What are you playing on your PlayStation 4?

[zzip]

On 1/14/2023 at 6:14 PM, wongojack said:

For me, I'm in between.  I kinda never really liked Joel.  He seemed like a poor man's version of so many other heroes from Zombie fic that I just found him forgettable.  For me, the original game didn't hit its stride until more than halfway through

Yeah I never liked Joel and didn't care for the early part of the game either.    I actually fell asleep playing it more than once!   Probably would have given up at that point if everybody didn't keep telling me to "keep going, the game is amazing!"   It did pick up towards the middle, but I had some real problems with the ending.

 

So I still feel the game didn't live up to the hype, so never bothered playing the second because I didn't want more of that kind of game.

[newtmonkey]

I dragged my PS4 out from storage to give a few games a try.  I was surprised to see that that last time I played anything on this was back in 2021!  Anyway, I played:

 

Assassin's Creed: Origins

I was intrigued by what I'd read about the few most recent games in this series (namely, the introduction of "RPG" elements and a much reduced focus on the modern day storyline stuff), so I picked up a set that contains this along with Odyssey.  I actually have this on PC, and although it runs great on my PC, I hate the uplay client/DRM.

 

Anyway, Origins is pretty cool so far, but I must admit that it feels a bit clunky to play.  Movement feels kind of slippery, and the interface is terrible... why do you need to use the analog sticks to move a cursor around in menus?  Surely they could have just let you scroll through menu items with the direction pad or even analog stick, without having to move a cursor around?  Also, if you set the UI to the minimal setting, it doesn't provide any of the on-screen instructions for the various mandatory tutorials, and at first I thought the game had frozen because I couldn't move or do anything, until I turned the full UI on and got the instruction.  Pretty dumb.

 

It sure does look good, though, especially with HDR on.

 

Bloodborne

I'm a big fan of the Dark Souls series, and so this is the game I bought the system for.  Having said that, I really don't like this game so far.  I found the first location to be very difficult to navigate, because a lot of it looks so similar.  I also don't like the lack of build variety (there are "builds" but they are basically all "dodging fighters"), and don't feel that exploration is very rewarding since there doesn't seem to be a lot of unique, interesting stuff to find... you mostly find consumables.  I could see how people who absolutely love Dark Souls for its combat would love this one, but so far I'm disappointed with the exploration.

 

Dragon Age: Inquisition

I've already completed the previous games in the series, so I guess it's time to play this one.  This is another I have on PC (and it runs fine), but it's yet another case where I cannot stand the awful client/DRM.  Although it's an RPG, it doesn't play particularly well with a mouse and keyboard, so why not play it on the couch?

 

This one seems to have developed a pretty negative reputation due to its "open world" design (which people say is dull and mostly empty) and many side quests (which people say mostly consist of gathering 10 things in a field somewhere).  I dunno about all that, because so far it's decent.  I've been mostly skipping the side quests and have only been exploring off the main quest path if something catches my eye and looks interesting.  I see the open world as a bonus; it looks nice, it makes it feel a bit more like you're exploring a real world instead of a quest location, and it's there if you want it.

 

The interface is actually quite decent, considering how much more complex the game is compared to, say, AC: Origins.

 

I guess if I had to complain about something, it's the "epic" tutorial the game starts out with.  I just don't understand why everything for the past 10 years or whatever has to be turned up to 11 at all times.  I liked how the first Dragon Age started, where you had different origin stories and they were pretty low key.

[zzip]

5 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

I'm a big fan of the Dark Souls series, and so this is the game I bought the system for.  Having said that, I really don't like this game so far.  I found the first location to be very difficult to navigate, because a lot of it looks so similar.  I also don't like the lack of build variety (there are "builds" but they are basically all "dodging fighters"), and don't feel that exploration is very rewarding since there doesn't seem to be a lot of unique, interesting stuff to find... you mostly find consumables.  I could see how people who absolutely love Dark Souls for its combat would love this one, but so far I'm disappointed with the exploration.

Have you made it out of Yharnam?

 

Bloodborne does do some things differently than Dark Souls,  and I'm not saying one way is better than the other, they are just different.  High consumables-  yeah because there's no estus system, you need to carry healing items,   this allows you to stray further from the bonfire (lamp) early in the game.   On the same topic,  there's only one lamp per area, and instead you focus on opening shortcuts (gates, elevators, etc) so you can reach further parts of the level easier.   You won't find many weapons drops, the weapons you find are usually pretty awesome, but they aren't handed out like candy unlike DS.

