ShogunRok

@OctolingKing13 @Foxhound @Steel76 Probably not, but the PS5 makes Sony way more money than the PS2 ever did because of the PlayStation Store.

Let's not forget that the PlayStation Store itself generates more profit for Sony than Nintendo makes in its entirety (which is still a crazy statistic to think about).

When Jim's on about it being "successful across multiple vectors", that's what he means.

@Flaming_Kaiser Yeah there are definitely PS5 games that look better and run better than DD2. But Demon's Souls is only dealing with relatively linear environments and not a whole lot of 'stuff' going on any one time.

That's not an excuse for DD2's performance — it's clearly very unoptimised — but it can be hard to compare.

@Ravix Yeah I don't think this game was ever made with 30fps in mind — the option just isn't worth it right now. With optimisation it could be the most stable setting, but... we'll see.

@Ralizah That's basically it in most situations. Ray tracing adds more realistic 'depth' to the visuals. Darker areas get darker because the lighting is dynamic and is based on actual light sources, and DD2 is full of dark locations.

Just a couple of notes, as it's sometimes hard to properly show differences through screenshots:

• There really is noticeably less visual depth to the game when ray tracing is off. This is especially true when you're in an enclosed space, or in a forest area with lots of trees.
• Based on what I've played, the frame rate can be considerably smoother at times, with ray tracing off. Like the article says, it's clearly not a stable 60, but I still think the difference is obvious.

Long story short, I would definitely try turning ray tracing off if you want smoother gameplay with less dips.

I would not recommend trying to 30fps cap option until Capcom improves the frame rate overall, otherwise you're just getting the same dips with no real upside.

Just a heads up, I'll be testing this patch today and I'll hopefully have time to write up some quick impressions in an article.

@Deadlyblack My plan is to check out the PS5 version and see whether it grabs me again (haven't really played it since I reviewed it all those years ago!).

If I'm having fun I'll consider buying the DLC.

@Konks @ShadowofSparta @Kohaku @Areus @Coolmusic Sorry everyone, clearly forgot to add it in!

Fixed now, thanks for saying something.

@Ultrasmiles I've got a strong feeling it ain't gonna be cheap. In fact, I can see it being even more expensive than people expect. Sony's in love with high-price (optional) products this gen.

Have vague memories of Grandia, but never played Grandia II — so I might pick this up at some point.

Real shame it doesn't have any improvements outside of remastered visuals, though. Hard to ignore in a time when we've got so many remastered / remade JRPGs that come with all sorts of bonuses.

@Czar_Khastik Imagine if the Gollum devs actually went back to the game in order to implement this. Heroes.

@nhSnork Hahaha, Rockstar was indeed the reason I wrote "almost".

@ORO_ERICIUS I would be surprised if it's not this week.

@kyleforrester87 Mostly silent with little atmospheric flairs here and there.

@ROTTIEMAN16 I agree, it should definitely help, it's just that Capcom says it won't be a "significant" improvement.

But from what I understand, a lot of DD2's frame rate issues are down to (rather poorly optimised) CPU usage when it comes to NPCs, especially in cities / towns. I assume that's where the devs will start when it comes to noticeably improving the frame rate.

@Ninerguy1608 Weapon types are locked to the class. So only Fighters can use swords / shields, only Archers can use bows, etc.

The only class that can use multiple weapons is Warfarer, but it's one of the last classes (if not the last) that you unlock.

Just to be clear, you can swap between classes whenever you like (by visiting a guild), but yes, they're specialised in what weapons they can use.

@Wizpig17 Yep, it's the basis for Melty Blood.

@Jaz007 I'm honestly not sure, I haven't been able to work out exactly how the affinity system works in this game. Pretty sure anyone can be your beloved, but apart from that...

Everyone knows exhausted and unhappy employees make really good video games.

@Ravix You do have a point, I think there are a lot of relevant perspectives on this whole saga. I can see why Capcom puts this crap in its otherwise amazing games (DMC had similar microtransactions, remember!), and I can see why people don't like it. I can also see why some people might actually be tempted to buy them, too, so the cycle just continues.

Ultimately, I don't think stuff like this should be anywhere near full price, single-player games, but as per usual, this is probably Capcom's higher ups demanding that the game features some kind of monetisation for the sake of skimming additional profit.

It's just a real bloody shame, isn't it?

@Rjak No, you can find the same items in the game, but they're limited depending on how much in-game currency (RC) you have.

@add286 I tend to agree. It's an incredibly tricky situation that probably needs to be talked about more. I'm sure I'm not the only reviewer who's struggled to try and balance their opinion on the whole thing.

You're absolutely right in that stuff like this is allowed to perpetuate because people usually can't take a united stand against it. And you can argue that reviewers in particular should take more responsibility — but then convincing people to dump on a game that's otherwise amazing isn't easy!

I'd like to think that reviewers and everyone else would take a stand if things got completely out of hand — like if DD2's design was fundamentally altered in order to accommodate microtransactions. That would be egregious and unforgivable.

But yes, it's a very interesting and complex topic, especially given the current state of the industry.

@rjejr Haha, let's hope so!

@Jayslow That's a good point, I didn't even think about the demo. The original DD did the same thing (one character only, always autosaves), so it didn't surprise me at all in DD2. I can understand why new players might think it's a crazy decision.

