What game are you playing?

[MoistTowelette]

I went and acquired the Crypt Blacksword - The Rotten was really easy even on NG+ level. I think I even used a summon before, but now I just went in solo and killed him with my hammer. He grabbed me once, which I barely survived, but other than that I dodged everything. I guess I'm getting pretty decent at this game

I can't use the sword efficiently yet though, gotta get some INT levels first.

Still didn't beat that boss in the Dragon's Rest though - I don't know what it is about it, but I just keep getting unlucky. She summoned Velstadt twice and I killed it, but then some stupid fireball killed me because I wasn't quick enough to drink estus. Maybe next time...

The crypt blacksword was my favorite. You can dark upgrade it AND use the dark enchantment. FromSoft were smoking meth when they came up with the ds2 weapon system.

 

[p0ke]

The crypt blacksword was my favorite. You can dark upgrade it AND use the dark enchantment. FromSoft were smoking meth when they came up with the ds2 weapon system.

And it also does a shitload of damage as is, something like 700 with the R1 attack is pretty typical. The bosses I have left seem to be resistant to everything though, so the dark stuff doesn't help there.

I got to Sir Alonne the other day but didn't manage to defeat him yet. Wtf is up with these bosses having no weakness? Didn't seem that tough though, mainly he's just too fast for DS2.
Also the runback is terrible... I managed to straight up run past all the knights one time, but that was a bit too tricky to try again, so I think I'll be summoning all the NPC's to help and then maybe dismiss them when I reach the fog gate...

Then there's the matter of the Darklurker. I don't know how many attempts I have left, as the human effigies are running out. Apparently he's weak to fire though, so I guess next time I'll go in with the annoying exploding Smelter Sword and some pyromancies. Does the grave warden's inventory replenish if I use a bonfire ascetic? If that's the case, then that would be an "easy" way to get 13 effigies.

 

[wankerness]

And it also does a shitload of damage as is, something like 700 with the R1 attack is pretty typical. The bosses I have left seem to be resistant to everything though, so the dark stuff doesn't help there.

I got to Sir Alonne the other day but didn't manage to defeat him yet. Wtf is up with these bosses having no weakness? Didn't seem that tough though, mainly he's just too fast for DS2.
Also the runback is terrible... I managed to straight up run past all the knights one time, but that was a bit too tricky to try again, so I think I'll be summoning all the NPC's to help and then maybe dismiss them when I reach the fog gate...

Then there's the matter of the Darklurker. I don't know how many attempts I have left, as the human effigies are running out. Apparently he's weak to fire though, so I guess next time I'll go in with the annoying exploding Smelter Sword and some pyromancies. Does the grave warden's inventory replenish if I use a bonfire ascetic? If that's the case, then that would be an "easy" way to get 13 effigies.

I think so? I'm not 100% sure on that. I know one NPC gets new inventories if you use Human Effigies a few times (Maughlin) but I can't recall if limited items come back each time or if you actually have to start NG+.

Sir Alonne is extremely easy with a greatshield, in contrast to the other bosses of that DLC. You can just block all his hits and retaliate with a mace smack or two as long as you properly let your stamina regen between his attacks. I usually use the one you get from the dwarves - the Gyrm shield (that shield is incredible, 100% physical and 100% fire resist and gigantic stability and easy to get/upgrade). Otherwise it's just very low margin for error rolling duel and he's actually tough, though less tough than Fume Knight cause his attacks are simpler. I always just go through the trash really slowly with a bow and pick off the knights and lizards one at a time. The gyrm greatshield really helps with it. Poison arrows work wonders on those lizards. This is worth it to me cause I know if I have a greatshield I can kill Alonne in 1 try unless I REALLY mess up. That trash is infamous for people who like running past stuff.

The DS2 DLC specifically made most of the mobs resistant to magic, cause magic builds were way too strong in the base game. Like seriously a hexer build can just spam everything in the base game down with dark orb, the most basic hex, faster than just about any melee build can do. I think a couple bosses like darklurker were resistant to dark damage, but only a couple. While in the DLC, just about every mob/boss is at least a bit resistant to it. A split damage weapon like crypt greatsword or silverblack spear is still functional but not as overpowered as in the base game.

