The Greatness of Video Games Part II

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hello, You! 😁

A while back, I had the pleasure of revealing to you guys one of my all-time favourite hobbies that had nothing to do with reading or blogging: gaming. Throughout that post, I took the time to explain the stigma often attached to video games and gamers around the world, especially when it came down to the unfortunate causal relation falsely attached to it, that is that video games causes violence. While we have come very far in demystifying it through science and social awareness, there is always that one person who will invite polarized conversation regarding it, a trend that is far too common today with the help of social media.

In that post, I also went on to explain why I loved video games so much and how it became, throughout my life, an important pillar of my existence. Nothing has changed since then though. I’ve only been adding more fuel to the fiery love that I have for this universe that I still firmly believe that I will cherish with all my heart for the rest of my life. Video games continue to offer me an escape that not only challenge me on many levels but immerse me in unforgettable stories with incredible characters when done right! ❤

Video Games Animation GIF by Jelly London - Find & Share on GIPHY

Today, I wanted to bring back this post with a second part to mostly mark the end of a generation of gaming as I entered the next-gen with the arrival of the Playstation 5. Yes. I am one of the lucky guys who got his hands on a console on its release without any intention of embarking in any scalper business, and it has been a marvelous new piece of technology so far!

Since in my previous post, I shared some of my favourite PS3 games of all time, I thought it would be a good idea to quickly share with you guys some of my favourite games that I thoroughly played through on the PS4. Luckily, the PS5 comes with backwards compatibility and will allow me to revisit all the PS4 games that I have already played or still need to get around to!

Without further ado, here are five games that I adored playing on my PS4 (they aren’t all exclusives). For all those curious about the game but have no plan on playing them, I’ve put the “movie” cut of each of these games here for you guys to enjoy them comfortably without the hassle of having to play them! 😉

BLOODBORNE (2015).

Ever since Demon’s Souls on PS3, FromSoftware became one of my all time favourite video game companies and Bloodborne might be their most polished and visually-stunning game ever. In Bloodborne, you play as a Hunter in a grim Gothic, Victorian era-inspired city of Yharnam with inhabitants afflicted by a deadly decease. With their signature challenging game mechanics, you are thus off to explore this city and all of its mysterious and dangerous creatures.

BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT (2015).

Did you not see this coming? The Arkham series is one of the best things that has ever happened to superhero video games and Batman: Arkham Knight is the final chapter to an incredible saga. From the gameplay to the story, this was a fantastic farewell but definitely not the last time we’ll see Batman or even Rocksteady Studios as they recently announced their upcoming game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, for 2022.

UNCHARTED 4 (2016).

I mentioned it before but here I am again, the Uncharted series rose to the highest place in my list of favourite games of all time and this fourth installment was the final chapter of Nathan Drake’s adventures. While I’m sad that it came to an end, it was the perfect send-off. At least now I can look forward to the upcoming live-action movie adaptation where Tom Holland will take on the role of Nathan Drake! Secretly, I’m actually very scared of how it’s going to turn out.

GOD OF WAR (2018).

This was ABSOLUTELY marvelous. I loved every single second of this adventure and I can’t wait for its sequel Ragnarok next year! The story serves as a sequel to God of War III but this time, instead of having Kratos slay through the gods from Greek mythology, we have him venturing in the Norse realm and it is GLORIOUS! Add in the special father-son bond explored in this game, you’ve got yourself a masterpiece!

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN (2018)

The last superhero game to come out right before the next-gen release was none other than Spider-Man and what’s better is that one of my favourite game companies is behind it, Insomniac Games! The story here doesn’t revisit his origins or anything like that but dives straight into a mystery revolving around Mister Negative and deadly virus threat. Rest assured that this might be one of the best iteration of Spider-Man we’ve ever seen!

What do you think about video games today? 😁

TILL NEXT TIME,

Banner1

INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – GOODREADS – TWITTER – OUTLOOK

Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

78 thoughts on “The Greatness of Video Games Part II”

  1. Fab post Lashaan! As a mother of a gamer I think they’re great especially when he shares his games via his Steam library! 😂 I love how gaming connects you to friends and family and it’s been so good this year to keep that connection going when my boy hasn’t been able to see his friends in person. Hope you’re enjoying your new PS5! :-d

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Hahahah I love the Steam library too! And Steam has insanely amazing deals for just as amazing games! If he doesn’t do it already, he should also stay up to date on the Epic Games store. They release free games every week and they have amazing deals too!

