Comments 46

Re: Expect More Halo Games on PS5, Dev Says Series Is 'on PlayStation Going Forward'

HoodedSpirit

Ironically all this talk recently about Xbox leaving the console space made me really want a Series X again (cos if that’s gonna be their last traditional console, I want to be able to play all the games I’ve bought over the years) and I’m currently loving replaying Halo Infinite on my shiny new 2 TB galaxy black Xbox. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤷‍♂️ Will have to buy Campaign Evolved on PS5 to play co-op though cos I ain’t paying for GP again.

Re: PS Plus Looks Better Than Ever After New Xbox Game Pass Price Rises

HoodedSpirit

Back when I bought my Series X, it came with 2 years of GP. Combined that with the old ‘convert Gold to GP’ trick and I had free GP Ultimate for about 3 1/2 years. That ran out on the 19th of September. And I didn’t care. 🤷‍♂️ I did get to experience the disappointment of South Of Midnight though. So there was that. 😁

Re: Plenty of People Are Playing Expedition 33 on PS5, Despite Having to Actually Buy It

HoodedSpirit

Game Pass makes games disposable. Thats why I don’t like it. Reminds me of back in the Speccy/Amiga days when piracy was rampant and easy. Games were regularly swapped in playgrounds and played for about 10 minutes before moving on to the next one. 🤷‍♂️ If you bought a game with your own money you were more likely to actually complete it. I won’t argue that GP is fantastic value for money but I see it as exactly what MS was trying to do with the OG Xbox One reveal (no used games, everything digital) that everyone raised hell about. It’s the same thing just with a different name.

Re: Poll: What Are Your Thoughts on Bloodborne, 10 Years Later?

HoodedSpirit

“Why would I want to play a game whose tagline is ‘Prepare To Die’”?
That was my reaction to Souls games for a long time. Too hard, not fun. Then Bloodborne had its reveal trailer at E3 2014. The Victorian Gothic look instantly hooked me in but knowing it was from the makers of Dark Souls gave me pause. Eventually I decided to throw caution to the wind and bought it at launch hoping the Gothic atmosphere would keep me playing.
It did but Bloodborne punished me, a lot. To this day I can guide new players through Central Yarnham blindfolded because that’s how long I spent respawning at that same goshdarn lamp over and over again.
Memorising where each enemy was, how to pull of a visceral attack, throwing pebbles at stragglers to slowly take out the crowds one by one, I did it all. Bit by bit, step by agonising, frustrating step I made my way though the whole game. This was a massive thing for me. I had actually finished a From Software game. A badge of honour I wore proudly and probably the biggest achievement in my 30+ years of gaming.
Then I went back and platinumed it.
Cut to a few years later and I find myself working with a chap who shares my love of classic rock & heavy metal. I mention that I tried learning the guitar in my teen long-haired metaller years, he mentions that he teaches guitar and would be happy to give me lessons.
My first reaction is ‘Oh no, no way do I have the patience for that’ my second reaction is ‘B***h, you platinumed Bloodborne! If you’ve got the patience to eventually kill The Orphan Of Kos and master the chalice dungeons, you can learn the guitar’
So that’s what I did.
Two years of lessons and practice so far and yep it’s bloody hard to learn the guitar but so was beating Father Gascoigne and Vicar Amelia and especially Lady Maria.
But thanks to all I learned from Bloodborne I know that when I hit that wall (and I have, many times) I CAN push though it.
So thank you Bloodborne. Thank you for teaching me patience and perseverance (even after many many rage quits) and for genuinely changing my life for the better. Here’s to 10 years of one of the greatest games of all time.

