General gaming discussion

MikeRyan87 · 03-06-2026 10:26AM

I've stopped preordering completely but might to get The Belkan War.

Has anyone been playing No Rest for the Wicked? I avoid games while they're in Early Access and wait for full release. I just think there'll be too much to play around then with Wolverine, Control Resonant, Onimusha, Silent Hill Townfall, AC8 etc

johnny_ultimate · 03-06-2026 12:02PM

Wait, they've changed the art style of Rayman Legends?

The gorgeous 2D art is one of the defining features of both Origins and Legends. What a bummer that they're getting rid of it.

Potential-Monke · 03-06-2026 01:00PM

I knew it kinda looked off alright. 2D was amazing. Those music levels *chefs kiss

Maybe ye can help me. What would ye choose om the way home from work today:

007 First Light
Pragmata
Lego Batman

Genuinely struggling to choose...

Retr0gamer · 03-06-2026 01:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124520451#Comment_124520451

It's really stupid I agree. They did it twice with ace combat 7. They had a remake of 5 of you preordered on PS4 but at least that lasted a bit longer and was available with the deluxe version. It's now totally unavailable. Then they offered ace combat 6 on Xbox but handled that very poorly as it was already available on the digital store and backward compatible. They pulled the game from sale and now you need to find a physical copy to play it.

I mean Activision tries it with the modern warfare remaster but they at least offered that on its own down the line.

Zero-Cool · 03-06-2026 01:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124520972#Comment_124520972

I haven't played pragmata or Batman but 007 is an easy recommendation. Great game start to finish, 16-20 hours to complete. 65 in smyths and then sell to cex for 47 cash.

Penn · 03-06-2026 01:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124520972#Comment_124520972

I finished Pragmata, played maybe 4 hours Lego Batman, and I'm about 8 hours into 007 First Light.

I'd go with 007 First Light.

Pragmata is surprisingly good and can be a fun and challenging time, but it's not a game I'll think too much about. Lego Batman feels great and manages to strike a good balance between Lego games and Arkham combat & traversal, and some of the jokes/humour/references are great, but it also feels like something I'd rather jump into when I'm bored and have nothing else as opposed to 'must play it now'.

007 First Light really is a bit Uncharted (story, combat & traversal) and a bit Hitman (finding and exploring different ways to approach the same objective, with a bit of stealth & social stealth). I do have some issues, but overall I'm having a great time with it.

The Iron Giant · 03-06-2026 01:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124520972#Comment_124520972

Have all three. Loving all of them.

But go with 007. I'd agree with Penn that Lego Batman is really fun but it's quite easy even on hard difficulty so is good for dipping in and out of to do a couple of hours.

I've stopped both Batman and Pragmata (and Hi-Fi rush which finally came last week) to give 007 my full attention.

Iseedeadpixels · 03-06-2026 04:36PM

I'm going to have 2 weeks off in July post surgery so can't do much other than game (ohhh nooo)

What's the better game to get 007 First Light or Crimson Desert.

I've played similar games to both before and enjoyed them.

Unearthly · 03-06-2026 04:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521597#Comment_124521597

You’d need 2 years off instead of 2 weeks for Crimson Desert! Looks like 007 would be a perfect game for that time period

Potential-Monke · 03-06-2026 05:20PM

I ended up getting none of them. Because in my rush to get dafuq out of work I drove straight home... tomorrow, and 007 seems to be the right choice. Cheers peeps!

Crimson Desert is a fantastic game, but even if you're playing 8+ hours a day during those 2 weeks, you'll probably only be half way through everything. Unless you mainline the story. But if you can easily get lost in what I consider the most alive world I've played in, then you'll be hitting 250+ hours. I'm around 260, main quests done, about 75% side quests, maybe 70% challenges done, about 68% everything collected/discovered... And DLC is looming. They've given a recent 3 month road map. The last 3 month road map was done in 3 weeks! Massive and amazing (imo) game. Honestly don't think anything will beat it for my GOTY.

cheese sandwich · 03-06-2026 05:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521708#Comment_124521708

Honestly sounds exhausting

Anois_ · 03-06-2026 05:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521730#Comment_124521730

Like all games once you get sucked in you do not mind the time going. I'm the same with all games I know are huge time sinks and I put off playing them but once I finally get around to actually playing them I always end up really liking the game.

