Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Playstation

  • How ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Sets-Up The Franchise’s Future

    How ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Sets-Up The Franchise’s Future

    Finally, after two years, we got a sequel to Insomniac’s Spider-Man. Just as the PlayStation 5 has released, Spider-Man: Miles Morales kicked off the next-generation of gaming. The story takes place a year after Peter managed to take down his former mentor. Now, he is leaving the city in the hands of his protegé, who just moved to Harlem. His mother is running for City Council while the Roxxon Energy Corporation is in the middle of a gang war with the new-found Underground army. Their leader, only known as the Tinkerer, has outfitted them with high-tech weaponry that could shake Miles’ new home to its very core. It all offers Miles a unique story while Peter is away in Sokovia with Mary Jane. Now, the question remains of how they will tackle the existence of two Spider-Men in a future sequel.

     

     

    Miles Morales is a spin-off from the original. So, the story is quite a bit shorter than and on a smaller scale. Yes, Harlem is at risk, but he luckily didn’t have to stop a virus from spreading throughout the entire city. Now that his story is done, Peter is back in town. The post-game does hint at them taking rounds patrolling, which could be an indication of how they tackle the next main installment. We have no date or title for the next Spider-Man entry, but there is a good chance it’ll release in the next two years. Now that Miles has been introduced, we will be switching between the characters throughout the expanding story. There is also a chance we could see inspiration from Batman: Arkham Knight, where you could switch between the characters mid-battle. So, if you are facing an enemy type that is only vulnerable to a venom-based attack, you need to take control of Miles. Also, does that mean they might call it Spider-Men?

    Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how they balance both characters in the game. We will probably have another threat that will affect the entirety of New York City. Osborn seems prone to create something that has some devastating results. I did start wondering if we might see more characters getting added throughout the story. The addition of Miles was a great surprise during the 2018 game, and there is quite an extensive cast from the comics left to explore. They could add characters like Silk or Spider-Woman, who can bring their unique skills to the game alongside Mary Jane’s stealth sections. They might try to add some more variation as the game once again returns to Peter Parker.

     

     

    In general, I do think we’ll see more spider-based characters added to the franchise as it grows. I wouldn’t even rule out that they go down the Spider-Verse route to give people fan-favorite characters, like Gwen Stacy. Now, the advantage is that they can continuously add spin-offs for these newly introduced characters to keep the franchise going. For example, we could get a game focused on Gwen Stacy that tells the story of the events before she would somehow end up in 2018’s universe. Insomniac could add a unique art style to the city similar to that of the comics and what was briefly shown in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The advantage is that as they add new spider-based characters, you can switch between them in the main franchise. So, their work for the spin-offs also influences the mainline development. There is a reason Sony wants to create an entire film franchise aroudn the web-crawler and the games could make that a reality. My only question is, where can I sign up for an Agent Venom spin-off?

  • Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    So, I’ve been seeing a lot of coverage surrounding Marvel’s Avengers dwindling player count. The game is suffering from terrible PR since its first reveal. Initially, people hated the designs, which seemed inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors but just off enough to create a weird juxtaposition. The reveal of it being a Games-as-a-Service concept just added fuel to the fire. Shortly after, Sony goes out of its way to ensure that people will hate the corporate side when they announced Spider-Man would be an exclusive character. Not just that, they started piling exclusivity partnerships that just tainted what goodwill was left.

    The game was already fighting a steep uphill battle, which was exasperated by the buggy Beta and launch. Avengers became a popular punching bag, as it was an easy target just going by the build-up alone before players even could try it out. I am not here to defend what has happened. It shouldn’t have been this way, we can all agree on this point, but we also can’t change it now. I like the game quite a bit, so I wanted to dig a little deeper and dive into the rabbit hole to see what these claims building upon. It felt like we are only seeing a very small part of the picture, so hope you will join me in this journey.

