Typically, free games are a great perk of an online gaming service and an incentive to continue to subscribe month after month. Seeing as PlayStation and Xbox have been in a bit of a rivalry with their subscription services as of late, Sony has been bringing their “A-game,” with PS Plus boasting a pretty good track record this year with their free games. But this month will be the exception if the latest free games leak proves to be true.
An online rumor suggests that Sony accidentally leaked August’s free games, and they consist of Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville and Tennis World Tour 2 on PS4, which are subpar at very best, and Hunter’s Arena: Legends on PS5, arguably this month’s best offering. While many of you may be saying something like, “Well, they’ll get better next month,” I think these games reveal a much larger problem with PlayStation Plus. Let’s talk about that!
Value Versus Budget
Image credit: Square Enix
While the main issue is quite simple – these games aren’t great – the problem goes a bit deeper than that, going far down into the roots of Sony’s business model. Sony wants to entice subscribers into buying the service with blockbusters like FFVII Remake and Days Gone in back-to-back months, which are legitimately amazing games that add immense value to the service and make subscribing for $60 seem like a no-brainer – it’s the price of one game for amazing ones every month!
But what many don’t realize is that Sony too has a budget, and they have to balance the great games they give out every year with some bad ones – it seems they just don’t know how. Sony seems to like to bulk release the good and bad ones, with huge PS Exclusive games releasing back-to-back several months, then huge chunks of the year featuring nothing but mediocre let-downs. As a result, PlayStation Plus has become a classic case of “when it’s good it’s good, but when it’s bad it’s bad.”
The real issue then, is that Sony doesn’t know how to balance value with budget. Worse yet, the little value that remains has been locked to the PS5 platform, which makes it tough for a PS4 player to see the value that’s there. I am a subscriber to the service, but I don’t have a PS5 yet, meaning that I have not been able to play games that have been offered like Oddworld Soulstorm, A Plague Tale: Inocence, and now Hunter’s Arena: Legends, which were exclusively on PS5 and the most valuable offerings of recent months.
So, Sony needs to watch out, because they are beginning a dangerous trend of alienating their primary PS4 user base. Not many have the PS5 yet, and while I think Sony needs to concentrate on making the new platform the “best place to play,” they need to continue to make the PS4 a great one.
So what do you think of PS Plus’s August offerings? Will you continue to subscribe? Leave a like and follow the site if you enjoyed the article, and stay tuned for more content from Genesis Gaming!
When the Series X was announced and throughout the first 7 months of its life leading up to E3 2021, the Microsoft console had a lot going for it. It is slightly more powerful than its main competitor, has 6 exclusive games coming out in the next six months, all of which are coming straight to its flagship service, Game Pass, which also features 100s of games available for download at any time on any Xbox or PC device connected to a subscription. And yet, even with all of those developments that should make Xbox the obvious console choice of this generation, the Series X is still the black sheep. Or at least it is now, after the Steam Deck was announced last week. So let’s talk about it! Why is this console that should be great so bad?
The Steam Deck Problem
Image credit:
I had a bad feeling when Microsoft initially announced that every Xbox exclusive would be coming to PC, and this is why. The Steam Deck is a brand new console by Valve that allows users to download and play their entire Steam collection wherever they go and also on their televisions with any controller they want. Pretty enticing, right?
And that’s just the problem: you don’t need an Xbox to play Xbox anymore, thus completely destroying the value of the brand. Why would I spend $500 on a Series X when Valve has me covered with the Steam Deck, on which I can also play every PC game ever made and some PlayStation games too. From a value perspective, the Steam Deck is the clear winner here. The only value that Microsoft’s Xbox has left is Game Pass, but even that is questionable now.
The Game Pass Problem
Game Pass Ultimate initially seemed like a great concept, with a seeming infinity of valuable features and reasons to subscribe. After all, you get Xbox Live Gold, Game Pass and EA Play, with online play and 100s of on demand games baked into the service. But now, Game Pass is everywhere, and you don’t need a new Xbox Series X/S to use it. You can also play on iPhone, Android, PC, and, soon, smart TVs, proprietary Xbox streaming sticks, and other streaming devices.
While I still think Game Pass is one of the best values in gaming services right now, I don’t agree with the majority of other games writers who believe it’s the best selling point of the Xbox, because I believe it is its greatest weakness. I don’t like gaming as a service. It cheapens the gaming experience, makes it purely value-based and removes the magic from playing new games. I’m not a purist and I’m not against change – cloud gaming is an inevitability and most likely the next logical evolution of the gaming medium – but Xbox will not succeed because of Game Pass.
While Game Pass is valuable, it cannot be such at the cost of devaluing the Xbox brand, and, in tandem with the Steam Deck, that’s exactly what it’s doing.
A New Theory
While the Series X is enticing on paper, if you look at it from a value perspective – $500 for exclusives and services you can find elsewhere for less – you may rethink your initial inclination to purchase it. Game Pass is awesome, and Xbox’s slew of all-new exclusives are amazing; the problem is that they’re not actually exclusive. If you want to play Halo Infinite and way more worthwhile PC and PlayStation games on the same device, you can get a Steam Deck, and if you want to play Game Pass games, you can do so on your phone, computer, and even your smart TV (soon).
