Whatcha Been Playing?

[hazeredmist]

I've been playing TWD on my PS3, and it's been flawless performance-wise, a real improvement on the first season.

I'm still playing Danganronpa on my Vita, it's fucking excellent. Really gripping the further you get into it. Narrative heavy gaming FTW

[Scrustle]

Just played the first two seasons in Grid Autosport, and first impressions are really great! It feels like a mix between Grid 1 and 2, but in a kind of dichotomous way. Luckily, pretty much all the stuff that counts feels much more like the first game. It feels a lot deeper than 2, and the handling is less slidey. It still feels pretty arcadey though, as the series does, but it does feel like it wants you to be precise and actually do stuff properly. There are quite a lot of different car classes, and from what I've played so far, they all feel very diverse. They certainly feel like completely different disciplines. There's a whole load of options when it comes to difficulty and assists too, so there's a huge range of control over that, in both directions.

There's also some interesting aspects of controls while actually driving too. You can give commands to your teammate in how hard you want them to push, or how safe and defensive you want them to be, with five different settings. You can also press the D-pad buttons to get info over the radio about stuff like how your car damage is, how close your opponents are, and stuff like that. So in that sense, it does feel like the proper sequel to the first game. Takes a lot of what made that great, and added some new features that compliment it well.

And the drift mode! It's actually good! It's the first time a drift mode in any racing game I've played has actually felt decent since the original. It might even be better. At first I didn't like it so much though, but then I changed to manual gears, and it became so much better. In auto it just keeps switching between 1st and 2nd, bouncing off the redline and unpredictably and suddenly losing or gaining grip when it decides to change gear by itself. But when I went to manual, I just kept it in 3rd and it felt brilliant. The car felt stable and predictable, and like you had proper control over how fast or slow you wanted to push it. Really pleased they got that right, since it apparently seems so hard to do for most games.

Some aspects feel like the second game though, but they're mostly in the presentation and general aesthetic of the game. The UI and menus are very similar in both look and sound, and it has a similar soundtrack too. When you boot up the game and get the title screen, it's almost identical in fact. Everything has quite a clean and minimalist style to it, opposed to the gritty and dirty feel of the first. It is very nicely presented, but I do feel like I would prefer it to be more similar to Grid 1. The way the rewind mechanic works is identical to how it is in Grid 2 as well, which is also a little disappointing. In the first game it wasn't just a chance to undo a mistake, it was also a showcase for your dramatic crashes. It actually made failing fun, because you got to watch the brilliant car damage model from all angles. Now it's just a basic tool, so you don't really get to see that show. It works totally fine for what it's supposed to do, it's just not anywhere near as fun as it was in the first game, where it actually felt like a pretty big and innovative feature at the time.

The graphics of the game in general are really similar to 2 as well. Again, it's quite a clean looking aesthetic, opposed to the gritty, brown filter they had over the first game. Except the graphics feel a bit more colourful here than they did in Grid 2. It looks like they turned up the contrast a bit. Colours are stronger, and shadows are darker. Videos and trailers for the game haven't really shown that off I think. Although it looks nice, I'm not really sure how I feel about it. The first Grid did have more of a visual style to it, but at the same time I don't think it would have been a good idea for them to copy that style again. And I like how colourful it is as is. The fidelity of the graphics are a little lacking too actually. Again, it's hardly ugly, but the game doesn't look like it was trying to push the visual detail much. I might even go so far to say that it actually looks a little old, and even a little worse that 2. But it doesn't really make a difference overall.

I have had the game freeze on my a couple of times though. At random points during a race, sometimes it'll lock up for a second. It's happened to me three times so far. Doesn't seem to be something too serious. It's somewhat rare, and you can keep going through it like nothing happened, but it is kind of distracting and definitely needs fixing.

But overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. I really like how fan focused they have been with this game, and it turns out that wasn't just PR talk. The game does feel like a return to form, and pretty much everything they've been billing it as. Plus, it's actually pretty cheap. It's not a full priced release. Only £35.

[stvnorman]

I've been playing GRID 2 on and off since I joined PS+ just before Christmas and it was a freebie. Didn't grip me like the first did, but I'm encouraged by your impressions, Scrustle, and hope to have a go at that myself too soon.

