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PlayStation ASTRO BOT releases for PS5 on September 6, 2024

VintoWin said:
Yeah, I agree. After looking at the level design more and the bosses... yup. It's very similar to forgotten land. It looks even more linear actually (splatoon campaign level of linearity?) after looking at it more. They did a great job creating a hype trailer lol.

I'm sure the game will be great but it's not looking like a masterpiece or anything after watching trailer a few times. We'll see though.
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it looks more like more of Rescue Mission which came out in 2018
 
Sony creating a game like this is the same great feeling I get when Nintendo try something like Twilight Princess, Xenoblade Chronicles X....

TheRealTalker said:
it looks more like more of Rescue Mission which came out in 2018
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I can't understand why Sony didn't port this game to PSVR2. Is it a hardware limitation?
As someone who cancelled the pre-order 1 week before launch, a critical acclaimed game like this or Alyx would definitely make me do the jump.
 
Hailinel said:
I will never understand these takes about Astro. Hyperbole though it may be, it's just completely alien to my perception of the Astro games.
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Astro's Playroom had a lot of ideas that felt like they would be at home on a Nintendo console. The way the developers made use of every part of the DualSense was really impressive and always delightful. It's not unlike Super Mario 64 or Wii Sports or Nintendoland, which all seemed developed entirely around the new hardware.
 
ngpdrew said:
Astro's Playroom had a lot of ideas that felt like they would be at home on a Nintendo console. The way the developers made use of every part of the DualSense was really impressive and always delightful. It's not unlike Super Mario 64 or Wii Sports or Nintendoland, which all seemed developed entirely around the new hardware.
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Those games have personality.

Astro's Playroom was a decent tech demo of the PS5 hardware but was completely unimpressive from a presentation standpoint. Use of nostalgia isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the method the game employs it feels so cold and clinical that there's no charm to it. The most creative point in the game is the use of the PS1 tech demo Tyrannosaurus as the final boss, and even that gets completely undercut by a second phase that is utterly devoid of that charm.

I am not paying $70 for more of that.
 
Game looks fun but still probably not enough for me to get a PS5. Maybe there'll be some good Black Friday sales.
 
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Hailinel said:
Those games have personality.

Astro's Playroom was a decent tech demo of the PS5 hardware but was completely unimpressive from a presentation standpoint. Use of nostalgia isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the method the game employs it feels so cold and clinical that there's no charm to it. The most creative point in the game is the use of the PS1 tech demo Tyrannosaurus as the final boss, and even that gets completely undercut by a second phase that is utterly devoid of that charm.

I am not paying $70 for more of that.
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TLDR: I'm complaining that people's concept of personality is different than mine.
 
Hailinel said:
Those games have personality.

Astro's Playroom was a decent tech demo of the PS5 hardware but was completely unimpressive from a presentation standpoint. Use of nostalgia isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the method the game employs it feels so cold and clinical that there's no charm to it. The most creative point in the game is the use of the PS1 tech demo Tyrannosaurus as the final boss, and even that gets completely undercut by a second phase that is utterly devoid of that charm.

I am not paying $70 for more of that.
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I have to agree to disagree because I cannot think of a statement I disagree with more.
 
This trailer makes wanna replay odyssey, 3d world, forgotten land, crash trilogy + 4 and Spyro Trilogy.
Might do so in the summer since there's nothing interesting releasing
 
Tombo64 said:
Playroom is great and I'm glad they're making a full title. I think the trailer was pretty damn good, with lots of variety and what looked like an increase in scope, so I'm happy there. I do agree that the PS branding is getting a bit much. I think it worked just fine in Playroom, with the context of it being a pack-in that both celebrated Playstation and showed off new console features. But now they're doing a full title I think they should have dropped that element and made it its own thing. It's a bit much now.

Still, I look forward to playing it.
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This sums up how I feel. It's a cute "look how far we made it" thing in the pack-in, but flying around on a PS5 in a game I have to pay for is... more than a little weird. Still, I'll probably end up getting due to how fun Playroom was.
 
