Elden Ring - Angry Review 

"you're naked. Here's a stick, go kill God." IM DEAD

When Joe said "don't feel bad. You're not bad at the game, you just started." I feel that; I have to tell so many people that.

Even Miyazaki hates players who tell others how to play as he said "its about the player making their own experience"

Hidetaka Miyazaki : you’re naked. Here’s a stick. Go kill god. Hideo Kojima: you’re naked. Here’s a backpack. Deliver us from evil.

"You're not bad, you're just starting" Such an important thing to tell everyone starting out in Soulsborne games

Maidenless Joe. Happy to see your first Souls game review.

The greatest thing about this game is it's a solid proof that good games are extremely good for business. I mean it broke sales records within weeks of release. And it only cost $49.99 for the standard edition. But you still got a bunch of cool art pictures and stickers and other stuff with it. I'm 80 hours in, and I still got a lot to go... everytime I'm playing it I just can't fathom how I only paid 50 bucks this... Hopefully EA and Ubisoft, and all these other greedy video game companies will finally realize that you can make a genuinely good game and make tons of money at the same time. No need for micro transactions, abusing the playerbases, really high retail prices, pay2win crap, etc. Just make a great game and people will throw their money at you.

So happy to see it finally clicked for Joe. He gets what makes these games so special. Great review. Delighted to see it get 10/10. 👍🏻

I love that when you see other players walking around in different armors sets with different weapons and you think "I can earn that". Just the fact that I don't have to wonder what pack it came in, and that is included in the base game is such a breath of fresh air it's almost depressing thinking about how gamers are used to being nickel and dimed for every skin.

As a souls player, I love the fact so many people are having fun with this game. Don't let the minority of players bully you into playing the way they think it's meant to be played. Believe me, a win is a win no matter how you get it

Jeo : "The whole world doesn't give a fuck about you." Thats what makes Elden ring different than anything else. Joe spoke my mind. 😁😁👍👍

This game was most definitely one of the best experiences I have had in a long loong time of gaming. I cannot wait to see what comes next from the creators!

I laughed hard when he was sitting on his horse, talking to his chat,and a horse rider comes up and wacks him. Do not AFK in a souls game. That was a nice reminder.

LMAO. Mittens just casually walking away after seeing Joe die 😂 But in all honestly glad to see Joe loving his first souls like experience. Loved every minute of this game!

In regards to looking things up online for elden ring...I think that's part of what makes the community so great. I could always find an answer whenever I was stuck or lost. I've also met several new friends who were willing to help me fight a boss here or there. I think the game is a lot more fun when you have such a dedicated community of players willing to help each other reach the end game.

I have only played as a mage build and I love seeing the spirits of other builds battling challenging bosses. I think to myself “I wonder what strategy they developed for beating this boss.” It’s so cool to know that they have completely different tools in their arsenal yet they are progressing as well. There is so much content I honestly feel like giving more money to the creators to encourage this type of game design. It’s been far too long since I’ve had to deal with unfinished games and pay to win. Absolute masterpiece 10/10 legendary game.

"Don't say you're bad you just started." That supporitve comment from OJ is such an important thing to take to heart when you're playing the game and the kind of support you should give someone playing this game.

Anyone else happy to see alex happy? Like a genuine smile on is face and hearing him sounding nostalgic about gaming again is just so great.

“It’s like your playing your own story” those first few months of elden ring was such a vibe, discussing discovery’s with my friends that played felt like a whole added experience that hasn’t been around since pre internet days

A 10/10 with a badass seal of approval 😮

I think Elden Ring actually being a complete product is enough to warrant Game of the Year.

It's a COMPLETE GAME. No micro transactions no releasing it in parts or any money grubbing bullshit. I paid for the game and I have the whole game. I cannot agree with you more on this. More devs should take this to heart.

Instant classic for me. All the locations, enemies, OST and bosses are so memorable.. Truly a masterpiece.