Re: Reaction: Xbox Is Bringing Some Great Games to PS5, But Rumours Will Remain Rampant About What's Next

HoodedSpirit

To be honest, I didn’t even know Pentiment was even out yet. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking it looked interesting but then completely forgot about it. I guess one positive from this ridiculously PR focussed podcast (Xbox is fine but we’re porting some of our games over cos they’re not making as much money as we thought they would. But everything is fine and we’re still great. Oh, and Starfield and Indiana Jones are staying exclusive but we don’t think anything will be exclusive in the future. But these ones are and we don’t think Helldivers 2 should be exclusive but we’re keeping our own exclusives. But we don’t believe in exclusives anymore) it’s that I’ve actually blown the dust off my Series X and downloaded it. 👍 I’ll probably try all 4 while I still have Game Pass and then buy any I like on PS5 when my GP runs out next year.

Re: It's Utter Domination for PS5 in Europe as Xbox Continues to Lose Significant Ground

HoodedSpirit

Can’t even remember the last time I turned on my Series X. I’m keeping it (mostly cos I’ve got loads of digital games on my Xbox account and I sold the controller to fund an engraved Elite Design Lab one) but I can’t see myself getting the next one. Don’t like Microsoft putting all their eggs in a Game Pass shaped basket. The 360 days of quality new IP’s and genuine reasons to own both consoles are long gone.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 500

HoodedSpirit

Spider-Man 2. As another huge Spidey fan I’m taking my time but also can’t stop playing. Just before I read this I’d just finished the Brooklyn Academy Homecoming side mission and (aside from that mission being so damn sweet) it also introduced Halleys text-to-speech so right now I’m super happy that Spider-Man 2 is inclusive as funk! 😍🥰😍 Well done Insomniac. 👍

Re: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 Director: This Game Is Worth the Money

HoodedSpirit

I paid £70 in 1997 for Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. That’s the equivalent of £157.11 today. For these games to have reached almost photorealistic standards and massive increased in size, and production budget, and still stay (more of less) the same price is astonishing. Well done Insomniac. You made another absolute cracker. 😍👍

Re: PS Plus Blocks Free Mortal Shell PS5 Upgrade

HoodedSpirit

So what happens if I claim Mortal Shell on Plus & the PS4 version is in a digital sale in, say March 2022? Will I be able to buy the sale version and get the free PS5 upgrade or will my PS5 store say ‘Purchased’ permanently blocking me from getting the free upgrade from a digital PS4 version? 🤔

Re: Reaction: Merging PS Plus and PS Now Makes Sense, But an Xbox Game Pass Competitor Can't Be Half-Arsed

HoodedSpirit

I’m know I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t like how MS puts the latest games on Game Pass. In my mind it makes those games disposable. If I’m interested in a new game and paid full price for it, I’m playing that thing to completion and it stays proudly on my shelf (or on my hard drive) until I want to play it again but when I had Game Pass so many times I’d just play something for 1-2 hours, get bored, try something else, rinse, repeat. There’s no sense of true ownership with GP & in fact it’s not a million miles away from Microsoft’s original plan for the XB One that everyone absolutely hated. On the other hand if Sony come out and say my PS5 can play almost any Playstation game from the last 25 years for an extra £10 a month, take my goddamn money. New games not being on (I am) Spartacus doesn’t bother me but Sony is sitting on a goldmine of gaming history and should take full advantage of that. 👍

Re: Feature: PS5 Report Card - How Is It After One Year?

HoodedSpirit

I’d love for you guys to do a feature looking back at the missing consoles from UK launch day. 👍 Did everyone who got Cat Food & Kitchen Roll end up getting their consoles? Did anyone ever find out where those missing consoles went? Was it the dodgy delivery drivers or someone from the dispatch warehouse? 🤔🤷‍♂️

Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Returnal?

HoodedSpirit

Returnal is reminding me so much of playing Bloodborne for the first time. With both games I knew they’d be hard and frustrating going in but it’s the setting & atmosphere that appealed to me. I still remember slowly figuring out how Bloodborne worked (learning how to throw pebbles to thin the herd, mastering the visceral attack) and sticking with it death after death after death because it was so beautifully gothic and dark. I could lead anyone through Central Yarnham blindfolded even now. Exactly the same thing is happening with Returnal & I love it. Only just figured out today that it’s much easier to melee the annoying flying bat things than try to shoot them. A little further every run. 👍

Re: Poll: Is the PS5 DualSense Sony's Best Controller Yet?

