LordSteev

@Jimmer-jammer

I don't usually hunt for them, but I might just end up getting Platinum on this, too. This playthrough, I've completely emptied the map of any icons except fast travel, shops and drop off points, and Embers stands as the only Yellow thing left on the map. I'm waiting for a call back from the concrete pool girl, so I can finish Kerry's questline, and I've stopped for the evening so I can finish fresh tomorrow.

I think I'll do it twice more once I get a PS5, Street Kid and Nomad since this run is Corpo. I looked through the Trophys list, and there's a few weird ones like superjump kill that I'm not even going to try with this run, but will make more sense with different builds. This run has gotten me so close, anyway, that I might as well hit them all in my next playthrough. Just have to make a scum save before going in to Embers, so I can explore all the endings.

Man, I am so glad you started Skyrim! If you stick with it, one of the things you will notice is the game keeps rewarding you in meaningful ways as you progress, better than any open worlder I've ever played. Hit me with any questions, and ENCHANT!

@KingPev

Hah! I did the same thing. After starting 3 builds and putting about 60 hours each into them, I started a fourth as a stealthy hacker. Only finished one companions quest line and cleared out Watson and Westbrook, then ventured past the point of no return. I didn't really like the ending I got out of that, either. This time, I am doing absolutely everything possible. Got back from Stepmothers Day brunch, went back into it, and did a couple of things very fast.

Found the Zen Master one final time and meditated on Air, which seemed to finish his questline. Closed out Heywood (the one I was missing looked like it was in City Center on the map, but once I did it, I got the trophy notification for Heywood, so, yay?) Closed out City Center, too. The map is empty of icons now, except for the Embers point of no return. Kinda proud of that, lol.

@ApostateMage

Too late this playthrough, but I'll definitely try it next time through! I'm finishing this run, then getting bogged down in Mass Effect Trifecta for however long that takes. (summer?)

@ApostateMage

Love your taste, man. I haven't seen it up and running in at least 10 years, but it's still one of my all time favorites.

I've taken full ownership of Watson, Westbrook, the Badlands, Pacifica, and Santo Domingo. I've cleared every map marker in Heywood, too, but for some reason the game hasn't acknowledged that fact yet. (Maybe one gets triggered later?) City Center is half mine. I'm reuniting the band, and that's the last side quest I've got left before jumping into the point of no return.

I've meditated with the spirits of Earth, Water, and Fire by finding the Zen Master 3 separate times. I've bought all the cars. I've subdued all the cyberpsychos. I've completed my Tarot deck. I've won all the races.

296 hours on this playthrough so far, and I've had one of the best times gaming I've ever had. Sadly, I've run out of things to do, and will have to see the story to it's conclusion. I find myself playing slower, because I don't want it to end.

@Jimmer-jammer I finally found Skippy in Heywood! Loved the time I spent with him, but in the end, I brought him back to his rightful owner. Quite frankly, in my next playthrough I think I'll keep him!

@Jimmer-jammer

Well, I seriously am a world-class speed typer. At least 15 words a minute, so it's no wonder!

Seriously though, that also happens to me all the time. Twice just on the Mass Effect thread the other day. Makes me feel stupid for parroting the posts right above mine, but hey, what are you going to do? Good hearing from you, hope all is well!

@Jimmer-jammer 101% (Sometimes, I post first, and THEN read.)

@Hordak 100%

For the poll I said I'd buy it later on sale. The truth is, I want to wait until I have a PS5 before playing this. Since that doesn't seem likely to happen for a while, might as well wait for a sale.

I can't think of a better way to take the enjoyment out of gaming than trophy chasing. I'll not find every stupid collectable or do other stupid random things just for a few pixels shaped like a trophy. There's just too many games out there to experience.

I'll finish a game, then move on. In the very rare cases where I liked the game so much I just sort of accidently got a platinum, it was through no special effort on my part. Add up all your trophies, take them to the pawn shop, and see what you get.

GOOD!

Thanks for doing this! It'd be nice to periodically have this for other quality series.

This game was too choppy for a first person shooter on my PS4. I'd love to give it another go on PS5 when the time comes!

