Game Room Pictures

I am not here to try to sell you on the PS4, but I would say that PlayStation 3 and 4 are fantastic systems for indie gamers, especially in tandem with a PC&Steam. I would say the majority of my gaming is split between indie titles obtained through Steam or Humble Bundle and PlayStation games of some sort. What is wonderful about PlayStation and PS+ is the number of indie titles Sony gives away each month.In past we have received games like Nova-111, Broken Age, Super Meat Boy, Grow Home, Limbo, Stealth and Stealth 2, Guacamele, Transistor, The Swapper, The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky and more. There are also plenty of unique titles available for PlayStation like The Unifinished Swan, Hohokum, Doki Doki Universe and Journey that are all well worth playing. Obviously it depends on the type of game in which you are interested. You can see the kind of games Sony has grantes PS+ members in past here: list of Instant Game Collection titles.

For a casual gamer who plays indie titles PlayStation is surprisingly (or not surprisingly) a fantastic platform.

Yikes, that did sound like a sales pitch. However, it comes from a place of genuine appreciation for the access to indie titles that Sony seems invested in. I tend to get a lot of mileage just playing games on my PlayStation 3 and 4 because of these titles, with zero regrets. I have been exposed to wonderful games I otherwise may have missed.

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Donā€™t get me wrong, Iā€™ve always loved playstation as a console. I have a PS1 and PS2, love them very much and have spent countless hours using them. If I were to buy a newer system it would be a PS4. Just recently my friend and I had hours of fun playing his.

With that said, I donā€™t like subscriptions. How much is PS+? If it were another point in my life I would probably have a PS4, and if I could justify spending hundreds of dollars of video game systems and games. To be honest @bmo, I try not to spend more than $5 on a game, unless itā€™s a collectible game for my NES or something. Maybe Iā€™m cheap or maybe I have a few hobbies I like to spend my money on. But anyway, Iā€™m not knocking your sales pitch, I am intrigued by the PS4, I just donā€™t think itā€™s right for me, right now.

Like how we talked about Path to Luma. I have fun with short, cheap games. Thanks for the information though. If my side business takes off, maybe Iā€™ll reward myself.

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Even though I own a PS4, I have to be a hypocrite and say that I kinda agree with you; Iā€™m not sure that I could truthfully recommend the console. The multiplayer paywall came as a huge shock to me and Iā€™m still pretty angry about it. The free games with the PS+ subscription are cool, but it doesnā€™t justify the cost, especially if you compare it to the bottomless pit of epic free games for the PC. Also, personally speaking, the game library for the PS4 is pretty slim at the moment. perhaps in a couple years thereā€™ll be a greater incentive. Especially if more cool exclusives come out and also when the PS3 library is brought over to PS4. As Iā€™ve said a million times, if I wasnā€™t a hardcore ā€œsouls seriesā€ fan I wouldnā€™t have picked up a PS4. For budget or semi-casual gaming (like below $2 per month) then you canā€™t go wrong with a PC.

As odd as it sounds, at this moment in time (if anything) I would recommend the PS3 over the PS4. The game library is bigger and better, the games are cheaper and itā€™s possible to get a PS3 second hand for under $50 at the moment (thatā€™s what I did).

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ā€¦probably all boils down to what kind of games you like to play, and where and how you like to play them, which in reality changes over time as your circumstances change and you grow older. I reckon PC + Console of choice (choose console re: prefered platform and game selection) and youā€™ve got pretty much all your bases covered.

My biggest dilemma at the moment is if a game is released on both, do I play it on my PS4 in the lounge (more sociable as long as the missus likes what Iā€™m playing, lounge back on sofa, fire on, glass of wine etc), or do I play it on my PC in the study (less likely to get disturbed at any time and more of a personal immersive experience)?

ā€¦these though, are modern day ā€œissuesā€ which in some ways are nice to have. At least these days we have a really good choice.

Looking back though, I think I never did more gaming than when I had a pretty decent laptop, despite the fact the a lot of folks used to say laptops are pointless for gaming, you should just get a proper desktop. A decent laptop was the best of both worlds for me, I could game anytime and anywhere, and I did!

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PS+ is $50 annually. For me that is a low price for what I get, but I respect that subscriptions are not for everyone. I too try not to spend too much on games. I tend to pick up a lot of Humble Bundle games, which are a great value and often wonderfully independent. The PS+ subscription works for me because I am essentially paying less than $5 per month to get 5-6 games in that same period. It is wonderful because it is a healthy mix of games I already want, and games that were not on my radar yet prove excellent. I also try to purchase games on sale rather than on launch day. All in all it works out as a fantastic value for what I want, but I know that will not apply to everyone.

I understand where you are coming from. For me the subscription price is low enough to be justifiable. I also have all three applicable PS systems which means I can take advantage of the full range in the instant games collection. I would agree that if you only had a PS4 the subscription may not be worthwhile, at present. Expand out to a PS3 or Vita on top of a PS4 and the subscription seems increasingly logical.

