#like i would LOVE to play elden ring but i think my PC would consider exploding if i tried to run that game on it

[autumnoakes]

you could have a fully functional PC and still have games inaccessible for you. and i think that it shouldn't be that way but apparently other people disagree

[7classyantiquestores]

I made the (possibly questionable, considering proximity to the Elden Ring DLC) decision to start playing through Inquisition again, just to get my memory refreshed before Veilguard comes out (further questionable because I rarely buy games on launch anyways but whatever lol).

Long and the short of it, I decided to just focus on the main story this time (instead of clearing the majority of the side content like my first time), and I am stunned how much better the story and overall experience is. Like, there is so much bloat in this game that could have been cut out, leaving more time and budget for the core game.

It’s a pretty transformative experience, because I borderline hated this game the first time. I pressed to the end, because I’m completionist to a fault, but I found myself entirely unable to understand what people liked about it. The story felt stale and scattered, the main quests felt like an afterthought (and were often too easy due to my being overlevel), and the bulk of work (ie side quests) my Inquisitor did was boring, repetitive, and poorly justified within the context of the story.

But by ignoring any quest that the main plot doesn’t put me in the direct path of, I’m actually kind of getting it this time, which is crazy to me. I also played a character that was more tailored to the story (a human Faithful rather than a diplomatic but ultimately agnostic dwarf), which is also helping. I think they clearly had a kind of story they wanted to tell, but nearly destroyed it (to my eyes anyways) by weighing it down it with unnecessary extra content. But there’s some really good stuff in there, if you sweep away all the bloat. It’s still not a perfect game, of course. But no game is perfect, and I do really think the things I have gripes with would have been given a bit more love if the team didn’t be stuck with the impossible task of turning a tight story-driven tactics-based RPG into a huge open-world action RPG. I really hope that BioWare learns from this (and from their stumbles with Andromeda and Anthem, not to mention), and return to form with Veilguard. Tight, focused, narrative-driven RPG. Not being everything to everyone, just doing a couple things very well. This is what BioWare has always been good at, and above everything else (including my precious logic-based tactics system lol), that’s what I hope to see them do in Veilguard.

TLDR; if you ever bounced off Inquisition but feel the urge to try again with the approaching release of Veilguard, I recommend giving it a shot, with the following advice: 1) Ignore everything in the game that didn’t come up along the path of a main quest, unless it actually sound narratively significant (sorry farmer with the missing druffalo, I’ve got a world to save). 2) Beyond that, I advise trying a human or elf PC, and be either Faithful (meaning to believe in Andraste, not necessarily fully embracing the Herald title if you don’t want to) or else be really into the Dalish stuff (mainly if you’re an elf). That’ll make your character actually feel meaningfully integrated in the main story. It’s made a big difference for me, anyways.

[fiddles-ifs]

what sorts of influences would u say the fromsoft cinematic universe has had on the fiddles cinematic universe :>

Well. I mean. The obvious answer is Snaggletooth's design is absolutely inspired by the Cleric Beast from Bloodborne. And much like in Bloodborne, the PC is a monster-hunting near-human working for a shadowy government agency with Things Going On. The plot of Greenwarden and TKP are also not wholly uninspired by Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2. As for how, you'll have to see.

For everything else -- I really like FromSoft's storytelling mechanics! I think they're fun and cash money. I like how the story evolves in subtle, incremental ways -- and there are some people who will never have the whole picture, and some people who play through hundreds of hours in order to piece together the overarching metaplot. That's fun! I am one of those people! I am crazy but I am free!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also like how FromSoft games tend to have no right answer. Sometimes the best thing you can do for people is not actively make their lives worse, which involves leaving them the hell alone. You see this a lot in Elden Ring. Advancing an NPCs questline often leads to tragedy, simply because of You Being There. It's an exercise in seriously considering whether you can make someone's quality of life actively tank just by being in their business. Sometimes, even with the best intentions, the answer is "yes."

Besides that, I love the atmosphere of Bloodborne and Elden Ring and I like putting shades of that in my own work. I like that they're both a little bit more populated than Dark Souls, which feels very much like a post-apocalypse.

[sonodaten]

Microsoft E3 2019 Press Conference

Since I missed it, here’s a list of my reactions/thoughts

Overall rating: B-; lots of games, and you can’t ask for much more

Here we go Xbone let’s get on with the disappointment

Ooh we’re starting off with The Outer Worlds okay, Microsoft, okay!

A RELEASE DATE! OCTOBER 25 OF THIS YEAR! JUST FUCK ME UP!

I’m not interested in coop death matches but I can appreciate the aesthetic of Bleeding Edge. It’s very recognizable and a nice breath of fresh air from all these hyper realistic games

I think this is Ori? It looks like an Ori game.

IT IS! Not usually a fan of side-scrollers but I make an exception for Ori

Horror? I’m into it. (Please don’t be zombies).

Found footage? Missing child? DOGGO? I’M INTO IT

BULLET NO

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO BULLET I WILL DESTROY MICROSOFT

The Blair Witch?

