Cloud Monday - SkyGunner - Part 2 - Gameplay Takes Practice, But It's Great To Play Via The Cloud

This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing SkyGunner on PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1, https://youtu.be/f5OsmwasRy8, it was clear that this was going to be ok to stream from the cloud because we're able to save at any point by pressing the Options button on the PS4 controller. what we learned from Part 2 was that the only way to save via the game itself was to save and exit the game via the pause menu. so playing it as a PS2 game on PS4/PS5 is the best way to play it via the cloud.

In this part we also saw how it would play if there were some streaming issues. things like macroblocking weren't that much of an issue because of how big everything in the game is, we're not loosing the small pieces of detail as there aren't much anyway. but the stream tearing, when grey appears on the screen, was more of an issue because this game is 4:3. when the grey appears, more critical video of the action is missing. thankfully, as we're able to pause the game via the emulation software by pressing options, we can stop the game and either wait for things to improve or save and exit if we have to. it's not an ideal situation, but it's fair compromise as there are some games where we can't save at any point, where we'd have to sacrifice a cutsene to get to a point where we could save.

So for SkyGunner, the more difficult question is is the game worth being streamed from the cloud in the first place. i think it is. one reason is that it's a somewhat rare game that i hadn't heard of that came out somewhat early in the PS2 lifecycle. playing it via the cloud is easy and cheaper than trying to find your own copy of the game. i also enjoyed it's story. i was surprised that in Part 2 we got the story from a different perspective as i picked a different character in Part 2. it may take some time to get used to how it controls as it's not perfect, but i think there's enough here for some fun, even if you only play through the story from one character's perspective 

Cloud Monday - SkyGunner - Part 1 - A PS2 on PS4/PS5 Game Which Means You Can Save At Any Time

This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing SkyGunner on PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

SkyGunner originally came out on PS2 back in 2001 so this is the PS4/PS5 emulated version of it that is available to download or stream. These emulated classics are great for streaming from the cloud because of the ability to save at any point by pressing the "Option" button on the controller. 

The big question is whether or not the games are worth playing. SkyGunner is a game that looks familiar but not one i really remember. that could be due to the animation studio behind the cutscenes doing the Final Fantasy: Unlimited anime. it's safe to say it's somewhat obscure so having it come out as a PS2 on PS4/PS5 game is good. but after my first hour with it, i didn't enjoy the gameplay that much.