The best new games in August have been announced by PlayStation and the official players’ choice vote has opened which the community can no longer stop responding to with the excitement they have. The voting is already underway with users submitting votes for their favourite game to date. As a continuing monthly tradition, Sony has opened users’ favourite game for community voting with users already showing enthusiasm.
The immense number of tweets praising Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea as the most deserving winner did not shock anyone. It is astonishing the number of tweets saying “Sword of the Sea.” NDLien Chipo even tagged PlayStation, referencing the game with little other context. Another user, Neko_kiradou, said so many wonderful things for the game for simply saying “The graphics, music and controls are all awesome!” which is undeniably the best description one can give. Ze Patriarch Snake Eater named it “Giant Squid’s best work so far,” which is surprising to me due to the fact that him and his team are also behind Abzû and The Pathless. It was more than just a handful of people; OYA Play, 9hant0m, and Critical Fish all commented “Sword of the Sea” as if it was the only sensible option. One user John B called it a “really pleasant surprise” but wished it was longer, which is a valid critique.
The much talked about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is so much in the limelight now. Both Scyfzer and SLiceR commented with images of the games’ classic box art with other users also joining in the ”Snake Eater” hype, whereas PromptlyAI remarked “Metal Gear will take it, Sword of the Sea close second,” which is also indicative of how tight the competition is. The remake has been eagerly awaited and it’s a big deal that it’s even part of the vote.
Of course, every public vote gathering has a plethora of strange or negative commentary to go along with it. The most negative reactions, like dark da33m and daniel miller, started expressing disappointment with the list of games to choose from, with the latter disapproving of what he called “PlayStation going woke” with games like Ghost of Yotei and Intergalactic titled like feminine led games, which is not true at all. While this was being debated, people like Ryan Paul and Killer_Clown4191 showed up to immediately extinguish those silly opinions and brand daniel miller as sexist in the way he defended his claims. It was just a whole mess. ZakkenKloot, on the other hand, was expressing irritation towards Gears of War: Reloaded not being on the list, which, in my opinion, was a weird complaint given that this was for a PlayStation vote, but whatever.
There were a few other mentions. There was some support for Killing Floor 3, ArtLike gave a shout for Indika with “Loved it!”, and even the PS1 Resident Evil 2 and 3 re-releases were mentioned in the discussion of game preservation which I found to be a very good point though nothing was really said to appreciate it. Nevertheless, most of the discussion revolves around the Sword of the Sea and Metal Gear discussion.
Then there is the set of people who are just overwhelmed. GAM3S.GG responded with “You’re making this hard for me 😅” which I felt was relatable. GoodThings2Life said the month was “pretty disappointing month” which later got into a quick argument with another user on the subject of gaming. Quite a number said they didn’t have a favourite, whereas some said they had already cast their votes. Varying greatly from each other, the reason for such community votes makes them enjoyable to observe.
Ultimately, PlayStation’s Players’ Choice Vote is a remarkable occasion to understand what struck a chord with this community beyond the last few months on record sales. This is a raw data point fully unfettered from any marketing spin. Has the beautifully haunting voyage through Sword of the Sea captured the hearts of voters worldwide? Or will the classic Metal Gear Solid stealth-action experience carry the torch to glorious victory? With the poll still active, if you have not cast your vote, do so! Your voice matters. Judging by what we are seeing, it will be a very tight battle.
