Topic: Official PlayStation Thread

Ok so Ive come to the conclusion that Sony games are way more immersive than Xbox games so far.

Prior to starting up the Xbox, I finished Miles Morales on PS5 which is such a fantastic game. I know it's had some negativity around it's length but going for full completion and side quests I found it was about 85-90% of a full game. With that the story was fantastic. Not to mention the graphics and gameplay.

Then I got on Xbox and after a rocky start I actually love the console. Gamepass is ace as well. Played 25 games so far. Horizon 5 is the best, such a quality game. But I can easily put it down and move on to something else. Next comes Halo Infinite and again it's like a b rate story and I am struggling to get the motivation to finish it, great gameplay just lacking the quality of life stuff Sony has perfected, the story and locations are just so boring. I am a huge Halo fan, big respect for all the games prior to the Xbox 1. Halo Infinite is good in parts but so samey.

So after my fling with Xbox, jumped back onto Ghost of Tsushima and bang; it's so immersive and the story is fabulous. You want to progress just to find out about the story. Wasn't one time in Horizon I cared much about lucho libre or the idiot who ran street scene. But in GoT I can't wait to find out how the story unfolds and how characters will react. The locations are varied and it unfolds in a thought provoking and classy way.

I think comparing GoT to Halo is fair. They are both open world, both story driven and both encourage exploration. And other than the gameplay in which Halo triumphs, GoT has it on every other score.

Hopefully Microsoft can bring us some immersive games. It's ok playing popcorn games with great gameplay, but I want the full phat single player experience. These games stay with you a long time. Playing The last of us remastered I couldn't put it down until I finished the game, even then I thought about the game for years.

What do y'all think?

@themcnoisy I definitely agree and I've said it before on this site that we need more narrative-driven games on Xbox so that Microsoft can cover more genres. They don't have to do exactly as Sony and only produce narrative-driven games, but having more of them would certainly not hurt. I'm excited to see how games like Hellblade II are going to turn out (I'm going to be honest, I couldn't come up with another example besides Hellblade II lol. Maybe State of Decay 3 if it turns out to be more story-driven than its predecessors. That could be Microsoft's answer to The Last of Us).

But in terms of immersion, I did find Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite to be rather immersive. Definitely not on the same level as PlayStation exclusives though. When I played Horizon Zero Dawn last year, I genuinely couldn't stop playing it. Absolutely phenomenal game, would love to see more of those on Xbox.

Maybe some of the ZeniMax studios can take a shot at creating narrative-driven open world games, like Machine Games or Arkane. Machine is actually working on an Indiana Jones game now so we could be getting an Uncharted-like experience on Xbox in the near future. Arkane has pretty much nailed their combat considering how satisfying it is to play their games, so all they would need is a good story to go with that.

@LtSarge ohhhh an Indiana Jones game? Sounds great. Hopefully you can one shot one of the bosses like in the film!

Forgot about Arkane and of course Starfield is approaching. Fallout 3 was immersive so interested to see a proper next gen version. Loads of options.

Yeah HZD was crazy good. Again the story was brilliant, and the world building was off the hook.

@themcnoisy Just commenting on your first paragraph about their games being more "immersive," I would say that GREATLY depends if you are talking pre Bethesda acquisition or post Bethesda acquisition. But judging on the fact you made this post today, I would say you are as wrong as wrong can be. No bones about it.

@themcnoisy I agree with you there mate which is why I have been sliding towards Xbox more the last few years. As much as I want to like a big story driven game like something like The Last of Us or Ghosts of Tsushima the fact is with a 40 hour job, family and just the daily grind I don't have time for those. So many times I have started games like The Last of Us I never finish them and it'd not that they are bad it's just as said I don't have the time for them. I start them and even though I want to get back to them it will be weeks sometime months till I am able to play them again and by the time I get back to them I don't remember what I was doing. That's where games like Forza 5 are great for someone like me. Even if I aren't able to get back to playing it for months I still remember what I was doing. It don't go who's this guy again wait what happened that he's doing that.

