What Video Games Are You Currently Playing

  On 4/5/2023 at 3:49 PM, six said:

Isshin and Owl Father drove me to the brink of madness though.

just beat Owl Father and I can see what people mean. toughest fight in the game so far.

one strat I've found that helps consistently with most bosses - maybe the human ones anyway, not including for example the Guardian Ape who just spazzes out constantly - is to just be up in their face constantly and clashing swords at close range. it means having to learn attack-attack-deflect-deflect timings in a tight window, but once you get it, it makes fights more manageable because then you can dictate the pace to some extent and prevent them from using special attacks, which always make things more dangerous and unpredictable. of course there are moves built into each boss to break the close contact each time but I've found if I can close the distance quickly, it keeps the pressure up and whittles their posture down more easily.

I got the bad/shura ending out of the way first so I've also beaten Emma and Isshin. but I'm guessing that Isshin isn't as hard as the later Sword Saint Isshin fight? idk

  On 4/9/2023 at 6:07 PM, usagi said:

just beat Owl Father and I can see what people mean. toughest fight in the game so far.

one strat I've found that helps consistently with most bosses - maybe the human ones anyway, not including for example the Guardian Ape who just spazzes out constantly - is to just be up in their face constantly and clashing swords at close range. it means having to learn attack-attack-deflect-deflect timings in a tight window, but once you get it, it makes fights more manageable because then you can dictate the pace to some extent and prevent them from using special attacks, which always make things more dangerous and unpredictable. of course there are moves built into each boss to break the close contact each time but I've found if I can close the distance quickly, it keeps the pressure up and whittles their posture down more easily.

I got the bad/shura ending out of the way first so I've also beaten Emma and Isshin. but I'm guessing that Isshin isn't as hard as the later Sword Saint Isshin fight? idk

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Nice work! Owl Father is no easy feat. I beat the game in 2 weeks so I kinda sped through it but really struggled on him and it seems insurmountable at first. Isshin Sword Saint is def the tougher of the two but I struggled a lot with both, so if you can take down one you can beat the other.

And yes staying in bosses' faces is for sure the key, cautious aggression is rewarded in this game. I struggled so much with both Isshin's that I ended up baiting out attacks that had safer counter windows. Still mad tough though. Amazing game but I'm not sure I'll ever revisit it.

  On 4/7/2023 at 10:52 PM, onecaseman said:

Yeah I beat Returnal, Miles Morales, and Ghost Tsushima already. Returnal is my favorite. I couldn't bother finishing Gravity Rush. Vibe was just off for me. I didn't get past the first level of Devil May Cry 5. Not for me. I have The Last Guardian downloaded from this. I never played it because reviews were so-so, but I loved Ico. Thought Shadow of the Colossus was overrated, but still good. 

Others I downloaded: Demon's Souls, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Tchia, The Quarry, Watch Dogs 2, and Far Cry New Dawn.

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Dope. DMC is definitely one of those you like or don't, glad you bailed once you realized not for you. Last Guardian is sort of a melding of SOTC and Ico in some ways.. but hews closer to SOTC (imop). Curious to see what you think.

Those others ones on my "to do" list.. eventually. It's a pretty great service IMOP b/c .. like, with limited time to game, there's usually always something on there that I'm going to enjoy playing. Have fun friend!

I started the Resident Evil 4 remake. Got through the first few chapters. It's fun. Definitely not as scary as 7 or 8.

On PS+, I found the controls of The Last Guardian super frustrating. I also tried Demon's Souls and got wrecked. 

So I've been playing Elden Ring on again and off again for about 50 hours, working my way through Stormveil Castle and some other boss type creatures and ... I'm sick of it. Not so much of the difficulty but of the slog of having to figure out where to go, getting your ass kicked because it's not where you have to go OR because you suck (but no way of knowing which of the two it is) and of having to keep up your concentration as you wander aimlessly from one area to the next because some of those irrelevant minor characters may in fact accidentally kill you.

Now I find all of you guys talking about Sekiro, which is maybe even harder but also, it seems, more focused (open world, it turns out, is not for me once the novelty wears off).

It also has ninjas, which I like.

What do you guys think: should I give it a try if I'm bad at gaming in general and more of a button masher than a skilled and patient grinding type? Or should I stick to something simpler??

  On 4/11/2023 at 12:40 PM, Limo said:

What do you guys think: should I give it a try if I'm bad at gaming in general and more of a button masher than a skilled and patient grinding type? Or should I stick to something simpler??

button-mashing + Sekiro = bad times. being able to time deflects is essential, and the effectiveness of dodging is drastically reduced compared to DS/ER. basically you have to face fights head-on at all times and the more confident/aggressive you are the better you will do. learning deflects is a little more generous than it might seem, meaning it's learnable with practice, but if you're more inclined towards typical From gameplay where you can get around obstacles through leveling up stats, you might have a hard time adapting to Sekiro initially. the only stats to level up in it are health and damage, and upgrades for those are generally locked behind bosses and mini-bosses.

however, there's no reason for you to get stuck in Elden Ring. From games are deliberately vague in terms of how to progress through the story (Sekiro is no exception btw). I would suggest if you're getting lost in Elden Ring to watch this guide alongside. I personally have used FightinCowboy's guides quite a bit for DS1/2/3 and now Sekiro. he's easily the best Souls-etc youtuber in that his guides are comprehensive and he's a grownup and not an annoying twat. only gaming youtuber I've ever subscribed to. I find that following his videos as I'm playing the game adds a certain enjoyment, like having a friend in your living room playing the game with you.