 

I think the Bloodborne has the coolest atmosphere of all the souls games, and there are things that make exploring worth it.   But Yharnam isn't the greatest of the areas.

[newtmonkey]

@zzip

No, I'm still in Yharnam.  I think I just need to force myself to play a bit more to get into it.  I did defeat the Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne.

[zzip]

10 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

@zzip

No, I'm still in Yharnam.  I think I just need to force myself to play a bit more to get into it.  I did defeat the Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne.

ok,if you got past Father Gascoigne, then you can reach Cathedral Ward nearby,  and Cathedral Ward links to a number of other areas of the game.

[Austin]

Yharnam I'd say is the toughest starting area compared to the three Dark Souls games and Demon's Souls. The game starts to open up more after that too as you understand how the areas are interconnected. And as the game progresses, some of those earlier areas will also be mixed up with beefier enemy types later on. Some areas are more focused on exploration than others, but that's how the souls games have always been.

 

Man, Bloodborne was just such a memorable experience for me. It is definitely more about the combat than other souls titles, but it still has the usual stuff like needing to open shortcuts, iframes on dodging, upgrading equipment, etc. Learning to parry with your gun is crucial though, along with "rallying", which is when you take a hit, attacking back in time restores health. Playing smart might be even more important in this game as well given that defense options are much more limited, and enemies can wreck you pretty quickly.

 

Oh, if you haven't figured it out yet, your healing potions give back not a specific amount of hitpoints, but a percentage of your health bar's max limit. The bigger your health bar is, the more you get back with each flask, so it's beneficial to boost the stat that affects that early on.

 

DLC is a must on this one too. It's a linear side campaign but it's got some great stuff and very tough bosses.

 

As far as what I've been playing on PS4, I did pick up its port of Ikaruga over the weekend. Nothing crazy, as it's a game that's been on a bunch of other systems, but I did find it cool how they added in some extra lighting features to this version that I don't recall being in earlier ports.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Austin

[newtmonkey]

Since dragging my PS4 out of storage a couple days ago, I've been playing PS4 games pretty much all night.  I originally bought this system just to play Bloodborne, and my intention was to complete that game and then sell the console, but I'll definitely be hanging onto it now... there are some great games on this system!

 

Dragon Age: Inquisition

I was pleasantly surprised by this one at first, since Dragon Age II was so bad (I loved Dragon Age: Origins)... but the cracks are starting to show.  I find combat to be very unsatisfying because it's this weird hybrid thing, where they tried to take the tactical combat from DA:O and combine it with their failed attempt at action-like combat in DAII. However, it fails as a tactical combat system because there's no combat log and the "tactical" view doesn't provide enough information to really make decisions, and fails as action combat because it just consists of holding the attack button down in between launching your special attacks.  The companion dialog is also pretty bad, but I expected that going in, having completed most of Bioware's games already.

 

Fortunately, there's still lots to like, and the game is definitely better than DAII.  I still like the open world maps, though I think the game would get pretty tedious if you tried to explore everything and complete every quest.  I also really like the war room stuff, where you spend points to unlock new areas and unlock "global" bonuses.  So, I'm still having a good time with this one.

 

Mortal Kombat 11

I can't say I like this as much as MKX, which itself was a step down from MK (2011) imo.  It's a good game and it plays well, but the atmosphere/mood is all over the place... it often looks to me like it takes place in some Marvel superhero movie, and I don't like the new designs for the classic characters.  I also don't like all the military characters with guns in this game.

 

I completed the main Story mode.  The last boss is a nightmare to defeat normally, so you have to cheese her with constant jump kicks.  I still had a good time with it... but geez is the story bad.  They tried to make the cinema scenes look like some kind of blockbuster movie, so you get constant camera shaking, dialog consisting 100% of exposition and quips, and lots of scenes of people getting mad and running into bases full of enemies, firing guns akimbo. It's just lame at this point, and it's also ridiculous because it's not even internally consistent with the game world; getting shot during a fight just means you lose a little bit off your life meter, but getting shot during a cinema kills you instantly.

 

Nioh

This game is very cool.  It's a tough game right from the start, since you really have to go toe-to-toe with enemies, but it's the same kind of fair difficulty that makes the DS games so satisfying.  It seems like a complete Dark Souls ripoff at first, and while it does share similar elements, it's actually quite unique once you get into it.  It actually feels like a weird combination of Dark Souls and Diablo II.  The combat is also really excellent with a greater focus on dodging and countering, and you also unlock new combat abilities as you go through the game.  Character building is actually quite overwhelming at first due to all the options you have.

