Messages

1

General / Re: October 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: October 19, 2021, 04:11:18 am »

With my new Xbox One X I gathered a few physical games for it this week:
Gears of War Ultimate Edition
Gears of War 4 - Which was new and included digital versions of 1, 2, 3 & Judgment.
Gears 5
Halo 5
Life Is Strange 2
Rare Replay
Recore
Wolfenstein II

Also was nice to see that Xbox doesn't require Gold Membership for all online games so I may try Phantasy Start Online 2

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Classic Video Games / Re: Happy 22nd Birthday, Sega Dreamcast!

« on: October 15, 2021, 07:18:44 pm »

Shenmue

No contest for me, I quite like the Dremcast but even to this day have not felt such an immersive setting as Yokoska in Shenmue 1. The attention to detail is just staggering to where each NPC is an established character with their own daily routine -  Also, they usually have something unique to say depending on your current story objective. It's the first time I've been so invested in a setting and want to seek out its little idiosyncrasies. Also that opening! I love every single frame about it, the cinematography is perfection.

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General / Re: October 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: October 15, 2021, 06:11:53 pm »

I bought an Xbox One X this week! I've been on and off this train of thought for a while but they're just so cheap that I'd be stupid not too! I got mine with a controller for £166. I have plenty of games I want for the system already - Mostly 360 backwards compatible titlesbut I have also got a about 10 physical Xbox One games.

Main incentive for buying in 2021:
- Great Backwards compatibility: I have 40+ 360 games which I did have on PS3 but now run so much better on this system, especially ones which are enhanced like the Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy
- 4K Ports for games of that gen: I have a PS5 but many of the games from the PS4/XB1 gen don't have patches from the devs so the versions of some games on Xbox One are actually better one thsi system!
- Free Online: I just found out that some games don't need Xbox Live Gold to play Online! This is great as I had no intention of doing so but will still be able to try out games like Phantasy Star Online 2
- 4K System & Blu-Ray player: This system still has 4K going for it which is will be current for quite some time.
- Demos Are Playable: A unique case but I couldn't play Life Is Strange 2 on my PS5 as the game has a prequel-demo which has save data that goes into the main game, I managed to snag the game cheap so I can FINALLY play this one!

I've done a bit of tinkering about but so far I am pretty happy with the decision to get a Xbox One X this year, it still has a lot of perks which make it worth while as my secondary console to the PS5.
 

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General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: October 11, 2021, 12:03:46 pm »

I've been playing Scott Pilgrim CE on PS4 Co-Op with a friend - It's really hard though! We're stuck on the last boss and just run out of lives before the end - it doesn't help that the start of the level puts you into an elevator with a time limit and we can never seem to beat that either which takes away health before the boss encounter. Want to beat it but it's just very frustrating.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Is There a Site That Details PS4 Ports vs Xbox One Ports of Games?

« on: October 10, 2021, 05:10:10 am »

Digital Foundry has very in-depth videos on certain games but I was hoping there was a site which was a bit more broad. I found one site which is great for noting backwards compatibly titles on PS5 for an example:
https://www.backwards-compatible.com/

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: October 08, 2021, 03:00:04 am »

I don't watch Anime much but I certainly will be watching this:
Shenmue The Animation Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZglZdwRw3XA

13 Episodes, featuring new content & covering most of the 1st  & 2nd game. HYPE!

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Modern Video Games / Is There a Site That Details PS4 Ports vs Xbox One Ports of Games?

« on: October 07, 2021, 04:24:12 pm »

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a website which details the difference between PS4 ports & Xbox One ports?

I'm considering getting an Xbox One X & I'm curious to see which games are better than the PS4 counterparts I already own.

I've already seen the Xbox List of of Xbox One X Enhanced titles, but I was still curious for other games:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_One_X_enhanced_games

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Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Duplicate List 2021

« on: October 04, 2021, 03:46:54 am »

While not technically Duplicates, I think someone has gone seriously overboard with Not to be sold separately Editions of Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart:
https://vgcollect.com/browse/ps5eu/5

There's 15 entries for the same game...

