Console & Gaming Thread

[Preach]

Yeah, norwegian import tolls are a bitch.

 

[dilla]

Yeah, norwegian import tolls are a bitch.

I figured. I bet the elevated prices in the US due to the shortage are your normal prices without the shortage. Shortage probably adds anouther $1-1.5k to your bill there.

@masta247 did you ever state what your gaming PC specs are and what parts you use? I have a friend, who I haven't talked to in years, that recently posted the PC he made and pictures of it. I think he went the mini ITX route? Or ATX? I don't know the difference but it's a small form factor gaming PC and it got me even more interested in trying my hand at building a PC. I don't need one but I just wanted the experience. Not even a gaming PC; just a simple desktop with integrated graphics and nothing fancy. I just wanted to get familiar with the process. And while the chip shortage is really hitting high-end parts, I don't think simple parts are affected too much as far as pricing goes. Dumb idea?

Microcenter is one store that has a PC parts picker built in to their site and I always played around with it. I can get the parts for under $500 or so and if it doesn't turn out to be shit, I could give it to my dad's clinic to use as a reception computer or something.

 

[yak pac fatal]

I see Gamestop and Walmart post stuff on IG when they're about to have a drop. They usually post a day before but definitely a few hours before the drop. You could probably set alerts on those inventory sites like Popfinder or something,

I've had no luck at all. Gamestop is having those insane bundles which I dislike. Currently playing Mass Effect Legendary Edition on base PS4.

 

[dilla]

I've had no luck at all. Gamestop is having those insane bundles which I dislike. Currently playing Mass Effect Legendary Edition on base PS4.

Yeah those bundles are there to deter scalpers by lumping in extra stuff. At least they're not overcharging for those either. There might even be a slight discount even through the bundle? And it's all stuff people use and not some cheap, third party controller or dock or something like that.

I'm trying to finish up FF12 on PC. I stopped playing right before the final boss battle stretch because I'm not ready to end it all just yet lol. I'll do FF13 next, whenever I get the time to finish 12.

NBA 2K21 is free on the Epic Game Store as part of their weekly giveaway. I missed out on the RDR2 giveaway some time ago and I'm hoping they bring that back again, though I doubt it. I got GTA V though.

 

[dilla]

If you're looking for a tracker for consoles, try NowInStock. I haven't seen anyone mention it on Reddit when they talk about trackers to follow and social media accounts to follow for console drop news (Wario64). It even gives a "history" of which store comes in stock and goes out of stock and what console they had so you can look for patterns. Which there really aren't any, but you can see how close you were if you missed it lol.

And I know the scalpers and shortage affect these numbers but the PS5 is outselling MS by 2:1 it looks like. And the Swich still outsells both of them.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com...doubled-xbox-series-x-s-sales-during-q1-2021/

 

[dilla]

I finished FF12. The final stretch of the game was like 70 minutes long since the last save point and I have to say the story was kind of....underwhelming. I enjoyed the characters and even the plot was decent but the ending was.....weird.

I'm used to FF7 and 10 where there was a clear villain from start to finish but I'm still not sure who the main villain was in all of this.

Still, it was a fun ride. I think it was about a 35 hour game for me and I'm normally a slow dumbass in games and run around in circles before figuring out what to do.

On to FF13 next. Or Yakuza Kiwami.

 

[dilla]

Anything about E3 exciting anyone? Bethesda is supposed to have a big presence with MS, so that'll be interesting.

We'll see if Nintendo drops any info about the next Switch, too.

 

[dilla]

I got deep in to FF13 this Memorial Day weekend. I'm about 7 hours in and enjoying it. I don't know if I like the Paradigm system more or the Gambits from FF12. But they're interesting twists on the battle system from FFX and earlier. It's geared towards the lazy side of me of set it and forget it, as far as controlling the party members that aren't the primary ones. If I played these as they were released 10-15 years ago when I was younger, I'm sure I would've bitched about the departure from the traditional battle system. But now I can appreciate it.

I like 13's game setting more than 12. 12 reminded me a lot of 9 in terms of the atmosphere and the design/style of the environment. 13 is more futuristic. Reminds me of what X was like and what I imagine the visuals of FF15 would be like. Haven't played 15 but I've seen videos of gameplay and it doesn't look like a FF games from the PS/PS2 era. It's obvious why but I got used to the visuals of the FFs from 7-10, and even 12 and then 13 and 15 are such a big shift from that style.

