[DonDonDonPata]

Picking my way through Astro Bot on PS5 now that I've beaten Mario Wonder.

I am not a lifelong PS fan. But I think if you are, especially PS1-PS3 era, then you should consider this a must play. Aside from the fine-tuned platforming and exceptional range of mechanics on display, it is packed with 'memberberries for PS fans.

I actually kind of hate the Wall-E EVA aesthetic for the bots. But other than that, the charm is impossible to deny. Lots of things to collect and secrets to find. I like how the home planet slowly grows and develops as you save more bots and unlock more puzzle-pieces. The loop of beating a few levels then returning to "home base" to unlock more stuff and oogle the characters you added is simple but addictive. I wanna keep adding more and more to my little PlayStation village.

Also spending some time here and there in Neon White. I'm nearing the end.

 

[HE1NZ]

Checking out Dragon Age: The Veilguard

/AMA

 

[Grinchy]

Checking out Dragon Age: The Veilguard

/AMA

Do you wish it was more gay so you could feel more represented?

 

[HE1NZ]

Do you wish it was more gay so you could feel more represented?

Character creator is kinda gay. You can make a total Grinchy in there.

 

[Neil Young]

Picked up Star Wars Outlaws on sale. Playing at 4k on a 4090, the game looks incredible.....except for the fucking main character. This was obviously a choice by blue hair land whales to uglify her up. They made a female you can't find attractive at all and she has ZERO curves. The voice actress for her is fine though. She's not annoying or cringey.

Like most Ubisoft games, this is a totally serviceable video game. You go on quests and kill bad guys in a beautiful environment. But, you can see fingerprints of the land whales on this game. "Make EVERY non alien NPC a person of color and every twilek an UGLY person of color.". It's obvious after a couple hours. Also, this game should have been The Division in the Star Wars universe. Go in guns blazing!! But, it's fine. It's a videogame, which is what I expect out of Ubisoft.

 

[Amorous Biscuit]

Character creator is kinda gay. You can make a total Grinchy in there.

I think the only way to determine whether Grinchy is gay is via a poll? No?

 

[Dreamlord]

I think the only way to determine whether Grinchy is gay is via a poll? No?

Do you really need a poll to state the obvious? Just look at the Sydney thread for proof.

 

[regawdless]

Picked up Star Wars Outlaws on sale. Playing at 4k on a 4090, the game looks incredible.....except for the fucking main character. This was obviously a choice by blue hair land whales to uglify her up. They made a female you can't find attractive at all and she has ZERO curves. The voice actress for her is fine though. She's not annoying or cringey.

There are mods that make her less ugly without being ridiculously over the top.

 

[regawdless]

Checking out Dragon Age: The Veilguard

/AMA

Would like to hear your honest opinion on the game, that's it.

 

[HE1NZ]

Would like to hear your honest opinion on the game, that's it.

You're gonna laugh but combat isn't bad. It's basically God of War (on PS4). Barely an RPG. It's better on a controller too. Character moves kind of maniacally when using WASD, hair spinning all over.

Hair's really nice though. Visually game is alright. Well done port. Shader caching took almost 10 minutes, but there's no stutter whatsoever in game. Dualsense is supported.

I don't have an opinion on story yet. It's kind of dull. I'm zoning out of dialogue and missing some critical info, because there's too much lore dumps and magic shit.

As for woke stuff so far I only noticed it mostly in character creator. Everything you do looks ugly, I think all female characters seem to have a slight shade of beard lol (not NPCs though, they look fine). Character creator and game's overall aesthetic reminds me of Saints Row 2022. Maybe they hired some people from Volition.

 

[regawdless]

You're gonna laugh but combat isn't bad. It's basically God of War (on PS4). Barely an RPG. It's better on a controller too. Character moves kind of maniacally when using WASD, hair spinning all over.

Hair's really nice though. Visually game is alright. Well done port. Shader caching took almost 10 minutes, but there's no stutter whatsoever in game. Dualsense is supported.

I don't have an opinion on story yet. It's kind of dull. I'm zoning out of dialogue and missing some critical info, because there's too much lore dumps and magic shit.

