ ~

Steam Deck Icons (As explained by Steam itself):

🟦 Verified: Means that the game is fully compatible and works with built-in controls and display.

🟧 Playable: Means the game is Functional, but requires extra effort to interact with and configure .

"--" Unknown: Basically unconfirmed or still under-review.

• Almost all the Hypber Dimension Neptunia and it's spin-offs are heavily discounted.

~ General Recommendations (All Consoles) For Anyone Who Can't Decide ~

First off, I won't recommend big or famous games like Final Fantasy or Persona, this is more for lesser know, hidden gems, or just games where it's hard to find someone talking about them.

[Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children]

An amazing game, with complex and deep gameplay system, add to that a varied and loveable character cast, and more importantly, a very interesting and really fun world.

The plot is set in a contemporary earth, but one where mutants exist, think X-men but with less earth shattering powers and more practical ones. So it's really fun to see how the world and characters deal with these powers, how they affect technology, social classes, crime and crime fighting, and even the fauna and flora of the world. All of that is accompanied by a beautifully hand drawn art and amazing soundtrack.

That alone is worth the price of admission, but then you add the fact you can spend easily tens, no, hundreds of hours just customizing everything about your characters through:

• Tiered gear (common/rare/epic/legendary), and even Unique and Set gear.

• Upgrading classes, and having them matched with different Elemental and mutant powers.

• A mastery system so deep and so complex that you can easily spend days just playing around with. I can't explain it here since it would take too long, but check this old comment of mine talking and explaing. ()

• Being able to upgrade and craft your own gear and consumables. Even Legendary, Unique ones.

If that wasn't enough, then you add a whole system for capturing and collecting monsters, even rare and Legendary types. Then for a cherry on top, you can also collect and customize robots.

All of this and I haven't even talked about the amazing soundtrack yet. The devs still update the game every week till now with new content (go and check the steam page updates), even though the game came out 4 years ago. They even gave out their first big DLC content for free, and they even reply to every review personally till this day, we are talking over 7K reviews here.

Note: The English translation is good but since this is translated from Korean, it doesn’t have the best localization. So the game is perfectly understandable, with nothing that will hinder your enjoyment unless you are someone who is really bothered by games that lack great localization.

[Valkyria Chronicles]

[Valkyria Chronicles 4]

This one is really hard to explain through words alone, but just in case, the VC series is a World War 2 military setting story, where you act as the lead of a squad and take mission to drive back the enemy. The story is drama heavy and the gameplay is tactical turn-based, but it's mixed with real-time third person shooter.

You can also make your own army by recruiting different types of solders, training them and upgrading their gear. From rifles to tanks, this is a game you have to experience to understand.

[Monster Sanctuary]

This is a solid game, everything in is polished and balanced to make sure you are having fun collecting new monsters and customizing your team through evolution/skill trees/gear and making the best in-sync party you can. I only wish it was longer, it's not short by any means, but it's not long either. I would say depending on if you're trying to "catch them all" and explore everything and fight all bosses, this could easily be a 30+ hours game, but if you focus on the story, then it's about 20 to 30 hours. Now even longer with the 2 new free DLC expansion added.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining that it's short, but that I was having so much fun, that I wish it didn't end.

[Ni no Kuni] Series

If you're looking for that great Isekai fantasy adventure feel, then these two games are where it's at. Fantastic visuals and great music, coupled with a great art style, a combo that is perfect for a chill and relaxed gaming experience. Especially when talking about the first game, with the help ofStudio Ghibli, they managed to make a truly whimsical world with that Studio Ghibli classic touch.

- Important Note: The games aren't connected story-wise, so you can start with any of them -

[Wrath of the White Witch]

For a the best fantasy adventure feel, while the combat is a hit or miss depending on your taste, don't let that stop you from actually diving into a true fairy tale world, this is the one with the better story in my opinion, so if you want more story than game, this is for you. Still it has a good share of gameplay, from raising and collecting Pokemon-like monsters, to learning and using different spells, not just in combat but for the overworld too.

[Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom]

This one focuses more on gameplay, with a Kingdom builder, Army battles, Heavy loot focus, and even character collector, this is the one to go with if you want more game than story. Still has the great music and he fantastical art style and setting. Add to that a lot of side activities like beating rare monsters, collecting cute creatures to help you in battle, and even going around the world to gather people to help you build your kingdom. You'll never be short on things to do.

Finally, both of them have beautifully draw world that is just a pleasure to walkthrough, made even better with the amazing orchestral soundtrack.

[Ys series]

This is a case of a whole series is filled with great games, it's really hard to go wrong here.

But if you're going to choose one, then this one is an easy pick. Fantastic soundtrack ? check! Great Smooth Action gameplay ? check! Dogi the wall breaker ? check! Base building and crafting ? check! and check! So if you're looking amazing music while you hack and slash your way through monsters and bosses, then Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is easily your go to game.

[Wolfstride]

It's a Mecha Arena Fighter where the actual fighting is about 20% of the game. The rest is just running through this very stylistic world, filled with a lot of mini-games, a story set in an alternative history of our real world (if it had different races and mechs I mean), great voice acting, social bonding system, customization, and just a really content heavy game. The start is a bit slow, but once the ball gets rolling your will have a lot to do. It's a really fun game especially if you are a fan of 90s anime.

