Can I have some honest opinions on the current state of the PC game. Is it all fixed? If not what is broken? Don't get me wrong I love the PS5 build but really want to play on PC with my MMO mouse and if not would even use a controller on PC. It would allow me to stream properly some battles and maybe play coop with people.
I remember having to remove all other controllers for it to find my Xbox one at release, but otherwise it ran great. Never had any of the frame pacing / stutter issues.
My advice, get Elden Ring FPS Unlocker to unlock FPS(sadly allows offline play only). But If you want to play coop the whole game, get Seamless Co-op mod , It's great fun, achievements work too!
@@michaelwesten4624 I've completed the game 7 times - not including co-op runs through certain areas - and I'm still here watching this review So , part 3 , yes :L It's just nice to see someone experiencing things for the first time
The area where you found these orc like guys and they don't attack that's because when you kill the bigger one they all surrender. You can see them putting their hands on their heads that's a sign that they are friendly and even if you hit them they won't hit back. Spells wise you can always try the arcane ones they are great and tons of fun to play with. And yeah side quests are great specially rani quest it's one of the best 👌 And by the way med game is reaching the golden city area , you are still in the easier section mack not near halfway through :) I played it on k&m thankfully and loved it, way better than controller. Glad you finally managed to put the review with how busy you are and how hard using a controller for you
@@JohnDoe-pu5gk I don't think thats it remember he has not seen and really took his time he wanted to play the main part of it to get the review out im sure when he goes back to take his time some of his gripes will be iorned out just like the fact that he didnt know if he just equip his wand in his main hand he would not have that problem riding on torrent. easy gripe fix.
I know you probably won't see this mac, But you are still early in the game. The game keeps upping the ante with every area, you gotta get to the capital at least, it's a glorious experience, that might be halfway
Nah. The gearing and progression in this game sucks. You’ll never find something that’s just simply better. It’s always just this excel spreadsheet meta that you have to research and you can never just feel satisfied like ou I got something better!
I loving the game but im kinda burnout at the end of the game. Story so convoluted and the same dodge and attack just keep getting repetitive. After the hidden dragon in the tornado city, I just cant be ask to continue. If they make story more accessible probably can power through but oh well.
Glorious? I'll admit, never played it. But if a video game is your idea of "glorious" then you're an idiot. Probably being harsh because I'm pissed off about something else and slightly drunk but serious, why do you have to play 50 hours before a game starts getting interesting. I call bullshit. I see this game and ya know what? Looks the same as every other game I've played over the last 30 years. Where are all of the interesting mechanics I assume would have been created by now when I was young and played a lot of games? It's the same shit over and over with different characters and slightly better graphics each passing year. Rarely does anything actually change. The whole industry is a fucking conveyor belt of bullshit. A giant piece of shit with a couple pieces of corn here and there.
I'm about 180 hours in, on my first playthrough, at lvl 160ish. Still exploring, even after killing the Elden Beast. I have respecced 6-7 times, trying out different weapons and playstyles, and that is one of the best things about this game IMO. If you struggle with an area/enemies, taking a different approach often helps. Had a really hard time fighting Mogh, Lord of Blood, even with coop. Respecced to Mage, with all the buffs and goodies, and oneshotted him with Comet Azur in a few seconds.
So glad you came back to this!!! Such a great game. And you're spot on about the accessibility. I suck (at all games!), but just farmed myself up to mega levels with broken gear and the summons. Just having a blast. Thanks for the review - not that you needed to persuade me 🤣
For the pain in the arse enemies that insta-dodge your spells there's a class of glintstone sorceries (the blue bolts) that you can get that are called night sorceries. These are "invisible" to the enemy and they won't dodge them when you cast. Other than that, stick with delayed spells like rock sling. Melee builds are awesome fun too, you should definitely make one once you've finished the game with a sorcerer ;)
You can also use the glintblade phalanx spells. On cast you create a sword near you that fires shortly after. Enemies will dodge when you cast it, which is too early, then get hit by the delayed fire.
If you have a staff equipped in your right hand, you can cast as soon as you get on torrent. Can be worth multi-wielding staffs, as some of the damage buffs for using certain staffs make it worth it. Buffs that you get from having a staff in your off hand.
The number one thing this game does right is not bloating the open world with icons and markers. Letting us explore gives us the chance to see and experience the world that was crafted for us. Really hope that more games take this approach in the future.
Morrowind did this back in the day, using your diary and a map you had to figure out where stuff was located. No map markers, no nothing. This ties in the lore of the game with the gameworld very effectively
Mack you are only using Sorceries to attack but if you try finding/purchasing Arcane, Frenzy and Incantation spells then an Astrologer build becomes much more varied in playstyle. Staff spells are only sorceries, but the other types of spells don't require a staff. You can summon a dragon head to breathe Arcane fire or spew golden Frenzy fire from your eyeballs or banish the undead with an Incantation before they resurrect themselves. There are other more powerful Mage armours, staves and swords to find in the open world.
Elden Ring is the best I’ve seen at “soft difficulty mode”. You can go naked with just a wood club to a boss, or you can summon up to 3 people to aid you, or a spirit (or mimic tear). That significantly eases up the pressure on the player. It is still a bit hard, but I’m not “good at games” and I beat it.
