Not a Masterpiece

[Wolffe]

Serious discussion thread.
I think on the whole ER is the most accessible & financially successful FromSoft game. It was essentially the Skyrim of the early 2020s, everyone was talking and memeing about it.

However, as a Souls game I think it is a 6/10. My criticisms are mostly around fundamental game design choices rather than individual nitpicks such as "x boss is too hard."

The decision for open world for instance. I do not immediately reject the idea of an open style world, but it's a tricky thing to pull off successfully if one wants to avoid the classic blunders. ER tries its best but any veteran gamer will begin to see cracks in the open world formula after just 25-50hrs of gameplay. Entering a new zone after that becomes less about adventuring and finding out more lore, and more about "i must find ruins and dungeons to obtain loot." Humans are good at recognising patterns and by the time you get to Altus you already know every new zone will have a couple world bosses, a 6-12 cave dungeons, maybe an evergol, some ruins with possible loot chest, mayne a small optional castle, and the zones main castle. It becomes a predictable formula that was not as predictable in previous souls games due to their smaller size and thus more unique (in terms of gameplay) levels.

Another smaller gripe I have is the lack of incentive to try different builds considering gear is so spread out over the game and good gear rare until mid or late game. Also a first time playthru with no walkthrough is pretty much guaranteed to miss a lot of great or even necessary items which unknowingly weakens them in the long run. For example on my current character I am level 90 and i'm still using a sword I obtained at level 8. I'm completely bored of my weapon, build, and armor, but have not changed build due to fear of being weaker than I currently am (faith based barricade greatshield with sacred lordsworn greatsword).

This of course is not to pretend ER doesnt excel in any area. The combat is smooth and satisfying. The level design and art assets are phenomenal. Atmospheric sound is excellent and the music ranges from mediocre to good.

Looking for honest discussion about these points; trolls or get good comments will be ignored.

[Artek [General]]

Origineel geplaatst door Senki:

ok but he literally says that it's the ''magnus opus of the soulslike genre'' and then calls it a 6/10 souls game in this post lmao

I mean everyone can change their mind on things, I did as well but that review isn't too old.

Eh. Could go either way. Its the Shrodinger's internet post: it is both a troll and a completely genuine claim and the only way to find out for good is to get it out of OP via violent torture.
...And even then the answer is not guaranteed to be true. ♥♥♥♥ Sapiens moment, truly.

But to be fair: he's not claiming that the game is like sh*t and a complete failure or anything, he's just not willing to give it the title of "masterpiece" because he slowly started getting exposed to the more long-term issues of it.
...
If nothing else - this a good lesson about importance of not writing premature reviews.

[psilocybe]

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Looking for honest discussion about these points

I do like a few areas, stand really picturesque compared to the blandness of the rest of the game.

Also, a few of the GFX for area effects and spell casts are quite pretty, as well.

(Without fully knowing the development process.. I'm not sure if from outsourced the graphics i'm thinking of.)
However, these things.. from has done, just an acceptable job (imo).


I believe... they would get more out of re-branding, as a company that just does these things... general landscape concepts.. and in-game Graphic Effects.

Then... they can sell their Dark Souls IP, to a company that has proven talent... like bluepoint, or someone.

[Judy Gemstone]

Oh Sh.. Serious discussions?!

Wow what a great take!

And you are ( X ) who worked on the more popular game ( x ) that was goty in ( xxxx) so serious discussion only... We should all pause and take this thread seriously!!!

Why is this not viral?

Someone contact Hidetaka Miyazaki IMMEDIATELY!

[Fineous🔥]

Origineel geplaatst door Artek General:

You can like something and still be critical of it. I have a positive review of Dark Souls 3 and I can still rot your ears away with complains of bad game design decisions, inaccurate armor, unfinished content and more.

Yeah, i belive someone can actually change their minds after playing 150 hours (played time before his review) and post a thread like this one! Presenting their opinion in a clear and WHOLESOME WAY......I also belive in the tooth faerie.