[Blue Dragon] & [Lost Odyssey]

These two are classic titles that will probably won't be ported to or remade to modern consoles. That's why this might be the last way you'll ever get to experience 2 classic titles of the genre. Lost Odyssey has great story writing and unique character settings, and Blue Dragon has great exploration and a really fun character class customization system, and one hell of a boss theme.

[Legend of Mana Remaster]

A Fantastic game in everything except it's combat, which is average. Though with this remaster, you can even turn off combat any time you want. The remaster in itself is great, polishing up the visuals and adding a ENTIRE orchestral version for each track in the game, and this is a game with an amazing soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura. So now you can switch between the original OST and the new orchestral one at any time.

The game follows an open-world concept with lots of freedom and giving you the choice on where to place each city/kingdom/dungeon on the map, and depending on how you do it, you'll unlock better weapons, items, quests, and so on.

It's a great game that you need to experience to know how good it is.

[SaGa series]

It would take too long to explain everything here in detail. So if you want to know if the series is something you might enjoy, then check this thread to learn about the series, and where to start:

()

As always, please do add your own recommendations, and let me know if there is mistake or if something was missing, and have a nice day.

I had some PSN credit and was eyeing this at $10 for a while but as much as I enjoyed Polybius, and to a lesser extent Moose Life, I didn't really return to them after a few plays (though I would totally return to Polybius if it were on PS VR2).

So, despite it only being $10, and being in possession of a $5 card from Playstation Stars, times are tight enough that I talked myself out of buying it for a couple days. What if I don't even like it? With Playstation, I'm stuck with it.

Then I remembered there's a PC version. I grabbed a cheap key for a buck just to test it out and told myself that if I liked it I'd get the PS VR2 version. Well, I liked it, but I wasn't blown away. Once I got into it, I realized it wasn't just complete noise like it seemed like in some videos, but I also wasn't hooked.

Still, something told me the VR version would be the ticket.

Well, I just got done making it to roughly level 34 and damn man, it's like a whole different game. What is mostly chaos with only one layer on a flat screen turns into a visual symphony that, while still barely interpretable at times, can for the most part be parsed at a glance with the millisecond speed required for some of the trickier patterns. I simply cannot explain to you how much difference it makes in terms of readability having all of those explosions and flashes have depth.

But then, there's a second "secret" trick that turns it up a whole 'nother level, and that's using the DualSense and changing the game's control scheme to "touchpad" in the menu settings. Now this is where it's at, even snappier than my Razer mouse or a trackball, being able to instantly aim wherever I place my finger is what turns this game from "this is kind of neat" into "I am a godlike being conducting a synesthete's wet dream orchestra... for points".

Remember in the title when I saw this is the best VR arcade game from Jeff Minter yet? Honestly, it might be the best arcade game I've ever played. It feels like someone took Every Extend Extra, Missile Command, and Geometry Wars and put them in a blender.

Time will tell if this will be up there with Geometry Wars, Nex Machina, and Super Stardust HD for me, but damn does it rock so far.

The game throws so many new tricks at you all the time, with each level being a specially curated puzzle that you keep getting better at. It seriously just doesn't let up. When I got to one of the thirtieth levels and I realized the game was allowing me to fire bombs into the fan of a windmill and then flick my finger along the touchpad to spin those fans so I could "slice" enemies with my exploding bombs my brain nearly exploded.

Seriously guys, it's wild.

I am new to Gigantic and absolutely Love the game!! It has, however, completely bricked my PlayStation 5 FOUR times today to where I couldn’t even restart or turn off my PS but had to get up and shut the entire thing off and then reboot. It’s a testament to how much I’m enjoying the game that I battled through this annoying process that many times in order to play, but the game is tough to recommend to anyone on PlayStation in its current state.

I should add that I’m an adult with a Mac, a PC, a laptop, and a Steam deck, but I prefer to mostly game on my PS. I’ve been gaming for decades now, and playing Gigantic for the first time has been fun and exciting for me! So, please fix the game to where, at a minimum, it’s not bricking my PlayStation repeatedly and I can have an infinitely more enjoyable session. I have limited gaming time which I would like to be able to relax and unwind in.

EDIT: turns out the guy I'm watching was playing the beta so that might have to do with the skillet of the boss but I've taken all the advice from the comments and felt like adding this

So.. I'm at the.. 8th?? Stargazer set (I'm not sure if that's how acts are split so pardon me if I'm wrong) just entered the area to be exact after fighting a certain boss with a certain lantern like obstacle right before it. (No spoilers) And so I've decided to watch a couple playthroughs from the begging of the game. And I got to a part where this YouTuber is fighting a certain man with an animal mask on a bridge. (Still no spoilers)

And.. for me that fight felt like hell (I'm on Mnk) this is the first souls game I got into (I couldn't really enjoy dark souls 1 so I kinda gave up on the genre until I saw the trailer for this game) And the boss felt too fast, the attacks too punishing, I dodged and dodged but nothing worked. After like an hour of trying and not getting close to killing him I looked up a guide. And so now that I'm watching this video the YouTuber (playing on a PlayStation 5) is basically fighting this boss without issue. There's no difficulty setting because it's a souls game obviously but the boss seems way to slow compared to how it felt.

