Candyfloss & Dreams

Tag: gaming

Kinda Like a Dragon (Quest)?

Having never played any Yakuza game in my life, picking up Yakuza: Like A Dragon with very little context on the series was a choice, largely dictated by the availability on Game Pass, seeing two odd screenshots in a discord server and exactly one commendation of someone saying they liked it. I remember seeing many memes following release footage of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth including a trailer full of random features that did intrigue me but probably more along the lines of ‘that looks like a weird game’ rather than ‘hey I should play that sometime’. Here I am, just short of 55 hours of playtime later, having finished Like A Dragon and actually being quite surprised with how much I liked it.

I did read a few mostly spoiler-free reviews which gave me the impression that Like A Dragon is new-to-the-series friendly, and it is but also had some pretty scathing comments about combat. Not an issue for me, I like turn based combat, so it didn’t really affect my opinion when starting the game. One issue I’ve had playing, which is more of a performance problem rather than gameplay is that the game did keep shutting down, sometimes at very frustrating moments when I wasn’t able to save, so a lot of repeat progress had to be made. It was not an issue with my PC, my specs are more than capable of running Like A Dragon and I made a few adjustments that did prevent that from happening too much. I was, however, going through the very last chapter with no where to save and kind of wanting cutscenes and things to speed up so I could save my clear data and not have to do the end for the second time.

I played Yakuza: Like A Dragon subbed with Japanese voice acting which I liked. All the emotion came through incredibly well. It isn’t unusual for me to play JRPG’s like this, I’m used to enjoying Japanese voice acting and reading subtitles when playing games although I’m not a purist either, and have enjoyed English voice acting just as much. I managed 43 achievements which was pretty good going for a first playthrough and think I managed to beat the game with my party around level 58 without too much level grinding. It was challenging enough but not rage inducing.

There were times during the main story that I was a bit lost but not because I didn’t understand what was going on or didn’t have much context due to a lack of knowledge from previous games in the series. I just felt there were some points where the plot was a bit weak or didn’t really get full explanations as to why things happened. Perhaps that’s me being a bit picky or I missed something but overall I did enjoy playing. Like a Dragon’s charm is in it’s characters and their interactions with each other. Ichiban Kasuga became a pretty easy to love protagonist with unwavering optimism, loyalty and kindness to others he interacted with. He was charming, goofy and wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve or show what he was really feeling. There were some interesting opinions I’ve read about him being the inverse of Kiryu, with his choice of suit representing that most obviously.

Kasuga’s dialogue options were a good mix of heartwarmingly wholesome, goofy and maybe a little outrageous at times. His delivery was usually pretty charming and I just found him incredibly likeable. He draws people to him pretty effortlessly. His way of seeing the world like an RPG and getting to play the Hero, and all of his Dragon Quest references made his character feel fun to play. Other party members where just as engaging and offered fun dialogue and what really felt like strong friendships developing between them all. I particularly liked Saeko, who made for a great female party member which an interesting range of jobs to choose from. She was a constant in my party. She was cute, headstrong, funny and completely on par with the rest of the characters, rather than just there solely to fuel the main protagonist’s ego. In fact, her introduction is that of her shutting a conversation down about a particularly unsavory character which made me like her instantly.

There are so many minigames to choose from when you want a break from fighting and I found some of them really fun. The business management minigame was something I did really quite enjoy, because I like making money, and it gave me a lot of satisfaction shutting down shareholders because my sales and net worth wasn’t as high as it could be because I was paying employees a fair wage, giving them bonuses, pay rises and promotions all the time to keep morale high. Who doesn’t want to run a business with a chicken called ‘Omelette’ as it’s mascot though? I also did all of the quizzes at the vocational school for many academic achievements and watched a few of the movies. I even tried my hand at Dragon Kart racing which was pretty fun. Too much of my time was spent not winning cats at claw machines much like how my time is spent in actual arcades in real life.

For someone like me, not just unfamiliar to the series but someone that does tend to gravitate towards more cutesy animation, cozy games or quite high fantasy RPG’s this was pretty fun. I hard my reservations, not everything was to my taste, there were plenty of cringe moments with some more lewd and crude content but overall Yakuza: Like a Dragon was engaging, fun and full of emotion. There were a fair few moments I had chills and felt myself tearing up. I’m glad I gave it a chance.

