OT: Video Games VI

[tenken00]

So....God of War. Never played any installment of that title and last I saw of it was when my brother played some version over 10 years ago. Is it just hack and slash 3rd person with cool graphics and bosses, or more complex?

The first 3 titles I guess it was probably 3rd person hack and slash without much complexity, but the 2018 ps4 version's story is a little more nuanced. Where 1 through 3 is all about rage, the last one is an older main character and now with a young son, just lost his wife and in a foreign land. He's still pretty gruff and doesn't know what to say with his son but still has to protect him and show him what it means to be what he is, a demigod.

But it's still heavy on the action and boss battles too lol.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Finally got my ps5 and want to keep my focus on great story-driven single player games, I can't be assed with these hyper competitive battle royale style games any more. maybe that makes me old..

any suggestions? Already played last of us 2, thinking of popping the ps5's cherry with ghost of tsushima or AC valhalla

I’m about to start A Plague Tale: Innocence since the sequel comes out later this year. Also I know there’s been a lot of talk on these forums about it already but Horizon Zero Dawn is terrific and the sequel (Horizon Forbidden West) which is made specifically for PS5 comes out this holiday season.

I may boot up Ghost of Tsushima again as well. I liked it but burned out on the open world genre after Act I. It really is a beautiful game though.

 

[usiel]

Whatever you do, never EVER get Bose noise cancelling headphones. Expensive beyond belief and do a poor job
noise cancelling. Bose is a company that lives on its past reputation, but it has long been surpassed by others,
particularly in the noise cancelling department. I bought a pair for $300 about 5 years ago, and the headphones
came undone in about 3 months of light use. Plus the noise cancelling was minimal at best.

I bought a pair of wireless Sony WH-1000XM4 last year, and they have been tremendous. Over the ear headphones, as noise cancelling cans should be (not like those BOSE on-the-ear pieces of c***). Great noise cancelling, long battery life, quick and'
easy to recharge, pairs easily with my PS4 and other devices. Recommended.

Just stay away from Bose.

I have the previous year Sony M3s and can confirm all of sycamore's comments.

 

[sycamore]

Picked up Far Cry: New Dawn for $20. Not half bad, more streamlined than Far Cry 5, which is a good thing, given all the filler that game had (particularly "Faith Seed's" part of the game, which was terrible). The New Dawn story is brutal, but the gameplay, weapons, companion system, skill system, and the open world in general are all great. Fun little filler game while you're waiting for a major title to come along.

 

[Roric]

If you never played Ghost or Tsushima and want to go for the PS5 version with clicky button triggers Haptic Feedback and 3D Audio and a whole new island, the Director's Cut is coming out late August so you might want to wait for that. The regular Ghost of Tsushima (for PS5) version still has the dynamic 4K 60 FPS version so its still a good game to delve into if you want to right now.

For the PS5 specifically, or games with the ps5 upgrades with a good story hmmm... Spiderman Miles Morales Ultimate that comes with the first Spiderman game also enhanced for the PS5 if you haven't played it. God of War is a definite and is beautiful on the PS5 with the free upgrade but not sure if you played it already. FF7 remake also has a PS5 upgrade (with bonus DLC). Resident Evil Village looks beautiful on the PS5. Control (has to be ultimate edition for the PS5 version) was fun. There's a lot actually.. lol I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Edit: I forgot to even mention the PS5 exclusives Demon's Souls (if you like Soulsborne games), Returnal (if you like roguelike) and Ratchet and Clank (which is so damn PRETTY)

Good looks, i'll hold off on tsushima until that directors cut comes out. I also completely blanked on village, i'll most likely start off with that one as I loved biohazard. I'm hoping this new outlast trials lives up to the first two as well

 

[Roric]

I’m about to start A Plague Tale: Innocence since the sequel comes out later this year. Also I know there’s been a lot of talk on these forums about it already but Horizon Zero Dawn is terrific and the sequel (Horizon Forbidden West) which is made specifically for PS5 comes out this holiday season.

I may boot up Ghost of Tsushima again as well. I liked it but burned out on the open world genre after Act I. It really is a beautiful game though.

