OT: The All-Purpose Video Game Thread: Part III

[Overcast]

So the only reason I didn’t play Bloodborne (and the same reason I’m questioning whether I’ll play Elden Ring) is that I’m a 35 year old dude who barely plays anything and doesn’t have a ton of time to sit around getting killed over and over again and getting frustrated. Boosting my skill level just has zero incentive for me; I want to enjoy the incredible world, lore, story, etc. but I don’t want to have to practice or repeat encounters over and over again just to be able to do so. I haven’t tried any of the From games because of their reputation for being so difficult. Can you just lower the damn difficulty, or do you have to be a dedicated gamer to be allowed to enjoy these ones? I’m not good at video games - being good at them just doesn’t matter to me. I want the story.

No lower the difficulty in From games unfortunately. The thing about From games is that, while they are nightmarishly punishing when you're starting out, after you get a feel for combat and a boss's attacks to the point that you get a kill, it gives nerds like me a pretty big sense of achievement that you were able to actually get through something that was once so monumentally daunting. I spent about 6-7 hours on a single Sekiro boss (mainly because I was awful and tried treating Sekiro as another Soulsborne game) and jumped the f*** out of my chair when I got the killing blow. The other cool thing about most From games is that they're not linear so you can go wherever you want for the most part and just explore (while also unfortunately probably running into some nasty enemies that will kick your ass). Meanwhile there are people who run through these entire games - Dark Souls 1-3, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro - without taking a single hit from anything..

With From games, though, you won't just passively get most of the stories. You need to go around to every dark corner, you need to poke around everywhere, do sidequests (that are in no way guiding you), talk to everyone you see. In all honesty you might be best off watching lore/playthrough videos of these games and just have the background knowledge that they are pretty hard.

I absolutely LOVED my time with Bloodborne/Dark Souls 3/Sekiro and have tried to get back into them, but I haven't felt the same drive to get through that as I did the first time around.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

So the only reason I didn’t play Bloodborne (and the same reason I’m questioning whether I’ll play Elden Ring) is that I’m a 35 year old dude who barely plays anything and doesn’t have a ton of time to sit around getting killed over and over again and getting frustrated. Boosting my skill level just has zero incentive for me; I want to enjoy the incredible world, lore, story, etc. but I don’t want to have to practice or repeat encounters over and over again just to be able to do so. I haven’t tried any of the From games because of their reputation for being so difficult. Can you just lower the damn difficulty, or do you have to be a dedicated gamer to be allowed to enjoy these ones? I’m not good at video games - being good at them just doesn’t matter to me. I want the story.

nah unfortunately it really does come down to either leveling your shit or getting good enough to push forward.

I will say that if you give a game like blood borne a bit of time and focus (not level grinding, but learning an enemies attack set) and realize you can’t just tank your way through, it becomes much more manageable. Doesn’t mean that you won’t fall to a random pack of enemies every now and then but accepting that is part of getting through these games.


I realize that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d give it a shot regardless. I’m not really great at games either, but I was able to complete this one.

 

[duhmetreE]

So the only reason I didn’t play Bloodborne (and the same reason I’m questioning whether I’ll play Elden Ring) is that I’m a 35 year old dude who barely plays anything and doesn’t have a ton of time to sit around getting killed over and over again and getting frustrated. Boosting my skill level just has zero incentive for me; I want to enjoy the incredible world, lore, story, etc. but I don’t want to have to practice or repeat encounters over and over again just to be able to do so. I haven’t tried any of the From games because of their reputation for being so difficult. Can you just lower the damn difficulty, or do you have to be a dedicated gamer to be allowed to enjoy these ones? I’m not good at video games - being good at them just doesn’t matter to me. I want the story.

There is a learning curve initially. It's difficult in that they punish your mistakes. Once you learn how to play their games it is not as tedious. There's a rhythm to all enemies. Every enemy has a counter per se. Reading and reacting comes from repetition and dying.... a lot. . Dying/failing is a learning experience. If you don't learn you will keep dying. If you really are struggling, there's tons of guides that will be up. I dont know how it will be in Elden Ring but you could always 'summon' a friendly to help with boss encounters.

