Metonymy

@cainhurst94 There’s still loads of loot but sorting is the easiest it’s ever been in the series, down to auto selling/dismantling specific tiers. There’s ups and downs depending on what you value in a Nioh game but quality of life has never been better.

@StitchJones That’s fair. The can relate, I’m one of those people who drives myself to an event so I always have a way out 😆 sounds like you’re at a good place in life. I’m glad to hear it!

@lazarus11 Agreed. Both extremes suck. We’ve had some good discussions about the game, I’ve got no personal beef with you but the whole back and forth thing in these articles is getting a bit tiring. Don’t think it’s just me that feels this way. What the path forward is, I don’t know.

@StitchJones @lazarus11 Eventually, the irony of arguing a games’ perfection within the very articles listing all of the stuff the developer is fixing and improving will hit, and perhaps we can all have a laugh.

@StitchJones Totally understandable. I never wanted to be married or have kids either. One day mid twenties, my best friend and I (who I’ve known since I was 2 and grew up as neighbours in the same trailer park) decided that we might as well just make a go at it. 14 years and 5 kids later I wouldn’t change it for the world but it’s hardly been part of some philosophically driven master plan 😂 and honestly, she’s awesome so things are pretty easy most days.

Man, season tickets, that’s rad. I get to one, maybe two Flames games a season. I can imagine it’d be a lot of fun to be that plugged in. I really get how the mid-season blues hit you the way they do now!

So I’m decided on Pragmata. Just working out when to pick it up.

@StitchJones Oh man, might just have to pull the trigger on Pragmata. I could probably squeeze it in before Saros. Crimson Desert is a long term project at this point. Times like these I wish I lived a little closer to the city to nab a copy 🙄(the face my wife makes over such lamenting)

@lazarus11 Thanks for the tips!

@lazarus11 Shadows are the worst offender. I hope it improves as the game deserves it, it’s a stunningly realized world. It just kills the mood when I’m marveling at the far off camps and settlements illuminating the darkness in a way I’ve literally never seen done in a video game, only to start moving and my immediate surroundings look like Kliff got into the wrong type of mushrooms.

Sounds like they’re improving the pretty bad pop-in which is music to my ears (or eyes, rather)!

@StitchJones I’ve heard from a few people now that they felt it dragged on for too long. I gotta say, I really didn’t feel this but I respect it as a criticism. Pacing is everything in horror and if that doesn’t land, it can definitely hurt the experience.

I feel it’s simplicity shines precisely because of how tightly designed it is. For example, a seemingly simple upgrade of just one more flamethrower ammo is truly game changing when encounters are so tightly balanced. The ‘charge shots’ mechanic is quietly genius, giving gun fights a methodical and strategic pace that, when combined with a very limited inventory, clearly communicates to the player that every single shot in this game matters; combine all that with the merge mechanic and you’ve got an effective and unrelenting tension baked directly into the core design in a way that isn’t cheap.

The storytelling is doled out in a way only a video game can, and as fun of a ride as something like RE is, Cronos made me think. I appreciate that. I love how they tie the essences to both story and gameplay, and how the limited number you can carry means your always leaving something behind, adding to that tension. This synergy to all of its parts is the brilliance of the game for me.

Throw in some really nice touches (like if you stand idle, you’ll hear different interactions based on what environment you’re in and which essences are currently in the phylactery) and a couple of really great boss fights and it’s safe to say that it blew me away.

I’m very much looking forward to Pragmata. Glad to hear it’s doing interesting things! I’m not sure I’ll get to it before Saros or not but I’ll look forward to hearing what you make of it.

‘Cronos’ is game of the year material. Such a tightly designed game and a phenomenal survival horror experience. I’m very curious as to what this could mean.

Yeah, there’s some really nice tidbits in here. Looks so cool!

😂 I wouldn’t want to mess with that kind of stamina!

@StitchJones I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some cheating shenanigans or some exploits being utilized but I also wouldn’t be surprised if folks are just that good. The Bruce Lee of video games is likely out there somewhere!

I expect this will have legs too. The world that PA created here is just incredible.

Game was a big beautiful mess at launch and the developers have been cleaning up that mess at an impressive rate. This is commendable. The more relevant issues for me are design related, which are a different kettle of fish.

My backlog and wallet were counting on this not being great but it sounds too good to pass up!

@StitchJones You’re welcome! Glad that worked out. I also have been loving it. The 30th can’t come soon enough!

@GirlVersusGame 😄🤘😄

@BearsEatBeets And they’re home 😄 What a ride it’s been!

@Rich33 I think you’ll be happy you did 😄

@Matroska These goal posts will continue to move. The passion is wonderful to see, but this statement is ultimately just marketing.

This whole mission has been a real highlight over the last couple of weeks. I’m genuinely sad that it’s coming to an end.

I love the passion. Very much looking forward to this!

@StitchJones Not having to manually sift through an inventory in order to read every single scrap of paper one finds in order to ‘learn’ its contents sounds really nice right now. 😂 Glad you’re enjoying Requiem, I’ve always thought of the RE games like an arcade game at the nuts and bolts level as well - after a first play through at least.

@StitchJones I fired it up again the other day as well. Hadn’t actually played it since the Tower of Sisyphus was added, which was a nice surprise 😄

I might even consider giving Sony my likeness if only there was a collectors edition available.

Why are developers so adverse to early access? I understand the desire to minimize spoilers and the like but there’s ways to do that, like Larian’s 1st act approach with Baldur’s Gate 3.

@lazarus11 👊

@lazarus11 Fair enough. It’s awesome that you’re enjoying it, I’m having a whale of a time myself. Cheers!

@lazarus11 @Boxmonkey That’s a fair assessment, and one that I think the site probably agrees with, hence the potential re-review.