February 1, 2024
125 Hours of Balders Gate 3

Spoilers below for the RPG video game by Larian Studios Balders Gate 3 based on Dungeons & Dragons.

Balders Gate 3 is an incredibly good game and worth putting in the long hours to get to the end of the story. I finished a complete play through last night which was the second campaign I started after kind of messing things up on my first campaign and deciding to start again. I have since gone back to my original campaign knowing more, being able to play better and to see if I can still make it through to the end despite some poor bad choices I made at the start. Because ultimately, this is what the game is about – it’s about choices and seeing through their consequences.

For my complete playthrough my campaign was mostly that of a good character, or that of the hero. I tried to save as many people as I could which largely benefitted me towards the end. In Act Three the main scenario is to gather your allies and I had a lot of allies to talk to or finish quests with which ultimately lead to a huge number of support in the final battles. I was locked out of some quests because I killed Lae’zel at the point you can free her after the Nautiloid ship crashes. My character was a Mephistopheles Tiefling Warlock which made Kagha changed her ways, saved most of the other Tieflings, killed all the Goblin leaders, stole a Githyanki egg from their creche, lifted the Shadowcurse from the land, saved the Nightsong and so on. All those kind of ‘good’ character choices. I romanced a few characters with permission from my romantic lead choice and finished a lot of the companion quests. I ended the game with Karlach as my love.

Balders Gate 3 was a really fun game but there’s so much to do it felt really overwhelming at times. A lot of quests are kind of stopped by certain perception checks and so on or, in my first campaign, seeing that I was limiting myself by making non-committal choices. That actually ended up with a lot of mistakes being made and not really doing very well in general whilst playing however I’ve learned a lot and I don’t think my first campaign is completely beyond hope now I know more of what is to come. I also know that now I’ve made all the ‘good’ choices I feel I can be a bit more direct with my own dialogue options as my first character I created was a Lolth-Sworn Drow, or a dark elf, Ranger and now I have seen more gameplay I am convinced I can fix it and still see the game through to completion however I have a lot of fun options ahead of me.

I have started a Dark Urge playthrough once I realized you could still change your character’s customization and job but it just gave you a dark, bloodthirsty backstory. It’s recommended as either a completely dark, evil character or as a redemption arc character.

I really loved the vibrancy of Balders Gate 3 from the colourful appearance choices during character creation to the world map in all three acts. Although Act 2 is more on the dark and gloomy side it was still darkly enchanting. Each act sets up the scene really well and further dramatizes the choices the character needs to make. I actually can’t wait to go back through the game and make some of the darker choices to see how things play out that way not to mention being really interested in all of the other jobs and the ability to multi-class sounds kind of fun. I want to finish the original campaign I started but I am very drawn to the Dark Urge origin character especially knowing that you can, if you wish, choose to become an Unholy Assassin which I kind of really want to do to see how things play out that way.

There are a lot of animals to pet or speak with if you have the ‘Speak with Animals’ spell or potion activated. As a ranger I felt communicating with animals would add to the roleplay experience.

As a warlock character that eventually…transformed…I felt pretty powerful during my final confrontations and had a lot of powerful spells at my disposal. Some of those big kill everything spells are excellent and really turn the tides in your favour when fighting a huge number of enemies which I found pretty fun. They made what seemed like it was going to be a very challenging, difficult fight into something much more manageable. That’s something I feel I can take into further campaigns or playthroughs.

The combat in Balders Gate 3 did take me a very long time to get used to and I found it challenging but once I understood things a bit more I felt like I could play better and took more advantage of my environment. Having speed potions, haste spells, misty step, dimension door and equipment like boots of speed or permanent stat buffs like longstrider made a huge difference and something I really took advantage of. At first I saw those kind of things as limiting your actions from hitting and killing things but actually sometimes you really need the movement. And when you get further along in the playthrough and have access to multi-hit actions combat and movement in a turn become possible. Buying potions and using them tactically, particularly the ones that stay on you until your next long rest are very handy to have. Some of these you can make yourself if you forage around for alchemy supplies which saves you some gold but resources are limited. Looting bodies for potions is another great way to give you an advantage. Stealth can also be really beneficial, although I am not someone that usually plays in stealth mode as I’m not very good at being stealthy. The game is largely strategy based and a player that takes their time with things is going to find it particularly enjoyable.

