Indie has swung back in to the realm of video gaming in one epic adventure from Bethesda.

The once exclusive to Xbox and PC, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has now released on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.

The first person action see’s a classic (and young Harrison Ford) taking moments from the classic trilogy of films, intertwining these with a new storyline.

It’s 1937 and Indiana Jones is on a mission to prevent the power of the ‘Great Circle’ from falling into the hands of those that would use it for no good.

From China to Egypt, Vatican City and Thailand the sites in these nations combined result in the ‘perfect circle’ when viewed on a map.

The Professor and Archaeologist, Indiana (or Indie) must leave the classroom and keep these powers safe from evil.

Graphically Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is stunningly detailed. Gameplay, while first person breaks off into third person moments as FMV sequences kick in. Depending on the moment, especially if it is a high adrenaline action play, this can be a bit jarring at times.

Your environment is mostly linear, that said, in moments where you have more free roam, it definitely pays to explore. Being the astute archaeologist, there’s many items to be discovered such as Adventure Books which serve as a boost.

These give you Adventure Points which can be earned via differing objectives.

Combat sees you having a punch out, using your signature whip both as a weapon and a tool, and where applicable make use of stealth take downs. There is usually environmental objects to be found. These can be used as a weapon, but they aren’t the sturdiest and will usually break after a short time.

You also have a revolver, but finding ammo is a challenge in itself.

But you can’t pummel an enemy for hours, Indie has a stamina bar. So, if you find yourself in a heated fisticuff, pace yourself. Indie’s signature hat serves as a lifeline.

NPC’s that you come across have their own side gigs that they will need your help with.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is near-to another chapter in the cinematic trilogy of films while you snap photo’s, solve ancient puzzles and take down enemies who want to wield the power of the ‘Great Circle’ for nefarious reasons.

A blockbuster sized play-through and for the sheer adventure, I recommend, and for the players who tend to stray away for first person titles – there’s some serious adventure and action to be had.

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

We have spent four glorious years with the current gen of consoles, and with some games starting to creak around the edges a bit, an upgrade was inevitable.

And the console that needs that upgrade the most is the Nintendo Switch, but that isn’t the machine I am talking about. Instead what we have is the shiny new PS5, aptly called the PlayStation 5 Pro.

So what’s in the box?

The box is loaded with the shiny new PS5 Pro, a Dual Sense controller, and all the cables. What it doesn’t come with is a vertical stand, or any stand for that matter, or a disc drive. Initially with the high price I was expecting these which is unfortunate.

The good news is while there isn’t a model with the disc drive, you can add a disc drive yourself. The disc drive is the same model that was used for the PS5 Digital. It sells out fast so keep your eye out, but don’t pay the gouging prices on online auction websites, they will come back into stock.

When you compare the original PS5 prices, the digital edition was the lowest of course with the disc version being the more expensive, until now, so this is at least consistent. The big benefit with Sony doing it this way is you don’t have to worry about only one console version being available and having to buy a disc version you don’t want, or buy a digital version and wanting that disc drive. You can buy this, then get the disc drive when you’re ready. The challenge, especially when comparing to those original prices, is the PlayStation 5 Pro price tag is very steep.

What about style?

The console certainly has a look. I have always thought the PS5 was an ugly console, but the PS5 Slim made it way tidier by reducing the collars that were sticking out the top. The PS5 Pro has a similar style to the PS5 Slim, but with slightly bigger fins on the side.

When it comes to physical size it is bigger than the Slim, but smaller than the original PS5. So it is pretty dang sleek for a PS5. I still wouldn’t say I love the design, but it’s way tidier than the original.

So, what are you getting for the price?

Obviously the price point here is quite steep. So, what are you getting here?

The first thing is it is rocking a similar SSD to the original but it’s 2TB which is a decent step up. The real money is in the GPU though. The GPU has a way bigger 16.7 teraflops which is a huge jump over the 10.3 teraflops in the original. This and some other on board improvements allows for the big change which is PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution).

PSSR is essentially an AI system that upscales images being broadcast onto the TV. This is expected to get the images up to 4K without putting all the strain on the hardware. It should be able to hit higher eventually, apparently 8k with a lower FPS. Given the power of most TV’s, this is unlikely to be an issue any time soon.

