Ben-DutkaTwo things: Don't eat too much candy tonight and don't forget to set your clocks back. 🙂
PS4 exclusives lead the way for me next year
Yes, I've said it many times- the exclusive lineup for PlayStation 4 hasn't really started rolling just yet. However, after this past week's Paris Games event, I think it's clear that exclusive software might top my most-anticipated list for 2016.
It probably begins with Quantic Dream's newly unveiled IP, Detroit . Quantic has long since been one of my favorite developers, primarily because they focus so strongly on narrative. The idea of "interactive dramas" is very much David Cage's brainchild and I've thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling advances we've seen in Indigo Prophecy , Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls . I expect nothing less than brilliance when Detroit arrives. And don't forget that awesome Kara demo ; that alone made me want to play whatever Quantic Dream was working on.
Then we've got The Last Guardian , No Man's Sky (confirmed for a June 2016 release), Horizon: Zero Dawn , Gran Turismo Sport , Street Fighter V , and of course, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End . Of these, I admit to having little interest in No Man's Sky , despite its lofty aims, and I'm not a fighting fan so SFV is out. But the others? Hell yeah. In fact, I daresay that my top 5 most wanted 2016 games right now are PS4 exclusives:
If the actual GT7 is announced, it will probably replace Gran Turismo Sport on that list, and depending on how the new Polyphony effort turns out, I might want Deus Ex: Mankind Divided or Mirror's Edge: Catalyst more. And no, Final Fantasy XV doesn't register.
I'm sorry, Platinum, but that isn't Nier
It just isn't. The gameplay they showed off this past week is nifty and all, but that's not the Nier I remember. Basically, all I see out of Nier: Automata is Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising . Now, both of the latter titles are great games but they're hardly RPGs and lest we forget, the original Nier by Cavia was an action/ RPG . There was a big world to explore, complete with towns and side-quests and NPCs and all that stuff. There were even some puzzles and other adventure elements as well, but I'm seeing none of that in the sequel. Not only that, but it's almost as if they want to sideline the narrative by giving us a freakin' android devoid of emotion as a main character. That's what you do when you want to fixate on the gameplay; it doesn't make for a strong narrative beginning.
Well, as good as this studio is, they have zero experience with anything even remotely related to role-playing. This was why I had my concerns and reservations and based on that footage, I was right. Now, maybe they haven't shown us the role-playing parts yet. Maybe that's coming. And if it does, if I see a big open world with towns and NPCs and some semblance of a plot, I'll gladly eat my words. And let me reiterate: Nier: Automata could be a fantastic game, just the way it is; my point is that it's not an RPG. At least, not so far.
Personal gaming update
I couldn't possibly care less about what other people are saying about Assassin's Creed Syndicate . If you're giving that game a 4 or a 5, you must never award any game over a 6. If you're complaining about the series "never changing" or some such nonsense, you just flat-out ignored the improvements. And that'd be tough to do because the improvements are found in every facet of the production. But anyway, I'll be playing that through the holidays, I'm sure. But I have to tackle Fallout 4 now, which is here. Yes, I'm sure some of you are jealous. I can't tell you if you should be jealous, though, because I haven't really gotten past the first hour or so. And I also have Need for Speed , so I'll have to take care of that before the week's out as well.
Then comes Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Star Wars: Battlefront . 'sigh' The insanity won't stop until after that.
Too late. I ate too much candy…. ugh.
So much of what Sony showed this week really impressed me. Games like Detroit are hard for me to ignore because they work so hard to make photo realistic graphics. they use pretty advanced rendering techniques.
I'm excited for PS VR. I'm really on board with that stuff. I know going into it may be a fad that doesn't last but this is the sort of thing I've wanted to see since being a wee-little chap.
I never got into Nier before so I don't have a measure of comparison. The new game looks sorta cool to me though. Not sure if I'll actually play it though.
PGU: With the little time I've devoted to gaming I concentrated mostly on MGSV and Darksiders 2. I did finish a rather buggy and not so great filler-feeling main mission. I think it was mission 14. Yea, I had to try multiple attempts to work around the problems and still come out on top. Darksiders 2 has been quite awesome. There really isn't too much looting and it deserves better regards by myself. Sometimes I'm too much of an idiot though. Anyway, I like it and I plan to finish it.
