My hot take is that Astro Bot - which to be clear is one of the best games I’ve played in years - is done a disservice by the brand fan service. It worked in Astro’s Playroom but here it feels almost entirely unnecessary with a few super cool exceptions.
It's weird, man. It's an _exceptional_ platformer, but the aesthetic is inherently a cypher for other aesthetics. So the game could totally stand on its own, but there's nothing in the vein of characters or world outside of PlayStation cameos.
This isn’t really a critique of the game, it’s just that the game itself is overflowing with creativity, amazing moments and neat level design. It can stand on its own - the tree level, the mouse level, the casino…these are just spectacular.
I agree that the game could stand on its own, but the cameos add a lot! I never got tired of trying to guess who'd I'd find next -- and always being not just wrong, but delighted when someone I haven't thought of in like 20 years pops up
I don't mind it per se, because I'd really never seen such tremendous care taken to celebrate the history and legacy of a console (interesting to imagine Nintendo or Sega doing this at the same level) - and it acts a bit as an interpretive piece to me, a video game museum of sorts.
What annoys me on a personal level is how much goodwill it gives Sony over something they clearly don't care about. The Playstation brand was built by japanese studios doing outstanding creative work that Sony seems adamant on distancing themselves from ever since the PS4 came out
I don’t have any insider info, but I imagine the cameos alongside PS’s 30th anniversary helped them secure the right amount of funding to make it at all.
One of my biggest gripes about Astro Bot is that the cameos were like a slap in the face to people who liked those kinds of games and no longer found those experiences on Sony's platform. The pandering to the western audience really did a number on creativity over the years, sadly.
I... really do understand that the game is an incredible 3D platformer, but I'm super disturbed by that brand fan service. In Playroom? Great! It's free! Let's celebrate PlayStation together in this wonderful game! But in a fully priced game, I can't shake the feeling that I'd be paying for an ad 😕
That's a very good point, and the celebration of capitalism in overdrive is probably worthy of an Adam curtis-level analysis. And at the same time I get a little thrill when I see rudy roughnight of wild Arms turn up. I guess thats also pretty insidious but 🤷
And here's a great interview if yall want some insight into Astro Bot and Team Asobi. youtu.be/F5QpJH2fh_M?...
YouTube video by Kinda Funny Highlights