Dark Souls

[Aazealh]

The most interesting wrinkle though was the whole "you won't die easily" twist and how they'll incorporate that. Something akin to the death mechanic in Braid? Will you literally die twice? Whatever it is it was a neat switch to see you as the ressurecting "monster" and it'll either be a very cool mechanic or a very underwhelming non-factor and more a narrative device.

It gave me vibes from "Blade of the Immortal", actually. The idea that you face an enemy, get wiped out, but you rise again and this time you know its tricks... and can prevail.

 

[Victor]

I don't know, Blade of the Immortal is more like ingenious ways of having ingenious warriors butcher each other using ingenious weapons.

The idea that you face an enemy, get wiped out, but you rise again and this time you know its tricks... and can prevail.

This concept is already present in pretty much all the Souls games and also Bloodborne, so I wouldn't say that's really where Blade of the Immortal comes in, although the protagonist from Sekiro kinda resembles Manji. I like the primitive prosthetic augmentation/technology idea; I would say that and the setting are rather where the Blade of the Immortal vibes come from. In any case, I'm really looking forward to some feudal Japan action with a dark, grotesque FromSoftware touch to it.

 

[Ryouma]

Very very happy about Sekiro. Also very reminiscent of Osamu Tezuka's Dororo and 2004 Sega PS2 adaptation :

Blood Will Tell (OLD TRAILER)

Hyakkimaru chara design in the game :

 

[Aazealh]

This concept is already present in pretty much all the Souls games and also Bloodborne

Not really. In the Souls games, when you die you respawn elsewhere and have to fight your way back and restart the battle from scratch. But in this trailer, the character is revived on the spot and is shown striking the big fat guy from behind as he walks away. Now it might just be clever editing and maybe it'll work differently in the game, but the name ("Shadows Die Twice") suggests otherwise, which is what Griffith was remarking on and is what prompted that comment of mine.

the protagonist from Sekiro kinda resembles Manji [...] the primitive prosthetic augmentation/technology idea [...] the setting [...]

Yeah sure, that also factors into it.

 

[Victor]

But in this trailer, the character is revived on the spot and is shown striking the big fat guy from behind as he walks away.
...which is what Griffith was remarking on and is what prompted that comment of mine.

I must've misunderstood you. Yeah, the revival on the spot, having to do with the shadow or something along those lines makes sense and represents the title pretty accurately. In that case yeah, it's not quite like Dark Souls or Bloodborne, and more towards Blade of the Immortal.

Very very happy about Sekiro. Also very reminiscent of Osamu Tezuka's Dororo and 2004 Sega PS2 adaptation

Wow, I had no idea there was a video game made after Dororo, but I guess I should've expected it. There's a plethora of samurai chronicles and stories they could've taken inspiration from when creating the game. Let's hope they did a good job at it.

 

[Ryouma]

Wow, I had no idea there was a video game made after Dororo, but I guess I should've expected it. There's a plethora of samurai chronicles and stories they could've taken inspiration from when creating the game. Let's hope they did a good job at it.

Of course, there's many influences from different medium. Dororo is so cool though

 

[Griffith]

I know a lot of people are probably disappointed that it's not Bloodborne 2, but frankly, I'm relieved.

Agreed, but don't you think it's kinda weird they decided to do a sequel to Nioh instead?

Speaking of which...

maybe this isn't so great if they had plans for Nioh 2 in the not too distant future.

https://www.pcgamer.com/nioh-2-announced-at-sonys-e3-press-conference/

 

[VladimirPutin]

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2018-from-software-on-why-dark-souls-bloodborne/1100-6459827/

Miyazaki confirms that Sekiro won't have difficulty options. It's great news. No pause option and save for wish and I'll be in heaven.

 

[Griffith]

I'm much more interested in the details of this article:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2018-from-softwares-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-in/1100-6459749/

Death is no longer a barrier which must be overcome. It's no longer simply a "learning experience." Death and immediate resurrection is now a mechanic. From Software says you can use death to your advantage--fooling your enemies into a false sense of security before coming back to life and sneaking up on them using the game's light stealth mechanics.

From is staying coy, however, on the exact mechanics of the resurrection ability. It says you'll only be able to use it a limited number of times, and that "in no way does [resurrection] make the game easy."

So now we have a better idea how that will work. I wonder if it will use a similar mechanic to being human/embered vs. phantom/hollow/unkindled to determine if you can come back or not. Perhaps more intriguing is this:

Miyazaki, the game's director, says he wanted the theme of Sekiro to be "a clashing of swords," and that clash is featured prominently in the game's reveal trailer. It's more than just a cool visual effect however: successfully parry your opponent's attack and you'll reduce what From is currently calling their Posture. Reduce your enemy's Posture enough and you'll open them up to a Shinobi Death Blow, which can deal huge amounts of damage. If they block enough of your attacks on the other hand, and they can deal critical hits to you.