As in like The Blair Witch Project Blair Witch? THE Blair Witch?

I want to be excited for The Fallen Order but it’s just like . . .

Everything I’ve seen about it is so . . . uninteresting

At this point the only thing I’d buy the game for is Saw Gerrera and the beginnings of the Rebellion/other prominent Rebels that we never got to see during the movies/other games but are mentioned and (might) be featured in this one

Like at this point my faith in EA is wittled to nothing and I can only take solace in the face that their exclusive license with Disney is almost up and they probably won’t pursue a renewal THANK FUCK

OOH CD PROJEKT RED

CYBERPUNK INCOMING

SO FAR SO GOOD EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD

It def looks cyberpunk, so let’s hope they actually get cyberpunk right

KEANU!?!?!?!?!

KEANU REEVES??? IN MY CYBERPUNK 2077????? IT’S APPARENTLY MORE LIKELY THAN I THOUGHT!

Now what would really make this game is a cameo by Harrison Ford

YES MR. REEVES I WOULD LIKE THE RELEASE DATE

RELEASING DURING 4/20 I’M SHITTING

I feel bad for whatever the fuck has to follow that up

Oh wait this is cute

I like the art style and the world is interesting just from the first look

Spiritfarer is a Good Game

Battletoads, huh?

*Wright hides himself in the trash can* Oh, mood

That actually looks really cute and I like the really distinctive art style

Some of these games actually look really cool. I love the different art styles and genres

Tbh the only reason I watch the Microsoft conference is bc I have a Windows 10 PC

Ooh I might start playing Halo again

Oh live-service game? Nvm. I’m tapping out on Game Pass.

Ooh new game

Is this a fuckign . . . airport simulator?????

Ah, nvm, just an airplane simulator. My bad.

A fuckign . . . re-release of Age of Empires?

I think I played the first one and didn’t like it. Was Age of Empires II better?

The entire tone of this is so funny

WASTELAND 3???

I LOVED WASTELAND 2 WAIT WHAT

BOOTY?????????????????????????????????

Oh fuck they got Double Fine

Is Xbox the gamer version of Disney?

PSYCHONAUTS 2???????????????????????

I HEAR STAR WARS

LEGO STAR WARS?

OH FUCK IT’S GONNA HAVE EPISODE IX ON THERE?

A game endorsed by Akira himself? Oh, it’s gotta be good.

Dude I still get goosebumps when I see Goku transform for the first time

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot OH THAT’S THE GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE

What’s with all the time loop games recently? I mean I love it, but it’s just weird they’re all happening at once

I love how the chat immediately reverts to an endless cascade of “gay game” once anything that’s not a hypergonadal male on screen

Like bitch it’s Pride I hate to break it to you but that makes all the games shown here gay

Video Games are Gay Culture and You Gotta Deal With It

Anyway it looks great and I’m gonna get it

This is . . . Gears of War, right?

Billie Eilish yeah?

Oh fuck have there really been five Gears games?

Who’s gonna pop out of the stage??

No one I guess

Oh they doing the elite controllers again?

Not really interested in Dying Light 2, but it seems cool

These lego cars are the best thing to happen to Forza ever

Fuckign pop vinyls I’m crying

Ah yes more zombies. Just what we need.

SEGA here we go

WAIT THIS CAN’T BE

OH MY FUCKING GOD I’M ACTUALLY GOING TO CRY

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 I’M FUCKING GOD

Idk what Crossfire is and I’m not that interested in it

Okay liking this design

Everything’s a lie bitch, let’s get you some fruit

What kind of Utena rip off was that move

OH FUCK IT’S ANOTHER TALES GAME???? FINALLY

One thing you can always count on for the Borderlands games is good fun and Borderlands 3 looks like good fun

Oh fuck September? I figured it’s be out in 2020

UM GRRM????

Elden Ring looks really cool and I’m excited to learn more about it

Idk why everyone thinks game streaming is a good idea when a good portion of the world doesn’t even have internet access but go off I guess

The only thing I wanna see is what’s gonna be called

Me, watching Xbox try to hype up a console that will, at most, earn about 20% of the game market: Weird flex, but okay

“Xbox is all about choice” yeah and it’s usually people choosing Sony and Nintendo over Xbox

“Most immersive console experience ever” . . . until the PS5 drops but yeah

Are we gonna see what it looks like or what?

Oh so no name just “Project Scarlett”

It’s a cool project name

Halo at launch is an . . . interesting call to make, considering the series recent reception

Oh fuck they pulled a Thor Infinity War with Master Chief

GIVE MASTER CHIEF A BOOTY YOU COWARDS

Oh thank fuck it’s finally over

Overall rating: B-

Showed a lot of games, so you can’t really ask for much more in a conference. Not a whole lot of exclusives shown, which isn’t going to help Microsoft in the long run, especially considering we’re on the verge of a console generation. The only thing that really wowed me was the news of Phantasy Star Online 2 finally coming to the West, and I’m assuming while it’ll only be on Xbox One now it’ll probably migrate to PC and possibly other consoles in the future and I’ve waited this long, I’m willing to wait more.