      And I agree so much. My gaming time is often also my social time at night with some friends, even more during the pandemic! 😮 Thanks, Nicki! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. I’d have to strongly agree that video games is one of the mightiest forms of art work today and sadly, it is not regarded as such. I believe that in time, we will only have this medium as a way to balance ourselves, to provide an outlet where there might not be one in reality. You see, humans have pioneered much of the world, at least what is on the surface. Video games is the new thing to pioneer and as a futuristic vision I can already see that we have created another world inside of ours with flight simulators, computer building simulators, etc. One day we may see an API where we can fluidly travel between these games and possibly carry objects through different games. They are somewhat of a reality simulation and one day it maybe the only healthy way we can survive due to constraints put on reality by government, ever restricting rules and physical confinements.

      I’m very happy to see Bloodborne here, as it is my most favored FromSoftware game and was actually released as a testing ground for the new engine on PS4 for FromSoftware games, as to not taint the experience for the new Dark Souls. “Git good!” As for God of War, I picked out one game yesterday on Thanksgiving to enjoy and this, being a second playthrough was just as great as the first. It is a masterpiece! Spiderman was a bit of a carpal-tunnel inducer for me! I got a chance to watch a bit of the new Demon Souls game for PS5 and it looks amazing. That first large spider boss makes me want to pucker my rear.

      I’m not going to bash on the PlayStation, because I own both the PS4 and the Xbox, but GamePass is kicking some royal butt in relation to PS Now! Have you tried the Final Fantasy 7 remake? I thought they did a great job on it. And props to the console makers for finally coming to their senses with large backward-compatibility!

      I appreciate your post here, Lashaan and I’m confident as time goes on we will see the value increase in this medium.

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      3. No! I was going to reply and tell you that most games are now backward compatible ( with the exception of some that require peripherals ), but then decided against it with a reply to the post and then . . .ALLIGATORS!!! AHH! 🤣

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I’m laughing, because I’ve done the exact same thing. Start to reply to someone, cancel it, reply to what I think is the main post and whammo, I replied to the other person. Hhaa!

        Liked by 2 people

      8. Well, that sure did remind me of what Ready Player One offered us! While I doubt we’d really revert to a virtual world rather than the real world with how many corporations and whatnot envision the world and the future, it’s definitely a realm that has sooooo much to offer us! 😀

        I actually also wanted to put Sekiro on here but I find the learning curve of that game TOO insane for casual gamers to consider it an… “accessible masterpiece” hahaha I honestly can’t wait for their next project with George RR Martin… Elden Ring… But something tells me that the wait is going to be long… I wouldn’t mind a sequel to Bloodborne to begin with though. For now, I’m enjoying my time with Demon’s Souls! It’s such a nostalgic run for me, considering it’s where it all began for me back in my PS3 days. They really made an AMAZING job in making the game feel new and enhanced! I can definitely understand Spider-Man’s carpal-tunnel inducer though. I don’t think it’s perfect and I do feel like it had a very addictive/repetitive formula to it, but it was such a huge step compared to the PS2 Spider-Man games! As for GoW… Well… As my hype in this post indicates, I really CAN’T wait for the sequel! I’ll probably have to play NG+ before its sequel releases! 😛

        I always thought PS Now wasn’t a big winner but hey, the PS5 now has the PS Collection, and, believe me, even if I’m a Playstation fanboy, the PS Collection beats out anything Xbox could ever offer me! 😀

        I have indeed played and finished FF7R! It was fun although I had a tough time really appreciating the awkward side-missions and some of the cringe-fest sequences throughout their story hahahah And with that ending we got, I look forward to seeing what they plan to do next! Also thought that they should’ve called the game Final Fantasy 7 REMAKO! 😀

        Thanks for reading, my friend! Glad to be able to share this with a fellow gamer too. 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      11. Yeah and now that I think about it, I’m wondering if CD Projeckt Red had anything really good before The Witcher. 🧐 You tried any of the PS VR stuff?

        Liked by 1 person

      12. I don’t think they did anything besides The Witcher games and they haven’t had much success until The Witcher 3! Hopefully, this latest IP will prove to be good enough for them to continue developing games.