As for woke stuff so far I only noticed it mostly in character creator so far. Everything you do looks ugly, I think all female characters seem to have a slight shade of beard lol (not NPCs though, they look fine). Character creator and game's overall aesthetic reminds me of Saints Row 2022. Maybe they hired some people from Volition.

I know it's a running gag but yes, actual gameplay seems solid and many people liked the combat, just like you said. Very unfortunate that they had to cover it in several layers of woke vomit.

Tech wise it does seem really good, design and color palette are meh.

 

[Rock And Roll]

Still working through Neon White. I just finished chapter 9 and I've gotten all the platinums/gifts up until world 8. I like to finish a new chapter or two then loop back and get the medals/gifts. Still enjoying it thoroughly, some of the later levels in 9 are really tough and took me a dozen attempts to clear. Up until that point I was getting through most levels in under 5 tries.

Working on FF6 as well. Just got the airship and got into the factory. Been a really long time since I played through this game but I haven't gotten lost on where to go.

 

[Asmonius]

Finally replayed The Last Faith, and it's still one of my favorite indie games. Essentially a Symphony of the Night clone inspired by Bloodborne, it's got genuinely great (and challenging) boss fights and great pixel art throughout. Definitely some small issues (don't roll through doorways or you might roll off a platform in the next screen), but it's right up there with the Blasphemous games for me. Definitely need to replay it with different builds and weapons, which gives it significantly more replay value than other Metroidvanias. Still, highly recommended for anyone who digs the genre.

 

[Dreamlord]

Finally replayed The Last Faith, and it's still one of my favorite indie games. Essentially a Symphony of the Night clone inspired by Bloodborne, it's got genuinely great (and challenging) boss fights and great pixel art throughout. Definitely some small issues (don't roll through doorways or you might roll off a platform in the next screen), but it's right up there with the Blasphemous games for me. Definitely need to replay it with different builds and weapons, which gives it significantly more replay value than other Metroidvanias. Still, highly recommended for anyone who digs the genre.

I should go back to it. Played it when it first came out, got stuck on a dragon boss amd then got distracted by other games.

 

[esoteric]

I took a break from Final Fantasy XV this afternoon to try out some racing games that are unlocked on my account. AssetoCorsa was too much of a no frills simulator and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is kind of too dated to enjoy. But Dirt 5 looks and runs VERY WELL on the Ps5 Pro. It's really fun too. I think I'll put some time into this one, but I'll probably give Grid Legends a shot later too.

 

[skeem]

Combat has started to click in FF7 Rebirth and I am quite enjoying it now. Areas are slightly overstaying their welcome, but I guess that is the price to pay for them turning one game into 3.

It would be amazing if they offered a more streamlined version once all parts have been released. Hell, even make it turn based. I'd love that.

The game as is, is really good fun in parts tho.

I definitely need something to play on the side with Rebirth. I've been playing Raiden 3 x Mikado Maniax. Superb, I really enjoy every moment with this game. I've picked up a few shmups over the years and a lot of the time, they just don't hit right. I'm not managing to choose the right ones for me. This one is, I love it.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Sonic Superstars is actually breddy gud. I went in heavily biased as a Mania fan but I'm convinced.

 

[HE1NZ]

Finished PSP version of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings during some travels. Game sucked pretty bad. A sort of cheap brawler with a few puzzle levels. Extras section has some cool concept art of cancelled proper version. Could have been a fun game if they'd finish it.

 

[TaySan]

I finished Suikoden 1 today. I got all 108 recruits for the perfect ending. I'm Taking a mini Suikoden break before I start S2 and starting Rise of the Ronin on PC. This is probably the closet souls like game that I'm really enjoying. Combat is fun and the killing in this game is satisfying seeing their limbs and heads get cut off by your blade. XD

Visually it's not bad looking but definitely a Ps4 era game

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Played through the first few hours of Forspoken with my wife. She had me handle the dragon fight at the beginning but otherwise has been in charge. I bought it for her because the dialogue sounds exactly like the TV shows she watches… quippy, self-aware, irreverent dialogue that you'd find in Gilmore Girls or Buffy. She loves it, and I'm surprised by the quality of the movement and combat, even though the characters are
Cringe

