Vemsie

1 hour ago, Pob said:

I've recently left The Daunt, playing on Very Hard, and I'm getting slightly despondent. Progress is easy enough but it feels like the stealth strike is by far and away the best way to attack any enemy. Once you get into open combat it becomes a clusterfuck and and arrows do nothing more than tickle unless you score a weakspot hit - even then they're massively less effective than just going back into hiding and sneaking around for another stealth strike. As with the first game I've got auto-aim off and am heavily reliant on the focus slow-mo, so perhaps I'm just making it too frustrating for myself.

 

To be fair I did find this in the first game as well but it seems exacerbated here. I'm also finding that the starting tripcaster more often than not fails to attach - I'm not sure if it just has a very short rope or whether it can now not attach to every surface, but I'm finding it quite useless. Again, stealth / critical strikes surpass everything but it's quite boring just doing that. I enjoy sparring and jousting with enemies once I've lost the element of surprise but it feels like a scrappy battle of attrition and not particularly fun.

 

There are also SO MANY icons on the map - it feels like Assassin's Creed. I might just start turning most icons off so I don't get so distracted.

I'm playing on Ultra Hard as well (like the original) and I'm having no problems in open combat so far. I genuinely think it has the best open world combat system out there and feel Elden RIng - which has other qualities - feels pretty limited in comparison compared to Horizon's massive toolbox so far. It also helps that FW runs a lot smoother.

I love frantically dodging around while hitting weakspots. I definitely recommend gyro as it makes aiming way faster and more precise. With a bit of practice you'll start hitting those weakpoints at a much higher rate. And unlike ZD, you can now tag the weakpoints, making them much easier to identify. And don't forget to use the elements that enemies are weak against. Blowing up Bristleback canisters with acid arrows is a lot of fun. Especially if they're near other enemies. 
Melee combos can be pretty effective as well and don't forget to use those supers, I forgot what they are called.

Gosh, playing this after Forbidden West was a bit rough. Not only does it look a generation behind, but its performance mode is way less stable. The gameplay is great though. I love just going in a certain direction and not knowing what I will find. I picked Samurai and the bow is great so far.

13 minutes ago, BabelRich said:

 

Wait; what?

 

There's gyro, how have I missed this?

To be fair, the list with settings and accessibility options is pretty long.
But definitely recommended, aiming becomes so much more snappier and precise with it.

I'm using gyro in combat and it makes aiming for specific parts so much easier.

World is going to shit but it's a good time to be a gamer at least.

1 minute ago, Cyhwuhx said:

Poor, poor Guerrilla.

(GG will be fine, Horizon ZD sold 20 million copies)

1 minute ago, Padaxes said:

I didnt like Sekero , am I going to like this? 

Maybe. It's very different.

That second quote from USA Today is what I hoped for:

Game Informer:
 

Quote

"Once in a great while, a game comes along that seamlessly combines impeccable gameplay, a wondrous world, incredible tone-setting music, and unparalleled art direction. That game is From Software's Elden Ring, an action RPG that channels the best aspects of the studio's last decade of work into one enormous package. This absurdly ambitious open world captivated my curiosity, enticed me with puzzles, secrets, and mysteries, and served up unbelievably satisfying moments as I experienced one of the most extraordinary adventures of all time."

From is on a mighty streak.

37 minutes ago, Mystacon said:

Reviews in 45 mins. Anyone steering clear of them completely?

 

Skillup has said his will be spoiler free so I might just listen to it to stoke that hype machine.

I've skipped all the recent footage like the launch trailer and overview trailer and I'll probbaly just look at the scores and conclusions of these reviews. The less you know about these games, the better.

But I'm curious to see if it tops Bloodborne as their highest rated game yet.

I haven't played that much because Sifu got its hooks in me the last two weeks and I will probably play Elden Ring first before I'm going in hard on this one, but I did a couple of missions and sidequests. The world definitely feels more varied and alive, and it helps that the cutscenes and dialogue scenes are much better animated and directed this time. I'm also glad that the PS5 helps with a couple of things that bothered me about Zero Dawn. No more lengthy load times, 60 fps for smoother combat and a more tactile feel due to the DualSense. When I went back to Zero Dawn after the 60 fps patch came out and I had just spent monts playing Returnal, the combat - while excellent in itself - felt flat because you lose the tactile elements the DualSense provide and I'm really used to these now. Firing a videogame bow without any form of resistance feels weird to me now.
Graphics aside, the ranged machine combat and all the options you have with traps and whatnot is still the star of the show for me, even though melee combat has improved considerably. Hardly best in class but a lot more useful than it was in ZD. And the worldbuilding of Horizon is just great. Really love their take on the post post-apocalypse. 
For the next game, I think they can still improve climbing and make Aloy a bit less chattery (or at least make her hints optional - ND is much better at this stuff).
Also, Ultra Hard is very enjoyable so far. Machines can take you out real quick, so get used to popping berries, but it's all very doable so far and very enjoyable.
 