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Looks tacky as hell in some parts but also fun, I thought Playroom was neat and I'm glad they continue to support this franchise, it's very different from their usual stuff
 
This was definitely the highlight of the whole State of Play for me. I might actually decide to check this out, which says a whole lot since I never really bothered to finish Astro's Playroom.

That said, I do wish that they would focus less on tying in all these other PlayStation-related brands and instead try to build Astro as its own thing. I don't think it's gonna benefit all that much from the constant references to other games, and at worst it might even cheapen what would otherwise be a wonderful and unique 3D platformer.

Right now I'm not entirely sold on the gameplay. I thought the use of the DualSense controller in Astro's Playroom was interesting but I wasn't all that impressed by anything else about it, and as a platformer it really didn't hold a candle to the tight control that something like Super Mario Odyssey offered. This game also doesn't quite look like it'll measure up to Odyssey for me, but I'll be keeping an eye on it just in case.
 
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Looks great, will play. Finally time to dust off a huge layer of dust from the PS5.

Lack of VR support is the biggest problem. As fun as Playroom was as a pack in for the PS5, it didn't compare to Rescue Mission for PSVR1. That game was basically a 3D Mario game in VR.

Now that this is back to being a flat screen game I can't help but feel a bit disapointed. It's just not going to hit the same. Of course nobody is buying PSVR2, so i see why they did this, but on the other hand, it still kind on them for not making enough worthwhille games for the thing to make people want to buy it.
 
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I just realized, this is essentially what people wanted from a 3D Mario crossover game. Characters and levels inspired by other franchises. Only difference is these are all robots instead of the actual characters.
 
Secu said:
Lack of gimmicksļ¼Ÿ
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No, just looks like a literal straight path with one or 2 obstacles in front set next to each other or directly in front. Splatoon style. Crash style? Strictly an obstacle course? Idk how to describe it. Kirby is a little more open but similar to this, you're given a tool and basically know what to do immediately and then the game forgoes it for a while. The bosses definitely remind me of forgotten land. It looks on the easier side like Kirby too.
 
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VintoWin said:
Wow it's literally the same bosses. Albeit doing different things.
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there is more bosses then the ones shown in this trailer according to the PS Blog

but I understand why they brought back some from rescue mission with new powers, etc...

since this is acting as a soft reboot for the franchise and many didn't play rescue mission due to it being a vr game
 
Perhaps the most exciting game for me since the release of the Playstation 5. It looks absolutely wonderful, wildly inventive, joyful.
 
balgajo said:
I didn't play the VR one. But the PS5 feels like Nintendo during Wii generation. Personally my favorite Nintendo.
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I find this to be a really interesting comparison that I wouldn't have made myself. Would you mind elaborating? I'm curious what the connections you see are.

I think I see how Astro's Playroom is a bit like Wii Sports in that it's a pack-in game that explores the controller tech. Also, both consoles use white and blue. That's as far as I can take it, though.
 
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I saw Chris Schilling from Edge get a bit of pushback in a few places for not really being into how much of a role the crossover/existing PS brand hardware and characters are having in this game, which risks preventing this franchise from establishing its own identity and I find the arguments I've seen against it really weird/weak. Comparisons made to things like in TTYD having the terminal Mario interacts with in the Glitz Pit being a GBA or how the latest Nintendo console is in the protagonist's room in every new gen Pokemon game and saying "This is just Sony's version of that!" miss the forest for the trees of the criticism I feel.

TTYD isn't a game where you interact with 150 terminals that are real life Nintendo paraphernalia, Pokemon isn't about catching all Nintendo consoles, it's about catching Pokemon. Those are just Easter Eggs that are encountered in one room in the whole game rather than the (or one of) main draw/appeal that is playing a massive part in the marketing.