  On 4/11/2023 at 2:36 PM, usagi said:

button-mashing + Sekiro = bad times. being able to time deflects is essential, and the effectiveness of dodging is drastically reduced compared to DS/ER. basically you have to face fights head-on at all times and the more confident/aggressive you are the better you will do. learning deflects is a little more generous than it might seem, meaning it's learnable with practice, but if you're more inclined towards typical From gameplay where you can get around obstacles through leveling up stats, you might have a hard time adapting to Sekiro initially. the only stats to level up in it are health and damage, and upgrades for those are generally locked behind bosses and mini-bosses.

however, there's no reason for you to get stuck in Elden Ring. From games are deliberately vague in terms of how to progress through the story (Sekiro is no exception btw). I would suggest if you're getting lost in Elden Ring to watch this guide alongside. I personally have used FightinCowboy's guides quite a bit for DS1/2/3 and now Sekiro. he's easily the best Souls-etc youtuber in that his guides are comprehensive and he's a grownup and not an annoying twat. only gaming youtuber I've ever subscribed to. I find that following his videos as I'm playing the game adds a certain enjoyment, like having a friend in your living room playing the game with you.

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Hey, thanks for the link. Will watch.
Also thanks for the button-mashing bad times warning.

The only stats to level up being health and damage sounds great, actually. It's one of the things I don't like about Elden Ring - the complexities with builds, weapons to use etc.

(there are also things I *do* like about Elden Ring, btw - the character design is *fantastic* and in principle I like the fights a lot, it's just that many of them being insanely brutal when you don't expect them to be is annoying. I'd prefer a progression that's a bit more linear)

  On 4/11/2023 at 3:02 PM, Limo said:

The only stats to level up being health and damage sounds great, actually. It's one of the things I don't like about Elden Ring - the complexities with builds, weapons to use etc.

I find Sekiro refreshing for the same reason. it's the odd one out of From's catalogue. I'm actually starting to think it has the best combat system I've ever experienced in a game... it really is zen, once you get into it. and so stylish. you should give it a go after you've cleared Elden Ring.

  On 4/11/2023 at 3:25 PM, usagi said:

you should give it a go after you've cleared Elden Ring.

Yes mom

no, seriously, thanks. I’ll wait until it’s on sale or sth

  On 4/11/2023 at 2:36 PM, usagi said:

button-mashing + Sekiro = bad times. being able to time deflects is essential, and the effectiveness of dodging is drastically reduced compared to DS/ER. basically you have to face fights head-on at all times and the more confident/aggressive you are the better you will do. learning deflects is a little more generous than it might seem, meaning it's learnable with practice, but if you're more inclined towards typical From gameplay where you can get around obstacles through leveling up stats, you might have a hard time adapting to Sekiro initially. the only stats to level up in it are health and damage, and upgrades for those are generally locked behind bosses and mini-bosses.

however, there's no reason for you to get stuck in Elden Ring. From games are deliberately vague in terms of how to progress through the story (Sekiro is no exception btw). I would suggest if you're getting lost in Elden Ring to watch this guide alongside. I personally have used FightinCowboy's guides quite a bit for DS1/2/3 and now Sekiro. he's easily the best Souls-etc youtuber in that his guides are comprehensive and he's a grownup and not an annoying twat. only gaming youtuber I've ever subscribed to. I find that following his videos as I'm playing the game adds a certain enjoyment, like having a friend in your living room playing the game with you.

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Also a FightinCowboy fan! A chill dude who makes super comprehensive and entertaining walkthroughs and strategy guides, super rare these days. I tried to play through the From catalog as blind as possible on my first go through, but I used his guides quite a bit for bosses and NG+ cleanup.

yeah he rocks. I'd've never found a ton of hidden/hard to get stuff without his work.

R.I.P. Jerk Your Own Adventure, another web 1.0 treasure is gone.  At least archive.org still has it. (ED: this thing was made ins something like 2002 so obviously it's, umm, problematic so consider yourself warned if that bothers you.)

  On 4/11/2023 at 4:13 PM, Limo said:

Yes mom

 

no, seriously, thanks. I’ll wait until it’s on sale or sth

I beat Elden Ring and only struggled with some of the bosses, but Sekiro fucked me up so hard. I was never able to get very far, and you have to do entire levels over when you die. Buyer beware. The stealth part was fun as hell, but not doing it for the 15th time because the boss one shot you.

