awadama fever
Cardcaptor
I've been playing the free Bleach PS4 game (Brave Souls). Not bad.
What Games Are You Playing?
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D1tchd1gger
Akatsuki
That view after you beat Godrick in Elden Ring is stunning!
Talking of that battle my spirit friends and the NPC had died, I was out of flasks, my health and magic bars were low, and he still had about a fifth left. I used my remaining magic to heal and then just ran straight up to him to wail on him and it worked! He was waving his dragon arm in the air and whatever attack that was didn't hit me and my weapon has bleed damage on it which I guess helped!
João Gomes
Vampire Ninja
The few times I've tried to be greedy during a boss fight, it didn't work out in my favor lol so it's good to see it works out for someone, at least! More than a couple of bosses were dead already (you can't see the red in their healthbar anymore) when they killed me, the mfers!
The game has quite a few of those gasp moments and they're what keeps you pushing to explore. I got to the capital yesterday and I swear the first look you get at an open area there, it looks like a painting - it's mind-blowing. And it begs the question why more developers don't go hard with scale. OK, maybe it means more texture work (or maybe less?) but it's so worth it to feel like a tiny ant (see Xenoblade games and Souls). The environmental art is crazy.
DragoStark
Student Council President
I finished Mass Effect today. Had a lot of fun! Looking forward to ME2, especially as my decisions in the first game impact the sequels (love that)
I also finished Nier:Automata. Properly this time!
I do want to plat the game tho so will playing it a bit more. Not gonna lie, I'm probably gonna "buy" the most time consuming achievements because I really don't have the time to grind these kind of things out when I have so many other games to play.
Next up on the PS4 when I'm done with Nier will be The Last of Us. I've had it sitting there sealed for years. About time I got to it really!
I also finished Nier:Automata. Properly this time!
I do want to plat the game tho so will playing it a bit more. Not gonna lie, I'm probably gonna "buy" the most time consuming achievements because I really don't have the time to grind these kind of things out when I have so many other games to play.
Next up on the PS4 when I'm done with Nier will be The Last of Us. I've had it sitting there sealed for years. About time I got to it really!
João Gomes
Vampire Ninja
Nier Automata is excellent but it keeps a lot of what is great about it well into the game. But it's worth the investment. The soundtrack is magical.
The Last of Us is crazy good, too. Hope you haven't been spoiled on anything. Part II is only one of the best games ever created, too.
The Last of Us is crazy good, too. Hope you haven't been spoiled on anything. Part II is only one of the best games ever created, too.
DragoStark
Student Council President
I think I have been spoilt on TLoU ending but it was so long ago I don't actually remember what it was haha. All the better for me. Having a bad memory pays off
Dai
Thousand Master
Atelier Sophie 2
Another strong entry in the series. We get another lively cast of new characters, a beautiful world to explore, another great soundtrack, and an interesting story. As is generally the case with Atelier games it's a self-contained story that will work for newcomers, but you'll get more out of it if you play the original Sophie game first, due to certain characters and who show up.
After the real-time battle system of Ryza, this is a return to turn-based battles, and adds some new mechanics that keep things interesting. It's quite similar to Final Fantasy X in the way that active party members can be swapped out at almost any time, either to chain together attacks or defend in an emergency, which ramps up your tactical options for any encounter. The use of dynamic camera movement and wild attack animations deserve special mention for making the battles feel fast-paced and exciting despite the stop/start nature of the turn-based system.
The alchemy system likewise returns to the Tetris-style grid of Sophie 1, but with some enhancements that make it more complex and engaging. Even the series staple activity of gathering materials sees some new mechanics, with mini-games added to certain gathering spots that add some variety and don't outstay their welcome since they're not too frequent.
Between the recent Atelier games, Blue Reflection: Second Light, and now Atelier Sophie 2, Gust are on a roll at the moment.
Another strong entry in the series. We get another lively cast of new characters, a beautiful world to explore, another great soundtrack, and an interesting story. As is generally the case with Atelier games it's a self-contained story that will work for newcomers, but you'll get more out of it if you play the original Sophie game first, due to certain characters and who show up.
After the real-time battle system of Ryza, this is a return to turn-based battles, and adds some new mechanics that keep things interesting. It's quite similar to Final Fantasy X in the way that active party members can be swapped out at almost any time, either to chain together attacks or defend in an emergency, which ramps up your tactical options for any encounter. The use of dynamic camera movement and wild attack animations deserve special mention for making the battles feel fast-paced and exciting despite the stop/start nature of the turn-based system.
The alchemy system likewise returns to the Tetris-style grid of Sophie 1, but with some enhancements that make it more complex and engaging. Even the series staple activity of gathering materials sees some new mechanics, with mini-games added to certain gathering spots that add some variety and don't outstay their welcome since they're not too frequent.
Between the recent Atelier games, Blue Reflection: Second Light, and now Atelier Sophie 2, Gust are on a roll at the moment.
Gust also do a decent job getting their games running at around 30fps on the Nintendo Switch too. Where as Compile Heart games(Death End Re quest, Neptunia etc) are a disaster with unstable & low framerate issues. For a niche developer they're clawing their way into mainstream and when they get there it'll be much deserved.
awadama fever
Cardcaptor
I've been playing Ace Attorney Investigations. It's very slow (there's no way to speed the text up) and a bit dull compared to the rest of the series, but it's still enjoyable.
I'd put it pretty low on my ranking of AA games - but I still like it.
I'd put it pretty low on my ranking of AA games - but I still like it.
João Gomes
Vampire Ninja
Got the platinum for Elden Ring yesterday at 83h. Did a bunch of npc quests but missed a lot, too. I feel like maybe I didn't discover every single cave around but I was probably close.
