From Software 'n such

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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drauch
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by drauch »

Ya, you def. can't do everything with NPCs. If you do his quest he helps with one boss and makes it almost too easy. Then that's it, like four small encounters, counting the boss one. Just help him next time!
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Blinge
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

got scared and shot an NPC with a bow from distance?
:lol:

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MJR
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by MJR »

Blinge wrote:got scared and shot an NPC with a bow from distance?
:lol:

you deserve everything you get
Bog off :lol:
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by WarpZone »

I didn't kill Siegward and I still never saw him again :lol:

I think the causality of From's NPC quests feels too arbitrary to work as anything other than some flavor and unpredictability, but (at least prior to Elden Ring) their capricious behavior rarely seems to gatekeep anything really important.

I also just played through Dark Souls 3 before getting to Elden Ring, and I think this is the final status of everyone:

Siegward
Spoiler
I didn't figure out the elevator until revisiting later, he's gone.
Patches
Spoiler
Tried to trap me in a tower and then disappeared from my game.
Horace
Spoiler
Went hollow in the demon ruins.
Anri
Spoiler
I sent her in the direction of the dead Horace and haven't seen her again.
Sirris
Spoiler
Creeped out I became a finger of Rosaria and left the game.
Yoel of Londor
Spoiler
just died at one point lol. Maybe Patches killed him?
Irina's guardian
Spoiler
threatened me if I did anything to her but then he took off or died somewhere.
Greirat
Spoiler
Went off for more supplies and never returned.
Cornyx
Spoiler
is apparently trapped in a cage that I missed lol
Firekeeper
Spoiler
is horrified by what she saw in her ancestor's eyeballs and wants me to kill her.
Andre is still bangin' away, and the blind woman is doing just fine.

Firelink is a lonely place these days. :lol:
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Blinge
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

I'd read your post but you said gatekeep

Also I would bog off MJR but you said the game was easy.
I guess it would be easy if you're doing long distance sniping with bows, that's the difficulty select right there
(I assume you're not doing that all the time tho :wink: )
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Stevens »

I would like to give a hand job to the person who came through with a clutch message appraisal.

I was fighting a boss I had been stuck on, out of healing, and out of options. He was almost dead, but I was closer. When through the void and across worlds my health was restored and that fucker was dropped.

For those curious - that fucker was
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MJR
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by MJR »

Blinge wrote:I'd read your post but you said gatekeep

Also I would bog off MJR but you said the game was easy.
I guess it would be easy if you're doing long distance sniping with bows, that's the difficulty select right there
(I assume you're not doing that all the time tho :wink: )
I had assumed it to be as hard as previous souls games, so I was sniping pretty much everything as I went.. until I ran out of arrows and realized I can handle most of the enemies just by rolling away before they hit. Duh.

I am going to actually enjoy my restart, because when I approached the firelink shrine for the first time, I did not know that I could level up inside. Instead, I thought I was being terribly clever by starting to explore the left, got killed by that asshole with Katana, didn't want to give up, got killed again, and then again, and even though I pushed him off the cliff eventually, I still lost 7000 souls. I know you get much more later, but that amount is a big deal in the beginning. I know you are supposed to savour that experience of failing and losing souls, but the perfect thing here is that I can make the call myself how I want to enjoy the game. If I decide that I want to restart and fix those things that grated me the most, I can totally do that.

Also, I don't care if I miss 50% of the NPC's as long as I am not aware of what I missed. I did the mistake of looking the wiki just once to get any tips for the tree boss, and then I bumped into information about that NPC I killed, and went nuts. Never look at the wiki unless you are in serious dead end and out of options.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

We've had the whole discussion about ranking the games different difficulties before.

To summarise:
3 is the hardest, in terms of pure combat, assuming player skill is the same across games.

However people playing them in sequence get the illusion of games getting easier as their own skills increase.
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MJR
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by MJR »

I wasn't following those discussions, but sounds legit point. By now I'm already used to how From Software's games function. When I originally started Demon's Souls back in the day when it was released, it was very slow and painful progress. But also Super rewarding.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Blinge wrote:
MJR wrote: DS3 is definitely the easiest souls game I've played.
That is because you are approaching it as a Souls Veteran already.
Also you're in like the second area.

