What Are You Playing?

Nice. Thief I & II are great games, I love them. A cousin of mine gave them to me along with System Shock 2 and Deus Ex, all of them made me fall in love with the immersive sim genre back in 2001. I was also very young and scared shitless:ganishka:Every single one of them has excellent setting and immersive atmoshere, but of course I properly enjoyed, understood and appreciated them later on. Last time I played Thief I-III was 3 years ago, and I think that they hold up very well. The 3rd Thief is also good but very different in many aspects. I can't compare it with the first two, but it's fun. I haven't played the remake yet, but I think that opinions are mixed.
 
Over the past few weeks I started playing Bloodborne, pretty much after I finished Demon’s Souls.
I really like the different kind of play style, more aggressive, faster and the more consistent level of difficulty. My main critique point of DeS was probably that most bosses felt much weaker than normal enemies you encountered going through the levels and I think From did a better job equalizing that. Using a gun instead of having a shield is also more thrilling than constantly having your shield or guard up and hence adds to the atmosphere while exploring Yharnam. A bit more thrilling imo.
Yharnam itself looks great aesthetically and I like how the map is connected from all the different places. I know this is also the case in Dark Souls but I haven’t played those games so it’s a welcomed update over DeS for me. Visually I also quite like their character and monster design. Even the normal inhabitants of Yharnam with their elongated limbs and torn clothing fit very well in the world.
I’m often chatting with a friend who already played the game about the story and it’s quite fun to connect how the blood, the church, the cosmos and the great ones are connected and why a character might have done this or that. I think overall there might be more to the story and its secrets than DeS but that might also be because the game is a bit longer (unless it only feels that way).
Weapons, especially because the transform mechanic, feel a lot more different in how you can play them, too. Because of that I’m willing to test way more weapons and vary my battle experience.
I wish the audio and controller feedback would be as good as in the DeS remake because that simply lifted the experience on another level for me. Apart from that I don’t have any issues with the game so far, though. I beat all optional bosses and am currently trying Ludwig before continuing with the main story where I am right before the boss in nightmare of mensis from what it looks like.

Yeaterday I also started playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission. For those who’re not yet able to play it I’m keeping it spoiler free. But I’m not very far yet anyway.
You start with Yuffie on her way into sector 7 and have a few short battles. Since it’s been pretty much over a year since I last played the game, I now totally suck at fighting. When fighting against Ramuh in the battle simulator I had no chance at all, I guess I have to play the game without getting his materia :ganishka:.
The only side mission I’ve done yet was similar to the “find all cats for Betty (?)” but at least had some nods to the original game. The newly introduced Fort Condor mini game is an improvement is definitely an improvement over the one in the original, though. It still has the placement of different figures with advantages over each other element of it but in an updated way where they implemented some of the fighting elements like the ATB bar into it.
They also improved aerial combat which was lacking in the main game, imo. Yuffie can stay up in the air while fighting (until she gets hit) and also throw her weapon so it’s not an issue anymore.
From the start, I was one of the few FFVII fans who never wanted a remake. First of all, remakes rarely ever top the original or come close. Upgraded visuals and faster gameplay aren't the point. FFVII wasn't the best-looking game on PS1 even for its time, but the stylized character models actually sell the goofier moments of the game. Secondly, Square aren't the same animal that they were back in 1997. They haven't made a truly great FF game for 15 years, and the FFVII Compilation proved they didn't really "get" what made the game so legendary.

Obviously that opinion was totally justified as Nomura's turning FFVII into a wacky, wild Kingdom Hearts ride!
 
EVE Online
This is an MMO-RPG that just recently passed the 18-year mark since its release. It's set on a galaxy with around 10 thousand explorable systems. Each system has a star (no binaries unfortunately!), planets, moons, stations, etc. You can't set foot in any of those, you play entirely in your own ship.

That said, the game is a extremely big sandbox experience where you can do whatever you want. This creates a really intense player v player experience as you can scam people, hunt them, gank them, wage wars, set traps up, fleet up (thousands of players have played in the same battle), fight one on one, take advantage of new players, mine ore, manufacture ships (every ship you use has been created by another player!), get resources out of moons, among many others. Probably there are at least a few dozen main activities and hundreds of more niche ones.

The game features decent graphics (it's been improved over all these years), simple atmospheric music, up to 600-700 ships for you to use, and lots and lots of customization. I'd known about this game for several years now, but I was waiting on finishing up some things on my live first, because I knew for a fact that it would suck me in hard. The game is not easy to get into, there are some recent youtube tutorials that are pretty good: they show how to survive, how to have fun and how to do the most simple activities without getting killed all the time. Once you get into an activity you will have hundreds of hours ahead of you to hone your skills, to get in game money and to obviously have fun.

The game features two kinds of accounts: alpha and omega. An alpha account gives you access to all systems, but it limits how many ships you can access and how far can you get into an activity. Out of the 700 ships, you can access around a 100 that are the starter ships. Out of the activities, you get access to 60-70% of them. In the ones that you do get access to, you will be able to do the activity fully, but you will reach a point where you'll notice that you have a disadvantage (this can happens after several dozens of hours of gameplay).

