Shagger

An update of this Story. The man spearheading this lawsuit hosted an AMA on Reddit, and it went about was well as you would expect. People were poking the obvious holes in the suit and even questioning the very motives behind it, some going as far to call this a scam. And as discussed earlier in the thread, there are some questions than need answering. Why are they singling out Sony and the 30% commission they charge when it's pretty much the standard thought the industry? Why even use that as evidence of Sony ripping off the customer when that's charged to the publishers/developers who sell the games? Where is the money you win from the lawsuit actually going to go? Some people even asked how they could opted out a claimant as anyone who bought something on the PlayStation Store from 19th August 2016 onwards is automatically included as a claimant in this suit. Alex's answers were also often vague, evasive and sometimes avoided the questions completely. Remember, these are the people will get a pay-out that cloud be as high as £562 (around $650) if he wins, and it's these same people tearing him a new one. That's how ill conceived and dumb this lawsuit is. A vid from RTU that summarises what happened. Also check this article form Eurogamer he sights as a source.

I kind of touched on this in my review, but I wouldn't recommend Sneak as an aid to dieting nor exercise as I think the crash factor is a bit high. I will say I think one can drink Sneak as part of a healthy diet and exercise regime, but in the end it is just an energy drink. It's marketed to people sitting on thier ass playing video games for a reason. As far as I can tell, yes. This is an image of the nutritional information on the back of one of the sachets. It contains caffeine, and a fair amount of it, so it does pick you up for time.

