Topic: What PS5 Games Are You Currently Playing?

I completed The Sinking City 2 last night. It's a good budget Resident Evil-type survival horror and it's only 8 hours long. Would've liked it more if it didn't lean on RE so hard. I think Calvin Rafferty stole Charles W. Reed's wardrobe too.

@Ravix Can you give me some reasons to install Crimson Desert? I stopped following the thread when things got a little spoilery. I only put two-hours in on launch day because the game kept eating my saves. You did follow the game (the updates?) and didn't seem to focus on so many of the negatives like some people did, I remember the thread being very quiet too. I heard that they updated the story, I'm all about second chances and I do want to give the game another go. The other thing driving me to do it is the possibility of meeting Shoe-hat Man, I've been thinking about him ever since you posted those screenshots. I need to answer that all important question 'why a shoe?' and I think he might be the only one who holds those answers. Also I'm feeling a little brave when it comes to an open-world. I'm really enjoying Two Point Museum but it's starting to look like my actual home so I might need to push the walls back a little, perhaps Crimson Desert is the one to do it. There was a cat or puppy companion? I vaguely remember a set of ears and something small and furry.

@GirlVersusGame honestly, the game ended up being too big for me, I guess. And I like a big game 😅 it got to the point where I didn't have the time to commit to finishing it, or knew if I did I'd be rushing it and making it worse or not enjoying it or experiencing everything properly. It was a good experience, one i'm glad I had, but the more they add the less I feel like getting back into it is an option for me.

It is very much a 'make your own fun' game, and I made plenty of my own fun, but I then wanted to play something with more of a cinematic story and i'm just not built for playing multiple games at once so I basically had to sacrifice it in the end.

I thought maybe I would keep returning to it, like a live-service game, but I haven't had the specific desire to do that, yet. And I know i'd rather try things like the vampire game soon, as that is an RPG players RPG, and Death Stranding 2 has also been a backlog game I needed to get around to. Sometimes we just have to choose what is best for us in the moment.

So, I think there is a lot you'd like about the game, but also, if you want to 100% it, it may be the most impossible 100% ever, in terms of actual exploration and content (no idea about trophies, but I know I only saw like 1 and a half zones of the map) do you feel it is a task you could handle now? If so, it is worth another go. If any of what I said worries you, maybe it is not the best idea.

@GirlVersusGame Yes, they steal whole exhibits!

The generic thieves are easy enough to deal with as they come in through the main entrance so a well positioned guard on a chair covering your entrance will sort them out. But the other two appear within your museum and are more of a pain.

@Ravix Thank you for your honest, thorough and timely response. I didn't know who else to ask, it went from being this massive day one tour de force to hardly being talked about, other than the comments and those update articles, it was impossible to really get a real perspective on how things were progressing when so many comments seemed to be 'I haven't played it but'.

So, I think there is a lot you'd like about the game, but also, if you want to 100% it, it may be the most impossible 100% ever, in terms of actual exploration and content

• My last Platinum was November. Someone here asked me about that lately, why I'd stopped posting them and why I stopped. I've been gaming, trophies just didn't seem to matter for those other games, they were about creativity, learning, exercising my brain, Dopamine (Vampyre Survivors, Army of Ruin, Soulstone Survivors, Yet Another Zombie Survivor, Halls of Torment) I was able to balance my usual building/creative games with games that were fun for the sake of it.

Wildlands is a game I've now played through four-times. It proved that a trophy set didn't really factor into the fun, exploration or enjoyment of the game. When I first started trophy hunting it was part of a reward system, from Someone else, they weaponized an element of the game to get what they wanted and it worked. They made it sound like Trophies were this big secret in gaming and that they were willing to show me if I did A, B and C, so I did, then I saw that 'ding!' appear on my own screen and it was 'magic'. On-top of that the games we played involved multiple people so 'kat you need me to help you get that one' became a frequent thing. Then like everything else that system made it's way into my solo play, you've noticed it too. I probably mentioned it before.

