Topic: What (Non-PS4) game are you playing??

@oliverp you’d love it mate, given how much you enjoyed God of War 3… I mean obviously there could be some recency bias but I think this might actually be the better game.

@colonelkilgore Better than God of War 3? Yep, he really is Phil Spencer...

Picked up Infinite Wealth on PC. Was thinking about getting it on PS5 as Yakuza games are a mixed bag on PC, but couldn't find much about the technical state on PS5, so I bit the bullet and went PC as at least there I would have a bit more control to adjust things if it ran poorly and thankfully it seems to be running great so far.

In terms of first impressions, its absolutely a Yakuza game. Played around 6 hours, most of that was cutscenes and I haven't got to Hawaii yet. Mundane conversations run way too long. Scenes happen, and then immediately people talk about what just happened in excruciating detail basically repeating it all back in a more boring form than the first time where you just got to see it.

This wall is almost impenetrable from the outside, I bounced off of Like a Dragon for years because of this exact reason, you have to usually get through like 10 or 15 hours of this and then usually the story ends up excellent. Like LAD I would regard as one of my favourite games of all time, but those first few chapters are almost profoundly boring, which speaks to the highs the game reaches on the other end.

I appreciate it is an absolute absurd ask though and I am glad LAD primed me to know what I am in for, because if I based Infinite Wealth on its opening hours and drop it like I did LAD for years, I'd potentially miss out on an experience I loved.

I will say they have made some light tweaks to combat in the very little amount I have been able to play so far between all the cutscenes, which are appreciated by me who liked the turn based changed in direction (I think that sloppy Yakuza brawler combat is rubbish personally, and much preferred the more refined version in the Judgement games) and will probably go at least someway in appeasing those who are unhappy that the game moved from brawler to turn based. It isn't quite a hybrid model and I am personally happy with that, but there are some real time bits creeping in for those of you out there clamouring for that.

So I played a bit of the first Crysis on Xbox 360. I needed a break from Dirt 2 even though I'm very close to wrapping it up (should be able to finish it tomorrow). Anyway, the game is a lot of fun. It's basically like the first Far Cry but with special abilities. It holds up really well.

I'm not sure if I'll continue it anytime soon as I just wanted to play something else for a while, but I might actually keep playing it after I'm done with Dirt and Professor Layton.

Well I'm done with DiRT 2 and Professor Layton but I didn't continue playing Crysis. Instead, I started up a completely different game on PS3: Puppeteer. I bought it about a decade ago and I'm only now playing it. It's made by Japan Studio and it clearly shows: this game is packed to the brim with creativity. From the level design, to the character design, to the story-telling, it's just brilliant. This has to be the most underrated game on the PS3. I never hear anyone talk about it even though it's such a magical experience. It makes me really sad that Japan Studio as we knew it back then doesn't exist anymore. What an absolute waste of fantastic talent. I'm going to enjoy my time with Puppeteer as much as I can.

@LtSarge Although I didn’t finish it, I have to agree that Puppeteer is a game that was criminally underrated and forgotten. I think the main issue was its release window coincided with the launch of PS4, and so it was caught in between generations. If the game would have somehow launched as a cross-gen game, I think it would have had a different trajectory and could have possibly been a success. Developing cross-gen from PS3 and PS4 is much more complex, I think, by reason of each console’s infrastructure, so I can see why it couldn’t be done. It’s ironically exactly what Japan Studios had to deal with when considering The Last Guardian, and moving over the assets from PS3 to PS4 proved difficult and contributed to the massive delays with that game. Still, I think TLG ended up getting an improved reception and legacy as a result, even though it cost the studio time and effort.

I don’t know, it’s a tragic tale nonetheless. Japan Studios had such creative vision, but unfortunately couldn’t get out of its own way and was deemed not profitable in the end. Somehow other studios were able to bridge that gap between PS3 and PS4 better, like Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, and Sucker Punch, where they had some late PS3 games and still were able to turn around and get them either ported to PS4 or develop an early PS4 sequel to maintain interest.

@Th3solution Yeah I tend to forget that this game was released at the tail-end of PS3's life cycle. I actually vividly remember 2013 as that was the second year I had my PS3, which is why Puppeteer made a strong impression on me back then.

