Absolutely astounding video quality. Also if I can add my 2 cents, when you comment and compare how convenient Torrent is and how in DS I traveling is a challenge in itself, I think that in Elden Ring for example, my least favourite areas are places like forbidden lands and mountaintops of the giants, big, empty spaces with nothing to do, even when having the horse, it feels like a chore and a waste of time, contrary to how the rest of the game feels. And also, in the case of Dark souls, even when the enemies and terrain itself is a challenge, you never fight the menus, the controls, or any inconvenient mechanic (maybe the controls seem clunky by modern standards but that's beside the point)
On the npc quests issue, i heard it described best as "fromsoft games don't have quests, they have easter eggs hidden behind/tied to npcs" But i can still kinda agree. But hearing that changed my thoughts on the obtuse quests for the better.
Yeah I think some of the NPCs in the early games like Demon's Souls/ DS1 are like this to be fair. Though quite a few of the ones in Elden Ring like Ranni for example do ask you to do specific things for them, so I think it would have been good if there was something in the game that kept track of what stage of those you were on.
Great Video, love the pacing and I feel this is so true. Without these conveniences I don't think these games would have effected me as personally as they have. The ease of life mixed with the harsh challenge is a great dichotomy (if I'm using that right.)
9:46 You are obviously not well used to the game, you can skip that part by double dashing and jumping around the edge of that right fleshwall and grab on to the climbing steps. Probably alot more you dont quite get 😆
If you make the game too punishing, people will try TOO hard to avoid the punishment. I'm sure you've heard what a lot of people do to avoid the world tendency punishment. Considering the circumstances it is a very logical thing to do until you're already good enough at the game where you don't expect to die at all anymore. If you're on a first playthrough and think you'll die ~3-10 times per zone, it's pretty much to your advantage to pre-die. This indicates that the tendency system is too punishing. These are RPGs of sorts. With the possible exception of Sekiro, grinding is an option. And if you make the penalty too large, grinding is a better use of your time. I almost never had a real epic final boss fight in the old PS1-2 days. Too many forms- too many cutscenes... often no scene skip. I didn't even want to try the fights until I was pretty sure I was going to roll them over since I didn't want to watch the cutscenes a bunch of times.
BTW, I don't dislike the tendency system in and of itself- I just think it needs tweaking. If there was simply some way to force an area toward white tendency more easily then I don't think people would bother pre-dying very often anymore since the penalty would be more in line with the benefit for playing as human form. The longer the runback, the faster I'll pull out summons and cheez. If the runback is short then I'll be much more inclined to more properly "git gud". If the runback is awful I'll be more inclined to follow the ashina precept of doing whatever it takes so long as you win.
You make a good point that in Demon's Souls specifically the strategy players used to avoid changing the world tendency wasn't ideal- part of the problem with it in my opinion was how there was a limited number of bosses per NG cycle you could kill to shift the world towards white. Which is fine if you want an item that's available in pure black, but potentially very punishing if you want something that needs pure white to access.
The First time I fought Malenia I died like 50 or so times before giving up for the evening. Some of which i didn't get off a single attack or even exit the doorway probably before getting slashed 😂😂 2 minutes of run back in between those would eat time. The game is plenty large and unforgiving sometimes. That stakes are a good design choice most times.
I think an important way to think about the question as: "Is this a fun experience for players?" For example, having to return to get your bloodstain adds tension, and encourages players to continue trying rather than just giving up. However boss runbacks are basically punishment via tedium, which is frustrating and doesnt add much imo. Ofc, there are other issues to consider too. The bloodstain system can lead players towards a more conservative playstyle, and discourage them from wanting to explore new areas. It can also lock players into a loop when they're in an area theyre maybe not ready for, but dont want to lose their runes/souls. It's a balance. Personally, I think ER got it right by adding the twig talisman/cracked tears, it can relieve stress for more conservative players but is also entirely optional for those who don't want that crutch.
I like the twig talismans (and the rings of sacrifice from the earlier games) for this reason as well. I don't use them myself but can see how someone else might prefer to use them so they're a good inclusion.
Dying in Human Form in Demon's Souls also causes the current world to shift towards Black World Tendency, which makes the enemies more dangerous and lowers your max health in Soul Form. The original plan for Demon's Souls was also that if you died in Soul Form, the game would delete your save file. That would be extremely harsh, but could also be really exciting for experienced players. You would have to use any Stones of Ephemeral Eyes you have or try to kill a boss to stay in Human Form as much as possible. I think the World Tendency system is one of the coolest aspects of DeS and has a great amount of potential. I would love it if the game would become more difficult at White World Tendency as well, and there would be a hidden final sixth world that you could only access if you got the other five worlds to Pure White World Tendency.
