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Giant Bomb 18: Everything is always a surprise on some level

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Haunted

Member
You know you've played a level for a long time when you've figured out a pattern in that crazy music notes/trampoline room. :lol

good job Patrick

And there it is. Dan's final card. What a dick thing to do. Haha.

Overall, this level seems way tamer than the Ryckoning. A bit harder on the platforming, maybe, but once you figure out the couple tricks it has it's done. Dan's gonna have to do better to keep Patrick down.
It's lighter on the [bullshit] puzzles, but harder on the pure platforming parts.
 
If Austin and maybe Brad(?) fight hard enough for Fallout, it can break top 3. Otherwise, no chance.

EDIT: Nice work Patrick, but you're already a demon.

Brad really mentioned wanting to get into Fallout....Dan has also been mostly positive on it as well. If Austin, Brad, and Dan could put up a fight, it might make top 5.

Bloodborne is probably a bit too early a release to register a top 3...top 5....mayhaps.

He mentioned he has had a noise complaint against him when he started to get loud. I missed the details though.

Oh dear, lol
 

Zocano

Member
Bloodborne is probably a bit too early a release to register a top 3...top 5....mayhaps

I hope the Bloodborne DLC will reignite the love for it because I feel like it will be supremely overlooked just because it was so early. I know Jeff doesn't have a huge love for the series, but Vinny, Brad, Dan, and Austin I think all love the series but they just never talk about it.
 
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I hope the Bloodborne DLC will reignite the love for it because I feel like it will be supremely overlooked just because it was so early. I know Jeff doesn't have a huge love for the series, but Vinny, Brad, Dan, and Austin I think all love the series but they just never talk about it.

I don't think Vinny played much of it did he? I don't think he's beat bloodborne, and trying to get a game in the top just because you love the series isn't....there's no precedent?
 

Zocano

Member
I don't think Vinny played much of it did he? I don't think he's beat bloodborne, and trying to get a game in the top just because you love the series isn't....there's no precedent?

Well I would have just imagined because they all really liked the prior games that they'd like Bloodborne just as much (especially since it's much "fresher" than just another Dark Souls). It's true I don't remember them beating it but unless the game is only 10 hours long, they hardly ever beat these really long RPGs.
 

yami4ct

Member
I hope the Bloodborne DLC will reignite the love for it because I feel like it will be supremely overlooked just because it was so early. I know Jeff doesn't have a huge love for the series, but Vinny, Brad, Dan, and Austin I think all love the series but they just never talk about it.

I liked Bloodborne a lot, but I've definitely cooled on it over time. It just didn't stick with me like Dark Souls did. Maybe it's unfair to rate it lower because it doesn't live up to a previous entry, but on the other hand it definitely affects how I feel about it. The lack of variety in player builds really kills it for me. I hate what that game did to spell casting. Spell or Pyro Knight builds were my favorite. The nerfed covenant system also really held it back for me.

It's not as big a disappointment for me as Dark Souls 2. The boss encounters actually feel Dark Souls like and the connected world gave it back the atmosphere DS2 lacked. I still can't help but walk away a bit down about it, even if I really enjoyed it. Hopefully the DLC tweaks some of this negative stuff.
 
Its not DS1, but BB definitely wasn't a disappointment to me. I adore a lot about that game, even if I don't find its world quite as memorable or well designed as DS1's, even if I prefer its combat.
 

Zocano

Member
I'm pretty open about my ranking of the Souls games (or rather that I think Dark Souls 1 is the weakest of the four) so I guess that just skews my view on Bloodborne. I thought it was a wonderful game and did a ton of things right even if the variety isn't *as* big because each weapon type was still very unique.

Eventually hopefully maybe
not really it's never happening
I'll get an actual Demon's Souls 2. The full connected world hurt the level design more than it helped it.
 
I mean, I get that these are the times we live in, but that's a depressing sentence to read.

It's weird. Thinking back, a game like Halo 3 was just fun to play. I guess after successive games with progress, like Battlefield and CoD just..I dunno, had a conditioning affect to it? Even games like Demons Souls where you could progress and show your power online helped in that. It's definitely weird.

But even then....I dunno. Battlefield just felt shallow when I played the beta.
 

yami4ct

Member
Its not DS1, but BB definitely wasn't a disappointment to me. I adore a lot about that game, even if I don't find its world quite as memorable or well designed as DS1's, even if I prefer its combat.

