Bloodborne gameplay : The first 18 minutes

WhiskerFrisker said:
The concern is quite nice but unnecessary, wouldn't you agree?
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I do agree the game has very apparent jaggies, and that this is a valid criticism. It just dissappoints me to see how that alone covers up the game numerous qualities.

Well, I never was a PC player besides I do own a decent gaming machine (never high-end though), it may have influenced me to prefer good art direction over technical IQ. Otherwise I would not have enjoyed some incredible games till this date, such as Shadow of the Colossus, or even Demon's Souls itself.

I mean, I'm always in favour of the best possible IQ, specially together with good art direction. I just can't undertand the need of some to have it over every single game beyond everything else.

I'm happy to see how Bloodborne is looking (and besides I doubt it, who knows it even looks better in the final build), and I'm happy to see that there are still developers that focus their resources into gameplay mechanics and art direction other then IQ alone. Hopefully those will survive the modern gaming era.
 
FreddieQuell said:
I wonder if there are guns that are legitimate weapons. Everything I've seen so far seems to point to them mainly being used to open up enemies or quickly stop an attack.
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The guns are supposed to be there for parrying since shields no longer exist. There's also very little ammo and their range of effectiveness is relatively small and they aren't very accurate. Yamagiwa (the producer) said that part of the issue of implementing them into the game was making sure that they wouldn't be used as a primary weapon.
 
Back when it was the framerate the AA was largely ignored. Now the framerate is good so they have moved on to the AA. If that gets fixed? Lord who knows. Will probably harp about the color palette or something
 
Imru’ al-Qays;150337025 said:
One thing I'm sure of is that
the hollows are onto something when they call you a beast. My guess is that the player character has had his senses manipulated such that he can't perceive how bestial he's become, and that this is the reason wheelchair guy in the refuge tells him to not think too hard about it. It's been made clear by previous footage of Priest Gascoigne that those infected are generally unable to recognize that they are turning into monsters.

I'm interested in what exactly separates the hunters from the "regular infected." It seems like both groups are turning into monsters without realizing it and that both groups think that other members of their group are still human while attacking members of the other group on sight.
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The Xtortionist said:
If the player
is bestial without realizing it, it begs the question of why characters such as the civilian behind the window and the other hunter are friendly to them. Either way, I'm expecting a mindfuck with the true effects of the transfusion.

Regarding the transfusion, I think it's important to note that the doctor's first words are "all signed and sealed", implying that the process is voluntary by player. What throws me off is that all signs point to the player taking the transfusion to become a hunter, while I recall earlier media stating that the player comes to Yharnam to cure a bloodborne disease. Maybe becoming a hunter and curing the disease are one in the same? Regardless, the nature of what a hunter actually is is very intriguing to me. They clearly aren't regular people, as evidenced by the (apparent) mandatory transfusion and access to the Dream Refuge.

Dammit, it's like Bioshock Infinite all over again. I've never put this much thought into any of the other Souls games, let alone from the opening cutscene.
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Very good thoughts both of you. I'm anxoius to unravel the mystery of whats going on with our player and with the town of Yharnam. Vaati will surely have some great dives into the lore as usual.
 
The Xtortionist said:
If the player
is bestial without realizing it, it begs the question of why characters such as the civilian behind the window and the other hunter are friendly to them. Either way, I'm expecting a mindfuck with the true effects of the transfusion.

Regarding the transfusion, I think it's important to note that the doctor's first words are "all signed and sealed", implying that the process is voluntary by player. What throws me off is that all signs point to the player taking the transfusion to become a hunter, while I recall earlier media stating that the player comes to Yharnam to cure a bloodborne disease. Maybe becoming a hunter and curing the disease are one in the same? Regardless, the nature of what a hunter actually is is very intriguing to me. They clearly aren't regular people, as evidenced by the (apparent) mandatory transfusion and access to the Dream Refuge.

Dammit, it's like Bioshock Infinite all over again. I've never put this much thought into any of the other Souls games, let alone from the opening cutscene.
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Agreed. Going to have to be very careful about spoilers once the game comes out - always a pain with Souls games, since the temptation to look for gameplay tips is high, and where gameplay tips abound spoilers are never far behind.