The key reason I love the open world of Elden Ring, of which I was initially sceptical of, is that it satisfied my sense of wonder and curiosity so well. My exploration and curiosity was consistently rewarded, from cool weapons to armour to spells or ashes of war and even just finding vistas or awesome looking locations and of course, NPCs and big dungeons.
No. Markers on the map is the best thing man. The joy of wondering in the game is just amazing, reminded me of my time playing fallout 4 and just wandering around walking in the wasteland without a clue what is next to come :) I wish we get more games like these I really hate the Ubisoft and Sony formula of games these days they are all baby proof which is a shame really.
@@MaxUmbra agree. Even if completely different as a game, it stood up in my mind to the hard core classic rpg mechanics of old school games like Morrowind.
@@MaxUmbra Aye, not having markers or constant direction is a huge boon. Go somewhere because you want to be there, not because the game has pop-ups, markers, indicators and all of that jazz thrown at you. Exploration is more rewarding that way.
@@SuperSledgePsycho Yeah, it's really nice to let the player's curiosity drive the experience. Much like Breath of the Wild or erm .... Crackdown? Sure, through the first Crackdown in there. Big world, do your thing.
Really glad you gave this a second try. It's definitely the best game I've played all year and even though I finished it 7 months ago I still think about it a lot.
@@Spriktor I dont think so. The gameplay for elden ring is far deeper, so really all GOW has is a alright story, since elden ring demolishes it when it comes to content.
@@jamesrothery4013 By whose standards? If the gamers got to decide on the GOTY then fine, Elden Ring will probably win. We don't though so GoW will most likely get it as it is a lot less divisive with opinions.
@@chrismason7272 Elden ring hasnt really been divisive at all. It got huge praise upon release apart from a few outlier youtubers. Im pretty harsh on the game, i think its the second worse in the from soulslikes, but even then i trounces pretty much everything god of war offers. The gameplay is far deeper, with many different weapons, skills for those weapons, combo moves, magics, dual wielding. GOW has quite a few skill trees, but depending on your playstyle, you end up ignoring most of the moves. I used a poison build in my playthrough, which meant all of my skills were useless because the best way to use that armour is punching things. It isnt really that deep of a game because you just pick one aspect of the combat and use that to crush everything, whereas elden ring forces you to adapt to challenges and use things you might not have otherwise. Story goes to GOW, but i personally found it lackluster. It had a fantastic start and was great until the angrboda bit, but even then it rescued itself for a few hours, before falling flat at the end. And content goes to elden ring, and id argue thats not just quantity but also quality. GOW has big areas for you to explore in the realms, but they are just an extension of those same forest and deserts combined with a bunch of busy body side quests. They usually have one quest for a character and thats it. Elden ring has whole areas dedicated to bosses and their stories, as well as having more to do in them. The argument for GOW being game of the year is a mystery to me. If we objectively compared the two games, i dont see how elden ring loses in any aspect that isnt story.
@@Chris-xo2rq Bloodborne still has arguably the coolest-badass-creepiest aesthetic in any video game ever made, and mind you I wasn't even that big into it (or the Soul genre in general)-though admittedly if I played it now I would be.
To add to your point about difficulty, the Dark Souls games have never been forcefully hard. They can be tricky (sometimes to teach a lesson or to introduce the player to a crucial mechanic), but you have lots of options to make any encounter much much easier. It's more about learning than it is about technical skill. In this respect I liken them to Monster Hunter where knowledge of your enemy and your options is more important than being technically perfect.
I really hope you stick it out to the end once you feel you have have time because I imagine you are yet to experience some of the best bits, a lot of the my most memorable and fun boss fights were near the end and exploring the underground areas absolutely blew my mind, glad you enjoy it and good luck with your move.
I feel you on the hand holding and reddit guide shiz, man. The #1 thing that pisses me off most in No Mans Sky is the people who put a marker you can see from space next to all the objectives and hidden stuff you need to find in the expedition. There is a whole group of imaginary-clout chasing "gotta be first" douchebags who make it the point of their playthrough to rush through and be the 1st to tag everything... cus you get to leave a short message with your name that everyone can see. Yeah... in-game social media mechanics. 🙄 If you wait to start a few days after the expedition comes out, every single objective and useful item is tagged with "Fuknutz69 was here" and "FIRST!! - Diklips420". Let me play the damn game. Let me fail. Let me get lost. The point is the challenege, and the goal is to waste time in an enjoyable way. Idk why anyone rushes through games or tries to cheese everything so its easy. I think they miss the point of why people play games. Without a challenge, stakes, cost and failure... its not a game. Its just jerking off.
those name balls people leave around in No Mans Sky remind me of one area in that game where you're playing through a narration of some developer, _ah what was the name of it._ It wasn't the Stanley Parable but it had a similar feel to it, but much less agency in terms of what you were allowed to do. Anyway, _that game_ had a cave area full of those glowy balls that all had messages in them, as you run through. Edit: I think it was "The Beginner's Guide" I'm thinking of.
