Topic: What PS4 Games Are You Currently Playing?

I'm still going with Yakuza 0 and it feels like it will never end, especially as I'm trying to do all sub stories as I go.

And now I'm onto chapter 7 and have just unlocked the cabaret club. God help me.

@Thrillho You can do every substory, every sidequest after you finish the story. So, play what you wanna play. If you wanna continue the story first, I'd recommend doing that. Don't tire yourself out over this game, it easily has 150 hours of playtime, but you can choose exactly what order to do it in.

Myself, I really enjoyed playing the side stuff for hours without end in 0, so that's what I did. Doesn't mean you need to. No substory, collectible or business related activity is missable. In Kiwami I finished the story first and only then started doing a lot of the stuff I skipped earlier. It's allllllll good.

I am struggling with Dragon Quest 11 currently.

I love it's music, I think it's a fantastic looking game and I like the characters too, but having played around 25 hours I am stalling a little. I am finding it a little bit grindy and repetitive and I am starting to think my tastes have changed and I have grown weary of JRPG's. It's a shame because I recognise all the things it does right, but I think the gameplay in these kinds of games no longer keeps me engaged.

@Kidfried Yeah, I get that you can wait until the end but I know if I finish the game that I probably won't go back to do them and I'm a bit of a completionist so want to make sure everything has been done before moving on from the game. Plus, some of the rewards from sub stories give you property/hostesses which makes those game modes easier.

I'm enjoying it overall and realise the silly array of things you can do give the game some its charm (I've not played a Yakuza game before) but for me it's the standard video game logic of "well, I need to clear my name so that I can save the world.. but maybe I should go star in this popstars music video first" that gets a little disingenuous at times.

@Lovespuds It's a very classic JRPG, maybe some more modern takes at the genre might be a better idea then.

Personally I try to play as little of these classic JRPGs. Not because I don't like them (quite the opposite!) but rather to keep myself from becoming tired of the genre as a ehole After playing so many modern RPGs, replaying Final Fantasi VI actually feels fresh again.

But I can also see how in this modern video game landscape some genres can just feel too dated for someone. When I first played Pokemon the games felt very open world and I felt free to play any way I want. Now, with so many open world games out, and the Pokemon games staying pretty much the same, they feel stale and rigid.

Anyway... maybe just play something else in between. I lalways play multiple games while I try to tackle these epic RPGs.

@Thrillho I had the same problem. It all feels very overwhelming. I decided I'm just going to do the story and only bother with side-content during the campaign if I don't have to go out of my way to do it. I can always go back and do it later.

@Ralizah @Thrillho Really, just do what you want do at any given moment. This isn't a game in which you should worry about doing what in what order. If something appears to be too hard, or too expensive, don't worry, you can always come back to it later.

I think the game's sidestuff is there to help you relax more than anything. I can understand how it can still feel overwhelming, by the way, because that's exactly how the last Zelda felt to me. :')

I started playing Dead by Daylight. It's good. It's not great, but it's good and a good Plus offering as I would never have tried it otherwise and it's a different game which I appreciate. I feel like it's balanced pretty well so far and they made both fun, so you don't always want to play as the killer. I wonder how hard that is, to make sure being the killer is awesome, but being a survivor is also lots of fun since you need 80% of the people playing survivor.

@Kidfried @Ralizah I haven't done a single story mission today but have just played the Cabaret Club minigame and done all the training for Yuki as well as beat the first big club.

@Kidfried
I have actually taken the same approach with JRPG's and have tried to be selective with which I purchase to reduce getting bored of them. I will still try and push on for now and hope the story picks up enough to capture my imagination.

@Thrillho I liked the cabaret club missions... a lot! What did you think of them?

@Kidfried I've just been replaying the first area over to complete all the special training for the first platinum hostess. And then just beaten the Club Mars "battle".

They're quite good fun and can be a little challenging. I've hoovered up all the potential hostesses from the map plus the ones from previous sub stories so have a good roster to use. It's more entertaining than the real estate business for sure!

@Thrillho Yea, doesn't make as much money, though.

@Kidfried I've heard BotW stressed some people out. I found it supremely relaxing in general, though: one of the few games where I could really "lose myself" in the world. I think, beyond the fantastic layers of interactivity in the open world, it's also because of the singular focus on open, freeing exploration. Most games, even games I like, I tend to still have one eye mentally on the clock... but this one I could just be immersed in for hours.

With Yakuza 0, the game isn't really one I can lose myself in. The vectors of interactivity are very limited, and the game is tightly structured: full of chapters, involved cutscenes, organized lists of optional activities, entire systems and subsystems to explore within the context of the narrative, etc. The entire game is one giant, segmented "to-do" list. Which doesn't make it a bad game, by the way: I think it does certain things very, very well, and I tend to enjoy my time with it. I just don't see it being one of those "do whatever" games I can relax with.

@Ralizah @Kidfried One of the interesting things about Yakuza 0 (and I assume all the Yakuzas are the same style, i haven’t played others yet) is that the side content can hit you randomly. I might be making a beeline to the nearest phone booth to save and quit the game for the day, and an optional side quest pops up spontaneously on my way there. And I almost never say “No” when an NPC asks for help so there I go, thinking that I’ll just complete this one request before I quit for the day and there goes another hour. 😂
But I do think it’s refreshing how it is spontaneous like that, rather than just opens up all the icons at once and has you go through in an organized fashion. Rather I might play Side quest #25 within my first couple hours but for you it might not pop up until hour 10, if at all. The randomness is kinda nice, and then kind of frustrating at the same time. For example I would have like to knock out early all the missions that involve getting an NPC available for recruitment later in the real estate or cabaret mini games, but it’s just chance as to when you cross paths with those people.
I haven’t completed Yakuza but I have liked it and I think I might try to blitz through the story if I can ever get back to it. I’m just letting my mood guide me and when I’m in the mood then I’ll return to this and Persona 5 — two long, long games that require some dedication.

@Th3solution Oh yes. The game is very good at making it difficult to quit without completing at least one more side activity that has recently revealed itself.

The side content is charmingly strange, though. Unlike anything I've ever encountered in any other game I've ever played.

@Kidfried True but the real estate business is a bit annoying to have to keep going back to.

Could they not at least have put a taxi near that part of town??

@beemo Is it your first time playing L.A. Noire, or did you play it before at launch? I only ask because I didn't play it until last year, when the remastered version came out, and I was told of this legendary, unique experience which would blow me away. I'm curious to hear the thoughts of others.

@beemo Thanks for your reply! You certainly sound like some of the recommendations I was given. I think I suffered from playing it late; same thing happened when I finally got around to Red Dead Redemption earlier this year, although that hasn't aged half as well as L.A. Noire has (the remaster helped in some places). Hype can make or break revisiting older games, I think. The period setting, atmosphere, facial capture technology and performances were all top-notch, but I unfortunately noticed some of the cracks in the gameplay which I sincerely doubt I would have if playing at launch. Was just curious to see if you were in a similar position and, if so, whether you agreed or not (although I can certainly understand how it could be Top 10 material for many, even if I wouldn't personally agree).

@RogerRoger Wait, what? I feel RDR aged way better than L.A. Noire. Never understood the remaster or why anyone would want to still pay that game in 2018.