I need to finish hzd before that new one comes out, it looks impressive. I'll be honest though a lot of the big games havent done it for me in the past, everyone i know thinks im crazy for never liking skyrim or even red dead redemption 2

i'm intrigued about the next gen update for witcher 3 because the normal version was already gorgeous on my base ps4

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I need to finish hzd before that new one comes out, it looks impressive. I'll be honest though a lot of the big games havent done it for me in the past, everyone i know thinks im crazy for never liking skyrim or even red dead redemption 2

i'm intrigued about the next gen update for witcher 3 because the normal version was already gorgeous on my base ps4

RDR2 was so disappointing, for me at least… no disagreements there.

 

[sycamore]

RDR2 was so disappointing, for me at least… no disagreements there.

Me too. Unfortunately the worst game Rockstar has ever come out with. Way to bloated.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Me too. Unfortunately the worst game Rockstar has ever come out with. Way to bloated.

It was awful. Played it for what felt like a while -- maybe 6-7 hours of gameplay -- and think I remember doing 2-3 missions that were any semblance of fun or engaging. The majority of it was spent traveling excessive distances by horseback (or wagon), gathering random shit and sleeping by campfires, and watching cutscenes. And I wasn't even that much of an asshole while playing (i.e. killing random people) but I got to a point where I could not travel five minutes without having a rival gang or the police ambush me.

Some people love it and I am amazed to see that Rockstar is still pumping out fresh content for RDR2 so I always think I should go back and give it another go but it was so awful and there's a lot of other stuff out there that I never make the plunge back in.

RDR2 gets my vote for most disappointing sequel of all time. I was so pumped for that game after the original.

 

[tenken00]

Good looks, i'll hold off on tsushima until that directors cut comes out. I also completely blanked on village, i'll most likely start off with that one as I loved biohazard. I'm hoping this new outlast trials lives up to the first two as well

Oh yeah. If you played Resident Evil 7, 8 is a must play. It wraps up the whole story that started in 7.

It's not as scary as 7 and more geared towards action, but... damn. Don't want to spoil things, but story-wise I thought it was one of the best made in all of Resident Evil's 239482734927349 games.

 

[tenken00]

RDR2 was so disappointing, for me at least… no disagreements there.

Me too. Unfortunately the worst game Rockstar has ever come out with. Way to bloated.

I never finished RDR2 too, although I think I'm sorta almost at the end (I think I'm in the New Orleans-type city area). Eventually I want to get around to it as I hear that the ending of RDR2 is one of the best endings in gaming.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Oh yeah. If you played Resident Evil 7, 8 is a must play. It wraps up that whole story that started in 7.

It's not as scary as 7 and more geared towards action, but... damn. Don't want to spoil things, but story-wise I thought it was one of the best made in all of Resident Evil's 239482734927349 games.

Haven't played Resident Evil since I was like 12. A few friends and I acquired a copy of Resident Evil 2 when we were spending the night at someone's house for a birthday party and I don't know if it was planned or if it was a glitch but during one of those "going through a door" cutscenes some crazy ass zombie showed up in the middle of the camera going through the door and started shrieking and it scared the shit out of me and I hate that game to this day

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I never finished RDR2 too, although I think I'm sorta almost at the end (I think I'm in the New Orleans-type city area). Eventually I want to get around to it as I hear that the ending of RDR2 is one of the best endings in gaming.

That's what YouTube is for.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

I never finished RDR2 too, although I think I'm sorta almost at the end (I think I'm in the New Orleans-type city area). Eventually I want to get around to it as I hear that the ending of RDR2 is one of the best endings in gaming.

Damn, I think I’m on my 3rd time going threw the story mode. And if you just got into Saint Dennis then you still have a bit to go before finishing. I am trying to get a 100% completed game. I am cheating to do it but still no guarantee.

 

[tenken00]

Haven't played Resident Evil since I was like 12. A few friends and I acquired a copy of Resident Evil 2 when we were spending the night at someone's house for a birthday party and I don't know if it was planned or if it was a glitch but during one of those "going through a door" cutscenes some crazy ass zombie showed up in the middle of the camera going through the door and started shrieking and it scared the shit out of me and I hate that game to this day

Lol. Then you will be happy to know that there are no zombies at all in Resident Evil 8. Not a single one. You should try it

 

[tenken00]

That's what YouTube is for.

I do like watching YouTube reactions to gaming moments. Especially really really sad heart-wrenching moments and seeing gamers get absolutely wrecked and get gut-punched the first time they go through it.

Man... I just realized that I am so weird..

 

[tenken00]

Damn, I think I’m on my 3rd time going threw the story mode. And if you just got into Saint Dennis then you still have a bit to go before finishing. I am trying to get a 100% completed game. I am cheating to do it but still no guarantee.