     

     

    So, this is the most current issue that is surrounding the game. You’ll see a variety of outlets sharing that same headline based on an article by Gamebyte. They, however, point to these claims being only “reportedly” a showcase of the game’s player loss. Surprisingly, most covering this claim do not repeat this aspect but have moved forward with the statement that this is a definite loss. Once you look closer into articles, it is clear that what is discussed turns out to be the PC player base, which does not include the other launch platforms.

    Of course, it makes sense that the player base dwindled. The game has hit a brick wall with its content. Every promised update has also gotten delayed due to the bugs during release. The “rumor” aspect is rather bizarre, as anyone can publicly access Steam’s ongoing analysis via Steam Charts, which is most likely the source of this claim. One close look at the site, and it isn’t too farfetched that it has sunken from 28,145 players to 837 active players as of November 14th.

     

     

    I can claim based on this image that the game has indeed lost 97% of its player base. Yet, I have to note this is only a representation of those that actively played it on Steam. So, it is only the peak amount of players during a specific timeframe that was connected. The peak does not account for those that purchased the game but have yet to try it out or replaced other players during its runtime. So, it could be even higher. We do not know how many actively purchased the game on Steam until this day. Still, from a concurrent point-of-view, it has seen quite the drop. It makes sense, as the game had the roughest launch on the platform, so it has a much harsher road ahead to regain its audience.

    Now, we must take into account that the game is also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. So, let’s take a closer look at the only available source for their player base, Gamstat. The platform uses an API (Application Programming Interface) that connects to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. This connection creates estimates with a 10% potential deviation due to the statistical measurements based on the available data. This site is quite fascinating. If you are interested, you can read up on how it works by clicking here.

     

     

    Okay, now back to the topic at hand. According to the database, as of now, the game has a total PlayStation player count of 2,1M with 190K additional players within the last month. It also can showcase that within that period, 320K have earned at least one trophy. So, these get counted as active players that interacted with the game to some degree. These numbers do not include players that haven’t earned a trophy. On the other side, Xbox showcases a total count of 860K players with 90K brand new ones joining in the last month. It’s MAU (monthly active users) is currently higher than that of the PlayStation with 410K. It is interesting if you consider that the total player base is higher on Sony’s console.

    Our only sour spot is the Steam Chart source, which only shows the peak of active players and not how many have played at least once. For the sake of the analysis, we can only include the 28K as a representation of PC players. It isn’t a perfect analysis point with the concurrent players, but it is our only existing maximum player number. It is also available on Stadia, but we have no data for this specific game. Destiny 2 seemed to peak at around 30K players, so this game might represent a minor margin of it. As such, we currently are talking about a player base of 2.98M.

     

     

    If we want to make a comparison point to see how many active players exist, we cannot state its current daily base between all consoles. Microsoft offers us a look at the daily active players with Avengers‘ currently having a daily peek at 6.8K. That would put it at 0.80% of its player base active daily, while 47,67% were actively playing in the last 30 days. Just this comparison highlights the difficulty of using the daily player count as the baseline comparison point. The best way to look at the existing player base is to base it on the common denominator. So, we can determine that in total 730K has played the game within the last 30 days.

    All this brings us to the fact that by current estimates, 24,46% of the player base was still active within the last 30 days. All this data represents the time range of October 14th until November 14th. It can change tomorrow or the next week. Yes, the player count is down, and that is not good for the game’s long-term development. The biggest question is if the number will rise once more content has been added. Right now, PlayStation represents the game with around 70% of its player base. It looks like that Spider-Man deal might have been a good investment after all.

     

     

    If we go purely by the existing numbers from Steam, it is only a mere 1% of the total player base representation. So, even if it is closer to 3 or 4% considering the data’s restrictions, it doesn’t truly represent the game. There are too many variables to pinpoint its current state. The only ones who can answer that question are Square-Enix and Crystal Dynamics. We can only estimate based on existing data. I am not an industry expert, but I do believe that there is enough available to at least get a better estimate than run a simple statement.

