Contemporary console & games for completionist-RPG-ers & vehicle-gamers
February 27, 2019 11:41 AM Subscribe
My wife was a big fan of the Suikoden series, but it appears moribund and she's played out what she has. I find I have an itch for photorealistic vehicle-oriented games. We have a fine PC but we're likely gonna get a post-Wii console. Help us choose the console and games!
I’ll spend most of this post focused on her needs, since I more or less already know what I want.
To give you an idea, she's such a completionist that she'll spend long hours in Skyrim telekinetically tossing crap around rooms, telekinetically attacking NPCs with spoons, and so on solely to level up skills. I've seen her spend over a week to unlock one character in Suikoden.
She likes RPGs of various sorts and the fantasy or not-very-hard sci-fi genres.
We have plenty of PC games and a solid new-ish PC, but we are of the Certain Age whereby either of us can only spend so long at that desk. Couch gaming, in essence, is inevitably re-entering our lives. Thus, no need to suggest PC games.
So: give me your recommendations for games and the consoles that support them! Further parameters follow, categorized as Musts, Really-Shoulds, and Would-Be-Nices.
MUSTS:
1- Must absolutely not require her to interact with, or even see, real people in-game a la an MMO. "Community content" whereby other players post creations that she can choose to download or ignore is fine, however.
2- For Mrs. CoB, "completionism" means stuff like the ability to improve usable characters' stats, a posse of ally characters to recruit, and useful or interesting hidden items to discover. So, grinding is not a bad thing, to a point--like, we still enjoy Diablo II (but expect to be disappointed by III and haven’t gone for it). I don't think she's into exploration for its own sake, but if it's a means to the above ends, then large world maps (a la Elder Scrolls) are good. Arbitrary "Achievement Unlocked" badges won't motivate her. Story seems not to be a main motivator for her, if her reluctance to replay Dragon Age—and if her ability to ignore Final Fantasy Tactics' writing and the repetitiveness of Diablo—are any indication. Completing quests and "beating the game" seems much less important than leveling up and acquiring stuff.
3- Because of the "completionism" requirement, it might go without saying, but replayability is essential.
4- Some depth of strategy, of having to make "load-out" choices and the like, is essential. Shallow mechanics won't engage her (or me, most likely).
5- No dependence upon real-currency microtransactions.
6- For her, nothing VERY dark and realistic and gritty. No cyberpunk, nothing Old West, no CoD-esque military stuff. (Note: that's not to say she WON'T do a "shooter," just not those types of shooters, and certainly not JUST a shooter.) She’d like horror games, provided that they’re not unremittingly bleak, or as punishing in difficulty as most Resident Evils have struck her as being.
7- But also not too cutesy. Big-headed cartoony critter games aren't her thing. Mario and Kirby-level is about as cutesy as she goes.
8- No puzzle games, and minimal puzzle elements in games of other types.
9- Franchise tie-ins that would kill her interest include but are not limited to Marvel, DC, and probably every possible professional sport. I suspect Pokemon and its ilk belong on that list too.
REALLY-SHOULDS:
10- Impressive visuals are strongly preferred. We have a big, good TV. (This is why I specified "contemporary" console games, though our definition of contemporary is a little loose. Our Wii is our most current console.)
11- Customizability of in-game elements is strongly preferred. Names and appearance of characters or objects, that kind of thing. (This is part of why she loves Skyrim--though in that case it’s also because I’m able and eager to use its Creation Kit to build player homes and follower NPCs to her specifications.)
12- Titles where you can make some kind of progress in short gameplay bursts (like, 15-20 minutes) are very strongly preferred. It's not that she WON'T do hours-long gaming stretches—she will and does—but for the candidate game(s) to really be a homerun, it should be possible to squeeze in even incremental progress during those right-before-going-out intervals.
13- If the game is combat-free, it needs some other form of genuine challenges with risk (a la Sims, which she also likes). All that leveling-up and stuff-finding should ACCOMPLISH something beyond just making it easier/faster to do more completionism…ing.
14- Deep foreknowledge of previous titles in a franchise being mandatory to enjoy a candidate game is NOT optimal. For instance, she doesn't care one whit about the heavy Final Fantasy lore post-VI. Especially, the sense of "needing" to play an older and weaker game (particularly if it's not easily obtained for either the Wii or the console we'd buy) would work against a title.
15- Too many extra things to buy is a definite turnoff. If a game requires some $100 peripheral, or an “optional” expansion, to be any good? That game had better have an awful lot going for it to offset that.
16- For my part: I recently played Forza Horizon, and while I enjoyed it a great deal and it did partly inspire this thread, it wasn’t quite enough to make me run out and get an Xbox One. I’d love to know about similar games, though, in case we go the Switch or PS4 route. Burnout Paradise Remastered looks like it might be similar. I’m not obsessive about tuning each individual piston and other gearhead stuff, but I would like a strong sense of speed, very realistic visuals, at least somewhat realistic physics, lots of vehicles to choose from, the ability to control what the vehicles look like, LARGE maps to explore (I do enjoy exploration for its own sake), and lots of mayhem to cause. In the past, I enjoyed San Andreas and prior GTAs, but I can get gun/explosive/bloodshed mayhem elsewhere.
17- Continuous required internet access is a strong mark against a title. (I pray this is not just a general mandate of current-gen consoles!…) We won't be able to handle being booted out of a game because my provider or my router decided to fart for a minute or two.
WOULD-BE-NICES:
18- I’d prefer a console where we can alternate between using cordless and corded controllers as the situation warrants.
