Latest news with #PlayStation2
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Novels and movies offer closure. Video games should too.
A scene from 'Shadow of the Colossus'. The industry's shift toward live service games that are updated for years has studios unwilling to embrace the power of mortality. — Handout via TNS Twenty years ago, while the credits rolled on Shadow Of The Colossus , I left my PlayStation 2 console powered on and took a somber lap around my neighbourhood. I had just defeated the last of the game's 16 colossi before being violently flung across the desolate battlefield. The game's themes of sacrifice, obsession and the morality of violence stitched together an unforgettable narrative. As I walked around a nearby basketball court, I was full of contemplation over the ending's meaning and a yearning that I didn't want the game to be over. But that's precisely why the protagonist Wander's journey left such an indelible mark: It ended. Too many games nowadays are unwilling to embrace their own story's mortality. Live service games, which are continually updated for months or even years, have become extremely popular for studios because successful ones can be financially lucrative. By the end of the year, Fortnite is projected to have generated more than US$40bil (RM 169.09bil) in revenue since its 2017 release, drawing players back with regular updates and special events like an AI-powered Darth Vader and concerts featuring J Balvin and Juice WRLD. A survey of game studios that was taken in 2023 revealed that 95% of them were working on a live service game or intended to release one. Sony, which created Shadow of the Colossus, has leaned into live service in recent years with very mixed success. The trend needs to end. Live service games rely on questionable microtransaction tactics, with some giving advantages to people who spend more money. They can be overly competitive, with players pouring hours into mimicking their favorite content creators. And they are becoming painfully unimaginative, with new hero shooters and extraction shooters looking like clones of their popular predecessors. For decades, video games told stories that ended but lived on in the cultural impact of their characters, their themes and their myths. Narrative-driven games are still being released – Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales , Ghost Of Tsushima , the modern God Of War – that leave players with a sense of overwhelming grief or intense satisfaction. The steady encroachment of the live service model, however, means that artistic finality is clashing with the hope of financial perpetuity. Bigger budgets for blockbuster games have transformed the industry, and many studios consider live service a better bet. But because players can't easily devote dozens of hours to multiple live service games, there have been a few big winners and many, many losers. Anthem , a multiplayer role-playing game by Electronic Arts, stopped receiving updates two years after its release and will have its servers turned off in January; Sony's hero shooter Concord lasted two weeks . Even a successful live service game like Destiny 2 has seen player counts plummet, with each expansion introducing changes that can overwhelm players who are returning to the game. The model has other problems. Studios that need players to return to the same game for months or years often tantalise them with seasonal items or quests, a predatory 'Fear of Missing Out' model. Some players spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars within sports titles like EA Sports FC and NBA 2K ; when the game's servers are inevitably shut off, they own nothing regardless of how many times they've virtually swiped a credit card. There is even a 'Stop Killing Games' petition that is trying to combat that trend. Although industry trends seem to favor the live service model, there is still some room for contemplation and reflection in an industry that seems to be picking up speed. In recent years, games like The Last of Us Part II and Alan Wake 2 were praised for their tightly contained, emotionally driven narratives. They emphasised thoughtful relationship building between characters and offered immersive experiences, core tenets of games with a focus on narratives that end but never leave us. Shadow Of The Colossus was critically acclaimed but never even received a sequel. Wander's story would lose its potency if, after defeating the final colossus, players needed to wait for Season 2 to continue his journey. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The National
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
I went to the Tutankhamun exhibition in Glasgow and learned one thing