Good lord......

[vamirez]

Origineel geplaatst door Fineous🔥:

Greetings, OP.

Ok so this is a

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Not a Masterpiece
Serious discussion thread.

Alright, OP. Let me check your profile, just in case you posted already a review about Elden RIng oh my Elden RIng. With that info i will be able to understand your hot-take much better.

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

As a player who's finished DS1, DS2, & DS3, I can confidently say Elden Ring is the magnus opus of the souls-like genre. It combines the best from the previous iterations and throws the worst in the trash. The amount of new features and quality of life tweaks are too numerous for a short review.

Suffice to say it looks, plays, and feels the best it's ever been.
Posted 18 December, 2024.

Right......Are you the same person who posted that review? OP? Care to explain what happened to you between december and today? So you completly changed your mind? Dont answer......I have everything i need now.


Thanks for sharing your opinions, OP. Now go and buy Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree.

Well done, Fineous. Well done :)

[Wolffe]

Origineel geplaatst door vamirez:

Serious answer: Definitely a masterpiece.

A little longer serious answer: People trip over that word, but note that it doesn't mean that every aspect of a thing must be absolutely perfect and/or loved by everyone. I mean, I'll never go to the opera and watch Swanlake unless you threaten me with a weapon, but I won't start a discussion with afficionados attempting to tell them that it's "not that good". There is just no need for that.

Bonus serious answer: Notes in post like "serious answer only bla bla" only serve to cast doubts on the the post itself and to turn people off.

Do not write serious answer only: "this is bait"
Write serious answer only: "this is bait"

There's no winning here.

[Wolffe]

Origineel geplaatst door Fineous🔥:

Greetings, OP.

Ok so this is a

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Not a Masterpiece
Serious discussion thread.

Alright, OP. Let me check your profile, just in case you posted already a review about Elden RIng oh my Elden RIng. With that info i will be able to understand your hot-take much better.

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

As a player who's finished DS1, DS2, & DS3, I can confidently say Elden Ring is the magnus opus of the souls-like genre. It combines the best from the previous iterations and throws the worst in the trash. The amount of new features and quality of life tweaks are too numerous for a short review.

Suffice to say it looks, plays, and feels the best it's ever been.
Posted 18 December, 2024.

Right......Are you the same person who posted that review? OP? Care to explain what happened to you between december and today? So you completly changed your mind? Dont answer......I have everything i need now.


Thanks for sharing your opinions, OP. Now go and buy Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree.

I love people like you. You're like one of those bitter redditors who will inspect a persons post history to find any flakes of gold to use against them. God forbid opinions change over time or change with more experience in the thing being discussed.

[Fineous🔥]

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

[
I love people like you. You're like one of those bitter redditors who will inspect a persons post history to find any flakes of gold to use against them. God forbid opinions change over time or change with more experience in the thing being discussed.

Ha.....More a inquisitor than a ReDdItor.

Come on kid, i was not born yesterday and if you insist i can add to the "cauldron" your proclivity to post in DeNuVo/LgtBbQ/EwOk threads.

Now, im going to give you the chance to get a hefty amount of Steam points! CONFESS you are here for attention and AWARDS....Let the TRUTH cleanse your small, bitter soul.

Give me what i want and get your points! A more than fair deal.

[Judy Gemstone]

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Origineel geplaatst door Fineous🔥:

Greetings, OP.

Ok so this is a





Alright, OP. Let me check your profile, just in case you posted already a review about Elden RIng oh my Elden RIng. With that info i will be able to understand your hot-take much better.




Right......Are you the same person who posted that review? OP? Care to explain what happened to you between december and today? So you completly changed your mind? Dont answer......I have everything i need now.


Thanks for sharing your opinions, OP. Now go and buy Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree.

I love people like you. You're like one of those bitter redditors who will inspect a persons post history to find any flakes of gold to use against them. God forbid opinions change over time or change with more experience in the thing being discussed.