The hype is justified. The world is intricate and home to many compelling characters. The most amazing thing about this game is how deeply it immerses you in its world and its goings-on, making you cross paths (or swords, mostly - no one comes to these games for the dialogue choices, anyway) with just about anyone that matters or mattered. It's very thorough in that regard.
You'll come to your own understanding of what motivates these people, creatures and demigods, why the world is in the state it is - all through the Miyazaki ™ style of storytelling. A passing mention of a character's motivation or circumstances in an item description is enough to send your mind soaring and make you eager to know more. It's the puzzle that keeps on giving.
Finding a place where something bad clearly happened, finding out who the actors were, the reasons and their personal circumstances, fighting them and seeing their prowess up close, lamenting the sorrow of their current predicament. It's so satisfying to create a picture in your mind's eye.
The world is one of the best of its kind. Top 3 for me with Shadow of the Colossus and Arkham City. Beautiful vistas, surprising connections, immense variety, caves hidden everywhere - your exploration is rewarded at every turn in one way or another. An ominous door deep, deep underground, an underwater cave, a hidden passage after a hidden passage - it's designed to be exciting at all times.
It bears acknowledging that there's a lot of repeat bosses (a lot) but the combat is so engaging that it never felt like a problem. There are a lot of memorable ones, too. Level design is very intricate and some of the best they've done, in my opinion.
A masterpiece.
The hype is justified. The world is intricate and home to many compelling characters. The most amazing thing about this game is how deeply it immerses you in its world and its goings-on, making you cross paths (or swords, mostly - no one comes to these games for the dialogue choices, anyway) with just about anyone that matters or mattered. It's very thorough in that regard.
You'll come to your own understanding of what motivates these people, creatures and demigods, why the world is in the state it is - all through the Miyazaki ™ style of storytelling. A passing mention of a character's motivation or circumstances in an item description is enough to send your mind soaring and make you eager to know more. It's the puzzle that keeps on giving.
Finding a place where something bad clearly happened, finding out who the actors were, the reasons and their personal circumstances, fighting them and seeing their prowess up close, lamenting the sorrow of their current predicament. It's so satisfying to create a picture in your mind's eye.
The world is one of the best of its kind. Top 3 for me with Shadow of the Colossus and Arkham City. Beautiful vistas, surprising connections, immense variety, caves hidden everywhere - your exploration is rewarded at every turn in one way or another. An ominous door deep, deep underground, an underwater cave, a hidden passage after a hidden passage - it's designed to be exciting at all times.
It bears acknowledging that there's a lot of repeat bosses (a lot) but the combat is so engaging that it never felt like a problem. There are a lot of memorable ones, too. Level design is very intricate and some of the best they've done, in my opinion.
A masterpiece.
Another month, another batch of games.
Game: 07 - Super Robot Wars V (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: July 2019
Game: 08 - Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: March 2022
My backlog so far:
52 Games Goal:
Game: 07 - Super Robot Wars V (PlayStation 4)
Acquired: July 2019
A few years ago, the Super Robot Wars franchise finally received an English localisation for the international audience on their crossover games, starting off with Super Robot Wars V which is the start of a new trilogy that included X & T.
V, is just like the other games in the franchise in which it's a tactical RPG that lets you control multiple mecha units on the board to defeat the other opponents. You can get as many as about 16-20 units on the map at once and can control each of them at any time as long as its your turn on the battle. In V, you also have commander ship types that you must protect otherwise it's game over and you start the fight all over again. There are no checkpoints, though you can put the game on standby and come back to the same point later.
V includes a number of anime franchises, most are from Sunrise. The main ones are from the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise with the Universal Century timeline titles like Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Hathaway and Crossbone Gundam. There's also alternate timeline Gundam titles like Gundam 00 and Gundam SEED. Plus you have Full Metal Panic!, Martian Successor Nadesico, Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons, Getter Robo Armageddon, Mazinger Z: The Impact!, Rebuild of Evangelion, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Brave Express Might Gaine and also classic Yoshiyuki Tomino shows Super Machine Zambot 3 and The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3.
While this game is a mish-mash of franchise, it is highly recommended that you know the whole storyline for a lot of these due to spoilers on specific plot points that appear. The main ones in particular are Gundam Unicorn, Gundam 00 the Movie, Nadesico the Movie, Cross Ange, and Space Battleship Yamato 2199. The rest do cover aspects but they're not the main focus or can be skipped due to multiple branches along the way.
Also to note, due to licensing reasons, you can't take screencaps or take recordings for any of the gameplay for Super Robot Wars.
The game starts off with two characters that you can chose to play as; Soji Murakumo and Chitose Kisaragi, each mostly cover the same main story but they do have different dialogue choices and the final few scenarios will differ depending on which character you chose. Along the way, you also have sub-scenario paths that you can decide where to go, but it does mean you only have access to specific units in your team. In addition there are also secret scenarios that are available which will unlock extra units for instance Bonta-kun and Evangelion: Unit 13. I have not managed to go through these secret scenarios but I did unlock the original Super Robot Wars characters from previous games along the way.
There are also two difficulty mode options; Beginner Mode which will let you breeze through the story without too much issue, and Standard Mode which is an interesting mix between Normal and Hard difficulty depending on whether you manage to win SR points. SR points are achieved by doing specific tasks like killing all enemies before the boss within a few turns etc. The more SR points you acquire, the harder the game will be.