Saint Denis! That was it. It's been so long, so I'm not sure exactly what I am supposed to be doing there anymore. Just know that I'm doing stuff for some late 1800's mob boss with lots of facial hair. Well, they all have lots of facial hair.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Lol. Then you will be happy to know that there are no zombies at all in Resident Evil 8. Not a single one. You should try it

Is this the doll one? Even worse than zombies.

 

[Hivemind]

Whatever you do, never EVER get Bose noise cancelling headphones. Expensive beyond belief and do a poor job
noise cancelling. Bose is a company that lives on its past reputation, but it has long been surpassed by others,
particularly in the noise cancelling department. I bought a pair for $300 about 5 years ago, and the headphones
came undone in about 3 months of light use. Plus the noise cancelling was minimal at best.

I bought a pair of wireless Sony WH-1000XM4 last year, and they have been tremendous. Over the ear headphones, as noise cancelling cans should be (not like those BOSE on-the-ear pieces of c***). Great noise cancelling, long battery life, quick and'
easy to recharge, pairs easily with my PS4 and other devices. Recommended.

Just stay away from Bose.

You've summoned me from my headphone-nerd-cave. It depends on what you're trying to pay for, and what type of headphones you desire.

First off, we should establish two terms. Noise Isolation vs Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Noise Isolation is the ability of a headphone to (passively) block surrounding noise by cutting off the vibrations around the ear. ANC is when a headphone uses a built-in microphone to detect surrounding noise, and actively produces a "negative" of that noise to "cancel" it out, attempting to achieve even better noise isolation.

Depending on your preferences and fit, some of the best total noise isolation results are achieved by in-ear headphones WITHOUT active noise cancellation. Check out this graph for instance, in which Shure SE215s (an in-ear headphone without ANC) isolate sound similarly to the Sony WH-1000XM4 across low and mid-bass, and perform better in the mids and low-treble ranges (perfect if you're trying to not hear your coworkers talk).

Speaking more specifically of Bose, they've long been an overpriced range that sold basically for their ANC. The actual sound quality of their headphones didn't live up to their price tags, but they were miles ahead of the competition in terms of the quality of their ANC. In recent years other companies, like Sony and Sennheiser, have made great strides in terms of catching up in the ANC market, if that's specifically what you're looking for, so there's alternatives (some of which are cheaper and/or better). But if you're just looking to block out sound, and don't care about doing so via active noise cancellation, a whole plethora of options opens up.

I'm also somewhat of a headphone luddite when it comes to things like active noise cancellation and bluetooth. I would rather put my money into sound quality than extra features. I loathe Apple's decision to remove the 3.5mm jack that pushed the world towards wireless headphones. With a wireless headphone, you now have to end up buying an DAC (or two for "true wireless), an amplifier, a bluetooth receiver, and a battery in addition to the speakers you're putting on your head (and when you've already paid for a DAC and Amp in your device that are now being rendered useless). And the quality and lifespan of those products may vary wildly, and have huge impact on the quality of the sound. I did finally cave and buy a pair of Sennheiser PXC-550II wireless ANCs for airplane use once my 3.5mm phone case/Amp broke for like the 5th time (someone make one of these things that actually lasts). They're alright, but I'd much rather have my choice of wired headphones.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

You've summoned me from my headphone-nerd-cave. It depends on what you're trying to pay for, and what type of headphones you desire.

First off, we should establish two terms. Noise Isolation vs Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Noise Isolation is the ability of a headphone to (passively) block surrounding noise by cutting off the vibrations around the ear. ANC is when a headphone uses a built-in microphone to detect surrounding noise, and actively produces a "negative" of that noise to "cancel" it out, attempting to achieve even better noise isolation.

Depending on your preferences and fit, some of the best total noise isolation results are achieved by in-ear headphones WITHOUT active noise cancellation. Check out this graph for instance, in which Shure SE215s (an in-ear headphone without ANC) isolate sound similarly to the Sony WH-1000XM4 across low and mid-bass, and perform better in the mids and low-treble ranges (perfect if you're trying to not hear your coworkers talk).

Speaking more specifically of Bose, they've long been an overpriced range that sold basically for their ANC. The actual sound quality of their headphones didn't live up to their price tags, but they were miles ahead of the competition in terms of the quality of their ANC. In recent years other companies, like Sony and Sennheiser, have made great strides in terms of catching up in the ANC market, if that's specifically what you're looking for, so there's alternatives (some of which are cheaper and/or better). But if you're just looking to block out sound, and don't care about doing so via active noise cancellation, a whole plethora of options opens up.

