Yay, we finally got a PS5! Er...now what do we do with it?
March 28, 2023 7:26 PM Subscribe
The last game console I owned before this was a PS2, and things are...different, now. Games seem more complex and more expensive, familiar titles don't work the same way as they once did, and I no longer know where to go for reliable reviews. Please help me navigate this new world and find a game or two that I will enjoy!
In the first year of the pandemic, I posted this question about what game console we should buy based on the sorts of games we like. Due to various procrastination, we waited until it seemed like a PS5 would be the logical choice, should we be able to get one. Well, we now have a PS5, and I realize I have absolutely no idea how to pick games in a world where I can't just wander into Tower Records and rent something, or buy used games, or read reviews somewhere that doesn't look like a bunch of ads and clickbait.
I'm particularly looking for an RPG - I prefer things to be turn-based rather than real-time, if such a thing exists anymore, and I enjoy having some strategy elements, although a good story is also cool. I really hate time stress and/or anything jumping out at me, and my gaming time is limited these days, so I don't want something so difficult that I waste hours beating my head against a wall.
Are any of the bewildering mass of Final Fantasy games something I should try? (In the past I've enjoyed Tactics, VII, and X.) Have other good RPGs emerged while I was not looking? Many thanks for any pointers - the console is kind of cool looking, but it's not worth the price as decor!
In the first year of the pandemic, I posted this question about what game console we should buy based on the sorts of games we like. Due to various procrastination, we waited until it seemed like a PS5 would be the logical choice, should we be able to get one. Well, we now have a PS5, and I realize I have absolutely no idea how to pick games in a world where I can't just wander into Tower Records and rent something, or buy used games, or read reviews somewhere that doesn't look like a bunch of ads and clickbait.
I'm particularly looking for an RPG - I prefer things to be turn-based rather than real-time, if such a thing exists anymore, and I enjoy having some strategy elements, although a good story is also cool. I really hate time stress and/or anything jumping out at me, and my gaming time is limited these days, so I don't want something so difficult that I waste hours beating my head against a wall.
Are any of the bewildering mass of Final Fantasy games something I should try? (In the past I've enjoyed Tactics, VII, and X.) Have other good RPGs emerged while I was not looking? Many thanks for any pointers - the console is kind of cool looking, but it's not worth the price as decor!
How about Divinity: Original Sin? I have no experience with it myself but have heard it offers very deep, turn-based combat.
posted by Alensin at 7:37 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Alensin at 7:37 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
The PlayStation Plus subscription has a game library where you can try out games for as long as you have the subscription.
As for turn based RPGs with an element of strategy: strongly recommend Octopath Traveller (there's also a sequel that just came out) and Persona 5 (esp Royal)!
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:07 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
As for turn based RPGs with an element of strategy: strongly recommend Octopath Traveller (there's also a sequel that just came out) and Persona 5 (esp Royal)!
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:07 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seconding that - pay a for a few months of the PS Plus subscription at the middle level - you'll get access to lots of games at no additional cost, so you can try out many different genres and game types.
It includes 'Stray', which is a small, relatively simple, melancholic game about a cat exploring a ruined city of robots.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:15 AM on March 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
It includes 'Stray', which is a small, relatively simple, melancholic game about a cat exploring a ruined city of robots.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:15 AM on March 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
I also suggest the subscription that gives access to a large library of games.
posted by Awfki at 5:43 AM on March 29, 2023
posted by Awfki at 5:43 AM on March 29, 2023
Best answer: In general, I agree with the folks here saying PS Plus is the way to go, at least for a little bit. You can try a lot of great older games from the PS4 era, and even some PS5 games (both Horizons are on there, as well as the excellent 2018 soft reboot of God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and a lot of other good stuff. Final Fantasy XV was controversial but it's also available on PS Plus.)
About RPGs, I'd second Octopath Traveler but add that you should really skip 1 and go straight to Octopath Traveler 2, the sequel, which just came out last month. It doesn't require any knowledge of Octopath 1 to play, and it is leaps and bounds better then its predecessor.
