Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-12-04, 11:45:

Anyway, while I am mostly enjoying DS2, I can see now why some people don't find it as good as its predecessor. It feels like the developers went for quantity over quality here, especially with boss encounters. I mean, there's a boss around every corner now, and some of them just aren't that great. In Dark Souls 1, nearly all boss fights felt special and memorable in their own way. Here, it's kinda hit or miss.

It's been very interesting reading your posts on this game -- I felt pretty much the same way about the game back when I first completed it. I really liked it, but it felt like a step down from the first game. Interestingly, I actually found DS2 to be a lot more enjoyable when replaying it. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on Dark Souls III once you get around to playing that, because it's got some of the best and most memorable boss fights in the series.

newtmonkey wrote on 2025-12-05, 18:38:

It's been very interesting reading your posts on this game -- I felt pretty much the same way about the game back when I first completed it. I really liked it, but it felt like a step down from the first game.

While I haven't finished DS2 yet, I do feel that it's not quite on the level of its predecessor. Even so, it's still a very enjoyable game for me, and I'd rate it higher than many modern AAA titles that came out during the last few years.

newtmonkey wrote on 2025-12-05, 18:38:

I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on Dark Souls III once you get around to playing that, because it's got some of the best and most memorable boss fights in the series.

I have heard good things about the third installment, and I did buy it on Steam as well. The plan is to jump right in after completing DS2. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that I'm enjoying this series so much, especially given my previous experience with Nioh. Though that was years ago, and I didn't fully understand the mechanics of Souls(like) games back then. Maybe I'll revisit that one later down the road.

I liked nearly everything about Eschalon: Book 1 but I found the combat to be a miserable grind, and it stopped me from continuing in the end because so much of the game is combat. There was no skill or tactics involved as far as I could tell, just dice rolls against your stats, and because it allowed you to save during combat it just encouraged save scumming, which took all of satisfaction out of it. From what I read the devs tried to improve this situation with Book 2 so I'll go back and try that some day.

In the meantime though I've started Avernum - Escape From The Pit and am loving it. The combat is immediately enjoyable and everything is so well thought out. The writing and setting are wonderful too from what I've seen.

I love the old school graphics but everything is tiny at 2K, so I'm playing at 1600X900 and have used Reshade to clean up the blur with some sharpening and scanlines. It looks much nicer than this in person:

Making steady progress in Dark Souls 2. Didn't take long to meet the final boss of the poison areas, and she was much more interesting than the Jabba lookalike. This medusa lady had some nasty attacks, but the summoned NPC was super helpful in distracting her, which allowed me to go full offense and quickly secure the win. Good times.

Next up: the Iron Keep. The knights in this area could move and attack surprisingly fast. Those archers on high platforms were troublesome too. On a more positive note, I finally found the ember that the smith in Lost Bastille was looking for. Using crafting materials purchased from him, and others found in the poison areas, I upgraded the Large Club to +7. Yeah, I'm really liking this weapon. Specifically, its two-handed heavy attack has decent range, works fine in tight corridors, and can often knock down enemies, if it doesn't kill them outright. The only drawback is the rapidly decreasing durability, which is why I keep a few backup weapons.

I then proceeded to the boss arena, and the Smelter Demon fight was tough. He had many different attacks, all of them really strong. That explosion burst was particularly nasty, and it caught me off guard more than once. I think I only beat this guy because the summoned NPC diverted his attention at a critical moment, allowing me to heal up when I needed it the most. All in all, a very challenging boss fight, but also highly satisfying to complete.

After reaching the next bonfire, I wanted to go back and farm those knights some more. Imagine my surprise when the Pursuer spawned right next to me. Somehow, he's no longer considered a boss, despite hitting just as hard, and having a huge amount of health. No ballistas this time, so I had to come up with a new strategy. Taking off most of my gear got me some extra mobility, which was sorely needed. He could kill me in 2-3 hits even with my best armor equipped, while being light footed allowed me to dodge his attacks much more efficiently. As long as I didn't get greedy, and just went for a single hit after each dodge, I was making progress. Took a few tries, but I managed to beat him eventually, and got his upgraded ring.

Iron Keep's final boss wasn't that hard, but getting to him was a real chore. Platforming, lava pits, traps, enemies knocking me off ledges... yeah. Honestly, I didn't like this section at all. It reminded me of Sen's Fortress from DS1, in all the bad ways. Anyway, after the boss was vanquished, I lit another primal bonfire, and was teleported to some snowy area while examining a nearby fountain. But then I remembered that a few other options were now available as well, so I returned to the main hub to contemplate where to go next.

badmojo wrote on 2025-12-07, 07:23:

In the meantime though I've started Avernum - Escape From The Pit and am loving it. The combat is immediately enjoyable and everything is so well thought out. The writing and setting are wonderful too from what I've seen.