Therefore I present to you this gaming industry hot take: Microsoft will stop making consoles after the Series X, and specialize in cloud gaming with Game Pass and publish games under the Xbox name for PCs. While you may think it unlikely because of Microsoft’s massive pockets, they’ll do it if it makes financial sense, and, if the Series X doesn’t sell well (which, if you look at it from the aforementioned value perspective, it shouldn’t), it makes perfect sense that Xbox would forego console production.
Take that with a grain of salt, it’s pure speculation and simply a hot take I wanted to share.
So what do you think of the Series X? Are you on “Team Xbox” this generation? Leave a like and follow the site if you enjoy my content, and be sure to check back soon for more from Genesis Gaming!
While many see trophies as a fun and exciting way to make a game more replayable, I see them as something entirely different: frustrating. I’ll admit, they are indeed fun – the shot of dopamine I get when one unlocks is unlike anything else – but some are so difficult they drain the fun out of the game that contains them. The following list of trophies is made up of those: they are frustrating, time-consuming, and will leave you hopelessly gripping your controller with extreme force in complete gamer agony.
But, in the end, regardless of the struggle, it’s for the love of the trophy that we push onward into platinum glory. Let’s discuss!
4: Yharnam Sunrise, Honoring Wishes, and Childhood’s Beginning (Bloodborne)
Image credit: Game Rant
Bloodborne is quite the difficult game, what with its hard-hitting bosses and confusing ares layouts; but playing through it is just so satisfying! With every boss and enemy you defeat, the gameplay and flow of the game’s progression just feels more and more second-nature to you. Pretty soon, you become a Hunter. But here’s the deal: if you want Bloodborne’s platinum trophy, you’re going to have to complete the game a minimum of three times in order to obtain each ending, and that takes so much time.
If I factor in all of the extra time I spent going through the chalice dungeons, collecting all of the weapons and armor, collecting special items, and completing the game three separate times, it took me around 70 hours to get the platinum trophy. I honestly don’t remember why I ever even attempted it, but it is one my most proud gaming achievements ever, so I guess that question answers itself. Regardless of the struggle, I love Bloodborne and I always will, so I don’t regret it one bit.
3:Resist the Wrist (Shadow of the Colossus)
Image credit: PlayStation Universe
While Shadow of the Colossus remains my second favorite game of all time, this trophy briefly made me question my loyalty to Team Ico’s artistic masterpiece. While in retrospect it wasn’t too difficult and only took me a few hours to get, for a brief time the challenge felt insurmountable, and left me frustrated enough to consider giving up on the game’s platinum trophy. While my hunt for the platinum trophy continues (I’m working on it now), I was able to get this trophy and I’ll continue to love the game without further frustration.
In order to unlock this gold trophy, you must defeat the game’s third colossus, Gaius, without breaking the armor on his right arm, above his sword. This means you have to bait him into hitting the ground with his sword and climbing up it, then grabbing onto the side of the sword or the base of his arm’s hair. Then, Wander must daringly jump to Gaius’s right leg and wait for the perfect moment to jump above Gaius’s wristguard. Then, the fight must be finished without falling off, which is easier said than done, but much easier than getting on the thing in the first place.
In short, the absurdly difficult nature of the achievement paired with Shadow of the Colossus’s PS2-era clunkiness makes this one extremely frustrating. But persevere, because it only takes one successful attempt to down the colossus and take home a gold trophy and, just maybe, a platinum to boot!
2:Hero (Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes)
Image credit: PC Gamer
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was notorious upon release for effectively being a demo with very little content. The title mission could be completed in under 30 minutes, and the rest of the content consisted of disconnected missions with little to no reason for existing; it seemed they were there to simply fill the content void. Worse yet, they all reused the same small map and featured characters that no one had ever seen before, except for Snake, Kazuhira Miller and, somewhat surprisingly, Hideo Kojima himself. But for such a small game, why have I spent over 30 hours of my time with it? This trophy is why.
“Hero” requires you to get really good at the game, finding ways to cut down on time in each mission and rescuing as many prisoners as possible while doing so in order to achieve an “S” rank – and when one mistake can cost the entire mission, this is quite the feat. While MGSV, including Ground Zeroes, is one of my favorite games of all time and I now know all of these missions like the back of my hand, this was one hell of a tough trophy, especially when you consider that there isn’t even a platinum available for Ground Zeroes!
1: Yharnam, Pthumerean Queen(Bloodborne)
Image credit: Push Square
This is one of those trophies where you have to be wondering: “what were they thinking?” From Software truly went the extra mile in terms of frustrating difficulty here, and I guarantee you, it will have you pulling your hair out one way or another. In order to get it, you have to go through a total of six randomly generated chalice dungeons, each with their own unique threats and multitudes of bosses. Depending on your level, they could be either easy or hard, but it doesn’t matter what level you are, the Defiled Chalice will destroy you time and time again. If you haven’t played Bloodborne or have but haven’t bothered with the chalice dungeons (lucky you!), the Defiled Chalice is a cursed dungeon filled to the brim with difficult enemies and fire-themed bosses that you have to go through with – get this – half health and an increased vulnerability to elemental damage.
Half-health is one thing, because if you’re high level this probably won’t bother you too much anyway, but the vulnerability to elemental damage is a big problem, as the enemies and bosses in this dungeon specialize in the use of all things coated in fire. Two of the four bosses use fire weapons and can kill you in one hit. When I took on the dungeon, I was at level 81 with 1600 HP, which should have been plenty, even when halved; but the fire damage killed me, time and time again.