I would argue this point with people but i can't be bothered because we've already all agreed that i am right on this haven't we? yes i thought so.
Of course ur right.
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MJR
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by MJR »

I did restart from the start, and noticed another thing: On my first play I had completely missed the burial gift - I didn't even know what it was because it was hidden in the character creation screen. So I picked sovereign soul. But, the game has a glitch: if you don't use the sovereign soul, and pick up some lesser soul, it will replace the sovereign soul. Urgh. Well, never mind, I restarted the second time, and now it went like charm. I progressed to the same point in two hours except now I am leveled much better. So restarting was the best choice of I made so far, never mind what the internet court insists XD
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by it290 »

Blinge wrote:3 is the hardest, in terms of pure combat, assuming player skill is the same across games.
Maybe in terms of boss fights alone, but that's hardly the whole story here. The Souls games have always been as much about the trepidation inflicted upon the player and their willingness to press onward as much as they have been about pure dexterity in combat. DS3 has a few areas that press this button—Irithyll Dungeon and it's scary as fuck Jailers is the one that sticks out in my mind. DS2 has some as well, but in my mind nothing beats the descent into darkness presented by the first game with areas like Catacombs, Tomb of the Giants, and New Londo Ruins. These areas have a real sense of oppression and foreboding, and will also frequently slaughter you in various ways. DS3 generally affords you more options and is less claustrophobic and suffocating.

You'll probably die more in DS3 due to bosses, various difficulty walls, ambushes etc that the game throws at you, but I think DS1 is its equal or better in terms of pure panic inducing situations that will just kill you outright. So you can say 'assuming player skill is the same,' but if that player is below expert level and doesn't have steel nerves, I'm not sure DS3 is any harder than the other entries.
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Blinge
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

Okay.
how do you measure that.. the pressing forward into darkness thing and trepidation is something that will affect a souls virgin WAY more than an experienced one.
To be fair i haven't really considered it from this angle; but it's not really that useful either. Who cares which is the harder for a first time player. How often do you see first time souls players these days? and what would inform the choice of game to recommend they start with?
Here start with DS3 it seems more accessible but it'll kick your fucking arse, combat wise.
Now you've beaten that and are billy big balls you can go back to DS1 with its bosses whom you can face-tank with poise or just roll like once to punish. it'd seem like a let-down to me

I'm not quite sure where nerves come in, it's a video game.. one where you can fight back.
It's not exactly Amnesia is it
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Sumez »

I'd hate to start out with Dark Souls 3 for the single reason that Iudex Gundur, the boss guarding you from actually playing the entirety of the game, is gonna whip your ass for a long time until you understand several basics that aren't even required for beating all of Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 1. Bloodborne at least lets you play up to Gascoigne before facing you with the same challenge. The DS3 bosses are using every tool to avoid most weaknesses of bosses in the past. Combos are stringed together in unexpected ways to avoid obvious openings, and their backs are covered much more frequently. It's definitely a game designed with most players being Souls veterans in mind.
Elden Ring also takes this approach even further, to sometimes almost ridiculous degrees. If there weren't so many ways to easily cheese boss fights in ER, it would have by far the hardest bosses in the series, and not always for the "right" reasons.

But I agree with it290 that even with the baggage of souls experience, DS1 really does force the step by step tiptoeing with your shield up to not suddenly get violently killed a lot more than the majority of DS3 does, which does mean the latter never manages to have quite as much of an "opressive" atmosphere, which I think is core the the widespread experience of difficulty in the games. Of course the moment you know the layout of any area, it's not just experience with the gameplay anymore, at that point you get the ability to just run exactly where you need to go without needing to even fight anything, so that makes it hard to compare.
I also don't think it's true DS2 is holding back in this regards, rather the other way around. Hell, the bonfire-to-bonfire progression is by far the most stressful part of that game, compared to the bosses which are mostly pushovers once you are familiar with the series' mechanics. The game has no qualms putting ambushes anywhere, including places where watching your back will do nothing to prevent them, and happily send so many enemies against you all at once that avoiding getting ganked is tough even with careful gameplay. It's a game you need to approach very slowly when you are in yet uncharted areas.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

Sumez wrote: DS1 really does force the step by step tiptoeing with your shield up to not suddenly get violently killed a lot more than the majority of DS3 does,
examples please.

