From Software 'n such

[Bananamatic]

DS2 was probably the best PVP since while being slow and deliberate

ds2 pvp was awful
insane phantom hitbox issues, too much broken meta garbage in literally every patch (pre-patch santier, helix halberd, bat staff insta poison, ice rapier, parries are impossible to survive, buffed katanas everywhere)
the fact that the pvp had to operate on a honor system where if you buff too much or use havels or current patch broken stuff you're an asshole because it makes you nearly impossible to beat says enough

[Blinge]

Your Ninja Gaiden bias is spilling out all over the floor. It's pretty early to say the mechanics are deeper based on two swords clashing and a grappling hook latching onto a tree and a dude. Saying "[Sekiro] will be far more interesting thematically" is pretty hilarious though, what thematically seems more interesting about 2 minutes of bionic samurai commando than the entirety of the Souls lore/themes?

Lol this. Icono must reeealy love grappling hooks.

The change of scenery and combat is welcome though, Dark Souls needs to take a long ass nap.

Yeah agreed I didn't wanna see it run into the ground.
but what gets me is the internet wide chorus of 'fromsoft are a one trick pony' 'cash cow hurrr'
Yet no one bats a fucking eyelid at nintendo franchises, ass creed and *insert any series here* etc

[Square_Air]

DS2 was probably the best PVP since while being slow and deliberate

ds2 pvp was awful
insane phantom hitbox issues, too much broken meta garbage in literally every patch (pre-patch santier, helix halberd, bat staff insta poison, ice rapier, parries are impossible to survive, buffed katanas everywhere)
the fact that the pvp had to operate on a honor system where if you buff too much or use havels or current patch broken stuff you're an asshole because it makes you nearly impossible to beat says enough

I never claimed DS2 PVP was perfect. Hitbox issues aren't unique to DS2 and broken meta garbage completely defined pre-DWGR nerf DS1, and buffed falchion 2 handed R1 infinite stunlocking is still as busted as ever. Yes it's an ice rapier filled meta, but DS3 is a shield + straight sword filled meta. The window for ripostes is pretty stupidly long, but it's no where near as meta defining and deadly as backstabs in DS1. People buffing fast weapons is all over the place in DS1 & DS3, it's nonsensical to only accuse 2 of this. Every DS community hates on players for using certain items. Everyone goes apeshit over people using the hornet ring or TWOP + backwards WOG in DS1. People were only impossible to beat in 2 because of the god awful Soul Memory system eventually matching you with people that had high enough stats to reach a single super powered build that could do everything (like wear Havels without there being any price to do so). The arenas that match on soul level were a step in the right direction, but even then it was a pretty limited one.

[iconoclast]

I just meant they've done the dark fantasy setting over and over, it's not that interesting to me any more. DS3 and Bloodborne have top notch art design, if they can get the same level of quality out of a Sengoku setting, then I'll take that over dark fantasy any day. Of course, it's just preference.

Mechanically though I don't see how it won't have at least a little more to it. The trailer made it look his prosthetic arm has multiple uses (weapon transformation/shield/grapple hook), and it seems like they're trying to enhance mobility with the jump and hook. Plus it seems like it'll have some stealth. It should be a step up.

[Bananamatic]

People were only impossible to beat in 2 because of the god awful Soul Memory system eventually matching you with people that had high enough stats to reach a single super powered build that could do everything (like wear Havels without there being any price to do so). The arenas that match on soul level were a step in the right direction, but even then it was a pretty limited one.

the issue was that havels was easy to wear even at the meta level so there wasn't really a reason to not wear havels and instead fashion souls was the "honorable" approach

Every DS community hates on players for using certain items. Everyone goes apeshit over people using the hornet ring or TWOP + backwards WOG in DS1. People were only impossible to beat in 2 because of the god awful Soul Memory system eventually matching you with people that had high enough stats to reach a single super powered build that could do everything (like wear Havels without there being any price to do so). The arenas that match on soul level were a step in the right direction, but even then it was a pretty limited one.

the only "hated" thing I remember in dks1 was TWOP as far as I know
dks2 had legit issues beyond people complaining because the broken stuff was incredibly broken and right after they nerfed one thing, two more appeared
the phantom hitboxes ruined it the most for me though, having to roll away because almost everyone's weapon was 2x longer than it appeared was dumb, the running katana stab was the worst offender by far

[Square_Air]

the issue was that havels was easy to wear even at the meta level so there wasn't really a reason to not wear havels and instead fashion souls was the "honorable" approach

Havels is good, but at 150 something would have to be sacrificed. Once you level Adaptability to hit 105 agility and get the endurance to deal with the weight (you have to go for less roll distance since going for under 50% weight with Havels is absurd), you're left with a choice of either damage stat/endurance/vigor being sub par. It's still a good armor set, but it's not overpowered. If you play at something lower than meta it's never even seen. If you play at 200+ though I 100% agree with you that it's stupid and busted. People argue about whether SL150 or SL200 is a better meta, and I firmly believe 150 is much better and 200 is unplayable. The fact that during invasions soul memory inevitably makes you fight those people is awful.

