Matthewnh

I have a few days off, over the Christmas period, but I am actually at work Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and over New Year.

I bought myself Black Myth Wukong, as a present. So I will start that over the holiday.

Merry Christmas everybody. Hope you all enjoy the holiday.

I voted for both GTA 6 and Indiana Jones.

And I agree with @FuriousMachine. Also looking forward to Exodus, most of all.

Perhaps some news of the next Mass Effect, as well? It has been ages since we heard anything at all.

I would like to learn more about Savage Starlight, so maybe a game based upon that?

I read Liam’s quote “It’s all about the future”.

I take that statement implies that right now this PS5 Pro upgrade is unnecessary, because the software that takes full advantage of it is not yet available.

But I suppose that it also means that it is reasonably “future-proof”.

I am not entirely sold on the idea yet. Plus, if I did buy a PS5 Pro, I know that I would also need to upgrade my television.

And basically that is just too much for me right now.

@Fiendish-Beaver

I get the feeling that many years have passed between the two games. I doubt that the Inquisitor plays any significant part in the events of the new game.

But perhaps there is a way to set out previous choices and backstory? Even for the sake of continuity. Some of the events of Inquisition must still have consequences, or else why bother?

But I agree, I shall stick with the same platform, once next week comes around.

I shall buy my copy of Veilguard, once I get paid next week. I shall buy the Xbox version.

Only because I have all of the other Dragon Age games on Xbox.

I am not certain that Veilguard is going to be quite as good as Inquisition, but I want to play it, with an open mind, to find out.

The trailer was cartoonish, and the dialogue sounds cheesy, but the videos of actual gameplay look amazing.

And Hogwarts Legacy is still selling well, I see, over a year after release. Let’s hope that Veilguard is as good as Hogwarts.

That is a good decision. I think he will make an excellent replacement.

If they had chosen Keith David, although he is undoubtedly a great actor, I would always be reminded of Admiral Anderson (the character he voiced in Mass Effect). For me that would be far too distracting.

Although, I feel that trying to imitate or replicate Reddick’s rather unique voice is going to be difficult indeed.

I am rather hoping that Sylens’ appearance and character models do not alter as well. Hopefully, the family shall still give permission for Reddick’s likeness to be used?

I have to admit, seeing Erend Vanguardsman as a Lego miniature was just brilliant.

That might be worth the price of this game on its own.

8 out 10.

Only got answers to questions 3 and 8 wrong.
Probably best score yet.

So what are odds that Sony will try to recoup their losses, by lowering the price of the PS5 Pro, in an effort to sell as many as possible?

Yeah, probably zero chance of that.

Sounds excellent. Much better than I expected, actually.
This is going to be my Christmas present to myself.

Considering that mass effect 2 and inquisition are some of my all time favourites, this sounds just perfect.

Microsoft has really scored an “own goal” with GamePass, I feel.

Why would developers write software for Xbox, if Microsoft are only going to give it away for free?

I have no actual bias, however. I own both a PS5 and a Series X. The PS5 is getting far more use right now, but I will eventually get around to playing Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion.

I have zero interest in “Live Service” games. Having got seriously burned by Anthem.

But surely for every GTA Online, there should also be a Hogwarts Legacy, or Wo Long.

I will always prefer deep and emotional single player stories such as Uncharted.

I think that if this concept of “live service” pay-as-you-play was used in any other industry, it would be called out as a scam.

I got 5/10 correct. I also got 5/10 incorrect.

I actually knew the answers to those five questions. Every other answer was a guess. And I guessed wrongly every time.

And what a great game Sleeping Dogs was!

Well I still have my original PS4 disc copy, after all of this time.

When I moved house this year, I had to get rid of a lot of stuff. Which I am slowly replacing.

But I still have my original PS4 discs for Horizon, Mirrors Edge Catalyst, and the Uncharted Collection.

This is just sad. (Imagine that said in a Krogan voice)

I know they are plugging the newfangled hardware, but how about giving us some new software to go to with it?

Instead we get remasters of remasters. Hooray, a new paint job.

Why am I thinking of puddles, right now?

I suppose developers produce remasters of “classic” games because we are still willing to pay for them. I assume it is much cheaper to do this for them, than to design and build something new, completely from scratch.

Although the Last Of Us Remastered was supposedly redone completely, making it a brand new version of the game, and not actually just a remastered or updated version. Strange.

Are PS5 games technically handicapped by the need to still produce a PS4 version?

I assume that most players have GTA5 in their game library? Don’t forget that has already been remastered twice. The PS5 version was simply an update of the PS4 version. Which was a remake of the PS3 version.

But I am very much looking forward to getting Astrobot later today. It looks like one of the greatest PS5 games yet.

8/10

My highest score yet. I got the answers to questions 4 and 6 wrong.

And how much does the disc drive cost?

This will bump the overall cost up to about £1000, I suspect.

I want one of the new consoles, certainly, but I will wait for a bit.

