Topic: What PS5 Games Are You Currently Playing?

So I did the unspeakable and I'm downloading GTA V.
This will be my very first time being anywhere near the game, wonder if I'll stick with it.

@Voltan The gameplay still holds up and it’s undoubtedly a spectacle especially on your first playthrough. I’m also really glad that they’ve seemingly patched out some of the more egregiously transphobic content. It’s one thing to have bad characters doing bad things but horribly aged portrayals of NPCs are easily removed and add nothing to the game.

@Voltan I played it on PS3 and PS4 and it is still a great game. Playing in first person is quite a unique experience too, although I couldn’t cope with driving in that view.

Completing all the GTA online heists with the same crew from another forum I use is still my favourite online experience of all time too.

So far I'm not a huge fan of how the controls work but the performances seem good - I guess it will all hinge on whether or not the story hooks me.

I've been slogging my way through Final Fantasy VII Remake. Blimey this game is long winded! Most of my gaming time today @3-4 hours was spent completing chapter 9. Safe to say it's not my favourite game. I mean it doesn't do anything wrong but as I didn't play the original I don't have the nostalgia or rose tinted appreciation that may be I should.

Too many long cutscenes mean I lose attention and consequently have little idea why I am chasing the next objective. Too many party members with different skills & abilities jumping in and out of play whenever the plot dictates. Overly convoluted weapon upgrade + materia system that I can't be bothered to keep returning to in order to be most effecient. Looks pretty nice and battle system is fine though.
Was initially thinking I would probably aim to complete and then do again on hard for all trophies and platinum. Now just hoping I can keep grinding it to complete it once.

Currently at the start of chapter 10, game time 18 hours.

@sorteddan My platinum playthrough of FF7R took ~120 hours, just saying

That said, I absolutely loved it myself - everything about it except the few little side quests in a couple of chapters.

@sorteddan it's a let down overall, but as a massive fan of the original to me the excitement was always seeing "what comes next", as it was a pleasure seeing those 2D environments realised in 3D. Trouble is the massive slog between locations.. I was never really enjoying it moment to moment.

@kyleforrester87 That was probably the only thing keeping me going too. Just seeing the environments was really cool. And then the plot went suitably dreadful which is par for the course with Nomura. The gameplay was a weird one. It felt like it should have been more fun than it was. It was too action-based to feel tactical but too slow to feel like an actual action game.

@sorteddan Honestly I felt exactly the same, and began to feel the 'burn out' around chapters 11-12.

I actually really enjoyed the story beats, and thought the changes to the plot were entertaining enough... but it was the 'corridor simulation' gameplay that really killed it for me.

It is the only game I can recall that I had to force myself to finish the initial playthrough. Like you, I was roughly 18hrs into Chapter 9 (half way point). My entire playthrough was around 35-36 hours I think.

I moved on to Returnal the day I finished FF7R...and wow, it was so refreshing to click with something else! Good luck, but I would actually recommend maybe just passing it over. I regret playing this through to the end, but understand totally how you may not want to give up having already hit the half way point!

A shame, as Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been one of my favorite games on both the PS4 and the PS5. I gladly played it twice (once on both systems of course).

I enjoyed it far more than Returnal, so I guess what do I know?

@KilloWertz And I wouldn’t say either FF7R or Returnal really went above a 7 for me! That’s the beauty of having different tastes I guess 😂

Both are easily 9/10 and some of the best games of last couple years!

@Voltan I’m glad there’s someone else here who’s correct

FF7R was a great game. Quite enjoyable all around, but yes — it was never going to live up to expectations for me. It was hard to be objective about it, given how beloved the first game is and the praise that the remake had garnered in droves before I got around to playing it. Furthermore, I had played Control Ultimate Ed, Returnal, and A Plague Tale: Innocence leading up to it, all games I adored for different reasons, and that led to FF7R feeling… a little like an “also ran”.

Still, it was fun and I just love those characters. One of these days I might go back to it for a replay. Maybe in 2030 when part 2 is released. 😄

Don't get me wrong, there was a lot that I really liked about FF7R... and 'objectively' I can appreciate it on a number of levels, but like @nessisonett says - taste is a funny thing!

I am absolutely pumped for XVI though, especially now the rumour mill is suggesting that SE might bump Forspoken into next year and instead replace it with a winter FFXVI release. That would be phenomenal, if somewhat unlikely!

@CJD87 Did you happen to play FFXV? I never got around to it and I wonder how I’d get along with it now. It’s one of those sad, strange situations where I actually bought the game day 1, and being a Final Fantasy fan I was hyped about it, only to never get around to playing it 😅. Part of it was due to personal life situations that got me away from gaming in general for a short time, but somehow other games kept taking priority. By the time I felt in the mood to try a FF game it was FF7R which stole the spotlight for me. FFXV’s lackluster reception among fans also affectively drained my hype. Not to mention the GaaS type of plan they had with the extended DLC (which didn’t even all get released, I think) was annoying.

@Th3solution I was hyped for FF15 and then never got it, partly due to the whole DLC “roadmap” they had. And now it’s all released and available, I can’t really be bothered with it.

@Th3solution
Oh I quite enjoyed FFXV after a friend lent me his copy a couple of years back. I was quite happy to progress through that and even stuck around to platinum it. Don't think I ever did the DLC though.
Again, to echo what's already been said: personal taste is a funny thing and why reviews can never be fully relied upon.

@sorteddan @Th3solution FFXV was my first FF… and while it took me a good while to get into it (maybe over 20 hours) I ended up absolutely loving it. Im one of the minuscule minority that preferred it over FFVIIR pt1.

@Th3solution Funnily enough, FFXV is in my backlog... and is next up for me after I've tackled Nioh. I understand that it is seen to be a fairly divisive entry among the fanbase, but mainly due to a contentious/incomplete launch? I downloaded the Royal edition from PSPlus library, and am keen to get stuck in.

XV will definitely be a 'must-play' for me ahead of XVI dropping, as I was always a huge fan of the series when I was much younger! Ages 15-17 I played through the original VII, IX and X/X-2.

My all-time favorite is IX I think. It is an interesting series though in that some of the entries really divide the fanbase! VIII is a good example....

But if I get around to XV I'll let you know my thoughts mate!