Another State of Play has come and gone. I was working so I wasn’t able to catch it live. But, in anticipation I was skimming through some of the thumbnails of the show on YouTube, and I became hesitant to watch since nothing really caught my interest at that time. There was a clip of God of War Ragnorak for PC that was being shown as a main showpiece. That gave me the idea there wasn’t much to look for other than a PC port. But, I wanted to write my thoughts on the showcase because these types of blog entries attract a lot of views. I’m glad I did. There’s much to look forward to coming from the PS5. There may not be something as big as a Final Fantasy VI remake, but there are somethings I’m keeping an eye out for.

Concord gave me various mixed messages as to what type of audience this game trying to attract. There was a wise cracking robot named 1-Off. I’ve started finding wise cracking robots corny after no other robot has been funnier than HK-47 from Knights of The Old Republic. The wise cracking robot has been done too much, and I’m tired of it. It made me ask what age group this game trying to attract. I would only think a tween would find 1-Off only mildly funny. Then there was a middle aged Asian woman. Are they trying to attract older millennials like myself who use to play Overwatch because the game is highly reminiscent of that game series? Overwatch 2 is in the shadows of more up to date hero shooters like Apex Legends. So it seems rather risky to put this game in the battle pits of the gaming market.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Dynasty Warrior games other than maybe some crossovers like the Dynasty Warriors Gundam series and even I couldn’t get much out of them. The hack n slash gameplay grows stale very quickly. I need characters from other franchises to come into the Dynasty Warriors universe to get me to play this series. I wouldn’t say I’m too interested in the Dynasty Warriors Origin. As with most hack n slash games, the storyline is never the main focus. The game is meant to suck a player into it while allowing shutting off their brain after a Japanese salaryman has had a hard day of work.

Infinity Nikki was the most visually stunning game of the showcase. I’ve left my anime obsessed phase nearly two decades ago in my 20s. I still read manga and am in an anime discord server, but I’m not keeping up with latest anime. The game is artistically and technically eye candy. It’s mainly to attract anime fans. I don’t know if I’ll ever try this game. But, I’m glad to see publishers are taking a risk with this. Or is it really a risk? Or has anime more popular than a time when I was in my 20s.

Ballad of Antara seems like it’ll be mainly an escort mission type of game. A lot of gamers have issues with escort missions, but I don’t mind them much. As long as their crafty puzzle elements to utilize the nonplayable character, it could become very fun to play. The environment was very colorful reminding of the PS3 game Folklore.

There is a Walking Dead VR game that I didn’t have one ounce of care in the world for. Two reasons are why I don’t want to play it: 1) It’s a Walking Dead game and I’ve never been interested in the series. I was jaded from all the zombie games that were coming during the series prime, and I want to be surprised most gamers were not, but people want the same things. It’s comfortable. I get it. 2) And it’s a VR game. I love video games, but I never felt I wanted to be entirely taken out of reality to the point I can’t see what’s going on in my living room.

It seems like Marvel is copying DC by trying to make a live service game called Marvel Rivals like Suicide Squad. It was a failure so it shouldn’t make sense, but they may have had been developing this game to compete with Suicide Squad before the reviews were released. Its’ going to be interesting to learn if Marvel Rivals learned anything from the shortcomings of Suicide Squad.

There’s an Until Dawn port, and I ask myself why, and then I ask myself why not? Casual gamers love games like these where they have to make choices in scenarios. I like them too to relax, but they’re not my main cup of tea. Maybe the publisher is trying to test the waters to see if an Until Dawn sequel is a good idea if this port sells well.

I’ve been mortified by the look of the Silent Hill games to the point that I was actually too grossed out to play them. The pyramid woman is one of the most unsettling monsters I’ve seen in a game. So this is a good enough reason for me push myself to play the Silent Hill 2 remake and finally get out of my comfort zone.

I’ve been meaning to put some time into a Monster Hunter game, but I have never had the time to play any of them. The monsters look incredibly detailed and creepy. But, I don’t think I’ll ever play a Monster Hunter game. If I do buy Monster Hunter Wilds, it definitely falls down near the bottom of the list of my backlog.

It seems like everyone is so excited for this new Astro Bot game, but it looks like an even easier Ratchet & Clank. It looks like it’s trying to cater to a young audience like for kids, but strangely it has references to Parappa The Rapper with costumes. What kid of today is going to know off that bat where that’s from?

Skimming through social media after the State of Play ended made it seem like many were disappointed. I see posts of people clamoring for new IPS, well here they are, and they’re not satisfied. I’m growing tired of the rehashes, but like I alluded to, people want the same games. It’s a state of comfort. I do too. That’s why I bought Street Fighter 6, but I do push myself by trying new IPs. I’d do even better if put more of my money towards indie games, but they feel so unfulfilling after beating them, but that’s for another blog entry. I suggest gamers put their controllers down and read up on games they don’t know much about. That’s mainly the reason I have so much eclectic taste in video games. I’ll play any type of game. Do not be afraid to branch out. Is it because your friends will laugh at you for playing a certain game and only want you to stick to Call of Duty and Madden? You’re missing out if you keep caving into the peer pressure.

Grade: C