Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@Th3solution As I have spent time with Sekiro, I seem to have realised that the key to unlocking these games is simply to learn the movesets of the bosses and enemies, through practice and repetition. Although, as I have said before, you can't get by in Sekiro without parrying/deflecting. But back to my philosophy on FromSoftware's output, do you concur, good chap?

Edit: I think that realisation was a "wizard behind the curtain" moment for me.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Yes, I do agree that’s the main formula at play. And to add to that, in most instances I think there’s another layer whereby one must not only learn and memorize the movesets and attacks, but also the specific counter moves that will work in that situation. And then thirdly, learn the timing of said counters.

Most times when I’ve watched YouTube boss guides for Souls games, they start by showing you the moves and the telegraph of each one. Repetition is a good teacher, but sometimes I need to have things slowed down so I can learn them better. It saves some of the frustration. 😅

It’s not necessarily limited to From’s games, but yes, they definitely have tuned their games around that need for learning and recognizing enemy moves.

I have some other specific thoughts on the subject which I’ll drop over on the Sekiro thread. 😄

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, it’s a crazy drop off from previous years of going deep into the World Cup and winning the 6 nations.

It’s been great having a resurgent Scotland over the last few years (even if they have been beating England regularly..) and a more competitive Italy too.

@CJD87 I don't know how you feel about the platinum for Sekiro, I don't know if you've got it, but it seems to me, upon reflection, that it's worth pursuing for a game like Sekiro. I learned after some research that I am close to the halfway point now, and to me that suggests quite a short length for the game, especially compared to the likes of Elden Ring and whatnot, and I am enjoying the experience so much that I don't want it to be all over just like that, as the first half more or less flew by for me, even though I still took breaks throughout, to stretch out the experience. What are your thoughts? Think the platinum is worth pursuing? Did you get it? Will you aim for it? Or do you think one playthrough is enough Sekiro for one shinobi Black_Swordsman type of lad?

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN IIRC - Sekiro Plat can be attained with 2 playthroughs, as long as you employ a bit of save-scumming?

I actually never went for the platinum, but I actually might revisit it on Steamdeck and go for it. Not to give too much information, but I played through Sekiro whilst recovering from a pretty awful operation... and by the time I'd beaten Sword Saint, I'd fully recovered. It seemed quite poignant to put the game down after the one playthrough.

If you can stomach another playthrough, I definitely would say the platinum is worth it. And NG+ you should storm through, and feel quite OP? I got the plat for Elden Ring and also Demons Souls (2020). I enjoyed ER, but DeS was a real slog... Visually beautiful (DeS) but still has a lot of antiquated tropes and lacks QoL features you'd take for granted in From's games today.

I say go for it!

@CJD87 It would be a phenomenal achievment, save scumming aside. I will probably just do 4 or 5 playthroughs to avoid farming for xp later, it's a game that's truly close to perfection, I may do other things than play games after that, if I get it, as it's hard to find games that are similar or as good, Nine Sols, for example, looks good, but I'm not really a '2D' type of guy...

Edit: In short, plan is to plat Sekiro and go back to playing and studying theory for jazz guitar, continue pursuing a career in counselling psychology, and chillax until the next Miyazaki masterpiece drops!

And if that game isn't something I'm interested in, or whatever, life takes a different route, I am sure that Art will supplant my interest in video games somehow - I may start an art blog, for example.

I'm sorry to digress, but your anecdote about your operation has inspired me to speak out, it's been a very personal journey for me with Miyazaki's masterpieces, and it feels like, like you, when you had recovered around the same time that you beat the final boss, a plat for Sekiro would be the perfect high note to end my gaming journey on - going out on top!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Ah fair play to you friend..!

From's portfolio seem to have a certain reach with people, who are undergoing periods of mental/physical illness. I've seen a lot of people speak out about how Dark Souls helped them navigate periods of depression in life etc, quite inspiring to think a video game has that level of potential to alleviate those elements of life right?

And yes, Sekiro for me is also a near perfect game. I'm not a massive 2D guy either, but trust me Nine Sols is immaculate. Good luck man!

I think, upon reflection, it would be better to just go for the 'Shura' ending and finish the game, freeing up my time for other games and other hoobies and interests after finishing the exhilarating experience, I don't see myself as a hardcore gamer, and those are usually the ones who end up hunting for platinums, I like other things as well, and it's all about finding a balance, at the end of the day.