19- Some form of couch multiplayer (2 or ideally 2-4) is a huge plus, but the lack of it isn't necessarily a mark against a title.
20- Franchise tie-ins she'd probably like include Star Trek and Star Wars. We haven’t had good luck with LOTR games, but if there's a good one that meets her other criteria, we'd likely give it a try.
21- For Mrs. CoB, a minimal twitchiness-requirement would be good. It's best for the candidate games to be turn-based, or allow pausing anytime (a la Skyrim). I would tolerate a somewhat greater degree of twitchiness-requirement.
If it matters, these purchases would happen no earlier than a month from now, and possibly not until late this year or early next year.
Games I’ve already decided I’ll probably buy if I get the relevant console include the two Divinity games, Monster Hunter World, LEGO Worlds, Mario Kart 8, Mario Maker, Battlefield 1, and/or Ace Combat 7. If any of those titles stand out as meeting or very much NOT meeting any major criteria above, I welcome that input too.
Sorry that was so long!
I’ll spend most of this post focused on her needs, since I more or less already know what I want.
To give you an idea, she's such a completionist that she'll spend long hours in Skyrim telekinetically tossing crap around rooms, telekinetically attacking NPCs with spoons, and so on solely to level up skills. I've seen her spend over a week to unlock one character in Suikoden.
She likes RPGs of various sorts and the fantasy or not-very-hard sci-fi genres.
We have plenty of PC games and a solid new-ish PC, but we are of the Certain Age whereby either of us can only spend so long at that desk. Couch gaming, in essence, is inevitably re-entering our lives. Thus, no need to suggest PC games.
So: give me your recommendations for games and the consoles that support them! Further parameters follow, categorized as Musts, Really-Shoulds, and Would-Be-Nices.
MUSTS:
1- Must absolutely not require her to interact with, or even see, real people in-game a la an MMO. "Community content" whereby other players post creations that she can choose to download or ignore is fine, however.
2- For Mrs. CoB, "completionism" means stuff like the ability to improve usable characters' stats, a posse of ally characters to recruit, and useful or interesting hidden items to discover. So, grinding is not a bad thing, to a point--like, we still enjoy Diablo II (but expect to be disappointed by III and haven’t gone for it). I don't think she's into exploration for its own sake, but if it's a means to the above ends, then large world maps (a la Elder Scrolls) are good. Arbitrary "Achievement Unlocked" badges won't motivate her. Story seems not to be a main motivator for her, if her reluctance to replay Dragon Age—and if her ability to ignore Final Fantasy Tactics' writing and the repetitiveness of Diablo—are any indication. Completing quests and "beating the game" seems much less important than leveling up and acquiring stuff.
3- Because of the "completionism" requirement, it might go without saying, but replayability is essential.
4- Some depth of strategy, of having to make "load-out" choices and the like, is essential. Shallow mechanics won't engage her (or me, most likely).
5- No dependence upon real-currency microtransactions.
6- For her, nothing VERY dark and realistic and gritty. No cyberpunk, nothing Old West, no CoD-esque military stuff. (Note: that's not to say she WON'T do a "shooter," just not those types of shooters, and certainly not JUST a shooter.) She’d like horror games, provided that they’re not unremittingly bleak, or as punishing in difficulty as most Resident Evils have struck her as being.
7- But also not too cutesy. Big-headed cartoony critter games aren't her thing. Mario and Kirby-level is about as cutesy as she goes.
8- No puzzle games, and minimal puzzle elements in games of other types.
9- Franchise tie-ins that would kill her interest include but are not limited to Marvel, DC, and probably every possible professional sport. I suspect Pokemon and its ilk belong on that list too.
REALLY-SHOULDS:
10- Impressive visuals are strongly preferred. We have a big, good TV. (This is why I specified "contemporary" console games, though our definition of contemporary is a little loose. Our Wii is our most current console.)
11- Customizability of in-game elements is strongly preferred. Names and appearance of characters or objects, that kind of thing. (This is part of why she loves Skyrim--though in that case it’s also because I’m able and eager to use its Creation Kit to build player homes and follower NPCs to her specifications.)
12- Titles where you can make some kind of progress in short gameplay bursts (like, 15-20 minutes) are very strongly preferred. It's not that she WON'T do hours-long gaming stretches—she will and does—but for the candidate game(s) to really be a homerun, it should be possible to squeeze in even incremental progress during those right-before-going-out intervals.
13- If the game is combat-free, it needs some other form of genuine challenges with risk (a la Sims, which she also likes). All that leveling-up and stuff-finding should ACCOMPLISH something beyond just making it easier/faster to do more completionism…ing.
14- Deep foreknowledge of previous titles in a franchise being mandatory to enjoy a candidate game is NOT optimal. For instance, she doesn't care one whit about the heavy Final Fantasy lore post-VI. Especially, the sense of "needing" to play an older and weaker game (particularly if it's not easily obtained for either the Wii or the console we'd buy) would work against a title.
15- Too many extra things to buy is a definite turnoff. If a game requires some $100 peripheral, or an “optional” expansion, to be any good? That game had better have an awful lot going for it to offset that.
