#ironically by being better at storytelling then dark souls this game left me wanting more

[kurozu501]

Finished bloodborne tonight, like actually really finished it. Killed the dlc boss one more time, tied up all the loose ends i cared about, walked slowly out to the garden, and got the last ending to the game. Even if we never get a bloodborne 2, I really hope fromsoft makes another game like this, with no weight system and a battle system built around parrying. i had so much fun with it. Because parrying is your only defensive option, and all the enemies in the game are designed to be parried, i felt so much more free to try it out. Even in elden ring i find myself shying away from parrying bc i don’t know which attacks can be parried and which are just arbitrarily unblockable. Never had that problem in bloodborne, and got really, really good at timing my parries. What a blast.

Feels kind of bittersweet to say goodbye to such a great game. The Doll’s parting words of “may you find your worth in the waking world” took on a perfect meta feeling in the end. I can tell this game is going on the list of “games i wish i could forget so i can re-experience it for the first time.” Thanks to everyone who worked on this game and made it so incredible. 

[supermoviemaniac]

DEFENDING...

THOR: RAGNAROK!

Okay, so yesterday I asked you guys which is your least favourite MCU movie and why. I said I'd take the most commonly disliked film and try and defend it, using my personal reasonings as well as attempting to counter what issues you had with it yourselves.

Firstly, I'm quite surprised that Ragnarok was the most hated! I was expecting Age of Ultron or Iron-Man 3 (though they weren't too far behind). To make it clear, it's okay to dislike this movie, my attempt at defending the movie is just a bit of fun, but if it lets you see and appreciate the movie in a different light then that's cool! If it doesn't then that's cool too! Here goes...

I'll start with why I personally love Ragnarok, and how it was actually my favourite MCU movie, until Infinity War inevitably took that spot.

Thor was the first character in the franchise to introduce outerspace, and the cosmic side of the cinematic universe. With Iron-Man, Hulk and Cap being restricted to Earth, Thor was key to broadening what types of stories they could tell, what sort of threats and stakes could arise etc. The first Thor movie was certainly a bold move at the time, hoping that audiences would embrace the fantastical themes that he and Asgard brought to the table. Bar Thanos, Thor and Loki are the reason sh*t's going down in the first Avengers movie, so you have them to thank for that.

Flash forward to Dark World however, at this point we've seen Asgard already, so the novelty has worn off slightly. As much as the movie expands our view of Thor's home, we still feel very restricted, as though we're only seeing through a keyhole, when we actually wanna bust the door down and see what an outerspace adventure could really offer, hence why people gravitate towards Guardians of the Galaxy so heavily, because it let loose and didn't feel like it was shying away from the sci-fi elements that made the property what it was.

So with Dark World leaving a bad taste in our mouths (even though I think it's underratedly funny, but perhaps another time), and Thor not quite standing out in Age of Ultron, we're left thinking, do we really even want another Thor movie at this point? Something had to change. The studios' take on Thor was good in ways, but wasn't gripping people as much as say Iron-Man and Cap. If Captain America could have an amazing sequel, why couldn't Thor? With the damage already done via Dark World however, Ragnarok had to be Marvel's shot at redemption and reinvigoration, and I personally think it was.

There's no arguing Ragnarok was a bold step to take Thor, though not everyone agrees it was for the better. Could the Thor we were used to still work given the correct writing and direction? Who knows, but with already 'failing' once with Dark World, it was surely less of a risk to go for something completely unexpected. We go from majestic golds and elegant architecture, to crazy, vibrant, jagged imperfections that you'd expect to see in a retro sci-fi movie. The Thor we knew and expected has lightened up a little, during his few years between Age of Ultron and now, scouring the universe for information on the Infinity Stones. No pun intended, but perhaps his absent couple of years provided some much needed soul searching. So to those that wonder why Thor is suddenly so funny and witty, he's been out and about off-screen for quite a while loosening up! That's how I like to see it at least.

In the first 10 minutes, we're given more cosmic calamity than any of the other Thor movie has provided in their joint runtimes. He's in the fiery realm of Muspelheim, kicking the crap out of hellish minions and their giant demonic flame lord, Surtur, whilst the Immigrant Song plays. Then moments later, there's a damn dragon beast that's on fire that chases him, as the coolest little synth melody twinkles in the background. That cool little action scene not only gave Mjölnir the ultimate send off, but I remember thinking just from that point, "This is what Thor movies are meant to be like! This is already my favourite MCU movie!"

I think the comedy is people's biggest issue with the film. Admittedly, the style of humour was a little jarring at first, but I soon let go of doubts and embraced what the movie was trying to do. Notice how I said 'style' of humour, and not just 'humour' as a whole, because a lot of people forget just how comedic the first two Thor movies actually are. I feel like humour allows a sort of alleviation to what could potentially be something rather odd on screen. That way, if the movie embraces it's outlandish source materials, the comedy allows us to laugh with it, rather than at it. I think people are okay with the inclusion of comedic elements - I think they just weren't expecting the amplification that it had. So as I said, you can either let that ruin the film, or you can embrace/accept it, because there is just as much heart in this film as there is humour.

