Games to look forward to!

I really hope they have another crossover event/content with Berserk in Dragon's Dogma II, the time would be right for it both as a memorial to Miura as well as a celebration of his friends carrying on his work.
I believe the promo for the base game was done as extra promotion for the 2012 Berserk golden age movies. But there’s a chance they might do more. It’s clear they must be fans of Berserk as the witch hut area is the spitting image of Flora’s mansion. That’s in the game even without the promo stuff.
 
So here are some more (upcoming at some point) games to check out:

Crimson Desert - I've been looking forward to this for a long time now. Fantasy with swordfights, wrestling, and taekwondo? Sign me the fuck up! Too bad it has entered an indefinite delay. Here's the trailer:


---

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - Now, I promised myself not to touch another Team Ninja game after Nioh 2, so I wasn't too thrilled to see this reveal. But despite my like-hate (mostly hate) relationship with Nioh, I figured some folks who liked it, such as @Griffith, may want to check this out:


---

Loopmancer - Cyberpunk, detective metroidvania sounds right up my alley. It may turn out cheesy as fuck, but I don't mind. I'm curious what @Aazealh may think of this:

 
Last edited:

Dark Emperor

Dweller of the Lotus Moon
So here are some more (upcoming at some point) games to check out:

Crimson Desert - I've been looking forward to this for a long time now. Fantasy with swordfights, wrestling, and taekwondo? Sign me the fuck up! Too bad it has entered an indefinite delay. Here's the trailer:

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - Now, I promised myself not to touch another Team Ninja game after Nioh 2, so I wasn't too thrilled to see this reveal. But despite my like-hate (mostly hate) relationship with Nioh, I figured some folks who liked it, such as @Griffith, may want to check this out:

Loopmancer - Cyberpunk, detective metroidvania sounds right up my alley. It may turn out cheesy as fuck, but I don't mind. I'm curious what @Aazealh may think of this:
These games look fun.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Loopmancer - Cyberpunk, detective metroidvania sounds right up my alley. It may turn out cheesy as fuck, but I don't mind. I'm curious what @Aazealh may think of this:

Looks like it's trying to do too many things at once to me. Also not sure the side-scrolling format really fits what they're trying to do the best.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
A Plague Tale: Requiem - Been excited for this one since I finished the first one. Here's some new footage:


Co-sign, I really enjoyed the first one even though there's not much to the gameplay, basically a budget medieval The Last of Us, which gets repetitive pretty early on, but remains fun, until you gain some radical new abilities near the end. The semi-historical story elements are really good and help ground the more far out, fantastical aspects so you can save your suspension of disbelief for that and simply enjoy the rest. If you like the Souls games, Bloodborne, Berserk and pseudo-historical dark fantasy, this games' story and atmosphere falls on the lighter, more historical end of the spectrum.

Three of my five most anticipated games of the year have already come out: ER, HFW, and TMNT, which leaves God of War, which I'm lukewarm on, and BotW2, which I'm not even sure is still coming out this year or if I'll have something to play it on. It'd certainly be a motivator to get, or borrow, a Switch, but I'm going to have to read that it lives up to the impact of its predecessor and isn't just a lesser retread.
 
Last edited:
Three of my five most anticipated games of the year have already come out: ER, HFW, and TMNT, which leaves God of War, which I'm lukewarm on, and BotW2, which I'm not even sure is still coming out this year or if I'll have something to play it on. It'd certainly be a motivator to get, or borrow, a Switch, but I'm going to have to read that it lives up to the impact of its predecessor and isn't just a lesser retread.

Yeah, BotW 2 isn't coming this year; it's been delayed to Spring 2023. It does seem like a tall order to live up to the incredible first one, but if any team can pull it off it's probably them. If the sequel is anywhere near BotW, if not better, I'll be more than happy.

There are more games releasing this year, such as:

September - Last of Us Part 1 Remake, if you hate yourself and your wallet, get this shameless cash grab!
November - Evil West, if you're into crazy cowboy shit.
December - The Callisto Protocol. I know you hated the title and wasn't thrilled with what you saw, Griff. But there's still a chance this game may turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

Like you, I'm lukewarm toward God of War: Ragnarok, because the 2018 one, while a good, solid game, was no where near the masterpiece people made it out to be. I'll still probably play it anyway, if at least to give my PS5 something to do LOL.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, BotW 2 isn't coming this year; it's been delayed to Spring 2023. It does seem like a tall order to live up to the incredible first one, but if any team can pull it off it's probably them. If the sequel is anywhere near BotW, if not better, I'll be more than happy.