As an example, there is an activity that is called Exploration. In this activity you look for wormholes and anomalies around systems, which can give you access to special sites where you can hack containers (a mini game) and get high value loot. As an alpha account, you will only get access to starter ships so you won't be able to cloak (a nice skill to have in this activity) and you scanning ability will be low to medium. I've played for a long time this, but I've come across sites that I can't access (I need higher skills) and not being cloaked makes you a target as people will notice by the type of your ship what activity you're doing. If you really like the game and you're eager to go further with several activities, the natural step will be to go omega.

You can play solo, in small gangs (3-5 players) or in a corporation (guild) of hundreds to thousands of players. As a beginner there are several roles that you can fulfill. This, as you work your way up skills, in game money and learn the ins and outs of the game.

So, I've really liked this game, I've spend several hours watching tutorials, reading wikis and guides (there are plenty for each activity), but it has not been a turn off for me. Some people could find it tedious, but once you get the hang of it, the game is really fun.
 
From the start, I was one of the few FFVII fans who never wanted a remake
I experienced the remake before playing the original so it was a different experience for me. I noticed during the shinra hq raid that the game suddenly felt totally different and in retrospect with the original I’m sure most people don’t appreciate those changes very much. Nevertheless, I think it was a great game, some added things were actually good and playing it was fun throughout, at least for me.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Bloodborne II (Dark Souls 3) - So, my past attempts to do a Bloodborne-style Hunter build in DS3 had all failed, and I really haven't even been able to play and enjoy DS3 since I played the pure glory that is Bloodborne and realized DS3 is relatively the equivalent of Dark Souls 2. Once I even tried some mods that basically import the Hunter armor, weapons and moveset, but that's inevitably going to glitch up, get you banned online or just plain break the difficulty because the enemies aren't balanced or equipped for that. Better to find a way within the game as is.

This time I found the right formula: NG (plusses are either boring because you're OP or hard to learn new skills on because enemies are OP too), knight class for high starting vit and fast rolling, Leonhard armor for hunter fashion souls, and brigand twindaggers for authentic blades of mercy style 2 hand transformation and the quickstep weapon art so you really move like a Hunter in every way (having the dodge step and roll on different buttons is actually a cool option once you're used to it). I also have the pontiff ring for HP absorption, another reason the dagger is important (I was basically invulnerable during the Deacons of the Deep fight), and anything to lower carry weight and aid endurance recovery. Less important but also cool is magic weapon to simulate arcane or carthus flame (not as authentic looking but fire is definitely in line with BB and it also benefits from requiring no additional weight for casting). Dark Weapon cast off a bell talisman might be the closest to arcane weapon casting, but also requires 25 faith as opposed to the 10 intelligence I already have, so maybe I'll respec to that for the end game when I finalize my offhand weapon as well; currently using a standard light crossbow, but whichever I end up settling on I'll need to supply it with more powerful or explosive ammo to function like a gun (the cooler, more gun-like crossbows are unfortunately also very heavy, save for the knight model).

Anyway, playing it like this really does make it feel as close to being Bloodborne II as can be without mods, with the equivalent of sensible changes for a sequel. Obviously it's very limited though since you're pretty much stuck with the daggers if you want the authentic speed, moveset and HP recovery (oh and the quickstep require FP for i-frames, which sucks, but is manageable). I'm finding it pretty fun and engaging to play this way, especially now that my VIT and DEX are where I need them and I can begin pumping points into health and stamina and really fuck dudes up. The strong two hand attack on those daggers can continually stunlock most enemies as long as you can keep hitting it, and otherwise there's so many more options for quick attack combos and movement with the quickstep and single and double attacks (much better than R1 spamming a straight sword once you get used to it). I'm really enjoying it, even though it also highlights just how much of a better game Bloodborne is.
 
Still playing Zelda Breath of the Wild. This game is something else, I could say it's even little bit revolutionary when it comes to action adventure games. I'm currently at the volcano trying to gain control over that huge lizard beast, I've finished work with three other beasts. After this one I'll look for more side quests and fun locations. Can't wait for the sequel.
 

guuuuuuuuts

Excited for the next chapter!
Playing Ghost of Tsushima on lethal. It is a great Samurai game. Love that cutting down enemies can cause other enemies to falter or run away. Standoffs (basically timing when to strike in a duel) are exhilarating against multiple people. Feels like the scene in Tombstone where Wyatt Earp slaps a card cheat in the face and says, "Draw that pistol and see what happens." The progression of attack skills is excellent, probably the best I've ever encountered. The haiku writing in the game is actually quite good and inspiring in various rhythmic structures... just wish Lord Sakai was better at climbing down ladders, lol.
 
I just fully completed SOTN for the first time at 200.3% (I can't be bothered with looking for the last room). It was a very good game, however it was very easy especially after you buy the Diamond plate armour. It was so easy, in-fact, that I was receiving 1hp damage when I had over 300hp during a boss mid-way through the game. Still, it was a very fun game and I haven't had that much fun in quite a while (and I haven't found much entertainment in anything recently), regardless of nearly every area being comprised of long corridors.

I also completed Rondo of Blood. That fight with multiple bosses took me quite a while, but it felt good finally beating that bastard of a sorcerer. This game is absolutely amazing and is close to Castlevania platforming perfection. I'm not sure if I prefer it over 4, but I do love it. Being close to death is exhilarating, especially in the last fight with Dracula where I had one hit left and was able to get that final whip in. I also had to replay it as Maria, who is much faster than Richter.
Utter bliss
 
I just fully completed SOTN for the first time at 200.3% (I can't be bothered with looking for the last room). It was a very good game, however it was very easy especially after you buy the Diamond plate armour. It was so easy, in-fact, that I was receiving 1hp damage when I had over 300hp during a boss mid-way through the game. Still, it was a very fun game and I haven't had that much fun in quite a while (and I haven't found much entertainment in anything recently), regardless of nearly every area being comprised of long corridors.

