Topic: What PS5 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@Th3solution I’ve been enjoying it so far. The games are definitely very grind-heavy but they’re very fun!

Recently I have been playing The Ascent and also Descenders. Only when seeing their names next to each other on the home screen did I realise my folly... Explains the slow progress on both at least.

@sorteddan That is ironic, although I think it’s actually fitting to play those two games simultaneously. Their titles are antonymic and complement one another to bring balance in your gaming. It’s not like as if you were playing The Outer Worlds and Outer Wilds at the same time, or Wild Hearts and Wild Arms, or something like that. That just plain confusing. 😄

I’ve been curious about The Ascent actually, and have it on my watchlist. What do you think of it so far?

Playing through Outriders, was really interested in this on release being a big Division fan, finally got around to starting it and so far so good, it's a typical looters shooter with some really cool twists in the gameplay.

Also started a indie game called Tails of Iron, never heard of it until it was on ps plus and I'm enjoying it way more than i thought I would anyone who liked Hollow Knight will probably enjoy this

@Th3solution
The Ascent
I think I'd describe it as fine (below good but above meh). It's a competent twin-stick shooter with light RPG elements and a well crafted cyberpunk world. You can customise your character build in a number of ways, have different loadouts which change the way you approach battles and there are a variety of weapons which do feel very different to use.
However I find it a bit boring to be honest, theres way too much to read - every time you visit a new location or meet a new character it adds a bunch of stuff to the codex, so much so I just started ignoringg it after a couple of hours. Also every mission just feels to me like a fetch quest, it pretty much comes down to 'run across the map, deal with random gangs of scruds on the way, when you get there either kill something, talk to npc or press button to move to next step. Then run all the way back to hand in quest'.
That said, it may well be much more fun in multiplayer with friends. I haven't tried so wouldn't know.
I'm more than halfway through and will continue to the end.
I bought it on disc for about £15. It's probably a fair price.

@sorteddan Thanks, that’s really helpful. I’ll keep it low on the list for now.

Diablo 4 is ridiculously addictive.

Seeing as I specifically booked two weeks off to play Diablo IV, it would be silly of me to not be playing that! I’m loving it. I’m even playing it co-op with my three brothers. When a game can get us all to make time to play with each other, you know it’s something special.

I'm really starting to love enemy scaling. I played with my Dad who is 20 levels under me and it didn't feel too easy for me or hard for him.

Final Fantasy VII Remake's Yuffie DLC. Feels like coming home, so cosy.

@Splat Yeah, it makes playing together so much easier. We struggled to play Phantasy Star Online 2 together because of our level mismatch, but here you don’t even have to worry about it.

@Kidfried It took me two tries to really enjoy the Yuffie DLC. The first time I didn't like it much as I sucked since her combat style is so much different than the main cast from the game, but then I gave it a second chance several months later and I enjoyed it a lot more. I probably shouldn't have played it right after I finished the main game again.

@Splat The enemy scaling is becoming one of my favourite things about the game. Somewhat like yourself, I’ve been playing with a few friends — one is level 15, the other is 26, meanwhile I’m level 44 — and it’s amazing how none of us feel under-levelled or overpowered when we play together. It’s great how a system like that has been implemented into the game as you don’t need to make a new character or wait for your co-op partner(s) to level up. Really great feature.

Not to mention the campaign quest scaling as well. That’s another fantastic addition.

@KAIRU but doesn't that make levelling up as a feature redundant? Why not just remove it entirely?

@KilloWertz I can see that. Might also be a case of 'too much of a good thing' for you at the time. The main game is quite long, and after that epic finale I reckon this DLC might feel pretty insignificant.

Thought I have to admit I'm not doing so great on the new fighting style yet. It's really fast and really different. I like it, but it just takes some getting used to I guess. It feels kind of the same as playing FF7R the first time. It took me quite some time to master that combat system. I really love the feeling of slowly learning a combat system (or any other system in a game). Really feels like not only your character is levelling up but also your understanding of that character.

It reminds me of the first time playing Mario Sunshine and struggling with the F.L.U.D.D. back in 2004 or 2005 or something, and then slowly learning to master the different kind of jumps and F.LU.D.D. abilities. (Good times!)

The DLC seems to be really short compared to the main game, though, might have to do a replay of it once the combat really clicks.

@kyleforrester87 I get your point, but the level scaling certainly allows me to play the game by myself and level up on my own, whilst still allowing me to help my lower levelled friends without me obliterating everything and making them feel like they're unable to contribute.

Not to mention, games like WoW and ESO have implemented level-scaling and it seems to have worked well for them. I'm sure not everyone will like the level-scaling and some people may think it's a crappy mechanic that defeats the purpose of levelling in the first place but it makes for well-balanced co-op and we've been having a blast so I'm not complaining.

@KAIRU I'm on the crappy mechanic side of things really. Generally I want to level up to make mincemeat of enemies that I used to struggle against. If that sense of power is actually just coming from unlocking abilities or more powerful weapons and better armour, just scrap the levelling altogether. I'd prefer to just run another character that keeps pace with my friends* versus level scaling, given the choice.

But, I am not THAT precious about it either. Some people won't play games with level scaling, that isn't me.

*I have no friends.

@kyleforrester87 Yeah, I can understand that. I do think more of the focus of Diablo IV is in the late-game, so maybe that's where you'll really start to see the difference in power output. In saying that, that may be more of a benefit of your gear and abilities, rather than actual level.

@KAIRU Yeah I think that's probably the case. I guess it just seems odd to have a level number attached if it doesn't carry some of the meaning you'd expect, but then I think certain areas have recommended levels so I suppose it helps from that perspective? I mean, it stops you from taking on higher level enemies, basically.

@kyleforrester87 There are a few areas where they are scaled to stay above your level. I've done a few of them and they are quite difficult.

Maybe things will change in the endgame because I do believe that's where the focus is. From what I understand, once you finish the story on your first character, you can skip it entirely on subsequent playthroughs.