I love the old school graphics but everything is tiny at 2K, so I'm playing at 1600X900 and have used Reshade to clean up the blur with some sharpening and scanlines. It looks much nicer than this in person:

i looked it up, seems to have good reviews and its from 2011! old school graphics for sure, but somehow appealing 😀 System requirements on http://www.avernum.com/avernum/ are modest, i like that. too many 'old school' retro games require high specs, i guess just for the engine they are running on

badmojo wrote on 2025-11-25, 22:04:

megatron-uk wrote on 2025-11-25, 18:15:

Pillars of Eternity.

I have this in my library but am holding off trying it until the turn based patch is released.

have you entered public beta yet?

gerry wrote on 2025-12-08, 09:58:

i looked it up, seems to have good reviews and its from 2011! old school graphics for sure, but somehow appealing 😀 System requirements on http://www.avernum.com/avernum/ are modest, i like that. too many 'old school' retro games require high specs, i guess just for the engine they are running on

These games have an interesting history and an interesting developer - he's basically just a solo dev who's been churning out interesting RPGs since the mid 90's. He's re-released them with new engines a couple of times - the one I'm playing is a re-release of a re-release. He just (re) released one recently actually, Avernum 4.

I'm totally addicted to it, everything is just so nicely done and it's fine tuned for enjoyment. The difficulty is just right (so far), the exploration is rewarding, the loot is good, and the combat is just superb - enough tactical options to make it fun but not so complicated that I'm overwhelmed with options. The writing is what really makes it though, and with no fancy graphics getting in the way my imagine is able to work its magic.

I've found my Christmas holiday obsession.

I was looking through my Steam catalogue to play something for half an hour and decompress before bed, and decided to play a racing game. While trying to decide whteher to install NFS: Heat or Forza Horizon 4, I realized Dirt 3 Complete Edition was already installed on the hard drive. I fired it up, and ended up going to bed 4 hours later. What devs pulled off with pre-XBONE hardware is truly remarkable. This game is an incredibly fun rally racer and looks absolutely stunning considering it is 15 years old. I will probably keep playing it for a some time..

Still on Dark Souls 2. Shaded Woods is one of the areas near the main hub which was previously inaccessible to me. After un-petrifying the woman blocking the door, it was finally time to explore that place. The invisible enemies in the foggy part of the forest caught me by surprise, but I did get a couple of nice items from there. I also freed a bird creature from those nasty frogs that inflict curse status. Other than that, I didn't have too much trouble making it to the boss arena. The Scorpioness vaguely reminded me of Quelaag from DS1, but this cheap knockoff wasn't nearly as difficult.

Afterwards, I went back to the main hub to try the other unlocked path. Namely, the pit in the center. Buying the ring which reduces fall damage allowed me to reach the Grave of Saints relatively unscathed. That area was kinda boring though. I basically exterminated a bunch of rats, and then dropped further down, which led me to the Gutter. Wait. Low visibility, poison, platforming? Yup, this was pretty much Blighttown 3.0. The only nice thing was that lighting those sconces using the torch actually helped with the darkness.

Black Gulch was more of the same, only much shorter. I managed to find the hidden giants thanks to notes left on the ground by other DS2 players. Their key unlocked the big door on the previous level, which was holding Havel's armor. It's way too heavy for me to wear right now, but maybe at some later point. I will say the boss of this area was quite challenging. My summoned NPC buddy didn't last very long, and I had a hard time dodging all of the boss' attacks while also avoiding the fire pits. By the end, I had used up all of my healing flasks, and was down to life stones. But with a few lucky hits, I finally managed to beat that creepy thing.

And so, a third primal bonfire was lit, and there was yet another teleport fountain nearby. I looked that up, and it turns out these fountains lead to DLC areas, so it might be better to leave them for later. On the plus side, I managed to grab some nice crafting materials from those shiny lizard creatures, which I encountered while traversing all of the aforementioned locations. With that, I could finally upgrade my Large Club to +10. Now, it has S rank scaling in strength, and you can really feel the power in each swing. Bonk Souls all the way! 😁

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-12-05, 19:07:

[...] Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that I'm enjoying this series so much, especially given my previous experience with Nioh. [...]

