1Up: VP Scott Rohde discusses the FFXIII shocker, Sony's product strategy, and more.
Whether you thought its press conference was the best of the bunch or were bored to tears by it, you'd be hard-pressed to deny that E3 week has been big for Sony in several ways. Among announcing a handful of new titles, showcasing several eagerly awaited ones, and losing one of their biggest third-party exclusives, the list of upcoming game releases for Sony is more important than ever. I had a chance to speak to Sony Vice President of Product Development Scott Rohde about the company's E3 showing alongside Sony PR manager Ron Eagle on Wednesday afternoon.
Plenty of unforgettable games have completely messed up their players throughout the years, all the way back from the PS1 days to the dark recesses of the modern internet.
With so many games fighting for players' attention and interest losing out over time, time sink games are at risk of eventually losing steam.
It was worrisome to begin with.
It's a niche genre with only a handful of hits that can stand the test of time.
Only a few will catch on. You need a perfect storm to be successful in GaaS and a bit of luck on top of that. But a potential cash cow will keep them trying and some will go out of business because of it.
Helldivers 2 manages just fine…
Keep production costs low… don’t just make custscenes until the mechanics and enemies are perfected first.
Make so much content that you can drip extra content for years, and the game already feels complete without them.
Most importantly: make weapons, enemies, levels, and mechanics that will stand the test of 1000 hours. This might require more devs embracing procedurally generated leveled, which I think separates Helldivers 2 from Destiny’s repetitiveness.
Nameer from eXputer: "Some exceptions aside, I don't think the battle pass is a net positive for gaming with how they're implemented in most live service titles."
I like the way Helldivers 2 does battle passes. It allows you to make purchases on each level of the battle pass and gives you the option of choosing which item to unlock first. The more purchases you make using medals the further you progress. There is no timer and you can earn medals towards purchasing stuff via personal orders and Major orders.
I haven't played much live service games that have battle passes but I remember some games that have battle passes where you progress through it linearly using an exp system. What makes it really bad is that the battle pass will have like 50 or more levels with the cooler stuff being closer to the end. They also have an in-game shop that sells exp boosters so you can reach the end of the pass before it refreshes. Everyone ilse will have to grind their way through.
battle pass in fortnite is perfect; buy one and it buys the rest for every other season as it gives you more money than the first cost. so 8.50 and season ends with you getting 13.00, it pays for the next and you have some pocket change to save up for cash shop. All of which is optional
Sweet they got more games coming, hopefully they show that Rockstar Exclusive in not too long.
the site isn't working 4 me.
HELL YEA DAMN IT!!!!
\o/
FFVII or MGS5 on the pipe line =D
I've been harping on this for weeks now. As someone who bought a PS3 for RPGs, the startling lack of them has been a complete disappointment.
And please don't rhyme off a list of RPGs that are coming. Let's keep the conversation on what's here, as in today. It's been 2 years for Sony and now they're telling me they don't even have an RPG in the works?! What happened to Angel Rings, did that not "fit the portfolio" like Eight Days? Exactly what sort of portfolio is Sony building nowadays? It doesn't seem to match my interests at all.
I just picked up a 360 last month and I've been playing the sh*t outta Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata (picked it up for $20, who needs a full-priced port?), Kingdom Under Fire. Hell, I even got N3 and Bulletwich for $5 a pop. I love my Japanese-centric and RPG genres. I hate MS' business tactics (buy everything), but in the end, you've gotta go where the games are.
Seems like the only thing I'm keeping my PS3 for is White Knight Story and FFXIII (I don't want a port on the 360). White Knight is pretty much exclusive, as Level 5 has a serious hate for MS since the cancellation of True Fantasy for the Xbox. Too bad for MS, as Level 5 is going to be the next Square-Enix - without all the drama and remakes.
If Sony has any business acumen at all, they'd take Level 5 under their wing as a first-party RPG house, before Level 5 becomes too expensive and independent. Another part of me doesn't really want this to happen though, as it might stifle their creativity.
Mark my words, Level 5 is the next great Eastern RPG development house.
Cheers,
- C
Does Sony prepare a huge announcement at TGS2008?