I'm now eleven hours into Burnout Paradise, also care of PS+, in anticipation of the upcoming podcast. And I'm having a blast! Once you get a feel for the city's layout, the events really take on a new dimension. Presentation is superb, and there's some great stuff on the soundtrack. I'm now finding myself compelled to stop at every undamaged billboard and find the way to bust through it though, which is often the beginning of the end for me - I'll end up OCD with doing it then get bored and move on soon. Until then though, this is certainly the most fun I've had with any Burnout game, having followed just about all of the series from the start, and possibly with any racer, having followed the genre since Pitstop on the Spectrum! Just not sure why it's taken me this long to play it.

[Cass]

Splitting my time between Fire Emblem: Awakening, The Wolf Among Us, Saint's Row The Third, and Dota 2, Dungeon Defenders and Risk of Rain co-op with my boyfriend.

...I don't think I'm giving any one of them a fair shake. Think I might just leave Saint's Row and focus on Fire Emblem for the time being. Thoughts?

(also fire emblem is hard as balls if anyone has any tips for a beginner they'd be greatly appreciated k thnx)

[Todinho]

Go Fire Emblem all the way!!! and yeah the game can be a bit overwhelming at first remember that movement and positioning is key here never let a unit alone or they'll probably get destroyed,also you know that mechanic that characters can join in the battlefield and gain bonuses?Well that's vital even if dont want to join them up so that you can get more turns try to put to units close together so that you can use that bonus,also healing is a bit tricky in this game and your healers are paper and die really easilly so always have them safe in the middle of your formation this is vital I cant even count the amount of times where I left my healers unprotected and they got killed in one swing making me restart the mission again and lastly remember that here each attack costs an item use so itens are pretty important keep an eye on that and try not to use your best sword on a foot soldier also keep an eye on to which type of weapon a enemy is weak against before attacking.

PS:There are some battles where you can recruit enemies to your side and they are usually good so watch out and get Chrom to them ASAP,also Chrom will probably always be your best unit so he will be able to handle most of things thrown his way.

[Alex79]

Started The Unfinished Swan the other night. Then yesterday I got Elliot (7) to play it. It was awesome to see the realisation and then smile on his face as he worked out what to do.

[dezm0nd]

(also fire emblem is hard as balls if anyone has any tips for a beginner they'd be greatly appreciated k thnx)

I thank YOU for saying that. It makes me feel less useless at the game! More of which I'll talk about on the Fire Emblem issue of the podcast!

Stick with it, it's bloody brilliant

[Cass]

Oh I'm enjoying the hell out of it so far. My main problems are the depth of the systems (not all of which is readily apparent) and my decision to play the game on Classic mode with permadeath. Not that decision necessarily, but more having the discipline to not save-scum it every time I lose a unit to a stupid mistake. I'm on the mission where you're first introduced to Panne, and if I leave even the tiniest chink in my defenses, Maribelle dies. EVERY time.

I mean, as a mechanic I love it. It feels much closer to the idea of commanding real-life troops, all of whom have lives and personalities and can't be treated like cannon fodder. I've already lost Vaike, Virion and Miriel through careless play early on, and now I'm terrified at the idea of losing anyone else. It is stressful as hell and I bloody love it.

[Todinho]

Yeah the best thing to do with these healers is join them with strong character and them uncouple them when you need to use then for healing but this has it's downsides too but it's the safest way to play I found and there's nothing worse than to be about to win a battle and lose a character.

[Flabyo]

Permadeath can be hell can't it? I remember getting all the way to the very last mission of Valkyria Chronicles without losing anyone, and then losing one of my engineers when I only needed to get one more hit on the final boss.

I almost rage quit...

I lost a few playing the original Final Fantasy Tactics, but those games never made it feel unfair like the Fire Emblem games seem to be to me.

In Valkyria if someone goes down you have three turns to get another character to them to call in the medic and evac them. If you don't do it in time, or if an enemy can touch them first, they die. In FFT it was similar, only you had three turns to revive them using Phoenix Down or a Revive spell.

