Topic: What PS4 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@GirlVersusGame
Ha thanks for the info. A friend told me about that existed a few days ago so I told him to play it and let me know.. Dont think he's gonna though! Out of interest, how long did t take to complete? And did it have a platinum trophy?

I own some of the Paw Patrol games, but I haven't played them yet.

You'd be correct though, since I loved both films and the show so far.

Thanks! I'm glad to finally have the plat. As for Spidey 2, I'm saving my NG+ playthru for right before I play Wolverine.

@sorteddan The Jesus game? I think it took about two hours but I went fast and never saw one hundred percent. I think I missed it by nothing talking to everyone at a dinner (the last supper?) or a wedding, I was a little tipsy when playing it too. It's probably an easy platinum when you don't cut corners for Christ or as Christ. I played a similar one on Steam a year or so ago, that Jesus was more like a super hero. They did try to keep the content sincere, it does tell a story. I wondered why it wasn't on PS5, then I saw the character models. Have you ever heard of Celebrity Deathmatch on PS2? They look like that, clay. When I woke up I checked to see if indeed I did play a Jesus game, then I saw my post and realized it wasn't a dream after all. Don't mix wine with the PSN Store. It felt like it should have been free by signing up to something Christ related, I'm still not sure who it's for. I'd say wait for a sale, it's over very fast and it's extremely linear.

Since I've been feeling sick this week, I bought and started Star Ocean: First Departure R on a whim yesterday. It was on sale, cheap, and I've been saying how I should try a new JRPG! It helps that this one is famously on the shorter side, so I can get a bit of a JRPG fill without committing to a 100+ hour experience. I've only managed to get about one and a half hour in inbetween headaches, Real Housewives and naps so far, but I'm somewhat surprised by the absolute exposition dump this game starts with. And more so, the fact that it all feels rather well paced and works. To top that all off, for the exposition dump to actually be a really interesting set-up to this particular narrative. I'm not sure I've experienced any sci-fi storytelling that quite hits these tropes in the same way, so it felt surprisingly fresh for a game that came out back in 1996. Maybe I've simply underestimated how much I'd enjoy pre-2000s sci-fi stories. After all, I also ended up loving Babylon 5. I've just not been exposed to too much from that era.

I will say I was rather confused at the battle system for the first few battles. Unbeknownst to me, this combat is actually not turn-based, but real-time. What this resulted in for these initial battles was my player character standing still while I watched my other parties walk around and do actions. I just kept waiting for my turn that never came, and these low-level enemies didn't last long enough that I realised I was supposed to be doing something. Apparently, I can move around! Shocker! I really appreciate the pixel art on display here too. It's a beautiful mix between pixel-y and more painting style backgrounds. So all in all, so far so good!

Anyone here who's either played this particular one or is a fan of the Star Ocean franchise? This is my first exposure to these games, so I'd love to hear about a fan's thoughts on it or how it's viewed comparatively to the later games.

I've been switching between playing both Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and L.A. Noire.

Plat wise I have left for Crash 2 is time trials, and L.A. Noire is the collectibles and street crimes.

Next games on my agenda to play are both Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped and Tomb Raider (2013).

@Tjuz Just wanted to randomly stop by and say that I hope you're feeling better soon, and that Star Ocean: First Departure R continues to aid in your recovery!

@Werehog Appreciate it! It's been wild playing it a bit more today where the real warts of it all have come out to play. I say warts (somewhat) lovingly in the sense that it's definitely incredibly dated in its game design and highly allergic to tutorialising you about anything. It feels like I've been transported back to my grandma's Super Nintendo walking around Illusion of Gaia all confused as a kid! I assumed a remake would already come with some quality of life, but I suppose I overestimated how much of that it'd come with. Admittedly, it's still a PSP-era remake and nothing like a fully modern one. I'm still greatly enjoying it though, except for the time I messed around and found out it's proper old-school and the game taking me back to the main menu the first time I died (and losing 30 minutes of progress in the process)! Let's just say I've made plenty a save since. Did you play many of these old-school 90s JRPGs yourself?

@Tjuz Eek! That's a lot of progress to lose! Although yep, now that you've done that, it's unlikely you'll do it again, so you're hopefully safe to continue! It's interesting to consider what quality-of-life improvements were considered important to make back in the PSP era, versus today when remakes and re-releases regularly get slaughtered for skipping on save states and instant rewind features.

