Elden Ring - From Software + George RR Martin

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Qhue

Qhue

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I guess the thing that bugs me about this sort of game is the same issue I have with some MMO content -- you have to assume failure in order to 'learn' a boss. Makes it feel less like a storied RPG and more like Mario.

It certainly allows them to make things challenging without having to carefully scaffold the player progression, but it just rubs me the wrong way.

I think that's why I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy this past fall. Each of the boss fights were eminently doable based on existing progression and in-game cues.
 
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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I would disagree. I never played Souls until Bloodborne where I spent upwards of 15 hours in the Central Yharnam area getting my ass handed to me. I rage quit several times. Came back to the game a few months later and seemed to have digested what the game was about.

The game is poor about teaching you how it expects you to play. Which is much less like a beat em up or other third person RPG's like say, God of War, where you play very similarly but don't have resource management to deal with. So when the average player comes in playing like any other third person action game from the past 10+ years you just get punished for it.

Once you figure that part out and play how it expects you to play. Which is dodge or block and enemies are stuck in attack animations same as you are so it's all about timing and resource management its much more manageable. Then the other souls games generally follow this principle. Outside of Sekiro due to its deflecting/blade clashing style which is way different even if its the same in spirit.

Play enough of them and you know what to expect. Most bosses have a gimmick or have various ways to trivialize them.
 
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zzeris

zzeris

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Yeah, I wouldn't want to play a game where I beat bosses consistently in the first few times no matter how talented I thought I was. That makes for a quick and easy game.
 
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Falstaff

Falstaff

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Dandai said:
I guess they’re both 3rd person action RPGs but I don’t think the similarities go much further than that.

Edit: I think Dark Souls has pretty universal appeal so long as you allow yourself to adapt to the tough-but-fair mechanics. There’s lots of ways to be creative and use the world and level design to your advantage. While there’s no difficulty selector, choosing a magic build (instead of melee) inherently makes the vast majority of encounters easier.

You didn’t say what turned you off in those first 10 minutes, but I think 10 minutes isn’t nearly enough to get a good feel for what Souls is about. At least finish the tutorial area and spend ten minutes in the post-tutorial game world.
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Honestly I don't remember. I think it was the tutorial boss that ended me and I just rage quit and had plenty of other shit to play, but it was 10 years ago at this point so not entirely certain.

What TJT said is pretty similar to how I think/thought about it, but I never really gave it a chance.
 
Utnayan

Utnayan

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Personally, the atmosphere is what sucks me in. Yeah you have to learn the bosses and memorize the maps and open up short cuts - game doesn't hand hold, but once you get it down, you will become a huge fan.
 
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Springbok

Springbok

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OU Ariakas said:
For those who played the open beta: was it as hard or harder than Bloodborne? It just seems to me that this setting and the tie to George Martin is an attempt at trying to broaden the appeal of FromSoft games into the medium hardcore players. I admit that I hated DS1 for the first hour I played it but became a convert quickly; maybe this one is at least easier at the beginning to encourage more play from "casuals"?
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It's the "easiest" Souls game, at least in the initial area's. The magic systems can almost trivialize some of the general mobbing, but the bosses still pack a punch and are fairly difficult (well, at least from what's been made available). I suspect the other area's of the world will be a jump in difficulty but so far the beginning is really accessible and I felt like they were maybe trying to lean into that so that every tom dick and jane can get into the game without rage quitting an hour in.

I was initially kind of annoyed at the strength of some of the spells and overall difficulty level seemingly a bit lower but I've come around - being a much more open game world alleviates some of the ball breaking as well until the boss rooms. After getting time with it, I am about as hyped as I was pre-Cyberpunk for this. I think they're going to deliver.... not long to go now.
 
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TJT

TJT

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I died to Vicar Amelia probably 40 times. No joke. But I one shot the Blood Starved Beast that Soygen Soygen got his shit pushed in by 40 times.

Your mileage varies!
 
