Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged - Part 2 - Cloud Playing Recommended - Cloud Monday

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

Part 2 of playing Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged was interesting for me as it was all new. i had talked about my previous experiences with the game in Part 1 and how i didn't get far at all. SO it was nice to leave all that behind and explore more of the game's story.

I was still fighting with the game's logic at times, i tried to explain my reasoning as i went, so i'm very grateful that there's a hint system. if i had to think of something that could possibly be affected by a degraded streaming experience it would be this system. when it's activated, sparkles appear on screen but these aren't too big nor are they very flashy. they're just noticeable. but out of the whole game they would probably be affected the most by any issues from the stream.

With that being the only main issue i can see with the game, this means i do recommend playing Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged from PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service. it has a robust auto save and manual saves are quick and easy , too. Combined with the larger more colourful art design, rather than finer smaller details, i think Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged  would hold up well if the resolution dropped or if there was macro blocking. 

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/zrKxIDWbbSo

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged - Part 1 - Now With Hints - Cloud Monday

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is a game i've tried to play on #PS1 and #GBA but i never made much, if any, progress in the story as i never truly understood how it was trying to tell it's story.

The option is there to play the game as it used to be, not just with original graphics but also with it's original gameplay. I went with the mode called Story as this had some modern benefits like removing items from conversation once they've been used but more importantly it adds a hint system.

The hint system helped me a lot in making progress. it's possible i got further in this video than i have in my previous attempts. but the hint system also highlights the game's logic isn't quite syncing up with mine. i don't think it's that the game is set in the early 90's, it's probably more down to my lack of experience with such point and click story games.

The game works well being streamed from the cloud. the auto save seems fairly robust but it's the ability to do manual saves, and that the saves themselves are quick, that's great. when you only get 20 seconds to save before being disconnected, accessible and fast manual saves are a great thing to have. With this being a point and click game, progress only happens when the player wants it. so if there are issues with the stream, you can wait it out, save, or do both and the game is waiting.

Sonic X Shadow Generations - Part 2 - Playing It In The Cloud Is Fine For Some - Cloud Monday

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Sonic X Shadow Generations via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1 i focused on the original Sonic Generation levels, something that i was familiar with. In this part i tried the new Shadow levels. we start with Shadow's story, something i was only vaguely familiar with as i haven't played a Sonic game where Shadow is a major character but i seemed to have picked up his story over time. This is told via a slideshow style cinematic. this feels very cheap with no effort to tie it into the game, like they could've had a chao watching it or something. 

When you start Shadow's game we have another cinematic that tries to tie it into the story we saw from the Sonic Generations group. it's fine but it really does feel like DLC. Shadow plays quite differently from the other two hedgehogs we tried in Part 1. as i progressed through the video i was unlocking new powers that could not only defeat enemies in new ways but also unlock new level traversal mechanics.

As i'm unfamiliar with Shadow, i didn't know the levels we were unlocking, some of the enemies, or the music. the music was great to listen to, i wonder how much was changed from the originals. But the levels were a bit hit and miss. i'm not used to Sonic levels taking nearly 10 minutes and there were additions to the level that hadn't been introduced and even after playing i'm not sure i can describe how they really worked. So out of the 4 i played, one was long, one was short, one introduced new mechanics in a way i didn't grasp, and i don't really remember the other. fair to say they're a mix bag and as i haven't played the game they're from they hold no nostalgia for me.

There are positives and negatives when it comes to whether you should stream this game from the cloud or not. for me, someone who's familiar and finished the Sonic Generations part of the game, streaming the Shadow stuff saves space. if your internet is great and very reliable, then streaming it would be good. But if you have a little trouble with your connection, the visual artifacts it would create could make navigating really difficult or the delay it adds to the controls could make playing is frustrating. 

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/8nnq2mPHlI8

Sonic X Shadow Generations - Part 1 - Re-Released Nostalgia - Cloud Monday

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Sonic X Shadow Generations via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

I played Sonic Generations on PS3 and finished it, so this is game i could've been familiar with. but as this is Sonic X Shadow Generations, i thought that this might've been more of a director's cut or remaster. from this part, it feels like they just re-released the PS3 game and attached a Shadow section.

