I've Finally Got a Playstation...

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I'm not 100% sure, but I think on PSN you can just get Jak 1, I honestly wouldn't bother with 2 or 3, they're a bit shooty and at that point you might as well be playing the vastly superior R&C games (I'd also recommend just jumping in at the PS3 R&C games as they're a totally seperate series and I think they're better).

Crumpy Andy wrote:

EditEdit: Get Flower, like Journey, but not shit.

How can one post be so wrong

Also get Sly 4 to follow up the Sly Trilogy

Curious how you get on with ICO as I think Drunka played SotC first and then went back to ICO and went back and wasn't a fan.

But if you go ICO first and don't like will it put you of SotC.

Couldn't stand Shadows of the Colossus, it was hitting all the right buttons in its intro until it handed control over to me. I quickly grew to despise those controls and how unecessarily they f***ed with normal control conventions that are common for a reason and dropped the game within twenty minutes.

I mean the game looks like it'd be a treat if one can tolerate the controls. I couldn't though. Which sucks because everything else about the game was pushing all the right buttons.

Yet it's still the best game on the PS2 and you could even say PS3 for someone like Balla.

Calling it "the best PS2 game" is debatable at best, especially considering how many widely raved about games the system had.  Very few consoles have a single game that can be called, definitively, the "Best", funnily enough for the most part they're all Nintendo systems too.   As far as critical acclaim goes I can also very easily list several titles rated by the mainstream as either in the same league or higher than it too.

Best exclusive then, if you care about things like that, which I don't.

SotC is the best PS2 game, and it isn't even my favourite.

SotC is pure art, but I think I might actually prefer ICO.

What was wrong with the SOTC controls? It seemed to follow the necessary conventions from what I can remember - you used the left stick to move, right stick for camera, and buttons to do things

masofdas wrote:

Best exclusive then, if you care about things like that, which I don't.

Given at least ninty percent of the best games on the system were and in some cases (Final Fantasy xii) still are exclusive to the system that really doesn't help the case.  


The buttons doing things were horrid, jumping was a needlessly complicated clumsy thing of hold one button, press another not normally ascociated with jumping, and then if I recall correctly there was some other part of the process.  All of this without so much as a "this is how you do this action" notification I might add, and while I don't agree with having tutorials galore if you're going to intentionally f*** around with control conventions you'd better damn well inform the player.

The controls were unintuitive and simply irritations.  Given controls are the literal door that connects the player to the world having controls that work and run as smoothly as butter is easily the single most essential component to a game, especially an action game.  The moment you ruin the controls you rip the player very aggressively out of the game world you are trying to immerse them in and bring them squarely back to their seat in the lounge room.  



Granted I could have probably worked out and learned the controls, however after spending over half a blasted hour fighting with the options to try and get the camera controls to not make me want to smash my screen every time they were used and failed to respond properly, followed by fighting the game's own inputs to do incredibly simple tasks like move my avatar around a few ledges and jump a bit I'd had enough.  

Any and every semblance of immersion and enjoyment had been completely shattered, and given how blatantly important that was to the game I wasn't interested in further wasting my time.  The game had attempted and failed the first hurdle jump, and if that first hurdle is something as basic as controls that don't make me swear at my screen in irritation then it's one strike and you're out.  

There are problems in games I'm willing to forgive or deal with, and there are problems where it doesn't matter if you're the complete package in every other department, you mess up that one problem and you're a trash video game as far I'm concerned.  Shadow of the Colossus is the latter, and absolutely nothing can be said that will change my mind.  


As far as it being the "best game of the PS2" is concerned, even ignoring my dislike-bordering-on-hatred for the game I'll refuse to call it the best on the system for the simple reason that the PS2/Cube generation was the single best generation of the entire modern era and there are far too many games on and exclusive to the system to try and say "there is one be-all-and-end-all game".  Frankly I consider it almost am insult to the PS2's library to do that.  And before anyone tries to go "well you only say that because you almost-hate the game!", nope, I'd be saying the same thing if you were calling one of my picks of the generation the best on the system as well.  

There is too much variety to call anything on the system a definitive better than everything else title.  


/rant-explanation thingy



That all said I will make it clear that there's nothing wrong with someone enjoying the game, and I do think it is a title that has a good chance of being Balla's cup of tea. I'm just not going to call it something I vehemently disagree it should be called, like "best game on a system with some of the best games of all time".

Okay it might be not be great to call it the best but if I had to rank all 2231 PS2 games (PAL), SotC would be the number 1 pick.

I'm not a fan of the PS2 as you all know which might also would affect the list if I had to rank all 2231 games but also to quote Drunka SotC is the best PS2 game, and it isn't even my favourite.

There is a difference with that as one of my fav PS1 games is Granstream Saga but its actually not very good.

You press triangle to jump in SotC. That's it. I reckon if you went back to it you'd find that the controls are no where near as strange/convoluted as you remember.

I just checked over an FAQ and I'm pretty sure jump being on triangle rather than X is the only real convention that the game breaks (and saying that I can think of other games that do use triangle for jumping, like Fallout/Elder Scrolls).

Balladeer wrote:

Eternal Sonata

I think out of any game on the list mentioned, Eternal Sonata is absolutely one for you. For one, it's an RPG and for two, it's an RPG set where you play as Frédéric Chopin and a cast of characters named after musical terminology. Gameplay wise, it's nothing that'll blow you away but it's perfectly fine.