I like to dual wield battle axes with a shield off hand for when things get tough. It's a fun way to play when you get used to it. I started Wretch and that's how things turned out. The best trick for playing this build is learn to rely on dodges specifically towards the front sides of the enemy's. The I frames will carry you threw the attack and you'll be lined up to strike. I love the Rush I get overcoming an enemy that's killed me many times. You should do a run through of dark souls. I used to play magic builds my first runs. But after beating sekiro my confidence with these games is great. Somehow I beat the Godskin Duo on first try after accidentally entering the room with barely any crimson tears leftover.

I'm 39 and thought maybe I had just outgrown gaming. Disappointment led to cynicism over the years. Then came Elden Ring. I feel like a kid again and very much still in love with gaming again. It's a Masterpiece.

I died at the "I would have a baby the manliest way." Glad to see Joe and Joe and Alex are still killing it!

Base games like this make me want to support the developers more. They have managed to make a game I feel is completely worth $60, I feel happy with what I paid for. I can get so much out of the base game alone that when/if they drop DLC for it, I am more than happy to pay for it to expand more on such a great game. Is it hard? Yes of course it can be. At the same time if you put the time into learning the game, doing some research on the game, practicing the game. Then, not only do you feel like you as the player has progressed but you also make it easier on yourself. Games like this give me at least some hope for the future of gaming. 10/10

You already know its a good game, when angry joe aint angry

"You're naked, here's a stick, go kill god" Dammit Alex, that's the simplest yet most perfect description of the game! xD

Stepping on a lego actually felt like +1000% Crit damage on our feet 😁

my favorite part is the cats reaction to you pretending to die lol

Great review. Took me over 350 hours to beat this (including all quest lines).. first 150 I didn't cheat and use youtube for help, so I was wandering around and dying way too much. Still 6 months after completing it, I still like hearing other peoples reviews of Elden Ring. It is a masterpiece !!!

what i really loved about this game is that even though 4 of my friends and myself started playing at the same time and have beat it. everytime we talked about it, its like we were playing different freaking games.

Elden Ring came out so complete. It reminds me of the good old days when games were released ONLY when they were complete because updates didn’t exist, on a cartridge or on a disk and they were a work of art that developers were proud of.

Not only was the game near perfect, but FromSoft should be applauded for delivering a masterpiece quality game during a time when devs are allowed to shovel half baked doodoo as AAA games. I’m so proud of them and appreciate all their hard work, esp Miyazaki.

I love how Joe and his friends are just varying stages of eachother. This is Joe, this is Joe without facial hair, this is Joe stacked, etc.

As a souls vet... anyone who says your playing wrong, they arnt one of us. Everyone is welcome, and we will help everyone.

That opening cutaway with Angry Joe suffering a lot of Deaths was quite funny.

I love that Mittens killed it's owner and just casually walked away like nothing happened.

Love the review and I completely share your thoughts and reactions to the game. I am 54 years old and have been playing games since the early 80’s. There have been games over the years that have captured my imagination, sucked me into their world and helped me suspend disbelief with wonder and true excitement for what’s around the next corner. On my list of games that have done that for me over the years are Zork; the Ultima series, particularly Ultima VII; Baldurs Gate; Doom; Diablo. Elden Ring brought back that excitement for a video game that I haven’t had in many years. It has completely sucked me in. I’ve spent a whole weekend playing and have no idea where all the time went. My wife and daughter are complaining that they don’t have their husband and daddy anymore. I’ll be glad when I finish it so I can actually spend time with my family again…but I have heard about this thing called New Game +…may have to check it out :-) Bravo FromSoftware!

i like how joe called it an awakening lol its crazy how good it feels the first time the souls series "clicks" with you in your mind, all the fear and nervousness just melts away and your mind finally relaxes so you can finally start to enjoy the experience, and then.............. you're hooked for life lol. nice review guys

"You didnt beat the game naked with a ham sandich" had me falling over laughing

This game does what so many others fail at, and it’s the “fun” factor. Side a game can have content that stretches on forever, but that doesn’t matter if it’s not at least “fun”. The only few games (that I know of) that have truly mastered this are red dead 2, bloodborne, ghost of Tsushima, god of war 2018, dark souls (1,2,3) and you guessed it elden ring. Elden ring truly is up there some of the best games ever made(At least in the open world category). I really do implore anyone to play this game, it truly is worth that 60$ price tag.

