Returnal

You gave it a go. There are loads of games like that for me that everyone raves about and I just don't see what the fuss is about.

I must admit I died so many times in the first zone and boss I felt a bit like you Rob. Also had to contend with no save during a run.

Got over the hump though and it is really good when you get into the groove.

Probably helped there wasn't much on ps5 at the time.

I know what you mean man. You’ve definitely got to be in the mood for it and if it isn’t clicking there is no point forcing it.

You old git.

Glad you liked Toem!

The first level of Returnal is tough but persistence and practice helps. The Carbine is definitely a good choice if you can get a good drop at proficiency level 4-5, but don’t rule out the pistol either. Check the stat allocations and go for ones that will boost dps. Also practice the active reload - it makes a big difference.

You’ll be better prepared for the Boss if you take the time to do most of the level, simply because it’ll allow you to level up your weapon proficiency and get a more powerful gun. There’s always a red weapon drop right before the boss room so you’ll get a chance to grab something that’s as good as it’ll get.

During the rest of the level, it’s worth trying to use different guns to unlock and level up the various weapon perks. The perks are permanent unlocks and a good roll can make a big difference. Don’t forget about the alt fire too - use it regularly!

An obvious one, but try not to get hit early on. If you’re on max health, the green pickups extend your health bar instead of just healing you.

Don’t be afraid of trying out different Parasites. The negative effects sound bad but are usually manageable and the positives are often well worth it.

Spend Ether on the slot machine thing near your ship - you’ll gradually unlock a host of useful items that then become potential drops. Don’t worry about diluting the loot pool - there are loads of them.

Grab as much of the yellow obolite currency as you can and spend it at the shop. If there’s an Astronaut for sale, get that first and grab the large health pack second. If you’re lucky enough to get both on the same run, you’ve practically got three times the health bar to use against the boss. There’s also a Parasite that can resurrect you too. If you can afford it, the machine for extending your health bar is also worth it.

I often played as far as the shop and then decided whether this was a worthwhile boss run or not, based on whether I could get an Astronaut and large health pack. You can always warp back there from later in the level if they’re available but you can’t quite afford them yet.

If the loot on offer was crap, I could start over and save a bit of time.

Sorry, long post! It’s punishing to begin with but such a good game that only gets better as you progress.

Sounds like you need to find some chill games to play.

Not sure what it is called but there's a power hose game that I've heard is very good.

I loved Stray as well as you could take it at your own pace apart from a few areas and had simple controls.

As far as advice for returnal, I would switch autorun on. Takes a little while to get used to but it pays to always be on the move. Unless you are locked in a room, feel free just to leg it passed everything, especially if you are looking for a gun you feel comfortable with.

If it helps any, I've beaten Returnal four times and I still find the first boss the hardest. Like your man upstairs said what you really need is the Astronaut, assuming you've unlocked it (you need to have started exploring a certain incongruous location).

There's always co-op of course.

Yeah deathloop definitely has structure. It’s actually quite a linear game at heart.

I would say Deathloop isn't really a Rogue-like/lite. It is closer to a regular linear shooter with a timeloop framing device, mixed with Arkane's usual immersive sim style.

I enjoyed it enough when playing back when it came out on PS5. I should really give it a go on PC now it is on Game Pass though. I really am terrible at FPS games with a pad and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much with mouse and keyboard.

This fucking game. Such a dogshit PC port. I finally come back to it after a hiatus and I've spent the last hour wrestling with it to try and get 4K resolution working. It insists on running at 1080p even if you set to 4K native. Spent ages trying to sort it, but it either doesn't changed when you tell it to, other gets confused and thinks I have an ultrawide living room telly. How is this still a thing in this day and age. Ffs.

Wow, turning on auto-run makes a huge difference. Much easier to evade enemies and pick up the currency they drop. Feels like it should have been the default setting. Managed to make it to the second biome last night, which seems a lot more open with more room to dodge/run away.

Hows coop in this game? I might play it with my brother depending on how well it fits.

I've made it to the final biome. Haven't yet beaten the final boss, but to be honest I'm in no hurry to as I'm loving the game so much I don't want it to end! Really enjoying levelling up my weapon traits and unlocking new items, and am now confident enough to have a crack at the challenge rooms and avenging dead players.

I still find Phrike harder than any other boss. I've played enough that from the second biome onwards, pretty much any gun that drops fires out enough ridiculous extra nonsense to make bosses relatively easy. Phrike is so early the best I can do is a mildly silly weapon, meaning I have to make up for it with skill and that's a big ask.