Video games...what ya playing? And what are you looking forward to? (2 Viewers)

[belljr]

3 levels left to complete HZD to prep for the sequel.... I had to read walkthrough to remember all the crap I was supposed to know

 

[Poke_4_Life]

-Ghosts seems…meh. The movement is choppy and it just hasn’t grabbed me. 

I'm still finishing Ghosts and loving it.  So...  I'm out.  

 

[Todem]

I'm still finishing Ghosts and loving it.  So...  I'm out.  

TOp 2 game for me last gen.....hands down. I 100% that game. Incredible!!!!

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Horizon: Zero Dawn is the best storyline I have ever experienced in a (single) game... ever. Based on the fact you didn't care for it, I'll not waste your time with any of my recommendations. 

I wouldn't go that far, but it really is amazing how compelling the story is given that it could have been completely silly.  

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Really champing for a good RPG to sink my teeth into on my new PS5, but struggling to choose. Help?

Have Ghosts of Tsushima, Persona 5 Royal, The Outer Worlds and Horizon Zero Dawn. 
 

finished The Witcher 3

For me, I’m running into issues with most anything g I think about playing though:

-Ghosts seems…meh. The movement is choppy and it just hasn’t grabbed me. 
 

-Persona 5 seems overwhelming

-Horizon got a bit repetitive and really hard so lost interest a fair ways in. 

Anything y’all would suggest?

Out of your list, I've played GoT, Outer Worlds, and HZD.

Ghosts and HZD both follow the tried-and-true Ubisoft model of game design.  Neither is actually made by Ubisoft, but they're both basically vastly superior reskins of Far Cry / Assassins Creed.  I liked them, but admittedly it is really tired game design.  I can't blame anybody for being bored with this.  

Outer Worlds was phenomenal for a couple of hours.  Then my character was an overpowered demigod who who could effortlessly talk people into selling their children into slavery while casually murdering scores of enemies without taking a scratch.  They messed up the difficulty curve on this one.

A few that I might recommend to varying degrees:

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.  I've argued elsewhere that this game is kind of a mashup of Dark Souls and Batman, only with light sabers.  It's nowhere near as hard as Dark Souls -- I'm mainly talking about the level design and overall style of combat, not the difficulty.  
  
• Control.  Not sure if this is technically an RPG, but it's in the same general mold as HZD or something like that.  It's just that it takes place in a big building instead of an open world.  This is a criminally overlooked title IMO.  It kind of chugged on the PS4 but I'm sure it would run great on PS5.  Combat is fairly fast-paced and improvisational, which I liked.  Also, Control features a deeply weird, trippy story that might not be everyone's cup of tea but you can't accuse them of coloring by numbers.  
  
• Days Gone.  Okay, it's Far Cry only with zombies, but it's good.  Takes too long to get the "horde" mechanic going.
  

 

[Poke_4_Life]

• Days Gone.  Okay, it's Far Cry only with zombies, but it's good.  Takes too long to get the "horde" mechanic going.
  

I loved this game.  Good call.  There are points in the game where it's about survival as well, trying to find a few scrap items to be able to survive.  Or just gas.  Fun game.

 

[Todem]

I loved this game.  Good call.  There are points in the game where it's about survival as well, trying to find a few scrap items to be able to survive.  Or just gas.  Fun game.

Days Gone was a damn good game. Enjoyed it immensely as well.

 

[Scoresman]

Going to recommend Disco Elysium for RPG lovers.  I'm about 3/4 through and it is an absolutely fantastic and unique experience so far.  No combat to speak of, you develop your character through personality traits and "thoughts".  The game primarily revolves around interacting with the world's characters with dice rolls for skill checks while you are trying to solve a murder.

You can play and build your character a ton of different ways. I'm building my guy as a straight edge recovered addict, trying to remake his name by staying off the sauce and solving the case, but my next playthrough, I might do the opposite and keep him drunk and high all the time.  

 

[jwb]

• Control.  Not sure if this is technically an RPG, but it's in the same general mold as HZD or something like that.  It's just that it takes place in a big building instead of an open world.  This is a criminally overlooked title IMO.  It kind of chugged on the PS4 but I'm sure it would run great on PS5.  Combat is fairly fast-paced and improvisational, which I liked.  Also, Control features a deeply weird, trippy story that might not be everyone's cup of tea but you can't accuse them of coloring by numbers.  
  

This is a FUN game. Levitating and throwing stuff at your enemies like you're a Jedi is awesome, and never gets old. 

 

[DallasDMac]

Days Gone was a damn good game. Enjoyed it immensely as well.

