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PlayStation Network Thread (Vita/PS4/PS3) | March 2015

Producer

Member
i wonder who the hell thought Borderlands 2 vita was a good idea. 2 year old AAA port of a game that everyone had already moved on from. Not to mention its a goddamn UE3 open world fps. Real smart way to 'market' the Vita 2000 in the west.
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
Also not very well optimized for consoles to begin with. The fact that the port runs as well as it does (still below what I find acceptable for the game but not awful) is a testament.

Then they make it the only 2014 bundle in the US.
 

deadfolk

Member
So I accidentally started SAO when I'm not three hours into Persona Q and about the same in Pillars of Eternity.

Xenoblade and Axiom Verge are out this week.

And I've not even beaten the first boss in Bloodborne.

Too many long games. Please tell me Axiom Verge is only 8 hours long.
 

kudoboi

Member
I really want to buy a wrestling/ fighting game since PC had really been lacking in this department but it seems that both WWE 2K15 and EA Sports NFC had received mixed reviews.

so... Which one should I buy?
 
so... Which one should I buy?

We had been buying WWE since time immemorial and glitches aside, its a fun, serviceable game. The user created contents makes us laugh and content. Not sure about the new UFC game from EA though. We haven't got the latest game from the series.

So I can only recommend WWE base on our playthrough of the game. Just wait for other opinions though.
 
I tried to find a community thread just for PS4 but couldn't find one so I thought I'd ask here.

Are there any remotes that work with PS4 for Plex?

I use Plex every night and I don't really want to use a controller considering the poor battery life.
 

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
The Dark Souls OT is still very active and full of people wanting to talk about the game if you do start it and need any more info or advice. Also, since you mentioned playing Demon's Souls offline, Dark Souls loads online automatically when you start it, doesn't ask you to connect. If you want to play offline, just sign out of PSN from the XMB before starting it. I was unplugging my ethernet cord each time I started the game, but signing out of PSN is a lot easier hah.
I won't connect at all lol.

I hate the " you are 5 years old" tutorials of this age . I mean if its a platform game or a fps game its obvious you use either the dpad or the left stick to move the character ,this kind of useless explanations in new tutorials are tiresome and lame. I hate too that new gamers need the same mechanism in every game making some games being the same one but with a different skin. I mean even when I love metal gear solid, the last installment has too much of " mainstream" design choices for my taste and im not sure i will support it.You notice when a game tries to achieve the new standard for design of the game industry. Regenerating health , autosave everything and checkpoints every 2 seconds makes games easy or dull and not a real challenge , some of them are too exaggerated for my taste. Then when the game uses a save system that is different like say re remake is a bad thing. Idk why. I respect everyone's tastes but im being forced to play games lacking variety in the overall design. And every game is turning into either a call of duty or an uncharted design wise. Indies in general don't care much about that and that's why they have my respects.

About tutorial i know that they areannoying but let's be honest guys, i passed from an one button joystick for C64 and Amiga to mouse + keyboards and gamepads with 2 analogs, one directional cross and 10 buttons, there's really no comparison.

Who never played a game during the 8-16 bit days could have easily played a game because there were only a joystick/cross and a pair of buttons, today there are tons of buttons, newbies need lot of practice and explanations, tutorials are obviously not for us imo.
 

RK128

Member
Can't believe so much is happening this week; PS+ games are going to be announced, Club Nintendo's Elite Awards coming on Wednesday and so many great games are coming out this week too (Axiom Verge looks amazing for PS4 owners :D! Can't wait for the Vita version of that to come out :)).

And I actually beat a game for once (I know, that is a shocker XD!), but it was for my 2DS; KI: Uprising. Got the game though E-bay (the code for the thing was really cheap; 15 bucks is a steal :D) and I beat the game across three days of playing it. I made a thread about it, so all I will say is that the game was a blast and I'm glad I got the chance to play a modern classic :).