That one of my biggest complaints about gaming since the PS3/Xbox 360 is that these gaming companies forgot what a game is. They are not suppose to be big drawn out narrative pieces if you want to do that make a movie or TV show or even write a book not a video game. It's why I don't like games like Uncharted but I will see the movie. I want a game not an interactive movie. But I digress.

Still though, I can see where you are coming from if you like that sort of thing.

@themcnoisy I think that really does depend on what 'immerses' you into the games you play - whether that's 'story' or 'game-play', the types of characters/worlds etc.

One of the big differences between Sony and Xbox is in lead characters and story. With Sony, whether you are playing Uncharted, God of War, Last of Us, Spider-Man etc, you are playing through the 'story' of those characters, from an observers 3rd person perspective. If the story and pacing is 'good', you get caught up in the characters lives, much like you can with good TV/Movie shows. When Nate, Joel, Kratos etc beats the bad guys, its 'them' that beat them you 'observed' them do it, albeit controlled by you. In the end, you assisted those characters to reach the end of 'their' story.

With Xbox, they want to put 'you' in the game more, allow you to put some of yourself into these more 'bland/generic' characters. I am not playing Master Chief's story, I am Master Chief whilst I play. The first person perspective puts you straight into Master Chief - its me 'killing' those grunts, me making my way through the levels, its me that's got to save the world etc. In FH5, its me in that world, me deciding where and what to do next - not the game designer, story writer etc. That's why you don't really see Master Chief's face because its 'you'.

I can understand why some may not feel as 'immersed' in these characters as well as say a character who was written to have their own strong personality and its much easier to escape into some others lives for a while, escape from yourself for a few hours - that's what TV/Movie's have offered for years.

I'm not saying one is inherently better than another but you can tell Sony come from a Movie background where they know how to make you care about a character and their life, their story. MS have generally come at this by putting 'you' into the character so its you in MC's armour. That's why you feel the difference because they are 'different'. It's not that different from becoming 'Doom' Guy or creating your own characters in RPG's, its 'you' in the game as opposed to interacting with a characters story.

I'm sure that Xbox will have more 'cinematic' stories to tell. Hellblade 2 for example if you want to help Senua, or play through the Marcus Fenix story in Gears but a lot put you 'in the game' as the 'main' character - Halo, Doom, Fallout, Starfield, Outer Worlds, Arcane games etc etc and its you that is the 'hero', not some other character you 'helped' through their story, helped them beat the bad guys, watched them interact with the world, the other characters etc.

As I said, its just a 'different' way of writing and character creation. With one, you want a good strong character lead, strong personality and back story so you 'care' about their 'life' and want to see them succeed, want them to be the hero of their story. With the the other, you want a lead with as little personality and dialogue as possible so that the player can put themselves into those 'boots', become that 'character' and be the 'hero' of their game. It wasn't MC that saved the 'world' it was 'you'.

Again, not saying 'either' is a better way to go, its just a 'different' perspective on gaming. Sony's movie background really does help with their style of games they have become known for. MS haven't got a 'TV/movie' department that can 'help' with the 'cinematic' writing, directing etc and have generally been more focussed on the 'player', making them become the 'hero' in the game.

@isturbo1984 fair enough. Bethesda games are decent (loved FO3 and New Vegas).

@Tasuki right on man, my family take up too much time ROFL. I can only play 3-4 of these big AAA action adventure games a year. They do drain you. However I want to be a bit more immersed in Horizon 5 and it's kind of b rate with the stories, which is a shame as the rest is mostly amazing (upto 1040 accolades now).

@BAMozzy how did you find Halo though Bam? I can't shake the feeling it's single setting is holding it back.