After all of those People were gone I did go back through all of those games on a fresh account and earn those trophies for myself. It was cathartic, something I needed to do. Wildlands was one of those games, it was that recent. This time however it showed me that I didn't need trophies to feel some kind of accomplishment, I played on the hardest difficulty, removed the map/UI/made the enemy stronger/made it so one bullet would end me/forced myself to trek on foot as much as possible, that then become the real challenge, one I made for myself. I think if I can do that with Wildlands then perhaps it's possible with Crimson Desert too.

but I know I only saw like 1 and a half zones of the map)

• I'm still learning numbers but 1 as in One, is tiny, so now I'm wondering how big it actually is and why, as in did they fill the world with content or will I be walking the land looking for something to do, something to see, a purpose of my own like Cain. (I'll add some context)

Cain is described as walking everywhere because he was condemned by God to be a 'fugitive and a wanderer on the Earth and of it's lands' this was after unaliving his brother, Abel, a sin. According to the Book of Genesis (Chapter 4) the ground itself was cursed for him, meaning it would no longer yield crops, forcing him into a nomadic, restless existence where he wandered looking for that something. Later however Cain settles in the Land of Nod (which literally means 'Land of Wandering', East of Eden, where he marries and builds the first city, naming it after his son, Enoch. That might have been divergent but I like Cain do like to walk/wander the game-world and I've said weirder things these past few days so I don't think the context is that 'out there'.

do you feel it is a task you could handle now? If so, it is worth another go. If any of what I said worries you, maybe it is not the best idea.

• None of what you said worries me, if anything I feel a kind of 'this Studio deserves another chance'. I think I've seen too much negativity in the industry lately and I do want to see a happy ending but I should also be focusing on the here and now, and of the current accomplishments of hard working Developers. If a Studio can release that many fixes/updates in such a short amount of time then perhaps they deserve the time it takes to experience those fixes/updates.

@GirlVersusGame that seems like some good personal growth in how and why you game and what you get from it, so that is good.

Crimson Desert is very big, but also it seemed a lot of the content was mostly in the first area, that area being like a large county or a duchy in size and in relation to the overall world map being a kingdom or an empire.

So what I mean is, even though I played a lot of the game, there wasn't necessarily a story reason, or any reason to go beyond those areas yet, and that 'yet' lasted way longer than most games. And so by the time I moved on to another game, i'd still only seen those parts I explored and was taken to. And I felt like I explored a LOT. So that can give you a feel of how big the game is, and how big it feels in relation to the gameplay and story. I suppose I could count the 'sky areas' as another zone, as well. But in terms of kingdoms/duchies it was Hernand and (I forgot the name of the other one) so at that point after i'd played a bit of James Bond (I think) I was subconsciously thinking "i'm never going to see all of the Crimson Desert map, am I?" And I guess that feeling is what stopped me committing to playing more at that point. And since then I played James Bond, Thank Goodness You're Here, Mafia 4 and now Death Stranding 2, which may get partially replaced by Dawnwalker because I can't help myself when it comes to European RPGs they are by far my favourite type of game to play.

So yeah, it might be worth it for you, just know that it might also be too much (I know, I know, I maybe just triggered a "challenge accepted" response, but not on purpose, honest 😛)

@Metonymy Ah, I'm glad the modifier came through for you then! No shame in utilising the game specifically offers you as an option. The real shame is having missed the mirror-thingies and now having that as a roadblock! Hate it when that happens. Did you know beforehand that some obstacle like this was going to show up? I'd heard of the requirement of collecting Rainbow Conches in Sea of Stars beforehand, so you can bet I had a guide with me every step of the way to make sure I didn't miss a single one. The idea of having to backtrack everywhere to find what I missed turns me off heavily too, so I feel for you!

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@BentIeyma It sounds like sci-fi and RPG is just a fantastic mix for you! Screw whatever people say about Starfield. I haven't played it myself, so I'm happy to believe the game is good actually. I actually played The Outer Worlds 2 on release, but I appreciate the recommendation. I think I came away from it less positively than you, but I definitely agree that the quest collection in this game was handled well and more immersively than how you're describing Avowed. That one I haven't played, but I sure don't like the whole "question marks" you're presenting me with. I also feel like with having zero investment in the Pillars of Eternity universe, there wasn't much to latch onto in the marketing of that one in particular. A shame that it didn't work for you, but I'm glad this Obsidian follow-up landed a lot better!

