Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

I've only recently heard of the stories of Shuhei Yoshida calling an early build of Demon's Souls crap @Gremio108 and honestly I can really see why he might've thought that with much clearer eyes on the game.

Demon's isn't terrible... But good lord the Soul series really has gone from strength to strength over the years.

I was a bit disapointed when it was revealed Dark Souls remastered was only going to be an upscale... but I was also rather glad it wasn't going to altered in any way as I do think it's well crafted (At least I hope it is when I return to it soon!)

... Honestly I think this the first time I'm actually more or less ok with someone giving it a serious overhaul in the remake department as @JohnnyShoulder suggests

Ha ha i know it's pretty hard to believe @Thrillho but I had:

• 60 each of Crescent, Half & Late moon grasses
• 80 Full Moon grasses
• 45 New moon grasses
• and about 20 Dark moon grasses

It is rather generous with them (especially if you are in white tendancy)

Plus the second chance miracle (which you can get from the soul of the Old Hero) can apparently even be recast for unlimited auto revives! I thought it was only once per trip... Utterly broken! Mp recovery items are pretty cheap too! 😂

I can't believe this game nearly broke me the first time round!

I enjoyed my time with Dark Souls Remastered @Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy, I never did finish it originally when I played it on the 360. The remaster felt pretty good to play, but I'd say it's a step below the Dark Souls 2 remaster. I don't remember struggling with it too much, the hardest bosses for me where all in the DLC. Especially Manus, he is one tough mo fo and you may have heard of him from your time recently in DS2, depending on how much you are into the lore of the series....

And I've just realised I've completed the games backwards starting with the third game. I would usually never do that.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy That's funny. Everything I've heard from people is talk about how brutal Demon's Souls is. Maybe they were just unused to the game design at the time? I do know that Souls games apparently get easier the more of them you play. Your expectations and reflexes probably weren't honed by years of experience with the series when you first got to it.

Anyway, only six hours? Did you beat it, or did you just stop playing out of a lack of interest?

Oh it definitely was/is a mixture of this for most people. 1,000,000% so for me the first time around. I certainly did not get this at all on my first playthrough of this as I've stated plenty of times before 😅

Though I am much more used to the gameplay now... I do think it's also partially that this was FromSoftware's (and Hidetaka Miyazaki's) first attempt at this type of game.

The foundation for the later Souls/Borne games is quite clearly here... Just a bit shakily built with a few gaps here and there and fairly rough round the edges.

I carried it on from a save I had on the PS3 @Ralizah that was already halfway through the game. (I'd previously beaten 10 bosses back in 2017)

I finished the game with a rather ludicrous 17 hours & 48 minutes playtime as I beat the remaining nine bosses (Bloodborne took me 25 hours on a second playthrough which was my shortest Souls experience to date (Without the chalice dungeons mind))

I haven't played the dlc for Dark Souls @JohnnyShoulder (or even seen any footage of it) so I'm looking forward to it, but yes I remember the lore regarding Manus quite well!

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Yeah, it does take half an hour or so to re-adapt to the first Dark Souls game, at least it did for me. After that though, it's fine. The difference between Dark Souls and Demon's Souls is huge, and I really didn't notice it at the time.

@RogerRoger See, this is why I like your posts. You don't just discuss a game. You take the reader on a journey!

The music is pretty adventurous and cinematic, although, I'll confess, having next to no familiarity with the franchise, I wouldn't recognize any of the tracks from previous games even if they smacked me across the face.

Looks like you're discovering the magic of the PC modding scene. So many games are vastly improved by user mods. Skyrim, for example: it looks alright on PS4, but, if your system can run it, there's mods that make the game look like a demanding modern-gen title.

Best. Line. Ever.

I have to admit my knowledge of Lara like Ralizah is extremely limited... to the very first alone and that's really remembering the T-Rex bit if I'm honest and the final boss... thing 😅

But from what I have heard I thought her moral compass was a lot more shady in the reboot trilogy... In fact it's the one thing I heard many a reviewer going on about that she was kinda unlikable.

Being on the run for murder... I'd be on edge, manners out the window and rather hostile too. I'd certainly say worse then "You unsavoury little runt!" 😂

I think that was your best review yet for me @RogerRoger. Exceedingly well written in your signature style and was very enlightening too about the development woven all the way through. Well done

@RogerRoger Great read. It certainly has its issues, but I did love Angel of Darkness as well. There's lots of interesting facts in your post that I didn't know about, such as originally planning three hub cities.

@RogerRoger

Absolutely must agree with @Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy there. Laughed out loud right here at my desk.

I’d been holding off reading the review until the end of my day and once I finished up my work I simply couldn’t wait any longer until I got home — I just had to sit here in the silence of an empty workplace and enjoy the review as soon as I could. Bravo.

