Topic: Your Latest PS4 Purchase

@HallowMoonshadow I don’t think I ever played the original game but had a demo I played to death.

I played the remake last year and it was pretty good fun. The controls and camera can be a bit wonky as they show their age but it doesn’t completely distract from the game.

Maneater. It's $5 on Amazon right now.

Couldn't really resist.

EDIT:

Also snagged Theatrhythm Final Bar Line for PS4. Was only $7.49 after I used my Microsoft Rewards points to redeem $20 in Amazon credit.

I had the original PS1 title @Thrillho (And it's cool that you unlock it in the PS4 version) but I did play the demo for MediEvil 2 a lot back in the day and never actually got the full game.

Been waiting for that to drop onto PSN/Premium to be honest just so I can finally play it...

Oooh not a bad price at all @Ralizah for either game.

I tried the demo for final bar line but couldn't really get into it myself as Rhythm games are... a bit too much for me thanks to all the visual noise on screen (Plus the fact some really good songs are DLC kinda sucks).

Maneater will surely be a laugh?

As for actual purchases I got physical copies of Soul Hackers 2 for £15 & A Hat in Time for £8.

And I bought Nexomon (The first one) for £3.99 off PSN too.

@Ralizah @HallowMoonshadow Maneater was one of the first games I played on my PS5 I think after it was a PS+ freebie.

It's.... fine. The concept is neat and it's quite good fun having Chris Parnell (Archer, Rick and Morty) as the narrator but the gameplay is quite fiddly and repetitive.

Leaping out of the water to get collectibles felt really hit and miss, and the mechanics to kill civilians to trigger the boss battles also wasn't very clear (as was then trying to actually attack the boats).

@HallowMoonshadow The amount of DLC songs in these games is insane. And I believe some of them are even locked behind the digital deluxe version.

I'm not a big rhythm game person, either, but these titles are just on the level of difficulty where I find them to be doable. Anyway, it's a perfect game to play for 30 minutes a day on the way to a platinum trophy.

I just wish the game gave you the option of using the Pixel Remaster arrangements. :/

@Thrillho @HallowMoonshadow RE Maneater: it feels like a PS2 throwback to me. When you could make a clunky game based on some insane or stupid concept and get it out on store shelves alongside Mario, Halo, and God of War.

I'm expecting semi-enjoyable trash. If it meets that standard, I'll be satisfied.

Hopefully there's no songs that you really, REALLY, like that are stuck behind DLC or an expensive Digital Deluxe Edition paywall @Ralizah!

Do the pixel remasters have good arrangements? I don't recall hearing anything about the OST's for those to be honest...

@HallowMoonshadow Hell yeah. They're gorgeous orchestral arrangements. It's the biggest reason to get the Pixel Remasters over other versions IMO.

They went above and beyond with FFVI. People actually sing in the opera! And the entire scene got a sorta HD-2D glow-up.

@Ralizah So, basically what you're saying is if you play one of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, play VI...

@KilloWertz I mean, even if it didn't have the most work put into it, I'd probably still say that.

Final Fantasy VI's story is dark, complex, and memorable, which is not really something that can be said for any of the prior entries. It abandoned the pure medieval high fantasy of previous outings for a gorgeous, evocative science-fantasy setting (something they developed even further in Final Fantasy VII with the pseudo-cyberpunk metropolis of Midgar). And it has what I'd say is the series' first really good cast of characters.

There aren't a ton of JRPGs from this era that I think hold up (contrary to popular opinion among many JRPG fans who act like the SNES was an unrivaled powerhouse), but this one absolutely does, and deserves to be played just as much by newer gamers as it does by older ones.

Just check out the first six minutes or so (and ignore the terrible font, which was apparently fixed in the console release)

@Ralizah I never planned on playing any of the really early ones since they basically have no story. This would be an obvious one at some point though given that it's far removed from the earliest of the series.

Thanks for the video. I didn't watch it all as I plan on playing it, but it's always good to hear the main menu theme that seems to be similar in other Final Fantasy games I've played.

I'll be honest FF IV's boss theme is the only one I can compare off the top off my head @Ralizah. Bass is a bit more subdued then I recall but that violin is rather lovely.

All the tracks are pretty nice arrangements though and it's cool there's actually vocals for the opera scene.

I've only played about 3 hours most of FF VI. Gave up pretty quickly as I found it... Kinda dull to be honest, didn't hook me at all. I remember seeing Kefka for the first time and that was it

@Ralizah What strikes me about Final Fantasy VI is how cinematic it feels; even playing on the GBA, which is how I originally experienced it. The opening drips with atmosphere and sets the scene perfectly. I haven't yet played the pixel remaster, although feel they didn't necessarily need to reorchestrate the music, lovely as it is. That said, it's a very nice touch indeed that Celes' ghastly garbled approximation of human vocals have been replaced by real voice (and not a trained classical singer, which makes sense).

@HallowMoonShadow The FFIV four fiends boss theme is forever etched on my brain after playing lots of Theatrhythm. I had Kefka's laugh as my text tone for many years. It was funny seeing people jump every time it went off on the bus, although more often than not it made me jump, too. 😂

@HallowMoonshadow Ah, that's too bad. FFVI is a stone-cold classic. Do I correctly recall you not really liking FFVII either?

@mookysam The music needed to be re-orchestrated IMO. Uematsu's NES/SNES compositions... someone analogized it by saying it was like drawing the Mona Lisa with crayons. The pieces absolutely deserve to be heard in-game with real instruments.

And yeah, the degree of cinematic virtuosity it achieved on something like the GBA (also where I first played it lol) was crazy. You could tell this was a big, amazing thing you were experiencing. One of the grandest 2D games I've ever played.

The Grinch Christmas Adventures and Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms

Just picked up NieR: Automata, two years on from having my playthrough interrupted by it leaving the then PS Now, barely a few hours in. Really excited to getting round to it properly in 2024 👍

@AgentCooper I think it's fair to say that Automata is a unique gaming experience! Brilliant game and one I kind of wish I hadn't waited so long to play (mainly because I'd read about needing to complete it multiple times but without seeing that you're not playing the same game each time).

Enjoy!

@Thrillho Thanks, friend 👍 it was that @colonelkilgore that was extolling the experience and encouraged me to give it a try at the time. It’s fairly out of my wheelhouse so it’s always exciting to have that kind of new experience, of which I’ll be going out of my way to have next year.

@AgentCooper Nier Automata is a real gem. I look back on it fondly and only regret that I can’t play it for the first time ever again. The true ending is awesome and it’s a great ride getting there. There’s some deep philosophy mixed in if you’re willing to ponder on many of its themes.

How far along did you get on your first attempt at playing it?

@AgentCooper nice to see you’ll be returning to it, a special game on so many levels… as @Thrillho said, enjoy 🍻