Topic: Your Latest PS4 Purchase

@Tasuki my latest purchase was Red Dead Redemtion 2 such a awesome game 😄

@RogerRoger It will be fascinating to hear about your impressions of FF7 through fresh eyes. If you really get into then you’ll have a whole lineage of retro FF to fill your time with. FF8 and FF9 being the closest iterations of the old style of turn-based gameplay and retro graphical “charm”. FF10 seemed to be one of the larger evolutionary jumps with more modernized world map; and the much maligned FF13 where it really became quite different due to the increased linearity. FF12 is its own animal, and actually one of my favorites, with the unique customizable gambit system where you can basically spend a little time ‘programming’ your party actions and the battles basically play themselves for you. And of course FF15, where yours truly has stumbled and is the first mainline game I have yet to experience. ...Well, that and the FF13 ‘trilogy’ where the last game ‘Lightning Returns’ just never made it into my library.
You may have opened up a can of worms when you do get a chance to play your recent purchase, whenever that may be since I know you have your share of backlog like I do. 😄

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy That III remake was the first FF game I played when I was about 6 years old and it absolutely wrecked me. It’s honestly one of the most brutal RPGs I’ve played and really did turn me off the series until I played VII for the first time a couple of years later. Gutsco/Salamander still gives me nightmares 😂😂

The 3D remake of FFIV on NDS is pretty famously challenging as well.

But yeah, the games are often wildly different experiences, and there's no real consensus on which ones are actually the best. Public opinion just tends to shift over the years. For the longest time, FFVII was considered to be the greatest game ever made on the internet. Now it's considered overrated by a lot of people, and FFIX is celebrated. In another decade, that'll probably shift again.

For the record, I've played I (part of original and remake), III (remake), IV (remake and original), VI, VII (original and remake), the first disc of IX, X, XII (remake and original), and part of XIII.

Couldn't get on with the original version of I (too old, imo), IX, or XIII at all, unfortunately. Although I do intend to give XIII another shot soon. It has been almost a decade. Time to let the grudge go and re-evaluate.

@Ralizah The VII and IX thing is pretty similar to the whole Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask deal. I don’t really get the overrated argument, it’s basically just admitting that it was critically well received but for whatever reason, that’s ‘wrong’. I personally think FF7 has aged like a fine wine, even with the bad graphics and I actually think it’s aged better than VIII and IX. The frame rate in IX’s battles and world map really does my head in at times.

@nessisonett It's just how things go. The swing of the pendulum of public opinion is merciless.

VII's dark cyberpunk aesthetic early on, imminently customizable materia system, and complex writing more broadly put it head and shoulders above most games in the series for me. It's the Xenogears of the FF series, and that's not at all a bad thing.

FFIX should be a good looking PS1 game (it's pretty funny comparing the clean, detailed models of that game to the nightmare-inducing lego people of VII), but the horrible character designs and muddy overworld (seriously, I felt like Akira Yamaoka music should've started playing whenever I went to the map) really brought it down. Good example of art design undercutting technical excellence.

@RogerRoger I would like to try Lightning Returns. XIII-2 was actually okay, but I never completed it and don’t think I’ll go back unless, here’s an idea Square-Enix, they release a trilogy pack for PS4 like Ubisoft did with the Ezio AC games, or Rocksteady/WB did for the Batman games with Return to Arkham, or 2K did with the BioShock Collection, etc, etc.

But yes, my backlog is large, but I think last I checked it was about 50, but I’ve made a little progress since then. I’ve been good about not buying many games. Actually haven’t bought any in 2020 and have only had them added via PS plus. I think I’m at a backlog of about 40, I’d venture.

I’ve only played FF6-8 (and remake) as new mechanics always scare me and make me worry I won’t like the game. But Remake is so different to the old games who knows.

I was really intrigued by 15 but once they announced there was going to be loads of DLC I got out off getting the unfinished product.

@Th3solution @RogerRoger My backlog is currently around the 70 mark. I don't remember what is was before, but I kinda not letting get to me so much and just play what I feel like more, rather than worrying about what games I need cross of from my backlog.

Admittedly, SMT's press turn combat and Bravely Default's brave and default system have largely damaged my ability to appreciate traditional turn-based combat systems in older Square-Enix games. It's hard to go back to turn-based games without deep, strategic layers to the combat.

I took advantage of the sale and payday to pick up a few games on my wishlist - namely Terminator: Resistance, Salt and Sanctuary and Wolfenstein: Cyber Pilot as I wanted some more VR action! Also bought vouchers from ShopTo so technically paid less again. NOICE.

@Rudy_Manchego Let me know if Terminator is remotely worth it

@kyleforrester87 Yeah will do - I watched the Jim Sterling impressions and he liked it as a 'solid' game and I like Terminators. I also liked the sounds cpz they sound like those films I like with the lasers and stuff. It also looks like a very easy plat which is my kind of platinum trophy...

I probably wouldn't have taken a punt on it full price but it is down to £14.99.

@LN78 I bought it at 4 quid last year and I really enjoyed it for what it is. If you liked 80s/90s style john woo movies, you'll probably look over some of the dated cover shooting mechanics and enjoy. I'm playing gta4 just now and played 5 a couple of years ago, there are definitely somethings sleeping dogs does much better, though overall, nothing matches rockstar for me.

@LN78 no, I didn't even know that was a thing!! Just watched a clip on YouTube and still have a 360, might have to look out for a copy, thanks!

@LN78 Really enjoyed Sleeping Dogs when I played it in 360. I liked the focus on martial arts and environmental combat. Make sure you get a pork bun.

@Rudy_Manchego Let me know how you get on with Salt & Sanctuary. It is supposed to be like a 2D Soulsborne type thing and I've almost pulled the trigger on a few occasions.

Seeing as how the remake ended, I maybe be tempted to give the original FFVII a go as it's on sale on the store. Has anyone played it on PS4?

EDIT:

@JohnnyShoulder It plays fine on modern consoles. The HD character models clash with the prerendered backdrops, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure that none of the modern console versions have the stupid O mouths that plagued PC versions of the game, at least, making NPCs look like blow-up dolls. It made Jessie look particularly stupid in one scene.

The PS4 version plays as well as any other version of the game on modern consoles. You also get a PS4 theme with it, which is always a plus. It's a classic, and worth experiencing no matter what modern platform you nab it on.

You can also mod it on PC to have higher resolution backdrops. The Remako mod features drastically higher res backdrops created by a neural network that mesh much more nicely with the HD character models. It's honestly the best way to play the game, although I know some people aren't comfortable with PC game modding.

@LN78 I loved Sleeping Dogs. The driving and shooting is rubbish but most of the game is beating up baddies with the clever use of the environment. Wei Shen is cool, too.

@Ralizah Thanks! I have played the original, albeit 20 years ago and I can hardly remember it. I think i may appreciate the changes to the next games in the remake series if I can remember the original better!

Ooof yeah that character model does look unintentionally numerous. Looks like some weird porno Lego. I don't game on PC unfortunately. I do have a laptop but the only time I've used it for gaming is remote play with my PS4.