During combat, you have a grid where you can control your team. Like Fire Emblem, you have limited space to move your character and can choose whether they should attack or standby. If you attack, you can also use special points to use abilities like extra power or 100% dodge their attacks. Speaking of percentages, the way the attacks work is like a game of chance. 100% means you are 100% likely to make a hit against the opponent, while 0% means they will dodge it completely and the same applies to the opponents against you. If you lose your HP, the character is out of the battle, however if that person is a major character in the scenario it can lead to a game over so be careful. Fortunately, the game is very generous on how you can handle specific situations.
The options available also include Spirit commands like dealing extra damage, an extra action and also have your teammates provide you with HP, SP points, 100% dodge success, and a special combo of abilities that let you increase accuracy and dodge completely which is very handy if you can't heal at that moment. You can also upgrade these abilities and improve the characters and their mechs in-between scenarios using money. The money can be used to improve their HP, Armour, Sight, Mobility and EM points.
My team mainly consisted of my MC, the two SRW original characters as well as Setsuna (Gundam 00), Maito (Brave Express Might Gaine), Akito (Nadesico), Ryoma (Getter Robo Armageddon), Tetsuya (Great Mazinger), Ange (Cross Ange), Salia (Cross Ange), Hilda (Cross Ange), Amuro (Gundam: Char's Counterattack), Tobia (Crossbone Gundam), Athrun (Gundam SEED), Kira (Gundam SEED), Sousuke (Full Metal Panic!), Kouji Kabuto (Mazinger Z), Shinji (Evangelion), Judau (Gundam ZZ), Hathaway (Gundam Hathaway) and Banagher (Gundam Unicorn).
If you upgrade your team members consistently, they will be really good during combat and can make or break the situation you're in, especially those that will provide a game over if you don't defeat all of the enemies within a specific number of turns.
The story of Super Robot Wars V, despite the recaps of specific storylines of various anime titles, is pretty solid and the dialogue interactions between each character is great. It also helps that this is a pretty long game, so there's enough room to develop each one. The first playthrough will take 42.5 hours at least on Standard Mode, and that includes a couple game overs here and there. The hardest parts were in fact the ones where you had to fight the Evangelion due to their unique fighting capabilities (you can't deal damage to them unless your attack power is roughly 4500 or higher in a sense). The game does provide New Game+ so you can carry over your money and progress over to the next playthrough.
Despite not having much knowledge for some of the shows here, it has done a great job introducing me to Getter Robo, Mazinger Z and Brave Express Might Gaine and their battle animations were all pretty epic. In addition, I also liked the Cross Ange cast considering the show's reputation so I look forward to watching the anime for each of these (depending on availability of course). Yamato 2199's involvement was also great though the artstyle for some of the characters are slightly off (likely because they couldn't use the original artstyle for approval reasons or other matters).
In terms of criticisms, the final quarter of the game does get very anime in terms of the battles. What I mean by this is that once you finish the enemies or the main goal, more enemies show up on the other side of the map which basically extends the runtime of the battle which can be quite tedious. It does get even more insane the closer you finish the story. The other criticism I have is with the main character Soji who is actually pretty unlikeable due to the way he interacts with everyone around him, and you can tell some of the characters ain't a fan of him. He's just cringe for a lot of the conversations unfortunately.
Overall, Super Robot Wars V has been a blast to play. The combat is fun, the character interactions work really well, visually its very retro but it works and the pacing is pretty solid. The game is also quite expensive because it's only available in Asia, so you'll need to rely on Bazaar Bazaar or Play-Asia to find a physical copy or download via the Singapore PSN/eShop store to get the English version. Super Robot Wars V is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch and Steam (Asia only).
V, is just like the other games in the franchise in which it's a tactical RPG that lets you control multiple mecha units on the board to defeat the other opponents. You can get as many as about 16-20 units on the map at once and can control each of them at any time as long as its your turn on the battle. In V, you also have commander ship types that you must protect otherwise it's game over and you start the fight all over again. There are no checkpoints, though you can put the game on standby and come back to the same point later.
V includes a number of anime franchises, most are from Sunrise. The main ones are from the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise with the Universal Century timeline titles like Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Hathaway and Crossbone Gundam. There's also alternate timeline Gundam titles like Gundam 00 and Gundam SEED. Plus you have Full Metal Panic!, Martian Successor Nadesico, Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons, Getter Robo Armageddon, Mazinger Z: The Impact!, Rebuild of Evangelion, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Brave Express Might Gaine and also classic Yoshiyuki Tomino shows Super Machine Zambot 3 and The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3.
While this game is a mish-mash of franchise, it is highly recommended that you know the whole storyline for a lot of these due to spoilers on specific plot points that appear. The main ones in particular are Gundam Unicorn, Gundam 00 the Movie, Nadesico the Movie, Cross Ange, and Space Battleship Yamato 2199. The rest do cover aspects but they're not the main focus or can be skipped due to multiple branches along the way.
Also to note, due to licensing reasons, you can't take screencaps or take recordings for any of the gameplay for Super Robot Wars.
The game starts off with two characters that you can chose to play as; Soji Murakumo and Chitose Kisaragi, each mostly cover the same main story but they do have different dialogue choices and the final few scenarios will differ depending on which character you chose. Along the way, you also have sub-scenario paths that you can decide where to go, but it does mean you only have access to specific units in your team. In addition there are also secret scenarios that are available which will unlock extra units for instance Bonta-kun and Evangelion: Unit 13. I have not managed to go through these secret scenarios but I did unlock the original Super Robot Wars characters from previous games along the way.
There are also two difficulty mode options; Beginner Mode which will let you breeze through the story without too much issue, and Standard Mode which is an interesting mix between Normal and Hard difficulty depending on whether you manage to win SR points. SR points are achieved by doing specific tasks like killing all enemies before the boss within a few turns etc. The more SR points you acquire, the harder the game will be.
