PS5 vs Xbox Series X

[Spring in Fialta]

Just get Gamepass. They have a promotion where you get the first month for $1. It's basically the Netflix of videogames. There's a ton of games on there, both big and small independent games, lots of variety.

Are you a fan of open world games? What made you buy GTAV?

And what do you mean in terms of artsy? You mean in terms of exploring themes, or in terms of presentation?

I don't have enough gaming experience to say whether I'm a fan of open world games. My absolute favorites tend to be 2D platformers but I think that's just due to recent experience (I own a SNES classic) and would not trust my taste as a teenager. I bought GTA V strictly because I've played all of them and am familiar (and enjoyed them as a kid) with the series and thought it'd be an easy intro after years away from console. I don't regret the purchase, but I'm also not getting out of it what I get out of literature, music, cinema, skateboarding and sports.

What I mean by artsy, I'm not even sure on a practical level besides looking for the same satisfaction that I get by the aforementioned areas of interests. So essentially video games that offer an experience beyond arcade-y, compulsive gaming that goes beyond immediate gratification in a superficial way (I'm done with this mission: where's the next one!) and instead with games that give way to reflection in terms of immersive technical, aesthetical, intellectual (it doesn't have to be philosophical/political/societal) experience.

 

[Shareefruck]

I don't have enough gaming experience to say whether I'm a fan of open world games. My absolute favorites tend to be 2D platformers but I think that's just due to recent experience (I own a SNES classic) and would not trust my taste as a teenager. I bought GTA V strictly because I've played all of them and am familiar (and enjoyed them as a kid) with the series and thought it'd be an easy intro after years away from console. I don't regret the purchase, but I'm also not getting out of it what I get out of literature, music, cinema, skateboarding and sports.

What I mean by artsy, I'm not even sure on a practical level besides looking for the same satisfaction that I get by the aforementioned areas of interests. So essentially video games that offer an experience beyond arcade-y, compulsive gaming that goes beyond immediate gratification in a superficial way (I'm done with this mission: where's the next one!) and instead with games that give way to reflection in terms of immersive technical, aesthetical, intellectual (it doesn't have to be philosophical/political/societal) experience.

Celeste, Inside, and Hollow Knight are masterpieces/must plays and should be right up your alley, IMO. Immaculately designed, visually gorgeous, fantastic music/sound design, tastefully minimalistic, immensionly rewarding challenge, and incredibly thoughtful/tasteful delivery of ideas. Three of my favorite games, period, and legitimately a lot like taking the best that the SNES era had to offer and learning from all of their minor imperfections.

Aside from that, the console's lineup is weak as hell, IMO. Sekiro is incredible too but might be too challenging if you're not deep into this stuff. Cuphead has amazing visuals, but design-wise, it's not that interesting and seems hard for the sake of being hard, IMO.





Your teenage self has it mostly right, IMO (by the way, have you played Super Metroid on that SNES classic yet? Hollow Knight is direct successor to that approach)

 

[Shareefruck]

...

Oh yeah, and if you haven't played the Portal games as well, same deal.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Celeste, Inside, and Hollow Knight are masterpieces/must plays and should be right up your alley, IMO. Immaculately designed, visually gorgeous, fantastic music/sound design, tastefully minimalistic, immensionly rewarding challenge, and incredibly thoughtful/tasteful delivery of ideas. Three of my favorite games, period, and legitimately a lot like taking the best that the SNES era had to offer and learning from all of their minor imperfections.

Aside from that, the console's lineup is weak as hell, IMO. Sekiro is incredible too but might be too challenging if you're not deep into this stuff. Cuphead has amazing visuals, but design-wise, it's not that interesting and seems hard for the sake of being hard, IMO.





Your teenage self has it mostly right, IMO (by the way, have you played Super Metroid on that SNES classic yet? Hollow Knight is direct successor to that approach)

Thanks. I'll check out the stuff you guys mentioned. Although I'm not sure what you mean by my teenaged self getting it right. At 15 years old (when I still had lost touch with video games but not to the same extent) would have sworn by Crash Bandicoot, Tekken and Super Mario World, the latter of which I still think holds up (and even now still think is the most perfect video game I've ever played). I have played Super Metroid a bit and enjoyed it but felt bored at a certain point by the atmosphere and most importantly, the map. Earthbound is the one game I was blown away by (and I tend to hate RPG) but felt suffocated by the inability to escape worthless enemies and it turned into two separate abandons.