 

[HE1NZ]

Played through the first few hours of Forspoken with my wife. She had me handle the dragon fight at the beginning but otherwise has been in charge. I bought it for her because the dialogue sounds exactly like the TV shows she watches… quippy, self-aware, irreverent dialogue that you'd find in Gilmore Girls or Buffy. She loves it, and I'm surprised by the quality of the movement and combat, even though the characters are
Cringe

Hooray for playing things

 

[regawdless]

Played through the first few hours of Forspoken with my wife. She had me handle the dragon fight at the beginning but otherwise has been in charge. I bought it for her because the dialogue sounds exactly like the TV shows she watches… quippy, self-aware, irreverent dialogue that you'd find in Gilmore Girls or Buffy. She loves it, and I'm surprised by the quality of the movement and combat, even though the characters are
Cringe

Traversal looked really cool and was quite fun in the demo I played. Combat, I'd say was serviceable, well animated but nothing special. It was a pretty bad experience back then on PC though with low res textures and super bland lighting, not great performance. But they did a good job fixing the issues and even significantly improving the lighting, kudos for that.

The characters and the writing though. Peak cringe. Which is unfortunate, I think the game had a lot of potential.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Traversal looked really cool and was quite fun in the demo I played. Combat, I'd say was serviceable, well animated but nothing special. It was a pretty bad experience back then on PC though with low res textures and super bland lighting, not great performance. But they did a good job fixing the issues and even significantly improving the lighting, kudos for that.

The characters and the writing though. Peak cringe. Which is unfortunate, I think the game had a lot of potential.

The dialogue is clearly written by women, for women. It's not that the dialogue is necessarily "bad", there's just a lot of it going on constantly like a running commentary, and most of it is about Frey's immediate thoughts and emotions.

e.g. she will say "this is insane!" three times in a row instead of staying quiet and letting the player decide if it is, indeed, insane. The chatter is quippy and amusing but rarely do you actually learn anything from a conversation.

It seriously reminds me of a WB girl boss drama show. Instead of an open world full of dialogue about the world and its inhabitants, everything revolves around Frey and her own thoughts and reactions.

 

[skeem]

I'm doing the fort condor stuff in FF7 Rebirth. I quite like it, and it came at a good time because I was starting to get a little annoyed with the general gameplay loop.

I loved exploring the map in the original. And I would say it was more fun than in this game. I feel Rebirth would have been better if there were no icons on the map and you were encouraged to go out and explore. But with the towers revealing areas of interest, you know what is waiting for you. There are no surprises.

But, much better than Rebirth. I've been playing a LOT of Raiden 3. I made a few tweaks to how I approach the game, too. I'm trying to learn how to get good at it. So I'm treating it more like a movement game than anything. If I focus too much on where I am shooting, I take too many chances with my movement and get hit. You are overpowered to start with.

I am getting the same kind of enjoyment from Raiden as I did from Resogun. The soundtrack is great too. Huge fun factor with this game.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

. I've been playing a LOT of Raiden 3. I made a few tweaks to how I approach the game, too. I'm trying to learn how to get good at it. So I'm treating it more like a movement game than anything. If I focus too much on where I am shooting, I take too many chances with my movement and get hit. You are overpowered to start with.

I am getting the same kind of enjoyment from Raiden as I did from Resogun. The soundtrack is great too. Huge fun factor with this game.

you've got the right idea: it's more about steering your ship than blasting every single enemy.

There's a wide world of many other amazing vertical shmups for you to enjoy if you wanna keep exploring after Raiden 3.

 

[skeem]

you've got the right idea: it's more about steering your ship than blasting every single enemy.

There's a wide world of many other amazing vertical shmups for you to enjoy if you wanna keep exploring after Raiden 3.

I tried Sine Mora 4-5 months ago but it was the wrong game for me to start off with. I never really took to that particular game. I definitely prefer the more arcade type of experience. Weaving around bullets and wondering how you managed to not get hit.

