Ganepark32

Annapurna Interactive are doing a showcase of their currently slate of titles set to take place on July 29th. Looks like they'll be showing off more Solar Ash, The Last Stop (Coming in July 22nd) and Stray so one to add to the diary for those interested. Also, if you're an indie game fan, I wholeheartedly recommend watching the Day of the Devs stream rather followed Keighley's Kickoff show. Its been fantastic. Indie games from all over the world and they all look fantastic. Definitely seek it out and give it a watch.

Axiom Verge 2 confirmed for PS4 and PS5. Hell yes. Loved the first one and the second looks great. Really interesting idea that you can bypass bosses and can finish the game by literally just hacking enemies and not fighting. Should be interesting.

Damn, that looked fantastic! And a release date as well. Never gotten into a Fromsoft title properly but that really has piqued my interest. Day of the Devs stream starting now, and kicking off with Axiom Verge 2. Always love watching Day of the Devs, always a good mix of indie titles from around the world.

Oh, ID@Xbox summer demo event again from Tuesday. Last year was great for getting hands on with a slew of indie games prior to release and happy to see that the likes of Tunic and Sable are included. Can't wait to try both.

Really enjoyed Two Point Hospital so Two Point Campus is a win for me. Also love the look of Planet of Lana, looks gorgeous. The back half of the show hasn't been too hot, that Weezer performance wasn't great but they've earned they're stripes with their earlier albums so they get a pass but they're starting to sound like they should hang up the gear sooner rather than later.

A release date for Sable (September 23rd) and Japanese Breakfast performing as well as Jeff Goldblum being himself... not bad so far. Hyped for Sable. Been a long time coming so can't wait to try it on release. Think its PC and Xbox only to start with, though its supposed to be coming to PS4. Just don't know if it'll launch at the same time on PS consoles as PC and Xbox. Also, Metal Slug Tactics is a fantastic idea. Hopefully it'll land on consoles as that'll be great fun to play and a great use for that IP.

Some new music from the weekend past: Jubilee - Japanese Breakfast Blue Weekend - Wolf Alice Changephobia - Rostam A good week for new releases. Both the Japanese Breakfast and Wolf Alice albums are superb. Easily two of the best of the year so far, can't stop listening to either.

New Eidos-Montréal game? Its going to be the heavily rumoured Guardians of the Galaxy title they've been working on for years but I'd give anything for it to be a new Deus Ex title to finish off that trilogy. A man can dream...

Finally got a date for my first vaccination, getting it in two weeks time. Not sure if up here in Scotland if we're doing similar to in England and offering people under 40 a choice of vaccine other than the Astra-Zeneca one but hoping its the Pfizer going by the data coming out recently for its efficacy against the newer variants. Had to find out by submitting for a missing letter as the Scottish Government have been running ads for those 18-29 to register and get vaccinated mid June onwards and I hadn't received my letter but know people in their 30s have been getting vaccinated. Turns out that there have been a large number of no shows up here in Dundee and it seems that the majority are from people who haven't received their letter telling them of their date for it. So the vaccination roll out is running really well up here Just glad I'll finally be getting my first dose soon. My partner has been fully vaccinated since March and with rising cases in Dundee, I've been getting a bit stressed/anxious going out for even a walk as most people here aren't wearing masks (at least they are for the most part in shops, though many still don't seem to get it has to go over your nose as well) so it should give a bit of stress relief at the moment.

Was waiting for this. Timed exclusivity for demos is a bit ridiculous, even if it was only a week to wait for it to hit PS4/PS5. Anyway, played through it as the male character and its alright. Visually there's a lot going on with the environments and so it looks a little cluttered. It does look like a cross gen title though, or at least one that started on last gen as things do look muddy in places and it doesn't look the sharpest for its resolution. Combat was fine but there's a lot going on with different systems so I felt I was only getting my head round button prompts for using different combo types as the demo ended. The boss battles felt a bit flat as a way to end it, having to kite it to jump and belly flop below the cranes before you could use them even though there were plenty of times the boss was standing under them just spamming the gunge shot move. Its one I'll keep my eye on. I wasn't blown away but there's enough there thats got me interested (like the psychokinesis powers) but I'll see how reviews land for it and if its got the legs and depth to keep me engaged longer than another similarly styled title, Astral Chain.