But then, I am a movie buff. I have bought a high-end home cinema setup. And that has cost me a fortune, but is worth it.

If customers want a PS5 Pro desperately enough, they will pay the money. Something is only ever worth what people are willing to pay for it,

That said, I have not being gaming for while, and feel “out of the loop” right now.

I will undoubtedly buy one, eventually. Once the price goes down.

I still do not think that developers have tapped the full potential of original PS5.

Are there any games where the PS5 really struggles?

Is the Pro even necessary?
I just do not see the point in this very expensive upgrade, yet.

There is still very little in-game footage in the trailer.
Mostly movie clips, I think.

Will this game get the same attention to detail that we saw in Hogwarts Legacy? It is simply too soon to tell.

But it looks good, so far.

Not at launch, no.

But I will certainly pick this one up, soon after.
Just too much else to do right now. Too many other expenses.

Have to leave this one until the end of September. Which also means delaying my purchase of Star Wars Outlaws (Aug 27th), too.

But I have waited already, can wait a little longer.

And when people mention “Boss Battles”, I am getting God Of War vibes. Does that sound like a good comparison?

The cyberpunk neo-noir aesthetic has become standard these days. Anybody else remember “Syndicate”?

The facial animations are okay, better than some other games out there. The dialogue does sound cheesy, and is obviously out-of-sync with the picture. Could just be the video.

But it looks promising. Just needs a little polishing up.

Remember the state Cyberpunk 2077 was in, when it first launched on PS4?

Returnal has to be one of the best PS5 games. Not just one of the best “roguelikes”.

It tries the limits of my patience. Not sure if I actually “enjoy” it. But it sure is good.

I am really looking forward to this now.

The initial reveal really put me off, but this is looking much better than I expected.

So I am definitely going to try this once it comes out.

No need for me to replay Inquisition in the meantime. I know that story off the top of my head, by now.

@x3King84

That’s exactly the point.

For as long as developers are obliged to make PS4 versions of their new games, then the potential of the PS5 will remain completely handicapped.

How many games are there out there for the PS5, that run exclusively on PS5 - and do not have a slightly-less-pretty PS4 twin?

Very few. And one of those is preloaded onto your PS5 to begin with! Thats the problem.

I bet that most of your PS5 game library are updated versions of PS4 games, right? Mine too.

@YeoSprings

But that then means that less stuff is designed to run on the new hardware. So that people shall rarely, if ever, get to see what the PS5 is truly capable of.

I would like to see something that pushes the limits of the PS5, out of curiosity. Is a PS5 Pro even necessary at this point?

I think that the PS5 is about the right price. They were £500, at first, and that price has barely fallen, as far as I can tell.

However, most of the software is too expensive, in my view. I think that £60 for most games is too high, but even I was happy to pay extra for the special edition version of Horizon FW.

I cannot be the only one who sees this console rivalry, and brand loyalty as unnecessary, can I?

Regardless of whether we are PlayStation diehards, Xbox fans, or PC supremacists, we are all gamers.

I have fond memories of playing tomb raider on the original PlayStation. Uncharted on PS4

Gears of War, and Halo on XBox.
Duke Nukem 3D on my brother’s PC, when he wasn’t looking.

I get that people have favourites, and that people are tribal. I would not have that any other way.

But we are all gamers. I feel that this rivalry - “My console is better than yours” - simply makes us all look childish.

And gives the whole gaming community a bad reputation.

6/10. Which is about average for me.

I got the answers wrong to questions 2,4,9,10.

The new leaderboard is a good feature. It means no more bluffing.

Sony : PlayStation “It’s for the Players”

Microsoft : XBox “It’s for our Shareholders”

Perhaps it is an ego thing? Do Microsoft believe that they are so well-known, so indispensable, that they do not need to market themselves?

Is it because PlayStation has a far more varied library of games?

However, I believe that Xbox is much bigger in the States, than they are in Europe.

I have access to Microsoft GamePass. But I do not think I have ever actually used it. I would much prefer to have games on disc, than a download. But that is another matter, entirely.

The last game I bought for the Xbox was Forza Motorsport. Before that, it was Starfield. In fact, those are the only two games I have bought for the Xbox in over a year.

Did Assassins Creed Origins get Cleopatra VII right?

It has been so long since I played Origins, that I cannot remember.

Cleopatra was white (as her ancestry was entirely Greek) and inbred. Even her name was Greek, and not Egyptian. Cleopatra translates to “Glory to my Father”. She was descended from Alexander the Great.

Of course, the ancient Egyptian people were also white, as are the Berbers, who are also from North Africa.

I gather that such a person did arrive in Japan, and was treated by the samurai lord as a complete novelty. Almost like a jester. In much the same way that our western culture once regarded such unusual people - “a sideshow freak”.

@wildcat_kickz

You just beat me to it.

On a different note, I am impressed to see that Hogwarts Legacy is still selling really well.