Likely more a matter of it releasing in close proximity to the Switch's successor, which should also come out next year (guessing in H2). The global components shortage screwed up a lot of plans, Nintendo's included.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Yeah, BotW 2 isn't coming this year; it's been delayed to Spring 2023.
Likely more a matter of it releasing in close proximity to the Switch's successor, which should also come out next year (guessing in H2).

Sounds like I'm going to get out of buying a Switch altogether, either because I'll just buy the next console or borrow my old boss's Switch (with my luck though it's going to be the next Nintendo loser console like my Wii U; it skips every other generation and I'm on the wrong rotation =).

There are more games releasing this year, such as:

September - Last of Us Part 1 Remake, if you hate yourself and your wallet, get this shameless cash grab!

Yeah, pathetic. I'll wait for Sony to give it away if anything, but I really have no urge to revisit it.

December - The Callisto Protocol. I know you hated the title and wasn't thrilled with what you saw, Griff. But there's still a chance this game may turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

Hey, if it's anything like Dead Space, and it sure looks like it, maybe it will be good.

Like you, I'm lukewarm toward God of War: Ragnarok, because the 2018 one, while a good, solid game, was no where near the masterpiece people made it out to be.

Yeah, I don't get it either, it's like a replacement level, by the numbers, AAA game: AAA 101. If it wasn't that they only made one of them it'd basically just be another entry in your yearly Assassin's Creed subscription. Then the producer/director or whoever talked that lazy, virtue-signaling shit about Sekiro, From Soft and accessibility and it's like, yeah, your game is largely an interactive children's cartoon where you push a button every once in a while to continue an extended animated sequence, we get it. *Cue Christian Bale* "Goood fer yooooou!"

I'll still probably play it anyway, if at least to give my PS5 something to do LOL.

What's funny is I currently game exclusively on my PS5 because, since my son was born, the PC is now haphazardly in the middle of a common space and just has no natural gaming application to me anymore. It feels like trying to have a Counterstrike LAN party at the public library, so I'm just running everything through Ye Olde Entertainment Center.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Sounds like I'm going to get out of buying a Switch altogether, either because I'll just buy the next console or borrow my old boss's Switch (with my luck though it's going to be the next Nintendo loser console like my Wii U; it skips every other generation and I'm on the wrong rotation =).

Basically the only reason I posted was to hint that, yes, at this point you really should wait for the Switch U. :guts:
 
Basically the only reason I posted was to hint that, yes, at this point you really should wait for the Switch U. :guts:
Man, I've only had my Switch for 1 year, and now a new one is coming LOL

I ask this as someone with very limited Nintendo experience: How will they proceed to release their new games? I mean, will they at least initially make games that are functionable in both the Switch and the new one, akin to games working on PS4 and PS5? If I recall correctly, Ocarina of Time Remake released only on the 3DS back in the day, so even though I had a DS, I couldn't play it. Hope we won't have a similar situation here.

Will you get it right away, Aaz?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
There's no telling what Nintendo will do. They've made some inconsistent decisions in the past about how they treat older consoles during an upgrade launch. But I doubt Nintendo will close its doors to the millions of existing Switch owners. It's still selling well, even though it's been more than five years. They'll likely want to continue selling software to them. So I expect a "better on Switch+" experience for something like Breath of the Wild's sequel, while still making it available on both consoles. They're going to say things like 4K on Switch+, and "1080p" on Switch Standard.

But as the months and years go on? Yeah, they'll distance themselves from the original Switch's hardware limitations, because time marches on. Good riddance, that thing is slow as fuck these days.

Ocarina of Time Remake released only on the 3DS back in the day, so even though I had a DS, I couldn't play it
The 3DS and DS had very different hardware. It wasn't just that one was 3D and one wasn't. Just like how the Wii U had very different hardware than the Wii despite the similar naming convention.

Nintendo hasn't been great at its console names, or messaging hardware differences. They're married to the Apple-esque idea that hardware should be simple and uncomplicated, so they don't like to talk up the specifics of upgraded hardware, which leads to confusion around the launch period.