Tomb of the Giants might not even be a great example cause the odds are you're gonna be tiptoeing with the skull lantern up, not a shield.. so it won't block an incoming hit anyway!

you should put an " I haven't played the DLCs disclaimer on all your posts cause that last one about DS2 doesn't make sense unless I remember you haven't played them :lol: "
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Sumez »

The DS2 DLCs are so different from the base game it's hard to consider them part of any general blanket statements regarding that game. Both the bosses and level design feels much more in line with where From were headed with DS3. Outside of those weird co-op areas anyway.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I've been replaying Sekiro. When the camera's not being obnoxious, the combat really does feel sublime. There's a lot of tools in your arsenal and learning what works is fun. It's unfortunate that the game has camera issues where if your back goes against a wall it becomes impossible to see, but that's mitigated somewhat once you get the upgraded Mist Raven that lets you escape and punish when hit so long as it's not a grab. The umbrella weapons are also ideal for this, and potentially better as they cost less, have a stronger followup attack, and the only attack that can hit when in use are sweeps which are generally easier to avoid than grabs.

The Spiral Spear is incredibly good on a lot of enemies as a safe distance poke since you can cancel into guarding right after it hits. Charging it is particularly nasty on enemies that use Ashina Cross since it seems to force them to block, and they eat the last hit of the charge. Very good for 1 emblem. Possibly my fave of the tools along with the high tier Mist Ravens.

The visuals and story are also fantastic. You really feel for Genichiro trying to save Ashina at any cost. The country's sadly doomed, but he still tries his darndest the poor guy. It's one of my fave "open world" style games despite the fact it is in no way open world. It's got just enough path freedom and multiple branching paths to feel very open-ended in terms of what order you tackle things, especially once you hit Ashina Castle. Very much appreciate this kind of level design.

I've been tempted to get into the Souls games and give them a proper fair shake. I could likely pick up a cheap XB360 copy used. If I only play one, what's recommended? Bloodborne would be cool but I don't have a PS4.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Sumez »

Bloodborne, DS1 or Demon's Souls at least are all fine places to start.

BB because I'm sure it's right up your alley, DS1 because it's the best one (and a masterful achievement in video games altogether), or DeS because it's the first. All three are great of course.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by rapoon »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:Bloodborne would be cool but I don't have a PS4.
Agree w/ Sumez. Considering how much you post about Bayonetta, you'd prob love it. Keep it at the top of your list for when/if you get a ps4/ps5. atm, there's no 60fps patch for it on ps5 (unlike Sekiro on ps5, which is magical for those of you with a ps5 who haven't revisited it).
difficult of Demon/Dark Souls
Lot of people consider DS3 the easiest (at least, that's the impression I get reading reviews and shit), but I struggled far more in DS3 than the original DS, and I've played them in order since DeS. always interesting reading other's experiences with this.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

rapoon wrote: Lot of people consider DS3 the easiest
They haven't had the ephiphanies and galaxy-brain dicussions we've held here 8)

Haha Sekiro was a great place for Roo to start, it seems.
About that camera.. you get used to it. In fact, you get adept at not letting yourself get cornered
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by BIL »

I'm thinking of playing Sekiro next, after DS1. :smile: Gradually realising what I'm here for is, ultimately, the Hardcore Killing. Image And I like what I see of that thar ninja game! Image

I didn't realise DS2 is on PS4! I'd actually been looking forward to trying out DS3, but had figured DS2 might be off the table for now. TBH all I really remember about it is 1) Miyazaki didn't work on it and 2) it caused some flamey flamey flamewars ITT :lol: I'm ambivalent I guess. My plate's stacked to overflowing as it is, anyway. I recall writing this that from my perspective, post-Demon's From is all of six months old. I knew I was in for a good time based on the warm reception they got here (as always, a community built around ruggedly uncompromising Hard Gaming is a useful bellwether for so much beyond STGs), but still, it's been lovely finally sitting down with this stuff.

I thought I'd finish off my current BB loop, while waiting for it to get dark. Ended up doing like three more. :shock: This was like two weeks ago. :mrgreen: While I have just as great an affinity for DS1's heavier, somewhat less frantic exchanges, BB is truly Shinobi/ZOE2 come again. High-speed/risk/yield dash n' gash; explosive lockon boost for hunting exposed flanks and backs, ripping PPP chains to capitalise, sniper jab to stun heavies for spacetime-collapsing skullfucks - stunning victory and staggering defeat separated by an i-framed razor's edge, battles punctuated in immortally gratifying eruptions of fire and gore.

