The Video Game Forum discussion
What have you been playing: before the forum was deleted?
Mod
So if Diablo 4 is an easy game I might be tempted ;-). I could do with going out of my usual comfort zone of the genres of games I normally play.
R(ob) wrote: "Finally found my gaming mojo again over the weekend. I persevered with the Dead Space remake and I'm glad I did. I'm on the fifth chapter and really enjoying it. And I've been playing it on my new ..."I'm happy that you've been able to get into Dead Space remake because i reckon it's such a quality game. Faithful to the original but also diffrent enough that folks who think they have played the original to death so what's the point? will also get a lot out of it.
Bet it really does incredible on a quality OLED :)
My gaming was evlevated last year when i upgraded from a 2019-ish one-up-from-the-bottom-of-the-range Samsung (pretty bog standard edge-lit 4k lcd) to a 2023 Philips. The Philips is 100hz (120hz in game mode), VRR, direct-lit, bit brighter so better hdr...it's MUCH better than what I had, but is still only lcd, so I can only imagine how much nicer / richer it must all look on an OLED.
Mod
Yea my new OLED really does allow games with a lot of dark areas to shine. And the contrast is excellent, and makes images really pop. However, when I compare it to my LED zone backlit Samsung QN90B it's not like a massive difference. Yea blacks look better on the OLED but when I go back to my QN90B it looks much much better than edge lit for deeper blacks (I used to have a edge lit TV before replacing it with my OLED). I have to say the OLED even though it's 1000 nits compared to the 2000 nits of the QN90B it's still very bright for an OLED and HDR looks amazing. There's not a lot between the two TVs on the whole but you do notice more the deep blacks - everything else is like splitting hairs. Even the 1000 nits vs 2000 nits is difficult to notice as generally most images are no where near these brightness levels except for small highlights and even then both TVs have great specular highlights. Although OLED is now my favourite TV display tech - I've been converted as OLED tech historically couldn't achieve a lot of brightness but with the new QD-OLEDs that problem has been solved. And although I'd really like to change my gaming TV to OLED I spent over £1000 on my QN90B and I'm not changing it now. I need to stop spending money on new tech :-).
I encountered an extremely annoying section of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor recently.It involves platforming puzzles to reach a building isolated high on some sort of floating mountain peak. First, you have to use these weird pterodactyl creatures as gliders to fly in between platforms. Between each platform, there is a puzzle section you must figure out to activate some sort of power beam. You then focus that beam on volcano peaks in order to create an updraft, allowing you to access the next platform level (and the next puzzle section). This repeats three times. The idea was so bizarrely obtuse, I played around, got frustrated, and quit 3 times over 3 days before deciding to look up this particular quest. I learned just enough to at least figure out what to do (focus energy beams). When you finally arrive at this beautiful palace in the clouds. It is super anticlimactic. Fight boss, listen to flashback. Took less than 5 minutes and you are told to leave to "report your findings. Nothing else to do up there. Dead end. Several days and hours of frustration for such little reward is one of the things that really bug about these Jedi games.
I really don't know what it is about the quest and level design Respawn employs with these games, but I find myself lost and annoyed far more than I should. YMMV
Mod
This is a product that is supposed to be accessible to a mass audience because it's Star Wars. I just find it bizarre that I find myself confused in these games often. Even if I know what to do sometimes I can't figure out how to do it. At least the internet exists now. When you got stuck back in the day you were generally just SOL if you didn't have friends to figure it out or tell you what to do.
Hi all. Not done much gaming of late but got back into things with the latest Remnant 2 DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom.I love this game so happy they keep dropping DLC. Not so happy that one of the trophies couldn't be done if you'd finished the main (which is surely the case with 99% of folk playing DLC). Thankfully my luck at joining public games just at the right time hadn't wained and I managed to join a game just as they were by the NPC I needed to speak to. Had my little chat, got the relic things from him before being kicked from the game.
There's one more DLC drop to come so nice I've got reason to go back again in a few months time, whenever it drops.
I really should try the first game.