During combat, you have a grid where you can control your team. Like Fire Emblem, you have limited space to move your character and can choose whether they should attack or standby. If you attack, you can also use special points to use abilities like extra power or 100% dodge their attacks. Speaking of percentages, the way the attacks work is like a game of chance. 100% means you are 100% likely to make a hit against the opponent, while 0% means they will dodge it completely and the same applies to the opponents against you. If you lose your HP, the character is out of the battle, however if that person is a major character in the scenario it can lead to a game over so be careful. Fortunately, the game is very generous on how you can handle specific situations.
The options available also include Spirit commands like dealing extra damage, an extra action and also have your teammates provide you with HP, SP points, 100% dodge success, and a special combo of abilities that let you increase accuracy and dodge completely which is very handy if you can't heal at that moment. You can also upgrade these abilities and improve the characters and their mechs in-between scenarios using money. The money can be used to improve their HP, Armour, Sight, Mobility and EM points.
My team mainly consisted of my MC, the two SRW original characters as well as Setsuna (Gundam 00), Maito (Brave Express Might Gaine), Akito (Nadesico), Ryoma (Getter Robo Armageddon), Tetsuya (Great Mazinger), Ange (Cross Ange), Salia (Cross Ange), Hilda (Cross Ange), Amuro (Gundam: Char's Counterattack), Tobia (Crossbone Gundam), Athrun (Gundam SEED), Kira (Gundam SEED), Sousuke (Full Metal Panic!), Kouji Kabuto (Mazinger Z), Shinji (Evangelion), Judau (Gundam ZZ), Hathaway (Gundam Hathaway) and Banagher (Gundam Unicorn).
If you upgrade your team members consistently, they will be really good during combat and can make or break the situation you're in, especially those that will provide a game over if you don't defeat all of the enemies within a specific number of turns.
The story of Super Robot Wars V, despite the recaps of specific storylines of various anime titles, is pretty solid and the dialogue interactions between each character is great. It also helps that this is a pretty long game, so there's enough room to develop each one. The first playthrough will take 42.5 hours at least on Standard Mode, and that includes a couple game overs here and there. The hardest parts were in fact the ones where you had to fight the Evangelion due to their unique fighting capabilities (you can't deal damage to them unless your attack power is roughly 4500 or higher in a sense). The game does provide New Game+ so you can carry over your money and progress over to the next playthrough.
Despite not having much knowledge for some of the shows here, it has done a great job introducing me to Getter Robo, Mazinger Z and Brave Express Might Gaine and their battle animations were all pretty epic. In addition, I also liked the Cross Ange cast considering the show's reputation so I look forward to watching the anime for each of these (depending on availability of course). Yamato 2199's involvement was also great though the artstyle for some of the characters are slightly off (likely because they couldn't use the original artstyle for approval reasons or other matters).
In terms of criticisms, the final quarter of the game does get very anime in terms of the battles. What I mean by this is that once you finish the enemies or the main goal, more enemies show up on the other side of the map which basically extends the runtime of the battle which can be quite tedious. It does get even more insane the closer you finish the story. The other criticism I have is with the main character Soji who is actually pretty unlikeable due to the way he interacts with everyone around him, and you can tell some of the characters ain't a fan of him. He's just cringe for a lot of the conversations unfortunately.
Overall, Super Robot Wars V has been a blast to play. The combat is fun, the character interactions work really well, visually its very retro but it works and the pacing is pretty solid. The game is also quite expensive because it's only available in Asia, so you'll need to rely on Bazaar Bazaar or Play-Asia to find a physical copy or download via the Singapore PSN/eShop store to get the English version. Super Robot Wars V is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch and Steam (Asia only).
Game: 08 - Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: March 2022
I haven't played a solid racing game in a long while. I grew up playing Burnout 3 and enjoyed similar arcade type games like Mario Kart and Sonic All-Stars Racing, but in general I never really felt like I had a good grasp of the more realistic type racing games. The closest I could think of was DiRT 2 back on Xbox 360 but the one that many think of when it comes to realism is Sony's Gran Turismo franchise which I honestly felt I couldn't get into due to its tagline - "A Real Driving Simulator".
But Gran Turismo 7 was advertised as an newcomer friendly experience and I decided to jump in and pre-order it just to give it a shot, as I did manage to try out the GT Sport Beta demo when it was available for a short time. While it doesn't have the arcade drift, Gran Turismo 7 was the biggest surprise I have had for a racing game in a long while.
So the way the game works is that you have an area hub with different options that you can access, but for single-player gamers the main place to go is the Cafe, which is where you go through these Menu Books which are essentially "compete in these races to unlock these three cars" and you don't have to be in 1st place (the requirements are 1st, 2nd or 3rd place) but I always make sure when I can possible to reach the 1st rank as this is a racing game after all. There are a total of 39 overall and once you finish them, the game credits will play but you still have the post-game content which is basically you do whatever you want going forward. All the races that the Cafe asks you to compete in are located in World Circuit which is split into different regions; America, Europe, and Asia-Oceania with about 34 locations total as of the time of this write-up.
Alongside the Cafe we have Sports mode which I honestly don't bother with due to the specific requirements which I find to be overly complicated and messy, and you also need PlayStation Plus to access these anyway. For the fancy photos you can take with your car, the Scapes section is for you and it's very well detailed. You can also try out different mission and license challenges which are tasks like finish a race as fast as possible, and reach first without touching a car, wall or go off track. They are very challenging and I recommend you disable auto-brakes to get a better result.