This all started when I went to the Van Gogh immersive experience, shelling out nearly £20 to see distorted projections of classic artworks alongside specifically appointed selfie areas. This was certainly not how Vincent envisaged his works being received by the public. In fact, for basically the same price you can visit the actual Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and see the art as it was meant to be seen, and actually learn about the artist as you do it, over four impressive floors. It says a lot about the dissipation of attention spans and the dumbing-down of society that event organisers imagine the public need The Starry Night to be dancing around and about 10 times larger than its original size in order for it to be properly enjoyed. So when I heard that Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition was headed to Glasgow, I feared the worst. I really was quite concerned that the Boy King would repeat these same sins. Ancient Egypt is fascinating. Just reading about it is "immersive" enough. The real artefacts, photographs and first-person accounts from those who discovered its hidden wonders should satisfy you, if you can be bothered to engage your imagination. I have to say, though, that Tutankhamun – apparently the largest immersive exhibition currently touring the world, according to the creatives behind it – was somewhat better than I expected. What it involves Based in the SEC, Glasgow, this 90-minute experience actually does feel like an experience. The beginning has plenty of interesting boards to read explaining the history of the famous king and the time he lived in, and areas showing real and imitation artefacts from the time period, complete with genuinely informative descriptions. I particularly enjoyed learning about the history of archaeologist Howard Carter and how he discovered the famous tomb – the best preserved ever found in the Valley of the Kings. These sections, which were text-based and accompanied by key objects linked to Carter (old diary entries, diagrams of the tomb lay-out), were very well curated and a highlight of the experience. The more "immersive" elements of the exhibition were, for me, disappointing. The 30-minute projected film was confusing and lacked context. With a lack of narration it was not clear what we in the audience were actually looking at, and the low-res bugs all over the floor were distracting. Unfortunately it wasn't amazing to look at either. My boyfriend leaned over at one point and simply whispered "PlayStation 2". The bugs and lizards on the floor prompted more questions than answers ... Mainly: Why is this so low-res? (Image: NQ) The next room was the first VR area and sadly this is when I made a very important discovery about myself. It seems that VR actually makes me feel extremely uneasy. I had heard that motion sickness can occur but I'm not even sure if that was the problem. I felt trapped. I did not like being unaware of my actual physical surroundings. The headset showed me stuck in Tutankhamun's tomb before his journey to the afterlife accompanied by Anubis, which should have been cool, but my heart was racing and my anxiety was telling me I'd soon be heading to the afterlife too if I didn't take the goggles off. I composed myself and went to try again but discovered that every time you remove the set it begins the film again. I put it down to bad luck and moved on. I thoroughly enjoyed the hologram view of Tutankhamun's mummification, which isn't too gory but does give plenty of scientific detail to the fascinating process. I was ready to move on to the final experience, the Metaverse walk-around through the Valley of the Kings. One of the best parts of the exhibition is the mummification process (Image: NQ) After waiting in a line for around 15 minutes for a turn in the room, I tried to push my VR fears to one side. When I eventually reached the front of the queue and the very helpful assistant put the wireless headset on, my ambitions waned. Instructed to look to my right to see my boyfriend's avatar in the virtual world, I witnessed a bizarre cartoon version of him. I didn't like it at all. I wimped out and decided to watch him fumble around cluelessly in the room, which was admittedly very entertaining. My verdict There is a concept known as uncanny valley. It's basically when something, maybe a robot or an animation, looks real ... but it isn't quite. In some people it provokes a feeling of queasiness and unease. I fear I can be partial to this effect. Thinking back on my life I remember being freaked out by claymation figures that are a little too human looking, video-game characters that blur the line between real and fake, and even animatronic people in theme parks. If this is something you experience, I would suggest the Tutankhamun exhibit is not for you. However if you are good with VR, it could be a good time. It has a decent blend of entertainment and informative exhibition space, but more history wouldn't go amiss. I heard other attendees saying they were going to Google lots about Ancient Egypt after leaving. A good exhibition should answer all your questions there and then. It is probably not a bad shout for a summer holiday activity with the kids. Adult tickets cost £28 while kids prices are £20.45, so it's not cheap, but it's also not significantly more expensive than other summer break treats like going to the zoo. With the amount packed into the exhibition, it feels like decent value for money. For those of us who can't take the uncanny, we can stick to the straight-forward, classic museum spaces with no virtual spinning around or cartoon versions of our loved ones. Let's make sure to support our amazing traditional museums here in Scotland, and support their work, so they can continue to put on incredible, educational exhibitions for years to come.
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Novels and Movies Offer Closure. Video Games Should Too.