        I never got around to trying anything related to the PS VR. The games compatible with it never really appealed to me (maybe just that one game that turns you into Batman hahah). I’ll wait till the VR tech gets better and a bit more affordable too hahah How about you? 😮

        Liked by 1 person

    2. For one, it’s backward compatible, making 99% of all PS4 games playable on it. That already assures you A LOT of games within arm’s reach. 😀 After that, the PS Plus subscription comes with a PS collection that includes basically all the greatest hits on PS4 for free. There are almost 20 triple-A titles right there, including most of those that I featured in this post! 😀 As for newly launched PS5 games, there are at least 4-5 absolutely worth picking up, from another new Spider-Man game (I’ll probably share a review for it in the future) to the new Assassin’s Creed game. 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. We scored an Xbox Series X last night although the only sad part is we didn’t quite play a Series X enchanced game yet, but will probably fire up Borderlands 3 tonight. The series X, it sort of fell out of the sky. I got my hands on Cyberpunk as well ( PS4 Pro ) last night. The shooting mechanics are off the charts! The only gripe I have with it is the length of time it takes to get into the game ( I sort of expected this as an RPG and CD Projeck Red product ) and they really didn’t need to show nudity while forming your character! There really should be a profanity on / off switch. I as I get older it is starting to bother me. However I will not get lost in the things that drag me down! 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Congratulations on the Series X, buddy! While I’m not a fan of Xbox, I can only show respect for a gamer’s passion. Hope Borderlands 3 proved to be vibrant and smooth on it lately! I too got my hands on Cyberpunk on release day. Thankfully, playing it on PS5 allowed me to bypass A LOT of the issues that every last-gen player has been having lately with it. I had a feeling the game was BOUND to have glitches and bugs despite all of the delays. Hopefully Projeck Red will have the right patches out quickly for us to properly enjoy the game. Have an excellent time with it, my friend!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Thanks, I’ve been working through a bit of Cyberpunk on my PS4 Pro and I like it. We are Fallout 76 fans, too if that tells you anything. 😂

        Enjoy, Lashaan! I want to throw an SSD in my PS4 Pro. Have you heard any downsides to doing that at all?

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Video games as they are now reminds me of where cinema was during the 1980s where the mainstream stuff had become very manufactured, risk-adverse, and sterile (for that matter, the same thing could be said of modern music around that time). However, in exchange, the indie scene rose up and became a tour de force. The exact same thing has occurred in gaming with AAA productions insisting on sticking with increasingly outdated design styles (such as Naughty Dog’s film-game model).

    In fact, I insist that the level of creativity exhibited by indie game makers far surpasses that of contemporary indie filmmakers, who not only lack ambition, but seem to be proud about lacking ambition and are trying to imitate what made their predecessors so great (again, like Naughty Dog with their film-game model). Stuff such as Lady Bird, Ex Machina, or Hereditary is absolutely not in the same league as the likes of Undertale, OneShot, or Papers, Please. Indeed, I consider the release of Undertale in 2015 in particular to be a watershed moment. Specifically, it was games became the new pioneers in storytelling, leaving films and other mediums behind in the dust.

    Unfortunately, if it’s one field in which game critics are far behind their film counterparts, it’s that they don’t tend to support indies. For all of the problems I have with film critics (if anything, I find them to be even more flawed than game critics), I do, on some level, appreciate that they are wiling to support new talent through the indie scene. Granted, I would argue they grade indie films on a curve, which is probably going to lead to many of those directors wiping out big time once the safety net is gone, but still, I do like that, even if said new talent isn’t coming up with anything interesting, film critics are willing to support them. I certainly couldn’t count on gaming critics to drum up enthusiasm for indie productions.

    The early gaming indie scene was defined more by the ego of their creators (i.e. Jonathan Blow, Phil Fish, etc.) rather than their level of talent. I suspect that the press only focused on the indie scene because they were more interested in being a gossip tabloid than in supporting otherwise unknown talent. It’s also possible that they thought by putting the spotlight on those egotists, it would eventually culminate in a wave of New Hollywood-esque auteurs who would elevate the medium on an artistic front. However, that didn’t really come to pass. Don’t get me wrong, I think the indie game makers of the latter half of the 2010s have done exactly that, but they’ve achieved what they achieved by putting their nose to the grindstone and getting stuff done – not by touching as many raw nerves as possible. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that once the indie scene stopped being a hotbed of drama, the press moved away from them in favor of writing inane clickbait articles and, because of their closeness to certain key sponsors (read: AAA publishers), reviews that have less substance to them than an advertising brochure.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I appreciate your insightful comment, my friend. I always learn something new through them too. Thanks for taking the time to write this up! I definitely agree about the indie scene growing so fast and exploring new creative ways to make them stand out from the rest of the games coming out. I haven’t really made much time for them, however. The last one I played and absolutely adored was Hades. It’s such an addictive and brilliant game!