Shagger Says: Sneak Energy First and foremost, another thank you to @DC and Sneak every for making this possible with the promotion here of VGR through bid for rewards. Even with my appreciation, this review is still gonna offer up nothing but the honest truth. Not that Sneak energy need to be worried as I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by this energy drink powder and everything that it offered. Still, one would have to part with with equivalent of over $90 to buy the same package I received, so is it worth it? Let's snoop around sneak and find out. To set the parameters for this review, let establish what Sneak energy is. This is a caffeinated energy drink make for gaming that is mean increase alertness whilst also providing hydration. Sneak themselves recommend no more than two portions a day and to drink one portion before or during gaming. I was drinking the powder you mix with water in a shaker/drinking bottle that was part of the package. It's easy enough to make, pour either sachet or levelled scoop (10g) into the shaker, pour in 300ml – 400ml of water then shake and drink. However, I personally found much more success in ignoring the recommend 10 second shake time for closer to 20-30 seconds. Despite this, it is easy to prepare with clear instructions, so nobody should be put off by a lack of convenience. In my package: 1 x 400g (40 servings) Blue Raspberry flavour tub 1 x 700ml branded drinking bottle/shaker 5 x Strawberry flavour sachet (10g, single serving) 5 x Sneak flavour sachet (10g, single serving) 5 x Strawberry and Watermelon flavour sachet (10g, single serving) 5 x Neon Punch flavour sachet (10g, single serving) I touched on the price earlier, but to understand what your getting it's important understand how much value you get. Fist step, how much does this actually cost? Well, here it is, blunt and honest (I said it my package would cost the equivalent of around $90 and it would, but 5 of the sachets I received aren't listed here. More on that later.): To really understand this though, we have to break it down to price it per portion. Lucky for you, I've done the math for you and it works out at around £1 per 10g (300ml-400ml once mixed) portion for the tub (around $1.18) and £1.35 per sachet ($1.58). For context, that's pretty good value compared to Red Bull; And I'd say about the same as Monster Energy, give or take. (these prices are form a major supermarket chain that operates here in the UK) So what we have here with Sneak is a something that isn't exactly cheap, but does offer value in the long run. One thing that does need pointing out (and in answer to @Scottypops question) is that Sneak energy contains A LOT more caffeine that the two brands I'm comparing it to here. About twice as much as in that 250ml can of Red Bull and with about the same as that can of Monster Energy, but but Monster is a larger, more diluted mix with a 500ml portion. In a more direct comparison, Red Bull has 30mg of caffeine per 100g, Monster has 36mg per 100g and Sneak (may vary depending on how you mix it) contains 50mg per 100g, so it's a lot stronger. So it's a higher install price for longer term value (and more caffeine), but how does it taste compared to regular energy drinks? Before I offer my thoughts on each flavour, I want to talk about the bottle itself; As you can see from the images I posted, it looks cool. A new one would cost £10 to buy (equivalent to around $12-$13). For that price, you would expect something decent and that is what you get. There are a number of designs to choose from. This particular bottle is the "Bit Friday" design made of a dark grey, translucent plastic printed with very nice Sneak decals, a screw top lid with a nice, rigid drinking cap, an ice catcher that can be easily removed for cleaning and both ml and Fl ounce scales printed on the sides. I like it, it's better quality that I would have expected and feels like it's built to last provide one looks after it. Onto the most important part, the actual drink and the flavours. Now, it's an energy drink, not a magic potion from Gandalf, so don't expect to suddenly go MGL by drinking it, but I would say Sneaks' claims of improving alertness and concentration whilst keeping you hydrated do hold up. It also helps cut out some hunger as it claims to be a food supplement and it does stem off hunger. I know what some of you may be thinking with that and the answer is no, I would not recommend Sneak for people as an aid to dieting as you crash hard and suddenly with hunger when the effect is gone and may in fact encourage you to eat more and outside of regular meal times. A single serving does hit like a strong cup of coffee, but Sneak is more refreshing and easier to prepare. I'll talk more about the actual flavours in a moment, but I do like it. Each flavour is distinctive and overall, they taste nice. Now to rank each flavour. The order that you read these is the same order I tried them, with the numbers ranking them with 1 being my favourite and 5 my least favourite. 5. Strawberry Millions Strong, potent flavour even at maximum recommended 400ml dilution. Tasted nice, not bitter like most every drinks, reminded me of milkshake in the smell and taste. It was a bit gritty, though. I shook if for the recommended 10 seconds, but it still didn't taste like it had mixed right. After this, I started shaking it for longer and never encountered this issue again even after re-trying this flavour. My better half was along for the ride on this taste test and she wasn't a huge fan of this flavour, but even though this was my least favourite, I did still like it. It is refreshing and sweet however this does not taste like the strawberry millions sweets. 4. “Stealth” Flavour Honestly, with such a vague name for this flavour, I wasn't sure what to expect, that became a sense of disappointment when my better half liked this one the most and claimed the remaining sachets for herself. Flavour and aroma of sherbet double dip, interesting given sneak is made with zero sugar. Sweet without being overpowering, this was a well balanced flavour that was very pleasant overall. 2. Neon Punch I was honestly expecting something along the lines of sour candy with this, but it was tasted like fruity bubble-gum and was very refreshing (Bubbaloo tutti-fruity bubble-gum). It's not as sweet nor as bold as the other flavours I had tried up to this point, but one of my favourites. My better half thought this one was OK compared to the others. It was at this point that I started to notice her preference for the sweeter flavours whilst I preferred the more fruity, subtle ones. Knowing how our palettes differ, that does make sense. 1. Strawberry and Watermelon Before I get onto how this one tasted, there is something a little odd about how, or perhaps why, I even got a chance to even try this flavour in the first place. Everything else that was in the package I knew was coming because it was on the invoice I got in my email and was what I had selected. These five sachets of Strawberry Watermelon Flavour, were not; So why was it included? I honestly have no idea. Maybe Sneak gives this flavour out in all thier samples or something, but regardless I won't look a gift horse in the mouth because this ended up being my favourite flavour of the lot. Very refreshing, but still potent and strong in flavour with just enough sweetness to give it a little kick. If Sneak do give this to everyone to try as thier "best foot forward", I can see why. My better half compared it to the American sweets called NERD'S, so if that point of reference helps you, then so be it. 3. Blue Raspberry This is the one I got in the form of the tub, so obviously this was the one I wanted to like the most. I didn't end up being my favourite, but I still really liked this one. The first thought that came to mind when I opened the tub was; And that kind of set the tone really, it tasted like, well, blue. Still a nice balance of refreshing and sweet, but a little more sour than the others, but not to the point it's unpleasant. Perhaps it would be kinder to say it had more of a kick than the others. Not my favourite, but still very good and still refreshing. The best bit though is my better half didn't care for it. Apparently the raspberry flavour is not strong enough for her liking, so I at least have this one all to myself. Maybe she's right and the raspberry part was weak, but the blue held up nicely. Final Verdict 9/10 Overall, very pleasantly surprised. The drinks make you alert, the caffeine certainly works, but was also very refreshing, especially compared to the other every drinks I've tried that are usually either very flat of very bitter and dry you out, it also help hold off hunger for a period of time but be ready for a full meal. Value is to be found in the package, but it's still difficult to recommend to people who don't drink this sort of stuff on a regular basis with the high install price. I was essentially given this, and in that capacity, I love it, I really do and would defend it to the hills, but would I buy it, with money, probably not, but only because I don't drink this stuff regularly. Having said that, this still has a very real chance to convert me as the reason I don't drink this stuff regularly is because most energy taste like salty urine to me. The fact that not only do I like Sneak energy, but actually loved some of these flavours is a testament to how good this is (minus the one that was pinched because I only got to taste it once). Yes, it's not cheap, especially in the beginning with the shaker being an essential buy and how much the tubs cost, but there is value in this is you do drink this kind of thing even on a semi-frequent basis. So yeah, you do need to be prepared to drink Sneak regularly and loyally to get the best out of it, but if you do you won't be sorry.

