March 23 – March 29

Section: 

A solid-gold pedigree is hard to come by these days. With development teams numbering in the hundreds, it’s become nearly impossible to pin a game on one person (or even one studio) when it comes to the AAA set. After Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Bloodborne’s Hidetaka Miyazaki has become a person that gamers trust to deliver, despite only having two major games under his belt. I stand with the optimists, Bloodborne is obviously game of the week.

Speaking of trust, how are we feeling about Obsidian these days? Pillars Of Eternity is their first Kickstarter game and it’s set to launch this Thursday. For years Obsidian has been under a great deal of scrutiny for releasing buggy, unfinished titles with a lot of potential, leaving it to numerous fan patches to try and unearth missed opportunities. Publishers' tight schedules were normally pointed to as the lead culprit. Now we have Obsidian’s first Kickstarted game hitting the digital landscape, backed by Paradox Interactive, who are playing a hot hand as publisher after a rousing Cities: Skylines release.

Lots to choose from this week, let’s see where we land.

Felix Threepaper: This week’s title fight presents two contenders offering diametrically different experiences.

In the red corner, with a release price of 50 pounds, it’s the potential system-seller, Souls with shotguns, the Boom ‘N’ Hacky From Miy-a-zaki: Blood... BOOORNE!

In the blue corner, with a release price of 5 pounds, from the Dontnod PalinDrome, it’s the Belle of Branching Narratives, the Time Re-Winder with Characters to Blind Ya: Life is Sterrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaange Episode 2: Out of Time!

I pick the one I’d actually play, not the one I feel I should say I’d play to boost my indie cred. Bloodborne in a KO.

Greg "Doubtingthomas396 Decker: I will not be playing Bloodborne any time soon. I own a PS4, but it is the Family PS4 in the living room, and I have two kids that cannot be kept out of the living room if they think they're missing something. It might be different if PSTV wireless streaming worked without crippling lag – but, alas, that is not the case. Nonetheless, I am excited to hear other people talk about Bloodborne on the various podcasts I listen to. Therefore my choice this week is a vicarious one.

Go forth, Shawn Andrich, and play Bloodborne for those of us who can't! One day, when it comes to the PC and we're all sick of hearing about it, I'll do a TL;DP review and decide if it's the Dark Souls of Dark Souls Spiritual Successors.

PC
Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time
Grand Theft Pizza Delivery (was robbed)
Infinite Crisis (Steam Release)
Pillars of Eternity (also Mac and Linux)
Star Ruler 2

PlayStation 4
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Bloodborne
Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time
Metal Slug 3
Slender: The Arrival

Xbox One
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time
Slender: The Arrival
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious

Xbox 360
Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious

PlayStation 3
Life Is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time
Metal Slug 3

Wii U
Nothin'

Vita
Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo
Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin
Metal Slug 3

Nintendo 3DS
Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin

Comments

ALMOST HERE

IMAGE(http://giant.gfycat.com/CleverPleasantArkshell.gif)

Give me that blood. And some pillars too

I feel that as a PS4 owner, and someone who has played Demon's Souls, I really should buy Bloodborne... It's not at the top of my list though. I'm picking up Borderlands: Handsome Collection, as I have it preordered and prepaid. I've also paid for Life is Strange ep 2 already as well. I bought Pillars of Eternity back when it was on kickstarter for $20.

That's 3 games that I'm getting I won't need to pay more for this week.

There's a Vita game that didn't end up on your list. 2013: Infected Wars, and a PS4 game, Yorbie Episode One. See link: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/...

I'm considering getting Damascus Gear, I'm a sucker for Mecha games.

My son would probably love the Lego Ninjago game.

So, busy week...

As a backer of Pillars of Eternity, it's the only game releasing this week that I'll play, but it won't be for quite a while. Cities: Skylines has a tight grip on me, and I don't expect it to let go anytime soon.

Thought I might have a PS4 by now but I still haven't got a Wii U either. Looks like I'll be late to the party on Bloodborne, like I was with original Demon's Souls.

Steam should be releasing OOTP 16 for PC or Mac. (pre-orders are released).