 

So far, the level design is fantastic.  The stages are all pretty large with lots of shortcuts, etc. to find, but they are self-contained areas you simply select from a map.  I didn't think I'd like this first, but it's a nice change from the DS formula and I like it. 

 

I guess if I had to complain about anything, it's that it doesn't seem to have the build variety of DS.  You do build your character around two of five weapon types, but nearly every build is basically gonna be a guy that dodges around and stabs or smashes enemies, and then maybe also uses some ninja or yin-yang magic.

[Austin]

The PS4 has an amazing library. I got my first one in 2018 or so, five years late, and after that point had wished I bought it near launch. 🤣

[newtmonkey]

I have been playing so much PS4 lately, that I decided to replace the included 500 GB HD with a 1 TB SSD.  The install itself went fine, but everything after was a total nightmare.  Even after installing the games from disc and downloading updates, around half of my games wouldn't play and gave me weird messages telling me that the game hadn't been installed yet. I checked for updates, everything was updated.  The solution for most of the games was to just sit there on the title screen for 30+ minutes while the game secretly installed.  I had to look this "solution" up online, because all the system/game tells you is, "Cannot start. Installation not complete."  A totally unhelpful error message, indeed, since the PS4 UI indicated that the games were completely installed and updated.

 

Sadly, the two games I had spent the most time on, completely refused to work with my old saves on the new HD.  Dragon Age: Inquisition has some kind of bug or something where, if you replace the HD and try to load some old saves, it flips out because the game hasn't yet completely installed the new areas... I think it's because the game installs to HD as you play it, but it doesn't "know" what it needs to install in order to get an old save game to work.  You can't do anything about it, so I just had to start over.  Annoying, but I didn't like the character I was originally playing, so I don't mind so much.  At least the game itself works.

 

Much more horrible is Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition.  I don't know what's going on with this thing, and I may be losing my mind.  I reinstalled the game, updated it, and copied over my old save and the game loaded fine.  It locked out most of the content while it was "secret" installing it all, which is fine.  At least the game gives you an in-game timer telling you when the extra special install will be done.  Injustice 2 Legendary Edition did the same thing, but if you just sit there letting it install everything, eventually you're okay.

 

Not with MK11.  Once the in-game installation timers were done, I noticed that NONE of the DLC content was enabled... it just asked me to purchase it on the PSN store whenever I selected anything.  I made 100% sure that the game was installed and updated, sat on the title screen for 60 minutes, powered down the PS4 multiple times... no good.  This sucks, because this is the only version of this game where all the content is actually on the disc... and yet I've been locked out of much of the game that I purchased.  Hooray for modern console gaming!

 

Stranger still... I started up the Switch version of the same game... and all the DLC was locked out!  I don't think I updated the Switch version recently, so I have no idea what's going on.  The Switch version honestly sucks because there's just a skeleton of a game on the card, and you need to download everything else in a massive "patch."  However, I definitely had downloaded all that when I first bought the game, and it was working fine until now.

 

My last step was to install PS4 MK11 from the disc and not update it at all.  All the DLC was locked out, even though it's all supposed to be on the disc.  Totally insane.

 

Why would all the DLC content suddenly become disabled on both the PS4 version and Switch version on 9/1/2023?  I am wondering now if the game has some kind of built-in timer, where it disables all the extra content and then has to "phone home" to the WB servers or PSN or something.  Even so, the PS4 version is supposed to have everything on the disc, so it makes no sense.

 

This experience has pretty much soured me on modern console gaming.  It's infuriating that a game that I purchased just no longer works.  If I have to deal with that trash, I'd rather just go with Steam and a gaming PC; I've not had a single problem with installing a game in my Steam library even after changing PCs multiple times, so what's the benefit of buying physical games on consoles, if you just end up with a worthless coaster (or game card on Switch)?  My Dragon Age: Origin saves from 3+ PCs ago still work fine.  MKX in my Steam library has no problem at all starting up with all the content accessible, even though I bought it years ago on another PC.

 

I guess I will be checking out from console gaming at this point.

Edited September 1, 2023 by newtmonkey

[newtmonkey]

Mortal Kombat 11

MK 11 Ultimate still is a problem.  I contacted support, and while they were very friendly and helpful (even though I am playing the game in a country where it's banned), nothing worked.  The support rep suggested I try making a US PSN account and playing the game on that account, but sadly there's just something wrong with MK11U in my particular situation starting on 9/1/2023.  All the DLC content is listed as installed by the PS4, but the game itself sees none of it.

