Topic: What PS4 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@LN78 Dont Fear the Reaper indeed 😁. Well done mate! I did find with quite a few of the RoB bosses that they can seem almost unbeatable for a while… but once you work out a plan, you can beat them pretty much at will. Enjoy the rest of the game buddy… and a second playthrough is definitely worth it too. You get a second playable character, a different route and a fair few new bosses to bash!

@LN78 I’ve saved an easy bronze (eating a peanut in SotN) as I’m on #99 & I’ve long planned for God of War: Ragnarok to be my 100th.

@LN78 to be honest mate, I used to scoff at the whole trophy thing… saw absolutely no point in it whatsoever. Then a few guys in work who were also friends on PSN started coming up to me in the office to chat about my latest gaming exploits. They’d noticed whatever trophies that I’d been unwittingly popping turning up on their feeds and such.

Then one morning one of the guys was like “you must be most of the way towards the Bloodborne plat now like, what with all those trophies you’ve been popping…” and I honestly had no idea whether I was or wasn’t but… I was curious and checked as soon as I got home. From there it’s been a downhill journey to a platinum-coated obsession I’m afraid 😅

@LN78 game the way you enjoy it most buddy… chasing plats has definitely added to my enjoyment but it ain’t for everyone. Enjoy the rest of Rondo…, such an under appreciated gem.

@LN78 Same here, as I got a PS3 probably at least a year before they started trophies. I played Metal Gear Solid 4 before it got a trophy patch. I may go back and play it again someday, but if I had never bought several of those "games" earlier this year that were easy platinums for a brief period, I would only have 3 platinums (Terminator Salvation, Spider-Man Remastered, and Life is Strange: True Colors). I kind of regret buying that shovelware just for platinums (never again). If I had never done that, you would have had somebody beat at least.

Mass Effect 3

It's been a bit of a struggle lately with gaming, where I would start a game and then not like it like I was expecting to and then move on to something else. Unless I was playing a sure thing like The Last of Us Part 1.

I probably should be taking a break, but I don't really want to, so I've moved on to another sure thing in Mass Effect 3 to try to get back on track. I'm not sure why it took me over a year to play this after finishing Mass Effect 2, but oh well, better late than never I guess. This is the only one of the trilogy that I had never finished back when they originally came out. The end of my Renegade FemShep run has begun.

@RogerRoger If you are talking about the ending, I already have a pretty good idea of how it ends. I at least know the fate of Shepard. We'll see how I feel about it in the context of the story, but at the very least I know this will get me back on track as it's a Mass Effect game. It's one of my favorite trilogies of all time on the strength of the first two alone. I'm already loving Mass Effect 3 about 5 or 6 hours in as expected, so it's at least accomplishing what it needed to do even if it may not stick the landing. Thanks though, Robin.

@RogerRoger Makes sense, and I'm glad you enjoyed it unlike a decent amount of people did (the ending at least). I suppose I usually separate the ending and the actual game, but there's nothing wrong with judging it all together. I still love plenty of games even if I don't love the ending (Resident Evil 2 Remake's ending for Claire I thought was pretty weak, but the game was still really good).

Hopefully in the end I agree with you in the end obviously. I look forward to seeing how it goes.

Made a start on Pyre this evening… and it seems really cool. I loved Transistor and thought that Bastion was pretty good too… I’m thinking that Pyre will end up being closer to the former in terms of quality.

@Bentleyma I had the similar issues with the latest film. Just felt like the first film in a modern day setting.

For anyone looking to scratch a "Souls-like itch" - the excellent 'Salt & Sanctuary' is now on sale via PS online store.

In UK it is only 2.99 £GBP (!)

This is hands-down my favorite non-FromSoftware Souls game. An amazing 2D metroid-esque game, which leans hugely into FromSoft influences. Great build diversity and boss variety.... honestly well worth a pick-up for that ridiculously low price.

I rarely recommend games unless I feel quite impassioned about them! If you love Dark Souls and need to kill a week before GoW releases, this is an excellent option

@CJD87 Yeah, i agree. I was surprised at how deep some of the systems were for a supposedly small indie game. About the only gripe I had with it, is that graphically it isn't that great. Come to think of it, it probably is my game of it's type too!

Just started Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Not impressed at all so far, but I'll give it more time.