@@piotr78 with the last update, Hello Games made it so you only see so many and you gotta be closer. So its "only" like 50 now and you gotta at least be on the same planet. But you still know once you get your bearings that the message ball icons are what you a heading for. I try to ignore them, cus they sre everywhere, not just at the objective. If someone finds anything useful they tag it. There is a problem with pan handling at the space anomaly, which is like a lobby where players can all meet. Theres always people begging for stuff, cus you can give items to other players, all sitting around the main area. Its like San Francisco. The most recent update I think broke the game... they added difficulty settings that can be adjusted at any time... and they include being able to get everything for free, all tech unlocked and all hazards and damage turned off. So there is an entire section of the player base that only knows how to spend money, fudge the system and complain. If thats not an allegory for whats wrong with the world.... You can chose to lock your settings so you cant change them so thats what I do. But there is no set "normal" game anymore. discord is full of lazy entitled idiots who constantly ask jack assed questions cus they never bothered to actually learn the game, and think having all the things is the point of it all. It caused quite a ruckuss, pretty much ressurected the "does Elden Ring need an easy mode?" debate. Which is why I brought it up here. I argue that without risk, cost, stakes and failure.... its not a game, and achievement has no value. All that cool stuff I played 1600 hours to earn, find, build and afford can be bought by a noob 5 minutes into the game now. Its pay to win without the pay wall to deter you from abusing it. Still a fun game though, didn't totally destroy it. My consolation is that with everything free and immediate, the people who abuse it will get bored and stop playing.
The game can definitely be hard if you play non-ranged classes and don't use summons. But just like the other souls games, some classes make the game more accessible
Glad to hear you enjoy. I was never a fan of souls game but elden ring, dang man what a game. A true rpg, no hand holding, no x ray vision, no markers for quests, minimal hud, no enemy scaling. Can fight whoever you want, and live with the consequences. An old school rpg in a beautiful and immense open world. I have to say I didn’t finish it, got to the volcano manor, I’m very high level, kind of a completionist, put so many hours into it and switched to play something else and never went back to it (yet). Did a lot of PvP duels also. This review might have just gave me the proper motivation to pick it back up.
The difficulty of the game is decided by the player. the summons are a GREAT thing, i did not want to use them, i wanted it to be my sword vs the boss. but the summons enable everyone to be able to complete the game, it is what you make of it, its a PROPPER adventure
It’s more important that you give this a good go to enjoy for yourself when you get time than the review. I’m not interested in fanboying or trying to folks minds if it’s not for them. Jst I’ve not played a game of this calibur in ages and it is well worth the asking price.
Same here, I didn't play a single souls game before only elden ring and im no fanboy. It's just that most games recently are shit and this one was quite a surprise for me when I lost hope that we will get a decent game. It's worth every penny and I'll play this over any other generic third person rpg that Sony or Ubisoft makes.
Wow I played this for 80 hours and didn't know you could use magic on the horse. I agree with you, I never played a dark souls game because of the gatekeeping community, but Elden ring was a lot of fun with a lot of flexibility on how to approach things
Enjoyed the review. Think you said you are half way but based on what you showed you are still very early in the game, you will be very surprised how big the game is. Hope you keep playing and do another review at some point.
I am not a great gamer... and not managed to complete or enjoy any other Soul's game... and I beat this game and liked it, gave this a 8.8 / 10 for me its a Buy, was a great time and worth every penny.
The thing that seperates this from other souls games is the ability to walk away from a boss and go adventuring to level up and practice. I've never had any luck with the Souls series but I have sunk over 250 hours into this game and still going. Im having a blast and even started playing Dark Souls series now and having a great time with it also. Once I learned the dodge timing I really started having fun. If you're unsure about getting this, JUST get it!!! The world is absolutely amazing. ALSO Great review and yet another honest opinion!! Its funny how these big gaming outlets and channels had reviews out for this on release... I DON'T give a F$$K if they got an early copy or not... There is NO way anyone can create a real and honest review of anything in that short amount of time. Thank you for actually putting the time into your work and creating a genuine and honest review. We really appriciate it especially considering you most likely lost income from releasing it so far after the release date. GREAT WORK!!!
In my opinion the game is so accessible mainly because of the spirits you can summon- summoning them makes the fights much more simpler to people who want to enjoy the game without facing the true wrath of the bosses. However if you are someone like me who likes geting rekt 50+ times every fight, just don't use the spirits.
Yes agreed - the spirits are like a built in easy mode. My first playthrough I used them, and I was actually disappointed because the game seemed easy. But my second go, I did a no spirit summon/no NPC summon run and that gave me the challenge I wanted. Extremely rewarding, that!
I only made it to Godrick, beat him in about 10 tries, just as I was about to give up and rage quit but I took a break after that and I never came back to it. I'll have to pick it up again. I really loved the game from what I played, it has that sense of adventure and exploration that few games have. I did find it quite hard though, I didn't look up any guides, I just started playing with a melee build and I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong but my road to Godrick has been a struggle.
From the perspective of someone who put 400 hours into this game, it's got issues, it gets more repetitive the further you progress into the story, but it's still an excellent thing. I played through the first run semi-blind, without guides except two pertaining to the location of one megadungeon and acing an interesting ending.
I never really understood why people are always acting like souls games are so hard. you can summon, overlevel and skip parts even in the games before elden ring. Also the none boss fight parts get alot easier if you just take it slow and don’t run in like a prick. The ingame community is actually pretty nice tho!
