@Barraiya You’re very welcome. By way of follow up to your question, I haven’t played Lies of P yet (ironically I just bought it though and it’s on sale currently) but I doubt I’ll get to it this year. My backlog is enormous. 😅
But the word on the street is that LoP is a very close imitation of Bloodborne. People who like BB have liked LoP. I don’t know anyone who’s done it the other way around though. Either way, my instinctual recommendation would be to play Bloodborne first. Is it a good entry point into the Souls genre?…. Well, yes and no. It’s tough, no doubt about it. And the opening hours is really hard for the uninitiated. But the setting, atmosphere, and overall package is brilliant and second to none. Getting past the first couple bosses is a big hurdle but then it got easier for me. I have lots of advice (much of which you can find in online wikis and on the Bloodborne thread here) should you want to get some early pointers. The only other word of warning is that it’s still running only on a native PS4 code — they never did a PS5 patch. So even on PS5 it runs at 30 fps. So if you’re sensitive to that then you may want to take that into consideration.
As for Death Stranding, it’s not a walking/hiking simulator in the way you’re probably thinking of. Yes, much of the core gameplay is manually traversing across difficult terrain and delivering packages. However, there’s deep gameplay and strategy involved in the act of hiking across valleys, mountains, and rivers. Also there’s creepy enemies, human enemies, some shooting based combat, a lot of stealth, a weird unique story, great voice acting, spectacular visuals and beautiful vistas, awesome music, an addictive asynchronous multiplayer world of shared resources and structure building, vehicles and a variety of traversal and locomotive options, … it’s a lot.
And depending on what your heard that put you off about it, definitely keep TLoU2 in mind. Depending on what you liked about the first game, it’s fairly universally held that Part 2 improved on the gameplay in almost every way. The story and tone are what divides people. I won’t discount the game’s critics their opinions, everyone is entitled to their own views. But a lot of the online backlash was overblown or driven by agendas. Anyway, depending what you saw, it may not really be as bad as you heard. The game is very intense though, and emotionally visceral. But if you like horror, I don’t think there’s anything in it that should turn your stomach.
And finally Returnal… 😄 It’s a tough one. No doubt one of the hardest games I’ve played. Until you get to the mid game checkpoint it can be very demoralizing to die and have to go back to the start. Perhaps you’ll get an itch to try it again one day. Apparently co-op makes the game much easier, if you have a buddy to play with.
@Th3solution I really appreciate you taking the time to delve deeper into these for me. Gaming has become quite important to me in recent years; but time and money are also precious; so it’s great to get some inside info before investing.
I didn’t realise Bloodborne was 30fps on PS5. That is a little disappointing. But I’m sure you get used to it quickly.
The Last of Us 2 is a funny one. I’m usually very happy to just go with the flow and trust the developers. In fact I managed to avoid spoilers for quite a long time; but when I did finally give in and saw what all the fuss was about I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the direction they took. But you’re right; the core gameplay is still stellar so maybe it’s time I took a chance on this too.
Ok. Death Stranding is absolutely going on my play list. I’m sold!
@PorkChopExpress Thank you so much. I have played What Remains of Edith Finch and Metro Exodus. Psychonauts and Prey are on my, ‘I should probably check these out’ list. The rest I’m not at all familiar with (except Alan Wake 1 which, you’re right, should be an obvious next step). Cheers for taking the time. I’ll start checking out some more info on those other titles you’ve listed.
@PorkChopExpress P.S. Obviously I’ve heard of Bioshock, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid etc! I think I’ve been guilty of neglecting past classics in favour of next-gen releases. I figured as I have a PS5 why not play games that are designed to exploit it. But I think it could well be time to take a look at some of these. Hopefully we’ll get the MGS3 remake this year!
@Barraiya One of my favorite parts of engaging with the Push Square forums is the sharing and receiving of recommendations, so it’s a pleasure to do it. I love talking about games, especially the ones I hold in high regard. And honestly, many of my favorite games I played only because users here on the forums recommended them.
I do tend to get long-winded about the things I love though, so apologies for that.
BUT 😅… if you do want yet more depth into specifically TLoU2 and Death Stranding, I’ll invite you to read my personal reviews I left for those two games over on the forum review thread. That thread used to be more active and I personally haven’t contributed a major review there for a while, but I was able to find my two reviews for the games in question. Here are the links to those:
Although the post is a bit long, I think you might find the TLoU2 one particularly helpful as you process whether the game is something you want to play. The DS review is shorter and a quicker read and has much briefer thoughts on the game, many of which I’ve already summarized to you above. Nevertheless it goes into a little more depth.