the only "hated" thing I remember in dks1 was TWOP as far as I know
dks2 had legit issues beyond people complaining because the broken stuff was incredibly broken and right after they nerfed one thing, two more appeared
the phantom hitboxes ruined it the most for me though, having to roll away because almost everyone's weapon was 2x longer than it appeared was dumb, the running katana stab was the worst offender by far

Hornet Ring and DWGR are definitely despised by many people in the community, and it's not uncommon for people to make honorable agreements about not using them. As a dark buffed Uchigatana user that fought against plenty of other katanas, I can't exactly agree. The hitbox was definitely longer than the model, but it wasn't much different from the running Estoc attack in DS1. I think the problem stems more from latency issues which might have been the worst in DS2, but once again, all the souls games have latency issues. Using the latency to "teleport backstab" was a DS1 staple.

[evil_ash_xero]

This fucking dope ass trailer comes out, the game is Miyazaki....and I'm seeing arguments about DkS2.......I just had to exhale there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPknmiLxGo

[Strider77]

No one talking about Metal Wolf getting re-released in here?

Hope that teaser is in a really early state. Not looking right so far.... in the texturing specifically.

[iconoclast]

No one talking about Metal Wolf getting re-released in here?

Hope that teaser is in a really early state. Not looking right so far.... in the texturing specifically.

https://imgur.com/5ELUxHe

I hope they fix it. Might be intentional though.

[Immryr]

man, i hope this from soft psvr game sucks.

[BrianC]

No one talking about Metal Wolf getting re-released in here?

Hope that teaser is in a really early state. Not looking right so far.... in the texturing specifically.

ugh. Looks like something out of a 90s TV series like Reboot.

[Mortificator]

I looked around Lost Isalith before going through the white light. There was a shortcut bridge guarded by a titanite demon who seemed to have higher stats than previous ones. I suspect this has happened before, like with the crystal golems in Darkroot vs. the ones in the Archives. It's generally bad form for games to restat enemies without at least a pallette swap. Solaire had gone crazy, so I'm glad I got to team up with him once before having to put him down. The maggots gave me glowing headgear, presumably to make the Tomb of the Giants less of a headache on new game +.

The Bed of Chaos made for an aggravating puzzle boss. I realized I needed to attack a side target, hit the one on the right, then died when a pit appeared as I was backing out. More deaths followed, to additional pits and to being pinned down after destroying the left-hand target, but damage persisted across each attempt until I got inside and finished off the sad remains of the Witch.

I spent an inordinate amount of time combing over the Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants looking for the blacksmith I could hear. Never did find the guy, so I went back and filled the Lordvessel.

The final area's very striking visually. Dark Souls' own weapon upgrade system turned out to be the biggest spoiler, as Gwyn was indeed the final boss. His hits did heavy damage to me, my +5 black knight halberd did heavy damage to him. On the second attempt, he's snuffed out. There doesn't seem to be any way to climb higher inside, so I go back out and woah, snakes are proclaiming me the lord of darkness. I was just looking for a ladder or something, guys. Credits. Undead Asylum. Start, quit game. I'm sure.

For your amusement, my final stat block!

Level: 87
Vitality: 31
Attunement: 14
Endurance: 33
Strength: 26
Dexterity: 23
Resistance: 12
Intelligence: 9
Faith: 20

After I digest the experience, I'll probably put down my overall thoughts. And I look forward reading the posts discussing these games over the years.

[Durandal]

https://www.pcgamesn.com/sekiro-shadows ... -abilities

There are no classes, stats, or souls in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has no classes from which to choose, no character stats to level up, no option to create your own character, no multiplayer of any kind, no armour or weapons to find or equip, and no souls (or equivalent) to collect - or lose after dying. Just to reconfirm: Sekiro is the next big game by FromSoftware, the maker of Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

Indeed, Sekiro can scarcely be called an action-RPG. FromSoftware's Yasuhiro Kitao describes it as an action adventure game. One of the few elements that might seem familiar is your character's prosthetic limb - it's capable of hosting a number of gadgets, which you can find scattered around the world. That sounds pretty reminiscent of the trick weapons found in Bloodborne, if you had a temporary flirtation with a PlayStation 4 to enjoy that.

You probably already knew this, but FromSoftware have made some of the best games on PC.

These gadgets include the grappling hook that we saw in the action-packed reveal trailer, as well as an axe that can help smash enemy shields, a shield of your own with which to block damage, and a torch that can set enemies on fire.

All of these gadgets can combine with your perpetually-equipped katana to offer unique attacks - you can see some of this on show in the trailer, which you can view below.

This is all according to PC Gamer's impressions of Sekiro from the show floor at E3 this week and they have plenty more to say, so head over there to read their preview in full. But, y'know, come back.

If you prefer to listen than read, the always-excellent Soulsborne YouTuber VaatiVidya has a thorough breakdown of Sekiro's gameplay on his channel:

Sekiro releases in early 2019 - note that Bloodborne and Dark Souls III both dropped in March. Clearly a lot is changing, but sometimes that's ok. I mean, just look at that trailer.