9

Modern Video Games / Re: IMO...the PS5 is a POS

« on: October 04, 2021, 03:11:23 am »

The only issue I have had with the PS5 is how slow it is reading my external HDD.There's no issue when playing games off it  (Which I guess is the main thing), but when it comes to transferring games from External HDD to internal SSD. The actual transfer process is fine, it's getting the console to read the HDD to navigate which is so unbearably slow. It''s the same when using the HDD in the PS5's Media Player (Which isn't in the Media section dedicated to Streaming Apps but in the Game section...), it just takes forever to load anything - I had ZERO issues with any of this on PS4.

Beyond not liking the interface still I don't have any other issues, i've had a few games crash but nothing that has ruined any experiences with most games having Autosave these days.

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General / Re: Remasters and Ports - A Good Thing?

« on: October 02, 2021, 04:18:59 pm »

I'm all for HD Ports - I'm very eager to play the best version of games I like possible... All my current physical games on PS5 are on PS4, but I like having PS5 versions of them not just for the enhancements but to have a later release with all the updates on disc.

While one could grumble and wish that consoles were more focused on backwards compatibility - which I wish they were too! I'm still glad to get HD Revamps of PS3 games on PS4 which now also exist on PS5. Also, wit hthe help of HD ports, some gaming franchises have become more important to me within the last generation - most notably the Yakuza Series and Resident Evil. Both of them fracnhises are among my favouritrs and it's from having the pleasure of experiencing them through modern releases.

I still to this day don't have a decent way to play PS2 games, so sadly it is a generation which has been very neglected for the last 10+ years. I'd love to be able to play man yPS2 games but the console looks like trash on a HD set-up. I know there are devices like the Framemeister but they're very costly.

I actually prefer HD Ports to remakes. Give a game a resolution bump and widescreen boost and I'm happy. The problem I have with Remakes is that I don't settle with them co-existing with the originals. I'm often content with the original and see the remake as an indulgence, even if very decent like Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII R-1 they sort of don't feel canon to me.

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Modern Video Games / Re: What are your top 10 fav PS4 titles?

« on: October 01, 2021, 03:46:54 pm »

I'll bite, I've tried to include games which are not ports of PS3 games... I have included one Vita game as Vita is sort of the same generation...

Alien Isolation - Tense horror title with on predictable Xenomorph on the hunt.
Gravity Rush Remastered - Ridiculously charming! Shame about the sequel...
The Last Guardian - Trico can be stubborn which can leave to some gameplay problems but its a great adventure.
Life Is Strange - Favourite game of this gen, very compelling
The Order 1886 - It got a bad rep at launch for being short and at full RRP, but nowadays you can pick it up for less than £5.
Resident Evil VII - Love how low key the game is but offers so much tension still.
Shenmue III - Not for everyone but I still enjoyed it.
State of Mind - Great interactive story, I enjoyed it more than Quantic Dreams Detroit.
World of Final Fantasy - Took a while to get used to the Chibi/Kingdom Hearts styled characters but probably the best JRPG I've played this gen.
Yakuza 0 - Could include the whole Yakuza series we got this gen'.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Nintendo Direct 9.23.21 thoughts?

« on: September 25, 2021, 02:36:53 am »

Chocobo GP looks charming, really hoping it is not a Switch Exclusive. S-E have been generous on their ports over the last few years so a PS4 version shouldn't be too much to ask for.

I don't care for Catlevania but I can appreciate the release for the GBA collection, hopefully this can lead into other great GBA ports getting remasters like Golden Sun. Doubtful though, as I guess it is more about Konami refreshing their back catalog than anything  else... good on them!

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Classic Video Games / Re: Crash Bandicoot franchise turns 25 years old.