For me he dodged every attack and hit me back instantly.. for this guy he gets hit 3 times, jumps back runs forward misses and gets hit again

This might just be called a skill issue on my part and this is going on for too long but is lies of P made with a difficulty difference based on platform?

TL:DR: is console lies of P easier than PC or am I just that bad at the game (roast me if necessary.)

Looking for info about M.2 SSD expansion drives? .

Sometimes you just need help. But often times making a new post isn't needed. For the time being, around launch and perhaps in the future. We will use a single thread for helping each other out.

Before asking, we ask you to look at a few links. Some question can't be answered and only official PlayStation support can help you.

PlayStation Official

Community Help

• | from

• | from

• | from

• | from

• ps5-orders, general-support & tvs-and-accessories discord channels | from our

and is also a great way to find an answer or get help. View all past help and questions threads .

For all future help, tech support and more, we ask that you create new threads on instead of here on .

Can't decide what to play next? Is your favourite game underappreciated and more people need to play it? Need a new TV and not sure what to buy?

Share (and request) your recommendations here!

Hello Islanders!

Here is the Xbox X&S, Xbox via PC, and PlayStation 5 changelist for v1.0-947.
With this hotfix, we've added options in Game Settings to "Show Backup." Once enabled on the Load Game page, this will display all the backup save files available.
You can check the complete changelist below!

If you encounter bugs or other issues, please kindly report it directly here:

• E-mail:

• coral-bugs-report and coral-crash-report on Discord:

Thank you so much for your patience!

Xbox X&S, Xbox via PC, and PlayStation 5 Hotfix v1.0-947

Bugfixes:

• Load from backup save files: We've added options in Game Settings to "Show Backup." Once enabled in the Load Game page, this will display all the backup save files available.

• Fixed auto chest causing crashes in the shed in some cases.

• Fixed the issue where items couldn't be purchased in the Winter Fair store.

• Fixed a problem in décor mode where some items couldn't be placed.

Localizations:

• Various translation improvements.

As i was checking rewards for playstation Stars, it was never changed as it was always the same games or Destiny 2 currency and lightfall dlc, which never interested me. But today, as i checked the rewards for games and they have been changed and new ones have been added. As follows, here the list and the prices via points for anyone who hasn't checked it out yet or has been saving up

Bloodborne old Hunters dlc = 5,000

Genshin Impact Virtual Currency and item = 1,250

Apex Legends 500 Coins = 1,250

Balatro = 3,750

Minecraft = 5,000

Helldivers 2 = 10,000

Rise of The Ronin = 17,500

The last 2 game still remained on the rewards list

Dredge = 6,250

Stardew Valley = 3,750

Edit: had to correct bloodborne as people pointed out it's the dlc not the game

FF7 Rebirth released on the 29th of February and another JRPG with a lot of hype around it, Dragon´s Dogma 2, released on the 21st of march.

Dragon´s Dogma 2's sales numbers were announced 11 days after its release: 2.5 million copies sold, a really good number.

Let´s take a look at Famitsu's Japanese sales for both games:

This is the latest update. FF7 Rebirth: 314,415 copies sold. Dragon´s Dogma 2: 81,935. Yes, these are physical sales only. Yes, DD2´s Steam sales are not included. But considering that FF7Re is outselling DD2 by x4 physically, and neither the digital or PC market in Japan are as big as the physical one, we can take a conclusion.

Let´s travel to Europe:

GSD claims that comparing both games' first two weeks after release, FF7 Rebirth outsold DD2 (with the latter´s Steam and Xbox sales included). I'm going to guess that by a small margin.

Let´s check the US now:

March's Circana report hasn´t been published yet and that makes things difficult for the comparison I was making so far, but here we can see that FF7 Rebirth became the 4th best selling game year-to-date after only 3 days of sales numbers tracked. The FF7 Remake+Rebirth twin pack charted 16th best selling year-to-date. Playstation blog´s top downloads for March in the US say it was the 11th most downloaded game on PS5, which is quite decent considering how frontloaded FF games' sales tend to be and the sales for its "biggest" day, February 29, were not included.

In conclusion, unless DD2 greatly outsold FF7 Rebirth in the US, and it would be an anomaly as the US has traditionally been one of, if not the most, profitable markets for the FF franchise, then this game is reasonably at least at 3 million copies sold. Is this an amazing result? For a FF AAA game, no. Did Rebirth outsell Remake? Absolutely not. Is it the absolute flop some people claim it is? Hell no.

1. Not everyone has 1000$ for a device dedicated for gaming

You are in the financial institution you are in because regular everyday people give you their attention and you turn it into money if they just don't outright give you money in subscription and other things. So no the average mobile gamers doesn't have a high end device and can't snap his fingers and make one appear. And you piece of shit just basically call them broke for not having a 1500$ ipad by saying: "just upgrade". They feel letdown because the peoples who should speak up for the average mobile gamer are ignoring them, in fact they're doing the opposite taking a company side and being outright elitist.