The most tumultuous example of this was in 2011. Did you know that when the Wii U was first announced, Reggie didn't get on stage and say "Our new console is named the Wii U." No, no. That's just toooooo hardware-focused. Instead, the first mention of Wii U was Reggie talking up a bunch of bullshit about how "U could mean Utopia," and finally said, "This is the new controller for Wii U" showing a picture of the Wii U controller. "It's infinitely complex and yet perfectly simple. All at the same time." Okay..... So... What the fuck is Wii U? Is it a controller for the Wii? Is it uh.... a new handheld? Nobody knew what to think. Then, after the show, they'd later say that oh yeah it's a new console, and here's what it looks like.

I also recall that around the recent release of the Switch OLED, people had to do teardowns to determine the hardware spec differences (not many other than the oled—better battery was the one that stuck out to me). Whereas Nintendo's messaging was: SCREEN BETTER.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Man, I've only had my Switch for 1 year, and now a new one is coming LOL

Well by the time the new one comes out, the Switch will have been on the market for about 7 years. For all intents and purposes, it's had a long life. And it might have been even longer had the semiconductor industry not been hit so hard, since they were allegedly planning a "Switch Pro" version that could have given it a second wind. However at this point, strategically I think it makes more sense for them to go for a proper successor. That doesn't mean the Switch will die overnight though. The 3DS eShop store will close in March 2023, 12 years after the console's launch.

Walter explained the NDS / 3DS situation (the NDS could never have run the OoT remake), but as far as the transition between the Switch and its successor goes, I think we have to wait and see because there are a bunch of factors at play. Normally, flagship games quickly become exclusive to new hardware (for all manufacturers), but the PS5 was hobbled by the components shortage and Microsoft is betting the farm on their cloud service.

Will you get it right away, Aaz?

Depends on the hardware, we'll see. But tentatively, yes.
 
@Griffith I believe we have our long awaited Bloodborne II. Wait, don't take that literally. I'm talking about Lies of P, which I mentioned in this thread before. It's a Bloodborne-inspired game where you play as Pinocchio (again, feels weird saying that). New footage has been released:


All I can say: "Please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck..."

EDIT: 12 Mins of gameplay:


Some new gameplay of The Callisto Protocol was released:


Some other new annoucnements:

1. Where Winds Meet - Looks like a Chinese Ghost of Tsushima with super powers to me...which means sign me up!


2. Dune: Awakening - I don't know much about Dune (other than the hilarious misuse of Arabic terms in the story), but they announced this yesterday and I'm interested to see how it turns out.

 
Last edited:

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
@Griffith I believe we have our long awaited Bloodborne II. Wait, don't take that literally. I'm talking about Lies of P, which I mentioned in this thread before. It's a Bloodborne-inspired game where you play as Pinocchio (again, feels weird saying that). New footage has been released:


All I can say: "Please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck..."

EDIT: 12 Mins of gameplay:


What the fuck? Why does this look so good AND so stupid simutaneously? Since it's otherwise unrecognizable, why not just NOT make it a gritty, grimdark Pinocchio, which seems like a premise that's DOA. Anyway, graphically it looks pretty nice, and I appreciate any attempt at a Bloodborne clone, but like all the other good lookin' Soulslikes out there I'm skeptical it's actually going to pull it off. The only one my body hasn't eventually rejected is Nioh.
 
What the fuck? Why does this look so good AND so stupid simutaneously? Since it's otherwise unrecognizable, why not just NOT make it a gritty, grimdark Pinocchio, which seems like a premise that's DOA. Anyway, graphically it looks pretty nice, and I appreciate any attempt at a Bloodborne clone, but like all the other good lookin' Soulslikes out there I'm skeptical it's actually going to pull it off. The only one my body hasn't eventually rejected is Nioh.

Well, there's a difference between Souls-like and Souls-clone. As much as I shit on Nioh and hate its guts, I would not in fairness call it a clone. It did its own thing, and worked out for a lot of folks. As for actual clones, yeah, every one I tried was shit.

I hope this one ends up being good, as I really like what I'm seeing. It does look janky and awkward though, but maybe that's because you're playing as a...toy? You're not a real boy yet!
 
Last edited:

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, there's a difference between Souls-like and Souls-clone. As much as I shit on Nioh and hate its guts, I would not in fairness call it a clone. It did its own thing, and worked out for a lot of folks. As for actual clones, yeah, every one I tried was shit.

That's fair, and I almost noted that Nioh was the exception as much for how it was different and its own thing from Souls than how it was alike. It's the pale imitations that are lost in no-man's-land.

I hope this one ends up being good, as I really like what I'm seeing. It does look janky and awkward though, but maybe that's because you're playing as a...toy? You're not a real boy yet!