Okay I gotta keep you on track because that was clearly a deflection... that contrast is pretty dramatic... You really should explain yourself because at the moment you look like CNN.

Also to that point, I realized that you didn't actually say anything in this post. You sort of assumed we all knew what you were talking about and skipped past it...

Here:

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Serious discussion thread.

ER tries its best but any veteran gamer will begin to see cracks in the open world formula after just 25-50hrs of gameplay. Entering a new zone

after that

becomes less about adventuring and finding out more lore, and more about "i must find ruins and dungeons to obtain loot.

After what? You never explained what

"that"

was ??

Lastly, it sounds like you basically tried to play a power fantasy role in a TRUE souls game and knew next to nothing about the game's mechanics so you meagerly held on to a weapon you weren't happy with. This was not at all my experience or the experiences of my friends. Builds are so flexible, we are still finding new builds in ER years later and I'm only talking about in the base game... The DLC added even more builds and a couple more years of secrets to uncover. (we have all been playing since DS together.)

The lore of the game is found in all of the items found in the game. In the same way that the Elden Ring was shattered into a million pieces and scattered around the world, giving all of it's inhabitants god-like powers.

I wonder if you knew that or what the Elden Ring even was?...





What the hell were you trying to say here and why????

[John Titor]

8 hours and not a single clown. Better luck next time OP.

[Riskbreaker Y]

Idk but one word that does come to mind is 'epic'. By the time my first character reached Crumbling Farum Azula, I felt a little fatigued and eager to reach the end of the journey while still wanting more.

As to your other points: ER may be open world, but it's basically an extended Souls interconnected world like the other iterations with far more freedom to do as you please. The predictability of catacombs having spirit ashes as main rewards does becomes apparent fairly quickly; although, those same dungeons also have other loot and rare drops so the notion of missing something (aka FOMO) could motivate players to plumb those depths. And I think ER successfully captures that experience that is typical of Souls games in that whatever lies ahead is unknown unless you investigate and explore to satisfy that curiosity. I basically played without spirit ashes in my first playthrough and still felt compelled to explore most of the mini-dungeons that I found (perhaps to my own detriment knowing the probable outcome).

Regarding incentive to play other builds/styles, the primary incentive is it in itself. Surely you can come up with a slight variation of your current build without respeccing to spice up how you approach the next dungeon. Another incentive is to overcome a wall which necessitates a change of strategy or build altogether (or maybe you found a cool shiny new thing you want to try out). For me, playing different builds is the most fun when you start a game from scratch to really get a sense of the different styles. It feels like this alone adds the most replayability despite ER being so massive in scope and daunting in terms of time commitment.

[Welbert Asker]

is

[psilocybe]

ggl ai knows what's up~ ayye~
(inbound, long sh*tpost)

While widely acclaimed, "Elden Ring" is often considered overrated due to several key flaws, including its repetitive open world design, lack of substantial story progression, inconsistent enemy and boss encounters, a poorly implemented quest system, technical issues, and a reliance on the "Soulsborne" formula that, in this case, feels overly stretched and less refined compared to previous FromSoftware titles, leading to a less engaging experience for many players despite its impressive scale and world-building.
Key Arguments for Elden Ring being Overrated:
Repetitive Open World Design:
Despite its vastness, the open world often features a high degree of copy-pasted environments, enemy types, and boss encounters, creating a sense of monotony and diminishing the exploration novelty.
Poorly Implemented Quests:
The lack of a traditional quest log and vague NPC dialogue make following the narrative and completing quests confusing and frustrating, often requiring extensive online guides to navigate.
Unfocused Story Telling:
While the lore is rich, the in-game story delivery is largely absent, with minimal character interactions and cryptic environmental storytelling, leaving many players feeling disconnected from the narrative.
Inconsistent Difficulty:
The difficulty curve can be erratic, with some encounters feeling unfairly difficult due to enemy placement or aggressive AI, while others feel too easy, leading to a less satisfying challenge.
Technical Issues:
The game has faced criticism for various technical issues including frame drops, glitches, and bugs, which can disrupt gameplay and detract from the immersion.
Overreliance on Soulsborne Formula:
While the core combat system is solid, some argue that Elden Ring doesn't significantly innovate on the established "Soulsborne" formula, leading to a feeling of déjà vu for players familiar with the genre.
Unrefined Combat Mechanics:
The combat system, while deep, can feel clunky at times with issues related to camera control, targeting, and enemy hitboxes, especially during intense encounters.
Lack of Meaningful Choices:
Unlike other open-world RPGs, Elden Ring often lacks impactful decisions or branching narratives, which can diminish player agency and engagement.

