110°

Feature: "I'm a Loser, baby" - Losing In Videogames

D+PAD's Simeon Paskell writes:

In the song ‘Aerials’ by Armenian-American rockers System of a Down, lead singer Serj Tankian proclaims that ‘we are the ones who want to choose, always want to play but you never want to lose’ – though this is most probably a political commentary or existential whimsy, one can’t help but think that that this could be taken a commentary on video games, video gamers and their obsession with winning. We gamers have, after all, long been conditioned to adhere to the notion of ‘playing to win’ – whether this be in defeating in opponent, achieving a high score, being first across the finish line, rescuing the princess or in simply being the last man (or woman) standing. To paraphrase Hilary Clinton when referring to the death of Osama Bin Laden, gamers are constantly tasked to ‘rise to the challenge , [to] persevere and [to] get the job done’…or die trying and get sent back to the start.

In many ways there is absolutely nothing wrong with this; games are after all ultimately a means by which we can escape the mundanity of the real the world – what kind of escape would they be were they to dwell on our limitations, our failings and our weaknesses? And yet, to have winners, there must also be losers – it is a symbiotic relationship; ying and yang.

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dpadmagazine.com
240°

The best PS5 exclusives 2024

With so many PS5 exclusives to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming to pick which one to play. This is especially true for a new PlayStation gamer who has yet to experience the wonder of PlayStation-exclusive storytelling. So, here's KnowTechie's take on the best PS5 exclusives in 2024 and beyond

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knowtechie.com
Hereandthere14d ago

PlayStation is killing it with the exclusives this year. Exclusive wise, what has xbox released this year?

VersusDMC14d ago

They won't complain about Microsoft not releasing games here but put all their effort into saying that only first party counts. Games like Rebirth and Grandblue Relink don't count. Games published by Sony like Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin don't count because Sony don't own the studios.

It's some narrative building so for when Hellblade 2 come out they can say, seemingly without shame, that Microsoft is actually releasing first party games this year. And claim victory.🙃

Chevalier14d ago

Weird 1st party games didn't matter when Xbox had so little, but, now they're important again? Guess Ark 3, Stalker 2 don't count any more?

KyRo14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

ARK 3 doesn't exist and it's just a timed exclusive. It's also a game that a majority of the ARK player base doesn't want as it's a massive deviation from what people like about the original game

Abnor_Mal14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Honestly to me it doesn’t matter what they say, they are just finally getting a chance to say all the things PS fan(boy)s were saying to them for the past few years. Let them get that, they deserve a “win” for a change.

The new narrative is that suddenly first party games matter again when awhile ago they didn’t, but that was because they were struggling with the same three games with the occasional fourth or fifth. That games should be everywhere on all platforms since that’s whats happening to theirs. The consoles don’t matter just the ability to play anywhere. Whatever Xbox is doing Sony will soon follow.

They’re not moving the goalpost anymore, but rather just moving the whole damn stadium.

jwillj2k414d ago

Only a incel would care about who published what and who owns who.

If it’s not on the other consoles it’s an exclusive.

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Cacabunga14d ago

Killing what? Where are the 1st party games??
Stellar Blade and FF7 is what I’m seeing this year.. so shallow!!!!

andy8514d ago

Doesn't really matter as long as they're great games. Baffles me why people put an emphasis on 1st party. They're still games you can't play anywhere else this year

Cacabunga13d ago

Andy

PS brand is my favorite because of their stellar first party software.. currently I see absolutely nothing to go crazy for..

CS713d ago

Nonsense.

PS1 and PS2 was built on great third party exclusives like FF, MGS, GTA & Tekken.

14d ago Replies(2)
raWfodog14d ago

Of course I love the games I’ve played from PS but I don’t believe we need to limit it to ‘exclusive’ to acknowledge that Xbox will be releasing some good games this year also. In that same vein, I believe that Xbox diehards shouldn’t limit their acknowledgment of good PS games to 1st party. There are plenty of good games to go around for everybody.

Tacoboto14d ago

This is a Playstation article about Playstation games and your comment is about Xbox. Can't you just celebrate what PS has without dragging this into console war BS?

ChasterMies14d ago

I don’t think Microsoft is releasing games exclusively on Xbox anymore. They have some timed exclusives that release on Xbox first.

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Abear2114d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Returnal, Astro Bot, and Ratchet made having it since day one worth it.

GT7 free updates and Spiderman 2 and others at 60fps have made this last year more than okay.

But yeah, it’s been dry lately. BG3 and third party have made great filler, but we ready for that SOCOM or Killzone announcement and some more 1st party goodness. Crossing fingers for Ghost of Tsushima 2 announcement this summer.

Didn’t know Helldivers was exclusive! Wtf is going on at Xbox that they can’t get these games, series s strikes again.

SonyStyled14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Sony owns the Helldivers IP. The first was a PS3/Vita/PC game. It was never an Xbox game that they could ‘get’ a decade ago. I’m not sure what the upset is with Xbox here

CS713d ago

Lol, how do you ignore Rebirth one of the best games ever made?

anast14d ago

Looks like they are on par with the previous gens. Solid games all around. Interestingly enough, we can't say they released a bad game yet this gen. Unlike the Quiet Man dustup.

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DefenderOfDoom214d ago

I actually do not mind if Marathon releases on multiple platforms . I just wish that Marathon has a dedicated single player campaign.

DaniMacYo14d ago

Helldivers 2 is exactly what gaming needed. I’m loving it.

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80°

The 7 Best Street Fighter Games: Exploring the Franchise

The Street Fighter series has a long history, but which are the seven best games the franchise has yet offered to gamers?

90°

10 Hardest PS3 Games of All Time

You might not be able to believe this, but Dark Souls is a pretty tricky game on the PlayStation 3.

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culturedvultures.com