If you liked FF Tactics, you might want to try Tactics Ogre Reborn, which is a pretty lovingly made recent re-release of Tactics Ogre. TO was probably the biggest influence on FF Tactics (had a lot of the same team + director).
posted by Kosh at 7:29 AM on March 29, 2023
About RPGs, I'd second Octopath Traveler but add that you should really skip 1 and go straight to Octopath Traveler 2, the sequel, which just came out last month. It doesn't require any knowledge of Octopath 1 to play, and it is leaps and bounds better then its predecessor.
If you liked FF Tactics, you might want to try Tactics Ogre Reborn, which is a pretty lovingly made recent re-release of Tactics Ogre. TO was probably the biggest influence on FF Tactics (had a lot of the same team + director).
posted by Kosh at 7:29 AM on March 29, 2023
Polygon has pretty good game reviews but I mostly browse Steam categories for ideas.
I don't play a lot of tatical rpgs but I had a lot of fun playing For the king which I think is free on ps plus. For a more gritty feel Disco Elysium is a really great RPG and really well written.
I haven't played it but Marvels Midnight Suns is also on one of the ps plus tiers. I think its reviewed pretty well.
posted by ljesse at 7:36 AM on March 29, 2023
I don't play a lot of tatical rpgs but I had a lot of fun playing For the king which I think is free on ps plus. For a more gritty feel Disco Elysium is a really great RPG and really well written.
I haven't played it but Marvels Midnight Suns is also on one of the ps plus tiers. I think its reviewed pretty well.
posted by ljesse at 7:36 AM on March 29, 2023
Good suggestions above.
I haven't played all of these, but they seem to be pretty well-regarded among the folks I hang around online. I prefer turn-based too, but the trend seems to be swinging away from that, sadly. Still, there are some titles to check out.
Dragon Quest XI (the DQ series is kind of tropey, but you still might dig it)
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Disgaea
Valkyria Chronicles (an interesting mix of RPG/shooter set in an alternate WWI)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Child of Light
posted by xenization at 8:04 AM on March 29, 2023
I haven't played all of these, but they seem to be pretty well-regarded among the folks I hang around online. I prefer turn-based too, but the trend seems to be swinging away from that, sadly. Still, there are some titles to check out.
Dragon Quest XI (the DQ series is kind of tropey, but you still might dig it)
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Disgaea
Valkyria Chronicles (an interesting mix of RPG/shooter set in an alternate WWI)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Child of Light
posted by xenization at 8:04 AM on March 29, 2023
For reviews, my go to nowadays is to check out someone playing on Twitch or a lets play on YouTube. You can get a pretty good sense of whether you'd enjoy it enough to buy or put a lot of hours in, fairly fast, and you can "tune" the result by selecting creators who have similar perspectives to you (woman, bipoc, lgbtq, etc.)
posted by radiogreentea at 8:17 AM on March 29, 2023
posted by radiogreentea at 8:17 AM on March 29, 2023
Best answer: Nthing the PS Plus middle tier. You can skim through the free games by category and just download away, and if you don't like it, zap it.
If you want to play a Final Fantasy, the VII Remake is actually really good and the second part will probably come out next year. We are also expecting FFXVI in 2023 I think, which is shaping up to be good as well. They're both sort of action-RPG hybrids though. FFVIIR you can play more or less as a turn based thing though. There was a recent remaster of FFXII that was excellent, though the game is divisive (I love it).
Tales of Arise is supposed to be a fun, quite expansive JRPG. Diofield Chronicle might be up your alley for strategy. The Tactics Ogre remaster is also supposedly great. Chained Echoes was an awesome throwback to the SNES/PS1 era. Octopath Traveler 2 improves on the first.