Twenty years ago, while the credits rolled on Shadow of the Colossus, I left my PlayStation 2 console powered on and took a somber lap around my neighborhood. I had just defeated the last of the game's 16 colossi before being violently flung across the desolate battlefield. The game's themes of sacrifice, obsession and the morality of violence stitched together an unforgettable narrative. As I walked around a nearby basketball court, I was full of contemplation over the ending's meaning and a yearning that I didn't want the game to be over. But that's precisely why the protagonist Wander's journey left such an indelible mark: It ended. Too many games nowadays are unwilling to embrace their own story's mortality. Live service games, which are continually updated for months or even years, have become extremely popular for studios because successful ones can be financially lucrative. By the end of the year, Fortnite is projected to have generated over $40 billion in revenue since its 2017 release, drawing players back with regular updates and special events like an A.I.-powered Darth Vader and concerts featuring J Balvin and Juice WRLD. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony wouldn't have "delivered the power" of the PS2 without "the specter of the Dreamcast," says former Sega and Microsoft exec: "Every incumbent needs a challenger to punch them in the face"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's no secret that Sega's beloved Dreamcast console paved the way for some of the best retro games of all time, but that's not all it did – it also set the stage for console behemoths like the iconic PlayStation 2 from Sony. Speaking in a recent interview with The Game Business, Peter Moore, former Sega president and Xbox executive at Microsoft, explains as much. First describing how "the Dreamcast passed the baton to the Xbox 360, which, with Microsoft's resources, was able to take the Sega Dreamcast and build upon it," Moore goes on to say that the 1998 console from Sega laid the groundwork for another system, too – the PlayStation 2. When asked about the looming threat of the PlayStation 2 over the Dreamcast, a threat that other consoles like the original Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube would go on to face, Moore openly admits that it was "not going to be able to survive against the juggernaut that was the PlayStation 2" – but that doesn't mean it didn't help usher in the new device from Sony or an era of online gaming that hadn't yet been touched before the Dreamcast. "Every incumbent needs a challenger to punch them in the face, right? And you know, from the perspective of what Sega was, it was keeping PlayStation honest – they would not have delivered the power of the PlayStation 2 without the specter of the Dreamcast," details the former company lead. "They needed to step up their game."It seems Sega's console, while not as long-lived as the PlayStation 2, was the push Sony needed to succeed. Online gaming has changed quite a bit since the late 90s and early 2000s, of course, but Sega and its influence on the industry remain timeless – as Moore puts it, the Dreamcast was a true "trailblazer" thanks to its capacity to support online you a fan of the 1998 console yourself? Here are some of the best Sega Dreamcast games ever to explore.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
What is the best video game of the 21st century?
If you cast your mind back to the turn of the century, playing video games used to involve blowing on a cartridge like a pan pipe to get the dust out, untangling the wired controllers, and then turning the TV to channel 3. The thought of downloading full games over dial-up was laughable, and the idea of watching someone else stream themselves playing video games would have required too much explanation and infrastructure. Things have gotten a bit better since then. Our 25@25 series will finally put to bed the debates you've been having at the pub and around dinner tables for years – and some that are just too much fun not to include. But 2000 was a huge time for video games. The PlayStation 2 hit stores with a whopping 32MB of RAM, and was the first console to feature a new-fangled DVD drive. Games like Deus Ex, Final Fantasy IX, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Sims, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 were changing people's expectations for what video games could be. It's hard to imagine games now without Xbox, but Microsoft joined the console wars a bit later than Sony and Nintendo, with the original Xbox getting an Australian release in 2002, introducing us to games like Halo, Forza Motorsport and Gears of War. The occasion was marked with midnight launch parties at the 'Electronics Boutique' and Grace Bros, featuring ATVs, green lighting and a specially decorated Jeep to deliver the first Xbox. A few years later the, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era began, setting new benchmarks for online multiplayer gaming and how many slurs you could hear a 13-year-old American say during one game of Call of Duty. The year after that new console generation kicked off, Nintendo released the Wii, which then introduced everyone to the joy of games with motion controls. This was later followed up with the release of the Wii U, an objectively excellent console that almost no one bought. While most people generally think of Japan and the US for video game creation and production, Australia actually punches way above its weight, with Aussie developers finding particular success in the new millennium. Some notable Aussie-made games and gaming accessories include LA Noire (Sydney, 2011), the UDraw tablet (Melbourne 2010), Fruit Ninja (Brisbane 2010), Crossy Road (Melbourne 2014), Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Canberra 2014), Untitled Goose Game (Melbourne 2019), the AFL video games (various), Unpacking (Brisbane 2021), Hollow Knight (Adelaide 2017), Cult of the Lamb (Melbourne 2022) and heaps more. Australian studios also work on Call of Duty and EA