Tag Archives: ps4

15 Hours with Bloodborne – 10 Things I’ve learnt

This week I finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase a PlayStation 4. As a big fan of the souls series, I just couldn’t resist buying the console now that Bloodborne has hit the market. My first impressions of the console and Bloodborne are very good, and without further ado, here are ten things that I have learnt during the time I have spent in Yharnam so far (warning: will contain some mild gameplay spoilers).

Groups of Enemies Don’t Feel Cheap

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The difficulty found in Dark Souls is centred around providing the player with a fair, but extremely tough challenge, the game is extremely rewarding, and its world wonderfully designed. Whilst I feel that Dark Souls hit the nail on the head perfectly, I feel that the sequel was a bit hit and miss.

Now, that’s not to say that I think Dark Souls 2 is a bad game, rather I just feel that the developers did not approach the game’s difficulty in the correct way. Too often Dark Souls 2 resorts to simply throwing hordes of enemies at the player in an attempt to increase the challenge of the game. There are a lot of instances whereby it isn’t clever, and can be frustrating for all the wrong reasons.

In summary, my encounters with large groups of enemies in Dark Souls 2 at times felt like a chore, whereas in Bloodborne they feel like the polar opposite, and manage to set my pulse racing. Simply put, the combat in Bloodborne is much better suited to fighting hordes of enemies than the combat found in the souls series.

Combat is significantly quicker, as is stamina recovery time, meaning engaging with a horde of beasts is a lot more fun (and fair) than fighting a pack of the undead in Dark Souls 2. Even during moments when I am being overrun by enemies in Bloodborne, I always believe that I have a chance of coming out victorious, which just goes to show how wonderfully well designed the game is.

The Health Regain Mechanic Is A Brilliant Risk-Reward System

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A new feature found amongst the many others in Bloodborne is the health regain system. After a player takes damage a portion of their life bar will be coloured orange, this segment of life can be recovered, providing the player manages to strike and land an attack on an enemy during the relativity generous window of time provided.

It’s clear that this mechanic is implemented in Bloodborne to encourage players to be more aggressive. Most souls players will be used to taking a cautious approach, whereas now instead of sitting back and using an item to replenish one’s life, players can hit back at the enemy immediately to refill some of their life bar, in some cases it is even possible to make a complete recovery.

Despite what I have mentioned above concerning the benefits of being aggressive, I have discovered that it is wise not to be too greedy, sometimes it is better to hold back and wait, rather than attack an enemy in the hope of recovering some life, to then only be killed by said enemy. (Yes, this has happened to me.) It’s a very clever system that can reward bravery, but also punish recklessness.

Bloodborne Doesn’t Hold The Player’s Hand

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I’ve seen a lot of articles mention how Bloodborne is a more “streamlined” experience when compared to the souls games, and whilst I agree with this in the sense that many features have been altered or simplified which were previously in those games, ultimately the player is still thrown into a world without much explanation and expected to explore without being led.

It is entirely possible to run out onto the dangerous streets of Yharnam without even knowing how to acquire a weapon. I’ve read and witnessed accounts of many players doing so. Even after completing Dark Souls 1 and 2 (unfortunately I haven’t played Demon’s Souls due to not owning a PS3) there are still many things in Bloodborne that I just don’t understand yet. What is frenzy, and how does it work? What do the shining coins do? How do I use runes? I have many unanswered questions.

My gameplay session last night summed up how confusing at times the souls games can be. After defeating Vicar Amelia I travelled to the right of the cathedral ward and found myself in an empty room with a looked door, I tried to open the door, but to no avail, so, I decided to leave the area. As I tried to leave the room I was grabbed by a glowing blue light, thrust into the air, and killed. I have no idea what happened. Bloodborne may be streamlined in the sense that it removes a lot features from the souls games that wouldn’t fit with its new direction, but it still remains just as opaque as the games that came before it.

There Is No Equip Load Statistic

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Demon’s Souls, Darks Souls 1 and 2 all contain an equip load statistic, the heavier the player’s armour, weapons, and items that they have equipped, the quicker their stamina bar will deplete and the longer it will take to regenerate.

In addition, if player’s have a very high equip load it will affect the speed in which they can roll and dodge, and whether they can roll properly (see: fat rolling) at all. In summary, managing the weight of equipment is vital in the souls games, whereas in Bloodborne, it doesn’t even feature.

Whilst I think that the weight of one’s equipment having an effect on stamina recovery and roll speed is a very clever mechanic, it wouldn’t make sense to include it within Bloodborne. The reason being is that because the combat is so fast heavier equipped players would always be at a disadvantage, Bloodborne is all about perfecting dodging and is much more gung-ho than Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls. Sitting back with a massive suit of armour on and trying to defend would not work at all. The equip load statistic may be gone, but I don’t miss it.

Fall Damage Has Been Reduced

It is likely that those of us who have played a souls game before have encountered both of the following situations: firstly, we have tried to make a jump, not quite made it and fell to our demise, secondly, we all have fallen off an edge whilst fighting an enemy to then be greeted by those famous words, “YOU DIED.”