2. Even if someone happened to be given 1000$ for Gaming experience, their first thought will not and should not be warzone mobile.

the Xbox series x is 450$, the PlayStation 5 is also 450$ and the upcoming play station 5 pro is rumored to be between 499$ and 599$. 400$ less than the devices able to run the game halfway decently. Why on earth would anyone upgrade JUST for WZM when they can get a nex gen console with 4 or 5 AAA games for the same price? I mean, GTA 6 is coming out in a few months

3. If games like WZM becomes the industry standard it is the death of mobile gaming.

I'll take you back to point 2. Making game like this the standard put mobile gaming in direct competition with console. No need to elaborate on why the mobile gaming industry doesn't stand a chance in that fight (remember the PSP?). Why spend 1500 for an iphone to play a pixelated game and burn your phone to a crisp while you can be enjoying gta 5, gta 6, palworld, etc for cheaper and on a big screen. Those big CC are celebrating the "evolution" of mobile gaming and unintentionally setting their own industry up for failure. Mobile gaming is supposed to run on the majority of devices not only the top 10%, super expensive one. If you get this to become industry standard the point of entry to play competitive video games will be so high heck the point of entry to play wzm is higher than the one to play GTA 6 on the PS5 pro as we speak. Regular people choose their entertainment with their wallet and traditional gaming will always beat mobile gaming if this becomes the new normal. And the big companies you are sucking up to will kill your beloved game in a heartbeat the moment it's start struggling. And at the rate things are going, expect WZM to end up as tax write off to please Activision shareholders.

PS:

No people don't just hate on the game. They complain because they want to PLAY the game but can't at all or can't run it smoothly enough to have a good time.

No people are not able and have no reason to upgrade just for a single game when they could be doing so much more with that money if they even have that kind of money to spend on gaming

No people don't hate you for the sake of hating, they hate you because they know you are defending your bosses at Activision. They're calling you a sellout because instead of speaking the truth of what the vast majority of people are experiencing you are embellishing a failed game to stay in Activision payroll.

All of you are sellouts, and the community will remember that.

CONTEST CLOSED! PICKING A WINNER SHORTLY!

I haven't been posting here very often lately, so I decided to make a comeback with a contest! It's a small contest, with only a $5 prize off your Amazon wishlist (since I'm selling my games mainly to save up for some important purchases, though also because I simply don't have space for all of them anymore), but I hope you'll enjoy this contest all the same!

So here's the deal. I went to a game store and sold some of my retro video games the other day, and made a decent amount of cash. As it usually is when selling to stores, I didn't get the true value for them, but me and the owner negotiated and I did get a pretty darn fair price for all of it. I didn't sell all my games of course, he only wanted a few at the moment - though he did say that eventually, he'd like to buy more from me when his budget allows for it.

I'm going to give you clues to what each of these games that I sold are, and I'll also share with you a little memory I have of playing (or obtaining) the game. Your job is to guess what each of these games are! For each one you guess correctly, you get a point, and whoever has the most points at the end is the winner! If there's a tie, or if somehow nobody gets any points because I'm bad at writing clues, then I'll just pick a random winner. Your chances of getting these correct drastically increases if you're a gamer yourself and grew up playing these games!

Rules

1. You get 1 guess at each game, but you should try and make a guess for every single question! You are allowed to skip questions if you have literally no clue what the answer might be though.

2. You must get the EXACT name of the game correct to get the point! For example, if I sold Super Mario World (I didn't, so that's not one of the answers :P) and you said "Mario", that would not count as a correct answer!

3. This contest is only open to people in the US, and the item you get as a prize will be worth up to $5 (I have Prime btw). Sorry it can't be more, but like I said, I'm trying to save up.

4. I'll close this contest and pick a winner on Wednesday, unless entries completely stop coming and then I might close it a little earlier.

Now then, on to the questions! Try and guess as many as you can!

Game 1

Platform: Sony Playstation 1

Genre: RPG

I actually searched all over the place to find this game back in the day. Ended up coming across it randomly at a Blockbuster one day, as a brand new Greatest Hits copy (rather than a "previously played" used game). Snatched it up instantly. This game is a sequel, and while I had played part of the previous game, I didn't finish it. My friends yelled at me for not having finished the previous game before starting this one lol. Ended up being pretty confused by the plot partway through, so I went back and finished the first game in the middle of playing this one, and... well... it really didn't help the convoluted, confusing plot make that much more sense :P. I still love this game dearly though! It is a 2-disc game, and it has been re-released on modern consoles too.

Game 2

Platform: Nintendo 64

Genre: Platformer

My first memory of playing this game was at a demo kiosk at Blockbuster. I was completely blown away by the graphics, as I had never seen 3D graphics in a video game before! I found myself trapped in what I referred to as a "hard water level" because I just couldn't figure out where to go! When I got the game for myself that Christmas, I quickly realized that the "hard water level" I was stuck in was actually part of the hub world! Boy I felt silly about that one! This game remains one of my favorite games of all time, and I actually replayed through it pretty recently, getting 100% completion for the first time. This game has been ported to multiple other platforms over the years, and can be played on a current-gen console.

