VIDEO What are you currently playing?

I'm still slowly getting through Breath of the Wild, with a touch of Splatoon 2 here and there.

I've been finding it a little tough to get into my PS4 games recently. I get too obsessed with the trophies while I'm playing to actually enjoy the games. I want to try to marathon the Uncharted games at some point and get into The Witcher III though. Really wish I could turn off the trophy notifications so I don't worry about them.

Really? How so? I haven't played it yet but I was thinking about it at some point.

 

Isn't there an option in the settings to turn off Trophy notifications?

I usually ignore Trophies altogether on my first play through a game. It's only if I decide to replay it that I'll look through the trophy list to see what I can get. And even then, it's only if I'm close to completing the list that I'll bother attempting to platinum it.

 

I decided not to get that game. I'm still enjoying Breath of the Wild, while juggling Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Arms. Those will keep me busy until Super Mario Odyssey comes out next month.

 

I'm jumping between Mario Kart 8 DX and Sonic Mania on Switch.

I also spent a few hours on Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut on Friday, since I never played through the DC despite loving HR back in 2011. It's showing its age, particularly in the facial animation, and the pacing is a little too slow for me, but I love that world and want to get back into it before I play Mankind Divided.

 

You have heard the online chatter about that game? It ain't good, sufficiently so that it put me off giving the series a try.

 

I've read positive reviews from a few trusted sources and a friend recommended it, but I'm aware of some negativity. Have you played the original Deus Ex, from 2000?

 

I downloaded the PS2 version for £1. Have to give that a go some day.

 

The original Deus Ex is among the best games I've played. The plot is amazing, the world is fascinating and there are so many approaches to every situation.

It's a little bit dated, but not as much as most games from that era. The PC version is best, but the PS2 version is the first one I played and it was a great experience.

 

FE Awakening. A few years late. Might get a Switch next month for Super Mario Odyssey.

 

Nah, never got into that way back when. Heard the first game of the newer pair is worth a look but I'm a tad wary.

In other news I've somehow managed to get to Level 18 and unlock Class III in Redout. Got about 25 tracks unlocked, so just 10 to go. Oh and have broken 1400 on the speed.

I still find a good few of the events incomprehensible in terms of their mechanics, can see they were trying to go for variety of events but, for me, it backfires as most of them aren't that great or innovative - though that's hard to do in a racer.

The ace card for the game remains the track design, though the more recent ones have been feckin' evil. And those goddamn 360 degree tube sections....

 

Also finished the main game of Yakuza Kiwami…

It unfortunately marred the final level with a couple of less-than-great moves:

In the penultimate boss fight, he has 2 super-goons with him and they tend to rely on staying out of camera a bit too much, then, once you’ve decked them, they get totally revived and souped up - it was crappy. I still beat the trio but it wasn’t a suitably good fight.

So final boss will be better, right? No, because of the Kiwami function in boss fights. Turns out you have to also unlock the Dragon one, but that’s far, far into the Majima fights you have to do so I didn’t have it. There is a way round it - just keep punching the crap out of the scumbag, so that’s what Kazzy did. Also finished him with a newly unlocked and very brutal move.

Fortunately the story delivered for the most part, though Kazzy was far more forgiving than I was inclined to be! What really sells it all are the Haruka-Kiryu scenes which are very sweet indeed.

Started on the Adventure mode and am working my way through beating up Majima. Also found a killer heat move - I’d thought I’d seen it all with the kettle one: Kazzy whacks a guy in the head with a kettle, then when on the floor he holds them down and empties the boiling water all over the guy! Hard to top, right? Well, Kazzy got this firecracker, lit it, shoved it in a guy’s mouth and then held it closed as it went off, then kicked him in the head!

 

Sounds like a great revenge fantasy.

 

Yakuza heat moves have always been insane, but each game just seems to always go that little bit nuttier on them.

 

I bought 0 and Kiwami because I've always been intrigued by the franchise and want to support it, but haven't made the time to start them yet. I really want to!

 

It's got some really weird only-in-Japan aspects, but it's also really fun.

Compared to most games now the combat is getting creaky, but you do get to be wonderfully creative at times.

 

Should add that Yakuza Zero is the bigger and more polished of two, which shouldn't be surprising as Kiwami is based on a 12-year-old game now.

I do want more people to play these games, as that raises the odds of Yakuza Kiwami 2 getting a western release.

 

Well with the release of Uncharted The Lost Legacy (I pre-ordered it for the Jak and Daxter code ) I decided to replay the first three Uncharted games again but on PS4 this time. I finished that and I am now playing Uncharted 4 for the first time! I got it when it came out but never got around to playing it until now, beautiful game so far!

 

Redout is being a damn idiot of a game.

They decided to stick in pipe sections - well that’d be fine except:

• Regardless of what you try on the controls, you will go all over the place - some tip said counter-steer - go right on left stick and left on the right. Oh? Really? Because that’s not at all obvious. Tried it - bugger all impact. Basically? Nothing works.
• End up on the pipe ceiling on exit or spin too much in it - what is ‘too much’ ? The game doesn’t tell you - Instant death.

It really didn’t need these ******, bull**** instant death pipe sections - it’s at the point where I just don’t want to play tracks where I know pipes feature, which isn’t a sentiment any video game should really encourage.
Combined with the AI and it becomes a serious disincentive to play certain parts of the game, which says to me they pitched the difficulty too high, even on the lowest setting.

Graphically and musically it remains superb, but the pipes are a serious problem due to how hard to work out the ‘right’ way to do them is. Everything else you can at least work out by some visual cues, but on the pipes you only have 2 lines to follow but the sensitivity of the controls is so increased there’s no way to stay on track. Cue death.

Still, on a couple of the Volcano tracks, I somehow - I can't tell you how - I got Silver. That was at least something good.

EDIT: Seems like it's not just me on the Europa courses that have pipes:

 

Why would you play the best game of ever on anything but a PC? In fact, DX should never be released on potatos, it'd just ruin it like Fallout was.

Jedi Ben, if you can get a GOTY type edition of DXMD, do. The score is sublime and the extra missions pad out the slightly condensed experience. But it's a beautifully immersive game. Plus, this:

 

That might actually be a bit of a lock, apparently the rationale behind three new Yakuza games being in development simultaneously was the unexpectedly strong performance of 0 and Kiwami in the west (the latter presumably based on pre-orders).

Me I want that goddamn Hokuto no Ken version. Heat moves for ATATATATATATATATATA seems like the best thing.

 

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag

Third time's the charm, I hope.

 

The PS2 version has some advantages.

 

I just started my Uncharted marathon today. I got 50% through the first Uncharted game and I love it! I'm going to play the first three and then go straight to The Lost Legacy, as I already played Uncharted 4, which was absolutely amazing.

 

Cool, good to know. What's the three games? I've got Yakuza Online, Kiwami 2, but that still leaves one.

 

Yakuza 7?