Topic: PS4 recommendation thread

@Th3solution I tried UC2 on Crushing but didn’t find it at all fun. It didn’t feel like deaths were particularly fair either and I’ve never really tried it again.

@Thrillho That’s what I feared. I don’t want the difficulty to distract from the story and flow. I’ll probably just try Hard and not worry about the platinum.

@RogerRoger Thanks, pal. That’s more than enough of a deterrent right there 😂
So I decided to start it on Hard mode and so far, so good. I’m only an hour or two in so I’ve not had one of the big firefights yet. I’m not opposed to turning it down to normal if my enjoyment wavers. It having been so many years since playing the game, I’d rather enjoy it like it was the first time and soak up all the moment to moment fun. I think I read that enabling cheats doesn’t disable the trophies, so I can fairly easily do a second run on Crushing with cheats enabled if I really, really want the platinum; although I was surprised to see the plat rate is so low — 1.3%. So, that appears to be out of my league anyways.

@RogerRoger this us some really good info actually, as I do intend to go back and grab the plats for these at some point. 👍

@RogerRoger cheers dude, wasn't even aware of cheats tbh... and sounds like they are no help anyway as the Crushing playthrough sounds like the potential plat blocker. Good to know though.

@RogerRoger 🤣 nice to know my perseverance is finally getting the recognition it deserves around here 😉.

Would be nice do get a DIGIMON WORLD collection on PS NOW. Those were such good games and it’s impossible to play them without an old system lol. Miss those games.

@Jesset72294

I'd like that too!, i never played them on the older systems as but i like to play them!

Idk if you played the newer ones, but digimon world 3 in my opinion is the best. Not even close. Dw4 is actually like a Diablo like game. They can digivolve and all that, BUT it’s not easy and requires a lot of time to do it. But it was good as a grind style game. It was great.
@Pditty1980

@Jesset72294

Never played any except maybe the first on the original PlayStation , there's a new digimon game due out on ps4 this year though

Yeah I think it’s some kind of strategy kinda thing. But move and attack type of turn based. Different but it could end up being really good. Like a final fantasy tactic kind of game
@Pditty1980

Any recommendations on the Battlefield games? Took advantage of the 1 month for a $1 EA Play deal and trying to make sure I get my monies worth lol. There's Hardline, 4, 1 and V. Probably only get through a couple of em but wondering which of them is best. Just talking campaign not going to touch MP.

@redd214 I’ve only really heard good things about Battlefield 1’s campaign. I’m not big on modern shooters though, I prefer the old timey ones.

Can anyone personally vouch for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim?
It’s on sale for 1/2 price and is very highly rated. I’ve really wanted to fall in love with previous Vanillaware games, but they haven’t quite lived up to expectations. I never made it to the end of Muramasa. I got stuck without knowing where to go next and I just gave up. I finished Dragon’s Crown and enjoyed it at the time, but honestly I found it largely forgettable. I really like the visual style amd art design of their games though.

I read the PS review of 13 Sentinels and it was well-praised and I think the editors included it in their top 10 for 2020. Everytime it comes up in discussion, users always post positive comments about it, but not much beyond saying that they really liked it and it was really good. So I was just wondering if someone had any more detailed impressions by way of recommendation. I like visual novels, especially if they have intermittent gameplay that is engaging, such as Danganronpa or the Zero Escape games. I’m playing my way through Persona 5 right now so maybe it would be a little much to have another Japanese styled text and story heavy game so quickly, but I wouldn’t mind grabbing 13S:AR on sale to stash away for a later time. I recently played Valiant Hearts and I’m getting similar vibes from this game — 2D artistic story driven game with intermittent straightforward puzzles and simple combat. Is that a fair comparison?

Anyways, any advice beyond “It’s good. Get it” would be appreciated.

@Th3solution I’m ‘so’ curious about this game too! I mean, given our recent discussion where I have ‘fought’ the cause of ‘gameplay’ anybody would assume that this is so far outside of my radar range that it would never pop up... but it has... in much the same way Nier: Automata popped up a couple of years back.