This game is a true masterpiece. This game has everything unique bosses, great weapons, massive areas to explore, secret hidden pathways, a weapon what's a literal finger, warp portals two different regions across the map. Hell you can just walk around and find something in the world. Game of the got damn year.

I love the fact that they went from "Lets turn on our critic brain" then makes one good arguement and then straight back to gushing about the boss designs and level designs, so good

You can get 100+ hours in it, came out complete, no micro transactions, a literal sense of pride and accomplishment as you progress, massive open world with stuff to do in it, more than one way to play, multiple endings, a lot of loot and secrets to find, epic boss fights etc….it’s a 10/10

The story is just another part of the exploration, you can run through everything or stop and investigate every little side path. For me Elden Ring is that, the epitome of Exploration, even building your character and learning how to fight is an exploration. I LOVED it to its core, because that is what gaming is for me, exploring different universes (and this one is just SO rich and mindblowingly beautiful) and challenge myself while doing it. Ps: the MUSIC, such an incredible score, it makes me cry hearing it rn 1 year after getting to play this masterpiece. Can’t wait for the dlc.

I initially played this game solo, without spirit ash summons and all that. It was a lot of fun. After coming back and replaying it, spirit ash summons have made subsequent playthroughs so much more enjoyable and bearable tbh. Some bosses are definitely tuned with spirit ashes in mind.

"You're naked, here's a stick, go kill God." That was worth more than it got.

This review was just adorable. Lately all we see is our boys getting pissed and disappointed at how garbage games have become, constantly trying to grab all our money.... In this review however they are all describing how they had fun, simply as that.

What I would like is not a quest log but maybe a conversation log. Just something to help you remember what a npc might have said 20 hours earlier. It doesn't need to point me in the correct direction or anything. I like to take breaks from games and come back later and then I might not remember every single conversation I had or wit hwhich character I had it. Having to look them up sadly poiled me on a few questlines by accident. I love that they added npc markers on the map to help you find certain characters without having to teleport around like crazy.

Hands down one of the best games I've ever played. Simple as that. Glad Joe played it, enjoyed it and understands the game and its methods. ER is so intuitive just like bloodborne and other souls games. Not all the hardcore players are complete douche bags. I've been playing these games for years since demon souls but I'm just happy to see new players loving souls games. These are games for all gamers.

I actually love joe for taking his time with games to actually experience the game as intended. Even if i disagree with him sometimes, i still will love and respect him over any other reviewers who shat out their half baked reviews in 2 days

Watching Alex play this on stream, seeing how giddy he turned when he finally found a good game was priceless. If a game can make even him fall in love, it's a 10/10 game for sure.

The reason this was so good is because it has that old school feeling. A link to the past was incredible for this reason: some direction but still a massive open world where you can miss things. The bug from the dark world will wreck you but you don't have to take him in before getting new items/abilities

As an athlete I get it; it’s perseverance thru the lens of a video game. They’re teaching you “wax on wax off” and it feels like you’re being trolled then you get your first parry and riposte and it’s like “oh that’s what you meant”😳 I’d imagine a Viking feels this way after their first battle won.

Releasing a full game with 0 micro transactions with only minor performance issues in 2021/22 already makes a game deserving of at least a 7. Now when you release a game with a huge open world filled to the brim with content, amazing boss fights, a great story, amazing level design, variety, no right way to play, replay-ability, amazing attention to detail, multiple endings, your decision mattering in quests, etc. the game deserves a 10 and fromsoft deserves to be praised for the masterpiece they gave us. Fromsoft is perfecting the formula for its genre and continues to improve greatly with each game the release. From the souls to the bloodbornes to the sekiros to the elden rings, fromsoft just continues to release absolute amazing games that are actually for gamers and not the shareholders pockets.