Another thing that struck me:
Note that we don't actually see either of the presumed civilians. Both of them are hidden from view. This could mean that they either 1) can't see you or 2) are imaginary. The female hunter doesn't attack you because she's a hunter as well. Note that she says that "there are no humans left" - if there are no humans left then who are the civilians?
 
Imru’ al-Qays;150340172 said:
Agreed. Going to have to be very careful about spoilers once the game comes out - always a pain with Souls games, since the temptation to look for gameplay tips is high, and where gameplay tips abound spoilers are never far behind.

Another thing that struck me:
Note that we don't actually see either of the presumed civilians. Both of them are hidden from view. This could mean that they either 1) can't see you or 2) are imaginary. The female hunter doesn't attack you because she's a hunter as well. Note that she says that "there are no humans left" - if there are no humans left then who are the civilians?
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This game sounds super creepy. Loving the paranormal aspect.
 
Imru’ al-Qays;150340172 said:
Agreed. Going to have to be very careful about spoilers once the game comes out - always a pain with Souls games, since the temptation to look for gameplay tips is high, and where gameplay tips abound spoilers are never far behind.

Another thing that struck me:
Note that we don't actually see either of the presumed civilians. Both of them are hidden from view. This could mean that they either 1) can't see you or 2) are imaginary. The female hunter doesn't attack you because she's a hunter as well. Note that she says that "there are no humans left" - if there are no humans left then who are the civilians?
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Great observation there. I don't have much more to add other that I'm now hyped as hell for the story aspects - not even just backstory/lore, but for what actually happens over the course of the game. Didn't expect to feel this way lol.
 
The Xtortionist said:
You gotta do it! The music is utterly overbearing during that fight, and add in the boss' shrieks and screams... *faints*
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A bit off-topic, but any suggestions? Never used headphones for consoles.
Imru’ al-Qays;150341261 said:
I think I might need to upgrade my sound setup for this game. Right now I'm just running off my TV's shitty build-in speakers.

I'd like some advice, actually, if anyone has it. What's the most cost-effective way to upgrade my sound setup to something acceptable? Not headphones. A friend recommended the PS3 sound bar, but I'm sure there's a better option out there?

I'm not an audiophile, good enough is good enough for me.
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Would like to know this as well. Sick of things like waves, traffic, and other similar sounds coming through as if it's gears grinding against each other.
 
Brohan said:
I've got good headphones but i'm afraid that if i use it the Cleric Beast is gonna make my ears bleed. ^^;
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I think I might need to upgrade my sound setup for this game. Right now I'm just running off my TV's shitty build-in speakers.

I'd like some advice, actually, if anyone has it. What's the most cost-effective way to upgrade my sound setup to something acceptable? Not headphones. A friend recommended the PS3 sound bar, but I'm sure there's a better option out there?

I'm not an audiophile, good enough is good enough for me.
 
papercan55 said:
I've got this on pre-order but that looked pretty bad to me.
I've watched the alpha being played and it looked amazing, this looked awful though.
they changed the moody night setting to a sunset and to add even more insult it's got more jaggies than before.
what's going on? why so many changes for the worse, I've never played a souls game but do they really do this every time before release?
gameplay over graphics and all that but why lie about what the final release will look like so much.
fingers crossed it get's fixed for the release, I'd much prefer a night setting to the sunset as well, maybe the night time hides all the jaggies somehow?

I just don't like being shown one thing for such a long time and then just before release or in some cases after release we find out that the actual game is worse.
I'd much prefer open honesty regarding previews, screenshots and videos
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This:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5o8jwqKsDE

Doesnt look worse to me, than this:
http://assets.ign.com/videos/zencoder/1920/da63268d356566fdd0b48623dd2435da-8000000-1422662286-w.mp4

It just seems to me different regions and different time time settings. Probably you will go back to the same areas later in the night time. The equipment in this 18 minutes is a noob gear, very different from the ones presented before that seems much more advanced.
 