I think it's because a lot of these AA games today put a lot of resources into the pure visual art design and presentation so it looks fantastic, especially in static moments or images, but matching that with the animation and fluidity with gameplay are a whole different league. It's basically the gaming equivalent of "looks good from far, but is far from good."

I remember Alien Vs. Predator for 3DO or whatever looked amazing in EGM, like the best looking game I'd ever seen, but I never played it and it was reputedly a piece of shit. But I still remember those images!
 
Last edited:
That's fair, and I almost noted that Nioh was the exception as much for how it was different and its own thing from Souls than how it was alike. It's the pale imitations that are lost in no-man's-land.

Yeah. It also helps that Nioh has probably a better combat system than any From Soft game (what do you think about that by the way?). Team Ninja has always been great at action, and subpar at everything else :ganishka:

By the way, here's another AA Souls inspired game, though whether it's Souls-like or Souls-clone I'm not sure yet. Maybe you can tell:

1. Steelrising:


I'm not as enthusiastic about it as Lies of P, however. Or at all, maybe.

2. We also have Bleak Faith: Forsaken (shit title, I know). Here:


They just keep on coming. Amazing how one game from 2009 influenced countless others. Demon's Souls is truly legendary.

I think it's because a lot of these AA games today put a lot of resources into the pure visual art design and presentation so it looks fantastic, especially in static moments or images, but matching that with the animation and fluidity with gameplay are a whole different league. It's basically the gaming equivalent of "looks good from far, but is far from good."

There's also the problem of how they (Souls-clones specifically) misunderstand From Soft's design too often. As in, they do difficulty for difficulty's sake, which has never been what From Soft is about. Bosses just hit harder, and take more damage, for example. There's hardly any strategy involved in taking them on.

Among a shit ton of other problems.

I remember Alien Vs. Predator for 3DO or whatever looked amazing in EGM, like the best looking game I'd ever seen, but I never played it and it was reputedly a piece of shit. But I still remember those images!

By the way, another Alien game was announced and I was excited for a second at the possibility of an Isolation sequel...but it turned out to be another isometric game :judo:


At least it's from the team of A Plague Tale...EDIT: It's from the same publisher, not the same team, as Aaz pointed out.
 
Last edited:

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
It also helps that Nioh has probably a better combat system than any From Soft game (what do you think about that by the way?)

You didn't ask me but I disagree. Nioh had some good ideas but its combat got repetitive faster than any From Software game to me.

At least it's from the team of A Plague Tale...

It's not. Focus Entertainment is a publisher. Asobo Studio is the developer of A Plague Tale, and they're not involved in this.
 
You didn't ask me but I disagree. Nioh had some good ideas but its combat got repetitive faster than any From Software game to me.

I did like the different stances and techniques they had. But yeah, fair enough.

I will ask you this though: which FromSoft combat did you like the most?

It's not. Focus Entertainment is a publisher. Asobo Studio is the developer of A Plague Tale, and they're not involved in this.
Whoops. My bad. Thank you for the correction!
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I will ask you this though: which FromSoft combat did you like the most?

Hmm, hard to say. From a technical perspective, Sekiro's combat has to be the most refined. Executing it perfectly makes you feel like a million bucks. I can't say I did so well all the time though. :ganishka: For what I've enjoyed the most, I'm tempted to say the first Dark Souls, but I haven't played any of those games in many years so it's hard to distinguish between them in my memories. But I do like that "standard" From Soft formula, where you can mix and match between weapons, items and different styles of magic to create your own hybrid style. I thought Elden Ring was a good iteration on it.
 

Goat

Foolish king
I don't know how I feel about Lies of P. I've been waiting forever for a decent FromSoftware soulslike well-executed clone, but everything I tried (LoTF, The Surge, Mortal Shell) has always had that bootleg feel that always led me to drop the game after some hours.

Imho the Pinocchio game seems to be shining in the technical and aesthetic aspects (the amount of details on textures and models left me astonished, tbh), but the pure gameplay trailers (not the well crafted ones) leave me with a janky and poorly polished gameplay feeling. I'll look forward to it tho, it's interesting and deserves attention.
 
Funny, we were just talking about Nioh. Team Ninja released a gameplay trailer from their new game, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.


Ah, looks fun, but I really should know better by now, damn it! Both Niohs were a pain in the ass for me, and Ninja Gaiden before them. No studio can make me lose it and rage quite like Team Ninja :ganishka:
 
Top Bottom