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@Werehog You mean to say that I'm perhaps not as subtle a person as I may think I am? Darnation, the Dutch DNA strikes again! And yeah, I'm sure playing it through twice will do a lot to make it a more memorable experience. Not to say that it wouldn't anyway have been for you, as I don't expect you to change your opinion to fit mine accordingly! If anything, it's impressive that you played it through once and then instantly did a second go, even lacking any diverting paths like in RE2. Maybe less impressive than it sounds to me with the aforementioned allergy to replays, but impressive to me nonetheless! Like I said, my roommate has the third remake as one of his favourites, so who knows? Maybe you'll end up following in his footsteps more so than mine. Even if so, our opinion aren't all that different taking the whole series into account, so it pleases me to know that we won't have any future violent fights in that case.

Well, since you asked for it nicely, I'll make sure to judge you and your aversion to horror 'til the end of time. Muhahaha! Though I recognise that's probably not the most productive way to make you more open to exploring the genre. The alternating horror with Sonic sounds like a solid plan if you ask me. When's the next Sonic game coming out? I'll have to make sure to have a horror recommendation ready by then! Sadly, I know none that involve hedgehogs, echidnas or honey badgers. My apologies.

Resident Evil 4 will be an interesting one to see you play back to back, because it's on the longer side as you probably know. No quick six-hour run each to get through both games in one go! The remake alone took me about 27 hours if I remember correctly, though that included roughly six or so for the Ada DLC. Will you be playing the DLC when you get around to it? Presumably for both the original and the remake? If your only concern is whether it'd be worth it, then let me already assuage that feeling by telling you it is. As for Star Trek, you can count on me to be by your side when that game eventually comes out. Bloober has my trust after Silent Hill 2 and Cronos, so I should be there day one. I have no further knowledge of the lore or setting or what makes it particularly fascinating, so if you'd be willing to share, I'd love to know what excites you about its set-up in particular!

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@JDINCINERATOR I've only really become interested in it in the last couple of days learning it switched genres to survival horror, so I'm glad to hear that it's successful at it! Albeit noticeably on a lower budget and a bit too derivative. I can't say that something being too Resident Evil-inspired reads as a complaint to me, though! Did you play the first The Sinking City? If so, would you say it's worth playing it before I might eventually commit to its sequel?

Literally all I've done in this hour or two of playing is walk around the city with this free cat I found, I can even talk to people while carrying them and pet them too so we're just going on an adventure together.

I bet even Grand Theft Auto Six won't offer free cats.

Edit: I found Shoehat Man too.

@Tjuz You don't need to have played the original The Sinking City to play The Sinking City 2 because the story, characters, setting and everything else are separate. Yes, The Sinking City 2 does crib from Resi, but it doesn't have the stylishness, nor does it give you melee weapons. However, as a budget survival horror, it fits the bill nicely.

@Tjuz Using modifiers turns off trophies so I was trying my best not to use them (also, pride 😆) but figured, “why not,” as I wanted to wrap it up quickly what with the glut of games I’d like to play coming at us. I had no idea about the mirrors, so (ahem) ‘For anyone playing Mina the Hollower, if you ever come across a mirror, take some time to investigate further.’ Even with modifiers to kill the challenge, it’s still a fair amount of backtracking, and the areas aren’t particularly straightforward, so I may just move on and save it for a rainy day.

Apologies if I missed it, but how did Baldur’s Gate 3 turn out for you?

@Ravix I had some time with the game and have some musings, I'm also going to share what I said in the Weekend Thread but not word for word. You were right the game is huge, it felt huge on launch day too, I saw NPCs everywhere, struggled with the controls so once that anxiety kicked in things were headed South really quickly, the final nail was seeing it eat my save data. Last-night was so different.