16- For my part: I recently played Forza Horizon, and while I enjoyed it a great deal and it did partly inspire this thread, it wasn’t quite enough to make me run out and get an Xbox One. I’d love to know about similar games, though, in case we go the Switch or PS4 route. Burnout Paradise Remastered looks like it might be similar. I’m not obsessive about tuning each individual piston and other gearhead stuff, but I would like a strong sense of speed, very realistic visuals, at least somewhat realistic physics, lots of vehicles to choose from, the ability to control what the vehicles look like, LARGE maps to explore (I do enjoy exploration for its own sake), and lots of mayhem to cause. In the past, I enjoyed San Andreas and prior GTAs, but I can get gun/explosive/bloodshed mayhem elsewhere.
17- Continuous required internet access is a strong mark against a title. (I pray this is not just a general mandate of current-gen consoles!…) We won't be able to handle being booted out of a game because my provider or my router decided to fart for a minute or two.
WOULD-BE-NICES:
18- I’d prefer a console where we can alternate between using cordless and corded controllers as the situation warrants.
19- Some form of couch multiplayer (2 or ideally 2-4) is a huge plus, but the lack of it isn't necessarily a mark against a title.
20- Franchise tie-ins she'd probably like include Star Trek and Star Wars. We haven’t had good luck with LOTR games, but if there's a good one that meets her other criteria, we'd likely give it a try.
21- For Mrs. CoB, a minimal twitchiness-requirement would be good. It's best for the candidate games to be turn-based, or allow pausing anytime (a la Skyrim). I would tolerate a somewhat greater degree of twitchiness-requirement.
If it matters, these purchases would happen no earlier than a month from now, and possibly not until late this year or early next year.
Games I’ve already decided I’ll probably buy if I get the relevant console include the two Divinity games, Monster Hunter World, LEGO Worlds, Mario Kart 8, Mario Maker, Battlefield 1, and/or Ace Combat 7. If any of those titles stand out as meeting or very much NOT meeting any major criteria above, I welcome that input too.
Sorry that was so long!
I would just like to mention that PC Gaming is quite couch compatible in very many ways. Essentially just a console with an infinitely better library not even every other console together could size up to. Controller, Big Picture mode if you use Steam, and even ways to get it from computer to TV if they are in different places. I bring this up because it has the widest possible pool of potential games, there are fantastic titles for each of your bullet points.
Otherwise your main choices are to get an Xbox/PS4 (identical consoles, only difference being a negligible handful of temporarily-exclusive titles) or a Switch. Switch has a lot of potential for multiplayer gaming, I've had a ton of fun with it with my partner since moving in together. We play Pokemon Lets Go together, got Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Bros, Mario Odyssey. It's definitely weaker graphically, so you can't expect FORZA like fidelity on anything, but the graphics are very often good and charming despite the meager tech behind them. Art direction always means more than technical power.
Switch might be your best bet with what you've said. Despite lack of photoreal racing games (and there might actually be some on Switch, personally cars are all the exact same boring thing to me so I couldn't begin to appreciate a game like FORZA), Nintendo games are the truly exclusive titles you can't expect to see available elsewhere down the line. If you set up a couch-ready PC situation, supplement with Switch, you shouldn't wont for videogame hardware for a very long time.
posted by GoblinHoney at 12:33 PM on February 27, 2019
Otherwise your main choices are to get an Xbox/PS4 (identical consoles, only difference being a negligible handful of temporarily-exclusive titles) or a Switch. Switch has a lot of potential for multiplayer gaming, I've had a ton of fun with it with my partner since moving in together. We play Pokemon Lets Go together, got Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Bros, Mario Odyssey. It's definitely weaker graphically, so you can't expect FORZA like fidelity on anything, but the graphics are very often good and charming despite the meager tech behind them. Art direction always means more than technical power.
Switch might be your best bet with what you've said. Despite lack of photoreal racing games (and there might actually be some on Switch, personally cars are all the exact same boring thing to me so I couldn't begin to appreciate a game like FORZA), Nintendo games are the truly exclusive titles you can't expect to see available elsewhere down the line. If you set up a couch-ready PC situation, supplement with Switch, you shouldn't wont for videogame hardware for a very long time.
posted by GoblinHoney at 12:33 PM on February 27, 2019
Persona 5 is a turn-based JRPG that is both really, really good and seems to tick most of your boxes. You don't need to play Person 1-4, or the other Shin Megami Tensei games, to enjoy it; the story is self-contained. It is PS4 only, although there are dubious rumors that it might come to Switch (because the main character is going to be added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). It will likely never come to Xbox 360.
Half of the game is classic JRPG dungeon exploring. You run around the dungeons, beating enemies, fighting minibosses, looking for keys, solving very easy puzzles, and so on.
The combat system is reasonably strategic, with elemental weaknesses, different party members playing different roles, and so on. There's also a Pokemon-esque monster-capturing component, and you can fuse the monsters together to make bigger monsters, so that can really complicate things if you want. Getting the top-level monsters would be a reasonable goal.
The other half of the game is bumming around as a high schooler in modern day Tokyo. In this portion, you can partake in various everyday activities (going out to eat, exercising, studying, etc.) that improve character skills; you can also do side stories that build up relationships with party members and side characters, improving their capabilities or giving you access to new shops and items. There's a component of time management, so you can't do everything. If you do beat the game (people average about 80 hours) you can restart in New Game+ mode, where the relationships are preserved so you have more time to upgrade everything.
The game has a really compelling story; there are some dark themes but I wouldn't call it "gritty" by any means. It is just about the best possible version of this kind of game and had a huge crossover appeal outside of JRPG fans.
posted by vogon_poet at 12:37 PM on February 27, 2019 [4 favorites]
Half of the game is classic JRPG dungeon exploring. You run around the dungeons, beating enemies, fighting minibosses, looking for keys, solving very easy puzzles, and so on.