Anyone wanting a Gamepass machine, i.e. a Xbox Series S, GAME are doing an in store trade in deal where you can get a Series S for as much as half price or as little as £39.99 when you trade in various consoles. The deal runs out on June 14th apparently. This is what you have to pay if you trade in the following hardware: PS4 500GB - £99.99 PS4 1TB - £79.99 PS4 Slim 500GB - £79.99 PS4 Slim 1TB - £59.99 PS4 Pro - £49.99 Xbox One 500GB (original) - £129.99 Xbox One 1TB (original) - £119.99 Xbox One S 500GB - £99.99 Xbox One S 1TB - £89.99 Xbox One X - £49.99 Switch - £39.99 Switch Lite - £99.99 Not a bad deal of you don't mind going digital or if you've got a PS5/Gaming PC and have one of the older consoles sitting in storage. Tempted myself as I'm still rocking an original Xbox One as a Gamepass/media machine and getting it for half price isn't too bad. Shame you have to head in store but my local GAME, when I've passed in one of the few times I've been in town, has been dead with no one to be seen inside other than the staff.

Really looking forward to seeing the game in action. The original is a gorgeous game but can't wait to see what Guerrilla have managed to get out of the PS5 for this. I'm still dubious that it'll launch this year (I see it as getting pushed into next year and launching on/around the 5th anniversary of the original) but I do wonder if they'll give a vague launch window (i.e. Holiday 2021 like they did with Miles Morales last year prior to the PS5 launch).

I had hoped it'd at least hit an average in the 70s but the reviews have largely been scathing on a multitude of aspects. Shame really because with it coming from a small studio and being a new IP, there's always the hope that it'll do well but I imagine the scores will scupper the game in the long run, especially as I'm seeing plenty now saying they'll wait for the inevitable sale or Gamepass/PS Now/PS Plus announcement. From my perspective, I think I was just hoping for it to turn out good considering how long it had been since it was announced but it sounds like it follows an older school of thought with its game design. From all the talk of the devs of what games they were inspired by, it seems like they haven't really taken on what makes those games great and have just pulled from too many places and ended up in the middle of nowhere with something average at best and, from what I hear about it running on PS5 through BC, woeful at worst. I didn't have it pre-ordered as I was waiting for reviews to make a final decision so I guess they've made it for me. I'll wait for a sale despite wanting to support the devs who've clearly worked hard over the years on it. Shame as I was wanting something more action oriented to run alongside playing Subnautica Below Zero and ME Legendary Edition. Perhaps I'll look at Nier Replicant or wait and see what the Days of Play sale brings on Wednesday (still undecided on Miles Morales).

Apparently the leak is from Square Enix going by what I'm seeing getting passed around. Probably explain the recent talk of a PS exclusive Soulslike Final Fantasy title being announced soon. Curious if anyone will actually put the things out in the open. Its usually a matter of time before it gets out there so we'll see.

Devs have confirmed that the game will run in 4k60 on Series X, 1440p/30 on Series S (but don't have a Series S to capture footage of the game running ) and will run at 1080p/60 on a PS5 through BC. They're saying that there's technical reasons for how it'll run on PS5, presumably with how Sony has implemented BC on the hardware (from what I gather it brute forces the games to run and not in a very elegant manner which is why all PS4 games now carry a disclaimer on the PS Store saying that things might run as smoothly on a PS5 as compared to a PS4). Its understandable because of how BC works on the PS5 but its still disappointing that its not even matching the Series S for resolution. Native next gen versions are coming apparently so hopefully that'll resolve that issue but yeah, its disappointing to say the least. Suppose they're at least getting the info out there ahead of time and they are only a small team but its hopefully something they can sort with the PS4 version running in BC or that the native PS5 version will come along soon.

Explanation trailer put out to go over some of the game, giving some more footage of powers and gameplay: The review embargo also looks like it'll end on Monday 24th at 4pm BST so we'll see then whether its made good on some of the initial promise in the trailers. I'm hoping for there to be a lot of solid 8s, with a few 7s, but at this point its anyone's guess. Haven't put down my pre-order on the PS Store and kind of hoping the reviews will be good enough otherwise I may wait a little bit what with Ratchet and Clank on the horizon.

Starting next week, the Days of Play sale will see the likes of Sackboy, Miles Morales and Demon's Souls going on sale. https://blog.playstation.com/2021/05/18/days-of-play-2021-activities-start-today-with-playstation-player-celebration-sale-kicks-off-may-26/ Not expecting much of a discount in them, especially as Miles Morales continues to be the go to game for those who buy a PS5 out the gate, but if it takes a 10% down to £40, I'd probably finally pick it up. More curious for Sackboy as I've had my eye on it for a while now, again not expecting much more than a 5-10% discount on it but I'll be keeping an eye out for it.