Speaking of magic resist, the darklurker is very weak to lightning damage. I remember nuking him down in like 20 seconds with a miracle build, but that was on the release version of DS2 where you had like 10 casts of sunlight spear instead of 3. I think you could still devastate him after he splits with a few spears and a lightning weapon like the Defender Greatsword and lightning clutch ring, though you'd need to respec to go all in on a miracle build (ex 40 attunement/50 faith) to do that. I never heard of him being weak to fire, but maybe he is, I've never messed with pyromancy in that game.

You could trivialize both of these bosses if you were on any platform other than xbox, where you could just upload a cloud save right before their fog gate. I have NO qualms doing that on Darklurker cause attempts are such incredible bullshit, requiring human effigies AND clearing out that nasty trash that I don't think you can despawn even after 15 attempts.

Anyway, I platinum'd Stellar Blade, and then started a second NG+. I'll play it more when they release some free DLC. Fun game, but stupid. Since then I'm trying to get through the rest of Quake II. There's SO much content in that port. I finished up The Reckoning and now am working on Ground Zero. Will probably alternate with Animal Well, Turok 2, and at least some attempts on the battle challenges in FF7 Rebirth until I go on vacation and then get the Elden Ring DLC.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Finally finished Like A Dragon Interminable Waffling. More of my usual wallow in the LAD universe, probably way too much time on it, more than any Yakuza game for me. Granted that I enjoyed it a hell of a lot, but I might have to start managing my time for games a little more tightly. I say this when the next Trails game comes out in 2 months and I'm back being declared legally dead again.

I said Broken Roads was my next game, but then the re-release of Thousand Year Door (the best Paper Mario game IMO) is just around the corner.

 

[p0ke]

I think so? I'm not 100% sure on that. I know one NPC gets new inventories if you use Human Effigies a few times (Maughlin) but I can't recall if limited items come back each time or if you actually have to start NG+.

Sir Alonne is extremely easy with a greatshield, in contrast to the other bosses of that DLC. You can just block all his hits and retaliate with a mace smack or two as long as you properly let your stamina regen between his attacks. I usually use the one you get from the dwarves - the Gyrm shield (that shield is incredible, 100% physical and 100% fire resist and gigantic stability and easy to get/upgrade). Otherwise it's just very low margin for error rolling duel and he's actually tough, though less tough than Fume Knight cause his attacks are simpler. I always just go through the trash really slowly with a bow and pick off the knights and lizards one at a time. The gyrm greatshield really helps with it. Poison arrows work wonders on those lizards. This is worth it to me cause I know if I have a greatshield I can kill Alonne in 1 try unless I REALLY mess up. That trash is infamous for people who like running past stuff.

The DS2 DLC specifically made most of the mobs resistant to magic, cause magic builds were way too strong in the base game. Like seriously a hexer build can just spam everything in the base game down with dark orb, the most basic hex, faster than just about any melee build can do. I think a couple bosses like darklurker were resistant to dark damage, but only a couple. While in the DLC, just about every mob/boss is at least a bit resistant to it. A split damage weapon like crypt greatsword or silverblack spear is still functional but not as overpowered as in the base game.

Speaking of magic resist, the darklurker is very weak to lightning damage. I remember nuking him down in like 20 seconds with a miracle build, but that was on the release version of DS2 where you had like 10 casts of sunlight spear instead of 3. I think you could still devastate him after he splits with a few spears and a lightning weapon like the Defender Greatsword and lightning clutch ring, though you'd need to respec to go all in on a miracle build (ex 40 attunement/50 faith) to do that. I never heard of him being weak to fire, but maybe he is, I've never messed with pyromancy in that game.

You could trivialize both of these bosses if you were on any platform other than xbox, where you could just upload a cloud save right before their fog gate. I have NO qualms doing that on Darklurker cause attempts are such incredible bullshit, requiring human effigies AND clearing out that nasty trash that I don't think you can despawn even after 15 attempts.

Yeah, I guess a lightning weapon would be convenient since apparently Aldia is also weak against that. But yeah, according to the wiki, Darklurker is also weak against fire though and it was suggested to cast an aoe pyromancy when he splits for massive damage (if you hit both the copies).

I guess I'll try the shield strategy against Alonne, like you said he was pretty tough trying to dodge... I don't have a greatshield as I sold everything I wasn't using to Gavlaan to fund poison arrows But shouldn't be hard to acquire, and instead of the mace I have the craftman's hammer.