A reddit post did turn me on to Lone Wolf and Cub, though, which is a graphic novel set in the same period as Sekiro, that I'm interested in pursuing.

If I can finish Sekiro I may just chill out with Lone Wolf and Cub for a while, before taking on the next challenge, i.e Nine Sols, in light of recent recommendation.

Yes, that sounds like a nice plan.

Great news. Probably the only other gaming site I would use beside this one.

@AgentCooper Yeah, I was wondering about her the other day and thinking that she had mentioned being back at some point early this year. Perhaps she’s lurking 👀, but hopefully she’s doing ok, either way.

@Jimmer-jammer Have you heard much about SILENT HILL f? I don't know when it's coming out but I'm certainly planning on rocking a 'katana' build if I can in the game, after all my time in the game, I just have Corrupted Monk and Guardian Ape to take out before the endgame, by the way.

🤞 that I can cross the finish line!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ7AeeVbyslLM_8-nVy2B8Q/comm...

Definitely lots of Marathon info imminent.

@GirlVersusGame Hey there, hope you are well. I noticed you posted in the comments section of the News article about FromSoftware continuing to develop single-player games. It's always nice to come across another Souls fan. I've played all the Souls games directed by Miyazaki and am currently playing Sekiro. Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 3 is probably my favourite. How about you? Which ones have you played and which was your favourite?

been awhile since i read an ebook or even browsed the Silk browser on my Kindle Fire back in 2018. Earlier today i treated myself to something nice where I bought and downloaded the ebook version of the Star Wars book Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire off of amazon and downloaded it for my Kindle Fire.

@HallowMoonshadow , I was listening to PM on Radio 4 yesterday, and they had a segment on Americanisms creeping into the English Language, as a teacher, do you find that the kids use a lot of Americanisms that you try and rule out as much as possible, or do you just let it slide and think "Oh, well, the English language is constantly evolving and the OED is being regularly updated."

@Herculean I’ve been thinking about this comment for a while and I really can relate to the power of video games to teach and motivate. I can only think of once when a game inspired me to read a book, and that was when I read The Road after playing The Last of Us.

I can’t think of a specific time when a game prompted me to investigate an entire religion or philosophy is a deep way, but I’ve often had games make me adjust my world view or rethink some of my previous biases, opinions, or assumptions. Games like Disco Elysium, BioShock series, Detroit Become Human, and Nier Automata, come to mind as making me look at socio-political issues through the lens of a game. Many other games have just made me ponder my own life, my mortality and decisions, right vs wrong, and self-improvement — examples include RDR2, TLoU 1 and especially 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Life is Strange, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and The Walking Dead.

Games have also taught me and encouraged me to study history. The Assassin’s Creed games are great about this. Also Ghost of Tsushima, A Plague Tale, and MGS series. Not to mention many games that help motivate a study of ancient mythology, like God of War, Hellblade, Persona and Final Fantasy, and Black Myth Wukong (I’ve yet to play that though), among others.

I know a lot of games are just shallow pieces of entertainment (which is fine), but I love that many of them are indeed windows into the world and ways to educate and motivate.

Our home PC seems have died. My wife uses it for working at home. I barely touch it as I have my phone. For some time it had been slow saying 100% Disc usage, I often managed temporary fixes but my Mrs went to turn it on and nothing.

She has talked about getting a laptop for sometime, but I'll have to recover any important files and all her photos. Like her mum she is mad for photos.

@Th3solution @Herculean You guys might be interested in the book I'm currently reading 'Lost in a Good Game' by Pete Etchells. It was published in 2019, but looks into the science behind games & why we play them.

@Jimmer-jammer How are you? I finally beat Guardian Ape this morning, and he looks a lot harder than the bosses remaining for the Shura ending with Mortal Draw, so I am hopeful that I can beat it tomorrow, or at some point in the not-too-distant future. How is your current game going? Last I saw, you were playing KCD2? Have you finished that or are you playing something else alongside it?

@GirlVersusGame one of the great games still stuck on ps3. Probably still my favourite superhero game.

@GirlVersusGame ahh I’m not on Premium so I didn’t know. I still have my ps3 with it and the original anyway. Would love a PS5 remaster collection though.