I already know I can't get your namesake shooter on PS4/5. I had a look for it a long time ago after you had mentioned it on gaf. Raiden has definitely ended up being a sweet starting point for me to return to a genre I haven't really touched since the 16bit generation. Other than a brief stint with Ikaruga on the Dreamcast.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

I tried Sine Mora 4-5 months ago but it was the wrong game for me to start off with. I never really took to that particular game. I definitely prefer the more arcade type of experience. Weaving around bullets and wondering how you managed to not get hit.

I already know I can't get your namesake shooter on PS4/5. I had a look for it a long time ago after you had mentioned it on gaf. Raiden has definitely ended up being a sweet starting point for me to return to a genre I haven't really touched since the 16bit generation. Other than a brief stint with Ikaruga on the Dreamcast.

Raiden is incredible, you've picked a good one. Lot of players bounce off the horizontal shmups (like Sine Mora) but fall in love with vertical shmups, or vise versa. It's just a matter of finding something you like. if you feel that itch of mastering a stage and improving your run, don't stop at Raiden, go explore.
But don't take that as pressure sales technique, just play what looks cool, that's my advice.

We do have the shmup thread if you want me and @Spiders to overwhelm you with over enthusiastic advice

Shmups |OT| Intense firepower and hypnotic beauty

News and discussion anout shmups. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/02/dodonpachi-blissful-death-reincarnation-launches-in-2023-in-japan The official title of the M2 ShotTriggers re-release of DoDonPachi Blissful Death is DoDonPachi Blissful Death Reincarnation (DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Rinne Tensei)...

d-pad.life

If you like Raiden maybe give Ketsui a look?

Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi-

Overcome despair with ketsui—determination. Originally released in 2003 at the cutting edge of hardcore shoot em ups, Ketsui -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi- returns as the fourth entry in the M2 Shot Triggers series Features seven modes, the most in series history Arcade Mode The ultimate recreation of...

store.playstation.com

If you have PS5, I recommend CYGNI, but please keep in mind that the amazing graphics in this game may spoil you for other shmups…

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing

The vanguard for the next generation of Shoot-em Ups.

store.playstation.com

Also give Ghost Blade HD a chance:

Ghost Blade HD

Ghost Blade HD is an intense bullet-hell shoot em up game, with satisfying and addictive score-based gameplay, with its tradition going back to the shooting games of the 1990s era. Designed with a modern graphic style and special effects, Ghost Blade also features an awesome 2-player mode Ghost...

store.playstation.com

Or Caladrius Blaze

Caladrius Blaze

Finally coming to PS4™ Caladrius Blaze is a vertical scrolling shooting game developed by Moss. Caladrius Blaze includes all the elements of Caladrius and Caladrius AC. It also includes extra content such as new stages, new story scenarios, new bosses and characters designed by Yasuda. Features...

store.playstation.com

 

[Asmonius]

Finally went back and 100% Blasphemous 2 + the Mea Culpa DLC. Kind of mixed feelings in the end, since the new boss fights are solid but I disliked how they retrofit some of the original maps so you need to play through the DLC to 100% the base game. Lore is also pretty light, and the whole thing feels like a setup for another DLC or potentially a third game. Still prefer the first game slightly since everything from the bosses to the maps felt more tightly-designed, and the amazing pixel art cutscenes blow away the cheap animation of the sequel. Also not a big fan of having to sacrifice some of the best figures (and thus the best combat bonuses) in the game just to get the true endings, much prefer the first game's approach of having to actually play in New Game+ and play the entire game differently to get the full story. With all that said, it's still a rock solid Metroidvania with strong music, pixel art and generally great boss fights that I recommend everyone check out.

 

[Spiders]

I already know I can't get your namesake shooter on PS4/5.

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation for PlayStation 4

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation for PlayStation 4DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation will include both DoDonPachi Blissful Death and DoDonPachi Blissful Death Black Label.

www.play-asia.com

Great recommendations from @DonDonDonPata ! Ghost Blade HD is very solid and it along with Danmaku Unlimited 3 were great intros into bullet hell that got me to understand and love the subgenre.