I think @Preach is the only one on here that plays FF so this is more for him lol.

The rumblings about a Switch Pro are getting louder but I still wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo ends up not unveiling it at E3 and instead waits until later in the year. They'd probably lose a good bit of sales from now until the Pro's release if they announce it now but release later in the year. People would just wait for the Pro instead of the base Switch.

Sony won't be attending again this year. It'd be funny if Nintendo unveiled the Pro and the rest of their IP's new titles and MS drops something huge in its own right and Sony is basically in their room at home beating off and unable to defend themselves.

 

[Casey]

I played FF7 Remake recently and really enjoyed it. Thinking about getting into 15 next. Not sure. It seems a bit hit or miss with different games.

I'm currently playing Days Gone, which looks great on PS5 and I'm enjoying it, even if it is very similar to The Last of Us. The only major differences are the fact that it's open world and you get much larger hordes of Zombies. But I do enjoy the fact that it's set in Oregon since I have family there and know the scenery well.

Biggest thing I'm looking forward to at E3 is Breath Of The Wild 2 - or whatever it will be called.

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

I only just finished Last of us 2. Thought it was good but draining. I don’t think it’s as good as the first one.

 

[dilla]

Ended up getting a Series S and Xbox headset in a bundle for $385. More than what I wanted to spend but I wasn't going to chase down a console whenever HotStock would alert me an S or X was in stock, often times at 2 AM while I was sleeping.

I just got it from Dell who had it in a bundle, and I'm happy with it. Stacked up 3 years of Live and converted it to Gamepass Ultimate. GPU sounded great in theory but it's even better in practice. I still have my doubts and concerns about games coming and going and developers eventually wanting a bigger piece of the pie from MS, especially big developers like Square who are still putting their games on GPU day-one, for now. But I have played a game using xCloud on every device I own. My S10+, my MBP. For some reason, my 10.5" iPad Pro is not a compatible device.

Since I'm playing mostly on my 1080p monitor and not the OLED, the S's specs were fine for me. I missed the PS4/One era of gaming so any improvement over the 360's graphics is amazing to me. Maybe later on down the line, I'll upgrade but $500 for the X is too steep for me since I play a few games, but a lot. I'm not sure I'd miss that performance when most games simply run better on the X but not at 4K/120, although I'm sure 4K/60 looks great too.

xCloud is not good for fast-pace games, I'm learning. Sports games and even Forza had some lag and stutter. Could be my internet, even though it's 200+ Mbps. More likely my ping, even though games I played on PC showed a ping from 20-60, at worst.

I started Yakuza Kiwami, or 0 (can't remember) on PC but I might leave it alone and I already started Like a Dragon and I'm enjoying it. I claimed Halo 5 a long time ago as a free game and almost completed it this weekend. I'm on the final mission and, man, that game was short and simple.

But yeah, playing on a console, phone, or laptop is pretty neat and xCloud works fairly well on those.

Anyone have any experience with rechargeable batteries for the controller? I had some simple Energizer ones back in the 360 days but I know the Eneloops have been more popular since then. I also read good things about EBL. I may just stick to regular batteries since Amazon has 24 for less than what a 4 pack of Eneloops and charger cost. I guess it's more wasteful to go that route but I already have a ton of AAs at home and don't plan on running out any time soon.

 

[dilla]

Finished Like a Dragon. Definitely teared up at the ending. The ending that was 2 hours long and no save points in between.

 

[masta247]

Finished Like a Dragon. Definitely teared up at the ending. The ending that was 2 hours long and no save points in between.

How did you like the game? I had a really good time with Like a Dragon. I like how different the Yakuza games feel to anything else that's out there, and Like a Dragon is the most different of them all.

0 was maybe my favorite Yakuza game, but it takes a while to get really awesome. It starts so slow I was actually really disappointed during the first chapter.. and then every chapter onloads a shitloads of new fun things to do on you. Like, surprise, you're 10 hours in so now we'll give you a whole game's worth of new stuff do to. It is very different from most games that show you most of what you can do at the beginning and then you're repeating similar things, they're just getting harder so you don't get utterly bored. But 0 flipped it around. The pacing of 0 starts with disappointing and gradually progresses to 'whole new world' of having the world become bigger and more and more immersive, being able to go deeper and deeper into things to do in the cities, and having new things come in the further you're in the game, and it felt really rewarding and satisfying to me. In hindsight between how awesome and immersive this game's world ends up being and the story made it one of my favorite games.

