mcdreamer

I've been on a bit of a spending spree in the recent sales, picking up Cyberpunk, Death Stranding and Scarlet Nexus. I have Star Ocean The Divine Force and Crisis Core waiting for me to unwrap and dive into this evening. No shortage of games!

I've never played an AC game before, but this trailer got be interested enough to pick one out. I bought Last Raven on the Vita as that was the simplest to get hold of and seems to be well liked.

So far it seems quite impenetrable, probably like Elden Ring would have felt if you'd not played all the Souls games before. As a result, I can't really tell whether I like it or not yet. It is certainly very different to Souls as I suspected it would be. One issue might be the controls given it's a PSP game, but I am finding it very challenging.

In any case, I'm not normally one for cinematic trailers, however this one has still got me pretty excited. I can see the bones of something promising in LR. Excited to see it get a modern treatment.

Spreading myself quite thin at the moment. Main game is Pokemon Scarlett though I've got FFXIII, RE7 and more on the go.

Watching the Armoured Core 6 trailer, I've dived back into the history of the game and picked up AC3 LR on the Vita as it was pretty much the only digital option. Will be interesting to see what I think and whether it gets me more excited for the new game.

I've also been very tempted to pick up both Cyberpunk and Death Stranding in the current sale. Good prices on both though I know it'll be a while until I can really start them properly.

This looks so good. I just wish it was turn based! The blend of action and commands in FFVII Remake worked quite well though, so I'd be happy with a similar system.

Finished Bayonetta 3 last night. The ending was, let's say, was something else. Will dive into Sonic Frontiers now on PS5. Hoping to get most of it wrapped up before Pokemon next weekend.

Looks good. This would have been an instant buy for me if it ever happened! Dark Souls 3 is easily my favourite, though Elden Ring gives it some close competition! I quite often boot up a new game and beat Iudex, just to remind myself the first time around he took me 5 hours!

RE7 on PS5. Made it into the second house, so still relatively early on, but I'm glad I pushed myself through the first section. It always feels like the scariest part of the RE games is the first part. Perhaps you get more used to it as you play, and of course you get better weapons, but they beginning sections always seem to be so dark and terrifying.

Very tempted to get Trails of Cold Steel IV even though it'll be years until I get to it.

Having originally been a PC gamer since well, before the 90s, 60FPS seems very old hat to me. One of the things which kept me away from consoles in those days was how poorly they performed by comparison and how primitive the early 3D console graphics were (we already had Quake in 1996).

One of the best things about this new generation has been how almost all games are finally playable on consoles at 60FPS. My biggest concern has been that would only remain true in the era of PS5 patched older games or cross generation games. I hope we're not seeing the first signs of a reversion back to 30FPS as the standard.

As a side note, one reason I loved gaming back then was to see the leaps in graphical fidelity. So I do get the desired for prettier visuals. I just never wanted to sacrifice performance as a result (which was of course expensive). Games like HFW look so good on PS5, even in the 60FPS mode, it would seem a shame to take a backwards step at the same time as developers get more experience optimising for the hardware.

@PenguinLtd Outside of the secret boss, Pontiff Sylyvahn is the hardest in the game I find!

I finally finished Soul Hackers 2 this week. By the time I saw the ending (not the true ending, though I watched that on YouTube) I'd settled that on a solid 6/10 for the game. It's SMT so there are lots of great elements, but there's just so much holding the game back. I like the characters, the music is good even if the track list is too short, but those dungeons are just absolutely terrible. What makes it even worse is that the final dungeon actually breaks away from the simplistic grid layout of all of the others, has its own music and an interesting setting. I guess they just didn't have the budget to apply that to the rest of the game. I'm glad I saw it through but I'll happily never play it again.

Not really sure what's up next on PS5 for me. I have a few games in the backlog I'd like to start/finish. I still have TLOU Part 1 to continue, but I'm pretty sure 30% or so in that game isn't for me. I might start RE7 instead. Is the PS5 version worth picking up or is it essentially indistinguishable from the PS4 version?

(Reading this back, I think we were really spoiled by Elden Ring, HFW and Xenoblade 3 this year - everything else seems lacklustre by comparison!)

@Kingleo31 I sort of warmed to it more than I expected after 10 hours or so, but after 20 I'm kind of back where I started. It's an SMT game, just easily the worst I've played. The dungeon layouts and designs are just so drab, especially as there's very little variation in the music too. I think they were kind of going for the grid based feel of the original. It just doesn't translate well to a full 3D game.

I'm going to be diving into wave 2 of the Xenoblade 3 DLC later.

Will also slog through some more of Soul Hackers 2. It's not terrible but I'm ready for it to be over now. Might finish off the last part of the game on easy just to get it done.

I too sadly did not get into the SF6 beta It has been a joy diving into Overwatch 2 however. I started playing last night and haven't hit any server issues so far. I played the original on PC and it's kind of strange playing the new one on a console. However, it feels surprisingly familiar and quite nostalgic playing again for the first time in years. Will continue to dip in and out of this for a while (only Deathmatch FFA I suspect).

