Topic: What PS3 game(s) are you currently playing?

@AdamantiumClaws The console in general.

Ok guys not sure how What PS3 game are you playing thread became a Wii U thread but let's continue this discussion in the Chit Chat thread.

Thanks for understanding.

@RogerRoger That’s interesting about your early experience with Dragon Age Origins. I am actually quite a fan of high fantasy and yet I didn’t really like DAO for the reasons you outlined above. The gameplay just seemed wonky and the combat so imprecise. I didn’t last long with it before quitting. As a result, I skipped over Dragon Age 2, but then came back to the franchise to play Dragon Age Inquisition. DAI was a pleasant surprise and I was very much enjoying it, but I got bogged down with the endless side activities and large world that I just never finished the game, despite pouring probably 50 hours into it. I still regret that I didn’t see it through to completion. I always told myself I’d go back, but I’m not sure I could at this point, it having been a few years passage.

Edit: I promise that I do actually finish many of the games I start. It seems like I’ve been going on about a lot of games I don’t complete lately. 😂

I still have a lot of love for my PS3 and still play it regularly, especially the Mass Effect Trilogy which I still think is awesome even after all these years - big fan of the Dragon Age games too (yup, even Dragon Age 2 despite its obvious shortcomings).

Despite its ageing graphics and general clunkiness, Dragon Age Origins still holds up pretty well today - I remember my first playthrough as a mage was pretty tough especially towards the end as I always felt underpowered, but I played it again last year as a warrior and I enjoyed it much more, even managed to complete all the DLC too.

If EA/Bioware ever remastered or remade these games I'd be all over them like a rash!

i recently started Final Fantasy XIII again (although i have put it on the back burner because of KH3), i did start a game on the XB1 when it was added to the XB1 BC program (yes i own it on both PS3 and 360) BUT as my XB1s isn't set as my Home Machine (the one in the living room with the broken disc drive is and i can't change otherwise everyone else who uses would lose access to games and DLC) and it's internet adapter has broken i can't play any of the BC games because i can't connect online

back on topic though i still love the game and it gets far too much hate, people say it's linear, so was every FF before it they just hid it, they say it's "press one button to win" well FFXII can play itself thanks to the Gambit system yet it's applauded

people just hate on it because it's "cool" to

@RogerRoger

I hear you about the difficulty, I remember there was a couple of real spikes where I was using up my health at an alarming rate & wasn't sure if I'd make it through but did by the skin of my teeth. (Lol). You're right about the story and characters though, that's what I like best about the old Bioware games, especially the background banter between your party members - I do miss those days (ME: Andromeda had them too but not to quite the same standard unfortunately). Glad you are still enjoying your walkthrough anyway.

@RogerRoger I'm enjoying reading your thoughts on Dragon Age, it's really taking me back. I loved all three of those games (which is weird because you don't meet many people who don't hate at least one of the entries in the series), and I don't play a lot of fantasy stuff either.

Are you planning on playing Awakening, the DLC for the first game? That's equally good.

@RogerRoger Yeah, I mention Awakening because one of the characters in it is a major player in Dragon Age II. And also because Nathaniel is one of my favourite characters.

I kind of started out with the 'broad strokes approach too. But I got sucked in as I went on. I'm looking forward to your further impressions!

@RogerRoger I forgot about Shale. Such a good character, and quite a sad backstory too. That game was chock-full of superb characters. Reading your thoughts makes me want to play it again, if they were to release a remastered collection at this point I'd probably bite.

The second one is an interesting beast, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on that one.

@RogerRoger That was something I noticed about the game too. I got Shale early on, out of curiosity (and,if I'm honest, in the hope that having a golem in my party would allow me to cruise through most of the battles) and I kept finding that she had interesting things to say about even relatively early-game stuff.

I've been meaning to re-buy Inquisition ever since I got my PS4. It's going for about 2p now as well. Of course, a Mass Effect collection would have my immediate attention, as you know. One day!

@RogerRoger I’ll be really curious how you respond to DA Inquisition. I’m assuming that your DA experience has been sufficiently positive that you’ll want to go for the latest installment. Since I didn’t play DA2, I can only go off of hearsay, but the general consensus was that it was the lesser of the first two games so there seemed to be a reaction to the criticisms and BioWare went a different direction with the third. I don’t want to taint your mind before you give it a chance, but there is a lot more ‘game’ in it, although plenty of story also. So it will be interesting to see if it holds enough charm to make you endure all the fantasy based combat and crafting.