I also completed Rondo of Blood. That fight with multiple bosses took me quite a while, but it felt good finally beating that bastard of a sorcerer. This game is absolutely amazing and is close to Castlevania platforming perfection. I'm not sure if I prefer it over 4, but I do love it. Being close to death is exhilarating, especially in the last fight with Dracula where I had one hit left and was able to get that final whip in. I also had to replay it as Maria, who is much faster than Richter.
Utter bliss
Have you tried The 'Lords of shadow' series? It's quite entertaining due to tons of mini-games and events that occur on specific locations. The visual part is also very fitting to the Castlevania universe. Though the story is quite from the original games, it does it in a good way, adding to the atmosphere with Patrick Stewart's narrative.
 
I finished playing the FF7R DLC "Intermission". Like last time, I'll keep most things spoiler-free.
The fighting continued to be very fun. Fighting with Sonon (Yuffie's companion, introduced with the DLC) is fun and although you can't control him directly there are a few ways to interact with him. "Synergizing" (basically using the same attacks on the same enemy) sometimes was too overpowered, though, at least against smaller fry. I'd love to see some variant of this combo fighting in FF7R Part 2 with our main characters, I think it was an improvement to the ATB ability + materia fighting system. Might be a bit hard to implement if they consider all the different team combinations, though.
The DLC had a Yuffie-personalized "smack the box" minigame which considered her fighting style of switching between physical and magic attacks. An improvement over the one with Cloud imo. Under the time pressure of it, though, it showed some weaknesses of Yuffie's combat style but I think these were limited to that mini game and possible to compensate if I would've used "lock on" more (I really didn't notice these faults in regular fights). Getting the highscore was extremely difficult which made me google a solution but even then it took me several attempts before reaching it with about 1 second left. A bit too much for my opinion, especially for the normal difficulty level. But then again there were some minigames in the Gold Saucer in the original which I didn't get close to beating, too. The laser tag game comes to mind especially... :farnese:
One thing I forgot from last time: Some of the characters introduced (e.g. Zhije or Nayo, both part of the main/original Avalanche group), didn't fit in aesthetically at all, not with the normal people of the slums and not with the original cast. One even had a weird name (was it Billy Bobby? Can't remember. But it reminded me of this so I had to laugh when he introduced himself).
Yuffie on the other hand was very well portrayed. From her character model filled with all the details from the original and its artwork to her personality traits. She felt like the stubborn, clumsy, straightforward teenage girl we know her as. If only Square Enix would realize they portray the original things from back then very well but have a hard time thinking of something new so that they'd stick to it... :iva:
Overall I enjoyed the DLC, I think 20€ was a bit too much for its length, 10-15€ would've been enough.
Now a bit more information:
In the later part of the game, you get to fight Scarlet who's inside one of her big robots. Was a nice nod back to the original and a nice fight. The last fight was against Nero, a character of Vincent's PS2 spin-off game. A bit weird to include him and his brother Weiß only as the last boss (Nero in the story, Weiß as an enemy you can fight in the battle simulator) when they don't appear before and not in the original either. I had to google them. One thing that was cool, though: there was a scene where Yuffie gets out of a room in Shinra's HQ, only to see corpses of soldiers lying around. It reminded me a lot of the Sephiroth scene they cut out in the remake. It wasn't executed as well, though, because previously the viewer (but not Yuffie) sees Nero and his powers so there's not as much mystery for yourself as the player compared to the original.
After beating Nero, Sonon dies as he sacrifices himself for Yuffie. It was pretty obvious he'd die by the end of the game (addition only for the DLC, not fully playable, his sister died sacrificing herself, he gives his life in battle when Yuffie dies to revive her, probably more things) so I never attached to him in the first place. He seemed cool, though but that's about it.
After the credits, there's a scene with Cloud's group and we even get our first glimpse of Kalm (and a hint of the Chocobo farm). Surprisingly it looks similar in size as the orignal, I hope this means they'll try to fit more into the game and don't want to split it into 5+ parts.
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Now for the part where they diverge from the original as that was pretty big of the discussion for the main game, as well. First, Yuffie's father seems to be imprisoned because a new goverment took over Wutai. I remember him chilling in his house (and later in the dojo), not in a prison. It'd also be too early for Don Corneo to possibly take over Wutai (I might be giving SE some weird ideas here) as Yuffie gets that information before the plate drops on to sector 7. Maybe I'm forgetting something regarding him, though.
Then, there's Zack. After the credits you see him knocking on Aerith's church, only to find refugees of sector 7 in there. I now wouldn't be surprised if he'd be a playable character in FF7R Part 2, searching for Aerith and eventually meeting the whole group. Sure, there's this different-dog-logo that was shown in the scene of the main game with him that might indicate he's only alive in a parallel universe or so but they wouldn't show him so much if they hadn't any plans for him.
 
