I've been playing since I was a kid and played my parents Atari 2600. I whored myself out around the neighborhood when the original NES was coming out and had the necessary $130 in less than a month, just in time for release day. Continued through the Nintendo systems only skipping the game cube. Still own all my playstations and Final Fantasy is my favorite series followed closely by Uncharted.

I just finished Horizon Zero Dawn (playing through the additional content now) and was very impressed with the entire story line and playing mechanics. I played Diablo recently and enjoyed that as well but also like silly games like Ratchet & Clank of which I've played through every iteration multiple times. I prefer strategic games and shoot from cover like uncharted rather than the run and gun FPS's like Fallout and Farcry that my daughter is in to.

For a little nostalgia, I got the new Gauntlet and the kid and I had fun with that for a while. Worth the $10 as that was one of my other favorite series early on.

Another series dies the MMO death, my kid was disappointed when she heard the change for '76. Don't get me wrong, I played WOW for 5 years or so but why does it seem like everyone is heading that direction. I assume that's where the money is....

On that note, there are absolutely no good couch co-ops anymore. I would maybe be able to get my daughter to sit down and play with me but the quality local multiplayer game is an endangered species.

On a good note, all this PS talking by got me thinking of all my favorite games over the years. Sure enough when I googled one, a remastered version for the PS4 comes out in less than 3 weeks; Onimusha Warlords.

Another one of my absolute favorites was The Legend of Dragoon. Man I would like that remastered. It's bad enough that my Amazon preorder for the Final Fantasy 7 remake from 2016 keeps getting pushed back another year every December....

I can't even begin to count the hours I spent on all the crash games having to restart levels to grab all the bananas or because I was crushed by that stupid rolling ball. I used to play WOW vanilla extensively up through the WOTLK in earnest and a little in Cataclysm on the Shadowmoon server. I tend to go a little extreme especially when it came to end game raiding places like ZG, AQ, BWL, ONYX, and fortunately my guild was even working Naxx as well. For the sake of my family life, I retired in 2007-2008.

It actually all started with the WOW RTS games which I had played all of them up through Frozen Throne and still have them on my desktop ready to fire up (usually once a year I'll do another play through). The great news is that they are remastering WCIII including FT and it'll be out next year some time. I love me some RTS especially Star Craft. I prefer the story mode though, not really into playing online with others. I learned my lesson with WOW.....

I just fired up Skyrim for the first time that I've owned for a year or so. Seems really clunky to play. The looting seems overly cumbersome and attacking is really awkward as you only swing in one direction (slowly) and you appear to have to turn your body with a fixed camera and then swing. I'm playing it in 3P so I'm sure that has a little to do with it but I saved it as soon as I got out of the first cave and put it back on the shelf. Meh..

Just finished up GOW..... wow that game is amazing. I am now going to finish the last two Valkyrie's I need, the queen and mess around in Niflheim.

First of all, agreed! That and HZD were my favorite two games that I played last year. Watch the Youtube documentary on GOW being made. It's really well done.

Been having a blast with FF7 remake after pre-ordering back in 2016. The wife and daughter have watched all 40hrs for the most part and have been extremely engaged in the whole story. That's extremely rare especially for my 16 year old.

You have to buy God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn. Great choice with the Uncharted series as well. I'm a big fan of Ratchet and Clank for just some really fun gaming. I am also a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, Bloodstained for some classic Metroidvania action, and I really enjoyed playing Diablo 3 both solo and with my daughter (couch co-ops are unfortunately so rare now).

I for some reason can't play anything first person. Maybe I'm too old and I missed that wave of FPS games. I just can't run one direction while jumping and aiming in another direction. Makes me motion sick. Even something like WOW, I have to use max camera distance. I was always more into RPG, RTS, and adventure games than anything.

Agreed, I'll need a game out that I want to play first. Not really looking to have one early just to sit and wait for a game to come along.

Ohh snap! Love me some GOW!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1306341119664377857

Cant... not... read... "R2D2"...

Tried a few of the Walmart ordering windows today with no luck whatsoever.

My brother who works in IT all day at home at his PC was able to secure me one at Walmart. It literally took him all day with many different browsers open for every place that has a listing up just hitting refresh over and over.

He's a good brother, I think I'll keep him

Now if there were only a game worth playing right now. Definitely want the new HZD, GOW, FF16, and R&C whenever they drop. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy the upgrade on my 4K TV and projector. For some reason I only get pink screen on my projector from my PS4 on HDR. Tinkered with trying to get it to work for a while and then just turned it off.

Amazon has a B2G1 for select Xbox, PS5, PS4, and Switch games. I picked up Valhalla for my brother and I (which is at $49.99 ea.) and a third game all for $104. $35 per game is a pretty good deal.

Only game I've played is Sackboy but I really enjoyed it. I've got everything completed except for that ridiculous last trial. Every trial stacked on top of each other?! GTFO!