Of course if you haven't played the Persona games... what are you waiting for?! Persona 5 Royal will occupy you for a hundred hours or so.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:36 PM on March 29, 2023
If you want to play a Final Fantasy, the VII Remake is actually really good and the second part will probably come out next year. We are also expecting FFXVI in 2023 I think, which is shaping up to be good as well. They're both sort of action-RPG hybrids though. FFVIIR you can play more or less as a turn based thing though. There was a recent remaster of FFXII that was excellent, though the game is divisive (I love it).
Tales of Arise is supposed to be a fun, quite expansive JRPG. Diofield Chronicle might be up your alley for strategy. The Tactics Ogre remaster is also supposedly great. Chained Echoes was an awesome throwback to the SNES/PS1 era. Octopath Traveler 2 improves on the first.
Of course if you haven't played the Persona games... what are you waiting for?! Persona 5 Royal will occupy you for a hundred hours or so.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:36 PM on March 29, 2023
I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is great, and leans more turn-based than action RPG.
Tactics Ogre Reborn is a pretty great update of the 2010-ish original.
Tales of Arise is the latest in the Tales franchise, and while it's an action RPG, it's really quite approachable, and the story is great.
Horizon: Zero Dawn, and the sequel Horizon: Forbidden West are more actiony, but very accessible, with scalable combat difficulty and a "story mode" combat setting that makes the game super approachable, even if action games aren't usually your forte.
Everyone raves about Horizon: FW (and it's very good!) but the reason I got a PS5 was Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart action 3D platformer shooter (but, ridiculous cartoony shooter, this is not Call of Duty). The mechanics are great, the story and the writing are very good. There's a reason Ratchet & Clank is one of my favorite franchises.
Cris Tales is an indie love letter to classic JRPGs. It's got an interesting story, and while I didn't care for the art at first, it really grew on me.
More adventure than RPG, Bugsnax is fun and cute and can be (pardon) nibbled at, without requiring long play sessions.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat is a solo/co-op (if you have an extra controller) cooking game that is delightful chaos. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll yell at your partner for setting the kitchen on fire. Again.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a story-focused game. It's hard to talk about it without spoiling it, but this and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons are the two games that I gift the most to other people. Both are driven by compelling stories and interesting puzzles, with minimal (or no) combat. There's one part of Brothers that absolutely wrecked me in the most beautiful way. I had to take a break and cry it out. A+ would do it again.
Life is Strange Remastered is an updated version of the original. Story-driven game where the choices you make have very real consequences, even ripple effects, that will affect the rest of the game. There are other games in the series, but I think this is the best place to start. (And all of the Life is Strange games have amazing soundtracks.)
posted by xedrik at 6:54 PM on March 29, 2023
Tactics Ogre Reborn is a pretty great update of the 2010-ish original.
Tales of Arise is the latest in the Tales franchise, and while it's an action RPG, it's really quite approachable, and the story is great.
Horizon: Zero Dawn, and the sequel Horizon: Forbidden West are more actiony, but very accessible, with scalable combat difficulty and a "story mode" combat setting that makes the game super approachable, even if action games aren't usually your forte.
Everyone raves about Horizon: FW (and it's very good!) but the reason I got a PS5 was Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart action 3D platformer shooter (but, ridiculous cartoony shooter, this is not Call of Duty). The mechanics are great, the story and the writing are very good. There's a reason Ratchet & Clank is one of my favorite franchises.
Cris Tales is an indie love letter to classic JRPGs. It's got an interesting story, and while I didn't care for the art at first, it really grew on me.
More adventure than RPG, Bugsnax is fun and cute and can be (pardon) nibbled at, without requiring long play sessions.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat is a solo/co-op (if you have an extra controller) cooking game that is delightful chaos. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll yell at your partner for setting the kitchen on fire. Again.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a story-focused game. It's hard to talk about it without spoiling it, but this and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons are the two games that I gift the most to other people. Both are driven by compelling stories and interesting puzzles, with minimal (or no) combat. There's one part of Brothers that absolutely wrecked me in the most beautiful way. I had to take a break and cry it out. A+ would do it again.
