Comments 879

Re: TGS 2015: The Old Hunters Is Bloodborne's New Gruesome and Gorgeous DLC 

SteveButler2210

@Churchy Yeah I can't wait to see how exactly they expand the lore with it! I was thinking exactly the same. Making it standalone could be a bit of a kick in the nuts to players who've done a lot of leg work, but making it all scalable just seems a lot of effort. Also, a problem with making all the enemies scalable is that you'd never get that surprise factor of wandering into a new area earlier than planned and getting torn apart! Would also make it tough on players who find the game harder, as scalable enemies would mean remove for them the option of grinding a bit to level up then going back. But as you say, I'm sure FS will work it out!

@Dodoo I would argue that £11.99 is a highish price. I mean, I'm certain it will be worth it ten times over, but I'm certainly not worried the price is too low. We've all just been too conditioned lately by some of the big names charging disgusting prices for DLC and expecting us to just lap it up.

@Mrskinner I know right, looks like it should be one hell of a fight! Wasn't quite GOTY for me, but it's not far behind MGS V and The Witcher 3. That's not a bad thing about BB by any means, just shows how lucky we've been this year with quality games!!

Re: TGS 2015: The Old Hunters Is Bloodborne's New Gruesome and Gorgeous DLC 

SteveButler2210

@Churchy @ToOGoodOfAPlaya @SegaBlueSky @SegaBlueSky @Mrskinner @get2sammyb sorry to spam but not sure how many people come back to re-check comments unless they've been specifically tagged!

The PS blog EU have made a post with some new images I thought you'd all be interested in - http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2015/09/15/bloodborne-expansion-the-old-hunters-launches-on-24th-november/

Loving the "bow-blade", and also Ludwig looks like a brilliant boss! I wonder if they will try and work the Ludwig's Holy Blade into the boss fight somehow.

Either way the more I think about this, the more excited I get! Literally just lent it to my stepdad, but will definitely be getting it back early Nov to see if I can finish the plat in time for the dlc.

Interested to see how they make it work re player stats etc, as if they make it insanely high level it'll be too hard for people who have just finished the game once without a grind. But conversely, if it is only at the same difficulty as the late game content in the main game, then anybody who's put in time doing the chalice dungeons will be way too overpowered and there'll be no challenge at all.

Re: TGS 2015: London's Burning in Assassin's Creed Syndicate's Jack the Ripper DLC 

SteveButler2210

Hahahaha wow. So they've taken a Ripper storyline, one of the biggest selling points of having an AC game set in Victorian times, and locked it behind a pay wall. No surprise really.

Oh well, after being so disappointed by AC Unity, they will need to create something really amazing to get me interested again. Keeping an eye on this, but will wait for the reviews to roll in before I even consider putting any money down...

Re: TGS 2015: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue Unlocks on PS4

SteveButler2210

Interesting, although to be honest I would much rather they just hurried up and ported all of the KH HD collections to the Vita. It was a success with FFX/X-2, so I see no reason why they wouldn't do it, especially given that the Vita still seems to have a lot of love in the East!

I would absolutely snap that up in a heartbeat. If nothing else, us Vita owners desperately deserve a way to finally play Birth By Sleep on Vita. While they're at it, doing an HD Vita port of Crisis Core with trophy support some time prior to the release of the FFVII remake wouldn't go amiss either. Oh, and when the inevitable FFXII HD comes out, let the Vita have that too, cheers.

Highly doubt any of the above will happen, but we can dream!

Re: TGS 2015: The Old Hunters Is Bloodborne's New Gruesome and Gorgeous DLC 

SteveButler2210

Absolutely cannot wait for this. That new weapon looks brilliant, and also what the hell was going on at 1:13 when he went all beast mode? Is that possible in the regular version and I just didn't realise? Although I unlocked them all, I didn't really experiment very much with the hunter tools in my playthrough, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was one of those that I have skimmed over.

Re: TGS 2015: Gravity Rush 2 Turns PS4 Upside Down

SteveButler2210

Looks fantastic, will be great to see the city fully realised thanks to that extra next-gen horsepower!