    We can even try to make comparisons, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, which was released around the same time window. It saw a drop in returning players by 88.5% on PlayStation. Avengers dropped by 84.7% so held a little steadier in the same timeframe. Of course, they are different genres, but GaaS games have been out for some time. Anthem‘s player base most likely has already earned most trophies, so it only counts 13K returning players. That makes the comparison even more difficult, such as Destiny 2 having 160K players and 270K new additions. Yet, that game is also available to play for free, so you can see strong jumps since that change in September plus they were building up to a new content drop.

    Once I went down the rabbit hole, there were so many variables that it is difficult to really confirm the claim that is being made. If Avengers can make more money off of players that check-in once or twice a week, does it even matter by then? They haven’t dropped a big content patch, so that could also get players to return. Yes, the player base is low when compared to its launch but the true question will be, can it recover? If we go by the usual Anthem comparisons, if that game can stick around after all this time and its launch, I think the game certainly still has some time to surprise us.

     

    Source: ScreenRant, Forbes, Escapist Magazine, Forbes (Marketing), Gamebyte, SteamCharts, Gamstat (PS), Gamstat (Xbox), 9to5Google, StadiaSource, Gamstat (Concurrent Users Xbox), Gamstat (Tony Hawk), Gamstat (Anthem), Gamstat (Destiny 2), Games Industry

  • REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ is The Perfect Launch Title for PS5

    REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ is The Perfect Launch Title for PS5

    The following review does not contain any spoilers, so it is safe to read if you have not yet played the game.

     

    Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) picks up sometime after the events of its predecessor, Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). It tells the story of Miles Morales, a young kid who is trying to learn and adapt to his new powers, which he picked up during the events of the first game, under the tutelage of Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. When Peter Parker has to leave New York, he leaves Miles in charge as “New York’s Only Spider-Man”. This promise gives leeway to the main events in the story where Miles gets caught in the middle of a fierce power struggle that threatens his home, his family, and his friends, and he must rise up and take on the mantle of what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

     

    The first big takeaway that I want to emphasize is that, storywise, this game is VASTLY DIFFERENT from its predecessor. And that’s a great thing.

    When we were first introduced to this world back in 2018, we met a much older and mature Spider-Man. His story felt so much larger than life, with iconic villains, and where the stakes could never have been higher for our favorite web-slinger. Now, the new game’s story feels so much more grounded as it focused more on the human aspect of the person behind the mask rather than the responsibilities of the hero. In the first game, you’ll notice that sometimes Peter’s web-swinging was nearly perfect. He calculates his moves precisely. In this game, Miles’s swinging has a lot more “flailing” and isn’t as graceful as Peter’s, but it’s certainly a whole lot more creative. It has an incredible uniqueness to it that emphasizes how Miles is learning to be his version of Spider-Man.

     

    “Where We Come From”.

    In Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), Miles is still trying to learn the ropes of being Spider-Man, while trying to adjust to his new life in Harlem, with his mom and his friend, Ganke at his side. As you play the game, you’ll get to meet a lot of people, especially while roaming the streets of Harlem. Something I absolutely loved in this game was the sense of inclusivity that this game developed around the community of Harlem. As a Puerto Rican, I felt such a deeper connection to this game in particular because it made me feel proud of my heritage and displayed that sense of warmth and community that we are known for. With the blending of cultures and inclusivity of characters with different backgrounds and ethnicities (and even disabilities), the game takes its time to flesh the world around Miles. And as you play the game, you will start to become emotionally invested with these people, and sometimes, with that emotional investment, you can feel the weight of Miles on his shoulders as he has to take up this new mantle.

     

     

    THE PHOTO MODE!

    The photo mode in this game is absolutely fantastic. It’s so fantastic, that every single image that’s in this article is an image I took while in Photo Mode for the game. (DON’T WORRY. I TRIED VERY HARD TO PICK IMAGES THAT DON’T INCLUDE SPOILERS). I mainly used the Classic and Into the Spider-Verse suit, but there are a lot of incredible suits to choose from as well. There are a lot more creative options that people can use in this game to enhance their images; adding light options, changing suits within the photo mode, and a lot more filters and frames. And if you are fortunate enough to play this game in “Performance Mode” on the PS5, well, the images speak for themselves:

     

    I also created this video to showcase the incredible detail and quality that this game has, which you can observe below:

    https://twitter.com/SuperheroTheor1/status/1327287155585146881?s=20

    Later on, I’ll be making a Photo Mode article, displaying its qualities and showing off some more pictures so stay tuned!

