General gaming discussion

jj880 · 12-10-2025 09:00PM

Is there a Skate Story thread?

Release date trailer now available:

Out December 8th. Demo on steam.

Penn · 12-10-2025 09:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123900417#Comment_123900417

I played the first hour of it (maybe even less), but I'm just focusing more on Hades 2 at the minute. Beautiful opening sequence though, looking forward to getting back to it.

Potential-Monke · 13-10-2025 08:09AM

Have 38 hours into Ghosts so far, feel like I'm not too far from the end but who knows with a game this big. In my defence, ive tried to clear up the maps as I'm going and I believe I've got most. Exploration is natural, see a thing, head that way with only the wind guiding you, no map markers, and constantly getting distracted. I assume this is what Nintendo fanboys do be harping on about in the Zelda games. But SP have created another fantastic example of the beauty of Japan, with every pause being a screenshot moment. Combat is meaty and violent, the new additions which take over from stances are nice. It doesn't do anything new but what it does it does it really well. Very happy with the game.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 08:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123900937#Comment_123900937

The exploration in Zelda is totally different. It feels more like orienteering than just following the wind/map marker. It's more about player expression in the exploration. Definitely didn't get that from the first game and what I saw of the second isn't much different.

johnny_ultimate · 13-10-2025 09:00AM

Played through Threshold last night - short mysterious horror game where you’re a worker in a low-oxygen environment tasked with keeping an endless train at a particular speed.

Great use of a small environment and repetitive tasks for a pretty bleak and memorable little experience. Some creative use of physic objects in the back half (the 16gb of RAM recommended specs aren’t lying :p). Probably not one to try if you’re in any way uncomfortable about glass-based injuries.

Very fond of the kind of stuff Critical Reflex is publishing recently - they’ve a few newer titles I’ll certainly be looking at over the rest of the month.

https://youtu.be/jAqq9qqq5XQ?si=iBdLhkmqgNV4OH5p

Potential-Monke · 13-10-2025 09:55AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901020#Comment_123901020

It's different to Tsushima, but dont get the orienteering and expression references as I haven't played Zelda so can't fairly compare. But Yotei feels a lot more natural. Constantly getting distracted from the main intent. But man, you've certainly put Zelda on a very high pedestal that no doubt wont live up to my expectations by the time I get around to playing it...

Exclamation Marc · 13-10-2025 10:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901268#Comment_123901268

Have to agree with you on Yotei. I'm less than eight hours into the game and bar the opening, I haven't progressed the story much and have just enjoyed wandering around, meeting NPCs, spotting something in the distance (sometimes with the eyeglass) and investigating. It's immensely satisfying and natural feeling and I'm loving it. The lack of a mini-map as well is a blessing as you're not assaulted by 'DO THIS' all the time.

The combat is brilliant too and satisfying when you get it right, the need to be on your toes so that you're not disarmed by meatier enemies brings a nice variation. It's also incredibly violet and bloody without being comical which is nice.

Visually its absolutely stunning on the PS5 Pro.

Are you playing with dubs or subtitles? I keep flicking between the two and can't land on a favourite.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 11:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901268#Comment_123901268

I read up on it there. Seems they tried to emulate Zelda but weren't brave enough to follow through on it with the spyglass and smoke signals being a stopgap measure. Possible upper management interference there.

I could be wrong but seems to be in Yotei you use your spyglass and if you look at something that is an area of interest it marks it on the map.

Zelda on the other hand leaves it up to the player to decide what's interesting or not. It doesn't mark anything automatically. You do have three markers you can place on the map but again the position is decided entirely by the player. There is a mechanic that can tell you how close you are to a certain item of interest but mostly it's used to fine tune your hunting and a lot of the time the game is pretty devious with hiding things. You could be close to a shrine but the entrance to cave to get there is at the other side of a mountain.

Again not played Yotei but it creates a different feeling to anything else due to exploration being entirely player driven rather than being guided by the game designer (although there's probably some hidden game designer guiding hand there making you focus on places of interest using some visual tricks).

The only game that comes close is immortals fenyx rising.

Not saying it's better or you'll love it but it's a totally different game in feel and how it plays to the standard Ubisoft formula.

SuperBowserWorld · 13-10-2025 11:46AM

Fenyx Rising just does not have the depth of gameplay, puzzles, exploration, art direction, world that BOTW has. Plus, it's a blatant rip off. I enjoyed it a lot, but wouldn't be going back for more whereas I played BOTW twice and played the DLC as well. TOTK takes all that to the next level, but I feel it lost a little of the magic of the first game.

Only downside to BOTW is that it's still full price ! At least the Switch 2 version has 60 FPS and higher res.

I wonder what the next 3D Zelda will be. They said they're finished with the BOTW world, but a trilogy would be nice.

Anois_ · 13-10-2025 12:25PM

I played a few hours of BOTW and left it. I haven't touched it or my switch in a few years. Which is one of the reason I never bought the Switch 2.

SuperBowserWorld · 13-10-2025 12:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901755#Comment_123901755

....

Liamalone · 13-10-2025 01:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901755#Comment_123901755

I have both BotW and TotK ..... haven't even started either. When I bought a Switch 2 I thought I would, but alas not yet.