Just before closing in on the final battle of Act 3

The story is really compelling and some of the companion quests I did manage to complete did make me shed a few tears in the end. The narration throughout the story is great and immersive and reflects upon choices you’ve made. The romance options are a lot of fun and much more adult than I was expecting but then I suppose in a game where you can choose your genitalia why not have it on show at points during the game. I also found out that by pressing Triangle you could toggle your armour display on or off. You’d still be wearing it but you’d be walking around in your camp clothes instead, or, at one point I was just walking around in the city in new underwear I’d purchased for my character. I’ve always enjoyed RPG’s and Balders Gate 3 is quite unlike any other RPG I’ve played with such a unique combat system and having to pass charisma or deception checks during dialogue options or things don’t quite go your way. Adding advantage to your rolls throughout by certain gear, spells, potions or race choice really adds to that roleplaying factor and made it a lot of fun to play.

Balders Gate 3 is incredibly fun and really rewarding RPG. I can’t wait to see the rest of the options I missed out and thing the replayability of the game makes it well worth starting various campaigns. I am really excited about the prospect of completeing a dark urge playthrough. After all, there are still trophies to be gained…

January 10, 2024
How We FINALLY got a PS5

If you, like me, have been trying to get a PS5 FOR MONTHS then you will know it’s no easy feat. The newest console was released in November 2020 and preorders sold out incredibly quickly. Add in a global pandemic, people off work and furloughed, factories and ports running on skeleton staff as well as, here in the UK, all the issues Brexit has caused and you have a bit of a delay getting stock delivered. And then, you have people wanting to exploit this and make a huge profit. Now, I know people flip merchandise and tech products but I have never seen something quite so bad as this. There has been a whole system of people setting up bots to purchase all stock from retailers within the same minute of Playstation 5’s going online. This has included various retailers like Currys, Smyths, John Lewis, Game and Very – amongst a few others. It’s been really frustrating for genuine gamers who just like to play video games. This leaves us with two options – wait for stock to drop and attempt fastest finger first or buy one for double, sometimes triple the price on eBay.

Where Can I Buy a PS5 now in the UK?

The good news is most retailers are stocking them online more often but still quite sporadically. Stock is coming into the UK and more people are having better luck getting them from electronics and homeware retailiers such as Amazon, Very, Currys, Smyths, AO and ShopTo. BT customers have been able to get one from BT and John Lewis has stocked as well. Game regularly open up for preorders for their next big stock drop too. The bad news is they go out of stock very quickly thanks to people using bots to buy out all the stock virtually the same minute it comes in. I would not recommend buying one from eBay right now.

It’s been a problem honestly. Usually, we aren’t too fussed wanting a next gen console straight away but we both have anticipated games releasing, work is slow and we’re still supposed to stay home. Having something to do, for a lot of people, something to kind of take our minds off the crappy reality of a pandemic and brexit and just the mundane routine of staying home – well, a PS5 seemed like a pretty good option. Adam *almost* gave in and purchased through eBay but after looking into it in more detail and seeing that the seller would only discuss through Whatsapp rather than eBay’s messenger I was like no, that’s a scam. There are hundreds of these going on claiming to sell PS5’s but won’t communicate in the way eBay recommends so if you hand over the money and don’t get the goods you haven’t got a leg to stand on. We’ve had a friend get stung this way as well as I’ve seen parents who aren’t gamers themselves get caught out trying to get one for their children.

Then you have the parasites, otherwise known as ‘Scalpers’ that are using bots to buy out all of the stock as soon as it goes on sale to see the prices double, triple way over the RRP. These people are just wanting to turn a huge profit and honestly in this current climate it’s really awful. Frustratingly, online retailers seem to not care because it’s still a sale for them – although some have put in a 1 per customer policy. Adding a captcha would also help eliminate bots from purchasing as well as putting the products behind an account ie – no check out as a guest option. Of course, retailers are just ‘expressing their apologies’ rather than going above and beyond to allow genuine customers the chance to purchase. The thing is, the world will start up again and stock will be readily avalable and these sellers will be forced to bring their prices right down but until then it kind of feels like The Hunger Games when trying to make a purchase.

How Much is a PS5 now?