Also gives me an excuse to replay the first game again. Will definitely be taking multiple saves this time though, as last time I got right near the end and the trophy for doing all challenges glitched on me, even though I had followed all the recommended steps to avoid that (eg doing the Boutoume challenges long before the end as that is known to glitch it). I had no save to jump back to and couldn't be bothered starting the whole thing over again at the time!

Re: UK Sales Charts: Tearaway Unfolded Flops Like Wet Paper

SteveButler2210

@ztpayne7 agreed, I feel this has been very undersold. If they had arranged a proper UK TV ad campaign where they clearly highlight the critical acclaim it has received, with maybe an extended ad on the kids channels highlighting the papercraft collection feature (kids seem to go mad for that sort of craftsy stuff), I honestly think it would've sold shed loads, especially as it retails for less than most new titles!

Crying shame really. I can hardly talk, as I suppose I contributed to the problem by buying it pre-owned, but it is still sad to see some of the guff out there outsell games like Tearaway so dramatically!

Re: Guide: Metal Gear Solid V Buddies and How to Get the Best Out of Them

SteveButler2210

You didn't mention the best thing about D-Dog. He doesn't tear out their throat with his teeth - he takes a knife off the side of his vest, grips it in his mouth, then jumps up and slashes their throat with it!

It's not easy to see from a distance, and I wasn't sure for ages, but then one occasion he was really close to the camera for some reason when he turned to his side to put the knife in his mouth and I saw it all. So ridiculous, but still absolutely amazing!

Re: Don't Expect to Be Playing Ninja Theory's Hellblade For a While Yet

SteveButler2210

Like @slampog says, the full quotes on their twitter suggest it's simply retiring ideas that weren't working to move on to the next stage.

In my work when we talk about a vertical slice it refers to something that can stand on it's own independently of the overall product (ie is in itself fully developable and testable), but generally containing a small amount of the overall intended functionality so that you can get it finished quickly.

As such, I would imagine they are working in multiple vertical slices, each containing specific ideas and elements of the gameplay waiting to be scrapped or pulled together as part of a whole at a later date. If so, it is partly re-assuring, as it suggests that what they showed and received the poor feedback on were potentially only some elements of the whole, rather than the entire gameplay loop.

You could argue that if all they had was still just a handful of vertical slices they were perhaps premature in showing anything at all. But to be honest early feedback is always preferable. Get the guff out of the way fast so you can re-focus as appropriate!

Re: Darksiders Creators Launch Indie Kickstarter to Bring Comic-Inspired JRPG to PS4

SteveButler2210

Looks pretty interesting, although sounds like the penalties for death are pretty steep. Which is fine, as long as they don't make it a one-slot auto-saving game. That would suck.

I still need to go back to Darksiders. Got half way through the original one on the highest difficulty but got rather stuck and ended up leaving it. I wasn't hugely enjoying it, as that wasn't the first part I had problems clearing. In hindsight, I think I would've enjoyed the game much more if I'd played it at the normal difficulty first, then gone back on hard once I knew the game better!

Re: Review: Super Time Force Ultra (PS4)

SteveButler2210

@TheMightyPunram cheers, yeah I started working out little tips like that. Once you have a handle on how the characters are best used things become much easier. For most of the non-boss stages I found you can breeze through using Lou Don Jim near exclusively, he's an absolute powerhouse!

Finished the game this morning, and definitely glad I gave it a go as, dodgy controls for diagonal shooting aside, it is a great game! Going to give Super Hardcore Mode a go at some point, although not sure how far I'll get..

EDIT: has anybody unlocked the Journey character or Shuhei Yoshida yet? I've finished the game and still only got Galahad so far. I have a feeling they are linked to glorbs, as I've got most of the shard medals, but only 1 or 2 glorb medals so far, but would be nice to know for sure.

Re: Europe Gets a Load of PlayStation Store Discounts, Including The Witcher 3

SteveButler2210

Pretty uninspiring, but like I said on another article, the Witcher 3 is a good price for newcomers.

I'll be getting Super Stardust Delta (following my recent addiction to Geometry Wars) and possibly also escapeVektor on the Vita. Still not convinced by J-Stars, so I'll probably just wait a while longer and try to find a cheap physical pre-owned copy at some point.

