Video Game Thread v. Series Xbox One X Series Switch S 5

[Phoenix87x]

Playing GTA III for the first time was one of the defining moments of my video game life. Being let loose in that open world for the first time, I felt like my head was gonna explode. I would wake up early before school everyday just to play it and replayed the main story many times. And to this day, I still think III was the funnest one to rampage in.

Vice city makes some incredible improvements. I loved it and I played the shit out of it. By San andreas, I was feeling franchise fatigue, but its was fun. 

With IV, suddenly they started taking themselves too seriously, and I agree a big part of the fun was lost. Such a massive part of the fun is in the rampaging, but the cops in IV take you out way faster or at least that's how it felt to me.

V I loved the first time I played it, but i only played through it once. Unlike III and Vice, I never felt like going through it again and driving around rampaging here as well just never felt as fun or chaotic as III and vice.

But that's just my 2 cents.

[El Barto]

V I loved the first time I played it, but i only played through it once. Unlike III and Vice, I never felt like going through it again and driving around rampaging here as well just never felt as fun or chaotic as III and vice.

But that's just my 2 cents.

You hit on a good point. I think they started taking the driving and the realism way too seriously. You don't play GTA as a driving simulator. You play it to carjack people and run over pedestrians and stuff. III and VC had a kind of cartoonish feel to the driving, so it was always fun. There was no doubt it was a video game. The one time I decided I'd fire V back up I played for about ten minutes, decided the driving was terrible, and turned it off for the last time.

[Dublagent66]

I could play all those early versions of GTA if I wanted to since I have all those older consoles, but that's just it.  If I actually wanted to play those versions at the time, I probably would have.  But, like I keep saying over and over, there were probably 100 other better games to play at the time.  In other words, GTA wasn't the type of game that actually appealed to me.

[Kwyjibo]

I still like playing GTA III, VC and SA. I got the remake relatively cheap and it's still fun. Yeah, the graphics isn't the best but especially Vice City creates a tremendous 80s Miami Vice like atmosphere.

It's like watching an old movie, there are newer ones with better effects, but not always with a better story.

GTA IV was a letdown. Too dark, too many (boring) things to do and the main character is just no one I can sympathize with.

[El Barto]

I still like playing GTA III, VC and SA. I got the remake relatively cheap and it's still fun. Yeah, the graphics isn't the best but especially Vice City creates a tremendous 80s Miami Vice like atmosphere.

It's like watching an old movie, there are newer ones with better effects, but not always with a better story.

GTA IV was a letdown. Too dark, too many (boring) things to do and the main character is just no one I can sympathize with.

I've decided that's probably next up for me. They've been patched quite a bit, and I don't really care much about the graphics anyway. IMO, R*'s focus on graphics and realism is a big part of where they lost their way. Besides, they'll simply look like how I remember them looking anyway. My problem with playing the original PC ports was the control set. All they really needed to do for me was set them up for modern controllers, which they did.

It occurs to me that the main cast of VC is dead now. Save for Gary Bussy, of all people. Liota, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, and now Tom Sizemore.

[Kwyjibo]

Well Jenna Jameson is still alive 

[cramx3]

I still like playing GTA III, VC and SA. I got the remake relatively cheap and it's still fun. Yeah, the graphics isn't the best but especially Vice City creates a tremendous 80s Miami Vice like atmosphere.

It's like watching an old movie, there are newer ones with better effects, but not always with a better story.

GTA IV was a letdown. Too dark, too many (boring) things to do and the main character is just no one I can sympathize with.

GTA IV is actually my favorite.  It could be because it's based on NYC which is my home city so the familiarities were ejoyable.  But I did like the story and when you include the DLC content, it put it over the top for me.  I put more hours into that game than any of the others.

[Kwyjibo]

I played GTA IV for some time and it's not a bad game, it was just missing something that those others had, at least for me, so I quit around halfway through.

I heard good things about The Lost And The Damned and Ballad Of Gay Tony. I have them lying around here somewhere, should probably give it a try.

[faizoff]

I loved GTA III and Vice City, they were so much fun. I also played the original GTA I & II and they were 2 dimensional fun and gave a taste of all that havoc you could create.

I didn't play San Andreas that much but am loving GTA V. Haven't completed the main mission yet but the rampage and other random stuff is so much fun. This was recorded on my new ultrawide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9xlJ_irPbM&ab_channel=Showmetheway

[cramx3]

I also loved GTA 1 and 2.  Thought those games were so much fun... until 3 came out and just made those look like nothing.

[Chino]

GTA-III and Vice City were absolute gold, even with their wonky control system (by today's standards).

San Andreas was too big with not enough stuff to fill the dead space, and I really didn't like having to eat and workout, etc. I didn't play that one very long, but I remember having a blast with the cheats.

IV is the most forgettable to me by far. I remember liking the driving a lot, but getting too many annoying text messages for side stuff like entertaining my girlfriend. The city was pretty cool though.   