So in essence, all the money has gone into the graphics. This may sound like a bad thing, but given how well games perform on the PS5, the main issue will be graphics related. If your game is jittering, or bouncing around, it’s more than likely to be the power of the graphics card. With the new upgrade, a bunch of games offer performance, graphics, or balanced options. In many situations performance gets the games to a consistent 60 FPS and the games look better than the graphics modes on the PS5. Each of these potential options come down to how they have been set up in the game, but generally you get at least a couple of options.

How do the games look?

Naturally I had to take these for a spin. The first game I took for a spin was Spiderman 2.

That game looked amazing and performed well before, so I wasn’t expecting a change. The biggest change is scenery in the background. Buildings and stuff look way more detailed at distance. This isn’t exactly a game changer, but it looks nice.

Gran Turismo 7 on the other hand looks bloody stunning. For some real perspective I played it for a few hours and then went back to my OG PS5 and the detail and quality looks almost night and day. Again, GT7 looks amazing on PS5, so you aren’t missing that much, but it looks just that little more gorgeous on PS5 Pro.

The real challenge to test are games that were struggling on PS5, and there aren’t many of those. Metaphor: ReFantazio for example supposedly had real frame rate issues on the OG PS5, which from anecdotes I have heard from others are sorted on the Pro. Baldur’s Gate 3 on the other hand ran perfectly decent on PS5, but I booted that up and there is a clear improvement on PS5 Pro. It looks and runs so much smoother.

There are some games that are reported to have some issues. I have heard issues with the Dragon Age, Dragon’s Dogma, and more where they can have some graphical or performance issues. I don’t have any of these so couldn’t test myself, but imagine they should be patched and fixed quickly.

Should you get one?

This is a tough one. There is a noticeable bump in the smoothness and graphics of games, and that extra storage is really sweet. The issue is that it is very expensive and the bump isn’t massive. If money isn’t an issue for you, then yea it’s great.

If you are looking to buy your first PS5, or your old PS5 is broken, then I would absolutely recommend buying it. But is there enough to justify it if funds are tighter to upgrade a working PS5 or Slim? For me, probably not when I could grab 12 brand new games to run on the excellent OG PS5.

While not an essential buy, the PlayStation 5 Pro is an amazing console, and well worth the cash if you have it.

The post PlayStation 5 Pro Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) console is the latest hardware innovation to enter the PlayStation 5 (PS5) family of products from Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).

Revealed today, the PS5 Pro console aims to provide players with richer gameplay experiences through super sharp image clarity, high frame rate gameplay, and advanced ray tracing. The PS5 Pro console launches on 7th November, 2024

It features a 2TB solid state drive and includes a DualSense wireless controller. PS5 Pro will also launch with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in territories supporting this standard.

PS5 Pro enables the world’s greatest game creators to create enhanced gaming experiences by taking advantage of the console’s more powerful hardware and system architecture. PS5 Pro delivers the most impressive visuals and performance to date on a PlayStation console, with new features that include:

• Upgraded GPU with 67 percent more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28 percent faster memory. This enables up to 45 percent faster rendering for gameplay, making games run even faster.
• Advanced Ray Tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light at more than double the speed of the current PS5 console.
• AI-Driven Upscaling with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, a machine learning-based technology that provides super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.

“We are proud of the impact that PS5 has made on the gaming industry, providing an opportunity for game creators to realise their vision and reach millions of players around the world,” said Hideaki Nishino, CEO, Platform Business Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “But we’re always pushing ourselves to innovate so we can meet, and hopefully exceed, the evolving needs of our players. We’re pleased to offer PS5 Pro alongside the current PS5 console this holiday, and we look forward to seeing continued gameplay innovation from our talented game creators that unleash the possibilities of the PS5 hardware for years to come.”

The PS5 Pro console comes in a familiar look that blends perfectly with the PlayStation 5 family of products. It also provides an option for players to add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive (sold separately).

Games that take advantage of the PS5 Pro features will include a “PS5 Pro Enhanced” designation within their title. Sample games that will be PS5 Pro Enhanced include blockbuster titles from PlayStation Studios and SIE’s partners, such as Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more.

Games that are playable on the PS5 console will be playable on PS5 Pro, utilising the same user interface and online community for multiplayer gaming and network services. Other features include PS5 Pro Game Boost, which can apply to more than 8,500 backward compatible PlayStation 4 (PS4) games playable on PS5 Pro. This feature may stabilise or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games is also available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games.

Current accessories available for PS5 will also be compatible with PS5 Pro, including PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal remote player, DualSense Edge wireless controller, Access controller, Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.

Launching in time for the holiday shopping season, PS5 Pro will be available at participating retailers. Pre-orders will begin on 26th September, 2024.

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