****full disclosure, I do actually have the wherewithal to know that this game is NOTHING like Nier: Automata (at least in terms of gameplay) but I have been unable to gain much of an understanding of how it all plays out... although I do have some ‘strange’ inkling that the narrative plays out in a similarly ‘anime’ way to (in so much that Neir: Automata played out in a ‘anime’ way) that Neir: Automata does. *I’m fully prepared to be way-off on that last statement.****

Either way, I have a strange feeling that I ‘have’ to play this game, even though it ticks all of my ‘do nots’ on the ‘should I/should’nt I’ test.

@colonelkilgore Yeah, there’s so many superlatives being bandied around about 13 Sentinels that I feel like it might become somewhat of a cult hit (like the aforementioned Nier Automata), but I can’t tell if the praise is “this is a truly exceptional and timeless game” or is it “wow, this little indie game is actually pretty good.” You know, sometimes there’s buzz because a game is just better than expected, and when expectations are low (as with low budget small studio output) then it doesn’t take much to exceed them.

It does look very “Japanese anime” style of storytelling. It has some of the expected tropes - the 13 protagonists all appear to be high schoolers, they all have defining character quirks, it looks like they use mechs, etc., etc.

But yeah, it is interesting based on our recent discussion. The story of 13 Sentinels definitely appears to be the central aspect, but the review states the gameplay and combat is actually well implemented too. I’m just curious to know more about what makes the game so good and what it can be compared to. I think it looks like something right up my alley and a good one to play between the big budget Western open world action games.

Have you played any of Vanillaware’s games? Like Dragon’s Crown, Muramasa, or Odin’s Sphere?

@colonelkilgore Oh — and also on the subject of recommendations, I agree with comparison you made about Ratchet & Clank being like the video game version of Pixar films. That is, that there is a cartoony animation feel to it with visuals that look like are targeted at a child, but in actuality the game is probably better appreciated by adults because of the great script and quippy humor. Much of the funny situations and jokes will go over a child’s head. And although the gameplay is more approachable than say, an Uncharted, it is still pretty deep and requires some skill. The weapons in the game are just the absolute best.

@Th3solution I haven’t played any (or even heard of) Vanillaware, though I have a feeling that 13 Sentinels will be the first. The only thing that has prevented me picking it up so far is the price. For some reason (probably the 2D ‘sprite’y look of the game) made me assume it would come in at around £20 but no I’m sure it was standing strong at £70 the last time I checked. I’ll keep an eye on it though and pick it up as and when it drops in price. As you say, I just have this feeling it’ll be perfect to fit in between my usual fare to mix things up and keep things fresh.

@colonelkilgore If you have had PS Plus for a while, I think Muramasa and Dragon’s Crown both made an appearance as a free game of the month back on PS3. So it’s possible you have these Vanillaware games back in the recesses of your library if you’re the kind of person who claims every PS Plus game, even if you haven’t heard of it. I certainly am.

And yes, the price point for 13 Sentinels is $60 but the ‘Big in Japan’ sale has it at $30 now. That is a tad more than I was planning to pay also, but who knows with these slightly niche titles. NieR Automata is an example — it took forever for that game’s price to drop. Seems like it was stuck at $40-60 for a couple years even, and only got into the $20-30 range this past year.

@Th3solution yeah, sadly even though I’ve had PS+ for years, it’s only really in the last couple of years that I religiously add each monthly game to my library (if I haven’t already got them that is)... so I definitely wouldn’t have added those titles. Have you played any Vanillaware before... and if so how were they?

Yeah, I have a feeling your right about the potential for the price dropping on 13 Sentinels... and thanks for the heads-up about it figuring in the Big in Japan sale. Ideally, I like to buy all of my games physically but this might be one of the occasions where it just makes sense to buy digital... I’m gonna chew it over today I think.