GamingUnion.net:
"Naughty Dog's games have always resonated with me. Be it my first experience with the original PlayStation playing Crash Bandicoot, or becoming completely enthralled with Jak and Daxter on PS2 and the Uncharted games of this generation, I've been a fan of their work for quite some time. That being said, my preference towards Jak out of Sony's three PS2-era mascot franchises shouldn't come as a big surprise. In particular, Jak II left a lasting impression on me, having replayed it two or three times since its 2003 launch."
Speaking on what’s coming next for Naughty Dog, which could be either their new IP or The Last Of Us Part III, Druckmann gave what he seems to feel are realities of the project he’s talking about. That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”
Neil Druckmann talks about Naughty Dog's Next Game which is really ambitious and parts of it are hard to make! pic.twitter.com/IqY2KEI1Gb
— DomTheBomb (@DomTheBombYT) March 1, 2024
"I’ve really surrendered to knowing it’s going to be really hard, knowing it’s going to stress members of the team out"
As if crunch wasn't stressing them enough
That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”
Not 'is' but 'will be', kinda suggests that they haven't started yet, hope not.
Come on ND, a game PLEAAAAASSSSEEEE. Desperate this gen.
Also, just off-topic slightly but..
Does anyone think that layoffs now may well be making space for AI integration of game development, and 'crunch-time', 'unsustainable', 'big budget' are all terms been used to butter us up to receiving the news that AI integration will help and maintain the level of AAA games that were accustomed to? Perhaps the layoffs were the devs that didn't join a union quick enough and if only they had the smarts of SAG members and strike while the time is right, before its too late?! Imagine DEV's on strike at a time like this, there's already a game drought.
A new The Last of Us 2 documentary reveals that Naughty Dog almost made a different version of the PS4 and PS5 game similar to Bloodborne.
Kind of a misleading comparison. They were simply talking about the game being melee oriented and more of an open world. I wouldn't compare a game to a soulslike based on that.
A more melee oriented Last of Us 2 would've been so much better imo. The combat mechanics barely got any use from me cause everyone just shoots at you, and then the Scars with their bows are even more annoying. Level design was also more Bloodborne, and I love the level design in Souls game, there's a real sense of scale and exploration due to the branching paths. We really gotta move away from open world in the style of GTA and BoTW and do it more like Souls.
Def did good with their own thing I'm so over the whole copy souls combat sheesh I can dee if in certain games it would be bosses that looked like a souls boss but straight out copying the combat and feel takes away from a game that supposed to be its own lol
The PS2 still took plenty of inspiration from the arcade, leading to a lot of frustration over ottsels, stunts, and, uh, hands of God.
Out of the games on that list, I've beaten:
Maximo
God of War II (but on PS3)
Jak II
Stuntman
Ahh, one of Naughty Dog's classics.
I've never actually played this, although I loved the Crash Bandicoot games on the PS. I should give it a shot, if I can find a copy.
I absolutely loved this game! No other game has ever given me such a great feeling of satisfaction after finishing it. I remember the many times I got so pissed off with Jak II due to the immense difficulty of many of the missions, but in the end I felt completely satisfied having conquered this 'hard as nails' game in 16 hours.
I like to look at Jak II as a 'hardcore platformer'. I also feel that the Jak series was very underrated and didn't get the appreciation it deserved.