[Sgt. Flaw]

Dark Souls needed a huge change after 3

3 was so well received because a lot of people started there....doing a Dark Souls 4 in the same manner leaves little for innovation and it would have suffered from Assassins Creed syndrome.

You just cant keep putting the same ♥♥♥♥ out over and over again regardless of what the vocal minority cries for....it will end up with fan burn out

And as far as a transition to open world? They did a great job.

Also, there is a lot of skill issues I'm reading there...missing stuff on your first playthrough? Yea but not to a high extent..not being able to line up equipment for subsequent playthroughs with different builds? That's on you.

Also, Your playing a build and can't find a weapon to entertain yourself at level 90? I mean common lol..how many weapons are in this game? And you can basically restat whenever

[BiomageHun]

Origineel geplaatst door Foamathan:

Serious discussion thread.
I think on the whole ER is the most accessible & financially successful FromSoft game. It was essentially the Skyrim of the early 2020s, everyone was talking and memeing about it.

However, as a Souls game I think it is a 6/10. My criticisms are mostly around fundamental game design choices rather than individual nitpicks such as "x boss is too hard."

The decision for open world for instance. I do not immediately reject the idea of an open style world, but it's a tricky thing to pull off successfully if one wants to avoid the classic blunders. ER tries its best but any veteran gamer will begin to see cracks in the open world formula after just 25-50hrs of gameplay. Entering a new zone after that becomes less about adventuring and finding out more lore, and more about "i must find ruins and dungeons to obtain loot." Humans are good at recognising patterns and by the time you get to Altus you already know every new zone will have a couple world bosses, a 6-12 cave dungeons, maybe an evergol, some ruins with possible loot chest, mayne a small optional castle, and the zones main castle. It becomes a predictable formula that was not as predictable in previous souls games due to their smaller size and thus more unique (in terms of gameplay) levels.

Another smaller gripe I have is the lack of incentive to try different builds considering gear is so spread out over the game and good gear rare until mid or late game. Also a first time playthru with no walkthrough is pretty much guaranteed to miss a lot of great or even necessary items which unknowingly weakens them in the long run. For example on my current character I am level 90 and i'm still using a sword I obtained at level 8. I'm completely bored of my weapon, build, and armor, but have not changed build due to fear of being weaker than I currently am (faith based barricade greatshield with sacred lordsworn greatsword).

This of course is not to pretend ER doesnt excel in any area. The combat is smooth and satisfying. The level design and art assets are phenomenal. Atmospheric sound is excellent and the music ranges from mediocre to good.

Looking for honest discussion about these points; trolls or get good comments will be ignored.

why get good its trolling?, the best message you could have, my opinion its this, i'm a mage type of player and i was use all the strong sorceries to kill boss fast, and almost master it, i was just needed to go far and shot the lasers, big deal. and then i decide to go with lv6 astrologer and clean up all boss in between limgrave and altus, i learn how to dodge and using my brain to not waste any fp, so i'm get good, and now i leave my comfort zone and i did make a malenia build , 20 min ago was kill the sun flower and next wil be gaius :) anyway get good, try different build, so many have you will find your comfort zone, till you decide you use the worse build you can think of :)