I know there's people that think Hela was wasted. Having watched these movies countless times, I rarely see any issues with villains anymore. The fabled 'villain problem' springs to mind, where everyone says that they were just there as a device to make the hero save the day. But what's actually wrong with that technically speaking? And how is that any different to other movies outside of the superhero realm? I see most of these villains as stepping stones for the heroes. These movies belong to the heroes, so the way I see it, the villains are there to develop and shape the good guy into whatever the finished product may be by the time the credits roll, just like all the other characters do in the movie. To prove this point, everyone loves Thanos as a villain, but that's because Infinity War was his movie, given the amount of time spent with him. I think the only exception is Loki, but his character is so well-received because he sits within the grey area of good and bad. We've seen both sides of him now.

Yes, I understand that villains are a little lack luster in most of these movies, but I liked what Hela brought to the franchise. We get the shock of discovering Thor has an older sister, she manages to take over Asgard, she demolishes everything in sight, she was the reason Thor is reinvigorated via his new right eye and weapon, she forced Thor's hand, making him enact Ragnarok (even though there's no stopping Ragnarok but it was a cool twist) and destroy Asgard, she was the first main female villain at long last, and she had a giant wolf. Some films spend more time with the villain, and some sacrifice it to focus more on the hero. There's never a straight 50:50 between good and evil in their storytelling, and I imagine it's always a hard call to make when balancing and ensuring that not only do the audience care for the hero, but also everything and everyone around them. Regardless the solo hero is always the focal point. Unless you're watching Breaking Bad or American Psycho or... *Lists shows and movies told from the bad guy's perspective*

I think the underlining disapproval stems from the fresh direction that it took. His hammer goes bye-byes, his warrior friends die just like that, Thor no longer looks or acts like the Thor we're used to, and Jane moved on. People will either be okay with those things, or it'll be too much to accept. Was the film too bold? Perhaps, but Thor can conduct lightning through his body now and that fight scene on the Bifrost bridge was badass.

Jokes aside, I suppose it's up to the individual audience member to decide whether or not the change is too much. A part of me wishes that the Thor we currently have was the Thor from the get go - things would've been different, but I love the character no matter what weapon or haircut you give him. Ragnarok gave the God of Thunder the opportunity to prove why he's a badass and not just a guy that relies on a hammer. They turned the dial up on his power level, and then again in Infinity War, which is good because I feel like prior to Ragnarok, Thor was kinda just there, y'know?

Everyone has their own favourite and least favourite movie, and no one should force you to alter your personal interests and disinterests, but if I were to wrap up what I thought of the film, Thor: Ragnarok to me is a fun, crazy joyride from start to finish, that provided a lot of heart as well as light-heartedness. It introduced some new, diverse characters whilst also giving the Hulk a much-needed story arc. A bold game-changer for the character and the lore he contributes to the MCU. It's the type of change I can appreciate and most definitely get behind!

What do you guys think? Have I swayed your opinions, or do you hate the movie more now! Let me know. Thanks for reading! Shall I do more of these? Let me know that too. I'm off to buy snacks and watch Ragnarok now, no joke!

[jorrmungandr]

2019 was a good year for games.

Lots of interesting new ideas in the space, and some refinements of old ones. Here’s a list of my personal favorite games of this year, in no particular order. Making an ordered list can be fun, but it’s ultimately pretty pointless.

Video games are such a diverse medium at this point that it’s really like comparing apples and oranges. How does Baba Is You stack up against Dragon Quest XI S? They have almost nothing in common, and their aims are so different that it makes no sense to compare them directly.

Speaking of….

Baba Is You

There are a lot of indie puzzle games out there. Making a little mind-bending puzzle is something that’s easy to do on a relatively small budget. There are also a lot of games that mimic old pixel art aesthetics of earlier game systems, to greater and lesser success. Making a truly great puzzle game, though, is a true accomplishment. Something that combines a wildly different array of elements in interesting ways, but maintains a simple readability that allows you to return to puzzles after months away and instantly recognize what’s going on.

Baba Is You is a game that accomplishes this and more. It operates on very simple, basic rules, but the way they escalate over time and require you to think outside more and more boxes with every single puzzle is simple astounding. A lot of puzzle games escalate their difficulty so quickly that it’s easy to get discouraged, put off by the impossible tasks you’re being asked to perform. Where Baba shines is that it gives you a perfect runway, teaching you things slowly but surely through a series of challenges.

This is a game where you will instantly go from feeling like the world’s greatest super-genius to a complete and utter fool in a matter of moments, from finishing one stage to starting the next. Over and over again, for dozens and dozens of levels. No game has ever better demonstrated the value of brain rest, stepping away from a problem and letting your subconscious work on it for a while. Every time I came back to a puzzle after a couple hours, I would suddenly see some option I never saw before.

One final note, the graphics are actually a perfect fit for this game. A lot of times, pixel art feels like a gimmick, something to do when you don’t have a good idea, or just mindless nostalgia-baiting. But here, it serves a gameplay purpose, giving you an absolutely clean view of the elements in play at a glance, and also serves as an homage to the simple-yet-challenging puzzle games of those older eras.

Code Vein

And now, for something completely different: An extremely anime-styled souls-like. I remember hearing about this game years and years ago, and thinking that it looked kinda… bad. But, in the meantime they really brought it all together into something fun, if not very innovative.

Code Vein is exactly the sort of thing I look for in a souls-like: it takes the basic formula and adds some new mechanics to it, and has an identity of its own. Instead of a medieval fantasy world, it’s a post-apocalyptic modern city crawling with vampires and zombies. It takes inspiration from stylish, gothic anime of the past couple decades: Code Geass, Blood+, Tokyo Ghoul, etc. The character creator is extremely detailed, but mostly when it comes to clothes and accessories.