V was great, IMO. I only played the single player once, but have put probably 300+ hours into Online. It's got plenty of problems, but I don't care. I still have a blast. I also don't think the game's makers were ready for Online's success. I'm expecting to see a much more refined online environment for the next game, possibly even the start of a permanent world that just continues to be added to as time goes on,

[Stadler]

I have FOMO reading this. I watched my stepson play a little GTA - I can't remember which, but I'd guess it was either Vice City or San Andreas - and it looked fun, but nothing that would grab me.  Maybe I should dive in (if and when I ever finish Skyrim; that one is a BEAST).

[cramx3]

The best part of V was the heists online.  I'm sure there's way more content now (I haven't touched V in many years now) but when those heists first came out, I was obsessed playing them with friends. 

[El Barto]

IV is the most forgettable to me by far. I remember liking the driving a lot, but getting too many annoying text messages for side stuff like entertaining my girlfriend. The city was pretty cool though.   

IV was kind of unique in that the DLC mission packs were far better than the base game. Gay Tony and Lost/Damned had pretty cool stories, and were mostly real missions rather than annoying time wasters.

San Andreas was too big with not enough stuff to fill the dead space, and I really didn't like having to eat and workout, etc. I didn't play that one very long, but I remember having a blast with the cheats.

The wide open spaces were part of the appeal to me, though having to get from CJ's house out to see The Truth out in the boonies really could be a PITA. I kind of treated it like Skyrim, in that I'd try and wait until there was a fair amount of work in one corner of the map.

I recall liking the snapshots quite a bit. Most of the time the "collect all the packages" type of things bug me, but for some reason the snapshots were fun to me. Also, I think SA was where The Wild Traveler came from, and that guy seriously cracked me up.

[billboy73]

I bought the GTA trilogy for the Switch several months back.  I have been playing GTA 3 and really enjoying it.  Yes the shooting mechanics are terrible, but I have enjoyed working my way through the missions. I am probably about 70% through the game at this point.  I played Vice City a ton back in the day, and it will be a trip down memory lane when I dive into that one again. 

I agree about what made these games so good.  You could just drive around messing with people and/or the cops and have a great time, not even doing any of the missions.

[Azyiu]

GTA-III and Vice City were absolute gold, even with their wonky control system (by today's standards).

San Andreas was too big with not enough stuff to fill the dead space, and I really didn't like having to eat and workout, etc. I didn't play that one very long, but I remember having a blast with the cheats.

You are correct, III and VC were two of the better games in the series, and they were some of the best games in the early 2000s. Those ambulance and fire truck missions in III, however, are a pain to complete and you can screw things up rather easily. VC would have been a perfect game if Tommy was able to swim. I think I must have played these two games from start to finish, and sometimes at 100% completion, no less than 7 or 8 times back in the day.

SA is big but I don't mind the open spaces. Like you, I hated the eating and workout parts of the game. It took me nearly a year to beat it a 100% though.

[ErHaO]

I honestly think messing around in modern GTA's is way better. There is barely any interaction in 3-SA compared to modern standards (animations, NPC/police ai, environmental interaction, physics, moveset). In IV and V you can also just go on a rampage. And in V you have many tools and environments at your disposal.

I get the preferences for tone, mission design, plot focus etc. though.

Not to disrespect earlier GTA's, they were pioneers in their genre and crafted incredibly well for their time.

Happy Birthday!

I should pick up that RDR vinyl, I adored that soundtrack.

Thanks! The vinyl got a rerelease. The discs themselves are great and sound great (nice red, 45 rpm pressing mastered for vinyl). The sleeves are a bit crummy though, just by looking at them they seem to damage (I see comments on discogs stating the same).

[XJDenton]

I was always more of a Just Cause fan when it came to just going ham in the environment.

[ReaperKK]

I agree with XJ, blowing shit up in Just Cause is a lot of fun. I think the writing is what gets me about GTA, it's so over-the-top that I really enjoy seeing what the writers come up with.

Side note but my brother and I have a running joke where we call politicians/celebrities GTA characters.

[faizoff]

I played over an hour of GTA V last night and didn't do any missions. Just went to town and blew up shit it was so much fun.

[Chino]

I remember playing Just Cause 3 on my PS4 and it running terribly. The game was fun as all hell, but the framerate was terrible, and I have no idea why.   

I remember driving being a nightmare as well.   

The gadgets and destruction were great though.

[XJDenton]

Just got to one of the underground sections of Elden Ring.

Goddamn this game is gorgeous.

[Skeever]

Really just enamored with Elden Ring lately.
How many games offer the breadth of experience that Elden Ring does? It keeps so many of its cards to its chest, rewarding players who decide to stick with it longer.

[Azyiu]

I started playing this game Untitled Goose Game last night... in some ways, it is funny as hell.

[Dublagent66]

I remember playing Just Cause 3 on my PS4 and it running terribly. The game was fun as all hell, but the framerate was terrible, and I have no idea why.   

I remember driving being a nightmare as well.   

The gadgets and destruction were great though.

That was one of the more fun free games I ever played.  Blowing shit up was the best part.  "That never gets old".

[ganpondorodf]

Really just enamored with Elden Ring lately.
How many games offer the breadth of experience that Elden Ring does? It keeps so many of its cards to its chest, rewarding players who decide to stick with it longer.

