Sekiro : Shadows Die Twice

[Maf]

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In conclusion, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is best played on the PC platform, provided you have a competent hardware. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are okay if you can adjust yourself to the unlocked frame rates but we won’t recommend them if you have problems with unlocked frame rates. Our hopes of getting a patch this fix is next to none, but hopefully, for a change, From Software will address these issues in the coming days.

I guess the answer is no sale 

[one-armed dwarf]

Well now at least we know who has the smallest minerals around here

 

Spoiler: its maf

[Maf]

I was watching a stream of it today and that’s what made me google it. Firstly, yeah this game looks way beyond me. I don’t have the reactions for this I think.

 

The other thing that occurred to me was I wonder if this was the answer Miyazaki (?) had to everyone who used to say the Souls combat was awesome and engaging because it’s realistic and thoughtful. When, I get it, but it’s not really. It got a step closer in Bloodborne by taking the shield away and making you have to engage with it instead of hiding behind a shield, and then this is the ultimate expression of “realistic” combat where it’s flat out aggression. It is the only way to play. 
 

Like when Miyazaki (?) made the first Souls games I wonder if he always wanted to do combat like Sekiro but felt like it was too much so there was this 1/3rd way step with it. Then when he heard people laud the combat he rolled up the sleeves and was like all right then, let me show you what it’s really like.

 

This is just my thought I don’t know.

 

Anyway, the game looks way too fucking hard 

 

EDIT: When I say aggression I don’t mean on the offensive because obviously the key mechanics here are deflecting and poise. But I mean you have to engage with the systems in this game, unlike Souls and Bloodborne that have tricks and stuff that can really alleviate the difficulty of taking the enemies head on. This doesn’t seem to have any of that it’s like well if you want “realistic”, brutal, sword combat, here it is. Also the fights just seem louder, faster, bigger and way more in your face than anything I’ve seen in the previous games. 

[one-armed dwarf]

Honestly just buy it. It'll be fine. It is one of the best games this year after all

[DisturbedSwan]

As you and Kyle are the same person @Maf I don’t think you’ll have the minerals to finish it either.

[Maf]

Well, you got me. I feel like my one-armed-millennial account has kind of run it’s course at this point anyway and I’m going to delete it.

[DisturbedSwan]

My GOTY won TGA 2019 GOTY

 

 

So well deserved! Nothing has come close to this this year for me, the only truly exceptional game I've played this year.

[Maf]

#putitongamepass

 

#orlendmeacopy

 

#idontmindwhich

[one-armed dwarf]

They wont be putting the goty winner on GP anytime soon

[Maf]

I know. This game has somehow managed to maintain a high price all year and this will only extend that

[DisturbedSwan]

4 hours ago, Maf said:

I know. This game has somehow managed to maintain a high price all year.

 

It's because it's that damn good.

[one-armed dwarf]

I started this up again, on PC this time. More frames means less input lag so now it's way less like I am 'predicting' attacks and more like I'm responding to them hitting me in time.

 

I still don't think I like this much though. Part of it is I'm such a perfectionist that I hate using the revive mechanic, I want to murder shit perfectly damnit.

 

This is the level I got to this time last year when I tried it on console (where it is much harder than PC, therefore my minerals aren't so small)

Spoiler

 

 

Completely trailed off it when I beat this guy. It came out at the wrong time for me, mere weeks after DMC5. This is still a game I want to see the end of cause the combat is so kinetic with the sword clashing and stuff and how you listen for yours or the enemy's perfect deflects. I think I said before it is like getting an Issen in Onimusha 2. It's satisfying when you find that cadence between offense and defense. It's the opposite of games I usually play where you press all the buttons, here you're like a combat surgeon plucking attack and block at the right time, playing pretty slowly basically. But getting to the stage you can read the fights is hard and boring work a lot of the time.

 

The animations in this game are so good so I hope I can get some nice 60fps captures on PC.

[one-armed dwarf]

Have (almost) caught up to where I was on my second night of playing. That boss on the horse was ridiculously easy for me this time. I remember really struggling with on console, here on PC you just block that shit super easy.

 

I have a few sub-bosses to fight still until I get back to where I was but my pace is way better this time so won't take long. This fight is still sick, I just hope the rest of the game lands with me this time. It seemed before to just trail off after this, or I got lost or something

 

Spoiler

 

 

Pretty weird playing this after VII Remake. Remake is all about breaking poise as well, except this is way harder and carefully paced.

 

Animations in this are sick, the way Sekiro just flows into stabbing the guy in the throat after parrying his attack with perfect animation blending

[one-armed dwarf]

Figured out why I got lost on consoles. You were supposed to talk to the kid a bunch of times after Genichiro and he would give you a key. Oh well.

 

I got that key and eventually found a monkey who threw its shit at me. Cut its head off. That didn't deter it.

 

I think what I really wish this game was was something more like old Tenchu, more mission based. I just find myself running through all these beautiful locations because there's no point in fighting anything and the fights are boring a lot of the time. This game takes more effort than any From game I've played. When it's all clashing swords and counters and reading enemy tells it's very exciting, but when it's not that then ehh

[mfnick]

Shit me this game feels fucking great. The deflect and deathblow combo is one of the best feeling and sensory satisfying things I’ve experienced in a game. I love how snappy this feels in comparison to other Souls games too. It really is a different beast. I really like the posture system as well. 

It’s so much more visually interesting IMO compared to the other ones too. Demons Souls remake is technically better but this just looks better in general to me.

Recent got by a giant snake, that was pretty bloody cool. 

 

People weren’t joking about the difficulty though. Holy shit. The general enemies are great fun and easy to fight against but anything that has a name is a real motherfucker! 
 

However so far, the checkpoints have mostly been next to the big enemies or difficult encounters. Which was always my biggest complaint before. I’m fighting a guy on a horse at the moment and it takes less than a minute to get back to him when he undoubtedly kills me because he’s a cunt. Especially during his second phase.

 

I say mostly because it has had a section set in the past where a guy in white with a spear is tough as fuck and he takes ages to get back to. That part seems optional though? The main path set in the games current day has been very good regarding checkpoints. 
 

Just hope it carries on like this. The difficulty may be just too much for me though. We’ll see. So far the though, this is by far the most I’ve liked a From Souls style game. Easily. 

[OCH]

I was meaning to ask how you were getting on with this? Since you mentioned it awhile ago in the DeS thread.

[mfnick]

Only just picked it up as it’s one of those games that’s held it’s value & I didn’t want to pay so much for how old it is. Waiting worked out and found a copy for £20 so here we are. Good to have a break inbetween trying these games as well. 

[one-armed dwarf]

From what I remember the game is pretty good with the checkpoint stuff. And even if they're not it's trivial enough to run back with the way the character moves in this game

 

They better cut out those boss runs in Elden Ring, or do something more interesting with it. It's pointless

[DisturbedSwan]

Yeah, this went proper DkS2 with the checkpoints, far too many of them.

 

Honestly feels a bit silly how many of them there are in this. One of my only complaints with it though really. 

 

Glad you're liking it so far though @mfnick it's a very different beast to Souls but similar in some ways to Bloodborne, much faster combat and more of a reliance on parrying. It looks like ass compared to DeS remake though, although the art design is fantastic.

 

We'll see how you get on as the game goes on. This has two of the hardest and best boss battles in all of video games in my view. 

[mfnick]

Finally beat that horse cunt! Had 3 relatively easy bosses and named enemies after that which was a nice breather. Reached top floor of the castle and beat him. Not really sure where I need to be heading next though. There’s a tough fucker at the entrance to that starting area I’ve returned to so I guess I’ll see what happens when I beat him.