Abby and Ellie from The Last of Us part II needs a mention. Bothe driven buy such similar motives and emotions, but both led down a path by thier intend that costs them. The way the game develops empathy and conflict within the player in relation to the two characters is also very smart.

To be honest with you @Kane99, I don't understand why you have put this thread up so early. The Tokyo Game Show is still a week away. There's a good chance this thread could be buried between now and the actual show. Still, if that's what you want to do. Everyone be advised not to make new threads about TGS or any announcements, trailers or live streams related to the event as they will be removed, keep everything here.

Just got told about this from my better half. Honestly, I won't shed a tear. I have little love for the royals, frankly the most significant thing Queen Elisabeth II did for Scotland happened about half an hour ago. Not that I'm happy or anything, any death is tragic and my respect and condolences, but I find it difficult to feel sorry for a woman who lived a life of obscene opulence and luxury up to age the age of 96. The only tragic thing about this is that this idiot is now king.

One of my favourite Star Wars games is a PS2 game called Star Wars Jedi Starfighter, sequel to Star Wars Starfighter. As the names suggests, it's a flight combat game that's heavy on story that can be played as a single player or cooperatively. The game is set at the same time as Star Wars Episode II and tells a parallel story where you switch between (as player one) two different characters. First a Jedi council pilot named Adi Gallia and a Feeorin pirate (and protagonist of the previous game) Nym who form a reluctant alliance to take down a dangerous mercenary group working with the Trade Federation and Separatist movement to unleash a new weapon of mass destruction on the forces of the Republic. The story is more action packed, memorable and relatable than the movie it's part based on with a variety of the mission types and craft to fly (especially in co-op) and with objectives that vary depending on the difficulty setting and between single player and co-op modes giving more replay repay value than you might expect. The game is a joy to control whilst still offering a fair challenge with decent voice acting and follows the Star Wars movies very closely is terms of look and style with good graphics for it's time. There's even a multiplayer that probably won't hold up well to modern standards, but it is fun if a bit basic. It's one of my favourite games under the Star Wars brand and I find it's often overlooked and very underrated.

Again, is there any chance you can provide the model or specification?

Easy, I wasn't being serious. It doesn't bother me at all, you can do what you like when it comes to mods and cheats on single player games.

There are some so who would call that cheating...

Most games that are only available on PC outside the RTS genre are not AAA titles that demand the most out of hardware, most of them are "indie" games. So I don't understand why @runswithspatulas is focusing on PC titles in the opening post. The switch actually has a good reputation with small, indie developers, so as long as Nintendo wants thier game on the console, it can happen. What you should be concerned with is those AAA publishers who release game on PC, Xbox and PlayStation, but not Nintendo. It's not that no games from Activision, Ubisoft or EA come to the Switch, so it's not that Nintendo' has a bad relationship with these publishers. However a lot of these publisher's games don't make it onto the Switch and I do believe it's because making ports for the Switch whilst still maintaining the kind of graphical standards expected in modern, AAA games is getting more and more difficult. As others have said, the Switch's hardware was not going to keep up with AAA development for very long, so I'm sorry to sy I don't see this problem being resolved anytime soon, on the contrary I think if anything it's only going to get worse.

