Topic: What PS3 game(s) are you currently playing?

i recently started Final Fantasy XIII again (although i have put it on the back burner because of KH3), i did start a game on the XB1 when it was added to the XB1 BC program (yes i own it on both PS3 and 360) BUT as my XB1s isn't set as my Home Machine (the one in the living room with the broken disc drive is and i can't change otherwise everyone else who uses would lose access to games and DLC) and it's internet adapter has broken i can't play any of the BC games because i can't connect online

back on topic though i still love the game and it gets far too much hate, people say it's linear, so was every FF before it they just hid it, they say it's "press one button to win" well FFXII can play itself thanks to the Gambit system yet it's applauded

people just hate on it because it's "cool" to

@RogerRoger

I hear you about the difficulty, I remember there was a couple of real spikes where I was using up my health at an alarming rate & wasn't sure if I'd make it through but did by the skin of my teeth. (Lol). You're right about the story and characters though, that's what I like best about the old Bioware games, especially the background banter between your party members - I do miss those days (ME: Andromeda had them too but not to quite the same standard unfortunately). Glad you are still enjoying your walkthrough anyway.

@RogerRoger I'm enjoying reading your thoughts on Dragon Age, it's really taking me back. I loved all three of those games (which is weird because you don't meet many people who don't hate at least one of the entries in the series), and I don't play a lot of fantasy stuff either.

Are you planning on playing Awakening, the DLC for the first game? That's equally good.

@Strathnaver1 The banter is what's pulling me through. Some sequences, like the Deep Roads and the Magi Tower, would've been mind-numbingly dull without the periodic interactions with my squad (and I like that I can stop and talk to them anytime, about anything, to break up some of the more drawn-out combat sequences). It did remind me of Andromeda, in a good way, although I can see what people mean about quality versus quantity. The exchanges in Origins aren't nearly as frequent, but they're much more memorable and meaningful.

It also meant that being trapped alone in the Fade was a definite low-point for me thusfar. I usually hate dream sequences in games anyway, and the whole "wander around in silence, hacking up waves of enemies in fuzzy brown environments" would've ended things in an instant, were it not for my desire to escape and see what happened to everybody afterwards.

@Gremio108 Glad you're enjoying my ramblings, thanks. At this stage, I'm not sure if I'm gonna chuck in any of the DLC. Whilst I'm still with Origins, I'm swinging wildly between "wow, really wanna see what happens next" and "yeah, I think this'll do for now" and if that dichotomy of opinion persists through to the end credits, I might just stick to the core games, and space them out throughout the year. Whilst I appreciate that there may be more story and lore to be filled in, I'm following things in broad strokes. When I think of some of the DLC from the Mass Effect games, I realise that I could happily do without half of it.

That said, I also realise that I could never play ME3 without the Citadel DLC, so I'll definitely keep your recommendation for the specific Awakening DLC in mind.

@RogerRoger Yeah, I mention Awakening because one of the characters in it is a major player in Dragon Age II. And also because Nathaniel is one of my favourite characters.

I kind of started out with the 'broad strokes approach too. But I got sucked in as I went on. I'm looking forward to your further impressions!

@Gremio108 Ah, okay, duly noted!

I played almost two hours earlier and barely made a dent in the current quest I'm on. It's the Deep Roads and every twisty, maze-like environment filled with Darkspawn just gave way to another, and another, to the point where I was laughing about how endless it felt. I'm gonna go back on this evening and (hopefully) finish the quest, then maybe try some of the shorter character missions, to restore balance in favour of narrative over gameplay.

So, with a little over 38 hours on the clock, I saw the credits of Dragon Age: Origins.

Put simply, I was impressed. I didn't think I would be, and I'm happy to be proven wrong by a wonky-yet-charming, deep and complex tale packed with well-written and brilliantly-voiced characters. I've put the two sequels higher up on my "must play" list now, and I can't wait to see what happens next. One day, once I've seen the trilogy through and broken it in my special ways (more on that in a second), I'll play again for different outcomes, different relationships and different quests. I did the same with Mass Effect; first time, playing as a generic Shepard and making it up as I went, and then coming back a year later with a customised, more personal character who knew what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what not to do. With choice-based games, I tend to break them apart at first, then put them back together to make the overall picture I'm happy with.