The gameplay is… fine. It’s balanced around always having an AI companion, so they can throw bigger groups of enemies at you. It doesn’t require the same sort of intense caution of the Souls series, but that makes it more of a fun, casual experience. At least until you’re fighting a boss, then it suddenly requires you to really be on your game with dodging. If I have one complaint, it’s that the difficulty is incredibly bumpy, some areas are a cake walk and others have you struggling through every encounter.

Oh, also the area aping Anor Londo from Dark Souls. Not because it’s derivative, that’s totally fine, but because it’s a maze where everything looks the same and it’s a real pain to get through. Souls games are at their best when areas have good landmarks and make a kind of logical sense. Earlier in the game you pass through a big parking garage, and it’s perfect, just the sort of thing that translates well to this kind of game. But this cathedral-ish area… it just sucks.

It really is quite shameless.

Overally, it’s just a solid souls-like. I enjoyed the crunchy RPG elements, switching classes and balancing your weapons and armor to get good mobility and damage. The ability to just equip cool-looking attack moves as skills you can use, like spells in Souls games, is something I’d really like to see in more games in this sub-genre.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I was kind of skeptical about this game before it came out. Mostly because it was bringing back weapon durability, a mechanic I’ve always hated in these games, but that ended up being a non-issue. Also the school setting made me a bit wary, thinking it was just gonna end up being some Persona-esque thing where you spend tons of time on mundane nonsense while an actual war is going on.

That was all baseless, it turns out. They balance the idea of a military academy with a traditional Fire Emblem structure remarkably well, giving you a lot of freedom around what you want to do when you play the game. You can run around the monastery talking to students, managing your relationships, or you can just do a ton of tactical battles if you want.

The storytelling was remarkably good, though I feel like it was harmed a bit by the weird way it handled multiple routes with different big mysteries. Some routes ended up completely ignoring or just not getting around to some pretty major mysteries. I’m a person who likes long games, but expecting someone to go through all four routes to figure out what’s going on is a bit much.

But more than that, the way it holds back certain reveals hurts the writing in other ways. The actual revelations can’t really have any effect on the characters and their relationships because it all happens at the very end of the game. It keeps the world feeling a bit flat, without any reactions. The mysteries feel extraneous to the plot, in a weird way, when they are so important to certain characters’ identities and the core conflicts that drive the second half of the game.

The gameplay is okay, though a few of the maps are way too big. The portable Fire Emblem games reigned in the map sizes from the old NES and SNES ones, which was a great thing. But now we’re back to moving a whole army one unit at a time for multiple turns just to get to the next group of enemies. The class system was fun to engage with, balancing learning different skills to open up new opportunities, but the gender-limited classes were a real disappointment. Why can’t men ride pegasi? Why can’t women punch good? It’s bizarre, and honestly felt like it had some stuff left over from early drafts, like the pointless dark mage classes.

This has been a lot of complaining about a game I played for close to a hundred hours. Why is this game even on my list? Because the characters are fucking fantastic, and on a basic level the tactical battles are a lot of fun. It offers a paternalistic form of power fantasy, fostering and guiding your children-warriors and then seeing them destroy your enemies. It is just incredibly satisfying to play. And for all that the mysteries end up a bit frustrating, they are intriguing, and do a good job of motivating you to get through a very lengthy game.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Ah, love a good IGAvania.

This was a year where I really reached for comfort food games a lot, and this is maybe the king of that category. It’s just an old style of game that doesn’t get made anymore, done extremely well by the guy who used to make ’em all the time. Nothing super different or innovative, just the same old thing with a couple new tweaks.

It’s an easy game, but that’s entirely by design. It’s about running around this castle killin’ monsters, collecting new abilities, just exploring and poking around the corners. It’s a game that is, ultimately, designed to be comfortable. And in a time of such strife in the world around us, what could be better?

Disco Elysium

There’s already been a lot written about this game, tons of praise heaped on its writing and its interesting, hauntological world that is so similar to our own, and yet so different. Frankly, I’m really glad I got turned into this before it even came out, if I heard all that overblown praise I’d never have ended up actually sitting down and playing it.

Here’s what I’ll say: This game is a look at an ugly world, and it gives you a lot to think about, but it actually doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are a ton of extremely funny moments, a lot of straight-up goofy-ass jokes. This is not medicine that you have to suffer through, just take it as it comes and it’s a good time. This is what allows its writing to really land, it’s not lecturing you from on high, it’s engaging on a lower, more personable level.

It’s also not some super serious text that you have to pore over and consider extremely closely at every moment. It’s a game, you can save scum and try to exploit mechanics and look up answers to mysteries. Much like Souls games, people come up with all sorts of weird rules about the “proper” way to play games like this, but in the end your experience is up to you.

One final note: the game does start off with a kind of off-putting ironic tone. Some people try to downplay this, but it’s there. I can only say this: if you give this game a chance, you’ll be rewarded. It is worth getting through a few sarcastic jabs to get to the good stuff later on. It’s not some perfect audio-visual experience that will entrance you from the opening moments to the credits, it’s just a video game.

Dragon Quest XI S

I first played Dragon Quest XI last year on PC, and I enjoyed it a lot! But I didn’t actually finish that version, not really. I put a lot of time into, but ultimately burned out on the grind towards the very end.

The form that games come in is very important to how they are experienced. Dragon Quest games work best as portable games, I truly believe. It also helps that this version on the switch added the ability to speed up regular battles, so you don’t have to sit through some long attack animations over and over. The more important aspect, though, is simply the ability to pick it up and put it down more easily.

