gulfcoasttiger5

Agree with most of the takes here: gameplay masterpiece with a story that I wanted to like, but that did not land.

I wish that they had bait and switched us at the very beginning of the game and had us play as Abby. Open on a total stranger and new group of friends, focus on making us like and relate to the WLF as a group of friends who care about each other, while gradually revealing more about their quest to Jackson and the motives behind it. Once you realize who Abby is, and why she’s going to Jackson, I feel like it would’ve given us that “oh shite” moment with a character we are starting to bond with.

Then, I’d have the game take on a more split narrative, with sections alternating between Abby and Ellie showcasing the respective repercussions of their actions on each other through Seattle Day 1, 2, 3.

Don’t know if it fixes anything, but give the players a better opportunity to bond with Abby before she kills Joel would have been a better way to have us sympathize with her, imo.

Is a Steam Deck something that would fall in the “cool enough” spectrum? Feel like the portability would really appeal to an 11yo, unless he’s specified that he wants a PC or laptop.

I’d say it’s closer to SoW-style gameplay than AC, but there are some climbing/parkour elements to help with stealth verticality and traversal. Especially after you get access to the grappling hook around halfway through the story. They are not the core gameplay loop though, which is still shinobi or samurai focused.

Tsushima doesn’t really have the architecture style or topography to support serious parkour gameplay. The most you’ll do is walk on a tent wire or stand on top of a yurt.

Bought this and booted it up with the wife last night and we’re having a blast. It Takes Two didn’t really land with me, even though it had its moments, but this is a smooth, ultra-refined couch coop experience.

Currently sitting at 97% approval on Steam

For a game that only costs $50 and includes a free friend pass, highly recommended picking this one up if you’re looking to couch coop with your SO or your kids.

ETA fixed title grammar

Mel by a lot.

Play it with the Japanese voice dub, it enhances the experience as long as you don’t mind subtitles, imho.

Also, highly recommend Lethal difficulty, even for your first playthrough. You die quickly, but so do enemies, so it is a tough but fair difficulty that makes late game combat really rewarding.

Enjoy, my dude. It’s an exceptional game.

At your price point, it could also be worth checking out a Steam Deck. Add yourself a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you actually have a decently powerful Linux-based computer to play tons of recent titles on.

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Bad Actors that somehow managed to nail a role.

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Hayden Christensen in “Shattered Glass” always comes to mind here.

He took the whiny, entitled, unlikeable parts of Anakin and really morphed them into something compelling. Highly recommend.

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There’s two downvotes to this post but no further comments

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I didn’t expect my post to be that spicy of a take :lol:

FWIW IMO, get the regular, digital PS5 and use the savings to buy an extra controller, the controller docking port (a must for me because I hate wires), and the Madden/NCAA 25 bundle. There’s hundreds of hours of content to play there, and the extra controller lets you or a friend play with him if the situation arises.

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I always loved when Reali would throw the balled-up paper at the camera. Couldn’t hit shite.

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:lol:

I remember after one episode where he actually did hit the camera and started to celebrate like he hit a shot on Dude Perfect.

The best part IMO was the feed switched to PTI a second or so after for the most hilarious abrupt cut. Still remember my dad cracking up.