I've never played a DS game and my graphics snobbery means I'm not tempted to start playing them now on PS3 as they always looked a bit too bleak for me (I think I suffer from SAD and this is like a gaming trigger for that, lol).

This does look glorious and I'm tempted to get involved. The jaggies must be tackled in the final version, I can't imagine the game is ever going to come out looking like that, lol, jaggies EVERYWHERE :p

I have a question though.. what's the combat controls like in these games? I've never been great with overly complicated controls and especially different combinations of buttons pressed simultaneously or in a particular order to achieve certain results (proper fighting games for example). Certainly not in highly pressurised situations like this game obviously presents to you. Is the combat fairly simple, like a dash/evade button, a light attack/strong attack buttons and that's kind of it? Or does it require you to be quite dextrous? If it's not fairly simple I know I'll have no hope in hell of getting far. I hope the difficulty comes from how you move around enemies and places yourself, and how/when you attack, rather than on mastering really complex controls. Anyone with some guidance please?
 
ArkkAngel007 said:
A bit off-topic, but any suggestions? Never used them for consoles.
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I'm not sure which is the preferred official Sony PS4 headset, but I've heard great things about it. Maybe the Gold headset? My audio setup involves a number of components so I wouldn't recommend it immediately (Astro Mixamp + Y adapter + DT990 headphones + clip on PC mic). I'd check out the Sony accessories for the best value and ease of use.
 
Imru’ al-Qays;150340172 said:
Another thing that struck me:
Note that we don't actually see either of the presumed civilians. Both of them are hidden from view. This could mean that they either 1) can't see you or 2) are imaginary. The female hunter doesn't attack you because she's a hunter as well. Note that she says that "there are no humans left" - if there are no humans left then who are the civilians?
Click to expand...

Daaaamn. I was going to write something about that quote, but what you came up with is more intriguing than what I had in mind. Really excited about the lore of Bloodborne, and I so wish the player had checked out the item description for that mask. :p
 
Imru’ al-Qays;150341261 said:
I think I might need to upgrade my sound setup for this game. Right now I'm just running off my TV's shitty build-in speakers.

I'd like some advice, actually, if anyone has it. What's the most cost-effective way to upgrade my sound setup to something acceptable? Not headphones. A friend recommended the PS3 sound bar, but I'm sure there's a better option out there?

I'm not an audiophile, good enough is good enough for me.
Click to expand...

I think just about any (surround) soundsystem is going to be a massive upgrade over your TV's built in speakers.

I don't know what you should get though as i personally use headphones and am not that much of a audiophile.
 
The Xtortionist said:
I'm not sure which is the preferred official Sony PS4 headset, but I've heard great things about it. Maybe the Gold headset? My audio setup involves a number of components so I wouldn't recommend it immediately (Astro Mixamp + Y adapter + DT990 headphones + clip on PC mic). I'd check out the Sony accessories for the best value and ease of use.
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Heard about those as well, thanks. There's bound to be both game focused and general audiophile communities floating around here I can hunt down.
 
Dominic_Shade said:
Daaaamn. I was going to write something about that quote, but what you came up with is more intriguing than what I had in mind. Really excited about the lore of Bloodborne, and I so wish the player had checked out the item description for that mask. :p
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What's striking to me about Bloodborne's story is how personal it seems to be. The other Souls revolve around deciding the fate of entire kingdoms, while Bloodborne seems very focused on the player character and what they're trying to personally accomplish in the world.

ArkkAngel007 said:
Heard about those as well, thanks. There's bound to be both game focused and general audiophile communities floating around here I can hunt down.
Click to expand...

For a true audiophile headphone setup, I'd definitely go with a Mixamp (receives sound from console and sends them to headphones, also mixes game/voice chat) and a set of high end headphones (DT990s in my case, but there are other options). Only issue with this setup is that it's a bit costlier and involves more pieces. A Sony headset should be relatively inexpensive and plug-and-play.
 
DavidDesu said:
I've never played a DS game and my graphics snobbery means I'm not tempted to start playing them now on PS3 as they always looked a bit too bleak for me (I think I suffer from SAD and this is like a gaming trigger for that, lol).