 

[JaegerDice]

I don't have enough gaming experience to say whether I'm a fan of open world games. My absolute favorites tend to be 2D platformers but I think that's just due to recent experience (I own a SNES classic) and would not trust my taste as a teenager. I bought GTA V strictly because I've played all of them and am familiar (and enjoyed them as a kid) with the series and thought it'd be an easy intro after years away from console. I don't regret the purchase, but I'm also not getting out of it what I get out of literature, music, cinema, skateboarding and sports.

What I mean by artsy, I'm not even sure on a practical level besides looking for the same satisfaction that I get by the aforementioned areas of interests. So essentially video games that offer an experience beyond arcade-y, compulsive gaming that goes beyond immediate gratification in a superficial way (I'm done with this mission: where's the next one!) and instead with games that give way to reflection in terms of immersive technical, aesthetical, intellectual (it doesn't have to be philosophical/political/societal) experience.

I'd take a look at:

Outer Wilds
Red Dead Redemption 2
Celeste
Inside
What Remains of Edith Finch
Dead Cells
Nier: Autonoma
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
Okami HD
The Witness
Cuphead
Shovel Knight
Firewatch
Prey
Bioshock Collection
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Control
Forgotten Anne
Superhot
Owlboy
Ollie Ollie
Indivisible
Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Wargroove
Super Time Force
Life is Strange

Not all of them check all your boxes. Some of them are technical perfection, others are ambitious stories, some of them manage to do most things right. But all of them are well thought of well worth playing if you haven't already.

 

[Shareefruck]

^ I'd second Outer Wilds in particular, although I can't imagine him getting much out of Life is Strange.

Thanks. I'll check out the stuff you guys mentioned. Although I'm not sure what you mean by my teenaged self getting it right. At 15 years old (when I still had lost touch with video games but not to the same extent) would have sworn by Crash Bandicoot, Tekken and Super Mario World, the latter of which I still think holds up (and even now still think is the most perfect video game I've ever played). I have played Super Metroid a bit and enjoyed it but felt bored at a certain point by the atmosphere and most importantly, the map. Earthbound is the one game I was blown away by (and I tend to hate RPG) but felt suffocated by the inability to escape worthless enemies and it turned into two separate abandons.

I just meant that your thought process when talking about those SNES classic games seemed right on the money and still applies, even if you're unfamiliar with more modern genres. A good chunk of the best games today are still 2D platformers, so there's not really an out of touch issue here, I don't think.

Too bad about Super Metroid though. The map traversal and how it doubles back over itself is my favorite thing about it. Hollow Knight may not click for you either then

 

[x Tame Impala]

@Amerika Seconded for Hollow Knight. The only other game I’ve been that consumed by in recent memory has been Breath of the Wild. HK isn’t as detailed as BOTW (obviously) but the amount of immersion for this 2D platformer is astounding. The combat is difficult and at times can get “Go f*** yourself”-difficult, but it’s not like Dark Souls where it’s hard just to be hard.

The art-design and the game’s music create an environment and mood you never want to leave.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Can you get into this game a little for me? I played it for about 5 minutes and never picked it back up again. Curious to hear what people like about it so much.

 

[JaegerDice]

Can you get into this game a little for me? I played it for about 5 minutes and never picked it back up again. Curious to hear what people like about it so much.

It's a 2D side-scrolling puzzle game, not much action really. The writing is what really sticks with you, because it incorporates real letters between soldiers and loved ones from World War 1. It really captures the sadness and futility of that war, very fatalistic. The art style is a bit cartoony, but that actually helps counter-balance the darkness of the content if you listen and read.

It came out pretty early this generation, where there wasn't a lot of original content on either console yet, which may have helped its reception a bit. But I still think of it fondly. It's cheap and over in 3 or 4 hours tops, so a good way to kill an afternoon if you're looking for something different.

 

[Khelandros]

Thanks. I'll check out the stuff you guys mentioned. Although I'm not sure what you mean by my teenaged self getting it right. At 15 years old (when I still had lost touch with video games but not to the same extent) would have sworn by Crash Bandicoot, Tekken and Super Mario World, the latter of which I still think holds up (and even now still think is the most perfect video game I've ever played). I have played Super Metroid a bit and enjoyed it but felt bored at a certain point by the atmosphere and most importantly, the map. Earthbound is the one game I was blown away by (and I tend to hate RPG) but felt suffocated by the inability to escape worthless enemies and it turned into two separate abandons.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Every decision has a consequence.