@@MichaelJ44 such a weird take. I'm not the biggest fan of souls combat but what exactly is your comparison with MW2 spec ops. Dark souls combat is just basic Hitbox and hurtbox interactions related to melee attacks that vary in range, speed , recovery time, damage dealt, stamina cost. I don't see the mechanical comparison to cod. Seems kinda stupid
@@MichaelJ44 I see the comparison and i still think its dumb. Doom and cod are both shooters but even if you were to compare them you'd need to understand their differences otherwise your argument is just shit. Doom has enemies that have projectiles instead of just hitscan, doom allows you to move and shoot at the same time at a much faster speed. The enemy design and geometry lead to much more dynamic encounters I could go on. You can't just say both games have ai and end your comparison there
Just using doom as an example because its also a fps and yet I can show how its insanely different to call of duty to the point where pointing out that they both have you fighting ai opponents is as useless as a comparison as twighlight and pride and prejudice both being books with words in them
The example you show on video @ 08:54 is actually a feature, you killed the big guy first in this area, so the little guys are afraid of you and therefore won't attack lmao.
Seeing you review has made me officially replay this game today as a Mage. Stuck on the last boss as a holy knight but dam those spells look so dam strong I'm curious now.
Don't blame you for following a guide. The open world was completely overwhelming for me at first but things like the door you almost miss in the cliff wall that open to a dungeon just draws you in and makes you want to just go in a random direction and see what else you find.
the fact that most of the guides in this game are exploits, it really bumped me to continue the game... I never experience Fromsoft game before, it really confused me with the stats especially... The dev really should make this game accessible for all people, considering the high praise coming from every reviewers (except Mack maybe, He really does holding back on this review to avoid controversy)
@@nickochioneantony9288 No game can be made accessible for all people. It's literally impossible, and no game should every strive for that either. It's either for you or it isn't, and that's okay. There's a lot to learn in Elden Ring but it's worth the learning if you're into open world games done right.
Perfect example of how Elden Ring or souls games in general are as easy or as hard as you make them. If you want an extra challenge you can do no summons or spirits but that’s completely up to you how you play the game. Whatever you have the most fun with is how I would recommend playing any souls game
You hit the nail on the head with the DS Community. My god what a but of ... yeah. Old gamer here, played a mage, used summons and had a blast. I think your critiques are spot on. I played on PC, while I didn't have as many control issues, I was handicapped a bit by Keyboard and mouse control issue. Overall I would say your review was spot on. Not a perfect game, but defiantly worth a buy. I spent about 205 hours in according to steam XD
and THIS is one of those moments, where i mourn mackscorner bitterly. how id LOVE to see a playthrough of mackerson the mage in elden ringpi...nevermind.
An extremely fair review! I absolutely love the game, personally. You wouldn't believe it, but you're still in the first quarter of the game! It is bananas how much the game just keeps growing with every new area. I've beat the game 7 times on the same character, got all of the achievements too, and I'm not an achievement hunter. Everything you've said is right on par. I've played games on a controller all my life, so I didn't find the controls so bad personally. But I can agree, otherwise.
"Its not that hard" Genuinely how I feel about most of the dark souls games, learning curve, learn how to dodge/roll, and learn their attack patterns. Once I figured that out I was 80% there, people say its hard, its not hard if you are prepared, know your limits, and know what will get you killed quickly. Genuinely, very happy to hear you are enjoying this, as I know you've stated you disliked Dark Souls games in the past, but I believe you are experiencing now what most of us have experienced in Dark Souls games. Its a game I hated to turn on, it was borderline painful, but I always played 4-5 hours straight and loved it. Their fun games, and while not the same the feel, the excitement, that's the same. You start off weak, you die easy, but the end you feel like a god, you feel unkillable for the most part, its that progression which has so many people captivated with the Dark Souls games. Pleased you are finally getting a chance to experience it man :)
I know that maybe you are not going to read this Mac... But I'm very glad you gave this one a second chance... But I just might add 2 things... One, being a mage is easy mode in this game... Try a quality build or melee focused one... You'll understand.... Two, you're still early on in the game and that's a great thing... Keep going it will amaze you!
I honestly feel like this game is overhyped how can people ignore the the repetition, the mini dungeons you all find 80% of them have the same layout, re-used bosses, making beefed up versions of regular enemies. I honestly think this type of game doesnt work in an open world setting, bloodborne,ds3 etc all in a contained setting I think they should go back to the DS1 formula and have an interconnected map.
I have never played a souls game in my life when I played Elden ring I am absolutely trash however I completed it at 170 hours this has to be the hardest game I have ever played in my entire life and I completed it It depends what class you are using if you’re using a mage it’s a lot easier than a knight I ended up going with a bleed build and that seemed like it worked This game made me feel like I wanted to rip my soul out and burn it it made me so frustrated so angry I ended up in tears after losing 120 thousand runes after a giant ball killed me again This is hands down one of the best games I have ever played it’s absolutely incredible it’s a 10 out of 10 for me
@@Jaime_Protein_Cannister i’ve nearly completed blood-borne much easier except for that bloody boss on the fucking castle roof doing my head in I’ve started dark souls three quite a bit of getting used to I’ve tried Demon souls and I absolutely hated it so that’s last on my list 😂
@@carlosstfc321 Sekiro is a nightmare on another level It's based around "Deflecting" , where you need to break enemy by blocking around 10-15 attacks. Imagine Melania except you need to parry every attack and you have sekiro.