Sitting down at my PC, plugging in my controller, and pulling up a game is a subtly labor-intensive thing. It means I’m devoting a lot of attention to a game, and it has to do something to earn that on a moment-to-moment basis. The ability to just push a single button on the switch and get back into means that I’m willing to forgive a lot more down time.

Anyway, the game itself: this is not just a very good Dragon Quest game, it is the ultimate Dragon Quest game. It truly shows the value in iteration over pure innovation, taking all sorts of different mechanics and ideas from past games in the series and bringing them all together in one big package. But it doesn’t feel overstuffed, it’s just doing the same thing these games have always done, just really, really well.

Dragon Quest XI successfully pays tribute to the older games in the series while also telling a new story with entertaining twists and turns, and fun and interesting characters. It’s beautiful, everything runs smoothly, the writing is charming and light. It’s not on the same level as Disco Elysium, but it’s not aiming for that sort of thing. It’s a fairy tale, a fable, a reflection of the world in a different sense.

A lot of game critics missed this game because it’s long. And that is absolutely fair, it’s hard to fit a 100-hour game into a review schedule in this day and age. But it’s an absolute gem, a truly wonderful experience from beginning to end. I’d recommend it to anyone who just wants a game to relax with at the end of the day.

Monolith: Relics of the Past

Like some sort of Christmas miracle, there was an expansion pack released for one of my favorite roguelikes on Christmas day, just last week.

Monolith is the best twin-stick shooter roguelike, I will make no bones about it. Forget your Gungeons and your Bindings of Isaac, this is a classic NES-styled game with an absolutely pitch-perfect aesthetic and sense of humor. It serves both the twin-stick shooting and the roguelike parts of its genre perfectly, giving you a strong basic weapon to rely on, and also a guarantee of something more interesting but random in every run.

Man, there are games that I enjoy more, but I really, truly feel that this is one of the best-crafted games of the past few years. And this expansion only made it better: fixing up the UI and tooltips to make things more clear, rebalancing the weapons so that they are all useful, adding more variety to runs.

I’m not the best at Monolith, it took me quite a while to get a full win, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to play. In my youth, I was really quite good at bullet-hell games, but nowadays those reflexes aren’t there. It’s a game designed for people who can dodge endless bullet curtains, and also, now more than ever, for those who struggle with it.

It’s truly inspiring to see something that takes from the past and the present and fuses it together into something so wonderful. There are other games that really capture the NES aesthetic and sensibility, like Odallus or The Messenger, but this one really gets the spirit of that whole era of games. It is at once light and airy, and also punishingly difficult. It offers tricks and outs, but also remains utterly mysterious and intimidating.

And that’s it. There are more games I enjoyed this year, like the remake of Link’s Awakening, but these are the big ones that stick out in my mind.

There are a lot of big narrative-heavy games I never got around to finishing, or even starting. It just doesn’t really fit with how I play games these days, listening to podcasts and aiming to relax, not engage with something on a deep level.

That’s okay, though. I’ll get around to ’em in the fullness of time.

Games of the Year 2019 2019 was a good year for games. Lots of interesting new ideas in the space, and some refinements of old ones.

[terryblount]

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Review

First off, this review is spoiler-free, apart from the introduction. The screenshots are mostly from the first area, and I’ve tried to avoid even the tiniest reveal past the start of the game. Please go on and read without fear of something being spoiled for you. I’ve made sure of this.

I will confess it from the very beginning, I died more than twice! I have no clue how many times I died (there’s no in-game counter like in Dark Souls 2), but my death count was probably well over a hundred times. This was just my first play-through.

No, you cannot go over there. This is not Skyrim!

Sekiro Versus Past Games

Even though death is a constant, I believe the developers, FromSoftware, did a fantastic job with Sekiro. Before I discuss this modern game, let me look at at the previous games. First, note that I’ve played all the Dark Souls games (Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne too).

However, I was never a huge fan of the previous titles. I’d play them, but I wasn’t the guy who replays the games numerous times with different classes and weapons. I would usually do one ‘new game plus’ run and then move on. Below are my reasons.

Starting with the Souls games, I dislike the fact that you can play the whole games only by pressing R1 for a normal hit and O/B for rolling/evading. Plus I passionately dislike the roll mechanic. It looks so stupid while wearing armor or carrying a weapon bigger than yourself.

In the Souls games I had to adapt to the games’ limitations. I played a sword and parry-shield warrior in order to perform riposte attacks and get the wonderful gut-stab animations. Back-stabs were preferred as well.

Bloodborne is another story since they replaced the combat roll with a cool looking dash-evade, and once I realized how visceral attacks worked I was all in! I loved countering and delivering massive damage to enemies, but the lack of proper finishing animations still held back my enjoyment.

Another problem with the prior games was the very limited storytelling, and when combined with the lack of suitable counter/evade mechanics and stylish finishers, I wished for more.

I can wish no longer because by the grace of Buddha (the game’s deity) Sekiro remedies all these issues and gives me exactly what I’ve wanted. As a result, I’ve played the game twice on PC and once on PS4 Pro, having more than 150 hours in total. (I played on a console with my best bud, who is a damn master by the way, in case you are wondering why on earth I endured the poor console framerate).

Difficulty

FromSoftware specializes in third person action/RPG hardcore games for many years now, even the ancient Tenchu series was hard as hell, maybe not like Ninja Gaiden but still hard enough to make you unleash you rage on your favorite gamepad and regret it later at your local game store register.