SuperBowserWorld · 13-10-2025 01:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901953#Comment_123901953

Jealous. 😁

Liamalone · 13-10-2025 01:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123901964#Comment_123901964

I genuinely think I'm scared to get sucked in lol.

Penn · 13-10-2025 01:35PM

I did really enjoy BOTW and thought it was a fantastic game. Is it one of my favourite games of all time? No, but that's very much personal taste and I wouldn't argue with anyone who says it's one of theirs, nor with the more general objective opinion that it's one of the best games of all time as I can see the reasons for that.

I think in terms of open world, when compared to the likes of Ghost of Yotei/Tsushima and other general open world games, one of the things BOTW (and I assume TOTK) does is it just drops you in the world, and it's up to you to do stuff with that. You make the decisions on where to go, you look off in the distance and decide if there's something over there that piques your interest (which there generally will be no matter where you are or what direction you're looking), and it will all be worth doing because it's all part of the whole.

When it comes to most other AAA open world games, they're typically more linear games in an open world setting. There is a golden path on which to thread and it will bring you back and forth between most areas of the map, and then the rest of the map is filled out with just general "stuff". It can be fun stuff, it can be interesting stuff, but it's generally just stuff to justify the open world. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that either so long as the stuff is engaging and varied.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 01:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902010#Comment_123902010

It never is engaging or varied unless it's a full blown RPG. It's why I think spiderman is one of the better ones, all because it's so much shorter than them, and even at that I was was done with it before the end.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 01:56PM

I think the difference between ubi/Sony mono games and botw is how it treats the open world. In the Ubisoft model the world is this annoyance you have to trudge through to get to the next mission, map marker, side mission.

In BotW, exploring the map is the game. Even the shrines and divine beasts don't come close to the feeling you get from exploring the world. They gamified exploration whereas other games it's an elaborate menu you select missions from except the buttons are a 5-10 minute journey away.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 02:00PM

BotW and map markers get mentioned in the thread:

Penn · 13-10-2025 02:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902062#Comment_123902062

I'd disagree, though I would say I can't think of a game which really got the balance right, as some can have side filler content which is engaging and fun, but also a bunch of other side filler content which is just padding and busywork. Or where they've had some fun and engaging side content but everything good about it ends up being beaten out of you through repetition.

I mean even the Riddler trophies in the Arkham games, some of them can be tied to fun puzzles or challenges, or even having to actually solve a Batman-related riddle to scan an object. But then there are just so many more trophies just scattered around or repetition in a lot of the puzzles that as a whole they all just feel like a chore (even in Arkham Asylum, never mind the literal 300+ Riddler things in Arkham Knight).

SuperBowserWorld · 13-10-2025 02:09PM

LOL - yep the world can be a PITA. I think with AC Odyssey you can press 1 button to go forward and climb anything and fall off anything without getting any damage. They basically admitted the world was in the way. Spider-Man and BOTW made traversal fun.

Skyrim was the only other open world game I've played that had that grand sense of exploration, discovery and DIY about it. I know Elden Ring is similar but too bleak for me, at least at the moment.

Maybe I'll try Oblivion when it gets cheaper and they fix the graphics glitches.

Anois_ · 13-10-2025 02:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902127#Comment_123902127

I have to pick up Oblivion as I never finished it years ago as my save glitched and I could not be bothered to play through it all again even though it was a great game. But since it was remastered I should really play it again.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 02:57PM

I'm not a huge fan of the games but I do appreciate how much fun it is to get around in the GTA games. It's a bit like spiderman where the world map traversal can be fun.

I think western RPGs get a pass because often times the main story is a load of arse but the side content it really substantial, well in Bethesda games anyway. The witcher games have good main quests.

awec · 13-10-2025 03:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902261#Comment_123902261

Witcher is a bit of a mixed bag I think.

The first 1/3→1/2 of the Witcher 3 was pretty bad IMO, up until you get past the Baron quest line.

SuperBowserWorld · 13-10-2025 03:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902275#Comment_123902275

I got well past that and got bored. Will go back at some stage. Think I was trying to figure out a way to get to Skellig.

Anois_ · 13-10-2025 03:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902301#Comment_123902301

You have a better memory than me. I played the full game and DLC's and forget where the hell Skellig is.

awec · 13-10-2025 03:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902358#Comment_123902358

Skellig is the bit where all the NPCs have dodgy northern accents.

Xofpod · 13-10-2025 03:52PM

Playing Witcher 3 at the moment on the Switch2, having given up on it years ago. The exploration element doesn't come near BOTW/Skyrim/others but its real strength for me is the writing. Even minor side quests are so well written - and often genuinely unpredictable - that I find myself wandering away constantly from the main quest.

Anois_ · 13-10-2025 03:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123902392#Comment_123902392

Oh yes that's where I was thinking but wasn't fully sure. But regarding not able to find how to get there. The game has a

marker at the docks in the main city

guiding you there.

Retr0gamer · 13-10-2025 11:07PM

Remember Redfall?

Nope, neither do I.

Jordan 199 · 14-10-2025 12:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123903511#Comment_123903511

I still have that installed on my console 😯

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