Go in with the mindset that you will die a lot. Know it will be challenging. Play the game at your own pace. They are truly the pinnacle of entertainment/gaming. Their work is art imo. Their games leave a lasting impression.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

There is a learning curve initially. It's difficult in that they punish your mistakes. Once you learn how to play their games it is not as tedious. There's a rhythm to all enemies. Every enemy has a counter per se. Reading and reacting comes from repetition and dying.... a lot. . Dying/failing is a learning experience. If you don't learn you will keep dying. If you really are struggling, there's tons of guides that will be up. I dont know how it will be in Elden Ring but you could always 'summon' a friendly to help with boss encounters.

Go in with the mindset that you will die a lot. Know it will be challenging. Play the game at your own pace. They are truly the pinnacle of entertainment/gaming. Their work is art imo. Their games leave a lasting impression.

This is it, though final stage Orphan of Kos is too busy smashing your face in while its open to be countered LOL.

But this and what Overcast said are both pretty much spot on. The first required boss in this game is legit a pain in the ass and I'm sure is responsible for 99% of the people who picked up and never finished the game.

In retrospect, hes like the perfect tutorial on learning how to dodge and parry.

 

[Taluss]

We have any NHL Hut players on here?

Post lineup if so, im curious to see

NHL 22 Database and Team Builder for Hockey Ultimate Team | HUT IQ

 

[FIRE DRURY]

I wish I knew why I couldn't get into that game but I hated it.

How much time did you put into it? It’s one of the best games I’ve played in my 30+ years of gaming. Gameplay, story, graphics are all too notch.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

I had really low standards for NHL 22... But it’s not bad. I only play CHEL 3’s so I can’t speak about hut or other game modes.

Getting rid of the cookie cutter builds and allowing some customization has made a big difference imo. I’d like to see EA bring back full customizations in the future like they did back in the day.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

How much time did you put into it? It’s one of the best games I’ve played in my 30+ years of gaming. Gameplay, story, graphics are all too notch.

I spent a couple of days trying to get into it. I thought it was extremely hard right away and just didn't seem fun. Also seemed very repetitive. Maybe I was playing it wrong, but I've been playing video games for 30+ years now so I don't know how it could be wrong.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

I spent a couple of days trying to get into it. I thought it was extremely hard right away and just didn't seem fun. Also seemed very repetitive. Maybe I was playing it wrong, but I've been playing video games for 30+ years now so I don't know how it could be wrong.

That’s it! You’ve been playing games wrong for 3+ decades. Lol.

I actually changed the settings to easy the first few days because I was struggling with the combat. I NEVER do shit like that, so I get it. Then I changed it back to normal when I got used to the combat.

I think the main story line in a game like Red Dead was more absorbing early on whereas this has a bit more build up. A story that gets you hooked early on cam help carry you through sluggish parts of a game.

I’ve loved the history of Samurai’s so for me it was intriguing from the very start.

 

[Nickmo82]

How much time did you put into it? It’s one of the best games I’ve played in my 30+ years of gaming. Gameplay, story, graphics are all too notch.

Agreed. I'm jaded as F, but I was pretty blown away by it. Lots of moments of just stopping and admiring the world they built.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

That’s it! You’ve been playing games wrong for 3+ decades. Lol.

I actually changed the settings to easy the first few days because I was struggling with the combat. I NEVER do shit like that, so I get it. Then I changed it back to normal when I got used to the combat.

I think the main story line in a game like Red Dead was more absorbing early on whereas this has a bit more build up. A story that gets you hooked early on cam help carry you through sluggish parts of a game.

I’ve loved the history of Samurai’s so for me it was intriguing from the very start.

Ok, so I feel better that it wasn't just me that was struggling with the combat. I guess I didn't expect it to be like that. Maybe I'll give it another shot on the PS5.

 

[RangersFan1994]

NHL 22 gets huge updates

EA Sports adding international women's teams to NHL 22

IIHF Teams Added to NHL 22 in New Update, Women's Hockey to Come in 2022

 

[Ruggs225]

How is the roster sharing? Are there any decent rosters people made?