The combat system is reasonably strategic, with elemental weaknesses, different party members playing different roles, and so on. There's also a Pokemon-esque monster-capturing component, and you can fuse the monsters together to make bigger monsters, so that can really complicate things if you want. Getting the top-level monsters would be a reasonable goal.
The other half of the game is bumming around as a high schooler in modern day Tokyo. In this portion, you can partake in various everyday activities (going out to eat, exercising, studying, etc.) that improve character skills; you can also do side stories that build up relationships with party members and side characters, improving their capabilities or giving you access to new shops and items. There's a component of time management, so you can't do everything. If you do beat the game (people average about 80 hours) you can restart in New Game+ mode, where the relationships are preserved so you have more time to upgrade everything.
The game has a really compelling story; there are some dark themes but I wouldn't call it "gritty" by any means. It is just about the best possible version of this kind of game and had a huge crossover appeal outside of JRPG fans.
posted by vogon_poet at 12:37 PM on February 27, 2019 [4 favorites]
Dragon Age: Inquisition can be played as a top-down, turn-based game using the strategic camera. There are few finer games for story-based RPG completionists. I play on PS4. (The earlier Dragon Age and Mass Effect games are previous-generation titles, unfortunately. But if you want to get a PS3 instead, you can play the whole series for pennies on the original dollar.) My partner is fairly anti-twitch but beat DA:I in the normal (real-time) mode by dint of diligent grinding.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:05 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:05 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
If she liked Suikoden and Final Fantasy Tactics, I wonder whether she would like the Fire Emblem series, another tactical RPG with lots of characters and role-playing elements. The most recent ones have been on the 3DS -- not visually impressive, but there's one coming out on the Switch this July.
posted by crazy with stars at 1:07 PM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by crazy with stars at 1:07 PM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
Sims, which she also likes
Consider Stardew Valley, which is available on the Big 3 consoles. I like it on Switch for the portability. She can interact with villagers, build/level up her farm, and fall down a score of completeness wells pretty easily.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:40 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Consider Stardew Valley, which is available on the Big 3 consoles. I like it on Switch for the portability. She can interact with villagers, build/level up her farm, and fall down a score of completeness wells pretty easily.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:40 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Disgaea is as much turn-based endless grinding as you want it to be, which might be fun. It's available for several platforms, portable and not, and would be more a thing to try with whatever system y'all pick than a thing to pick a system to play. The stories are really not the point, it's all about making those numbers bigger and fighting bigger things and breaking the game repeatedly. The particular number in the series doesn't matter much as far as I've heard, though I've only really played Disgaea 5 on Switch.
Fire Emblem would be worth a go (though completionism's hard for it, what with the time-limited story battles). The 3DS (or 2DS, totally reasonable to skip the 3D part) really has a bunch of excellent turn-based RPGs that all lend themselves to pausing anytime. Plus the more dungeon-oriented ones mostly have in-game mapping with the stylus. Would recommend the Etrian Odyssey games for the fun of building a min-maxed party, and especially the Zelda DS games. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks felt great to finish all the things on.
The PS Vita's still the only way to play Persona 4: Golden, and is the best way to play Persona 3 (Portable is the one to play). If you can find a Vita TV, those things aren't exactly portable devices but do let you play Vita games on a TV easily. Though the Vita's also got plenty to recommend it in terms of having tons of JRPGs of all sorts, even if it is being discontinued.
The Switch is the one I'd pick if I had to pick just one, since new stuff's coming out for it all the time and a lot of the best things from other systems are being ported to it. Lots of it offers co-op play, and it's easily the most couch-friendly console, with multiple controller options and portability. (Grindfests aren't often co-op, but being able to sit together while one of you's playing with the Switch and the other's doing something else is pretty great.) And Zelda: Breath of the Wild was so very much fun to find and complete all the things with and I haven't even done the hard-mode replay yet. That really is the one to get for sheer joy of finding all the hidden things.
And I'm now playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 co-op on PS4 and it's good and fun. Though it seems to have trouble holding the split-screen settings we want, and seeing two separate camera-spinning images next to each other tends to give me the wobblies. And of course the PS4's got Persona 5, which is delightful even though I'd really rather play it portably so I'm not tethered to the TV for another hundred hours.
posted by asperity at 3:17 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Fire Emblem would be worth a go (though completionism's hard for it, what with the time-limited story battles). The 3DS (or 2DS, totally reasonable to skip the 3D part) really has a bunch of excellent turn-based RPGs that all lend themselves to pausing anytime. Plus the more dungeon-oriented ones mostly have in-game mapping with the stylus. Would recommend the Etrian Odyssey games for the fun of building a min-maxed party, and especially the Zelda DS games. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks felt great to finish all the things on.
The PS Vita's still the only way to play Persona 4: Golden, and is the best way to play Persona 3 (Portable is the one to play). If you can find a Vita TV, those things aren't exactly portable devices but do let you play Vita games on a TV easily. Though the Vita's also got plenty to recommend it in terms of having tons of JRPGs of all sorts, even if it is being discontinued.
The Switch is the one I'd pick if I had to pick just one, since new stuff's coming out for it all the time and a lot of the best things from other systems are being ported to it. Lots of it offers co-op play, and it's easily the most couch-friendly console, with multiple controller options and portability. (Grindfests aren't often co-op, but being able to sit together while one of you's playing with the Switch and the other's doing something else is pretty great.) And Zelda: Breath of the Wild was so very much fun to find and complete all the things with and I haven't even done the hard-mode replay yet. That really is the one to get for sheer joy of finding all the hidden things.