 

My next step was to get a cheap copy of vanilla MK11 and see what it does.  The entire game is on the disc (without expansion content of course), and you can play it fine even without patching it (though online features like the Krypt are not available).  Patching it actually transforms it into MK11U, without any of the DLC installed of course, which is expected.

 

I noticed that the MK11 Ultimate addon is on sale on PSN, so I went ahead and purchased that on my US PSN account, and it all works fine!  One interesting thing I noticed is that in the list of installed content for the game is something called "Physical Edition Tracker."  This is pretty suspicious, and I wonder if this is something that was added recently to the game, which is stopping my physical disc of Ultimate from working properly...

 

Anyway, although I wish the MK11 Ultimate disc would just work right, I guess I'm sort of okay with this compromise.  If PSN ever goes down, at least I can play vanilla MK11 without a bunch of content installed to disk that I cannot access.

 

[newtmonkey]

Double post!

 

I had the afternoon off so I decided to play a bunch of PS4.

 

Mortal Kombat 11

I went and completed the character-specific tutorials for all the DLC characters, then did the four Towers of Time tutorials... I ended up with a bunch of koins, so I went on a spending spree in the Krypt.  I must admit that I don't like the Krypt at all in this game.  It's cool that they sort of made a really simple adventure game of it, but all the chests are basically randomized loot boxes and it's annoying to spend like 100,000 koins on multiple chest only to get a bunch of crafting garbage.  The Krypt is also way too large and busy, so it's easy to miss chests.  Oh well.

 

Other than the Krypt, I am really liking this entry in the series.  I definitely prefer the atmosphere/mood and how the characters look in MKX, but MK11 really plays very nicely (and it also looks amazing).  I read that some diehard MK fans don't like the slower pace and greater focus on zoning rather than rushdowns in MK11, but I think it's a fun change of pace.  The game has adopted a lot of mechanics from competitive fighting games.  I dunno if MK really needs stuff like perfect blocking and tech rolls, but I guess I appreciate that the depth is there if you want to get into it.

 

If I have one complaint other than the general atmosphere and character designs, it's the fatalities.  The first couple I saw were amazing, but after seeing more they start to feel very similar.  A lot of the fatalities are also way too long and involved... like what is the point of burning through someone's guts (already dead at this point), then cutting their head off, then spearing their head in mid-air?  I think less is more with these kinds of things.

 

Dragon Age: Inquisition

I am quite addicted to this now!  I had to start over since my saves refused to work on my new hard drive, but I went with a two-handed warrior instead of a sword+shield warrior, and combat is a lot better now.  It's quite fun to just explore the beautiful environments and see what you can find off the beaten path, some of the quests are actually pretty unique (I've been ignoring the MMORPG-esque "collect X things" quests mostly).  A huge improvement over DAII, though I still prefer DA:O.

 

Horizon Zero Dawn

I picked this up because it was cheap, and I recall it being touted as some kind of PS4 killer app.  It does look really good, even though it's six years old at this point.  Once I got over the wow factor of the graphics, I quickly lost interest in this one.  The setting didn't really draw me in and the dialog is poor, and so far the game seems like your typical open-world action game with RPG elements, much like Assassin's Creed or Far Cry.  Maybe it gets more interesting later.

 

Ghost of Tsushima

This is another one I picked up due to all the praise it got when it was released.  Maybe I'm just not in the mood for another open-world action with RPG elements, but I had trouble getting into this one too.  I'll put in on the back burner along with Horizon Zero Dawn.

 

Far Cry 3

I actually have this on PC and it runs perfectly, but I refuse to use that UPlay DRM thing.  The game claims to be "remastered" on the box, but it's just the PS3 version running at a higher resolution.  It's still a decent looking game, though.  I really like how this game starts, and it kind of reminds me of the movie Hostel, where you have a bunch of rich and spoiled brats who think they're invincible being taught a brutal lesson in what the world is really like.  It's a cool game that I've played before... but unfortunately, there's a noticeable deadzone on the analog sticks, which makes precise aiming nearly impossible.  I can't remember if the PS3 version played like this too, or if I'm just too used to playing shooters with mouse and keyboard on the PC.  Oh well, I'm sure I can get used to it.

