Hello. I was finally able to buy a new PlayStation 5 (PS5). I got the one that takes physical media. The selection of physical games that I found in two stores I checked was pitiful, so I expect I will be downloading a few soon. Which games should I get?
I own a PS4, and my favorite genre of video games is turn based JRPGs, although I enjoy action and strategy games, too. Absolutely no sports games, thank you. I own, for example, Skyrim, Dragon Quest XI, The Witcher III, both Divinity: Original Sin games, and Horizon: Zero Dawn on the PS4, and I like them all. Here’s a short list of what I’m considering now, though I don’t think I could afford to buy them all at once.
Persona 5 Royal (I own the base Persona 5 on PS4, like it, and would consider playing Royal)
Tales of Arise (I know this is an action RPG, but I have heard good things)
Ghost of Tsushima
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Final Fantasy VII (the remake)
Horizon: Forbidden West
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (when it is released)
Octopath Traveler II (when it is released)
What are your thoughts? Have you played any of these games? Am I missing any? I think with a brand new console, I want some AAA blockbuster titles that showcase the capabilities of the system, not your hipster boutique indie title with pixel graphics (though the last two on my list above come close). If I enjoyed Persona 5 is it worth buying Royal? Has anyone played Tales of Arise?
Please, bombard me with suggestions! Critique my list above! Thank you.
You might be interested in getting Playstation Plus Extra ($100 a year but there are discounts available for new users). Tons of free games, and I know Ghost of Tsushima, Valhalla, and FFVII Remake are on it.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a really good showcase of the PS5 capabilities. Great graphics, 3d sound, near instant loading, and haptic feedback/adaptive triggers of the DualSense.
My other recommendations:
God of War (I just finished it instantly in my top 5 games of all time. I’m going to start Ragnarok soon)
Tales of Arise isn’t great. It’s okay. It isn’t the worst Tales game lately (looking at you Zestiria), but you could probably find a better game to spend your time on.
I think the 2023 action JRPG to watch is Granblue Fantasy Relink. They got PlatinumGames helping out.
I just finished this game and its sequel* Persona 5 Strikers. Persona 5 Royal is incredible and the new content added to the base game is essential. A true uncut version of the game that should be the essential and only version played by anyone.
P5Royal is in the mix for best JRPG of all time.
*Yes, it’s a sequel. However, it is a different genre and also was being created before Royal was out, so it ignores Royal-exclusive content. I loved it, though.
If you liked Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, you’ll probably like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla because it’s basically more of the same. I started getting tired of it towards the end (I think I played for about 140 hours and most of that was the same kind of fights over and over again), but I definitely got my money’s worth out of it.
I really like it too. I found it to be very fun. I’m a fan of JRPGs (I grew up on games like the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior) and visual novels, and the game mixes them together pretty well.
My youngest daughter is 8 and loves anime and insists on watching me play it.
Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate all your feedback.
So here’s what I’ve bought so far: Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Call of Duty: Vanguard, CrisTales, Tales of Arise, and Persona 5 Royal. I also finally signed up for the PlayStation Network, which I’ve avoided until now despite owning every Sony console. As part of that package, I downloaded the Final Fantasy VII remake and Ghost of Tsushima.
@AlsoNamedBort, your recommendation of Deathloop intrigued me. I hadn’t heard of it before, but what I’ve seen looks interesting. And @hogarth, I’m planning to take your advice and play Valhalla eventually.
@Mahaloth, we’ve discussed Dragon Quest XI on this board before, so I was glad to see your feedback on Persona 5 Royal. As I mentioned, I played the base Persona 5 on the PS4, and found it to be surprisingly enjoyable, despite the fact that a fair amount of the game involves managing the social life of a teenager. Now that I bought Persona 5 Royal, I will absolutely be playing it soon. I like the art style and music. And everything I’ve heard is that Royal is bigger and better.
