WHAT PLAY YOU!? Version 3.0

[LaGoosh]

1 hour ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

Obviously the PS5 pad has some incredible features

I'm surprised how little advantage has been taken of the brilliant PS5 controller. First thing I played was Astro's Playroom and I was absolutely blown away by it and how much it added to the experience. Felt like a huge game changer. But I don't think I've noticed much difference on it with other games. Feels like a massive missed opportunity.

 

For me my console run has been:

NES>SNES>N64>PS2 and Gamecube>PS3 and Wii>PS4 and Switch>PS5

I've never touched any X-Box consoles. I don't know what it is but they've always felt a bit second rate to me.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

7 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Is the upgrade form Series S to X worthwhile? I've considered doing this for a while, just to have the higher powered machine - but I'm not entirely sure if I'd even notice it, or if everything is optimised for Series S anyway. 

As far as my main home systems go, I was: 

Amiga > PS1 > PS2 > 360 (which I traded in for...) - PS3, and Wii > PS4/Wii U > PS5/Switch

It doesn't necessarily coincide with the console I consider best for each generation - the Gamecube pisses all over the PS2 in my view. 

I think its only worthwhile if you are mega into resolution / framerates on higher end modern games. If you are ok with 1440p and 30fps then I don't really see much reason to upgrade. I mostly play on the switch so that sort of stuff clearly doesn't particularly bother me.

I don't think I would have parted with the money to upgrade if it wasn't from CEX credit.

I will say its nice having the disk drive for backwards compatibility though. 

My whole Journey would be NES > Mega Drive (later got SNES as well) > N64 (was also playing PC games at the time) > PS2 (later bought a Gamecube) > 360 > PS4 / Switch > Series S (later upgraded to X and also bought a PS5).

I have had every gameboy and DS / 3DS iteration as well. 

 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

2 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

I'm surprised how little advantage has been taken of the brilliant PS5 controller. First thing I played was Astro's Playroom and I was absolutely blown away by it and how much it added to the experience. Felt like a huge game changer. But I don't think I've noticed much difference on it with other games. Feels like a massive missed opportunity.

Yeah, the PS5 pad reminded me of the Wii. I was lucky enough to get a Wii on launch day back in 2006. For several days all my friends, cousins etc. wanted to come round and have a go on it.

Similarly, when I got the PS5, I gave everyone who came to our house a go on Astro's Playroom and it genuinely was like seeing people be fooled by some sort of magic trick.

In most games I either havent noticed it at all or I have went "oh thats quite cool" then forgot about it for the rest of the game. 

[RedTwoster]

53 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

I'm surprised how little advantage has been taken of the brilliant PS5 controller. First thing I played was Astro's Playroom and I was absolutely blown away by it and how much it added to the experience. Felt like a huge game changer. But I don't think I've noticed much difference on it with other games. Feels like a massive missed opportunity.

 

Sackboy's Big Adventure kind of uses it, but nowhere near as well as the Astro games. 

53 minutes ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

I have had every gameboy and DS / 3DS iteration as well. 

 

I started with handhelds from the GBA, and I continued on from there - getting the DS, PSP (and PSP Go!), 3DS, Vita and now the Steam Deck (alongside the Switch) - I also have an Evercade and PS Portal, if that one counts. I generally prefer playing single player games handheld, and I particularly love the libraries of games available on the 3DS and DS - there's an absolute goldmine of hidden gems available for both. Prices have risen quite a bit on games for both consoles since the pandemic, but there are still bargains out there. Soul Bubbles being just £2.50 at CEX comes to mind, I'm astonished that's not become more of a sought after cult classic. 

[Merzbow]

2 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

if everything is optimised for Series S anyway. 

I'd imagine the bane of some developers right now, I've heard a few say how much they wish they didn't have to deal with also making sure a game with already questionable performance on the main machines runs on something even weaker. Most things still run perfectly decent though so it hasn't gone complete to shit like many were expecting, I think Baldurs Gate 3 is the only game really hit by it and misses major features on the S.