Danmaku Unlimited 3

SHOOT. DODGE. EXPLODE. Can you survive the Bullet Storm

store.playstation.com

 

[skeem]

Raiden is incredible, you've picked a good one. Lot of players bounce off the horizontal shmups (like Sine Mora) but fall in love with vertical shmups, or vise versa. It's just a matter of finding something you like. if you feel that itch of mastering a stage and improving your run, don't stop at Raiden, go explore.
But don't take that as pressure sales technique, just play what looks cool, that's my advice.

We do have the shmup thread if you want me and @Spiders to overwhelm you with over enthusiastic advice

Shmups |OT| Intense firepower and hypnotic beauty

News and discussion anout shmups. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/02/dodonpachi-blissful-death-reincarnation-launches-in-2023-in-japan The official title of the M2 ShotTriggers re-release of DoDonPachi Blissful Death is DoDonPachi Blissful Death Reincarnation (DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Rinne Tensei)...

d-pad.life

If you like Raiden maybe give Ketsui a look?

Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi-

Overcome despair with ketsui—determination. Originally released in 2003 at the cutting edge of hardcore shoot em ups, Ketsui -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi- returns as the fourth entry in the M2 Shot Triggers series Features seven modes, the most in series history Arcade Mode The ultimate recreation of...

store.playstation.com

If you have PS5, I recommend CYGNI, but please keep in mind that the amazing graphics in this game may spoil you for other shmups…

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing

The vanguard for the next generation of Shoot-em Ups.

store.playstation.com

Also give Ghost Blade HD a chance:

Ghost Blade HD

Ghost Blade HD is an intense bullet-hell shoot em up game, with satisfying and addictive score-based gameplay, with its tradition going back to the shooting games of the 1990s era. Designed with a modern graphic style and special effects, Ghost Blade also features an awesome 2-player mode Ghost...

store.playstation.com

Or Caladrius Blaze

Caladrius Blaze

Finally coming to PS4™ Caladrius Blaze is a vertical scrolling shooting game developed by Moss. Caladrius Blaze includes all the elements of Caladrius and Caladrius AC. It also includes extra content such as new stages, new story scenarios, new bosses and characters designed by Yasuda. Features...

store.playstation.com

Thanks for that!

I will need to get into that Shmup thread. I did start up Cygni and died very quickly! It's a great looking game for sure. But I won't be judgy with the genre visuals. I love 2d sprites. If I can see the bullets I am ready to go!

I added your recommendations to my wishlist, thanks for those. And veering off topic back to some recommendations you shared for roguelike deck building games. I noticed last week that Monster Train is finally available on PS. So I have that in my wishlist now also and look forward to trying that, too!

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation for PlayStation 4

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation for PlayStation 4DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation will include both DoDonPachi Blissful Death and DoDonPachi Blissful Death Black Label.

www.play-asia.com

Great recommendations from @DonDonDonPata ! Ghost Blade HD is very solid and it along with Danmaku Unlimited 3 were great intros into bullet hell that got me to understand and love the subgenre.

Danmaku Unlimited 3

SHOOT. DODGE. EXPLODE. Can you survive the Bullet Storm

store.playstation.com

Hey, thanks for that! I never thought to look physical. I did pick up Danmaku unlimited with my recent haul. I've only played 5 minutes so far as I tend to focus on 1 game at a time. But it did seem great!

I am going to try and complete a run in Raiden 3 today. Yesterday I kept peacing out on stage 4. But by the end of day I was reaching stage 7.

Once I get a full run finished I will take it as the door being open for me in the Shmup thread

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Thanks for that!

I will need to get into that Shmup thread. I did start up Cygni and died very quickly! It's a great looking game for sure. But I won't be judgy with the genre visuals. I love 2d sprites. If I can see the bullets I am ready to go!

I added your recommendations to my wishlist, thanks for those. And veering off topic back to some recommendations you shared for roguelike deck building games. I noticed last week that Monster Train is finally available on PS. So I have that in my wishlist now also and look forward to trying that, too!


Hey, thanks for that! I never thought to look physical. I did pick up Danmaku unlimited with my recent haul. I've only played 5 minutes so far as I tend to focus on 1 game at a time. But it did seem great!

I am going to try and complete a run in Raiden 3 today. Yesterday I kept peacing out on stage 4. But by the end of day I was reaching stage 7.