It helps that I love all things Tomb Raider, but I must say it was a wonderfully written piece. The opening recount of the development is a splendid intro to place the game in context. It’s easy to judge these games in a vacuum, but when one realizes that each game’s development (and in this case, post release modification) is a story in and of itself.

I remember enjoying The Angel of Darkness when I played it, although I’m sure the rose-tinted glasses that I see the game through now would not hold up if I replayed it. But your review makes me want to play it again. If only I knew which box my PS2 was stored in...

@RogerRoger Awesome review dude. I doubt I will play the game, but a very fascinating read. It's certainly interesting to ponder what could have been if the development hadn't been so pained and if the project's potential had been fully realised. Glad that the PC mods have ironed out a few of the kinks. I wonder if anyone would ever attempt a fan remake.

All preach in the church of @RogerRoger

@RogerRoger A good read that. Placing Lara in an urban setting but keeping the tomb raiding mechanics sounds like it could have been really neat, even if it wasn't.

Batman: Return to Arkham City - I think I'm nearing the end of it, I just finished a fight with the Joker on my second trip to the steel mill, and have started a Catwoman segment where I have to steal a plant for Poison Ivy. It's been a pretty solid time, and while it doesn't quite have the same atmosphere as Asylum, I do like the added freedom & more varied gadget selection. There's way too many Riddler trophies/challenges though. Sure, some of the puzzles can be pretty clever, but it's clearly bloat for the sake of bloat (on the other hand I really like the lore & concept art they unlock, though).

Luigi's Mansion 3 - First one of these I've played, and I'm pretty impressed. It has great atmosphere, and the Metroid like map design is a perfect fit. The environment is highly detailed & interactive, and the bosses are looking like they might be something special (I just beat a pianist ghost that was suprisingly involved). Only issue is that my right Joy Con has developed drift pretty heavily, and it's making things way harder than they should be (Luigi is constantly trying to spin, making lining things up difficult, and it slows him down when trying to move away from danger, lol).

Hey everyone. If you haven't had a look yet, please go and vote in the Push Square community run screenshot of the year competition, there are a few hours left for the public vote and you can find all of the pictures and information in the forum post 😁

@KratosMD Did you play LB3 at all?

@KratosMD ah OK.
I really enjoyed 3 for the most part. Bit grindy for the plat, but excellent fan service.

@KratosMD Not quite open like LB2, but there are plenty of the hub worlds to go to.

@KratosMD Wow! That is a lot of Lego gaming!

I'm nowhere near done with Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition

... In fact I've still not made it past chapter 2. (The hour long opening is chapter 1). I've only not long just made it out Fort Joy and yet spent over 10 hours in game (And closer to 16 or so thanks to reloading it and faffing about). But I just had to write down my overwhelmingly positive reception to this so far.

Plus I think the original thread for the game has been inactive for far too long... so... Impressions piece it is!

Whilst I have enjoyed my other gaming fare of Soul Calibur VI and Bloodstained lately (and I'll be playing them alongside this, especially over the winter break) I think they've been more of a pleasant distraction for things that have happened on my end lately.

This however really has engrossed me. I spent 8 hours alone on Saturday playing this (well between reloading and doing the odd thing round the house it was only like 3 hours progress). Something I haven't done in a long time and all sense of time was void as I just kept playing.

There's our six potential heroes (and in my opinion quite nice cover art and splash screen of the game) of: The lizard known as The Red Prince. The Dwarf pirate known only as Beast. The elven assassin known as Sebille. The human female bard that is Lohse, the undead known as Fane and the human mercenary Ifan Ben-Mezd.

You can play as any one of them... making them any one of the 14 starting classes and choosing their starting skills, stats, abilities, perks and traits (Yeah this is a pretty complex title)

You can however make your own character too out of the four main races of Human, Lizard, Elf & Dwaff or an undead version of the four races.

I ended up making a lizard. A female Cleric which comes with points in the Necromancy spell tree and the Hydrosophist Spell tree.

You start off elder scrolls style in a prison.

Well on a ship that's heading to the prison known as fort joy.

You're a sourcerer. Having an inate and rather special magical affinity. Unfortunately as of late source magic has been attracting mysterious beings known as "Voidwoken" and the clergy has decided to round up all the sourcerers to cure them to stop the voidwoken from attacking.

Yup... That's all the map I've seen so far! The second area of the game!

One of the first (and despite being such a small thing is actually pretty big thing) I noticed about the game... Is that my choice in race has actually been more then just a cosmetic thing so far.

Take something like Skyrim or Dragon Age. Aside from the occasional line of dialogue or a special ability there's not much of a difference between being an Khajit or an elf aside from cosmetics and maybe a skill or two in the former.

In Divinity it's come up a lot. Sebille took quite a bit of convincing to join my party for example because of her backstory and my character being a lizard. All Lizard characters call my character kin and there's usually a special dialogue choice for her in most conversations that brings up the aristocratic ways of the lizard race.