The fact that my mom is playing this game, shows how utterly fucking amazing it truly is

20:25 "You're naked, here's a stick, go kill God." Never have I heard a quote describe Fromsoft games so well lol.

Going through the 1st legacy dungeon without a guide was amazing. I was searching everywhere for a grace it was so fun

160 hours into the game, still finding new things and I haven’t even finished my first run. This game is HUGE.

Elden ring should be an example to all other games. One price for an amazing experience. No bullshit. No microtransactions. No live service cutting it to bits and pieces. And especially no hand holding.

13:39 "It's a whole world that doesn't give a fuck about you" Just like real life.

This game falls into the same category as Ocarina of Time, Skyrim, and Breath of the Wild. It's a game changer and will be talked about/played for years to come. It is legendary and just like OJ said "The pinnacle of gaming" in 2022. It's only 2 years into the decade and I'm pretty sure come 2030 this game will be brought up as one of the best of the decade. It's that good.

Elden Ring is easily one of the best games ever made and a breath of fresh air in an industry filled with half finished games full of microtransactions.

Ah the Awakening that Joe experienced with Elden Ring is one that every player experiences with their first FromSoft game. It is amazing to see that everyone feels this way after such a game.

Finally got the platinum on PS5. Only took me 430 hours. I tried not to look anything up the first playthrough. There's so many secrets in this game it's impossible not to miss something.

GOTY...GOTD...GOAT...Thank you From Software, I can die in peace now lol.

The amount of content you get for standard box price is amazing. Other companies would have broken this up into the base game and 5 DLCs. From Software is striving for brand loyalty at this point, and earning it.

I avoided the Souls games forever. I let Elden Ring be my first exposure after I heard all the buzz, and now I can’t put it down. In a market saturated with bullshit, it’s incredible to see a FULL, COMPLETE game release with such quality and integrity, and no micro transactions. A masterpiece indeed, even with my shitty noob strength build.

THE BEST WAY TO USE STRENGTH I FOUND OUT, IS TO USE THE ULTRA GREAT SWORD (OR WHATEVER SWORD YOU LIKE) AND PUT THE FLASH STEP ABILITY ON IT (BLOODHOUND STEP). IT'S SO MUCH FASTER THAN ROLLING AND YOU HAVE MORE I FRAMES.

git-gud people are the most vocal and that makes them look numerous, but make no mistake, they're actually a very tiny fraction of the Dark Souls player base.

"I didn't feel like there was a grind, I was just lost the whole time." Yep, that's Souls alright -- to beat the game, there's little actual grinding; the enemies in areas typically give you the exp you need to match the challenge, and then the next area gives more. But the maze-like areas are brutal for first-timers, and you end up trecking into multiple split paths constantly. It's a nightmare for those people who say "oh, this looks like the right way, so I'm going to check out the other path first for loot".

Out of all the years I’ve watched Angry Joe this is the first time I ever heard Alex give a game 10/10 is unreal. I’m Definitely getting this game

this game alone taught me how much of an impatient bastard I truly am. 10/10

100% agree the the requirement for even some kind of minimal quest log. Even something to show you which dungeons you’ve cleared and which ones you have visited, but haven’t beaten the boss in yet

No micro transactions. And even more content patched in for free! Nearly flawless day one launch. This is what AAA games should strive for!

Lol - “You’re naked, here’s a stick, go kill god”. That’s genius! What an accurate summary!

I've done a summon only for one boss because i wanted to see what it was like. I've beaten that boss with no armor and a bad weapon since so its not that bad. I like a challenge in dark souls so i make it harder for myself. I fight almost all bosses without armor. Although i wear the painted guardian set sometimes to slow my rolls for a few fights such as the moonlight butterfly. But i think summons are a perfectly valid way to play but i want to make the game harder for myself which is also ok

32:12 I think doing a call back to King's Field by having something akin to the conversation log would be good. It's not a quest menu but it helps a bit, especially if you're coming back from a break.

Hearing Joe's takes now compared to the first stream are so refreshing. I'm glad he actually gave it a chance .

