Topic: What PS4 Games Are You Currently Playing?

You're welcome @Th3solution! I have no idea about how well it plays on the vita... But it should be fine... Maybe? 😅

They're in both the PS2 version and the Leifthrasir remaster/make. They did add a couple of minor characters in Leifthrasir so a few new voices were added and maybe they changed a couple of background characters as well? (It's been a while since I played it) But the main cast is the same for sure.

I was not familiar with Der Ring des Nibelungen at all when I played Odin Sphere. Either version! I only learnt something about it within the past few years and yeah... It only takes very light inspiration from it.

You can actually play the PS2 version in the Leifthrasir version from what I recall (And actually at a stable framerate I believe as again they had very few programmers compared to artists when they did the PS2 version) but the Leifthrasir version completely overhauls the actiony beat 'em up like gameplay with a bunch of skills for everyone, adds a couple new bosses, the artwork is spruced up and all sorts.

Every character plays differently so even though you'll have to go through the same areas it should hopefully do enough to get over the small pool of areas.

If you ever get round to it, I hope you end up liking it!

@graymamba I'm glad that the co-op has helped to get you more invested in the game! It is undeniably fun to just be shooting enemies with a friend, no matter the setting. Even the major criticism of Borderlands 3 with how cringy its story allegedly is might be offset by the fact that you could laugh at it with a friend! I'd imagine one day I'll be back in that world when just needing something mindless to play with a friend as well. Co-op games in general are always in high demand as far as I'm concerned! I had no clue the series was so uptight with RNG spawns though. Or well, I didn't know that the RNG spawns were even a thing to begin with. I'll pray for you and your partners that from now on, the odds may ever be in your favour!

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@HallowMoonshadow Sounds like the Leifthrasir version is essentially just the way to go then! I'd assume so, but you hear more and more often how ''remasters'' turn out to be a worse version of the original. It's cool that they not only let you play the new and improved version, but also the game exactly as it used to be on the PS2 with less technical difficulties! I'll definitely take a look at it. If I start going through Vanillaware's whole library over time, it might just be worth it to see if I could possibly emulate it as well. I have heard that for many it's their magnum opus, so I would say it's a priority as far as those developers are concerned!

@Tjuz in fairness mate, the rng of various rare enemy and npc spawns would effect nobody other than the obsessed platinum hunters like myself… and the a lot of those would’ve had more favourable luck than I.

As for the rubbish story of Borderland 3… except for very rare games and games series, I pay very little attention to a games narrative. I couldn’t tell you what the hell is going on in B2 and I’ve been playing it all week! 😂

@graymamba Haha, totally fair. It's a shame you've gotten so unlucky with the RNG thus far, but let's hope it was simply a false start! And yeah, if you're not someone who cares really about the quality of a narrative in a game for the most part, then I'm sure it won't affect your enjoyment of the third game. By all accounts, the mechanics are incredibly refined and the best the series had to offer at the time! I do think the universe is ripe for good storytelling however, as I feel Tales from the Borderlands (as well as its controversial sequel) proved. I suppose I'll always be at odds with the franchise when it comes to their more mechanically focused nature in the main titles, but you should get more of a kick out of them at least! Not every game needs to cater towards me specifically after all... 😜

@Tjuz I actually have both Tales of… games, so maybe I’ll understand what I’m missing when I eventually get around to them. It’s a cool world for sure… it’s kinda like Mad Max if it was written by Mike Judge (which I’m all about tbh).

As someone who gamed from the ZX Spectrum (1982), games have always been about gameplay for me at least. It was almost a badge of honour back-in-the-day to not care about the graphics and favour the mechanics… not that I know when your day was, nor am I judging honestly 😊. I just honestly find it really intriguing how pivotal storytelling is within gaming for many people these days. I mean don’t get me wrong, there are games which hit different when I’m engaged with the narrative but it takes a real lot for me to not just mash-through cut-scenes till I can kill-**** again. 😅

@graymamba I would've never put the Mad Max if it was Mike Judge together, but I feel like you hit the head on the nail with that one! Worth trying either one (though obviously I´d start with the more broadly liked original) if and when you ever feel settling in for a narrative adventure.

Haha, no offense or judgment taken whatsoever. You correctly assumed that the ZX Spectrum would´ve been before my time, as in all honesty, I'm not sure I've ever actually heard of it to begin with. I am currently in precisely my mid-20's! My first console was a SNES, thanks to it being gifted second-hand to me by my gaming grandma. I at least have some experience with when games where way more about mechanics than narrative thanks to that, because (at least the games I played at the time) hardly had a story at all. Or if they did, like in the case of Illusion of Gaia/Time, I was too young to understand how to even progress it. I think I spent dozens of hours just walking through the opening area with my character talking to all the NPCs and making up my own stories just because I thought the game looked pretty!

Suffice to say that I'm definitely one of the people for whom narrative eventually became of utmost importance to however. Even with my humble beginnings on that console or a DS, I think I was always destined to become more of a story-first player. As a young child in my first year of primary school, I'd already be writing Harry Potter fan-fictions or spending my afternoons sitting in our kitchen improvising songs and lyrics and writing them down! It's always been my creative outlet, so I'm not surprised it became such a big deal in gaming for me either as I got older and was able to engage with them better. Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a whole personal ramble! But essentially: I'm glad we're able to prioritise different aspects in games and still find common ground, haha!

@graymamba
“Pray very little to narrative...mash through cut-scenes”
Clearly Devs feel the same way and they don’t want you to waste time watching cutscenes otherwise they would pause the speed run timers (looking at you Naughty Dog among many others).

@Tjuz a gaming grandma… that’s awesome!

Yeah I love the fact we can all approach gaming looking for such different things, yet all feeling satiated by it. We’re all gamers at the end of the day, regardless of how we place its various facets in terms of importance. I’m slightly ashamed to admit, that I used to feel quite dismissive to the narrative-first gamers out there… but it eventually dawned on me quite how different gaming narratives have evolved since I were a lad and consequently, anyone that was introduced to gaming since/during that evolution would obviously view it a far more pivotal gaming cornerstone. Particularly for someone like yourself given your creative pursuits even when at a such a young age.

@CaptD ikr 😂

Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online

Started playing this game and played it for a whole hour today. Pretty good start, and as usual I got a few good laughs from the character dialogue 🤣. Haven't moved on to the second area yet because I'm busy grinding experience points in the first area.

@graymamba Haha, it is really cool! I wish I could tell you more about her, but she passed away just a few years after when I was still young, so my personal memory of her is sadly limited to a few things here and there. I do remember that the reason she had a SNES was because she loved platforming games! She had the whole Mario collection as well as the Disney movie tie-ins like Aladdin and The Lion King. I'd watch her occasionally beating a level of one before demanding to take the controller and play myself (which she luckily always let me do). The memories may be few, but they're good at least! And don't worry... since you've turned around on your thoughts regarding other's preferences in games, we can all just band together to dismiss people who don't see gaming as an art form now. The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Haha.

@Vermines Yeah, the music is really the star of the show. That said, I think the Mega Drive version was different from the SNES version, as many of those movie tie-ins used to be back in the day. The SNES version was probably easier then, since I remember finishing it many times as a young child. Fun times!