Not to mention the plentiful times these kinds of things have happened in the Mario series none(?) Of them were in the NES/SNES generation when the franchise was still finding its footing and creating new worlds/settings/characters etc. I feel prioritising the crossover features so much in this nascent franchise risks stagnating it a lot, I think whole new bosses for example would be much more impactful/enjoyable rather than how heavily they've leaned into the crossover aspects whilst rehashing quite a few of the bosses.

I remember as well several discussions about the next Astro Bot game in the last few years was who/what would be positioned as the 'Bowser' of this series to expand the AB universe beyond a short lower budget/VR game and a tech demo. Turns out the answer to that was 'nothing', again, and we just get to speculate now if there will just be the one Ghost of Tsushima bot or of they'll go all out to give us maybe 5 or 6 characters from that game!

/rant.
 
Ryunosuke Naruhodo said:
I saw Chris Schilling from Edge get a bit of pushback in a few places for not really being into how much of a role the crossover/existing PS brand hardware and characters are having in this game, which risks preventing this franchise from establishing its own identity and I find the arguments I've seen against it really weird/weak. Comparisons made to things like in TTYD having the terminal Mario interacts with in the Glitz Pit being a GBA or how the latest Nintendo console is in the protagonist's room in every new gen Pokemon game and saying "This is just Sony's version of that!" miss the forest for the trees of the criticism I feel.

TTYD isn't a game where you interact with 150 terminals that are real life Nintendo paraphernalia, Pokemon isn't about catching all Nintendo consoles, it's about catching Pokemon. Those are just Easter Eggs that are encountered in one room in the whole game rather than the (or one of) main draw/appeal that is playing a massive part in the marketing.

Not to mention the plentiful times these kinds of things have happened in the Mario series none(?) Of them were in the NES/SNES generation when the franchise was still finding its footing and creating new worlds/settings/characters etc. I feel prioritising the crossover features so much in this nascent franchise risks stagnating it a lot, I think whole new bosses for example would be much more impactful/enjoyable rather than how heavily they've leaned into the crossover aspects whilst rehashing quite a few of the bosses.

I remember as well several discussions about the next Astro Bot game in the last few years was who/what would be positioned as the 'Bowser' of this series to expand the AB universe beyond a short lower budget/VR game and a tech demo. Turns out the answer to that was 'nothing', again, and we just get to speculate now if there will just be the one Ghost of Tsushima bot or of they'll go all out to give us maybe 5 or 6 characters from that game!

/rant.
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Yeah. A random cameo of Nintendo hardware or a goof on hardware is separate from the game being in your face about it. Especially with the way Astro Bot uses the PS5. Not even a cutely mocked up device like the Game Boy Horror in Luigi's Mansion. It's just straight up a PS5. And this is after Playroom focused so much of its energy and identity around unlocks just being a trophy room of PS consoles and random accessories.

If Astro's identity really is going to be the PlayStation Nostalgia Franchise, it could really do a better job at presenting that.
 
Ryunosuke Naruhodo said:
I saw Chris Schilling from Edge get a bit of pushback in a few places for not really being into how much of a role the crossover/existing PS brand hardware and characters are having in this game, which risks preventing this franchise from establishing its own identity and I find the arguments I've seen against it really weird/weak. Comparisons made to things like in TTYD having the terminal Mario interacts with in the Glitz Pit being a GBA or how the latest Nintendo console is in the protagonist's room in every new gen Pokemon game and saying "This is just Sony's version of that!" miss the forest for the trees of the criticism I feel.

TTYD isn't a game where you interact with 150 terminals that are real life Nintendo paraphernalia, Pokemon isn't about catching all Nintendo consoles, it's about catching Pokemon. Those are just Easter Eggs that are encountered in one room in the whole game rather than the (or one of) main draw/appeal that is playing a massive part in the marketing.

Not to mention the plentiful times these kinds of things have happened in the Mario series none(?) Of them were in the NES/SNES generation when the franchise was still finding its footing and creating new worlds/settings/characters etc. I feel prioritising the crossover features so much in this nascent franchise risks stagnating it a lot, I think whole new bosses for example would be much more impactful/enjoyable rather than how heavily they've leaned into the crossover aspects whilst rehashing quite a few of the bosses.