    THE VILLAINS

    While there are certainly a lot fewer antagonists in this game compared to the first one, they certainly do not disappoint. The Tinkerer was the perfect first antagonist for Miles. I cannot get into much detail about ALL of the villains without delving into spoiler territory, but they were certainly one of my favorite parts of this game and did something very few villains do, which is to morally doubt the gamer into believing what’s right and what’s wrong.

     

    CONCLUSION: The Perfect Launch Title for PS5 & THE PERFECT GROUNDED SPIDER-MAN STORY (10/10)

     

    Needless to say, this game and its story truly understood the essence of what it means to be Spider-Man, the meaning behind “With Great Power, comes Great Responsibility”, and truly captured the essence of community and the importance of family. All nicely wrapped with the theme of Christmas on top. The inclusivity that this game presented and the way this game emotionally invests the gamer into the story and its characters is top tier and something that supersedes that of the original game. And while the original game might have made the player feel larger than life with the iconic character, this game lets the player breathe and plays an incredible grounded story within a world with an incredible amount of lore, with more room to expand and grow.

  • Insomniac Adding ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 Save File Transfer to Remaster

    Insomniac Adding ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 Save File Transfer to Remaster

    We are only a few days away from the release of Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It’ll be one of the few launch titles for the PlayStation 5 to ring in a new generation of gaming. Also, some can get their hands on the Remaster edition of the original 2018 game. There was some controversy as Insomniac revealed that their Peter Parker would be getting a new redesign. It stirred quite some controversy. Not just that, there was also the issue that Spider-Man: Remastered would not be compatible with the original’s save file.

    Players weren’t happy that they couldn’t go through the campaign on New Game+ with the Remaster. Insomniac didn’t waste any time and has now revealed that they will be adding a future update that would let players use their PlayStation 4 save file with the Remaster.

    It’s a great move by Insomniac, as it was quite the discussion point in the community after the reveal. The remaster might be the first one to offer this function, as the PlayStation 4 remaster of The Last Of Us did not provide this update to use the previous generation’s save file. Keep in mind that this update will not be added until Thanksgiving, so you will have to wait until then before you can replay or continue the campaign from the original. This tweet is also the first confirmation that the three new suits might not have been added in the PS4 version and were going to be exclusive to the remaster. No matter what, this is fantastic news for those hoping to continue where they left off. It’ll just be very jarring when Pete’s face changes when you continue mid-campaign.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Look at ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Prowler in Action in Launch Trailer

    First Look at ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Prowler in Action in Launch Trailer

    Can you believe that Insomniac’s Spider-Man sequel is only a few days away from releasing? Their latest entry into the franchise will kick-off the next generation of gaming, as it releases on PlayStation 5 during its launch. Now, to celebrate its upcoming release, Insomniac has released a brand new launch trailer that offers a much closer look at the story to come. We get a small glimpse of Prowler in action. Peter Parker leaves the city in MIles’ hands as he starts to grow into his own as the titular character. We also get another tease of the ongoing conflict between the Tinkerer and Roxxon. We even get a tease of Rhino’s new look for the game, which has a rather familiar red to it.

    The game looks better with each new trailer. Insomniac certainly is kickstarting the next generation of gaming, as the animations and models are looking better than ever. I love that they ended the trailer with the Spider-Cat takedown, which might be something I will spam more often than I am willing to confess. If you don’t have a PlayStation 5 pre-ordered, do not worry, the game will also be available on PlayStation 4. Plus, you’ll get a free upgrade once you can purchase the next Sony console. It’ll be interesting to see the difference between both, especially as we are entering a new era with ray-tracing and a stronger SSD. I am excited to see if the DualSense lets you feel the web in your hand as Miles’ swings through New York City. We are about to enter a brand new chapter in gaming and the world of Insomniac’s Spider-Man. I cannot wait to see what the next generation has in store for us.

