Poll: Are You Playing Stellar Blade?

I’m a massive action game fan and yes, I’m taking a break from FFVII Rebirth to play Stellar Blade today. I almost always finish what I’m currently playing before starting anything new, but I’m definitely making an exception on this occasion.

It was also refreshing to see version 1.2 on the disc, so no day one patch. Unless my PS5 just didn’t show the patch as a download I guess?

I'm playing it right now.

My copy already arrived yesterday but I haven't gotten around to actually play it yet. Looking forward to play it later today

It's very pretty, but the demo was just about average for me. So probably never.

Not at this exact moment, but I will be when I get back from the office.

I have the game — in fact, I had it preordered and installed days ago. I planned on starting it this morning before I went to work, but I’m actually quite invested in I Am Setsuna, so that’s my focus for the moment.

I got that Fallout bug. I might down the road.

Maybe heavily discounted, gives bargain bin vibes.

Due to the censorship to outfits and gore, I’ll not be buying it until I can get it second hand. Don’t want to reward Sony in any way.

No it just always looked generic to me and honestly with all the constant "Aah this game is sexist coomer bait" and "Lol hot lady, big butt, bewbs gamez doesn't need anything but this ha ha Stellar Blade making peopo seeth" from both sides I'm just sick of hearing about this game at all 😅. Like a game as generic looking as this seems like a weird hill for both culture war sides to die on 😅

I was going to until I found out it's close to a soulsborne, don't have patience for those kind of games. Was hoping it was a hack and slash.

I do like action games but having just got back into playing the Fallout games, they'll be taking up much of my time for a while

I love simple button smashing action games, so it was letdown, for me, this is some kind of "parry simulator".

I'm eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive. A bit bummed by the censorship but I'm not passing on a fantastic looking game. Plus you can apparently play the uncensored version by not installing the updates with the physical version. So that's how I'll play it. Never had issues with the supposed input delay either

@thefourfoldroot1 i hear you brother. I did however have it pre ordered and dispatched before i knew about the censorship. Its infront of me right now but i dont know if i should play it unpatched, as it was always shown to us and as grown adults the way we should be allowed to play it and forego NG+ and any extra costumes etc or just bite the bullet and play it under the boot of Sony. Whoever forced in the patch, be it Sony or Shift Up its was a bloody snakey thing to do.

I like action games, until I see the words "rouguelike" or "soulslike", then I'm out. Which is, of course, everything these days. I saw the review for this one said it had light soulslike, anyone know how light?

Playing it now.

Nope, I'm not playing it and don't know if I ever will.

@Judal27 read my comment above. Im on the fence with this one from the reasons stated above.

@Kidfunkadelic83
As you’ve already bought it, and it was actually very well optimised at release, I say play it unpatched. If you really want the new game plus options you could save right before the end and then update it I guess. I wouldn’t be able to play through it censored though, I’d be constantly frustrated and resentful.

I played the demo and I liked it, but not to the point where I feel the need to buy it right away, or at all for that matter.

I've put around 4 hours so far into and yeah its good but i don't think its great, of course its early enough to change and i haven't even got to the "open world" stuff yet but so far while the combat is fantastic i feel the platforming really let's it down, its very clunky and its easy to miss landings or fall of ledges. That said again the combat is fantastic and the visuals and especially music are incredible. As for Eve? She's just 2B but no where near as interesting or iconic, she looks good and her voice actress is fine but she's not standing along side Bayo and 2B at all.

Just ok gameplay that feels slow, which is for some inexplicable reason intentional, that tries too hard to be budget automata. Boosted by sex appeal controversy and a "Sony exclusive" label that automatically grants +12 to the Prestige stat to any game. For $30 or 40 I'd add it to the backlog maybe. It isn't bad, but I can't figure out why you'd really spend time on it instead of Automata, Elden Ring, Wo Long, Nioh or any of the other 500 block, Dodge, parry games unless you're literally out of options and starving for content.

@thefourfoldroot1 now that is a bloody good idea. I didnt think of updating it right at the end. You sir have just reached legendary status 🤜🤛

Come May 6th I'll be playing it

@thefourfoldroot1 So it was censored? That's a shame.