In this part i focused on the Sonic Generations part. unfortunately, it's not 1080p on PS4 but it does look better and more crisp than i remember the PlayStation 3 version looking. It does feel dated. it talks about aspects of gameplay and then never tells us how to do it or where to go, or if it does it's late. the game's difficulty spike at Sky Sanctuary is still here, too. so i'm just disappointed this is it, but what's here is fine.

Sonic X Shadow Generations allows you to manually save in the home area, but whilst you're doing a stage there isn't an option to save. so if you get the 20 second disconnection warning, you can save in the hub area or quit the level and save.

I didn't have this issue much in this part, but there's a high chance that any video issues could impact my gameplay. visually, when things are going fast there doesn't seem to be an issue keeping track of what's happening. but i can imagine that things might be tough if there's macro blocking. the camera zooms out with Classic Sonic making the character smaller on screen which could also be an issue if the video quality degrades. We'll have to see what happens in Part 2 if i come across some issues.

Gitaroo Man - Part 2 - Can't Recommend Playing It In The Cloud - Cloud Monday

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Gitaroo Man via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1 of playing Gitaroo Man it became clear that this was going to be tough to play in the Cloud and in Part 2 i was unable to make more progress. i did get better with more practice, but it still wasn't enough to complete the level and move on to the next one. with no training and no option to practice, all i could do in this part was try and try again to beat it. there were a couple of times where i got close, but the game's mechanics meant i would have to play long stretches without making a single mistake, even if the enemy seemingly had no health. it's a combination, with the lag in the controls seen in Part 1, that just make it too difficult to play in the Cloud. 

There is a chance with practice that you could get better, but then there are other problems with playing this game in the cloud. for example, we saw across two parts of Gitaroo Man and Runner 2 that there are occasional stutters on top of controller lag. but this often presented itself in the audio or video not being clear so i would miss the button prompt completely. 

Unfortunately, there's another issue which is related to the game's aspect ratio. it's a 4:3 designed game that, when it comes to the button prompts, doesn't take full use of it. with Runner 2, as it's a 16:9 Widescreen game, you can see the enemies, gold, and platforming sections coming so even if there is a stutter of visual issue like macro blocking, there's time to react. but with Gitaroo Man, the action happens in a small area in the middle so there's much less time to react to the prompts without the issues mentioned above.

As much fun as the art and music was, i wouldn't recommend playing this game in the cloud. i can only recommend downloading Gitaroo Man. 

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/LPGqrZAxDbs

Gitaroo Man - Part 1 - Missing The Beat - Cloud Monday

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

Gitaroo Man is a different style of rhythm game to Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, that i previously checked out for Cloud Monday. Runner 2 lets you finish the level as long as you cross the finish line. but with Gitaroo Man, it's more of a "traditional" rhythm game where you finish when you beat set conditions. In this game that means beating an enemy.

I found Gitaroo Man to be a lot harder than expected. one of the disadvantages of the game is that there is nothing else to do but replay levels you have completed. but because it's soo tough to get the timing right, i could only replay the tutorial and first boss.

the timing of button presses in Gitaroo Man is very tight. i'd go so far as to say that it's tighter than in  #Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, a game i've lived streamed on this site. there is no easy mode to increase it, there's no calibration mode in the options to help with the timing. Gitaroo Man feels old in how bare bones it is.

If it was easier and that i could make progress and see more of the characters and story, it wouldn't be much of an issue. but streaming it from the cloud, in this part at least but we'll see in Part 2 for sure, seems to be introducing additional delay/lag in the controls which means i can't rely on when the the prompts are on target. i have to judge it slightly earlier. Gitaroo Man is one of the very few games where i've not only noticed the lag in the controls from playing the game in the cloud but couldn't compensate for it. if the game had a practice mode where i could do levels over and over i feel like i could get close.

But there's another downside that did hit Runner 2 and that's the odd stuttering. every now and then, the game would stutter and i'd completely loose any rhythm i had. you can see at the end that i had a great internet connection, but of course i'm unable to check for bandwidth.

Cloud Monday - Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - Part 2 - Too Stuttery!