Although it's not been mentioned in any recent posts, one thing I did notice the other day was that the Sword Art Online Vita price has come down now to bring it more in line with the cheaper pricing of the PS4 version (I think it was down to £15, from over £30). Looks permanent too, so that could be one people might be interested in!

Re: Expect a Big Persona 5 Blowout at TGS

SteveButler2210

They're definitely running short on time now, especially considering how little has been shown so far! However, as @consolfreak1982 said, it looks absolutely stunning and is sure to be a great game no matter what, so delaying it into 2016 wouldn't be the end of the world!

Re: Massive 20th Anniversary PlayStation Store Sale Hits North America

SteveButler2210

@DrClayman ah ok. I hope that isn't the main sale, as looking at the discounts they last for 2 weeks as well, meaning ages until anything worthwhile :/

EDIT: there are some more deals in the Digital Discounts section. I'll grab SSD for the Vita but nothing else there for me that I don't already have. Still, I'm happy with SSD + DLC for £4 so could be worse.

Also what the hell is going on with the game images on the store at the moment. The last few days I've noticed on various different pages some games are showing random totally unrelated images (eg I'm currently seeing the Project Cars thumbnail on the SSD game page).

Re: Massive 20th Anniversary PlayStation Store Sale Hits North America

SteveButler2210

@DrClayman where'd you hear that? Real shame if that is the case, I've been wanting to pick up MGS3 HD on Vita but figured I'd wait and see if it got dropped in a sale. I do already have it on PS3, but having got the stealth bug after playing MGS V, I now want to do me some sneaking on my commute / lunch break - you can never have too much Metal Gear! Will be gutted if it goes on sale in US but not here :/

Re: Review: Super Time Force Ultra (PS4)

SteveButler2210

@sub12 @TheMightyPunram There are occasional jetpack levels where I've found it can get really chaotic, as you're trying to balance the additional control of your jetpack along with avoiding an absolute hail of incoming fire as well as in some levels object to dodge (eg falling meteorites). It can get really chaotic at times, but once you get the hang of it it's not so bad.

Definitely worth at least giving a go if you got it for free!

Re: Review: Super Time Force Ultra (PS4)

SteveButler2210

@Mithrandir I'm with @LieutenantFatman, @kyleforrester87 and @Melucine here - I've been playing the Vita version and the controls were clearly explained. I don't think they're as good as they could be (see my thoughts on this in the STFU thread), but they are definitely explained.

Had a bit of a mess around with the HellaDeck levels earlier and they seem like a fun little distraction too, so plenty of value to be had from the game (especially of you got it free on PS Plus)!

Re: Using Quiet During These Missions Can Corrupt Your Save Data in Metal Gear Solid V

SteveButler2210

Lucky break, I fully intended to use Quiet on mission 29, and wondered for most of it what the hell she was doing, before finishing and realising that I'd not actually deployed her, as the game had for some reason taken her off my loadout! (The green Diamond Dogs symbol I'd been able to see actually represented a jeep, which the game had mysteriously decided to ADD to my loadout without my input - something which has happened for me a couple of times)

Re: The Witcher 3's First Expansion Requires a High Level Geralt

SteveButler2210

I would have been somewhat near approaching partially ready...but Metal Gear Solid V has made that distinctly less likely. It was already a stretch really, as I'm still pretty damn early on in the grand scheme of things - last bit I played before MGS V I had a guy with a troll (I think it was a troll) in Novigrad asking me to help him find his gold as he'd been robbed. Still haven't even set foot in Skellige yet. Pretty sure I will maybe finish this by 2017...

Re: Soapbox: Metal Gear Solid V Has the Best Sandbox Mission Design I've Seen in a Game

SteveButler2210

@Jazzer94 I've enjoyed it for the most part, but with only one mission left I have a very strong feeling it's not going to be wrapped up properly.

I did see an article somewhere (will try and find it in a minute) about a mission that was cut from the game but actually takes place after the ending and ties up a lot of loose ends. Evidently there is deleted footage from this in the collectors edition, and should be watched to truly finish things off. Can't understand why on earth Konami would cut anything that significant out of the game, but nothing they really do surprises me anymore.