      I like your analogy with the film industry. It’s a tough comparison but you have excellent arguments that make us think about the whole risk-taking/ambition angle of creators. However, I would’ve thought Sony was A LOT more supportive of indie games than anyone else out there. They always make a segment just for them at events and allow gamers to explore them through PS+ here and then! I think of Journey, for example. I’m almost convinced that Sony knows that having the indie game within the palm of their hands. However, I have no insight on the question though and I wouldn’t be surprised if indie devs were being ill-treated or something…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. The only game console I think I’ve ever owed was an Atari 2600 back in the day. 🙂 Glad to see how much enjoyment you’re getting out these, and that you nabbed a PS5. Hope you get just as much enjoyment from that as you have from what’s come before. Of these games I think I’d be most interested in God of War for the mythological aspects.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. That’s one console I never had the chance to explore as a kid but I know all about its success among the generation before mine. I’m sure the PS5 will manage to make its generation memorable with what they can now do with its enhanced powers! I honestly can’t wait for the God of War sequel. It’s going to be mind-boggling!!!! 😀 Thanks for reading, Todd!

      Like

      Reply

  6. It’s so great that you could get the PS5 Lashaan! And of course I strongly agree with everything you said about videogames. I haven’t played any of the games you mentioned, as I haven’t owned a console since the PS1 ahah, I tend to prefer gaming on my laptop but definitely miss a console sometimes! 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. You definitely get +10 points for owning a PS1 in your life though. 😉 As a loyal Playstation fanboy, it warms my heart to know that! 😛 I hope you someday get the chance to try these games out or their sequels/reboots in your life though. I’m convinced you’d love some of these if you had the chance to try them! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. I love how passionate you still are about video games and the games you chose sound amazing 😍 I personally really enjoy playing even if I’ve never been particularly skilled 😭 I didn’t have the chance to be surrounded by this universe when I was younger but I’m glad I can enjoy it now! Unfortunately, time is the main factor that prevents me from playing as much as I’d like to 🙁 That and also the fact that I can quickly develop a weird form of addiction if I find myself immersed in a video game and I don’t want that to happen (at least not too much) 😳
    I loved reading this post, Lashaan 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I know you’re more skilled than others so you should stop seeing it like that! Play them out of fun to play them, not to find out how good you are at it! 😉 I’m just glad that you actually enjoy this universe and don’t look down on it as some would. There’s just so much to appreciate of it; even more to look forward to as it evolves at an incredible speed through the years! Thank you so much for returning from the dead to check out this post that began our own story, Caroline! ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. I. suck. at. video gaming 😦 So I’ve given up on it. I can feel your love and fiery passion for it via your post. If only I am multi-talented like you! Great post, my friend! Got to know something else about you! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. The Uncharted games (and pretty much anything Naughty Dog makes), God of War, and Spider-Man are reasons why the last few years have turned me into a Playstation fangirl. Our household is huge into gaming so we have all the systems and I used to play them all relatively equally, but PS has been killing it with their exclusives.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  12. Pingback: Links I’ve Enjoyed This Week – 29/11/2020 #WeeklyRoundUpPost 🔗📆 🔗 #SecretLibraryBookBlog – Secret Library Book Blog

  13. You lucky, lucky man grabbing hold of a PS5 at launch…I’m likely going to have to wait until stock is plentiful without having to endure the stress of online queuing! I do think this scalper business has been unfortunate and highly unfair…a shame there are folks buying them from such sellers who are taking advantage.

    But, yes, your love of gaming is equal to my own…I’ve been a rabid gamer since as long as I can remember and at the age of 38 it’s going as strong as ever. There is so much going on in modern gaming…I mean, I know you were not a fan of the Last of Us Part II, but that was an absolute benchmark for me in terms of delivering something that transcended what a “game” is on the surface.

