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Team Asobi from Sony Japan deserve a mario or crash sized development budget after what they have pulled off with astros playroom and rescue mision
- Thread starter Toriko
- Start date
I thoroughly agree. Given how well they included all of these characters in Astro's Playroom, I would love a dimension-hopping adventure similar to the LEGO games' formula of unlocking characters and using them with their own unique abilities to proceed through levels or unlock secrets in replays. Need to hack something? Clank. Need to use a bow? Aloy or Jin. Need a strong character? Kratos. Rope? Nathan Drake. Gravity? Kat. Fire? Delsin Rowe. And so on.
The way of working of Nintendo, in which their dev go from a project to another easily reduce even more the unmovable staff on their project
But I agree that one of the big difference is that Mario team have free hands and time, when Sony Japan are limited on both
I was actually going to make a thread (still might) to gush about how good Astro's Playroom is, so I agree. These people are incredibly talented and I really would like Sony to invest more in them and Astro.
Well, EPD is roughly 3x the size of Japan Studio but they develop and produce like 10-20x the software. It's very much a different approach to having a Japan styled (centralized) versus western styled (distributed) R&D structure.
My wife keeps bugging me to let her play more Astro. She's enjoyed that game more than any other in probably decades. It's just so fun and cheerful and inventive, and I love watching her play it. The thrill I got from seeing a multitap again, my god lol! It is insane how many of the PlayStation consoles and peripherals I've owned, and how nostalgic Playroom made me.
I hope so, but if they do i wonder what Direction they would go?
Would they make a Plattformer that is focused on Exploration or one that is strictly more level and "gimmick" based.
If they go for the former they would need to give Astro a ton of more movement options akin to something like Jak and Daxter or Mario 64/Odyssey.
Would they make a Plattformer that is focused on Exploration or one that is strictly more level and "gimmick" based.
If they go for the former they would need to give Astro a ton of more movement options akin to something like Jak and Daxter or Mario 64/Odyssey.
I've only platyed Astro Playroom and though it's far from perfect and would not have been the same as a paid title, I do think it was a resounding success and showcased perfectly what the team can do. To me it felt like a Nintendo game and I think they deserve more budget and developement time to make a full priced title accessible to all (ie: Not VR exclusive). I'm curious to see what they next project will be and if they'll stay in the same vein of leveraging Hardware features/gimmicks to do a light hearted bot-themed platformer
Most likely they're making a launch window game for PSVR 2 for 2021/2022
Most likely they're making a launch window game for PSVR 2 for 2021/2022
They need to get merch out there but they need to time it properly. Maybe release an Astro sequel around Christmas 2021 or 2022 and do a big merchandise push as well.
They probably need stuff like Plushies, Funco Pop figures, electronic toys, t-shirts, etc. Maybe work out some deals with Burger King and Taco Bell to put him on their food packaging and commercials or something....then release Astro 2....or whatever they want to call it.
As you can probably tell, I'm excited about Astro. lol
They absolutely do. If Playroom was twice as long and not free it would be a goty contender, it's goty level for me despite being 3 hours long. One of the biggest smiles I've had playing a game recently, last time a game was this pure joy was Mario Odyssey for me.
if they make a sequel I hope it's 10+ hours long.
if they make a sequel I hope it's 10+ hours long.
I'd love that.
I feel like I'm pretty limited when it comes to high budget stuff in that genre.
I think the emphasis on playfulness and avoiding frustration is what a lot of platformers today get wrong. I could see hints of that in the Crash remake, like at the very start of the game where you begin on the beach and you can spin the television to change its channel, but very quickly that style of design is lost for the sake of a focus on challenge above all else. As a result, games like Crash I think quickly become frustrating, and that actually gets in the way of their efforts to be playful.
Like when you finally get to ride Polar in Crash 4, that should be a fun moment, a really cool throwback to previous games... but collecting the boxes in that segment is so freaking hard. It sucks all the fun out of it.
I agree. Difficulty is the main reason I have not gotten the latest Crash game. I just wanna have a good time with platformers. Not be frustrated.
Why would you choose "organic" of all words. It's a freaking robot lmao.