People ask about AAA handheld experiences....KI: Uprising is the thing that comes to mind now and I wish Sony would put as much heart and ambition into their own Vita games as this game had. Granted Tearaway, Killzone and Gravity Rush are great original games but you get my point. Oh well, guess that is the beauty of owning two handhelds; can experience the best of both worlds :D.

Played more of the 1$ games I got from that amazing flash sale and I have to say, Dead Head Fred is quite enjoyable :). The core game is a bit flawed (the combat isn't that clear and the camera can be a bit of a pain) but the humor of the game and the switching head mechanic is just too good to let that ruin things :). The game also looks great on the Vita's screen too; reminds me of a PS2 game. Overall, a great time so far and well worth the dollar I paid for it :). Star Wars Battlefront 2 is big surprise for me, as the game runs really well on Vita! A locked frame-rate, smooth aiming with the right stick (face-buttons mapped to the right stick) and visuals that while muddled, hold up very well from the PS2-PSP porting process.
 

SerTapTap

Member
Here's my Axiom Verge review, very spoiler free. If you have ever enjoyed a Metroidvania this game is absolutely essential. One of the best of the genre, that it was made by one person is almost unbelievable.

Don't worry about the $20 price tag. I have beaten it 3 times already and plan to do it at least two more and have spent over 30 hours in it. To say it is worth $20 is an underestimation.
 

Massa

Member
i wonder who the hell thought Borderlands 2 vita was a good idea. 2 year old AAA port of a game that everyone had already moved on from. Not to mention its a goddamn UE3 open world fps. Real smart way to 'market' the Vita 2000 in the west.

It was a great idea. It's huge selling franchise in the west (BL2 sold 12+ million already?) and unlike things like Call of Duty it doesn't lose its appeal completely by being on a handheld.
 

RK128

Member
Here's my Axiom Verge review, very spoiler free. If you have ever enjoyed a Metroidvania this game is absolutely essential. One of the best of the genre, that it was made by one person is almost unbelievable.

Don't worry about the $20 price tag. I have beaten it 3 times already and plan to do it at least two more and have spent over 30 hours in it. To say it is worth $20 is an underestimation.

That was a fantastic review TapTap :D: perfectly and informatively stated everything about the game without giving much away and you being critical of it and other games (your comment about Metroid missile expansions in comparison to how Axiom Verge offers guns for exploration as an reward is a great comparison) made the review all the more effective. Great job man :D; going to look into your other reviews for future games I might be interested in :).
 

SerTapTap

Member
That was a fantastic review TapTap :D: perfectly and informatively stated everything about the game without giving much away and you being critical of it and other games (your comment about Metroid missile expansions in comparison to how Axiom Verge offers guns for exploration as an reward is a great comparison) made the review all the more effective. Great job man :D; going to look into your other reviews for future games I might be interested in :).

Good to hear you liked it--was a hard review to write. I'm not mentioning some of my favorite things in the game because spoilers are really a big deal. There's some really wow-worthy stuff in terms of visuals and gameplay. It also solves a lot of interesting issues with Metroidvania design.

I've been thinking of doing a spoiler-heavy comparison between Metroid and Axiom Verge, but I'm also doing the OT and a guide for the game (both should be out tomorrow) so that'll wait for a while. Plus I feel I should really beat the original Metroid before making too many comparisons, I always gave up on that one. Going back to the original after Super is...rough.
 

autoduelist

Member
Guys remind me / everyone in September that Playstation Mobile is shutting down. I have no space on my memory card so I'll delay downloading them for now.

Anyone know if that Slime game is worth buying? And does that 10% coupon work for PSM?

If you're going to recommend dreck like Demon Gaze you might as well go whole hog and tell them to buy Mind Zero.

What? I liked both, but one is well loved by many.

I enjoyed Mind Zero.

Same.

I played the first four GoWs and like them all but they aren't much different.
It looks and controls well but it is super tedious. Play it in 15 minute increments because all you do is shoot zombies in the head. Each room is like a never ending spawn of them. Kinda worth it for short bursts at $5.