@nessisonett

It's weird how much sound plays a part in memory.

As for the file size, that's not too horrible for all three games. I'm willing to delete if necessary, have a feeling this one will be on the hard drive for a long time.

Not related, but I have 2 windows of PushSquare open right now, one for browsing, and one just to play that fantastic soundtrack you posted earlier. Man, it's like the best kind of deja vu ever. Half of me is here typing and reading everyone's posts, and the other half is onboard the Normandy. What a great feeling, and this week is going by way too slow.

Loved this game. Glad they're keeping it alive, but I'll wait till it's $9.99.

@get2sammyb

This is a great idea! Thanks for doing this and (hopefully) updating it whenever more info is known. I always wanted something like this.

Prediction: This is where Microsoft will announce jointly with Bethesda that Starfield will release end of 2021, or very early in 2022. An XBOX is on the horizon.

Sounds like the tide is turning here. If I had a PS5 I'd have bought this. Glad I didn't.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is what they call it.

I just call it Summer.

I understand the need for kids games. I understand the need for more mature games. I hate a game caught in the middle, trying to appeal to everybody, and from the screenshots, that looks like what this is. I'll pass initially. Six months down the road, this has PS+ written all over it.

@AFCC

I agree with you, I've been interested since the last trailer, too. Whether it has a great story or not takes second place in a game like this, as the action looks like exactly the kind of FPS I like.

Meh...

It functions well as the alter of sacrifice for my spare money.

@Flurpsel

Hey, I agree with you for the most part. I loved this game, thought it was game of the year. I also enjoyed the tension of choosing which weapons were active. My point is, even if they kept the d-pad select system, it would be easier to switch which weapons were active if you had all of them available, instead of just 3. I found myself sticking to what I knew: the bow, the shotgun, the rifle, and didn't give the other weapons a fair shake because I knew I'd want to switch back to these 3 anyway. Nothing wrong with it really, I just thought it kept me from experimenting with other weapons as much as I would have if I didn't have to slow my momentum by fumbling with what was easily available. Still, a fantastic game.

@God_of_Nowt

This is in argument of comment #47, and in support of comment #44.

When companies like id started making Doom, they weren't concerned about profits, they were excited by an idea they had and wanted to see if they could pull it off. They couldn't wait to share what they'd made with the public.

It could be argued that every first person shooter since, made by huge corporations with an eye on profit, has been nothing more than a copy, with slight changes made.

When Bioware just started out (and back when they made good games), it was two Doctors deciding they wanted to try their hand at making games with involving stories.

Look at companies like Ubisoft or EA today, and what do you have? Large corporations following the examples set for them by small, creative, enthusiastic studios. And while they copy the spirit of some earlier games, they ruin them with monetary transactions and strategies designed to see how much money they can rake in over time.

Most creativity has died, and the larger the corporation, the more guilty of creative death they are.

Ubisoft doesn't approach a game with an attitude of being creative, rather it seems to be 'let's copy something safe, that we know works, and lets hold back some good stuff so we can charge more for it later."

A big corporate boardroom that is highly risk-adverse and thinking about their shareholders lacks the ability and spontaneity to ever make anything truly unique or genre-smashing. All I've seen big corporations do is systematically destroy smaller development houses that used to make great games.

You say you have to focus on profit. I say a few people with a great vision for a new game and the enthusiasm to make it real, and the caring to make sure they remove the bits of suck, even if not focused on profit, will nonetheless find it by the quality of the game they release.

I love The Last of Us 2. But..they do have a point. The weapon switching was one of the most frustrating parts of the game, controller-wise. The way they let you only carry two of each kind, and three with a holster, combined with having to use the untrustworthy d-pad to switch between them, well, I'd have really preferred a one button hold weapon wheel to have quick access to all of my weapons at once.

Constantly trying to change what was available between the crossbow and, say, the sniper rifle, or which pistol was easily within reach, proved very cumbersome. And ammo was scarce enough that you would end up having to switch them around fairly often, too.

It's still a fantastic game, don't get me wrong, and I've yet to play the game that nails everything 100% perfect. In so many ways, this game came the closest. But a little constructive criticism never hurt anybody.