In fact I stole a healing potion early on and an elf then questioned me, asking to turn over my bag for her to look through it for the missing item.

Essentially I accused her of prejudice, asking if it was because I was a lizard she was questioning me (Lizards are notorious slavers as well apparently and I think she was a former slave) and with my stats giving a helping boost (there are stat based persuasion checks too) I got out of it! Stolen potion still in pocket!

Hell I've had kids affctionately call me a dragon and guards and thugs call me a reptile in disdain. It's a real small thing... and yet not many other games seem to get that right at all!

Plus since I mentioned Skyrim ya know what it's got that it hasn't?

An actual voice cast

Far as I can tell almost every character so far has a unique voice! (The kids maybe not) And yet we still live in an age where Skyrim (Or Oblivion's comically inept attempt) has it's laughable voice cast where there's only ten different voices in the world apparently aside from the real big npc's. (Though the idle chatter from npc's can get a bit much in Fort Joy)

Plus as I'm exploring/making my island escape now I'm getting a number of chances to talk with the party after events. It does feel like my party is actually a party of individuals with very different goals in mind at the moment and not just a bunch of yes men who'll do whatever I tell them. Especially Sebille.

I had one objective soon as I made it to Fort Joy, Unsurprisingly it was to get out. And through my time playing i found six very different ways.

• I could go at it completely alone with no assistance and some sneakiness and dodge past everything.
• I could sail out thanks to a resistance group.
• I could just fight my way out.
• Escape via sewer duct.
• Escaping with a fellow Sourcerer by ourselves.
• Or be shown/told a secret way out by two different parties...

... I'm being pretty vague here obviously to not spoil anything but there's been a variety of choices with a bunch of different lead ins and outs.

Quests naturally feeding in to one and another with a number of questlines already hinted at that'll pop in later on.

And I don't have the talk to animals perk either! (That I thought was more of a joke choice but it actually seems like it could be quite handy for extra info and quests)

The party's assembled

The combat's a pretty complex beast too.

Playing on what's considered the normal/medium difficulty setting, going through the many different escape routes I kept finding fights. Fights with characters a level or two higher.

I ended up reloading a few times to say the least as they made me into strawberry jam! 😂

But before I finally left I got my head round it and the wealth of options on display. And there's a LOT you can do!

From simply teleporting a melee enemy away from you to give youself some breathing room to using an attack on an oil barrel with one character and breaking it open, oil spilling everywhere only for another to set it alight and create a wall of fire.

Or maybe my characters are on fire and I use my rain spell to douse them off before using a lightning spell later on in the fight to shock the puddle when we're out the way to damage a bunch of enemies.

Or you can just turn someone into a chicken if you like!

Of course the enemies are no slouch either. Fane (the undead of my party) is a constant target for enemy healing spells... which severely hurt him thanks to his undead-ness and has to heal via poison!

Plus with both physical and magical armour to deal with before you can usually get to an enemy's actual health bar (same goes for you of course) you do have to think of what your best move might be.

The game rewards and expects some clever thinking on your part!

Four totally inconspicuous bushes and not four escapees trying to enter a fight with tactical advantage

It can be a bit of an intimidating beast at first... But Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition does have numerous difficulty options, including a story mode if you want to ease yourself in... Or a permadeath mode if you're feeling particularly masochistic.

You don't have to brave the game alone either even.

There's the option for four player online co-op! If you're feeling particularly old school you and a (single) buddy can play the game co-op right on the sofa! Or you can let off some steam in the multiplayer arena mode too with up to four people both offline and online!

Now I may be at work at the moment... But the kids are watching Finding Dory so I meanwhile am wondering just how I should build my party... what new skills I should get... and what those seemingly immortal, but eternally on fire, pigs want in the middle of a swamp...

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy That’s a fantastic summary of your first impressions! A very informative post that highlights the games basic structure. It has me wanting to play it!

It does sound like an extremely complex game though, which is intimidating. That, and it’s length have been the deterrents for me so far. I picked it up a few months ago when I saw it for cheap but am waiting for the right time. Meanwhile more games slowly bleed into my backlog whilst my life becomes more complicated and time seems at a premium lately, but I digress...

So suffice it to say, this is a good “scratch that D&D itch” game then? Are the systems too complex as to make it unapproachable for the casual fan of the genre? How much time is spent messing about in the menus versus in the game world? And does the menu and interface navigation feel intuitive to you, given the transition of this being a PC game first?

I have to say, the way you describe the multitude of options for customization of character interaction, combat, dialogue, and problem solving - well, I’m impressed with the depth of what they’ve accomplished here.

I look forward to reading more of your impressions. It sounds like a very exciting experience! If the rumors of the game’s runtime are true, then you’re a mere 10% complete, so I’m curious how the gameplay holds up over such an epic length.