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/yAv8PF5.jpg?1)

World of Subways 4 is my hot ticket this week. Comes from a highly respected dev in the Mundane Vehicle Sim genre.

(That's Star Ruler 2, btw, not Star Ruler. The original is a couple years old now.)

Donan wrote:

Steam should be releasing OOTP 16 for PC or Mac. (pre-orders are released).

Yup. I already downloaded and fuddled around but am waiting for the Steam release so it counts every stinking moment I play in the game.

Bloodborne is HIGH up on my list of things I want to play, but I don't really have the time to play it, sadly, because Pillars of Eternity is coming out and I'm all over that. It's the one I've been waiting for since we all Kickstarted the RPG genre on PC. I don't even care if the game is buggy (Obsidian has proved to me they can put out quality products now), but I'm excited to have more Obsidian writing. I simply think they make the best CRPGs for my tastes. The true Black Isle successor imho.

Well, I pre-ordered Pillars, so I guess we'll see!

Hypatian and I are set to do our tandem-play of Life Is Strange as well, so this week is quite packed for me!

This is a good looking week. 75% of Xbox One titles will be played =)

Infyrnos wrote:

This is a good looking week. 75% of Xbox One titles will be played =)

I can't figure out which game is the odd one out.

Gravey wrote:
Infyrnos wrote:

This is a good looking week. 75% of Xbox One titles will be played =)

I can't figure out which game is the odd one out.

It is a pretty diverse week eh.

Life is Strange will get played ASAP.
Borderlands stuff will eat my gaming hours.
And Free Racing Game is Free Racing Game.

Slender is the odd one out, no interest in horror stuff here.

I'm all Pillars this week.

After a nice long run of easily ignoring it, I'm now obsessing. Thursday can't come fast enough!

That said, I do have a Mac... And Obsidian is Obsidian... If the game is unplayable, after a brief struggle with depression, I might try this Bloodborne thing on my PS4. I haven't played Dark Souls yet because I enjoy being the Dark Souls of people who haven't played Dark Souls, but you can't live in the past. Well, at the time you can. But not right now.

Certis wrote:

After Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Bloodborne’s Hidetaka Miyazaki has become a person that gamers trust to deliver, despite only having two major games under his belt.

He also directed Armored Core 4 and its sequel Armored Core: For Answer.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Certis wrote:

After Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Bloodborne’s Hidetaka Miyazaki has become a person that gamers trust to deliver, despite only having two major games under his belt.

He also directed Armored Core 4 and its sequel Armored Core: For Answer.

I italicized the important part.

I'm sure you're not being completely serious, but Armored Core has been From's most prominent and prolific franchise for decades. (You know, from the 23 years before they coughed up Demon's Souls.) Dismissing those games as not being "major" releases just plays into that weird amnesia that Souls fans have about the studio's history.

I suppose if we want to get real picky about it I was more referring to games he is specifically noted to have worked on as a reason Bloodborne would be a quality release.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'm sure you're not being completely serious, but Armored Core has been From's most prominent and prolific franchise for decades. (You know, from the 23 years before they coughed up Demon's Souls.) Dismissing those games as not being "major" releases just plays into that weird amnesia that Souls fans have about the studio's history.

Don't really think I am an amnesiac. Armored Core has become an increasingly niche product and has been for years. I mean, the last relevant AC game was AC2 or 3, which is a decade old now.

Demon's Souls and Dark Souls propelled From into a new realm however, of being relevant in a way they hadn't been in a long time (or ever, imho).

But, really, I'd say most of the fans you refer to were probably in diapers when From's games were last relevant and not niche. They're not amnesiacs, they're ignorant.

garion333 wrote:

They're not amnesiacs, they're ignorant.

You'd think for all the gushing about how Dark Souls has reinvented gaming and how From is such a trusted name-brand developer now that they'd look and see what else the studio or the game's director have done. But it seems as though From and Miyazaki alike have been whittled down to two or three games, and that's all they've ever done.

RICHARD!

ClockworkHouse wrote:
garion333 wrote:

They're not amnesiacs, they're ignorant.