@@Jaime_Protein_Cannister I’ve heard not very nice things about that but I’m going to work it up to that game my friend is a lifetime souls fan and he said it’s the hardest one great
I 100 percented this game am I am not really a Souls fan. They really got the mix of difficulty and sense of exploration right in this game. If in the next one they tighten up their story telling and polish just a little more these games will be the greatest ever- but right now its obviously game of the year.
Mage is by far the best build if you want a mellower experience. Some even argue its OP but I wouldnt go as far, but it really makes it easier to keep your distance wich is key to almost every boss. Melee build defenetly gives you more of a workout so I cant agree that it would be the easiest build. The most recognicable perhaps, but not easiest.
I disagree on the AI, you showed only one example and its not even true. The goblin enemies you were fighting at 9:00 surrendered once you killed the big queen, its part of their gimmick. Agreed with everything else, especially the part about the community. Also, I wish you would have played this on PC, its much better with M & K.
I was wondering about that since NONE of the enemies I met just stood there allowing you to farm them. I think I was level 55 or something and took a hiatus from Elden Ring for a bit but will get back to it soon.
Already mentioned the demi humans thing in a comment too myself. And yeah the A.I was unfair maybe but never bad or stupid lol I played with m&k too and it's a joy to play.
I'm glad you gave Elden Ring another go. This game really is something special. It blew me away constantly. And frustrated and challenged me also, to say the least 😅
Took Mac to play cheesy rock sling mage to like a souls game. I would say it might not be very representative of experience others will have playing it but its definitely fun and powerful.
I like that you came back to this game and reviewed it again, thought you missed out big time in February due to all of the original technical problems.
Really glad your enjoying the game Mac. I know everyone's experience will be time limited as the game is so big, but you can find many more spells to improve the variety of combat.
i know its really late xD but it really bothered me that u thought the little gremlin guys had ai issues. if i remember correctly i bought one of those information scrolls from the vendor at the start that sayed that if you kill their queen they will cower in fear and give up, it also happends in the boss fight when u have two of the big ones if u kill them before the small ones die. there are those fun little tidbits in the game and it was fully intentional :)
Mack the reason you have to double hand the staff to cast while on a horse is because your riding a horse, so you need one hand for that. (realistic ? ;) Also the spells can beat enemy dodges, you just have to improve spell casting time (dexterity,rings)) or use spells that cast faster :)
Definitely a different review than im used to seeing from you but thats refreshing. Good to get an honest and fair review, i feel like it was overly praised so it was difficult getting an accurate take on the good the bad etc. Also good to hear it's not as difficult as the other souls games/nioh. They're just too much of an investment for me to enjoy
Man, I went to that cave full of bug people with bows and arrows, I got there through a portal chest or something like that, and I spent 2h trying to get out. I finally did. I opened the map and I was miles away from the starting area. I uninstalled the game, is not for me, but I recognize the fun of it.
I fell into that same trap. I had a blast though as I went super ninja, waited until the dead of night and snuck about, only attacking isolated enemies from behind. After about an hour I spotted a grace in the distance and spent 15 minutes slowly creeping up to it making sure nothing noticed me. I then spent the next 70 hours playing the game in full ninja mode lmao.
Don’t believe Mac.. there is no house move.. He’s just preparing for the £65 Harry Potter Hogwarts game that comes out in February .. He’s actually stocking up on Bells and is about to enter a winter hibernation for the cesspool of mediocrity that is about to bestow upon him
Fantastic review! I remember you didnt enjoy the other soulslike games so honestly I find your opinion alot more valueable compared to others who always enjoyed the games and got used to the weird issues in the other games. The elitists claiming this is a game for hardcore only gamers are always a weird bunch, the game can become hard or easy depending on how you play it, some bosses will counter your builds, some are weak to it. I also find it funny how AAA video game creators were insanely mad on twitter on how people enjoyed this game for not being handholdy with world design and such, claiming its a step backwards in game design not to guide the player constantly. Honestly my favorite part of the game and just shows how clueless AAA studios are. Glad you put that as a positive and prefer a more immersive open world thats free to explore all by yourself, too many journalists just want a game that holds their hand non stop and fill the UI with nonsense on what you should do.
The thing about the enemies standing there, the game has aggro distance on different enemies, and this is because some rooms are just filled with enemies, and it would be pretty ridiculous for every enemy to just rush you. In the clip you had shown during that comment you can see that the enemies were cowering in fear and these kind of personalities in enemy AI has been a thing in Souls games since the first one, some enemies just aren't really enemies, could be because of an ambush from a stronger enemy emerging or to set the tone of the atmosphere as a lot of the times the games are very dreary and bleak. It's also used to sometimes show exhaustion of these enemies such as bone thin undead soldiers, mindlessly wandering without a purpose as the games are all about humanity and losing humanity makes you a husk. Is the AI perfect? No way but sometimes games need this kind of piece-by-piece mechanics because solving their logic can increase the skill cap from 1 player to another, I understand the push for smarter AI is the ultimate goal, we want virtual things to be more human but solving a puzzle and finding out that there's depth beyond solving it can be enjoyable for a set of people. Knowledge of enemy patterns and threat in games like DOOM and Diablo 2 birthed optimising every little bit of the experience that kept them replayed even to this day.
