So basically you can force modern high framerate displays to work like 3D TVs using active shutter glasses?
It makes sense, very cool.
1 Like
Yeah! Exactly, but I think the Black Frame Insertion is a big part of this setup. I wouldn’t expect it to work nearly as well without that in the mix.
Also so much work is done by the community around this stuff, if not for them I could only run DirectX9, OpenGL, and Vulkan games. Because of them, now DX11 games can finally work in 3D on newer cards, although with imperfect compatability, and people are trying to get DX12 working as well but it is very WIP.
I thought I was pretty much done with modern gaming, but the Switch - where I play retro and retro-inspired indie games for the most part… - genuinely reignited my dormant passion and here I am with a brand new Xbox Series X, even before I realized what I was doing. XD
I must say, playing Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode in 4K is, well, something. 
1 Like
Returnal came along on PS5 and was the most recent game to remind me that I’m probably never going to be done with modern gaming. Been sporadically playing it again since beating it a few months ago. I think it’s easily taken the crown from Gears and Vanquish to become my favorite third person shooter of all time.
The controls are so good.
3 Likes
Soul Hackers 2. And it’s really not good. I can only assume Atlus were simultaneously having trouble with remote work while also having to ship something this year since they have nothing else in the pipeline.
The biggest criticism I can level at Soul Hackers 2 is there are no surprises in the game. Everything is extremely formulaic and pedestrian, from the terribly uninspired level design to the battle system to the game’s structure and reliance on dull MMO-style sidequests.
This would perhaps be acceptable if the narrative or the world atmosphere were interesting but they aren’t. The level themes are some of the dullest I’ve seen in an RPG, with half the dungeons taking place in a location called the Soul Matrix that literally looks like this:
The original Soul Hackers may have had standard DRPG dungeon crawling gameplay, but its structure was unique, as were its characters and its story. They presented a bold vision about what a connected future may possibly look like. By comparison, Soul Hackers 2 is meant to be set in a world were a sentient AI has assumed a human form in order to save humanity, but it might as well be set in the year 2022 since they do almost nothing interesting with it.
I’m still shocked by how mediocre this game is. Soul Hackers was a cult classic RPG and they resurrected the brand name to make the most by-the-numbers RPG you can think of.
2 Likes
I’ve heard similar thoughts on a couple rpg podcasts I listen to. I was initially interested in it because I never played the first one and it seems to be well respected. I like the art style and want to play more Atlus rpgs, but it looks like I’ll pass on it now.
2 Likes
I’m a significant way through Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward having finished all of A Realm Reborn. I have all the rest of the expansions and their patches to play through in the Main Story Quest and I can easily say this is a fantastic Final Fantasy game. They’ve made almost all the game playable solo with AI companions in the dungeons so if you have avoided XIV due to its Online functions, I can safely say outside of paying a monthly fee once you’re past a certain level, that this is absolutely worth playing through. I’ve been told that it just keeps getting better in Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker.
Yeah, if you fancy an Atlus RPG you can do much better than Soul Hackers 2, it really has almost next to zero redeemable factors compared to their previous games.
Where are you playing it?
1 Like
I’m primarily playing on PS5. I have done a little bit of playing on PS4 Pro at my girlfriend’s place but the majority of game time is PS5. I did try the PS4 version on PS5 too but they seem to have fixed the frame stuttering problems on PS5 with this latest patch.
Really loving the game and its characters and story.
Cool. I’ve been wondering about PC or console for this game. Did they remove the tedious stuff in the beginning?
Hmmm… not sure how to answer that. I didn’t find anything tedious. How much do you know about A Realm Reborn and all the work done post-launch?
More the ARR stuff. I heard they were streamlining it. Not sure if it was done yet’
1 Like
I’m currently playing the new Saints Row game on Series X.
It’s not bad with plenty of fun to be had but it’s still no GTA killer.
Seems to be toned down a lot as far as sexual content is concerned. I’ve yet to come across any massive dildoes for example.
2 Likes
Yes. That was done quite awhile back. A Realm Reborn is very streamlined with all of it playable with AI companions for the story dungeons. The patch content takes awhile to get through but it definitely goes places.
FFXIV is a great Final Fantasy game. It just happens to be Online.
A toned down Saints Row doesn’t sound like the most exciting concept… The trailer left me unispired to say the least.
1 Like
Returnal is so good! Makes the cash I poured into getting a PS5 and PS+ Extra worth it right off the bat. 10 hours in and I still haven’t beaten the first boss but I’m enjoying those long runs whenever I get rolling.
2 Likes
Yea as someone who hasn’t been very into non-Nintendo AAA games over the last few years, Returnal has been a huge exception to that. It’s probably my favorite first party game in Sony’s entire catalogue since entering the industry.
It’s the relentless arcade feel of it that has me coming back again and again. The dash and jump are just so smooth too. And enemy projectiles + collectibles are easy to discern from the environments with their bright neon colors rather than blending in too much in the service of realism.
It’s the first game in forever that I feel justified the power of its hardware with just how much is happening on screen at once without any dip in frame rate. It’s pure chaos and particle effects at the higher levels when in a room with 8-9 enemies plus a sub boss. And the boss fights are suitably epic and intimidating.
Then the ray traced audio via the controller headphone jack + haptics + dual sense trigger implementation puts it into its own tier of immersion and innovation. It’s a really special game for me.
3 Likes
You said it better than I could. I’m out of town for the weekend to see family but all I’m thinking is the run I had to suspend where I’ve gotten a reconstructor activated with a weapon I like, and I can’t wait to go back to my run so I can die before I make it to the boss’s chamber.
3 Likes
I’m revisiting (on my Series X) oldish games that - due to hw limitations/PC oddities - I coudln’t enjoy to the fullest on my gaming laptop, and having a genuine blast with.
First, I finished Wolfenstein: The New Order. I never managed to fix the ‘endless loading’ bug I unfortunately ran into on both the Steam and GOG versions, so I replayed it start to finish on the XBOX. Regardless the fact it isn’t optimized and still ran identically to the PC counterpart (a very sharp and jaggy 1080p/60, minust the constant freezes), I loved its perfect pace and engrossing story… Memorable characters and setpieces that completely made up for a couple of frustrating moments right before the end.
I even completed a second (easier) run to see the alternate path and collect the few Enigma pieces I left behind. Brilliant, still by today’s standards in my opinion.
After Wolfenstein, I went right back to the Doon series, which I’m about to complete the first one (2016).
Once again, I’m amazed of how better it performs - compared to my previous, personal experience, of course - and how much more exciting to play it is.
On the Series X it runs at 4K, at a steady 60fps, although textures and shadow quality look a little scaled back from the Ultra settings I was able to push the graphics to, on my PC (granted it started to struggle as soon as I landed on Mars, at a lower resolution). With that said - on my 1080p monitor, with those 4K downsampled to FHD - the game looks tremendously clean, and the perfect framerate truly make it ‘next gen’ to my untrained eyes. I know it sounds silly, but I often stop in awe to admire the scenery, now that I’m visiting new areas for the first time (I’m on Titan’s Realm).
I’m looking forward to continue both series, along some other classics that are waiting for their turn (Gears and Tomb Raider to begin with).
1 Like