Monster Hunter Rise: This was pretty much the reason I got a Switch in the first place. I played this almost non-stop not long after it came out, and like its predecessor, World, it's a black hole that you just...can't...PUT DOWN! The wirebugs are a great addition; the new combat capabilities they bring to the table are fun and they make moving around the world a blast, particularly since you can wall-run on just about every surface. Feels a bit like a waste though, since the environments are so small and bland-looking; they'd work better in a proper open world game, or a 3D platformer made in a similar vein to the PS2-era Prince of Persia games. But I'd say the best thing about Rise is the lack of Clutch Claw; that damn thing just dragged all combat in World down ever since Ieborne was released.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: I was on the fence over which version I should get: PS4, PC, or Switch. I ultimately went with the Switch since I figured the option to play it on the go would be nice to have, plus I need more games on it besides Monster Hunter. That and I figure if I really want it on PC, I'll be able to get it really cheap on a Steam sale. But I digress. I played a little bit of Nocturne just to see how it worked. Played just how I remembered it. The upscaled graphics look great and don't feel dated at all, which just goes to show how stylized visuals will always trump realism, even if they use fewer ploygons and lower-rez textures. The voices that were added in though...I hate them. They wreck the game's atmosphere, they make tense or scary moments feel cartoony and silly, and they just off overall. I don't know why the voice acting is getting so much praise. Thankfully, the game lets you switch to the generally better Japanese audio, or just mute it entirely, which is what I did. I really don't know why every major release HAS to have voice acting now. It's just another thing bloating video game budgets. Meanwhile, Atlus didn't bother touching up on the pre-rendered cutscenes, which appear to playing at the same resolution as they did nearly 15 years ago, meaning they look like blurry pixelated messes. I would have preferred Atlus put all the resources they spent on the unnecessary voice acting into updating the cutscenes, even if it means they had to animate them from scratch. What a fucking waste.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: I've had this game for years, but just couldn't find the time to play it. Maybe because I was a bit intimidated by it. Parrying was never something I was good at in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, so a game based entirely around that mechanic didn't sound appealing to me at all. Now, deflecting is definitely easier to pull off in Sekiro than it is in those games, but it's still not something that comes naturally to me, and I still have to fight what my instincts from FromSoftware's previous games taught me. Worse, it feels much more unforgiving, like you need to do everything perfectly; deflect every attack, counter every perilous move properly, and attack at the right time, because if you screw up just once, you'll lose most or all of the posture damage you inflicted on the boss and will have to start over again. The new mobility is fun though; there's a lot more to explore, and I do enjoy the scrappy playstyle you need to hone to pick all the enemies off one by one, though the bare bones AI makes it feel really primitive as a stealth game. Sekiro's an alright game so far, and I'm but I'm not falling in love with it like I did with Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, and I don't know if I'll replay it immediately once I'm done with it. Which will only make replays much more difficult to get into as well, considering how reliant on muscle memory it is.
 
Have you tried The 'Lords of shadow' series? It's quite entertaining due to tons of mini-games and events that occur on specific locations. The visual part is also very fitting to the Castlevania universe. Though the story is quite from the original games, it does it in a good way, adding to the atmosphere with Patrick Stewart's narrative.
I actually didn't play any games of that series. I remember when the first one came out I was glued to Halo Reach. Reach was the only game I played probably for a whole year. I remember the infection custom games, which were the best (especially Fat Kid) because of how exhilarating they were. There is no feeling that can come close to being last man standing, which (from my experience) hasn't been replicated in a single other multiplayer game. Good times, especially with a mate on the other side of the couch.

That was a bit off topic :carcus:

However, I did remember the first Lords of Shadow game looking like a strange GOW at the time. I might have to give it a go, just to hear what the lines of Patrick Stewart are.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Have you tried The 'Lords of shadow' series? It's quite entertaining due to tons of mini-games and events that occur on specific locations. The visual part is also very fitting to the Castlevania universe. Though the story is quite from the original games, it does it in a good way, adding to the atmosphere with Patrick Stewart's narrative.

Lords of Shadow is basically an unrelated game that got the Castlevania name slapped on to it when it was 90% finished. It's alright as a 3D action game inspired by the blockbusters of that era, but it didn't leave much of a memory to me. Never played the sequel. I did play the 3DS game however, which I found enjoyable even though it's also tenuously connected to the main series.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: I've had this game for years, but just couldn't find the time to play it. Maybe because I was a bit intimidated by it. Parrying was never something I was good at in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, so a game based entirely around that mechanic didn't sound appealing to me at all. Now, deflecting is definitely easier to pull off in Sekiro than it is in those games, but it's still not something that comes naturally to me, and I still have to fight what my instincts from FromSoftware's previous games taught me. Worse, it feels much more unforgiving, like you need to do everything perfectly; deflect every attack, counter every perilous move properly, and attack at the right time, because if you screw up just once, you'll lose most or all of the posture damage you inflicted on the boss and will have to start over again. The new mobility is fun though; there's a lot more to explore, and I do enjoy the scrappy playstyle you need to hone to pick all the enemies off one by one, though the bare bones AI makes it feel really primitive as a stealth game. Sekiro's an alright game so far, and I'm but I'm not falling in love with it like I did with Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, and I don't know if I'll replay it immediately once I'm done with it. Which will only make replays much more difficult to get into as well, considering how reliant on muscle memory it is.

I find you a little harsh here. There's a few tough bosses but that's par for the course, and most of the time you've got options on how to get through any situation, you don't always have to deflect everything. As for the sneaking mechanics, they're pretty straightforward but they don't seem any less advanced than in a MGS game or Naughty Dog game to me.