Game 3

Platform: Nintendo 64

Genre: Racing

This was the first game I ever rented for the Nintendo 64, about a week after I first got the system. The game totally blew me away, and remains as one of my favorite racing games to this day. I really wanted for my mom to buy me the game, but it was expensive and she couldn't afford it at the time, so I rented it countless times - and almost certainly paid more in rental fees than just buying the game outright :P. I ended up getting another, cheaper racing game instead, which was also really good, but this one was always the better one IMO. Years later, I decided I wanted to buy it, and so we literally drove around pretty much the entire county, going to every used game store to try and find a copy, and after visiting probably a dozen stores, I finally got one! This game has been ported to another platform in the past, but it is not currently available on any modern platforms - though it probably should be...

Game 4

Platform: Nintendo 64

Genre: Platformer

The second game I rented for the N64, and this one also totally blew my mind. It was like that other platformer I listed above, but better! IMO this game is probably the single best game ever made in it's specific sub-genre! I ended up buying it years after it came out at a Gamestop as a used copy, and I played the hell out of it for years and years. I played through it pretty recently and 100%'d it again for like the third time. It has been ported to a few platforms over the years, and can be played on current gen console(s)! Can You Guess The Name of This Secret Game?

Game 5

Platform: Nintendo 64

Genre: Platformer

This game is a sequel to another game, and I was a really big fan of the previous game in the series, so imagine my surprise when I went to Target on my birthday with my birthday money in hand, to find this game sitting on the shelf! I didn't even know it EXISTED until that very moment! I had no clue they made a sequel! I immediately snatched it up without a second thought, spending all of my birthday money on it. It was... eeeh... It's not as good as the previous entry, but it's alright. As they say, less is more, and this is definitely the case with this series, as this game has so much more and is bigger in every way compared to the previous game, but it's kind of notorious for feeling bloated and too big. I actually tried to play through it again pretty recently and couldn't make it through the intro section because it's such a slog before you actually get to explore lol. This game can technically be played on a modern console through backwards compatibility. It should be more widely available though...

Game 6

Platform: Nintendo Gamecube

Genre: Action-Adventure

This game was available on multiple platforms, but I had the Gamecube version. I bought it as a used copy at Gamestop years after it came out, and was pretty hyped for it since when the game was initially coming out I was super excited for it, as I love the series it comes from. The critical reception was really good, but in the end I just didn't like it very much. The overall gameplay was fine, but there were certain sections that I felt were way too slow and it really dragged the game down for me. I feel like it's one of the weaker games in the series personally, but I feel like most people would disagree with me on that. Plus I'm not really a fan of the darker, grittier style of the game compared to the previous game's more lighter and colorful style. The game was ported to multiple platforms, but it is not currently playable on current gen consoles.

Game 7

Platform: Nintendo Gamecube

Genre: Fighting

I literally bought a Gamecube for this game. I saw it being advertised in Nintendo Power and was just like "I NEED A GAMECUBE RIGHT NOW!" lol. When the game came out, my mom drove me aaaaalll around town looking for a Gamecube and a copy of the game, and we could not find the system anywhere, as they were in short supply at the time. I forever held a personal grudge against Circuit City for telling me over the phone that they had Gamecubes in stock, only for them to laugh at me for actually believing them when we drove to the store. WELL YOU'RE OUT OF BUSINESS, SO WHO'S LAUGHING NOW!? HA HA HA! Ahem, anyway... I ended up finding the Gamecube and this game at Toys R Us, and I actually bought their last Gamecube! However, we only had enough money for the GC and the game, so I actually didn't have a Memory Card for over a month, so I couldn't save the game! Thankfully the game is of the sort that you don't really need to be able to save, though it would certainly have helped with the unlockables. The game was absolutely worth the struggle we went through to get it. Oddly enough, despite how amazing and popular this game is, it's not available anywhere other than the Gamecube.

Game 8

Platform: Nintendo Gamecube

Genre: Platformer

When I first read about this game in Nintendo Power, I was like "Wow, this game sounds stupid! Who would ever want to play a crappy game like this?" and had immediately dismissed the game solely on it's concept alone. One day, I went to Blockbuster and every other game I wanted to rent was out of stock, so... I reluctantly rented this game, pretty much just so I could have some experience with it so that I could mock it later, telling all my friends how bad it was. It... actually isn't bad! It's pretty good actually! I was pretty shocked that I was having fun with this game that had such a silly premise! Sure, it's not as good as most other games in the series (IMO), but it's still enjoyable. I played through it a couple years ago, and while I don't think it holds up that well anymore, I think I'm in the minority because the game is still very popular. We bought it at KMart back in the day, and I know this because there's actually a Kmart logo on the box art, as it was a special exclusive edition. This game can be played on a modern platform!

Game 9

Platform: Nintendo Gamecube

Genre: Platformer

I had always been a fan of this franchise, and so when this game came out on Gamecube, I immediately went and rented it. I loved it so much that literally right after the rental period, I asked my mom to take me straight to the store and buy it! I played through the whole game - though I never completed all of the extra missions because some of them are tedious as hell - and loved it for the most part, though there's a few types of levels that just... aren't fun, in my opinion. I replayed the game years later and boy oh boy does this game not hold up. It's clunky, it's awkward, and only like a third of the stages are remotely fun at all IMO. I'm definitely in the minority here as it's one of the most beloved games in the series. They've ported this game to other platforms several times, and there's been a bit of a controversy surrounding these ports as they stripped the multiplayer mode from the game and sold it as DLC...