@DennisReynolds "She's just 2B but no where near as interesting or iconic, she looks good and her voice actress is fine but she's not standing along side Bayo and 2B at all."

I agree with this.

Yup its fantastic so far. Really enjoying my time with it!

@Kidfunkadelic83 assuming what @thefourfoldroot1 said works, that's probably what I'll do too. I forgot ng+ seems to have new costumes that aren't just color variations of existing ones too. And I don't intend to play the whole game in the bunny suit lol as tempting as it is. Gonna try them all out

Pre-ordered the deluxe edition last night. I can't wait to play all weekend after pesky work

I don't really like these types of action games but I'm happy to see a new IP doing well. I'm probably going to play Fallout 4 and get the platinum all over again.

@The_Pixel_King Seriously wow this should be a standard getting the latest build on disc. 👍

@DennisReynolds
Wow. Just wow, lol.
Firstly I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy or play the game. I said I’d buy the physical version, as it is uncensored, and I would get it second hand so Sony (who censored the game) don’t get any of my money.

As to this being self censorship or (my Lord!) “artistic changes”, that is just laughable. Do you really think this dev would go back to make garments uglier and less revealing (two different things) by their own choice? Are you completely uninformed about Sony’s history here?

Do I want the game to fail? Tough question. The dev still showed more honesty and integrity by making this game than they lost through capitulating at the end. But the dev has a massive cash cow already so they’ll be fine, and hopefully if it does fail they skip PlayStation in future so they can make games unmolested.

@Kidfunkadelic83
Maybe. Can’t say if it will work but worth a try.

I will.but not at the moment.too many games to play.my backlog of games is huge.word up son

@thefourfoldroot1 its a good shout tho buddy

Not playing it yet, got a couple of games locked and loaded from the backlog, but I'll be all over it once I have those cleared off the list (AC Mirage and Jedi Survivor if anyone's curious)

I'm a bit disappointed about the censorship, it now seems there's a few costumes that have been changed and that's fine but what's peeved me the most is that a few days ago the devs announced it's releasing everywhere uncensored, which we now know was a blatant lie. It's like they lied to get more day one sales knowing full well there's some people who wouldn't buy the game if they knew it was censored.

But it also doesn't make sense as the game is age rated 18, they can include full on nudity with that rating like with other games such as The Witcher and Baldurs Gate 3 etc, makes absolutely no sense why this dev (who makes Nikke btw) would censor unless they were forced to.

Rant over, my copy should be arriving tomorrow and I'm still really looking forward to playing it, but going forward I know not to take what the devs say seriously.

Nope. I like action JRPG's, but this one just doesn't look interesting at all.

Not playing just yet, I’m at work 😭. But I definitely will be playing this as soon as I can.

I want to play it, but I'm waiting to find a copy at around 50 something or 60€. For some reason all the stores in my country decided to start selling the games at 80€ a month ago.

@UltimateOtaku91
If you want an answer “Sony”.
Yes it doesn’t make sense, but that’s because those who decide these things out of California have no minds to speak of. Anything slightly revealing below the waistline is anathema to their “morals”.

@thefourfoldroot1 Yeah if this isn't a "mistake" and gets fixed within the next few days then it's pretty abvious it was Sony's decision. People saying it's down to artistic changes are in denial, I've played Nikke on mobile and seen this devs "Artistic" style and they don't shy away from revealing costumes.

@thefourfoldroot1 Very true. Sony sold their soul to the devil awhile ago and it definitely shows. Damn shame, too. They used to be such a fun company with all kinds of games and a huge variety in genres.. Sadly, that's no longer the case these days.

Waiting for a sale me thinks. I enjoyed the demo but generally don't enjoy souls likes so was disappointed it was more like that than DMC. I really enjoy nier though

I'm looking forward to it but Rebirth, Dogma and Elden Ring are eating up so much time right now. Seems a lot of people were more interested in Eve's booba than the actual game though...

Will get my copy eventually. This looks very good.