There are currently 424 cars in the game from different manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and many more. There's a lot, and you can acquire more cars by either winning specific races, beating missions and license challenges to Gold or Bronze ranks, and even buy new or used cars. The game does rely heavily on the GT credits so you'll have to continue winning races to earn more, or spend microtransactions to speed up the process. There are also ticket roulettes which are basically lootboxes but you can actually see what the items have to offer as you try it out. You can buy new cars in Brand Central, buy used cars in Used Cars and if you are super rich, there's also the Legend Cars section.
As I'm playing the PlayStation 5 version of the game, it runs really well with fast loading times, solid presentation and a consistent 60 frames per second. There is an option for ray-tracing but it apparently reduces the FPS so I didn't see the point in using it. The most interesting part of the gameplay is the weather as it changes throughout the course of the race - so it can go from a nice sunny day to torrential rain that will impact your performance. The best one is in my opinion driving in the nightime as your car's headlights will display and you need to be cautious as you steer throughout the path. The maps are also varied from areas in America, Europe and Asia. The Japan levels are pretty fun as you drive through big cities while the others are neat in terms of driving through forests. There are also dirt track levels that will challenge you in terms of patience.
Going back to the topic of the Cafe tasks, one thing to pay attention with when you progress through the game is the Performance Points (PP) which will determine whether your car is in the right range to be strong enough to reach the top spot of the race. For instance if you are heading to a race that requires 600 PP, you'll want a car that is close to that number. I do warn you though as you will also need a car that is fast enough to catch up to the top three spots as you always start later than the other drivers. In addition, you can upgrade your car in the Tuning Shop to increase the PP value with different tires, engines, brakes and more.
However, by upgrading the PP value you will also be at risk of causing your car to swerve so ridiculously it would be extremely difficult to progress in the races that require you to go left and right each few seconds - and this can make or break the results of your race. The TCS will also help you out depending on the situation as it will make taking corners much smoother but you're at a risk of having your car swerve much faster on faster speeds.
In addition to the Tuning Shop, there's also GT Auto where you can clean your car, do a quick maintenance so that it's running properly and even customise it with colours or decals. Before you start a race you can also do a last minute adjustment to the car of choice by swapping tires that best fit the condition of the race and even make manual amendments in the settings to your preference of speed and performance.
In terms of playtime, I spent a solid 28 hours in total going through all of the menu books and earning at least Gold rank on three of the five license challenge sections available. As much as I do recommend Gran Turismo 7 a lot, this is an 'Always Online' game - because the developers want to avoid cheating in the multiplayer, and combined with the massive amount of grinding needed to get all of the cars (which the developers have done to push people into spending real money through Microtransactions) will ruin your experience if you want to go for 100% at a suitable pace.
I can confirm you do not need to spend microtransactions at all for the single-player campaign as you will earn enough credits to upgrade your car's performance and acquire a new car or two here and there to progress. But saying that, the issue is still there in terms of the credit earnings from the races, which has been reduced to avoid people earning credits faster in the latest update, and the always online experience has caused the game to be unplayable for 30 hours straight which is unacceptable. If this game had offline access and no forced grinding to complete the game then I would have given it a solid 9/10, but for now it's like a 7.5/10.
Saying that, it's only been a few weeks since Gran Turismo 7 has been released - there's still time for Sony to listen to feedback and make the game better than its current state. Due to the always online setup I will have to suggest you go for the digital route in this instance (and assuming you have 107GB of storage space!).
But Gran Turismo 7 was advertised as an newcomer friendly experience and I decided to jump in and pre-order it just to give it a shot, as I did manage to try out the GT Sport Beta demo when it was available for a short time. While it doesn't have the arcade drift, Gran Turismo 7 was the biggest surprise I have had for a racing game in a long while.
So the way the game works is that you have an area hub with different options that you can access, but for single-player gamers the main place to go is the Cafe, which is where you go through these Menu Books which are essentially "compete in these races to unlock these three cars" and you don't have to be in 1st place (the requirements are 1st, 2nd or 3rd place) but I always make sure when I can possible to reach the 1st rank as this is a racing game after all. There are a total of 39 overall and once you finish them, the game credits will play but you still have the post-game content which is basically you do whatever you want going forward. All the races that the Cafe asks you to compete in are located in World Circuit which is split into different regions; America, Europe, and Asia-Oceania with about 34 locations total as of the time of this write-up.
Alongside the Cafe we have Sports mode which I honestly don't bother with due to the specific requirements which I find to be overly complicated and messy, and you also need PlayStation Plus to access these anyway. For the fancy photos you can take with your car, the Scapes section is for you and it's very well detailed. You can also try out different mission and license challenges which are tasks like finish a race as fast as possible, and reach first without touching a car, wall or go off track. They are very challenging and I recommend you disable auto-brakes to get a better result.
There are currently 424 cars in the game from different manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and many more. There's a lot, and you can acquire more cars by either winning specific races, beating missions and license challenges to Gold or Bronze ranks, and even buy new or used cars. The game does rely heavily on the GT credits so you'll have to continue winning races to earn more, or spend microtransactions to speed up the process. There are also ticket roulettes which are basically lootboxes but you can actually see what the items have to offer as you try it out. You can buy new cars in Brand Central, buy used cars in Used Cars and if you are super rich, there's also the Legend Cars section.
As I'm playing the PlayStation 5 version of the game, it runs really well with fast loading times, solid presentation and a consistent 60 frames per second. There is an option for ray-tracing but it apparently reduces the FPS so I didn't see the point in using it. The most interesting part of the gameplay is the weather as it changes throughout the course of the race - so it can go from a nice sunny day to torrential rain that will impact your performance. The best one is in my opinion driving in the nightime as your car's headlights will display and you need to be cautious as you steer throughout the path. The maps are also varied from areas in America, Europe and Asia. The Japan levels are pretty fun as you drive through big cities while the others are neat in terms of driving through forests. There are also dirt track levels that will challenge you in terms of patience.