Thanks. Will consider.

No one is insane for recommending Demon Gaze, just not what I would recommend.

Insane for liking Mind Zero? Yeah, I will stand by that. DO NOT BUY MIND ZERO.

You know, I'd really appreciate not being insulted for the games I like.

By your own admission, you only played 40 minutes. The best thing about Mind Zero is its battle system, and there's no way you experienced why it's good (or bad) in the first hour.

Legit question: How exactly is Mind Zero terrible? I just thought it was a sub-par persona rip-off or is that the reason why?

The problem, I think, is that it looks like it's going to be a Persona ripoff, but it's not really -- it just has a similar art style. So people that secretly wanted a Persona ripoff didn't get it, and freaked out. I think if it looked nothing like Persona it would have gotten a better reception.

If you're going in for a Persona experience -- that is, visual novel elements and social links and stuff, you probably won't like it. I dislike all that stuff, and don't want to spend my time reading/clicking through highschool dialog, so it being only there in bits and pieces is a huge plus for me. There is a plot, and there are character subplots, etc, it's just relatively minor.

Instead you get a DRPG with a unique battle system that actually kept me far more engaged than most. The way health, mana, and demon form interact in battle keeps you tactically shuffling forms throughout battles. If you return to older dungeons you'll be powerful enough to auto-battle through them, which is nice, but the difficulty curve keeps you on your toes for new ones and bosses. It totally escapes the feel of attack/attack/attack/heal rote behavior that most games fall into because you need to keep switching forms, etc. The best designed dungeons are actually post-game, but all are hand crafted.

The bad:
Dungeons are a bit bland looking texture wise, though a few are pretty interesting. Enemies have lots of reskins (which plenty of games get a pass for), which is another knock, although they gain new skills/etc so it's clearly just an art budget issue. You find your skills, but keep the same weapons, which sadly means there's less of a feeling of finding good lewt. Lastly, once you find skills you can assign them to anyone, which makes it feel 'classless'. This is cool because you build your team exactly how you want, but does lose the feel of solid, unique classes. All characters are effectively interchangeable as a result -- you can effectively make anyone your mage or attacker, etc.. The lack of lewt/classes does get a little bland, but I can see what they were trying for.

Ultimately, the game isn't perfect, and has its issues, but it's nowhere near as bad as the hyperbole makes it out to be.

MZ does feel 'bland' at times, and some of the potentially interesting things it tries do backfire somewhat (like using collectible cards to be skills, which in turn removes classes). But it also tries more things that do work well, and combat generally stays engaging (I played on hard, don't know about normal), which is more than I can say for most drpgs.

A friend who likes pretty much every Vita release bought it and said it was the worst waste of money of his entire life and demanded that I give it a shot. I made it 40 minutes in before I tapped.

As far as I'm concerned Mind Zero is the single worst retail release the Vita has. Maybe some really awful PSM game might beat it, but even then it won't be quite the waste of money Mind Zero is.

Sounds like you were ready to hate it and didn't give it a chance. But as others have mentioned, you seem to hate pretty much all games. I just wish you wouldn't insult people that like games other than you.

There are far worse games on Vita. 40 minutes wouldn't even be long enough to know about the worst crimes Mind Zero commits, let alone what it does good. I don't even think you'd know what's good or bad about the characters or story in MZ in 40 minutes.

Conception 2 was worse. That had a unique battle system too, but was so badly balanced you never needed to use any of its features and could autobattle the entire game. Sorcery Saga was so simple you could play blindfolded and not die (even if it had a cute story). I even greatly prefer MZ to Persona (all the things i liked about Persona exist in a more purified form in Nocturne, but without all the things i really dislike and with hand designed dungeons and other improvements), but i don't expect many will and wouldn't insult those that do.
 

RK128

Member
Good to hear you liked it--was a hard review to write. I'm not mentioning some of my favorite things in the game because spoilers are really a big deal. There's some really wow-worthy stuff in terms of visuals and gameplay. It also solves a lot of interesting issues with Metroidvania design.

