Watched FightinCowboy play the initial intro chapter and it looks pretty standard.

I felt the same way when Dark Souls (and subsequent sequels) came out. Sekiro was the first game I had ever refunded on Steam when I rage quit it after couldn’t get through the tutorial level. I’ve since tried it again and made it to Genichiro but couldn’t beat him as it doesn’t let you grind to level up. It’s truly a game where you have to “git gud” and I’m simply not that good at parrying.

Honestly the only reason I gave Bloodborne a try was because I saw someone else play who was a much worse gamer than I was, it was included on PS+, and I thought the world seemed really interesting. I absolutely do not think this genre is for everyone but when you can beat a boss, the rush is intense and addictive.

I read the same thing but performance still seems to be solid.

It’s currently included with Game Pass plus there is a demo (I think it’s still available) so you can try it without having to buy it. Spending $60+ always gives me pause.

I was also hoping for better dodging as I am terrible at parrying. I struggled with Sekiro because it’s so reliant on parrying but I did enjoy it up until I got to Genichiro as I was never able to beat him.

I almost bought the deluxe edition on Steam but didn’t (being cheap I guess).

I’ve only gotten past the first major boss but I never felt like it was too difficult or too easy. A lot of the souls like games seems to struggle with the right balance of difficulty and just don’t seem to “get it”. The combat feels good, hits feel solid and I don’t feel like I’m getting screwed over. I’m really liking the game so far, the enemies and environmental storytelling are definitely souls inspired. Also, screw the chimney sweeps.

I believe the only 4x games I have played have been the Sid Meier’s games. They weren’t really my usual type of game but I did appreciate the complexity they created with balancing tactics and diplomacy.

That is really good advice. I don’t seem to have as much problems with newer games so refresh rates probably did help. I will have to pay attention next time I play an FPS to change the FOV.

I always struggled with FPS games as they made me a bit nauseous and I would get lost easily. Typically I preferred 3rd person such as Gears of War, Uncharted, Witcher, etc. although I do have gob tons of hours in Destiny 2 and Skyrim so obviously managed to make it work.

I do like when games have the option to turn off the HUD or at least customize it so you can choose to disable pieces of the HUD.

One thing that frustrates me is when a game doesn’t have a mini map option in the HUD. Obviously there are exceptions such as Elden Ring where it works better to not have one but in general I would prefer it to be an option especially when it is an open world game. I get lost driving in my own neighborhood, there is no way I am going to figure out where to go in a game without one.

I tried Downfall and I like it. Sadly it does not really work on Steam Deck last time I tried.

I have hundreds of hours in Slay the Spire of both IOS and Steam. Phenomenal game.

I struggled with getting past the first boss in Hades but I loved the art direction, story, and voice acting. I will probably give Hades II a try as I am sure there are a lot of improvements.

Currently playing Octopath 2. It’s has some interesting plot points and I like the turn based combat system and has a great nostalgia style for old pixel games.

Good grief that was an intense read through.