But, be that as it may, the main reason this trophy frustrated me so badly is because of one of its bosses: Amygdala. A regular boss in the main game, Amygdala comes back with a vengeance in the defiled chalice, with tons of health, tough to dodge attacks and enough one-shot moves to make you give up all hope before you even land a hit. I died, quite literally, hundreds of times fighting this thing, and even bought a year of PS Plus just to get someone’s help beating the thing, only to beat it all by myself shortly after on a fluke run.
The rest of the trophy is a cakewalk, with most of the other chalice dungeons and their bosses being extremely easy relative to your level – the Defiled Chalice is what makes this one near-impossible to get without becoming irreparably frustrated for days. You’ve been warned!
What are some of the hardest trophies you’veever earned, and has any trophy come between you and a platinum? Leave a like if you enjoyed the article and follow the site for more gaming content!
I’ve been writing this blog for about a month now, and while I’ve covered tons of gaming news across every console and gaming event that has been held so far, I haven’t talked about some of my personal favorite gaming moments and games in general. So, what I’ve decided to do today is to walk you through my top 10 favorite games of all time and why they hold that position. I’ve always found it fun to read other people’s experiences with the games I love, and I hope you’ll find this list to be entertaining. Maybe you’ll see your favorite game in here too!
So, without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite games of all time!
#10: Halo 4
Image credit: Halo Waypoint
Perhaps the oddball on an otherwise star-studded list, Halo 4 and it’s sequel, Halo 5, are two of the most hated games in the series. And while I can understand why people dislike 5, I can’t fathom why no one liked Halo 4.
Halo 4 tells the story of the reawakened Master Chief on a quest to save his AI companion Cortana from her time-based degradation. To do so, you have to travel to many planets on the UNSC Infinity, taking out as many members of the Covenant as necessary on your way. But unlike previous games in the series, Halo 4 tells a nuanced, character-driven tale of melancholy.
I won’t spoil the ending or any of the story bits, but this game deserves a shot, even if you’ve never played a Halo game before, and will always remain my favorite of the series
#9: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Image credit: Steam
I was late on The Elder Scrolls series as a whole, and played the entire series through The Elder Scrolls Anthology, a box set of all five games, on a severely underpowered Windows PC running Windows 7 in my teen years. The first game I played from that collection was Morrowind, but it’s early 2000s clunk made it hard to get into at first, so I advanced to the latest game, Skyrim. While the graphics were excellent, I wasn’t a fan of the story and the slow start to the adventure, although I’ll admit that both of those games grew on me quite a lot throughout the years, eventually becoming staples of my gaming library. But Oblivion was truly where it was at.
The atmosphere was more akin to Dungeons and Dragons and other medieval period pieces, and the actual gameplay was far more like an RPG than Skyrim, while being much more accessible than Morrowind. Essentially, it was the perfect mix of RPG, open world, and pure gaming magic, albeit with miserable graphics – but graphics don’t make the game! Let me explain myself further.
The music of Oblivion, its questlines, its story, and overall atmosphere, combine to make a perfect game. I mean, even the bad graphics give off a sense of nostalgia, and playing nowadays just makes me feel like I’ve returned home. I know, that seems a bit extreme for an RPG that came out in 2006, but it’s a good one, and you owe it to yourself to play it.
#8: Civilization V
Image credit: Kotaku
In my opinion, Civilization V is greatest game in the Civ series, the best strategy game ever created, and one of the greatest games ever made. I know, that was quite the intro, but it cannot be understated: this game is amazing and can ruin the rest of your productive life if you’re not careful. Its just that good and that addicting.
Each game starts out with a barren Earth; empty, beautiful, and unreformed by human hands. Until you come along that is. You start by building a city and exploring the land around you, harvesting resources and building up more aspects of the city, then building more cities and, eventually, a military. Soon, you meet another civilization controlled by either the computer or a human in online play, and will have to be as diplomatic as possible to prevent war. But sometimes war happens, and you must end it when it starts.
As such, Civilization V is a game where you have to play the good guy and the bad guy all at the same time. Every new development in your civilization comes with a consequence, which is almost always bad for you or someone else. Such intrigue makes each game you play an unforgettable experience that you can remember vividly enough to concoct a story about and tell to everyone you know! So give it a shot – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
#7: Dark Souls
Image credit: Forbes
Often called “the most difficult game of all time,” Dark Souls will certainly leave you shaking your controller and holding back from throwing it into the screen. But that’s not what makes it a good game; not by a long shot.
Dark Souls is such a legendary game because of its unique storytelling method, by which I mean there pretty much isn’t one. To summarize the story to a pretty much meaningless degree: you start out in an asylum knowing that you are the “chosen undead,” and set out on a journey across the medieval land of Lordran, slaying boss after boss in an attempt to rekindle a dying flame – the flame that keeps the world alive. High concept, to be sure, and that concept is not without merit. Exploring the lore surrounding a vague concept offers plenty of intrigue and is very exciting, with every boss and enemy slain getting you closer to a better understanding of Dark Souls’ world and the secrets held within.
