TTLG PS4 Recommendations/Opinion

I've been wondering if we can collect some TTLG recommendations in a sticky thread as there is a lot of stuff coming up in the "what are you playing" thread that is difficult to pull out retrospectively. I thought it would be worth pulling out games that are getting a few endorsements from TTLGers, and whether they are excellent or just worth playing, or pick up cheap second hand etc.

Also I'd like to start on PS4 titles because I've re-entered the PS world after some years. My last one was a PS2 that broke and I seem to have lost most of the good games I had somehow. It seems like good timing to get back in now because of the number of games available.

So far I've got the following games:

- Persona 5 (enjoying the JRPG goodness)
- Bloodborne (has come up before but I'm not sure about it yet)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (stupid name but positive response, not played yet - I haven't read much about it and seen one video with some gameplay segments)

[edit]Including comments from thread

- Nier: Automata - PC version had issues according to Eurogamer - may just be engine problems.
- Uncharted 4 - probably enjoyable if you haven't played much Uncharted
- Nioh - Digital Foundry comments on dynamic resolution, action vs movie mode
- Uncharted Nathan Drake edition - 2nd game possibly the best one
- Uncharted Lost Legacy
- God of War
- Assassins Creed: Syndicate
- Ratchet and Clank
- Last Guardian - got a good review by The Guardian - doesn't seem to be for everyone however.
- Shadow of the Colossus remake
- Until Dawn
- Second Son
- Ark Survival for split-screen mode
- Crash Bandicoot Trilogy Remake - may be more of a nostalgia trip

The Crash Banditcoot trilogy remake is apparently quite good.

I'd skip Nioh and go strait for Bloodborne and DS3.

Have you played The Last Of Us yet? It's one of the best linear singleplayer stealth-action-survival games ever made.

I was a bit so-so on Uncharted 4, but go ahead and play it. I believe 1 Uncharted game is all you really need, after that they start overstaying their welcome.

Also, Gravity Rush 2 failed to grip me like the first one did. Still haven't finished it. Same with Horizon Zero Dawn.

Final Fantasy XV was good stuff, but it's an epic, so save it until you're done with Persona 5, which I hear is also a huge game.

The Last Guardian was pretty great. Shadow of the Colossus is getting a re-remake, in case you haven't played it yet.

What's your username btw? I'm LeeMajorz6k. (I think)

Some cautionary counter-opinions on two games that I eventually gave up on:

The Last Guardian ultimately lacked much of a driving force or a sense of accomplishment. Most of the environments felt overly large, and the biggest hurdle for me was simply figuring out what my goal was in any given area. I eventually lost interest.

Bloodborne has great atmosphere and environments, but ultimately I just could not get into the combat style. The bosses were far too aggressive and quick, and I couldn't get a chance to recover. A big part of the combat system is using the guns to stagger the enemies, but I couldn't figure out the timing or cues with most bosses. Even with help, I eventually gave up on Vicar Amelia.

(And yes, I finished Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2)

On a more positive note: Ratchet and Clank is pure joy and I absolutely recommend it.

And Puyo Puyo Tetris if you have anyone you want to play multiplayer against (and you aren't grabbing it on Switch or something).

Also, I have a UPlay allergy, so I've been playing most Ubisoft's output on PS4 instead.

Yakuza Kiwami. The original on PS2 was fantastic, this is a remake with expanded story and refined gameplay based on five subsequent sequels/one prequel.

1. For Uncharted get the Nathan Drake Collection and play the 2nd one, it's the highlight of the entire series.
2. Uncharted 1 is repetitive as f*ck, just skip it.
3. U3 is more of the same with better characterisation than 2, i.e. Drake actually had a character arc this time.
4. Apparently a lot people didn't like U3 because it involves too much manshooting for their tastes, I thought it was fine. U3 is the first game in the series with somewhat meaningful puzzles, they're glorified window dressing in U1 & 2.
5. U4 is boring and really dull for the first 6 hours or so. Too many long ass cutscenes, you can tell that they shoehorned the storytelling philosophy of The Last of Us into Uncharted. It picks up after that significantly. I'll give it props for actually having a new story though (even if it utterly predictable), U1-3 literally recycle the same narrative three times! Definitely a lowest point in the series after U1 IMO.

Nioh, FFXV, Nier Automata are on PC now or coming soon, don't bother with the PS4 copies unless you've got a fetish for sub-par performance. "Other games may be more suitable for the console" What nonsense, 95% of modern are superior on PC.
Nier = performance dips unless you have a Pro console (also 720p res, 1080p requires Pro console).
Nioh = 60fps mode exclusively on Pro console, but at 720p resolution. What is this, 2006? Fuck off with 720p.
"Other games may be more suitable for the console" What nonsense, 95% of modern games are superior on PC. If you need gamepad support plug in an Xbox pad and it will work natively, this has been the case for a DECADE now.
FFXV = content complete, no content carved away and sold as DLC like the console versions. 60fps minimum confirmed, no 30fps diarrhoea. PC version superiority speaks for itself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zerker

Also, I have a UPlay allergy, so I've been playing most Ubisoft's output on PS4 instead.