Going back to the topic of the Cafe tasks, one thing to pay attention with when you progress through the game is the Performance Points (PP) which will determine whether your car is in the right range to be strong enough to reach the top spot of the race. For instance if you are heading to a race that requires 600 PP, you'll want a car that is close to that number. I do warn you though as you will also need a car that is fast enough to catch up to the top three spots as you always start later than the other drivers. In addition, you can upgrade your car in the Tuning Shop to increase the PP value with different tires, engines, brakes and more.
However, by upgrading the PP value you will also be at risk of causing your car to swerve so ridiculously it would be extremely difficult to progress in the races that require you to go left and right each few seconds - and this can make or break the results of your race. The TCS will also help you out depending on the situation as it will make taking corners much smoother but you're at a risk of having your car swerve much faster on faster speeds.
In addition to the Tuning Shop, there's also GT Auto where you can clean your car, do a quick maintenance so that it's running properly and even customise it with colours or decals. Before you start a race you can also do a last minute adjustment to the car of choice by swapping tires that best fit the condition of the race and even make manual amendments in the settings to your preference of speed and performance.
In terms of playtime, I spent a solid 28 hours in total going through all of the menu books and earning at least Gold rank on three of the five license challenge sections available. As much as I do recommend Gran Turismo 7 a lot, this is an 'Always Online' game - because the developers want to avoid cheating in the multiplayer, and combined with the massive amount of grinding needed to get all of the cars (which the developers have done to push people into spending real money through Microtransactions) will ruin your experience if you want to go for 100% at a suitable pace.
I can confirm you do not need to spend microtransactions at all for the single-player campaign as you will earn enough credits to upgrade your car's performance and acquire a new car or two here and there to progress. But saying that, the issue is still there in terms of the credit earnings from the races, which has been reduced to avoid people earning credits faster in the latest update, and the always online experience has caused the game to be unplayable for 30 hours straight which is unacceptable. If this game had offline access and no forced grinding to complete the game then I would have given it a solid 9/10, but for now it's like a 7.5/10.
Saying that, it's only been a few weeks since Gran Turismo 7 has been released - there's still time for Sony to listen to feedback and make the game better than its current state. Due to the always online setup I will have to suggest you go for the digital route in this instance (and assuming you have 107GB of storage space!).
My backlog so far:
# | PC/Steam Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky | Turn-Based RPG |
2 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC | Turn-Based RPG |
# | PlayStation 3 Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | 3D Dot Game Heroes | Action RPG |
2 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow | Action, Hack n Slash |
3 | Catherine | Puzzle |
4 | Drakengard 3 | Action RPG |
5 | Eternal Sonata | Turn-Based RPG |
6 | Folklore | Action RPG |
7 | inFAMOUS | Action |
8 | inFAMOUS 2 | Action |
9 | Katamari Forever | Puzzle |
10 | Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch | Turn-Based RPG |
11 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time HD | Action, Hack n Slash |
12 | Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones HD | Action, Hack n Slash |
13 | Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD | Action, Hack n Slash |
14 | Puppeteer | Platformer |
15 | Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One | Action, Platformer |
16 | Ratchet & Clank: QForce | Action, Platformer |
17 | Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles HD | On-Rails Shooter |
18 | Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles HD | On-Rails Shooter |
19 | Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time | Action, Platformer |
20 | Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord | Tactical RPG, Visual Novel |
21 | Way of the Samurai 4 | Action |
# | PlayStation 4 Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | Tactical RPG, Visual Novel |
2 | AI: The Somnium Files | Adventure, Visual Novel |
3 | Black Clover: Quartet Knights | Action, Fighting |
4 | Bullet Girls Phantasia | Action, Shooter |
5 | The Caligula Effect: Overdose | Turn-Based RPG |
6 | Chaos;Child | Visual Novel |
7 | Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars | Turn-Based RPG |
8 | Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses Online | Action RPG |
9 | Danganronpa 1 Reload | Visual Novel |
10 | Danganronpa 2 Reload | Visual Novel |
11 | Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony | Visual Novel |
12 | Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 1: Rinne Utopia | Visual Novel, Dating Sim |
13 | Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 2: Ars Install | Visual Novel, Dating Sim |
14 | Date A Live: Rio-Reincarnation - 3: Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation | Visual Novel, Dating Sim |
15 | Death Mark | Visual Novel |
16 | Dragon's Crown Pro | Action RPG |
17 | Fate/Extella Link | Musou |
18 | Final Fantasy VIII Remastered | Turn-Based RPG |
19 | Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Win | Tactical RPG |
20 | Gal*Gun 2 | On-Rails Shooter |
21 | Gintama Rumble | Action, Musou |
22 | Gravity Rush 2 | Action, Platformer |
23 | Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate | Action RPG |
24 | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven | Fighting |
25 | Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa | Puzzle, Visual Novel |
26 | Langrisser | Tactical RPG |
27 | Langrisser II | Tactical RPG |
28 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel | Turn-Based RPG |
29 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II | Turn-Based RPG |
30 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III | Turn-Based RPG |
31 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV | Turn-Based RPG |
32 | Megadimension Neptunia VII | Turn-Based RPG |
33 | Megadimension Neptunia VIIR | Turn-Based RPG |
34 | NG | Visual Novel |
35 | Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm | Action, Fighting |