Besides that I've really been jumping around a lot. With so many good games in the first half of the year I've found it trickier to stick with anything lately. Soul Hackers 2 is a very good, "good" game. Taking my time but will finish it. TLOU Part 1 didn't grab me after about 7 hours or so. Will be a while until I go back. Trails From Zero is great but feels like it needs my full dedication. And finally, I picked up Sophie 2.

Was hoping there might be a sale on Sophie 2 this week but it appears not (unless these sales are yet to go live in the UK). Will wait it out again!

I'm continuing on with Soul Hackers 2. I've really warmed to the game after accepting it for what it is. Whilst it misses that special something the SMT and Persona games have, it still features a lot of the elements which make the games great. Yes, the dungeon designs are unbelievably boring but the combat and demons are still great. Originally I thought I wouldn't finish it but I suspect I will now.

I have also been playing The Last Of Us Part 1 on and off. First time playing the game. It's good but hasn't exactly sucked me in.

I finished Xenoblade 3 earlier in the week. That was so much faster than I expected but I couldn't put it down. I've started some of the post game content but really need to give it a bit of a break now. I really enjoyed the game, though whilst the story is interesting, it doesn't quite hit the heights of the first two games for me. It's still impossible for my to really pick a favourite though - they're all equally excellent in their own ways.

I managed to finish off a lot of stuff before Xenoblade 3 so I ended up jumping on Soul Hackers 2 on release day. Even though the reviews are somewhat mediocre, as a big Persona and SMT fan I'm going in knowing what to expect from a slightly more lightweight experience in these universes. So far so good, but we'll see if it holds my attention. I really wish it was possible to play 4K/60Hz. It really feels like that could have been possible given the relatively simplistic environments. Opting for 4K at the moment as frame rate is somewhat less important in games like this (even if it would be nice to have both!).

Played through all of the FF7R Yuffie DLC last week and really enjoyed it. Yuffie is such a fun character to play as, hoping she'll be available as a party member in Rebirth.

After finishing that I was considering trying to fit in FF15 before Xenoblade 3 comes out. I played the first couple of hours again and felt much like I did last time. There's just something about the game which leaves me cold. So instead, I'm now finally making my way through RE3 Remake.

Debating whether to spend the cash to upgrade to Extra or Premium. Certainly lots on the Extra tier I'd like to play. Less so for Premium but the price difference isn't huge and I suspect it will become more compelling over time.

Besides that nearing the end of FF7R now. There's a lot to like about the game, but the movement is quite clunky - especially when trying to line up with a switch or what have you. There's also a crazy amount of filler. The characters and combat really pull you through though. Also been playing FF6 on my Vita.

I just finished Village and haven't actually played 7. Really want to go back and try it but from what I can tell it's way more terrifying than 8.

In a bit of a gaming lull at the moment now that Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are done. There are two months until Xenoblade 3 comes out and I have quite a few half finished games I'd like to wrap up including FF7R, RE2, 3, 8 and more. Some of these got pushed aside by ER, others like FF7R I dropped off of. Really not sure which one to pick up and play as I've sort of mentally moved on from all of them, so just been bouncing around. And there are lots of other backlog games I really want to play which I could start instead! Not really a problem but just shows how good we had it at the start of this year!

Finished Elden Ring last weekend and since then I've been back playing HFW. I only managed about 15 hours before Elden Ring completely took over, but have got back into it now (even if I am still thinking about ER). I will probably rush through the back half of the story as the set up so far makes me want to know what happens at the end.

Really been thinking about starting Trails properly too, with Cold Steel 1. Seeing the banner image for the article reminds me I have Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and Ys 8 half finished already though! Not sure I'll have time for all of this before Xenoblade 3 drops!

Finally finished Elden Ring last night. What an incredible game. Whilst I was very glad to get to the end, I immediately wanted to carry on playing. I will put the game down for now though and carry on HFW. About 15 hours in and very excited to resume and see where the story goes. Will also pick up Kirby again and finish off the final few levels of that.

I really want to get into this series, and in fact own ToCS 1, 2 and 3, but it just never seems to be the right moment. I'm still very interested in picking this game up though, and as the last paragraph suggests, I may end up diving in with this one first.

I'm knee deep in both Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, but am still contemplating GT7... I'm sure I must be wrong, and that YouTube footage is a bad yardstick, but the graphics look kind of basic to me? When playing directly on a PS5 presumably it looks really impressive?

I'm sure this question is going to be asked here at some point, so I might as well get it over with. Can you start with this game? I know it feeds into some of the later ones, but I get the sense you can play this without knowledge of any of the Sky or Cold Steel games?

Very exciting indeed. Won't be watching the trailer though as I want to go in almost completely blind!

Horizon turned up yesterday lunch time, so I've been able to play about an hour so far. The game controls feel nice and familiar and the graphics are very impressive. Keep switching between the performance and resolution modes as there's no clear winner. I will most likely stick to performance mode though as ultimately frame rate is more important for me. Excited to continue playing today.

I will no doubt also play more KOF XV. Still at the stage of relearning the mechanics and picking up a few characters to play.

My PS5 special edition didn't show up yesterday due to the storm but I've just been notified it'll be with me within a couple of hours. Exciting! Somewhat to my surprise I might end up playing Elden Ring post release whilst I'm working my way through HFW. I expected it to be the other way around!