It's a good point that the "swordplay" in Souls is largely a trading and exchange of successful or unsuccessful full body attacks, which you can dodge, block or parry, but not so much a real clashing of weapons. You either hit them or not or vice versa, and parrying is basically decisive, either ending that exchange or the encounter altogether. I mean, when you kill a player and especially an enemy in a Souls game you're more the first to hack them to death than having a proper swordfight. So, if that's the distinction in the combat, and they pull it off and it's more fun than frustrating, this could be really cool!

 

[Aazealh]

I'm much more interested in the details of this article:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2018-from-softwares-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-in/1100-6459749/

Oh, very nice. That does indeed look like a very promising evolution of the Souls series' relatively "rough" gameplay (because it was inspired by Monster Hunter's, where the core mechanic is dodging attacks and going for big hits on weak spots ). I'm quite eager to get my hands on it.

 

[Ryouma]

Miyazaki interview with usgamer and famitsu.

In a IGN live interview, the producer and translator introduced the hero by saying exactly :We're calling him the Shinobi, for now. He's sworn to protect a character we call the Young Lord. He's about a 10 years old boy and there is something really special about that boy.

So after some readings... if it's set during the late 1500, during Sengoku, this Shinobi could be

Spoiler

a interpretation of Hattori Oni Hanzo. With or whitout even naming him basically.

Spoiler

Hattori Hanzō (服部 半蔵, ~1542[1] – November 4, 1596), also known as Hattori Masanari or Hattori Masashige (服部 正成), was a famous samurai of the Sengoku era, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan.Today, he is often a subject of varied portrayal in modern popular culture.

Spoiler

Talking about

Spoiler

Tokugawa Ieyasu

:

Spoiler

He was said to have a close friendship with his vassal Hattori Hanzō.

 

[Griffith]

So after some readings... if it's set during the late 1500, during Sengoku, this Shinobi could be

Spoiler

a interpretation of Hattori Oni Hanzo. With or whitout even naming him basically.

Talking about

Spoiler

Tokugawa Ieyasu

:

So Sekiro is actually a prequel to Nioh.

 

[Ryouma]

So Sekiro is actually a prequel to Nioh.

And it's highly possible that Nioh 2 is actually going for the same era, the exact same characters

 

[Griffith]

And it's highly possible that Nioh 2 is actually going for the same era, the exact same characters

Really? I did get the impression from the trailer that you'd maybe be a new character with some Oni powers of their own, which would be a good addition. William didn't do much for me anyway. It'd be hilarious if Sekiro and Nioh ended up featuring the same main character.

 

[Ryouma]

Really? I did get the impression from the trailer that you'd maybe be a new character with some Oni powers of their own, which would be a good addition. William didn't do much for me anyway.

Actually, it is now official that players will make their own character in Nioh 2. That being said, our protagonist can still have that name or be an interpretation of him. And ...there's that funny fact :

Spoiler

Hattori Hanzō would later earn the nickname Oni no Hanzō (鬼の半蔵, Demon Hanzō

It'd be hilarious if Sekiro and Nioh ended up featuring the same main character.

Simply because, well, logically, a lot us us assume that Fromsoft would easily win... i would like to see that duel

In any case, players are the real winners

 

[Zeke]

Cute twitch girl defeats the Nameless King using a dance pad as an controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxKsRf6R-vc

 

[Griffith]

Yeah, but can she beat him playing using bananas or a potatos!?

Anyway, kind of a feather out of my BL4 cap, though it's invigorating. On topic and on the contrary, I just can't get back into DS3 anymore. Tooooo slooooow. I was even trying to BB it up but it's just not the same because of the clunkier rolling and movement overall. Before I took a break from it to play BB I'd ripped through 3/4ths of the game easilly but I just can't get back into it to finish the job right now (too bad, the whole reason I was replaying it was to fight Midir and Gael again =).

 

[Johnstantine]

Anyway, kind of feather out of my BL4 cap, though it's invigorating. On topic and on the contrary, I just can't get back into DS3 anymore. Tooooo slooooow. I was even trying to BB it up but it's just not the same because of the clunkier rolling and movement overall. Before I took a break from it to play BB I'd ripped through 3/4ths of the game easilly but I just can't get back into it to finish the job right now (too bad, the whole reason I was replaying it was to fight Midir and Gael again =).

BB has ruined me, man. I looked at my DS3 save the other day and was like "why bother?"

At least, in a sense, the first mountain I climbed (BB) was the highest one accompanied with the best view.

 

[Griffith]

BB has ruined me, man. I looked at my DS3 save the other day and was like "why bother?"

At least, in a sense, the first mountain I climbed (BB) was the highest one accompanied with the best view.