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And after stupidly missing this ladder completely in Central Yharnam, I expected to die from a fall once again.

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Except, I didn’t.

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I survived the fall, a fall that I’m sure would have killed me in Dark Souls. I then carried on through Yharnam, only to die by an enemy 20 seconds later…

The Load Times Suck

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Get used to seeing this screen, you will see it lot when you play Bloodborne.

Digital foundry has reported that the respawn loading time can take up to 44 seconds, which in a game where you can die in about 4 seconds (or even less than that) is a hell of a long time. For me it hasn’t been a huge issue that has really affected my enjoyment of the game so far, but hopefully From Software release a patch that fixes this in the near future.

At Times Bloodborne Can Be Genuinely Scary

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I’ve always found Dark Souls and it’s sequel to be scary, well at least on the initial playthrough anyway, not scary in a horror film kind of way, (well apart from those clams and tentacle monsters in the first game) but still scary nonetheless. The reason being is that I fear dying, I don’t want to lose my souls and be forced to replay the entire area, unlike many other games death has consequences in Dark Souls, which makes me more feel more invested and a result, more scared.

Bloodborne is just scary because it’s scary. I know that enemies are likely to jump out at me or be hiding behind corners, this has been a staple of these games since Demon’s souls, but it still manages to get me. I think part of the reason is due to the fact that because Bloodborne is a lot faster paced, so I’m not walking around each area as slowly as I would in Dark Souls, and therefore am more susceptible to jump scares. There have also been a few instances in which I’ve turned around to find enemies behind me, during which Bloodborne has reminded me of my time aboard the Ishimura in Dead Space (I’m guessing you weren’t expecting that comparison).

The setting is also inherently creepy, with the starting area’s horde of enemies feeling like a scene from Resident Evil 4. The game is dripping with atmosphere, and I’ve found myself many times wandering around with my touch in hand, in the darkness, praying (to the moon) that I don’t be attacked.

Praise The Gun

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Blunderbuss, how I love thee. An ode to the gun.

At first I did not think that Bloodborne should include a gun,
but it allows you to use a visceral attack on a beast which is extremely fun,
you must wait for them to begin their attack and then shoot,
they will stumble back, stunned, then you can heavily damage the brute.

Plunging a weapon into their chest, the hunter is covered in blood,
and with a forceful kick the beast is launched back, crashing with a thud,

before I could not see myself playing with a gun rather than a shield,
but to the great and mighty blunderbuss, I respectfully yield.

So….err… yeah… I like the guns. Let’s move on, shall we…

Miyazaki Is An Incredible Level Designer

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One of the main issues that I have with Dark Souls 2 is that the world doesn’t feel at all connected, a lot of time I spent in Drangleic consisted of travelling travel through an area in a straight line, until I reached the end and then warping back to the central hub of Majula. Bonfires were also too prevalent in Dark Souls 2, some were situated a minute or two from another.

It’s predecessor on the other hand is an expertly connected maze, shortcuts are abundant and I remember many instances of feeling amazed when I realised that a certain area led to another. I still recall the incredible feeling I experienced when I opened the flood gates of New Londo, draining all the water from the area, to see that it was connected to the Valley of Drakes. Dark Souls feels like a world, whereas Dark Souls 2 just feels like a selection of levels.

Bloodborne in this respect feels like Dark Souls. It’s clear to see how much Miyazaki contributed to the world design of Dark Souls when playing Bloodborne, and clear to see how much he was missed on Dark Souls 2. So far I’ve unlocked a huge amount of shortcuts in Bloodborne, and coming to the realisation that an entire area is interconnected still remains a wonderful feeling.

A good of example of this is when I managed to find a shortcut of the beaten path near the area in which I had to fight The Blood Starved Beast, after which my journey to the beast only took around a minute or so, which in turn made dying a lot less painful. The level design so far has been brilliant, and I’m glad Miyazaki is back.

The Bosses Haven’t Blown Me Away (Yet)

So far on my travels I’ve defeated Father Gascoigne, The Cleric Beast, The Blood Starved Beast and Vicar Amelia. With the exception of The Cleric Beast, whom I managed to defeat the first time, the bosses remain as challenging as would be expected from a Miyazaki game. The only problem I have so far is that apart from Father Gascoigne, the other three bosses I have encountered haven’t been particularly memorable, both in terms of their visual design and actual game mechanics.

The Cleric Beast just resembles some kind of messy giant tree, The Blood Starved Beast looks like a giant blob, and Vicar Amelia looks a combination of Amaterasu on drugs and something that could be found at a Chinese Dragon parade.

sdf

Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh, but so far I just haven’t felt that same kind of feeling that I did when I encountered Sif or the Bell Gargoyles in Dark Souls. I found a lot of the bosses in Dark Souls 2 to be forgettable, and hopefully Bloodborne doesn’t fall into the same trap.

Still, there is a lot of game to be played and I have faith that something jaw-dropping awaits me further down the line. Overall I’m having a fantastic time with Bloodborne, and I hope to keep you updated on my progress over the next few weeks.