    Well, will be excited to see how the new generation unfolds…I’ll look forward to the day I can join the club but at least I’m content in my enjoyment of Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS4, for now!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I only have one other friend who pre-ordered with me and got it at launch. I feel bad for all those who didn’t see this out-of-stock situation coming. Even to this day, it seems like things aren’t looking too great till 2021 but I hope everyone will finally be able to pick up their own next-gen consoles. Scalper groups have really made this so unfortunate for real gamers out there. 😦

      I absolutely agree. If other companies and other IPs can achieve what The Last of Us Part II does, we’re all in for a treat in 2021 and beyond! I have very VERY high hope for God of War II to do just that, for example! Honestly, watching the gaming industry evolve like it does now blows my mind. Hopefully Cyberpunk 2077 will deliver something worthwhile too! Glad to hear you have a copy of Miles Morales!!! Just that intro mission was chaotically amusing! Insomniac is killing it! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Yeah, shame the same couldn’t have been said for the Avengers game – that SHOULD have been a winner!

        Looking forward to Cyberpunk myself although I may have to hold off on getting that until 2021 as got so many other titles on the go at the moment…plus it might be worth waiting until I have a PS5 for that!

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Propper jealous mate. The one thing that was a bit of a let down for me about PS5 and the new Xbox range was the fact that so few games were available on both consoles. I do wish you a lot of playing pleasure to come. I am still not done getting through some of the PS 3 games range, so i’ll be sticking with that for now still.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I don’t have much issue with its launch games considering that both Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls combine for over 50+ hours of excellent gaming hahah And the fact that the consoles are backward compatible allows owners to play their PS4 backlog too! I hope you continue to have fun with the PS3 though. A huge chunk of my gaming history comes from there! 🙂 Stay safe, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  15. Congrats on the PS5! I’m saving up for one when they become more widely available, but for now my PS4 will keep me company. You’ve got excellent taste, I’ve played all of these except Bloodborne and really enjoyed them! I’m actually going to start Sekiro soon, which is in the vein of Bloodborne. If you haven’t played Miles Morales, definitely check-it out! It’s shorter, but it nails allll the feels. Such a wholesome, warm fuzzy game.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks! One thing’s for sure, the PS4 is not dead yet and I’m convinced there’s still plenty to do with it to this day and for a couple more years too. 😀 I was going to include Sekiro on here but I strongly believe the learning curve for that game is too intense for other’s to see why it’s also a masterpiece hahaha I hope you have a blast with it! And yes!! I’ve been playing Miles Morales lately and it’s a fantastic spin-off sequel so far! Thanks for stopping by! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  16. Started playing Spider-Man a couple months ago. I might be roughly half way through it (shows how much time I get to play games these days). But it’s very good so far.

    Also, Uncharted 4 is fantastic. I’d say it’s easily the best game in the series, and I very much enjoyed Uncharted 2 when it first came out. Not a big fan of Uncharted 3 though. Haven’t played the other games you mentioned on here (well, I have played a bit of Arkham Knight), but they’re all on my list.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Good thing it’s a single-player game where we can go at it at our own pace! So much to do, so much to enjoy, even doing it on NG+ is a blast. 😀

      I definitely agree with that ranking too. I still hesitate between U4 and U2 though. The leap between U1 and U2 was too great to ignore hahah

      Hope you get around to playing the rest of these titles in the future. They all merit all the stars in the world.

      Like

      Reply
  17. Pingback: My Monthly Wrap-Up | November 2020 – Bookidote

  18. Bloodborne is on of my boyfriend’s favorites too. And this could be a understatement! He loved God of War but he was (is) quite obsessed with Bloodborne. I have watched so many videos about it and its lore that I have lost count. (and even if this is not exactly the right game for me, or it wasn’t at the time, because I didn’t want to put so much attention into it, it is highly fascinating and I really think it is a masterpiece!).
    I am a gamer too, but I am not a constant one. I played a lot once, before university and then work, and I have started to learn English thanks to them but now my main focus is reading and so I play not so often. And usually I am well in the past. I prefer Oblivion and Skyrim, and I prefer my playstation 3 to my boyfriend’s 4. Maybe the next year I would try to read a bit less and game a bit more!!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Ohhhh, I can feel the love and interest you have for Bloodborne and I can only recommend you to find a way to give it a try on that PS4 or a future PS5!!! Everything about it is so immersive and incredibly appealing on all levels (score, gameplay, universe, story). My girlfriend is also a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls games, especially Skyrim, and I’ve been slowly playing through it here and then too! It’s hard nowadays to figure out how to juggle reading/blogging/gaming but you should definitely just go with the flow and whatever inspires you in the moment! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  21. Pingback: November 2020 in Summary: The End Is in Sight? | Extra Life
  23. Pingback: November Wrap Up 2020 – My Midnight Musing
  26. Pingback: Bookstooge Reviews 2020 | Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s