Tdx

Finished Nioh. Enjoyed it quite a bit. Very addictive to chip away at the levels and bosses. Compared to FromSoft games, the levels are less booby-trapped and the bosses are more fair and predictable. The corny models and story didn’t hurt the experience much.

Well I finished my playthrough of PS4 exclusives (as an Xbox guy). Favorite games were: Tsushima, Bloodborne, Nioh and TLoU2. Least favorites were: Horizon ZD, Days Gone, Death Stranding and Uncharted 4. Overall I don’t really think these 3rd person cinematic games are for me anymore, as I prefer something with either 1. deeper immersion and freedom 2. more challenge 3. more experimentation in gameplay design and 4. less story and cutscenes.

I’m sure nobody will actually read this but it’ll probably be my last post on this site so just want to say I think this is one of the best gaming sites as it 1. avoids BS drama articles, 2. reports news consistently and quickly, 3. sticks to games and 4. has a friendly community that steers away from the immature bashing you see elsewhere.

Continuing to catch up on the PS4 library.

PS4 - Nioh. Really enjoying it, very addictive level exploration with perfectly fair bosses. A bit more than halfway through. Reminds me how little I care for story/cutscenes in games (Nioh is completely incomprehensible and I don’t care at all).

I just played it for the first time. It was an 8/10 for me.

Positives: Very solid stealth gameplay. An unbelievable amount of highly detailed art. Seattle landmarks are amazing - ferry building, pioneer square, chinatown gate, aquarium, 99 highway. Story kept the tension for the most part. Some cool sequences like descending the building, crossing the sky bridges, boating over rapids, etc. Well acted. Ending was interesting.

Negatives: Too many forced linear cut scene sequences and too much extreme linearity. Story kinda drags and is overlong. Too much dialogue during gameplay. Felt like the second story could've just been Ellie's story but adapted to work. Some plot motivations are far fetched. I do agree that the story felt unnecessary and a bit empty after the first game.

Continuing to catch up on the PS4 library.

Had a rough week of games that I bounced off and dropped: Days Gone, Death Stranding, MGS V. These games are all way too corny and cutscene heavy for me. Days Gone is a great premise but just doesn’t feel good to play in combat or traversal and the story presentation is terrible. Death Stranding seems so cool and stylish but the gameplay was unchallenging, tedious and dull. MGS V is a pleasure to control but feels far too arcadey and unrealistic for its theme.

Finished my full season of NHL 07 on PSP.

PS4 - Nioh

PSP - Madden 08

The appealing thing about FromSoft games is the bizarre, alien, lonely worlds you stumble through without knowing what's to come or where you're headed. A game as formulaic and gamey as this kinda kills that vibe.

Maybe I just don't like video games anymore, but there was nothing from any of the 3 conferences that truly got me interested. Keeping my backlog clean I guess.

Continuing to catch-up on the PS4 library.

Finished Ghost of Tsushima with the platinum (amazing visuals and vibe, fun varied combat, satisfying story arc, repetitive and sometimes restrictive quest structure, too many random encounters and side activities).

PS4 - Days Gone

PSP - NHL 07

Continuing to catch-up on the PS4 library.

Finished Spider-Man (decent fun, addictive traversal, overlong combat sections). Dropped Horizon ZD again (hate how the game feels to control, cluttered systems, combat feels imprecise, voice acting is distractingly bad, no atmosphere/vibe).

PS4 - Ghost of Tsushima

PSP - NHL 07

Continuing to catch-up on the PS4 library.

Finished TLoU2 (really enjoyed the gameplay and amazing environments, despite the linearity).

PS4 - Spider-Man

PSP - NHL 07

I love Starfield. It’s amazing for pure self-directed role play and exploration for its own sake.

Continuing to catch-up on the PS4 library.

Finished Shadow of the Colossus (just as I remembered from the PS2) and Lost Legacy (much better than U4)

PS4 - Last of Us 2

PSP - NHL 07

Unpopular boomer opinion: Doom has gotten worse with each game.

Only exception: Doom 64 is better than Doom 2.

Finished Uncharted 4.

PS4 - Shadow of the Colossus

PSP - NHL 07

I don’t love Rockstar games post-San Andreas. Overly narrative focused, clunky controls, animation-heavy movement, tons of micro cut scenes, constantly taking control away from the player, mediocre shooting mechanics.

Finished Bloodborne/Old Hunters platinum.

PS4 - Uncharted 4

PSP - NHL 07

PS4 - The Old Hunters

PSP - Rock Band Unplugged

Awesome. I think this is the first remaster/remake I've ever been excited for.

BGS games are more than "action RPGs" - they're simulated worlds where you can truly role-play however you want.

PS4 - Bloodborne

PSP - Rock Band Unplugged

PS4 - Bloodborne

PSP - Rock Band Unplugged

PS4 - Bloodborne

PSP - Colin McRae Rally 2005

PS4 - Bloodborne

PSP - Wipeout Pulse

PS4 - Infamous Second Son

PSP - The Bigs 2

Finished SotN 200.6% replay. So many quirky details that give it a unique vibe. Still one of the best of all time.

Dropped Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Played it 49% through with my friend. We’ve beaten many tough puzzle games together over the years but this one just felt tedious.

Playing Cult of the Lamb co-op with my girlfriend. Enjoyable, good soundtrack and art.

Casually playing The Bigs 2 career mode on PSP. One of the most underrated and fun sports games.

Will start Infamous Second Son on PS4 this week.