But I want to finish Avatar Frontiers of Pandora first of all.

Too many other games, added it to the wishlist and will get it when the backlog drops down a bit.

@UltimateOtaku91 you could always try what @thefourfoldroot1 mentioned. Seems about the best way to play it as it ahould have been released whilst not foregoing NG+. I will certainly be playing it that way.

Honestly? I'll just wait for it to be on PS Plus and play other stuff. Perfect time for some backlog games.

I would be playing it if I had a ps5, definitely. I love action games, especially the stylish ones, and the whole genre needs triple A games and new IPs. Stellar Blade looks awesome !

Just got back with my copy.. but might have to wait till later tonight. Very rarely I do day 1s but this is my cuppa. Loved Bayonetta but always found combat a bit floaty. Love the chunkyness here.

@rusty82 what's happening may 6th?....

Will play it once I get it.

@thefourfoldroot1 Spider-Man 2 was censored with the NG+ update as the Raimi suit was altered.

The outfits aren't "uglier" they look pretty much the same and you only know its changed because some sad sack spent way too much time trying to find changes on a bathing suit.

As i said you guys clearly never cared about the game outside of the T&A. You and others have spent the last day and bit obsessing over this rather talking about the gameplay, story and such as all you cared about is a bathing suit and how much cleavage it may or may not show post update. Honestly the backlash has been beautiful as it really says a lot about this so called fanbase. I hope the game does well its good and we need more games like this so hopefully the chuds effing off won't impact sales.

@UltimateOtaku91 Dude BG3 has full frontal nudity and graphic sex including bear sex. TLoUP2 has Abby topless and in a pretty raw sex scene. Cyberpunk 2077 has full frontal nudity and graphic sex. Saints Row 2022 is the only SR game with uncensored female topless nudity.

Get my point? I don't think Sony care about nudity involving adults anymore.

It's waiting on my PS5 now... Since I've had some afterwork drinks it might not be the most productive session, but I'll give it a try. Looking forward to it. What kind of censorship are we talking about except for that one graffiti oder sign that was censored?

Put in a solid 3 hours this morning. Beat the second boss. My thoughts so far are I’m really liking it. The combat is great. I don’t notice the “delay” and it evolves quickly with new moves brought on at a rapid pace as you upgrade skills. Enemy variety so far has been great and you can see there are a lot more to come. The exploration is way better than it thought would be. I actually like that there isn’t a map at all times, I haven’t even unlocked it yet. I’m organically trying to find every nook and cranny. Items and currency are plentiful but you have to hunt for them, though it doesn’t feel tedious. Overall, great start. I can see myself running a new game plus fully loaded right after beating it.

@Sequel my birthday. My wife's got me it for it. Luckily got Dave the Diver to entertain me untill I can play it. May get demo replayed beforehand to get into swing of things again

Not for full price. Nope

@thefourfoldroot1 that's a mad amount of words just to say you like to stare.

@thefourfoldroot1 Um the gore seems pretty unchanged from the demo. Fun fact the "nude skin" you can have by unequipping your outfit is way more revealing then the bathing suit. I know this because i've been playing the game instead of relying on Reddit chuds for info. The changes are clearly an artistic choice something games do quite a lot nowadays, the only reason people are crying over it with SB is because they haven't found 3D porn yet. Yeah i'm being harsh because this whole thing is quite frankly weird and stupid. If you really cared about this game 0.3% cleavage removal on one or two outfits wouldn't bother you, you understand there's actually way more revealing outfits then the bathing suit right? Why would they censor that but let you play practically naked if you desire? To quote Omni-Man "Think". Gore wise its very much gory, not much to say there.

Also again Spider-Man 2 censored the Raimi suit because they altered it in an update, they also censored the Amazing 2 suit in a day 1 patch and again later on in another update.

@DennisReynolds 2B isn't iconic. Nier has always been a niche series.

@Americansamurai1 I honestly felt it's more like GOW and DMC.

@rusty82 the demo is actually the first chapter/opening.... Just keep playing the first chapter.