But the story isn’t all that makes Dark Souls legendary, it’s really the gameplay; the same gameplay that makes the game difficult revolutionizes the way you interact with the world and the way you unravel the story, making for one amazing experience. Every time you kill an enemy, you earn its souls – an arbitrary number that is added to a souls-ometer on your screen that can be used to level up at a bonfire. Every time you level up, you choose a stat and your character gets better at whatever that stat dictates, be it wielding strength weapons, dexterity weapons or casting spells. Combat is slow and steady, with plenty of swordplay but even more strategic shield-wielding, and one wrong move means near-certain death. Death brings with it a variety of punishments – but the chief punishment is that you lose all of the souls you have accumulated and are respawned at the bonfire you last rested at. Such punishment brings great intensity and unparalleled tension in the most heated of battles, with huge boss battles punctuating each area’s end.
I know that was a long explanation, especially for a simple ranking, but I feel it critical that you understand what this game is so you can understand why it’s great. If you’re into RPGs and games that will challenge you greatly, look no further than Dark Souls as your next adventure.
#6: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Image credit: IGN
While I have talked about this game before on this site, I have never got the chance to talk about it in length. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was Hideo Kojima’s last game in the Metal Gear series and his last game with Konami. While, sadly, he and Konami cut ties before the game was even finished, MGSV went on to be one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time, and rightfully so. There are so many unique gameplay mechanics at work here that it is hard to talk about them concisely, but I’ll try. Here we go:
The game is open world, set largely in Afghanistan and parts of Africa, with Venom Snake exploring the areas, capturing outposts, and completing side operations to make operations at Mother Base easier. Mother Base is an off-the-grid outpost built and operated by Snake and his right-hand-man, Kazuhira Miller. At Mother Base, resources such as petroleum, metals, diamonds and other useful materials are held and protected from foreign invasion. Meanwhile, an entire epic story is playing out and Snake must be deployed in tens of story missions with one overarching goal. A game of cat and mouse with a chilling villain: Skull Face, whose motives are not known, but the results of his actions are found throughout your adventure.
While this barely scratches the surface of what Metal Gear Solid V has to offer, I hope it’s enough for you to consider trying it. The story takes a while to get started and the some aspects of the gameplay – especially the stealth – are an acquired taste and tough to get used to at first. But when you do, everything clicks and one of the greatest games of all time opens up. Give this one a try – it’s an adventure you won’t forget.
#5: Persona 5
Image credit: Polygon
One of the greatest RPGs I have ever played, Persona exudes class and style. The music is jazzy as hell and the gameplay effortlessly segues from fighting and world exploration to everyday student activities, making for a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else.
The game’s main protagonist, an unnamed high school student with an undeserved criminal record, discovers he has the power of the Persona – creatures and spirits with unique elemental, physical, and psychological abilities – and can unlock the power held within his heart. When your friends discover they too possess the ability, you band together as the “Phantom Theives,” a team that fights evil in people’s hearts and makes them answer for their crimes and misdeeds.
When you’re not exploring story dungeons (called palaces) or hanging out with your friends around the town, you go to school and take on jobs, trying your hardest to blend in and live a normal teenage life. During these segments, there are a variety of things you can do that bolster a stat system that dictates your confidence in life. Upgrading abilities like Knowledge helps you do better in school, and upgrading stats like Guts and Charm can help you do all sorts of things, namely going out on dates. That’s right: Persona 5 has an entire dating meta game to add to its multitude of gameplay systems; the depth of which still absolutely blows my mind.
So, give Persona 5 a shot – even if you’re not an RPG fan, this is one you might like anyway, and absolutely my favorite JRPG of all time.
#4: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Image credit: Wikipedia
Although it’s a bit cliche at this point to have this game as a favorite due to its universally recognized status as the “greatest game of all time” – I’ll be honest, for a while I did think it was the greatest game of all time. After all, it was the game that made me a gamer. I bought it on the Wii Shop Channel and played it for hours on end, and almost cried when I finally beat Ganon, a fight that I had to do over and over again because he was just so difficult. I was literally shaking when I dealt the final blow and watched the credits roll, a sequence that is burned into my brain.
Now of course, things are different. The game is a walk in the park, and even some of the harder dungeons’ puzzles aren’t that confusing anymore – namely the infamous Water Temple, my favorite of the dungeons and, for some reason, the most universally hated. The bosses and their mechanics are quite easy to understand and figure out, and it only took me around 15 hours to beat it the second time around, a play-through that I took slow and savored, accumulating only a few deaths due to freak accidents outside of the boss battles.
Regardless, as the first 3D Zelda game, the game was legendary when it came out and set the standard for pretty much every future 3D adventure game. The game still, surprisingly, holds up to modern gaming standards, albeit with a bit of 90s clunk. I have replayed it several times and can’t get over how easy it is to reinsert myself into the world and get used to the controls again, even when I played the original N64 version.
In short, regardless of whether or not you think it’s the best game ever made, there’s no denying it is one of the most historically significant video games ever released and one that set a very high bar for every other game release for quite some time. Nostalgia may blind me to some degree, but you can’t argue with this legend.
#3: God of War (2018)
Image credit: Notebook Check
This is another one I was late on, having just played it this year. However, after completing the main story and exploring most of what the game had to offer, it has quickly became one of my favorite games ever.
You play as Kratos, once an anti-hero who slaughtered most of Olympus, now a reformed, Godly dad-figure caring for his sickly son, Atreus. After the sudden death of your wife and Atreus’s mother, you go on a journey to the tallest peak in all the realms to scatter her ashes, as she wished. Through several twists, detours, and pulse-pounding battles, you and your son fight, bond and grow with one another until the game’s unbelievable conclusion.
