Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN waoh man, it’s good to see you back.

Sent my wee brother off to uni today. He was 8 when I made this account 😂

@nessisonett One of my neices turned 30 this week, which made me feel really really old.

@nessisonett my sister also started uni. when I first started browsing this site, she around 9.

@JohnnyShoulder Haha, my sister turns 30 next year and we’re not letting that one go!

@Yousef- It feels like summer flew away and it’s already term time!

@nessisonett I’m not looking forward to streets getting crowded when I drive to work 😆
I am however looking forward to temps dropping below 50 Celsius!….. in a few months.

@Jimmer-jammer @Th3soltuion @Yousef- Further to what I said before, I feel like the FromSoft Souls games really do ruin most other video games for a lot of people, myself included, simply because they are simply such quasi-perfect RPG video gaming experiences.Given my commitment to farming and becoming op as well as chasing that ever-elusive platinum I'll probably be at Elden Ring for over a year, though, so I won't be at a loss for something for to play for quite some time now.

I mean, Rise of the Ronin was fun, but it just didn't quite hit that sweet spot that the Souls games have provided for me , although in terms of transferable skills I feel that the faster-reaction times I seem to have gained from a game like RotR are already beneitting me with regard to ER.

Even so, though, I'd like to just note that playing it briefly this morning, aquiring the steed and meeting the 'Maiden' that you use to level-up type character and farming a little, was like slipping on and old glove, i.e a feeling of something comfortable and familiar, I may just stick to FromSoft Souls games from now on and explore whatever they put out next year or whenever after Elden Ring. Thoughts?

N.B Also I know SOTE is already out, with regard to further content, but the lack of trophies puts me off, with regard to that particular expansion. Old Hunter's was great!

N.B II I also abandoned RE2 REmake and Another Crab's Treasure in the interim of my absence from this website, because they didn't hit that so-called 'sweet spot' .

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I wouldn’t go so far as to say that From Software games have ruined other games for me but I would easily agree that their recent output represents some of the best the medium has to offer. They’re in a league of their own

SotE’s lack of trophies is certainly an annoyance (and a misstep in my opinion) but it in no way negatively impacted my overall enjoyment of the experience.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to know what you like and stick within it. It’s not like you’re out here berating folks for liking games unblessed by Miyazaki’s genius 😂

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN @Jimmer-jammer on top of the quality, From Softwares output is incredible too. As game development times seem to be increasing everywhere… From Soft just keep churning out bangers on the reg.

@colonelkilgore @BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN It’s insane. They are a bonafide machine!

Hello to all the lovely people in this thread! I have nothing else to say but I hope you are all having a good day (or had a good day) and are all safe with your families Hope you are all playing super fun games too!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN That's a shame you've decided to skip Shadow of the Erdtree, as I think it contains some of their best work.

It was a bit weird not to have any trophies as first, but it did not impact my enjoyment. I didn't realise you are that into trophies, but if that is your only concern I would not let that stop you from playing the expansion.

@JohnnyShoulder That and it being more difficult to become op in the DLC. Plus I get a little impatient towards the end of games and ER is huge already!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I wouldn't say it is more difficult but different than in the main game.

There is a limit of the items you need for sure, but by the time you've got all the fragments and stuff, you will be OP for every thing barring the last boss.

@JohnnyShoulder Just the lack of trophies putting me off then, as I say Elden Ring vanilla is a very long/huge game!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Yeah I had an 18 month break from when I finished the main game, so was ready to jump back in when the dlc arrived.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN first of all, it’s great hearing from you again. I’ve missed the conversations a lot so it’s good that you’re back and we can speak again.

Second, I have to echo the sentiments by our good bud, @Jimmer-jammer . I obviously love Miyazaki, and I can extend the sentiment you’ve expressed particularly with his contemporaries, but I wouldn’t go as far as to comfortably say games have been ruined. Perhaps it’s better to frame the DS trilogy as a one-of-a-king experience not in the sense it does particular things in a way that’s inherently superior to most other works of arts, but rather does it in such a unique and particular way that you can’t quite seek it elsewhere and have good luck finding something that replicates that specific experience and replicates it successfully at that. Simply put, there’s just nothing like Dark Souls’ brand of immersive world-building, exploration and addictive character building and storytelling.

I’ve also come to see that I’m not someone who seeks out one type of experience. Gaming is beautiful so many games scratch specific itches, and there’s nothing wrong with only that one particular series having one specific charm that can’t be duplicated. It makes it special, more than anything. I love GTA’s gameplay of driving around with radio and satirical takes on culture, I love musous’ blend of historical accuracy and anime shenanigans and I love Ratchet & Clank’s simple gunplay and satirical mockery of consumerism. Games provide specific experiences and that’s awesome.

Thirdly, that RotR comparison is a rather good one, and I’d say that it sorta ties back into how Miyazaki-san’s brand of gameplay and world building hasn’t been properly emulated in other contemporaries, hence my dissatisfaction with these games despite acknowledging them as doing their own thing. I do believe Jimmy expressed something similar in a broader sense, at least in a small exchange we had in a soulslike article comment section. A sentiment also extended by @colonelkilgore based on continuous conversations.

Once again, it was nice hearing from you again.

@Pastellioli It is good to see you here, old bud. You are welcome to share an exchange of words any time. If you need an earpiece, I’m here as always, but not constantly checking so a Ping wouldn’t hurt me at All. I hope you enjoy your time here.

@Yousef- so it’s a nuanced topic for sure as while I’m totally with you in so far as saying that nobody does it quite like From Soft… I still enjoy the hell out of non-From Soft souls-likes also. Nioh 2 for instance rocked my world when I played it earlier this year. I actually like tasting the different variations that other devs bring to the formula… but always consider From Soft souls-likes the blue-ribbon/gold standard.

@Yousef- Thank you! I saw that Push Square had a chit-chat thread so I thought I’d come. I’m the least active on here, since I don’t have a PlayStation 4 anymore 😅 so ill just be the most active on the threads than comment sections related to PlayStation news.

@colonelkilgore you’re not wrong, I am bit rigid although not by choice since I always welcome different interpretations irregardless of how much they’d resonate with me.

If there’s one beacon of hope, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight has demonstrated that I can not only resonate with a Miyazaki-like work not made by the man himself, but that it can also evolve to being something I can potentially elevate even above that to some degree (bearing in mind they have different goals, of course).

Nioh 2 is something I’ve missed out on actually. It’s possible I didn’t give it a chance. I disliked both Wo Long and Stranger of Paradise, so I thought Nioh wouldn’t be for me but everyone says it’s simply Team Ninja’s magnum opus mechanics-wise. I’m not actually someone who seeks mechanical complexion in soulslikes, not even in character-actions. I tend to prefer simple combat with mechanical depth rather than something that takes hours to even grasp, not to insinuate that that’s what Nioh 2 is, of course.

@Pastellioli Not to worry. Cross-platform games will likely guarantee you’ll stumble across a few conversations you can participate in. Not to mention, threads that “Switch OT”, “Xbox Thread”, “Games you recently beat” and “What non-ps4 games are you playing?” Will guarantee that you’ll have something to contribute.