While I do like the direction most of the PlayStation studios have taken, I can't help but think that Japan Studio would still be here if Sony hadn't focused so much on delivering narrative-driven games.

@LtSarge Besides Knack, Japan Studio games were of really high quality and definitely filled a void that I agree, could have taken Sony in a new direction. Perhaps not conceding much of Japanese styled games to Nintendo.

I looked at their games and I didn’t realize they were involved with Demon’s Souls and later with Bloodborne. As well as being consultants for Sucker Punch on Ghost of Tsushima . They were instrumental in a lot of great games.

Unfortunately, some of their games which had high expectations were tied to the Vita, which Sony sent out to die. So some really big investments toward the end were not recouped.

I think Sony realizes they lost something important when they reorganized and shut the studio down. They have been trying to get a foothold back in Asia with the China hero project, the Indian project, and their heavy collaboration with Square Enix in Japan.

Finally about to start playing Spec Ops: The Line and given all the praise I’ve heard about it over the years, I’m pretty excited fair play.

I picked up Infinite Wealth on launch as it coincided with a week off work I had. I finished like 9 or 10 of those chapters in that week, but then I returned to work so my progress slowed to an absolute crawl. I finally made it to the final chapter, and before I close the game out, I just kinda wanted to get some thoughts down as I feel so mixed on this game, and I feel like writing things down helps you process things.

Up top, I am not a long time Yakuza fan. In fact, beyond the early days on PS2, I tried to get into and bounced off of the Yakuza series for decades before for some reason trying Like a Dragon for like the fourth or fifth time and it suddenly clicked for some reason. I played that game through to completion, and regard it as one of my favourite games of all time, that is how strongly I felt about it when it all finally clicked for me.

I don't know what I really wanted from Infinite Wealth, I guess I would have been happy with a more refined vision of Like a Dragon, as that game definitely had its fair share of problems, even as a game I overall loved. Whether it was pace and structure, the fairly shallow systems and some brutal difficulty spikes. And while I'd argue Infinite Wealth does address these things, it doesn't go far enough to really solve them, so much as it just softens them. I guess this would have been fine if everything else remained on par with what LAD already achieved, but I feel like IW also takes steps backwards from LAD in places too for me. All of this should say to me that this is a worse game overall from LAD, but I feel like it is just not that simple to make such a black and white statement.

Part of the problem is surely down to my general lack of connection to Kiryu, as so many of the game's heaviest emotional punches are swung under the assumption you have been on his journey with him. But is that my problem? I’m not so sure. This isn’t called Yakuza 8: Infinite Wealth. LAD was clearly intended to be a soft reboot to introduce new fans into the franchise. As such, it seems an odd decision for me to then create a sequel which sidelines your new protagonist for extended stretches, so you can go on long nostalgia trips with the old protagonist instead. Long nostalgia trips which meant barely anything to me at all with some history with the franchise, and long nostalgia trips then that would mean even less to someone who joined with LAD and literally never consumed a single other piece of Yakuza content.

Honestly, the more I think about why this didn't work for me, the more I feel like Kiryu is to blame, to be honest. It tells what is ultimately a fairly simple story, but the choice to have Ichiban and Kiryu both working through different story arcs we flip flip between in the name of some amorphous ultimate goal just kinda made the whole thing just feel sorta... lost. This is a meandering, unfocused and convoluted journey where even into the double digit chapter numbers I'd have a hard time really telling you what this game is even really about.

And it is hard too, because bringing Kiryu back and colliding him with Ichiban absolutely creates some of the best individual moments in the entire game, too, But the cost of these moments I think are too high, as the game is absolutely worse off overall in my mind due to their approach.

I want to make it clear, too, this has been the whole time a conversation as to ‘how good is it as a sequel’ not a question really as to how good of a game this is. Because I absolutely still think this is a great game, which’ll be right up there when those game of the year lists start taking shape in like 8 or so months time.