Oh no, I'm not well-versed in JRPGs at all. I'm hoping to remedy that someday but, for now, my experience is limited to a single playthrough of Final Fantasy VII, completed on PS4 six years ago, and fond childhood memories of the Final Fantasy VIII demo I got free with a magazine.

But I do have a friend who loves JRPGs and loves the Star Ocean series, so I have a lot of third-hand knowledge, and will ask him about First Departure R when we next speak!

I tried two hours of Everybody's Gone to The Rapture and some interesting things happened.

Edit: I finished it, it took about three hours. I'll jump on there again later tonight and see what kind of trophies it has. I noticed maybe four pop randomly.

@Tjuz Sorry to see that you’ve been sick. I hope by now you’re on the mend. 🤒

I’ve never played anything from the Star Ocean franchise, but it strikes me as a very classic styled JRPG. Is it all coming along okay, your health included?

@GirlVersusGame A very interesting observation you’ve made with another lesser known book that may have inspired EGttR. Surely there’s a connection between the two, as the subject matter and the art style are such a match with the book cover you posted.

It’s been years since I played the game. I remember liking it and feeling like it had very good production value for its time. It does feel very authentic for the English countryside setting. Part of what I like about walking sims is that it really feels like you’re a visitor touring the location, and EGttR seems to nail that small English town vibe.
I liked in enough to get the platinum. I don’t think it’s very difficult, but I do recall that I needed a guide.

Alas, you’ve really been able to get a solid experience with walking sims this past week. 😄 Hopefully it’s a genre that you are enjoying and can keep in the mix when you feel in the mood for their categorical simple and low key gameplay coupled with unique storytelling and virtual tourist escapism. There’s not a huge number of them out there, but you still have a plenty to try if you want. The developer The Chinese Room who made EGttR was an early pioneer with walking sims, one of their first was Dear Esther, which helped popularize the genre. I’ve played it and it’s much more basic and involves a simple narrative whilst walking through a Scottish island piecing together a mysterious story. They consider EGttR a spiritual successor to Dear Esther, so depending on your interest you might check it out eventually for context. For me, it was a bit underwhelming compared to the likes of EGttR and Edith Finch, but it’s a classic and still worth experiencing for the frame of reference.

I’ve yet to play The Chinese Room’s latest called Still Wakes the Deep. From the descriptions of the game it looks a little more complex and more of an adventure game and less of a walking sim. Apparently there’s no combat but there is some stealth gameplay and puzzle solving as you traverse through a haunted oil rig. I’m not sure but it seems to double down on the horror elements, so I’m guessing that it does have fail states, unlike true walking sims. I think it’s fairly creepy, so your mileage may vary if that’s not to your taste. It’s on PS+ Extra and I’ve been meaning to try it. Perhaps I’ll get to it in the next few months.

@Th3solution I'd be very surprised if it didn't. His books are very obscure and it took a while until I collected them all up in first editions. He's nearly ninety years old now and has been writing about those topics for maybe thirty years. When I wrote to him he said most of his books were out of print. There aren't many books written about time-slips and he wrote one about that too. It really feels like they used some of the written material and even the artwork of the book and if I wasn't a walking library of the obscure it would have passed me by too. Most of the cases took place in tiny English villages too, I'm sure one of the Devs stumbled across it and then adapted elements to create their narrative.

Dear Esther sounds interesting, maybe that will be next and someone on here mentioned Still Wakes the Deep. Hopefully I won't have burned through every walking simulator by the end of the week. They go quite fast, I finished Everybody's Gone to The Rapture four times already. I've been going after trophies and when I get that close to the end I want to see it all play again. Light is my favorite aspect of science and physics of light and since the game focuses on it so much I can't help but not want to hear the dialogue/story again. They didn't just pull it out of thin air, they knew what they were writing.

Fun fact did you know you emit light? You do, and you glow in the dark. It's been confirmed in a recent study. The light originates from biochemical reactions that produce free radicals, which then interact with fats and proteins, causing the emission of photons. And what's more interesting is that at the exact moment of physical death that light instantly ceases. If your eye-sight were one thousand times stronger you'd see that light yourself, and around 4PM it would be at it's brightest, all down to your metabolism. I think light is fascinating especially when we already have a simplified (organic) view of the world. We only perceive 1% electromagnetic spectrum which equates to 4% of the physical universe. Reality in essence is invisible to us, dark matter, dark energy, most ranges of light, sound, we perceive none of it, that game tapped into a major interest of mine. I stayed up last night reading up on quantum mechanics again, all because of something that was hypothesized in one line of dialogue, it got those gears spinning.