 

[WeThreeKings]

is there any reason to stick with XBOX?

I'm considering converting to PS because of lack of system exclusives for Xbox vs. Playstation

 

[Hammettf2b]

is there any reason to stick with XBOX?

I'm considering converting to PS because of lack of system exclusives for Xbox vs. Playstation

Go with the system that has the exclusives you like

 

[HabsTown]

is there any reason to stick with XBOX?

I'm considering converting to PS because of lack of system exclusives for Xbox vs. Playstation

Go with the system that has the exclusives you like

This. I've been a Xbox guy then switch to PS3 10 years ago only because my friends were all on PS (+ red ring of death that sealed the deal) but I barely play with them anymore.

I will never go back to Xbox... there's not 1 exclusive on XBOX that made me regret switching but I can't count how many times I've said to myself ''God I'm happy to be on PS Now'' starting by my favorite gam; MLB the show.

To each his own but as far as I'm concern, exclusives from SONY are a thousand time better than Microsoft.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

This. I've been a Xbox guy then switch to PS3 10 years ago only because my friends were all on PS (+ red ring of death that sealed the deal) but I barely play with them anymore.

I will never go back to Xbox... there's not 1 exclusive on XBOX that made me regret switching but I can't count how many times I've said to myself ''God I'm happy to be on PS Now'' starting by my favorite gam; MLB the show.

To each his own but as far as I'm concern, exclusives from SONY are a thousand time better than Microsoft.

I switched to PS4 this gen, but I found I didn't enjoy most of the PS exclusives aside from 2 or 3 games, as they seem to prioritize having a realistic story over gameplay and game design.

MLB was one of the reasons I got a PS4, but starting next year it will be released on all platforms.

 

[Ceremony]

@Amerika if you want an emotional response from your games as art, you can't go wrong with Quantic Dream's games on PlayStation. They're even made by a French guy.

 

[chicagoskycam]

None of the exclusive PS games interest me, not really into RPG. I'll stick with Xbox and my game library I currently have. Most of the games I have been playing over the past few years are available on both and PC. Game pass for $1 a month for the next two years is too good to give up, plus Gears, Forza and Halo are included.

The only question is whether to upgrade to the Series X, not change consoles after 15 years.

 

[Mikeaveli]

@Amerika Seconded for Hollow Knight. The only other game I’ve been that consumed by in recent memory has been Breath of the Wild. HK isn’t as detailed as BOTW (obviously) but the amount of immersion for this 2D platformer is astounding. The combat is difficult and at times can get “Go f*** yourself”-difficult, but it’s not like Dark Souls where it’s hard just to be hard.

The art-design and the game’s music create an environment and mood you never want to leave.

A bit off topic here but personally I don't think that's a fair assessment of Dark Souls. It's not like it's an NES game where you have infinitely respawning enemies and a limited amount of tries because otherwise the game would be 20 minutes long. It's a game that is unforgiving and doesn't hold your hand, but it isn't unfair, and the difficulty only makes it all the more satisfying when you do finally master the mechanics and learn to play intelligently. The game also has excellent level design and minimalist storytelling. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a more rewarding experience from a video game.

is there any reason to stick with XBOX?

I'm considering converting to PS because of lack of system exclusives for Xbox vs. Playstation

I think it depends on what you're looking for in the console. Xbox seems to be the better value (especially with Series S and the All Access options that include Game Pass Ultimate) but with literally zero exclusive titles while Playstation will have a good lineup of exclusives as usual. Xbox will also have better backwards compatibility with games and peripherals.

Personally I'll be getting the PS5 once it has a decent library of games.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

A bit off topic here but personally I don't think that's a fair assessment of Dark Souls. It's not like it's an NES game where you have infinitely respawning enemies and a limited amount of tries because otherwise the game would be 20 minutes long. It's a game that is unforgiving and doesn't hold your hand, but it isn't unfair, and the difficulty only makes it all the more satisfying when you do finally master the mechanics and learn to play intelligently. The game also has excellent level design and minimalist storytelling. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a more rewarding experience from a video game.


I think it depends on what you're looking for in the console. Xbox seems to be the better value (especially with Series S and the All Access options that include Game Pass Ultimate) but with literally zero exclusive titles while Playstation will have a good lineup of exclusives as usual. Xbox will also have better backwards compatibility with games and peripherals.

