Joseph Anderson - Elden Ring - A Shattered Masterpiece (Spoilers)

[afreaknamedpete]

You know I wonder if people who disliked the last third of the game were largely playing it to completion (ie, doing all major bosses and areas). I certainly felt like the final few areas were enjoyable but like >100 hours in I was just tired and wanted it to be over. In hindsight I don't think Farum for example is a bad dungeon but at that point in my playthrough I kinda just ran through everything. The lack of new enemy types as the game bore on also got annoying, AFAIK despite Farum or the Haligtree being the "final" areas of the game I don't think they introduced a single new generic mob in those entire areas. I'd wager someone going through the game at a more rapid pace wouldn't have nearly as much endgame fatigue as I did.

 

[Kazen]

Elden Ring is still me favorite game of all time, but it could be improved soooooo much. From had a lot of ambition that probably got backtracked thanks to time, scope and covid.

Really curious about Elden ring DLC and the eventual second game, I think they have something really special here that can be worked on.

 

[Altairre]

There's a discussion to be had whether input reading is a valid thing to do in games like this or the degree to which it is reasonable but you can't deny that it's there is the point.

 

[Yerffej]

There's a discussion to be had whether input reading is a valid thing to do in games like this or the degree to which it is reasonable but you can't deny that it's there is the point.

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Just from some of the bosses I've encountered, it absolutely has to be the case. Not like it's anything new. Fighting games have been doing it for forever. Nothing to get worked up over. Not meaning you, of course.

 

[TrashyPanda]

I am just not sure where the discussion goes though

Preferably a compelling place. The Noah Gervais video is very interesting as he covers deeply how From has iterated on the complaints or faults of their game design with each game in small chunks.

Curious to see if Anderson actually has something interesting to add that isn't just trying to be spicy on youtube as he says in the opener

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I've seen Noah's video and agree with many of his points, but it doesn't really address my issues with THIS game. Can't really watch Joseph's video since I'm still trying to finish the game though.

Wouldn't you do the same right at the moment when a boss or an invading player starts healing themselves?

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No, I wouldn't, I'm an honorable man.

 

[Dever]

I don't disagree with the main critique of some bosses having ridiculously long combos, and that you have to do a lot of waiting for them to do attacks you can safely punish. I think From feels like they have to keep making the games harder every time so veterans still feel that rush of overcoming a challenging fight, but Elden Ring is sometimes really pushing to the edge of what you can do with the core mechanics established in Demon's Souls.

 

[Igniz12]

There's a discussion to be had whether input reading is a valid thing to do in games like this or the degree to which it is reasonable but you can't deny that it's there is the point.

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The trick is to mask it well, not suddenly have the player start to notice them and break the illusion. ER isnt doing it well even if justified in doing it. Like dont just use one attack to punish healing for starters.

 

[Grzi]

I skimmed through the video and while we can all agree that Elden Ring is not a perfect game, a lot of criticism that people do nowadays really is just nitpicking.
Everyone wants to be a critic, and the problem with Youtube videos like this one is that they set themselves as an authority because you can't really reply to them or have a conversation with the author to understand their thoughts better or give them a different point of view.

Eh, not that it matters anyway. BUT, I will definitely check out his Witcher 3 video. If he has anything positive to say about the open world in that game or the combat, then yeah, his opinions hold even less value to me than they do now (which is none).

 

[Helix]

Nice to see an Elden Ring video that isn't just basically non-stop jerking it off.

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well, thanks for getting the ball rolling

 

[Master_Funk]

Yeah , I just disagree with most of his points so far. The fact that he is basing so much of his critques on repeated playthroughs is just not a stance I can relate to , since I normally just play games one time. On repeated playthroughs of all the souls games , most people will just look at a guide to find the best equipment etc for the playstyle they are going for. Exploration and discovery is usually primarily part of the first playthrough. Level scaling the world because you are overpowered in the world is not the solution and giving information like recommended levels for the world is just totally against FROM's philospoy and vears into Ubisoft open world territory.

