Played for a couple of hours, after it finally deigned to unlock last night. The game is indeed spectacular and smooth, at least on Pro Performance.
The gameplay feels a lot like AC Valhalla, with a few extra abilities (Ultra Hand, Force Push...). There's a climbing mechanic (so I just snuck into the castle climbing the ramparts), fetch quests (chop wood, gather iron ore...), and there are even techno-magical levels like the ones in AC where the simulation becomes more abstract and ruins the sense of immersion (so I react like "Uhh, I'll pretend I didn't see that").
The interface is the one of the worst and least intuitive I've ever seen: we aim with L1, then select an option or a power to use, and often we need to hold down the button (L3 for Axiom Force) while the aiming is imprecise. You also need to "observe" with L1 in order to acquire specific moves that are needed to advance. I even had to check on a site to learn how to operate a specific device
Well, so far the game looks great, fun and relaxing without being particularly innovative. The reviews are probably spot on
So, the usual incomplete physical copy because the publisher couldn't be bothered to include two blurays. Although I think this should at least be clearly stated on the cover: "download required" or something similar.
Of course we all knew the game basically needs a hefty day-1 patch download in order to be functional. IIRC the game went gold in January, and the devs have since been working hard to optimize it. So they just made this update mandatory, and maybe larger than expected.
Well, I'll still buy the physical version, beacuse I enjoy purchasing games from local stores
Pretty much what I expected: if you like the subgenre (DmC, Bayonetta etc.) the game is ok, but it could be better.
It feels like a perfectly respectable AA game that was expanded with superflous elements to make it look like a AAA action RPG, with a matching price. These additions probably delayed development and distracted the team from the basics - combat balancing, technical performance, and the general flow of the experience
Fromsoft is doing two things here:
1) reducing investments with smaller and cheaper projects (in fact they're making two of them at a time)
2) tapping into a different demographic (the Fortnite crowd) who probably tried ER in recent years
This is a big change of pace because From games are usually EXTREMELY traditional. The original Demon's Souls was remarkable 2009 because it had gone back to basics: fixed difficulty, challenging gameplay, mysterious world and mechanics...
Well, of course this is not for me: multiplayer-only, coop, roguelite, RNG, no exploration, limited build possibilities...
I guess I'll wait for the next Fromsoft game. No, not Duskbloods!
Comments 4
Re: Round Up: Crimson Desert Reviews Are a Major Disappointment
Played for a couple of hours, after it finally deigned to unlock last night. The game is indeed spectacular and smooth, at least on Pro Performance.
The gameplay feels a lot like AC Valhalla, with a few extra abilities (Ultra Hand, Force Push...). There's a climbing mechanic (so I just snuck into the castle climbing the ramparts), fetch quests (chop wood, gather iron ore...), and there are even techno-magical levels like the ones in AC where the simulation becomes more abstract and ruins the sense of immersion (so I react like "Uhh, I'll pretend I didn't see that").
The interface is the one of the worst and least intuitive I've ever seen: we aim with L1, then select an option or a power to use, and often we need to hold down the button (L3 for Axiom Force) while the aiming is imprecise. You also need to "observe" with L1 in order to acquire specific moves that are needed to advance. I even had to check on a site to learn how to operate a specific device
Well, so far the game looks great, fun and relaxing without being particularly innovative. The reviews are probably spot on
Re: Crimson Desert PS5 Concern as Physical Copies Won't Run without Download
So, the usual incomplete physical copy because the publisher couldn't be bothered to include two blurays. Although I think this should at least be clearly stated on the cover: "download required" or something similar.
Of course we all knew the game basically needs a hefty day-1 patch download in order to be functional. IIRC the game went gold in January, and the devs have since been working hard to optimize it. So they just made this update mandatory, and maybe larger than expected.
Well, I'll still buy the physical version, beacuse I enjoy purchasing games from local stores
Re: Lost Soul Aside (PS5) - Long Awaited Action Is Both Awesome and Painfully Awkward
Pretty much what I expected: if you like the subgenre (DmC, Bayonetta etc.) the game is ok, but it could be better.
It feels like a perfectly respectable AA game that was expanded with superflous elements to make it look like a AAA action RPG, with a matching price. These additions probably delayed development and distracted the team from the basics - combat balancing, technical performance, and the general flow of the experience
Re: Elden Ring Nightreign (PS5) - A Ruthless Roguelike Reinvention of the Lands Between
Fromsoft is doing two things here:
1) reducing investments with smaller and cheaper projects (in fact they're making two of them at a time)
2) tapping into a different demographic (the Fortnite crowd) who probably tried ER in recent years
This is a big change of pace because From games are usually EXTREMELY traditional. The original Demon's Souls was remarkable 2009 because it had gone back to basics: fixed difficulty, challenging gameplay, mysterious world and mechanics...
Well, of course this is not for me: multiplayer-only, coop, roguelite, RNG, no exploration, limited build possibilities...
I guess I'll wait for the next Fromsoft game. No, not Duskbloods!