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS3 version of Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

I lost the original Part 2 recording, so i had to do another recording. that's why more progress has been made since part 1. this was the first Cloud Monday video to be recorded via my replacement laptop so hopefully things like volume will become more consistent now.

In Part 1, the experience was good when conditions were perfect but on the whole it wasn't a great streaming experience. things were better in this Part but it seemed to highlight a different problem. i don't actually own the game to do the comparison, but i thought that the game seemed to suffer from stutters more in this part. this meant that my timing was off more than i would like but also that the audio wasn't as good as it could've been. this means that, across both parts, it's difficult to recommend streaming Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien for those who have a PS3 as you can buy the game from the PSN store. But if you'd rather not pay or don't have a PS3, streaming it is perhaps fine at best and not really worth it  if your streaming conditions aren't great. the game is built around timing and audio, and when things are perfect it feels amazing to pull it off. but when things begin to stutter or when the audio isn't quite as good, it does eat into the overall experience. Runner 3 isn't available to stream, but if it's available to download, i'd recommend doing that more than this.

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/Rr3kOz--e1Q

Cloud Monday - Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - Part 1 - Disconnected!

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS3 version of Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation4.

This was recorded whilst i didn't have a computer. This was made on my iPhone 14 Pro using it’s microphone, iMovie, and the video I recorded on to SD Card.

This is a game i have previously played before when the service was PlayStation Now. personally, i really enjoyed playing this before so i was happy to show it off in this, and part 2. this rhythm game doesn't have you repeat a beat or press on a beat, instead the music is created by how well you're doing in the game. the levels are not long and typically can be completed in a couple of minutes. there is a checkpoint around half way which you'll restart to once you cross it, you'll restart at the beginning until you do. all this happens without any loading.

But there's no manual saving whilst playing these levels. the game auto saves when you leave a level, so in the best case scenario that's every few minutes. As the video quality degraded, it did get more difficult to play. whilst our character is big, and so are the enemies, as this is a platformer of sorts it's judging our jumps or blocks or attacks that becomes the biggest issues. But even tho this wasn't the best showcase of the game, i would still recommend checking it out.

Cloud Monday - Space Ace - Part 2 - Getting A Finish, Exploring Options, And Finding Manual Saves

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS3 version of Space Ace via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

This was recorded whilst i didn't have a computer. This was made on my iPhone 14 Pro using it’s microphone, iMovie, and the video I recorded on to SD Card.

In Part 1, https://youtu.be/_16gd4HBGaw, i questioned if there was a manual save. at the time i couldn't find one, but in fairness Space Ace is quite intense when you first start it and it's possible i missed it then 'cause in this part i did find that there is a manual save option. this will be great if there is a disconnection warning but also if you're trying to get all the achievements. 

I turned on infinity lives and completed the game's story, or so i thought. after i recorded this video i went back and and watched the whole movie and it turns out the story i got was maybe as little as 3/4 of the whole story. i imagine playing the game at the hardest difficulty unlocks all of the story, and that's how such high scores were recorded for this game.

Cloud Monday - Space Ace - Part 1 - Tough, But Worked Well Being Streamed From The Cloud

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS3 version of Space Ace via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

This was recorded whilst i didn't have a computer. This was made on my iPhone 14 Pro using it’s microphone, iMovie, and the video I recorded on to SD Card.

Cloud Monday - Monster Hunter: Stories - Not Clear When It Auto Saves, Long Wait For Manual Saves

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Monster Hunter: Stories via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

Monster Hunter: Stories originally came out on the 3DS, which i got wrong in this video as i kept saying it originally came out on #Switch as the Nintendo Switch version was released alongside the the PS4 version. But my hope that a game built around a portable system might have design decisions that make it just a suitable for being stream from the cloud were still valid.

This coming out on 3DS does make my comments about the sparseness of the game more believable than if it came out on Switch first. it may help explain why some of the art design seems a little inconsistent with the monsters and cats looking great and the people characters looking weird and unpleasant. 