Was my birthday at the weekend and two good things happened: the first is that my mother actually wished me a happy birthday for the first time in years. We've had a fractious relationship over the last couple of years but I had thought we'd generally resolved things but there always seemed to be some bad blood there. Still, just as I was away to go to bed for the night she sent a text and we spent Sunday messaging and having a catch up which was nice, even if the news about my dad's health not getting better wasn't great. The second part was that by and large, I knew what my partner had gotten me present wise as we'd decided to get stuff that I needed (so some new exercise stuff). However, she handed me two boxes on the day and told me I'd understand the presents when I opened them. Opened the first to find a limited edition Adidas All Blacks Rugby ball and in the other was an All Blacks training top. At first I was confused and then it clicked: years ago I'd told here about how when I was at high school, I'd got to meet the All Blacks at a training session and got stuff signed by them. Got to meet the great Jonah Lomu who chatted and, as his signing pen was running out, swapped with mine, signed my rugby ball and I went off home cheesing that I'd met one of the greatest rugby players ever. A few days later, my Grandfather took me to Murrayfield to see Scotland play New Zealand (obviously Scotland lost) and its one of the most vivid and strong memories I have of spending time with my grandfather before he passed away. Its been ages since I mentioned it to her but she remembered it and got me these amazing gifts that will keep that memory with him in my mind even more but also gave it new meaning for us. It was a small thing but it meant so much to have that memory come back and to have it mean something new with the presents on my birthday. Just an amazing day.

Felt after the last couple of months of working out, sorting out my eating and upping my protein that I'd start using some powder to help with recovery and to help with building muscle. Reviews were mixed online but I like it, mixed with coconut milk it tastes like a protein bar that's been blended so I'm fine with that. The PS5 version. An early birthday present for myself. I say early, it comes out on Friday 14th and my birthday is literally the next day but there you go. And for my actual birthday, I got some money early so I've got ME: Legendary Edition with it. Looking forward to playing through it all again... and again... and again.

Bump of the thread to say that 4A Games have just released the Enhanced Edition of this on PC, whereby all lighting has been redone and replaced with full RT lighting and various other bells and whistles. You'll need a rig that is RT capable to be able to play the Enhanced Edition on PC. Its a free upgrade for those who have the standard version. And the Enhanced Edition is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series on June 18th, again as a free upgrade to those that have either the physical or digital versions of Exodus on PS4 or Xbox One. A Complete Edition will be available to purchase, containing both The Two Colonels and Sam's Story, for those who don't have the original release. Digital Foundry had a look at the changes that have been made to the game for the PC Enhanced version, which I've posted below, but from the trailer above it looks as though the majority of upgrades will be present on both PS5 and Xbox Series X (Series S is 1080p but still has the other additions). Obviously the PC version will still look better but regardless of version, the upgrade looks phenomenal. Hoping I can grab the Gold Edition on sale in the coming weeks on PS4 so that I can do a complete run through with the expansions on my PS5 with this upgraded version as I loved the game back in 2019 and would love to do another play through.

Some hands off gameplay previews seem to be creeping out. This one from Game Informer gives a good look at some general gameplay and it looks pretty good: Its just a shame that it was hands off gameplay but guess THQ Nordic haven't set up a method for doing that like some devs/publishers have. Hopefully get some in the coming days given that we're now less than 3 weeks to launch. Hands on in the lead up to reviews will be the real test of how the game's going to do.

With it being May 4th, Star Wars Day, Experiment 101 have done a parody trailer for this and its great: Genuienly hoping this turns out to be good. For a small team of what's supposed to be 11 people, they've certainly made it look great visually and the little bits of gameplay looks solid too. Just hoping it all comes together as a full package as it's a game I've been looking forward to for years at this point. Regardless, I'll probably be picking it up on May 25th so here's hoping its a good'un.