For me this game has the same problems that Other Dark Souls games have , The camerawork is trash you cannot edit how close or far your camera is from your dude , it spazzes out whenever there is a wall , oftentimes when a boss is oversized they make your Lock on Spazz out , especially when you're targetting mid or head section of a boss and go for an attack the camera just looks at the sky. It's programmed poorly. Playing as a mage you probably experience less of this , but a meele character experiences this constantly. Moreover you will have trouble catching up to bosses , because everything moves faster than you so fighting big things is more tedious than difficult. Some bosses perform leaps , for instace when they leap behind you , in which case your camera will do Full on headspinning 180 if not 360. Large enemies pin you to walls without actually touching you the hitbox is so fat that oftentimes you will get pinned by invisible Forcefield around the boss. On top of that every dark souls game Exploits the fact that camerawork is shit (slow console like panning) and the game will hide dangers where you cannot Possibly pan in time, you cannot react unless you hear it OR you have played the area before. You have to accept this as "free dmg". So then you unlock the shitty Targetted camera to get some freedom , except now you're attacking air 50% of the time , relatively slow attacks , animation lock , meanwhile enemies hit in 180 , you can't avoid unless you get the invincibility frame right. EVERYBODY even the pro's get stuck on terrain frequently or as previously metnioned on boss hitboxes etc. I've watched many streams just looking at what these people fail at and they ALL Die To clunk , they don't die because they lack anything , they most often die because game is clunky. Even in this video you see how poor the enviroment is At 4:13 you get stuck on rocks , because Camera is so close to you , so you cannot see what you are doing. You're being chased by 3-4 enemies in a tight corridor and the edges of the map are like super glue , you touch anything , you're stuck like a fly. After that You roll twice , you roll into a wall and almost get stuck again. At 4:34 because you are close to a wall camera sits on your shoulders and now you REALLY can't see shit. 4:45 stuck on destructibles, into animation lock... Enemy takes half your health because you can't move :) Meanwhile 4:51 enemy does a slashing attack trough the entire corridor :) This game is in essence "getting stuck on things" and dying to camer sim it's a 6/10 for me , Kingdom Come Deliverance is 8.5 /10 for me and Elden Rign doesn't not even come remotely close.
I agree with all the camera stuff. I have no idea why they're forcing me to use noob lock on to use ranged attacks when in any other game I could just point the camera at the enemy and the projectile will go where I'm looking.
I wouldn't be put off by following some tutorials, there's so many ways to complete the game and so many quests you can do it'd be hard to do it completley alone. Obviously people have but I think a massive part of this game is the community finding things out and posting online. Which is another reason I think it's done so well, it's gets people talking, asking questions. What quest lines do I have to follow to get this ending, who do I have to defeat to get this weapon. The only game I've ever new game plused because you can duel wield some special weapons and it siiiiiick
Awsome review, totally agree!! Would you be up for re-reviewing cyberpunk? people say it’s much improved since release (couldn’t be much worse). But is it worth a buy ;-)
Elden Ring gave me what I wanted in a game.....The passion for creating a AAA game that is for the players and everyone. What most AAA game devs just do not get anymore.
For me the legacy dungeons were some of Froms highlight, but the open world and side dungeons were a From low for me, especially with how repetitive and samey the side dungeons get and I like to do a thourough exploration.
I've never played any of the Souls games or others similar, as far as I recall, I did hear about their mad difficulty, so I guess I'd have to ask, is this a good one to try out, I'm mulling it over
I'd recommend it. Like Mac says, the online community is toxic and just talks so much bull locks. Just ignore them and do whatever you like. Some parts are definitely not easy but if you ever hit a wall you can just go play somewhere else and come back when you're more powerful. I'd never played a souls game but beat one of the "super difficult" end game bosses 2nd try.
@@GangsterFrankensteinComputer I did eventually get it on PS4, and my character is now over level 100 and I've put 90hrs in, grind, progress, hit a brick wall, and repeat lol, I think I have 3 great shards/runes now if I'm right
I'm glad you came back to this. ER is in a completely different league than nearly every other game. A game that was unapologetically made for souls fans, no trying to appeal to everyone. Plus the work that went into the details on this puts every game made in the last 20 years to shame. Zero micro transactions, zero content withheld for dlc, zero fuckery. Just an incredible honest game. Everyone should buy this just to reward the company for not cash grabbing like everything else. Vote with your dollars people. Buy 10 copies of this if you can afford it. Let this set the bar for what we expect from devs.
The only thing I wished Elden Ring had was some more interactive environment and some items that can be used for certain weaknesses. For example, that sword that kills the Giant, it's a shame that it's only good for that certain giant. Would be nice to have something like that.