Been doing more game engine stuff. Completely overhauled the architecture. It now supports scenes with multiple objects, meshes, lights etc. The movie link shows off a handful of models I dumped in, including everyone's favorite Final Fantasy XIII character 😉
Anyhow. I somehow managed to break the specular visual effect (the element that makes things look shiny like plastic) which I intend to fix. I've also included FPS like controls to it.
See the link if you're interested.
https://youtu.be/ARZcDJcsOUg
Last edited by Temjin001 on 10/31/2015 10:13:43 PM
I am still playing Until Dawn. Usually i don't care for trophies but this game is one exception. Trying to find all the 1952 clues and totems at the moment.
I was also keen to get hold of the Street Fighter V beta but no luck, apparently the game is looking brilliant.
I disagree about your concerns with NIER 2. First the same Director, Writer and music composer are on board, and secondly the first NIER really had bare bones RPG elements. I just played through the game again this passed summer with a friend because I wanted to see his reaction to the story.
Anyway you can get through the game easily with just using your dodge properly, and the magic upgrades are really insignificant except for when they are required to end an enemy who is in its weakened state.
If you remember the reveal trailers for the original NIER they all were focused on the combat and it looked like an action game. Only the launch trailer gives you a small look at the story sections, but then goes right back to showing lots of action combat.
I'm only saying this because like you said in the article we can't really tell how the rest of the game is going to be, but honestly the combat looks like NIER combat only faster.
Also the main character being a robot could be very interesting, its supposed to be devoid of emotion but knowing the writer Cavia has the game might have a really weird and twisted story.
Have a little faith 🙂
PGU:
Been super busy with work, MGS5 just can't hold me for some reason. I mean I really like the game but it doesn't hook me or draw me back in to play it. I had a lot of fun with the online mode but my Wi fi is making it kind of hard to play. So I have been playing Warframe and loving it. It is such a fun free to play game to just pick up now and again.
Man the PS4'S WiFi is just not good. It should be one would think. I can connect my PS3 up anywhere in the house and it's all good gaming or streaming. The PS4 in the same place has a terrible time with not only consistent speeds but in general connecting sometimes.
Anyways that was just a side not because I always wonder why it doesn't connect very well.
I agree about Nier. But not just Nier, many other games. I hate trailers because everyone tries to dissect them and make them into something. I try not to watch trailers much anymore.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/1/2015 12:31:16 AM
Don't bother xenris,is a waste of time.Ben always claim x game doesn't have enough RPG elements but then fully ignores the full blown jrpgs that get announced and released basically on a daily basis.
On his "PS4 Exclusives Will Get Rolling Soon" article he didn't name one out of like 20 something that are coming in 2016.
I get he can't cover everything by himself but don't also act like a know all expert when all you want to talk about is Final Fantasy.Also whatever happened to blank line?
Hexen: I spent much of the past few months explaining how The Witcher 3 is my favorite game of 2015 and last year, I gave Dragon Age: Inquisition GotY. Yeah, I only talk about Final Fantasy and I ignore all RPGs. You're a moron.
xenris: The original Nier did not require knowledge of combos, which is the hallmark of action games and not RPGs, and that's obviously what will be required in the new Nier. And RPGs are not entirely defined by combat; I can't imagine why anyone thinks they are. I never even mentioned the combat here; I said it wasn't an RPG because the trailer doesn't appear to have RPG elements. The exploration, the towns, the NPCs, the other gameplay aspects like puzzle, adventure, the narrative that took center-stage in Nier but appears to take a clear back-seat in the new title…these are all things that matter and they define a genre. It has nothing to do with real-time anything or dodging or whatever.
ALL RPGs are real-time now. But games like The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 and Dragon Age are RPGs; can you honestly look at Nier: Automata and see a game that falls into the same category?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 11/1/2015 5:14:24 PM
Well i meant Final Fantasy is the only jrpg that exist to you but whatever,sounds like you are still mad I talked bad about your precious assasins creed.
Yes… what did happen to blank line? And also 'Kid Presentable'?