Game 10

Platform: So it's actually not a game at all! This IS a platform!

If you guess the correct platform, you get 1 point, but if you can guess the exact specific model, you get an extra point!

So for this one, you're actually not guessing a game, but rather the system that you play games on! Yep, I sold one of my systems to them! I bought this system solely to play 1 game (though I did get others later on), and I bought this particular model of the system because it came with said game as a pack-in! Though ironically, he didn't buy the game along with the system lol. This particular system is a special edition, so it should be worth a lot, but unfortunately it was broken and so I had to sell it to him for far less than it was worth because he'd have to repair it. Ultimately, I only bought a grand total of 4 games for this system, but I had endless hours of fun with it! Also of note is that all 4 games that I bought for this system are all part of the same series, though one is kind of a spinoff.

And... that's it! Make your guesses, and feel free to share some of your early gaming memories as well! :D

Game Information

Game Title: Botany Manor

Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch (Apr 9, 2024)

• PC (Apr 9, 2024)

• Xbox One (Apr 9, 2024)

• PlayStation 4 (Apr 9, 2024)

Trailers:

Developer: Balloon Studios

Publisher: Whitethorn Games

Review Aggregator:

Critic Reviews

- -

Botany Manor is like spending a Fall afternoon with a hot cup of tea and a good puzzle—relaxing, challenging and beautiful to look at.

- -

Botany Manor is all in all an excellent choice for cozy gamers who enjoy gardening and puzzles. It offers a smooth and relaxing gameplay experience that is sure to appeal to both veterans and newcomers alike. It’s a cozy gamers dream and reprieve from a slew of farming simulators.

- -

Exploring Botany Manor is a great experience as everything feels beautifully interconnected and the puzzles are fun and engaging to tackle the whole way through. It makes up for its lack of difficulty with charm in spades and an interesting personal story happening behind the scenes if you know where to look. Putting together the Herbarium is a lot of fun, allowing you to grow some plants you'll never be able to kill.

- Lindsay M. -

Cozy means something different to everyone. For me, a cozy game is about a welcoming atmosphere, no death, and a slow pace. That description fits Botany Manor to a tee. The world is so lovingly crafted, the grounds so abundant and colourful, that I’d like to stay there forever. I have screenshots of every room I’ve been in because they are perfectly decorated from every angle. The logical puzzles require careful observation (and sometimes backtracking once or twice) yet are somehow simultaneously quite straightforward. Botany Manor is exactly the kind of cozy puzzle/gardening sim that I’ve always wanted, save for a couple small bothers. I’m already eagerly anticipating my return to the manor.

- -

While sometimes it asks too much of players' brains, Botany Manor features some of my favorite art direction ever and a wondrous world to explore.

- -

Gorgeous, perfectly designed and utterly engrossing, Botany Manor is quite simply one of the best puzzle games of recent years.

- -

Botany Manor has a lot going for it. The puzzles are fun and engaging, but never frustrating. Due to the really brief length alone, Botany Manor falls just short of being something truly extraordinary.

- -

Clever clues entwine with Botany Manor’s charming old English setting to make for a lighthearted first-person puzzler worth tending to.

- -

There is no denying that Botany Manor transports you to a bygone era. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time digging around to find the growing conditions of the forgotten flora, ensuring my herbarium blossomed in completeness and unearthing Arabella Greene’s life.

- -

It looks like The Witness and it plays a bit like StreetPass Garden, but Botany Manor blooms into something that's not only entirely its own, but also something quite special. Don't let its cosy aesthetics fool you - Botany Manor is packed with nicely challenging, well-designed puzzles, and isn't afraid to tackle heavy subjects, too.

- -

Botany Manor is a colorful exploration game with clever puzzles to solve and an intriguing narrative to back it up. With each problem solved I felt gratified and smart for putting together the right clues and reading between the lines. The environmental storytelling and the relaxing atmosphere made me want to explore every nook and cranny of the manor.

- -

Botany Manor is a delight. It's sweet, succinct and serene, packed with clever puzzles that reward thoughtful exploration and engagement with its narrative. At a little under three hours it's the perfect lazy weekend getaway for those that like to stop and smell the flowers as much as they like to enrich the soil of their mind.

- -

Botany Manor is a beautiful, focused and entirely peaceful game that creates an oasis where you solve puzzles and marvel at the world. It's wonderful stuff.

- -

Though short, the time players do get to spend in the world is made immersive and engaging through its diverse map, classical soundtrack, and ambient nature sounds. It's definitely one of 2024's most relaxing puzzle games so far, and I found myself thinking about Arabella and her strange plants even after I'd finished the story. Because of its length, some players may wish to wait for a sale to pick up Botany Manor, but it's an undeniably charming title that's great to explore and unwind with.

- -

Despite its brevity, Botany Manor is a wholesome puzzle game that turns academic research into an engaging endeavor. The central theme focuses on finding the conditions to allow a living entity to flourish, a concept that is elegantly reflected in both Arabella’s personal journey as well as in gameplay. The game thematically underscores the overall interconnectedness of nature and highlights the influence that one's environment can have on well-being. Botany Manor left me yearning for more botanical discoveries and I can only hope that the developers sow the seeds of a sequel someday.

