Topic: What PS5 Games Are You Currently Playing?

@Tjuz Ah yes, I felt the same in regards to getting the remaining collectables and did feel bit of a drag getting them. I didn't have a great deal to get either.

I started to swap characters quite frequently, but then found myself only doing probably as much as you said. Quite near the end I spent a good chunk of time with Saga, swapped to Alan and then at the next save point got prompted to switch to Saga to continue the story!

I only realised when I watched/listened to a spoiler discussion that you could get different results of how the narrative came together! Very cool.

I think Sam Lake is up there with someone like Kojima in my eyes, especially after this. And I definitely have greater appreciation of David Harewood with his portrayal of Mr Door!

I defeated Godskin Duo (again, like all the bosses besides Commander Niall in this playthrough, as I had previously completed ELDEN RING, in the past.) ,this morning, and have now completed my build. Stats are: 60 Vig, about 25 End, 28 Str, 80 Dex and haven't levelled anything else from starting stats as from a Samurai character. out of the initial character models the game provides you with, that was my choice. Next, I managed to obtain a Nagakiba, put 'Keen' Affinity on it and upgraded it to +24. Damage output is 584. My Mimic Tear Ashes have been upgraded to +10, and I am wearing the altered Ronin armour. My character's facial appearance and physical build are modelled after the titular character from Sekiro, the game.

@JohnnyShoulder I can't say I was really familiar with David Harewood before this game, but he made a fantastic impression! He really did a great job with the character. Interesting to me that it was supposed to be Lance Reddick before his untimely passing. I'm sure he would've rolled with it just as well, but I'm glad Harewood was able to step in and deliver a performance worthy of his recasting. Hope to see a lot more of him in future games.

And yeah, Sam Lake has equally impressed me between the first and the second game. I only played both this year, so the whole continuation of the story was fresh in my mind. It's cool to see how he has really honed his skills as a writer. Very impressive stuff, and I loved how much of the integrated live-action scenes there were in this follow-up compared to the first as well. The whole short film in the cinema was crazy! Now I need to get in with Control at some point soon like I promsied and start seeing how he's connecting all these games. The whole shared universe approach to this studio's storytelling really does intrigue me. Have you played Quantum Break? I wonder how connected that is to the rest of the games.

@Tjuz Much like the Max Payne games, as Remedy do not own the IP for Quantum Break, there are only nods and winks to it in Alan Wake 2.

The actor Shawn Ashmore plays both Tim(e) Breaker and the character from Quantum Break, and like you say Lance Reddick was supposed to play Mr Door. And his character from Quantum Break is called Martin Hatch lol.

Sam Lake plays Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2 and also Max Payne in the first game, and also shares the same voice actor in James McCaffrey (who sadly passed away too).

Not connected to those games, but I also liked stuff like the actor that plays Alan Wake also voices his own character Tim Zane. I did a double take when I first saw him! And the voice actor for Alan Wake plays and voices his own character Dr Casper Darling from Control who pops up in Alan Wake 2 (think more so in the Lake House DLC, not sure if he shows up in the main game apart from his book appearing).

Finished Expedition 33 story and character side quests a few days ago. Really enjoyed it, having been on the fence about getting it. Combat I actually really enjoyed, and despite no longer being a kiddo, my reactions were up to the task. As a very musical person, with a good sense of time, I feel this helped with some of it.

Most of all, without spoilers, what a fantastic story. Exceeded my expectations, and the writing was so intelligent, and mature. Comparing this to FFVII remake, and the comical thirsty girls and brain dead grunting cloud, it was a nice change of pace!! That sort off thing always put me off trying a lot of JRPG games..

Overall, very highly recommended, but that's hardly a new or maverick take on the game! Too many other games to play to trawl through the post game, and start to break the combat system, but for those that want to, there is a heck of a lot of game here for £35.

80h into GT7 now. Having mostly played FH2-5 and Mario kart games the last few years, it took a good 20h or so to really get used to how the game wants you to drive, but I'm not absolutely hooked now. I recently got the DLC and am 3 or 4 races into it. This game is epic...

