Topic: PS4 recommendation thread

@TheBrandedSwordsman Well, the recent Tomb Raider trilogy would be the first that comes to my mind. Thematically quite similar, but gameplay in TR is more varied (more weapons, more exploration). It sacrifices some of the narrative quality for deeper gameplay, in my opinion. Also the TR games are more open world, but not quite as open as something like Assassins Creed or Red Dead Redemption.
Another game that comes to mind that’s a little like Uncharted is Batman Arkham Asylum, in that it’s a third person story driven linear adventure (actually closer to 3D Metroidvania like Fallen Order amd God of War, but less opportunity for open exploration) The latter games in the BM series are definitely more open-world, but Arkham Asylum is more linear and story driven with some light puzzles and a combat / exploration / story dump loop like UC. The combat is of course completely different from the cover shooting in UC though.

Death Stranding not sticking with you? If not, it’s definitely okay - sometimes that happens and we all have those games we just don’t gel with. Different strokes for different folks. 😄

@colonelkilgore ok, that’s good to know. Didn’t want you to get in trouble when she sees scantily clad vixens and the copious bouncing involved 😅.

yes, I think Muramasa was originally a Wii game, but got ported to Vita and upgraded and the name changed to “Muramasa Rebirth.” I guess it never came to PS consoles like Dragons Crown did with the “DC Pro” version. Sorry, I forgot about that. But yeah, you’ve got a few to start with anyways. 😄

@Th3solution I'll check out the TR games, once I am done with Uncharted 4, which titles specifically would you recommend in the TR series? I have completed every game in the Arkham trilogy, but thanks for that as it was good to remember them. What were your thoughts on the trilogy? Death Stranding didn't really work out for me, I tried, but it just wouldn't work out.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Well, ironically, I had the same response to the last Arkham game (Arkham Knight) that you’ve had with Death Stranding. I was really excited for it and bought it day 1; and it ticked all the boxes for what I would usually like, but it just didn’t stick with me. I only made it through the first few hours (maybe like 4-5 hrs?). It’s easy to blame the Batmobile, since that got a little old, but there was something else missing for me, despite the fact I adored the first two games - Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. I thought they were both fantastic. After being unimpressed with Arkham Knight, I didn’t even try Arkham Origins at all.
But even after all this time, I still feel like I need to retry Ark Knight, as it may have just been a poor mindset at the time.

As far as the TR series, it’s probably best to start at the first one Tomb Raider 2013. It’s very good, and I think has maybe the best storyline, as it’s an origin story. The second game (Rise of the TR) has a weaker story, and gets a little too carried away with combat and openness and sacrificed the exploration, discovery, and puzzles. The third (Shadow of the TR) is probably my favorite, since it has a better balance of story, hub world exploration, tombs with puzzle solving, and light combat. But it depends what you like more. Honestly they are all similar, so starting at the beginning is fine. However if you have PS Plus, you could have claimed Rise of the TR and Shadow of the TR within the last year or so and could jump in there without having to buy the first game. (Although I think they offered the first game on Plus way back on PS3 if you happened to have a Plus account for 7+ years). If you like more combat do Rise, if you like more exploration and Tomb excavations with puzzles try Shadow.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Oh, by the way, if you liked the Arkham games, you may want to check out Shadow of Mordor. It’s third person action, semi-open world, in the Lord of the Rings universe with Arkham-style combat. It feels most similar to Arkham City with the Ubisoft tower mechanic of opening up the map gradually. I still need to play it’s successor, Shadow of War

@Th3solution I've tried them both, not a fan. I didn't like the bland environments in the first game, and whilst War had more varied environments it just didn't gel with me. Definitely give AK another go though as it's a great game and the Batmobile has a lot of decent moments despite what many people have said, there are one or two bombastic, cinematic fights that wouldn't have been the same without it.

@Th3solution With regard to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I will be getting that tomorrow morning if all things go to plan and i don't forget as it is currently marked down in price on the PS Store.