The 2 Xbox fanboys who came here to stir up stuff. Was entertaining at times, but I don't anyone was ever convinced either of them owned a Playstation product. haha
Blankline had clear mental health issues. Was entertaining more than anything else, tbh.
Kid was almost as hilarious, but not nearly as endearing.
Both cute.
Ben, all I am saying is that if you watch the pre release trailers or reveal trailers for Nier 1, you basically just see a hack and slash game with lots of dodging and stuff. Even the launch trailer doesn't show to much in the way of story or puzzles or any "RPG" features.
I know the definition of RPG is hard to really explain these days. But I was more saying that the original NIER looked like an action game in the trailers, and in fact was very lite on RPG elements when it released in terms of how important leveling up was. Upgrading your weapon was the most important thing and even shooters have those RPG lite elements these days, so did DMC, and God of War.
I think we need to see a little bit more before we call this a straight up action game thats all, I do know that Platinum is for sure going to make the combat action packed and full of combos, BUT it could still include all those RPG elements you talked about.
@Bigrailer, I KNOW!!! my PS3 is upstairs in my new house and has no problems what so ever, my PS4 was even closer upstairs and it took me forever to contect to the MGS servers. Sooooo I plugged it into my computer monitor right beside my router and everything works like a charm 😛 My monitor is pretty good so it looks pretty much the same as on my TV 🙂
I don't remember a time when you thought much of the reviews for AC. You always seem to enjoy them and as a consumer I feel the same about other games that havnt faired well in the reviews.
I think it's fairly obvious the system is broken and it's not going to get fixed any time soon.
I'm super excited for the PS4 lineup. But I'm also very excited about this holiday season. I wasn't going to get Black Ops 3 but now I've got the itch. Star Wars is going to be a must because of friends who are getting it. I'd love to get Need for Speed also but Fallout 4 and the other two I mentioned is enough for one Month.
PGU: Went back to the Handsome Collection.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/1/2015 12:38:16 AM
Platinum makes great action games so I may actually play Nier 2.
Man,when Fallout 4 arrives i will no longer have a playstation but a fallout station…400 hours of playtime and the build of my own house and the dlc ,i'm guessing about half a year this game alone,and then after this maybe a second playthrough :).O and later on mods!
Last edited by slow and smart on 11/1/2015 2:42:08 AM
Exactly! Forget everything else this yr that releases after Fallout 4. After NFS, last game I'm buying this yr.
PGU all about Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Version on the PS4. Full Game co-op and a turn based rpg. Fallout just took a back seat for me.
Only excited for Uncharted and Horizon. Mixed feelings towards the direction of GT Sport.
Now I know you're upset about the AC reviews floating around, but a lot of those reviews are telling it how it is, nevermind the review score. I played Unity and was pleasantly surprised after the disappointment known as ACIII, but Syndicate has been pretty decent yet forgettable so far. I'm on sequence 7 and already plan to sell it after completion.
I kind of agree with the mixed reviews. The combat and stealth are lacking as usual, the sandbox 100% checklist needs to die, the story is post AC2/Brotherhood Assassin Creed nonsense, the Male lead is annoying, etc. The game isn't bad at all, but it isn't great either. Most of my enjoyment comes when the story focuses on Evie and I use her like an Assassin. Jacob's brawler/sarcastic nature doesn't do it for me.
Those 4-6 review scores are wrong indeed, but they speak the truth. I accept a 6, but I give Syndicate a solid 7.
I don't quite understand GT Sport. What is it's purpose? Why not focus on GT7? This seems like a way to fill in the gap.
Another game people didn't ask for. Seriously, just give us GT7 already. What's the hold up. Forza has 3 games out on the Xbox One. *Mindblown* haha Well at least Driveclub has been great in my opinion. My go to racer.
"The combat and stealth are lacking as usual, the sandbox 100% checklist needs to die, the story is post AC2/Brotherhood Assassin Creed nonsense, the Male lead is annoying, etc."
None of that is even remotely close to accurate, but whatever.
Aaaahhh yes, so your subjective opinion is "accurate". That's how it works right!!! Bummer
In all fairness and seriousness, I like the game, but it appeals more to you because of the setting. I don't care for the setting so it doesn't mask the games flaws for me like how Mad Max's world masked it flaws with its setting. Life! Either way, the combat is more enjoyable than the Witcher 3. Lol
Evie>Jacob. She should have been the lead.