 

Assassin's Creed: Origins

I just got done saying that I might be tired of typical open-world action games with RPG elements, but something about this game is really cool.  It's probably the intriguing setting and the excellent map they give you to explore right away.  There's a very brief tutorial, and then the game just lets you loose in the world to explore and soak in the atmosphere of ancient Egypt.  The stealth and assassination mechanics are very simple, but they just feel right.  You feel pretty weak in a straight-up fight against several soldiers, but when you're sneaking around in the grass taking soldiers out one-by-one, you feel very powerful indeed.  Good stuff, and the locations are very memorable so far.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Well, for me Horizon Zero Dawn was the killer app for me on the PS4 only I didn't know that at the time. I was late to getting my PS4 as I waited and just got a PS4 Pro. I got the game when it was on sale phyiscally for like $20 or something and have NEVER regretted that decision. I couldn't stop playing HZD. In fact, I stopped playing Breath of the Wild on my Wii U because I liked HZD much better. I think the combat mechanics are what I like most because I like using the environment to my advantage. Like climbing up high on a cliff to take out nasty machines below me where they can't touch me. Good thing as they were usually much more over powered compared to what I could do face to face. The DLC for it is a very impressive one with an all new region, new enemy types and story. The sequel was okay, but didn't capture me the same way as the first game did. That said, the sequel looks freaking amazing on the PS4 Pro!!! Sucks the DLC is PS5 only though...

 

That said, I'm still pretty much just playing No Man's Sky on the PS4. They continue to put out amazing updates for it and the expeditions are a good draw to get you back into doing some things for those rewards they provide while also introducing you to the new stuff they might have added. And even on the aging PS4... No Man's Sky still looks amazing to me graphically!

 

[zzip]

Horizon Zero Dawn had stunning graphics and was fun to play for awhile,   I finished it, and the DLC but I think I've had my fill of that formula,  I haven't felt compelled to get Horizon Forbidden West even though I've had a PS5 for a few years now.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, zzip said:

Horizon Zero Dawn had stunning graphics and was fun to play for awhile,   I finished it, and the DLC but I think I've had my fill of that formula,  I haven't felt compelled to get Horizon Forbidden West even though I've had a PS5 for a few years now.

Well Forbidden west is more of the same of course but just new regions and environments to explore. Most of the machines are still the same as they were in the first game and of course the new mount you can get later is basically an end game mechanic. I understand why that is given it would have made the game over with way to quick otherwise. But yeah, even on the aging PS4 hardware, Forbidden West has the best graphics I've seen on a PS4. The new God of War games are also equally impressive and I actually ended up liking Ragnarok more than the first game. 

 

But yes, once you have the skills in place and the right weapons in hand, the Horizon games can start to feel like it lingers on a bit towards the end. Still, the way they handled the environments and diversity of it in the first game I still feel was done better than the sequel.

 

 

[newtmonkey]

I decided to give Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima a second chance last night.

 

Horizon Zero Dawn

I'm just not feeling it at all.  The robot dinosaurs are cool, and the bow is fun to use, but the weird stilted dialog ruins any attempt at world building.  I also don't like how the game takes place in an open world, but you can only climb specific areas.  It makes the game feel pretty flat.  Finally, I've just had enough with gathering trash to craft stuff in games; I hate this in general, but to have to tediously craft arrows for your main weapon is such a drag.  A good looking game, but certainly not anything I want to play.

 

Ghost of Tsushima

I ended up getting into this one!  It helps that its "tutorial" has you storming a fortress and slaying people left and right, instead of being tasked with gathering 10 pieces of grass and 10 boar hides to make some arrows or whatever.  If I have one complaint, it's that there is way too much of a focus on story, and the story is really boring (and dead-faced serious).  Another very minor complaint is that every character so far is really ugly.  I dunno why this is, maybe they were trying to make the game more "realistic" and didn't want to fill the game with characters that look like supermodels... but then why make the game look so cinematic at all times?

[zzip]

11 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

Horizon Zero Dawn

I'm just not feeling it at all.  The robot dinosaurs are cool, and the bow is fun to use, but the weird stilted dialog ruins any attempt at world building.  I also don't like how the game takes place in an open world, but you can only climb specific areas.  It makes the game feel pretty flat.  Finally, I've just had enough with gathering trash to craft stuff in games; I hate this in general, but to have to tediously craft arrows for your main weapon is such a drag.  A good looking game, but certainly not anything I want to play.

Yeah, it's an Ubisoft-styled game released before the fatigue for that gameplay style really set in.   I enjoyed it when it launched in 2016 or 2017 (whenever it was),  but I'm not sure I'd be able to get into it now.    As I mentioned in my last post, I don't even have a desire to play the sequel.    