That's strange. My gaming laptop is a similar age with a similar price and it's handling everything I throw at it just fine. Can you recall the model and/or specks of it?

First off, welcome to VGR. PC (computers) all the way for gaming. Not because the platform offers a much better variety of far better quality games than mobile devices (Even though it does), but because mobile to me is a complete joke. There are good games on mobile, but trying to find them in that ocean of putrid gunk takes more effort than it's worth. You find predatory free-to-play games everywhere unfortunately, but mobile gaming is made up of almost entirely nothing but that. I hate mobile gaming. I don't grudge anyone for enjoying mobile gaming, but I can't help but believe that the only reason anyone would enjoy it is because they've been so warded to it's crap factor that they don't know any better. They don't know what playing video games is supposed to be like. Those same people when they do play on PC's or consoles don't see anything wrong with the games that bring that same bullshit over to those planforms and that's annoying because it gives game publishers the incentive to keep doing so.

There was a time when nothing IGN said was worth taking seriously, but in recent years I think they've become a lot better and more willing to score thier reviews for the players rather than to keep publishers happy. I still think the way that game's journalism has become as least partly dependant on game's industry success is flawed, but I don't doubt for one second that even big journalistic entities like IGN have passionate, dedicated people who want to do right by the gaming public. Maybe game's journalism is less dependent of advertising from games publishers than it used to be, I don't really know, but I do think it's a hell of lot better than it was even 4 or 5 years ago.

Honestly, the first that came to mind reading that post was who the hell wants a steamed cake? That sounds disgusting. To the point though, it is indeed true that remakes and remasters, whilst mostly pointless, will sell if they have the "all the bells and whistles" because that's the bare minimum that we, as the fans, should expect. I hope that this remake of Silent Hill 2 is one of the better remakes we've seen as given the games age it makes more sense than, say, The Last of Us Part I that has been getting a lot of flack, but like @Crazycrab don't put stock in anything unless it's from an official source. And again, like @Crazycrab said, even if we do here from Konami that this is happening, don't put much faith in that announcement either because if there is one company that you can bet on to fuck something like this up, it's Konami. The care nothing for thier fans, thier franchises not thier products anymore. How far they have fallen would be like if Wolfgang Puck stared serving tinned macaroni at his restaurants.

Whilst I don't agree with what Sony has done, this price increase in no way vindicates any theory that the sacristy caused by supply issues through the pandemic was a part of any plan from Sony or anybody else. That microchip shortage reached and affected just about every manufacturing industry from games consoles to waste refuse vehicles.

I don't understand why people call consoles "too expensive" when they same people say they will play on PC, which is significantly more expensive. And before anyone says it, no, the gaming PC serving as a utility as well as a gaming device argument doesn't work ether as the components you need to make a gaming PC a gaming PC are not necessary in a simple, utility computer, and it's in those comments that all cost for a gaming PC comes from. You can buy a PS5 and a cheap laptop to cover both the utility PC needs and your gaming needs and still have spend less than half what it would cost to build a gaming PC that matches the performance of a PS5. It's not like I'm white knighting here for consoles, I am a PC gamer, but I'm also honest and the PC as a gaming platform is expensive. Can it be worth it? Yes, not to everyone, largely because the install price is so high. It's not like PC games are that cheap compared to consoles now, especially when you consider you can't loan, trade and buy second hand games on PC like you can with consoles. So sorry, @Gonassis, I disagree. The cost of consoles argument doesn't hold weight me when comes from a PC gamer. It's totally get how you might not see a games console as being a worthwhile investment for you because you a gaming PC, that's fair, but there's a difference between cost and value. Value is something judged and gauged by the individual, so the value of something is determined by your own self and nobody can argue with it, but cost a simple, straight up fact. That fact is the PC costs more, it just does. Unless you can show me a PC or PC build that matches the capabilities of a games console for same price, that will remain as a fact.

Nobody trying to decide between these two should be looking at them as handheld vs handheld, this is a games console vs a PC. If you want the gameplay experiences that only Nintendo can provide, it's a no brainer, buy the Switch. It you want to play a wider variety of games on the move, the Steam Deck should appeal more if you aren't as interested in Nintendo's exclusive franchises.