I am in complete agreement. I enjoy the combination of console and PC. One provides an easy to use living room experience, while the other provides access to fantastic niche and indie titles I will not find elsewhere.

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Ah, see thereā€™s a difference as well. As per usual Australian customers being totally ripped off again. Over here the subscription costs $100 per year. I was subscribed while I played Bloodborne, just a couple months. Got a bunch of free games but wasnā€™t particularly impressed, didnā€™t play any of them. The only cool one was Spelunky, but I already owned it on PS4 and PC.

I would actually agree about the subscription, but the fact that they take away the games when you unsub makes me furious, I was horrified when I learned that. So even if youā€™re paying $100/yr for ten years, if you stop paying the monthly fees they will rip away your entire game library. Not cool.

I do have a PS3 but I didnā€™t realise that PS+ gave free games for other systems, I thought they were just mostly PS4 games. Do I have to log on with my PS3 to check if there are complementary PS3 games? I should have checked!

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$100? Wow. That is arguably pretty steep. I think it would be worth it for me, for the reasons I listed above, but I completely appreciate what you are saying.

The permanence of my games doesnā€™t really bother me. I tend to buy anything I really want to own (Mass Effect series for example) but am not bothered if I lose some free games. I plan to keep my subscription indefinitely so the problem of losing access to some games is also currently in the distant future. I liken it somewhat to Netflix. I pay Netflix a monthly fee to access movies that may or may not remain in their catalogue indefinitely, fully knowing Iā€™ll lose access to those films if I cancel. Physicality and permanence are things I no longer concern myself with regarding media. That definitely does not apply to everyone so I can see PS+ as unappealing to some as a result.

You should check out PS+ releases for PS3. There have been some excellent ones. Starting most recently and going back Sony has given the following away: Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Dragon Age: Origins, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Mass Effect 2, Dishonored, Deadly Premonition: The Directorā€™s Cut, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Boarderlands and Boarderlands 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Demonā€™s Souls and more. And those are just big titles. There are tonnes of indie titles released over the years. Take a look at this list for games given away for each system in your region.

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At first I was thinking, ā€œwow thatā€™s terribleā€ but I can liken this to my mentality with mobile games. Once Iā€™ve completed them, I just delete them. I guess mobile gaming has the advantage of being able to re-download a game you already bought if you want it later. Iā€™ve been thinking about getting Monument Valley again just for the sheer relaxation and artistic achievement.

Sorry your fee is $100/yr. That sucks. $50/yr isnā€™t bad at all. I would gladly pay it. I do like what @Torgo said about picking up a used PS3. More games, backwards compatibility (I know you didnā€™t say this but Iā€™ve heard this feature and am very interested), cheaper.

I use a laptop for gaming so location isnā€™t really an issue. Although I usually just keep it in my hobby room. The consoles are in the living room, so I can socialize with my wife while playing a game, or try to get her to play, which rarely happens. Excellent point about location, I never even thought of that! [quote=ā€œbmo, post:27, topic:664ā€]
Starting most recently and going back Sony has given the following away: Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Dragon Age: Origins, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Mass Effect 2, Dishonored, Deadly Premonition: The Directorā€™s Cut, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Boarderlands and Boarderlands 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Demonā€™s Souls and more.
[/quote]
Give aways are nice. You guys are doing a great job of selling the idea of a newer system to me.

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ā€¦damn it!! Iā€™m now googling ā€œtop gaming laptopsā€!!! :grinning:

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I think youā€™re right actually. Itā€™s silly but I seem to hoard games like a crazy old cat lady but in reality with the internet nowadays itā€™s redundant. I guess if you view games just like films or somethingā€¦ I mean, most games you only play once and then donā€™t touch again, so I guess the PS+ almost ā€œrentalā€ system does make a bit of sense. It is a little bit weird to want a bottomless pile of games in this abstract digital library. I mean, there are games I bought (hard copy) 7+ years ago that I still havenā€™t played, let alone digital copies. XD
I expect that eventually Iā€™ll get back on the PS4 bandwagon. In a couple years once they flesh out their library a bit Iā€™ll be more interested. Like right now thereā€™s 30+ PS3 exclusive games that I adore on the PS3. But on the PS4 thereā€™s only 1 (there are other good ones, but I play them on PC, but Bloodborne is exclusive).

Oooh, I want to play Monument Valley! I think you told me about it a while ago. I recently played this game called Back To Bed it was really cool, seems a bit similar, you should check it out.
If you consider Red Dead Redemption, Demonā€™s Souls, Dark Souls, Katamari Forever, Siren: New Translation, Silent Hill 2+3, No More Heroes, Journey & The Last of Us: theyā€™re all exclusive titles and theyā€™re all incredible. These days you could get a PS3 and all those games second hand for a couple hundred bucks, itā€™s a no-brainer. :santa:

Laptops have become so cheap recently. I got this laptop, new, for under $200AUD ($160USD) and I play games on it all the time. It canā€™t handle fancy stuff, but itā€™s great for indie games, old GOG games, rogue-likes. I was playing Undertale in bed, what luxury!