---

Yawn, Uplay has been perfectly fine for ~5 years now. Get with the times and ditch the 30fps cancer.

Your advice is duly noted. However, the fewer games I have tied to esoteric online services, the happier I am. 30 fps isn't much of a compromise for the average Assassin's Creed game (not that I've played any since Black Flag).

Honestly, I'm getting a little disillusioned with Steam nowadays, but that's not really going anywhere.

Most of the games I play on the PS4 are also available on other platforms so limiting my suggestions below to PS4 only titles.

Bloodborne. Apart from being one of the best games ever made (on par with the original Dark Souls in my opinion), I didn't really appreciate that until my second play-through.
Second Son. This was the first game I played on the PS4. Overall, it's a fun, sandbox game that will keep you entertained for hours; although the gameplay does get repetitive some times.
Ark Survival Evolved. Although this is available on the PC, the reason I've included this is for the split-screen couch-coop inclusion that is only available on the PS4 as far as I'm aware. While it has a highly successful online multi-player community, I've been playing the single-player version with my son for almost a year now. It's basically an open-world survival game with dinosaurs that has sometimes been described as a minecraft for adults, but it's more than that. Not sure why it gets such a low rating on Steam though as it's a lot of fun.
Until Dawn. This turned out to be a quite a welcome surprise, given that I hadn't heard of it until it became available as a free PS Plus game several months back.

Thanks for the suggestions. No one has said anything about GT Sport - although someone might tell me other racing series are better, I've usually found the GT games work better for me.

I was going to make a comment on PC vs Consoles, but I don't want to drag the debate up. Where the PC port is more consistent that's useful information, or if the resolution has been dropped - part of this was trying to decide which versions of cross platform games give a more even experience. Apparently the PC port of Arkham Knight was problematic for example.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by henke

Have you played The Last Of Us yet? It's one of the best linear singleplayer stealth-action-survival games ever made.

Also, Gravity Rush 2 failed to grip me like the first one did. Still haven't finished it. Same with Horizon Zero Dawn.

Final Fantasy XV was good stuff, but it's an epic, so save it until you're done with Persona 5, which I hear is also a huge game.

The Last Guardian was pretty great. Shadow of the Colossus is getting a re-remake, in case you haven't played it yet.

What's your username btw? I'm LeeMajorz6k. (I think)

---

I'll add The Last of Us remaster to the list, but I've been a bit of a coward with scary games usually.

I will probably find Gravity Rush 2 and HZD more interesting because I haven't managed to play as many games like them. I've not played an Assassin's Creed game yet. I know with HZD I'm enjoying it a lot overall, yet I still haven't got comfortable aiming with a control stick.

I'm raenur on PSN. People keep using scumble and I used to be able to use that all the time...

Can I get a comment on PSplus - is it worth having? Who thinks they've got good value from it?

Eh, I'm not so sure about PS+ anymore. Usually I've already played all the interesting games on it, but since you're returning to gaming from a long absence you might not have that problem. Here's a list of previous PS+ titles. Looking at it, the only PS+ games I've actually finished over the last year are AC: Freedom Cry and Life Is Strange. I've poked at a few others, but not really gotten into them. I'll probably let my subscription expire next summer.

I've got it.
"Is it worth having?" is an interesting conundrum.
I have a more games on PS4, PS3 and Vita thanks to PS+ than I have bought. But the end result is that relatively few of them actually get any of my time.

But conversely, I have discovered some absolute gems thanks to PS+ that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. For example, Dragon's Dogma was one of the first games I got through PS+, and is one of my favourite games ever. But without PS+, I doubt I would have picked it up, as most reviewers at the time were mislabelling it as a shonky Elder Scrolls type game.

Also, MGSV is one of this month's games and if you've not played that, it's a fantastic game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scumble

Thanks for the suggestions. No one has said anything about GT Sport - although someone might tell me other racing series are better, I've usually found the GT games work better for me.

---

It's geared towards competitive online play. There's no traditional career mode, the SP mode is a glorified tutorial for online play and what little SP there is had always online DRM.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scumble

I'll add The Last of Us remaster to the list, but I've been a bit of a coward with scary games usually.

---

It's barely qualifies as horror, it's the epitome of 3rd person action-adventure with stealth elements. Probably the best way to play is on the 2nd to hardest difficulty, else pick-ups like ammo and crafting material are thrown at your feet in abundance the whole game. God forbid the Mountain Dew-slurping console dudebros have to manage limited resources on normal difficulty, that'd be asking too much.

Also I hope you like sitting and watching heaps of long ass cutscenes.

