2018 VIDEO GAME CATCH-ALL THREAD

[Spritenaut 32]

Thinking about buying a PS3 and have a few questions.  First, what's online support like for PS3?  i'm kind of assuming that, at this point, online servers have been shut down and there's not a whole lot of need to fool around with tying the PS3 to the wireless network.  As I've said before, I'm mostly a retro gamer and collector.  There are probably a couple hundred games from the SNES - Gamecube era that I'm content to play, so my interest in next gen systems is minimal.  I'm kinda wanting to grab a PS3 to play through the Last of US, Bioshock, and Jouney this summer/fall, but I could probably pass and not feel like I'm missing out.  

Basically, I'm willing to pick up a PS3 if I can set up a console, buy the games in a store, and mostly just use the console offline.  I'm not particularly interested in a PS3 or Xbox 360 if i have to fool with getting the frequent updates, dlc, subscribing to the PSN service, etc.  I'm a physical media guy.  if the version of Last of US I have in a box is broken and I have to dowload patches to make it playable, I can wait a few years at least.  So my question really is: how well can i use a PS3 console offline?

Second question is: If I intend to use my PS3 console mainly offline, is there any reason to buy a larger hard drive for the console or will the smallest option be enough for me.  I have zero interest in playing offline or downloading games from PSN or XBL.  Again, physical media enthusiast.  I'm also assuming that if I need more storage space, i could attach an external hard drive, right?  So I probably could buy the smallest PS3 model Sony made?

Thanks. 

[Zimbra]

You can definitely get by without an internet connection, but I'd really recommend having one for patches as the PS3 era was the beginning of the "We'll just release it and fix it later" mentality.  

As for the hard drive you should be fine with the built in drive with the caveat that you'll have to do some shuffling after you've had it for a while.  The PS3 doesn't the the PS4 thing where it installs the entire game from the disc, but some games have fairly hefty installs.  You can't use an external drive for games, just for videos and music.

[SirSmUgly]

So, I have spent more time playing through Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which is not a drink at your local DQ/Orange Julius, but a Nintendo-ass Nintendo platformer. By that, I mean that there is a lives system made irrelevant by how easy it is to obtain lives and the platforming gets really challenging because you are expected to die a lot until you just get it right. 

But mostly, it's really pretty to look at and the David Wise soundtrack is really, really fucking good. I'm going to be playing this through the summer because I'll never finish it before Captain Toad and Mario Tennis Aces comes out, and between that and my ongoing NBA 2K franchise, my Switch is in for a ton of use this summer. I'm going to wait on Hyrule Warriors because there are too many games for this thing, so I might as well put it off until Black Friday and see if I can get a deal on it. 

I haven't really used my PS4 in like three weeks because I've had lots of work, and when I'm not working or chilling with my wife, I usually play games in the easiest way possible, i.e. handheld in bed before sleep or handheld on the couch while I'm waiting for something to finish cooking for dinner so that I can get it on the table. 

I've decided that everything should be hybrid, fuck it. I'd pay a grand for a PS5 with cutting edge graphics, solid battery life, and hybrid play. Of course, since I'm part of an extremely small audience, I'll just go PS5 (or whatever's next after XB1) and Switch/next Nintendo hybrid for the next few years. 

[EVA]

I finally finished off PERSONA 5 after a little over 90 hours.  That's a great game that's roughly 30 hours too long.

Now I'm on to GOD OF WAR, which I've just fallen in love with instantly.

[Michael Sweetser]

This will be an odd question since they're not remotely the same, but - if I loved Yakuza, will I like Persona 5?

[Lamp, broken circa 1988]

as somone who put a grand total of 150 hours into Persona 5 and only watched a playthrough of Yakuza 0, i would say no. I would also say that I SERIOUSLY fucked up.

[Spritenaut 32]

22 hours ago, Zimbra said:

You can definitely get by without an internet connection, but I'd really recommend having one for patches as the PS3 era was the beginning of the "We'll just release it and fix it later" mentality.  