But, my biggest surprise was just how much fun I am having with Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Has anyone else played this? Of the games I just bought, this is the first one I’m playing in-depth. It is a turn based JRPG (which is far and away my favorite video game genre) which has a bit of fun with the concept of a JRPG. The subtitle of the game is a reference to my favorite JRPG franchise ever, Dragon Quest. The game is at times laugh out loud hilarious, and doesn’t take itself too seriously at all. It has a job system, with lots of options and multiple optional party characters to collect. Lots of things to do, including crafting if you want to. And all wrapped up in a Yakuza story set in the modern real world. I’m enjoying it a lot, it’s not really what I expected at all.
Thanks again for the replies. Please let me know if you’ve played any of the games I bought and if you enjoyed them. And please continue with the suggestions.
Bigger, better, and basically the full finished game. Like a really great director’s cut.
There are a couple of essential things you need to do to reach the “third semester”, which is not all the new content by any means, but is the extended story section of the game that takes 15 or so hours. Let me know if you want me to tell you what you must do. I can do so in the most non-spoilery way possible. It is missable.
Thank you to all who have replied. And I apologize for taking a long time to reply. (At least part of my tardiness is because I am playing video games so much!)
@Mahaloth, thank you for the offer. Yes! Please reveal what needs to be done to not miss any content. Normally, my first playthrough of a JRPG, I go cold; no walkthrough, no internet. But since I have played the base Persona 5 (P5), I feel like I have already played the game, so I’m comfortable using “hints” or suggestions from fellow message board users.
So I am deep in Yakuza: Like a Dragon (YLaD). And one thing finally stood out to me so much that I had to look it up. Ririka is a minor character in YLaD; she’s the staff member at Hello Work that you can talk to. Her English voice was so similar to another voice I had heard in a JRPG that I’ve played. It was so similar it was eerie. I would talk to her in the game for no reason other than to try to identify that voice. I had to look it up. She is voiced by the American voice actor Cherami Leigh, who also voices Makoto Niijima, a very major character in P5. It was driving me nuts. It sounds like Makoto is in YLaD. I’m glad I looked it up.
@ekedolphin, thank you for the suggestion. I’m going to get all my old favorite JRPGs in updated forms on modern consoles eventually, and Final Fantasy IX is on that list. I have, for example, Chrono Trigger on Steam (since there is no way I am going to shell out the ridiculous prices for the original Super Nintendo cartridge).
I’m surprised no one has suggested Elden Ring (ER) yet. I do lurk in the ongoing thread about ER. I will not play it. It’s not for me. I can appreciate the genre of SoulsBorne, or whatever you want to call it, but I will not play it.
Anyway, after hearing Makoto’s voice today it seems like a sign. Persona 5 Royal is up next, when I finish Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Thanks all, and please keep the suggestions and discussion coming!
Sure, and these really are not spoilers. I’ll spoiler-box, but these are just non-spoiler things you must check off your list to get the most out of your game:
Get Maruki(new confidant, school counselor) to Rank 9 relationship by 11/17.
Reject any and all offers for a “deal” from the Velvet Room. It’s pretty obvious when it happens.
Get Akechi’s rank to rank 8 by 11/17
Say “I want to fulfill my promise” when thinking about what to do about Akechi
Yep, that should get you most out of the game, which I very highly recommend.
Yeah, I wrote the whole thing down so I wouldn’t mess it up. You have plenty of time to do everything, but I’m not kidding, some of that stuff could be missed if you didn’t know in advance.
Well, I finally beat Yakuza: Like A Dragon. It is a very good game. It’s linear, with a whole lot of cutscenes. And on the default difficulty level, it is not very difficult. The storyline gets a little crazy, but it’s a video game, not a novel, so I kind of expect that. Overall a very good game.
I think I will probably play Persona 5 Royal next. I expect it will be a longer game.
Okay, I’m playing Persona 5 Royal now. And I’ve found another neat voice actress fact. Cassandra Lee Morris provides the English voices of the minor character Iroha Yanagi in Yakuza: Like A Dragon as well as the very major character Morgana in the Persona 5 games. Kind of cool.
And I’m loving Persona 5 Royal. I’m still very early in it, so I haven’t noticed any major difference between it and the base Persona 5, except for the introduction of the new girl in the red ribbon. I don’t even know her name yet.