Ditto.

 

[ShamrockPride]

Days Gone was a damn good game. Enjoyed it immensely as well.

Agree. IMO, falls just short of an elite tier game. I'd say like 8/10. Definitely worth someone's time. A top tier B grade game. The hordes were seriously intense gameplay.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

Really champing for a good RPG to sink my teeth into on my new PS5, but struggling to choose. Help?

Have Ghosts of Tsushima, Persona 5 Royal, The Outer Worlds and Horizon Zero Dawn. 

P5 is one of the best RPG I’ve ever played. I’ve actually played through it 3 times, twice on normal and once on royal. I’m a bit of a JRPG nerd, but there’s a reason why it gets so many accolades. 

 

[fasteddie_21]

Horizon: Zero Dawn is the best storyline I have ever experienced in a (single) game... ever. Based on the fact you didn't care for it, I'll not waste your time with any of my recommendations. 

Please do. I loved it…until I didn’t. I love huge open worlds like that. It’s entirely likely I revisit it

 

[ShamrockPride]

Please do. I loved it…until I didn’t. I love huge open worlds like that. It’s entirely likely I revisit it

It's funny HZD is coming up now cause I just finished a game last week and was thinking past few days what I wanted to move to next. I was already leaning toward jumping back into HZD before I read any of this but all these posts confirmed it.

Popped it back in last night for the first time in almost 3 years. 4/2019 was my last save and I was just a XP Level 9.

It's a really freaking gorgeous game and runs crazy smooth. I'm having fun with it. Quite possible it holds my interest this time.

 

[belljr]

Lol...just finished hzd...not sure why I stopped playing

 

[Mile High]

It's funny HZD is coming up now cause I just finished a game last week and was thinking past few days what I wanted to move to next. I was already leaning toward jumping back into HZD before I read any of this but all these posts confirmed it.

Popped it back in last night for the first time in almost 3 years. 4/2019 was my last save and I was just a XP Level 9.

It's a really freaking gorgeous game and runs crazy smooth. I'm having fun with it. Quite possible it holds my interest this time.

It really is a good game. I fired it up the other day after having finished it a few years ago, looking forward to a plus game play though but all my saved games where gone. Not sure I'll replay it now.

 

[DallasDMac]

Please do. I loved it…until I didn’t. I love huge open worlds like that. It’s entirely likely I revisit it

For me, it was the story. I loved it and was eager to play for the sole purpose of advancing the story so I could see how it ended. I rarely get sucked in to deep in to the story behind a game but this one just absolutely grabbed me. And I was not disappointed with the ending!

I'll add since someone mentioned playthrough +... I went back after a year or so and played it from scratch again. I did it just so I could experience the story again.

 

[McBokonon]

I’ll put this in the stock thread, too, but trading of Activation has been halted on reports they are getting bought by Microsoft.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I’ll put this in the stock thread, too, but trading of Activation has been halted on reports they are getting bought by Microsoft.

First Bethesda and now Activision?  Damn.

 

[McBokonon]

First Bethesda and now Activision?  Damn.

Plus the EA partnership. Microsoft clearly going all-in on the idea of gaming as a subscription and trying to make GamePass essential. And they’re paying all cash here - they can pretty much keep going until regulators decide they can’t.

 

[Todem]

Competition is dying in AAA video games......not great for long time gamers IMO. Not great at all.

Meantime.....I am really enjoying God of War (PS4 2018 version) on the PS5. I can’t believe I missed this one. The epic sized bosses are really well done. The Story has been really good too thus far. 

Fun game indeed.

 

[TLEF316]

yeah, I can't imagine more consolidation is a good thing. The industry needs more creative forces, not fewer.

So many games are built (especially the big AAA shooters and sports games) to be sold...rather than played.  It used to be you made a game...and if it was good and fun to play, the consumer would be open to buying add-ons (micro-transactions, DLC packs, etc.). Now, the ability to monetize the game is given priority in the design phase. And long time gamers suffer as a result. (since the priority is to appeal to the kids buying $10 gun skins on their parents' credit cards)

No better example than Battlefield 2042, which is an unmitigated disaster because the suits demanded the designers piggyback off free to play games like Warzone, Fornite and Apex. They totally ignored what the long-time battlefield players wanted and tried to create a casual-targeted "hero shooter". (so that they could sell silly skins, emotes, execution animations, etc.) The game is less than 2 months old and basically already dead.

 

[MTskibum]

I’ll put this in the stock thread, too, but trading of Activation has been halted on reports they are getting bought by Microsoft.

Thank god, someone needs to pull the Blizzard IP away from the hands of activision.