- -

A puzzler that challenges as much as it inspires, full of life and passion, even if its narrative offerings tend to stumble towards the end.

- -

Botany Manor is a beautiful game that caters to anyone with a love of horticulture, science, or mystery. It’s also an important game, one that tells an effective story about the resilience of women—past, present, and future.

In terms of quality, the game delivers. However, at its $24.99 asking price, the three- to four-hour experience (five if you hunt for achievements) may leave you wanting. Thankfully, the game launches day one on Game Pass—and it is the perfect way to spend an afternoon or two.

Whether you pay to play or you subscribe to vibe, Botany Manor deserves a look. Bring the brains, and it’ll bring the seeds, the planters, and the heart.

- -

Botany Manor is a lovely little puzzle game that's relaxing, engaging, beautiful, and approachable. It's a great first game from Balloon Studios with a lot of charm, but it's not perfect, and it's even shorter than I expected. Being a day-one addition to Xbox Game Pass, though, makes it stupendously easy to recommend Botany Manor for an afternoon of fun.

- -

Botany Manor is an enjoyable puzzle-focused adventure with an obsession in weird plants and an interesting estate. What might be lacking in overall narrative is made up for pleasant pacing and a relaxing homework assignment at a country side world of plants.

Hello !

We’re very excited to announce that Isonzo, our historical WW1 FPS game set in the Italian Alps, just got a new game mode. ‘Ascent’ will have you scale a mountain to reach the objective at the summit while your enemy will try to stop you by any means necessary. We’ll be answering your questions you may have about Ascent and Isonzo and 10 of you will win a game for Isonzo!

Watch the Ascent trailer here:

About Ascent & Isonzo

Isonzo is a historical FPS shooter set in the Alps on the front between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Our focus with all three our WW1 games – the other two being Verdun and Tannenberg – is historical accuracy, but what sets Isonzo apart is the setting: The Alps allow for a ton of verticality!

With the introduction of Ascent as limited-time game mode, we take that element of verticality and take it up a notch! The Italian forces are tasked with scaling the sheer cliffside of Marmolada with the limited tools on hand. Use ice picks and rope to climb and prepare a quicker route for those who follow you. Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian forces need to defend their position at the summit using their rifles, the terrain and the loose rocks you come across.

There’s a lot more to all of this, so be sure to check out the Isonzo on your preferred store page if you’re interested and would like to find out more:

Steam:
Epic Games:
PlayStation 5 & 4:
Xbox X|S & One:

About us

BlackMill Games is a Netherlands-based development studio that’s been making FPS games set in the First World War since we started working on Verdun, which released in Early Access in 2013. We’ve grown to a team of 29 amazing people, a couple of which will be answering your questions today!

• – Jos is the CEO and founder of BlackMill Games

• – Tea does Design & Production

• – Aitor is one of the Programmers

• – Kian is one of the Mappers

• – Jim is one of the 3D artists

• – …and I’m Jelle, Community Manager!

AMA & Giveaway

Now, we imagine you may have some questions about Ascent, but we’re also open to questions about Isonzo in general, game development, the gaming industry as a whole or something a bit more personal (just nothing too personal).

We’ll start answering your questions at 10 AM EDT / 2 PM UTC / 4 PM CEST (in under an hour) and will be available for about 3 hours.

Anyone who asks a question will have a chance to win one of the 10 Isonzo keys we’ll be giving away today. You can pick your desired platform, and if you already own Isonzo, you can get a key for the newly released cosmetic Altitude Units Pack instead.

Your question needs to be a top level comment (so not a reply to another comment) and you only get one entry per user. Your account needs to be at least 30 days old to be considered. You don’t need an answer from us for a chance to win.

The winners picked at the end of the AMA will receive a message from . We’ll need a response from you before we send you a key – both to confirm you’re real and to give you a key for the correct platform.

Thanks to the mods for the opportunity and to all of you for your time!

Hey everyone,I'm a 39-year-old single male professional with a very demanding job. Growing up, I was an avid gamer, with my last gaming experiences being on the PlayStation 1 and playing computer games like Unreal and Half-Life. However, I haven't touched video games since 2001-2002.

On a whim, I decided to dive back into gaming and bought a PlayStation 4 Pro yesterday. I chose the PS4 Pro over the PS5, considering it was $200 at GameStop. I figured it would be a low-risk way to see if I still enjoyed gaming, with the option to upgrade to the PS5 Pro rumored to be releasing this year if I found myself getting back into it.

I tried playing Ghost of Tsushima, PUBG, and Grand Theft Auto 5, but I found myself feeling very impatient with the games. To my surprise, I didn't find the joy in gaming that I used to, which left me feeling quite sad. The excitement I anticipated just wasn't there.

Is this a normal reaction? Should I give it more time, or is it better to just return the console?

Additionally, I was taken aback by the complexity of modern gaming interfaces. Installing games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II turned out to be a cumbersome process. After a lengthy installation, I was met with a complex interface and the realization that there were tens of gigabytes more to download before I could even start playing. This whole ordeal felt overly complicated compared to the simplicity of popping a disc into my PS1 and playing immediately.

