TimeDelayedGamer

The Last of Us Part 2 for me again this weekend. Still thoroughly enjoying it, in a grim dystopian sort of way. Got a lot of other stuff going on at the moment, which has been limiting my playtime, but hey ho.

Have a great weekend, fellow Push Squarians.

@Zuljaras I beat RE3 on PS1 back in the day, but I don't think I would have the patience for it nowadays. The tank controls put me right off. I tried Code Veronica a couple of years ago and bounced right off it because of the controls.

Continuing my first playthrough of The Last of Us Part 2 this weekend. What a rollercoaster it has been. The gameplay enhancements have been great and so far there has been none of what I call 'emergent frustration', which is a criticism I have of some other Naughty Dog games, where you feel like you're repeating a section over and over until you get lucky.

The tension and atmosphere have been fantastic with lots of close escapes and near misses, both scripted and from general gameplay, and I can't wait to see what the game throws at me next.

Have a great weekend all.

@get2sammyb My tagline would have been "Bungie jumped or Bungie pushed?" 😁

Not commented on here in a few weeks as I got tired of saying 'I'm still playing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter", ha. I finally finished that game a couple of weeks ago (it was great, just as much fun as the first chapter, but so looooong).

I then replayed The Last of Us (remaster) in preparation for finally playing Part 2. It's a few years since I last played the first one and I was surprised how janky it felt at times, but of course it's still an amazing game.

Now having my first run of Part 2, which I believe is pretty divisive. So far I'm having a great time, but yeah an early narrative decision definitely rankles as the big narrative hook of the first game has been discarded, but hey ho. I'm playing it with an open mind and we'll see where this all goes 😀

@Contimaloris Yes, someone could and probably has made that argument. Not me, though.

There are already parental controls available from broadband providers and adult websites have been unavailable through mobile data for some time now in the UK. What exactly does this law add to that?

@Contimaloris You're putting words in my mouth there, champ. I never said 'why bother?', I said (paraphrasing my previous posts), "This law is needlessly authoritarian and intrusive, won't work, is likely to make the thing being controlled more attractive not less, and has scope to be misused by the government further down the line depending on what they decide deserves to be 'age restricted'".

I have never once argued that there should be no age restriction on porn. I also don't believe I've made reference at any point to information being stolen, either.

To address your point about cigarettes and alcohol, kids can and do get hold of them in spite of age restrictions (and no, I'm not in favour of removing those age restrictions, before you accuse me of that).

I don't smoke or drink and neither do my kids (including the one who's in her 20s now). I had a discussion with them a long time ago about why those things are bad and then trusted them to make the right choices.

Government overreach is no substitute for good parenting.

@DaveTheRave Yeah, I've got two of them (one of them grown up now), and I did/do worry what they get exposed to, but mainly from other kids at school. And you can't legislate for that.

I'm not against protecting kids from this sort of stuff in principle, of course, but this sort of law is not the way to do it, in my opinion. It won't work anyway, kids will find a way around it, and the forbidden fruit factor will make kids seek it out even more if anything.

Better for parents to have a frank discussion about this stuff at an appropriate age, explain what it is, why it exists and why it is harmful.

@Olmaz I disagree with that, because the context you're speaking of is within the domain of a private family home. Within that context, this sort of thing is government overreach in my opinion, and unnecessarily infringes on civil liberties.

Stores selling cigarettes or alcohol are open to the public and subject to licensing laws, it's a completely different situation.

@Olmaz Laws making it illegal for children to be exposed to age-restricted content have been in place for a long time. The implementation is where the parental responsibility comes in.

@Olmaz My suggestion would be personal responsibility. Parents should be responsible for ensuring their children's online safety in the same way they are responsible for their children's safety in every other area of their lives.

Personal responsibility is the answer to most problems in life. Freedom-limiting authoritarian laws that open the door to more authoritarianism down the line are never the answer.

I wonder how long it will be before this 'safety' bill is extended to anything else the government decides it doesn't approve of - just like hate speech laws this is so open to misuse and doesn't even solve the supposed problem that was used as an excuse to push through this Draconian legislation in the first place.

As someone who loved playing the original with the Japanese dub, I say, "Yoish!"

Pretty sure Kojima is trolling the 'Hideo Kojima's so up himself' crowd at this point.

@Exerion76 In modern society, the male sex drive is demonised, and the female sex drive is celebrated.

It's absolutely a double standard.

Well, this comment section was a rollercoaster.

Ironic that a country that is effectively going extinct from the lowest birth rate on the planet - way below replacement level - has produced a game that has generated so much controversy over it's perceived sauciness.