Overall I like Sekiro's gameplay better than that of Bloodborne personally (didn't like the gun mechanics). I feel it's the successful continuation of From Software's journey towards more dynamic fights and I hope they don't step back from it too much with Elden Ring.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
My experience with Sekiro largely mirrored Jong's, though I did play a significant amount of NG+ while I was still in proper form before my interest faded (I think I peaced out once I got back to the infamous Owl Father fight =). Bloodborne and Sekiro were both emphasizing specific aspects, or builds if you prefer, of Souls combat: fast rolling speed and aggression in BB's case, and movement and sword technique in Sekiro. This is symbolized by the number of weapons being successively reduced in each, until finally having only one primary weapon in Sekiro.

I much preferred Bloodborne's style, even the gun parrying is my favorite iteration of the technique, which I otherwise stink at, and it's since become my preferred way to play Souls in general; once you learn to put down the shield you can never go back (as one load screen in MK11 facetiously says: blocking will get you nowhere =). I'm not completely sure why Sekiro never clicked for me in quite the same way, but I'll probably give it another try one of these days since I can appreciate how they were sort of trying to perfect Souls-style close combat technique with it.

Like Aaz I'm curious if Elden Ring will similarly be a more specifically focused combat experience like those two, or more generalized like Dark Souls. My guess from what we've heard is perhaps the latter, though there's nothing stopping them from keeping the weapons more specialized and adding all those new wrinkles from Bloodborne and Sekiro (such as the more dynamic movement and stealth mechanics, which seem to be there). That's another reason to make it something new instead of Dark Souls 4 (if you're already familiar with Bloodborne then DS3 feels like it at half speed with training wheels put on), in which everything is ironically kind of limited by the generalized variety of approaches; you can get more out of your AI when the enemies are designed specifically to counter exactly what you're doing instead of just doing their own general attack, basically.
 
I find you a little harsh here.
Perhaps I was, likely as a result of teething pains. I was dreading the fight against Genichiro after hearing so many horror stories about him, and was concerned this was going to be a frustrating experience, but it seems I was able to beat him. And then kill a few minibosses and go through the entirety of Senpou Temple without dying, which has been a major confidence boost for me. It still feels like you need to be perfect, but at least I'm getting better at being perfect, so...yay :serpico:. It helps that the story is also opening up and becoming more than just a case of "The Divine Heir has been kidnapped by dudes! Are you a bad enough ninja to rescue the Divine Heir?"

Maybe I won't be so eager to put it down the moment I finish it after all.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I was dreading the fight against Genichiro after hearing so many horror stories about him, and was concerned this was going to be a frustrating experience, but it seems I was able to beat him.

Haha, there's much more challenging bosses (at least in my experience) waiting up ahead. :slan:

It still feels like you need to be perfect, but at least I'm getting better at being perfect, so...yay :serpico:.

Yeah it's quite a pleasure when you're in the flow and just completely outclass the enemies!
 
I continued playing Bloodborne now that I'm finished with FF7RI.
I tried my best again against Ludwig and while I figured out some weaknesses of him, my damage still is extremely low and I only barely got him to about 50% health. He's way too aggressive, can't be parried with the pistol and his attacks don't allow me to be too aggressive, too. So I asked my roommate (who started playing when I had about 1 or 2 bosses less beaten and finished the game 4 times already) if I'm safe to do more stuff in the main game without risking to e.g. not being able to continue the DLC.
So I went to the Nightmare of Mensis to encounter Micolash for the first time. I think the fight was very... creative? Creative but fun. But also too easy imo, he's not really fighting back or anything and I only died once because of stupidity. Maybe they didn't make him too hard for people that get lost during that fight?
What he said during the fight and especially when he was dying was very interesting, though: "Oh [no]... Now I'll wake up. I'll forget everything". Did he know his body in Yahar'gul village rotted away already? If not, good luck Mico. All your followers were even more stupid than you were because the town was full of those dead people with cages around their heads. I mean did nobody think of keeping anyone awake or feed them? Maybe those got victims of the hunt, though. Anyway, if he knew about his deceased body, why'd he only forget about it? And wouldn't that kinda defeat the purpose of his whole dream to gain insight about the Great Ones? I mean he somehow got the Brain of Mensis inside his dream but even if he studied it there, he couldn't share that wisdom with anyone outside but his followers who were also there with him. And the insight I gained during his Nightmare level isn't lost either when I exit it or die inside. Unless he'd only forget when getting killed and he would've been able to get the information outside if he woke up normally. Is there a theory about why they're using the cage helmets btw? I'm always a bit afraid of googling things when I'm not finished with a piece of media but if they want to make contact (no pun intended) with the Great Ones and those would somehow be sending signals, wouldn't there be a chance those signals would be blocked by their mini Faraday cage version? In general, I think it's fair to say he was a bit stupid :casca:
I also killed the prostitute's baby (and the prostitute by accident, too, I must've misjudged my hitbox :???:). Now there's only the person in red and the nun left in the chapel. It's not looking good for the next day.
Probably didn't mention this during my Demon's Souls/Bloodborne comparison somewhere in the thread but I like how I question so many more things about the story than I did with DeS. Maybe because there's just more substance to it (although https://lokeysouls.com/ might disagree), maybe because the setting, the story and the characters are a bit more interesting to me, not sure. But I really like Bloodborne so far and I guess the little bit that's left will be great, too.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
So I went to the Nightmare of Mensis to encounter Micolash for the first time. I think the fight was very... creative? Creative but fun. But also too easy imo, he's not really fighting back or anything and I only died once because of stupidity. Maybe they didn't make him too hard for people that get lost during that fight?
What he said during the fight and especially when he was dying was very interesting, though: "Oh [no]... Now I'll wake up. I'll forget everything". Did he know his body in Yahar'gul village rotted away already? If not, good luck Mico. All your followers were even more stupid than you were because the town was full of those dead people with cages around their heads. I mean did nobody think of keeping anyone awake or feed them? Maybe those got victims of the hunt, though. Anyway, if he knew about his deceased body, why'd he only forget about it? And wouldn't that kinda defeat the purpose of his whole dream to gain insight about the Great Ones? I mean he somehow got the Brain of Mensis inside his dream but even if he studied it there, he couldn't share that wisdom with anyone outside but his followers who were also there with him. And the insight I gained during his Nightmare level isn't lost either when I exit it or die inside. Unless he'd only forget when getting killed and he would've been able to get the information outside if he woke up normally. Is there a theory about why they're using the cage helmets btw? I'm always a bit afraid of googling things when I'm not finished with a piece of media but if they want to make contact (no pun intended) with the Great Ones and those would somehow be sending signals, wouldn't there be a chance those signals would be blocked by their mini Faraday cage version? In general, I think it's fair to say he was a bit stupid :casca:

He just stayed in the dream much, much longer than he thought. It's not that complicated.
 
So I've been making some questionable gaming decisions lately, thanks in part to the current drought in releases and also to this year's E3, which was easily the worst of all time. I say questionable because these are games that up to even a couple of months ago, I never conceived I'd actually buy, much less enjoy.

Mortal Kombat 11 - I hate fighting games (with exceptions), so it came as a surprise that I craved playing this one. I finally caved in and bought it. 71 hours in so far and I'm currently breezing through Klassic Towers on very hard with Scorpion. Haven't tried online mode yet. Probably will get my butt kicked, so I'm not looking forward to that. Story mode was diarrhea. Love the guest characters (Spawn especially). Probably my favorite MK to date.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - I can't believe I'm even writing this. I was 8 back when I last played a Crash game back in 99, and I haven't touched this series since. Even skipped the N.Sane trilogy remake. But I found this on sale and was really bored so I went with it. This game is nuts, even when played casually. The time trial modes are torture. I don't know how I used to play these easily as a kid (or maybe my memory is wrong here). Still got quite a bit to go before the conclusion, but I'm taking it slow.

Alien: Isolation - I avoid adaptations like the plague as a general rule, but I heard great things about this one over the years and found it on sale for a very low price. It lived up to the reputation. Really enjoyed it. The trial and error nature of it was excessive though, and it kind of dragged near the end. But it was great overall. I haven't been this immersed in a while.

A Plague Tale: Innocence - I normally stay away from AA and Indie titles. This one was great, however. The atmosphere and the medieval aesthetic were top-notch. I played the whole thing with French audio, for full immersion. Finished the whole thing in one sitting and was left wanting more. Good thing, then, that a sequel was announced this E3 (one of the dreadfully few good things about that event). Really enjoyable experience, and I got to learn some French on top (more than what I learned in all the years I lived in Canada :ganishka:). Hope the sequel arrives soon so we can see what happens next to Amicia and Hugo.

The Talos Principle - I hate philosophy, which for me (for the most part) is little more than unnecessary rambling by folks who have nothing better to do with their lives. So I was hesitant to pick up a game with a heavily philosophical storyline. It didn't disappoint though. It was stellar as a puzzle game, with 120 puzzles ranging from straightforward to devilishly clever. Felt quite accomplished completing it. The soundtrack was a pleasant surprise too.

So yeah, I think I've lost my mind. Never thought I'd play any of these one day. Hope devs get their shit together and deliver some decent releases soon. But given what I saw this E3, this industry is creatively bankrupt, so I'm not holding my breath...
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I continued playing Bloodborne now that I'm finished with FF7RI.
I tried my best again against Ludwig and while I figured out some weaknesses of him, my damage still is extremely low and I only barely got him to about 50% health. He's way too aggressive, can't be parried with the pistol and his attacks don't allow me to be too aggressive, too. So I asked my roommate (who started playing when I had about 1 or 2 bosses less beaten and finished the game 4 times already) if I'm safe to do more stuff in the main game without risking to e.g. not being able to continue the DLC.
So I went to the Nightmare of Mensis to encounter Micolash for the first time. I think the fight was very... creative? Creative but fun. But also too easy imo, he's not really fighting back or anything and I only died once because of stupidity. Maybe they didn't make him too hard for people that get lost during that fight?

He's a lot trickier on the NG Plusses when his spells can one-shot you if you overlook him. For that reason I usually poison him and forgoe the final encounter.

With Ludwig, on the other hand, there's no such workaround, but if you're aggressive there's a quick kill method by going after his limbs and you can even critical/visceral him to death quickly in his second form too (I'd use an untricked saw weapon for this). He's intimidating but you gotta charge in and go HAM on him or he'll just have you cowed, no pun intended.