This is so punishing that it would have to be optional for people wanting to do a challenge run. I just cannot see something that punishing being financially viable in the current market.
@@tristanneal9552 It could be in the form of an optional starting item, similar to forgoing Kuro’s Charm in Sekiro. It also might not be as punishing for skilled players as you might think, since once players know the levels and bosses well enough, they start to die much less often. This is especially the case in DeS which isn’t as punishing as Elden Ring with regards to the boss fights for example.
I personally prefer the Elden Ring system, but for completely different reasons. In Demon Souls, ans Dark Souls, bosses were rudimentary. Usually 10-15 attempts at a boss was seen as a lot. So, if u add a 2 min runback,habe 20-30 min of forced downtime. However if your bosses are mechanically complex and demand as much mastery over their movesets, as we find in Sekiro and Elden Ring, we realize that if we push the attempt number to 50-100, we cannot have long runbacks, else u risk making the game too frustrating. Great video tho.
I've been feeling this as well, to me it seems that more of their effort and innovation has been focused on boss fights rather than the levels between the boss fights.
Both approaches are good, but consistency is key. I hated the run back to rennala, because the stake of Marika exists in Elden Ring. I didn't mind the Flamelurker runback as much because that's part of Demons Souls. The two approaches are also consistent with the focus of the game. Demons Souls, ds1, and ds2 focused more on the moment to moment combat, while the others focus more on boss fights. You want to keep the player engaged with the best parts of the game I've been really enjoying your videos, keep up the good work!
Just an FYI, Mick Gordon said they didn't use his tracks that he composed. They used someone else's and Mick was livid about that. They still credited him though. But you can read more about this in the interview with Mick Gordon himself.
Unplayable and buggy games became common Since the 8th gen Consoles MODERN Fighting games have Tons of DLCs and Lack INNOVATION because these Japanese Developers know that people are going to buy their Games and their DLCs because they are sequels from their childhood or because of not being Woke for me Undertale is OVERRATED and it's OBSOLETE because of having one Save slot and you can´t go back to the Menu after you Start Playing. the people who love it are Blinded by Nostalgia
Loved the doom video. An idea for a gun and a half. Make the rail gun have a pierce effect so you can kill or damage multiple enemies when they’re lined up. Add a sniper rifle that allows the player to extend their range of vision further than what is normally allotted, but it’s notquite hit scan and the FOV shrinks as the reticle moves further away from the player position.
epic 1v1 is possible with D:E combat. It's all about contextualising the fight really. If they have gone further with the dark lord they might have done it, they already let the dark lord give you resources back if you damage him enough. They could do more like: projectiles you can shoot down for an ammo boost, illusion you can glory kill for health, setting him on fire for armor,...
19:30 you dont have to go and collect the collectables. its not required in the slightest so you cant use this against the pacing of the game. its a choice you made
sort of - there’s the “brink of death” system, in which you survive a hit that would’ve normally killed you say in 2016 (most hits do this, things like cyber manc goo can be bad i believe) hugo and i talked about this system in our interview, it’s a real thing - if that’s what’s meant
This is what I meant, I don't think I did a very good job of explaining it in the video. Looking back on it there's a few things I would improve about this video and this point about the brink of death system is one of those.
Doom Eternal diehards will love this critique because it has nothing substantial to say about the game and superficially glosses over all actual criticism. 👍
Honestly, playing the game, I HATE the resource loop very deeply. It's very repetitive, annoying to manage, and even when it becomes muscle memory it just feels unfun to do. It strips away so much freedom of how to deal with enemies. It's mind numbing at best and frustrating at worst. I don't like playing this way, and it's forced on me!
It gives you the freedom to figure out what you want to do and how to do it creatively. If you think killing a cacodemon with a grenade in its mouth is the best way to kill it, you're not trying to understand the game. Doom 2016 on the other hand, while seemingly gave the player "more freedom", it actually just boiled down every encounter to SSG and gauss cannon. That was the best method that worked in EVERY single encounter. So really, what freedom does that game give you? The freedom to choose a broken playstyle, or an objectively inferior playstyle. This does not exist in Doom Eternal as there are many different and equally important ways to kill enemies.