Once I get a full run finished I will take it as the door being open for me in the Shmup thread

I forgot to mention, but that Caladrius Blaze game is made by MOSS, the same devs who made Raiden 3 (and 4 and 5).

I hope you snag Monster Train. I've spent way too much time on that one

 

[skeem]

I forgot to mention, but that Caladrius Blaze game is made by MOSS, the same devs who made Raiden 3 (and 4 and 5).

I hope you snag Monster Train. I've spent way too much time on that one

That's a definite purchase then after my initial impressions of Raiden. Monster Train was the one game you had recommended the other year where I was sad I couldn't get it. It's also a definite purchase.

WI'll wait for sales and get them both

 

[regawdless]

Downloading Half Life 2 RTX....

 

[Spiders]

Thanks for that!

I will need to get into that Shmup thread. I did start up Cygni and died very quickly! It's a great looking game for sure. But I won't be judgy with the genre visuals. I love 2d sprites. If I can see the bullets I am ready to go!

I added your recommendations to my wishlist, thanks for those. And veering off topic back to some recommendations you shared for roguelike deck building games. I noticed last week that Monster Train is finally available on PS. So I have that in my wishlist now also and look forward to trying that, too!


Hey, thanks for that! I never thought to look physical. I did pick up Danmaku unlimited with my recent haul. I've only played 5 minutes so far as I tend to focus on 1 game at a time. But it did seem great!

I am going to try and complete a run in Raiden 3 today. Yesterday I kept peacing out on stage 4. But by the end of day I was reaching stage 7.

Once I get a full run finished I will take it as the door being open for me in the Shmup thread

Good luck! I've been doing a lot of work on getting good practice methods latelyand @DonDonDonPata is a font of wisdom in regard to approach and the mental game of shmups (don't let him tell you otherwise)… the door is always open!

 

[Erdrick]

I finally finished Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth a few days ago. Pretty underwhelming ending, tbh. Awesome game but just too much, honestly. I want more shorter length games like Gaiden now. I hear the Pirate Majima game is like this so I'm looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I'm needing a break from those games so I'm playing Suikoden for the first time in some 25 years via Konami's rerelease.

So many good memories of both PS Suikoden games. A pleasure to replay these games again.

 

[Asmonius]

I finally finished Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth a few days ago. Pretty underwhelming ending, tbh. Awesome game but just too much, honestly. I want more shorter length games like Gaiden now. I hear the Pirate Majima game is like this so I'm looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I'm needing a break from those games so I'm playing Suikoden for the first time in some 25 years via Konami's rerelease.

So many good memories of both PS Suikoden games. A pleasure to replay these games again.

The ending scene with Ichiban and Saeko felt like it undid his entire character progress throughout the game, and both teams felt like they were fighting the wrong villain. It's not a bad game, but it hugely soured my trust in the leadership at RGG. Hoping Project Century plays it straight since the main series feels so off the rails, and the lack of a new Judgment game isn't a good sign.

 

[Dreamlord]

I am really enjoying Illwill, a retro shooter with modern-ish graphics. Plays really well and looks very nice.

 

[Grinchy]

Did any of you degenerates ever play Sifu and have an opinion on it?

I was immediately intrigued by the visual style when it was revealed and it's always been on my list of games I wanna grab when I see it on a deep enough sale (physically). But at this point, years later, I'm wondering if I should still care about grabbing it.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Did any of you degenerates ever play Sifu and have an opinion on it?

I was immediately intrigued by the visual style when it was revealed and it's always been on my list of games I wanna grab when I see it on a deep enough sale (physically). But at this point, years later, I'm wondering if I should still care about grabbing it.

It's pretty cool if you like 3D fighting games. It's all about mastering moves and putting that knowledge into play on subsequent runs.

 

[Grinchy]

It's pretty cool if you like 3D fighting games. It's all about mastering moves and putting that knowledge into play on subsequent runs.

It seems good, I just remember so many conflicting opinions on it when it came out. There's a steelbook edition I can grab and it's really calling my name but I'm cheap as fuck 99% of the time and can't make myself pull the trigger.