I would say the beginning of Elden Ring is quite hard, but once you level up it can get a lot easier. Stormveil bosses are quite tough (get the special summons as well as your own summon). Many people struggle with Malenia late game for example, but I took her out in three tries. Last boss took forever, however.

  On 4/11/2023 at 11:00 PM, onecaseman said:

I beat Elden Ring and only struggled with some of the bosses, but Sekiro fucked me up so hard. I was never able to get very far, and you have to do entire levels over when you die. Buyer beware. The stealth part was fun as hell, but not doing it for the 15th time because the boss one shot you.

I would say the beginning of Elden Ring is quite hard, but once you level up it can get a lot easier. Stormveil bosses are quite tough (get the special summons as well as your own summon). Many people struggle with Malenia late game for example, but I took her out in three tries. Last boss took forever, however.

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It's not actually the difficulty that bothers me so much as the complexity of it all. Which stats to focus on? How do these map to weapons you can use? What is a good weapon? Where to get things you need? Which monsters can you skip? Where to go next?

I am but a simple man. I'd like to be told what to do.

Also, when you manage to fight your way through Stormveil castle and all the stuff in Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula only to be killed with two hits by the f-in *guards* of the magic academy thing: that is just too much. At level 40 I expect to be thrashed by bosses, not their f-ing minions.

  On 4/12/2023 at 9:15 AM, Limo said:

It's not actually the difficulty that bothers me so much as the complexity of it all. Which stats to focus on? How do these map to weapons you can use? What is a good weapon? Where to get things you need? Which monsters can you skip? Where to go next?

I am but a simple man. I'd like to be told what to do.

Also, when you manage to fight your way through Stormveil castle and all the stuff in Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula only to be killed with two hits by the f-in *guards* of the magic academy thing: that is just too much. At level 40 I expect to be thrashed by bosses, not their f-ing minions.

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Honestly I think Sekiro is gonna be a way rougher time for you if you are struggling with Elden Ring. You don't have to worry about weapons or stats but it still does not hold your hand at all and is quite complex. It's also a LOT tougher in my opinion. Elden Ring you can always level up or change builds and come back, Sekiro is git gud or go home.

By all means give it a shot but I'm not sure you will find what you're looking for. Elden Ring is in my opinion the most accessible From Soft game, you just have to get over the initial learning curve. Or not! Play what makes you happy

  On 4/9/2023 at 6:07 PM, usagi said:

just beat Owl Father and I can see what people mean. toughest fight in the game so far.

one strat I've found that helps consistently with most bosses - maybe the human ones anyway, not including for example the Guardian Ape who just spazzes out constantly - is to just be up in their face constantly and clashing swords at close range. it means having to learn attack-attack-deflect-deflect timings in a tight window, but once you get it, it makes fights more manageable because then you can dictate the pace to some extent and prevent them from using special attacks, which always make things more dangerous and unpredictable. of course there are moves built into each boss to break the close contact each time but I've found if I can close the distance quickly, it keeps the pressure up and whittles their posture down more easily.

I got the bad/shura ending out of the way first so I've also beaten Emma and Isshin. but I'm guessing that Isshin isn't as hard as the later Sword Saint Isshin fight? idk

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you got it.

as isshin himself put it: "hesitation is defeat."

  On 4/11/2023 at 3:25 PM, usagi said:

I'm actually starting to think it has the best combat system I've ever experienced in a game...

yes.

at least i don't know any other title with a similarly dynamic approach to offense / defense. once you got into the flow fighting becomes a dance, a thing of beauty rly.

only FROM game i played to NG+7 just for the fun of it.

i hope they consider a sequel once elden ring is done. at least one ending (arguably the "best") has a cliffhanger.

doing some Portaling 2

looking very good

Over 25 hrs into RE4 remake and still on the first playthrough...guess part of that is all the backtracking for treasures 'n shit.

Finally met the Regenerators though. Felt damn good to grab that special scope.

Also, not to spoil anything else, but I get the feeling that at least one Capcom employee has played Carrion.

  On 4/13/2023 at 12:50 PM, jaderpansen said:

i hope they consider a sequel once elden ring is done. at least one ending (arguably the "best") has a cliffhanger.

isn't the next From game going to be an Armored Core? pretty sure I saw that somewhere.

I'm close to the end. I think there's just the Demon of Hatred and final Isshin fight left. it's been a good ride, going to miss it.

  On 4/16/2023 at 7:24 AM, usagi said:

isn't the next From game going to be an Armored Core? pretty sure I saw that somewhere.

I'm close to the end. I think there's just the Demon of Hatred and final Isshin fight left. it's been a good ride, going to miss it.

yep, Armored Core is the next big thing from them; thoroughly looking forward to that (I couldn't get past Elden Ring's clunky mechanics and.... poor visuals). V much looking forward to the new AC.

Finally beat RE4 remake today. Well done, Capcom, well done.

Now time for a new plus playthrough on Hardcore with all my carried-over gear. Hopefully I can smash all those stupid-ass clockwork Salazars this time.

Went back in to beat this game before the sequel drops.