The major factor of difficulty was the save system. If you died in these games you had to replay the whole map and back then combat was not great, the game focus was stealth and as a ninja your best bet for survival was to sneak around and perform stealth finishers. If I remember correctly in open combat you could actually die from one hit thus making stealth the only viable option; at least in most cases.

Wolf’s face after he finds out that he looses half his gold and XP every time he dies.

Story (Introduction Only)

Let me start with a little bit of story since Sekiro features a more traditional narrative style. Wolf, the main character, was an orphan until a master shinobi (a ninja of sorts) called Owl recruited and trained him to follow something called ‘the iron code.’ The game begins with Wolf protecting a young boy called the Divine Heir.

Feast your eyes upon my pre-order bonus skin! So worth it!

As the game goes on, you learn through various cutscenes about something called the ‘Dragon Heritage,’ linked to resurrection. Soon enough a villian emerges that wants to steal his power, and Wolf must go on a journey to find answers and protect his charge.

To say more would reveal too much. The story is not amazing or even fresh, but it works quite well in a game like this. It’s very easy to follow compared to the previous games wherein you get most of the story through item-description lore. You can still find lore through items and conversations like prior games, in case you are wondering.

Most importantly, in Sekiro I felt I had a story reason to push on–something to look forward to. Also, the different endings feel much more connected to the story.

NPCs, Voice Acting, & Audio

The NPCs are quite interesting and most of them have a back-story. It’s up to you to decide how much you’ll learn. Finally FromSoftware has added moving lips to characters. The lip-syncing is horrible, but this is still preferable to ventriloquist NPCs.

They voice acting is decent. I especially liked Wolf’s voice. There’s a option for Japanese acting with subtitles, but I didn’t try this. Some people might prefer the original language, but I’m not one to read subtitles through the whole game, no sir!

The music and sound are pretty great, which is expected of a FromSoftware game. I do appreciate the inclusion of more ambient music in Sekiro. The dead silence of the previous games drove me insane. They even implement fight music for every encounter, but I just wish there was more diversity in the tracks.

The boss music is pretty damn good; particularly the special boss music. Something I didn’t like was the sound of a few effects like the deathblow which was way too abrasive and loud. After listening to it a thousand time it becomes quite annoying.

At last piece and quiet. I despise this place. Probably you will as well.

Graphics, Controls, UI

Graphics are pretty good but nothing fancy. At least the game runs well, even better than Dark Souls 3. By adjusting a few settings I had a stable 60 FPS at all times, and if put everything on high I never dropped below 50 FPS. For a more detailed analysis please read the Sekiro Performance Analysis in case you haven’t already.

The only thing I didn’t like was the white fog covering much of the game’s environments. I was stuck with this on the PS4, but on the PC I used ReShade to sharpen the image clarity.

The controls and UI are very similar to previous titles and they work just fine. The same goes for the menus. You can even enable dynamic UI which adds to the immersion but it might kill you if you don’t pay attention.

I didn’t try to play with mouse and keyboard. I did play though with both an Xbox and a PS4 gamepad, and both performed excellently. Personally, I prefer the XB1 gamepad because of the larger L1 button, which is the most vital button in the game.

Gameplay

Now let’s get to the important stuff; gameplay. This has always been the heart of the previous titles. This time around the gameplay is much more focused. Combat is fast and brutal, but it can also be slow and methodical while you wait for the right opening. I find this much better, even though some players will unquestionably have a problem with the combat.

The enormous difference with the previous games is the existence of ‘posture.’ You build up posture by taking hits and blocking enemy attacks. If the posture bar fills up you get staggered, which drops your guard and gives you only a slight chance to dodge out of the way.

The exact same thing works for the enemies, but when you fill their posture bar you can perform a deadly finisher which guarantees the total demise of your enemy no matter the amount of health they have left. This only works on normal enemies since mini-bosses and bosses usually have more than one bar of health.

Fundamentally the combat is very straightforward and you will mostly use four buttons for block, attack, evade, and jump. In a sense the combat is simple, but it’s also deep and rewarding. You can guard almost every attack without losing any health as long the attacks do not feature elemental attacks or grabs.

The only downside of blocking is that you get posture damage, and if you keep your guard up your posture drops much faster. In the Souls games, guarding would regenerate your stamina much slower, but Sekiro actually doesn’t have stamina at all. You can attack and run as much as you like, which is quite liberating.

This is the place where I bathe in blood. The blood looks a bit funny sometimes. It must B positive!

Guarding, Deflecting, Evading, No Rolling

Sekiro heavily depends on guarding and deflecting. In fact, it’s the only viable way to progress through the game. If you can’t get the precise timing down, you simply won’t survive this adventure. There is no other way.

To reiterate, the ideal way to play is not to simply block all the time. You want to press block the moment you’re attacked to deflect incoming attacks. This timing inflicts major posture damage, and as stated above leads to unique finishers.

On a more technical level, this precise blocking gameplay could very easily be a major issue for Souls and Bloodborne fans. The roll of past games is gone. There is a dash/sidestep evade, but there are no ‘iframes’ (invincibility frames) like before. This means you’ll very often get hit during evading. For me it wasn’t an issue since I avoided rolling in all the previous Souls games. I found deflecting much easier compared to the prior parrying system, actually.