I'm also somewhat of a headphone luddite when it comes to things like active noise cancellation and bluetooth. I would rather put my money into sound quality than extra features. I loathe Apple's decision to remove the 3.5mm jack that pushed the world towards wireless headphones. With a wireless headphone, you now have to end up buying an DAC (or two for "true wireless), an amplifier, a bluetooth receiver, and a battery in addition to the speakers you're putting on your head (and when you've already paid for a DAC and Amp in your device that are now being rendered useless). And the quality and lifespan of those products may vary wildly, and have huge impact on the quality of the sound. I did finally cave and buy a pair of Sennheiser PXC-550II wireless ANCs for airplane use once my 3.5mm phone case/Amp broke for like the 5th time (someone make one of these things that actually lasts). They're alright, but I'd much rather have my choice of wired headphones.

I don't say this at all in a negative way but this is the most Hivemind post of all time.

 

[Hivemind]

I don't say this at all in a negative way but this is the most Hivemind post of all time.

Trade Orpik.

 

[usiel]

You've summoned me from my headphone-nerd-cave. It depends on what you're trying to pay for, and what type of headphones you desire.

First off, we should establish two terms. Noise Isolation vs Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Noise Isolation is the ability of a headphone to (passively) block surrounding noise by cutting off the vibrations around the ear. ANC is when a headphone uses a built-in microphone to detect surrounding noise, and actively produces a "negative" of that noise to "cancel" it out, attempting to achieve even better noise isolation.

Depending on your preferences and fit, some of the best total noise isolation results are achieved by in-ear headphones WITHOUT active noise cancellation. Check out this graph for instance, in which Shure SE215s (an in-ear headphone without ANC) isolate sound similarly to the Sony WH-1000XM4 across low and mid-bass, and perform better in the mids and low-treble ranges (perfect if you're trying to not hear your coworkers talk).

Speaking more specifically of Bose, they've long been an overpriced range that sold basically for their ANC. The actual sound quality of their headphones didn't live up to their price tags, but they were miles ahead of the competition in terms of the quality of their ANC. In recent years other companies, like Sony and Sennheiser, have made great strides in terms of catching up in the ANC market, if that's specifically what you're looking for, so there's alternatives (some of which are cheaper and/or better). But if you're just looking to block out sound, and don't care about doing so via active noise cancellation, a whole plethora of options opens up.

I'm also somewhat of a headphone luddite when it comes to things like active noise cancellation and bluetooth. I would rather put my money into sound quality than extra features. I loathe Apple's decision to remove the 3.5mm jack that pushed the world towards wireless headphones. With a wireless headphone, you now have to end up buying an DAC (or two for "true wireless), an amplifier, a bluetooth receiver, and a battery in addition to the speakers you're putting on your head (and when you've already paid for a DAC and Amp in your device that are now being rendered useless). And the quality and lifespan of those products may vary wildly, and have huge impact on the quality of the sound. I did finally cave and buy a pair of Sennheiser PXC-550II wireless ANCs for airplane use once my 3.5mm phone case/Amp broke for like the 5th time (someone make one of these things that actually lasts). They're alright, but I'd much rather have my choice of wired headphones.

Had to quote for audiophile nerdness!

 

[Roric]

A plague tale is fantastic, didnt think i'd like it this much

 

[HeyMattyB]

I picked up Horizon Zero Dawn (partially based on many of the recommendations here) and Control during the last Steam Sale. The biggest concern about HZD was the quality of the PC port, which sounded pretty awful, but I guess the latest patched fixed everything, because it's running very smoothly for me. It's funny though, because my g/f is playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which (IMO) is very similar game to HZD a variety of ways. (Then again, aren't most third-person action/rpg games nearly identical at this point?) But I'm NOT a fan of the AC games (for all the same reasons most people who dislike them dislike them), so I'm like, "Hey you should dump that trash and get on the HZD train."

That said, I've spent more time playing Control. Which I already beat on Epic, but liked enough to want to pay for and play again on Steam for achievements and such (seeing as how there's no New Game+ feature anyway). It's a far from perfect game, but the setting/story/atmosphere/themes are right up my alley.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

A plague tale is fantastic, didnt think i'd like it this much

Great to hear. Once I get the new house settled I’m going to dive in.