I have been playing the series since the PS3 Demon's Souls (the main reason I got the ps3 in the first place, I just saw a gameplay video on yt and immediately wanted it) and I can tell you I also could not enjoy any of the "souls-like" games that came out... Nioh, both Lords of the Fallen, Lies of Pi, Berserk, Code Vein, Steel Rising, Mortal Shell, Wo Long, Wuchang... most times I just spent some hours and abandon them for good... they try to do something extra and it is always weirdness with stances or parries ...
you should hurry with the trilogy and move on to Elden Ring - it is just great both as a game and as an experience (and I have to stress this: if you have some proper HDR display then you are in for an artistic shock in several places of the world).

If I had to comment on DS2 I would only say it was just disappointing when it came out - both for gameplay reasons and tech ones... the consoles versions came out first and they were 20fps cinematic experiences. They had some good ideas but the execution was not on par , I have not felt the need to play it again and although I got the "scholar of the first sin" edition I never actually finished it.

keropi wrote on 2025-12-10, 08:15:

I have been playing the series since the PS3 Demon's Souls (the main reason I got the ps3 in the first place, I just saw a gameplay video on yt and immediately wanted it) and I can tell you I also could not enjoy any of the "souls-like" games that came out... Nioh, both Lords of the Fallen, Lies of Pi, Berserk, Code Vein, Steel Rising, Mortal Shell, Wo Long, Wuchang... most times I just spent some hours and abandon them for good... they try to do something extra and it is always weirdness with stances or parries ...

Ahh, so I'm not the only one. I can't really explain it, but there's just something special about From Software games that clicks with me. Maybe it's how all of their design elements come together nicely to create a truly cohesive experience. But to be fair, I played Nioh years ago, so I might like it better now, if I decide to give it another shot.

keropi wrote on 2025-12-10, 08:15:

you should hurry with the trilogy and move on to Elden Ring - it is just great both as a game and as an experience (and I have to stress this: if you have some proper HDR display then you are in for an artistic shock in several places of the world).

Oh, Elden Ring is in the cards, to be sure. But first, I need to get through Dark Souls 3, Demon's Souls (which I have on my PS3) and Bloodborne (on my PS4). Sadly, I have no HDR display at this time, but I'll take your word for it.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-12-10, 08:44:

Oh, Elden Ring is in the cards, to be sure. But first, I need to get through Dark Souls 3, Demon's Souls (which I have on my PS3) and Bloodborne (on my PS4). Sadly, I have no HDR display at this time, but I'll take your word for it.

OMG Bloodborne... now that is another experience - highly recommended
it is too bad they did not provide some update patch for ps4pro/ps5 , sometimes sony is really really really dumb
I sure hope they do not "remaster" it for PS6 and kill it like they did with the ps5 version of Demon's... it is very good you will play it on the PS3, it is actually the superior version even if graphically is inferior

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-12-10, 08:44:

Ahh, so I'm not the only one. I can't really explain it, but there's just something special about From Software games that clicks with me. Maybe it's how all of their design elements come together nicely to create a truly cohesive experience. But to be fair, I played Nioh years ago, so I might like it better now, if I decide to give it another shot.

Same for me. In my case it's a combination of certain aspects that's difficult to reproduce as a whole, like superior art design/music, environmental storytelling (where the world itself and the items tell the story rather than characters just dumping info on you Hollywood-style), and combat that rewards tactical thinking as much as pure skill. The challenge/difficulty has some importance, but not nearly as it's made out to be... also in most cases there are perfectly valid ways around it if you pay attention.

I guess I was able to "connect" in a similar way as I did with certain game developers back then, like LucasArts or id Software in their glory days. But nowadays I find it much more difficult for that to happen, so I appreciate when I find a developer that matches my view of what a game should be.

keropi wrote on 2025-12-10, 17:20:

OMG Bloodborne... now that is another experience - highly recommended
it is too bad they did not provide some update patch for ps4pro/ps5 , sometimes sony is really really really dumb

Sony's treatment of the Bloodborne IP has been appalling, to say the least. I understand it was not a mega blockbuster like Last of Us or Horizon, but after the success of Elden Ring they could release a PC version like they have done to other first party titles in their catalogue, I'm sure there would be a lot of newcomers interested in playing it, and for Sony it would be a bunch of fresh money for little effort on a 10 year old game.

badmojo wrote on 2025-12-09, 01:37:

These games have an interesting history and an interesting developer - he's basically just a solo dev who's been churning out interesting RPGs since the mid 90's. He's re-released them with new engines a couple of times - the one I'm playing is a re-release of a re-release. He just (re) released one recently actually, Avernum 4.

I'm totally addicted to it, everything is just so nicely done and it's fine tuned for enjoyment. The difficulty is just right (so far), the exploration is rewarding, the loot is good, and the combat is just superb - enough tactical options to make it fun but not so complicated that I'm overwhelmed with options. The writing is what really makes it though, and with no fancy graphics getting in the way my imagine is able to work its magic.