36 | Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 | Action, Fighting |
37 | Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 | Action, Fighting |
38 | Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | Action RPG |
39 | Nights of Azure | Action RPG |
40 | Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon | Action RPG |
41 | One Piece Unlimited World Red | Action |
42 | One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 | Musou |
43 | Onechanbara Z2: Chaos | Action |
44 | Our World Is Ended | Visual Novel |
45 | Persona 5 Royal | Turn-Based RPG |
46 | Punch Line | Visual Novel |
47 | Raging Loop | Visual Novel |
48 | Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the Throne | Visual Novel |
49 | Robotics;Notes DaSH | Visual Novel |
50 | Robotics;Notes ELITE | Visual Novel |
51 | School Girl / Zombie Hunter | Action, Shooter |
52 | SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays | Tactical RPG |
53 | SD Gundam G Generation Genesis | Tactical RPG |
54 | Secret of Mana | Action RPG |
55 | Sengoku Basara 4: Sumeragi | Musou |
56 | Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal | Action |
57 | Shining Resonance: Refrain | Action RPG |
58 | Sisters Royale | Shoot em up |
59 | Steins;Gate Elite | Visual Novel |
60 | Steins;Gate: Linear Bound Phenogram | Visual Novel |
61 | Super Robot Wars 30 | Tactical RPG |
62 | Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers | Tactical RPG |
63 | Super Robot Wars T | Tactical RPG |
64 | Super Robot Wars X | Tactical RPG |
65 | Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet | Action RPG |
66 | Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions! | Music, Rhythm |
67 | Tales of Berseria | Action RPG |
68 | Tales of Vesperia | Action RPG |
69 | Tales of Zestiria | Action RPG |
70 | Tokyo Xanadu eX+ | Action RPG |
71 | Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception | Tactical RPG, Visual Novel |
72 | Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth | Tactical RPG, Visual Novel |
73 | Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen | Tactical RPG, Visual Novel |
74 | Utawarerumono: Zan | Action, Musou |
75 | Valkyria Chronicles 4 | Tactical RPG |
76 | The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival Edition | Action RPG |
77 | WORLDEND SYNDROME | Visual Novel |
78 | YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World | Visual Novel |
79 | Ys IX: Monstrum Nox | Action RPG |
| # | PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | Judgment | Action, Beat em up |
2 | Lost Judgment | Action, Beat em up |
3 | Nioh | Action Souls RPG |
4 | Nioh 2 | Action Souls RPG |
5 | Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder Labyrinth | Metroidvania RPG |
6 | Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon | Turn-Based RPG |
# | PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | Bullet Girls | Action, Shooter |
2 | Demon Gaze | Dungeon RPG |
3 | Freedom Wars | Action |
4 | Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart | Tactical RPG |
5 | Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sister's Generation | Turn-Based RPG |
6 | Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation | Turn-Based RPG |
7 | Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed | Action |
8 | MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies | Action, Musou |
9 | Muv-Luv | Visual Novel, Dating Sim |
10 | Muv-Luv Alternative | Visual Novel |
11 | Superdimension Neptune vs SEGA Hard Girls | Turn-Based RPG |
12 | Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni | Action |
| # | Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name: | Genre: |
|---|---|---|
1 | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Tactical RPG |
2 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Racing |
3 | Senran Kagura Reflexions | Simulation |
4 | Super Mario 64 | Action, Platformer |
5 | Super Mario Galaxy | Action, Platformer |
6 | Super Mario Sunshine | Action, Platformer |
7 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Fighting |
8 | Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition | Action RPG |
9 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Action RPG |
| No. | Game | Console | Acquired | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes | PS3 | 2017 | Musou |
2 | Toukiden 2 | PS4 | 2019 | Hunter RPG |
3 | Fist of the Nort Star: Lost Paradise | PS4 | 2019 | Action Beat em Up |
4 | JUMP FORCE | PS4 | 2022 | Fighting |
5 | Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul | PS4 | 2020 | Fighting |
6 | Code Vein | PS4 | 2020 | Action Souls RPG |
7 | Super Robot Wars V | PS4 | 2019 | Tactical RPG |
8 | Gran Turismo 7 | PS5 | 2022 | Racing |
SteadyHandMcDuff
Dandy Guy, in Space
Romancing SaGa 3 Remastered.
I'm really enjoying the story so far. What's unique about the series is how it doesn't give a set path; you have a prologue, then it sends you on your way, free to explore any towns and quests as you wish, as you strive towards the main goal of the story.
I'm also a fan of it's unique levelling system. Unlike most JRPGs you dont unlock new skills by levelling up. You learn the new skills directly in battle, mostly against tough enemies. E.g. you're facing a difficult enemy, then you will 'spark' new abilities there and then. This makes the encounters that much more exciting imo.
I'm really enjoying the story so far. What's unique about the series is how it doesn't give a set path; you have a prologue, then it sends you on your way, free to explore any towns and quests as you wish, as you strive towards the main goal of the story.
I'm also a fan of it's unique levelling system. Unlike most JRPGs you dont unlock new skills by levelling up. You learn the new skills directly in battle, mostly against tough enemies. E.g. you're facing a difficult enemy, then you will 'spark' new abilities there and then. This makes the encounters that much more exciting imo.
Winkuru
Great Teacher
So i'm far enough into Rune Factory 5 to say that the game's performance on the handheld mode can be pretty bad on some minor occasions and definitely not ideal in most of the time, but I' been enjoying the game well enough to it not to be a big bother. To those willing to wait i would say (based on handheld mode) that you should wait for a better version of the game but for those that do not care too much or are itching to play the game, i would say that go for it. The game has some other problems but nothing major.
For Newcomers getting into the series i would strongly advice checking the in game sign for tips because otherwise you are going to miss on lot of things and that can cause some major confusion.
