RMWeb Gamer's Lounge.

[Reorte]

36 minutes ago, scottystitch said:

I kind of fancied Horizon Zero Dawn when it came out, but wasn't convinced I liked it enough to shell out circa fifty of my hard earned.  However, at £15.99 for the complete edition (?!) it would seem rude not to download it now and give it a try....

Go for it, I'm definitely convinced even though I find it easier to pick faults than to praise.

[Reorte]

1 hour ago, Classsix T said:

300+ hours in HZD for me! But I did Platinum and 100% everything it had to offer including a NewGame+ replay.

Plus the fact I loved the "I wonder what's over there," accessible playability of the game.

 

I didn't find it quite as good on the exploration front as, say, a Bethesda game, although it opened up more when you get in to the large portion of the map (before that it felt a bit crammed in with what I think of as "fake geography" - no real sense of flow from place to place). Could've done with more of a feel of a living world and less bumping in to enemies every fifty yards. Getting past that though I really liked what they'd done with the world. Standing on a peak watching the sun rise was pretty amazing in it.

 

I'll try to avoid spoilers in case scottystitch gives it a go, but I'm curious as to whether my theory about the sequel will stand up - since I'm on PC so it'll probably be a few years before I get to play it (if ever!) can we please avoid spoilers for Forbidden West (or at least give them a suitable warning; can we hide them on RMWeb?) when that's out in the next few days!

[MJI]

HZD is an excellent game.

 

First test version you were armed with an M82.

 

Then they scrapped the gun idea.

 

I preferred the STA 52 anyway.

[Classsix T]

On 14/02/2022 at 19:46, Reorte said:

 

I didn't find it quite as good on the exploration front as, say, a Bethesda game, although it opened up more when you get in to the large portion of the map (before that it felt a bit crammed in with what I think of as "fake geography" - no real sense of flow from place to place). Could've done with more of a feel of a living world and less bumping in to enemies every fifty yards. Getting past that though I really liked what they'd done with the world. Standing on a peak watching the sun rise was pretty amazing in it.

 

I'll try to avoid spoilers in case scottystitch gives it a go, but I'm curious as to whether my theory about the sequel will stand up - since I'm on PC so it'll probably be a few years before I get to play it (if ever!) can we please avoid spoilers for Forbidden West (or at least give them a suitable warning; can we hide them on RMWeb?) when that's out in the next few days!

My lips are sealed, but suffice it to say, one of the characters Aloy meets is seen at the end of HZD sloping off into the sunset...I've no doubt I'll hear Lance Reddick's dulcet tones once more in HFW.

 

I quite like the way Sony have handled both the Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima titles. A couple of years after releasing an excellent main game, offer a sizeable expansion to maintain interest to the fans, plus do bundle deals to garner further interest. Then once that's run its course you're gearing-up for the next game. Pretty canny.

 

I'm no authority on Bethesda titles, but it should be noted (and Reorte spoke specifically of exploration not gameplay) that neither Horizon or GoT could be described as role-playing-games, they're stories. The player interacts with NPCs vicariously through the protagonist, and thus the consequences are often negligible. AIUI, stuff you do or don't do in the likes of Skyrim or Fallout will affect game progression.

I think Guerrilla Games & Sucker Punch have been quite clever actually in not offering a full-on RPG, notwithstanding the amount of writing such a game requires, to keep both titles within the realm of pick up and play. Not to mention the fact that neither of the PlayStation titles require much in the way of "grind". You'll never be short of crafting materials in the environment.

 

C6T. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Classsix T
Getting the correct Voice Artist, apologies Mr. Reddick!

[Classsix T]

2 hours ago, Reorte said:

I find it easier to pick faults than to praise.

Noted, BTW you should've said fake topography not "fake geography". They all suffer the latter, RDR2 on horseback from New Orleans to New Mexico, in minutes?! I should coco!

 

Pedantry is a double edged sword my friend!

 

I'm joking, obvs! C6T. 

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, Classsix T said:

Noted, BTW you should've said fake topography not "fake geography". They all suffer the latter, RDR2 on horseback from New Orleans to New Mexico, in minutes?! I should coco!

 

Pedantry is a double edged sword my friend!

 

I'm joking, obvs! C6T. 

 

Actually it's not the cut-down size that bothers me, it's the sense of clutter that makes it all feel crammed in and cramped, which is something RDR2 manages to avoid. RDR2 doesn't feel like little bits glued together anywhere near as much. Follow a river, not much sense of it flowing down a valley.

 

Anyway enough nitpicking! A good game and, well, I suppose since I bought the PC version 18 months after release that's a bit less of a wait for the next one than if I'd got it new, if Forbidden West gets a PC port (and in any case the PC port was apparently rather rough upon initial release). I believe Zero Dawn sold well enough on the PC that they may well want to, after a sufficient wait for everyone they hope will be tempted to get a Playstation to have got one.