Mobile titles. Remember when the Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers footy teams bought Overwatch and League of Legends esports teams? Or when the Australian Open launched a Fortnite tournament with a $500,000 prize pool? Australia might not be the esports capital of the world, but we do know how to have fun with it. Plus, who could forget when Pauline Hanson used the unacceptable prospect of foreigners beating children from the bush at multiplayer games as an argument to improve the NBN? Drawing on that 25 years of gaming history, it's now up to you to determine the order of the 10 most impactful games and game franchises of the 21st century so far. Here is the shortlist of contenders: Minecraft It's hard to say what makes Minecraft so special, spawning film adaptations, Lego sets and campaigns to use it in education. Was it in the right place at the right time? Do the children truly yearn for the mines? Or is it simply that people love to create when given the opportunity, and Minecraft perfectly blends fun gameplay with a blank canvas. Kayleen Walters, Head of Mojang Studios told what makes the game special. 'At its core, Minecraft is a canvas not just for creativity, but for possibility,' she said. 'Every player brings their own spark, their own story, their own vision. Whether it's a simple shelter under the stars or a vast redstone-powered machine that defies belief, Minecraft gives players the tools and the freedom to build whatever they can imagine.' Grand Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto first launched in 2D in 1997. However the majority of the franchise's success occurred in the last 25 years, so it still counts. Earning the title for 'most controversial video game series in history' from the Guinness Book of World Records, GTA III was originally banned in Australia until the ability to pick up sex workers in game had been removed. GTA is also one of the most successful franchises, perhaps partially because of all that free publicity the controversies garnered, proving that a good game is more than just the sum of its grossest parts taken out of context. GTA V was released all the way back in 2013, but it still routinely tops Australia's weekly video game sales charts, with the game having sold more than 215 million copies worldwide. GTA VI was originally supposed to be released this year, but the planned release date has now officially been postponed to May 2026. Many gamers are hopeful that it will be released some time before Christmas 2027. Fortnite There have been a lot of successful free-to-play games over the years, but few have scaled the heights of success that Fortnite has enjoyed. When Fortnite was released back in 2017, the focus was the Save The World mode, building was an important aspect, and so was the storm. But it wasn't until developer Epic Games took those ingredients and put them in a battle royale that the popularity of Fortnite exploded. Suddenly, kids everywhere were doing Fortnite dances on the playgrounds in numbers that had talkback radio hosts channeling the reverend from Footloose, acting as though kids copying dances they'd seen in a game was both novel and scandalous. The game has grown even more since then, with the current popular modes including Battle Royale, Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Fortnite Creative, where anyone can make their own games that anyone else can then play. More importantly, thanks to all the collaborations on skins, it's the only game where Peter from Family Guy can hunt down Darth Vader and then dance with Batman to celebrate. But, more than all the numbers and modes and variety, it's just fun. It's the game that a generation of gamers will point to as the one that made them fall in love with video games, and it's likely that its influence will be felt for decades to come. Call of Duty In the last 25 years, there have been 22 Call of Duty games, with a further six free-to-play games. While some of its popularity has died down slightly in recent years, it's hard to articulate just how much of a cultural impact Call of Duty had in its heyday unless you were there. Matt Cox, senior vice president and general manage of Call of Duty, put it well when he told 'Call of Duty is more than a game—it's a signature piece of pop culture that continues to bring us together to create lasting memories with our friends, families and global community'. There aren't many games that can pull off conveying the seriousness of the Second World War, meditations on the nature of modern war from the perspective of a British SAS commando, and collaborations with celebrities like Nicki Minaj. And yet, somehow Call of Duty has managed to span the gamut of emotions around war and war games. While it certainly wasn't the first first-person shooter game series, it's likely the one most people think of when the genre is mentioned. Wii Sports Wii Sports is the only game on this list locked to a single, superseded console, and yet I think it's also perhaps the most universally beloved. Bundled with the Wii console, Wii Sports was designed to show off what the Wii Remote could do, introducing people to remote-based motion controls. For some people, it ended up being the only game they needed to play on Wii, becoming an instant hit for kids, university parties, family gatherings, drinking games, and old folks' homes. Even people who didn't like video games loved trying to get a strike in bowling, or absolutely destroy their friends at tennis. Other sports included boxing, golf and baseball, and the game struck the right balance of being easy enough that anyone could play, while being challenging enough that it took skill to win. Stardew Valley Stardew Valley is the most successful indie game of all time, and for many people it's their comfort game. It's cosy; all you have to do is farm, fish, mine, battle against unspeakable horrors (creatures in the mine) to please ancient spirits (Junimos), and fight against capitalism (JojaMart). Created by one man (Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone), it's