Also the part at the end where he talks about his Dad finding a half dead fox, I found a half dead fox once too but mine did die. He kept his as pet and talked to about Italy and the war I don't normally relate to games but I did with What Remains of Edith Finch and small parts of this one. I doubt I would with Still Wakes the Deep, at least I'd hope not. Who knows what lurks under ones bed at night.

@Tjuz Are you feeling better this week, or did the Rapture take you too? I haven't seen any Tjuz shaped balls of light in my playthroughs.

Maybe I've simply underestimated how much I'd enjoy pre-2000s sci-fi stories. After all, I also ended up loving Babylon 5.

• You need to watch a British TV show (comedy) called Red Dwarf. The 90's Outer Limits explores a lot of sci-fi too. I've heard the name Star Ocean before but like Final Fantasy I always expected there were maybe twenty of them.

@GirlVersusGame I’m not very knowledgeable about quantum physics no or the electromagnetic spectrum, but I have heard tell of people who can see light emit from others. When it’s imperceptible to the rest of the population it’s tough to say one way or another, but I definitely agree that there’s all kinds of untapped insights that exist in the world and we’ve yet to understand or discover.

I’m glad that you’re able to relate to some of these games and I think these more contemplative gaming experiences are special in their own way. Sure, it’s enjoyable to grab a rifle and shoot down bad guys, get behind a steering wheel and drive fast, swing a sword and try to break the enemy’s guard, or punch and block an opponent until they collapse. But I really like to play some games that make you look at the world through a different lens, or ponder life and the universe, or simply feel a touching emotion or learn something new. There’s all kinds of gaming experiences to be had, all worthwhile.

Whichever you do choose, I’ll be very interested to see your impressions. Since I recently started Silent Hill 2, I will probably wait on Still Wakes the Deep for a little while. I can only take so many creepy scares at a time. 😅

@Th3solution but I have heard tell of people who can see light emit from others. When it’s imperceptible to the rest of the population it’s tough to say one way or another, but I definitely agree that there’s all kinds of untapped insights that exist in the world and we’ve yet to understand or discover.

• That's why I like light, without going into too much detail I thought everyone saw that light but they can't. I thought other folks saw a lot of things and they don't. I don't really play many shooting games, I shoot offline in real life but I do like the Sniper Elite games. Probably some other ones too but they don't come to mind, maybe Day-Z for it's realism. I still solo my way there that sometimes.

It's really interesting finding another genre that still manages to encompass Indie studios. I thought I'd seen what most Indies had to offer, not even close. I've played the first Silent Hill on PS1, I have one and use it to slowly explore those original franchises but I haven't played another after the first Silent Hill or after the first two Resident Evils. I played a couple of others recently like Pandemonium, Nightmare Creatures, A Bug's Life (torturous) Tenchu 2, Chase the Express, Medal of Honor, Parappa the Rapper and Jumping Flash. I should be checking Premiums Classics, it's just easier to use the old console and many titles aren't on Premium.

I've heard very good things about Silent Hill 2 on PS5. Plus makes it all easier, I don't like the idea of constantly buying games for the sake of it and then never getting around to them. I noticed it with my PS4 collection, I was buying them just because I could. I haven't made that mistake on PS5 and by doing it this way I feel like I'm finding some real gems. All of those PS4 titles were triple A games, which is fine but they weren't all that unique. I don't even put games on shelves anymore, it's too much of a reminder of allowing something to build up un-used. Maybe that's why people like digital, they aren't visually confronted by how many titles get left to the side. I lost all of that FOMO when I lost all of my PSN contacts, there's no stress of trying to play what everyone else is playing. Just the confusion of 'what next?', which is a lot more manageable than that race to stay current.

But I really like to play some games that make you look at the world through a different lens, or ponder life and the universe, or simply feel a touching emotion or learn something new. There’s all kinds of gaming experiences to be had, all worthwhile.

