GamingFan4Lyf

If you are going to spend 8 years developing an online-only game, it better be something that is completely different and not something that is chasing a trend.

I do feel bad for those who put a lot of hard work into the game. I am sure there was passion there. But this was just not the game to make when so many others don't cost anything to download and play (and can continue to cost nothing).

While I hate Battle Passes and MTX, at least knowing the game didn't cost anything up front and you can kind of "pay what you want (if anything)" is a nice formula when you're a cheapskate.

Plus, the PS5 version ends up costing EVEN MORE since it requires PS+ to fully enjoy.

Gosh it's so sad to see a site port beg.

NOTE: Joke.

@Spectre27- Yup! I got it last night - along with a bunch of other stuff.

While the game isn't AS intricate in level design as other games in similar genres, there is some reward to exploring.

I found a few "secrets" had I not taken the time to look around.

Basic mobs are a joke and seem to only exist to build up your Focus Point Bar for the next Boss encounter.

Maybe after just finishing up Lords of the Fallen my senses are heightened, but after my initial issues with a particular early game mini-boss, I am destroying this game!

It's pretty fun and from what I have seen on HowLongToBeat, not too long - which is great since I am coming off a marathon of long games.

@jrt87 I managed to find a good balance of image quality and performance by putting Full RT on Very High, Very High Preset, and dropping DLSS down to 60% (Balanced).

I get in the upper 70s - 90s with Frame Generation and input latency feels fine using the Xbox controller. I also turned off Motion Blur because it was causing weird artifacts around the character when turning the camera.

@NEStalgia On my rig:
7800X3D, 32GB RAM, 4070 Super

Game settings:
1440p
DLSS Quality (75%)
Very High Preset
Full RT On and set to Medium
Frame Gen On: 90s - 100s
Frame Gen Off: 50s - 60s

So input lag isn’t too off

If I turn off RT, I can get 70s without FG and into the 100s with it on.

@Titntin @WhiteRabbit OH THANK GOODNESS!

That enemy was the bane of my existence for a while - took up most of my "game time" last night.

I still have no idea what's going on in the game. I fought what I assume was a main boss after the mini-boss and rang a bell. 🤷‍♂️

The only thing I am mad about with the game is that I spent 45 minutes trying to kill a powerful mini-boss only to find out there is some game mechanic that I haven't learned about yet that is required to gather whatever it dropped and now it's gone forever since it disappeared since Resting!

Basically, I spend a lot of time to "git gud" only to find out, there was a reason is felt way too powerful - I needed to wait to kill it!

I still haven't discovered whatever it is I needed to collect what it dropped.

I am being purposefully vague to avoid spoilers. Also, I am playing on PC, not PS5.

I played for about 15 - 20 minutes last night on PC (got to the first "bonfire"). What a bombastic prologue sequence - true an epic introduction!

I am looking forward to digging into it deeper when I have more time to play.

I don’t care where it ends up, I’ll be playing on PC anyways.

Does it suck for Microsoft that Sony will probably get to keep Wolverine for itself where as Microsoft has to share Indiana Jones? Sure. But that’s just how things are going these days.

I love Game Pass for how it benefits me and my wallet, but there is no doubt it’s soured things for Microsoft when it comes to cutting deals for major titles (assuming this is true and multi-platform was part of the deal).

@Glassneedles @belmont @Ralizah Thanks for the tips.

As far as the PC version of this game:
Ryzen 7800X3D, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super:

Running Ultra settings and Native 1440p/DLAA/Frame-gen Off I get anywhere from 58 - 75fps (sometimes 80fps and at one point dropped to 40s).

The game seems to do the exact same thing as the PS5 in Performance Mode where combat encounters perform higher and then drop when exploration kicks back in.

Throw in DLSS Quality Mode and it’s up into the 90s.

Cutscenes are locked to 30fps (and I had one that ran at 59fps for some reason).

I tried using Dynamic Resolution scaling, but it was trying to scale to achieve 165Hz and the image got really soft (I only had a few minutes to play around with settings).

I will experiment with it later and maybe change the framerate box to 60 instead and see if the game locks to 60 with minimal scaling since the demo runs above 60fps most times (larger draw distances drop fps down below 60fps).

