Game Debate #132: Elden Ring

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

[RH | 4,970]

This has to be the newest release since you've started these debates, no?

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

Off the top of my head, it's very possibly the only one I've done for the 2020s

[Strange | 1,701]

Masterpiece. Even if you don’t like Souls-like games, it’s just very very good at what it aims to do. I haven’t felt that sense of wonder and desire to explore from a game in a long, long time.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Seen plenty, seen enough I don't care to ever, ever play it because it looks way too large, too time consuming, and just too damn needy to get value out of it.  I learned my lesson with Skyrim on Switch/PC of all things, sometimes it's just too big to care unless that is your *one* game you want to focus on for a very, very long time.  And...I don't.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

11 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

I learned my lesson with Skyrim on Switch/PC of all things, sometimes it's just too big to care unless that is your *one* game you want to focus on for a very, very long time.  And...I don't.

Big games need lovin' too

[DefaultGen | 5,433]

Man I haven't even played every game from the 1980s yet

[ThePhleo | 2,185]

14 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Man I haven't even played every game from the 1980s yet

According to MobyGames you've got quite a bit of work ahead of you!

• 1980 - 709 Games
• 1981 - 955 Games
• 1982 - 1896 Games
• 1983 - 2668 Games
• 1984 - 2406 Games
• 1985 - 1887 Games
• 1986 - 2185 Games
• 1987 - 2299 Games
• 1988 - 2305 Games
• 1989 - 2421 Games

[ThePhleo | 2,185]

I give it a 8/10

Personally, it's too hard for me to enjoy and I missed out on most of the "Souls" games so it's not quite my cup of tea, but I can see that there's a really really good game there.

[DefaultGen | 5,433]

6 minutes ago, ThePhleo said:

According to MobyGames you've got quite a bit of work ahead of you!

• 1980 - 709 Games
• 1981 - 955 Games
• 1982 - 1896 Games
• 1983 - 2668 Games
• 1984 - 2406 Games
• 1985 - 1887 Games
• 1986 - 2185 Games
• 1987 - 2299 Games
• 1988 - 2305 Games
• 1989 - 2421 Games

Mobygames doesn't even list Toshibia Pasopia 7 games

[ThePhleo | 2,185]

1 minute ago, DefaultGen said:

Mobygames doesn't even list Toshibia Pasopia 7 games

What a LAME ass site. I can't believe they consider it a good resource.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

56 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Man I haven't even played every game from the 1980s yet

That's the same problem I seem to have.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,017]

I tried this game but couldn't get into. Anyone have any advice? I couldn't even figure out the multiplayer or what all the ghost people were. I was so confused and lost and felt like a total boomer wandering around getting raped by random enemies. 

[JamesRobot | 5,832]

I assume this is one of those 100+ hour slogs.  No thanks.  I'd consider it at 10 hours.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Probably coincidence on those total games per year in the 80s list, but the US/NA market crash of 83 had the highest level of releases too along with 1984 as the effect set in, which by 1985 was in full force with a good sized drop.  Kind of if this lines up by other than coincidence why Nintendo had a hellish time pitching their covert toy console having to guarantee buying back stock etc in the bi coastal test launch.

[Brickman | 4,014]

Started playing it just before my month long holiday, so I haven’t had a chance to put much into it.

So far it’s sitting around a 9/10. 

I don’t think it is better than Souls 1 so far, but it’s definitely a masterpiece of gaming and world building.

[Gloves | 11,839]

Easy 10.

[Nintegageo | 582]

Easy 10.

[fox | 1,673]

Elden Ring is massive. I think I have an idea of the size of the world and then manage to find all huge hidden zones tucked away, it blows my mind.

It is more approachable than other Souls games, but the learning curve is still high. Like it is totally possible to make a bee to the first main quest boss in the first 15 mins and get totally crushed. It's a real skill check kind of boss, and honestly after him is the first uber dungeon and lord boss which are even harder.

But you have to remember it is open world. Explore the map, there are dozens of bosses, mini-dungeons, weapons, and items to find just in the starting zone. You could spend 10 hours and fight 10 other bosses before even fighting the first main quest boss.

It's not easy, but every victory feels massive. If it gets too frustrating, go exploring, level up, or summon someone for co-op.
 

After beating the game and getting the platinum, I can safely say I enjoyed my time.  However I really didn’t care for the final zone and some of the late game boss gauntlet felt way over tuned.