 

[Deleted member 23094]

I've watched a few long form review videos now and this one is probably closest to my feelings on the game, especially how things kind of just crumble towards the end with regards to bosses and less interesting environments. Some parts were 10/10 indisputable best moments in gaming, only to be let down by 4/10 moments that left me feeling like I just wanted to get the game over with.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Wouldn't you do the same right at the moment when a boss or an invading player starts healing themselves?

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I mean yeah, but I fought the Caelid Tower one again last night and it will literally just let you stand there without doing a thing, THEN throw the fireball as soon as you press the heal button.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

The trick is to mask it well, not suddenly have the player start to notice them and break the illusion. ER isnt doing it well even if justified in doing it. Like dont just use one attack to punish healing for starters.

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If you have had an NPC fight in most of their games they will often react on an inhuman level with dodges and such. Its "input reading" as much as any other game but its also easy to download as something that can happen. Crucible Knights and Malenia will very often do a forward thrust if you heal in front of them in a neutral state because its the one move that will probably reach you, not because its "only one attack" and that's boring or whatever. Reacting with another move just doesn't make sense.

 

[Grzi]

"The first run of this game is very different than any subsequent ones"

???
I mean, this is like his main point, but that's true for every game ever made?
If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

Why were people looking forward to this video? Who is this guy lmao?

This is not a good video, I'm sorry.

 

[AlanMoore]

"The first run of this game is very different than any subsequent ones"

???
I mean, this is like his main point, but that's true for every game ever made?
If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

Why were people looking forward to this video? Who is this guy lmao?

This is not a good video, I'm sorry.

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He has released multiple Soulsborne videos in the past and is a big fan of their work. This video is pretty positive as well and spends 20 minutes gushing over it, and even though he's pointing out things that bothered him/flaws he still thinks it's a masterpiece in most aspects. He explains his replayability point by comparing it to previous titles.

 

[Linus815]

"The first run of this game is very different than any subsequent ones"

???
I mean, this is like his main point, but that's true for every game ever made?
If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

Why were people looking forward to this video? Who is this guy lmao?

This is not a good video, I'm sorry.

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its amazing how you clearly just skipped around the video, picked one thing and made a sweeping statement about the entire thing. He addresses everything you said, lol

 

[Altairre]

I skimmed through the video and while we can all agree that Elden Ring is not a perfect game, a lot of criticism that people do nowadays really is just nitpicking.
Everyone wants to be a critic, and the problem with Youtube videos like this one is that they set themselves as an authority because you can't really reply to them or have a conversation with the author to understand their thoughts better or give them a different point of view.

Eh, not that it matters anyway. BUT, I will definitely check out his Witcher 3 video. If he has anything positive to say about the open world in that game or the combat, then yeah, his opinions hold even less value to me than they do now (which is none).

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I'm not sure this really applies here because I don't think he has ever implied that his opinion is worth more just because he does it for a living. You can also be certain that he gets a lot of dissenting opinions and perspectives from the comments on his videos or on Twitter, even if he doesn't directly reply to them. Also why would you watch his Witcher 3 video if his opinion isn't of any value to you anyway only to see if he shits on the combat/open world? That seems a little strange to me.

"The first run of this game is very different than any subsequent ones"

???
I mean, this is like his main point, but that's true for every game ever made?
If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

Why were people looking forward to this video? Who is this guy lmao?

This is not a good video, I'm sorry.

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He does video essays on youtube and he's fairly popular in that space, so it seems like a good amount of people enjoy what he does. If you don't then that's completely fine though it doesn't appear that you're arguing in good faith either.

 

[Yzec]

This always happens with this type of video, the critique of the 2 hour video is on Era 1 hour after release of the video.

 

[Nere]

its amazing how you clearly just skipped around the video, picked one thing and made a sweeping statement about the entire thing. He addresses everything you said, lol

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It's not like later on he makes better suggestions. I mean he suggests level scaling on the game...

 

[Pipyakas]

That GOD SLAIN popup is 10/10. Great video that shares and sums up most of my feelings with Elden Ring, for better or for worse

 

[Jimnymebob]

If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

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As someone who is nearing the end with their second character, I really don't buy the 'more replay value' thing this time. With the other games, sure, because you basically had to play the whole game each time, but on this it's simply been a case of do what little is mandatory, do whatever I need to get the items I'm going to be using for my build, and then whatever else takes my fancy.