Mind you I haven't played Crimson Desert so what would I know.

Potential-Monke · 03-06-2026 05:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521730#Comment_124521730

Not if that's what you're into. Yeah, the thought of running around.collecting bugs and birds and critters is not something I ever thought I'd do (didn't like Bugsnax), but here I am, 260 hours in doing exactly that. It's actually a nice change of pace after 200 hours of battles. And yeah, I'm doing it for working towards the platinum, but I'm not dreading it like I was in the end of AC Valhalla. The fact I'm still finding new stuff is frankly amazing. It's a world full of things to do and see. No other game has come close to how much unique content there is. And the game let's you off to do it all yourself, but gives you a helping hand. Like I just found a Helm of Knowledge which highlights things I haven't discovered yet. Very handy for end game. I love it. And I can't wait for the DLC, because going by all the updates so far, it'll be brilliant.

Pearl Abyss are my new favourite devs. They are putting other AAA studios to shame with their content, quality, ability to listen to all feedback and improve the game based on it and so quickly, it's how it always should have been. I want to play Starfield, which is out over a year on Xbox and 2 months on PS5 but it still unstable on PS5. Unacceptable now that PA have shown it can, and should, be done.

Penn · 03-06-2026 05:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521597#Comment_124521597

I remember I was laid up for near a month after surgery 14 years ago, but didn't have the disposable income I have now. Ended up replaying & platinuming Batman Arkham Asylum & City including all the Riddler trophies and combat & stealth challenges. Replayed a few other long enough games like Assassin's Creed Brotherhood too (think I did try for the platinum in it too but there was an awful multiplayer trophy so did all but that one).

Haven't played Crimson Desert, but while 007 First Light is great, you'll probably get through it in 2-3 days if you're mostly laid up I'd say, so best to have a few other games lined up too. Crimson Desert, if you're banking just on it due to the length of the game, could really screw you up if it doesn't gel with you.

So yeah, my only advice is to have a few games lined up for variety and length.

Anois_ · 03-06-2026 05:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521752#Comment_124521752

I enjoyed Bugsnax. Simple change of pace game.

Iseedeadpixels · 03-06-2026 09:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124521606#Comment_124521606

Perfect thanks 😂

The Iron Giant · 04-06-2026 11:04AM

Demo for The Eternal Life of Goldman is out on PlayStation. One of the most beautiful games that I've played, love the art style which is hand animated. Platforming is very fun.

Demo is a the first 90 minutes of the game.

https://youtu.be/d4rddQAXDYs?si=KTsx-6T_PZgyZA6b

johnny_ultimate · 04-06-2026 11:46AM

Incredible - as pointed out by Daniel Ahmad, the bonus 'retro costumes' in the upcoming HD remaster of Dynasty Warriors 3 are just the low-res costumes from the original PS2 game imported directly into this version :P

https://bsky.app/profile/zhugeex.com/post/3mnfwq53n4k2d

Retr0gamer · 04-06-2026 03:36PM

It's sounding good...

https://bsky.app/profile/tapirfortuna.bsky.social/post/3mnhrckha5s2n

Retr0gamer · 05-06-2026 08:36AM

Played a good bit of Sin and Punishment 2: Star Successor last night and it's one of the best games I've ever played. It's also one of the most intense games I've played, my hand was sore from gripping the wiimote. It's just a constant barrage of awesome set pieces and incredible bosses.

https://youtu.be/QrwYDFdjgIc?is=4sjQh89eE6l57KGn

johnny_ultimate · 07-06-2026 09:56AM

Wrapped up Mina the Hollower and had a really great time with it. An often devious top-down platformer and exploration game. I had some minor issues with it - the combat can feel a little loose at times due to the nature of the perspective and digging mechanic, and not totally sold on some of the Souls mechanics it borrows - but very minor issues in what is often an extremely creative game full of cool things to discover and some very clever platform sections to navigate. Some frustrating rooms here and there, but mostly on the right side of tricky overall.