You also have quite a bit left, especially of the DLC, but depending on how many optional bosses you've fought the main game may still have plenty to offer too. There's really isn't a point of no return unless you beat the last boss and let the credits roll. Oh yeah, if you haven't already be sure to do the Chalice Dungeons too, plenty of unique enemies and bosses in there, including a final one of its own. Plus, the secret or cut content enemies and bosses you can access online. There's no end to this dream.

Mortal Kombat 11 - I hate fighting games (with exceptions), so it came as a surprise that I craved playing this one. I finally caved in and bought it. 71 hours in so far and I'm currently breezing through Klassic Towers on very hard with Scorpion. Haven't tried online mode yet. Probably will get my butt kicked, so I'm not looking forward to that. Story mode was diarrhea. Love the guest characters (Spawn especially). Probably my favorite MK to date.

Same, this game got me back into fighters, but unlike most of them it's got enough true gameplay variety and depth where you can just enjoy it casually and superficially or really learn how to defend and dial in those combos to win consistently online.

Alien: Isolation - I avoid adaptations like the plague as a general rule, but I heard great things about this one over the years and found it on sale for a very low price. It lived up to the reputation. Really enjoyed it. The trial and error nature of it was excessive though, and it kind of dragged near the end. But it was great overall. I haven't been this immersed in a while.

Yeah, it's kind of amazing something like this exists, because for a major franchise it's ultimately pretty stressful and daunting, even moreso if you know what you're getting into, BUT it's therefore rewarding as well. Try it in VR if you have the equipment and patience to set it up.

A Plague Tale: Innocence - I normally stay away from AA and Indie titles. This one was great, however. The atmosphere and the medieval aesthetic were top-notch. I played the whole thing with French audio, for full immersion. Finished the whole thing in one sitting and was left wanting more.

I've been curious about this one a while because if the aesthetic you mention, but never took the plunge. Sounds like I won't be disappointed if I do.

So yeah, I think I've lost my mind. Never thought I'd play any of these one day. Hope devs get their shit together and deliver some decent releases soon. But given what I saw this E3, this industry is creatively bankrupt, so I'm not holding my breath...

Sadly, despite this, or in part because of it, I'm still desperate to get a PS5 to play a remake of a 12 year old PS3 game because it's all that's out there that I'm interested in. On the other hand, if it comes out for PC, PS4, PS Now, or I just get over it and replay it on PS3, I may never get a PS5! It certainly wouldn't be to play FF7R v1.1.
 
Same, this game got me back into fighters, but unlike most of them it's got enough true gameplay variety and depth where you can just enjoy it casually and superficially or really learn how to defend and dial in those combos to win consistently online.

Yeah, I would never have thought I’d put so many hours into an MK game. I was already several dozen hours in before I discovered I could assign new moves to Scorpion. So far that’s the only character I can confidently use, and I did have some coaching from a friend too. I’m thinking of learning Spawn next. Or maybe Liu Kang. Sub-Zero would have been my second choice but I’m hearing from some Sub-Zero players that he kinda sucks in this game.

By the way, this game is kinda weird for rewarding the player for getting his ass kicked. I’m talking about the death blows, which aren’t earned by combos or whatever, but by getting beaten up. It’s hilarious. Weird design decision if you ask me, but at least it will give scrubs like me a chance online. Guess that was the purpose of it.

I was disappointed this entry didn’t have tag-team like MK9 did. Seems like a downgrade and I don’t get why they would remove such a feature. Hope they patch it in someday, but I doubt that’s gonna happen.

Yeah, it's kind of amazing something like this exists, because for a major franchise it's ultimately pretty stressful and daunting, even moreso if you know what you're getting into, BUT it's therefore rewarding as well. Try it in VR if you have the equipment and patience to set it up.

Don’t have a VR set unfortunately, but I can see how Alien totally fits that experience. I was already impressed a game from 2014 implemented the playstation camera with the head tracking and the noise you make IRL translating into the game.

If I do get a VR set one day, this will be among the first tries for sure, along with RE7/8. Hope it gets a PS5 upgrade with smoother frame-rates and resolution by then.

I've been curious about this one a while because if the aesthetic you mention, but never took the plunge. Sounds like I won't be disappointed if I do.

Take the plunge! It’s already available for free in PS+ for this month (just my luck, they do that after I’ve beaten it). This game was a nice reminder that you don’t always need blockbuster production and a bloated open-world with a million things to do to have a successful game.

My only problem with it was that, like Alien, it has a trial and error aspect to its design. Especially at the final boss, which I don’t think is possible to beat in your first try (if you do, you deserve a fucking medal). Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and I think you will too.

Sadly, despite this, or in part because of it, I'm still desperate to get a PS5 to play a remake of a 12 year old PS3 game because it's all that's out there that I'm interested in. On the other hand, if it comes out for PC, PS4, PS Now, or I just get over it and replay it on PS3, I may never get a PS5! It certainly wouldn't be to play FF7R v1.1.

This console came out too damn early if you ask me. The only things I’ve played on it so far aside from Demon’s Souls and Ratchet and Clank are either old games I missed, or games I’m replaying (currently preparing for another RE2make run). It’s quite a pathetic start to a generation and E3 this year didn’t help with the lack of announcements. I mean, I’m looking forward to next month for the PS5 upgrade to Ghost of Tsushima for crying out loud! To me, there’s nothing to look forward to until Elden Ring next year…

So far I’ve seen nothing that couldn’t have been possible to play in the PS4 (except Demon’s and that’s only in the graphical/performance departments). Truly a dreadful start to a console generation if I’ve ever seen one.

