By the time you're seeing (and hearing) this, 2019 is just about done... or perhaps it's already over. It's another year in the books. So let's move past it, shall we? Instead of gandering backward, we should instead peer forward into 2020 and all it has to offer us... or all we think it has to offer us! Here are our 10 PlayStation predictions for the next 365 days (give or take), plus a couple dozen of your own to round things out. How much will PS5 cost, and when will it come out? Which fir...
2019-12-27 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Nothing pleases grandma and grandpa more than spoiling their grandchildren. Indeed, it's the key rule of Grandparenting (made up word!). The most blessed among us get four of these mystical beings from which to learn from, be fed by, and circumvent the rules with, and the rest of us make do with perhaps one, two, or three. For the sometimes lengthy and other times brief periods we're lucky enough to be with these people -- the parents of our parents, the patriarchs and matriarchs of our brood...
2019-12-26 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey,
I'm writing this brief message from my desk in Santa Monica, though by the time you all see it, I'll be on an airplane headed to Virginia. It's a bit of a solemn occasion, as I've written, recorded, and simply sat in this room for so very long since Colin's Last Stand was founded. Now it's a barren, white-walled space, ready for the next tenant to occupy it.
Heck, I've lived in California for 12½ years! But things are about to change for me. It's time to move onto...
2019-12-25 11:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
2019 was a fairly solid year for gaming, particularly when you consider that we're in the calm before the storm. As we roll into 2020 -- a year of brand new consoles, huge titles, and undoubtedly some major announcements -- it only seems right to look back fondly at all the last 365 days or so offered us. The games, the announcements, the stumbles, and the outright calamities. There's a ton to say! So let's keep it simple: Here are our 10 favorite moments of 2019 along with a couple of dozen ...
2019-12-20 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
In 1897, a most unusual British novel was written by an at-the-time unknown author named Bram Stoker. It was simply called Dracula, and for most western readers, it was their introduction into the centuries-long mythology, mysticism, and straight-up horror stories coming from Eastern Europe and surrounding environs, tales of men and women who would feast on the blood of others, and who may even be immortal. Stoker's novel isn't only important in the history of western fiction, but especially ...
2019-12-19 22:12:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
As PlayStation 5 lumbers toward us like an AT-AT stomping across Hoth (but in a good way), the calendar has left us with precious few PS4 exclusives of consequence. The Last of Us: Part II is obviously the King of the Unreleased, and Dreams is a commercial long-shot, but Ghost of Tsushima might just be the most intriguing of the bunch. One part third-person action game and another part historical fiction, Sucker Punch's eagerly-anticipated PlayStation 4 swan song finally has a release date. W...
2019-12-17 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey!
Today, we’re super excited to finally reveal the first Sacred Symbols video game. It’s called Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure, and we’re aiming to release it in the first quarter of 2020 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. We intend on charging $9.99, which will net you both the PS4 and Vita versions in one fell swoop. You’ll also get two Trophy lists to jump into, each with its own Platinum.
Twin Breaker was (well, still is being) developed by 2019-12-16 17:01:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Star Wars license has seen some topsy-turvy days as of late. Since Disney acquired the brand nearly a decade ago, The Mouse has endeavored to expand The Galaxy Far, Far Away in all ways imaginable: Core movies, spin-off movies, TV shows, cartoons, theme park attractions, and on and on and on... and video games were supposed to be a big part of the flood. But they really haven't been. Battlefronts 1 and 2 sold well but largely underwhelmed, and Visceral's project was cancelled completely. ...
2019-12-13 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
John Carpenter hit a bit of a home run with The Thing back in 1982, though contemporary critics didn't give him or his movie any shine. In fact, his film's reception was so bleak that it kinda-sorta destroyed Carpenter's career... at least for a while. But hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and with nearly four decades to marinate on it, many people have come around to The Thing's seminal place in horror and sci-fi history. Its hopeless tale of a stranded Antarctic research base grappling with ...