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Crone

Crone

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I do understand the points being made here, and the comparison to Savage/Mythic raiding in an MMO makes perfect sense. I played multiple hours into the Dark Souls 2 remaster or GOTY edition that had all the DLC and better graphics I want to say on PS4? I think some of the rage was targeted towards the terrible save points.

And again, to each their own. A game lets me beat a boss after 2-3 tries max, and I move on to further the story? That's perfectly fine to me. An "easy" game doesn't make a bad game.
 
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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Many bosses are also skippable in DS games. People don't recognize that either.
 
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Springbok

Springbok

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Crone said:
I do understand the points being made here, and the comparison to Savage/Mythic raiding in an MMO makes perfect sense. I played multiple hours into the Dark Souls 2 remaster or GOTY edition that had all the DLC and better graphics I want to say on PS4? I think some of the rage was targeted towards the terrible save points.

And again, to each their own. A game lets me beat a boss after 2-3 tries max, and I move on to further the story? That's perfectly fine to me. An "easy" game doesn't make a bad game.
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Elden Ring is, at least initially much more "n00b" friendly than other entries. A lot of the open world is either skippable or allows you freedom to set up your attack/plans etc. If you enjoyed BOTW, open world games and or action games I think this new title will make a terrific entry point into the "style" of game. In fact, I'd bet my house that a bunch of people who never bothered with the style of game previously (due to actual or perceived difficulty) will play Elden Ring and eventually become so enamored they go back and play others.

The best, of course, being Bloodborne. I am just sitting here waiting on an enhanced version of that game....
 
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TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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Definitely.

The open world nature of this game will make shortcuts and skippable bosses a lot more clear. Along with the ability to escape. New players will be much more inclined to enjoy it. It's going to be Breath of the Wild but with harder bossfights.
 
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Soygen

Soygen

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TJT said:
I died to Vicar Amelia probably 40 times. No joke. But I one shot the Blood Starved Beast that Soygen Soygen got his shit pushed in by 40 times.

Your mileage varies!
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Hey, it might have been only 38 times!
 
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Nirgon

Nirgon

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BB remake is comin' eventually. I'm going to need to brush up on all that Labyrinth autism.
 
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Utnayan

Utnayan

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Crone said:
I do understand the points being made here, and the comparison to Savage/Mythic raiding in an MMO makes perfect sense. I played multiple hours into the Dark Souls 2 remaster or GOTY edition that had all the DLC and better graphics I want to say on PS4? I think some of the rage was targeted towards the terrible save points.

And again, to each their own. A game lets me beat a boss after 2-3 tries max, and I move on to further the story? That's perfectly fine to me. An "easy" game doesn't make a bad game.
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git gud fgt
 
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Chimney

Chimney

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I waste more time getting lost/backtracking in these games than learning bosses, but I still love the genre in bingey doses.

Sekiro was probably the best in terms of difficulty -> progression -> game length for me personally as it felt closer to a "normal" single player RPG just on the hardest difficulty.

BB remake w/ 4k textures on PC would or BB2 on PC would be sick.
 
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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The verticality of Sekiro really did a lot to make the game seem easier and more open.
 
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D

Droigan

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While I think the bosses in the Souls games and the likes are fun, my enjoyment of these games are the exploration aspect. Finding loot and gear, exploring, trying to tie together the story. I go back to the games and try them again later, but once I finish one, I rarely end up going to NG+ and the likes. Usually don't return to them for years down the line. I do love the combat and such, but that is just a bonus. Nothing like experiencing running around wondering what's behind corners and when a boss might jump out for the first time. That's the fun part for me. Elden Ring with caves, random dungeons to find, secrets in an open world.... it looks so good.
 
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Nija

Nija

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TJT said:
The verticality of Sekiro really did a lot to make the game seem easier and more open.
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I have beaten every single boss in every single Fromsoft game, with the exception of Sekiro.

I got stuck on Genichiro Ashina at the top of Ashina castle. The second time you fight him. It's simply impossible for me to beat this guy. I have reinstalled and tried it again twice, plus the first time I started the game. I have probably attempted him 150 times.
 
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