Its something that's plagued my mind a lot these last few weeks/months with me turning 32 in a week and a half time. Generally speaking, I don't think I do know what I'm doing. Breaking that down, personally its a yes and a no and professionally, I really don't have a clue what I'm doing or where I'm going. On the personal front, I've got the most amazing partner who has been so supportive over the last couple of years and has gone over and above to help me. We're in a great place together, stronger than ever (not that we've ever had a bad day) and just love spending every day together. Ideally I'd have loved for us to have bought our first house together by now and to be married but things have gotten in the way of both but to be honest, it feels like we're married as it is and when we're able to do so, we'll do it how we want. But from there, my personal life falls apart a bit. I don't speak to my family much, for a variety of reasons and when I've tried I rarely hear back from them. I've not spoken to my grandmother for nearly 3 years because of her constant meddling and twisting of things. She cancelled a birthday cheque to me because she felt I withheld showing her a picture of my brother's first child, her great granddaughter, despite the fact I didn't have a picture and had only seen it on Facebook. She didn't ask to see it. This was spun along and twisted by her and my sister as me being horrible and keeping her right to see her great grand daughter from her, despite my brother wanting nothing to do with her. She wouldn't apologise so left is as we'll speak when she's ready to do so. Have issues with my mother because of extensive emotional abuse growing up, as has become clear through speaking with people over the years. I've never confronted her about it but I've always been painted as having a chip on my shoulder with regards to our relationship but I'll leave that as its personal and difficult to go into. Its certainly tainted my personal life and is something I'm struggling with now. Socially, because of the aforementioned stuff and because I've been used by many so called friends for money (including times such as bailing someone out of a hole at a casino and then being told I was clearly looking for more than friendship because of it. I'd made perfectly clear many times that I was only looking to be friends because of my mental health issues and that was all it ever was) or been dropped like a hat without any word to explain whats happened, I've struggled post uni to keep a friend group or to even have friends. So yeah, if it wasn't for my partner and her side of the family, I'd really not know what I was doing personally. Professionally I have no idea where I'm going. I dropped out of my Ph.D. for mental and physical health reasons and even now, its stuff I'm dealing with (seizures, non-allergic rhinitis, stomach/gall bladder issues and depression). I took time to get settled after I left but I've really struggled to land a long term job and right now, I've been out of work for over a year and I'm struggling to get my foot in anywhere. The drive just isn't there because of how little progress I've made professionally and its just been difficult to move from 10 years in academia to anything else. I don't even want much to do with what I studied for all that time at uni (psychology) because of how negatively my Ph.D. impacted my health. So I don't really know what I want to be doing or where I want to go. I keep comparing myself to others from uni on Facebook who are off doing this and that but I know people do things at their own pace and that I shouldn't. Its just hard to see a little at the end of the tunnel when I don't know where to start. I loved lecturing but can't really see a way into doing that as to get to uni level lecturing, I'd need to finish my Ph.D. but I have no intention of going back to that and college level just seems to be extremely difficult to get into. I still enjoy the science side of things but don't want to do research and I'm good enough at data analysis but can't see myself as a data analyst. Don't really know how to take my skills and transfer them and my interests, gaming and music, don't really present any in roads (I did do freelance reviews years back but stopped to focus on uni and now there's an oversaturation of gaming media, including influences now, so its now a viable avenue professionally despite my interest in long form writing). I'm sure I'll figure it out but its coincidental a thread like this would turn up when its really been on my mind a lot recently. Maybe I'll get there soon, maybe not but I'll hopefully get there with a bit of perspective. So no I don't really know what I'm doing. But thankfully I've the support of an amazing woman who's helping me through things and with some time, I'll hopefully get to where I'm meant to be going.

If there's anyone looking to take advantage of the new slew of titles that have received a FPS boost on their Series S|X, Assassin's Creed Unity is available for £1.99 through CDKeys here. Don't know how long it'll last but for that price, its worth a punt surely, especially as its supposed to have been patched from all its bugs by this point and now runs at a steady frame rate. Hell, I don't have a Series console but I'm tempted to pick it up for down the line.

Rift Apart looks fantastic, though I'm not overly keen on that phased dash animation they're using. But that's something I'll get used to as it looks like the next gen showcase we've been waiting on and I can't wait to get my hands on it. That Topiary weapon is great. Hopefully we'll see a return of the Pixelator and the Sheepinator too. And of course, Mr Zurkon. Can't not have Mr Zurkon usable. Somewhat weird pair of indie games to show off. Subnautica Below Zero is out in 2 weeks so that makes sense but given this one is more story focused and that Subnautica in general is about discovering things yourself, it didn't need to really be shown off. By the time Among Us hits, I think the hype around it will have well and truly passed. I mean, I've not seen viewing figures for the game on Twitch but I'd have to guess that by now numbers have started to dwindle a bit. Guess we'll just have to wait a bit more for some of the other indie games like Stray, Jett and Little Devil Inside. Happy enough to wait as there's plenty of the horizon (Returnal is tomorrow, we've had Nier Replicant last week, May alone has RE Village, ME Legendary Edition, Biomutant, and Subnaurica Below Zero to name a few and Rift Apart is early June). Guess we'll hear more at Sony's not-E3 State of Play. All in all, loved what we saw of Rift Apart. Is it not June yet.