Okay, I’m having a bit of a problem. I own this system called a Playstation 4, you might have heard of it. The problem is, I’m not as into Japanese-developed games as I used to be. While I’m always down for some Final Fantasy or a Nintendo game, the vast majority of Japanese games just don’t appeal to me anymore. I honestly think it’s anime burnout. While Western games have a tendency to be aesthetically similar, Eastern games are in a fucking decade-long rut. I want to want to play games like Nier Automata, Persona 5, Tales of _____, or some of the other critically acclaimed Japanese games on the system, but trying to get myself into it is about in tune with trying to get myself to sweep the garage. It’s something I need to do, but well.. fuck, I just don’t wanna. To make things a little tougher, these are the games that never seem to get much of a price drop. Meaning that tiny bit of interest I just might have in one of them is abruptly smashed and killed by a price tag I’m not willing to match.
Needless to say, my PS4 has a limited collection of games, ranging from Uncharted, to Uncharted 4, back around to Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and topping off with Horizon Zero Dawn. I have a few others sprinkled in there like Helldivers and Ratchet and Clank, but the closest I have to an actual Japanese title is Final Fantasy XIV. Which I’d really love to play again if I could justify the monthly subscription. But even that just isn’t saying much. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been seeing anime in one form or another for the last 25 years, but it just doesn’t tickle me anymore.
I hit up the PSN store regularly. I want to expand my horizons, but I just can’t get over the aesthetics anymore. I still do enjoy the Tales series, but I hit a wall in Tales of Xillia, and I just couldn’t maintain my interest. To be fair, the Tales series has been in a bit of a lull lately (though I do hear that Berseria was better).
It’s this reason I wish Sony would climb down from their mountain top and throw the peons a bone in the form of some kind of subscription service, a la Microsoft’s Game Pass. Say what you will about the reasoning Microsoft created such a service, or whether Sony really needs to appease it’s millions of users in such a way, but it would be really fucking great if I could try some of these games for such a little monetary investment. There have been a few games already I’ve tried through Game Pass and really enjoyed, that I would never have given a second look otherwise. This is not me being a cheap-ass. If there’s a game I really want to play, I’ll happily slap down the cash. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. But as it stands right now, the price of admission for a game I only kinda want to try out is still too high, and that means instead of getting $10 a month from me, they’re not getting anything at all. Hell, I haven’t had PS+ in well over two years. There’s just no reason for it.
I know there are plenty of Indie games on the PSN store that aren’t necessarily in the Japanese style, but I’ve already admitted before that I’m not really an Indie game person. I like the high budgets of a Halo game, or the spectacle of an Uncharted. I didn’t buy multiple $400 boxes to play pixel art side-scrollers that I could get for a few bucks on Steam. Hell, I haven’t even played Inside yet, and it’s on sale right now for like $8. I literally stared at it in the PSN store for about ten minutes last night trying to pull the trigger. But I just don’t care enough.
Okay, just so I don’t sound like a grouchy fart who doesn’t like anything, here are some PS4 games I really DO want to play:
God of War – Even though I hate Kratos with a burning passion, I still want to get the new GoW. Yes, I realize it’s developed by Sony Santa Monica, and is not a Japanese game.
Yakuza 6 – I’ve never played a Yakuza game but the last few entries have me intrigued. I’m hesitant as I know I won’t know the story so far, but they look pretty entertaining.
Spider-Man – Because A. It’s made by Insomniac, and B. It’s Spider-Man.
Games that I have no interest in that WILL make me sound like a grouchy fart:
Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian – These games may be brilliant, but I’ll never know because they look bland as hell and if I haven’t played SotC yet after 15 years, I doubt I’ll get around to it now. The Last Guardian on the other hand, just.. eh…
Detroit: Become Human – Heavy Rain bored me to tears, and it’s looking like Detroit will do the same. I’ll pass.
Death Stranding – Sorry Kojima, but I’ve been digesting your nonsensical bullshit for over a decade. I only put up with it because I actually did like Metal Gear Solid. But if you can’t come up with some decent gameplay outside of your 30-minute cutscenes, I’m done.