Last edited by FM23 on 11/1/2015 10:12:41 PM
Frankly any reviews lower then a 8 on Assassins Creed Syndicate are a joke. Anyways i know this is a PlayStation site but half the games you listed ben dont even have a 2016 release date. The only 3 exclusives that have a confirmed 2016 release date are Street Fighter 5, Uncharted 4 and No Mans Sky, The rest of your so called most wanted you listed dont even have release dates yet.
My top 5 most wanted for 2016 regardless of platform
5. BattleBourn
4. Deus Ex: Mandkind Divided
3. Quantum Break (Xbox1)
2. Mirrors Edge: Catalyst
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
I cant wait for nier the game looks cool.
PGU I've been playing nothing but AC: Syndicate and Halo 5 on Xbox 1. I really dont understand the hate for the campaign mode for both games. I guess this generation is all about that muliplayer instead of enjoying a good story.Anyways 9 more days till Fallout 4 and Rise of The Tomb Raider I cant freaking wait.
So, because they don't have release dates, I can't be excited for them? So what if they don't come out next year?
fwiw, I'm more excited for the FFVII remake than anything else. heck… that might not release in any of our lifetimes! 😉
I played the battleborn technical test and was really let down. I don't know what kind of game they are trying to make, it is like a MOBA but a shooter and it is also trying to tell a story….
I don't know why they didn't make it open world like Borderlands but just with different heroes in a different setting.
It feels like this game is just not focused enough, I will say though that the missions are better than anything I played in destiny and the boss fights are not quite just bullet sponges.
MY friend and I went as Steam Punks for Halloween. Best Costume ever!
Deus Ex Mankind Divided is going to be awesome. I think I'm looking forward to that as much as Uncharted 4. Wild looks way better than I remember it being before the Paris Game show. It will be nice to see No Man's Sky and Wild dual it out.
PGU: Might dive into the Phantom Pain documentary. Have to what the lost mission is all about. Or might just stay with the Witcher DLC. What an awesome year for gaming.
'Only' a console exclusive, but 'Firewatch' has me really excited. I absolutely love everything I've seen of it and I think it's a day one purchase for me.
Nier Automata I think its too early to tell what it will or won't be. If I remember correctly Nier was quickly dismissed when it was revealed @E3!
As for exclusives Detroit is a definite buy maybe Horizon depending if the story is actually really good. Im tired of the post apocalyptic setting last one I played was Enslaved.
Ive spent a a few hours playing AC Syndicate its great Ubi have done a great job with Jacob & Evie as protagonists. Before I can give it my full attention I need to finish Hearts of Stone which is awesome!
Exactly what I was trying to tell Ben. The original NIER was brushed aside as a low budget action RPG. Turned out to be amazing.
don't forget about Star Ocean 5 for 2016. It is also exclusive to PS4 in the US. ^_^
I don't remember a time when you thought much of the reviews for AC. You always seem to enjoy them and as a consumer I feel the same about other games that havnt faired well in the reviews.
I think it's fairly obvious the system is broken and it's not going to get fixed any time soon.
I'm super excited for the PS4 lineup. But I'm also very excited about this holiday season. I wasn't going to get Black Ops 3 but now I've got the itch. Star Wars is going to be a must because of friends who are getting it. I'd love to get Need for Speed also but Fallout 4 and the other two I mentioned is enough for one Month.
PGU: Went back to the Handsome Collection.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/1/2015 12:38:16 AM
Don't bother xenris,is a waste of time.Ben always claim x game doesn't have enough RPG elements but then fully ignores the full blown jrpgs that get announced and released basically on a daily basis.
On his "PS4 Exclusives Will Get Rolling Soon" article he didn't name one out of like 20 something that are coming in 2016.
I get he can't cover everything by himself but don't also act like a know all expert when all you want to talk about is Final Fantasy.Also whatever happened to blank line?
I disagree about your concerns with NIER 2. First the same Director, Writer and music composer are on board, and secondly the first NIER really had bare bones RPG elements. I just played through the game again this passed summer with a friend because I wanted to see his reaction to the story.