Re: Soapbox: Metal Gear Solid V Has the Best Sandbox Mission Design I've Seen in a Game

SteveButler2210

All of this is absolutely spot on, apart from one point right near the end which I was frustrated by yesterday. There is one mission that pretty much forces an action approach (because for some reason at this point in the game and no other the enemies seem to spot you perfectly even in a sandstorm), and represented quite a step up in difficulty due to a large potential for occasionally cheap one shot deaths. This was more pronounced because for some reason it was the only point in the game where I didn't have the option to abandon mission and return to the ACC, which would have allowed me to choose more appropriate gear and then have another go. Even quitting right the way back to the title menu would drop me back at the same point when I came back in.

I did it in the end, but it took me a few goes, and I know I would've had an easier time of it if I'd been able to exit, develop some new gear and do side ops while I wait, and then go back to it better equipped. Only time I've ever seen that happen though, the rest of the time the balance has been consistently perfect!

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 83

SteveButler2210

@JesWood13 that's fair enough, I just wanted to get through it ASAP to avoid spoilers, and also once it started to pick up I've found myself really eager to know what happens next! I have done side ops too, but I did take the week off work so that's the only reason I'm nearly finished, played it pretty solidly from Tuesday onwards, got about 50 hours on the clock!

I'm going to try for the platinum though, so will still be getting plenty out of it yet, and none of the side content is missable

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 83

SteveButler2210

If all goes to plan I will be completing the story of MGS V this weekend! From what I understand there are a while bunch of non-essential challenge missions near the end, which I originally thought were needed to progress but it seems they're not, meaning I've only got around 5 left to see the inevitably fantastic ending to the metal gear saga!

Of course I will then be proceeding to spend hundreds more hours pushing to 100% it, but for now I'm just desperate to see the story through to the end. So close!

Re: The Witcher 3 Sold a Whopping 6 Million Copies in Its First 6 Weeks on the Market

SteveButler2210

Wow, that's pretty amazing! Seeing this article has reminded me of one thing though - @ShogunRok I fear you may not have played The Witcher 3 for quite as long as you thought after all! I was googling for how to find out my total play time, and there are forum posts left right and centre reporting that the in game counter is bugged, and counts significantly more time than people have actually played (eg somebody starting the game and playing for about 4-5 hours, but the counter reading double that). Speculation is that it might be counting game hours (hence potentially significant increases if you meditate a lot), rather than real time, so that 500+ hours might not be the case after all!

Re: Sony's Stopping Twitch Streamers from Archiving Until Dawn

SteveButler2210

@get2sammyb @glassmusic @themcnoisy Oh god Sound Shapes death mode. I did it (WHOOP) but it very nearly broke me. Event Horizon #2, Galaxanoids and Thermogenica #2 were just evil experiences. To make it worse, I did most of it without the sound as well, which makes it even harder (although I absolutely needed it for both of the #2 stages above).

Before going in I had been adamant I wasn't going to take the cheap boost to my trophy score by auto-popping the plats on the PS3 & 4 (I played it on the Vita). After the damage Death Mode did to my sanity, and very nearly my Vita, I felt it was well deserved! Still only took me a couple days though, which I was fairly happy with

Re: These Are the Games Square Enix Is Bringing to TGS 2015

SteveButler2210

Bit of a shame that the DQ and FF titles being given top billing aren't actually the ones most people want to hear about. I appreciate it's early days for DQ XI, so wasn't reeeeaaally expecting much there. But with them still promising a release next year, it would have been encouraging to see FFXV take pride of place over Heavensward.

PAX is small stuff compared to TGS, so I was never expecting much there. But if they draw another blank at TGS, after the terrible showing at GC, that will be the last straw.

Re: Review: Until Dawn (PS4)

SteveButler2210

@Matroska No idea about "Rami Malek", but Hayden Panettiere was pretty well known for a while as she was one of the main cast in Heroes. Big sci-fi show, "Save the cheerleader, save the world"? She was the cheerleader.