And I'm now playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 co-op on PS4 and it's good and fun. Though it seems to have trouble holding the split-screen settings we want, and seeing two separate camera-spinning images next to each other tends to give me the wobblies. And of course the PS4's got Persona 5, which is delightful even though I'd really rather play it portably so I'm not tethered to the TV for another hundred hours.
posted by asperity at 3:17 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Definitely check out Persona 5. Horizon Zero Dawn is bloody gorgeous and has fantastic gameplay (and a great female lead). Witcher 3 may also scratch the Skyrim itch (IMO it's much better). Watch Dogs 2 (has driving, too) or maybe 3 when it comes out. Ni No Kuni.
If you go switch , Zelda.
And a leftfield suggestion is Return of the Obra Dinn. I'm finding it a great game for my partner and I to try and tackle together.
posted by spandex at 7:53 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you go switch , Zelda.
And a leftfield suggestion is Return of the Obra Dinn. I'm finding it a great game for my partner and I to try and tackle together.
posted by spandex at 7:53 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Seconding Horizon Zero Dawn (ps4 exclusive).
posted by J.R. Hartley at 12:39 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by J.R. Hartley at 12:39 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions so far!
One other Really-Should parameter, from a discussion with her today:
* - She's averse to games that attempt to elicit a direct, genuine emotional response from the player (distinct from the "player character"). If the emotionality of the game is comparable to a movie or book, that's fine, but she doesn't want to feel as though the game is actively manipulating her, or in particular, emotionally railroading her. It creeps her out in the same way that interacting with AI creeps some people out. To give a sense of what I mean, the closest Skyrim got to that was with the character of Serana.
Not sure whether that invalidates any of the games previously mentioned by myself or others.
Witcher 3 may also scratch the Skyrim itch (IMO it's much better).
My understanding is that the Witcher games have bro-oriented sexual content? I.e. gratuitous female nudity? If that's the case, that's a dealbreaker.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:07 AM on February 28, 2019
One other Really-Should parameter, from a discussion with her today:
* - She's averse to games that attempt to elicit a direct, genuine emotional response from the player (distinct from the "player character"). If the emotionality of the game is comparable to a movie or book, that's fine, but she doesn't want to feel as though the game is actively manipulating her, or in particular, emotionally railroading her. It creeps her out in the same way that interacting with AI creeps some people out. To give a sense of what I mean, the closest Skyrim got to that was with the character of Serana.
Not sure whether that invalidates any of the games previously mentioned by myself or others.
Witcher 3 may also scratch the Skyrim itch (IMO it's much better).
My understanding is that the Witcher games have bro-oriented sexual content? I.e. gratuitous female nudity? If that's the case, that's a dealbreaker.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:07 AM on February 28, 2019
The Witcher games are the story of a specific dude in a feudal patriarchal society and there is a lot of bullshit bro-content in there (whether justifiable or not) that pushes my no-thanks button. That said, Witcher 3 is lot of fairly progressive folks "problematic fave" for reasons like good story, good gameplay, good quests, good graphics, etc.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2019
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2019
I feel that either Switch or PS4 is going to be the solution for you. The biggest Xbox exclusive you'd be missing out on is Forza Horizon series - those are good but for your particular set of needs I think the exclusives on the other two would be a better fit. Switch has great portability, a lot of good older games, and rock-solid amazing exclusives like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Downside: the necessity to buy memory cards, especially as you are playing really big games.
However, for massive epic RPGs, PS4 is where it's at, because it gives you Persona 5 and Horizon: Zero Dawn (currently exclusives though P5 will probably come out on the Switch) as well as many others. PS4s are also more available secondhand/refurbed and the games are more likely to go on sale, so your all-in cost over time is probably cheaper on the PS4.
If she liked Skyrim, has she tried the modern Fallout games, also by Bethesda? Fallout 3 and New Vegas are from the previous generation so quite cheap now, but are both great games. Fallout 4 has its issues but I really liked it, and if you get the all-in-one edition it has MASSIVE expansions that add tons of playtime value.
Witcher 3 would tick the boxes for grinding, prettiness, and size, and a lot of people REALLY love it, but I haven't played it due to the bro-crap reputation it has so I can't speak to that bit.
If she liked Dragon Age, she might want to try Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I think is the best of the DA trilogy.
Has she tried Mass Effect? I have sunk hundreds upon hundreds of hours into Mass Effect. It might be more character and story driven than she prefers, though?
If what she wants most is to level and get stuff, has she tried Borderlands? I need more story in a game but that one was, IIRC, really popular for a well implemented shoot-and-loot mechanic.
posted by oblique red at 10:27 AM on February 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
However, for massive epic RPGs, PS4 is where it's at, because it gives you Persona 5 and Horizon: Zero Dawn (currently exclusives though P5 will probably come out on the Switch) as well as many others. PS4s are also more available secondhand/refurbed and the games are more likely to go on sale, so your all-in cost over time is probably cheaper on the PS4.
If she liked Skyrim, has she tried the modern Fallout games, also by Bethesda? Fallout 3 and New Vegas are from the previous generation so quite cheap now, but are both great games. Fallout 4 has its issues but I really liked it, and if you get the all-in-one edition it has MASSIVE expansions that add tons of playtime value.