    Source: Twitter, GameRevolution

  • ‘Mass Effect Legendary Edition’ Finally Confirmed

    ‘Mass Effect Legendary Edition’ Finally Confirmed

    Mass Effect has quite a history. The third entry was quite controversial when it launched but it still gave us a very unique blend of action and role-playing. You took control of Commander Shepard, who must stop the invasion of the machine race Reapers. The entire game was planned out as a trilogy, which ended in 2012. There was also a spin-off titled Andromeda that focused on a new character and era. Suddenly, quite a lot of rumors have spread throughout the year about a remaster of the original trilogy. After a long wait, it became a secret that everyone knew was coming. Now, it has finally been revealed in a short teaser.

    The teaser showcases the many unique characters that join your cause throughout the trilogy that are part of the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. They are not full remakes of the original. You can expect improvements to the core game. They used higher resolution and framerates, as well as upgraded the textures and models. The DLC is also included in the re-release, which will release in Spring 2021. It also looks like a brand new entry is in development in the franchise, but no official details are available.

    It will be interesting to see how unique the 2007 version will look once it is upgraded. Mass Effect 2 was a personal favorite in the trilogy, especially with the various character relations. The whole concept of you preparing for a suicide mission where you can lose your members was truly unique, so it is a trilogy worth revisiting.

    Source: Twitter, PC Gamer

  • ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ CGI Trailer Teases Conflict with Tinkerer

    ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ CGI Trailer Teases Conflict with Tinkerer

    We are only one week away from the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It is crazy to think that the next-generation of consoles will also release so soon, or I am just bitter I didn’t get my hands on one. Either way, the next entry into the PlayStation exclusive Spider-Man franchise will be a spin-off of the 2018 original. It will be available on current-generation consoles but you can only get the Remaster of the first game when purchasing the PlayStation 5 version. Luckily, anyone buying the PlayStation 4 version will get a free upgrade for the next-gen console. Now, to build up some last minute hype towards the game’s release, Insomniac revealed an amazing looking CGI spot.

    Man, the game looks really promising. I cannot wait to get my hands on it next week. We also get another good look at this universe’s version of the Tinkerer, who will be the main antagonist alongside Roxxon. Strangely enough, the promotions haven’t really focused on the oil company much, so they might be trying to hide something with their inclusion in the war over New York City. It is funny that in addition to the “Not Actual Gameplay” text, they also highlight that the headphones worn by Miles in the trailer will not be available in the game. Seems like they had to highlight that fact for some legal reason, it was just a funny little detail I noticed.

    Just like the Marvel’s Avengers CGI trailer, it gets our blood pumping for the game’s release. Hopefully, this game sells just as well as the mainline entry to ensure Miles’ own spin-off franchise can grow from here. I do wonder if in future mainline games we will see plenty more Spider-themed characters showing off with a potential Spider-Verse storyline in its future. No matter what they have planned, we have a lot of Marvel gaming goodness heading our way.

    Source: Twitter

  • Leaks Tease an Upcoming ‘Silent Hill’ Reboot Trailer

    Leaks Tease an Upcoming ‘Silent Hill’ Reboot Trailer

    Silent Hill is one of my favorite franchises. It hasn’t seen a new entry in years, and the last project being canceled prematurely by Konami. I even covered what would’ve been Hideo Kojima‘s Silent Hills as our Halloween special, which you can check out here. In it, I also mentioned that rumors abound that a new reboot of the franchise may be heading to PlayStation 5. Now, a bit more info is coming together on what exactly it could be. Industry insider Roberto Serrano teased a potential reveal date for the upcoming reboot during Halloween. He seems to believe that it will be part of December’s The Game Awards. At one point, it was part of the PS5 reveal event but got postponed for some reason. 