On topic: I agree, they deserve to have a big game, but I suspect PlayStation users won't buy it because it's kiddy and will bomb hard
Absolutely. They should make Astro the official PS mascot going forward. I've had loads of fun with their games plus they're all lookers.
Maybe these games are so great because they don't have gigantic budgets? By being a bit shorter they also don't overstay their welcome. Every level in Rescue Mission feels unique and fresh but I don't know if that would be true if the game was tripple the size. That's not to say I would not want an Astro VR 2 game that's tripple the size of the first game.
Because I'm saying that AstroBot has become a Sony mascot organically - they didn't force it or invent it to be the PlayStation mascot. AstroBot has become the perfect symbol for PlayStation because of the fact it's the star of arguably the best PSVR title and is now featured on every PS5 with Playroom.
AstroBot may well have become the perfect mascot for PlayStation in the way Crash and Knack and all the others never have.
Oh yes I agree, they have an opportunity here but I'm not sure they'll take it since mascots don't seem to be too popular these days. They could at least expand the "PlayStation world" thing and embrace their own identity
Naughty Dog did that for PlayStation 24 years ago. Sony just didn't have the good sense to buy out the IP in 1998, make it PlayStation exclusive for all time, and maintain its pedigree the way Nintendo did with Mario. It took a while for Sony to truly understand the power of flagship 1st party IP.
A big budget Astrobot game definitely needs to happen or they need to make a new Ape Escape game.
The Astro games have a Nintendo-like sheen to them. I can't wait to see what the team does next.
Absolutely 100% agreed. Sony is on to something with Astro Bot that could be huge but I don't know if they realize it. So far they've only used it as a showcase for VR and the dual sense.
I've been playing Astro's Playroom with my kids. Watching them play is like vicariously re-experiencing the magic of Super Mario Bros. when I was a kid.
I've been playing Astro's Playroom with my kids. Watching them play is like vicariously re-experiencing the magic of Super Mario Bros. when I was a kid.
This is why Galaxy is probably the best 3D Mario imo. It's the easiest one yes but not exactly easy to 100%. That smooth difficulty curve and general lack of frustration is probably it's biggest asset.
Playroom is legitimately one of the best games of the year. Would buy a full Astro game in a heartbeat.
I'd rather they do literally anything else. I honestly do not understand the hyperbole around Astro's Playroom. It's an above average pack-in game. That's it. Just because it tugs at everyone's heart strings with PS references does not elevate it beyond that, IMO.
I don't miss much of anything about PSVR after going to quest 2, but Astro is definitely it. Such a damn good platform game.
It's crazy considering Astrobot games are their first games, and doesn't seems like before Team Asobi the staff did much? A good example of fresh blood doing wonders.
I'm not even that much of a Sony fan, only had a PS2 (which dropped mid-gen) and a PS4. Yet I found Astrobot amazing, it doesn't only play beautifully, it's very original and inventive, it keeps throwing new cool stuff in every stage.
I'm not even that much of a Sony fan, only had a PS2 (which dropped mid-gen) and a PS4. Yet I found Astrobot amazing, it doesn't only play beautifully, it's very original and inventive, it keeps throwing new cool stuff in every stage.
I disagree, the time trial stuff shows how fine crafted it is. I'd love for more of it.
I'll agree they definitely added some cool ideas throughout with excellent pacing to keep the experience fresh, but it still just lands as a well-paced, decently tight pack-in showcase of the DualSense. Like an extended tech demo that's pretty neat. I guess it just didn't click for me to the extent that I want a full-length version of it, or any more. I was quite happy to put it down by the time I was done.
Having now played quite a bit of playroom: yes yes yes yes. Give them a chance to make another length platformer. They shouldn't be shackled to just VR anymore, that's for sure (although I'd love for Rescue Mission fans to get a sequel too).
This is incredibly polished too. Art direction is outstanding and gameplay feels so tight.
This is incredibly polished too. Art direction is outstanding and gameplay feels so tight.
I agree with the thrust behind the premise, basically approve any project they want to work on and give them the budget they request. Don't just make a small team big though without considering the tradeoffs! Part of their greatness may stem from being a small org. Big budgets and teams create entirely new internal problems to solve
