SEVENTEENSOILS

With the price hike I'd say the Pro is the best value (now we have PSSR2), when compared to the performance of other gaming platforms.

Obviously it's still too expensive but all platforms are extortionately pricey now.

@lazarus11 ahh ok. Interesting. I might have another go tonight for a gander.

@lazarus11 Yeah that'll be the poor ray reconstruction of the RT. Are you in the outdoor/daylight city area of the game as Leon (no spoilers)? Cos in the last update they completely removed the RT global illumination in those sections. I was hoping they'd reinstate it actually fix it entirely but maybe it's just mild improvements for now.

@lazarus11 are you playing on Pro or base PS5? If on Pro I'm hoping this means the return of ray tracing in all areas (with or without the graphical bugs) and I can continue playing it 😂

Fair review. I can easily see why so many have bounced off this game.

However, I personally am feeling this quickly becoming my GOTY - easy 10/10. The amount of depth and detail in the world is just incredible. So many animals, plants and variations in geography, architecture and NPCs. Probably the most impressive since RDR2. I have been repeatedly stunned exploring what Pearl Abyss have delivered.

I do disagree strongly about the graphical presentation though. It's gorgeous. There can be issues with the RT and ray reconstruction - it's not a PSSR fault as stated (similar to issues in RE9). But that's the price for having it fully implemented in real time across the whole game. Performance is decent enough on Pro for what it's delivering, with future patches likely to smooth over the dipping in hectic scenes.

One of those game you really have to try yourself and ignore the reviews, both good and bad.

@RoomWithaMoose yeah, there's not much merit to any "conspiracy" but I do think there's the natural reaction from some individuals, journalists included, to "push back" and temper the massive hype behind it.

There's also a weird political tit-for-tat going on at the moment with games that aren't even pushing agendas. Marathon being a recent example, and also Crimson Desert to a degree in response to the former, imo. It's an odd and annoying social phenomenon and you're 100% correct that people should attempt to ignore overarching narratives and enjoy what they enjoy 🤷 so while I don't think there's a intentional plan to form narratives, it's still influencing people's conversations

The "chill out," wasn't particularly personal. It's life advice for all us gamers when it comes to marmite games we're passionate for, or if we just don't get the hype. We can't all love the same things - that would be excruciatingly boring.

Those are some decent games! Metroid is a beauty! As is Skate Story too ♥️ I recently bought one of the Dragon Quest titles (PS4) and that's probably next on the cards after Crimson Desert stops taking over my life. Saros is the next big-hitter I'm hyped for, as Returnal was such a vibe (I'm sh*te at it though)

Edit: I too am wallowing in the muddy trenches of discourse obviously. Although it's always good to try and bring the conversation back to the parts of our hobby we love, which I have seen many people doing.

@RoomWithaMoose when considering you've been bothered by the discourse and different opinions, replying to the other bothered people on every recent article about CD. It's fine - you do you, but to act above the emotional discourse when engaging in it is... Ironic.

It doesn't really matter of course. Better to just talk about games. You played anything interesting recently? Im a huge Dragon's Dogma and Crimson Desert tickles the spot nicely!

@RoomWithaMoose hmm. Sounds like you're joining in with the rest of them. Every pushsquare Crimson Desert article I've seen the same people (MrPeanutButterz too) delivering beautiful, stroppy irony. It's a good time to chill

Personally I've had great fun with the game but I can see why it's a marmite experience.