I wouldn’t put it above Bloodborne but Elden Ring is magical.

[Webhead123 | 687]

I've learned that the FromSoft style of games may just not be for me. It's not the difficulty itself. I don't mind a challenge and I enjoy plenty of "NES hard" type games. But there's just something about the particular formula of challenge that these games flaunt that removes any joy from the experience. It's as if the game prioritizes frustrating the player over providing a rewarding sense of accomplishment. Granted, these games are super popular and I'm sure that's for good reason and I'm simply one of those outliers that "doesn't get it". But I've tried a couple of their games and not a single one has given me any lasting joy or desire to struggle through them.

Elden Ring, then, is probably never going to see play by me and I'm okay with that.

Never Gonna Play/10

Edited December 16, 2022 by Webhead123

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

I'm 60 hours in at the moment.  It's pretty amazing how big the experience is.  Others have already iterated that ad nauseum, but it's true.

Like, you may wander across a cave entrance tucked into a corner of the world.  Pretty usual RPG stuff.  Except, unlike Skyrim, this cave might lead to a huge underground city where the cave ceiling is a 1000 feet above your head.

Right now I'm considering it a 9.5 or 10.

[Sumez | 2,994]

21 hours ago, Webhead123 said:

It's as if the game prioritizes frustrating the player over providing a rewarding sense of accomplishment.

This isn't true. I believe you if you say it seems that way to you, but one of the great thing about these games is that they are the exact opposite of what you are describing.  

[Sumez | 2,994]

I think Elden Ring is the one game I didn't bother writing a lengthy writeup on in the backlog thread because at the time I had already discussed the game to no end in countless other online communities.

First of all, let's be clear, Elden Ring is Demon's Souls 6, so I'm gonna treat it as such, as other people also have here.

 

As a Souls game, it's a mixed bag, and by mixed bag I mean ranging from good to amazing. Of course it's hard to ignore that it doesn't really match up to Dark Souls 1, which is just a perfect package, but obviously very few games do.
At its worst its bloated and repetitive, but at its best it's among the best Souls experiences you can find. IMO, all of the Royal Capital location is probably the most engaging and breathtaking level design I've played in any Souls game so far, but the game as a whole probably falls around the same tier as Dark Souls 3 if I had to rank all of them.

The open-world overworld doesn't elevate the game, but it is very cool in its own right, and helps set it a apart from the other games of the extended series. Horse combat takes a while to click, but once it does it's really fun and original.

The emphasis on the open world means there are fewer dedicated locations with tighter level design (the "legacy dungeons" as such - the tombs and stuff don't count, their design is obviously much lazier), which is the aspect that usually makes the other Souls games so memorable. Also, as with most other Open World games, the open world is only really interesting as long as there is still new stuff to discover. And as long as there is new stuff to discover, man is Elden RIng just absolutely breathtaking! The moment you run out? You start to see the repetitions and the game falls apart a little.

Though overall I think the biggest issue with the game is how insanely easy it is to "cheese" the boss fights, which makes fighting them "legit" feel a little pointless. It's the point where you can't really call it cheesing, because the game wants you to make liberal use of weapon arts and spirit summons, but those are also able to take the fights down to a level where you barely even need to learn the movesets of the boss fights.
One particular boss took me nearly two hours to take down, and it was a really intriguing battle where finally conquering it felt amazingly rewarding. Meanwhile two of my friends that played the game at the time, both took down that boss first try by just wailing on him, before they even got to see what attacks he had. One guy didn't even realise he had a second phase. And it really all came down to our individual "builds", and what tools they relied on compared to me (at the time I was still refusing to use summons).

Honestly, all the customization of the Souls games can be fun, and Elden Ring really takes that to 11 - but I think I'm a bigger fan of a more focused design where every challenge is designed around the expectation of a somewhat specific playstyle. In short, I'd love a new Bloodboorne with the budget and ambitions of Elden Ring, or just DS3.

Very clear 9/10!

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

So, 60 hours in I have never done a summon (something I never do in any of these games).  I always feel it will be better that way.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,586]

Also, if I had a critique, it's that the multiple paths available mean you can accidently trivialize an area.  I couldn't find one of the maps which lead to me not figuring out how to get into Raya Lucaria.  By the time I did it was a pushover, doing the area a disservice.