I'm really looking forward to doing that with Dragon Age: Origins. It's the kinda game that stayed with me for a couple hours afterwards, stayed in my thoughts and had me wanting to go back and restart immediately. Sure, thanks to the older-style gameplay, there were stretches of it which were kinda boring (although I'll take boring over "insanely challenging and frustrating to the point of rage" and am so relieved that I lowered the difficulty to Casual; even so, the final boss fight was tough stuff) but each time I came close to thinking "I knew it, fantasy was a mistake, I should give up" the quest would end, there'd be an excellent narrative twist or choice, and then suddenly I was back at camp, talking to these amazing characters about all sorts, eager to help them or accept their help in my own storyline. People like Morrigan, Alistair, Leliana, Wynne, Shale and Zevran will stay with me forever, names that now rank alongside Kaiden, Garrus, Tali, Samara, Liara and Vega (sure, there were a couple duds, like Oghren, but that's to be expected when you expand your cast of characters so broadly). I even had a dog! Such a good dog, too; he gave D-Dog a run for his money.

My favourite parts were the opening, the Shale DLC, the Dalish Elf storyline (and not just because Tim Russ was in it) and the prison break sequence towards the end, although the whole end was strong, annoying boss fight notwithstanding. The music was also a highlight, right up until they played that awful rock song over the credits... ick, no. What a terrible choice for someone to make, just as they were about to stick the landing and get a perfect ten for the music and overall sound design.

Beyond the free Shale update, I won't be adding in or playing any of the DLC until I return for my second playthrough, simply because (and please, don't click the rest of the paragraph if you've never played the game before; these spoiler tags exist for a reason, folks!) my Warden didn't survive the final confrontation with the Archdemon; I chose to sacrifice myself to stop the Blight and save Ferelden. I prevented Alistair from taking the throne, because he really didn't want to, and chose to let everybody live so that I could (hopefully) encounter them again in the sequels. I also didn't take Morrigan up on her, er... "offer" prior to the battle, a painful yet necessary dismissal for me personally, so my Warden's tale has a nice, complete feel to it. From what I understand after speaking with the friend who got me the game, the Awakening DLC requires your Warden to have survived, as does Witch Hunt (which also requires me to have accepted Morrigan's offer). When I play again, I'll make other arrangements to ensure that I survive without having to go straight, and so I'll see the DLCs then, when I'm more familiar and properly hooked on the franchise.

For the core game by itself, then, and only after a first pass, I'd give it a solid seven in today's money but, a decade ago at launch, that would've probably been an eight. Maybe even a nine.

Very good stuff indeed.

@RogerRoger I forgot about Shale. Such a good character, and quite a sad backstory too. That game was chock-full of superb characters. Reading your thoughts makes me want to play it again, if they were to release a remastered collection at this point I'd probably bite.

The second one is an interesting beast, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on that one.

@Gremio108 I was glad to have discovered Shale before I travelled to Orzammar, because her integration with the main quest there was seamless and gave it far more weight than it would've had otherwise. BioWare are usually pretty good at making the DLC characters fit in, as far as I've seen, but this was a really excellent example. I can't imagine playing the game without her.

I'd be all over a remastered collection as well, but I think Mass Effect is more likely first. Glad you've enjoyed reading my ramble! Apologies in advance for the 200+ hours you'll lose if any of this does end up convincing you to replay the trilogy.

@RogerRoger That was something I noticed about the game too. I got Shale early on, out of curiosity (and,if I'm honest, in the hope that having a golem in my party would allow me to cruise through most of the battles) and I kept finding that she had interesting things to say about even relatively early-game stuff.

I've been meaning to re-buy Inquisition ever since I got my PS4. It's going for about 2p now as well. Of course, a Mass Effect collection would have my immediate attention, as you know. One day!

@Gremio108 I did a little spoiler-free reading about Shale. Apparently, she was meant to be included in the game at launch, but she'd constantly get stuck in doorways (because all golems were originally the same size as the giant one from the end of that storyline). They had to ship without her and worked extra time on fixing the problem, essentially reducing the size of her and all enemy golems; it's why her DLC is free.

The reason my friend jumped on getting me Origins now is because it was £3.99 or something over the Christmas period; it's now back to £15.99 and so, alas, is Inquisition. I kept seeing it in sales for years, but always ignored it before. My luck means it'll never be included in a sale again!

