So, I'm surely spoiled by Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon's lengthy deep dives, and I'm sure there's a good reason on retronauts's end, but why is there never enough time to finish a discussion? Is it that the recording space is rented for limited amount of time? Demon's Souls is one of my favorite games, there was so much more to discuss! What is stopping the gang from just powering through? Hunger? Lack of will? Haha. Please enlighten me.
I'll add that it was definitely the 1up preview or possibly review that clued me into Demon's Souls. At the time before that, I was questioning stepping away from gaming. I was excited to buy a PS3, but quickly felt like there was no more satisfying game experiences for me out there. Where in the late PS2 era, I was buying a few games or more every month, more than I could play really, the next generation of gaming was dry and empty. I bought Motorstorm Pacific Rift and really enjoyed that, and Uncharted 2 was on the horizon or maybe already came and went at that point, but nothing else grabbed me.
I have trouble putting to words exactly why hearing about the upcoming Demon's Souls made something inside me stir. I don't think at the time I was exactly aware why I was getting bored with games, but in retrospect it definitely was that everything was feeling like a hallway, a hand-holding, made by committee experience without challenge. The idea of a mysterious, unusual, perhaps janky game that threw you into a challenging world with little guidance, as the 1up preview described as I recall, fascinated me. And when I finally did get the game, I immediately got sucked in. I remember one absurd 12 hour session.. and I don't normally play games like that, I don't think I ever did, but I couldn't put this one down. Since then I find that nothing quite gets me excited like a new souls game, though I did pass on Sekiro.
It's not that the games are really that difficult, they just require focus, patience, and probably most of all, persistence and attentiveness. You don't have to play well necessarily, but the game almost requires you to learn, and learn at least enough to see that there are built in mechanisms and paths to take that can make the game as easy as you want it to be.
It's not that I agree with the toxic dew gamers that want you to 'git gud', far from it, I'm not particularly great at gaming, but I fully understand aggressive reactions when some are, for example, calling for an easy mode or whatever. I'm not in any way a pro player, don't play games competitively, but these games grabbed me like nothing else could and are some of the only games that I really can connect with. Just the idea of someone who doesn't even enjoy the design of the games, demanding changes... I think that takes games back down the path I mentioned earlier, built by committee, made to please everyone. I'm not at the front lines attacking anyone, certainly they're free to speak their own thoughts, but personally I do feel like, if these games aren't working for you, in a time of a great surplus of amazing games, maybe try something else?
As for Elden Ring, as much as I love the souls formula, my favorite is still probably Demon's, and like Bob I've grown a little fatigued, so I'm looking forward to something as fresh as Demon's was for me back in 2009. I have faith in the developer, in the director, and knowing that it's not just another direct Dark Souls sequel has me excited.