Not too much happened in this part, the focus was the introduction of the characters. but the jumping around in time from the future to the past to a year ahead was a little rough. i'm not sure i fully understand the game's battle mechanics either. you'll see that after a couple of fights i try something different to what's been described in the tutorial and then i don't understand why it worked the same as the other battles. i'll need to check the video again to see where the misunderstanding came from. but as an introduction, i didn't have too much fun with this part.

Cloud Monday - Wall-E - Pt2 - It's Fine And Not Too Difficult With Local Multiplayer Mini Games

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Wall-E via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1, it was clear to see that these PS2 emulated games on PS4 and PS5 are a great fit for cloud streaming because you can press the Options button at any point and save. this is true for the PS1 and PSP emulated games, too. so with Wall-E is becomes more of a question if the game is worth playing or not.

For me, someone who is a fan of the movie, i'm going to say yes. the interactions Wall-E has with things it finds are just as endearing as they were back when i saw the movie in the cinema. when we met Eve for the first time it was a nice feeling. the game doesn't follow the movie's plot strictly, the start of the game works great as a tutorial for not only controlling Wall-E but also in how the game is built. but as soon as that lazer light appeared i was excited for the stories to converge somewhat.

The HD upscale helps with the graphics. they're not fantastic, but the upscale helps make them look clear and vibrant. the controls are perhaps the weakest aspect of the game. there are moments where they feel too sensitive and moments when they don't. i wonder if this is a result of the emulation, like the game used to run at 30fps on PS2 but now it runs at 60fps and the controls are also doubly sped up. that's just a guess but if you know please put it in the comments.

For me, Wall-E is a fine game to stream from the cloud. but for others, i think that it might be closer to a "Maybe". But these are my thoughts and that tips it into the "Yes" category.

Cloud Monday - Wall-E - Fairly Average Gameplay But You Can Save Any Time With PS2 On PS4

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Wall-E via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

Wall-E is one of my favorite Pixar movies. i knew that there were video games, but i never looked to see what they were about. all these years later, Wall-E is now on the PSN store as a PS2 game emulated on #PS4. i was curious as to what kinda game this actually was and so far i enjoyed it much more than i did when i checked out Ratatouille.

With it being soo many years since i last watched Wall-E, things like the music seemed unfamiliar. there's a chance it's the same music in the movie but i don't remember it. The music didn't seem to match what was happening on screen, like they focused on the music being from a supermarket to fit the theme of the game/movie but not what was actually happening in the game. Though i did like that there was a button devoted to playing your own music. i accidently triggered it a few times and it was always nice to hear.

As a PS2 game, it was always going to look a little rough. the cutscenes, for example, don't appear to be full screen nor a particularly high resolution. the game itself is upscaled but not to 1080p on PS4. playing the game is a much more enjoyable experience than watching a cutscene as i think the graphics and art style hold up fairly well. the game, so far at least, is somewhat zoomed in to Wall-E so he's big and easy to see and so are the areas we've played in.

Controlling Wall-E isn't too difficult. there's a fantastic section at the start that uses a maintenance check to go through the game's tutorial. i really appreciate it when games are able to incorporate the tutorial into their story. going from tutorial to the games first level was a surprise as we're having to run away. the tutorial is nice and slow but suddenly the action ramps up and before we know it it's over and things have calmed down. it took me by surprise but it was fun.

I look forward to Part 2 where, hopefully, Wall-E will get to do more different things and perhaps we'll get to see EVE or even get to space. but so far, streaming Wall-E seems like a good way to play it.

Cloud Monday - Final Fantasy VII: Remake - Part 2 - Great To Stream From The Cloud

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII: Remake via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1, the streaming experience wasn't great. it frequently disconnected me. but, the game let me save manually so it wasn't a problem in that part and i slowly made progress towards the first boss of the game.

In this part, the first thing i had to do was deal with this boss. it's a long fight. there were moments of macro blocking and there was a warning about the connection. whilst the issues didn't get in the way of the gameplay, it did lessen the spectacle of it.

that's the main issue with Final Fantasy VII: Remake. streaming the game isn't an issue with how easy it is to save and how frequently the game auto saves. but streaming it seemed to lessen the spectacle. the music had occasional issues, the graphics did too. so if this is the first time you've played the game it might be best to download and install the game to ensure the most optimum playing experience. 