Life is Strange Remastered is an updated version of the original. Story-driven game where the choices you make have very real consequences, even ripple effects, that will affect the rest of the game. There are other games in the series, but I think this is the best place to start. (And all of the Life is Strange games have amazing soundtracks.)
posted by xedrik at 6:54 PM on March 29, 2023
Best answer: A useful thing to know is that your PS5 can also play most PS5 games. I'll stick to turn based recommendations here and recommend you watch a video of some of the recommendations above like Horizon or God of War, which have more action adventure than RPG in them.
Out of recent releases, if you like the graphics, Octopath Traveler 2 has great music, the battle system has some interesting nuances and the writing is a cut above other games. It is split into short chapters, so you can make progress when playing an hour before sleep.
Final Fantasy has had mixed reception since the games you played - Final Fantasy XII remastered would be your best bet.
Dragon Quest on the other hand hasn't changed much - Dragon Quest XI had a snappy battle system, and would also suit bite-sized gaming sessions. The story is not groundbreaking but the gameplay is airtight.
Persona is another popular series though rather different in each themes.
posted by ersatz at 3:58 PM on March 31, 2023
Out of recent releases, if you like the graphics, Octopath Traveler 2 has great music, the battle system has some interesting nuances and the writing is a cut above other games. It is split into short chapters, so you can make progress when playing an hour before sleep.
Final Fantasy has had mixed reception since the games you played - Final Fantasy XII remastered would be your best bet.
Dragon Quest on the other hand hasn't changed much - Dragon Quest XI had a snappy battle system, and would also suit bite-sized gaming sessions. The story is not groundbreaking but the gameplay is airtight.
Persona is another popular series though rather different in each themes.
posted by ersatz at 3:58 PM on March 31, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you so much to everyone for the recommendations! I'm currently really enjoying Octopath Traveler II. The graphics are nostalgic, and the gameplay so far has the forgiving level of difficulty plus strategy that I like best. (Extra bonus that I can have the Japanese voice audio to flavor the translation! FFT would have been much improved by that, I suspect....)
I might actually finish this game someday even with my day-off-only gameplay, so I'm lining up some of the other title recommendations for the future!
posted by LadyOscar at 9:03 PM on April 18, 2023
I might actually finish this game someday even with my day-off-only gameplay, so I'm lining up some of the other title recommendations for the future!
posted by LadyOscar at 9:03 PM on April 18, 2023
A possibly weird suggestion: Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It's a turn-based RPG where the main story is full of crime melodrama, the side quests are generally hilarious and touching, and packed with mini-games of all flavors (karaoke rhythm game, batting sim, darts, pool, classic video games, a claw game simulator, kart racing, golf). I'd (mistakenly, imo) written off the Yakuza series as a ultraviolent power fantasy, and while it *does* have some elements of this, it's not all they are. They also a look at the concepts of honor and justice, repairing (or not) relationships with people you trust when they hurt you, and the later games definitely show improvements in writing for some (but not all) marginalized groups if that's a thing on your radar.
So in a session, I might play the main story for a few, go help an unhoused neighbor clean up so he can ask the soup kitchen lady out, hit the batting cages, grind on the streets or in adungeon sewer, craft and upgrade my party's equipment, and then go talk to my company mascot, a chicken named Omelette. (I'm almost beginning to understand her.)
You can probably pick it up used for around $20. The other games in the series are not turn-based, FYI.
posted by smirkette at 11:06 AM on June 21, 2023
So in a session, I might play the main story for a few, go help an unhoused neighbor clean up so he can ask the soup kitchen lady out, hit the batting cages, grind on the streets or in a
You can probably pick it up used for around $20. The other games in the series are not turn-based, FYI.
posted by smirkette at 11:06 AM on June 21, 2023
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posted by potrzebie at 7:28 PM on March 28, 2023 [6 favorites]