As for the hard drive you should be fine with the built in drive with the caveat that you'll have to do some shuffling after you've had it for a while.  The PS3 doesn't the the PS4 thing where it installs the entire game from the disc, but some games have fairly hefty installs.  You can't use an external drive for games, just for videos and music.

Ugh.  I didn't know this.  How much hard drive space does the average game take up (ie, how many games can you fit on the hard drive)?

I think I've already talked myself out of a PS3 - at least for now.  I have literally hundreds of games I want to buy/collect/play for systems I already own (SNES, N64, GC, PS2, OG Xbox).  Last of US might not crack the top 100.  When you're more interested in getting a copy of Super Mario World 2; Yoshi's island than you are any PS3 game, you probably don't need another system.

What's the online requirements for the Switch like?  They have an online service coming.  Is Switch pretty much an offline console?  Do they do the release early/patch patch patch/charge for DLC thing?  I'm planning to buy a Switch eventually for Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey.  I could be persuaded to do that sooner instead of later if I can pretty much play like i'm used to (buy a physical copy of game, put it in console, play game).  Breath of the Wild looks amazing.

[Contentious C]

The console itself has probably had more software updates since I bought mine than BotW has had. The downloads feel a bit slow to me, but having a whopping 4 games on it means there isn't much to do on that front. Maybe when the legacy games hit, I'll feel differently. 

[SirSmUgly]

Nintendo is great at programming games that work on the hardware that they built. Most of the updates sent via internet for their games are game updates (like Luigi's Balloon World in Odyssey). 

Other games, meh, not so much. Third-party games push quite a few patches. NBA 2K does, FIFA does (though the upcoming update will be for adding the World Cup stuff), South Park will be totally unplayable without multiple patches, etc. 

[Spritenaut 32]

Are there any good gaming podcasts out there?  Preferably devoted to retro gaming?  I used to be a big podcast fan, but I haven't been listening to my usual ones lately and I'm looking for something new to hook me.  Never really been into gaming news or culture, so I don't know what's good on the web.

I did stumble across Retronauts.  The episodes devoted to a single classic game look interesting.  i downloaded a couple earlier tonight, but haven't listened to either or them yet.

[twiztor]

when i'm in the mood for a vintage game podcast, i usually tune in to Retronauts. better than most others i've tried. 

[BrianS81177]

Welp..... Far Cry 5 can officially kiss my ass. Time to trade it in I suppose. 

[Raziel]

You guys were right about Prison Architect being a life eater, holy shit.  But I do love it.

[Death From Above]

Speaking of time sucking games, Slay the Spire is so good. I just beat the 3rd Ascension with the Silent. It's big boy pants time.

[RIPPA]

 

[Tromatagon]

Dong-Free Conan is still pretty fun.  I'm doing single player because the internet is a horrible place and it is the most griefer friendly game mechanics wise on a PVP server.

 

[Spritenaut 32]

On 5/14/2018 at 12:06 AM, twiztor said:

when i'm in the mood for a vintage game podcast, i usually tune in to Retronauts. better than most others i've tried. 

Listened to the FFVI episode last night.  Didn't love it, but it did remind me I haven't played through FFVI in 23 years and holy shit why not.  Going to play through it again sometime this year.

I'll probably give Retronauts a few more go's.  My commute to/from work is about 90 min, and it only took a few months to get tired of Sirius.  Looking around for something to replace the podcasts I used to listen to.

I'll probably listen to The Zelda: Wind Waker podcast today.  Debating starting that or Twilight Princess when i finish DK Jungle Beat.

Speaking of FFVI, has anyone ever played any of the fan re-translations (into English)?  I don't emulate, so I've never checked them out, but I'm kinda curious whether they're any good or not.  I don't love the Woolery translation, but I've read some complaints the fan-made stuff is too literal and not really good localizations either.