Since the game is hard to talk about as it is story-driven and any errant detail can spoil something, I’ll put it simply: if you have a PS4, this game is an absolute must-play, no questions asked.
#2: Shadow of the Colossus
Image credit: Tech Advisor
There has been a multi-decade long conversation in the art and media world concerning whether or not video games can ever be considered art. And while there have been many differing answers to that question, if there was ever a game to make an amazing case for artistic video games, it’s this one. Shadow of the Colossus follows the story of Wander, who brings a dead maiden, Mono, into the Forbidden Lands to seek out Dormin, a mystic being said to be able to revive the dead, though at a price. The method of Mono’s rescue turns out to be quite the arduous one: killing 16 colossal monsters scattered throughout the land with nothing but your sword and your bow. Quite the feat, to be sure.
But how is it art? The entire land is a barren wasteland home to several biomes, with its only inhabitants being you, your trusty horse Agro, Mono, and the 16 colossi you must slay. The entire game is empty, and your quest is an intriguing exercise in aimlessness and confusion. Who is Dormin? Why does he want these beasts dead? Have they done anything wrong? Is it worth it for you to kill them? Who even is Wander, and who is Mono that he would do this to save her? And why are the Forbidden Lands forbidden!? There are so many questions, but not very many answers.
And, like an art piece, the game will leave you feeling a variety of feelings due to its experimentation with themes of loneliness, emptiness, violence and love. You’ll admire the beauty of the world as you explore it, but that beauty will be marred by the confusion and emptiness you feel in your journey, and every wondrous discovery will be met with a wave of melancholy as Wander murders each colossus.
Think what you will of video games and their ability to be artistic, but this one is absolutely a masterpiece and a work of art, without a doubt. So give it a try if you’re in for one emotional ride, and brace for one of the most melancholy stories ever told.
#1: Bloodborne
Image credit: Business Insider
This is a game that I have talked about in length before – I have actually written a full, in-depth review of it on this very site (check it out here). Regardless, I’ll break it down: Bloodborne is a spiritual successor to the Souls series of games, expounding on the gameplay mechanics present in that series in very meaningful ways while creating an entirely new story to unravel in an equally cryptic fashion. Instead of taking place in a medieval setting, Bloodborne is set in the Lovecraftian world of Yharnam, featuring dark swamps, desolate forests and gothic towns full of beasts and alien-like creatures from worlds unknown. Some of the beasts are created as a result of experimental blood transfusion that creates a drug-like revitalization of its user, and other beasts are strange and other-worldly.
Instead of slow, shield-filled combat as in its spiritual predecessors, Bloodborne drops the shields and instills in the player a sense of safety in a lack of safety, with your character being vulnerable at almost all times. Expert timing in ones side-dodging, replacing the roll when locked-on to an enemy, is now required to succeed in combat. Parrying is now done with a gun instead of a shield, and magic is now done by using bullets. These changes are absolutely huge and change the game from top to bottom, regardless of how simple they may seem.
So, play Bloodborne and experience the greatest game of all time (in my “expert” opinion at least), I think you’ll love it. And if you don’t, that’s fine too. But at least you can say you tried.
So, what do you think of my list, and what are some of your favorite games of all time? Leave a like below and make sure to follow the site if you like my content! New gaming articles all the time, right here on Genesis Gaming!
Starting now and lasting until July 22nd, PlayStation is launching the “Planet of Discounts” sale on the PS4 and PS5 digital stores, with some amazing deals if you’re looking to expand your collection.
Notable games on sale include Persona 5 ($8.99), Persona 5 Strikers ($38.99), Shadow of the Colossus ($9.99) and The Last of Us ($9.99), as well as quite a few Assassin’s Creed games of yesterday to round out your open world game collection and a few PS5 games (if you’ve been able to get one that is). A full list of the games can be found here.
Do you plan on utilizing this sale to expand your collection? Stay tuned to Genesis Gaming for updates on today’s PlayStation State of Play!
Well, it’s happening! The PlayStation Now July Games are here and they’re exactly as leaked on Facebook a few days ago. Starting today, Red Dead Redemption 2, Nioh 2, God of War and Judgement are all available for download on PS Now.
Now, with the bigger titles (RDR2 and Judgment) there is a catch: they’ll only be available for a limited time. RDR2 will be playable until November 1st, and Judgement will be on the service until October 4th. God of War and Nioh 2 seem like they’ll be permanent inclusions due to their PlayStation exclusivity, but we’ll find out soon enough even though no time window has been announced.
Do these games convince you that PS Now is a valuable service? Leave a like if you enjoyed the article and stay tuned for more from Genesis Gaming!
Recently, there was a supposed (key word) accidental leak on the part of Sony that allowed an ad for July’s PlayStation Now games to reach Facebook. While I had long discounted PS Now as a “worse version of Xbox Game Pass,” this rumor, if true, will prove to be huge in increasing public opinion of the service and making PS Now more than just Game Pass’s somewhat worse competitor. But now, down to what the rumor actually is.
The ad included several games – a few I’m not going to talk about because they don’t mean much of anything – but the majority of the games listed were absolutely huge and would absolutely sell me the service (if I hadn’t bought it already). Those games are Red Dead Redemption 2, Judgement, Nioh 2 and God of War – three absolutely huge games, only one of which is on Xbox Game Pass at the moment. Judgement is huge because it just came out mere months ago, Nioh 2 is a very cool, PS exclusive Souls-like adventure, God of War is huge because it is a PlayStation 4 exclusive game and would complete the series’ on PS Now, as all of the other God of War games are already on the service. The games themselves are obviously excellent, but, if this is true, what does it mean in the long run for PlayStation Now as a service?