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Reorte

[MJI]

17 hours ago, Classsix T said:

My lips are sealed, but suffice it to say, one of the characters Aloy meets is seen at the end of HZD sloping off into the sunset...I've no doubt I'll hear Keith David's dulcet tones once more in HFW.

 

I quite like the way Sony have handled both the Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima titles. A couple of years after releasing an excellent main game, offer a sizeable expansion to maintain interest to the fans, plus do bundle deals to garner further interest. Then once that's run its course you're gearing-up for the next game. Pretty canny.

 

I'm no authority on Bethesda titles, but it should be noted (and Reorte spoke specifically of exploration not gameplay) that neither Horizon or GoT could be described as role-playing-games, they're stories. The player interacts with NPCs vicariously through the protagonist, and thus the consequences are often negligible. AIUI, stuff you do or don't do in the likes of Skyrim or Fallout will affect game progression.

I think Guerrilla Games & Sucker Punch have been quite clever actually in not offering a full-on RPG, notwithstanding the amount of writing such a game requires, to keep both titles within the realm of pick up and play. Not to mention the fact that neither of the PlayStation titles require much in the way of "grind". You'll never be short of crafting materials in the environment.

 

C6T. 

 

As an obvious fan I will get it as soon as I see a price with 4 at the front rather than 5

[Classsix T]

Why break the habit of a lifetime and make a good video game movie?

 

https://kotaku.com/uncharted-ps4-movie-tom-holland-mark-wahlberg-rotten-t-1848534337

 

I'm not expecting great things frankly. Finished remastered Uc4 at the weekend (still hate the last sword fight) so it's fresh in the memory.

 

C6T. 

[MJI]

44 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

Why break the habit of a lifetime and make a good video game movie?

 

https://kotaku.com/uncharted-ps4-movie-tom-holland-mark-wahlberg-rotten-t-1848534337

 

I'm not expecting great things frankly. Finished remastered Uc4 at the weekend (still hate the last sword fight) so it's fresh in the memory.

 

C6T. 

 

The film Sully is nothing like the younger UC3 or the main story one. I hate that sword fight as well.

[scottystitch]

I didn't mind the sword fight...

 

I am going to see the film tonight, I don't hold out much hope, but the other half wanted to watch something she didn't have to think too hard about and I'm sure this will fit the bill.

 

I'd have much rather someone like HBO had taken this on as a series, and tried to run it faithfully to one of the games.

 

But hey-ho, maybe it will surprise me.

 

Best

Scott.

[Guest]

So Detective Pikachu remains the best film based on a video game? 

[Classsix T]

Probably. I didn’t mind what I saw of Sonic, but the fact I've not seen it to its conclusion perhaps speaks volumes.

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

Time to finally get around to having a look at Cyberpunk 2077?

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-15-cyberpunk-2077-ps5-xbox-series-x-s-update-finally-available-today

 

Five hour demo first though, natch.

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

5 hours ago, scottystitch said:

I didn't mind the sword fight...

Best

Scott.

 

5 hours ago, MJI said:

I hate that sword fight as well.

I'd been dreading it as soon as I'd handed over my ten quid to be honest, however, one irksome boss fight doesn't ruin what is a cracking game.

And I had bumped up the difficulty level a notch. Still got fed up enough that I let the game play, Nathan dying over and over, whilst I watched something else before returning to have another dozen attempts.

 

I spent a fair bit of time with this replay open mouthed at the work that went into the game, Photo-Mode-ing as I went in all its 4K loveliness. It looked pretty terrific on the previous telly but hi-def on a 55" screen really did it justice.

 

I'll get to Lost Legacy once I'm done with HFW.

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

4 hours ago, Classsix T said:

Time to finally get around to having a look at Cyberpunk 2077?

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-15-cyberpunk-2077-ps5-xbox-series-x-s-update-finally-available-today

 

Five hour demo first though, natch.

 

C6T. 

Confirmation that the patched to buggery new-gen console update does have a free to play demo, five hours playtime, only for a month though:

https://kotaku.com/cyberpunk-2077-patch-1-5-combat-perks-traffic-ai-ps5-xb-1848537538

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

On 15/02/2022 at 16:25, scottystitch said:

I didn't mind the sword fight...

 

I am going to see the film tonight, I don't hold out much hope, but the other half wanted to watch something she didn't have to think too hard about and I'm sure this will fit the bill.

 

I'd have much rather someone like HBO had taken this on as a series, and tried to run it faithfully to one of the games.

 

But hey-ho, maybe it will surprise me.

 

Best

Scott.

How'd the movie sit with you then Scott?

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

I don't know whether to be irked with this or not:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-17-one-final-fyi-sony-is-charging-gbp10-more-for-horizon-than-you-need-to-pay-ahead-of-its-launch-tomorrow

I paid for the Digi Deluxe version last November, a chunk of the cost being offset by a PS Store credit as a birthday gift. It's a game I was always going to buy anyway. In the grand scheme of things, I'm not sure if I should be furious at Sony for misleading selling or my giddiness for the game is overwhelming me enough to shrug off a tenner I might have saved if I'd waited until tomorrow.