I have Valhalla installed but I haven't started it yet. Really looking forward to Ratchet and Clank though, that's one of my favorite series.

Perfect choices there!

I finished it very quickly as well. Going through it again now to fully collect everything. Honestly though while the RAC series is one of my favorites, I can't play this game very long without getting motion sick. Getting old sucks...

I love the story. Rediscovering the past through the extreme future is a very cool idea and they executed it very well.

Lol at least you waited long enough for it to be super cheap. Just in time for the February drop of FW. I plan on playing it over again during the holidays just to freshen it up in my mind for the new one. That'll be my 4th play through.

LoL to mix it up on my last play through I ratcheted up the difficulty to max and went north from the first zone and before I ever cleared the ring (old stadium), I went through and beat all of the frozen wilds (except for the chieftain trials). It was interesting trying to kill all of those OP animals in the Frozen Wilds. Made for real nice challenge that's for sure. Of course after that the rest of the game was very easy with all of the leveling and upgrades you get in the wilds. Not sure how I'll change it up this time, any ideas?

Another killer series. I loved the adventure style Indiana Jones story line and play them like once a year or so. I keep trying to get my daughter to play them and since she loves Tom Holland, I might have an in.

Just started the Demon's Souls remake... yea still trying to wrap my head around dying and starting at the beginning of the zone again (just cleared the first one). I've never been much of a parry or dodger so that makes things interesting.

Just got my $25 BF Guardians from Walmart and they are still shipping the pre-order steelbook with the new non pre-orders. It's a pretty slick looking case.

20211130_180127 (resized).jpg

I got:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut
Spiderman Miles Morales
Hades
Devil Mau Cry 5 Special Edition

I also got my kid a white switch OLED so I get mine back finally. Going to play Metroid Dread then crack into one of the above. I'm most excited for HZDFW in February. I'm going to jump into the first one again in the beginning of February to prepare for it.

Try to the new demon souls for the PS5. It's challenging but definitely doable for us old folks and I really enjoyed it.

I tried as I got the alert as well but nothing within 50 miles of me unfortunately.

I only have 1 ps5 in the house so I bought the PS4 version so my daughter could play it too. It upgraded just fine for free. You do basically have to download the ps5 digital version yet have the disk in to authorize it to play. I'd imagine it takes up a bit more space on the HDD.

HZD is definitely a top 5 game for me. I'm not sure I'm digging all the changes in FW but I'm withholding final judgment until I finish. It definitely completely changes combat and forces you into mele a bunch more. Loot drops are different and you have to purposely shoot items off a machine or they get destroyed when you kill it. Inventory is very different as well. While you don't technically "run out of space" like you did before because all extras automatically go to your stash, you have stack caps that you can't exceed. Causing you to either go to your stash often, or change up your weapon use. They have a bunch of influences from AC, like fighting pits, a board game, etc.. The make also has move sets that you need to activate and then remember similar to Tsushima.

I guess I'm going to have to just get over the fact that my triple nock powershot bow strategy doesn't remotely work in the sequel. Graphics are amazing, especially the water areas. Some of the conversations are actually cut scenes even though they don't look like it so you can't speed the conversation up unless you skip it entirely. The platforming is also a tad janky. They are trying for a BOTW semi climb anywhere scheme. But it's a little funky and often times jumps the wrong way.

I could go on and on but i guess I'll leave it at that for now.

No, the disk is required to play. That's how they get you to not net two games out of the deal.

You need the play disk not the data disk. They definitely thought of that lol.

Hahaha, that's funny. Man what a great game DS is and it's my first souls game. I'm definitely interested in expanding to others based on my experiences with DS.

No, if you don't have the time for DS then don't bother with Elden. Elden takes souls to a massive open world level. That being said, you do have the time/skill for DS. It was my first souls game as well and I did just fine. I very much enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

I loved DS but admittedly not until I followed Cowboy's walk through for the first few sections. As it was my first souls game, I didn't have any idea about character or world tendencies or about dying twice and losing all my souls. I ended up playing through it 4-5 times with different builds just to experience the different play styles. Getting to the reaper farm as quickly as possible and being able to grind out some levels real quick definitely helped with survivability concerns as well. I also have Bloodbourne that I haven't played yet which I actually tried before i owned DS but the characters creepy long slenderman arms skeeved me out so it only lasted 10-15 minutes before I got distracted with something else and never went back to it. Definitely on the list to dig more into it now that I've gone through DS. The problem like most of us here is so many games and so little time...

How is it? I played hundreds of hours on the ps3 version. I still have "Turbo Lover" burned into my brain.

LOL I'm literally playing Forbidden West with just my sharpshot bow. They give you way more weapons in FW than HZD because they break up all the elemental status between different weapons and added more elements and yet I literally use 1 of them. As far as Last of Us, my daughter very much enjoyed the game although I never played it.