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. I've never tried the franchise before and didn't read or watch a review. I've already downloaded and installed it so I'll see how it goes tomorrow. Some people said 'try Zero first', but it didn't have a dolphin in the thumbnail. I heard it's turn based too, that's a plus.

[update]

I've put maybe an hour in and it's nothing like I expected. It feels a lot like Persona 5 , which is a good thing. I do wonder who keeps leaving briefcases laying around, and I'm curious about those golden undies I saw. I see that they have the food/meal combo system like Unicorn Overlord too.

[update]

So if you avoid any missions and load into the game, then just wander around fighting every random bad guy you meet you should (depending on your pace) reach level ten in four hours and you come away with 207K Yen. I'm not saying you should do it, I did and I'm happy with the results. I like to challenge myself to reach double digits in a game but without doing any quests/missions and since this is obviously going to be grindy it was worth the effort.

He looks like how I'd imagine anyone would if they'd spent four hours wandering the street doing that.
Ichiban is impressively bad with women, especially when he managed to propose on a first date
Looks like I'm on my way to Hawaii with a pet crawfish

I have both Ghost of Yotei and Trails Beyond the Horizon on the go, but for some reason I find myself playing Asphalt Legends Unite. I think the reason I like it so much is because it reminds me of the type of arcade racing game you'd find on the Dreamcast.

Returnal:

Finished act 3, getting the true ending, and got the final collectables in biomes 4 ,5 & 6. Need two in biome 2 but I can't get them to spawn when I do a run, that's all I'm missing for the platinum very frustrating.

@Metonymy @Th3solution I have just touched down (not in the land of the Delta Blues, sorry Cher) in the Land of Shadow (reached the first bonfire in the DLC, Sol.) And have begun my second adventure, it's a new game, for all-intents-and-purposes, so this should definitely stand as a new Chapter in my FromSoftware journey. I defeated Mohg, Lord of Blood, (the boss you need to defeat in order to gain access to the DLC, Sol.) on my first try with my Mimic Tear+10 Summon, Jimmer, but the trophy won't pop for a few days as I am currently experiencing difficulties with my internet connection for the PS5, but I hope to get that resolved soon. Anyway, onwards and upwards, or downwards, as the case may be, for the DLC! (It's said to be very vertical!).

Oh, and I'm level 142, now.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN How exciting, man! Mogh is no slouch, that’s quite the power fantasy you’re indulging there. Enjoy it, as the Land of Shadow pulls no punches! Nothing like a new From Software world to explore though 😄

@Metonymy Thanks, man. I am planning on taking a break 'till next week and indulging myself in the worlds of literature and music instead 'till then, letting the victory soak in before embarking on the next journey, as it were. What game(s) are you playing right now and how is/are it/they going? Are you looking forward to Nioh 3 coming out next month?

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I just touched down in Hawaii in my game. I really need to get on that Elden Ring DLC I've heard nothing but good things. Mohg was one of my favorite bosses, I only found out about the Purifying Crystal Tear after I finally beat him. I loved the aesthetics of the boss and the arena itself. It's been fun reading about your journey.

It reminds me of this guy. We both played the game at launch only he sketched a journal of his playthrough. Each day I'd check to see his newest entries. Easily my favorite thing about those early days on the game.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I’m very much waiting for Nioh 3. Hoping to have Indiana Jones wrapped up by the time it releases but even if I don’t, they’re different enough games that I’ll be making a start on Nioh regardless. Im loving Indy but I haven’t had as much time to play as I’d like, hopefully I don’t fall off of it. Nioh is one of my favourite series so, priorities, ya know?

@GirlVersusGame
I played the first turn based Yakuza, Like a Dragon a while and it was the first Yakuza that I actually managed to finish and really enjoyed it
I bought Infinite Wealth (on disc) a while back but haven’t got round it yet so was a bit put out when it appeared on Plus but as my subscription is up in a week or so it is largely irrelevant.
The DLC (offering a dungeon and New Game+) is on sale at the moment, 60% off I think and I’m tempted to buy it even though it is a bit of cheek locking such basic expected features behind a paywall.

