starhops

@Wazeddie22 I'm with you on this one. If I see a trophy that seems challenging but not idiotic, I'll probably go for it. Or as @rjejr mentioned, playing through a game completely and only seeing 15% of trophies completed, I'm like "meh" forget it. But I have a couple platinum trophies. My bucket list platinum is Bloodborne. I'm so close, just need the chalice dungeon ones. But I find I have such a backlog of games to play, I don't spend a lot of time on the trophies.

@ShogunRok Nice article, Robert. I have been in this same boat for probably since DA:I as you mentioned. Could be my old gaming age, but I have grown tired of these games that become mindless. Even games like Destiny and Warframe with their repetitive "missions" for loot systems. I have yet to finish MA: Andromeda, but I think I'll go back and play; inspired by your OCD-Free play-through.

It mimics Soul-Borne so much it's almost a turn off. Time will tell.

@BAMozzy Thanks for the reply! I don't disagree on any of what you wrote. I don't want to take over the Uncharted thread here. TLoU is definitely dated in gameplay and storytelling. I enjoyed it more a with a couple play-throughs. I really enjoy all the Uncharteds and I'm with you on the new Tomb Raiders, I really enjoy them.

@BAMozzy "If the Story and characters make you want to see what happens next, where the story goes, the 'game-play' becomes more secondary - unless of course its unstable and glitchy which takes you out of the story. To a degree this is where I fell with LoU."

Did you mean TLoU was glitchy? Or you couldn't connect with the characters? TLoU really doesn't shine until after a third/halfway into the game. For me, it all clicked falling in love with Ellie when you play as her. Like you said, you can get to know the characters better when the story pulls you into who they are more and more. For me, if you haven't completed the whole game, it's hard to connect with Ellie and Joel and understand better their choices.

Any women in this thread?

Being a woman myself, I do like the strong female leads in these games you listed . Not a fan of 2B of Nier: Automata just from the over sexualized aspects of her character. (Oh look! you can see up her short skirt! photos and videos all over YouTube.) I'm looking forward to Ellie. I'm in the middle of moving, so Chloe sits in an unpacked box waiting for me.

@Nickolaidas I disagree with that article about being afraid to place women in challenging roles in video games. Yes, these days people are politically charged and seem waiting to pounce on anything, but the fact females are NOT placed in these roles maintains the stereotype. The same can be said by making the leads white-hetero males; it maintains the stereotypes. More branching out of protagonist types is better for all of us, imo.
@Rudy_Manchego And on Wonder Woman... do you know her origin story? If so, then you will see how bad the movie "manned up" the story and James Cameron has a valid point. Wonder Woman was made from clay by Aphrodite, NOT Zeus. She would rather not fight when diplomacy would suffice. They turned her into a warrior woman hell bent to kill Aries, when she was chosen (by secretly winning a contest she wasn't allowed to enter) to be the peace emissary for a loveless world gone to war and she goes to find out why and help. There was only one part I really enjoyed in the movie and that was the trenches-to-village rescue. That scene shows her heart breaking as she sees the horrors of war and she wants to make it end. The rest of the movie was let's put her in scenes with a sexy male 90% of the time instead of giving her scenes to built up her own character.

I don't think I've played Sonic since my Sega Genesis. Maybe I'll wait for the sale, but it is bringing back some fond memories.

@Anchorsam_9 Nice review, thank you!

@get2sammyb I love audio in games! Thanks for this story, Sammy. I wanted to also mention how I was really impressed by the last Uncharted game sounds and from what I can tell from U:LL we in for more of the same. For me, a game needs to have good, visual, audio, and gameplay for me to fall in with love a game.

"Expectations are predetermined disappointments." Best to get a hold of them now, people. Life is challenging enough without you adding in emotional results before events happen.

Still such harsh feelings about this game. smh And then mad at them for continuing to improve the game. How dare they! Yep. Diablo 3 should've stay at launch version. 😜

@rjejr Er, releasing a NMS 2 would be bad. Bad business. Bad marketing. Who would buy NMS 2? No, best they keep improving NMS and build their reputation back up. Maybe a future DLC cost, but if they make a new game, best they shy away from the same type of game, imo.

I enjoyed the base building release but I haven't been back since. I think I might hop back in. Maybe follow others and create a new game.

I would still like a little notes field for my friends, so I can remember where I met them/games/names, etc and the occasional "so-and-so's friend.

Better Trophy tracking sounds dreamy too.

@Neolit Indeed! NMS has changed quite a bit from release. I might check out 1.3 after my vacation.

@kyleforrester87 I used to roll Warframe a lot, so I might be able to help, though I haven't played in some time. My PSN is same: starhops if you want to add me. I've been playing Fortnite with friends, which is pretty fun.

@ellsworth004 EQ was my first MMO and I had a blast, though it was pretty unforgiving. The bard class and necromancer class were some of my favorites; unmatched today, imo. But don't fall off the boat!!! o.O

I think the timing for Warframe was the same for me too. I started playing it during that awful lull in PS4 games a couple years ago. I played a lot of Warframe and it's a great free-to-play. I did spend a little money on it, but I like to support the developers if I'm enjoying the game. I sure got my money's worth. They have continued to improve the game every update. It is impressive.

@AlexStinton When I saw Destiny, I just couldn't get into the similar game mechanic as Warframe again. The horrible loot system in Destiny was a big turn off especially following Warframe's grind. On some levels, I don't mind the grinding as long as things don't get repetitive and there isn't some "RNG God" running the show.

Spyro! Spyro! Spyro!