Obviously you can make a different build each time and play it differently, but outside of experiencing things for the first time, the game gives no real incentive for the player to do it again. Like I can take the alternate route to Altus, but there's literally no reason for me to go there except to get items I won't ever use or fight my 4th (8th counting my first playthrough) Magma Wyrm who wasn't an interesting fight the first time.

 

[benj]

"The first run of this game is very different than any subsequent ones"

???
I mean, this is like his main point, but that's true for every game ever made?
If anything. Elden Ring has more replay value than most games, and it is to be expected that subsequent runs will be shorter than the first one (mentioning this because he pointed out his playtime, not sure why it matters).

Why were people looking forward to this video? Who is this guy lmao?

This is not a good video, I'm sorry.

Click to shrink...

Joseph Anderson is a youtube critic who built his channel on long, very engaged, thorough critiques of games, who for the past 5 years or so has gradually morphed into more and more of a parody of himself where his "criticism" consists of literal hours of identifying "plot holes" and "balance problems" with his nose so close to the trees that he seems totally unaware that there might be a forest. It's like reading a 200-page book review where someone spends the entire length going, "why did the author use 'teal' here? wouldn't 'cyan' have been preferable?" and "In this scene, Teddy is surprised to find his sister eating breakfast in his house—however, given that it was morning, what meal did he expect her to be eating?"

it is perturbing to me that his genre of video is considered the more "academic" wing of the video criticism that has supplanted essays and long reviews.

 

[Linus815]

It's not like later on he makes better suggestions. I mean he suggests level scaling on the game...

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He's not claiming to have the final word on wether you should like or dislike Elden Ring. He's providing his critique.

Jumping around the video ,grabbing a thing out of context and then blurting out "this is bad" is ridiculous, considering the specific thing the poster was complaining about is directly addressed. Joseph underlines multiple times that the first playthrough is the most improtant and is what the game should be judged by, but also details why his opinion went down on multiple playthroughs, compared to other Souls games.

Also im 1h15m into the video and I don't agree with everything but he's got some great points.

 

[ClarkusDarkus]

Massive areas void of character? I dunno I just cant agree to that statement. Game has a lot of extremly memorable locations everywhere, just like the other Souls games.

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Soulless( No pun intended )…. Majority of it leads to nothing, Caelid for example, Cool looking area, And whats truly there? A castle that can be easily fast forwarded and narrowed straight too the boss.

The only difference between Caelid/Mountain top of the giants, Is the terrain changing.

How many ruins, Catacombs do we need to repeatedly see. For another recycled boss etc

Like I said, The game clearly is good enough for 1 play through, Doesn't even need newgame+ since you can level up enough on the first play through and use multiple builds.

Me and co-op buddies ended up resenting the game at the end, Use a bleed build all game, Only for it to be redundant on the last boss because it's immune.

MP aspect is archaic, Put chalk on the floor to be summoned in, Just let people play together like
Ni-Oh allows.

Nothing memorable about any of the locations.

 

[Igniz12]

It's not like later on he makes better suggestions. I mean he suggests level scaling on the game...

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.....am I a bad person for thinking that isnt the worse idea ever for ER....? The game can at times fail to provide a consistent level of challenge due to its open nature.

The Bonfire enemy upgrade item from DS2 would have been a perfect middle ground. For now I just dont upgrade my weapons too high.

 

[Duxxy3]

Aside from Dark Souls 2 it has my least favorite gameplay in any Fromsoft game. It was just more glaring in the last third of the game. The capabilities of the player character and the enemies are a mismatch, made much more obvious in that last third. It's poor balancing, but I don't think there's a fix for it because of the open world nature of the game.

Just better for folks like me to just move on and hope the next Fromsoft game is closer to what we want.

 

[Nere]

.....am I a bad person for thinking that isnt the worse idea ever for ER....? The game can at times fail to provide a consistent level of challenge due to its open nature.