Interesting that for all the new weapons and trinkets you unlock - which really do change the way you play - there are no big navigational upgrades like you’d expect in a Zelda game. Instead, they’ve used burrowing in a host of interesting and imaginative ways - by the end of the game you’ll be a lot more comfortable with navigating spaces that seemed impossible on first encounter.

Also, while the story is very light, it pulls one very amusing trick in the third act that I very much enjoyed.

MikeRyan87 · 08-06-2026 01:01AM

Playing through Minishoot Adventures during Xbox Showcase after platiniuming 007 First Light. Enjoying it alot.

Eternal Life of Goldman Demo is also great. Stopped 30 mins in to wait for full release.

johnny_ultimate · 08-06-2026 09:18AM

Finally giving Marathon a go given it’s a favourite among a lot of critics I trust. After a few hilariously unsuccessful solo runs, rolled the matchmaking dice and ended up in a squad with two surprisingly friendly Americans. And yeah, that gave me a much better sense of the game and its potential for some great stories. Just a really fun series of fights (plus the risky final exfil) with the constant risk that all that loot is gone if you die. And Bungie really are experts of gamefeel still.

Will dig in a bit more and try the other maps, but yeah this seems like a Good Video Game.

Zero-Cool · 08-06-2026 09:38AM

A game i completely forgot about but the upcoming dlc reminded me of it, The Alters is down to 19 euro on PSN. The idea of it really appeals to me but i could never make it through This War of Mine, it was so heavy. This at least looks lighter, any recommendations?

Grumpypants · 08-06-2026 10:26AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124533010#Comment_124533010

It's not as dark as this war of mine. I played through the first few areas and really liked it.

You build different "Alters" that have different skills and personality. So on top of managing those relationships . The main game loop is pop out into the unforgiving environment and set up mining rigs to get resources. Then use those to complete the tasks that lets you get to the next section.

I drifted away from it more so due to lack of time to play it rather than not having fun.

Potential-Monke · 08-06-2026 11:57AM

I enjoyed the crafting aspect of it, but the personality clashes and slight progress blocks as a result put me off it in the end. I said I'd pick it up again on the cheap if they added a no story mode! Also quite depressing in parts, and I'm not a big fan of depressing games.

Zero-Cool · 08-06-2026 12:25PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124533429#Comment_124533429

You see, i like an ol depressing games although This War of Mine was a different level altogether. Really liked the concept of it but it is literally hard to play for long periods of time.

I read there was a big free update that added a relaxed mode and more importantly for me, a save and quit feature instead of waiting for the end of a day to save.

Potential-Monke · 08-06-2026 01:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124533502#Comment_124533502

You'll probably like it so. I played TWoM a couple of times and the Alters definitely isn't as bleak, but mental health is front and centre of the story and, well, meh. Got in the way of the more entertaining survival and crafting/base improving aspects. Always made me think AI robots would have been a better alternative, but I'm sure there's a reason Alters was picked and I just don't remember it.

Retr0gamer · 08-06-2026 01:43PM

Will be interesting to see what the ocarina of time remake is. It's a landmark game but it's kind of dated, especially considering it's a near remake of link to the past and nearly every 3D Zelda after has been a remake of OoT itself until BotW. It would need to be a ground up resi 2 remake to get me interested.

McFly85 · 08-06-2026 02:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124533749#Comment_124533749

I hope it’s ground-up remake too. Redo the overworld, add new quests, new items/clothing/swords. Completely redo the dungeons.

But it should still be a traditional Zelda game - dungeons in order that give items needed to progress.

I’ve played it enough times to know it back to front, I don’t need to drop cash on yet another prettier version of the game.

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