Every tweak to combat is meaningful, making the moment to moment just simply more enjoyable than LAD was. This is really important as there is a LOT of combat in IW, like a good dozen or so stretches that are just basically hours of combat in gauntlets at a time, so it is lucky that IW takes LAD’s turn based Yakuza and basically perfects the entire formula. In addition, exploring Hawaii is heaps of fun. All the crazy side content is a joy. The way they translate Kiryu into a turn based system is pure magic. The games approach to RPG class design and equipment remains an absolute treat, and the general forgiving flexibility of a lot of its systems is ultimately a good thing, even if the cost is maybe a more shallow game than it could be otherwise.

But yet I dunno, I still can't help but just feel sorta disappointed overall in this, all the same. If any of this makes any sense at all.

Mario VS Donkey Kong (Switch) - There's actually a lot more to this than I thought there'd be (& I'm not talking about the two new worlds). The NG+ versions of each world's levels are 100% distinct from the first run (completely new layouts with a new type of completion goal) instead of just being remixes with a few new hazards, so it really feels like it doubles the length of the game in terms of unique content (the boss levels seem to be the only ones that are just the same thing over again, just harder). Plus there are sets of expert levels that you unlock by completing a certain number of regular (& NG+) levels with perfect rankings. I have played the original on 3DS (it was one of the "Ambassador" games), but I don't remember it being so feature rich. Quite enjoying it.

Granblue Fantasy Relink (PS5) - Having a really solid time with this as well. The main story mode really didn't hit any new beats in terms of JRPG narrative & tropes, but it's executed immaculately (it feels like a much higher budget game than it probably is) and does a lot of things to mix up gameplay variety (battles that take place on the deck of your airship let you man the cannons & pick off enemies before they board, there's a boss battle that calls to mind the kind of scale you'd expect to see in Shadow of the Colossus, and even a boss fight akin to the Eikon fights in FFXIV), you can't wait to see what's going to happen next. Post game is very grindy (95% of it seems to consist of harder versions of boss fights, & you'll probably have/want to replay certain fights multiple times to get the upgrade materials needed to stay competitive as the recommended power level starts to shoot up dramatically once you hit extreme rank quests), but there are a few storyline loose ends that promise to be followed up on if you get so far into post game so I'm going to try & stick to it.

Played a little more P4G as I wanna pick it up again when I am done with Reload and after getting like 10ish hours in before, sorta felt like too much to start again so I needed to refresh myself before it was too late. And man, like I know Reload is going for a very different tone, but just immediately P4G threw me into multiple day trips with my core party, and while some of the humour may be a little dated these days, I dunno, they were just so charming, so funny, and I feel closer to this cast in 10 hours than I do in 70 plus over at Reload. You might argue the Reload characters are more complex, but I like how well defined each character is in P4G even if they may be more simplified as it allows you to anchor into them easier. It is this stuff above all else to me that Reload is so sorely missing.

Mario VS Donkey Kong (Switch) - Just finished this up over the weekend (I did everything except the final EX mission because I'm not going to perfect rank all the boss missions to unlock it, especially the BS ice world boss fights). Not GotY material or anything, but honestly a really solid release (and it does get pretty tough in spots, especially the EX missions).

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) - Just started it over the weekend, but have been enjoying it so far. The Grasslands have opened up for me and it's really enjoyable exploring on Chocobo back to check out all the points of interest.

Powerwash Simulator (PC Game Pass) - Been playing this off & on since the holidays (in-between Switch releases), and I'm honestly surprised at how much content this has. I've only tackled the main campaign so far and yet after all this time I think I'm only a little over halfway through (currently in the middle of cleaning a Carousel). Haven't even started on the bonus jobs, let alone all the DLC it seems to get regularly. It's a pretty relaxing time, though.

I picked up Banishers on PC. I thought this game had quite a strange review cycle where it scored high, but if you actually read a lot of the reviews it seemed like people actively did not actually enjoy playing it, so to me that suggests the scores were too high. I put it on the back burner in response, and I had Infinite Wealth and Persona 3 Reload to focus on anyway, but I've beaten both of those now.

So yeah, Banishers, early days yet, feel like I'm barely out of the tutorial really, but maybe it's because those reviews helped calibrate my expectations I've really enjoyed the first impression.

Combat is sloppy, sure, but maybe it's because I was set to expect something horrible, I think it's mostly fine honestly. I've played far worse that's for sure and at least so far combat encounters have really been only brief sequences to break up the story beats. It is very clearly not the focus and you'd be misguided if you came to this game for the combat.