And about the grave warden, I guess I'll just do the bonfire ascetic and see what happens, in the worst case I just won't go to that area anymore

 

[wankerness]

Yeah, I guess a lightning weapon would be convenient since apparently Aldia is also weak against that. But yeah, according to the wiki, Darklurker is also weak against fire though and it was suggested to cast an aoe pyromancy when he splits for massive damage (if you hit both the copies).

I guess I'll try the shield strategy against Alonne, like you said he was pretty tough trying to dodge... I don't have a greatshield as I sold everything I wasn't using to Gavlaan to fund poison arrows But shouldn't be hard to acquire, and instead of the mace I have the craftman's hammer.

And about the grave warden, I guess I'll just do the bonfire ascetic and see what happens, in the worst case I just won't go to that area anymore

You should be able to farm the gyrm greatshield pretty quick by going to the doors of pharros and just running the perimeter along that path killing all the dwarves. There are like 6 or 7 with greatshields, and the drop rate is pretty high (like 10%?).

The greatshield will really make a lot of the game WAY more easy to deal with. I'm surprised you struggled through all those dual wielding axe guys in iron keep without one. They'll really help on the trash mobs in the snow DLC, too. It's useless on the first snow boss and the optional snow boss (gotta learn to roll those guys since they'll take your stamina down to 0 with every hit through a greatshield), but it's pretty good on the final one, especially his first phase. But man, it's a lifesaver against some of the awful trash mobs, like the porcupine equivalent to the bonewheels.

Aldia's just a stupid, boring boss. I think he's universally despised as being boring. The fight's not really easier with a better weapon, it just takes a few less cycles. AFAIK there is just plain no strategy other than run away from tentacle eruption, run away from fireball tracking, and make sure you only hit him when he drops the fire shield, and never get more than like 2-3 hits on him cause as soon as the fire shield comes up again you start taking damage and his damage reduction goes to like 80%. I don't think there's any cheese you can do, and the damage reduction he has applies to all damage types. So like, ranged strategies don't work on him any differently. It's just a long, boring fight but fortunately much easier than the likes of Ancient Dragon cause you can afford to make a ton of mistakes.

 

[p0ke]

You should be able to farm the gyrm greatshield pretty quick by going to the doors of pharros and just running the perimeter along that path killing all the dwarves. There are like 6 or 7 with greatshields, and the drop rate is pretty high (like 10%?).

The greatshield will really make a lot of the game WAY more easy to deal with. I'm surprised you struggled through all those dual wielding axe guys in iron keep without one. They'll really help on the trash mobs in the snow DLC, too. It's useless on the first snow boss and the optional snow boss (gotta learn to roll those guys since they'll take your stamina down to 0 with every hit through a greatshield), but it's pretty good on the final one, especially his first phase. But man, it's a lifesaver against some of the awful trash mobs, like the porcupine equivalent to the bonewheels.

Aldia's just a stupid, boring boss. I think he's universally despised as being boring. The fight's not really easier with a better weapon, it just takes a few less cycles. AFAIK there is just plain no strategy other than run away from tentacle eruption, run away from fireball tracking, and make sure you only hit him when he drops the fire shield, and never get more than like 2-3 hits on him cause as soon as the fire shield comes up again you start taking damage and his damage reduction goes to like 80%. I don't think there's any cheese you can do, and the damage reduction he has applies to all damage types. So like, ranged strategies don't work on him any differently. It's just a long, boring fight but fortunately much easier than the likes of Ancient Dragon cause you can afford to make a ton of mistakes.

Yeah, I just don't have the patience with Aldia. Also the NPC summons are useless as they just keep standing in the fire and dying. Ancient Dragon was pretty easy though, tbh.

Sounds like my next step is to get a greatshield!

 

[TedEH]

Despite having a backlog of new games waiting for me, for some reason I ended up going back to TotK, on a mission to clean up the remaining shrines I never finished.

 

[Werecow]

After feeling sad about the Arkane news, i seem to have started a planned immersive sim playlist. Starting with the first Deus Ex. Not sure how far i'll go, but probably at least the first 3 Thiefs. Might include the System Shock remake, as i got side tracked by BG3, and not played it yet. Even though i was a long-suffering Kickstarter backer.

