Moa

On 2/15/2022 at 2:39 PM, Kamusha said:

Fucking finally. I can’t wait.

Can someone explain Kim Wexler to me? She's a great character and I like her, but I just don't understand her motivations and can never predict what she's going to do or how she's going to react to something.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Hitler's paintings.

Are we just gonna roll with this thread title forever?

I adore KRZ and would recommend it to almost anyone, but it is abstract in the extreme and some people might not vibe with that. However, the art, music, direction, and overall story are absolutely fantastic.

Below is as close to a good review for the game as I've seen, although I think he overemphasizes the art bullshit, and I think the game can be understood and appreciated by people without art degrees who do not visit avant garde art galleries. That said, if you're considering playing KRZ I STRONGLY RECOMMEND stopping the video at the 11:00 mark when he starts talking about the music. The game's use of music is fantastic and better experienced blind.

I’m a little over halfway in and I’m not really digging it. Everything about the game is fine and serviceable, but it lacks the something extra that makes the games it is frequently compared to (Disco Elysium and KRZ) so special. Maybe the latter half will change my mind, but so far the game has kind of felt like a chore.
 

The puzzles especially feel like they are there because the developer felt they were compulsory and really do nothing but upset the pacing of the game. 

The writing is fine but doesn’t deviate far from run-of-the-mill Souther Gothic and lacks any of the wit or humor of a game like Disco Elysium. 
 

I consider KRZ and Disco Elysium as works of narrative art that can go toe to toe with pieces outside the gaming medium. So far whatever shine I’ve seen from Norco exists only in comparison to the generally poor writing in other games. 
 

I adored this movie.

I've learned that I want a Joseph Anderson Outer Wilds video very badly, that he sucks at Celeste, and we kind of agree on what the biggest problem with the game is.

My biggest problem is that summons feel mandatory and it's clear that most encounters are designed around their presence. His problem is bullshit long boss attack strings that you can't punish. But wait, Joseph Anderson, you can! Just summon so that half of the bullshit is directed at your summon and you can wail away on the boss' back. Ok fine, you addressed it Joseph.

I agree with the Elden Beast Torrent conspiracy.

I mostly disagree with him about the repeated content. I don't think most of the repeated encounters cheapened the originals, and I liked that new zones had some predictable content like "go to the tree, kill the tree spirit, and get the flask." I do think he's right specifically about the repeated Astel and Ancestor Spirit encounters though.

16 hours ago, Bacon said:

90% of the video is basically just my opinions so great job JA. He had a few opinions that had me like "yeah, maybe, but I really don't care". Like, at one point he mentions hit trading when it comes to heavy weapons and while hit trading was possible and I did it at times, it really didn't feel like an issue and that I don't believe it is as unavoidable as he says it is. And there were even less opinions that I just outright disagreed with. Like, his opinion on Radahn and the final "final" boss. Those are, by far, his most plebeian takes as I mentioned earlier. 

 

 

I love how you unabashedly judge video essays based on how much they conform with your own opinions.

It is also absolutely bananas the reach Joseph Anderson apparently has. Most of the video essays I see posted on reddit, even from people who pass for big names in the gaming video essay world, generate tens of comments. This Joseph Anderson video is currently sitting at an unbelievable 2511 comments.

I haven't gotten deep into the video, but based on Bacon's comments I suspect I will disagree with much of his criticism, or at least the things that troubled him didn't bother me.

Give me Witcher 3. Witcher 3 me. Witcher 3 now. Me a Witcher 3 needing a lot now.

7 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

Rykard can suck my balls after a July subway ride to Coney Island

Rykard is one of the easiest bosses in the game along with

Doesn’t Will Smith know you can’t punch down anymore?

I can tell from the pixels and seeing quite a few shops in my time that this wasn't fake.

50 minutes ago, thedarkstark said:

this game is so ****ing massive. I'm level 100, 65 hours in and there's still soooo much left to do/discover. I went in blind for about the first 50ish hours but I had to start looking stuff up and wow I'm overwhelmed.

 

 

Yeah, the strategy I took was to play through each area blind and then when I'm "finished" use the interactive map on the wiki to mop up important things I missed.

Mister Chief 

Doom 

Crash Bandicoot 

Kylo Ren 

Batman 

I want New Game Minus so I can go back as my chad self and bully Margit.

Look at me, I’m the Elden Lord now. 

The reason Elden Ring is a bad game is that it is actually too easy for us veterans. 

I think he's close but not quite there on his criticisms of the difficulty. I suspect that the vast majority of players use mimic tears as a crutch in the end-game, and at least for me it's the only way most bosses feel remotely manageable. The problem is that doing this is not the most engaging way to play the game. I think the summons, and specifically mimic tear, are a net negative to the gameplay and the game would have been better without them and with balance changes to reflect this.

I do think there's a ton of room to explore different builds and style of gameplay, and from the SOULS VETERANS I've talked to, they seem to think the game is much more flexible than previous From games. You can get OP in a lot of different ways, they just all probably involve mimic tear.

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

 

What are you your feelings about Noah Caldwell-Gervais?  I think he really does seem to stick pretty closely to what you're describing.

His Disco Elysium and Kentucky Route Zero videos were fantastic, but I feel like he has a weird tendency to cover narratively insubstantial games that clash with his level of analysis. 

20 hours ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

 

"Separating art from the artist isn’t a virtue or something to brag about. It just speaks to your ability to close your eyes and ignore the actual real-world harm a living, benefiting person receives from your silence and compliance."

God I can't stand statements like this. Separating the art from the artist is about criticizing art based on its own merit. It does not mean you need to support an artist you find deplorable because they make "good" art.

So, what precisely did GRRM do for this game? The story, lore, and presentation all seem 100% in line with everything else From has ever done.

It's been a long time since a game came out and just blew everyone's nuts off the way Elden Ring has.

Getting the 

was hell, but damn does it slap. I like that I can be a wizard without completely compromising my ability to hit hard.

5 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

For those who are new to Souls games, will this game cause you to go back and play the others?

I think I would probably just play this game again with a different spec. Although I guess I'm new in the sense of newly enjoying myself in a souls game rather than never having played them before.