    https://twitter.com/geronimo_73/status/1322454498921644033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1322454498921644033%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgamerant.com%2Fsilent-hill-ps5-exclusive-reveal-date-leak-when%2F

    Now, another Insider known as KatharsisT shared in a forum post that the announcement is planned for this year. Now, we still need to take it with a grain of salt, but there have been some big rumors surrounding the project. It seems to have been titled “Project 0” and got handed to Sony’s Japan Studio. Supposedly, the original Silent Hill director Keiichiro Toyama will return alongside Silent Hill 2′S composer Akira Yamaoka. Some rumors point to this project already being developed for two years with a 2021 or early 2022 release planned.

    It won’t be Silent Hills but a new project altogether, which will act as a reboot of the franchise that will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5. We are only a month away from the Game Awards, so I do hope that there is some validity to these rumors. They have been piling on over the last few months, so it seemed like the right time to talk about it. Sony has been good at revamping older franchises, so I cannot wait to see what they can do with such an iconic series like Silent Hill.

    Source: Inverse, GameRant (Reveal Date), Twitter, GameRant (Further Tease), Glitched

  • First Look at ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Prowler Released

    First Look at ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Prowler Released

    Now, this is an interesting way to reveal a major character in a game. Spider-Man: Miles Morales has teased its primary antagonist in the first gameplay trailer a while back. We got our first look at a very unique interpretation of the Tinkerer, who is in the middle of a gang war with Roxxon. Miles finds himself in the middle of the battle trying to keep people safe. We all wondered who else would be added with a short tease of Rhino as the first boss battle followed the initial announcement. Now, it looks like one more major villain will be added to the game, as they offered us our first look at the Prowler in the latest variant cover for Amazing Spider-Man #55.

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced many to the iconic villain, who has deep ties to Miles’ family. Originally, the character made his debut back in 1969. Many held the title but none were as iconic as Miles’ own uncle, Aaron Davis. His design already teases that he may have gotten his hands on the equipment through Tinkerer. This is a callback to the comics, where he did the same thing in the Ultimate universe. Spider-Man: Miles Morales seems to be playing around a lot with its colors. Tinkerer stands out with her purples and Prowler will be utilizing green. It is interesting to note that purple was associated witht he Prowler in the past, as even his original Ultimate costume was a purple version of Deadpool’s. He also seems to have green-glowing claws similar to that of Black Panther. Sadly, his iconic cape isn’t included from the animated film but hopefully we will find out his role in the story soon, as we are only a few weeks away from the games’ release.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Destruction AllStars’ Delayed Until February as Free PlayStation Plus Release

    ‘Destruction AllStars’ Delayed Until February as Free PlayStation Plus Release

    We are only a few weeks away from the release of the next generation of consoles. I sadly did not get a chance to pre-order it, as they sold out quite quickly. Of course, a new generation of games also comes with a variety of new launch titles. PlayStation 5 has been garnering buzz for the games that will be available with launch, which includes Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon Souls. There is, however, one more major new launch title Destruction AllStars. It was a new entry into the popular Battle Royale genre. It would add the ability to switch between vehicles during combat to add a new spice to the genre. It was planned as a full release with the next-generation price increase.

    In a sudden twist, PlayStation announced that the game will be postponed until February 2021. Not only that, as it will also be available for two months on PlayStation Plus for free. Their official blog points out that they plan to let as many people as possible to experience it. The game will strongly depend on online players, so this might be a hint that the initial sales were lower than expected. The game is a brand-new IP and comes at a high price, which may have deterred some from trying it out.

    It is unsure if the game will be available for full-price after the two-month PS+ period ends. Of course, PlayStation confirmed that people will have their pre-order refunded. We will also get a new trailer next month to showcase what the game has to offer. It is just crazy to see a full retail game being pushed to PS+ on release for free. It must be a heavy blow, but these types of games also live off of microtransactions. Its delay does not bode well for the online game, but we will see in February how it performs.

    Source: PlayStation Blog