Combat Tips & Strategies

In Sekiro even if you don’t time it perfectly you can still avoid damage if you keep pressing the guard button. I found holding the guard button and momentarily releasing it works better for deflection compared to tapping at the last second, at least in my experience.

Evading usually works well on larger enemies and for some un-blockable attacks. My suggestion is to forget everything you learned from the prior games and follow the game’s instructions to the letter.

Jumping is also a key feature like never before. Jumping was never a combat mechanic in prior games, but since you are a shinobi (ninja), it would be dull if you didn’t have the ability to do so. You can even do a wall jump that look pretty cool and has a couple of different animations depending where you aim.

Speaking of animations they smoothed out the walking and running animations, so you no longer see the weird ‘stutter-step’ when you walked or ran on stairs, rocks or uneven ground.

That is how you properly use your enemy’s blood for face paint!

Some enemies have special heavy damage attacks which cannot be blocked. There are three different attacks: thrust, sweep, and grab.

Thrust attacks can be deflected or countered with the Mikiri counter in which Wolf performs a unique animation by dodging into the attack and inflicting major posture damage (if performed correctly).

The sweep attack cannot be parried or evaded, you can only jump over it, and if you time it right you can jump towards the enemy and do a jump kick in the face which also inflicts major posture damage.

Grab attacks usually require quick side-stepping or backing up. Some trial and error is required.

Speaking of various counter-skills, these counters are essential for survival. If you don’t master them you’ll ultimately hit a wall, making the rest of the game a headache (or impossible). My suggestion is practice – practice – practice until you feel confident you can easily execute these counters.

Something else you might want to keep in mind is the ability to run while having an enemy locked, without losing the ability to deflect, guard or hit, it only adds a slight delay to each action. This can be very useful when you battle large enemies and you need some space for a breather or simply a hit & run approach. You can even run and slide underneath enemy attacks.

Last but not least, the posture bar is tied to your health, meaning that if you are at max health your posture bar will be larger and will drop faster. On the other hand, if your health is at 50%, the bar will be smaller and will drop at a slower pace. In Sekiro, it’s very important to be fully healed before facing your enemies and I also recommend doing some damage to your opponents first before start deflecting and countering (in order to avoid wasting posture damage).

Not an RPG, Pausing

Sekiro features no classes, armors, weapons, or anything of the kind. There is only one armor and one sword which you will use through the whole game, and there are only two stats: vitality/posture and attack power. These stats are leveled up mostly by defeating bosses.

Therefore, this is not an RPG. This is a clear-cut third-person action/adventure game. However, there is still much to explore, secrets to find, and items to collect.

A bit random, but since Sekiro is strictly single-player, there is pause –actual pause. No more dying because someone is calling or ringing the door bell or trying to chat with you. Thank you FromSoftware, very much appreciated.

Say hi to your new best and only friend.

Experience Points, Skill Trees, Prosthetics

Experience points still exist, which you get from killing enemies and spend on skills points. You start with two skill trees, the shinobi and the prosthetic. Several more skill trees unlock as you play. Some skills require more than one XP point and many skills must be unlocked sequentially.

All skill trees have an ultimate skill. I personally feel these are not worth it. The passive skills provide much more constant help. Active skills are called combat arts and you can only have one active, but you can switch at any time.

The shinobi prosthetic is Wolf’s new tool that will lend him a…hand (sorry, I couldn’t resist) to overcome the difficulties of his epic journey. The prosthetic can be fitted with different offensive and defensive tools. You start with the grappling hook which you can always use at anytime as long there is a grappling point somewhere nearby. You can equip up to three different prosthetic tools, and can always change at anytime from the pause menu.

I bet this is super uncomfortable, but I am pretty sure nothing beats dying hundred of times.

They only limitation to the tools are the available uses. Every tool (except the grappling hook) uses spirit emblems which you can buy with gold, loot from dead enemies, or even find in the open. Some tools use only one emblem while others might use even more. Also keep in mind that some combat arts also use spirit emblems, so make sure you’re prepared before fights.

You can upgrade all the prosthetic tools giving them different abilities. In order to upgrade them you will need gold and materials. Most of the these are pretty common while others are very rare and have a specific number in each play-through.

Impressive Level Design & Enemies

The level design is pretty damn impressive, even if it’s not so interconnected like prior games. You will still find shortcuts, hidden pathways, and special rooms. Most of the areas are quite different from each other and feature unique enemies that fit the theme.

As always, you are free to explore. There are many hidden surprises, and it will take some effort to find them all since it easy to even miss whole areas, like past games. You can even find hidden bosses.

I am seriously thinking of jumping to my death rather than facing what’s behind me.

There are loads of enemies in the game, from overfed lizards, which you can skateboard, to big angry roosters! I prefer to fight humanoid enemies, and the majority of enemies are indeed of a humanoid nature. Although, they are usually larger than you.

Also note this is a “mano a mano” combat system, you will not be able to fight a group of enemies efficiently. What I like most about combat is you will eventually be given the chance to perform a glorious and utterly satisfying finisher that feels so damn good after a difficult battle.

There are many mini-bosses (some might say too many) with only a few re-appearing with a different colored textures. The mini-bosses range from easy to quite impossible at first, especially if they have more than one bar of health.

I found the main bosses; with some exceptions, easier compared to some mini-bosses, but of course there are a couple of bosses that will most definitely give you a fight to remember. One of the main bosses gave me the beating of my life, but when I finally won I’m pretty sure the whole neighborhood heard my winning roar!