This does look glorious and I'm tempted to get involved. The jaggies must be tackled in the final version, I can't imagine the game is ever going to come out looking like that, lol, jaggies EVERYWHERE :p

I have a question though.. what's the combat controls like in these games? I've never been great with overly complicated controls and especially different combinations of buttons pressed simultaneously or in a particular order to achieve certain results (proper fighting games for example). Certainly not in highly pressurised situations like this game obviously presents to you. Is the combat fairly simple, like a dash/evade button, a light attack/strong attack buttons and that's kind of it? Or does it require you to be quite dextrous? If it's not fairly simple I know I'll have no hope in hell of getting far. I hope the difficulty comes from how you move around enemies and places yourself, and how/when you attack, rather than on mastering really complex controls. Anyone with some guidance please?
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Souls games don't usually require combinations of buttons. In general a souls game does make use of EVERY button. shoulder buttons are used for all attack (basically arm-based) actions. face buttons are used for general UI actions as well as dashing, dodging.

It's not hard to get your head around though. It's certainly not nearly as hard to learn as armored core has been in the past.
 
DavidDesu said:
I've never played a DS game and my graphics snobbery means I'm not tempted to start playing them now on PS3 as they always looked a bit too bleak for me (I think I suffer from SAD and this is like a gaming trigger for that, lol).

This does look glorious and I'm tempted to get involved. The jaggies must be tackled in the final version, I can't imagine the game is ever going to come out looking like that, lol, jaggies EVERYWHERE :p

I have a question though.. what's the combat controls like in these games? I've never been great with overly complicated controls and especially different combinations of buttons pressed simultaneously or in a particular order to achieve certain results (proper fighting games for example). Certainly not in highly pressurised situations like this game obviously presents to you. Is the combat fairly simple, like a dash/evade button, a light attack/strong attack buttons and that's kind of it? Or does it require you to be quite dextrous? If it's not fairly simple I know I'll have no hope in hell of getting far. I hope the difficulty comes from how you move around enemies and places yourself, and how/when you attack, rather than on mastering really complex controls. Anyone with some guidance please?
Click to expand...

It's slower and methodical combat. It's about learning your enemies more than hitting a fast perfectly timed button combo. I don't have the best dexterity and do well in these games.
 
I'm glad that besides I have no home theater, just the regular TV sound system, I still have my Pulse Elite, it saves me in that regard, amazing sound quality! Will definitely play this using the headset, that boss will be even more badass! O_o

Seriously... those who doesnt have a nice sound system, should look at some nice headsets. They really can make your experience much better!
 
Darryl M R said:
Watched all of it. Not impressed. Not hype. Never played a Soul game before. This just looks like a hack and slash with hard difficulty for no real reason. Maybe I'm overlooking something.
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I'm not going to murder you for not having played the previous games, but I will try to address your concerns/impressions.

These games might look like hack and slash/character action from the outside, but the actual play style is much more deliberate. You need to be patient and cautious in these games, much more so than any other "action" games really. The way they actually feel and play is very different to almost anything else out there.

These games don't really showcase well with videos etc either. You need to spend time with them (at least a couple of hours) to really get a feel for the game and let the atmosphere sink in. I was pretty skeptical from all the praise and hype, and was initially underwhelmed by Dark Souls for feeling clunky and looking underwhelming but ultimately it went on to become one of my all time favourite games.

That said, these games aren't for everyone and some people find them more frustrating than enjoyable. I'd recommend renting the game if you can on release and putting a handful of hours into it. If you're not feeling it, it's probably not going to be the game for you!
 
DavidDesu said:
I've never played a DS game and my graphics snobbery means I'm not tempted to start playing them now on PS3 as they always looked a bit too bleak for me (I think I suffer from SAD and this is like a gaming trigger for that, lol).