20:26 “you’re naked, here’s a stick, go kill God” 😂 love it. I’m the same as Joe I’m new to souls games and Alex’s smile right there at 5:52 is exactly how my cousin looked, who is a huge fan of these games, when I explained how amazing it is. They love seeing this influx of people praising souls games and I’m so glad I got Elden ring. Easily my game of the year and it will take a lot to top it. 36:27 this part is so true, anyone who hates it didn’t put the time into it and reviewed it based off of the first 5 hours. Great review guys! It earns that 10/10 giving so much content that EA would easily cut out 85% to repackage and resell as add ons.

Surprised you guys didn't talk about the score

I just started one or two weeks ago, and already have 40+hrs in it, I'm running a warrior dual wield bloody scimitar, and it's working out well

Honestly this is the first time in a long time where a single game purchase is actually worth the price! Normally used to games overcharging and cutting half the game

I'm still 195 hours into my first playthrough and I'm still finding new stuff. This game is just nuts, gamers really needed this W from From Software. To people who get frustrated at the game, understand BS aside, if you keep dying you're not learning from your mistakes just stick with it! This game is going to test you but as some who beat DS1 and 3, I can't think of many other games that give you that indescribable feeling of watching the boss that's been beating your ass for the last hour cower and spam the same moves when they're close to death. Thank you From Software for reminding me that some developers still put the player experience first over profits.

What happened to the stand up ranting and spaceship backround?

I started off as pure sorcery and played it for 60+ hours... then i switched to a stealth bandit type dual Dagger build.. and it is incredibly fun!

As a great scholar once said, “Dark Souls lore is confusing as all Hell, but damn is it cool” - Charles White, Art of War

Elden Ring really gave me the old gaming feeling while most new TripleA games just feel like you are watching an semi interactable movie

Dark Souls elitists: "you have to play the game the exact same way I did and suffer the same way I did or I'll get really upset because its not fair that you didn't suffer and rage as much as I did"

I realized how important the difficulty was once I got to New Game Plus 3 and I was bulldozing bosses. I almost had tunnel vision as I bee lined from boss to boss completely ignoring the world around me and I started to get bored. That's when I really understood the FromSoft game design. New Game Plus will never compare to a fresh playthrough because the difficulty forces you to slow down and explore the world.

The wildest thing for me was being 200+ hours into my first playthrough and going on the subreddit and seeing people mention bosses and weapons that I hadn’t even heard of yet. It’s absolutely wild dude.

“It took me awhile to finish this game” Dude I’m 170 hours in and still haven’t beaten my first play through lolol, it’s all good Joe 😂😂

I'm late to the Elden Ring party, but this game reminded me why I enjoy playing games. Bravo FromSoftware. I've never gotten into souls games, but damn is this game fun.

The summon system and the ashes was so much fun. Being able to throw bloodhound step on a greatsword while dual weilding was such a help especially since generally that stance hurts you defensively. And god, the mimic summon was such a help. Wasnt super powerful but just the fact that it pulled aggro saved me so many times giving me a chance to breath and heal And now watching this a year later after thinking i had done everything... im now realizing that i havent fought the dragon yet.

What you're saying here mirrors my first experience with dark souls 1, that sort of magical feeling of accomplishment and awe and its so nice to see other people experiencing it too. There is definitely a barrier but if you can push through you just get swept away by this amazing one of a kind experience.

This is the first game in 10 years that I played start to finish. But more than that I actually wanted to get off work and put the time in because I actually enjoyed it. 200 hours in and that was literally on my first playthrough. I haven't taken a no stone unturned approach to gaming in a long time. They said it best it really rekindled my love for gaming.

What told me Eldon ring was such a good game, was how much fun multiple play styles were. I played it every way I could and had fun with each build. The only build I didn’t like (because I suck) was colossal weapons only. I just didn’t have the timing.

Hearing Joe talk about the developers getting jealous about Elden ring is put into greater context when the same thing happened a couple of years later with Baldurs Gate 3.