HoodedSpirit

Maybe there’s a little big of my fanboy-ism sneaking in here but it feels like Sony has done some genuine innovations this generation. The Dualsense is obviously a big part of that. Whereas the ‘competition’ has seemingly done more of the same but prettier (even the UI is exactly the same), Sony has borrowed a page from Nintendo’s book and gone for better immersion.
I keep reading about games like Deathloop and how they will use the Dualsense in the future and it just made me think how many will choose the PS5 version of a multi format game purely for Dualsense features. I’m not a massive COD fan but picked up Cold War after hearing how good the adaptive triggers were and they are a genuine game changer. Well done Sony. Bring on the future. 👍

Re: Time Names PS5 One of 2020's Best Inventions

HoodedSpirit

@MaccaMUFC Right so, aside from the haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, “faster” SSD, microphone built into the controller, a free game with every console that scored 83 on Metacritic, share play, 5 actual exclusives in the launch line up alone & a brand new UI........ what has the PS5 ever done for us? 😂😂😂😂😂

Re: Poll: Did You Get a PS5?

HoodedSpirit

Luckily my Yodel driver seemed like a decent bloke who actually delivered my PS5 yesterday rather than trying nick it. 👍😍
Loving Miles Morales. Combat just as smooth and flowing as ever (Venom skills seamlessly integrated to my usual punch, slide under, high punch, swing kick combo) and it looks gorgeous.
More importantly though Titanfall 2’s multiplayer works on PS5!!! 👍👍👍👍 Keep those servers on Respawn. 😍😍😍

Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want to Know About PS5?

HoodedSpirit

I know someone’s already asked but I’d also like to know how I can transfer over all my PS4 screenshots & videos.
But also will the PS5 work with USB splitter cables? Since the PS4 camera will be using up a USB slot with the adapter I’m gonna be one USB short for all my stuff. My PS4 has external HDD, PSVR & the wireless headset dongle that all need USB. Add the PS4 camera to that & I’m one connection short for PS5. If I plug the PS4 camera & the PSVR into one slot with a splitter cable, will they both work?

Re: Reaction: Sony Needs to Show Us a True, Next-Gen PS5 Exclusive After Lukewarm Inside Xbox

HoodedSpirit

Got really excited at the first game shown cos it looked like it might have been Titanfall 3 (except without a Respawn logo at the start). As for the rest, absolutely right to say everything looked current gen. Vampire: The Masquerade looked like it was running on a PS3/360! (The hair!)😱😱😂😂 Apart from the big hitters (AC, Dirt 5, Madden) the rest looked like PS Plus/Games With Gold titles waiting to happen.

Re: Poll: Are You Happy With Your PS Plus Games for December 2019?

HoodedSpirit

I adore Titanfall 2. Have done since launch. It deserves way more credit than it got, unfairly sandwiched between Infinite Warfare & Battlefield 1. It’s the only multiplayer that I regularly go back to. I’ve told so many people to pick it up for peanuts but even for a fiver, they didn’t want to bite. For me it always feels fresh purely due to the fact that it switches between COD style boots on ground shooting to giant mech fighting in the blink of an eye. That can completely change a match. Frankly, although I’d have preferred games worth more this month, if TF 2 on Plus increases the player count & keeps it alive we’re more likely to get TF 3. Especially now that Respawn have finished their contractually obligated Star Wars game. 👍

Re: Talking Point: What's the Background Behind Your PSN Username?

HoodedSpirit

I still remember getting that ‘Choose your online ID’ email from Sony from just before the PS3 launched. Being a Pagan I trawled through lists of Gods and Deities to find something suitably epic but still not too obvious (No Zeus69 for me). That’s when I found accounts of mysterious carvings found in many different places around the world depicting hooded figures. No one had ever found out what they were called by the cultures that carved them so they had been just named hooded spirits. Hence Hooded_Spirit. It’s kind of become my general online identity now and I’m still very happy with it. So no changes from me.