I used to play a lot over a year ago, but the endless grind just for the rare blueprint piece really wore me out. I'm just tired of that game mechanic. I've been doing it since EverCrack and vanilla WoW days.

@Rudy_Manchego My thoughts, as well. It seems so far off the AC thread, but I did enjoy it a lot. I hope this isn't For Honor with boats.

I think a pirate action/adventure game has a good market and a ton of potential. Hello? Any developers/publishers out there? O.O

I'm in... love the Uncharted series.

I'd rather see co-op; say up to maybe 6 friends, than a true multiplayer...

No interest in the horror genre. Game of Thrones! I'm in.

I imagine a future where you can stream all of these old games sometime. Wouldn't that be fun?

But then again, I'm still waiting for all the old arcade games...

@AlexStinton This is great, thanks Alex!

@RedMageLanakyn Well, to be fair, Battlefield 1 is primarily online multiplayer, it's campaign is there for some extra substance. I'm guessing the game will be about 15-20 hrs.

Hmmm, recently Josef Fares of Hazelight on creating the new game A Way Out. "You want the honest truth? This machine (PS4) is not so strong as you think," Fares said. "This is like a five-year-old PC. If consoles were as powerful as PCs are today, you would see all different games. Most of the work developers put out there is to make them work on consoles."
/facepalm
Yep. PS4 is almost 5 years old. Yep. Console technology is far behind today's PC power. Yep. Developers keep chugging out console games. Yep. That's where the money is, so why complain when you decided to make a PS4 game to cash in? :/

Thank you for the list!!! xo

@DanM What is spoiler etiquette anyway? U4 has been out for over a year... just asking as it seems it's been out plenty long enough.

I was just referring to your statement you wouldn't care to play the character, which seemed odd to me, but it's all cool. I don't see Nathan rescuing, more like the other way around as Nathan's enemies seem bountiful.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introd...."
SHUDDAP AND SHOW THE DAMN GAMES!

"Next we have a new IP AAA ga...."
MORE GAMES! MORE GAMES! GAMES! GAAAAAAAAMES!!

@DanM Right, because children don't grow up and leave the nest to live their own treasure hunting lives...

Still too much shaky-cam... blah

This looks like fun to play with a friend. I would like to play more co-op non-pvp games.

@get2sammyb Indeed. My pulse raced and I wasn't even playing I've been replaying 1-3 on the remastered collection and it's been fun experiencing all the improvements each game. The gunfire and explosions in 4 and in this demo are so intense. I love it.

@rjejr Ah, the good ole days.

@rjejr Those old arcade games were the grandmother of micro-transactions---feed in quarter after quarter just to memorize the gameplay. You would easily spend hundreds just trying to get through the game. I remember watching someone really "good" at Dragon's Lair-- he had the whole arcade watching. It was pretty amazing. I was personally always awed by the person playing Defender for an hour! O.o

I thought the rooftop teaser more interesting than the E3 trailer/gameplay footage. I will hold off until reviews are out. It's not a must buy like RDR 2.

@get2sammyb Maybe Sony is one of the few studios now trying to get release dates when the product is good; not create a release date in the hopes the game will be finished in time. I'm all for studios getting the release dates accurate. No Mans Sky, ME:A are a couple that seemed to suffer from early release dates. Seems Sony got it right with HZD.

I like the fanfare of PSX. I'm hoping to make it to Anaheim, CA this December.

@rjejr At least it's not Dragon's Lair

@rjejr Yeah, I'm tired of screen-prompts. Have them in the "easy/story" modes if you must, but please turn them off for "normal/hard" modes. If the QTEs are timed and fluid, I don't mind them as long as there are not too many.

The animations and art are superb!

@Toadie No sounds in space; Nathan Drake can't jump that far; Cars can't really drift like that; Vampires can't really go into the light; zombies can't be fast. * eye roll *

Yeah, got it.

It looks great... still not a fan of the shaky-cam though.

Hmmm, I think I recall a similar story but with different characters.
Meh... not a fan of the twisted lore.

Quote of the Month:
"All of this is paired with a heavy electronic soundtrack that sometimes sounds like the kind of low-rent trance music you’d expect to accompany sub-par striptease shows on late 90s satellite television"

I would like an edible "Notes" for Friends, so I can keep track of whom is who and which game community I know them from, i.e.; "Met playing ME:A MP" or something of the sort.

I believe I read before that From Software said there was not going to be a Bloodborne 2. For me, I'd be happy with anything from Hidetaka Miyazaki. Always an adventure.

I thought this might happen, but I'm okay with great games getting delay to keep them great. The Last of Us 2 doesn't have an official release date either... (cues up dramatic music — dun-dun-DUUUUUH)

Geralt, as I always had him with the mutton chops! Take that, Kratos!

Those old PS1 jewel cases shatter when stepped on... not that I would know anything about that.

Bloodborne is a top game for me. It's a game that if I haven't played in awhile and hop in, I'm in for a long while. I still need the Platinum, which is only a couple chalice dungeons away. Old Hunters DLC is one of the best DLCs I've played.

Damn this 2017! I have no time to play all these games. Yeah, real world problems here...

Super crash super slow-mo! Am I remember this correctly? Where you crash and try to cause the most damage in $? My friends and I would play this all the time.

@get2sammyb This was excellent. Thanks, Sammy!

@Sanquine eye roll I find it a little funny you are offended by ND's strong female characters. And then because Nadine is a strong woman of color she's a lesbian in your eyes. Really? I think you might need to get out more. And then you like Aloy because, why? Seems hypercritical. Aloy is strong, sassy and political.

And if you don't like ND, don't play their games. Pretty simple solution for you.

Online racing only, no thank you. Too many trolls out there.