Had the digital deluxe edition preordered ever since I finished the demo. So far I’m just a little beyond the end of the demo and I’m loving the game. The level design is really very good with tons of places to explore,I’m really into the lore and enjoying the little bit of story so far and I don’t know what the review was talking about calling the voice acting atrocious because I just don’t hear it especially using that strong of a word. I’ve heard way worse voice acting in DMC and RE games for example. The combat remains the star though like this is one of the best feeling action games in years and I go out of my way looking for fights lol.

@Stickleman it’s not souls like at all and I hate how that misinformation got spread. It’s more DMC and GOW mixed with a slight sprinkling of Bayo.

@NEStalgia budget automata lmao this games combat craps on automata’s from a great height and you can tell this game had a big budget behind it hell the studio who made it are flushed with cash. The combat is also way better than Wo Longs and Elden Ring especially ER which has never been some combat masterclass it gets by on it’s exploring,level design and art direction

@dark_knightmare2 it's alot more souls then DMC or GOW.
I've played the demo plenty long enough

Playing it with my husband as the first game we actually play together (and I mean sharing the same playthrough) since Elden Ring! It’s lovely.
Nothing too innovative but it hits that sweet spot between playing a souls-like and god of war on hard. Having a blast so far

@rusty82 I thought so that's why I asked. It's mine on that day too. Happy days!

Can't speak to outfits (not bothered personally) .. but gore is unchanged. It's quite a violent game. It's also amazing, just finished a good session. Shaping up to be one of my top ps5 titles.

@thefourfoldroot1 playing without updating will be a pain in the arse. Even when i go in to the system setting and turn off auto updates etc it tries in install 1.2.0 on every boot up and when i cance the sownload it just starts downloading again with a message on the title screen stating download in progress. Only way would be to disconnect completely.

@Kidfunkadelic83
Yep. That would be the way. PS5 has always had an issue with auto updates.

I'll buy it unless I see Sony censor it more than they already have. I might get it physical and never update it if it comes to that.

@thefourfoldroot1 guessing they do is so you will always get that update no matter how hard you try not to... Unless you pull the plug disconnecting you from anything. Its shoddy practice.

No. Binge playing sports titles as usual including MLB 24.

(commenting such in lieu of “What are you playing this weekend?”)

Im torn, id like to support developers that still treat our eyes to pretty women, but 1 the 80€ price tag and 2 the below average gameplay are holding me back.
I heard the demo had input lag and god knows i hope the actual game is better because i cant play with that lag

I enjoyed the demo. This is a game that I will probably pick up at some point, but I am not in a hurry.

@JohntheRaptor Sales say otherwise and the fact she's had endless collabs in other games.

@dark_knightmare2 Better then Wo Longs? Haha no, that games combat depth far outclasses anything in Stellar Blade.

I rather wait...first of all the game won't last 2 months at $69.99, then by the end of the summer most games will start seen a discount preparing us for the holidays.

So my price point is $39.99 which is very likely by Black Friday.

@Stickleman explain how I’ve been playing and the majority of people playing in resetera in the ot feel the same it barely has any dna of souls

@DennisReynolds in what universe! I liked Wo Long but it had nowhere near the depth of Stellar Blade or TN Nioh or Rise of the Ronin had.

The game is great, been playing and absolutely loving it so far.

For those on the fence about costume variations, they are still miles ahead of what you get in most mainstream titles, and by buying you are still telling Sony this is the content you want to see.

So next time you are in the store, put down that copy of nonsense they are trying to sell and get yourself Stellar Blade instead. You’ll love it.

@PCPS4XB might give the demo another try. Everyone keeps saying is souls like, but would jump at it if it's more gow like.

No. It looks far, far too fast and zippy for me, and the world of the game seems a lot darker and more gloomy than I want to play.

Action games are hard to get right. God of War 1-3,Ninja Gaiden 1-2, and Nier Auto-mata got it right. Steller Blade will require me to painstakingly get good before I actually like it. Has not been forgiving. I enjoy souls games, but only when I can do cheese builds. So far it is only pretty to look at and it is fun to own the woke gaming journalist by buying it. Ultimately I have to enjoy it, I will give it a little more time. I just have a feeling I will get frustrated with it though if the demo is anything to go on.