Best combat system out there (I'm saying this after 2000+ hours in character action games). Only Ultrakill can top this when it releases. There are already more than a dozen games out there that take heavy influence from Eternal. Eternal is probably the first Singleplayer FPS to have a proper grappling hook. Eternal has kind of changed how indie FPS games are made in general. From a game-design perspective, DOOM Eternal is the most influential game of this decade so far.
I agree that it's been an influential game, and I think the influence of Eternal on game design will become more obvious as time passes and more games take inspiration from all the stuff it did right.
There actually isn’t a single section in Doom Eternal where touching the purple goo is a requirement (: it’s designed to teach you to get creative with your movement and extend your time in the air, For example, at 44:10, the section you call ‘the weakest section of the level’ can be bypassed by jumping off the high ledge that takes you into the section, dashing twice, then meathook off of the possessed aracnotron, and into the exit that you normally monkey bar through. Learning this has increased my appreciation for the purple goo immensely (:
This is a very good point, the purple goo is used as a way to get players to be more creative with their movement especially later in the game. First time players are still going to be wading through it though which isn't that interesting, and I think they added better ways of getting players to be creative with their movement later in the DLCs such as the meathook grapping points in the Ancient Gods 2.
35:45 You can achieve the same effect using the Microwave Beam. This will let you save your ice bomb for something else Microwave Beam + Nade at the same time, then go in for the blood punch while he’s stunlocked by the beam.
26:40 Arbalest Shot during Green Eye animation > Grenade > Triple Rocket + Grenade at the same time > Triple Rocket Is the easiest 1-cycle marauder combo
The easiest and fastest 1-cycle: Precision Bolt (PB) -> Sylar Lock-on Burst(SLOB) -> frag grenade If you're on mouse and keyboard or your DPI is high: Ballista -> PB -> Sticky Bomb -> PB -> Feet Ballista -> repeat Also, 0-cycles are possible as well with the most consistent being LOB distractions to make him turn his shield and exposing his side or back then firing at him with a ballista. Though I imagine those are a lot more difficult on a controller because you either need to mod swap cancel or be in the sky to fire them upwards then immediately face towards his exposed side.
I don't agree with much of what you've said here, but agree with much too. For an indepth analysis, this is fairly surface level, however, i really appreciate what youve done here. Strikes me as MathewMatosis light. I can appreciate videos like this, and have plans to continue more Eternal content, so i may very well make some sorta reply to your points here, more so as a general response. Your general points about the spirits and possessed are sorta flawed, but i appreciate how youve articulated yourself throughout. Good stuff Actually, reaching the sound cue on the prowler, it sounds p similar
Disagree on the upgrade system, Doom Eternal is a thinking mans fast paced game, and upgrades reflect that, as well as the small puzzles to find upgrade currencies, which are usually in sight, and more often than not just straight up given to you. Some mission challenges are bs, but they do heighten the game. And, of course, this is all an opinion.
More like 1 step back and 5 steps forward. I almost can't play Doom 2016 anymore, because it feels so slow and sluggish in comparison. Doom Eternal just brought FPS gaming to a new level. Maybe not in the first playthrough, but sure as hell in following ones.
Thanks that's a really interesting comment! Obviously when I replayed the game for this video the bug didn't happen because they fixed it, so I couldn't remember why that meme started.
Ultrakill seems faster and seems to have higher complexity, but that isn't completely true. Ultrakill only seems faster because of how enclosed most levels are and how small everything is. It only seems to have more complexity, because you have only watched videos about the complexity in that game meanwhile you probably don't know anything about the crazy tech in Doom Eternal. For example, a good amount of these techs can cause the player to fly around levels just as fast if not faster than the player can go in Ultrakill with movement tech. Doom Eternal's tech is more obscure, but just because you don't know much about it, doesn't mean it ceases to exist.