Got the Platinum. One of only 2.7% apparently. I normally don't care for trophies so it says something about the quality of this game and Returnal before it that I went for it.

Just in time for Elden Ring and curious where SloClap goes next.

5 hours ago, robdood said:

Nice work Vems! 

 

I'm putting together some boss guides.  Bosses 1-4 are no worries, but fuck me I find the last boss so hard to.. describe in a meaningful way.  I haven't really 'learned' the fight enough to articulate how to do it, despite having done it a bunch of times now!!  It feels very instinctual and just completely seat-of-the-pants and amazing.  

I think I've got the last boss down. I basically know when to parry, when to block and when to dodge. Doesn't mean he doesn't get any hits in, because it's easy to make a mistake. But man, due to all that parrying my writs are tired as fuck. It's an intense fight for sure.

But what a game. Best thing I've played since Returnal came out almost a year ago. Really felt like I was choreographing a Gareth Evans' film at times.

Easy Allies review is spot-on.

That's Sifu done at age 50. Will probably go for better runs later. What a game this turned out to be.

Also 

the first three bosses.

Cleared the first three stages age 21. I can probably shave that one year off but gonna focus on 4 first.

Really enjoying this so far. Gorgeous world, cool worldbuilding and machine combat remains a joy, especially at 60 fps. And none of the lengthy load times that plagued ZD. Playing on Ultra Hard and that seems a nice difficulty so far. Wouldn't call it ultra hard but it's early days.

1 hour ago, robdood said:

Aw I love the weird magical transitions!  The ones in stage 2 and 3 are immense!  Stage 4 second half is pretty uninspired though, you're right. 

Yeah, 2 and 3 are great. I think the second half of 4 is basically the only thing I don't vibe with, though the boss is decent now that I got a handle on her.
Stage 3 is probably my favourite.

Bought this yesterday but I kinda want to finish Sifu first, because I'm afraid I'll lose my flow if I put that aside right now.

I must say that while I adore the game and it might very well end up on my GotY list depending on how the rest of the year goes, I'm not a big fan of level 4, or at least the second part of it. I really dislike those mystical transistions of whatever they are and the music there is kinda annoying to me. Reached the second phase of the final boss last night, so time to work on that. Without guides as I prefer finding stuff out on my own.

 

56 minutes ago, Capwn said:

Oh what? Shame but if anything that suggests they are taking their time and investing in this. I have this feeling that THIS is the one, this is the break-through moment for tv/film adaptations based on a game. That isn't just hugely popular but well acclaimed too.

 

You can quote me later on that

Well, Arcane already did that. But for live action, yeah, it will probably be the new standard. Just look at the directors they got for this. 

3 hours ago, Harrisown said:

 

Didn't they give Horizon away for free in 2020 to Plus subscribers? or was it literally everyone with an account?

They did, but this is sales specifically (PS4 + PC).
 

43 minutes ago, Harrisown said:

I think the sales of Forbidden West are going to be a lot lower overall and Herman hulst is going to destroy Sony first party.

 

They won't be. Sony has been very good at growing its franchises. God of War 3 for example was 'only' around 5 million on PS3, now it's 20+ million. Uncharted had a big groth as well and new IP like Horizon, The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima also sold really well. And many of their games will now release on PC as well, so extra sales. God of War is doing really well there. If anything, Hulst is making lots of smart moves. 
 

55 minutes ago, MardiganX said:

I came in to ask what is a decent age to be progressing past Stage 2. All of a sudden being 28 years old doesn’t feel like it’s going to cut it, haha.

 

What a fucking game this is. Took me a while to adjust to the ‘swing’ in the combat where you simply must move to a defensive stance to adjust position, environment and take a breath rather than being constantly attacking. Love it!!

I got to stage 5 when I was 24 or 25 in stage 2. I'm now 20 in the Museum as I love shaving off years and getting better. I just need to get better at the stage 4 boss.

5 hours ago, MikeF said:

Upto The Tower now at age 32, when do you get the shortcut to the underground area, the level seems massive

 

I can do the third level without dieing too, think I have the boss patterns down now

Near the end, after beating a mini boss.