@TheBrandedSwordsman I really liked SotTR. In fact I really liked it a lot. But I led you astray with Death Stranding, err... so take the recommendation with a grain of salt 😄

And I have Arkham Knight down as a possible re-visit this year. I have a goal to revisit some games that I never completed and that’s high on the list.

And I can see what you mean by the bland environments in Shadow of Mordor. Still, I liked the combat and the nemesis system enough to stick with it.
Have you played Horizon Zero Dawn?

@Th3solution Robots are...not my thing (Souls background).

@TheBrandedSwordsman Gotcha. Fair enough.
You know, I forgot one that is very similar to Uncharted, at least in play mechanics and overall style of a 3rd person linear cover shooter with a strong focus on narrative; it also ticks the boxes for you as far as having a more dark creepy, monster basis thematically, (like Bloodborne, sort of) — The Order 1886. It’s highly underrated in my opinion. It’s major downfall is the short length. It can be completed in 6-8 hours, but if you crank up the difficulty then it might be a little longer.

@Th3solution That's going on the Wishlist for sure. I've heard good things about The Order 1886, and I reckon the creepy monster elements will increase the attraction for me, I don't mind games having a short length as long as I enjoy them fully when I play them. What game(s) are you playing after God Of War? Do you reckon that you will play Elden Ring should it ever be released? Apparently, according to the latest rumor and leak, it's been delayed to 2022! @colonelkilgore did you hear that buddy?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if rumours and leaks for Elden Ring haven’t revealed any significant info for about 4 years then there probably aren’t anybody with an uncle working at FromSoft.

@TheBrandedSwordsman no I hadn’t actually, oh well 😭

@TheBrandedSwordsman Yeah and you can get The Order for a pittance. Probably only $10 If you have access to pre-owned market, maybe even cheaper. The PS Store lists it at $20, but it’s often on sale, sometimes as low as $5.

Also I forget - have you played Monster Hunter World? I apologize if I don’t remember your saying before. I haven’t played it but large boss-like Monster enemies, relatively high difficulty I hear.... might fit your preferences in that regard.

And yes, being a LotR fan, I’m certainly interested in Elden Ring, but I haven’t followed it really closely. Delay until 2022 seems likely given the lack of any major updates. Have we even seen gameplay footage? It’s been pretty quiet.

I’m playing mainly Uncharted 1, Persona 5, and Rayman Legends. UC1 remaster on PS4 is fabulous. P5 is good, but just so long.

@Th3solution I think I will go back to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and then maybe Uncharted 1 remaster on PS4, I have played 2 but I won't play 3 as I've heard it's awful. but I don't know, I may swap the order between Lost Legacy & 1 around.

@TheBrandedSwordsman I’m going to play them in order 1, 2, then 3. Whether I replay 4 and LL we’ll have to see. Probably not since those are fresher in my memory. The original PS3 games are all remote enough that I want to see them again. Although it’s amazing how much I remember of the first game, even after several years.

@TheBrandedSwordsman I played 3 having heard it wasn’t the best... I really enjoyed it and I know I’m in the minority but I thought it was ‘pretty-much’ as good as two... definitely better than 1.

@colonelkilgore I’m playing UC1 now and it’s surprisingly good. I liked it the first time years ago, but I feared it wouldn’t hold up. On chapter 6 and so far it’s fantastic. Bodes well for UC2 (my previous favorite of the original trilogy).

@Th3solution I’m glad you’re enjoying it buddy, I did like it but it was definitely my least favourite of the PS3 trilogy. Two is obviously an absolute classic but don’t sleep on Three, I was so pleasantly surprised by it (may have had something to do with lowered expectations though obvs).

I had no idea uncharted 3 was considered the worst. I probably enjoyed it most (only came late to the series last year when given away on ps plus). For me, they all pretty much play the same but graphics improve over time. I thought some of the locations in 3 were the best I had seen in the series - like burning building, crashing plane and upside down cruiser. I also enjoyed encountering young(er) Sully and filling in backstory there. But hey ho, I likes what I likes. Also planning on getting round to 4 sometime soon.