As for Telltale recommendations, The Wolf Among Us is highly recommended. Tales from the Borderlands is my favourite Telltale game, but you'll get a lot less out of that having not played Borderlands.

You'll be wanting to spend at least a dollar on this, Balls Man:

https://www.humblebundle.com/capcom-playstation-bundle?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Capcom_PlayStation_Bundle_Announce

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Final Fight Double Impact are both absoluetly class, and they're definitely amongst the best games I downloaded for my 360. The other stuff might appeal as well - Okami HD is there if you're willing to pay a little more.

EDIT: Just found out that this offer is for NA/SA country accounts only. That's keech.

Apparently there's a way to muck about with yer PSN accounts to get NA/SA sales? I think somebody (Mas?) mentioned it earlier in the thread. Dunno if I can be bothered, depends on the games.

Yeah all you have to do make a American account, which is useful to take advantage of Sales and things like that Humble Bundle.

At this stage in the PS3s life I don't think it's worth the effort for the sales, especially considering they have good sales all the time over here as it's so old.

Which they do but like I posted about the flash sale, that's decent amount of quality games for $20 (£16.99). Like most things, if you got the time you can get better deals, but can you be bothered is the question?

Double Post

As last night after watching PS I Love XOXO and Gregg talks about MGSV and Peace Walker, I went on my VITA and was looking for Peace Walker along with other classics, which has lead me to just do a list of Classics worth looking at Balla as you are looking at things like Axiom Verge coming September on the eShop which mihght be a good game but you now can play the best Metroidvania ever made in SOTN, which likely costs less as well.

Some of the games listed you might not like but I think there worth at least talking about for the sake of Video Game History

PS2 Classics are awful
GTA which I don't think you'll like but you might want to try to see why the series is big as it is
Persona 3 FES, Is the real standout along with the other SMT games maybe
Suikoden III, I've not played myself but is meant to be a decent JRPG but something on the PS1 Classics is far better from what I know

PS1 Classics
Alundra, Top Down Zelda-like from the team that made Landstalker
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the best Metroidvania ever made
Crash Bandicoot's, I would skip 1 as it has aged but the other two still hold up there never going to be Mario but if you want some classic 3D platforming then look no further
CTR: Crash Team Racing, The best Kart racer without Mario in the title and even better then some of them also has a mix of Diddy Kong Racing as well
Final Fantasy V, Have you played it before? I think on the PS1things like CGI movies were added
Final Fantasy VI, Have you played it before? I think on the PS1things like CGI movies were added
Final Fantasy VII, The reason for a lot of people in 1997 as to why they had a PS1 and not a N64. It has aged but still a classic for a JRPG fan to play even if you know what happens.
Final Fantasy VIII, I think its pants and I know a few others that do but then I know some who love it
Final Fantasy IX, The best mainline FF game and its staggering how good it looks, if you didn't know you would think it's a PS2 Classic not a PS1.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, Did you play the remake on Wii? If not might be worth a go for more of Kirby like 2.5D Platformer
Metal Gear Solid, I know what you said before but MGS I think does even with Sniper Wolf in it, does a okay job with the ladies
Oddworld, Well loved side-scrolling puzzle platformers. I've never been a fan but the series has a bit of a cult following that there must be something there
Pandemonium's, This might be real nostalgia as I've not played them since they came out and the first I played on Saturn but they were fun 2.5D Platformers
Parasite Eve II, More people should have played this Action-RPG Survival Horror from a team that worked some of Squares best games
Resident Evil's, These are what made the PS1 so great IMO but being Survival Horror you may want to give a miss
Silent Hill, Basically the same as Resident Evil
Spyro's, Unlike Crash all the games hold up okay in what are more open 3D Platformers even with a world hub to run around
Suikoden I & II, Not played but from what I know about PlayStation then all RPG fans (I was looking for it last night but not on VITA) should play Suikoden II
Vagrant Story, More about the action then Squares other RPG's but still worth a look
Wild Arms, A Sony JRPG with Western Settings

There might be others as well as I know Cappa is fan of UmJammer Lammy and could bemore even to look at on this likely out of date list

masofdas wrote:

CTR: Crash Team Racing
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Spyro's

+1 to these, fantastic games and very Nintendo-like!

Also I am reminded to highly recommend Tokyo Jungle on PS3 - such a brilliant and unique game.

If you're going to try and find out what the fuss is about with GTA you shouldn't go for the PS2 games, jump straight to the pinacle, V.

I suggest downloading Jet Set Radio HD, simply as it is the best version of a great game. Also a game called Renegade Ops, a cross between Blast Corps and Metal Slug in terms of destructible environments and shooting lots of enemies.

I'd also recommend NBA Street Homecourt but I'm of the assumption that you don't like sports games. I don't like basketball, but I love NBA Street (not sure if that helps).

Crumpy Andy wrote:

If you're going to try and find out what the fuss is about with GTA you shouldn't go for the PS2 games, jump straight to the pinacle, V.

Yeah I agree but I was thinking more of historic value like if I just bought a Wii U and never played Nintendo, you'll be saying download SM64 etc

No, I'd say play Galaxy because it still holds up

Crumpy Andy wrote:

No, I'd say play Galaxy because it still holds up

This.

masofdas wrote:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the best Metroidvania ever made

And also, this!

Surprised you agree with Andy as SM64 to me holds up like a lot of Nintendo games to this day, but I know Balla does have issues with retro games and others do as well.

At the moment is a retro sale on PSN and on PS3 it's rather good as games like Final Fantasy IX are £3.29