 

[wankerness]

Yeah, I just don't have the patience with Aldia. Also the NPC summons are useless as they just keep standing in the fire and dying. Ancient Dragon was pretty easy though, tbh.

Sounds like my next step is to get a greatshield!

Yeah, NPC summon would just make aldia a lot harder. It's not like he can chase you around and hit you like all the other bosses, so the only way the NPC would help would be if they did as much damage as you AND stay alive for the whole fight, which they don't.

Anyway, now I'm playing Turok 2 again. I forgot that this game had some BS "metroidvania" type elements that you have to unlock, and most of the levels require you to get those abilities from a later level and then come back and reclear the whole damn thing to get the item or two that was locked behind those abilities. And these maps are ridiculous. Like, the second and third levels take about an hour to get through and are incredibly easy to get lost in, and from what I remember level 4 (lair of the blind ones - an underground cave with underwater tunnels level) is a giant step up in complexity. I'm going to be using a walkthrough on it!!

 

[p0ke]

Just killed Aldia. What a piece of cake, actually. I used the Gyrm shield, but didn't even really need it, I mostly just killed him really quickly with a lightning enchanted broadsword (since he's weak against slash attacks, otherwise I would've used my hammer again). Took maybe 2 minutes.

I didn't get Alonne even with the greatshield yet though.

And then I tried the darklurker again and almost had him, I just died because I had never used a pyromancy before, so I died figuring out how it works when he split Should've maybe practiced it first... Oh well, next time. But now I don't have any effigies again, and the bonfire ascetic trick didn't work. I guess next I'll resort to doing the ascetic in Majula to get effigies from the skeletons in the mansion basement... Unless I find some in the final DLC.

 

[wankerness]

Just killed Aldia. What a piece of cake, actually. I used the Gyrm shield, but didn't even really need it, I mostly just killed him really quickly with a lightning enchanted broadsword (since he's weak against slash attacks, otherwise I would've used my hammer again). Took maybe 2 minutes.

I didn't get Alonne even with the greatshield yet though.

And then I tried the darklurker again and almost had him, I just died because I had never used a pyromancy before, so I died figuring out how it works when he split Should've maybe practiced it first... Oh well, next time. But now I don't have any effigies again, and the bonfire ascetic trick didn't work. I guess next I'll resort to doing the ascetic in Majula to get effigies from the skeletons in the mansion basement... Unless I find some in the final DLC.

I usually get a ton of them just from killing all those NPC invaders since the game has so many. The regular enemy that drops them are those underwater lizard guys in shrine of amana, you could kill those guys till they stop spawning and probably get at least a few.

 

[wankerness]

Turok 3 went on sale the day I beat Turok 2, so the fates have decreed I must play it. Unlike 1/2, I never played this one as a kid, so it's new to me. It sure has way worse graphics than 2, apart from facial expressions (though I don't know how much of these are the remaster vs included in the N64 version, since I know they extensively re-rendered this).

This remaster has a LOT of QOL features added compared to the first two - there's really good autoaim and stuff to compensate for console controls, which the first two did not have. I guess the argument could be made that Turok 3 only ever had console controls and didn't have autoaim, so maybe it shouldn't be there, but it is nice considering how frequently I'd be missing monsters from almost point blank in Turok 2. They unfortunately removed the save functions from Turok 2, though, where the remaster let you save anywhere at any time.

Turok 2's levels are just a nightmare, I will always prefer shooters with fast, short levels to ones with giant "immersive labyrinths" or whatever. Well, unless the ones with the giant labyrinths have actual good maps (like Metroid Prime or something where you can see the whole map at once, not like Turok 2's where you can only see the small area you're currently in). But man, some stuff about this game really holds up. The hit detection and hit effects are still impressive today, I feel like the way you can blow off arms, heads, and even stomachs is better than some modern shooters. The way enemies have armored body parts or react differently depending on where you shoot them and take massively decreased or increased damage depending on where is a lot better than some later games like the Halo series.