@nomither6 Come to think of it, the Gears art style was obviously heavily influenced by war films like Saving Private Ryan. The washed out colours really give the same feeling, as does the shaky camera on the roadie run.

I agree with you, the art style should serve the vibe of the story and setting as part of a coherent whole. The original Gears of War trilogy did that brilliantly, and it helped made Sera a memorable, believable setting. It was done so well that I really wanted to see what Sera looked like in it's glory days, before the Locust emerged.

I always really liked the art style in Gears of War. The bleached out, almost monochrome, colours and the beautifully designed architecture really gave it it's own unique feel.

@crackeastwood Just strange times... Xbox releasing games on PS5. Sony and Nintendo working together on a Zelda movie. Who would have foreseen this a few years ago?

Sega will be announcing a new console next 🙃

"What Was Announced for PS5 at Xbox Games Showcase?", and "Sony's Legend of Zelda movie releasing a little later to make it 'as good as can be'"...

We're through the looking glass here, people.

@DennisReynolds I'm sure I read somewhere recently that a surprising majority of OF subscribers are married (and presumably in loveless marriages). What a world we live in.

I think you're likely spot-on with your assessment of the model's interest.

Personally, I've not really got a problem with this. Women never seem to get called out for enjoying 50 Shades or having their Diet Coke moments or whatever, so I don't see the issue with men finding an outlet with their waifu of choice if it helps them get through the day. No double standards here.

@Ryall Thanks for taking the time to reply. Opinions seem to be mixed on the 3rd Trails in the Sky - some say it's skippable, others say it's important and one of their favourite entries.

I'm planning on taking a bit of a break from the Trails games after I've finished Second Chapter as I don't want to burn out on them. If there's nothing essential story-wise then I may leave the 3rd game until later and play the Crossbell games first.

Continuing with Trails in the Sky Second Chapter. I've been taking my time with it because of various other commitments, but having a blast. The characters and story are so fun and engaging, and unlike some other JRPGs I could mention, the story actually generally makes sense.

Now speaking of story, I wonder if any of my fellow Push Squarians can advise me, how essential is Trails in the Sky the Third? I've heard it's more of a side story, but then others have said it's an important part of the overall arc.

I ask as it's the only game in the Trails series I can't easily play; I know it will run on the PC equivalent of a toaster, but I don't even have that at the moment.

@Kingy I found these puns to be very dis-tress-ing.

@DennisReynolds I just don't understand it at all. Some people need to touch grass and get some perspective. I can only assume they've lived very sheltered lives and have little experience of people in the real world, and/or have some sort of fairly severe mental health issue going on.

Either that, or they're just nasty, cowardly, little bigots. I guess those sorts of people will always be with us.

"with many online users making hateful remarks"

Well, not really, I'm pretty sure it was a small, vocal minority as it so often is. I'm not really sure what their problem is, it's not as if someone gender- and race-swapped Luke Skywalker or something. People who complain about the, er, reimagining of classic characters generally tell creators to come up with their own new characters to represent those underrepresented sections of society... and isn't that exactly what Naughty Dog have done here?

Personally, I think from the little we know so far, the game looks pretty epic, and I'm looking forward to seeing what reviews say and hopefully giving it a spin myself at some point down the line.

Well, I for one welcome our corporate overlords.

**Sarcasm, in case you missed it**

Pardon my conspiracy-theorising for a second, but stuff like this seems like a great way to enforce obsolescence at some point in the future. Keep people moving on to the next, shinier, product. Sounds like a very MS thing to do.

Those in the grip of FOMO may not mind, but I quite like having the choice to revisit old products whenever I want to (entropy permitting).

You know, if some enterprising entrepreneur came up with a new, boutique, disk-based console, with a guarantee that every game was exclusive, of high quality, and would come out 100% on the disk, thoroughly play-tested and complete, no patches, no DLCs, even if the console was relatively low spec and the games were the equivalent of high quality indies like, say, Hollow Knight, The Witness, etc... I would buy the ass out of that console.

But then, I'm old.

Still working my way through Trails in the Sky Second Chapter. Very tired with work lately so progress has been slow, but that's no reflection on the game, which is great fun.

Evil, Actually strike again...

@graymamba Yep, I feel your pain mate 😁

My advice, eat your greens, lots of protein, quality sleep... and master the advanced techniques like the critical hits, grenade rolling, slash cancelling etc... they really help. Good luck!

Yet more Trails in the Sky Second Chapter for me this weekend. I've been dog-tired this week with work and most nights got very little played before going zonk, so hoping to have a bit of a binge this long weekend (here in the UK) to catch up with myself a bit.