 

[dilla]

How did you like the game? I had a really good time with Like a Dragon. I like how different the Yakuza games feel to anything else that's out there, and Like a Dragon is the most different of them all.

0 was maybe my favorite Yakuza game, but it takes a while to get really awesome. It starts so slow I was actually really disappointed during the first chapter.. and then every chapter onloads a shitloads of new fun things to do on you. Like, surprise, you're 10 hours in so now we'll give you a whole game's worth of new stuff do to. It is very different from most games that show you most of what you can do at the beginning and then you're repeating similar things, they're just getting harder so you don't get utterly bored. But 0 flipped it around. The pacing of 0 starts with disappointing and gradually progresses to 'whole new world' of having the world become bigger and more and more immersive, being able to go deeper and deeper into things to do in the cities, and having new things come in the further you're in the game, and it felt really rewarding and satisfying to me. In hindsight between how awesome and immersive this game's world ends up being and the story made it one of my favorite games.

I loved it. One of the few games I've ever been excited to get home and play and I'd knock out two hours from the story every time. I also appreciated the Quick Resume feature of the Series S so I could also play it in bits and pieces throughout the day.

I enjoyed Sleeping Dogs and this game felt like a longer, more fleshed out version of that. Not that SD was bad but LaD was better. I always like turn based RPGs, like Final Fantasy, so this was a good one to start with. I know I spoiled some of the older games as characters make cameos in LaD but that's OK. I knew who Kiryu was well before this game.

0 has been a lot slower for me, but I am still enjoying it. I haven't played much and I just got to the part where you find out you've been potentially framed for murder and met with the three head honchos. I didn't like the dialog leading up to this scene but this scene definitely gave me LaD vibes and I'm digging it now.

The other thing I'm prepping myself to get used to is the fighting style of the game. LaD was the exception with its turn based system but this is looking more like Sleeping Dogs and button mashing to get off combos.

 

[masta247]

The other thing I'm prepping myself to get used to is the fighting style of the game. LaD was the exception with its turn based system but this is looking more like Sleeping Dogs and button mashing to get off combos.

You might be happy to hear that future Yakuza games are supposed to keep the turn-based combat from now on.
Sega: Yakuza sequels will be turn-based, while Judgment focuses on action - Polygon

I'm happy about that too. I had a lot of fun with the RPG aspects of that game. The idea was a bit of a mockery of mainstream turn-based RPGs, and its combat system ended up being much more fun than in most of them, lol.

I love Sleeping Dogs, I think it's a game that was ahead of its time. God, that game launched almost 10 years ago. I think it's also why it doesn't compare as well to the newest Yakuza games. I'd be very happy to see Sleeping Dogs 2 now though. It's such a shame that game hasn't gotten a sequel.

 

[dilla]

You might be happy to hear that future Yakuza games are supposed to keep the turn-based combat from now on.
Sega: Yakuza sequels will be turn-based, while Judgment focuses on action - Polygon

I'm happy about that too. I had a lot of fun with the RPG aspects of that game. The idea was a bit of a mockery of mainstream turn-based RPGs, and its combat system ended up being much more fun than in most of them, lol.

I love Sleeping Dogs, I think it's a game that was ahead of its time. God, that game launched almost 10 years ago. I think it's also why it doesn't compare as well to the newest Yakuza games. I'd be very happy to see Sleeping Dogs 2 now though. It's such a shame that game hasn't gotten a sequel.

That's good to hear about the turn based sticking around. I imagine some longtime fans of the series may be upset about that, though. It's quite the departure from the system I'm seeing now in the earlier games.

I did notice the Dragon Quest and Pokemon references. I loved the humor and the characters the most. It really felt like a cast of traditional JRPGs. I think you unlock every character by playing through the story but there's one who is unlocked once you master the investing aspect of the game. I didn't get her but she only sounded relevant when facing Kiryu since he doesn't hit women lol. I got by that fight with moderate difficulty.

One other thing I forgot to mention that I really liked and probably sealed the game's greatness for me was the soundtrack, especially boss battles. Tendo's theme was great.