The Bonfire enemy upgrade item from DS2 would have been a perfect middle ground. For now I just dont upgrade my weapons too high.

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Yes because then it becomes exactly the same as all the other open world games. I feel in the open world design it was Bethesda who both found the best exploration system (Morrowind) and the worst (Oblivion), for some reason everyone followed the oblivion model and ignored Morrowind. Elden ring goes back to the morrowind design of no level scaling and it is amazing and unique because of that. Taking that away defeats the whole purpose.

 

[Yerffej]

.....am I a bad person for thinking that isnt the worse idea ever for ER....? The game can at times fail to provide a consistent level of challenge due to its open nature.

The Bonfire enemy upgrade item from DS2 would have been a perfect middle ground. For now I just dont upgrade my weapons too high.

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I want nothing to do with level scaling ever again. If Starfield or the next ES has it…I'm gonna be really bummed.

You should be able to feel the feeling of stomping areas that stomped you early on. And it's extra satisfying in game that will never not replenish enemies, denying you of clearing a space and feeling like you "accomplished" that area in any sense.

Level scaling sucks ass.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Joseph Anderson is a youtube critic who built his channel on long, very engaged, thorough critiques of games, who for the past 5 years or so has gradually morphed into more and more of a parody of himself where his "criticism" consists of literal hours of identifying "plot holes" and "balance problems" with his nose so close to the trees that he seems totally unaware that there might be a forest. It's like reading a 200-page book review where someone spends the entire length going, "why did the author use 'teal' here? wouldn't 'cyan' have been preferable?" and "In this scene, Teddy is surprised to find his sister eating breakfast in his house—however, given that it was morning, what meal did he expect her to be eating?"

it is perturbing to me that his genre of video is considered the more "academic" wing of the video criticism that has supplanted essays and long reviews.

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I don't think its the cinemasins equivalent you're describing it as. He mostly just seems to have very different priorities to what I do.

Like judging a really long game on its subsequent playthroughs is completely alien to me, as is the admission of "around 200 enemy types but you see some of them a bunch of times" being especially unrelatable to me with some examples being encounters that are only repeated once....around 10-50 hours later and easily missable unless you're going for content completion.

As an example, Froms other games re-use assets similarly but in far more linear, shorter games (typically as do other 3rd person games like DMC). Sekiro has you fighting the same samurai and headless (the last boss is also a semi-repeat), Dark Souls makes you fight Capra Demons, Knights and Golems on repeat, The last stretch of Bloodborne literally repurposes Shadows of Yharnam while having you fight crows, dogs, giant boars and bell ladies again, right after Micolash who was essentially a standard NPC you fight in a maze. Did I really care? no...I liked fighting the enemies in their games more than once as long as there are other new things accompanying them.

I did not kill all the headless in Sekiro just like I didn't kill every Dragon in Elden Ring. If something is clearly optional and I don't feel like I need to do something its very easy to just not.

He's not wrong about Skyrim being so bad at level scaling that nobody wants to touch it again :)

 

[Grzi]

its amazing how you clearly just skipped around the video, picked one thing and made a sweeping statement about the entire thing. He addresses everything you said, lol

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I went through the whole video, and am watching the entire thing right now, so far he hasn't said addressed anything but we'll see.

Joseph Anderson is a youtube critic who built his channel on long, very engaged, thorough critiques of games, who for the past 5 years or so has gradually morphed into more and more of a parody of himself where his "criticism" consists of literal hours of identifying "plot holes" and "balance problems" with his nose so close to the trees that he seems totally unaware that there might be a forest. It's like reading a 200-page book review where someone spends the entire length going, "why did the author use 'teal' here? wouldn't 'cyan' have been preferable?" and "In this scene, Teddy is surprised to find his sister eating breakfast in his house—however, given that it was morning, what meal did he expect her to be eating?"

it is perturbing to me that his genre of video is considered the more "academic" wing of the video criticism that has supplanted essays and long reviews.

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Yeah, this makes sense, thanks.