Let’s see -

Dragon Age
Astrobot
Star Wars Outlaws
Silent Hill 2
Black Myth Wukong

Although, I will probably end up buying the Series X version of Dragon Age Veilguard, instead. As I have the Xbox versions of the other three Dragon Age games.

And I still want to call it Dreadwolf.

@Bentleyma I can remember playing Avatar, and having it crash a few times. And whilst flying, some of the visuals of the sky were all messed up.

But there was a quick patch update, and whatever issues I had with it seemed to be fixed.

But then again, Hogwarts Legacy had the same problem with the skies. Or was I the only one who had that problem?

So, this is the same as Inquisition, then?

You had the initial choice of Warrior, Rogue, or Mage. Then once you reached Skyhold, you could specialise your character.

Most of my playthroughs were as a Mage. Usually Knight Enchanter, or a Rift Mage.

It seems that you can now specialise your character right from the beginning, instead of after 15-20 hours of play.

@ThomasHL

Pretty sure that they have not changed the plot. Only the title.

The more I read about this game now, the more interested I become.

Sure, I am a huge fan of Dragon Age Inquisition, having played through that story many times. So I was probably going to buy this anyway, no matter what.

However, I thought that the original reveal was too cartoonish. But then I saw the gameplay reveal, with Minrathous, and was very impressed.

The reasoning behind the change of the title does make sense to me, and I actually now have hope. This might actually turn out to be the game I really wanted it to be.

I also spent hundreds of hours in Inquisition (maybe thousands) and this now really looks like the sequel that Inquisition deserves.

I am not sure that this sort of game is for me, really.

I do not mind games being challenging. After all, that is where they are fun. But I suppose there are limits to my patience.

Plus we all have jobs, and lives. And so on.

I remember the sheer sense of satisfaction I felt after completing Uncharted Drakes Fortune (PS3) on crushing difficulty. Which really comes down to patience, perseverance, and pattern recognition.

I got the platinum trophy for Hogwarts Legacy because I loved exploring, and immersing myself in the game - not because I desperately wanted the platinum.

That said, I own both Elden Ring and Returnal, so I am not averse to playing (or at least trying) “difficult” games.

Mind you, I also found Shadow of the Tomb Raider to be a real challenge for me, especially the DLC. So I understand how rewarding it can be to progress in a difficult game.

This is sad.

I dislike buying software from PS Store or Xbox Live, as this content is not “owned” as such, and can effectively be “turned off”, am I correct?

I know that this is to do with the lack of sales of “physical software”. Games on disc.

I dislike this trend towards purely downloaded games, and would much rather have my games on disc. I cannot be the only one, can I?

Ironically, is it false advertising for the store called “GAME” to no longer sell games?

Inquisition is one of my favourite games of all time.
Especially given the number of times that I have replayed it.

I am looking forward to Veilguard, because I want to see the continuation of this story.

So in Dragon Age, galloping with your mount did not actually make it move any faster?

I shall need to go back and redo Seanna Dennet’s time trials. And see if I can win them, just by going slowly.

Now this is more like it.
Skeptical after that cartoony reveal a few days ago.
But actual gameplay looks more promising.

I think that BioWare (if they are still BioWare at this point?) realise that there is literally “Everything” riding on this, and on the new Mass Effect.

If they screw up Dragon Age and Mass Effect? Alienate what is left of their existing fanbase?

I fear that they would be finished. And they probably know that.

Personally, I will not know until I actually play it.
So I will buy a copy, play it, and just reach my own conclusions.

Gee, thanks, Phil.

Remind me again why I bought a Series X?

I am not sure what to think, if I’m honest.

Perhaps that is representative of the new Dragon Age? Perhaps it is just a light-hearted teaser trailer? Who knows?

There is no guarantee that they are going to carry that art style through into the full game. The slight teaser we got when they still called it Dreadwolf was much darker.

Until I see “actual footage” and genuine gameplay, then I shall not pass judgment.

I was skeptical, with the number of staff that have left BioWare, not to mention the complete disaster (being polite) that was Anthem.

The trouble is that I am so used to Inquisition, that anything else that looks slightly different feels somehow “wrong”.

But I still have faith that the story will be dark and sinister. It is supposed to be set in the Tevinter Imperium, right?

Maybe some news on the next Mass Effect.

And confirmation that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is going to happen at some point.

Hong Kong will be an incredible city to race around in. Hope that they capture the atmosphere of the place.

Old Peak Road is narrow, and twisty, and all uphill (or down). And there are long stretches that are almost freeway, heading toward Kennedy Town.

I remember the racing through traffic in Sleeping Dogs. That was challenging, but rewarding.

This should be great fun. I’m sold.

If the developers have done a serious graphical upgrade, then I would buy this straight away.

Until Dawn could become a showcase for how gorgeous a PS5 game can really be. Hopefully. Otherwise, why bother? Just buy the PS4 game.

Sure, I am fed up of seeing remasters of older games, but this could really be worthwhile.