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/060PqqvE7YY

Cloud Monday - Final Fantasy VII: Remake - Part 1 - Early Access To Manual Saves Saved The Day!

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII: Remake via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

This was one of the worst sessions of playing a game from the Cloud i've had in a very long time. off the top of my head, the last time it was this bad was when i checked out West of Dead, https://youtu.be/KltyL6NREyA. after 4 disconnections, i gave up for this Part 1 and hopefully Part 2 will be a better experience.

But that's not to say nothing was learned. with things this bad, i would say that Final Fantasy VII: Remake is still a good choice to stream from the cloud because players get access to manual saves after the first fight and the game itself seems to auto save fairly frequently. so even though there were 4 disconnections, i only lost progress after the first one because i hadn't unlocked manual saves by that point. every time the countdown began after that, i was able to manually save before time was up.

Cloud Monday - Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Part 2 - I'd Recommend Streaming It From The Cloud

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Granblue Fantasy: Relink via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

After playing Granblue Fantasy: Relink across two videos, i will say that i do recommend streaming it from the Cloud. But, we did discover something about the manual saves in this video. When a quest is engaged, the best example here being when we we're taking out Goblins and saving people, we didn't have access to manual saves. the game switches to a save crystal system for manual saves. However, the game does also seem to use auto saves at checkpoints across the quest so if the 20 second disconnection warning comes up and there's not a manual save in sight, the auto save most likely saved after a boss fight or the unlocking of the next step of the quest.

This isn't ideal, but i imagine that if we're unable to save before being disconnected we're only going to lose 5-10 minutes of progress at most. with the combat and walking around being as easy as it currently is, this isn't much of an issue. it's not perfect, but it's manageable. so if you're looking for a good looking RPG with action combat, a smart tutorial system, and likeable characters then i'd recommend giving Granblue Fantasy: Relink a try and with it's Cloud performance being so great, i'd suggest trying it there and then deciding to either continue playing via the cloud or download it if you have space to do so.

Cloud Monday - Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Part 1 - A Fun First Hour With Plenty Of Auto Saves

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Granblue Fantasy: Relink via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

 

I may not have played a Granblue Fantasy game before, but i have seen them across various platforms and even on podcasts i've heard people talking quite positively about them. I know that there was a Granblue Fantasy iOS game a while ago but i'm unsure if this game is a direct sequel to it or a remaster of it. you'll have to let me know in the comments as the press releases i have for it don't answer that question.

The stream quality was very good in this first hour. i didn't notice any issues with the video i was watching. i also didn't notice any lag in the controls so the game felt responsive to play. one of the key things i look out for in this series is how the game saves. the service will only give us a 20 second warning before it disconnects us so we need a way to either save or for the game to have auto saved very recently. the Manual save feature of Granblue Fantasy: Relink is less clear than i would like. when i went to check for it, a message came up saying we could save from the pause screen but it wasn't there. later, i checked again and it was there and i did a manual save. in between those two times, i had played quite a lot and didn't check so i can't say for sure when manual saves actually activated but it was less than an hour. thankfully the game's auto save seems to be extremely frequent. it seemed to save before every major battle, after every cutscene, basically after every set piece and when we entered a new area.

Cloud Monday - Tomb Raider: Anniversary - Part 2 - Well Worth Playing From The Cloud

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of the emulated PS2 game Tomb Raider: Anniversary via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1 it was clear that the ability to save at any point by using the emulators save feature was great. in this part i made use of another emulator exclusive feature that isn't in the game itself and that's the Rewind feature.

In some respects, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a little difficult in that there are times jumps are a little unclear and there are other times when you're ambushed by predators. i can imagine back in the day the complaints about the game's difficulty were accurate. apparently the game gets more tough towards the end with puzzles as well as gameplay. having the ability to rewind was very nice. i was able to make the mistakes and immediately learn from them. at times, this lead to some really nice flowing platforming sequences. i think i remarked in the game it's like the Sands of Time from Prince of Persia. if anyone tried Tomb Raider: Anniversary back on PS2, or even PSP, but put it down 'cause it was a challenge then playing it this way via emulation is a revelation.