In both cases it’s interesting for me to go back and read these, which were written immediately after I finished each of those games, in 2022 and 2020, respectively. Re-reading them just now I’d forgotten some of my initial thoughts that I shared there, but both games have made a lasting impression which resonate with me to this day.
And yes, as you mentioned on Bloodborne — I personally think the 30 fps isn’t a deal-breaker and you do get used to it. It’s a stable 30, as I recall, and doesn’t do a lot of dipping. I don’t have a review of that game, at least I don’t remember writing one (although that was back in 2018 😛)
You mention money and time, and I absolutely can relate — both are in short supply, especially time, for me. If you really want to save some cash then the PS4 versions of TLoU and DS are probably quite cheap, especially on the used market. But it’s probably worth getting both of their special PS5 editions with all the current gen bells and whistles. Both were gorgeous on PS4 where I played them but I can only imagine how the enhanced versions look and play. And both games have special add-on content with the PS5 version, especially DS’s directors cut. If you can spare the extra cost, I’d recommend getting the upgraded versions (if you do choose to play either of them. No pressure, of course)
And as far as time, each of these 3 games are going to be in the neighborhood of 60-80 hour investments. Definitely meaty endeavors. 😄
Definitely would love to hear what you choose to play next, even if it’s something completely different from anything we’ve discussed.
I’d also like to hear your thoughts on Days Gone and Alan Wake 2. Both are of interest to me and I have DG and AW1 on my To-Play list for 2025. For some reason I’ve been putting them both off, but I own them and need to get around to each.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Barraiya I played a bit of Call of Cthulhu, that, or the very creepy, albeit zombie Schwarenegger-stalking=you including Resi Evil 2 REmake might be to your tastes.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
@Dayzura Great suggestions. I’ve always considered Final Fantasy stuff a bit far removed from my usual tastes but I think I need to look deeper. Thank you.
@Dayzura Great suggestions. I’ve always considered Final Fantasy stuff a bit far removed from my usual tastes but I think I need to look deeper. Thank you.
Nothing wrong with widening your horizons mate, I used to be very blinkered in what games I’d try but I’ll give anything a go these days and I’ve never enjoyed gaming as much.
Surprised no one's mentioned the Spiderman games yet. They're not horror but excellent single player action games with a good story. I'm about to start Spiderman 2 myself.
@Th3solution Hello again. I apologise for the delay in responding to your questions.
Days Gone. How can I describe it? It’s meat and potatoes in the best possible way. A lot of people dismissed it initially because it’s not exactly a revolution in gaming. But that’s kind of the point I think. It’s just really, REALLY solid. The story (I think) is superb and the gameplay/combat mechanics, once you get into it, are very addictive. Taking on hoards is one of the biggest selling points; although most of them are saved for the end of the game; which was a contentious decision on the part of the developers. The hoards can be a real challenge. You really have to plan and strategise. Overall, highly recommended from me.
Alan Wake 2? Well, as a Remedy fan this was absolute gold for me. Plenty of the crazy, Twin-Peaks style weirdness with a story that’s arguably more compelling than Control. The combat is far less frenetic though. My only frustration, which is one that carries over to lots of games I’ve played (I’m thinking Dead Space, Silent Hill 2 etc) is that your character just will not run! You have incredibly slow walk and mild jog! Why they do this I’ll never know; but it breaks the immersion a little when you know in real life you’d be absolutely pegging it! But, that niggle aside, it’s a hell of a ride. It’s a cerebral, inventive, engaging, thought provoking and unique game that stays with you after the credits.
Let me know what you think if you end up playing either of them.
@Barraiya Thanks! And no apology necessary. I appreciate those thoughts on DG and AW2 though. I think I’ll enjoy them each when I get around to them. We’ll see what happens with a possible State of Play this month and any announcements, but the rumors of a Days Gone remake/remaster are circulating so that will make a difference on when I get to that. Hopefully if there is a remake being done that it’s treated like the Horizon Zero Dawn one and those of us that own the PS4 version can just upgrade to $10, or better yet, for free. 😄
I plan to play Alan Wake 1 soon-ish. I’ll definitely drop some thoughts when I do.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
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