I never got that type of criticism. Instead of looking at things for what they are and basing your opinion on that, you keep suggesting how things should have been different and what you would do. It is so stupid.
It basically shows me you are incapable of voicing your criticism normally, instead only suggesting alternatives that YOU think would be better.

And there is always this aura of objectivity, speaking in absolutes like their opinion is fact, and when you call them out for it, they would say that it is implied that they are subjective, although it is clear that what they are saying is filled with so much self-importance as if they are aware of "the truth" and now they absolutely must present it to us.

 

[Deleted member 22002]

It's almost, ALMOST, as if those last bosses were balanced around having a way to pull aggro away from the player. Now if only this game had a way to add extra entities during a fight...

The real critique i take is that summons really don't feel balanced on the other way, as in making the game too easy, but it's clear as day every boss was balanced around players using coop and summons.

 

[Mórríoghain]

i like his witcher videos but good lord there no need for it to be that long

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It's because just like Noah, his Patreon subs want these long ass videos. Like, that's their business model.

 

[Lork]

There's a discussion to be had whether input reading is a valid thing to do in games like this or the degree to which it is reasonable but you can't deny that it's there is the point.

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Can you explain what you mean by "Input Reading"? Do you just mean that the AI's reaction times are too fast? I suppose that's debatable but you should probably just say that if it's the case.

If you mean it literally, as in the AI is actually "reading" your inputs from the controller, then you are just factually wrong.

 

[jman1954goat]

its something the AI does in their games because you shouldn't be healing in front of a knight that's staring you down lol

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The ai reads inputs to do this.

I don't even think it's a bad thing I like having to find proper moments to heal but let's not pretend the AI is not reading inputs.


Ai reading input does not mean bad design. It can be good design as well.

 

[Igniz12]

Yes because then it becomes exactly the same as all the other open world games. I feel in the open world design it was Bethesda who both found the best exploration system (Morrowind) and the worst (Oblivion), for some reason everyone followed the oblivion model and ignored Morrowind. Elden ring goes back to the morrowind design of no level scaling and it is amazing and unique because of that. Taking that away defeats the whole purpose.

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Im sorry, but what it the purpose then? For me I come to Souls game because they provide a consistent level of engagement mostly due to its mix of combat, enemy/encounter design and high level of challenge that keeps me playing all the way until the end and making multiple new characters after as well.

I think once the enemies fail to provide any kind of challenge the game kinda dosent work cause the combat is basic and all interesting enemy and encounters the devs create also becomes a slight chore.

Im not saying I think they should do level scaling, Im just saying I kinda get the sentiment.

It's because just like Noah, his Patreon subs want these long ass videos. Like, that's their business model.

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Comical. So thats why he hasnt posted anything in this long?

 

[Jencks]

Can't wait until forum posters start parroting these criticisms word for word

 

[DrROBschiz]

I don't disagree with the main critique of some bosses having ridiculously long combos, and that you have to do a lot of waiting for them to do attacks you can safely punish. I think From feels like they have to keep making the games harder every time so veterans still feel that rush of overcoming a challenging fight, but Elden Ring is sometimes really pushing to the edge of what you can do with the core mechanics established in Demon's Souls.

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Yeah but...





The counter argument is that the game gives such a ridiculously robust variety of tools and options at your disposal that you can effectively make every single encounter trivial, should you choose to.

This was exactly the point that Noah Gervais made ad nauseum in his video and why he spent so much time attacking the "get gud" culture

 

[Capra]

The ai reads inputs to do this.

I don't even think it's a bad thing I like having to find proper moments to heal but let's not pretend the AI is not reading inputs.


Ai reading input does not mean bad design. It can be good design as well.

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Maybe off topic but it brings me back to Matthewmatosis' Lost Soul Arts video where he talks about approaching bosses in Demon's Souls the way an adventurer inhabiting the game world would. Bosses in ER and DS3 immediately reacting to certain inputs and the player being able to somewhat anticipate and manipulate their AI turns them more transparently into a set of if-then statements. It's not necessarily a bad or good thing but it's definitely a different feel that you can argue takes away some of the uniqueness the series had to start.