The RRP of a PS5 with one controller is around £449. Depending on the retailer this can vary up to around £549 and Game have plenty of bundle deals from the digital only console at around £349 to extra accessories and disc console for around £749. It depends on what you want and how much you’re willing to spend.

How We Snagged a PS5 in March 2021

I will say that we got a bit lucky and that doing this process took months. More people are having more success purchasing though which is brilliant because like I am for the gamers, not the sellers trying to exploit people out of hundreds upon hundreds of extra money. Firstly, there’s a few apps you can download which send push notifications to your phone when stock is available. The App we used was ‘Hot Stock’ and you can turn notifications on for PS5’s and Xbox Series X depending on the console you’re looking for. It’s also worth checking Twitter for PS5 Restock. This is handy because they usually have pretty good sources for when stock will drop with certain retailers. Using this in conjunction with the app can be really handy for securing the console you want.

We got lucky purchasing our PS5 recently. We knew that stock would be dropping on Very at some point. Twitter suggestted it would be around 10.30am on the Wednesday morning. Retailers seem to drop some of their stock, which does sell out in moments, then wait an hour or so before releasing more. I think this is to try and help eliminate the bot problem. We have the very app so when stock dropped it was a case of ensuring we were signed in and keep pressing refresh. The lone PS5 console sold out really quickly however Adam managed to spot one available with a 365 days of PS+ gift card. It seems to be purchasing a Playsation 5 with another item such as a gift card may be the way to secure a console.

Then we had to play the waiting game to see when our order would be accepted. It took while and so we were in doubt for a little bit to see if the order had actually gone through but within about an our the order confirmaton came through to our email. It was stressful but I’m really glad we didn’t end up paying well over the odds for the console. I think we ended up paying £509 in total but as it was on Very and we had credit available we can spread the cost a little easier. Also, I think this made the purchase a bit smoother because we didn’t need to apply for credit like you do with Currys to spread the cost and we didn’t have to enter card details.

Once the order had processed and the amount had been deducted from our account balance the purchase was locked in. We were given a delivery date of 31st March. However, on the Friday afternoon another email came through which informed us that our order had been dispatched and we were given tracking for Royal Mail. I thought this would just be the gift card because usually Very use Yodel. However, on Tuesday 16th March our PS5 was delivered by Royal Mail from Very. We have been using this method of stock checking and push notifications since January however, we haven’t been refreshing when stock notifcations have come through at 3am because, well, just no thank you. However, other people have been lucky this way.

So to summarise –
1. Follow stock accounts on Twitter and check in with their updates regularly.
2. Get an app with push notification set up.
3. Have an account with various retailers such as Currys, AO, Smyths, Game set up and logged in with an address and card details saved for a check checkout.
4. Act fast when a notifcation comes through and try and get a console with an add on if you can

I hope this has been helpful. I know it’s stressful when you really want a PS5 and just feel like paying a king’s ransom on eBay but don’t despair!

What games are currently available on PS5?

There isn’t a huge amount *right now* but then there never really is. I expect some games have also found themselves having to delay due to Covid. But there are some really good games available which make a PS5 worth having, some eagerly anticipated games coming and the best thing is it’s backwards compatible for PS4 games with some even getting a free PS5 upgrade. I’ve upgraded my AC Valhalla and if anything the quicker load time makes it completely worth it. I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy so seeing that there is going to be an extra episode featuring Yuffie in between waiting for Remake Part 2 is pretty exciting and I’m really looking forward to upgrading this to the PS5 graphics. We also have Cyberpunk and Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War which are avaulble as a PS5 upgrade. We didn’t install the PS4 Cyberpunk version because of all the issues reported so I’m glad we held out but again it’s been months since we’ve been able to play anything new really.

We are currently playing the Demon’s Souls remake which is kind of the remake I didn’t know I needed for the PS5. The graphic upgrade is absolutely amazing. The souls games are some of my favourites despite how bloody difficult they can be. It’s so nice to go back into this world ten years on and relive the challenge. We’ve also got SpiderMan Miles Morales to play which looks really good. Anticipated PS5 games we are exicted about include Resident Evil village. We really wanted a PS5 before the 8th game in the Resident Evil world due out in May 2021 and something we have now been able to preorder. I’m also really excited for Horizon Forbidden West and Final Fantasy 16. It will probably be a great few years for exciting video games.

March 19, 2021