I still think Dark Souls 1 is more accessible than Elden Ring. Yes, ER offers more and better tools - like the aforementioned spirit ashes - but the complexity and demands of the boss fights are still much harder I would say.
Though it’s mainly multiple story-heavy games at once I couldn’t do myself I think. Jumping back and forth between Minecraft and Halo and Mario Kart and what have you feels slightly different.
It’s more about the aesthetic, I really enjoyed when it was the weird modern/ancient mix they were going with before rather than this actual cyberpunk.
I’m playing through Ninja Gaiden 2 (X360) at the moment partly in preparation for this release. NG4 looks so fucking different but still - I think - promising. I’m not sure what I think about the full cyberpunk aesthetic but who plays these games for the story anyway? Combat looks vicious, fast and brutal and even though it looks very different from the old games it still looks good I think.
Buy it on GOG, I believe the Steam version of Bloodlines doesn’t even launch. GOG version comes bundled with the “basic” version of the Unofficial Patch which - as far as I know - is literally required to be able to finish the game. GOG also has a one-click installer for the Plus Patch with more restored content as of like a month or two ago, if you’re into that. I personally recommend playing non-Malkavian Basic Patch for a first experience and doing Malkavian with the Plus Patch for a second playthrough.
The game is absolutely worth it, it’s a cult classic for a reason. The combat sucks so be prepared for that and the second half of the game is extremely rushed as the developers were forced to shove it out the door but even having said that it’s a great experience for what it is.
I wonder what the public response will be when Silksong releases and turns out to be just a good game and not literally curing cancer and resolving world hunger.
Spaghetti Western is a very common term for those movies, or at least it was when I grew up. Sergio Leone was one of the pioneers of the genre so I guess that’s where the name comes from?
Seeing as Roblox being a groomer infested hellhole has been known for years it’s surprised me that it took this long for that story to actually break into the mainstream.
But anyways yeah. Predator hive is full of predators, more news at eleven.
Continuing my ninja adventures by playing Ninja Gaiden 2 (Xbox 360 version) this week. Since the original has such a fierce following and the remaster from this year was somewhat controversial I wanted to play it first to see how NG2B with the “White” mod holds up. It was a little more involved setting up emulation than NGB and Xemu, but it’s running well now albeit with minor graphical glitches. I actually for once kinda wish I had an Xbox Series X though for that native 4k60 HDR.
So far I’m enjoying myself. The highs of the game are really high, even compared to the first game: those frenetic massive hallway fights against hordes of aggressive ninjas are just pure adrenaline rushes and thrilling but stressful in the best way. While the combat in the first game was fast, it was still very measured and deliberate. This time it’s just pure coke-fuelled rabid frenzy.
The improved graphics, animations and gore also make the spectacle of combat heightened and the dismemberment mechanic is really fun and surprisingly strategic to play with.
Some enemies are just shit to fight though, like the dogs and the flying bat demons you have to take out with ranged attacks. Also the bosses have been very hit or miss. Genshin and the spider monster were fun but I was really close to quitting the game over Gigadeath between being one of the worst bosses in gaming and glitching out of the arena 25% of the time.
I’d really like to beat it but we’ll see how far I get.
I do agree that it’s nostalgia-powered and fuelled by millennials with disposable income being a fertile market, but to me here’s the weird thing: I think pixel art can look incredibly beautiful while the old early 3D game style looks like absolute ass (such as the OG FF7 screenshot above).
But I grew up much more on the latter than the former. There has to be more to it than just nostalgia.
They already walked back on it in Max Payne 2, which made me irrationally upset at the time. But in Alan Wake 1/2 the Max Payne stand-in Alex Casey had Sam Lake’s face again… so, maybe?
I’m more worried about how they’ll approach James McCaffrey’s passing. He is Max Payne, but I feel like they will recast him out of sheer necessity (unless they really just stick slavishly to the originals and give them a fresh coat of paint).