Can we introduce a "neg" feature, just so I can use it on @RogerRoger for his comments on Witcher 3?

@RogerRoger Your excitement makes me almost want to go back and finish DA Inquisition with you. It’s a rather enormous game. And one I was enjoying right up to the point that ... well, the point that I didn’t. I think it was largely my fault and not the game’s though. It became one of the many games that overwhelmed me a smidge and copious side questing got me burned out. But unlike Horizon Zero Dawn or Red Dead 2, games which probably didn’t have much smaller open worlds per se but attracted me to return, in the case of DAI - I didn’t go back after a break and now it’s been so long.
I think it was Robert who wrote an article on the site that I’ll never forget about open world fatigue. It was one of the earliest Push Square articles I read a few years ago and one of the best that I can recall of the many excellent articles on here. I’m not sure if you read it, as you came a little after me I think (or at least started posting a little later), but in it he talked about some of the chore that open world gaming has become — that having so much to do, so many places to explore, and so many side quests and markers to chase can sap a game’s soul. Dragon Age Inquisition was his case study. He reported playing the game again with the specific plan of just hitting the story missions and ignoring side content and that he enjoyed the game so much more by playing that way. That article resonated with me because I thought maybe there was something wrong with me when I ran out of gas playing DAI. Apparently it was a common issue. But a streamlined approach apparently makes the game a better experience. Anyways, that just food for thought. I think you strike me as a personality like mine whereby you try to hit every marker and see every side story so you might consider Robert’s experience. I have tried to implement it with open world games since that time have been largely unsuccessful, but I am a little better about staying on track.
But ...the way you are gobbling up and savoring Dragon Age plot points and characters now makes me think you might be just fine doing the whole 130 hour run.

@RogerRoger Only just realised you've finished Dragon Age II. You're not messing about with these games are you?

I thoroughly enjoyed the second game. I liked the way Kirkwall felt like a real city. It felt alive. It was grand, sprawling, proud, corrupt, impoverished, seedy - it was all of these things at the same time and it was fascinating to watch it change. I think what they were trying to do was quite ambitious and I can see how it didn't work for everyone, but I enjoyed watching a city evolve and grow through the seasons and years, its citizens with it.

Hawke was a great character and Anders' story was pretty incredible. I loved the guy, although my wife hated him. He really divided opinion in our house, did old Anders.

Enjoy the third one!

@RogerRoger What they basically did with Dragon Age II was put a terrorist in your party, say 'here are the reasons for doing what he did' and ask you to decide how to deal with it. Unbelieveable. Did you play the Awakening DLC? Anders was an absolute powerhouse in my party throughout Awakening, so I was already pre-disposed to like him. As for Isabela, well I don't think my Warden from Dragon Age Origins will ever forget his night with her and Zevran in a hurry

@RogerRoger My DA:O Warden was basically up for anything. I picked the dwarf underclass story and decided from the off that he was going to be an absolute animal. Because I didn't expect to enjoy it, (my wife's a fan and wanted me to play it to see how much our playthroughs differed) I didn't take it entirely seriously at first, hence the horny dwarf. I later took my DA II and Inquisition characters much more seriously. I even went for mage for Inquisition, something I never do with games like this. I was really into the series by that point.

I didn't take much notice of Isabela until the second game. I thought she was brilliant in it, although I'll admit her constant side-switching did get a bit tiresome. But she eventually became my 'fifth team member', filling in for Varric when I fancied some double-dagger action.

@RogerRoger

I could be wrong but I think Isabela leaves the game at that particular point regardless - in my first playthrough I romanced her & she still took off and I'm pretty sure I didn't push her away. Was expecting her to show up again at the finale but she never did - don't know if that's just the way the game was written or something but it did seem strange that she never reappeared again? Maybe someone out there who knows more about it can enlighten me perhaps.

@RogerRoger You've accidentally created a cracking narrative there - guy who is famously cruel to everyone he meets across the land, sees the error of his ways and ends up sacrificing himself to save Ferelden

@RogerRoger

Really !? That's interesting, thanks for the tip - may have to romance Isabela again when I next play through then & see if I can max out her friendship first etc. Having said that, Merrill is my real sweetheart in this game (Blood Magic & all !!)

Currently playing: Catherine and Demon's Souls (Yeah, I like it hard.)