Ultrakill and DOOM Eternal seem similar on the surface, but when you pay more attention you realize that they are very different. (Both are great though)
The FPS history section could be axed almost entirely as well, anyone watching this critique more than likely already has a more than vague knowledge on the history of fps games, If I didn't know what Doom was, I wouldn't be watching this video (nor do the other shooters hold really any relevance to the topic)
Probably my favorite single player FPS of all time. I've played the hell out of it. I was working up to an Ultra-Nightmare run of the base game at one point, but got too busy to continue. Maybe I'll get to it eventually. I do have some problems with the DLCs... Some of the enemy types added just seems lazy and artificially difficult. The tower/turret enemies are just lazy/not interesting and then the Spirit that possesses other demons. Possessed marauders are just insane. One of the Slayer gates in the DLC before it got nerfed was ridiculous (The Holt). Took me so many attempts (it's on my channel along with tons of other Doom Eternal gameplay). Aside from the Spirit and final boss fight, the DLC was pretty solid, but the Spirit in particular brought the experience down. I think the UAC Atlantica Facility is really the high point of the DLCs, aside from that the base game and Horde mode is pretty much what I go back to.
Doom Eternal is one of my favourite games too. I agree that UAC Atlantica is one of the best levels in the game, it has a lot of great fights without anything frustrating. It's one of the levels that really shows the game at its best
I agree about the enemy reskins, however it was during the pandemic and to be fair most of those enemy’s serve interesting functions, like the screecher and armored baron esspecially I love the armored baron.
Good critique. I agree with the fact, that the game gives away mechanics so easily and freely. It’s kind of nice to discover those yourself. Such as the pop-ups and the highlighting of weak points.
As weaknesses are essentially an S tier enemy priority, establishing their importance early on with enemies that incorporate it, combined with a heightened skill floor in comparison to previous entries, its fairly warranted, especially given how interdependent decision making factors gameplay
The middle ground solution, would’ve been to ask on a first boot up, whether or not you wanted tutorials on or not because Eternal is a pretty in depth game, but tutorials being on and holding your hand, kinda ruined the first play.
@@muricaneagle666 I suppose, but the opposite side of the coin is that people would contest critical information being not communicated, despite visual and audio motifs existing for that information
FAR CRY series is an example, the first games were awesome realistic, more than the curren ones, devs dont care anymore. And the only curren good games are Just remastering the old ones.
Good video man, keep it up! I remember when the infinite and advance warfare released. I was so dissapointed that they didnt continue the "realism" that they already do on previous title But back then i didnt know any better because there are tons of game that released very robust sci-fi title like Bioware and Respawn which is why i really like "realistic" sci fi games until now But yeah right now its hard to be a AAA game developer.. plagiarism run rampant, you dont get paid enough for your work, feeling anxious about how your overlord not gonna shut down your studio, your decision is controlled by suit men that never even touch a game, and dont get me start about what some western game developer do to their beloved franchise. It hurts me so much how bad the state of video games right now..
Thanks for posting; I like these more generalized discussions about games, even if they're difficult to reduce down to a reasonable size. (Edit: my one main suggestion would be to emphasize more recent games as much as possible in order to capitalize on searches and whatnot.) Some things for which there might not have been time to discuss but feel pretty relevant are mentioned below. I think that more discussion on the different types of communities is warranted here. "Challenge runners," like those described for Dark Souls, artificially inflate the difficulty themselves. Meanwhile, "achievement hunters" play toward intended-but-optional objectives, such as the optional content you mentioned, optional playstyles, completionism, and/or generic challenges. "Casual gamers" might have no objection to the option of using cheats or "cheese" tactics. There are also some other difficulty mechanics that could be mentioned, even just in these games. The four games primarily highlighted all use varying levels of open-world vs. linear (i.e., progression-locked) content. Thus, when a developer balances a game, they often implement a difficulty curve that is supposed to align with the player's increased experience as well as their character's growing strength (if using RPG or Metroidvania elements). Also, Dark Souls (and the broader From Software catalogue) often use pseudo-forced PvP to introduce difficulty. Last, I think there are a couple of main purposes for implementing difficulty at all. The first is to give significance to the player's actions, since without difficulty, playing a video game is no more than viewing a map or paging through a story. The player feels the necessity of their involvement for the events to play out. A sort of byproduct of this main reason is that it extends playtime by making sense to introduce "downtime" when the player is not fighting, racing, or whatever thing that they do via the core gameplay. There are "rest" periods where the player restocks, watches a cutscene that gives meaning to their progress, or maybe just shows the results of the most recent race. The other main reason is for players to test their skill, which is often in more of the optional category due to it almost completely derailing the story immersion of the prior point. Anyway, enough rambling, but thanks again for posting some thought-provoking content.
Thanks for the comment- I think you're definitely right that there's a lot more that can be said about challenge runners and achievement hunters, and how different players will approach the same game with different mindsets and goals.