@dark_knightmare2 In the universe where its been universally praised for its combat. Funny ylu mention Ronin when its just a dumbed down version of Wo Long's combat.

@Elitepatriot Story mode my friend, mind it’s still a bit difficult. The game gives you plenty of chances to explore and grind a bit while you practise, which is nice. Eventually you’ll pick it up.

@Elitepatriot if it can be of any help, it’s more like playing god of war on the hardest difficulty settings than a souls-like, even though it has the bonfire mechanic and some other element taken from the genre. The demo really makes it seem harder than it is, once you start piling the abilities and equips you can make the game forgiving.

@JohntheRaptor I agree. Eve might not be in the same class as Bayonetta in terms of charisma but I like her more than 2B…Nier automata is a good game but she’s not really what makes the game stand out.

That's good to know. I am still in the demo area so makes sense.

Haven’t had too much time to sink into it yet but it seems significantly harder than the demo to me. May have to be a wuss and turn the difficulty down!

@DennisReynolds what ronin is infinitely deeper than Wo Long like have you even played ROTR?

@Bentleyma this is the other option but then im bound to forget some time lol. Im 41! Us old timers struggle to remember things like that 😜

Destiny 2 has its hooks deep in me. Still trying to get my FF12 Zodiac run done.

To be frank nothing else this year really looks interesting to me, this included… except Visions of Mana, psyched for that.

I'm gonna pass on this one and go with Sand Land and Wrath: Aeon of Ruin instead. I might pick it up on a sale. It's like this gen's version of X Blades, lol.

Hell ye, I was gonna jump in at launch but I've recently bought final fantasy rebirth so I shall finish that one first before buying a new, new game 👍

Have been all night. I pre-ordered it months ago, before all the bellyaching started (for only £52!) and it's as much fun as I expected, plus the music is sublime.
Definitely worth every penny.

I got the game but CHAPTER 13 of FF REBIRTH refuses to END!!! So I'll probably start on Monday or Tuesday! Glad to see people enjoy it though, the demo was promising and I cannot wait to play an action game after months of RPGs and Metroidvanias.

I picked up my copy yesterday but haven’t started it yet, as I’m one hard difficulty chapter away from the Rebirth platinum.
I guess this means I’ll be playing it tomorrow at the latest.

I started last evening. A bit hard for me since this is my first of the genre but it is a pleasure how smooth the game plays. No stutter no nothing on that high quality. Example of optimization.

To be honest had it yesterday, my daughter played it for a couple of hours and got a bit fed up with no real direction, preferred devil may cry so it's going to be sold on.. Stunning graphics though.

@dark_knightmare2 slow parrying, essentially camp fires, enemies respawn when you rest, can only manually save when at camps, limited health potions to name just a few

@PCPS4XB yeah going to do that day before do it's like getting it early lol

@Bentleyma just a little update but when i now load the game up in offline mode its sensed there was a patch (which i origionally cancelled) and now freezes on a screen stating "copying the update, calculating remaining time (which it cant do as im not connected) you can start the game after updating"
So you cant even play the game and cancel the update as it will recognise there is a patch and wont let you start it afyer that until its updated.

I bought it, but nope, only game I want to play at the moment is TopSpin 2K25. Expected it to be good but didn't think I'd be as hooked on it as I am. Honestly don't know when I'll move onto something else, don't get a ton of free time and when I do, I don't want to spend all of it playing games.

With all the bs surrounding Stellar Blade, I'm also not in a rush to play it. The whole discourse (mostly from one side who feels it's ok to call people 'virgins' because they don't mind fanservice) was annoying and the fact the scum at Sony stepped in and censored not just the outfits but the blood and gore too is beyond ridiculous. It's an M-rated game. On top of that, my pre-order code that came with disc doesn't work. There's a lot that soured this release and while it flies in the face of commonsense it almost feels like Sony picked up publishing rights just to sabotage it. Hopefully Shift Up never works with this company again. As somebody who grew up in the 90s, it still takes some getting used to that Nintendo is now the most lenient when it comes to sexual content and seems to give 2nd and 3rd parties a bit more creative freedom.