 

[CSC]

21 hours ago, Death From Above said:

Speaking of time sucking games, Slay the Spire is so good. I just beat the 3rd Ascension with the Silent. It's big boy pants time.

Also in the time sucking games realm, Stardew Valley released its multiplayer beta which includes that, new events, a bunch of new stuff and getting shamed by the rest of the villagers for dating multiple people.  Good times. 

[Casey]

I’m playing the prologue to The Phantom Pain, and I feel like I just ate a tab of acid or something. What in the fuck?

[Raziel]

So, every Metal Gear Game ever.

[Contentious C]

I finally broke down and bought a used PS3 off eBay; wasn't as concerned with price as I was the fact that the person who owned it looked like they took good care of it and the games. Now I can finally catch up with everyone else on all these dumb exclusive games out there, and see what all the fuss is about with RDR and Last of Us. And I suppose while I pick off the 6 or 7 games I was really interested in playing, I can find out if I'm as good at Arkham City with a PS3 controller as I am with an Xbox controller (i.e., really fucking good).

[Craig H]

That really sucks for the folks over at Boss Key. It was probably over a month ago that the Giant Bombcast talked about Lawbreakers and how it was something that Cliffy B made to just show how quickly you could make a battle royale style game. They also talked about how they had no idea what else Boss Key was doing.

Part of me wonders if Cliff sunk the company by just going nowhere or doing stuff like Lawbreakers to pointlessly prove something to no one. Since they record the new Giant Bombcast today, I'm guessing they'll probably dedicate a good amount of time to this.

[Death From Above]

The whole story reminds me of Daikatana era John Romero.

[Casey]

3 hours ago, Raziel said:

So, every Metal Gear Game ever.

I've never played a Metal Gear game, this is my first exposure.

[Contentious C]

Because I am a dumb shit who is perpetually late to everything, I decided to play something new on my computer, rather than pumping more hours into a Bethesda or Batman game.

So I finally popped the top on Dead Space. I think if I'd known at the time that this was basically RE4 in space, I would have laughed long and hard and then ignored it every time it was on sale. And this does some of the same annoying shit that RE4 does - namely, the fact that a good chunk of the tension in the game comes from the shitty camera angle and the dipped-in-molasses controls. I'm also not a fan of how predictable the enemies are. "Oh hey look, there's an unbroken window (hey why is there a glass window that looks out onto nothing whatsoever except a wall in the middle of a fucking spaceship), I guess something is going to jump out at me after I finish looting the storage closet." Not that I'm not scared by every bump and scraping noise that seems like it's coming from behind me, to the point that I turn on an extra light before firing up a save game...but still, you kinda know where they're coming.

That said, there are just enough vaguely System Shock-ish bits to make me continue forward with it, and the sound editing is amazeballs. It also made me think of what a better game might look like. It'd be kind of different to have a game (and maybe this qualifies to an extent) where there are no enemy respawns. If the dead ship had 700 crew, you shouldn't run into more than 700 zombies, etc. And then just follow that up with harsher resource management. Although as I reflect upon the gameplay of something like Tomb Raider or Halo, for example, I suppose technically most shooter/action games meet that criterion, but they don't necessarily feel that way. Those aren't ammo hoses in the way the Borderlands games are, but they're way more bullet-hosey than this is.

From the tiny bit I've read, the second game in the series is shinier but not as good, and the third one is divisive as all Hell (of course I bought them all before playing any of them; what kind of obsessive jerk do you think I am?). But what I really want to know is, do the controls get any less irritating if you're using a 360 controller? Not that I'm going to skip around, but a rough estimate of how much aggravation I have in store would be handy.

I guess a couple months from now I'll regale you all with a hot take on, oh, I don't know, GTA: Vice City. I know you're just itching to hear what I think of that. Or maybe I'll just be sensible and finish Shadow of Mordor, since I'm at least accustomed to how it plays.