2019-12-12 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Since 1997, Sony has published an annual baseball game -- once eponymously called MLB and more recently dubbed The Show -- that has lived exclusively in its ecosystem. Indeed, for the last 15 years or so, PlayStation has dedicated a first party studio to essentially (and obsessively) focusing on America's pastime. So recent news that MLB: The Show would begin publishing outside of PlayStation platforms beginning in 2021 came as a bit of a shock. It's a first for Sony, and it's a story that re...
2019-12-11 06:24:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
There was a time when Finnish studio Housemarque was the belle of PlayStation's second party ball. They created Super Stardust! Dead Nation! And yes, Resogun! But then, the team decided to pivot, and we can no longer rely upon them for the classic arcade experiences they once made. Will the studio survive its voyage into the world of battle royales, or will it regret leaving its old audience behind? Let's discuss. Also: Is Colin excited about Capcom's upcoming Mega Man Zero collection? Are mo...
2019-12-06 17:05:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
For many of us, going to church (or temple, or mosque, or whatever) was a part of childhood. And while some of us got something useful out of our often-weekly visits, the most lingering memories tend to revolve around everything but what we were actually supposed to be there for. The parental bribery. The coercion. The distractions. Time moving so slowly that it's as if you're stuck in one of those futuristic computers in the Black Mirror episode White Christmas. Join us, if you will, for a v...
2019-12-05 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
In December of 1994, the original PlayStation launched in Japan, and the rest (as they say) is history. Fast-forward 25 years, and the PlayStation brand is an absolute powerhouse. PSone, PS2, and PS4 have all surpassed 100 million sold (only one other home video game console has ever done the same), and even those that fell short -- PS3, PSP, and even Vita -- have all left an indelible mark on our industry. So let's celebrate, shall we? Then, let's get into some news! Hideo Kojima's longtime ...
2019-12-03 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
There are few (if any) names in development bigger than Hideo Kojima, and Kojima Productions' first post-Konami project has finally arrived on PlayStation 4. Love it or hate it (or something, somewhere in between), there's no denying that Death Stranding is unlike any game that's ever come before it. That much is for sure. So let's break down how we feel about it, what we think it does right and wrong, try to make sense of its bonkers story and remarkable cast of characters, and field plenty ...
2019-11-29 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
For thousands of years, humans have been smoking, eating, and enjoying the fruits (well, buds) of the marijuana plant, also known as cannabis. Once associated with deviant behavior and long mislabeled as a gateway drug, marijuana -- like virtually any other substance, legal or illegal -- has different effects on different people, and while certainly not a positive for some, many others the world 'round enjoy smoking a joint, blunt, bowl, or bong. Some among us even prefer it over alcohol and ...
2019-11-28 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Swinging lightsabers.
2019-11-26 18:41:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Beloved publisher-slash-developer Capcom has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts over the last few years, fueled not only by new games like Monster Hunter: World, but by a litany of re-releases and remakes, too. At the top of the pile is Resident Evil 2, an astounding revisiting of a '90s survival horror classic that sold millions. So it should come as no surprise that a remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is right behind it, at least if recent rumors are any indication. How excited are w...
2019-11-26 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Are video games a waste of time? It's a valid question, even if it hurts our precious, video-gamin' feelings, and it's worth having a conversation about. So today, we do just that in another mailbag episode of Plus. What do we get out of our hobby? Is it a valid use of our precious hours on Earth? Then, let's delve deeper into our digital sack of letters. Is Amazon primed to have an even greater stranglehold over retail games sales? How do we feel about MIDI soundtracks? Is Supermassive Games...
2019-11-22 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Pawnee, Indiana doesn't actually exist, but after watching Parks & Rec on NBC, many of us wish that it did. That's because Pawnee is full of some of the most hilarious, charming, and ridiculous characters in modern TV history, and their antics offered more accessible and often kind-hearted takes when compared to its far more vulgar and out-of-control sister show The Office. What resulted is something truly memorable, a series full of both character and characters. So let's talk about the ...
2019-11-21 17:25:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
I'll let this brief episode do the talking. Thank you for supporting Fireside Chats.
2019-11-20 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Did you know that -- in the United States -- Anthem is the eighth best-selling game of the year? This little factoid tells us a whole lot. It indicates that our instincts as enthusiasts don't always speak for the wider market. It suggests a void in our understanding of meaningful metrics in the world of games-as-a-service. And it confirms perhaps the most unfortunate fact of all, at least for EA and BioWare: Lots of people paid good money to play their game, and few people cared to stick arou...