Still enjoying Dragon's Dogma 2 atm and got a backlog of other games to play too. I played the demo and it didn't really do much for me but I'll probably give the full game a go down the line when I can pick it up cheap 2nd hand or in a Sale.

If Stellar Blade is a (Hit-Parry-Dodge) game.
Is it easy combat like Ghost of Tsushima
Or hard combat like Demons Soul

I'm not good at action games at all but I'm still having lotsa fun playing the story mode of this game.

This is such a great action game.

Since the best thing about it seems to be the combat, I'm gonna wait for it to be offered as a PS+ monthly title.

@puddinggirl
Does the combat provide any challenge on story mode?

Yeah. Cleared my weekend. Tons of fun.

I recommend turning Film Grain OFF.
(Option was not in demo)
Everything looks 10x better - the level used was very high indeed.

I like this kind of games, but the demo made it look soulless, i will wait for a discount.

@Stickleman the parry isn’t really slow and that’s more Sekiro,the rest stops do spawn enemies so I’ll give you that and limited health potions has been a thing since before soul games. Like I said the game is more GOW/DMC with a sprinkling of Bayo and Sekiro. The game has difficulty settings,way more focus on cutscenes and story,sidequests,less reliance on opening shortcuts in its level design with areas that are more like the newer GOW games etc.

@Gamer83 lol lmao even

@kirkn timing and speed is defenately involved and you WILL die. Great game tho.

@UltimateOtaku91 Yup I think it's Western bias from Sony with the censorship changes.
Sony California I bet is behind it and they need to be taught a lesson.

I got so much to games to finish atm playing Eiyuden,Like a Dragon and FF7 Rebirth to finish. So I'll pick up Stellar Blade at some point and enjoyed the demo.

I didn't like the demo. Combat feels clunky and sluggish, it's not really what I expect from an action game. Maybe I'm biased by all the souls games I played in the past 6 months. Plus, the artwork, story and characters look generic and bland, it's not catching me at all. Pass on this one.

@dark_knightmare2 Half way into Ronin according to the PS5 and while the combat is good its easily the most stripped back combat system in a Team Ninja, makes sense as they were going after a bigger audience but Wo Long and Nioh it is not.

@AsterZero Western bias? Funny because Tifa's bikini got by just fine. Nothing is censored dude and the outfit in question that received very minor changes was still pretty tame compared to other outfits in SB, why would Sony censor a one piece bathing suit but allow bikini suits and an option to play pretty much naked? The logic there doesn't work.

@Gamer83 Personally, it still does. The main differences that I've noticed (at least by comparing the modes in demo) are enemies do less damage, have less HP and don't deal damage when I parry successfully. In normal mode, they still do some damage when you parry unless it's a perfect parry.

Other aspects like their speed, movements and density seem to be the same. Though I've only been playing the story mode in the full version of the game, there might be other differences in the full version.

@Kidfunkadelic83 remember what? Oh wait I remember...nope its gone again.

@DennisReynolds it’s def not Nioh but it’s way deeper than Wo Long. It’s got a crazy amount of movesets and specials for each of its numerous weapons compared to Wo Long and the A.I is smarter than it was in Wo Long

@dark_knightmare2 You understand Wo Long's combat is just Nioh's combat but with more of a focus on parrying?

It looks shiny, but unfortunately for me a game requires more than just pretty graphics. Maybe it gets more entertaining down the line, but as it stands now, it's just another action RPG with very little substance to the gameplay loop.

Will wait for the price to decrease and likely buy it second-hand. They said the game would not be censored, yet it is, which is a blatant lie and deception.

I was gonna wait but caved and bought it today.

About 4 hours in and really enjoying it so far!

@puddinggirl
Ok, thanks for the detailed reply. I'll start on normal mode first, but if I have to drop it down to story mode, good to know there's still a bit of a challenge.