Overall, I enjoyed most the boss fights (especially the unconventional ones) because you don’t usually fight big monsters where you chop their feet until they drop dead.

The Difficulty Question

So about the question I have been seeing everywhere…”is it difficult?” Absolutely! Is it impossible? No, absolutely not. For me this game was easier compared to the previous FromSoftware games. This is because of my play-style, so if you were a parry shield player you might find this game very feasible.

Now if you are a hardcore rolling player then you are out of luck. This game will be very difficult for you unless you forget everything you already know. Trust me; you will not survive by evading even if you find a mod that replaces the dash with a roll. There is a guy in the starting area which can help you train and train you must, young shinobi!

To repeat myself, there is no stamina and your posture drops way faster while blocking, so the game is trying to make you realize that you must play a certain way in order to survive.

There are some nice features that make the game easier. With the help of the grappling hook you can disengage from combat at anytime and heal in safety (except boss fights). There are several passives skills tied to health. Falling damage is minimized, and the game has a sort of sticky movement system on some cliffs and tree branches.

The checkpoints are usually very close to each other, and even if you die to a boss you can easily use you enhanced mobility to rush through the enemies and face the boss again in some seconds. So this is nice.

Another huge feature is the resurrection system. You can immediately resurrect at your spot of death, although there’s a cool-down of sorts on this feature. Did I mention the most important thing though? Stealth.

I love that the resurrection mechanic is part of the story, well played From!

A Robust Stealth System

What kind of shinobi (ninja) would you be if you couldn’t sneak around and stab people in the back, from above, or even from below? You can crouch and limit your visibility up to a point. The enemy AI is very simple and brainless. This is intended in order to make stealth more useful. Of course, you are free to play how you choose, but stealth makes the game much easier in parts.

Stealth is incorporated into nearly the entire game. You can perform stealth finishers on almost every enemy apart from some mini-bosses and main bosses. Stealth is the best tool to easily clear areas.

Other Points & Problems

Some bosses are surrounded by annoying enemies. Some might find this a bit excessive since boss fights are generally challenging enough without extra enemies.

Some ranged enemies do “auto-aim” with their attacks. This can be aggravating when a throwing star magically curves and chases you down. Not all ranged attacks behave like this, though.

The camera has some issues in closed spaces and with larger enemies. Most of the top tier skills are sort of rubbish. Enemy AI is plain stupid, but as I mention before I believe this is intended.

I can literally see through him! The camera can be troublesome up close.

A few bosses feel like a chore, and some of them are stupid hard, not because of their difficulty but because of their number of health bars.

You cannot sheath your sword for some reason. The regular deathblow animations need more variety. The requirements for one of the endings are just ludicrous. No one would ever think of doing what is needed in the right order on their own.

The new game plus mode is fine but I don’t see any reason to give it a go more than once since there are no major changes to enemies or loot.

The combat can be a bad thing for some people as well. It’s a very focused combat that some will find fatiguing.

Conclusion: I Loved It!

All in all I had so much fun with this game. I’ve been waiting for a good triple-A ninja game since Tenchu. Sekiro delivers intense sword-clashing combat and the feeling of being a real bad-ass ninja.

Combat never felt so rewarding for me, and almost every new encounter has taught me something new that helped me along the way. I find this reward of personal growth more satisfying than some sword or trinket I might not ever use.

This game is without a doubt not for everyone. The lack of classes, armor, weapons, and online play will keep some people away. However, if you’re open to something new and have much patience for precision-timing games, your efforts will be rewarded.

Fitting music

Diverse areas

Precision combat

Good exploration

Creative enemies

Great PC performance

Some dumb AI

Camera issues

Dull new game plus

Weak ultimate skills

Couple of chore like Boss-fights

  Playtime: 150+ hours total. Two PC play-throughs. Once on PS4 Pro.

Computer Specs: CPU: i5 4440, GPU: MSI 960GTX 4GB, RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 8GB HDD: Crucial 275GB MX300, OS: Win7, 1080p

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[mookjoones]

Mook’s Top 10 Games of 2016

Hi, i’m back! Sorry for the delay, I promise i’ll write more. Boom, ok. Done. Let’s talk about 2016:

Shit got weird in 2016. I probably don’t need to reiterate here, but I just wanted to put that out there. Let’s just try to remember that we have one planet, so let’s not wreck it too bad, ok?

That sounds like enough Debbie Downer talk for today, so how about we talk about some games? 2016 had some pretty badass ones, so im’a run them down here right quick. BUCKLE UP! HONORABLE MENTIONS

Devil Daggers

Overcooked

Furi

Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

Surprise! It’s a Top 14! I really enjoyed these titles, but 2016 is a cruel mistress and some awesome games must be left off of the top 10. Frantic symphony of Overcooked is some of the best couch co-op you can find theses days. Furi’s style and speed is a joy to experience, and it has pretty badass soundtrack to boot. Momodora was a short, but sweet tribute to castlevania/souls with great sprite work.

And then Devil Daggers....

Actually, I liked this game too much to cut it. Fuck it. TOP 11

11. Devil Daggers

This game is so damn cool. It doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel (It’s a 1st person Geometry Wars), but i’m a sucker for style and this game has loads. The almost PS1 era graphics give some extra oomph to the experience as you furiously dodge the spoopiest-skeley dudes. To me, this game really felt like some crazy gem you would dig up in the bargain bin of your ma and pa game store (not to sell the game short by any means).