Besides performance issues my biggest gripe is that it doesn't feel like i have really gotten to know the villagers well enough. It seems like this game have mechanic where event's get blocked unless you finish the one that is active and lot of that might be due to it.
For Newcomers getting into the series i would strongly advice checking the in game sign for tips because otherwise you are going to miss on lot of things and that can cause some major confusion.
Besides performance issues my biggest gripe is that it doesn't feel like i have really gotten to know the villagers well enough. It seems like this game have mechanic where event's get blocked unless you finish the one that is active and lot of that might be due to it.
D1tchd1gger
Akatsuki
Blimey I'm at 72 and only just found the key to the Academy. You must have mainlined it or I've been bumbling around a bit too much! I tend to ride around a new area, then explore in a bit more detail, then try an optional boss or 2, go away, grind a bit, try a main boss, then probably die and go away again and then kill main boss, explore new area, etc.
I spent about an hour or 2 yesterday clearing out a castle in Caelid, an area I'm not quite powerful enough for yet, but I got nearly 2 level ups worth of runes from it:
And today I cleared out one of the underground areas, which apart from the bosses, was actually a bit easier than the first underground area you come to. Some really cool scenery down there though:
João Gomes
Vampire Ninja
What level are you?
I actually took my time, exploring and such - I don't rush but I also never grinded levels. Whenever I found I was losing a bit more time with a boss than I wanted, I summoned, which happened twice: the volcano manor boss and the castle sol boss. I lament not having the patience anymore, most of the time
Speaking of the academy, and only as an example, I feel like I did a full sweep of Liurnia of the Lakes twice, top, bottom and everything in between. Near the end, I did a sweep of the land hunting dragons and used a guide to get the stuff I was missing, which was mostly weapons and spirit ashes (even if there's two bosses I don't think I'd have found without it).
Looking really good there! Yeah, that area from your last screenshot is very memorable - I was eager to beat the boss to be able to properly admire the whole thing.
The underground in general is very exciting to explore.
I also recognize the fort from the first screenshot - I had a hard time clearing that out the first time, with all the spirits and stuff but they do give you tons of runes, as you said.
The Caelid main boss is spectacular - the intro, fight and aftermath. Love the story around that character and their rival, if we can say that.
How are you finding the story? Have you found interesting info yet?
D1tchd1gger
Akatsuki
69! Nice!
I summon all the time and still lose to bosses, LOL, although the ones around my level or just above. The one I got stuck on and had to leave even had a fake golden summons and the three of us couldn't get it done. My current spirit of choice is the headless guy.
Story telling is not a big part of From games are they, at least not in getting a cut scene and being told a story, and as you must have picked up in the various simulwatches I like being told what's going on rather than having to search and read up on stuff. So all I have gathered is the Elden Ring shattered or something and I'm out to renew it because the nobles or whatever can't be trusted so the Untarnished were given the right to see the grace or something and the 5 big bosses are the children of the person who was the barer of the Elden Ring?
The mission structure is also pretty bad in places and having no journal system means I've forgotten what I'm supposed to be doing in the sub-quests I've found. For example Ranni's quest, I found the half wolf dude, spoke to him, did everything in the vicinity, went and spoke to him again and nothing changed. Now the only option is to say "I still don't understand" to which he doesn't give a straight answer! Then there's another part of the same sub-quest where I'm supposed to give something to a witch, but according to a guide I was supposed to find her spirit body first and then go and find her physical body, but the physical body was behind an easier boss, so I found that first and she was tied up and unresponsive so I hit her with my weapon and now the spirit body won't appear, so that part is f***ed! You would have thought they'd script it so it could be completed either way!
Still enjoying the exploration and the challenge of the fights though, so I keep going.
João Gomes
Vampire Ninja
69! Nice!
Lol, you actually don't seem overleveled, most of all if we take your playtime into account.
Lol, I can relate to being summoned and sucking really bad and not taking a long time to die, which is why I stopped doing it as early as Godrick - I tried it like a couple of times against the volcano manor boss to gain a bit of experience but in the end I died in a couple of minutes, leaving the host facing a strengthened boss alone
I used Black Knife when I got her, but in some ways it turned things a bit too easy. Whenever I replay the game, I'll try relying less on spirit summons (even if I only started using it well into the game).
Yeah, I guess when I said story, I meant everything it encapsulates, like world-building, lore, characters... You're right that traditional story presentation isn't From's thing.
There's a mix of everything concerning the big bosses: some are demigod children, godrick is a distant relative I think, and another still is a spoiler, so I'll refrain from saying anything. Then there's the hidden bosses, too.
I loved figuring out their connections and relationships. Radhan and anything surrounding him is especially incredible.
I agree that tracking all the npc quests is simply impossible without a guide. Even worse, since it's open world and not very linear, they couldn't be made to progress with you - it would make things easier.
I know exactly what quest you're talking about and I had to use a guide to find her close to Ranni's tower (I think it was) - how the hell were you supposed to figure that one out, seriously.
D1tchd1gger
Akatsuki
Oh, I haven't summed any other players, just the spirits.
I got the NPC back by atoning for my sins! But only after killing Seluvius for being a d**k and then finding out Blaidd wasn't too pleased and killed me and warned me to stay away from Ranni. Having read the guide Seluvius dies in the end anyway.
His fight's a bit dull though. Ride around summoning NPCs and hope they keep him busy. First time I tried, he hit me 3 times with his magic attack from miles away and then more times when he went into his second phase. Haven't beaten him yet, got down to 1/4 health, but the NPCs ran out and I couldn't find a respawn for them quick enough.
Rennala on the other hand was easy, took me a little while to figure out the first stage and was low on flasks for the second part, but got it done second attempt!