@lazarus11 I’ve gone and looked into a few non-scored reviews. What’s interesting is that they all seem to agree that the criticisms levelled toward the game are totally legit: lacking story, poor design, unbalanced bosses, wonky mechanics…but the overall experience transcends these issues for the right type of player. The game successfully captures a feeling of wonder that makes it worth a recommendation.

These takes have the benefit of not needing to assign a numerical value that communicates this nuance. My argument remains that Rob’s review successfully conveyed this nuance. The score itself becomes a bone of contention depending on what you believe that nuance translates to numerically.

I don’t know, at the end of the day, we both get to take or leave the review, and it’s all a bit silly considering we both presumably bought the game regardless 😂

@lazarus11 I can’t speak to the ign review but I just generally disagree with you on this one, sorry. If I had to review this, I’ve encountered enough of what I feel is poor design to knock a score down - even in its current healthier state - despite the fact that I’m enjoying it immensely. I would feel a responsibility to communicate this and I think the PS review effectively communicated a similar sentiment, so even though I had already bought the game, for me it wouldn’t have been a nonsense review.

@lazarus11 I guess I just find it strange to admonish someone for a score that was well supported in the review; continuing even now after the author has pointed out that a re-review is likely in the cards as the game has drastically improved in build quality since the early review period. Critiquing a game is a different directive than finding ways to enjoy it. I don’t envy reviewers these days.

A score doesn’t tell the whole story, I think PS’s review was informative and helpful. I’m really enjoying Crimson Desert, and have sunk hours into it at a rate I’ve not done with a game in a long time, but I would not blindly recommend it without caveats. It’s an uneven experience, with elements that will be a game killer for certain players.

@GirlVersusGame I’ve also appreciated our discussions on here, thank you.

@clvr Well said. Happy Easter!

@clvr It’s worth noting that Christ was a radical who despised self righteousness and railed against the leaders of the church. I’m not blind to the pain and suffering religious institutions have caused throughout history and still do to this day, often in Christ’s name. My heart aches for this and I’m sorry if your experience with Cristians has been poor. I share your frustrations in many ways.

@Slideaway1983 Hey this means a lot, thanks. I totally get the references, and I understand the author’s intent. The irony of delisting Jesus Simulator on Easter is pretty funny, made more so by using the resurrection as a mechanism to highlight the unfortunate reality that shovelware likely isn’t going anywhere. Though, it can also be true that posting this article and cracking these jokes at the expense of a demographic on the exact weekend that demographic is at its most vulnerable is probably somewhere in the definition of bad taste. Sometimes it’s better to just not say anything. That said, there is a biblical principle that there is a time for everything. At least from my perspective, we’ve had a heartening exchange here, which reinforces the entire Easter story, which is one of redemption. Cheers!

@Leetware1 I’m not aiming to hold anyone to account here for something that they’re not accountable to, just trying to gently remind the community that there are believers among them. I can take a joke, and there are some clever references in here, but the nature of the comment section leads to a pile-up effect that just kinda sucks to stumble into, on this weekend in particular. Anyway, I appreciate the words of encouragement. Happy Easter, brother.

For anyone who cares to learn, this comment section kinda sucks to walk into for a believer in Christ on Easter weekend.

This patch rate is impressive. Keep ‘em coming!

@GirlVersusGame Pretty sure it will just update to the latest version and you should be good to go.

I’ll try to pepper in some life sessions between a busy Crimson Desert schedule. Wait a sec… Happy gaming!

Voted for Crimson Desert. The world that Pearl Abyss has created is truly incredible. If they can address the many half-baked systems, it could be next level. If they can somehow add actual narrative depth to the critical path, it could be in RDR2 territory. As it stands for me, it’s a wickedly fun sandbox that goes to beat of its own drum but could just be so much more with some extra time in the oven.

Just need a release date and I can get properly excited!

“But I can empathise with projects that grow so big that you kinda have to shut them down else they take over everything else. I've had a couple of those in my career and it's never by intention, you just want to make the best thing possible until one day it's all consuming.“

I’d like to piggyback off of @themightyant here and add that artists are not particularly content people. They are creative, thriving on new ideas that push boundaries. This ambition intersects with financial reality and good management will ‘direct traffic’ effectively. When funding is free flowing all of a sudden (funding is hardly a linear metric) and previously unaffordable ideas are suddenly possible, it’s understandable that a project could become unwieldy, especially when something changes unexpectedly, which is very possible on a project that takes years to develop.

I’m not making excuses here, just saying that this is understandable, and Agarwal’s recollection tracks.

I’ve noticed way more fps dips since playing in performance mode on the Pro. It’s a far sharper image though and my preferred way to play but balanced mode on base PS5 was absolutely a more consistent and stable experience. Pop in on the other hand is the most glaring issue across all modes in my opinion. Mixed bag is a good way to put it, much like the overall game. Its highs are incredible but there are undoubtedly some trenches to get through to reach them. I’m having a blast.

Keep ‘em coming! Much, much needed improvements.

Edit: and I didn’t even have to re-input all of my visual settings when I turned it on today, we’re really moving up in the world! 😂

Edit: oh man, the horse controls have been greatly improved. This was probably my biggest overall gripe so I’m thrilled.

PS1 ‘A Bug’s Life’ takes me back. I got stuck on the dry riverbed section with the bird, it was horrible. Anyway, I rarely comment but I do enjoy reading these!

I won’t say no but that price point is a tough pill to swallow, which is why I just picked up the Pro before the next increase. To me, the Pro makes more sense than ever before.

This here is the type of informative and articulate article that make this site shine.

This is great. ‘Returnal’s runs were too long before they addressed it. Sounds like they’ve left a lot of room for those looking to customize a proper challenge for themselves too. Risk/reward is the best difficulty system.