The graphics are obviously N64, but they're vibrant and compared to something drab like Goldeneye or Quake the game still looks pretty good. The weapons are some of the best ever put in a shooter (my particular favorite is probably the boomerang buzzsaw), the only problem being when you have like 25 weapons it becomes a gigantic chore having to mash weapon up or weapon down like 10 times while running away from the monster you need to switch weapons on. They implemented a "weapon wheel" (which I know was also in the N64 version) but it's cumbersome and unlike the Quake II remaster from nightdive, the game does not slow down when you bring it up so you can't use it while moving.

Anyway, on to Turok 3, and then I think I might play some Ninja Turtle games!! I played another 10 minutes of Animal Well, found a floating disc, and promptly got chased around by a giant horrific cat demon so I died and quit. What a weird game. I think I'm going to have to look up at least a basic guide just because I don't find exploration fun when there's no fast travel.

EDIT: Oh, today I also learned that Iguana splintered after 1998 (after Turok 2, before Turok 3) and became Retro Studios, which makes a lot of sense. Some of the best shooters on N64 were made by the people that then made the Metroid Prime trilogy, some more of the best console shooters! That also explains the sharp decline in production quality between 2 and 3.

 

[wankerness]

Well, I played Turok 3, and beat it FOUR TIMES in a row in less time than it took me to get through Turok 2 once on easy. First time I went through on easy trying to figure everything out on my own (except for having to look up a weapon piece), second time I played through as the other protagonist on the hardest difficulty, third time I ran through as the raptor for the speed run achievement, and final time I carefully went through as the other hidden character (from Turok 2) and cleaned up the remaining achievements.

This game is a weird one. I think it's probably trying to rip off Half Life. It has a lot of those kinds of interactions with NPCs and levels having part of them destroyed by crashing vehicles and that kind of thing. It has good pacing relative to the first two, IMO, and is a VERY different kind of game. The levels are pretty big, but I got through the entire game on my "Speed Run" in less than 45 minutes and that was with making a lot of dumb mistakes and dying once. There's a bit of replayability thanks to the two protagonists having different weapon arsenals and occasionally getting funneled into different sections of levels thanks to one having a grappling hook and the other having night vision.

The weapons are about as good as Turok 2, maybe not quite as great as Turok 1's arsenal (and some of the new ones totally suck, like the two variants on the Cerebral Bore), but certainly way better than anything I've seen in a shooter made in the last 15 years. The enemies have crappier AI and less visual variety than in 2, and some of the reused enemies (Purrlins in particular) look awful compared to in the first two games. It's got a weird aesthetic. It just plain looks a lot worse than Turok 2. But, the levels are more interesting! Like, there's a missile silo you have to disarm, a dam level where you flood the entire level to access different areas, part of the first level of Turok 1, fire caverns, temples, etc. It looks really cheap compared to 2 and has nothing close to the level of art design you saw there, but it has a certain charm.

The worst thing about it is the way that a lot of ranged enemies will hit you no matter how well you dodge and it comes down to a game of quickdraw. The playthrough on hardest difficulty had a few sections with enemies noscoping me from across the map repeatedly that took me many, many tries to get past. I saw people complain that some of the enemies can "hitscan" which I assume is what I'm talking about. It's weird, too, cause some of the earliest enemies (the poison puking dogs) are the worst with this and do more damage than a lot of later ones.

Anyway, now I'm a tiny bit curious to play Turok Evolution again. I have it on Gamecube. I remember getting stuck somewhere and just quitting cause I wasn't having much fun with it. But, I don't think I will unless they remaster it.

Apparently Stellar Blade released a patch today which adds a boss rush mode, some new outfits, and (unfortunately) adds back in the two infamous "censored" costumes so now all the super angry horny guys think they won. I mean, great, I appreciate good boobs like any other heterosexual man, but I just wish this whole thing hadn't happened in a way that the incels are going to cry victory. Ideally they just shouldn't have censored the damn outfits in the first place, either that or admitted it instead of "uhhh...we thought these outfits looked too boring so we made them less revealing."

 

[p0ke]

I usually get a ton of them just from killing all those NPC invaders since the game has so many. The regular enemy that drops them are those underwater lizard guys in shrine of amana, you could kill those guys till they stop spawning and probably get at least a few.

Yeah and apparently another way to get some is to trade with the crows in Things Betwixt. It takes a long time but at least it's a theoretical way to get infinite effigies...