I loved the story for HZD. The whole past/future thing was great to see as it unfolds. For FW I was a little meh on it until I hit the Zenith story line. Then I was like, ahhh shit, that's cool now we're getting somewhere. The other story arches with the background characters are hit or miss for me. While I don't skip the cut scene conversations, I do look at my phone while they go on lol. The others I definitely read them and click through faster then they can say the words. I'd rather none of them be cut scenes so I could get the story at my speed and not the games.

Just depends on your playstyle and whether you choose to do all of the side quests before you leave the zone or are ok with coming back later. If you just stick to the story, it goes pretty quick.

Just do what I do, use a sharpshot bow, stealth, shoot, let the machine de-aggro and shoot again. Repeat until dead. You are indeed very weak at the beginning. Once you get past the quests that block you from going to the west 2/3 of the map, go straight to Thornmarsh and buy an epic sharpshot bow. My preference was the Glowblast. Leveraging the above method, go out and immediately get the parts you need to fully upgrade it.

Make sure to use your focus and turn purple the key parts. You can leverage that to identify weak spots to shoot, parts you need to remove with tear ammo, or parts that you need to avoid hitting to ensure they are intact to loot.

As mentioned, concentration is key. It'll help you slow down time enough to hit your mark. FW is different than HZD. As long as you release your arrow aimed at the correct spot, it'll count as a hit to that spot even if the target moves a little.

As far as skills I'm a big fan of the hunter tree to help with the above. I'm a fan of the Powershot skill maxed out as it is not timed and adds a bunch of damage to your shots when used. I would also get Focused Shot asap for increased zoom and slowing speed when aiming as well as increased damage and then Braced Shot. The latter instantly aggros machines but it's a great closer to end a fight with a lot of damage. Skip Double Notch as it's hot garbage. Unlike in HZD, the arrows fly wildly off target. In HZD it was an amazing way to triple your arrow damage but now unless your close 1 or both may not even hit the target.

I'm old and don't play FPS games, etc. so I'm not keen on trying to hit weakspots while the machines are spazzing out. It's hard enough to hit the right spots while they are just patting around in a circle...

I finally lost a PS5 controller to drift after owning it with light usage on a 2 controller rotation since Christmas 2020.

Playing Dark Souls remastered right now after Demon Souls remastered was my first souls game. While not quite as polished as Demons souls, Dark souls is pretty fun as well. I have Bloodborne I need to get into next. Although my most desired game is the new GOWR which now for sure drops this November!

Forbidden West is great! Funny thing is I was off all weekend and just cracked open Fractured But Whole that I bought for $10 a few years ago. It's actually really fun if you like the show. It's presented just like your playing an episode of the show. A little pallet cleansing between souls is good

I've received several offers from Amazon and Sony direct. Have you put yourself on any interest lists?

Also, you can set up deal alerts on Slickdeals for "PS5" and people will post as soon as it's available anywhere.

Loving it so far. Very much a continuation of the story but much more grand. You play with different sidekicks not just Atreus. The equipment upgrade system is expanded as well as the skill tree.

My daughter and buddy at work keep pressuring me to play it. I have a feeling the PS5 remaster is under the tree waiting for me lol.

Agreed, once you get to the crater there is a lot to do. I'm about 55 hours in a while it's not exactly the same "i can't stop playing and I've only had 3 hours of sleep" like the original, I think it's a great continuation of the story with some interesting twists and turns.

Anyone else play the Diablo 4 beta? I played on both weekends and enjoyed what I saw so far. My daughter and I very much enjoyed playing Diablo 3 which is one of the very few couch co-op's out there (and a great game imo).

On the first weekend or the open weekend? The open weekend I did have some intermittent random lag for sure, probably due to server load. Agreed on the game play being similar. The story in D3 I thought was pretty cool and the cinematics were great. So as long as the story behind it can be equal to the previous one, I'll be happy.

While I didn't really play the seasons in D3, I definitely had my crusader fully maxed out in the best gear and had fun grinding through harder and harder dungeons in end game play. Sort of like a new Gantlet style game. I used to love all the Gauntlets growing up and the only thing new is what they put out on Steam 10 years or so ago. I loved Legends and Dark Legacy which is kind of what Diablo reminds me of but with a much better story.

That's why I have two PS systems still set up, the 3 and the 5 so that I can play any PS games going all the way back to my originals. Just played back through The Legend of Dragoon a few months ago. Spent so much time with Onimusha back in the day, I had to buy that remaster as well.

Agreed. Caught me off guard when I heard it described like that lol. BTW Hades is a blast to play. Definitely some early frustration when I first got to Dad but once you figure out his techniques, it was really fun. The randomness and creativity of how the buffs drop and which you choose makes the runs each just different enough to make it not overly repetitive.