The action is only enhanced with the leaderboards (I have a higher record than my co-host Josh, if anyone was wondering) and the accompanying replays that gave me a few ideas on how to survive just a few more seconds. It’s not the deepest game I’ve played, but this game is one that you can find yourself pouring a surprising amount of time into. 10. Dishonored 2 9. Dark Souls III

I put these two games together as my blurbs about them ended up being pretty similar. Both of games expanded on elements that I enjoyed in previous entries in the series (the combat/LORE!). Additionally, parts that I found clunky were streamlined in these entries (weapon repair/bone charm hunting). While these game were definitely improvements on their predecessors,it was hard not to feel like parts of these games were a little too familiar. Ultimately, Dishonored 2 and Dark Souls III were more of what I know I enjoy. Comfort video gaming at its best. 8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

While it is the final entry in a series that has gotten a little long in the tooth, Uncharted 4 finally lives up the lofty goals set by Naughty Dog; something that it’s predecessors could never quite achieve. The storytelling and characters finally take precedence over the latest McGuffin hunt, without sacrificing the jaw dropping set pieces, gorgeous scenery, and swashbuckling we’ve come to expect from the Uncharted series.This game is a wonderful coda to a great series of which Naughty Dog should be very proud.

7.  Titanfall 2

This game finally made the COD style shooter click for me. All the modern shooter needed was an incredible traversal system with giant robots. Who knew? The multiplayer is incredibly cinematic, and sets up great opportunities to do the coolest looking shit ever. Like, throwing ninja stars while jet boosting from building to building cool.

As for the campaign, Respawn delivers a well crafted story that feels like an action movie crossed with The Iron Giant. It’s not afraid to introduce unique mechanics and ideas that don’t stick around too long; it’s a move that keeps the game fresh and something I wish more games would try. A very well rounded game that is just a blast to play, and I’ll keep coming back to for a long time. 6. SUPERHOT IT’S ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE SHOOTERS IN YEARS.

SUPER

HOT

SUPER

HOT

5. Hitman:2016

I always appreciated earlier entries in this series from afar. The intricate level design seemed fun, but it wasn’t enough to draw me with sluggish control and muddy graphics. I’ve only really scratched the surface of this year’s Hitman, but it forced me to readjust my ordering of the list as I dive deeper.

First all, the environments look great are brimming with detail. However, the real beauty of this game is hidden in the intricate design. The clockwork constructions IO has put together are incredible to explore and dissect. I barely made it through my first missions, but as I learned more and more about each map, the game opened up for me in ways I never imagined. The ability to masterfully manipulate the mechanics and unique quirks of each level to pull off the perfect hit is gripping.

To be honest, I’ve really only spent major time in one of the games beyond the tutorial levels. There is always a new trick or zany disguise to pull off that keeps you replaying the same mission over and over in a way that is surprisingly engaging. The core mechanics in Hitman are excellent foundation to a game that has a ton of personality too. They play it straight on the surface, but you’re only a few cans of spaghetti sauce and a crowbar away from a really good time.

4. The Witness

This game shatters the previous standards for art direction in games. On a basic level, the game is gorgeous and is a joy to simply “take in” all the varied and colorful environments. However, this “puzzle” game shines when you begin to understand how much damn thought went into crafting this world. The game asks the player to constantly rethink the nature of the surrounding environments. The art is interwoven into the gameplay with stunning intellect.

Like the art, the gameplay in The Witness is constantly challenging your preconceptions. What starts out as simple mazes become dastardly puzzles, trusting the player to build a mastery that equal parts frustrating and brilliant. This game has found a way to trigger that Eureka moment for me that is thrilling. The Witness is a game that demands your attention and thought as a player, and the payoff for that investment is incredibly rewarding. 3. Hyper Light Drifter

The complete package offered by Hyper Light Drifter made it one of my absolute favorites this year. The haunting a mysterious art; the moody and evocative score; the subtle, yet powerful storytelling. These elements combined with snappy and stylish combat (especially after the 60fps patch) create a game that I just adored. The execution on everything, top to bottom, in this game is so cohesive. Everything comes together so perfectly, it transported me into a completely different world with ease.

Not bad for a Kickstarter game, huh Ray?

2. DOOM

For a guy who’s only experience with old DOOM is Chex Master Quest, I wasn’t sure of what to make of the first reports on DOOM. Was there going to be anything for someone who didn’t have any long lost childhood memories buried in a sarcophagus with Doom Guy? I feel foolish for ever thinking this.

DOOM is just fucking incredible. The combat has a thrilling speed that is so refreshing compared to the run-of-the-mill shooter these days. The design of the environments is masterful. The soundtrack is so damn metal, only serving to make the action feel that much more intense. The story is whip smart and is incredibly effective at delivering what the game needs to move the story while being endearingly cheeky just beneath the surface. What DOOM’s story lacks in quantity, it makes up for with the hilariously one-note Doom Guy and his 0 tolerance policy any and all demonic forces, no matter the cost to humanity’s efforts to use Hell Energy as clean/renewable energy (no, seriously). This game is just a nonstop thrill ride from beginning to end in a way that is almost peerless.

Rock on Doom Guy. Rock on. 1. Overwatch

I covered my thoughts on this game pretty well in my review last year, and not much has changed. This was my most played game this year, and it’s still a blast to play every night. New characters, maps and modes have only made the package better. This more I play this wonderful game, the better it gets. There simply isn’t a better choice for my personal Game of The Year.

Thanks for checking out my list fam. Time to start working on that 2017 list!

-Mook