Anyway you can get through the game easily with just using your dodge properly, and the magic upgrades are really insignificant except for when they are required to end an enemy who is in its weakened state.
If you remember the reveal trailers for the original NIER they all were focused on the combat and it looked like an action game. Only the launch trailer gives you a small look at the story sections, but then goes right back to showing lots of action combat.
I'm only saying this because like you said in the article we can't really tell how the rest of the game is going to be, but honestly the combat looks like NIER combat only faster.
Also the main character being a robot could be very interesting, its supposed to be devoid of emotion but knowing the writer Cavia has the game might have a really weird and twisted story.
Have a little faith 🙂
PGU:
Been super busy with work, MGS5 just can't hold me for some reason. I mean I really like the game but it doesn't hook me or draw me back in to play it. I had a lot of fun with the online mode but my Wi fi is making it kind of hard to play. So I have been playing Warframe and loving it. It is such a fun free to play game to just pick up now and again.
fwiw, I'm more excited for the FFVII remake than anything else. heck… that might not release in any of our lifetimes! 😉
MY friend and I went as Steam Punks for Halloween. Best Costume ever!
Deus Ex Mankind Divided is going to be awesome. I think I'm looking forward to that as much as Uncharted 4. Wild looks way better than I remember it being before the Paris Game show. It will be nice to see No Man's Sky and Wild dual it out.
PGU: Might dive into the Phantom Pain documentary. Have to what the lost mission is all about. Or might just stay with the Witcher DLC. What an awesome year for gaming.
Man the PS4'S WiFi is just not good. It should be one would think. I can connect my PS3 up anywhere in the house and it's all good gaming or streaming. The PS4 in the same place has a terrible time with not only consistent speeds but in general connecting sometimes.
Anyways that was just a side not because I always wonder why it doesn't connect very well.
I agree about Nier. But not just Nier, many other games. I hate trailers because everyone tries to dissect them and make them into something. I try not to watch trailers much anymore.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/1/2015 12:31:16 AM
Ben, all I am saying is that if you watch the pre release trailers or reveal trailers for Nier 1, you basically just see a hack and slash game with lots of dodging and stuff. Even the launch trailer doesn't show to much in the way of story or puzzles or any "RPG" features.
I know the definition of RPG is hard to really explain these days. But I was more saying that the original NIER looked like an action game in the trailers, and in fact was very lite on RPG elements when it released in terms of how important leveling up was. Upgrading your weapon was the most important thing and even shooters have those RPG lite elements these days, so did DMC, and God of War.
I think we need to see a little bit more before we call this a straight up action game thats all, I do know that Platinum is for sure going to make the combat action packed and full of combos, BUT it could still include all those RPG elements you talked about.
@Bigrailer, I KNOW!!! my PS3 is upstairs in my new house and has no problems what so ever, my PS4 was even closer upstairs and it took me forever to contect to the MGS servers. Sooooo I plugged it into my computer monitor right beside my router and everything works like a charm 😛 My monitor is pretty good so it looks pretty much the same as on my TV 🙂
Hexen: I spent much of the past few months explaining how The Witcher 3 is my favorite game of 2015 and last year, I gave Dragon Age: Inquisition GotY. Yeah, I only talk about Final Fantasy and I ignore all RPGs. You're a moron.
xenris: The original Nier did not require knowledge of combos, which is the hallmark of action games and not RPGs, and that's obviously what will be required in the new Nier. And RPGs are not entirely defined by combat; I can't imagine why anyone thinks they are. I never even mentioned the combat here; I said it wasn't an RPG because the trailer doesn't appear to have RPG elements. The exploration, the towns, the NPCs, the other gameplay aspects like puzzle, adventure, the narrative that took center-stage in Nier but appears to take a clear back-seat in the new title…these are all things that matter and they define a genre. It has nothing to do with real-time anything or dodging or whatever.
ALL RPGs are real-time now. But games like The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 and Dragon Age are RPGs; can you honestly look at Nier: Automata and see a game that falls into the same category?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 11/1/2015 5:14:24 PM
Exactly! Forget everything else this yr that releases after Fallout 4. After NFS, last game I'm buying this yr.