I loaded in, did the intro, watched more of the story? it seemed new and they said they added more so perhaps. Anxiety started to flood in so I went looking for a hideout to wait it out, I think it was a shop, I stood by the window for a while watching the day turn to night then back into the day. Then I saw them, the cat from my pictures, SirSootyButt, I went outside and tried to pet him, saw I could actually pick him up so I borrowed him and ran back inside. After a while we both emerged together like the vault in Fallout and like Fallout started to roam, wander and explore. It reminded me of why Fallout 4 was easier to play, there was the puppy, the same for Kingdom Come Deliverance. We went everywhere together, through the town meeting people, the shops, a mill where I met a shady man and bought a shady mask so I could engage in shading activity, we reverse Skyrim walked down a cliff (carefully) just like Death Stranding and headed into the valley under the bridge, saw so many animals, trees, birds, listened to the river, it was really special. After a couple of hours I brought him back to town and we went our separate ways. The Developers didn't intend for people to do that, I did and it really helped.

Then I started adventuring on my own and found that I was really enjoying the world, the people, the strange mechanics, the combat and though I'm still not even sure what I'm doing? it's a lot of fun.

Other musings, written down as I played:

Why do I have a broom? I jump in real life when I meet new people and I jump in game when I meet them too because square is jump and square is also the interaction button (I found that comparison funny) I wish they'd add music to the inventory screen, I don't know why I can throw barrels and crates but I like it, I threw a sack at a tree and it got stuck up there then realized I could climb the tree, the combat feels better and tighter, why do I have a shovel? this time I remembered to claim my DLC armor, city guards are not Robocop (like Skyrim) and thus I've unalived so many and taken their things, it's a shame first-person isn't combat too especially for archery, the C word is a little overused and makes me grimace each time, locking that starter quest behind arm-wrestling was rough even with the fingers of a trained pianist (who even designed that) inventory appears to be slot based and not weight based (brilliant way of doing it) It's not that jumbly or janky and I'm not even sure what I'm doing half the time but I woke-up today wanting to play it, which is so rare.

Edit: I just learned how to make fish porridge and I like their refinement system where you can merge two of the same items to make a better one, like the shield. In most games I collected side quests and say 'eventually I'll do this', with this game I'm doing them as I get them, I may have returned to check on SirSootyButt too, still there.

The guards caught me taking things, when they released me they took my shady mask too, so now I have to go visit the shady man at the shady mill to buy another shady mask, I hope the game has a permanent one.

@JDINCINERATOR Thank you! Good to know that I don't have to commit to the full duology. I might have to start with the first just out of my own stubbornness with numbered titles, but if I don't gel with it, at least I'll be able to move onto the second without guilt.

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@Metonymy I hadn't considered the modifiers would turn off trophies. That sucks! Not to keep bringing up Sea of Stars, but I kind of imagined it'd be similar to that where you could buy "modifiers" as well that would make you do higher damage and such during combat, which you could freely enable or disable at any time. That didn't turn off achievements, and I thought it'd be the same idea in Mina where you'd have to earn them to then be able to use them freely rather than coming across like activating cheats. If it let you continue the game though, I'd say it's still worth it in the end! Trophies are just digital fluff in the end, while the game itself brings you the joy and memories (hopefully).

Baldur's Gate 3 turned out great! I finished it about two weeks ago with roughly 168 hours on the clock. That was one hell of a binge. I won't go too much into detail about it because there'd just be so much to cover, but I had a lovely time with it ultimately. Even if Act 3 itself made up about half the playtime and put me in danger of a burn-out on numerous occasions! If you want to know any more specific, I have a bunch of posts in the BG3 thread covering it (with spoilers) that I don't expect you to read through (it's a lot), but it basically covers the whole journey, haha. But if there's anything in particular you'd like to know about, feel free to shoot the question my way! I just wouldn't even know where to start getting a bit more specific at this point.

@Tjuz Glad to hear Baldur’s Gate 3 was a winner. Don’t think I’ve met a single person at this point who has felt otherwise. Really, what am I waiting for? I’ll peruse through the Baldur’s Gate thread and, if I have further questions, reach out through there, thanks!