I really wish I could just save scum this crap! I almost had the boss again last time, but then I pressed the wrong attack button and didn't do the pyromancy, and when I hit the right button the clones just wiped me out. Then I was gonna try again and Havel & co pushed of the ledge...
Next time I'm just going in with my hammer and put lightning enchantment on it, and then just hammer the bastards when they split up.

 

[gabito]

In the last few days I tried playing a bunch of games for a few hours just to see if they feel like they are worth keep playing.

Brutal Legend: I think it’s pretty funny and I like this silly idea of a heavy metal world, headbanger minions, metal gods and all that. But it feels and plays like a PS2 game and… I don’t know. Maybe someday. Likely never.

Portal: I know it’s a good game, but I don’t feel like solving more puzzles in another vintage or vintage-like game after having played Animal Well (and not liking it). So, no.

Return to Monkey Island: same. I love the franchise but I can’t deal with any more puzzle based games even if the characters are funny. I was using the hints book all the time and it doesn’t feel right. Maybe I’ll return to it someday. Probably not. Sorry Ron Gilbert, I loved Thimbleweed Park but I’m not that person anymore.

Halo: Master Chief Collection. Looks interesting, might keep playing. I played the original Halo a long time ago and liked it. I don’t think I finished it though.

System Shock remake: I know it’s old school and obtuse but it’s interesting. I might keep playing when in the right mood. I don’t know when will that be.

Starfield: not a fan of the Bethesda style of making games but I don’t hate it. I like space stuff and it looks very nice. Also it has better acting than usual and the human characters don’t look like a rotten potato. It feels somewhat like Mass Effect… Andromeda. Oh well, I’ll probably keep playing it until I get bored.

I just need more Yakuza games. I’d settle for GTA VI if that’s not possible.

 

[TedEH]

Brutal Legend: I think it’s pretty funny and I like this silly idea of a heavy metal world, headbanger minions, metal gods and all that. But it feels and plays like a PS2 game and… I don’t know. Maybe someday. Likely never.

I dunno if you've read up on this one much or got far enough in to experience it for yourself, but this game sort of doesn't introduce itself very well - the first chunk of the game is setting up things to feel like an arcade-y PS2 slasher, then it suddenly reveals itself to be an RTS and continues to be that RTS for the rest of the game. The first couple of hours tell you almost nothing about whether or not you'd enjoy the rest of the experience.

It feels somewhat like Mass Effect… Andromeda.

That's a pretty good comparison, IMO. I find that Starfield left me with a kind of hollow feeling. It's mechanically fine, but a bit soulless. It's like having a nice looking car, and lots of road to drive on, but none of those roads go anywhere interesting.

 

[gabito]

I dunno if you've read up on this one much or got far enough in to experience it for yourself, but this game sort of doesn't introduce itself very well - the first chunk of the game is setting up things to feel like an arcade-y PS2 slasher, then it suddenly reveals itself to be an RTS and continues to be that RTS for the rest of the game. The first couple of hours tell you almost nothing about whether or not you'd enjoy the rest of the experience.

You're right, I've read about the game and they mentioned it being an RTS, but the portion I played was nothing like that. But that (your confirmation of it being an RTS) is just another reason to abandon it, I don't particularly like RTS games and I don't see me playing one and enjoying it. Besides fooling around with Age of Empires, the last one I played was the original Starcraft and I remember cheating like crazy just to see the cinematics (which looked extremely good for the time).

 

[TedEH]

the portion I played was nothing like that

That was a lot of the criticism of the game on release, and something I agree with having beat it a few times - the intro of the game might as well have been a whole other game. I still like Brutal Legend, but I'd be entirely down for the Jack Black - fueled heavy metal action-adventure game the first few hours teased at.

 

[wankerness]

Yeah and apparently another way to get some is to trade with the crows in Things Betwixt. It takes a long time but at least it's a theoretical way to get infinite effigies...

The crows aren’t that bad in ds2. Unlike ds1, you can leave a pile of at least 10 items at once and they all convert instantly, unlike ds1 where you either had to save and exit and reload or kill yourself to actually get the converted item. I dunno the actual number you can do at once or if you can leave a whole stack at once, I’ve always kept it lower than 15 cause I don’t trust the game not to start despawning items If you get too many out at once, and I’ve always dropped them one at a time cause I don’t trust it to treat a stack as the number of items in the stack.