I've been thinking of doing a spoiler-heavy comparison between Metroid and Axiom Verge, but I'm also doing the OT and a guide for the game (both should be out tomorrow) so that'll wait for a while. Plus I feel I should really beat the original Metroid before making too many comparisons, I always gave up on that one. Going back to the original after Super is...rough.

If you want to go back to the original Metorid....you could play Zero Mission. Granted, it isn't the same thing (though it is a ground-up remake of the original game) but it is more then enough to get an idea how the original plays/works :).

Doing a comparison between Axiom Verge and Metroid might be a great idea a month after the games launch; that way people will play through Axiom Verge so you don't have to worry about spoilers while also having the time to study what the original Metroid/Zero Mission did.
 
Here's my Axiom Verge review, very spoiler free. If you have ever enjoyed a Metroidvania this game is absolutely essential. One of the best of the genre, that it was made by one person is almost unbelievable.

Don't worry about the $20 price tag. I have beaten it 3 times already and plan to do it at least two more and have spent over 30 hours in it. To say it is worth $20 is an underestimation.
Great read, can't wait to get into it! I couldn't find this anywhere in your review, and not that it is important, but at how many fps does it run?
 

SerTapTap

Member
Urg I keep thinking of cool stuff the game does that I didn't even mention in the review. Will definitely do an in depth analysis...later.

Great read, can't wait to get into it! I couldn't find this anywhere in your review, and not that it is important, but at how many fps does it run?

It's most certainly 60 FPS--probably the single biggest limiting factor for remoteplay, but I haven't tried it in RP since disabling that awful wifi power save thingy. It definitely feels wrong to play in 30 FPS or 60 FPS with drops. Like I say in the review remoteplay is possible (especially with remappable controls!) but the Vita version will probably require some minor regiggering to fit all the relevant controls in.
 
Urg I keep thinking of cool stuff the game does that I didn't even mention in the review. Will definitely do an in depth analysis...later.

It's most certainly 60 FPS--probably the single biggest limiting factor for remoteplay, but I haven't tried it in RP since disabling that awful wifi power save thingy. It definitely feels wrong to play in 30 FPS or 60 FPS with drops. Like I say in the review remoteplay is possible (especially with remappable controls!) but the Vita version will probably require some minor regiggering to fit all the relevant controls in.
I see, my intention was to play the game solely through the Vita, with the 60fps update. I'm hoping that the controls don't deter me from enjoying the gameplay too much, I see the game as a perfect fit for a smaller crisp screen than my TV.
 

SerTapTap

Member
I guess it's all up to personal preference, but I felt the game played best with a pair of headphones, sitting directly in front of the TV with a controller in hand. I even sat down on the floor about 3 feet from the TV a couple times, like a little kid. It seems to have basically zero compression effects on Remoteplay but (with power save) the framerate wasn't quite there. I'll give it another shot tonight.
 

VLiberty

Member
With HM2 and Olliolli 2 both out(still haven't played either though...) Axiom verge is probably now my most waited Vita title. Maybe top 3. Can't wait
 
I guess it's all up to personal preference, but I felt the game played best with a pair of headphones, sitting directly in front of the TV with a controller in hand. I even sat down on the floor about 3 feet from the TV a couple times, like a little kid. It seems to have basically zero compression effects on Remoteplay but (with power save) the framerate wasn't quite there. I'll give it another shot tonight.

This seems like an excellent idea.
 

SerTapTap

Member
This seems like an excellent idea.

The game doesn't overly depend on nostalgia (and does quite a few things old games would never have done), but if you played NES or even SNES games back in the day on an old CRT you should get a lot out of it. The game's fairly conservative with it's references (as opposed to, say, Retro City Rampage) but goddamn they're effective.
 
Going to buy Axiom Verge this week to save a couple bucks but will play on Vita. Any word on the Vita release date?