PS Plus has definitely been worth it from my perspective. There's been some crappy months but overall I've picked up some gems (that you get to keep for ever) that I probably wouldn't have heard about or bought otherwise. The online play aspect is a must for many of the games anyway.

I've kept an eye on PS+ since I bought my PS4 last year, and I've never seen anything offered that made me want to sign up. But everyone's mileage will vary, and it depends on what games you already own.

And you only get the keep the games if you stay subscribed, right? I considered taking the plunge last month to get MGS V, but when I can just pick up a used copy for 10 bucks on Amazon that lasts forever, I figured why bother.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zerker

Bloodborne has great atmosphere and environments, but ultimately I just could not get into the combat style. The bosses were far too aggressive and quick, and I couldn't get a chance to recover. A big part of the combat system is using the guns to stagger the enemies, but I couldn't figure out the timing or queues with most bosses. Even with help, I eventually gave up on Vicar Amelia.

(And yes, I finished Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2)

---

Gun parrying is 100% optional. You can go the whole game without using it. I completely ignored it my first couple playthroughs.

Vicar Amelia is designed to test if the player groks Bloodborne. If you don't understand how Bloodborne differs from Dark Souls you will not be able to beat her. She is a large boss with wide sweeping attacks that sweep a quarter of the arena at a time. This means if you dodge away you will be too far from her to punish and you will struggle to get hits in. The key is to exploit invincibility frames and dodge into her attacks. If she sweeps from your right, you dodge forward+right. She sweeps from the left, you dodge forward+left.

Because of the invincibility you will slip right through her hitboxes and then you are positioned perfectly to punish her slow ass.

This is the basis to almost every fight in Bloodborne. It's counter-intuitive, but once you understand that you can't be hurt the first few ms while dodging, a slow boss like Amelia is easy to beat without taking damage.

So in short, always dodge forward and never ever backwards.

Good to know, but a few months too late. Kinda absurd too, to be honest :-|

I must admit, I'm kind of dubious of any game where high end play is dependent on abstract concepts that should really be considered glitches, such as i-frames or animation cancels. That such ideas have become staple game mechanics in certain genres such as beat-em-ups and spectacle fighters, particularly Japanese ones, is annoying.

I think of the i-frames in a rather straightforward fashion, at least in the Dark Souls games. As in rolling is a way to dodge, and to dodge properly, I need to know when to roll. I'm not sitting there with a tape measure, a stopwatch, and recording software that can break down a video frame by frame, trying to maximize the optimal time to hit the button to activate the roll. I just eventually learn when best to do it after a bit of practice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scumble

Can I get a comment on PSplus - is it worth having? Who thinks they've got good value from it?

---

ONLY if you plan to play online a fair bit. If you're primarily a SP person and barely touch MP then don't even bother investing in 12 month subs. You can always sub for a month or three if you've got a few co-op games that you wanna run through or whatever.

PSN+ Instant Game Library is a shitty selling point, it's only a nice value added bonus if you're paying regularly to get past the play online toll fee scam. It's a lucky dip, shitty rental service where you can't pick what you get. The "Netflix/Spotify of gaming" it certainly isn't! (The likes of Xbox Game Pass and EA/Origin Access hold that honour ATM.) Meanwhile on PC we get genuine free games, eg just in the past month I've seen significant games like Watch Dogs 1 and Brutal Legend given away with no hidden catches.

They need to bring back Playstation Home. That was the shit. A truly original thing, and was great to jump into on a weekly basis just to see what new areas and stalls companies would setup within it.

The best ones:

* The Assassin's Creed 2 area - Complete with a live action movie (went for 20 minutes I think) which acted as a prequel to the main game. All the actors present in that, were what the characters in-game were modeled off. I don't recall them including this movie with the game when it was released which is kinda odd. Assassin's Creed 1 had an area the year prior which was great as well. Had you play around in the "present day" area.
* Resistance area - Had some nice mini games. It nailed the World War 2 weapons vs Alien tech angle that the first game was all about.
* The Red Bull spot - Had some great mini games. The flying ones were best.
* Star Wars - They put the cantina from Tatooine in there. Flute playing aliens and all. That was fantastic. This was the best area I got to experience.
* Resident Evil - I forget which game this one was for. Possibly RE5. Had a great little game where you got to run around and shoot zombies in this desert town. Was fun.

I just found the whole thing really excellent, and a great way for companies to get people pumped about their upcoming games. Plus they more often than not had unique mini games centered around the games in question that we'd never have got otherwise. Seems win win to me. And it's the unique things that set your console apart from others than brings people to your console.

FYI, you can play get ad free web browsing on PS4 (or any device) by using these DNS servers.
https://adguard.com/en/adguard-dns/overview.html

At this point it may go without saying, but still: God of War. <3

Will add to the list. I'd go for it if I weren't drowning in games already.

Also FFXV is off the list because enough of us think it's a bit crap.