[+-^CrossBow^-]

13 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

I decided to give Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima a second chance last night.

 

Horizon Zero Dawn

I'm just not feeling it at all.  The robot dinosaurs are cool, and the bow is fun to use, but the weird stilted dialog ruins any attempt at world building.  I also don't like how the game takes place in an open world, but you can only climb specific areas.  It makes the game feel pretty flat.  Finally, I've just had enough with gathering trash to craft stuff in games; I hate this in general, but to have to tediously craft arrows for your main weapon is such a drag.  A good looking game, but certainly not anything I want to play.

The sequel helps address a lot of this as I recall just basically buying up everything I wanted vs actually crafting most of it. Also they improved where the climbing in a number of ways in that there is a LOT more verticality required in places now and to help the player know where they can and cannot climb, you can enable a mode where sections of the rock and structures will highlight in yellow so you know it is something you can grapple onto and climb.

[zzip]

18 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

The sequel helps address a lot of this as I recall just basically buying up everything I wanted vs actually crafting most of it. Also they improved where the climbing in a number of ways in that there is a LOT more verticality required in places now and to help the player know where they can and cannot climb, you can enable a mode where sections of the rock and structures will highlight in yellow so you know it is something you can grapple onto and climb.

I'm pretty sure the original highlighted climbable sections in yellow too,  though I'm not sure if that could be turned off

[Gentlegamer]

I would recommend giving HZD another look: it's really fun to fight the dino bots with all the tools you have.

[+Cafeman]

HZD was a surprise to me back in 2018 when I got my PS4. I felt real apprehension as I'd encounter bigger, stronger, and meaner creatures.  I wonder if it would be as fun on a 2nd play-thru.  Those mechs in the Frozen Wilds were icing on the cake after playing through the entire game.  I don't play open world games often, so the sprawling hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests simply amazed me at the time. Good mood, and the sci-fi storyline was interesting too, with great voice actors.    It was interesting watching one of my sons play it, he used totally different weapons and strategies than I had done. 

 

However , I've had the PS4 sequel on my shelf for half a year and never even popped it into the machine yet.  Maybe when fall and winter hits and nights are longer. 

 

ANYWAY, I did play my PS4 over Labor Day Weekend, for the first time in a month or two - I played all Genesis Compilaton games like ESWAT, Bonanza Bros, and Mean Bean Machine. 

[newtmonkey]

I decided to give Playstation Plus a try, just to be able to "rent" AA/AAA games that I want to play but not own or replay.  I went with the "Extra" plan, and it's a pretty good value so far.  I was surprised to find a lot of games I wanted to try/play, both old and new... and another convenience is that I've installed the PsPlus versions of several of the games in my physical library, so that I don't need to insert the discs to play the game.

 

I went on a crazy downloading spree, and tried a bunch of games.

 

Necromunda: Underhive Wars

I previously played Mordheim from the same developer, but found it to be way too clunky, and was hoping they had improved the interface for this one.  On the contrary, this is even clunkier.

 

Part of the problem is the developer's insistence on using direct character control and a behind-the-shoulder camera in what is basically a tactical combat game like X-COM or Final Fantasy Tactics.  This gives you such a limited view of the battlefield, that you need to cycle through your characters just to get an idea of what's going on.  This could make for a cool tactical experience if done right, but sadly that's not the case here.

 

The "Story" mode is basically a tutorial that doesn't explain a single thing.  You're bombarded with stats and icons from the first turn, and the game buries the information behind its unintuitive interface.  The initiative system is very unique, and the game barely describes it.  When it's your turn, you select one of your characters and then the game rolls initiative against whichever character it chooses on its side.  So, you'll often pick your character, but then the game immediately switches to the computer character moving around.  I thought the game was broken at first.  If you open the menu, you use Circle to select things, but it also tells you to press Circle to close the menu.  I still don't understand how it works, but I think you have to be on a particular menu screen or maybe even a specific menu screen item, in order for Circle to actually close the menu.

 

I'll play a couple more missions to see if it all starts to make sense.  If not, I can't see myself playing this much more.

 

Shin Sangoku Musou 8 (aka Dynasty Warrior 9)

I love this series of games, but I'm glad I didn't actually buy this one.  Characters all seem to control the same (even more so than in previous games), and the frame rate is just horrible.  There's an "action" mode with a higher fps, but enabling that also severely degrades the graphics.  The open world is a really cool idea, and it sort of works but doesn't make up for the other major problems with the game.  Still, I'll keep it installed and play it some more.