Man,when Fallout 4 arrives i will no longer have a playstation but a fallout station…400 hours of playtime and the build of my own house and the dlc ,i'm guessing about half a year this game alone,and then after this maybe a second playthrough :).O and later on mods!
Last edited by slow and smart on 11/1/2015 2:42:08 AM
'Only' a console exclusive, but 'Firewatch' has me really excited. I absolutely love everything I've seen of it and I think it's a day one purchase for me.
So, because they don't have release dates, I can't be excited for them? So what if they don't come out next year?
I don't quite understand GT Sport. What is it's purpose? Why not focus on GT7? This seems like a way to fill in the gap.
Frankly any reviews lower then a 8 on Assassins Creed Syndicate are a joke. Anyways i know this is a PlayStation site but half the games you listed ben dont even have a 2016 release date. The only 3 exclusives that have a confirmed 2016 release date are Street Fighter 5, Uncharted 4 and No Mans Sky, The rest of your so called most wanted you listed dont even have release dates yet.
My top 5 most wanted for 2016 regardless of platform
5. BattleBourn
4. Deus Ex: Mandkind Divided
3. Quantum Break (Xbox1)
2. Mirrors Edge: Catalyst
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
I cant wait for nier the game looks cool.
PGU I've been playing nothing but AC: Syndicate and Halo 5 on Xbox 1. I really dont understand the hate for the campaign mode for both games. I guess this generation is all about that muliplayer instead of enjoying a good story.Anyways 9 more days till Fallout 4 and Rise of The Tomb Raider I cant freaking wait.
Nier Automata I think its too early to tell what it will or won't be. If I remember correctly Nier was quickly dismissed when it was revealed @E3!
As for exclusives Detroit is a definite buy maybe Horizon depending if the story is actually really good. Im tired of the post apocalyptic setting last one I played was Enslaved.
Ive spent a a few hours playing AC Syndicate its great Ubi have done a great job with Jacob & Evie as protagonists. Before I can give it my full attention I need to finish Hearts of Stone which is awesome!
Aaaahhh yes, so your subjective opinion is "accurate". That's how it works right!!! Bummer
In all fairness and seriousness, I like the game, but it appeals more to you because of the setting. I don't care for the setting so it doesn't mask the games flaws for me like how Mad Max's world masked it flaws with its setting. Life! Either way, the combat is more enjoyable than the Witcher 3. Lol
Evie>Jacob. She should have been the lead.
Last edited by FM23 on 11/1/2015 10:12:41 PM
PGU all about Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Version on the PS4. Full Game co-op and a turn based rpg. Fallout just took a back seat for me.
"The combat and stealth are lacking as usual, the sandbox 100% checklist needs to die, the story is post AC2/Brotherhood Assassin Creed nonsense, the Male lead is annoying, etc."
None of that is even remotely close to accurate, but whatever.
Another game people didn't ask for. Seriously, just give us GT7 already. What's the hold up. Forza has 3 games out on the Xbox One. *Mindblown* haha Well at least Driveclub has been great in my opinion. My go to racer.
I played the battleborn technical test and was really let down. I don't know what kind of game they are trying to make, it is like a MOBA but a shooter and it is also trying to tell a story….
I don't know why they didn't make it open world like Borderlands but just with different heroes in a different setting.
It feels like this game is just not focused enough, I will say though that the missions are better than anything I played in destiny and the boss fights are not quite just bullet sponges.
Only excited for Uncharted and Horizon. Mixed feelings towards the direction of GT Sport.
Now I know you're upset about the AC reviews floating around, but a lot of those reviews are telling it how it is, nevermind the review score. I played Unity and was pleasantly surprised after the disappointment known as ACIII, but Syndicate has been pretty decent yet forgettable so far. I'm on sequence 7 and already plan to sell it after completion.
I kind of agree with the mixed reviews. The combat and stealth are lacking as usual, the sandbox 100% checklist needs to die, the story is post AC2/Brotherhood Assassin Creed nonsense, the Male lead is annoying, etc. The game isn't bad at all, but it isn't great either. Most of my enjoyment comes when the story focuses on Evie and I use her like an Assassin. Jacob's brawler/sarcastic nature doesn't do it for me.
Those 4-6 review scores are wrong indeed, but they speak the truth. I accept a 6, but I give Syndicate a solid 7.