When it comes to difficulty, you have to factor in the class you're playing. Magic makes the game MUCH more accessible (the same goes for late game weapon arts), which doesn't detract from people who want a challenging experience, while opening up the game to a broader player base that wouldn't delve into a standard Dark Souls game. You will, however, have a very different experience when playing a melee character, especially earlier in the game, when you have fewer options of weapons and weapon arts. So yeah, the game can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be, depending on how much you want to spec into magic or use certain weapon arts.
this is the only game i ever had to uninstall. I put 80 hours onto this game on release week. That was the first week of my dissertation. I had to uninstall then. Been meaning to play it ever since but now im working just struggling to find the time. Fantastic game though. Mac is around 20-30% through from the footage I saw. Its hard, but easier than the other souls games (that I hate with a passion). Worth pirating, putting in 5 hours to see if you like it and then buying it. I was playing before the reshala nerf (made the game 5x easier), still got past the guy. Its so so so worth playing
About the horse wand problem.. equip your staff in the right hand (mage should have main weapon - staff, in right hand). Now when you get on your horse, no need to change weapon! Easy..
I can't believe more people aren't talking about how BEAUTIFUL this game is. It's one of the most beautiful games ever made imo and deserves more praise on that front. With HDR it's incredible how magical it looks.
@Transistor Jump Yeah, everyone that has played the game talks about how amazing it looks. People that already don't like souls games for one reason or another and have seen compressed images on twitter or watch youtube videos in 320p are the only ones that say it has bad graphics.
@Transistor Jump I can only assume you have a crappy console or some potato pc. Maybe even a terrible monitor or TV. Either way, your eyes are lying to you.
The difficulty is optional. Things that make it easier are magic, and ashes. That said, the difficulty spike LEAPS after Leyndell, and if you decide to go for the optional Demigods, you're gonna get sweaty.
Hey Mack you actually can use magic on horse just 2 hand the staff before you mount you can 2 hand by holding triangle and the left or right shoulder button depending on which hand is holding the weapon
I agree, it somewhat is repetetive and for me that was the biggest flaw. Otherwise there were none to me and I played it in launch. I enjoy Souls games a lot and this was pretty much like a Souls game but in the open environment. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, depending on what you like as a player. For me the difficulty did ramp up a lot in the last 15 - 20% of the game, before that it was quite easy (though I am a Souls veteran so all the things learned from those games helped a ton). The last bosses were quite hard with my build, I still managed to kill all but one (without abusing bugs, or using builds or guides). I think I also found pretty much all the bosses so there's that. Wasn't anything too hard but you do need to like to explore and figure things out. It doesn't happen just by playing (or you can use guides to assist in this). I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone who like to figure things out by yourself 'cause there's the enjoyment in this game. It's one of the most rewarding games ever if you just think and try things. If you watch all from a guide it spoils a lot of that potential joy there is in it. You absolutely can do that, but I'd recommend to play the first playthrough just by yourself and doing things you like (and not taking too much stress about it).
Can I have some honest opinions on the current state of the PC game. Is it all fixed? If not what is broken? Don't get me wrong I love the PS5 build but really want to play on PC with my MMO mouse and if not would even use a controller on PC. It would allow me to stream properly some battles and maybe play coop with people.
Never would I ever thought I would see Mack enjoy a game where he rolls around like a prick 😂
Runs like a dream on my PC, smooth as butter, no dropped frames and haven't had any crashes 40hrs in
5900X RYZEN
6900XT Red Devil
32GB RAM
I remember having to remove all other controllers for it to find my Xbox one at release, but otherwise it ran great. Never had any of the frame pacing / stutter issues.
My advice, get Elden Ring FPS Unlocker to unlock FPS(sadly allows offline play only). But If you want to play coop the whole game, get Seamless Co-op mod , It's great fun, achievements work too!
It runs completely fine on PC they also seemed to fix the stuttering too.
There's still so much to see. I kinda want a part 3 to this.
just play it yourself
@@michaelwesten4624 I've completed the game 7 times - not including co-op runs through certain areas
- and I'm still here watching this review
So , part 3 , yes :L
It's just nice to see someone experiencing things for the first time
@@UdGin0This. Why does everyone that comments now have such a bad attitude?
@@j85grim4 the times we live in 😅
The area where you found these orc like guys and they don't attack that's because when you kill the bigger one they all surrender. You can see them putting their hands on their heads that's a sign that they are friendly and even if you hit them they won't hit back.
Spells wise you can always try the arcane ones they are great and tons of fun to play with.
And yeah side quests are great specially rani quest it's one of the best 👌
And by the way med game is reaching the golden city area , you are still in the easier section mack not near halfway through :)
I played it on k&m thankfully and loved it, way better than controller.
Glad you finally managed to put the review with how busy you are and how hard using a controller for you
Yeah, there's even a note or whatever it's called you can buy from a trader that tells you they will go passive if you kill the big one
I like this mechanic.. normally the strategy is to kill off the adds and then tackle the boss, but this mechanic flips that on its head.
@@benavraham234 he's not the brightest.
@@JohnDoe-pu5gk I don't think thats it remember he has not seen and really took his time he wanted to play the main part of it to get the review out im sure when he goes back to take his time some of his gripes will be iorned out just like the fact that he didnt know if he just equip his wand in his main hand he would not have that problem riding on torrent. easy gripe fix.