I remember as well several discussions about the next Astro Bot game in the last few years was who/what would be positioned as the 'Bowser' of this series to expand the AB universe beyond a short lower budget/VR game and a tech demo. Turns out the answer to that was 'nothing', again, and we just get to speculate now if there will just be the one Ghost of Tsushima bot or of they'll go all out to give us maybe 5 or 6 characters from that game!

/rant.
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IMHO the right a comparison could be with smash bros. Crossover and history celebration is their identity (and itā€™s ok to me).
 
If I ever end up playing Astro Bot, I have no doubt I'll enjoy the whole "PlayStation celebration" aspect of it, but I'd also be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't completely understand why this entire approach is rubbing some people the wrong way.
 
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Ryunosuke Naruhodo said:
I saw Chris Schilling from Edge get a bit of pushback in a few places for not really being into how much of a role the crossover/existing PS brand hardware and characters are having in this game, which risks preventing this franchise from establishing its own identity and I find the arguments I've seen against it really weird/weak. Comparisons made to things like in TTYD having the terminal Mario interacts with in the Glitz Pit being a GBA or how the latest Nintendo console is in the protagonist's room in every new gen Pokemon game and saying "This is just Sony's version of that!" miss the forest for the trees of the criticism I feel.

TTYD isn't a game where you interact with 150 terminals that are real life Nintendo paraphernalia, Pokemon isn't about catching all Nintendo consoles, it's about catching Pokemon. Those are just Easter Eggs that are encountered in one room in the whole game rather than the (or one of) main draw/appeal that is playing a massive part in the marketing.

Not to mention the plentiful times these kinds of things have happened in the Mario series none(?) Of them were in the NES/SNES generation when the franchise was still finding its footing and creating new worlds/settings/characters etc. I feel prioritising the crossover features so much in this nascent franchise risks stagnating it a lot, I think whole new bosses for example would be much more impactful/enjoyable rather than how heavily they've leaned into the crossover aspects whilst rehashing quite a few of the bosses.

I remember as well several discussions about the next Astro Bot game in the last few years was who/what would be positioned as the 'Bowser' of this series to expand the AB universe beyond a short lower budget/VR game and a tech demo. Turns out the answer to that was 'nothing', again, and we just get to speculate now if there will just be the one Ghost of Tsushima bot or of they'll go all out to give us maybe 5 or 6 characters from that game!

/rant.
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Those arguments can be thrown out, because it's true, there's no 1:1 Nintendo analogue for what this game is doing with its crossovers... but there also doesn't need to be, imo. Taken strictly in a vacuum, the crossovers (not just legacy characters, but actual console hardware flying around and shit like that) are either going to be something folks find cool, or generally off-putting. I get the latter, but I'm in the former camp, mostly because 1.) PlayStation actually has a legacy worth celebrating (I'd probably find it sauceless and cringe if a dev / company with a Jim Bob lineup tried pulling this), 2.) the gameplay is genuinely great, versus the experience largely consisting of a cynical "I know that thing!!!" wankfest of insipid design, and 3.) prior, more overt crossovers Sony's produced have turned out badly, with a couple of the most notable examples being PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (yuck), and that rather naff looking PlayStation Move Heroes game. The approach of legacy characters / hardware as flavoring for a platformer just works way better.

But anyway, I haven't even seen this (mostly understandable) criticism expressed on Fami by more than one or two people. Here, it's mainly the fact that the little robot buddy / game world looks sterile. Fair enough, but as someone who's never been into Mario that much, I legit prefer the cute robot. "Charm" is nebulous and subjective anyhow.
 
With this ending the State of Play, do you all think this will be Sony's year-end, first-party holiday title for 2024? Spider-Man 2 (2023) released in October, while God of War: Ragnarok (2022) released in November, so September seems a bit early. However, with it seeming likely and rumored that Sony's next presentation would be around September i.e. in the TGS window (maybe for a PS5 Pro reveal?) and Sony not generally casually revealing their major titles outside of presentations (as far as I recall), I have a hard time imagining when they would announce their big holiday 2024 title unless they saved it for SGF. I also don't remember any big second-/third-party exclusives planned for this holiday unless it's Silent Hill 2?