@Kidfried I do like the use of 3D audio in the game. The constant schizophrenic chattering is pretty cool, and the rain sounds like it's all around you. I've wanted to see more games utilize 3D audio since I first played the PSP version of Corpse Party, which used it to make ghosts sound like they're whispering behind your ear and whatnot.

But everything else... ugh. The camera is zoomed in so close to the character's back that she takes up most of the screen. It's like a parody of the camera viewpoint Sony has adopted in recent years. It's a walking simulator where the very act of moving is sluggish. Even when running, Senua feels like she's moving through quicksand. Combat is... functional, but unsatisfying. The game so far just feels like an endless string of boring environmental puzzles in locations that are simultaneously linear and yet somehow confusing (the zoomed in camera sure doesn't help). The lack of interactivity with the environments is frustrating, with Senua getting stuck on tiny rocks she could easily step over. And, sorry, while I like the actual voices and how they're implemented into gameplay, the third-person narration is very in love with itself.

I'll have to try Returnal someday if the opportunity arises.

@Ralizah I started Hellblade a couple years ago and didn’t mind it, and then tried to get back into it after having started on medication, which did not react well at all to the 3D audio whispering stuff. It felt like my brain was trying to escape through my ears. I get that it’s probably the point, but to make a game about somebody with mental health issues that’s unplayable for people with mental health issues feels like a bit of an oxymoron.

@nessisonett It makes sense on the face of it. People with specific mental health issues are probably not going to react well to a game replicating the effects of said issues somewhat accurately.

@Ralizah I liked Hellblade quite a bit. Still, I can’t argue with some of your complaints about movement, linearity, and lackluster combat. The character position and perspective didn’t really bother me, but I think I’ve grown accustomed to the close-up third person viewpoint over time with playing a lot of Sony games. I also quite like walking sims, which is kind of the feeing this gives.

One of my first experiences with the close trailing camera was in Arkham Asylum and when I first played it, I was put off as well with the slow feeling less responsive movement that results. Now when games use it, I don’t really notice it too much.

But yes, Hellblade is a mediocre action game. But it’s a great character study, imo. I liked a few of the novel gameplay ideas it brought, despite a lot of the game being also derivative. Of course these things are all quite subjective, but I do find the game to be one of those that seems to grow better in my memory the further removed I am from it. Some games are dumped from my mind immediately upon completion, but some stick in my brain, haunting me, and then increase in fondness over time.

Sometimes I like feeling strong emotions during games, even uncomfortable ones, and that’s where Hellblade fits. But definitely it’s a timing issue as I could see myself not harmonizing with the game if my mood wasn’t quite right. It’s dark, dreary, disturbing, and slow-paced. But it’s also a triumphant redemptive tale at the same time.

Of all the IP that Microsoft snatched up, Hellblade is the one I’m most upset about. I couldn’t care less about Call of Duty, Fallout, Starfield, Crash Bandicoot, Doom, or any of those other IP. I’m bummed I probably won’t get to play the Hellblade sequel.

@Ralizah I absolutely understand the intent but I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable about their attempt to make a game that’s physically unplayable by the group that it’s supposedly empathising with. Like if somebody had made a game about the struggles of physical disability and then made it solely playable using the Wii Balance Board or blocking the use of that Xbox Adaptive Controller thing. Again, I know they’re not the same thing but I can’t shake the bad feeling I get from the whole situation.

@Th3solution I mean, if you really want to play the second game, you can just buy a Series S or something. The game will be practically free on GP: especially since the first month of access to the service costs $1.

Still seems wild to me that a sequel was announced. Even as an eight hour experience, this game is getting tiresome. The original stands out primarily because of the impressive 3D audio tech demo element, but surely they'll need a new hook for the sequel, right? I can't imagine marketing this as Schizophrenia: The Series will wind up being very compelling, and, so far, there's not much to the game outside of that.

@nessisonett Said group could just play the game without headphones/surround sound, right? That'd completely remove the 3D aspect of the audio, and would presumably be less triggering.

Well basically the ps plus games for November, nioh 2, lego harry potter collection, and heavenly bodies, also having fun with borderlands 3 after i just finished the witcher 3 blood and wine dlc (i'm having a very hard time making the decision to delete the game as i need space on my ps4 for new downloads).