[stvnorman]

I've given the UFC demo on PS4 a good old whack. It looks pretty enough, though nothing groundbreaking. And the standing up bits are really satisfying once you get your head around the controls; actually, they quickly became very intuitive. That said, I'm still not sure if it's being pitched as a simulation or arcade game or a bit of both - some of the moves that you'd rarely see successfully pulled off in real life are a staple here.

The grounded parts let it down for me though. I think they've done an admirable job in conveying the intricacies of this aspect of the sport while keeping it accessible and relatively entertaining for the layman, but it just doesn't feel right and I can't exactly put my finger on why. Either the physics are a bit off or the fighters aren't interacting with each other as they should. Bodes well for tbe future, but ultimately feels like a PS3.5 game, so I'll probably pass for now.

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

I'm working my way through Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on PS4 at the moment and really enjoying it so far.

I'm not exhaustively hunting down all the collectibles (one of my few criticisms is that the game is loaded with box ticking exercises - light 10 of these, find 5 of those....), but the story is intriguing enough (about half way at the minute I think), the gameplay is very tight (controls better than Uncharted for me), and the visuals are wonderfully pretty.

I'd encourage anyone who missed it last gen like myself to pick it up as it can be found on both PS4 and XO for around £25 new at the moment.

PS. Fire Emblem Awakening is indeed AWESOME as per previous comments! Must say I didn't find it crazy hard even with permadeath switched on so I wouldn't let that discourage anyone from playing. Different things just click with different folks don't they, and I say that as a guy with many serious gaps in my gaming abilities!!

[Pitwar]

Based on the fact that I've several friends that rave about it, I've started Asura's Wrath on the PS3. So far I like it, it's like an odd mix between God Hand and Heavy Rain but it works.

I seem to be a quarter of the way through in no time so I don't think it'll outstay its welcome and I'm looking forward to cracking on with it.

[Baron Phil]

I love Asura's Wrath. If you like the main game the dlc is well worth picking up.

[ratsoalbion]

You kinda need to play the later dlc chapters to see the actual end of the game, suckily enough...

[CapinGreen]

I've heard mixed things about Asura's Wrath, been meaning to give it a go for a while now.

Picked up Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition and Yakuza 4 today at £4 and £10, respectively. Played a chunk of Resident Evil and it's as great as ever. Haven't fired up Yakuza yet, I think I'm going to finish off Wolfenstein first (it's a smashing FPS!).

[AndyKurosaki]

Loved Asura's Wrath, it was over the top and completely mental. Still not done the dlc though.

[Electric Crocosaurus]

Picked up Beyond Two Souls for £10 off Amazon. I've really enjoyed David Cage's 'games' to date, and my first couple of hours have been enjoyable with Beyond too. I understand the ire that he gets, and I would find it hard to defend either as a game or as a piece of storytelling. Yet Cage's games are just so weird they stand out to me; I don't know if I enjoy them because they're so bad they're good, or if I'm genuinely impressed by them, but when I'm going all Ghostbusters with Ellen Page I don't really care!

[mikeleddy83]

You've convinced me, just picked it up from Amazon though there's no telling how long it'll be until my ps3 returns from a brother with a serious case of Fifa.

I'm a solid 9 hours into Xenoblade Chronicles which on an hourly basis could well be the most complete game I've yet to play, we'll see how the other 60 go first but early impressions make me want to kick myself for not playing it earlier.

Otherwise I've restarted Dual Destinies on the 3DS after a few months of barely touching the thing despite its obvious quality. It's stupid but I can't decide whether to tackle the additional case once it become available after the first case or leave it until completion but a sneak peak shows some brilliant Apollo Justice fan service so I can't wait either way!

[Bakers_12]

Been playing Another World HD. Forgot how hard it is. The first half if the game is burned in my memory so I knew what to do. Now I have hit areas that I must of not played as much in the past and am having to experiment a bit more, almost in a Dark souls kind of way I regards to finding the right parth with trial and error.

It still looks good and the new sounds are like what you think it was like in your "minds ear"

Still controls badly feel like I have to compensate for it all the time and who thought putting the shoot and run commands on the same button. The number of times I wanted to run across the screen only to fire the gun and then run into gunfire from a enemy from offscreen.