Well, to perhaps answer your question and be fair to DS3, it does still contain some of the tallest peaks in the series, particularly because you don't have the advantage of movement, rally, or vials (and just because it, and DS1 for that matter, are slower and less immediately gratifying don't mean they're bad). The bosses, particularly Abyss Watchers, Pontiff Sulyvahn, Aldrich Devourer of Gods, Yhorm the Giant, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Dragonslayer Armour, Champion Gundyr, Lorian & Lothric, the Soul of Cinder, Sister Friede, Demon Prince, Darkeater Midir, Slave Knight Gael, and of course the Nameless King, are up there with anything in BB for either fun or challenge and some are actually tougher. I think my favorite is actually the Demon Prince from the Ringed City DLC, or maybe Sister Friede (at least it was one of the most satisfying to master). So, that's why you might bother, I guess; I still think it would be worth it. I suppose that's unfair of me to say given I put 250 hours into DS3 and even I find it hard to return to after BB, but by the same token I did already play it to death so I should be tired of it. I mean, at least fight Sulyvahn, Gundyr and the Nameless King, and if they leave you wanting then you can definitively say you're unimpressed. =)

 

[Sareth]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/21/bandai-namco-announces-dark-souls-trilogy-for-ps4-xbox-one

Dark Souls Trilogy collection coming 5 months after a half-assed remaster. Good work, Namco.

 

[Griffith]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/21/bandai-namco-announces-dark-souls-trilogy-for-ps4-xbox-one

Dark Souls Trilogy collection coming 5 months after a half-assed remaster. Good work, Namco.

First, I'm confident one could easily get all those individually for less than $80, or at least could before this announcement.

I didn't not enjoy my time with Remastered, but I could have had pretty much the same experience just playing my original copy of the game again (I didn't even get to take advantage of the one significant addition, the Vamos bonfire, because he was immediately killed by wheel skeletons in my playthrough =). I'm not quite sure what to call it other than a cash grab port because it's basically worthless as a remaster unless you really give a shit about the 60fps, and how big a deal was that to accomplish anyway? A much more worthwhile project would have been uprezing and importing all those DS1 & 2 assets into the Bloodborne/DS3 engine, but that would have required a lot of additional work and expense to pull off of course (and that's sort of what DS3 was already). Looks like they're just going to be literally and figuratively repackaging and re-releasing them ad nauseam instead.

I can't wait for the "Remastered" edition of the remastered Dark Souls II, SotFS: Re-Remastered! Maybe they'll finally restore the pre-release lighting effects: Re-Pre-Remastered!

 

[Walter]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/21/bandai-namco-announces-dark-souls-trilogy-for-ps4-xbox-one

Dark Souls Trilogy collection coming 5 months after a half-assed remaster. Good work, Namco.

It's useless, they've gone Hollow.

 

[Griffith]

It's useless, they've gone Hollow.

Dark Souls Remastered Trilogy Official Spokesman:

 

[Walter]

So this is coming out in a few weeks, and despite having pretty much fallen face-first off the Souls bandwagon in recent years, I'm actually a little excited about it. Already preordered and made room on my shelf

Future Press presents the ultimate Dark Souls compendium book. The enemies, items, equipment, areas and NPC dialogue of each game are all presented in an easy-to-reference format. This beautifully laid out book is designed to make it easy to find what you're looking for--each entry is color-coded by game, and everything is fully indexed.

 

[Griffith]

Cool, part of me always wanted to pick up the artbooks, but they're so pricey, and this will likely occupy that space in my head for a while until I get over it or splurge. It's a bit disappointing that, despite reasonable categorical and IP hurdles, it doesn't somehow include DeS or Bloodborne, the real bookends to this series, though.

despite having pretty much fallen face-first off the Souls bandwagon in recent years, I'm actually a little excited about it. Already preordered and made room on my shelf

Good to hear! When it comes to Souls you and I are like some dramatic buddy duo that switched roles from non-believer to zealot and vice versa. You weren't just the first face one would see on the Dark Souls bandwagon, you were driving, proselytizing, and literally buying people tickets to ride! But after the Darkest Souls, DS2... now you won't even play DS3 (you claim you got 20 hours in, but it was more like 9 that must have felt like 20 =), or now Bloodborne I suspect (Sekiro gives me some hope).

Meanwhile, back in the day I'd listen to your passionate ravings about how great this obnoxiously difficult Souls game, that didn't even work right on PC, was and shake my head. Now, a thousand hours later, they're really the only games I reliably play or care for, so the joke is on me. You basically left the cult I wouldn't join only to come back to find me totally indoctrinated.

I should try some dramatic Souls related world domination scheme, "When I release the 'git gud virus' onto every gaming platform, all difficulty modes but the hardest will be disabled! Easy games will be deleted! We'll Dark Souls the world! Muahahaha!!" so you have to reluctantly come out of retirement and stop me, "It's my fault; I made him, I need to do this." For some reason it would all come down to a PvP match in DS Remastered. =)