I wouldn't call BB a disappointment as a I super dig it still, but I do feel a bit less hot on the game because of what it got wrong that DS1 got right if that makes any sense. I can see myself going back to Dark Souls 1 as time goes on and I might even go back to DS2, but I don't think I'll ever replay Bloodborne. It's lack of meaningful build options really kill the impetus for me to do that.
 
I'm pretty open about my ranking of the Souls games (or rather that I think Dark Souls 1 is the weakest of the four) so I guess that just skews my view on Bloodborne. I thought it was a wonderful game and did a ton of things right even if the variety isn't *as* big because each weapon type was still very unique.

Weapon variety was never a problem for me as each weapon was really unique, had a lot of depth to it, and was completely viable to use through end game. I vastly prefer it to DS2's large, but mostly useless assortment of weapons.

I've also never been a magic or shield guy, so I'm biased when I say I couldn't give less of a shit about what they did to it.

I wouldn't call BB a disappointment as a I super dig it still, but I do feel a bit less hot on the game because of what it got wrong that DS1 got right if that makes any sense. I can see myself going back to Dark Souls 1 as time goes on and I might even go back to DS2, but I don't think I'll ever replay Bloodborne. It's lack of meaningful build options really kill the impetus for me to do that.

I'm gonna give it one more go myself to play through the DLC as well, but I've never replayed Souls games more than once. I think 2 and half for DS2 was the most I've played and that was mostly for DLC.
 

Zocano

Member
Weapon variety was never a problem for me as each weapon was really unique, had a lot of depth to it, and was completely viable to use through end game. I vastly prefer it to DS2's large, but mostly useless assortment of weapons.

I've also never been a magic or shield guy, so I'm biased when I say I couldn't give less of a shit about what they did to it.

Yah this is effectively my view on it. I'd rather the 13 mostly unique weapons of Bloodborne than Dark Souls 1/2's weaponpalazoo of gear that is often very similar except for one specific thing.

edit: I usually do a good handful of playthroughs immediately when the games come out but I don't give a single shit for the PvP and never will so I just end up doing a playthrough every couples of years of Demon's Souls. The other two even less frequently. Bloodborne I can see myself playing more often just because I love the worldbuilding more than the other 3 but it still has the sort of hamstrung feeling levels that Dark Souls 1 and 2 had.

Nothing will ever be as perfect as Demon's Souls ):
 

yami4ct

Member
Eventually hopefully maybe
not really it's never happening
I'll get an actual Demon's Souls 2. The full connected world hurt the level design more than it helped it.

I don't think I could disagree more. The connected world really helps the atmosphere and it's possible to get variety without resorting to destroying your worlds believability with hubs. Hub worlds make the world feel way smaller and less interesting to me. I think DS1 is the best balance to that.

As for the weapons, I like how unique each Bloodborne weapon feels, but I miss the crafting system. In Dark Souls, your weapons feel really unique to your character by the end because of all the ways you can customize and change them. The Bloodborne upgrade system is garbage in comparison.
 

yami4ct

Member
Patrick trying to make Dan eat Tofu is amazing. Also, he's totally right in asking for Dan to put some real skin in the game.
 

Zocano

Member
I don't think I could disagree more. The connected world really helps the atmosphere and it's possible to get variety without resorting to destroying your worlds believability with hubs. Hub worlds make the world feel way smaller and less interesting to me. I think DS1 is the best balance to that.

I can see what you like from Dark Souls' take on level design but I'd rather the really unique and intense variety that Demon's Souls gave.

There's nothing like the immensity and claustrophobia of Stonefang Tunnels. We don't really get the long and daunting trek all across the King's Path of Boletaria. Latria is still unrivaled in its horror (THAT FUCKING HEART BEAT). We don't get the incredibly unique and quirky bosses of Demon's either. People call out Dark Souls 2 bosses all the time but I felt *that* about the Dark Souls 1 bosses. Demon's Souls has fewer sure but each are insanely unique aside from *one* and even then that specific boss is at the very end of the most oppressive and difficult level in the game. We've yet to get another oppressive and monstrous boss like Storm King with that crazy sound design blowing out your speakers.

edit: It's telling when the level people remember the most from Dark Souls is the one that is specifically detached and isolated so that it doesn't have to "fit" with the rest of the world.
 
Dan's face and reaction to tofu was hilarious. The next one is going to be so good to watch. They have to put a time limit on Patrick completing it though or he can just brute force it eventually.
 
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