@themcnoisy It would be 'nice' to have more interesting Biomes to fight in but that's more set dressing. To me, Halo Infinite is the 'best' bits of what made Halo:CE such an impactful game. If you remember, that game starts on a ship where you battle through the corridors etc. Then when you get down to terra firma, you have this 'big' area with a few pockets of enemies, and 3 beacons you can activate in any order - that 'big' open environment is basically the 'free' roam section of Halo Infinite except there is more stuff to do if you want. A lot of the missions take place in those more linear 'corridors' too so you get that 'similar' experience too. Its basically what 'CE' would be if made today with 'modern' combat features (like the Grappling hook and 'more' to do) and a love letter to that game - so many 'easter egg' nods to CE.

Its certainly got the moment to moment combat and game-play mechanics nailed down - which is probably why many feel its the 'best' Halo game. I don't think its got the 'best' story, although MC is more 'humanised' by the 'end'. Certainly the much more dated 'look' of the game doesn't help with just one Biome that doesn't really help. When trees look like that, maybe it would be better to have more varied Biomes without those trees.

It's a bit like playing 'minecraft' for example (not that extreme) that when you are having fun with 'great' game-play, then the issues of more dated or less varied environments don't matter. Yes I'd love to see Halo with the Visual quality alluded to in 2018's 'in-engine' reveal and much more diversity in environments, but that's being 'picky' because I've enjoyed doing 'everything' (I'm right near the 'end' now) on Legendary difficulty. That's collecting every skull, spartan core, armour locker, bases etc on the highest most 'brutal' difficulty setting - having a blast calling down vehicles and driving a squad around with snipers, laser guns, tracking rocket launchers etc just for 'fun'. Of course you need to do a lot in the open world to unlock more vehicles, weapons etc at the bases to do that, but its so much fun...

Its certainly the best 343 Halo game in my opinion and whilst it isn't the most 'varied' visually, I think they made the right choice to keep it reminiscent of the more memorable parts of Halo:CE, go back to what made us fall in love with the franchise, keep that 'simple' and focus on the 'Game-Play'. I was losing faith that 343 even understood what 'Halo' was - especially after 5 with its 'CoD' like MP and Campaign without [much] Master Chief so to get Halo: Infinite which is such a 'love letter' to Halo CE was the right choice. Now they can look at branching out into more diverse biomes...

@themcnoisy Yeah, that first statement really irked me, lol. Didn't have the time to read everything at first, but going back now, I agree with pretty much everything else you said. I'm a huge fan of the PlayStation Studio open sandbox games. Games like Zero Dawn and such. I feel like they are the only ones who justify the $70 price tag.

@BAMozzy I never had an Xbox 1, my sons both had one but never let me use it. So never played Halo 5.

Halo 4 was an odd game. It felt pretty good and looked great from what I can recall. Just nothing compared to Reach or even Halo 3. Shortly after that I got the PS4 and never looked back.

With infinite quite a few things raise it up, such as the marine crew you can kit out. The gameplay and grappling hook. The mini bosses you can take out and the variety of weapons. The trolling from grunts, the Easter eggs and the music when you reach a view.

Then a few things bring it down, the story is just sci fi nonesense, the bland world (some great areas tbf but mostly boring), the strange introduction when the brute throws MC into space, the way cutscenes are handled, no new bad guys. Honestly I don't understand the motivations of what's going on and unlike the pre x1 Halos, Im just doing the same stuff without the likes of the flood or arbiter to spice things up.

I don't think Halo suits a full game being based in one area. Maybe a better idea would have been to have to have the first big area you land Fobs A-D as a jumping off point to various points in that solar region. Then you would have more variety. I also disliked the way Hunters were introduced. Remember Halo 2 when you are in that town and then they came in through the gates! Such a great gaming moment. Now they are just sat off playing tiddly winks. I enjoy Infinite but it's not as good as it should be.

@isturbo1984 Im waiting until HZD comes down in price. Will finish off some Xbox games in the meantime and maybe pickup gran Turismo. Currently looking at Dragon Quest 11, Crackdown 3 and Scream ride which Ive been contemplating starting up. I still have Halo infinite, Windjammers 2 and Horizon 5 to 1000g. Mostly there on all of them now.