WOW Classic

Warcraft 3 remaster

etc

etc

 

[thecatch]

Thank god, someone needs to pull the Blizzard IP away from the hands of activision.

WOW Classic

Warcraft 3 remaster

etc

etc

I’m not thrilled by the consolidation, but Blizzard in particular needed competent leadership badly. 

 

[SlaX]

Competition is dying in AAA video games......not great for long time gamers IMO. Not great at all.

Meantime.....I am really enjoying God of War (PS4 2018 version) on the PS5. I can’t believe I missed this one. The epic sized bosses are really well done. The Story has been really good too thus far. 

Fun game indeed.

I feel like AAA gaming has been dead for a few years. At least stagnant.  The only games I get excited for anymore are all indie games.  Of course, that could just be me getting older and having limited gaming time.   

 

[MTskibum]

I feel like AAA gaming has been dead for a few years. At least stagnant.  The only games I get excited for anymore are all indie games.  Of course, that could just be me getting older and having limited gaming time.   

And when starfield makes more money than any video game in it's first week we will all be talking about how now is the best time for AAA titles 

 

[Todem]

And when starfield makes more money than any video game in it's first week we will all be talking about how now is the best time for AAA titles 

I have enjoyed many many AAA titles. 

I jus like seeing developers try to stay independent vs being bought up.....a little more creative freedom per say. 

But Sony studios exclusive titles have been outstanding (I am a playstation guy) but the fact Microsoft bought up Bethseda is going to lead to me o eventually caving and picking up an XBOX X console (maybe this Christmas.....maybe not) because I am sure I am going to see Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI and The Outer Worlds II and want those games.....badly. 

Time will tell. 

I am at the end of the road with Sports games. I have stuck with MLB The Show 20 and won’t be getting any new Show titles probably the rest of the PS5 cycle......done with SDS. They cut out too many core features on 21 and I don't expect them back for 22 at a minimum.....plus I do not like the design direction they took with 21. They lost me. It wa a great run from MLB 09 thru MLB 20. And MLB 20 is the pinnacle for me being a classic roster nut. I have dozens of historical rosters that keep the replay value unlimited. 

Madden.....LMAO......don't get me started. 

NBA2K22 was my first one since 2K18 and I only ever really played 2K hardcore on 2K11 and 2K18. 2K22 is the end for me......fun game....I don’t need he new ones moving forward. 

Sports games are a lost cause for me being an offline franchise mode only player......they are now purely focused on card modes and microtransactions......the end of my era indeed. And that’s ok. I have so many great sports games to hold me over the rest of my life. I still play my PS3 sports games too. 

I am purely focused on offline single player action RPG and RPG games. The single player experience is what I value the most and fortunately you still get fantastic single player games being made. 

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Looking forard to trying out The Anacrusis.

 

[McBokonon]

because I am sure I am going to see Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI and The Outer Worlds II and want those games.....badly. 

I’m with you here but Outer Worlds is Obsidian

 

[Todem]

I’m with you here but Outer Worlds is Obsidian

But it will be an XBOX Exclusive. 

 

[Buckna]

• Control.  Not sure if this is technically an RPG, but it's in the same general mold as HZD or something like that.  It's just that it takes place in a big building instead of an open world.  This is a criminally overlooked title IMO.  It kind of chugged on the PS4 but I'm sure it would run great on PS5.  Combat is fairly fast-paced and improvisational, which I liked.  Also, Control features a deeply weird, trippy story that might not be everyone's cup of tea but you can't accuse them of coloring by numbers. 
  

Will always, always recommend any Remedy game! They may not be perfect, but kind of like the discussion on centralization of game companies with the MS/Activision news, Remedy always brings the innovation, the story telling, the uniqueness of an independent game creator. First 2 Max Payne’s, Alan Wake, Quantum Break… all great games IMO.

 

[fasteddie_21]

I have enjoyed many many AAA titles. 

I jus like seeing developers try to stay independent vs being bought up.....a little more creative freedom per say. 

But Sony studios exclusive titles have been outstanding (I am a playstation guy) but the fact Microsoft bought up Bethseda is going to lead to me o eventually caving and picking up an XBOX X console (maybe this Christmas.....maybe not) because I am sure I am going to see Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI and The Outer Worlds II and want those games.....badly. 

Time will tell. 

I am at the end of the road with Sports games. I have stuck with MLB The Show 20 and won’t be getting any new Show titles probably the rest of the PS5 cycle......done with SDS. They cut out too many core features on 21 and I don't expect them back for 22 at a minimum.....plus I do not like the design direction they took with 21. They lost me. It wa a great run from MLB 09 thru MLB 20. And MLB 20 is the pinnacle for me being a classic roster nut. I have dozens of historical rosters that keep the replay value unlimited. 