The streaming experience in this part was much more consistent than in Part 1. only once did a warning appear in the top right. but even if was better, the lag in the controls was still noticeable. i think what helps is having to do the tutorial with the lag. if you watch Part 1 you'll see i immediately have trouble but quite quickly adjust to the lag. without playing the game on PS2 it's hard to say if it's solely down to the game being streamed. in my experience, these emulated games do seem to suffer from lag more than the native PS3 and PS4 games i've played via the cloud. i wonder if this is down to the PS1, PS2, and PSP controls being directly tied to the console and the PS3 and PS4 being wireless. Like, the lag i'm feeling is because the controls are wireless and the games aren't built around the lag from these controls. the games are built with quicker responses in-mind, maybe 2-6ms instead of the 10+ that modern consoles have.

After two Parts, i can say that i think Tomb Raider: Anniversary is well worth playing from the Cloud. because of how the emulator save features work and the bonus of the Rewind features, it'd make a great game for PlayStation Portal too.

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/9oWARFopVBQ

Cloud Monday - Tomb Raider: Anniversary - Part 1 - Can Save Anywhere, Possible Control Lag, But Fun

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of the emulated PS2 game Tomb Raider: Anniversary via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

We have already seen from previous PS1, PSP, and PS2 that have been emulated on PS4 and PS5 that their ability to save anywhere at any time makes them a fantastic choice to be streamed from the cloud. the added benefit of being able to rewind time also makes the experience as a whole feel more casual or approachable. so when looking at these emulated games the question changes more to is it worth your time playing these games.

For Tomb Raider: Anniversary i would say that yes, it's worth your time. this is a remake of the original PS1 game that was released across many consoles and handhelds from 2007. it was released late enough in the PS2 console life cycle that it probably benefited from some of the game design being shown on PS3. this helps make Tomb Raider: Anniversary still feel fresh. a couple of the controls are a little odd by today's standards but fine when compared to games like Resistance, a game released around this time.

I read a little about this remake. it seems like it's not just a PS2 skinned version of the PS1 game. the developers took time to bring over the classic elements of the original game whilst also expanding others, introducing some changes, modernising the controls, and fleshing out the story, as someone who hasn't played the original game, so far it's going great and the open flow of the levels have been fun to run around in.

The only criticism i have so far, as a game being streamed from the cloud, is that there appears to be some lag in the controls. every now and then i came across some platforming that didn't quite go as planned and took a couple of tries or rewinds. right from the start i noticed how i could move the left stick or right stick and it felt like a second passed before something happened on screen. it's difficult to say if it's the developers going for some sort of momentum based movement, but it does take a bit of time to get used to.

Cloud Monday - Patapon 2 Remastered - Part 2 - Streaming The Game Is A Good Way To Play It

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Patapon 2 Remastered via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 2 we came across a hint screen, when the game is loading, that revealed that there's no punishment for failing. i actually experienced this first hand when i lost all my Patapon in a mission only for all of them to be unharmed when i did something next. this is an example of how casual the game is. the combination of casual and portable mechanics work well together to produce a game that's good to stream from the cloud.

In Part 1, i highlighted how i was using the pulsing of the screen to help get the rhythm and how pressing options brought up the command list. across both parts doing this might've meant that i missed a turn or two attacking the enemy but i never felt like it was a huge cost to pay. the levels we've previously played change so that when we return to grind items, it's different from the first time we were there.

But i do feel that grinding is an aspect of this game that's unavoidable. i showed in this part how i needed just 1 item  to make new Patapon but always didn't have enough of it even after all the levels i've done. to make new Patapon i'll need to grind out the first hunting level and then to upgrade it i'd need to re-do many other levels. as these levels are short, they can be quickly dealt with, but the whole grinding aspect of the gameplay might be a bit repetitive and a deal breaker for some.

Across two parts i have had fun playing #Patapon2 from the cloud. it's not a perfect experience, but it's good enough where i would probably play this game via the cloud in the future rather than download it. the game wants us to play and win, so when we make a mistake the consequences aren't too harsh. as long as we remember to save before doing a run, there aren't many consequences if we're disconnected.

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/t9RhqarCw2k