Okay, so I've played nearly four hours of Dragon Age II now, across two sessions.

Early impressions are strong. Quite how that's gonna pan out, now that I can see the game's basic structure, remains to be seen but I've loved every minute thusfar. I think that's in large part thanks to my character actually speaking this time, and the dialogue options being the clearest in any BioWare game I've ever played; excellent considering there's a much greater focus on character interaction and storytelling. None of the action has dragged on. It feels sharp and punchy, eager to get back to spinning an epic yarn (rather than some parts of Origins, which offered endless corridors of gameplay and then quick, minute-long resolutions).

Whilst none of the characters beyond Hawke have felt as immediately brilliant as the cast of Origins, it's early days and I can see potential in a couple, plus I'm starting to get hints dropped about meeting a few familiar faces down the line. I love that the focus has been on Flemeth to get things started; her redesign is stunning and her entrance was instantly one I'd put in contention to be gaming's greatest.

I'm playing as a male warrior this time, so it's two-handed broadswords and direct assaults instead of sneaking around as a rogue. Combat itself doesn't seem to have changed all that much, especially with the optional toggle meaning I only have to press X once to keep attacking a foe until it falls, but just feels a little faster, a little slicker. I've also started on Casual this time, having learned my lesson from Origins, and maybe that's got something to do with how my opinions are taking shape. I'm not really here for the fighting anyway. I'm here for the story, and so I'm happy with the new balance.

Was going to play more Star Wars: Battlefront II this evening, but now I think I'm gonna return to Kirkwall and see about some more of these side quests.

Dragon Age II might be my favourite BioWare game ever.

I'm into the second "year" in Kirkwall now (despite it actually being Hawke's fifth) and I'm having an absolute blast, way moreso than I'd ever thought possible from a fantasy setting. It's because the characters talk like actual, real people and they talk, like, A LOT. It feels like this game was made by frustrated television writers, or novelists, and I love that. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I'm not interested in stat-management, or tactical inventory allocations, or any of that "game" nonsense when it comes to Dragon Age. I'm here for an awesome story, for getting to know well-written characters and for running at things with a really big sword.

For all those reasons, Dragon Age II is hitting every note perfectly. I think Kirkwall is gorgeous, too, which helps because it's the primary sandbox location for the game (and yeah, I can understand how that might annoy some people, but I love it because it's making me feel like the city itself is another character, making me attached to what happens around me and my impact on events). Crafting a handful of levels to perfection works for me, far better than giving me more places to go, but making them look all drab and samey (which Origins did at times, despite a few notable exceptions). It helps that all of the quests, whether side or main, are relatively short as well. If I'm doing something slightly boring, fetching an item or an NPC from some bit of coastline, it doesn't matter because it'll be over in minutes and I'll be moving on with something new. No more "endless, identical floors within a tower" nonsense.

The characters are awesome, too. I love Hawke, mainly because I'm using the purple "sarcastic joke" answer almost every time, which has made him an adorkable jerk, kinda like Han Solo trying to guest-host Have I Got News For You. I'm also very happy to have a choice of romance partners this time, and was immediately bowled over by Anders (sorry Fenril, you're just a bit too much "Zevran 2.0" for me) so I can't wait to see how that relationship will pan out, because it's sure got potential to get complex. Everybody has that slight edge of unpredictability; for example, Merril is wonderful, but I'm still unnerved by how I met her and her connections to blood magic. It can't all be perfect; once again, the dwarf character doesn't interest me in the slightest, and whilst Isabela is obviously a badass in some respects, she's also a couple of negative female stereotypes as well, but that's okay.

As much as I was surprised by Origins, there were still moments where I was a teensy bit bored, either by the gameplay or by the pacing issues. I haven't been bored by Dragon Age II at all, and I've put over 14 hours into the game. In fact, I've had to force myself to step away at certain points, otherwise I could've seen myself staying on until my controller battery ran dry. It's everything I want from BioWare; more story, more character, less game. I love it.