My PS4 time is spent playing the surprisingly still janky but much better Borderlands collection. I think I got my hopes up too high for this but I am still having fun.
 
Going to buy Axiom Verge this week to save a couple bucks but will play on Vita. Any word on the Vita release date?

My PS4 time is spent playing the surprisingly still janky but much better Borderlands collection. I think I got my hopes up too high for this but I am still having fun.

I think it's gonna be a little longer, it is only one guy doing all of the work after all. Then there's the whole approval process to go through.
 
10-05-2013-08-35-27.jpg

Digimon? Please be Digimon.
 

SerTapTap

Member
Oh crap, thread titles. Any last minute suggestions for the Axiom Verge OT subtitle? (I'd like it to not just be "it's metroid!!!"). All I got right now are "Trace your past" (Trace is the main character) and something that won't make sense to people who haven't played it anyway.

Going to buy Axiom Verge this week to save a couple bucks but will play on Vita. Any word on the Vita release date?

Couple months it sounds like?
 
Oh crap, thread titles. Any last minute suggestions for the Axiom Verge OT subtitle? (I'd like it to not just be "it's metroid!!!")

Couple months it sounds like?
I'd use something to do with glitches. Something with them being integral to the gameplay and not like other games out there... Can't think of a snarky sentence for what I mean though.
EDIT:
- "Another glitch? Time to blow on the cartridge"
- "The only game where glitches are intended"

Something like that lol.
 

Xenoflare

Member
Is it me or the back touch pad of the Vita slim is very prone to scratches? I have one that looks like a trigonometric curve. Sadly it's deep enough for me to feel it. Hell I think dust is building up inside it since the device is glossy.

I don't even know how that even got there in the first place. It never left my room.
 

SerTapTap

Member
Yeah, something to do with glitches would be cool. There are actually a couple of entirely harmless glitches (not intentional glitches a la glitch gun) that were left in because they're cool as well.

That's too bad. Mildly interested in AV, but the lack of a vita version and $20 pricetag screams sale to me.

Gonna be waiting over 6 months for sure then, per word of developer. I strongly recommend it at the $18 price

Is it me or the back touch pad of the Vita slim is very prone to scratches? I have one that looks like a trigonometric curve. Sadly it's deep enough for me to feel it. Hell I think dust is building up inside it since the device is glossy.

I don't even know how that even got there in the first place. It never left my room.

Yes, back touch is awful for scratches. One of the pros of a grip.
 

AsfaeksBR

Member
I have Bloodborne Disk Version installed on my PS4. If I click to download the Digital Version from the store (I own it too), will it download the whole game again?
If I click to download the store digital version, will I still need to keep my disk in the tray for it to work properly, or not?
 

Xenoflare

Member
Yes, back touch is awful for scratches. One of the pros of a grip.

Too late haha,I think that curve scratch was there for a long time but I just realized it now since I actually looked at the back. Honestly it's awful. I should be glad that the back touchpad is almost never used.

I guess having a white OG spoiled me since white makes the scarches a lot less obvious.

Now a long journey to tell myself to stop thinking about it and play some Kiwami.

Edit: it's funny that I'm only obsessing over it since the back panel is a touch pad, I won't give damn about it if it's just the back
 
I think with Axiom Verge, my purchases for the next month or two will be done on the Sony side, the game seems to not be super long either which I appreciate (gonna be doing some NG runs for sure). Finally, my wallet will be getting a break and I will be able to play what I have. Aside from that, I've only got Xenoblade in a few days so I will be pretty busy with it and Bloodborne.
 

AsfaeksBR

Member
I think with Axiom Verge, my purchases for the next month or two will be done on the Sony side, the game seems to not be super long either which I appreciate (gonna be doing some NG runs for sure). Finally, my wallet will be getting a break and I will be able to play what I have. Aside from that, I've only got Xenoblade in a few days so I will be pretty busy with it and Bloodborne.