Witcher 3 would tick the boxes for grinding, prettiness, and size, and a lot of people REALLY love it, but I haven't played it due to the bro-crap reputation it has so I can't speak to that bit.
If she liked Dragon Age, she might want to try Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I think is the best of the DA trilogy.
Has she tried Mass Effect? I have sunk hundreds upon hundreds of hours into Mass Effect. It might be more character and story driven than she prefers, though?
If what she wants most is to level and get stuff, has she tried Borderlands? I need more story in a game but that one was, IIRC, really popular for a well implemented shoot-and-loot mechanic.
posted by oblique red at 10:27 AM on February 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Ok, Witcher 3 out. Doubling down on Horizon Zero Dawn.
I was thinking of borderlands too (and you can find the handsome collection cheap) . If you can stand the horizontal splitscreen, it also is fun couch coop.
The new God of War crossed my mind ( I loved it!),but I lost track your list of conditions.
Oh! And the new Tomb Raider.
posted by spandex at 2:25 PM on February 28, 2019
I was thinking of borderlands too (and you can find the handsome collection cheap) . If you can stand the horizontal splitscreen, it also is fun couch coop.
The new God of War crossed my mind ( I loved it!),but I lost track your list of conditions.
Oh! And the new Tomb Raider.
posted by spandex at 2:25 PM on February 28, 2019
Best answer: Oh, I would definitely give Diablo 3 a shot, especially the 'eternal collection' (with the necromancer add-on.. it's super-fun commanding a horde of zombies, skeletons, monsters and flying ghost witches)...plus it's 2-4 player.
2nding Fallout 4...it's Skyrim's dark comedy cousin and I'm also thinking about going back for the GOTY edition for all the add-ons...speaking of which, if you go with the ps4, they have the expanded edition of skyrim as well. My vote is for the PS4, btw...better graphics, cheaper games (gamestop pre-owned is totally my jam), and more of the kind of games you're looking for. (I'll probably end up getting a switch at some point, myself, but the graphics power of the PS4 is just much better for super-realistic and more frames per second. And there's a bunch of racing games that take advantage of this...I don't really play those, but I know they're out there)
FFXV is something that I think your wife will actually like...even though it's strong on story...but the story is weird as heck...apparently this Japanese boy band is on a road trip through the American west, but on another planet(?) and also there's monsters and also you can ride around on giant chickens. There's one gratuitous 'hot chick' so far but otherwise not so bad on that front (well one of the boys is pretty much the definition of 'rough trade' sooo...balance?) Also it's very very pretty and the monsters are GREAT (i saw one thats like a cross between an antelope and a giraffe but with enormous antlers like you'd see on something from the ice age...also mind-flayers, wizards with tentacles for beards and robes and very well animated)
I watched a long video on disgaea 5. Yes she will like. Rabbit holes of stats galore...apparently you can go into your weapons to fight battles to improve their stats...aand go into those stats to fight battles and etc...also there's like a mario party board game part with ...a lot of things...and the story is just completely made of random nonsense.
For you, have you tried wipeout? Wipeout: Omega Collection is only $20 right now (new) and is basically all of the games in the series jammed together. It's not photo realistic, being a sci-fi hover-car racer, but the graphics (and soundtrack) are kickass, and there's a ton of racing tracks and modes, including battle mode which is basically mario kart if mario kart was the podcar scene from star wars. You will both like. Also Zone Mode, where the entire track is a giant graphic equalizer on every surface, pumping along with the music and changing colors as you go faster and faster and faster (it just keeps accelerating until you take too much damage and explode)
You might also like GTA5, it's a riot...literally. (I accidentally started a riot at the corner of Hollywood and vine just by bumping someones car a tiny bit...it was hilarious)
Also (since it's last major update/overhaul) No Man's Sky ($20new $10 used at gamestop) is definitely one of the best (and best looking) games around...not a ton, stats-wise, but a lot of upgrading your inventory/equipment/ships/tools/etc. And it's basically infinite. It's also just freaking gorgeous...it's like going to live in a 70s prog-rock record cover. It does desire an always on Internet connection, but a not very stable one is fine...it's mainly for uploading your discoveries and for multiplayer...which is not my jam either. There's base-building too, but it's not super-fidgety like minecraft (have you guys played that? That's also kind of a must have...it's Turing complete, so the user created content is basically an infinitude of other games) but made of modules that you put together. One of my bases is in an underground cavern big enough to fly my ship into and land on the platform by the underground lake and has a bunch of round modules built into the walls and ceiling like a space age hamster maze built by a Bond villain.
Borderlands miiight be a little twitchy (it's a first person shooter) but it is 2 player and the graphics are cool...it's all cartoon shaded, but like a punk graphic novel with sketchy pencil marks everywhere and a bunch of fantastic environments. Also it's legit hilarious and all the characters have some great lines. The weapons are procedurally generated (and awesome) so you're always trying new things in looking for better ones. It's cheap now too (and 2 games in one) so I'd go ahead and get it.
As far as franchise tie-ins, I would avoid the star wars games (the first one is like $5 so go ahead I guess?) The load times are excruciating for very short levels and there's so many of them (load screens)...and apparently battlefront 2 is loaded with micro-transactions. Fuck that. What I would get are the Batman games (Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (originally on PS3) are on one disk now, and arkham knight is a big open world)...There's a lot of collectibles (like riddler trophies) that open up other things like batmobile racetracks, flying around the city is super fun and has great mechanics like diving down and swooping back up and clinging to buildings and...it's just fun. The fighting is great and getting all the gadgets is awesome (remote control batarangs! Woot!) and there's just a ton of different stuff to do. Also you can play as catwoman (in Arkham Knight...i forget about the other 2) and she's all flippy and whippy and scratchy and cartwheels and snappy one-liners. All the villains are there and batman's outfit gets more stained and ragged as it goes along. And it's been around a while, so pretty cheap...prob $15 or less used.