I suspect the latter. Perhaps any future expansion will be free to mugs like me.

 

Eurogamer's comments suggest the only way out of my case is to cancel the order and get the refund and then repurchase the PS4 version then upgrade. But idk if the digi deluxe version is valid for that...

Meh, the folly of pre-ordering strikes again! C6T

[Reorte]

The lesson is never pre-order anything!

[scottystitch]

12 hours ago, Classsix T said:

How'd the movie sit with you then Scott?

 

C6T. 

Well it depends.  I'm generally quite hard to please when it comes to movies.

 

As a movie, it was pretty poor.  Minimal character development, a lot that didn't make sense, felt rushed. 

 

But as a tie-in with the game, it was probably okay.  There were recognisable scenes from the games - The auction from UC4, the aerial scene from UC3, discovery of the prize from UC4. Nate's brother make an appearance. Some nice touches such as a scene out the back of a C-17A where Nate is jumping from air droppable cargo to air droppable cargo, in a similar (albeit ludicrous) style to that found in the game. Also there is a point when Nate purloins a torso gun holster and puts it on, which is quite pleasing.

 

The only character cast well was Chloe, who I think they got absolutely spot on, but like the other characters, was criminally left under-developed.  Sadly, I just didn't care too much about any of the characters.

 

The film was touted as Indian Jones-esque, when it truth it was nowhere near as professionally put together, despite being reasonably slick in places.  I think it tries to do too much in too short a time and has no real focus.  

 

The dialogue wasn't awful, but the the script fell flat when trying to develop any kind of wise-cracking between Nate and Sully.  The only time it felt like they'd gotten the banter right, was in the closing scene, pre-credits, and then again in the second post-credits scene.

 

I wouldn't say avoid it, but don't rush to see it. In a word, underwhelming. (It suited my SO, since it required zero thought, and there were scenes she recognised from watching me play the games.)

 

As I intimated earlier, it would have been better as a slower burning series or mini-series, perhaps taking one volume of the game and dramatising it almost scene by scene. UC4 would, in my view have been the better one to start with in that vein.  Subsequent series' could then be produced to introduce some back story. Nathan Filian seems the obvious choice to play Nate, who knows, maybe Tom Sellick as Sully...

 

If only I was a mega rich producer.

 

Best

 

Scott.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by scottystitch

[scottystitch]

In other news I had a spare bit of time to give Horizon a go.

 

Very impressed so far. I've not done much, just the first stage of being let loose on my own prior to going to the hunger games proving trials, but what I've seen looks great. Very promising. The machinamels look great.

 

Maybe by the time (if) I finish this, they sequel will be at a silly price too!

 

Best

 

Scott.

[Classsix T]

5 hours ago, scottystitch said:

Maybe by the time (if) I finish this, they sequel will be at a silly price too!

 

Best

 

Scott.

Some might argue it already is. Sigh!

 

C6T. 

[scottystitch]

24 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

Some might argue it already is. Sigh!

 

C6T. 

I see what you did there…

 

Best

 

Scott. 

[Classsix T]

14 minutes ago, scottystitch said:

I see what you did there…

 

Best

 

Scott. 

Well, I'm kinda blasé about it, maybe I coulda saved myself a tenner but I've never minded paying for something worthwhile. Que sera sera.

I'm in no doubt I'll feel I've got value for money with HFW.

 

What I'm more intrigued with is Cyberpunk 2077. As I posted upthread, there's a five hour demo to play, but additionally the full game is currently 50% off in the PS Store (perhaps CD Projekt attempting to rebuild player base bridges). So a year after the game's release, it's apparently fixed (for consoles) and is a penny shy of twenty notes for Sony owners. Despite it being FPS, I really want to like it.

 

C6T. 

[Classsix T]

53 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

What I'm more intrigued with is Cyberpunk 2077. As I posted upthread, there's a five hour demo to play, but additionally the full game is currently 50% off in the PS Store (perhaps CD Projekt attempting to rebuild player base bridges). So a year after the game's release, it's apparently fixed (for consoles) and is a penny shy of twenty notes for Sony owners. Despite it being FPS, I really want to like it.

 

C6T. 

Oh, snap! I jinxed it didn't I?:

https://kotaku.com/cyberpunk-2077-ps4-physical-disc-launch-errors-cdpr-pat-1848562502

 

Christ, what a mess. C6T. 

[scottystitch]

6 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

Oh, snap! I jinxed it didn't I?:

https://kotaku.com/cyberpunk-2077-ps4-physical-disc-launch-errors-cdpr-pat-1848562502

 

Christ, what a mess. C6T. 

Ouch!!