Image

(exactly like those two games, the camera has to be marshaled every bit as authoritatively as the player character, but tbh when the payoff is this good, I'm aight calling it the cost of doing business in an innately less airlock-tight Hard Gaming format Image 3D brain but 2D heart/soul/balls Image)

(ZOE2, incidentally, has a better-than-perfect remaster for PS4, beautiful work by CyGames)

I truly get what Austin meant when I started BB last summer, on its action being entirely self-sufficient; clearing out an Nth loop is downright recreational. I learned a lot about the full Hunter's toolkit, this revisit. Blue Elixir was the big winner, absolutely invaluable for the kamikaze fury I like to attempt.

I'm sorry, peeps! Yall really are that motherfuckin dangerous! MERCY NOT AN OPTION :shock:
Spoiler
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I'm gonna give a one-life, all-bosses, no-Hunter's Dream run a shot at some point this summer, having backed up a new loop save with everything I can carry on my person. :mrgreen: 600 vials+rounds and whatever you find on the ground, that's yer lot! I could see it being doable in a relaxed 4hrs or so, and also liable to crash down in flames in the blink of an eye. Ce la morte. :cool: Maybe keep a death counter, haha. At any rate, I'm gonna coming back to BB for a while yet.

It really hits me, going to DS1 from BB, how willfully small-scale the latter is. DS1's world feels like a soaring realisation of scrolling juggernauts like Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard and The Battle of Olympus. Wall-to-wall adventure and discovery, rabbitholes spiralling in all directions, biblical wonder and danger lurking around every corner; bubblewrap-compelling and utterly hardcore, straight outta 1987. BB operates on the adventure game-influenced scale of vintage survival horror, ala RE/SH: an accursed town and its nightmare hinterlands, meticulously detailed and necessarily less madly sprawling; a different subgenre of horror-inflected ARPG entirely.

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At times like this I'm grateful for a broad palate, as both go for gold in their respective categories without quarter. Image

I was thinking back to Sumez's post on a theoretical BB2, and finally getting what he meant. Just do this kind of detailed, lived-in world again, only moreso. Old Yharny alone has like ten buildings I'm dying to snoop around in.

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Currently BB by day, DS1 by night. :cool: Back to DS1 now, nervous night in Depths. One of those rare sewer levels that's not merely tolerable, but outright superb. Creepy as all fuuuck!

WHATS HAPPENIN PARTNAH Image

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Settling into WAR PICK quite nicely, good vibes of its BB counterpart teh Church Pick. All about the grim practicality, naw mean. Image Talkin all that good shit until I caught you in your knee joint!

They laughed at my chub roll. :oops: I LAUGHED AT THEIR BRAINS Image
Spoiler
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Have since gone back to me roots slightly with the ninja getup. Still War Pickin' though. Took Bell Gargoyle Bros' arseholes right off! Split Capra homie's asshole in half like an overripe mango, doggos as collateral! It's good stuff Image

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rapoon wrote:
BareKnuckleRoo wrote:Bloodborne would be cool but I don't have a PS4.
Agree w/ Sumez. Considering how much you post about Bayonetta, you'd prob love it. Keep it at the top of your list for when/if you get a ps4/ps5. atm, there's no 60fps patch for it on ps5 (unlike Sekiro on ps5, which is magical for those of you with a ps5 who haven't revisited it).
Ah shiiit, that clinches it. :shock: Imma wait until I sort a PS5 out then. :cool:

And with that, imma take a running fuck outta this thread so I don't get DS1 spoiled, likin' the decade-aged blindness, naw mean :cool:
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I may have to borrow a PS4 or something. Not sure I want to buy one JUST for Bloodborne...

The only complaints I have about Sekiro honestly are the camera, and the lock on system. When you're dashing around from one place to the other the camera can be a bit low, and it has the usual From jank that other Souls games have lately since it refuses to go through solid objects and make things transparent for the sake of visibility. Lock on also loves to break if the game thinks the enemy is off-screen. It's intended to happen if the enemy moves behind a solid object where you can't see them, but it also happens when the camera gets screwy at close range or against a wall, which is extremely dangerous if it happens.

