Returnal

Is it better than Haze on PS3?

Sorry just saw this. Got pretty close to the end of 2 I think, didn't have many runs though. I'll go back to it at some point. 

I've resisted so far. I would have bitten if Argos price matched, as I've got some points to use. Cheeky fuckers being £3.99 more expensive.

I did it! I beat Act 2!

Such a brilliant game. I’m actually itching to get back into it to get the alt ending for Act 3.

In the end, I felt the second half was easier than the first, largely due to the benefits of much better weapon perks and unlocks later in the game. I ended up beating both Biomes 4 and 6 on my first attempt at them thanks to some useful healing items and a lucky Astronaut from a Fabricator deep into 6. Biome 5 was, admittedly, a little more tricky! Biome 3 and the Nemesis boss were by far my biggest sticking point.

The guns feel so good and I’ve definitely got more experimenting to do with some of the later ones, but credit must go to the Electropylon Driver, Thermogenic Launcher and the Hollowseeker for getting me through that last Biome on my first go.

I also thought the story and atmosphere of the game was top notch.

I have never really got along with Roguelikes - hated Spelunky and got bored with Hades after a few runs, but I think that’s almost entirely down to the core gameplay loop. Returnal just has that nailed in a way that - I think - surpasses even games like Destiny for that precision control in mixing traversal and gunplay to really immersive effect.

Easily one of the best games I’ve played in years.

Just had my first dabble tonight, looks lovely, the combat feels very satisfying, as I started it all seemed fine (if easy...) but then as I explored further started to find some tough bastards.

I've not scratched the surface, so am sure to be coming in here from time to time for advice etc. Glad I finally got on this though 👍

Play with headphones on, the 3d audio in this the best of any ps5 game by a long way. In fact it's my favourite sound in any game.

Progress will come, once you unlock some better weapons it makes a huge difference.

Loving this. Keep getting my ass handed to me by the first boss though.

As others have said, the sound is incredible. The most accurate 3D sound I've come across. Nice haunting background music too.

Eh, ymmv. Took me just as long to get past the second level, and I've reached the third boss I think three times. That boss doesn't seem that hard, but having to get through three levels again each time (or be very underpowered by skipping levels) means a lot of time between attempts. It's a game I respect a lot, but I'm just not good enough at it for it to be enjoyable, even after I dunno, 30-40 hours.

Nah, once you've beaten the boss once you can skip that biome once you find the teleporter to the next one. But it's good to rinse the biomes to get health upgrades etc - but it's worth bearing in mind you'll always get a health consumable and proficiency upgrade at the start of the next biome.

jinx