Madden.....LMAO......don't get me started. 

NBA2K22 was my first one since 2K18 and I only ever really played 2K hardcore on 2K11 and 2K18. 2K22 is the end for me......fun game....I don’t need he new ones moving forward. 

Sports games are a lost cause for me being an offline franchise mode only player......they are now purely focused on card modes and microtransactions......the end of my era indeed. And that’s ok. I have so many great sports games to hold me over the rest of my life. I still play my PS3 sports games too. 

I am purely focused on offline single player action RPG and RPG games. The single player experience is what I value the most and fortunately you still get fantastic single player games being made. 

This is me, esp your last sentence. I downloaded Yakuza 0 and trying that series as well as Days Gone.

 

[belljr]

I like the new Madden. I actually don't like all the rpg stuff they added to franchise

 

[Steady Mooobin]

yeah, I can't imagine more consolidation is a good thing. The industry needs more creative forces, not fewer.

So many games are built (especially the big AAA shooters and sports games) to be sold...rather than played.  It used to be you made a game...and if it was good and fun to play, the consumer would be open to buying add-ons (micro-transactions, DLC packs, etc.). Now, the ability to monetize the game is given priority in the design phase. And long time gamers suffer as a result. (since the priority is to appeal to the kids buying $10 gun skins on their parents' credit cards)

No better example than Battlefield 2042, which is an unmitigated disaster because the suits demanded the designers piggyback off free to play games like Warzone, Fornite and Apex. They totally ignored what the long-time battlefield players wanted and tried to create a casual-targeted "hero shooter". (so that they could sell silly skins, emotes, execution animations, etc.) The game is less than 2 months old and basically already dead.

It’s awesome for us Xbox guys. It won’t stop developers from competing to make game but Microsoft is just going to squeeze Sony out of the market. 

It would be easier for Microsoft to just buy Sony and shut em down. I mean, maybe they’re not simply for the competition. (Microsoft has a market cap over $2 trillion. Sony's is about $150 billion.)

 

[thecatch]

It’s awesome for us Xbox guys. It won’t stop developers from competing to make game but Microsoft is just going to squeeze Sony out of the market. 

It would be easier for Microsoft to just buy Sony and shut em down. I mean, maybe they’re not simply for the competition. (Microsoft has a market cap over $2 trillion. Sony's is about $150 billion.)

As an Xbox guy who doesn't play a lot of Activision games, I'm a little bummed that the price of Game Pass will inevitably jump up to help them cover a $70 billion acquisition.

 

[Todem]

It’s awesome for us Xbox guys. It won’t stop developers from competing to make game but Microsoft is just going to squeeze Sony out of the market. 

It would be easier for Microsoft to just buy Sony and shut em down. I mean, maybe they’re not simply for the competition. (Microsoft has a market cap over $2 trillion. Sony's is about $150 billion.)

LMFAO......ok. 

Sony Playstation ain’t going anywhere.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

LMFAO......ok. 

Sony Playstation ain’t going anywhere.

It’s not personal. Just an observation and speculation. I don’t have stock in either. 
 

TBH - I barely play consoles. Oculus >>> ps5/xbx 

 

[Steady Mooobin]

As an Xbox guy who doesn't play a lot of Activision games, I'm a little bummed that the price of Game Pass will inevitably jump up to help them cover a $70 billion acquisition.

I agree but what is it now, like $20? I haven’t had to buy a console game in years. 

 

[IvanKaramazov]

LMFAO......ok. 

Sony Playstation ain’t going anywhere.

I'm not so sure about that.  What is Sony going to do when the next Elder Scrolls, the next COD, and the next Diablo are all unplayable on Playstation?  And those are the just the giant tentpole franchises -- obviously these acquisitions affect a lot of other titles too. 

Traditionally, Sony has a massive advantage over Microsoft when it comes to first-party studios.  It seems to me that that's now been flipped entirely on its head and is now an even bigger advantage for Microsoft.  I mean, just Elder Scrolls all by itself probably dwarfs whatever Sony's three biggest upcoming exclusives are combined. 

Edit: I know people are going to say that those titles won't be exclusives, but let's just wait and see on that.  If I'm Microsoft, I didn't pay all that money for Activision to make games for my competitor.

 

[Mile High]

next Elder Scrolls, the next COD, and the next Diablo are all unplayable on Playstation? 