Actually I'm kinda sad I spent the money I had in my wallet on Revelations 2, since I still didn't play it and it will take a while to do so.
And Axiom Verge seems amazing, but I won't spend a dime on PS for a couple of months since I've been buying non-stop lately.
I'll get it if Shizuka buys my Bloodborne
 

SerTapTap

Member
I think with Axiom Verge, my purchases for the next month or two will be done on the Sony side, the game seems to not be super long either which I appreciate (gonna be doing some NG runs for sure). Finally, my wallet will be getting a break and I will be able to play what I have. Aside from that, I've only got Xenoblade in a few days so I will be pretty busy with it and Bloodborne.

This could be considered a spoiler, but if you're curious about length
My first playthrough was 12 hours and 75% completion, I've played around 30 hours now, 3 playthroughs completed, lowest time was around 4:50. There's an achievement for under 4 hours which is highly possible but you'll need to know what you're doing, play well and be very focused.
Lots of replayability, both intrinsically (Metroidvanias are generally fun to replay) and extrinsically via trophies. There's a platinum trophy, but be warned it is quite hard. These are just trophy/replay incentives but I'll spoiler just in case:
Multiple playthroughs, including a low percent and a speedrun (both pretty forgiving but certainly not a cakewalk), a hard mode run, and a no deaths run which is kind of terrifying.

Too late haha,I think that curve scratch was there for a long time but I just realized it now since I actually looked at the back. Honestly it's awful. I should be glad that the back touchpad is almost never used.

On the plus side, the touch panel scratches do not appear to hinder it's effectiveness. Mine's all scarred up with very thin scratches, feels a tiny bit bumpy, works like a charm. I mean. As well as groping around the back of the device ever did.
 

deadfolk

Member
I'm playing the Toukiden Kiwami demo, and it seems that the camera is controlled with the D-pad, leaving the right stick unused.

Please tell me I'm missing something!
 
Actually I'm kinda sad I spent the money I had in my wallet on Revelations 2, since I still didn't play it and it will take a while to do so.
And Axiom Verge seems amazing, but I won't spend a dime on PS for a couple of months since I've been buying non-stop lately.
I'll get it if Shizuka buys my Bloodborne
I actually saved up on buying anything digitally and still have some funds in there, I'll be using that towards AV. I will still have money left, that I can use on a sale or something.

This could be considered a spoiler, but if you're curious about length
My first playthrough was 12 hours and 75% completion, I've played around 30 hours now, 3 playthroughs completed, lowest time was around 4:50. There's an achievement for under 4 hours which is highly possible but you'll need to know what you're doing, play well and be very focused.
Lots of replayability, both intrinsically (Metroidvanias are generally fun to replay) and extrinsically via trophies. There's a platinum trophy, but be warned it is quite hard. These are just trophy/replay incentives but I'll spoiler just in case:
Multiple playthroughs, including a low percent and a speedrun (both pretty forgiving but certainly not a cakewalk), a hard mode run, and a no deaths run which is kind of terrifying.
Pretty awesome, sounds like the type of game I will be playing more "casually" so to speak. Whenever I am bored or whatever, I'll just pick it up again and replay it.

I'm playing the Toukiden Kiwami demo, and it seems that the camera is controlled with the D-pad, leaving the right stick unused.

Please tell me I'm missing something!
You might have fiddled with the options :p
 

Xenoflare

Member
On the plus side, the touch panel scratches do not appear to hinder it's effectiveness. Mine's all scarred up with very thin scratches, feels a tiny bit bumpy, works like a charm. I mean. As well as groping around the back of the device ever did.

Ha! I obsessively tested it's function when I found it, I don't have any fine scratches but that deep curve. I discovered it since I found dusts that won't come off after wiping.

And yeah it works, it's jarring to see the device respond to the "deeply" scartched part of the panel. I hated that thing when I got my 1000, I always accidently swipe it in browser and back then I didn't know how to turn it off, and look it's triggering my OCD tendencies on my slim
 
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