The focus here is really on the story, and your decisions, and you have to make some really tough decisions almost right away which I enjoyed. I also just think it's a cool concept for a game, it's very much my jam. The setting, atmosphere and visuals are excellent (sans the lip sync) too.

So yeah, early days, so this could absolutely drop off a cliff or the combat could eventually drive me up the wall, but I'm really enjoying this so far a lot more than I kind of expected to.

Played through Crash Bandicoot 1 via the N. Sane Trilogy a few months back and absolutely hated it. The game is designed to make you suffer. And not for legitimate reasons IMO. The frequently unfair level design, strange camera perspective, and weirdness of the feel of the game in general made playing it miserable. Didn't bother trying to complete anything: I just wanted to get to the final boss and be done with it.

So it was with significantly trepidation that I went into Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, but... I'm having fun? A lot of fun, actually. I still don't like the camera perspective, but everything else is just a million times better. Levels feel fun now, as opposed to feeling like they were designed by a sadist. Unlike Crash Bandicoot 3, there's a good balance of normal and 'vehicle' stages. Bosses are a lot more intuitive and less frustrating overall. Finding the secret exits throughout the game is interesting.

This has to be the biggest jump in quality I've seen in a series. Even moreso than Uncharted 2.

Interesting that both were (originally) developed by Naughty Dog, ha!

The Trilogy in general runs kinda poorly on Steam Deck. Probably still better than playing on a Switch, but only barely.

Anyway, yeah, I've been addicted to CB2, and will be completing it unless the game nose-dives in quality suddenly. At least all of the gems/crystals. I understand there's not a ton of point to doing speedruns of levels in this game, like the original.

@Ralizah Crash 2 is a gigantic leap forwards. I’m not sure 3 is as good but I also hate-played Crash 1 and was amazed at how brilliant Crash 2 was. Definitely similar to the Uncharted 1 to 2 leap, almost all criticisms are addressed while pretty much looking like the same game. I really like the structure change too, the rooms make it feel way more open and less rigid than a world map despite it really not being at all.

@nessisonett Only major complaint so far is that the final boss is... like... nothing. Total anti-climax.

Oh, and Cold Hard Crash can eat me. The all-boxes gem in that level is the only one I have left, and it's massively harder than any other challenge in the game. It's silly how much harder it is. I went and grinded lives on the bee level, and I'm just gonna muscle my way through it, but god, it sucks!

But yeah, overall, probably an 8 out of 10 game for me at minimum. I still like the Spyro trilogy more, but this is a really solid platformer.

I didn't like Warped when I played it on PS1 a few years back. We'll see if my feelings have changed at all.

@Ralizah Bosses in 3D platformers often aren’t all that great. The Sonic Adventure 2 bosses are really hit and miss and that’s still probably my favourite non-Mario 3D platformer. Even Mario bosses aren’t great, although I’d say Galaxy’s were at least polished to the point of the 1 hit stars being obtainable.

@nessisonett I'd say Mario Odyssey has strong boss fights overall. Some really, really imaginative encounters in that game. And plenty of variety, even if you do end up fighting a LOT of those stupid rabbit people also.

Actually, Crash 2's other bosses are pretty good as well. Just challenging enough to be fun, but not misery-inducing. I just don't understand why the final boss is the world's most underwhelming jetpack chase lol. Although I suppose it beats the first game's Cortex fight making me want to hurl my Steam Deck out of a window.

Actually just completed the game (all gems/crystals, anyway; the speedruns aren't implemented properly). Kinda disappointed all you get is a 30 second video of you using a laser to shoot Cortex's space station out of orbit.

Still, though, the fact that I actively wanted to do everything is proof enough that this was a rather strong experience. I can see why it's widely regarded as the best of the original trilogy.

Started playing Binary Domain on Series X. Very interesting game made by the Like a Dragon developer. It plays just like Gears of War but it has a larger emphasis on the story than a typical GoW game, kinda like the Like a Dragon titles. It's a very fun game and as there aren't many (good) GoW clones, I'm really enjoying this one. It's also nice to play it with frame-rate boost on the Series X. Can't wait to play more of it soon.