Elder Scrolls sucks on Playstation 

 

[belljr]

I'm not so sure about that.  What is Sony going to do when the next Elder Scrolls, the next COD, and the next Diablo are all unplayable on Playstation?  And those are the just the giant tentpole franchises -- obviously these acquisitions affect a lot of other titles too. 

Traditionally, Sony has a massive advantage over Microsoft when it comes to first-party studios.  It seems to me that that's now been flipped entirely on its head and is now an even bigger advantage for Microsoft.  I mean, just Elder Scrolls all by itself probably dwarfs whatever Sony's three biggest upcoming exclusives are combined. 

Edit: I know people are going to say that those titles won't be exclusives, but let's just wait and see on that.  If I'm Microsoft, I didn't pay all that money for Activision to make games for my competitor.

I guess the question is.  Will there be enough console sale plus game to make up for games on PS5.... Assuming not everyone gets games pass.    This old dog sure isn't running out for another console any time soon.  And I've owene both every generation until now

 

[Scoresman]

I remember why I stopped playing Horizon Zero Dawn originally.  The game spends the first 15 levels or so teaching you how to play stealthily.  That's how I tend to build my characters in open world games too.  Then after that, the game starts to put you in boss fight situations where stealth is not an option at all.  So the way I built my character ended up being worthless.  

Open world games are better whey they are like Far Cry in that any way you choose to tackle an objective is viable.  In this game, I'm forced to put it on the easiest difficulty level to just cheese my way through.  I'd normally just stop playing, but I'm invested in the story.  Poor game design.

 

[thecatch]

I guess the question is.  Will there be enough console sale plus game to make up for games on PS5.... Assuming not everyone gets games pass.    This old dog sure isn't running out for another console any time soon.  And I've owene both every generation until now

I guess it is plausible that Microsoft could keep selling games at $70 on PS5 while making everything part of Game Pass on Xbox.  That way they could still make money from the PS user base while strongly incentivizing people to migrate over and sign up for Game Pass, which presumably is still going to be a more economical option for people playing more than 1-2 games a year.

 

[jobarules]

I remember why I stopped playing Horizon Zero Dawn originally.  The game spends the first 15 levels or so teaching you how to play stealthily.  That's how I tend to build my characters in open world games too.  Then after that, the game starts to put you in boss fight situations where stealth is not an option at all.  So the way I built my character ended up being worthless.  

Open world games are better whey they are like Far Cry in that any way you choose to tackle an objective is viable.  In this game, I'm forced to put it on the easiest difficulty level to just cheese my way through.  I'd normally just stop playing, but I'm invested in the story.  Poor game design.

Weird. I never once though of HZD as a stealth game and you don't build your character like an RPG. Eventually you can add all skills.

 

[Scoresman]

Weird. I never once though of HZD as a stealth game and you don't build your character like an RPG. Eventually you can add all skills.

They give you extra XP for stealth kills. In the beginning of the game they teach you how to hide in grass to get stealth kills. Etc etc.

Early on, I invested all of my skill points into the stealth options thinking it was a perfectly reasonable way to play only to be thrown into these situations where none of those skills are viable. 

 

[Moe.]

Eventually you won't need a console of any sort, you'll just already own a device powerful enough to stream whatever to your tv. Stadia didn't work but that seems to be the world for which Microsoft is getting ready. 

 

[Moe.]

For whatever reason I can't get fully into HZD either. I think I'm just done with that kind of game, I need a decade or so break before that'll be fun again. 

 

[belljr]

They give you extra XP for stealth kills. In the beginning of the game they teach you how to hide in grass to get stealth kills. Etc etc.

Early on, I invested all of my skill points into the stealth options thinking it was a perfectly reasonable way to play only to be thrown into these situations where none of those skills are viable. 

You definitely need stealth to override machines and not to alert too many people/machine

 

[need2know]

I remember why I stopped playing Horizon Zero Dawn originally.  The game spends the first 15 levels or so teaching you how to play stealthily.  That's how I tend to build my characters in open world games too.  Then after that, the game starts to put you in boss fight situations where stealth is not an option at all.  So the way I built my character ended up being worthless.  

Open world games are better whey they are like Far Cry in that any way you choose to tackle an objective is viable.  In this game, I'm forced to put it on the easiest difficulty level to just cheese my way through.  I'd normally just stop playing, but I'm invested in the story.  Poor game design.

I stopped playing like halfway through.  Story didn't grab me at all and I thought the gameplay was tedious and downright boring sometimes.   Glad others like it though

 

[need2know]

Just started playing days gone actually.  Got it for free from those monthly ps plus games.  Pretty damn good