My main timeline of things were Amiga > Master System > Mega Drive > PS1 > Dreamcast & PC > Xbox > 360

Had both N64 and GameCube (I think for £30 brand new) but they were never the main players. This current gen is where I've stopped caring about owning anything though, I play mostly older games or ones that still get a PS4 release like Elden Ring and Armored Core 6, tbf I waited until the base PS4 was discontinued and sold for peanuts before even joining the last gen.

 

[King Coconut]

Atari 2600, Vic 20, ZX81, Atari XE, Spectrum +2, Megadrive, PS1, XBOX, PC, PS4, PC.

And dad would beat us about the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were lucky.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

1 hour ago, Merzbow said:

I waited until the base PS4 was discontinued and sold for peanuts before even joining the last gen.

There is a lot to be said for doing this imo.

I fell out with gaming for a good bit in the 2010s aside from occasionally playing retro stuff. I got given a PS4 in 2018 which obviously was really far into the consoles life. It meant I already had a ridiculous back catalogue to explore with almost none of it holding its price. Could always go to CEX and come out with some utter gems and usually for under a tenner. 

[TheScarlettChad]

Astro Bot is the best non Nintendo, Nintendo game ever. Just screams Mario in the best way. Its got great gameplay, its adorable, the music is awesome.

Only on the third planet and enjoying it so far.

[Devon Malcolm]

Anyone bought / played What the Car? yet? Really like the look of it (and What the Golf?) and considering buying it even before they put it in a sale.

[Dr. Alan Grant]

Echo the love for Astro Bot. Charming and utterly delightful. I’m like a little kid every time I find a new cutesy PS character. “Oh my god, it’s you!” Platform games were a staple of my childhood, and it’s games like this that really shake away any jadedness I have about modern gaming.

And since everyone is doing it…my console journey is as thus. Either solely mine, or shared between brothers.

Spectrum, Atari, NES, Mega Drive, MegaCD (Road Avenger!), PSOne, N64, PS2, Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, PS4, Xbox whatever the next gen was called, PS5, Switch and Xbox Series X. 

Handhelds were Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, 3DS and a barely used Steam Deck. 

The Mega Drive is probably still my favourite. Robocop Vs Terminator, Toejam & Earl 2, Psycho Pinball, FIFA, Sonic 2, Golden Axe. So many awesome games. But not you, Gods or Cool Spot. You were bad games. 

[TheScarlettChad]

My Console Journey: Mega Drive, N64, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Series X/Series S

 

[TildeGuy~!]

Looks like everyone’s doing another console journey, here’s mine

Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, PS1, N64, PS2, PS3, Wii, PS4, PS5

Handhelds Included Game Boy, GBA SP, PSP, PS Vita

[CleetusVanDamme]

Finished Stranglehold in two sittings, lead in by Hard Boiled yesterday and The Killer today. It was a riot. I'd squealed with pure glee within a couple of minutes of the game starting, at this part:

I was able to pair this act with slow-mo nutshots, but I sadly wasn't able to pair them with precision nutshots, which is where the real money is:

They go all "OOH, NYURGH!!!" every time and it's always satisfying.

It was actually much faster and more arcadey than I remembered, it doesn't even have time for reloading! Combined with all the (still impressive) environmental destruction the screen gets busy in the best possible way, sheer chaos. I was disappointed with myself that I only did less than $200m damage to the world (there's a counter), I need to do more shooting between shootouts next time, especially in the museum. My highlight of this run was organically and completely off my own back, taking down a helicopter wielding a heavy machine gun in one hand, while swinging on a chandelier with the other. What a game!

 

 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

Might be an idea to have a separate thread on this but @RedTwoster mentioned the Gamecube being better than the PS2. What actually is the best console from each gen?

[Sphinx]

I love me some Nintendo but I'd be interested to hear the view on Gamecube being a lot better than the PS2. PS2 always seemed hands down winner to me.