Visually, I wouldn’t say there is much difference from this and the PS5 version (that I remember). I am sure Digital Foundry will be able to tell us more on that front. It just has the ability to perform better with the right settings.

@Yousef- This game is more "God of War" and less "Final Fantasy" - if that helps.

I wouldn't say it's a tough game - especially if you actually do all the available side quests before moving on with the story as you'll level up from the experience gained and you'll start to get a little over leveled - but I do believe I might have died a couple times. It's very manageable.

@Yousef- Any advice is helpful! I want the best deals and if that means avoiding certain places, then it's good to know.

If that means having to look at a few different places to check for pricing, I am all ears!

@Ralizah So what are the best "re-key sellers"?

I have been out of the PC game for 14 years (until 2 weeks ago) and I am still hunting for the best PC deals.

I do want to slowly replace my Xbox and PlayStation libraries with PC versions, but I am not paying full price anymore!

Perhaps I will download this demo tonight to see how my rig handles it (just for kicks as I am certainly not planning to get this anytime soon since I beat it earlier this year).

@APM79 I just got one from Best Buy last week.

CyberPowerPC prebuild - Ryzen 7800X3D, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, 2TB M.2 drive up to 6GB/s read speed - $1699 and then I got an LG 1440p HDR10 165Hz G-synch monitor for $250.

The thing is an absolute beast!

I have been playing Lords of the Fallen at native 1440p/DLAA at Cinematic quality settings and getting around 70fps (sometimes dips below 60 if things fill screen) - if I use DLSS Quality mode, I can get that up to 90fps. No frame gen used, either.

Just for fun, I turned off V-sync for Alien Isolation and was getting over 500fps. 🤣

"but the three titles remain trapped on the PS3 to this day"

I guess if you insist on only owning Sony hardware, then this statement is true. Otherwise, the entire trilogy is playable (and enhanced) on Xbox.

Added this to my Steam Wishlist.

Granted, I will probably wait for this particular one to be on a sale or something since I do already have the PS4 version.

It will be a slow process, but I will eventually replace my PlayStation (and Xbox) catalog with PC versions.

I am going to give the demo on Steam a go this evening.

Glad to know it's actually scary. I may have to buy it if the demo pushes all the right buttons.

I am glad this all worked out in the end for Tango and I can't wait to see what else it makes!

@Leechmonger_DeS Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 money.

I just like that my copy of Ultimate Doom on Steam updated to Doom 1 & 2.

I do need to see if the original DOS version of Doom II is included as I only had access to the original version of Ultimate Doom - especially since I can't just buy Doom 2 on Steam now with this being combined.

Why does this matter?!

To use the original WADs for other Source Ports!

My new gaming PC is ready! Got a "free" copy of the game since the machine has an Nvidia 4070 Super.

Now it just stares at me in my Steam Library.

I mean, other than the introduction of RT, I didn't see where the game could be too much for last-gen consoles.

Good on the studio for putting this fire out.

Even if you agree with the statement and there is some truth to it, it's not smart for a studio to burn bridges it may need to cross one day - assuming the comment came from an actual developer.

@UltimateOtaku91 Part of me feels like Sony knew Bungie wasn't going to meet those targets and fully planned to absorb the talent for exclusive content.

My guess is Bungie won't last 10 years.

Replayed that Gamecube version a little bit recently. Such an awesome and bonkers game, but the controls are rough.

Hopefully, if a Remaster happens, it has a "modern" and "classic" control scheme.

Sony is probably lining up PS5 Pro Bundles with this remaster!

$350 is still too steep to buy something that could possibly make me vomit. I have had VR sickness a long time ago (like..late 90's long time ago), and I have been hesitant about it ever since.

Maybe $3.50 would be better.

Condolences to the family!

His excellent performances as The Curator will be missed by fans!

That trailer alone makes me want this!

I never played it on original release, so this will be a great time to jump in.

I don't think it ultimately matters if the quality of the game is fantastic. What matters is that there are other games within the same genre that have similarly great quality that don't have a $40 upfront cost.

Factions would have been the better gamble because at least it would have been a different kind of multiplayer experience rather than chasing trends with yet another the Hero Shooter.

I know Naughty Dog didn't want to become a studio that solely focused on a single GaaS, but Sony could have brought in another studio to assist Naughty Dog with development and then take over the maintenance/updates after release.