I played the original Exile games and loved them for the atmosphere. I liked both the professional artist's tiles and the originals drawn by the dev's wife. I did not play to completion though, but it was very enjoyable. This was sometime in the early 2010s.

I tried the first remake, but, although it was rather similar to Nethergate which is also like, felt more crude in the art department, so I ditched it very quickly.

Later on I downloaded the demo/shareware of the 2011 remake, and while it was nice, it felt more sterile and streamlined. I actually did not like it at all that some of the "old school" mechanics were removed or altered, like overall encumbrance (now encumbrance only counts for items worn, the inventory is otherwise practically bottomless), paying trainers to distribute bonus points and typing keywords to talk to NPCs. All of these added to both charm and challenge in the original, and replacing them made the game seem more shallow and casual to me. Also the art in the remake, with all respect to the artists who made it, looks kinda generic (just compare Avernum 2011 to Avadon from the same dev, both games look very similar), while the original tiles in Exile and the early isometric art in Nethergate had more flavour to me. Generally, the game world no longer looked threatening or hostile in the remake, even though the story supposedly takes place in underground caverns not exactly welcoming to human presence. The 1995 originals accomplished this much better with less flamboyant resources, somewhat paradoxically. At least, that's my two cents.

A few more areas cleared in Dark Souls 2. First up, the Doors of Pharos. The giant rat boss here was reasonably challenging, and reminded me of Sif from DS1, due to its fast attacks and jumpy moveset. Also, that acid spew broke my armor, leaving me practically defenseless during the last portion of the fight. Additionally, the toxic status inflicted by the smaller rats was extremely dangerous, and would result in a quick death unless cured ASAP. All in all, this was a unique and interesting fight.

But then Brightstone Cove's first boss was just three mages with a bunch of zombies. And I got a freakin' Titanite Slab for beating those weaklings? Weird. After some confusing platforming, I reached the second boss, which was thankfully a much better fight. This game taught me early on that spiders fear light, so I used one of those fire butterflies to ignite my torch, which scared off the boss's little minions. The summoned NPC provided a nice distraction, though dealing damage to the humongous spider proved difficult, since it was only vulnerable when hit on the head. I did manage to beat it eventually, and it dropped the fourth Great Soul, while I lit another primal bonfire.

Not sure if I mentioned it before, but this game feels much longer than its predecessor. For my taste, DS1 kinda had the perfect length, when including all of its DLC stuff. In comparison, DS2 seems to drag on at times, especially in some of its less polished locations. I heard this game had a troubled development, and I wonder if perhaps the level designers should have trimmed down a few of these areas. For reference, I almost never felt that way about DS1, with the exception of Lost Izalith.

P.S.

After hearing "Bear-, Seek, Seek, Lest" for the umpteenth time while leveling up, I learned that this is an actual meme among DS2 fans, and I feel validated. 😁 Couldn't stop laughing while watching videos like this one. Seriously, the Souls community is epic! 😄

tron 2.0 - RIP monolith productions

MrFlibble wrote on 2025-12-11, 10:31:

I actually did not like it at all that some of the "old school" mechanics were removed or altered, like overall encumbrance (now encumbrance only counts for items worn, the inventory is otherwise practically bottomless), paying trainers to distribute bonus points and typing keywords to talk to NPCs. All of these added to both charm and challenge in the original, and replacing them made the game seem more shallow and casual to me.

I can understand why that would feel like a step backwards to fans of the originals but it does open the door for people like me who don't have the time or brain power anymore to overcome the challenge that old school mechanics present. Inventory management bores me for example, so I love a bottomless backpack. I think the 2011 version is a perfect balance between quality of life and proper RPG. There aren't endless types of armour and weapons to worry about, and there's enough quest journaling / mapping to let me easily remember what I was doing. The UI cleary compares equipped items to inventory items and the leveling up process is again just right - lots of options, but not an overwhelming amount.

I need all this stuff these days sadly 😢

badmojo wrote on 2025-12-13, 00:08:

MrFlibble wrote on 2025-12-11, 10:31:

I actually did not like it at all that some of the "old school" mechanics were removed or altered, like overall encumbrance (now encumbrance only counts for items worn, the inventory is otherwise practically bottomless), paying trainers to distribute bonus points and typing keywords to talk to NPCs. All of these added to both charm and challenge in the original, and replacing them made the game seem more shallow and casual to me.