Could it be a holiday of Astro Bot, PS5 Pro, Silent Hill 2, the big third-party games (Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed), and any games that get heavily marketed PS5 Pro updates?

Just curious how much PlayStation will be pushing this game and if this is seen as a potential turning point for the franchise. It is a full game not tied to a peripheral (PSVR), so the path is being paved for that possibility.
 
Sin & Punishment said:
Astro Bot is literally just "what if you stripped the personality out of Sackboy/LBP?"
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Hailinel said:
Those games have personality.

Astro's Playroom was a decent tech demo of the PS5 hardware but was completely unimpressive from a presentation standpoint. Use of nostalgia isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the method the game employs it feels so cold and clinical that there's no charm to it. The most creative point in the game is the use of the PS1 tech demo Tyrannosaurus as the final boss, and even that gets completely undercut by a second phase that is utterly devoid of that charm.

I am not paying $70 for more of that.
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Astro bot absolutely oozes charm. It is why I and many others love it.
 
Hailinel said:
All right. Not everyone agrees with that. I've already said my thoughts on it with more detail in this thread, and you don't have to agree, but some of you are being bizarrely precious about this game.
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It's not "bizarre". It's just a good, fun game that oozes charm, like the Mario games. It's the first thing I felt when I played the first VR game. I thought it's Mario in VR, in PlayStation! Felt fantastic.

Then came the PS5 game and the feeling was still the same. Still had the same charm, and I wanted more of it. And I wished it wasn't a pack-in game, and it came physically. And they basically, literally are just going to give us that! I can't be any happier!
 
Watched the trailer through a couple times now - count me in on the group that is actually pretty damn disappointed at how utterly ā€œPlayStationā€ itā€™s content is.

And itā€™s either disingenuous or just not well thought out to equate this to Luigiā€™s Mansion using a Game Boy and Virtual Boy. This is the first proper non-VR title for the franchise, and you are flying on a PS5 and interacting with references from tons of PlayStation franchises.

It looks mechanically good, and Iā€™ll find a way to play it, but some part of it is already tarnished by being a giant brand advertisement.
 
karmitt said:
Watched the trailer through a couple times now - count me in on the group that is actually pretty damn disappointed at how utterly ā€œPlayStationā€ itā€™s content is.

And itā€™s either disingenuous or just not well thought out to equate this to Luigiā€™s Mansion using a Game Boy and Virtual Boy. This is the first proper non-VR title for the franchise, and you are flying on a PS5 and interacting with references from tons of PlayStation franchises.

It looks mechanically good, and Iā€™ll find a way to play it, but some part of it is already tarnished by being a giant brand advertisement.
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I think it's super fun, personally. Minecraft has a ton of skins and brand tie in packs. Doesn't mean it isn't its own thing.

Heck, I'd compare this to Smash Bros and Mario Kart. Those are both big brand advertisements too.
 
Magic-Man said:
I think it's super fun, personally. Minecraft has a ton of skins and brand tie in packs. Doesn't mean it isn't its own thing.

Heck, I'd compare this to Smash Bros and Mario Kart. Those are both big brand advertisements too.
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Mario Bros. is not a celebration or brand advertisement. Smash Bros. and Mario Kart are - they only exist as spin-offs of well established titles with their own long standing identities. This is Astro Botā€™s debut full scale title. This is not Astro taking part in a multi franchise fighting or racing title that has an Astro themed level.

If you donā€™t see why these are false equivalencies I canā€™t help you. I didnā€™t say it wonā€™t be fun, but this is not what I personally hoped Astro Bot would be. Perhaps they decided this was the franchises best chance at relevance with PlayStation audiences, but I think itā€™s a bit shit.
 
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