Topic: What PS5 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@CJD87 I only played last night and made it to the club level on my first go but the first boss added like 30 years on to my age! I've struggled with the directionality of blocking and think it's perhaps too punishing to unlock a skill 5 times to unlock it, with the first time not counting!!

@CJD87 @R1spam I’ve had SIFU on my watchlist. Something about it beckons to me, as it sounds unique. But I’ve not been much into brawler/fighter style games. I’ll play a fighter every once in a while for the diversity. One of the things I struggle with in fighters is the complex combos and trying to string together attacks. Also playing defensive and using blocks and parrying has never been my forte. Do you think I should just leave SIFU alone then? They patched in difficulty sliders, if I recall, so does it make it more approachable for newbies?

@Th3solution I'm still way too early in the game to say. I think its something I need to play a bit more of before I can advise. It added difficulty options (including a harder difficulty?!) so there is that option. I should have more idea in a couple of weeks and putting some more runs in.

@Th3solution It was a strange experience for me, as I truly expected to 'love' it... but I just struggled to click with it. It is one of the few occasions where I actually sided with the discourse that difficulty adjusters were necessary!

I generally enjoy games that are perceived as challenging, absolutely loved Returnal / Demon's Souls / Nioh etc. Also I am a fan of the rogue-lite/like genre.... with Hades being one of my favorite games of all time.

I think for me, SIFU just lacked that overall 'polish' and 'X-factor' of the aforementioned games.

I would perhaps approach this with caution, especially as you need to be quite focussed on a playstyle that favors dodging/blocking/parrying (especially dodge/weaving). The mechanics are quite tricky.

It did a lot of things I loved though, especially how each death ages you and locks you out of certain upgrades.

But I just felt the overall experience lacked for me. Have you played Hades? If you're up for something a bit different, and roguelite doesn't put you off, I'd recommend Hades in a heartbeat!

@R1spam @CJD87 @Th3solution "SIFU" will no doubt be in my top 5 for the year - I thought it was absolutely outstanding in both mechanics and presentation - the homages to HK/Korean cinema were just the cherry on the sundae for a movie buff like me. I even managed to beat it through sheer bloody minded persistence before the difficulty sliders were patched in (definite "Sekiro" flashbacks,there) and then bought the special edition physical release just to throw the devs some additional support.

Thanks for the info. It gives me something to think about.

Keep us updated on how you get along with it, @R1spam
And yeah, @CJD87 , I knew you were a big fan of Returnal and FromSoft games, as we have shared our positive experiences on those games before. So the fact that you were struggling with SIFU concerned me. But then seeing @LN78 had such a good experience makes me wonder if I have the requisite innate skills for the game lying dormant in there somewhere. 😅

I’ll keep it on the watchlist. When it recently went on sale I thought long and hard about it, but decided to wait until I was closer to actually playing it. Wonder if it will come to the PS+ service eventually. For now I do have plenty to keep me busy, including Hades which I have in the backlog ready to go someday. I’m looking forward to it but I’m resuming my Immortals Fenyx Rising playthrough now and I’ll need to put some space between Greek Myth based games. 😅

@Th3solution Yes please don’t get me wrong, SIFU is certainly not a bad game by any stretch… I suppose I’m just surprised that I didn’t love it, especially as I thoroughly expected to find it incredible! Might be worth seeing if you can somehow play the first level before committing?

Ha oh wow Immortals…. I genuinely had such a positive experience with that game! Played it on Switch, and it actually ported quite well. I know it shamelessly ‘borrowed’ many elements from BOTW, but I think I enjoyed it just as much, and would go as far as to say it even did some things better than BOTW

Happy gaming mate!

@LN78 great to hear you had such a positive experience, I actually found it much more tricky than Sekiro! I wonder though if part of me couldn’t fully ‘get into it’ as I felt I was trying to blitz through it prior to Elden Ring dropping…. Maybe a few more weeks might have swayed me!

Different strokes and all that, but congrats for nailing it pre-patch, that takes a high degree of skill!

@CJD87 The parry "windows" are definitely tighter than they were in "Sekiro" but once you fathom the timings and the extra directional element it's not that far removed in terms of the mechanics. I'm hoping they add some extra costumes (a "Game of Death" style yellow and black onesie would be awesome) and maybe some nunchucks and stuff into the next updates.

@CJD87 I was really just getting into Immortals when I started Guardians of the Galaxy with the Game Club. That game pulled all my attention away, so I need to get back into Fenyx’s adventures. I was really starting to enjoy it, so hopefully I didn’t stray away from it too long.