Arthur Morgan, main protagonist of Read Dead Redemption 2, soon to be on PlayStation Now (if the leak is true) Image credit: PCMag
See, I believe that people expected PlayStation to make a huge move to compete with Xbox Game Pass, like putting PS Plus and PS Now together or adding their own streaming service to the subscription’s list of benefits. But I don’t think that’s what Sony’s plan is at all, and I think you’ll see why. Bear with me for a moment.
Sony isn’t going to radically change PS Now, because it doesn’t really have to. The base of something great is already there, it just needs improvement. Sony has exclusives, and some of them are on PS Now. I think the next logical step is to have even more of them – eventually all of them – be on PS Now at some point as permanent titles, but the idea of them putting brand new games on the service on release day is absolutely absurd. It doesn’t fit the PlayStation business model – 100s of millions of dollars spent on making new, exciting games and buying talented game studios can not be recouped by giving the games away. $60 a year does not allow Sony to make a profit, and they therefore can’t go the route Xbox has.
Being just like Xbox Game Pass is not going to make PS Now better and it will not bode too well for the PlayStation platform, so I don’t think it is too realistic to ask for it. Expect PS Now to grow, but don’t expect it to be fully equal to Game Pass. I mean, to get right down to brass tacks, do we really want PlayStation to become like Xbox, which has effectively became a “games-as-a-service” platform? I don’t think we do. PlayStation has always been the platform that housed the most breathtaking, groundbreaking and unique experiences. If it weren’t for PlayStation, there would have been no God of War, and it certainly wouldn’t be on a subscription service a few years after release, alongside other blockbuster titles.
So while I think it is realistic to expect PlayStation Now to grow exponentially to fight Game Pass over the coming months, I don’t think it realistic to expect Sony to give up their huge exclusive titles to the service. It just wouldn’t be the right fit for their business model. However, I do think it is realistic to expect Sony to sign deals with third-party developers, as Xbox has done, to put games on their service first or exclusively (as in, not on Game Pass as well). That would make sense as a business move, and I expect to see it eventually. But we’ll find out more as time goes on and, in the immediate future, we’ll see in the coming days when this month’s games are officially announced if this rumor proves true. I sure hope it does.
Which do you prefer, PS Now or Xbox Game Pass? Leave a like if you enjoyed the article and stay tuned for more from Genesis Gaming!
PlayStation recently announced that Housemarque, developers of the recent PS5 exclusive Returnal, have joined the PlayStation Studios label. While I think that this particular bit of news should come as no surprise, as Housemarque has always been a majority PlayStation developer, it is still quite a big acquisition by Sony. This addition expands their blockbuster lineup of studios to include another potential system-selling franchise in Returnal and more exclusive and exciting games in the future.
But what I really wanted to talk about today is the fact that the actual PlayStation Japan Twitter account accidentally tweeted out on their Twitter page the wrong picture, and tweeted one that welcomed BluePoint Games, developers of the Shadow of Colossus and Demon’s Souls remakes, and replaced Returnal’s slot with an image of Demon’s Souls. Now, I’ve seen a lot of news sites talk about this in the past few days since this happened, but most of them have repeated the same narrative: “is it real?” Well, of course it’s real, and I would say I am 80% certain it’s actually happening. Why else on earth would the PlayStation Japan post something so official, hastily remove it moments later, and repost something else that is 100% official?
Image credit: PlayStation Japan
Besides, the acquisition just makes sense regardless, as BluePoint, like Housemarque, was already developing games exclusively for PlayStation hardware. I think that cementing that relationship and incorporating them into PS Studios only makes sense as a business deal for both parties involved. The only fact dissuading me from being 100% certain that the acquisition will actually happen is the fact that BluePoint games’ Twitter page was recently updated after the PS Japan leak, now saying in its bio that BluePoint games is a “fully independent self-funded studio.” While it is not clear whether or not this is directly related to the rumors, it seems too convicted and insistent to be coincidental.
Do with this info what you will, but it certainly is a very interesting development that I very much hope happens! BluePoint has made two of my favorite games of all time, Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, better than ever before, and seeing them join the PS Studios label would be something special indeed.
What do you think of Sony’s latest confirmed acquisition and latest kinda-confirmed acquisition? Let me know if you enjoyed the article by leaving a like down below and come back tomorrow for more from Genesis Gaming!
Before I actually start comparing and contrasting these two, I think it is worth it to preface this article by saying that both consoles are absolutely amazing pieces of technology, and you’ll be quite happy with either one. They are both extremely powerful, state-of-the-art machines that are well-worth the purchase price and will pay for themselves with the entertainment you’ll receive. Near-equivalent in power, the only real difference are the available games. As such, your taste in games will absolutely decide which one of these consoles you’ll get.
I know these consoles have been on the market for quite a while now, but many people have not been able to get one yet and may still be on the fence about which one to purchase. Hopefully this article will help you with that decision! So, without further ado, let’s talk consoles!