Modern games abstaining from RPG and character progression systems are an absolute rarity these days, let alone from a AAA studio. Everything nowadays has to be Dark Souls or Diablo or some unholy crossbreed, forgoing that shit in favor of pure finetuned balanced action with a small but deep toolset has always produced unique results. The last game I remember which had a similar direction was Furi.

[FinalBaton]

I wonder if it has lots of emphasis on stealth? if so then it looks like a Tenchu game in all but name.

That'd be dope. i loved the first Tenchu so much. I might replay it at some point, checked a longplay the other day and it still looked fun to me.

[iconoclast]

"No weapons to find and equip" sounds really bad. I'm all for From making an action game, but only if it's comparable to other action games. Ninja Gaiden, DMC, Bayonetta, Wonderful 101, and even Metal Gear Rising have a bunch of different weapons, and multiple difficulty levels with remixed encounters - if this game has neither, it'll get boring fast. It's nice that the prosthetic arm has multiple functions, but that's just a sub-weapon.

I'm sure it'll be a great game either way, but I'll keep my expectations in check.

[FinalBaton]

No main weapons to find and equip in Tenchu and it was still dope just sayin
I'm 100% sure a game like that can be made very fun without new main weapons to find and equip.

[JBC]

Sounds like they're really shaking things up with this one. It's clearly rooted in the Soulslike genre while also eschewing a lot of what we've come to expect from it. That's pretty intriguing. Hopefully the moment-to-moment will be so tasty you won't miss all these things.

[Strider77]

There are no classes, stats, or souls in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Thank god.

[Immryr]

there was a big feature in famitsu on sekiro. gaijin hunter put out a video covering it including a translation of the miyazaki interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53rUgHrXesQ

looks like stealth and stealth kills are definitely going to form at least part of the game play.

[Immryr]

"the map composition will be similar to that of the first dark souls game. it's a dense map with a lot of dimensions and with just a few exceptions the maps are all connected and seemless an there's a lot of freedom in how you can advance throughout the game"

well, i'm officially hyped.

[Obiwanshinobi]

What was the latest NEW TPP action(-adventure) game to run at (sometimes) 60 fps on a console?

[Immryr]

uhh nioh, MGS5, everything by platinum.... uhh..... others.

you should probably just have your own thread for random questions and pointless points.

[Blinge]

There are no classes, stats, or souls in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Thank god.

GTFO.
Nah man, going at the game with different builds and styles was one of my favourite things about soulies.

Speaking of which i totally screwed myself out of the platinum trophy in DS3 last night, cause I ran out of time.
All I need is the 1st ending now at ng+2 and i'll have all the trophies, but I insisted on fighting the final boss with a Greatlance and shield + relying on blocks rather than rolling- something I used for most of this loop.
BAH, it's so jank! It's so tempting to just pull out a Greatsword and roll everything for the win but I've imposed this dumb challenge.

Guess I could try covering up with heavier armour but poise isn't a thing.
Anyway. Tonight, tonight.

Hey Mr. Baton, hows that Demon Souls going? I liked hearing your thoughts.

[Shelcoof]

Modern games abstaining from RPG and character progression systems are an absolute rarity these days, let alone from a AAA studio. Everything nowadays has to be Dark Souls or Diablo or some unholy crossbreed, forgoing that shit in favor of pure finetuned balanced action with a small but deep toolset has always produced unique results. The last game I remember which had a similar direction was Furi.

Honestly sounds like my type of game. Sometimes simple can be really fun.

[Immryr]

while i do love the variety in the souls games it feels like the term rpg is becoming more and more pointless as absolutely every game is an rpg these days. i'm looking forward to seeing what miyazaki can do with a more tightly focused game.

one thing i would like to see is, if there is fast travel in the game, which i'm sure there will be, it's limited and also divorced from the bonfire/checkpoint system ala hollow knight. being able to warp from check points right from the start of the game pretty much just ruins exploration imo.

[Sumez]

Someone specifically likened the game's world design to that of Dark Souls 1, so I'd assume they thought of that and avoid the DS2 blunder.

[guigui]

Mortificator : weird you did not find the Smith in the Catacomb, he is hidden for sure, but not that much.
Well, I hope you had fun with the game, and will come back for NG+, or for a new run. So much easier when you know what to do.

[Blinge]

Well if you take Morty at his word he breezed through the game with barely a trace of difficulty. Rarely seeing more than 2 attempts on any given boss.
Time to get mad that i didn't have the same ease and start making excuses!
*cough*bkhalberd*cough*

Also.. got all trophies all soulsborne as of just now.

[Necronopticous]

Well, I finally took the plunge and ordered King's Field.

I fired it up for the first time earlier this week. I admit, even with my natural attraction to old dungeon crawlers, the first couple of hours really tested my patience. I've been playing more each night since, however, and I've finally gotten to the point where I am fully invested & eager to get off work so I can play more. I'm really stoked to finally be going through this series. I've put it off for a long time!

[Blinge]

King's Field 1 JP or Western?