[autoexec]

Part of the problem is that new games are too often filled with bugs, ads, microtransactions, pointless timegates, etc. You can't trust reviews, so there's no telling what you're going to get. Game companies have burned players so many times that buying a game at launch, even if you like the franchise, just isn't wise.

That said, while I'm normally the type to play 10-15 years behind, I did pick up a copy of stellar blade on launch day just on a whim and it was amazing. No ads, no parts of the story paywalled off, nothing but fun and they've put out a lot of updates since making improvements, and dropping new outfits and gameplay modes. I kind of felt like I hit the lottery buying a game I knew basically nothing about on day one and not feeling like I was ripped off later, but that should be the norm. I'm tempted to get Astro Bot although it seems pricey.

[johnnyanmac]

I'm long used to it: But as a JRPG fan, it's always intriguing going to general gaming discourse and seeing complaints of stuff like ads/lootboxes/mtx in single player games. Just really shows how stark the western gaming sphere shifted.

Japanese games feel just like the 2010's but slightly better graphics. They leave all that stuff to the mobile scene, but console games have about the same expectations when you hear "single player game". Unless you are addicted to buying skin DLC, there's not much add-ons to buy once a game is out. If these current western sentiments are a detractor, I'd start looking more into where a game is made in addition to all other research.

Korea (which is where Stellar Blade was made) and China (Black Myth Wukong) are entirely different stories, but similar outcomes. Let's just say they are rediscovering console/PC gaming and they are starting off from the 2000's model, not the 2020's western model.