Support NeoGAF

[Nickolaidas]

I was late getting into the soulsborne series, for years I dismissed it as clout-machine for harcore gamers. Repeatingly dying and respawning enemies a part of the core gemplay loop, no thank you. Not for me.

Bought Dark Souls 2 on a deep-deep sale and thought I'd sate my curiosity with minimum financial investment. And I fucking HATED it. Slow combat that didn't respond to my button-mashing, but actively punished me for it. Got as far as the first mini-boss (big armor wearing, gliding, mofo). He fucked me over a handful of times...and I noped the fuck out. Uninstalled and that was that.

Or so I thought.

This stupid game lived rent free in the back of my mind for several weeks, how could this series be so popular? Was it me?

Next thing you know I've installed it again, determined to give it the good old college-try. Took my time to learn some basic move-sets and familiarised myself with a couple of weapons and dodge/block mechanics.

Confident I'd beat him this time... But nope, his wide sweeps would catch me at the end of my rolls. His reach was deceivingly long. And it felt like I was punished for even trying to damage him. Aaaand I rage-quit. Angry at the game, angry at myself. But I wasn't going to let this game beat me.

The next day I went at it again, calm and serene like a fucking shaolin monk. Started seeing patterns and recognising wind-up animations. He still humiliated me, time and time again. But I was getting his healthbar lower and lower each time. With some setbacks as I grew impatient and/greedy.

Then it happened I beat his ass. Oh-my-fucking-god what a rush, I was jumping in my chair and fistpumping like a retarded lunatic. Hadn't felt this feeling of accomplishment in a game since I beat Castle of Illusion on the Genesis as a wee lad.

And that was it, I got it. Went back and played the rest of the games. Just fucking amazing experiences all around.

So yeah, I really hope we get to see them do something with Bloodborne soon. The only black mark on that game is the frame-rate. Give us 60fps you cowards!!

Thanks for reading my Tedtalk, sorry not sorry.

For me, Demon's Souls floored me when I saw the first pics on the website. Then I saw the EGS demo in Japan and saw a soldier killing Dreglings and thought it was meh. Then I heard it wouldn't come to the West. And I thought, 'yeah, it's shit.' Didn't have a lot of respect for FROM games back then. Then later I hear Atlus is porting it. To the West. I'm like, 'lol whatever'. Then comes the IGN review. 9 out of 10? 10 out of 10? I was like, 'wait, what?' I read it's brutally hard. I buy it. It arrives.


It was like ... I was playing a game with the philosophy of one of those old Amiga games, but with amazing art direction. And a homage to D&D mechanics. I saw demons, skeletons. I saw a fucking Mind Flayer.


It was amazing. I know the game didn't age very well, but back then? It rocked my world. It was my FF7 experience on the PS3 generation.

 

[The Cartographer]

Exactly. Which is why I roll my eyes when you present Bloodborne as this Godlike experience for basically having a gimmicky way of carrying two weapons in one, an aggression-reward system and a ranged parry/stun mechanic. All good things, yes. All making Bloodborne a very good action game, yes.

But hardly a reason to jizz your pants when you already have Sekiro, DS3 and Elden Ring under your belt. When you've played those FROM games, Bloodborne won't be nearly as impactful, compared to someone who probably only had DS1 and 2 under his FROM experiences ten years ago.

That was the fucking point of my original post which you viewed as sacrilege and 'baiting'.

Give it a rest, you goddamn clown.

 

[Nickolaidas]

Give it a rest, you goddamn clown.

Sure, I think you got enough Ls for the day.

 

[WhereIzJP]

So we probably won't get nothing today?

 

[The Cartographer]

Sure, I think you got enough Ls for the day.

Is that what you tell yourself?

I still can't get over how you, someone who supposedly got into the Souls series via Demon's Souls (just like me in 2010), can't actually see the various differences between the many entries in the franchise (so much odious oversimplifying) and constantly belittles the novelties and freshness of Blooborne (a game that you admit you didn't even complete).

Just go get a ride somewhere else and spare the world.

 

[Effigenius]

Yes, to celebrate, they are letting us all pre order the PS5 version of Days Gone. Praise Sony!