Elden Ring is definitely not for everyone, but imo it's the best game of the last fifteen years that isn't named 'Breath of the Wild'. Those two together have made shit like Assassin's Creed look so unbelievably passionless and cynical

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Really just enamored with Elden Ring lately.
How many games offer the breadth of experience that Elden Ring does? It keeps so many of its cards to its chest, rewarding players who decide to stick with it longer.

Yea the scope of the game is amazing. I'm on NG+1 and it's fun mowing down all the bosses, it gives the player some reward and relief for completing the game.

[Revenge319]

Today, I decided to upgrade to PS Plus Premium for the remaining 250+ days that I have it. There's a deal ending today where subscribers can upgrade for 35% off, which was about $30 for me. Time will tell how much value I end up getting from it, but the catalog of games you get with it is a lot bigger than I expected, which seems promising.

[Herrick]

Really just enamored with Elden Ring lately.
How many games offer the breadth of experience that Elden Ring does? It keeps so many of its cards to its chest, rewarding players who decide to stick with it longer.

Yea the scope of the game is amazing. I'm on NG+1 and it's fun mowing down all the bosses, it gives the player some reward and relief for completing the game.

I finally broke down and bought the game yesterday. I'm playing as a Confessor. The only Souls game I got far in and managed to beat was Dark Souls. I never used magic in that one though. Do you have any good tips? I'd like to play the game without much guidance but I don't know how feasible that will be for me.

[XJDenton]

I've played bloodborne, Sekiro and DS3 a lot, and tbh this is the soulsbourne I've found to be most accessible. My recommendation? Don't be afraid to head off in the opposite direction if the route ahead is hard.

[Herrick]

I've played bloodborne, Sekiro and DS3 a lot, and tbh this is the soulsbourne I've found to be most accessible. My recommendation? Don't be afraid to head off in the opposite direction if the route ahead is hard.

Thanks for the tip, mang. I've been doing that but I feel kind of lost. I wanted to pay the game naturally but I will definitely look up stuff if I get bored wandering around and constantly dying. For now, I'd like some more general tips like what you suggested.

One thing I've read is that starting class doesn't really matter. Do you find this to be true?

[cramx3]

The problem with Just Cause was the game got repetitive really quickly.  It was quite fun for a bit though.

Another good one was Saints Row.  It just took the stupidity to the next level.  Nothing like beating someone with a 3 foot purple dildo 

[Herrick]

The problem with Just Cause was the game got repetitive really quickly.  It was quite fun for a bit though.

Another good one was Saints Row.  It just took the stupidity to the next level.  Nothing like beating someone with a 3 foot purple dildo 

I never played much of the first Just Cause. I loved the second one and beat it. For some reason the third game bored me and I never finished it. I haven't played the fourth due to all the bad reviews.

Saints Row 3 was a lot of fun. 4 was ok too.

[XJDenton]

One thing I've read is that starting class doesn't really matter. Do you find this to be true?

Can't speak to that since I have not played more that one character yet, but overall the stats and level cap are more flexible than past souls games and there is a way to respec down the line if you want.

[Chino]

I tried for a 3rd time at length over my vacation to get my Ps4 to work an connect to Sony, and I'm still stuck in a seemingly unbreakable 2-step verification loop. I'm not stupid when it comes to technology, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. I called Sony twice and the two reps I got couldn't understand the problem I was having.

It's basically unusable at this point if I want to do anything other than play DVDs or Blu-rays in it. I'm actually concerned that if I were to pick up a PS5, the problem would continue to persist as the issue seems to be on Sony's services/technology end, and not the PS4 hardware. Playstation has been my go-to since I was 11 years old, but I'm considering X-box when I finally step into next gen.   

I really only want it for two games at this point as there's no way my PC will handle them - GTA-VI and Avatar-Frontiers of Pandora. I've been underwhelmed with the last few Gran Turismo releases, so I don't think I'll be missing much there. Thoughts?

 

Welp, I bought a PS5 at Costco last night. They had them on the floor and I caved.

I'm prepared this time though for Sony's bullshit. First off, I created a new Gmail account solely for my PS5 with a password not shared by any other accounts I have. If I get hacked again, hopefully that will isolate the issue. I created an entirely new Sony account with every security feature other than password upon purchase turned off. Hopefully that'll prevent me from getting stuck in the locked-out loop my PS4 was stuck in.   

I got the bundle with G.O.W Ragnarok. I'm already regretting scratching the activation code and redeeming it. I'm 30 minutes in and can already tell it's not my thing. The camera angle is atrocious and I can't figure out how to change it. I kind of wish I just threw it up on the FB marketplace or something for $25 or something.

I have Gran Turismo 7 downloading, which is one of the only three games I really care about playing on the console. I was able to play the three mini game races before work this morning while the rest of the game downloads. It's exactly what I was hoping for. I'm hope the rest of the game is the same.

Now to decide if I want a new TV (mine's a decade old) or a PSVR2. I ended up rarely using my PSVR1, but that's because at the end of the day it felt like it fell just a bit short everywhere. PSVR 2 seems like the real deal, especially if I were to build a dedicated racing rig with wheel for GT7.