Basically, you’re not really missing much…
 
I continued playing Bloodborne now that I'm finished with FF7RI.
I tried my best again against Ludwig and while I figured out some weaknesses of him, my damage still is extremely low and I only barely got him to about 50% health. He's way too aggressive, can't be parried with the pistol and his attacks don't allow me to be too aggressive, too. So I asked my roommate (who started playing when I had about 1 or 2 bosses less beaten and finished the game 4 times already) if I'm safe to do more stuff in the main game without risking to e.g. not being able to continue the DLC.
The design behind Micolash's fight appears to have been a result of repurposing him from a scrapped idea that involved chasing him all over Yharnam.

Anyway, if you can kill Micolash, then you should be at a high enough level to kill Ludwig. He's just...a very difficult fight. It's hard to put down a winning strategy against him because he has so many attacks that cover all his bases and leave him with few weaknesses to exploit, so all you can do is just learn how to read and counter them properly. He's very much like an exam for everything you've learned in Bloodborne.
  • Try dodging through his various claw-swipe attacks, not away from them. Use the opportunity to get close to his body (or stay close to it), and get some hits in while he's executing the attack and recovering from it.
  • Don't linger on his ass for long. He will buck you.
  • If he does his biting attack, keep your distance and stay away from him. He moves so erratically doing this that getting near him is a huge risk. If he does it while you're at his flank, feel free to charge in, but don't bother if you're in front of him. If you're close while he does it, try to dodge to his side, which will allow you to attack his flank.
  • Get the hell away from him if you notice he's doing his whole stomping tantrum.
  • When he does his charge attack, dodge to the left (as in your left). The hitbox is smaller there.
  • If he does his long jump attack, just sprint and keep on sprinting in as straight a line as you can. Alternatively, count five seconds and roll. Either should help you avoid him when he pounces
  • If he does any of his spit attacks, don't just wait for him to finish the attack, use that as an opportunity to run up and get some more hits in; dodge into the liquid blast if you must. The damage is negligible and you should hopefully heal it from the rallies.

I also killed the prostitute's baby (and the prostitute by accident, too, I must've misjudged my hitbox :???:). Now there's only the person in red and the nun left in the chapel. It's not looking good for the next day.
Arianna always dies with her child. No way to avoid it :sad:.

Sadly, despite this, or in part because of it, I'm still desperate to get a PS5 to play a remake of a 12 year old PS3 game because it's all that's out there that I'm interested in. On the other hand, if it comes out for PC, PS4, PS Now, or I just get over it and replay it on PS3, I may never get a PS5! It certainly wouldn't be to play FF7R v1.1.
I have no plans to get a PS5 anytime soon. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and hope Demon's Souls and Bloodborne eventually see a PC release. I mean, if Horizon: Zero Dawn not only went to PC, but went DRM-free on freaking GOG, anything's possible...right?
 
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He just stayed in the dream much, much longer than he thought. It's not that complicated.
I just think he should've prepared for that scenario.

A Plague Tale: Innocence - [...] This one was great [...]. The atmosphere and the medieval aesthetic were top-notch.
This is the next game I'll be playing, it looked very interesting, is currently free via PS+ and I wanted to play more games that don't take me 50-100 hours to finish. I'm excited already.
I'd use an untricked saw weapon for this
I'm currently playing with threaded cane, Ludwig's sword and the whirlsaw weapon (I have all these on +9) so I'd have to use the transformed version to get the "saw" like feature on them.
You also have quite a bit left, especially of the DLC, but depending on how many optional bosses you've fought the main game may still have plenty to offer too.
Did all the optional bosses already, Ebrietas was a bit of a pain because I never 100% got figured out how to evade some of her attacks (e.g. the one where she's charging/running to you).
Oh yeah, if you haven't already be sure to do the Chalice Dungeons too, plenty of unique enemies and bosses in there, including a final one of its own
I did the Pthumeru one already and watched my roommate do the other two and lots of random ones already (he played in the living room on my PS4 so there was no evading it) but I guess I'll finish the last two, as well.

So far I’ve seen nothing that couldn’t have been possible to play in the PS4
I'm also a bit surprised so many games come out on both PS4 and PS5. I mean for the first year or so it's understandable because many games have been in development for years and it wouldn't make sense to not publish them on PS4 if they were planned for it but the new Horizon: Forbidden West is a game I thought would come out only for next generation.
Apart from Returnal, the next games I'm looking forward to will release / were released both on PS4 and PS5: A Plague Tale: Innocence, It Takes Two, Disco Elysium, Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Stray. I still get shorter loading times, better framerate and graphics so I currently see it a bit like upgrading a computer and a bit less than a generation update. The games that support the haptic feedback on the controller and the 3D audio make it feel like a new gen but most of the dual releases offer either only visual upgrades or were not designed with those features in mind as heavily as e.g. Demon's Souls or Astro's Playroom. I guess we'll have to wait a bit.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I just think he should've prepared for that scenario.

I don't see how he could have prepared for the fact he stayed in the dream so long everyone died in the real world. Especially since he didn't intend to leave the dream anyway, and only did so because the player came and killed him there. That's putting aside the fact you're talking about a fictional character and that line when he dies is just a cool little twist.
 
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