« on: September 22, 2021, 04:27:13 pm »

I've always had a great respect for the series, the original trilogy offers some of the finest platforming of the generation. I always felt graphically they looked far beyond most other PS1 games. I've beat all 3 multiple times and have had a great time with them all.I still find the Remakes take on the gameplay a little off. I'm very picky on the design of platformer mascots yet Crash always seemed to be fine and along with all the enemies there is a lot of charisma on show. All that said my favourite of the series is actually a post Naughty Dog title with Twinsanity!

TwinSanity for me is the perfect platformer, it's taken a different approach from the previous games Warp Rooms and level structure to have a more open world approach! Not in the nauseating modern context of vast land mass with nothing interesting, the game has a series of linear sections which lead into one another and it works great! But what I also love about the game is the humour! The writing is vastly superior to the rest having genuinely funny moments. Not only that, it also has the most intriguing lore of the series, with Cortex's family history at the boarding school. Then there is the catchy acapella music offering one of the most unique OST's I've ever heard within a game. The only slight down side is the villains are rather lacking, but getting to spend as much time with Cortex more than makes up for it. It's a great game and highly recommend it if you haven't played it.

I did play Crash Bandicoot 4... and hated EVERY second of it. The games difficulty is just exhausting to the point where it was just unpleasant to play. Many moments the game demanded you to break the actual physics of the game and there were a lot of moments to where i felt cheated - many instant death scenarios even when I had a mask. I don't know how well the game did financially as I remember it was very expensive at launch for a PS4 game at the end of the generation but if the same team is behind development, I want nothing to do with it. I even sold the game soon after beating it, which is something I rarely do especially a game which is a part of a legendary franchise I collect for but I hated the game so much I just wanted it out of my sight.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2021

« on: September 22, 2021, 01:26:07 am »

I did continue to play The Foundation DLC as I heard it continued the story, yet it was all still abstract nonsense to me - I followed the game structure as I cleared 4 corrupted spheres but I still don't know what the context of it all meant... nor was I still willing to read the 200+ documents that accumulated by the end. But as an extension of the gameplay I did enjoy the new abilities they added, along with the fresh paint of colour which the main complex lacked.

A similar recent game that comes to mind is Death Stranding, that game too had hundreds of emails you could read explaining in-depth lore. Yet despite not reading that I had a decent understanding of what was going on - even know i'd say it was more convoluted.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2021

« on: September 21, 2021, 02:47:49 am »

29. CONTROL - PS5
My fears for this game were true, the game was too abstract and a majority of the story content is hidden in 200+ documents throughout the game. The game has barely any story events that happen in real time, it's mostly about figuring out what has happens. Now I can enjoy abstract story telling, but I am sick of games making document collectables as a necessity to understand what is happening - I think it is a misuse of the medium, video games are not books. The story has a lot of interesting concepts but it is just poorly told.

I also had other issues with the game, the map was horrid. There are many times where I'd see on the map I have to go to one location and it turns out to be false. Also, I hated upgrade system, when I gain experience to utilise, I want to do so efficiently, yet this game has you buy perks which are randomised - so 90% of the time I would get ones which were useless. You can recycle the ones you don't want for a lesser amount of points but it is still frustrating.

The combat was tedious at first, but by the time I reached endgame status the abilities made navigation much easier and I actually began to enjoy combat. I will say though I felt  the game was a bit too action heavy for the feel of the game. It too actiony and I felt it should have been toned down to a more survival horror styled system - So you are more vulnerable and less enemies. I just feel the action packed combat conflicts to much with the sense of mystery the setting is going for. Also, I was disappointed to see they only utilize the shape sifting environments for one section of the game - which is also the most amped up section featuring obnoxious rock music.

While i didn't enjoy the game very much now the combat mechanics have opened up I am compelled enough to get the Platinum, it doesn't seem too much effort. But overall I am glad I got this on PS Plus as i don't think i'll be getting this on disc.