 

Dragon Quest Heroes

This is more like it.  It's basically a Musou game in the Dragon Quest world, and it's a lot of fun.  Nice, clean graphics are somewhat let down by an unstable frame rate, but it's completely playable.  The developers really tried to give the Musou formula a Dragon Quest spin, and did a fine job.  Building up characters is very addictive, as you can buy and craft equipment in between missions, and there are lots of skills and abilities to buy with skill points earned after each mission.

 

For Dragon Quest fans, the game is overloaded with nostalgia.  The soundtrack is taken from many of the games in the mainline series, and it's a total blast seeing all the iconic DQ monsters running around.

 

My only complaint so far is that the "tutorial" section is too long.  It's a very simple game, yet the developers insisted on stringing out the tutorial over several boring missions... and so the game seems ridiculously basic for the first hour or so.

 

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr

This is a Diablo II clone that I have been wanting to try now for some time.  Unfortunately, the PC version is online-only even when playing single player, so I refused on principle to purchase it.  Playing it for free on Playstation Plus, however, is acceptable to me lol.

 

So far, it's pretty good.  There are only three classes to choose from to start, but there are a lot of ways to build your character.  The game is also absolutely soaking in atmosphere and mood, and it looks pretty good overall.  Unfortunately, the frame rate is very unstable... but it never gets so bad that it's unplayable or even uncomfortable.

 

The biggest issue with this game is, yet again, a "tutorial" section that's just too long.  You have to play through several extremely linear missions as the game slowly introduces the plot.  It left me with a very poor first impression, because the game seemed to be extremely simple and linear.  However, once you get through that part, the game really opens up, allowing you to travel to different planets full of optional missions.

 

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I've been enjoying AC:O so much, that I thought I'd give some of the older games a try.  The only other game I've played in the series is the first game, which I actually did complete back in the day.  I became quite addicted to this one, too, so then I decided I should probably play the rest of the series (or at least the mainline games), so I then played...

 

Assassin's Creed II

So far, so good.  The setting is fascinating, and the characters are very likeable.  One thing that annoys me is that all the characters are speaking in English with these fake Italian accents.  This makes no sense to me.  They aren't Italians speaking in a second language, they are supposed to be native Italians speaking Italian (but translated into English by the Animus for the benefit of Desmond and his pals).  It's like in those old war movies when they make the German soldiers (played by Americans or Brits) all speak English in ridiculous German accents even among themselves.  Big pet peeve of mine.

Edited September 7, 2023 by newtmonkey

[+wongojack]

I was surprised at how much I liked Horizon Zero Dawn.  I thought that I even commented on it in this thread, but I did write something up here:  https://forums.atariage.com/topic/329714-modern-games-beaten-in-2022/?do=findComment&comment=5040997

 

 

I will say to @newtmonkey that you basically nailed it.  It is sort of a re-tread of other games, but somehow, it clicked with me and did things better.  I had no problems with the dialog and thought the story did enough to "get the job done."  Things do get more interesting once you get to the capital city.

 

Assassin's Creed II and Black Flag are both games I would give 5 out of 5.  Keep going with those for sure, but playing all those open world games together might remove some of their individual goodness.

[newtmonkey]

My Playstation Plus adventures continue...

 

Eiyuu Densetsu: Sen no Kiseki (aka Trails of Cold Steel)

I've only completed a single game in this series (Eiyuu Densetsu on the PC Engine), but I have played Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki (PC) quite extensively and really liked it, but put it aside once summer hit and I began focusing on playing console games in the living room.  Anyway, I decided to give this game a try and see what a "modern" game in the series is like.  First off, I really like the clean, colorful graphics.

 

 

Unfortunately, the writing is pretty bad so far.  I really liked Sora no Kiseki for its down-to-earth story and rich characters (even if they were mostly anime stereotypes), so the decline in Sen no Kiseki is pretty shocking.  This does that thing that a lot of Japanese RPGs started to do with the 32-bit consoles, where you will have five people in a room, and every single character has to give a little comment on absolutely everything that happens... but it's the most asinine, banal stuff imaginable.  I mean, you'll find a button and you clearly have to just press it, but every single character one after another basically just says "wonder what that button's for" or "gotta press that button" in their own unique way written to show off their single character quirk (this one's the cool guy, that one's the polite guy, this one's the girl who's always cheerful, that one's the girl who's completely humorless, etc.).