The Redemption of DriveClub

The following post was submitted by GamerCrash. The original can be found here.

“What a disaster.”

That’s probably the collective thought crossing the minds of critics, Sony employees, and game enthusiasts everywhere when Driveclub first released on PlayStation 4 last year.

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There was a time during its development where Driveclub was pegged as the definitive racing experience and Sony’s Forza killer, however unfair that was at the time. Needless to say, all of this hype and pressure continued to build which probably made the release day meltdown even more terrible. Connectivity issues, missed promises of a free edition, and server troubles plagued the game at launch and into the first month after release turning many fans off from the experience.

It’s now a few months later and the good news is, all of those all nighters and weekend work the team at Evolution Studios put in have paid off. Driveclub is now playable and working as the team and Sony was hoping last year when it released. While the highly sought after PlayStation Plus version of the game is not available yet, it was confirmed earlier this week that it is still coming at some point.

So how does the game hold up these days? Full thoughts await you below the jump…

Continue reading The Redemption of DriveClub

EGX London: My Favourite Gaming Memory Of 2014

So another year is soon coming to an end, another year in which I didn’t become good-looking, or rich. One day. Random rather depressing and strange opening sentence aside, I feel that 2014 has been a pretty good year personally when it comes to videogaming. With that in mind, I want to share my favourite gaming memory of the last year.

In September, I and a group of friends travelled to the Eurogamer Expo, which took place at Earl’s Court, London, England. I have previously been to Eurogamer, but the last time I was able to visit was about 3 years ago, so I was extremely excited to go again. After having some trouble navigating the London tubes, (I’ve not have a great deal of experience with the underground) we eventually made our way to the famous building. Continue reading EGX London: My Favourite Gaming Memory Of 2014

A Look At Shadow of Mordor’s Unique Nemesis System

Images and video captured by GamerCrash

Shadow of Mordor always has a lot of ambition in what it was trying to do. A brand new story line that doesn’t tie into the Lord of the Rings movies in anyway, you play Talion,  a former Gondor Ranger, who is seeking revenge on an entity known as The Black Hand of Sauron who led an attack on the Black Gate killing his family and also (in an interesting twist) Talion himself. Paired up with a mysterious Wraith, the two of you set out to undermine the forces of Mordor until The Black Hand can be located. What makes Shadow of Mordor standout is a a couple new features to help make the open world feel alive. Continue reading A Look At Shadow of Mordor’s Unique Nemesis System

You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two- Thief Review

Screenshot by Flickr User: JBLivin
Screenshot by Flickr User: JBLivin

Thief is one of those games that over the years i’ve heard plenty about, but never actually played, predominantly because it’s been exclusive to PC, until now, so when it was announced that it’s fourth installment was coming to Xbox One i was quite excited! I think it was a great choice of release date by Eidos, two weeks before Titanfall and three before Infamous hit the shelves here in the UK. i’m almost seeing it as something of a filler, something that can keep me busy until Titanfall launches on the 14th, because as we all know, there’s not a lot of choice on the next gen consoles right now, but hopefully in the next couple of months that will change with Titanfall and Infamous Second Son both imminent on their respective consoles, nevertheless until then Thief is a very welcome break from the consoles launch titles, don’t let that mislead you though, Thief is still a top game in it’s on right.

Thief, as the name suggests, follows the story of Garrett as he pickpockets and steals his way through a dark, wet, grim looking city which it seems is based around London at the time of the plague, or as it’s referred to in the game, the “Gloom” A time when the people on the streets are struggling to survive, i think Thief gets this across really well, you almost feel like a part of their struggle. The tone of the game matches this, the game is dark, the City is a pretty miserable place to behold, but take nothing away from the graphics, they’re very good, and the lighting effects are fantastic, the shadow casting is superb, something you’d expect though as the game involves a lot of sneaking around in them. Continue reading You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two- Thief Review

2014: My Most Anticipated Games!

Photo from Flickr User: Juan Verni
Photo from Flickr User: Juan Verni

So it’s now 2014, and we all know that a new year means new games to look forward to! With the PS4 and Xbox One being launched over Christmas this year will no doubt be packed with new releases, and many of them completely new franchises which excites me a lot.
There are a few games that i’m very excited for so i just thought i’d shed some light on those that i think could be the top of the class in 2014.

The first on my list is Watch Dogs, i can’t begin to tell you how gutted i was when it was announced that it had been delayed until 2014, it stood out a lot as a launch title in particular because of it being brand new, don’t get me wrong, with my Xbox i got Forza, Battlefield & Dead Rising, all good games, but it would have been nice to have something fresh. I really like the concept of Watch Dogs too, to me it looks like if Splinter Cell and GTA had a baby, Watch Dogs would be how it’d look, and that cannot be a bad thing surely? The graphics look sensational too, i remember it being one of the first games that i saw real gameplay of for next gen quite some time ago, and since then i’ve been very excited for it!

Continue reading 2014: My Most Anticipated Games!