@naruball Tekken 8 immediately comes to mind. Another game I absolutely adore, but there's no questioning the intent of publishers who do that kind of thing.

@Jayslow You can delete your save through PS5 storage in order to start a new game, but yeah, it's not ideal if you want to experiment before committing to a playthrough.

@Loamy I think in DD2's case it's the implementation more than anything. Items like wakestones and portcrystals are a rarity in the game — they're meant to be powerful artefacts that most people have never even seen — and so having them be available as microtransactions cheapens the game's own experience.

Again, not once did I even think about wanting more wakestones or portcrystals in my 80+ hours of play — but them just being present is really disappointing when the game is otherwise so excellent.

@add286 I think that's fair. Ultimately I can only comment on my own experience, and like I say, it's one of the best open world RPGs I've ever played — frustrating frame rate and crap microtransactions included.

But if these things are enough to put you off, I certainly won't argue. This is a case of a truly incredible game being hamstrung by really stupid Capcom decisions.

I keep meaning to play the first game but just never got around to it. Only ever heard good things!

@mariomaster96 @BIG3 All of the items you can buy with real money can be earned in-game, including the one that lets you change your appearance.

However, some of these items are either very rare or limited, which makes the whole thing questionable.

@Boucho11 The main reason I write articles is so I can read @Czar_Khastik's comments.

@Tatarimokke You can, but it's very difficult. The only way to shut pawns up is to have them be of a certain personality, which can be changed via an item — and that item isn't readily available.

You can only do this with your pawn, too, so the pawns that you hire will need to be equipped with that personality to begin with if you don't want them talking.

@Jaz007 Yes, you can go to a barbers and get a haircut / edit tattoos in exchange for gold. Or you can acquire a specific one-use item that can be exchanged for a complete visual overhaul of your character / pawn.

@zhoont At the risk of going completely off topic, Spaced is an all-timer. Quotes from that show will always exist in my brain alongside an ungodly number of Simpsons references.

@nessisonett They need to commit and have the entire movie spoken in simlish with subtitles. Anything less would be cowardly.

@Matroska "Spaced is The Sims" — this surely has to be the only time in human history where that realisation has been formulated.

@dark_knightmare2 There's a 1,900 word review up there that explains why I think that's the case!

@Skye122 It's hard to say — I'm not actually reviewing Ronin so I haven't played much of it at all, especially compared to DD2. But based on personal preference alone, I'm probably going to prefer the latter by a large degree.

To me, based on what little I played, Ronin's open world is very basic in its design, whereas DD2 feels like it actually pushes open world design forward in multiple ways. I can't really say much more than that right now, though.

@SarcasticPeanut Capcom actually added an easier difficulty to the first game that greatly lessened the damage that you took, but DD2 doesn't have any difficulty settings (yet).

I don't think DD2 is a particularly difficult game, though. You do have to learn the strengths and weaknesses of vocations and enemies, and how to tackle certain encounters, but the game's nowhere near as punishing as say... a Soulslike. Enemies can deal big damage, but you're never dying in a couple of hits, you can carry loads of healing items, and you fight with your pawns as a team.

There are times early on where you'll probably stumble across a really dangerous boss-like enemy and you're simply too low level to stand a proper chance, but it never feels completely unmanageable. I'd say the difficulty curve is actually really good — the game's somewhat challenging without it ever being brutal outside of very select circumstances.

@Karma320 Not at all, but then I don't mind just running places normally. I think if you're the type of player who wants to do everything quickly, this game might test your patience, because you really do need to do a lot of travelling.

That said, the travelling tends to be so enjoyable, with frequent fights and dynamic events, that it's a highlight of the game.

@Bolverkr 100%. This is some of the best combat you'll find in an action RPG. Capcom at its finest.

@Karma320 You get unlimited stamina in towns and cities, which means unlimited sprinting. Out in the wilds, sprinting steadily drains your stamina — but the normal run speed is much faster than it was in the original DD.

Stamina also regenerates a lot quicker, so you can do shorter sprints with ease, which speeds up traversal quite a lot.

@Marquez Sadly not, but I'm very interested in seeing how much it improves with VRR. I have seen some people saying that the Xbox version with VRR seems to run noticeably better, but it's obviously impossible to verify without footage.

@charmingtuber Equipment system is basically the same as it was in the first game, except now there are just three main armour pieces: head, torso, and legs. You still upgrade equipment by going to a blacksmith and using materials dropped by monsters, etc.

And there are a total of 10 vocations. Some are new, some are a bit different.

@Fatewalker I find it incredibly weird that there's no performance mode. Definitely feels like you could tone certain graphical settings down (grass density, shadow quality, resolution) in pursuit of 60fps. And we know Capcom's RE Engine is very scalable.

@NoHope We got review code a week ago and I've played around 60 hours.

@BranJ0 My total playtime is around 60 hours right now, but that's doing all of the side quests I've found and basically ignoring all means fast travel. I think if you stuck to the main story, you could finish this game in about 25-35 hours on a first run. Significantly less on repeated playthroughs as you'll know where to go and what to do. Much like the first game!

@LazyGrinder Yes! You can go online / offline through the main options menu.

@GKT Just to be clear, the frame rate isn't bouncing between 15 and 60 all the time — they're just the more extreme limits. Vast majority of the time, it hovers around 30fps.