Game prices are probably the best argument for PS4...most are $60 when they come out, go to $40 after 4-6 months and can be had for $20 or less used after that. The more popular the game (ie more copies printed), the cheaper it ends up being, like $5-10. Nintendo, being mainly for a younger audience (and thus a safer bet for parents, content-wise) tend to stay at $60 basically forever, and used like $45-55. But yeah Zelda is rad. I played it on the wii U. But still, I'd start with PS4.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:51 AM on March 1, 2019
2nding Fallout 4...it's Skyrim's dark comedy cousin and I'm also thinking about going back for the GOTY edition for all the add-ons...speaking of which, if you go with the ps4, they have the expanded edition of skyrim as well. My vote is for the PS4, btw...better graphics, cheaper games (gamestop pre-owned is totally my jam), and more of the kind of games you're looking for. (I'll probably end up getting a switch at some point, myself, but the graphics power of the PS4 is just much better for super-realistic and more frames per second. And there's a bunch of racing games that take advantage of this...I don't really play those, but I know they're out there)
FFXV is something that I think your wife will actually like...even though it's strong on story...but the story is weird as heck...apparently this Japanese boy band is on a road trip through the American west, but on another planet(?) and also there's monsters and also you can ride around on giant chickens. There's one gratuitous 'hot chick' so far but otherwise not so bad on that front (well one of the boys is pretty much the definition of 'rough trade' sooo...balance?) Also it's very very pretty and the monsters are GREAT (i saw one thats like a cross between an antelope and a giraffe but with enormous antlers like you'd see on something from the ice age...also mind-flayers, wizards with tentacles for beards and robes and very well animated)
I watched a long video on disgaea 5. Yes she will like. Rabbit holes of stats galore...apparently you can go into your weapons to fight battles to improve their stats...aand go into those stats to fight battles and etc...also there's like a mario party board game part with ...a lot of things...and the story is just completely made of random nonsense.
For you, have you tried wipeout? Wipeout: Omega Collection is only $20 right now (new) and is basically all of the games in the series jammed together. It's not photo realistic, being a sci-fi hover-car racer, but the graphics (and soundtrack) are kickass, and there's a ton of racing tracks and modes, including battle mode which is basically mario kart if mario kart was the podcar scene from star wars. You will both like. Also Zone Mode, where the entire track is a giant graphic equalizer on every surface, pumping along with the music and changing colors as you go faster and faster and faster (it just keeps accelerating until you take too much damage and explode)
You might also like GTA5, it's a riot...literally. (I accidentally started a riot at the corner of Hollywood and vine just by bumping someones car a tiny bit...it was hilarious)
Also (since it's last major update/overhaul) No Man's Sky ($20new $10 used at gamestop) is definitely one of the best (and best looking) games around...not a ton, stats-wise, but a lot of upgrading your inventory/equipment/ships/tools/etc. And it's basically infinite. It's also just freaking gorgeous...it's like going to live in a 70s prog-rock record cover. It does desire an always on Internet connection, but a not very stable one is fine...it's mainly for uploading your discoveries and for multiplayer...which is not my jam either. There's base-building too, but it's not super-fidgety like minecraft (have you guys played that? That's also kind of a must have...it's Turing complete, so the user created content is basically an infinitude of other games) but made of modules that you put together. One of my bases is in an underground cavern big enough to fly my ship into and land on the platform by the underground lake and has a bunch of round modules built into the walls and ceiling like a space age hamster maze built by a Bond villain.
Borderlands miiight be a little twitchy (it's a first person shooter) but it is 2 player and the graphics are cool...it's all cartoon shaded, but like a punk graphic novel with sketchy pencil marks everywhere and a bunch of fantastic environments. Also it's legit hilarious and all the characters have some great lines. The weapons are procedurally generated (and awesome) so you're always trying new things in looking for better ones. It's cheap now too (and 2 games in one) so I'd go ahead and get it.
As far as franchise tie-ins, I would avoid the star wars games (the first one is like $5 so go ahead I guess?) The load times are excruciating for very short levels and there's so many of them (load screens)...and apparently battlefront 2 is loaded with micro-transactions. Fuck that. What I would get are the Batman games (Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (originally on PS3) are on one disk now, and arkham knight is a big open world)...There's a lot of collectibles (like riddler trophies) that open up other things like batmobile racetracks, flying around the city is super fun and has great mechanics like diving down and swooping back up and clinging to buildings and...it's just fun. The fighting is great and getting all the gadgets is awesome (remote control batarangs! Woot!) and there's just a ton of different stuff to do. Also you can play as catwoman (in Arkham Knight...i forget about the other 2) and she's all flippy and whippy and scratchy and cartwheels and snappy one-liners. All the villains are there and batman's outfit gets more stained and ragged as it goes along. And it's been around a while, so pretty cheap...prob $15 or less used.