2019-11-19 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Sony may have abandoned PlayStation Experience for the time being, but its arch-rival Microsoft has fully embraced directly interfacing with its fans. In London, the company is conducting its revived and revitalized "X" exposition, this year titled X019. And -- much like PlayStation Experiences of yore -- its most intriguing feature is its E3-like press conference, one produced with hardcore Xbox fans in mind. With said conference now in the rear-view mirror, we thought we'd analyze all that ...
2019-11-15 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
In what will undoubtedly be an ongoing, years-and-episodes-long saga, we've decided to talk about some of our very favorite songs, a nice complement to Episodes 39 and 56 of KnockBack, which were all about our most beloved albums and concert experiences. Narrowing songs down is a lot harder, of course, but we did our absolute best, coming up with two lists of 10 tracks each that best represent our tastes, our stories, and our respective life journeys. And, to make it as awkward as possible, w...
2019-11-14 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Here we are, at the penultimate episode of Fireside Chats. Since we're so close to the end, it makes sense that our final proper interview should occur with someone young, someone fiery, someone with a Carpe Diem attitude. Someone, in short, that can inspire you. Mike Bacior is a college graduate, a newly-minted professional, and obsessive about understanding the way things work, how people climb the ladder, and how to ultimately garner success in whatever you do. He's wise beyond his years, ...
2019-11-13 19:38:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
Death Stranding is finally here, and we use the word "finally" lightly. Conceived and developed at light speed compared to many of its AAA contemporaries, Hideo Kojima's new game came to fruition relatively quickly, and with lots of expectations in tow. What it delivers is one of the most unusual experiences we've ever played. And we mean that in the best way possible. So join us as we gush about Death Stranding for a while, and stay with us as we work through the PlayStation news of the week...
2019-11-12 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey!
I wrote, and rewrote, and rewrote… and rewrote… this letter, and I don’t really know why it’s been so hard, because the message is exciting (at least for me) and quite straight-forward (objectively): After 12½ years of living in California, I’m leaving. It’s actually happening. All CLS products will continue as-is (more on that in a second); I’m merely picking myself up and going 3,000 miles east, to the other side of these here United States.
I’m moving to...
2019-11-11 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
How important is journalism to gaming? It's essential. Yet, in parallel with other fandoms -- film, music, comics, and elsewhere -- the mainstream games press has exercised a scorched Earth tactic that has left large sects of its traditional readership reeling. In the wake of Kotaku's sister site Deadspin's sudden meltdown, let's examine the confusing and fractious landscape of games analysis, talk about what's missing, what's gone right, and what needs to improve. Not surprisingly, much of o...
2019-11-08 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
The original PlayStation completely dominated its generation. So did PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4. PlayStation 3, on the other hand, fought tooth-and-nail for every single unit its pushed, and its particular battle -- waged against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii -- ended up being Sony's most perilous corporate period in decades. In fact, PlayStation 3 ended up costing Sony nearly $2 billion in its first year on the market alone. Yet, through its horrendous start, bad PR, and staun...
2019-11-07 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
For many people, writing a book is a dream, one that goes unfulfilled by plenty of capable would-be authors the world over. But some especially talented and hard-working people are able to make this dream a reality, many on a part-time basis. Today's guest -- Eldar Basic -- recently published a young adult sci-fi book, and he asked to come on Fireside Chats to talk about the experience, particularly from the point-of-view of someone who isn't (yet) making a full-time living as a writer. What ...
2019-11-06 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Nary a decade ago, many an industry analyst wondered if console gaming was dying. Would mobile take over? Could Facebook become the new dominant platform? With PlayStation 4 now securely occupying the spot of second best-selling home console of all-time (behind PlayStation 2), questions like those sure do seem quaint, don't they? Let's discuss PS4's new sales figures, what they mean for the brand, and how great PlayStation 4 performance may just harm PS5. Plus: Blizzard announces two new eage...
2019-11-05 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