I can understand why that would feel like a step backwards to fans of the originals but it does open the door for people like me who don't have the time or brain power anymore to overcome the challenge that old school mechanics present. Inventory management bores me for example, so I love a bottomless backpack. I think the 2011 version is a perfect balance between quality of life and proper RPG. There aren't endless types of armour and weapons to worry about, and there's enough quest journaling / mapping to let me easily remember what I was doing. The UI cleary compares equipped items to inventory items and the leveling up process is again just right - lots of options, but not an overwhelming amount.

I need all this stuff these days sadly 😢

modern games are meant for the short attention span people. If i could offload having to figure out what i need though it becomes a simple mindless item finder simulator because of the backtracking. We have auto management of inventory.

A bit more progress in Dark Souls 2. Drangleic Castle was a noticeable step up in terms of difficulty. In particular, fighting five Ruin Sentinels at once was pretty wild. I died a few times there, before realizing that I could carefully lure them out one or two at a time. Even so, that room with the sentinels provided a bigger challenge than the two Dragon Riders who served as the castle's first boss fight. I just kinda breezed through those guys, which was a bit surprising.

The second area boss, that being the Looking Glass Knight, was a much tougher opponent. Landing a clean hit on him was difficult, due to his huge shield, and the unexpectedly long range of his sword. On top of that, he had the occasional magic attack, and could even summon a helper when low on health. After a few more attempts, I managed to beat him, though it took quite a bit of effort. Definitively one of the coolest boss fights so far.

The Shrine of Amana was an incredibly difficult area for my melee focused character. Shallow water slowing down my movement, coupled with mages using homing ranged attacks, and powerful warriors protecting them. And then there were the ghoulish creatures ambushing me from beneath the water, ogres who could one shot me with a chomp, exploding mushrooms that damaged my gear, and even an NPC mage invader. Also, in certain places the shallow water suddenly turned into a deep lake, resulting in an instant death. Yeah, I died many times before reaching the third bonfire, and then a few more times before getting to the large fog door. Thankfully, the boss wasn't that hard, and I won on the first try. It was only vulnerable when hit on its exposed head, but that didn't hinder me too much.

The only good thing about this place was that enemies sometimes dropped human effigies and twinkling titanite, both of which are normally very rare items. I used the latter to upgrade the Demon's Great Hammer to +5, which I got from trading with the crows a while back. At that level, it outclasses my Large Club +10 in terms of damage, so it will likely become my primary weapon going forward. The game is definitively getting harder now, so I'll take all the extra firepower that I can get.

Lots of progress in Dark Souls 2. I didn't particularly like the gimmick in the Undead Crypt where zombies were ringing the bells to infinitely (re)spawn a bunch of powerful mages. The Velstadt boss fight was excellent though. My first attempt went mostly ok, but the long reach of his weapon made it difficult to avoid some of the stronger attacks. Donning lighter armor and improving my stamina regen helped with that. I was dodging much more gracefully now, which eventually led to a well earned victory.

After getting the King's Ring, the path to Aldia's Keep was unlocked. Honestly, I had more trouble with the ogres in this area than with the actual boss fight. The Guardian Dragon went down on the first try, and it felt surprisingly easy. But the big knights in the Dragon Shrine were really tough, especially the ones with maces, who had an unusually fast combo attack. After barely making it to the top, and seeing the huge dragon, I expected another battle. However, the beast simply talked and gave me a key item. I had a hunch what that was for, but I looked it up just to be sure. And yeah, it was time to go all the way back to the Forest of Fallen Giants.

There, I entered the memory of the Giant Lord, which resulted in a quick boss fight. I then repeated the process with the other statues in this area, until I had a total of four giant souls. The fifth one was with the Ancient Dragon, so I went back to fight it, but that didn't go so well. I died many times to that overgrown lizard, since most of his attacks would simply one shot me. Imbuing my Large Club +10 with lightning damage helped, but not as much as I had hoped. As for the strategy, I stood directly beneath the dragon and basically poked his toes, while doing my best to avoid his stomp attacks, tail slaps and fiery breath. Still took multiple tries until I finally got lucky and killed that thing. Not one of my favorite boss fights, but I made it through.

Finally, with five giant souls in hand, I could pay another visit to King Vendrick. Now this was a much better boss, and a very challenging one at that. His attacks were extremely powerful, but I could still survive one or two hits when using my best armor, which allowed me to heal up. It took a few attempts to understand his attack patterns and formulate a good strategy. Once I got the rhythm down, I chomped down on some green blossoms to improve my stamina regen even further, and then carefully rolled through most of his sword strikes. Vendrick had a lot of health, but I learned to be patient and not get greedy, which ultimately paid off. With that victory secured, I think I've done almost everything in the main game, so it's time to check out the DLCs.