Still chipping away at Diablo IV despite saying I was going to take a break. Was considering going for the plat but think I'll just get the current character up to lvl100 and leave it. Probably easy enough to convince someone for the PVP wins but from what I can tell, even once I reach lvl100 I'll likely have to grind out some end game gear and probably re-spec before I'll be able to beat the echo of lilith for the last trophy. The grind towards lvl100 hasn't been too bad but not sure I can face more at the minute
Yeah looking at it, if I can't beat uber-Lilith without the extra grind, I think I'm done. To masterwork your gear sounds too much of a grind. To get to the place you get the materials, you have grind out another type of material to get there. After countless hours post story repeating the same thing, really don't think I can face more repetitiveness
Also read don't try with a necromancer, it's a horrible fight as one....guess what class I've just spent I don't know how many hours getting to lvl99...Time to move on I think
Uninstalled Diablo IV, reinstalled it because I thought maybe it could keep me going until Elden Ring expansion, uninstalled it 5 minutes later after getting killed one hit by Lilith but I've no clue what she hit me with. It's just a pretty badly designed final final boss fight
Anyone watch Sony's State of Play last night.I found disappointing as usual with the only thing of interest for me being a new Astrobot game in the works.
I sometimes wonder if I'm too old for gaming. Where are all the new Killzones or Motorstorm games, or something to replace them? Is there no appetite for this kind of thing anymore?
Instead there was yet another PvP shooter, another horror game remake, Monster Hunter and some weird Japanese game that looked liked some kind of Paedo Simulator 2024.
Didn't watch it, but it doesn't sound like there was much. Didn't really expect anything thought, that said - is it just me, or have Sonys own developers been pretty quiet of late?
Mod
The only thing I saw was the Concorde game play which looks like yet another Overwatch clone. All the other announcements that came out of the Sony event I didn’t even bother to watch. I’m interested in a new Astrobot- that was a decent fun game.
I don’t know why they ever stopped supporting E3 - that was a great event every summer that created a lot of buzz and excitement for new and future games. These state of play streams and the Xbox equivalent were always better embedded in the buzz of E3 and presented on stage.
Mod
Yea I'm exactly the same. The PS3/360 gen for games was the pinnacle for me in terms of my gaming interest. Lots of great games and they came out fast - three Uncharted games in one generation, for example. And for all the issues with the 360 and PS3 with RROD and YLOD etc even the user interfaces - well, more the 360 - were better than what we have now. I remember on 360 on the homescreen you would get new XBox produced videos every week called SentUAMessage and Inside XBox which were so good and I'd be excited for new videos each week. And the friends screen where all your friends could be seen together in 3D animated Avatars with various outfits, and all of these Avatars would dance together when in a party-chat. Now both XBox and PS user interfaces are just so dull and lifeless.
The biggest issue with this gen is increased development cost and time. The increase in console power and the expectation of visually stunning games with rich and complex mechanics and environments is weirdly killing the industry. Perhaps if they scaled back games to be fun and short and smaller in scope we might get more games, spend more on games. Reduce the purchase price but also reduce their investment in creating the games in the first place. Or the devs really have to make much more use of AI to reduce development time but that doesn't come without its impact on jobs probably. I mean that new Senua's Saga took like 6-7 years to develop for a 5-6 hour game that's super linear and on-rails a lot of the time - that's crazy.
Yeah the interfaces are terrible now. The PS5 won't even remember how you've sorted trophies in the trophy list. Such a simple thing and really annoying having to sort them into date earned every time. Surely this should be the default?I used to play around with my avatar on the 360 too and watch SentUAMessage. I'd forgotten about that. I even paid £4 so my avatar could wear an Ironman suit. It's probably still wearing it over 10 years later I guess.
Even though the PS3's interface was really slow, it was intuitive like the 360. I liked the PS4 interface too but the PS5's is a bit of a mess. I briefly had an Xbox Series S and the interface on that was even worse from what I remember.
Things go in cycles so I'm hoping this trend of games with an old Japanese setting, remakes of average horror games and Overwatch knockoffs ends soon and we can have proper games again.
There's still the odd gem like Helldivers 2 and The Remnant games (the two best games I've played in years) and a bit of hope for the future in Space Marine 2 but overall, there's not a lot that really floats my boat anymore.