I must admit, of all the games I expected to get a mention in this thread, Animal Crossing was right at the bottom of this list, but is what @Tonberry said is accurate and depending on what the social perspective of yourself is as the main character there could indeed be a lot more to this than meets the eye. I haven't played the games myself, but maybe my own preconceptions and assumptions about the franchise has led me to underestimate these games and develop something of a prejudice of my own about them. This is interesting and really want to learn more. Can either of you offer more information and/or media on this?

The Frozen Wilds DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn. Good length, improved cut scenes, new machines to fight and improved gear to earn and you did have to earn it as the important improvement was the challenge. It what was already a challenging game, they made the DLC harder, but not to the point hat it felt cheap. The best thing about it was the ethics. They didn't even start work on the DLC until the main game was both released and patched and added to what I felt was a very fair price, this was a DLC where everything was done right. It's a shame the the PlayStation brand we see now seems determined to make as many mistakes as possible and screw over thier fans at every turn.

A number of people who purchased the $100 "Firefly Edition" of The Last of Us Part I are receiving thier games damaged and Sony are refusing to refund or replace them. What the hell is going with Sony right now? Are they just determined to piss thier fans off?

I will never understand why people will actively try to expose themselves to spoilers, it doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not going to stand on pedestal and declare that it looks better, but it doesn't look the same. The colour palate and lighting in particular are so drastically different that it barely looks like the same game. Again, I'm not saying that it looks better nor worse, I still haven't made my mind up about that, but the vision for this remake is clear. It's trying to look more like the sequel with a duller, but more detailed approach to the graphics and people are well within thier rights to love or hate that. I did extensive reviews on both The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Part II, so I can say with confidence that I know these games better than most and would describe this remake as justified, but unnecessary. It's a masterpiece both with or without these changes, so I'm not mad about them, I just feel like I don't need them either.

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Long term members will likely know how I feel about this already, but for the rest, games with no difficulty options are stupid. People have the right to get want they want out off the games they buy. If someone is more interested in story and exploration over combat and challenge, they should be able to tailor that experience. Likewise if somebody finds a game to be too easy and less engaging as a result, the are within thier rights to make it more challenging and satisfying to play. Contrary to what the "Git Gut" pricks say, having difficulty options creates challenging experiences in games, not deny them it. Having these options available also puts developers in a place where they actually have to put the effort onto all these aspects of the game, so the game itself is just generally better for it. Better stories, more interesting game worlds, better gameplay, only good thigs for everyone can come out of games having difficulty options. However, focusing only on difficulty for a game with no difficulty options usually makes a game worse. When making a game as hard as possible in this mantra, the game becomes cheap and unempowering to play. When trying to hard to make it easy, the player engagement suffers and the game becomes boring and and you care less about what's going on. In some types of games like platformers, some bullet hell games, puzzle games, multiplayer, interactive narratives or games made for young children, it does make sense to not have difficulty options, but otherwise the only reasons developers don't include difficulty options is laziness, sheer arrogance or both. Fuck games that do this for no good reason. They are worse than other, similar games just for doing this and also worse as a result of doing this as they are made by people who do not have thier priorities straight from minute one. It's not like I don't enjoy a challenge, for example I can't play Horizon Zero Dawn on any difficulty other that Ultra Hard anymore, but because that game can be made playable for people only interested in the story and exploring the open world, it's a better game than anything from From Software (Even thier name is annoying, do they seriously think that's funny?). I would be more forgiving of thier games if difficulty was genuine instead of the cheap and cryptic "trial and error" approach they use instead. They are sluggish, crippling and limiting in terms of control, something that is again done on purpose create a false challenge, with enemy combat strengths and weaknesses and aspects of the the environment that serve as beginners traps. Whereas in Horizon ZD, you are given all the info you could want about the enemies as soon as you scan them, offered a wide variety of weapons and combat strategies and the game is empowering in the way it controls with swift, purposeful movement and instant, connected reactions. They do that and still mange to make a challenging game. The benfit of that is that every triumph and every mistake you own complexly, unlike when I played Demon Souls and Bloodbourne where I either felt robbed or "got lucky" that time after every fight. I hated it.