Shoutout to Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka for being a weird boss that's fairly easy to just stand and deflect everything, but if he gets too close suddenly his attacks seem to cross-up and hit you even when guarding? Ouch. :p It's the only boss I can think of that can apparently hit you from behind if you're too close when he attacks.
Spoiler
For what it's worth Bayo does have the same camera jank if you touch a wall in most places, but it's a FAR more forgiving game due to having a universal one button dodge, a universal parry, and even an at-will damage shield that will soak the damage without any stagger if you fail to dodge. If the camera gets screwy you can generally dodge using the audio cues alone, they're sufficiently noisy that it's quite doable.
I'm thinking of playing Sekiro next, after DS1. :smile: Gradually realising what I'm here for is, ultimately, the Hardcore Killing. Image
I quite recommend it. As someone who's a fan of 3rd person action games that eschew RPG mechanics, it's a really good game that hits most of the right notes for me. You basically have a 1st playthrough to unlock all the skills and abilities as they're introduced to you, and you retain all those for your second playthrough onwards where you can now play freely with your big ol' bag of tricks as you please. And there's a lot of fun goodies to play with.

The only other complaint I have with the game is the lack of difficulty mode options. Personally I was quite comfy with the game aside from getting my ass handed by a few specific fights (thanks camera, lookin at you Lone Shadow Swordsman in the castle) and there's two additional difficulty modifiers you can enable (on top of NG+ scaling that goes up to +7) if you want to make it hard. There's one incredibly hard one that's only in NG+ which causes you to take CHIP DAMAGE from all blocked attacks that aren't perfectly blocked which is way too hard for me, so if you're finding it too easy you can definitely make it way rougher. However, I can definitely see it being too demanding for a lot of people by default and probably coulda benefited from having an easier mode. You have to correctly block/dodge attacks and you have three separate buttons for doing that (deflect, dodge, jump) with quite strict timing on attacks. Something simple to implement like -50% damage taken from all enemies perhaps would have been beneficial for making it accessible to less hardcore gamers I think, especially given it's a single player game.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Blinge »

BIL wrote: And with that, imma take a running fuck outta this thread so I don't get DS1 spoiled, likin' the decade-aged blindness, naw mean :cool:
We await your return, warrior.

Hell all this talk reminds me I can't start Elden Ring until I've finished my BB loops up to +7
and another DS3 playthrough as a Pyro Boi
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by dojo_b »

IMO there's a couple DS1 bonfire locations and one jankier boss-fight that rather deserve spoiling... though I expect present company will power through regardless.

Oh, and the DLC. Absolutely unfindable w/o help... and an absolute must-play.

Glorious times. I wish I had the time/energy for another From game these days.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by rapoon »

Blinge wrote:
rapoon wrote: Lot of people consider DS3 the easiest
They haven't had the ephiphanies and galaxy-brain dicussions we've held here 8)
100+ pages of big-brain boss and gameplay mechanics, bitching about the camera (yeah, that's mainly from me :D ), I'm surprised there's not more discussion about the lore these games offer.

related to BIL's most recent deliciously smithed BB post; BB is one of the most immersive games i've ever played, and it rekindled my lovecraft interest.

I'm trying to mimic my goto BB build (shotgun + threaded cane) via whip and x-bow in Elden Ring, just doesn't work as well.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Sumez »

BIL wrote: It really hits me, going to DS1 from BB, how willfully small-scale the latter is. DS1's world feels like a soaring realisation of scrolling juggernauts like Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard and The Battle of Olympus. Wall-to-wall adventure and discovery, rabbitholes spiralling in all directions, biblical wonder and danger lurking around every corner;
This is literally the biggest reason I prefer most of the Souls games to Bloodborne, because aside from that I much prefer Bloodborne's more singular approach to combat style. And I don't see why a Bloodborne 2 shouldn't be able to have both. :)
Hell, I'd probably even prefer a Bloodborne game which ditched the leveling up, Sekiro-style as well. Bring it on, Fromsoft.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

it290 wrote:
Blinge wrote:3 is the hardest, in terms of pure combat, assuming player skill is the same across games.
Maybe in terms of boss fights alone, but that's hardly the whole story here. The Souls games have always been as much about the trepidation inflicted upon the player and their willingness to press onward as much as they have been about pure dexterity in combat. DS3 has a few areas that press this button—Irithyll Dungeon and it's scary as fuck Jailers is the one that sticks out in my mind. DS2 has some as well, but in my mind nothing beats the descent into darkness presented by the first game with areas like Catacombs, Tomb of the Giants, and New Londo Ruins. These areas have a real sense of oppression and foreboding, and will also frequently slaughter you in various ways. DS3 generally affords you more options and is less claustrophobic and suffocating.