Mod
I think there's just a chronic lack of originality all round. Even the budget titles where, more often than AAA titles imo, you occasionally find one that you'd think - thats neat - half of what's on the store these days aren't even trying to offer anything different. Fair enough there are more than a few that genuinely are fun, and you can tell they've put a bit of thought into them, but more often than not they just seem to be lifting stuff from other games,past and present, that not long ago they'd be guaranteed to be facing a law suit for.
There's a lack of originality but to compound things, the stuff that's being copied was mediocre to start with. That Concord game for example. How many average, destined to fail at best PvP shooters do there need be? And tonally, it's just Guardians of the Galaxy.
If they're going to copy stuff, I wish they'd go back to the PS360 era and do that stuff but with better graphics and AI.
That's the thing - when everybody's just copying everyone else, the feeling you/we got from the PS360 will never return. Developers must think there's more of a market of the current tried and tested (and failed). The wow factor in games has largely gone, and it's too big a risk for the big developers to swim against the tide. Nobody is trying to be different and the churning out of the same old stuff is a big part of current malaise.
That said, why hasn't The Darkness 1 and 2 got a remaster/knocked off!
Spent a fair bit of the weekend playing Stardew Valley for some reason. Also played a bit of Skull and Bones. It's alright I guess, but can't see me sticking too many hours into it.
Also watched an extended gameplay video of Silent Hill 2 remake. It looks like they've done a good job but the combat looks a bit unconvincing at times. Not sure I'd have the patience for it, full price anyway
Thankfully there's enough to keep me interested in the genre but for the most part, game announcements just go over my head these days.Unfortunately, it dawned on me over the weekend that I'm a hypocrite and part of the problem.
Two good, recent examples of the kind of games I want are Evil West and Immortals of Aveum. Did I buy either? No. I thought I'd wait until they're on PS+. Thankfully both have but the developers of those games won't be rushing out a sequel anytime soon because of the poor sales.
To be fair to myself, I have preordered and bought day one games which were a chance in the past. Mad Max, Rage and most recently, Helldivers 2. I'd love a sequel to Mad Max but preferably where single player trophies don't go offline and become unobtainable as was the case with the original game.
I've been playing A Short Hike over the weekend. A little indie where you explore a little island and climb the mountain in the middle.Can't remember if this is on PS+ or I got it in a sale. Should finish it tonight and enjoyed it for the most part.
I think I'm done with Skull and Bones already. Not that it's bad, but the times it's keeping my attention are few and far between
Mod
I see the PSVR2 is getting an adapter to allow it to be used on PC...I don't see what the benefit is for Sony. They'll not make any money from software, unless they plan on releasing the Horizon VR game on PC, and as far as I remember reading the are taking a significant loss on the hardware. I can't see it really encouraging developers to produce more games for PSVR2, so all they are getting is a bit of cash for the adapter? Might have to read up on it a bit more but can't see Half-life Alyx coming toPS5 now
Mod
It's a great piece of kit, and most of the games I've played in VR have been a lot of fun. It really needs the big third party developers to buy in to it though, (and Sony themselves rather daftly). With the Alien VR game, Metro Awakening, and Metal Hellsinger VR coming up, it's not all doom and gloom...hopefully
Got the urge to replay Metro 2033 & Last Light now
Depends on the specs a little, but yeah, I'll definitely consider one. Then again, with current games that dont quite run as smoothly as you'd like, it's hard to tell that's down to the hardware or the developers.
Mod
I am thinking of going single console next gen. Exclusives are not what they used to be so it seem pointless having both an Xbox and PlayStation. And I could just stream any exclusives - not ideal but it’ll do.
No PS5 Pro for me as I've not had my PS5 for that long and happy with what it can do.Ping! A Short Hike. Thankfully the last trophy didn't take too long. Not sure what's next. I downloaded Dredge but not sure I fancy it atm.
EA WRC is tempting me in the new PS store sale.