Game prices are probably the best argument for PS4...most are $60 when they come out, go to $40 after 4-6 months and can be had for $20 or less used after that. The more popular the game (ie more copies printed), the cheaper it ends up being, like $5-10. Nintendo, being mainly for a younger audience (and thus a safer bet for parents, content-wise) tend to stay at $60 basically forever, and used like $45-55. But yeah Zelda is rad. I played it on the wii U. But still, I'd start with PS4.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:51 AM on March 1, 2019
Best answer: Look, I am an Xbox player since the 360 first came out, but I've lately shifted towards the PS4 because of its exclusives: Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Spider-Man (I'm not a massive fan of the Uncharted games or The Last of Us but yeah, those are PS4 exclusives too). PS4 exclusives are not negligible at all as suggested above, and are arguably some of the very best console games of this generation.
The only worthwhile Xbox exclusives, for my money, are the Gears of War games, which are not the sort of games you are after.
Horizon Zero Dawn is I suggest exactly what you are looking for in a game. Get the GOTY edition with the Frozen Wilds expansion included. It is the game that turned me onto the PS4 as my primary gaming device, and relegated the Xbox One S to media player status.
The Divinity games are also exactly what you want, but you've already covered off on those.
If you're going that route, I also strongly recommend an external SSD as your primary drive for running games from. Even the cheapest external USB 3.0 SSD is significantly faster than the crappy internal PS4 mechanical drive - you'll be cutting load times pretty much in half across the board.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:58 PM on March 7, 2019
The only worthwhile Xbox exclusives, for my money, are the Gears of War games, which are not the sort of games you are after.
Horizon Zero Dawn is I suggest exactly what you are looking for in a game. Get the GOTY edition with the Frozen Wilds expansion included. It is the game that turned me onto the PS4 as my primary gaming device, and relegated the Xbox One S to media player status.
The Divinity games are also exactly what you want, but you've already covered off on those.
If you're going that route, I also strongly recommend an external SSD as your primary drive for running games from. Even the cheapest external USB 3.0 SSD is significantly faster than the crappy internal PS4 mechanical drive - you'll be cutting load times pretty much in half across the board.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:58 PM on March 7, 2019
Response by poster: As of now, I'm definitely leaning in the PS4 direction.
PS4 folks: would you say a Plus subscription is important if we plan to actively avoid online multiplayer?
Even the cheapest external USB 3.0 SSD is significantly faster than the crappy internal PS4 mechanical drive - you'll be cutting load times pretty much in half across the board.
Another follow-up question: how are the load times without such an external drive? Like, comparable with what, on average?
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:20 AM on March 11, 2019
PS4 folks: would you say a Plus subscription is important if we plan to actively avoid online multiplayer?
Even the cheapest external USB 3.0 SSD is significantly faster than the crappy internal PS4 mechanical drive - you'll be cutting load times pretty much in half across the board.
Another follow-up question: how are the load times without such an external drive? Like, comparable with what, on average?
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:20 AM on March 11, 2019
The Plus subscription is not important if you don't want online multiplayer.
It does, however, give you 2-3 new free games every month that you have the right to play while you maintain your subscription, as well as slightly deeper discounts on sales. The free games are a mixed bag, usually B or C titles with an occasional A, across a broad range of genres, but do provide extra content to explore should you want to broaden horizons.
Load times with the built in drive are a mixed bag, depending on the game. I never really minded the load times when my internal drive was a spinner. Developers usually work hard to optimize load times, and games with big problems on release often get updates in a month or two to speed up.
That said, when I replaced the spinner with an SSD, it was a bit of wow. So, overall, you probably won't know what you're missing if you don't do it, especially if your desktop computers are still platter-based. If you can spare the money, though, I suggest the upgrade as a quality-of-life improvement rather than "necessary."
(It's easy to replace the internal drive if you can handle a screwdriver. The case is designed to allow you to do this easily. There are instructions on Sony's site -- it doesn't void the warranty. Just search for ps4 drive replacement. I opted to do it instead of use an external drive for a cleaner install and best possible performance.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:08 AM on March 11, 2019
It does, however, give you 2-3 new free games every month that you have the right to play while you maintain your subscription, as well as slightly deeper discounts on sales. The free games are a mixed bag, usually B or C titles with an occasional A, across a broad range of genres, but do provide extra content to explore should you want to broaden horizons.
Load times with the built in drive are a mixed bag, depending on the game. I never really minded the load times when my internal drive was a spinner. Developers usually work hard to optimize load times, and games with big problems on release often get updates in a month or two to speed up.
That said, when I replaced the spinner with an SSD, it was a bit of wow. So, overall, you probably won't know what you're missing if you don't do it, especially if your desktop computers are still platter-based. If you can spare the money, though, I suggest the upgrade as a quality-of-life improvement rather than "necessary."
(It's easy to replace the internal drive if you can handle a screwdriver. The case is designed to allow you to do this easily. There are instructions on Sony's site -- it doesn't void the warranty. Just search for ps4 drive replacement. I opted to do it instead of use an external drive for a cleaner install and best possible performance.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:08 AM on March 11, 2019
For example, this month's free PS-Plus games are The Witness (which I bought at full retail on release, and consider an A title) and a remastered Call For Duty 4 (which is also an A title, but I'm not interested in because war/shooting people).
The full list of PS-Plus "instant game library titles" is here (wikipedia). Note you have to be a member during a particular time slot to claim the games added in that time slot, and you have to specifically add the games to your library (for free), it doesn't happen automatically.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:20 AM on March 11, 2019
The full list of PS-Plus "instant game library titles" is here (wikipedia). Note you have to be a member during a particular time slot to claim the games added in that time slot, and you have to specifically add the games to your library (for free), it doesn't happen automatically.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:20 AM on March 11, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lunastellasol at 11:47 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]