 

[Altairre]

Can you explain what you mean by "Input Reading"? Do you just mean that the AI's reaction times are too fast? I suppose that's debatable but you should probably just say that if it's the case.

If you mean it literally, as in the AI is actually "reading" your inputs from the controller, then you are just factually wrong.

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If you look at the video I posted it becomes pretty clear what I mean.

 

[bickieditches]

I hadn't heard of this Youtuber before, but I'm very glad this was posted - I completely agree with him on most of his points, and it feels nice to have some validation of my feelings. Everywhere I go people seem to think Elden Ring is one of the GOATs, and while it's definitely a masterpiece, it has some real, serious flaws. Top 3 that resonated with me: recycling content, exploration is rewarded enough, and the combat just doesn't feel fun anymore.

Dark Souls is my favorite game of all time. But I truly don't know if I'd even buy an Elden Ring 2 if it came out.

 

[pbayne]

It's because just like Noah, his Patreon subs want these long ass videos. Like, that's their business model.

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Interesting. No idea how hes gonna fill that time though.
Like even in his Witcher 2 review i thought he gets really lost in the weeds just explaining how little decisions are or arent counted for or minor differences from the books. Which is neat stuff to point out but it starts to feel like pub trivia after a while to go so in depth into minute plot differences.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

re: boss windup attacks: "you have to know the timing and dodge preemptively, perfect example being the Watchdogs"
The watchdogs arm jerks before swinging (or you can just space outside of that one). Its one of the most telegraphed stance attacks a boss has. I don't even think the accompanying clip of Margit was different either. Astel's laser is the right example, being harder to react to and better to learn the timing for, that's why he shows it right as you enter the boss arena.

I dunno... like is the Watchdog thing a perfect example? Im not a god gamer, im like 36 and playing games mostly casually. This one in particular feels like someone not paying attention to clear visual cues. The Watchdog being introduced so early in the game likely as a tutorial for what to expect.

This one in particular just feels wrong. Harder to avoid attacks you haven't seen before that point tend not to be fatal on anything above half HP, which is why Soulslikes offer a large amount of heals to use during a fight. Its deliberately chaotic to an extent and either you enjoy that or I guess its less fun.

 

[NotLiquid]

I still have 50 minutes of video to go through but I feel like mentioning that he's coming at things from a standpoint of having replayed the game several times - particularly highlighting his diminished enjoyment on replays - has kind of irrevocably poisoned the well of discourse already. At least several of the criticisms he's pinpointed don't need that particular framing when they're things I've all experienced in my first playthrough because of how obscenely lengthy the game is and how it recycles specific types of content. The weak catacombs/dungeons, the quickly diminishing (if not majorly useless) rewards, the ways in which the open world's frictionless nature causes vigilance decrement, the boss design; all of these things are factors that weighed down my time with the game within the first 40 hours. The section where he talks about feeling amazing for beating a dragon, and then having that feeling sour as you discover a bunch of dragons working exactly like it, resonated with me long before I'd even gotten ready to put the game down. The part about spending replays just deciding to chart ways to the items relevant to his playstyle was something I'd already adopted about halfway into my game time because, among other things, I could not stand spending any more than is necessary with the game's stingy upgrade system or exploring the world, so I more or less looked up where weapons and materials relevant to my build could be located.

The only criticism I find myself disagreeing with somewhat is the part about the level scaling in the mid-game since I feel there's inherent catharsis in going back to early areas and wiping the floor on routes you chose to eschew for the paths of most resistance. I barely engaged with the Weeping Peninsula until I'd already made headways in Liurnia, and I also didn't bother with Radahn until after I'd made significant progress in the Capital, and I still enjoyed the pleasures of taking those battles on. If anything it's the late game balancing that was especially lopsided, but I suppose he's going to talk more about that in the section about the bosses.

 

[Grzi]

Most players won't experience recycled content, at least not in the amount that Souls veterans and more "hardcore gamers" will.

I really can't believe people take this as a flaw. A large chunk of that stuff is optional, you really don't have to do it, but you're bothered that it's there?