Have a great weekend folks.

@graymamba Wait until you play it on Dante Must Die difficulty, it'll have you weeping tears of blood. Finishing the game on DMD difficulty with an S-rank on every level is one of my fondest gaming memories, but I freely admit I had to use a strategy guide to do it. And then tons of practice! And it's not even the hardest game in the series...

Trails in the Sky Second Chapter is taking up all my gaming time at the moment and will continue to do so this weekend. Even though so far most of the game has been retreading almost exactly the same locations, assets and music as the original (I believe Falcom decided to split their planned game in half?), I'm thoroughly enjoying being back in Liberl again. The story is engaging, the world-building is fantastic, and the characters are charming (Estelle and Olivier especially really crack me up). The only thing I'm disappointed about so far in this second part is that there's been so much less effort put into the empty chest messages 😁

I'll be continuing to play Trails in the Sky Second Chapter this weekend. Didn't get a lot of gaming time this last week, so got some catching up to do. I'm playing on hard, and was stuck on the prologue for ages - I'd not heard that the prologue is horrendously tough on higher difficulties, and the final boss of the prologue is basically like the equivalent of Emerald Weapon in FFVII or something! I ended up going to the internet for guidance as I just couldn't see how it could be beaten, and was all set to lower the difficulty, when I decided to have one last go on hard and somehow managed to beat it by the skin of my teeth.

Now that I'm onto the game proper, things have opened up a lot and I'm having a great time - it's so good to be back in the company of these characters again.

Have a great weekend, fellow gamers.

@Jrs1 With the usual girlfriend levels of expense 😂

Trails in the Sky Second Chapter for me this weekend. About 8 hours in and loving every second.

I'm also toying with the idea of having a back-to-back run through of some of my all-time favourite games, the Max Payne trilogy.

Enjoy the weekend.

Completed my first playthrough of Deus Ex Human Revolution last night. It's a game that really hit the spot for me: visuals, music, story, and gameplay were all so good. If I had to make a complaint, it would probably be that the last part of the game, after everything goes a bit Stephen King (if you've played it, you'll know what I'm talking about), was a little bit too easy, which defused the tension a lot, but that's a minor gripe. Having the classic Deus Ex theme at the end of the credits was the icing on the cake.

So this weekend, I'm planning to continue playing Neva, as I'm still on the hunt for all the glowing flowers, and finding them seems to be where all the best puzzles/challenges of the game are hidden. What I'm really looking forward to, however, is starting Trails in the Sky Second Chapter. I loved the first one when I played it a few weeks ago and I'm really eager now to launch into the next part of the story. Vita is charged and ready to go.

Have a good one, folks.

I shall be continuing to play Deus Ex Human Revolution (or Detroit Become Less Human, as I've nicknamed it). Still loving it, and very impressed with how the developers have integrated first and third person gameplay and made it so smooth. Reached the second boss battle earlier this week, and it was like something straight from MGS - a tense game of cat and mouse. Great stuff.

I played and completed Neva this week as well, and hoping to launch into a second playthrough this weekend and appreciate the whole thing again (while hunting down all the glowing flowers this time). What a beautiful game it is. My daughter's playing it also and I think she was expecting a relatively relaxed Planet of Lana type experience and it's definitely a bit harder going than that. I think she is likely to need a little helping hand from dad with some sections.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Deus Ex Human Revolution for me again this week. I've reached the Pangu in China, playing on the hardest difficulty and the controls have well and truly clicked into place now. The scale of the game has really opened up, the atmosphere and music are fantastic, and I'm Metal Gear Solid-ing my way through levels like Snake on a really good day. In short I'm having an absolute blast.

It's funny how you come up with head canon reasons for your character's actions in RPG games like this. My version of Jensen is both coldly fair and compassionate, still has much of the cop about him, but is quite comfortable hacking into every sealed storage unit or apartment he sees and taking everything he can get his hands on. My head canon reason? Umm, the psychological effects of being augmented against his will, coupled with an increasing addiction to the powers the augmentations bring him...

As well as being fully immersed in Human Revolution, I see that Neva is currently on sale so planning on downloading that and playing it as I have a week off work, so hopefully more gaming time than normal to enjoy. Still playing Mercury Meltdown on PSP here and there as well.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

@heavyartillery56 That's a bit of an extreme evolutionary viewpoint. The shark has been perfectly adapted to its environment for millions of years and has got on fine without stagnation and death (at least until humans came about).

I'm hoping that best-case scenario, the human race in conjunction with AI will reach some sort of equilibrium where material and energy needs will be met and we can forge forwards on our own terms when it comes to advancement.

