A top tier platformer in its own right, but also one of the best pieces of fanservice ever and definitely the best self-reflexive launch title for a new console generation. Totally craven and shrewd in its constant Playstation referentiality but also so positive and effusively disarming that you cant help but feel swept up by the uncynical celebration of 30 years of productz and all the deeply personal memories they carry. Wonderfully surprising in its inclusivity and niche references--I mean a Vib Ribbon shoutout??? I screamed!!! The whole "little elves performing inside the TV/radio/console making it work" motif is used so charmingly here, and the astrobots feel like a thoughtful avatar for both player communities and a tribute to game developers themselves. Really affirming to see something hail in a new console generation not by fetishizing specs or horsepower but by charting a celebratory lineage of experiences and embracing what's to come as a continuation of that legacy rather than a MODERNIZATION BULLDOZER overwriting it.
my one complaint is that the terrifying weeping baby from those launch-era ps3 commercials got NO inclusion when they are clearly iconic and due for a positive re-appraisal!!!
my one complaint is that the terrifying weeping baby from those launch-era ps3 commercials got NO inclusion when they are clearly iconic and due for a positive re-appraisal!!!
Reviewed on Nov 16, 2020
5 Comments
Studio Japan was already practically dissolved into Asobi, so maybe not? It seems like Sony have some intention on doing something with the studio.
oh whoops I might have not phrased myself well there. I agree Asobi is one of their safer studios and didn't mean i was worried specifically about them, I moreso meant i'm concerned by Sony's general blockbuster fixation, cultural erasure, and studio consolidation and how that clashes so violently with the respect and admiration for game history in this sweet little game
Ah i see - I agree on that then. It's a bit of a shame because I've always found Sony's "smaller" stuff, particularly in the PS3 and PS4 era, to be some of the best stuff they've published.
[blatant, overly reverent FF7 reference right on the main path]
-me shrugging-
[hidden Silent Hill 2 reference with accurate Pyramid Head design]
-me hooting and stamping my feet, pointing at the tv, rushing to Backloggd to give this game a 10-
-me shrugging-
[hidden Silent Hill 2 reference with accurate Pyramid Head design]
-me hooting and stamping my feet, pointing at the tv, rushing to Backloggd to give this game a 10-
PansyDragoonSaga
3 years ago