I'm not sure if he's exactly my favourite, but I'd probably pick Iudex Gundyr. Dark Souls 3 was my first Souls game and I'd never played anything which throws you in at the deep end so quickly like that before. It was a real trial for me getting past him that first time. It probably took around 5 hours. The elation was overwhelming.

Dark Souls 3 is now one of my favourite games of all time, having completed a few play throughs in the years since that first one. Every so often I boot up the game just to prove to myself I can beat old Iudex on the first go. Sometimes it's the second

This is absolutely nuts. Saying that, I've got the special edition pre-ordered anyway, so perhaps I'm part of the problem

@Daleaf I sit right next to a plug socket whilst I play, but that said, I like your thinking!

I really want the purple one but I have literally no need for a second controller. I might convince myself I do have a need within days

Echoing what other people have already said, this is a series I'd love to get into (I own multiple games from the series) but I just don't know if I'll ever be able to find the time. If I do, I will most likely start with ToCS and just read a synopsis for the Sky games. That would give me a chance at least.

I can dream this is how I’ll finally play Xenosaga

Looking forward to trying out Luke when he releases. Overall I really enjoyed SFV. In recent years I've not touched it that much, but in the earlier years I played a lot (on PC in those days). Even though there are other great fighting games around, you can't beat Street Fighter.

In a new game I'm not really sure what I want. Mostly more of the same I suppose? The return of parrying and a dash mechanic would be good (lifted from the Arc Systems games). However I do wonder whether a dash would change the fundamental feel of the game too much. I'd also like a soundtrack on par with Third Strike. That was very much of its time though so I doubt we'll get anything quite like that again. Besides that, I just want Street Fighter to continue feeling like Street Fighter.

What I'd really love to see more generally is a Blazblue game in the Strive engine. I suspect this is highly unlikely to ever happen.

Been switching between Tales of Arise and Trails of Cold Steel 1 on PS5. Arise is good, about 25 hours in now, but I really don't feel the need to rush through it. If I make it this far into a game normally it means I want to see it though to the end ASAP. I will definitely finish it as it's a good game. It's just not a great game.

I also picked up a Series S this week. My first Xbox since the 360. I've been somewhat distracted by Game Pass. Unbelievable deal.

The demo seemed pretty good and this review pretty much matches what I was expecting. Definitely one I'd like to pick up at some stage.

I'm really enjoying Arise (taken a quick break to blast through Metroid Dread) but have never played a SAO game. Even if I was a super fan of both, this DLC does seem rather pricey.

Always been intrigued by SAO - are the games worth playing? I can never really tell if they're single player games or "online" as the name suggests.

Still playing Tales Of Arise. Way to go yet but I’m taking my time with this one. Really enjoying the setting. Doing quite a few side quests and chatting to all NPCs, which I rarely do. Most games I just do the main story.

Like many others, I’m also playing Metroid Dread. Still pretty early but loving it so far.

@Voltan Amazing! I had no idea about that. I used the cards a bit at launch with Demon's Souls, but these days I tend to skip over them. Thanks for the tip!

So glad they’re sorting the wait for connection issue out. I mainly play offline so having to wait ages is especially galling given it’s for no reason at all. Sounds like it’ll be better now but really it should be deferred until an online mode is chosen.

I've been playing Tales of Arise. I think this might be the first Tales game I see through to the end. Perhaps it's just because I'm building on my previous attempts with Berseria and Vesperia, but the combat makes more sense this time. The story, world and characters are also playing a big part too. Looking forward to seeing what's next beyond the few hours I've played.

Probably going to buy it in a few minutes when I head down to work a bit more on 13 Sentinels. Will be nice to have it loaded for when I beat that game in the next couple of days.

Wrapping up 13 Sentinels. Nearly 100% done with both the battle mode and story mode. I can kind of see a few options for how it might end but it still seems kind of open which is exciting. Really great game.

Looking at Tales Of Arise to dive into next. I enjoyed the first 10 hours or so of Vesperia and Berseria but I just can't quite get into the combat. Perhaps the third time will be the charm. I certainly enjoyed the demo.

After playing the demo I’m kind of getting interested in this. I played the first few hours of Berseria and Vesperia and whilst I liked them I dropped off due to the combat. I don’t hate it but I feel I don’t know what’s really going on. The same would probably happen with Arise but I’m very tempted all the same.

Still working on 13 Sentinels. Mostly focussed on the story so far but have hit the lock on pretty much all characters at around 75%. Will be heading into Destruction Mode for some time next.

I'm really not sure how I feel about the addition of a map. It's not something I ever missed in Demon's or Dark Souls. In fact, it's somewhat more fun without one. By the sounds of it though Elden Ring's levels will be a lot more complex, so perhaps a map system will be a welcome addition.

@Ristar24 Been having a blast with it all evening on Switch. Completed episode one and did some deathmatch with bots. Performance seems perfectly fine and the gyro is cool.

@SplooshDmg It was too tempting in the end. I’m old enough to remember having a 486 which couldn’t run the game originally. Amazing to have it handheld!