In a game with 170 boss encounters, you are mad because some are recycled? So you would rather they weren't there? Even though you don't need to fight them? And some people enjoy every encounter, why would you take away the fun from them lol?
I can't take that as valid criticism, it's so silly.

 

[Jimnymebob]

I want nothing to do with level scaling ever again. If Starfield or the next ES has it…I'm gonna be really bummed.

You should be able to feel the feeling of stomping areas that stomped you early on. And it's extra satisfying in game that will never not replenish enemies, denying you of clearing a space and feeling like you "accomplished" that area in any sense.

Level scaling sucks ass.

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I always liked the I guess progression scaling the first Kingdom Hearts had in Traverse Town, where they'd increase the level of enemies and add stronger ones in the further you progressed in the story. I know that wouldn't work here due to the open world nature, but while you didn't get the satisfaction of stomping enemies, it made return visits enjoyable to play.

My problem with enemies on this is the fact that in the open world you can usually skip past any enemy thanks to Torrent, so fighting weaker enemies is pointless because they give you no runes and you can ride past them, and if you're having a hard time with stronger enemies you just ride past them. In the dungeons it's fine, but in the open world the levels of the enemies doesn't really matter at all.

 

[Capra]

Most players won't experience recycled content, at least not in the amount that Souls veterans and more "hardcore gamers" will.

I really can't believe people take this as a flaw. A large chunk of that stuff is optional, you really don't have to do it, but you're bothered that it's there?

In a game with 170 boss encounters, you are mad because some are recycled? So you would rather they weren't there? Even though you don't need to fight them? And some people enjoy every encounter, why would you take away the fun from them lol?
I can't take that as valid criticism, it's so silly.

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Look man I just feel like I would've been more wowed running into Astel's boss arena for Ranni's questline if I hadn't stumbled into another Astel hours prior in some random cave

 

[8byte]

I've only watched about 10 mins so far, but I'm finding it hard to disagree.

The last 25% of the game is absolutely stupid and lacks a ton of polish, and in no way did this game deserve the perfect scores it largely received.

 

[Spinluck]

The bosses read input nonsense, unpredictable Bosses attacks etc.,
"game encourages trading" yeah man that's why I've beaten every boss at rl1 no damage w. fairly Fast kills.

Ive never been team gitgud, but I'm deffo on the "get educated before taking shit" side of the fence. Guy just seems like he doesn't want to use ash, but does want to complain that the game doesn't scale down to his level? If he doesn't know how to deal with the longer attack strings/ bait favourable attacks, that is on him.

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It's not nonsense. They do read inputs.

The meteorite spell is a good way to tell. Most enemies never dodge that attack because they dodge the moment you press the button and due to the casting time they get hit by the spell since it takes so long. Enemies never actually dodge in this they read inputs.

It can be tested on some bosses with health or magic flasks too.

 

[SmittyWerbenManJensen]

I've only watched 30 minutes so far but already agree with almost everything he's said. Super duper high highs, super low lows. I think the scope of the game was too large, and I think From needs to look back at what made many of the bosses from the earlier games memorable, not frustrating, and more fair. Also, as Joseph said, I'm not really excited for From's next game, because I'm worried about it continuing this trend of issues found in ER.

 

[Yuntu]

Soulless( No pun intended )…. Majority of it leads to nothing, Caelid for example, Cool looking area, And whats truly there? A castle that can be easily fast forwarded and narrowed straight too the boss.

The only difference between Caelid/Mountain top of the giants, Is the terrain changing.

How many ruins, Catacombs do we need to repeatedly see. For another recycled boss etc

Like I said, The game clearly is good enough for 1 play through, Doesn't even need newgame+ since you can level up enough on the first play through and use multiple builds.

Me and co-op buddies ended up resenting the game at the end, Use a bleed build all game, Only for it to be redundant on the last boss because it's immune.

MP aspect is archaic, Put chalk on the floor to be summoned in, Just let people play together like
Ni-Oh allows.

Nothing memorable about any of the locations.

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So your complain is there is optional content? I genuinly dont get your complain. In every Souls game you can just fast foward to a boss and ignore everything else.