gotten steady, free updates since its release in 2016, and has never had paid DLC or ads. It's currently available as part of the Apple Arcade subscription service, as well as the Xbox Game Pass service, or it's pretty cheap on basically any console. Pokémon Sure, Pokémon's popularity might be borne out of the 1990s anime and trading card game craze. But the game series also gave rise to the most iconic in-person gaming event of the last 25 years: The Pokémon Go winter of 2016. It was one of those events you had to be a part of to truly understand why it captivated so many people. The sense of community, and joy of getting to explore our towns and cities while playing a game we loved was somewhat magical. Pokémon Go is still going strong, of course, but nothing compares to the huge groups of people running through the Melbourne CBD, stampeding towards the Yarra to catch a Dratina, at a time when everyone was sharing this same experience and adventuring together. With the growing popularity of the Pokemon TCG Pocket mobile game, and the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Pokemon isn't going anywhere any time soon. The Sims The concept for The Sims came after developer Will Wright's house burnt down, and he wanted to create a virtual doll house so people could build their homes in game, and create characters to tell their own stories. Ever since, players from all over the world have spent thousands of hours crafting the most beautiful castles and most messed up family plot lines. The Sims is easily one of the most iconic game franchises ever. When asked why The Sims games were so popular and why people should vote for them, an unnamed member of The Sims development team told 'In The Sims, if you can dream it, you can Sim it. Whether reimagining real life or building from scratch, your creativity takes centre stage. 'You can recreate your favourite reality drama, whatever is happening in pop culture or a story purely from your imagination. Life transcends beyond the boundaries of reality. 'Every moment is an opportunity to redefine life on your own terms. You can build fantasy scenarios or explore everyday life, or an unexpected mix of both.' World of Warcraft Who among us hasn't lost a week in World of Warcraft? There had been massively multiplayer online role-playing games before World of Warcraft debuted in 2004, such as Everquest, but none quite captured people's attention or imagination like WoW did. People have met, proposed and gotten married in game. It's the kind of game where you work your regular job, and then get to go home to adventure in this massive world with friends you're closer to than anyone else, despite living on the other side of the world. Darren Williams, the Associate Technical Director of World of Warcraft (who is originally from Adelaide) said the reason why Australians should Vote One WoW is because of those connections. 'So many people have formed lifelong friendships or relationships thanks to World of Warcraft, spanning distances and other communication barriers,' he explained. 'For most of this century people have been finding like-minded folks and forming deeply important and meaningful connections through the game. 'Families who met through the game are now sharing it with their kids; the game is generational and bridges many communities. World of Warcraft is an important part of so many people's lives.' FIFA/EA Sports FC Once known as the FIFA games, now known as EA Sports FC, this soccer series really defined what serious sports games could be. Nearly every time I've interviewed an athlete about video games, no matter which code they played (NBA, AFL, tennis, soccer, hockey, etc), they all played EA Sports FC more than the games that actually featured them and the team they played for, that's how good this game is. There are people out there who own consoles only so they can play each year's iteration of the game. When asked why Australians should vote for EA Sports FC as the best game of the last 25 years, the development team told 'EA SPORTS FC sits at the intersection of sports and entertainment and continues to shape football culture in an unprecedented way. Living out your ultimate football fantasy and connecting to fans all over the world is possible because of our commitment to community and our love of football and gaming.' Honourable mentions OK, that's all 10 up for your consideration. But, because it's impossible to distill 25 years of video games into just a top ten, here are some honourable mentions which didn't make it, but still deserve a shoutout. Mario Kart All of the Mario game series are classics, but there is something extra special about blue shelling your friend metres before the finish line on Rainbow Road, or heading down to Moo Moo Meadows. The Last of Us I don't think a week has gone by since I played The Last Of Us Part 2 that I haven't thought about it. This series has been so hugely impactful in so many ways, and it spawned the best TV adaption of a video game yet. Forza Horizon This is my personal favourite game series of all time because it so perfectly balances the best of how polished and realistic a driving sim can be (the amount of detail in the cars is absurd) with the best of the freedom video games gives you (I can take that realistic car and drive it off a cliff to get points). Halo It's Halo. Guitar Hero/Rock Band These games gave a whole bunch of people a love of music and rhythm, and gave some the confidence to try picking up a real guitar. I'm one of the many people who deeply miss the days of going to a party and just having fun on the full Rock Band set up in the games room. Tony Hawk Pro-Skater This is the game that introduced a whole heap of kids to skateboarding and punk music, and for that we are all grateful. Counter Strike Counter Strike really changed the face of esports. Every single one of the thousands of people who attended the finals at the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Melbourne this year knows how electric the energy can be at a CS:GO event.