You'll probably die more in DS3 due to bosses, various difficulty walls, ambushes etc that the game throws at you, but I think DS1 is its equal or better in terms of pure panic inducing situations that will just kill you outright. So you can say 'assuming player skill is the same,' but if that player is below expert level and doesn't have steel nerves, I'm not sure DS3 is any harder than the other entries.
So are we talking about first playthroughs only? Because that all wears off after the first time.

I would agree with you that DS1 does all that the best. BB second.
Sumez wrote:I'd hate to start out with Dark Souls 3 for the single reason that Iudex Gundur, the boss guarding you from actually playing the entirety of the game, is gonna whip your ass for a long time until you understand several basics that aren't even required for beating all of Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 1. Bloodborne at least lets you play up to Gascoigne before facing you with the same challenge. The DS3 bosses are using every tool to avoid most weaknesses of bosses in the past. Combos are stringed together in unexpected ways to avoid obvious openings, and their backs are covered much more frequently. It's definitely a game designed with most players being Souls veterans in mind.
Elden Ring also takes this approach even further, to sometimes almost ridiculous degrees. If there weren't so many ways to easily cheese boss fights in ER, it would have by far the hardest bosses in the series, and not always for the "right" reasons.
I always recommend people start with DeS or DS1. I guess ER is a fine starting point too now that it exists.
BareKnuckleRoo wrote: I've been tempted to get into the Souls games and give them a proper fair shake. I could likely pick up a cheap XB360 copy used. If I only play one, what's recommended? Bloodborne would be cool but I don't have a PS4.
DS1 but really play them all.
Blinge wrote:
rapoon wrote: Lot of people consider DS3 the easiest
They haven't had the ephiphanies and galaxy-brain dicussions we've held here 8)

Haha Sekiro was a great place for Roo to start, it seems.
About that camera.. you get used to it. In fact, you get adept at not letting yourself get cornered
From camera gonna From camera.
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Steamflogger Boss
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

dojo_b wrote:IMO there's a couple DS1 bonfire locations and one jankier boss-fight that rather deserve spoiling... though I expect present company will power through regardless.

Oh, and the DLC. Absolutely unfindable w/o help... and an absolute must-play.

Glorious times. I wish I had the time/energy for another From game these days.
I can guess one of the bonfires
Spoiler
Sen's Fortress
and the boss
Spoiler
Bed of Chaos
but I am not sure of the other bonfire. Hmm.
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rapoon
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by rapoon »

Sumez wrote:
BIL wrote: It really hits me, going to DS1 from BB, how willfully small-scale the latter is. DS1's world feels like a soaring realisation of scrolling juggernauts like Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard and The Battle of Olympus. Wall-to-wall adventure and discovery, rabbitholes spiralling in all directions, biblical wonder and danger lurking around every corner;
This is literally the biggest reason I prefer most of the Souls games to Bloodborne, because aside from that I much prefer Bloodborne's more singular approach to combat style. And I don't see why a Bloodborne 2 shouldn't be able to have both. :)
Hell, I'd probably even prefer a Bloodborne game which ditched the leveling up, Sekiro-style as well. Bring it on, Fromsoft.
It's the opposite for me: the vertical separation of easily digestible "zones" (granted this is present is dark souls as well, but it's more pronounced in BB) coupled with the macabre, insane, and grisly atmosphere that becomes more depraved and deranged the further you progress.

Elden Ring somehow manages to exceed BB in this facet in one particular area(s) I was in last night:
Spoiler
The descent from the golden capital, to the filthy sewers, to crawling through tunnels in the subterranean, traversing rooms full of corpses, and finally arriving in vertical catacomb lined with crazed nomads, one of whom is playing a sombering melancholic tune.
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Re: From Software 'n such

Post by Sumez »

Every Dark Souls game has its share of that. I agree it's one of my favourite experiences in Elden Ring, but I think your gradual descent below the Undead Burg in Dark Souls 1 is absolutely one of the most memorable instances of this.

I absolutely love Bloodborne's overall tone and style, and I don't think having more varied locales digging further into its depictions of madness would in any way diminish that, quite the contrary. It was From's first PS4 game, and I think they were trying very carefully to avoid a bloated budget. These concerns are past them now, as Elden Ring very well proves.
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