@Runa: That's what I love about the Souls games so much. They reward exploration to an extent that has never really been done before. Entire areas of the game that are 100% optional or well hidden. So many different weapons and armours that finding new items feels like a great payoff.
I've finished Demon's Souls a couple times already, and I've always regarded it as one of the best games ever made. Maybe because it was the first Souls game I played -- and for a lot of people, I imagine their first will be their favorite. I have the game downloaded now, but I haven't played it yet.
I have avoided almost all information about this remake, but the one thing I'm hoping is in the game, and I can't imagine they would do away with, is the dialogue that the Lady in Black repeats in the Nexus. "Let strength be granted so the world might be mended... so the world might be mended...". Such a powerful level up phrase that has stuck with me for a very long time.
I actually just finished Astro's Playroom with my daughter (Yes, I let her stay up until midnight to play with me :X), which is why I haven't played Demon's yet.
My thoughts on Astro's Playroom: Extremely well-polished. Very responsive controls with fun and simple gameplay. It's a simple game, with a lot of unique and clever utilization of the DualSense.
Soooo much fan service in this game. In all areas of the game there are little robot people doing various things (they put a lot of effort into making this charming world come to life), and occasionally you'll find them playing out scenarios from previous PS games. I spotted: Bloodborne, MediEvil, Horizon, Death Stranding, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, PAIN (that slingshot launch title pack-in for PS3), Uncharted, Crash, Monster Hunter, Parappa, The Last Guardian, Spiderman, Final Fantasy 7, LittleBigPlanet, TLOU (at least I think that was Joel and Ellie hiding from a clicker), and many more than seemed familiar but I could not identify. I'm betting I missed over half of these little easter eggs, so a more thorough exploration might be in order.
There's also collectibles in the form of PS hardware from over the years (the PSeye, the multitap, the boomerang controller, and all consoles, portables, etc). Very much an homage to the history of PlayStation.
I have been so out of the loop that this freebie came as a surprise, and was the perfect intro to the PS5. The use of rumble, trigger resistance, and controller audio was done so well that I truly hope this is taken advantage of in other games in the same way. I am so profoundly impressed with the DualSense, that even though I can't necessarily see a worthy generational leap in terms of the visual quality of the next-gen consoles, the DualSense is a clear generation ahead of any controller I've used.
I tend to ramble when I post late at night, but I can't help myself, as I'm still high on excitement over getting a PS5. I spent so much time refreshing store listings and following any lead I could find about when new stock was being released that I was losing hope that I would find one at all this year. Days like this don't come very often, but that's what makes them so special.