 

I'm hoping it's just a "tutorial" of sorts easing you into the game and story, and things will improve later.  At any rate, I just wanted to try this out, since I definitely plan on completing Sora no Kiseki and it's two sequels (and then the two spinoffs that follow those) before I consider playing this game.

 

Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (aka I am Setsuna)

This throwback to 16-bit RPGs in general and Chrono Trigger in particular started out pretty cool (hehe) with an intriguing setup and a unique setting, but I quickly grew bored of it.  The problem is that it's just too simple; everything has been completely streamlined (no equipment other than your weapon and an accessory), the maps are tiny and linear, and combat is braindead easy right from the start.  What's worse is that the game has very to little variation in setting, since it all takes place on a snowy island, in which you fight the same handful of enemies over and over.  The story starts out with a cool hook, but just does nothing with it (though it's possible that the game becomes awesome 10 hours in or something).

 

---

 

I also bought a physical game:

Shin Sangoku Musou 7 with Moushouden (aka Dynasty Warriors 8)

I had this on the PS3 back in the day, and also have it on PC (Steam).  The PC version runs absolutely fine, but the port is actually of the PS3 version and not the PS4 version (which has improved textures and lighting).  There's also a noticeable deadzone around the center of the analog sticks that's not the end of the world but is annoying.

 

The PS4 version does look a lot better with much sharper textures, better character models, and cool volumetric lighting and fog effects... but it comes at a massive price, which is a shockingly bad frame rate.  In scenes with a lot of effects going on (especially fire), the game becomes so choppy and slow that it feels like it's on the verge of crashing.  The game hardly ever gets to 60 fps even when nothing is going on, which is pretty surprising because the PC version (and if I remember correctly, even the PS3 version) runs at or near 60 fps at all times.  It makes a huge difference in a busy action game like this.

 

I'm not sure if I'm gonna hang on to this one.  It looks good, but it just feels horrible to play.

[newtmonkey]

I intended to edit my post above, but missed the edit window.

 

Anyway, 

On 9/8/2023 at 3:34 AM, wongojack said:

Assassin's Creed II and Black Flag are both games I would give 5 out of 5.  Keep going with those for sure, but playing all those open world games together might remove some of their individual goodness.

Yeah, I am definitely gonna continue playing this series.  I actually really liked the first game, so I dunno why I never played the sequel back when it was released.  Maybe I just assumed it would be more of the same.

 

I went on and on about cargo cult open worlds all throughout this topic, but I actually really like the Ubisoft approach -- at least in the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed series.  Their games tend to throw you into the open world after only a short tutorial, and even the tutorial is often excellent; I think that the intro to Far Cry 3 is a fantastic tutorial, in that it teaches you how to play the game very quickly, but also gives you a quick and fascinating look at the main villain, even though he is only on screen for like 30 seconds.

 

---

 

With that said, I think I've played around with Playstation Plus enough, and have determined the games I'm gonna focus on for now: Assassin's Creed II and Dragon Age: Inquisition.  If I want to take a break from these epics, I'll pop into Nioh, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr, or a Musou/Warriors game.

 

I must say that I'm pretty happy with the good old PS4.  I'm happy I decided on a whim one day a few years ago to buy a PS4 slim, because it's a really fun console with a great library (arguably greater than that of the PS3).

[newtmonkey]

Today I did some shopping at the local used stuff stores:

 

Dragon's Crown Pro

This reminds me a lot of the Capcom Dungeons & Dragons games.  First impressions were negative because, although the artwork is very nice, the characters are all drawn ridiculously exaggerated to the point of comedy.  It's bizarre to see these weird mutants walking around beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds.  It didn't take much time to get over that, though, because the game plays very well.  It's basically an RPG beat 'em up, and I could see myself sinking many hours into this building up various characters.  My only real concern is that the game might be a bit shallow, but we'll see.

 

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition

I've always been intrigued by this series, and I actually did buy the game without DLC on PC when it was on sale long ago, but the PS4 disc (which includes both MHW and the Iceborne expansion) was actually cheaper than buying the DLC alone on Steam.  One nice bonus of playing the PS4 version is that it supports HDR, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

First off, this game looks really good even today.  The areas are massive and look fantastic, with tons of details and memorable layouts, and the game (so far) runs well.

 

I played through the intro and the first tutorial mission, and I had a good time.  I don't think I quite get combat yet, because I ended up just basically button mashing my way through the first mission, and I'm certain that's not how the game is really meant to be played.  I went with sword and shield... but the concept I have in mind is a lightly armored bow hunter, so I might switch over to that (or run a separate bow character).