@RogerRoger I’ll be really curious how you respond to DA Inquisition. I’m assuming that your DA experience has been sufficiently positive that you’ll want to go for the latest installment. Since I didn’t play DA2, I can only go off of hearsay, but the general consensus was that it was the lesser of the first two games so there seemed to be a reaction to the criticisms and BioWare went a different direction with the third. I don’t want to taint your mind before you give it a chance, but there is a lot more ‘game’ in it, although plenty of story also. So it will be interesting to see if it holds enough charm to make you endure all the fantasy based combat and crafting.

@Th3solution Your last sentence about enduring "fantasy-based combat and crafting" literally made me recoil slightly, so I'm hoping my investment in the ongoing secondary characters and storylines will see me through. If the new characters are half as good as those who've come before, and if my own character can be presented in a way I enjoy, then I'm sure I'll be alright.

Because yeah, as soon as I've finished DAII (and taken a short break for a few outstanding bits and pieces in other games, like the new Elusive Target in Hitman 2) then I'll be playing Inquisition on PS4. It's currently in the big EA sale over here anyway, so I've got no excuse!

As for DAII itself, I've now played over 24 hours and am into the third act. There's far, far too much to say about everything that's happened and how I've reacted to it all, but any game that has me gasping in horror, laughing out loud in delight and getting all misty-eyed with sadness (all in the space of about an hour) is doing something right. I've even stopped picking the purple "sarcastic joke" answers in dialogue from time to time. I care too much about Kirkwall's fate to just keep being a jerk to everybody.

If they stick the landing, this game could topple Mass Effect 3 as my favourite RPG... and that's saying something, because Mass Effect 3 carried the weight of concluding an entire trilogy of ongoing characters and storylines and is a near-perfect experience in my mind.

@RogerRoger Inquisition is my favorite, as it struck the best balance between gameplay and story of all three games.

It also has some of the series' best characters.

Like @Th3solution, I am interested to see whether you will agree, hearing you so positive about this game...

... which I never finished.

@Kidfried I'm amazed that we agree as often as we do, y'know.

The thing is now, I care enough about the world and the franchise to see it through. Before, I was hesitant because I'm not a "fantasy RPG" fan and hey, I'm still not... I'm simply a Dragon Age fan. I still have no intention or desire to play The Witcher III or Shadow of Mordor because I still don't like elves, dwarves and mages; I just love Merril, Varric and Anders.

It's an intangible quality I can't quite describe. All I know is that, whilst I'm sitting here waiting for my controller to recharge, I'm actually worrying about Anders' wellbeing, even though it won't change until I start playing again and even then, he's just a collection of polygons and voice clips.

So I've got to finish it, for my own sake. Otherwise I'll just worry about him forever!

Can we introduce a "neg" feature, just so I can use it on @RogerRoger for his comments on Witcher 3?

@Thrillho Don't worry, I think you've sufficiently registered your disgust.

@RogerRoger Your excitement makes me almost want to go back and finish DA Inquisition with you. It’s a rather enormous game. And one I was enjoying right up to the point that ... well, the point that I didn’t. I think it was largely my fault and not the game’s though. It became one of the many games that overwhelmed me a smidge and copious side questing got me burned out. But unlike Horizon Zero Dawn or Red Dead 2, games which probably didn’t have much smaller open worlds per se but attracted me to return, in the case of DAI - I didn’t go back after a break and now it’s been so long.
I think it was Robert who wrote an article on the site that I’ll never forget about open world fatigue. It was one of the earliest Push Square articles I read a few years ago and one of the best that I can recall of the many excellent articles on here. I’m not sure if you read it, as you came a little after me I think (or at least started posting a little later), but in it he talked about some of the chore that open world gaming has become — that having so much to do, so many places to explore, and so many side quests and markers to chase can sap a game’s soul. Dragon Age Inquisition was his case study. He reported playing the game again with the specific plan of just hitting the story missions and ignoring side content and that he enjoyed the game so much more by playing that way. That article resonated with me because I thought maybe there was something wrong with me when I ran out of gas playing DAI. Apparently it was a common issue. But a streamlined approach apparently makes the game a better experience. Anyways, that just food for thought. I think you strike me as a personality like mine whereby you try to hit every marker and see every side story so you might consider Robert’s experience. I have tried to implement it with open world games since that time have been largely unsuccessful, but I am a little better about staying on track.
But ...the way you are gobbling up and savoring Dragon Age plot points and characters now makes me think you might be just fine doing the whole 130 hour run.