This does look glorious and I'm tempted to get involved. The jaggies must be tackled in the final version, I can't imagine the game is ever going to come out looking like that, lol, jaggies EVERYWHERE :p

I have a question though.. what's the combat controls like in these games? I've never been great with overly complicated controls and especially different combinations of buttons pressed simultaneously or in a particular order to achieve certain results (proper fighting games for example). Certainly not in highly pressurised situations like this game obviously presents to you. Is the combat fairly simple, like a dash/evade button, a light attack/strong attack buttons and that's kind of it? Or does it require you to be quite dextrous? If it's not fairly simple I know I'll have no hope in hell of getting far. I hope the difficulty comes from how you move around enemies and places yourself, and how/when you attack, rather than on mastering really complex controls. Anyone with some guidance please?
Click to expand...

Souls games have combat systems that are simultaneously simple and robust. They're not like fighting games or character action games where you need to memorize arbitrary inputs in order to execute the desired move.

Souls basically has: two buttons devoted to your right-hand weapon (generally one weak and one strong attack), two buttons devoted to your left-hand weapon (almost always a shield, almost always block and parry/shield bash), one button to use an item, and one button to backstep, roll (when you press it while inputting a direction), or run (when you hold it while inputting a direction).

Bloodborne seems to have replaced one of the left-hand weapon actions with a button that transforms your right-hand weapon, but other than that the controls seem largely the same. And no shields, of course.
 
Rewatching the video and it seems that molotov cocktails have been renamed to firebombs? Kinda sucks if true, I loved how molotovs tied into the new setting.
 
Poimandres said:
I'm not going to murder you for not having played the previous games, but I will try to address your concerns/impressions.

These games might look like hack and slash/character action from the outside, but the actual play style is much more deliberate. You need to be patient and cautious in these games, much more so than any other "action" games really. The way they actually feel and play is very different to almost anything else out there.

These games don't really showcase well with videos etc either. You need to spend time with them (at least a couple of hours) to really get a feel for the game and let the atmosphere sink in. I was pretty skeptical from all the praise and hype, and was initially underwhelmed by Dark Souls for feeling clunky and looking underwhelming but ultimately it went on to become one of my all time favourite games.

That said, these games aren't for everyone and some people find them more frustrating than enjoyable. I'd recommend renting the game if you can on release and putting a handful of hours into it. If you're not feeling it, it's probably not going to be the game for you!
Click to expand...

Yeah. Its very unfair to compare any Souls game to a hack'n slash, and I've seen these comparisons in different places aswell. I would put the Souls games into the Action RPG category, but with what, I particullary, consider the best combat mechanics in the genre.
 
Qvoth said:
hmm so you can't pick twinblades at the start
shame we didn't get to see pimpcane's move lists too
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Yeah that cane seems very interesting! I think it's kinda like Ivy's weapon (Soul calibur) which is pretty damn badass.

The durability seems to be atrocius though.
 
JudgmentJay said:
Different classes (assuming classes are a thing; I'm sure we'll find out when IGN showcases the character creation) might have different weapon choices.
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I would like to see them take the opportunity to get rid of starting classes. Newbies rely on rigid class structure too much for a souls game. A point allocation system would be better. ie: everyone starts with 5 across the board and you get like 10 points to allocate.
 
Thanks to the people who replied to my question. Sounds like I'd cope with that. Very tempted to try this out, I've avoided these games like the plague up til now, lol.
 
cerulily said:
I would like to see them take the opportunity to get rid of starting classes. Newbies rely on rigid class structure too much for a souls game. A point allocation system would be better. ie: everyone starts with 5 across the board and you get like 10 points to allocate.
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Mm, I wouldn't mind if they removed classes and honestly that system would help create more optimized builds, but I know Miyazaki has said he likes the roleplaying aspect of classes in the past. I can't imagine he'd ditch them since he considers character creation and progression paramount in RPGs.
 
cerulily said:
I would like to see them take the opportunity to get rid of starting classes. Newbies rely on rigid class structure too much for a souls game. A point allocation system would be better. ie: everyone starts with 5 across the board and you get like 10 points to allocate.
Click to expand...

I thought they said no classes, only for demo and alpha purposes. I would much prefer no classes and mix and match whatever combo I prefer. I don't mind classes but I prefer the alternative.
 
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