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My laptop is not a gaming computer. It was $600 two years ago, just an hp, but itā€™s pretty good. Like what Torgo said, it plays indies, older games, DOSBOX/ROMs even Portal and Transistor which I know do not require a crazy graphics card but my computer handles them well. [quote=ā€œTorgo, post:30, topic:664ā€]
Oooh, I want to play Monument Valley! I think you told me about it a while ago. I recently played this game called Back To Bed it was really cool, seems a bit similar, you should check it out.If you consider Red Dead Redemption, Demonā€™s Souls, Dark Souls, Katamari Forever, Siren: New Translation, Silent Hill 2+3, No More Heroes, Journey & The Last of Us: theyā€™re all exclusive titles and theyā€™re all incredible. These days you could get a PS3 and all those games second hand for a couple hundred bucks, itā€™s a no-brainer. :santa:
[/quote]Iā€™ve heard of Back to Bed, itā€™s on my wishlist. Looks like a fun game with neat art style.

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I forgot to mention Shadow of Colossus, another epic PS3 game (well, PS2, but they did a HD remaster thingy). Keep your eyes peeled on steam, I picked up Back To Bed recently for 25 cents I believe, tā€™was a steal. Itā€™s a great little game.
All this talk about PS3 is making my Sony glands flare upā€¦ I think I might have to start a fresh Demonā€™s Soul playthrough tonight. Well, so much for doing anything productive for the next couple weeks. :cry:
EDIT: I didnā€™t know about PS3 backward compatibilityā€¦ can it play PS1 games? Wowzers! Now I have to go on eBay and buy all the old Playstation games. I donā€™t even know any old playstation games. Silent Hill 1 ? Resident Evil something?

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Iā€™m not sure if all PS1 and PS2 games are compatible. Check out this list before you go on a shopping spree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_and_PlayStation_2_games_compatible_with_PlayStation_3
There are a ton of awesome PS1 and PS2 games. FF7, FF10, Fear Effect 1,2, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag, Silent Hill 1,2, Yes Resident Evil, lots of good RPGs, I liked the Tony Hawk games, Okami, Max Payne, GTA3, Vice City, the list goes on.

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Moument Valley, what a fantastic game :slightly_smiling:

I consider deleting and re-downloading games one of the perks of PS+ and buying digital copies of games from Humble Bundle/Store, Steam, GOG and PS Store.

It will definitely improve over time. I held off buying a PS4 for a little over a year. There was nothing pressing I wanted. 2016 is different. Ratchet & Clank and the Last Guardian are must have for me. Add to those a strong interest in Rime, Hellblade, What Remains of Edith Finch, DREAMS, Nier: Automata, Detroit: Become Human, along with others I am certainly forgetting.

I enjoyed Back to Bed. It was not quite as stunning as Monument Valley but it is certainly worth your time.

Every model of PS3 can play PS games. To my knowledge there is no limit to which titles you can play. I my PS games on my PS3 frequently. Including Silent Hill :wink: I highly recommend picking up old favourites.

Unfortunately only the original 4 USB port PS3 plays PS2 games, and even then full compatibility is not always guaranteed. The PS3 Slim and Super Slim cannot play PS2 games. This is because the PS3 cannot emulate PS2. In fact, the original 20, 40 and 80 GB 4 port PS3s contained both a PS3 and PS2 processor within the same case.

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WHATTTT!?!?! ā€œNier: Automataā€? Is this a sequel to Nier? I love Nier! I didnā€™t know! :astonished: Perhaps I wonā€™t use my PS4 as a lawn ornament after all. ;-]
In truth there are a handful of games coming to the system soon that Iā€™ve had my eye on. The biggest one is The Last Guardian, if it actually gets released (it has been in development hell for about a decade). I made a grouvee list of upcoming cool-looking PS4 exclusives: Torgo's PS4? Shelf | Grouvee
Perhaps theyā€™ll make a Bloodborne 2! An evil side of me was kinda hoping Dark Souls 3 would be PS4 exclusive so that I could further justify the extravagant purchaseā€¦ but no, always better on PC.

:scream:

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Nice list. Several titles I am also very much interested in eventually picking up.

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Agreed. Nice list.
(ā€¦my PS4 is going to get a lot of love this year).

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Hi! A bit late to the conversation, I know. Here are some pictures of my collection. Itā€™s nothing grand, but Iā€™m very happy with it :slight_smile:

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Very nice! Iā€™m particularly fond of the Mega Man collection. Excellent titles, neatly organized. Awesome collection. Thanks for sharing.

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Wow! How do you have room? That is my eternal struggle when it comes to hardware and games. I have too many things boxed up simply because there isnā€™t enough room to display it.

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