• If you know of any others I'd be glad to add them to the list. Once that platinum popped tonight I felt that wall of 'what now?' hit and it hit a lot harder than I expected. I started randomly downloading games like Spiderman and Call of the Sea. I don't really play horror games, not that I have anything against the genre. I probably just watch so many old horror movies to even think about horror games. I'd like to try Until Dawn but the whole mashing buttons thing puts me off trying. I looked at some trailers for The Village and really liked some of the aesthetics. Either way I put the controller down and spent the last three hours building a Lego gameboy. It took all night due to the interior components being faithful to an actual handheld. I'll either try Spiderman tomorrow or Dear Esther, I need to try at least one big Sony title, less because of FOMO and more because big franchises like that are stacking up. Control too and maybe Alan Wake, Spiderman will be a start, if it happens.

@GirlVersusGame Ah, well as we say, “the world is your oyster” as far as what games to play next. All those you listed are great ideas. I can definitely recommend Spider-Man, and the sequel Spider-Man 2 has dropped onto PS+ starting today so you could do a whole SM marathon if you want. There’s 3 games and the optimal way to play would be: SM1 then Miles Morales, then SM2. None of them are very long, with MM being the shortest and tightest (and probably the best in my opinion), and all have very obtainable platinums. Even I platinum’d all three.

Spidey would be a good game if you want a very kinetic action-heavy game now, which would be good following the walking sims you’ve played recently. It has a pretty good storyline too, if you dont mind the superhero genre. The gameplay is reminiscent of the Batman Arkham games, but Spidey’s ability to swing and leap around adds a lot more action than Batman who is by comparison rather stiff.

Control is actually one of my very favorite games of the last generation, so definitely keep it in mind, especially as the sequel is coming soon. It’s also very action heavy, has third person shooting mechanics and telekinesis and some other interesting gameplay elements for combat. The story is probably of interest to you because it is a very psychological, mind bending, X-files type of narrative.

I liked Until Dawn, although it’s definitely a straight up homage to teen horror movies, so again it all depends on if that’s of interest, and it’s one of those ‘choice and accountability’ games where you’re making decisions through the narrative and what you do may end up with different outcomes for the story and characters, including who survives. And yeah, by ‘button mashing’ if you mean QTE types of gameplay, it’s got some of that, as I recall, but there’s plenty of exploration and story.

I still need to play Alan Wake and also I’ve had my eye on Call of the Sea. If/when you try either of those I’d be interested to hear about how it goes.

@Tjuz Ah, I’m proud of you for stretching yourself to try new things. Variety is the spice of life!

@Tjuz Indeed, I most definitely played Final Fantasy VII out of obligation more than anything (and I may have mentioned this before, but... well, let's just say that my playthrough's results effectively demonstrated the blend of apathy and disdain I experienced along the way). I'd say you're not missing out on much, but then it's clear you have a higher tolerance for classic JRPGs than I do, so you might do alright. Let's be honest, if the fancy hasn't taken you already, then maybe it's a sign!

Haven't spoken to my Star Ocean fan friend yet, but will let you know once I have. In the meantime, I thought of (and sympathised with) your unfortunate "game over" earlier today, when I lost an hour's worth of progress in the new Star Trek: Voyager survival game and decided it'd be smarter to start from scratch on a lower difficulty, meaning that lost hour became a lost four. These things happen!

I've been replaying Tomb Raider (2013), but I'll have to start over due to me making some mistakes.

After that I plan to replay Rise of the Tomb Raider and then finally play Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

@Werehog In fear of angering the resident Final Fantasy fans, I won't ask you to elaborate further on your experience of disdain with 7 to spare you their ire! A shame it didn't hit the same way for you. I do think I'll eventually get around to them, but I'll go with the remakes. As far as I can tell, they're highly respected even by fans despite the story changes they make, which is as high praise as anybody can give a remake. I've got plenty of JRPG on my hands right now with Star Ocean however, so it'll probably be a while before I press play!

I'm sorry to hear you had another bad "Game Over" experience with Star Trek: Voyager. It seems we've both been cursed with it in the last week, but in both of our cases, the games have luckily grabbed us enough that we could move past the initial anger! Did you start playing it on hard difficulty and moved down to normal, or was it even just normal difficulty that proved too much for a first-time playthrough? I'd love to hear your general thoughts on it so far as well. This game was not on my radar at all until you'd mentioned it recently, and it seems like something that might equally be up my alley.