This week saw some “discourse” flare up around the storytelling in Final Fantasy 14 and specifically its new expansion, Dawntrail, and we’ve got thoughts. Also, don’t miss our commentary on what appears to be Sony winding down active support for the PS4, and how cloud gaming can be really cool in the right situation.
According to some players, Final Fantasy 14’s new Dawntrail expansion has a story problem. It’s boring, plot points aren’t explained properly, and it is by and large unimportant, or so go the criticisms. Of course, what those complaints don’t tell you is that a lot of the people behind them are also skipping through large swaths of the story. It’s not a new problem to Final Fantasy 14, but it is one that Dawntrail is bringing back to the forefront. Some Final Fantasy 14 players have a problem of their own, and it’s a lack of willingness to engage with the game’s methodical storytelling in its entirety. - Willa Rowe Read More
The long-tail on the PlayStation 4 has been incredible. The console still has 49 million active users according to Sony’s most recent estimate. But all good things must come to an end, and it feels more clear than ever that Sony is ready to leave the PS5's predecessor in the past, with Lego Horizon Adventures Adventures being the final nail in the coffin. - Ethan Gach Read More
I used to consider myself a certifiable cloud hater. I’ve never enjoyed my experiences trying to engage with cloud gaming, which allows players to stream their console games to PCs, smartphones, and dedicated handhelds, as well as adjacent remote play technology. In my limited experience, it was always too laggy, made the games look ugly as shit, and needed far too potent a signal to work even passably well. However, I went away this past weekend and didn’t want to lug around either of my consoles, so I gave it an earnest shot again and I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised with how far cloud and remote gaming’s come. - Moises Taveras Read More
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is really hard, guys. Famed boss beater Let Me Solo Her (who recently rebranded as Let Me Solo Him to fight the expansion’s tough boss, Messmer) struggled with FromSoftware’s DLC, frustrated players review-bombed the game on Steam out of anger with the expansion’s difficulty, and even game director Hidetaka Miyazaki admitted he uses “everything [he has] at [his] disposal” to get through the game. - Alyssa Mercante Read More