@themcnoisy you know, i cant for the life of me understand why so many people hated Crackdown 3. its a solid, stupid fun sandbox game. very comparable to Saints Row 3&4. its not on the same level as say... Tsushima, lol, but its fairly old school in terms of the 360/PS3 gen sandbox title. try that if you want some mindless platforming and shooting.

@themcnoisy Horizon Zero Dawn is already pretty cheap.

@themcnoisy as KilloWertz stated, Horizon Zero Dawn is quite cheap to get now. Personally, I would get the Complete Edition of that game, as it includes The Frozen Wilds DLC.

@SingleStooge @killowertz lol Ive already played HZD. I was referring to the newer game. HZD actually topped the Pushsquare 2018 forum poll for best multiplat game as you can see in my footer. Thanks for the heads up though

@isturbo1984 I tried Crackdown 3, it's fun - came at the wrong time though. I was enjoying multiple other games so put it down and never returned.

@themcnoisy could be right, but that’s what I love about Forza Horizon 5. I am more inclined to play a mindless game if for no other reason to escape reality. I think it’s fun to tear things up and tool around on FH5.

@Royalblues Congrats with your new Ps5. I have one since January and for me personally the split is about 50-50. I play Xbox exclusives and multiplats on Xbox and PS exclusives and JRPG (which most are on everything except Xbox) on my PS5. I'm absolutely loving both about equally.

@Royalblues Glad to hear you might not regret getting the disc version I only could get my hands on a Digital version and i'm fine by that. I've been fully digital on pc for ages as well, thanks to steam mostly, so used to things being digital. In the past i had a ton of cds and dvds but never really had the room for it, so i am kinda happy myself with going full digital, saves me a lot of room, which i dont have a lot of. But yeah as you say if you are interested in imports or special editions/limited editions a disc version could be awesome as well. Thankfully im managing fine with digital only until now.

Got a PS5 in this week. Only played through Astro's Playroom so far, and while brief it was phenomenal. Easily stands up against Nintendo's best platformers IMO (not only mechanically/inventively, but also think it really helped that it made you "feel" like PlayStation is this nostalgic brand, in a way only Nintendo has been able to capture until now), with the final boss being a phenomenal way to cap the game. Sony would be a bunch of fools if they didn't have a larger scale followup in the works.

Also got Miles Morales, which I haven't had the time to start up yet.

@RR529 Astro's Playroom is a neat little tech demo to showcase the hardware - specifically the DS5 - which I think is what separates it from some of Nintendo's best Platformers. The fact that you get more feedback and it enables them to be a bit more creative with implementing more variety into the game-play. Wrap it up with Playstation nostalgia and you have a nice 'introduction' to the PS5 and Playstation family for newcomers and a nostalgic trip for fanboys.

I can't say I am a total fan of Astro's Playroom - some of that is down to the DS5 implementation. Now I know its 'designed' to show what the DS5 can offer, but I really get nothing from having to manually move the 'whole' controller (six-axis motion), Blow into the inbuilt Mic etc to play a game. I have hated ALL six-axis controls and where possible, I turn the option off.

Its a nice way to introduce gamers to the PS5 and the DS5 in particular. Its also a history of Playstation all wrapped up in a free game suitable for all ages so as a tech demo to introduce the PS5 and a nostalgic trip through Playstation's history, its superb, 'faultless' even - but I really hate six-axis motion, 'blowing' on mics etc...

I have Miles Morales too - haven't started it yet though as I still haven't finished Spider-Man. Another game I had high hopes for but felt like it was an 'old' Ubisoft open world template, Treyarchs Spider-Man 2 mechanics and some really repetitive and dull side quests, towers to unlock to reveal the map/secrets, enemy bases to clear, some terrible repetitive puzzle solving and annoying QTE's, instant-fail stealth sequences etc as well. So I have struggled to finish the game but I want to before trying MM.