Pricing and Technical Specs
PS5
Xbox Series X
Price
$399 (Digital), $499 (Disc)
$499 (Series X)
CPU
8-core, 3.5 GHz AMD Zen 2
8-core, 3.8 GHz AMD Zen 2
GPU
10.3 teraflop AMD RDNA 2
12.0 teraflop AMD RDNA 2
RAM
16 GB GDDR6
16 GB GDDR6
Resolution
8KMaximum
8KMaximum
Storage
825 GB Custom Sony SSD
1 TB Custom NVMe SSD
Frame Rate
120 FPSMaximum
120 FPS Maximum
A quick spec comparison of the PS5 and Series X
Spec-wise, both consoles are pretty much the same, with only a few slight differences that are for the most part unnoticeable in practice. The Xbox Series X has a slight edge in power over the PS5 with a slightly better CPU and almost 2 teraflops more graphical processing capability (fancy words for “a bit more powerful”). The Series X also has a bigger SSD for games storage, which, while it seems small on paper, is probably the biggest technical difference and the only one you’ll notice, as that extra 175 GB of space means several more games on your console. Other than these differences that lean towards the Series X’s favor, the two consoles are essentially equal.
Regardless, if power and performance are your thing and you won’t be able to live without having the “fastest console,” get a Series X. While I think the majority of people aren’t like that and won’t care about losing a little bit of power, the Series X is a great choice of console anyway and will serve its intended purpose.
The Series X’s CPU Image credit: Microsoft
However, a console’s power is not really the true test of its greatness. Last generation, the most powerful console was the Xbox One X, but the Xbox platform still lacked in exclusive titles and games in general, making it a questionable console purchase at best. Regardless, the next generation of consoles are quite similar. Except for their controllers; those are really different.
The Controllers
While on previous consoles the controller seemed irrelevant as a criteria for the purchase of the console, such is not so this time around, with one of the console’s selling points being its revolutionary controller. Which one? The PS5.
Image credit: Video Games Chronicle
The PS5’s controller, dubbed the “DualSense” by Sony, has changed the game by revolutionizing what controllers can do with its new haptic feedback system. The vibrations and sensations the controller produce are now far more detailed and feel far more immersive during gameplay. Also new is is the force feedback of the triggers, which will resist against pressure depending on in-game situations. For instance, when firing a gun in a game like Call of Duty, the player will feel resistance when shooting, making for an unforgettable experience. The only downside of the trigger feedback is that it is spring-loaded and has a tendency to be quite loud. Luckily, the feature can be turned off if you’re playing at night and don’t want to be annoying.
Image credit: Xbox Wire
The Xbox controller is not-so-revolutionary, adopting a mantra of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” A few quality of life changes were made, however, with the d-pad now having 8 directions and triggers and bumpers now being textured. A share button, much like the PS4 controller’s share button, has been added for easily taking quick screenshots and game clips. Other than this, nothing is different, and there are certainly no groundbreaking updates like haptic feedback and adaptive trigger resistance.
Games – Where the Battle is Truly Waged
Demon’s Souls, one of the PlayStation 5’s most anticipated and critically acclaimed exclusive games. Image credit: PlayStation
If you’re a PlayStation fan already, you know where this is going. The PlayStation platform has always been best known for one thing: having amazing exclusive games that you simply can’t play anywhere else. It’s how PlayStation manages to consistently be the best-selling console brand, regardless of generation. In fact, every single PlayStation released so far except the PS3 has exceeded 100 million units in sales, with the PS3 still winning its respective generation with over 87 million consoles sold and featuring groundbreaking exclusive games that helped it achieve those sales.
The teaser image for Bethesda’s upcoming game, Starfield, a now-confirmed Xbox exclusive title Image credit: Bethesda
However, the Xbox Series X is certainly not lacking in the games department, as can be seen from this year’s Xbox/Bethesda E3 showcase. In fact, it can be argued that this is the biggest year for Xbox when it comes to exclusives ever, with there barely being any time to breathe in between exclusive announcements during that show. Some notable announcements from that show include Halo Infinite, Starfield, Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Psychonauts 2. Trailers for all of these titles can be viewed by following each of their links.
Also, one simply can’t not talk about Xbox and not mention Xbox Game Pass, which is by far the greatest subscription service in all of gaming at the moment. All Xbox Game Studios titles will launch on both Xbox and PC on Game Pass, which is quite a value considering you it only costs $14.99 a month, only a dollar more than the most popular Netfilx plan. Game Pass’s value simply cannot be denied, with over 100 Xbox games already on the service and even more to be added every month and whenever a new Xbox exclusive releases.
Final Verdict
Image credit: PlayStation
While the power of the Series X and the value of the Game Pass service cannot be denied, the PS5 still wins this fight, albeit by a slim margin. The main reasons for this verdict are the PS5’s absolutely amazing controller and the exclusive games you can only play on the PS platform. While the choice is really all yours and the Series X is an amazing choice if its games appeal to you, as a gamer and a fan of the groundbreaking experiences that the PS5 has the potential to offer, I have to formally recommend the PlayStation 5.
So, which console do you like more, and are you going to purchase one? Leave a like below if you enjoyed the article and check soon for another article from Genesis Gaming!
The PlayStation 4 is my personal favorite console from this previous generation, and it’s quite easy to tell why: PS4 simply has the best games. With tens of games you can’t play anywhere else, the PS4 is a tough system to speak about critically, and even harder to pick 5 games to talk about. It’s not that it’s hard to find 5 great games – that’s quite easy – it’s hard because so many other great ones get left out.