You'd think for all the gushing about how Dark Souls has reinvented gaming and how From is such a trusted name-brand developer now that they'd look and see what else the studio or the game's director have done. But it seems as though From and Miyazaki alike have been whittled down to two or three games, and that's all they've ever done.

I would count myself among the ignorant, and I'm willing to be educated; where would I start, Clock, if I wanted to explore Miyazaki's work prior to the Souls series?

If you're looking for Miyazaki specifically, the Armored Core games I mentioned are the only other games he's directed. I haven't played them, myself, but I'd be fascinated to see what elements (if any) from the Souls games appeared in his earlier work.

With From Software in general, Demon's Souls was a spiritual successor to the King's Field series and to the Shadow Tower games. I think King's Field II, King's Field IV, and Shadow Tower were published in the US.

Shadow Tower has what's probably my favorite PSOne cover art:
IMAGE(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Shadow_tower_box.jpg)

The opening of King's Field IV really has a strong Dark Souls vibe (I'm not sure if the narrator was in the Japanese version):

From Software also has a long history as a developer of other various games, but I assume you're not interested in those. We'll just safely say that Metal Wolf Chaos, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Kuon, Chromehounds, and others weren't generally favorably received.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

If you're looking for Miyazaki specifically, the Armored Core games I mentioned are the only other games he's directed. I haven't played them, myself, but I'd be fascinated to see what elements (if any) from the Souls games appeared in his earlier work.

The mechs are very slow and ponderous as hell. The real game is fine tuning your mech, managing heat and power and the like. Armored Core rewards a level of patience that I simply did not have back when I played it on the PS2. There's a lot of grinding to find out what works and to earn enough cash to buy the upgrades you really want.

Someone who spent more time with it might be able to tell you more.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

From Software also has a long history as a developer of other various games, but I assume you're not interested in those. We'll just safely say that Metal Wolf Chaos, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Kuon, Chromehounds, and others weren't generally favorably received.

Well, I'm headed over to Steam to see if those are available! Spell ya later!

EDIT AFTER VISITING STEAM:

They're Japanese developers, so almost all of their games are only on consoles.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

From Software also has a long history as a developer of other various games, but I assume you're not interested in those. We'll just safely say that Metal Wolf Chaos, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Kuon, Chromehounds, and others weren't generally favorably received.

And this is a tragedy because Metal Wolf Chaos is a treasure.

Thanks, Clock! I will commence digging. Want to share this little gem that I found regarding critical reception of Armored Core 4, directed by Miyazaki:

Wikipedia wrote:

His [a particular reviewer's] overall feeling was that it was "too user-friendly" and would be a turn-off to longtime fans.

Rumour has it Shadow Tower is getting a PSN re-release at some point - People noticed that it had been rated by the ESRB recently.

I suspect the "from the creators of..." quote on the front cover would be slightly different if that were to happen

pyxistyx wrote:

Rumour has it Shadow Tower is getting a PSN re-release at some point - People noticed that it had been rated by the ESRB recently.

I suspect the "from the creators of..." quote on the front cover would be slightly different if that were to happen

King's Field (US) is also supposedly getting a PSN re-release.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

If you're looking for Miyazaki specifically, the Armored Core games I mentioned are the only other games he's directed. I haven't played them, myself, but I'd be fascinated to see what elements (if any) from the Souls games appeared in his earlier work.

The mechs are very slow and ponderous as hell. The real game is fine tuning your mech, managing heat and power and the like. Armored Core rewards a level of patience that I simply did not have back when I played it on the PS2. There's a lot of grinding to find out what works and to earn enough cash to buy the upgrades you really want.

Someone who spent more time with it might be able to tell you more.

Nope, still the same but with ACV they went full on mp focused and the series is better for it.

Still, the game's control horribly and look terrible. The modified PS1 game engine just doesn't make for a very pretty game. (Don't listen to the PR when it says they made a whole new engine, they didn't.)

Bloodborne and Pillars... both take the cake for me... but since I don't own a PS4, currently, the latter will be the only thing I might pick up soonish.