I progressed a bit further in 0 last night. lol does every Yakuza game begin with a crime being committed and the main character being asked to take the fall for it and go to jail?

Also, this month's GWG is Zone of the Enders HD. I haven't played that game since the PS2 days and then I lost that copy. I have it in queue. Doubt I'll get to it soon but this is one of the GWG games I've been excited for in a long time.

 

[Casey]

I progressed a bit further in 0 last night. lol does every Yakuza game begin with a crime being committed and the main character being asked to take the fall for it and go to jail?

Having played all of them.... No. lol. But it happens a few times.

Zero is definitely my favorite, then Kiwami 2, then 6, then LAD. Y5 is fucking gigantic, with several playable characters, some better than others, but it has some insanely fun parts too.

I can't believe you didn't finish the investing game! I found it really fun. Mind you, my first playthroughs for most of them, I didn't do all the sidequests. Then on my second playthroughs of all of them, I did all of the sidequests because that's the only way to get to the secret boss in every game which is ALWAYS fun. I won't spoil it, but every secret boss is a member of the same family.

Lost Judgment is out this month!!!!! First ever RGG global release, which I'm amped about - no more waiting a year between Japanese releases and having to avoid spoilers.

 

[dilla]

Having played all of them.... No. lol. But it happens a few times.

Zero is definitely my favorite, then Kiwami 2, then 6, then LAD. Y5 is fucking gigantic, with several playable characters, some better than others, but it has some insanely fun parts too.

I can't believe you didn't finish the investing game! I found it really fun. Mind you, my first playthroughs for most of them, I didn't do all the sidequests. Then on my second playthroughs of all of them, I did all of the sidequests because that's the only way to get to the secret boss in every game which is ALWAYS fun. I won't spoil it, but every secret boss is a member of the same family.

Lost Judgment is out this month!!!!! First ever RGG global release, which I'm amped about - no more waiting a year between Japanese releases and having to avoid spoilers.

I didn't know Judgement and Lost Judgement were Yakuza games. I've probably been out the gaming...game..for too long and I do remember seeing headlines on Twitter and Reddit about Lost Judgement but didn't look past it. I still have a lot of catching up to do, almost twenty years worth of games, so I'll stay clear of those.

The investment mini game, I was too impatient to learn how it worked with the tutorial. The story had me hooked hard and I was trying to get through it. Still, I did a ton of the other side missions for the rent a hero thing.


Also, I booted up ZoE and instantly hated it. I don't know what I liked about it 15 years ago but it didn't feel the same to me this time around. I quickly switched back to Yakuza 0 after 15 mins lol.

 

[dilla]

@masta247

I think I may be OK with letting go of my eGPU and with the high demand for GPUs of any kind and the supply shortages, how much would you say I could net for my my RX580 with enclosure?

It's a Gigabyte Gaming Box, so it's not some cheapo enclosure, either. I got it for around $400 on BF a few years back but I may be OK with sticking to Xbox and breaking even on the eGPU. I don't want to be predatory either but even some profit off of it would be nice, if possible.

 

[masta247]

@masta247

I think I may be OK with letting go of my eGPU and with the high demand for GPUs of any kind and the supply shortages, how much would you say I could net for my my RX580 with enclosure?

It's a Gigabyte Gaming Box, so it's not some cheapo enclosure, either. I got it for around $400 on BF a few years back but I may be OK with sticking to Xbox and breaking even on the eGPU. I don't want to be predatory either but even some profit off of it would be nice, if possible.

You'd have to check by the time you're ready to sell as prices shift a lot. Also depends on your local market to some extent. It's crazy that I sold my previous GPU for like 50% over what I bought it for, lol, and that's after getting a lot of use out of it. The guy buying it still thought he's striking an amazing deal because I felt bad and sold it for less than what they were typically going for at the time. That said I still got death threats because its more than what they were going for 3 years ago. I just wanted to sell my old GPU after upgrading to the 3080 without being too much of an asshole, but there's an entire generation of pissed teenagers who are suddenly priced out of gaming out there.

The shortages likely won't last, or at least prices will be significantly better, past Q1 2021 though. Amongst many other factors, Intel's releasing their own mainstream volume gaming GPUs, and it's a perfect timing for them to enter the GPU market to say the least.