@CaptD The worst thing is that the dungeon in the DLC is end game stuff which makes getting the trophy for hitting lvl70 a pain without it (it was a LOT of grinding in the top base game dungeon to get there..).

@GirlVersusGame Hawaii, eh? What game is it that you're playing, out of curiosity? It does look great from the footage I've seen of it, and the reviews I've read of it, plus comments and discussions online etc. .The person who made that artwork appears to be very talented at drawing and I'm sure they had a lot of fun chronicling their playthrough like that. Anyway, thanks for sharing! .

@Thrillho
Yes I’ve read that, very dirty and whilst I will most likely purchase it (I do like to 100% my games including dlc) I really don’t want to as I will just be adding to the problem and the possibility that they will repeat the tactic.
The ratings on PSN for the dlc says everything tbh.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN He's really good, at the time time he was an art student who wanted to be an illustrator. I'd never seen anyone do that before for a game, he's done it for a couple. All of my game notebooks are just small drawings of builds and notes that go with them, I've done it with city builders for years. It's one of the only ways to see if something works before you build it. I'm sure I kept notes for my Elden Ring playthrough too, I have no idea where they are. I'd seen people keep count of deaths and things, I'll do it for the next Fromsoft game too, but day one. The last I saw he was mapping out the different areas of the game. His name on reddit was Ian_the_polar_bear

I'm playing Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. It starts off in Japan and then continues into Hawaii. I wasn't sure I'd like it because I've played so few Japanese games and jumping into a franchise so late is usually something I'd never do but I'm glad I took a chance on it. I just turned the game on again and managed to get to level eighteen before I had to go out for the night, which I think is good. The turn-based combat makes me want to grind those levels. It gives enough time to understand combat advantage too rather than just mashing buttons and hoping for the best outcome. I adore the aesthetics of games like Mortal Kombat, but I can't play them to save my life. The story is really interesting too, and the approach to telling it. I'm trying to keep it vague so as not to spoil anything, maybe meaningful is the right word. It's a more human approach which I would assume is due to the culture itself.

The only downside might be that it's a little grindy but there are enemies everywhere so you don't have to travel far to do it. I focused on the harder ones and then went straight into a restaurant after each fight to get my HP back, the money I earned from defeating the group always covered the meal and I only wanted the XP. It's one of those rare games where I'm not hoarding consumables. Throwables seem to cap at 5/5 so I use them when I have them. In most games all of my consumables get warehoused away never to see the light of day. I'm even using the pawn store for extra money and then banking it so that I don't lose it if I do die. Using a restaurant or eatery boosts character bonds too. Persona 5 was very similar and I loved that game, those systems add more depth and realism.

I like the focus on melee and hand to hand too, I recently started Krav Maga lessons again so I appreciate the pace of the combat itself. It's the only martial arts type that felt right for me, I prefer something that focuses on defense and disarming. Sparring is where I tend to have issues, striking and awareness I have, I want to work more on disarmament this year. I don't need to push proficiency too hard, I just want to improve on the basics and this is the time of year where I plan physical activities for the coming months. I've tried other martial arts like Kick Boxing and Taekwondo, they felt too aggressive and offensive. Krav Maga burns through calories as you train, it's really intensive when done right, I'll have to eat more and sleep more, it's sort a three in one of discipline. Even if I don't use it (I won't need to disarm or strike anyone) the training itself is very healthy and there is no shortage of people I can practice on offline.

@CaptD They locked Newgame+ behind DLC? I'm playing it on Plus+ , maybe I'll get the DLC just to pay my way. I tend to do that with all of the Indies I play on the service, I'm not saying SEGA need it, but maybe I'll need it for platinum, though the challenge of getting to max level without the DLC is kind of enticing too.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN You’re making some great progress. How are you finding the Shadow of the Erdtree content? I read that it’s quite a bit harder than the base game.

@Th3solution I haven't played enough to evaluate the difficulty properly ,yet, but will post when I have tackled some of the areas/bosses. I've literally just arrived in the first DLC area, before deciding to take a break, before beginning the next journey. How is BG3 going?