Yeesh, those poll results don't bode well for the success of this game.

@Flaming_Kaiser Quick internet search results:

"Overwatch 2 had 24,888,211 players from June to July 2024 according to Active Player. The game has also averaged 6.7 million players every day in the last thirty days."

Seems quite successful to me.

Why pay for an Overwatch clone (no matter the production value) when Overwatch 2 is free-to-play?

Does this release still have the hidden Dungeons & Dragons video?!

Now they answer to shareholders...this will end well.

It would be nice if Sony provided an optional subscription to have Day 1 releases.

If you prefer to own your games, then do so (Microsoft still provides that option, too, don't forget).

It's called consumer choice. Not exactly a bad thing, in my opinion.

@Enigk I have no idea. Just passing on information I had read.

I got the PC version of GTA V for free from Epic Game Store and I only played the game past the intro before I lost interest.

That is the extent of my GTA V knowledge.

@nitram2k11 I saw someone mention that it's cheaper to buy new copies of GTA V to get whatever premium currency GTA Online uses than it is to buy directly from the store.

So my guess is that this is the reason so many copies of GTA V have sold long after its release.

I know nothing about GTA Online, so this is just secondhand knowledge to know if this is true or not.

It would be nice if I knew what in the heck Helldivers articles like this even mean in gaming terms rather than in-universe lingo.

Like, does this mean a new map?
New enemies?
Does this change how the game is played?
New cosmetics?

Or is this all just people playing the same thing over and over again until certain telemetric data from matches reaches a set level (e.g. kill count, matches won, etc) for their world objective to be met?

Kind of a shame he has no interest in bringing Lost Odyssey or Blue Dragon to modern systems.

I think those games deserve a second chance - they did “Final Fantasy” better than Final Fantasy during that particular console generation (I wasn’t a particular fan of FF XIII).

Good thing I can still play both on Xbox, though!

As an American, I never once noticed that there were non-American elements to the scenery. Everything “felt” fine to me.

But, I guess if authenticity is important to the developer, then who am I to argue?

@rusty82 Already pre-ordered Astro Bot - can’t wait!

Astro Bot, Silent Hill 2, and Slitterhead for me!

Maybe it's my age or the fact that for many, many years there was no such thing as cosmetic DLC because games just had everything available at release, but what is the draw to spending money on cosmetics when they do absolutely nothing for gameplay?

I get story DLC, or perhaps adding new characters with new abilities and playstyles, or even maps with new layouts/strategies as those things actually add to the game. But paying money solely to turn a weapon into a green zebra print weapon? I don't get it.

To me it's equivalent to taking your paycheck and running it through a shredder.

Insomniac is too busy carrying the PS5 generation with actual new titles to be fooling around with a port of an old game....

It's clear Sony wants to do the bare minimum with these emulators.

I'm not saying that Sony needs to go crazy with enhancements, but having it not look right on a modern display is just not acceptable. Why not have a Smooth option and a Pixel Perfect option that both properly scale for a modern display?

Plus, why not have like an FPS Boost-style enhancement or a 4K-Mode for select titles? Not everything needs to become an expensive to make/expensive to buy Remaster in order to show some kind of consideration for your gaming legacy.

Though, my guess on performance is that things on PS1/PS2 are very much tied to very specific timings and boosting to 60fps could prove difficult (as even boosting framerate in emulators is buggy) - it's technically "smoke and mirrors" on Microsoft's side as the game thinks it's running 30fps but is running at 60fps at the DirectX level (which Sony doesn't have the luxury of leveraging in this instance).

I'm not saying every single title needs it, but the fact that fans with limited access to original hardware functionality can produce a better emulator that works on various hardware configurations than a company with deep access to the original hardware functionality and only one hardware configuration (maybe 2 if Sony wanted to spill over to PS4) is pretty sad.

I am all for this. I wanted to like the original game but the whole thing felt wonky to me.

I'll be interested to see how this one is brought into the modern era.

The platform I really care about still having physical media is the Switch because storage space is extremely limited and owning the cartridge means holding onto storage space for game saves.

I'll probably be PC-only at that point as I am just getting tired of dealing with multiple devices (well, except for Nintendo systems).