I never played BotW, so don’t have a direct comparison, but it’s definitely one of the things that has enticed me to the game, as sort of a “poor man’s BotW.” The humor is actually one of the endearing qualities of the game so far. A lot of people said the beginning was off-putting and cheesy, but I like the fresh take on the Greek gods and the hammy acting and jokes. 😄

@LN78 I'm really early on and don't have a huge korean/HK movie pedigree but even I've seen oldboy and the corridor homage was so bloody cool!! I'm looking forward to playing more. @CJD87 sekiro is one of the fromsoft games I've never tried. I've always been put off by not having the option to summon or grind if a boss is too tough. Maybe I should give it a try if I can handle this.

@R1spam If you're handling SIFU, then you can/should definitely give Sekiro a whirl.

IMO, and this will be contentious (!), Sekiro is actually FromSoft's 'Magnum Opus'... an absolutely exquisite game. With the exception of the very last boss, most of the bosses are tough but fair - and an amazing feeling when you beat them!

The narrative is actually also pretty cohesive (vs the rest of FS's output!) and there are a wealth of great characters. Gameplay is really tight, and its a pretty immaculate video game.

It also felt like a real departure from DS/DeS and even Elden Ring. But for sure, if you are clicking with SIFU then I absolutely urge you to play Sekiro

@CJD87 I found the second fight with Owl at Hirata Estate and Demon of Hatred much tougher than Ishiin! But I concur with you - "Sekiro" is a gosh darned masterpiece (to this day the only game I've beaten on both the PlayStation and the Xbox) and @R1spam should play it as soon as is humanly possible.

@LN78 totally agree about the first boss mentioned in your spoiler… toughest gaming boss I’ve ever fought… and maybe the hardest thing I’ve ever done period! (I don’t get out much 😉)

@LN78 @colonelkilgore Yep me too. That boss fight almost broke me and had to resort to slighty cheesing him. I know a lot of people didn't like the last boss in Sekiro, but I properly loved it. It was like an acclimation of almost everything you learnt in the game. Guardian Ape was my favourite boss in that game, phase 2 really knocked me for six. And he throws his poo at you. 😂

It is still my proudest achievement in recent times in gaming. That there is no summoning or way to make your character OP, makes the victories even more sweeter than the other From Software games.

@JohnnyShoulder Guardian Ape was an incredible fight. OMG Moment #1 - When he got up again for phase 2 after that brief initial moment of triumph. OMG Moment #2 - Later on when the game makes you fight TWO of them simultaneously. Just brilliant - and as you say, an unsurpassed feeling of exhilaration when those victories eventually come.

@JohnnyShoulder @LN78 yeah I’d have to say that Guardian Ape was probably my favourite too. I still have to go back to try and nab the Sekiro platinum and this chat is definitely giving me the bug!

@colonelkilgore @LN78 @JohnnyShoulder Oh wow, you guys are taking me on the most pleasant of 'memory lane' trips here! Guardian Ape, what an epic boss fight.... I'll never forget my heart sinking after he gets up post-decapitation and continues into phase 2.

The standout for me personally was Lady Butterfly. I recall a popular discourse at the time, that suggested if a player could beat LB then said player would have all the required skillsets to beat the game in entirety...

Lady Butterfly took me about 30-40 tries, and it felt amazing beating her. With no opportunity for Mimic Tears, levelling up, summons etc... it truly is just down to pure skill and feels great.

If From announce their next game to be Sekiro 2 (unlikely) it would be amazing.

Not slamming Elden Ring, which remains my personal GOTY 2022, but I'd love to see From go back to a tighter & more linear experience - with a concise narrative and less obtuse side quests (ala Sekiro).

Able to get back and spend some more time with Immortals Fenyx Rising and the open world is really starting to blossom for me. It’s got that “just one more task” way of roping you in and keeping your play sessions long. I told myself I was going to try to focus on the mainline story and not spend countless hours roaming around looking for treasure and doing side activity like I usually do in these kinds of games. But I can’t help myself. Probably 15 hrs in and I only have one area unfogged.

The main goal is to enjoy the game though, so I should indulge myself in all the wandering and exploring. Hopefully I don’t get burned out on it before I can finish the story.

@Th3solution Even though I've been looking forward to it since before it came out, I've somehow still not played it yet. I do know it's nowhere near as long as Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Odyssey though, so even if you do keep indulging yourself, you shouldn't get really burnt out.