This brings me to another point of contemplation: would an expensive gaming PC be a better fit for someone like me? I'm relieved I didn't impulsively spend thousands on a gaming rig, only to confront the reality that I might just be "an old man" in the gaming scene. Last night, as I grappled with these modern gaming hurdles, I felt old for the first time. I reminisced about the days when I was 10-12 years old, waking up early with excitement to play on my Sega (possibly a Mega Drive II?), where the anticipation of playing was met with the immediate satisfaction of a quick game launch.Now, on the verge of 40 and with a successful career, I felt a tinge of depression realizing how much time has passed and that I might no longer be the gamer I once was.I'm reaching out for your insights and advice. Should I persist with the PS4 Pro and modern gaming, or is it time to acknowledge that my gaming days are behind me? And if there's a chance to reconnect with the joy of gaming, would a gaming PC offer a better experience, or should I seek out the simplicity of the past?

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

Thought I would share my story, hopefully it helps a few people in need of positivity. I was diagnosed with myopericarditis mid-September last year. I was in good health at 39 and very fit prior, ran a 17min 5km a couple months before the event. They suspect viral infection was the cause, but no way of knowing for sure. A month later a cardiac MRI confirmed fibrosis (scarring) on my heart. I took 4 months rest (no exercise or strenuous activity). Over this time I had numerous heart pulsations and feelings of heart burn. Barely walked or played with my kids, I was like a old man. I brought a PlayStation 5 and became a gamer at 40 to keep me desk bound, spent hundreds of hours playing games, I struggle to be inactive, so this saved my sanity. Back in early January this year I hit rock bottom as the symptoms were getting worse and mentally I was fed up, my body was weak, I was putting on weight, plus I turned 40, just to hit the nail in further.

So I decided to pay a specialist in Myo (not the NHS cardiac consultant in the UK) for expert advice. He suggested i had rested enough, ECG was normal, and the symptoms were not Myo related, heartburn for example is not one. Suggested they could be mental anxiety or aches from being so stationary. I spent so much time thinking about it I had become hypersensitive. He recommended I should try and return to normal. Next day, I started exercising again, barely managed a 12min run to start, I slowly built up. Went back to the office. Did longer sessions, swam and did weights. Encountered more gremlin pains, aches etc. but persevered and kept going. Trusted the process. Now 12 weeks on, Im fully recovered.

Was worried the heart scar would lead to problems, but I was being pessimistic. I did a 10km road race last week and did a time of 39mins. At 40 that’s a pretty good time, beat a few 20 year olds. Even doing a triathlon next weekend for fun. So you can recover from this. Just give it time and be brave when you get the all clear. Don’t be scared by the gremlins. The hardest part of this condition is the mental aspect. But just wanted to share, I’ve been in the dark place like many of you, but you can beat it, I did. Good luck on your recovery’s 👍.

By Tom Henderson

With the soon-to-be-announced PS5 Pro expected to hit shelves later this year, Insider Gaming has learned of the developer requirements that need to be met to have the ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’ label. Internally, this is currently called the ‘Trinity Enhanced’ label, but for the sake of SEO, we’ll be referring to it as ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’ moving forward.

The ‘Enhanced’ label first made its introduction into the PlayStation ecosystem following the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro, which meant that the game utilized the Pro console’s improved hardware to offer improved frame rates and resolutions. For the PS5 Pro PlayStation wants games to offer a PS5 Pro-exclusive graphics mode that will combine:

• PSSR to upscale resolution to 4K

• A constant 60FPS

• Add or increase ray tracing effects

According to documents sent to Insider Gaming, this is possible because of faster RAM (28% faster) and a faster GPU that is 67% larger than the standard console (45% faster). Playstation says these combined make the Pro 45% faster than the standard PlayStation 5 and can provide twice the rendering speed of the standard console.

PlayStation goes on to continue that games may also be given the ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’ label if they offer any of the following enhancements:

• Increased target resolution for titles that run a fixed resolution on the standard console

• Increased target maximum resolution for titles that run at variable resolution on the standard console

• Increased target frame rate for titles that target a fixed frame rate on the standard console

• Inclusion of PS5 Pro Raytracing effects

What’s up guys, I posted in this subreddit yesterday asking the question “why has Sucker Punch seemingly abandoned the inFAMOUS franchise?”

Now I know that perhaps “abandoned” was not the right term to use in this situation. The franchise did get 3 mainline entries and 2 spinoffs in 5 years. Also, Sucker Punch has created a masterpiece in Ghost of Tsushima that is sure to be a PlayStation console seller for the foreseeable future.

However, I noticed that there wasn’t a whole lot of love given for the inFAMOUS franchise. Am I just seeing it through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia? Personally, I believe the early inFAMOUS games laid the groundwork for titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man in what a truly open world superhero title could be.

Would you guys play a remaster or remake of the first few games in the inFAMOUS series (1, 2, and Festival of Blood)? I think that allowing both new and old players alike to experience these games natively on the PS5 would be awesome, considering the only way to access them currently is either hook up the ole PS3 or stream them through PS Plus.

What are you guys’ thoughts?

EDIT: just realized the title can be misleading. A remaster or remake of 1 and 2.