Personally I'll be getting the PS5 once it has a decent library of games.

Yeah, Dark Souls punishes you for mistakes and requires patience, but isn't overwhelmingly hard.

 

[aleshemsky83]

The biggest thing that makes dark souls hard is people not leveling up properly. A common mistake is leveling attack stats in the early game. Always pump up vitality early.

 

[Shareefruck]

Yeah, I would actually dial back the xTameImpala's assessment of the difficulty of each of those games. Hollow Knight's difficulty is reasonable and only occasionally difficult, but it's never "go **** yourself" hard (until you get to the super optional stuff). Dark Souls (and most Soulsborne games) difficulty is often "go **** yourself" hard but never unfair. Cuphead is hard for the sake of hard (because its mechanics just aren't interesting or that rewarding), but also not unfair. NES games are often both.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I didn't find Hollow Knight insanely difficult, I had a hard time around the Soul Sanctum area but that was the only real hurdle I ever hit in the game.

My issue with it is (I've said it before), the art looks like flash animation, so even though the areas technically have a lot of variety, they all just look like the same flash art corridors with different colors to me.

Second, once you get around halfway through the game and need to start killing the Beasts (I can't remember their official name), you basically need a guide to figure out what to do, or you'll just spend hours walking through the same corridors you navigated the first 15-20 hours over and over looking for some secret area.

I actually am still stuck at that point as I never bothered to look up the wiki. This isn't a new flaw lots of Metroidvanias have this issue (including super metroid and SotN), but its still a flaw to me.

edit: They're called Dreamers, not Beasts.

 

[Shareefruck]

I didn't find Hollow Knight insanely difficult, I had a hard time around the Soul Sanctum area but that was the only real hurdle I ever hit in the game.

My issue with it is (I've said it before), the art looks like flash animation, so even though the areas technically have a lot of variety, they all just look like the same flash art corridors with different colors to me.

Second, once you get around halfway through the game and need to start killing the Beasts (I can't remember their official name), you basically need a guide to figure out what to do, or you'll just spend hours walking through the same corridors you navigated the first 15-20 hours over and over looking for some secret area.

I actually am still stuck at that point as I never bothered to look up the wiki. This isn't a new flaw lots of Metroidvanias have this issue (including super metroid and SotN), but its still a flaw to me.

edit: They're called Dreamers, not Beasts.

I had the same feeling about it looking like flash animation initially, but after getting into the game, it grew on me and looks great now. I lean towards thinking that it isn't a genuine criticism, but rather bias/unfair association with how ugly things with this art style usually are. Even so, I definitely prefer strong sprite art over this smoothed out vector art looking stuff, even if it's well done and looks good. Also, games that have a look that is similar to Hollow Knight (but obviously not as good) look absolutely disgusting and ugly to my eyes (that Gleamlight indie game for example).

I also completely disagree that the entire feature of Metroidvanias (doubling back and exploring existing areas) is a flaw. If anything, it's its greatest strength, and it shouldn't take you 15-20 hours or require a guide if you're actually thinking about where the techniques could be used.

I do think Hollow Knight has minor flaws, though (it's not as perfect as some of my other favorite games). Poorly placed save points/fast-travel and essential items/techniques hidden behind skill walls being among them (needing to grind and potentially get lost in the beginning of the game before you can get a map, and then having to buy a bunch of tiny things just to make it usable is horrid, IMO). The map isn't as elegantly designed as Super Metroid, and it may be too big and ambitious for its own good, even though there are huge rewards that result from it.

Also, I find the "you lose your money when you die and need to find and kill your ghost to retrieve it" mechanic to be a really dumb trend that every indie game seems to be doing. Feels like regression to me, personally-- modern takes on old styles should be improving quality of life, not the other way around and making failure more tedious to create the illusion of stakes.

Edit: Huh, I didn't realize the dreamers weren't optional (although it doesn't block you off from anything besides the ending). That does kind of suck.

 

[JaegerDice]

@Amerika if you want an emotional response from your games as art, you can't go wrong with Quantic Dream's games on PlayStation. They're even made by a French guy.

I mean, if the emotional response you're looking for is eye-rolling...

 

[Ceremony]

I mean, if the emotional response you're looking for is eye-rolling...

Shh. I almost have him playing David Cage games expecting them to be good.

 

[JaegerDice]

Shh. I almost have him playing David Cage games expecting them to be good.

Hahaha