Mod
Had to go and look up who "The Chinese Room" are....yeah I'll not be going anywhere near Still Wakes The Deep, believe it or not I'm not a masochist ;)I definitely enjoyed Dredge, not completely sure why it's so highly rated, it's good but nowt special, but it was a good change of pace
I could do with the Elden Ring expansion being out earlier. Struggling to settle on anything at the minute. Don't really want to waste money in the current sales, so have been looking through the games I own for something to keep me going. So Everybody's Golf, Gravity Rush Remastered and Vampyr have all been reinstalled for some reason. Interested to see how Vampyr holds up, think I'd read it got a stealthy next gen upgrade
Might only be 1440 & 60fps, but the Vampyr upgrade makes a fair difference. Can't remember why I'd given up on it when it was first out but happy to stick a few more hours into it now with it's new coat of paint.Was half tempted to pick up Destiny 2 The Final Shape, but I'm pretty sure my days of sticking loads of hours into Destiny are gone, so will leave it, at least till it's a fair bit cheaper
Started Spider-man 2 and so far so similar to the other games which in turn is a good thing.Can't say I'm fully in the mood for it but enjoying it enough so far.
Yeah Spider-man 2 is pretty much more of the same but felt it went back a bit to the first game too much in terms of pointless activities/collectables, as far as I remember
Can't plat Everybody's Golf due to them cancelling the servers...fine, can't really expect them to keep them on indefinitely. But the one online trophy I'd need...is to catch fish. Can't plat a golf game because of fish...knew there was a reason I hate fishing ;)
That's a sickener Deck. That game isn't even that old is it?
2017 or something like that, so can't really complain.V Rising on the other hand...played it for about 5 or 6 hours, took a break, went to reload...server error, we've not saved your progress....
Was enjoying it but that's put me off it, for now at least.
Is PS Stars broke? I was pretty sure I'd nearly enough points (or very close to at least) for another 20 quid in the wallet, but it's disappeared from the app
PS Stars is gone for me too. I had at least a fiver's worth built up.
Their website say they are aware of the problem and their engineers are working on it....for the past 4 days. You'd think a tech giants IT department would be slightly quicker ;)Might have been tempted to pick up Shin Megami Tensei V on Thursday if I'd £20 off, not going to pay full price for it though so it'll depend on whether Stars is up again by then
This is the same company that allowed the great hack of 2011 so anything is possible.Which reminds me, my PS3 has decided to start connecting online again so might look at tackling some of the games I'm yet to play on there once I've reached the promised land of 250 plats.
Still on Spider-man 2 and making decent progress through the story. I've still not unlocked all the different kinds of icons I'll be clearing from the map though.It's a good game but I'm not sure for how much longer they'll get away with churning these out. Very samey, with a lot of reused assets (which is fine) and almost Ubisoft levels of map clearing busy work.
I remember there being surprise it didn't win any major GOTY awards last year but I can kind of see why.
Mod
I thought the XBox showcase was pretty good. Gears of War E-Day (probably not out for a while but looks like a prequel) and Perfect Dark actually looked decent. Plus I'm intrigued by South of Midnight and Atomfall. Stalker 2, Fable and State of Decay 3 looked amazing. And quite a few of these free on games pass including Black Ops 6. And Dragon Age and Avowed look to be possibles for me. And a few few third parties such as Metal Gear Snake Eater. Looks like some decent games ahead.
R(ob) wrote: "Anyone tempted by PS5 Pro?"I will be getting a ps5-pro, towards the end of the generation, maybe about 6 months before the ps6 launches so all the hardware revisions will have been done and it'll run as cool and use as little power as possible, and will hopefully be in a sale...and that will be it. That will be my final ever console.
I'm guessing it will be modular in design like the ps5 slim, probably use the exact same detachable discdrive as the slim, so if it is truly 8k enabled then the 8k will only come from digitally-bought games. I will buy the console bundled with a disc drive and an additional spare disc drive too.
if the ps6 launches in late 2027 or even 2028, the ps5 will still be supported until at least 2029, and I also don't think the ps6 will support physical media at all. Games coming out until 2029 along with some old ps4/ps5 favourites I can/will reply will be enough to keep me going for the rest of my time quite happily :)
Going to take a break from it for a while. Managed to get one character up to lvl85 but it's becoming a bit of a grind. Was also bad lag yesterday that made it borderline unplayable again.
Also picked up and platted Splash Cars. Not a bad wee change of pace