Not real happy with this month, but if you get 2 good games in a year, Plus more than pays for itself. This year alone there's already been 4 that I'd put in that category, so not a complaint in the world.

@Jimmer-jammer @ApostateMage

I read Jimmer-jammer saying he didn't want to resort to snark, and I thought, "hey, maybe he needs me!" And my attempt at snark was going to be something along the lines of: Housemarque better watch what they accuse Sony of, they might get banned from the store. Then I got to ApostateMage's post. Good Show!

If a game is single player, offline, then the developer should always let you save whenever you want. Maybe give you the choice with an Ironman mode or something, but have enough respect for your audience to know not all will play the game the same way. No save-at-will is sooo 90's.

Bibi and Tina at the Horsefarm....I think I saw that live down in Mexico back in my Navy days...

@Ralizah Mass what, now?

@Ralizah OMG! I can't believe Bibi and Tina finally came to PlayStation!!

My only day one buy here is Mass Effect. I'll wait for price drops on some of the others. PushSquare, I still expect a full review on Cthulhu Saves Christmas!!

I can't really explain why, but I've GOT to have this!

@huyi

Yeah, and some of the new games I'm not super interested in. I also usually won't go back and re-play a game just because it got a generational update unless I was really in love with the original. (Mass Effect, for example). I don't think I'm going miss not having a PS5 until Horizon Forbidden West comes out.

@B_Lindz

Hey, maybe black friday if we're lucky. Still don't feel we're missing much, game-wise.

@Profondo

It really is too bad about the 'dumbing down' thing. Art should make people rise to meet it, instead of being something less in order to garner more interest. I suppose that grants a glimpse into what the world at large thinks of the intellectual capabilities of most of us Anglo-Saxons, lol.

@Ultraman1966

Congrats! I used to be big into pc gaming, back in the 3DFX Voodoo card days. I just got very frustrated trying to remain current with things and walked away from all that. I miss the immediacy of having the screen right in front of you and the precision of mouse/keyboard, but I've grown too comfortable in a lazy-boy with a big screen, and no tinkering and driver updates, etc.

@Ear_wiG I agree. Maybe if it WAS a jrpg, turn-based, take your time kind of game, I could deal, but this looks fast action, and during the fight the characters were talking to each other, and just no way I'd want to test my translation skills mid-fight.

@BansheeNorn

Nope! And I won't buy unless it's in English.

@Jimmer-jammer haha! Yep, that's the guy!

@tomassi

No problem!

@Quintumply Thanks, that's awesome! Now I'm just a PS5 away from playing this.

@Quintumply

Nice review! The only important question I can think to ask is: After you die, how long does it take to reload? Don't mind dying, DO mind waiting.

The gameplay looked so good on this! The one thing I'd like to know, and it would be a gamebreaker for me, is if they are going to dub the voices to english for the US/UK release. I don't mind subtitles in movies, but in a frenetic action setting, I don't want to have to divert my attention from the onscreen action to do some reading in the middle of a fight.

@tomassi

One reason is that when a PS4 is made, it's built in many different locations. Each location has the specs they need to meet, but are allowed to use different brands of hardware, as long as they end up at the same speed, etc. So even if we both have a PS4, we may not have the same set up under the hood.

Another reason may be linked to the game itself, such as what order you do the quests in, how powerful you are when you get there, what you've experienced before you got there, etc. So one path may lead to a bug, while the other may be smooth sailing.

@Ultraman1966

Yeah, that pissed me off, too. I finished the quest, but I'm not sure I 100% understood what was happening for the rest of it. I just keep going, though. Once I have a PS5 and they release a native PS5 version, I expect quirks like that to be ironed out, and I'm so into this game I know I'll do another playthrough or three when that time comes. I don't mind the rough edges, they give me something to look forward to in future playthroughs. You're right though, it IS frustrating.

@ApostateMage

No! Missed him, but got some weird kind of blackout/warning right before I talked to Jefferson Downtown.

@Ralizah

Thanks Ralizah, that's the details I wanted to know! Yorha, here I come.