 

[Gardner McKay]

Picked up First Class Trouble yesterday. I've never been huge into social deception games but this one is so much fun.

 

[blue425]

This is it, though final stage Orphan of Kos is too busy smashing your face in while its open to be countered LOL.

But this and what Overcast said are both pretty much spot on. The first required boss in this game is legit a pain in the ass and I'm sure is responsible for 99% of the people who picked up and never finished the game.

In retrospect, hes like the perfect tutorial on learning how to dodge and parry.

Papa Gas almost made me throw in the towel. Now I abuse him.

From games don't have difficulty sliders in the traditional sense, but you can level as high as you like and there is always summon.

If you play enough you become easy mode. Bloodborne (with the dlc - one of the best ever) is easily a desert island game.

 

[RUNYR]

Picked up NHL 22 and Halo for Series X.

First time buying NHL in probably 5 or so years. Enjoying it. Halo is absolutely amazing as well. The campaign is incredible.

Waiting on Forza for Xmas. Tried out GTA San Andreas Trilogy and was not impressed. Way too arcady. Will wait for the remastered GTA 5 in spring.

 

[Chytilmania]

So the only reason I didn’t play Bloodborne (and the same reason I’m questioning whether I’ll play Elden Ring) is that I’m a 35 year old dude who barely plays anything and doesn’t have a ton of time to sit around getting killed over and over again and getting frustrated. Boosting my skill level just has zero incentive for me; I want to enjoy the incredible world, lore, story, etc. but I don’t want to have to practice or repeat encounters over and over again just to be able to do so. I haven’t tried any of the From games because of their reputation for being so difficult. Can you just lower the damn difficulty, or do you have to be a dedicated gamer to be allowed to enjoy these ones? I’m not good at video games - being good at them just doesn’t matter to me. I want the story.

Haha kind of in the same boat. Except I have made time to play Halo. The only reason I was able to get through the last two Assassin's Creed games was because of the pandemic and not working as much.

 

[NYR94]

Thought this was big news:

 

[Ruggs225]

Thought this was big news:

Saw that today. Wow xbox is going for the jugular.

Between owning all the good RPG titles, and now a popular FPS, combined with game cloud, there are few reasons to pick up the PS5 anymore.

i will be one of the converts to xbox. I just wished their controllers werent so shitty.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Thought this was big news:

Good, can they make a f***ing new Warcraft or Starcraft game now? Please?

 

[rangersfansince08]

Saw that today. Wow xbox is going for the jugular.

Between owning all the good RPG titles, and now a popular FPS, combined with game cloud, there are few reasons to pick up the PS5 anymore.

i will be one of the converts to xbox. I just wished their controllers werent so shitty.

Between Elder Scrolls, Fable, Avowved and Fable its the RPG console. Still have some dark horse projects like Everwild and Perfect Dark. In addition to Halo, Gears and Horizon.

PlayStation is the single player action adventure console at this point. Spideman, Horizon, God of War , Ratchet and Clank. Hopefully they bring back something that surprise everybody (would like Resistance 4 or Jak 4)

Its also crazy how good western gaming is. Much better than the eastern industry which besides titles like Elden Ring is stuck in the past im

 

[sbjnyc]

Good, can they make a f***ing new Warcraft or Starcraft game now? Please?

Blizzard just isn't the same anymore.

 

[duhmetreE]

What bothers me about Microsoft, they don't create anything new. They buy everything and just push out the same stuff. Sea of Thieves is the last unique game that I can think of

Give us something fresh and new. Not the same over and over and over again. There's no creativity in their games.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Still trying to find an Xbox Series X, no luck. I've been actively trying for the past few weeks but everything is sold out the second I see anything pop up online. So frustrating because we're well over a year since it came out.

 

[Brutananadilewski]

Still trying to find an Xbox Series X, no luck. I've been actively trying for the past few weeks but everything is sold out the second I see anything pop up online. So frustrating because we're well over a year since it came out.

PC?