But that's science fiction just now. In the meantime, I completely understand the concerns of the voice actors and other people worried about their livelihoods, and agree with those speaking about that indefinable spark that makes us human, the soul that is greater than any collection of parts, being lost.

And remember, this is not just about people losing their jobs. This is also about copyright and the human rights of individuals: the right to your own image, and your own voice. That's a real, personal thing that on an individual level goes way beyond big ideas like 'growth', 'stagnation', or 'evolution'.

@heavyartillery56 The constant push for 'growth' is one of the great myths of economics. Politicians talk about it constantly, 'we must have more growth', but we live on a finite planet with finite resources and a world population that is beginning to show significant decline in numbers. Growth is not sustainable, disproportionately benefits a very few oligarchs, and AI seems like it will turbo charge this situation. The ultimate disruptive innovation.

Deus Ex Human Revolution for me this weekend. After a bit of fumbling about getting used to the controls, I'm getting the hang of it now, as well as the ebb and flow of the main quest and the side quests. My in-story canon reason for my initial clumsiness playing the game is Adam Jensen was still getting used to his augmentations and recovering from his op(!)... The visuals are still rather good despite the fact they're a bit dated now, and the whole thing just feels very 'Deus Ex'. Heck, even the main character has a similar 'Joe Friday' voiceover as JC Denton in the original game.

Will also be continuing playing Mercury Meltdown on my PSP this weekend. I'm steadily improving as my analogue nub thumb strength comes back...

Have a good one folks.

Finished Trails in the Sky first chapter this last week. Some random thoughts on it for those who might be interested: -

• I'm so glad I decided to just go for it and play the original rather than waiting for the remake. Depending on your tolerance for retro, the sprite work is so good and so full of charm.
• Combat is maybe a mite simplistic, but it's also a ton of fun.
• The soundtrack is godly. I could listen to the final dungeon music for days.
• The story really sneaks up on you. It starts fairly simply, but the lore and world detail start to build until, before you know it, you're really invested in the journey of Estelle and Joshua and the wider happenings in Liberl.
• The characters are all fantastic, and like any great RPG, you feel like you really know them by the end.

For those who have been wondering about starting the Trails games, my advice is... give it a go! Since finishing First Chapter, I am itching to start the next game, but I'm making myself take a break so I don't burn out (and to give me a chance to absorb the story of the first game).

So this weekend, I've gone for some gaming contrast with Deus Ex Human Revolution. I played and loved the iconic original years ago and so far I'm loving this prequel. Also decided to give my PSP some more love this year and currently playing Mercury Meltdown on it. Which is pretty darned addictive.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone, whatever you're up to.

@Czar_Khastik I only play AAA games because the batteries are cheaper.

I'm starting to think there's a special circle of hell reserved for greedy investors.

Playing Trails in the Sky right now on my trusty PSP. Decided to go all-in and experience the series from the start. It's fantastic. Can't wait to see what's to come in further installments

@Kiefer-Sutherland Tomb Raider 3 is one of the hardest games in the series, with very unforgiving level design, particularly the London section. If you're feeling burnt out after the first two games (Unfinished Business alone is pretty punishing, and not Tomb Raider at it's best), then I recommend taking a decent break before playing TR3, or you'll likely bounce right off it.

Approaching the end of the first Trails in the Sky now. What a charming and fun game it has been, with a great cast of characters, and a brilliant translation. Estelle in particular is fantastic (and frequently makes me chuckle). I would be very sorry it's almost over, if I didn't know I had the second part to look forward to. I guess I'm well and truly signed up for the Trails journey now!

Once finished, I think I'll take a break with some other games for a bit to cleanse my palate before launching into part 2.

Have a good one folks.

Looking forward to playing 4 and 5 again. I wonder if they still have loading screens while wandering back and forth between different areas in TR4, or did they manage to sew the levels back into a larger whole? As this was obviously the original intention of the designers that was scuppered by the hardware limitations of the time. I found those loading screens really detracted from my enjoyment when I played it on my PS1. It made the game feel disjointed and smaller than it actually was.

I remember I was quite disappointed by the first half of Chronicles, but it really picked up when it reached the haunted island with a younger, weaponless Lara. Looking forward to seeing how that has been remastered.

AoD I never played at the time, will be interested to give it a go now the issues have been at least somewhat corrected. Perhaps future updates will further improve it.

My limited edition preorder arrived today.

Though since I'm only playing Trails in the Sky first chapter at the moment, it's going to be a little while before I get round to this... 😳