So, while there are several games to talk about, here are 5 that you absolutely must play if you have a PS4.
5:God of War
Image credit: PlayStation Store
Action-packed and testosterone-fueled, God of War sees you take on the role of the once ruthless but now toned-down God-hero Kratos in a new and unique God of War adventure. Instead of being set in a Greek environment, the game takes place in what looks to be Norway, with Norway cultural signs and traditions popping up around every corner. Kratos, once full of rage and slaughtering everything in sight on a brutal revenge quest, now has a son and has become a more protective and reserved dad-figure.
The gameplay boils down to Last of Us-like story development with way more action, which means it’s certainly not for everyone. Kratos will bash enemies’ heads in and ruthlessly tear them apart with some of the most brutal kill-cam animations I have ever seen, second in brutality only to a game like Mortal Kombat. However, this action is all on a track, with the player only really getting an opportunity to fight when the game designates, releasing some of the air out of the game’s intensity balloon.
However, like the Last of Us, the characters and story are very compelling and the environments and overall graphical quality is some of the best that has ever been on a console. The entire game is absolutely breathtaking in almost every way. While I would recommend The Last of Us before this (discussed next), it is absolutely worth checking out if you like action set upon the backdrop of a well-written story.
4:The Last of Us
Image credit: PlayStation Store
The Last of Us games are a highlight of the PlayStation experience as they do an amazing job of distinguishing themselves entirely from the gaming sphere. Yes, it’s a game – it is fun and it is interactive, but you as the player get little to no say in what actually happens, and are for the most part taking part in relatively boring gameplay sequences that take up most of the playtime. However, this truly is a top 5 game of all time in my book.
Why? The story will bring you to tears. After a zombie outbreak and a freak mishap took the life of his daughter, Joel Miller finds himself in the middle of a quarantine zone 20 years later being forced to take care of a girl named Ellie, who may serve as a cure to the zombie virus that claimed so many of his loved ones. So, Joel and Ellie embark on a cross-country journey to meet up with the Fireflies, a group who believes they can use Ellie to find the cure. But emotional twists abound and the ending will leave you speechless. Play this game for sure; you won’t forget it if you do.
3:Bloodborne
Image credit: PlayStation
Bloodborne is my personal favorite game of all time. While I fear that Sony will not bring it back for a sequel, the first one is worth a play and stands alone as one of the greatest gaming experiences of the past generation. It’s so good that I even wrote a review on it, which you can check out here.
Set in the Lovecraftian land of Yharnam, a blood borne plague has run rampant through the population as a result of recreational blood transfusions (a weird happening, I know). You play as a Hunter, one who kills those who he deems as threats to society. Because the plague is turning people into horrific beasts, you must go on the “Hunt” to rid the land of the plague. Action-packed combat ensues and blood is spilled all over the place, hence the name.
However, it is worth noting that Bloodborne is one of the most difficult games ever released. You will die over and over at the hands of its many bosses, and will constantly run into a wall of difficulty you’ll have to work to get past. But in this way, you’ll feel that much more triumphant when you get past that wall, and a unique cycle of frustration and triumph begins. That’s why people love Bloodborne, and that’s why you should definitely give it a try.
2:Gran Turismo Sport
Image credit: granturismo.com
While Gran Turismo is oftentimes compared to Forza, Xbox’s exclusive racing title, there is really no comparison. With Gran Turismo, you’re not just getting a racing game, you are getting a completely unique experience. Gran Turismo Sport is chill, with jazzy and mellow music tracks playing on every menu. However, this chill external shell is wrapped around one of the most serious and competitive racing experiences ever, with almost every aspect of the gameplay consisting of near true-to-life racing simulation from the cars, to the environments, and to every aspect of the driving physics.
In short, Gran Turismo will test your abilities. While gamers who aren’t racing fans can get into it, it is certainly intended for a more hardcore audience, which is something to keep in mind before you lay your money down. But if you’re up for a challenge – a true test of driver skill – Gran Turismo Sport is your thing. And the good news is that, even if you suck at it, there’s always some great jazz music on the results screen.
1:Shadow of the Colossus
Image credit: PlayStation
If you’re new to the PlayStation platform, this is the one you should play first, above all others. Shadow of the Colossus is not only an amazing game, it is a flat-out, balls-to-the-wall, artistic masterpiece. Your character, Wander, is on a quest to slay 16 mythic beasts known as Colossi in order to save his deceased, unnamed love interest. Throughout this quest, there is no music, there are no creatures or enemies, and nothing of any obvious collectible value. Just you, your horse, and 16 colossi to be slain.
Each colossi is a unique experience, and is like a puzzle to be solved. Do you shoot its underside with an arrow and then jump onto its back and hang on for dear life as it flies, do you hide from it and try to trick it into coming your direction, or do you climb its giant sword? While each colossi has a unique way in which it has to be approached and subsequently defeated, your strategies are truly all yours.
Your sword guides you to each of the colossi through lush forests, arid dunes, and green meadows, and the boss arenas distinguish themselves beautifully from the open-world environments in unique, artistic ways that can only be understood if you have played it. So, you should definitely play it. And all the other games I mentioned. Seriously, get to it!
I hope you enjoyed the article and enjoy the recommended games! Leave a like if you enjoyed this article and stay tuned for more from Genesis Gaming!
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