Ur the coolest maxumbra🤣
I know you probably won't see this mac, But you are still early in the game. The game keeps upping the ante with every area, you gotta get to the capital at least, it's a glorious experience, that might be halfway
Nah. The gearing and progression in this game sucks. You’ll never find something that’s just simply better. It’s always just this excel spreadsheet meta that you have to research and you can never just feel satisfied like ou I got something better!
How you figure tedium is a glorious experience...
I loving the game but im kinda burnout at the end of the game. Story so convoluted and the same dodge and attack just keep getting repetitive. After the hidden dragon in the tornado city, I just cant be ask to continue. If they make story more accessible probably can power through but oh well.
@@AFpaleoCon this
Glorious? I'll admit, never played it. But if a video game is your idea of "glorious" then you're an idiot. Probably being harsh because I'm pissed off about something else and slightly drunk but serious, why do you have to play 50 hours before a game starts getting interesting. I call bullshit. I see this game and ya know what? Looks the same as every other game I've played over the last 30 years. Where are all of the interesting mechanics I assume would have been created by now when I was young and played a lot of games? It's the same shit over and over with different characters and slightly better graphics each passing year. Rarely does anything actually change. The whole industry is a fucking conveyor belt of bullshit. A giant piece of shit with a couple pieces of corn here and there.
Keep being honest mack. Love your reviews
I feel like he was holding back a bit
? This game is awesome, this entire review was such a shit take.
I'm about 180 hours in, on my first playthrough, at lvl 160ish. Still exploring, even after killing the Elden Beast. I have respecced 6-7 times, trying out different weapons and playstyles, and that is one of the best things about this game IMO. If you struggle with an area/enemies, taking a different approach often helps. Had a really hard time fighting Mogh, Lord of Blood, even with coop. Respecced to Mage, with all the buffs and goodies, and oneshotted him with Comet Azur in a few seconds.
The key with Mogh is there's an item for your special potion that counters his ultimate countdown move.
So glad you came back to this!!! Such a great game. And you're spot on about the accessibility. I suck (at all games!), but just farmed myself up to mega levels with broken gear and the summons. Just having a blast. Thanks for the review - not that you needed to persuade me 🤣
For the pain in the arse enemies that insta-dodge your spells there's a class of glintstone sorceries (the blue bolts) that you can get that are called night sorceries. These are "invisible" to the enemy and they won't dodge them when you cast. Other than that, stick with delayed spells like rock sling.
Melee builds are awesome fun too, you should definitely make one once you've finished the game with a sorcerer ;)
Im glad some enemies are smart enough to counter spells, they hit like a truck so obv there needs to ne a cost of standing still on a horse etc
Or just use the homing spells
You can also use the glintblade phalanx spells. On cast you create a sword near you that fires shortly after. Enemies will dodge when you cast it, which is too early, then get hit by the delayed fire.
'The Night shard' and 'Stars of ruin' are really good spells, hard for enemies to avoid.
lol, by "fun" you mean roll around on the ground constantly. The most trash combat in a game ever. So f*cking stupid and boring.
'You don't have to be the king of the reflex ninja's to play this game'😂😂😂. Best review quote in a long while. Thanks Mack, I might pick it up.
If you just kick it in the game , it's very enjoyable. Play it my guy ❗👍
I'm 50+, strict PC gamer, and this is one of the best games I ever played over the last 30 years
If you have a staff equipped in your right hand, you can cast as soon as you get on torrent. Can be worth multi-wielding staffs, as some of the damage buffs for using certain staffs make it worth it. Buffs that you get from having a staff in your off hand.
The number one thing this game does right is not bloating the open world with icons and markers. Letting us explore gives us the chance to see and experience the world that was crafted for us. Really hope that more games take this approach in the future.
Morrowind did this back in the day, using your diary and a map you had to figure out where stuff was located. No map markers, no nothing. This ties in the lore of the game with the gameworld very effectively
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I ain't got time for dat
Mack you are only using Sorceries to attack but if you try finding/purchasing Arcane, Frenzy and Incantation spells then an Astrologer build becomes much more varied in playstyle. Staff spells are only sorceries, but the other types of spells don't require a staff. You can summon a dragon head to breathe Arcane fire or spew golden Frenzy fire from your eyeballs or banish the undead with an Incantation before they resurrect themselves. There are other more powerful Mage armours, staves and swords to find in the open world.
Elden Ring is the best I’ve seen at “soft difficulty mode”. You can go naked with just a wood club to a boss, or you can summon up to 3 people to aid you, or a spirit (or mimic tear). That significantly eases up the pressure on the player. It is still a bit hard, but I’m not “good at games” and I beat it.
Good luck with the godskin duo, maleketh and Elden beast you’ll need it
Shouldn't be too hard with 2 summons and pured ranged lol
I didn't care for the Dark Soul games either. Reviews said Elden Ring was different, so I gave it a chance and ended up really enjoying. Good review.
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My inner toxic Souls player in me was typing "git gud" and "take grass" every time Mack spoke.
The key reason I love the open world of Elden Ring, of which I was initially sceptical of, is that it satisfied my sense of wonder and curiosity so well. My exploration and curiosity was consistently rewarded, from cool weapons to armour to spells or ashes of war and even just finding vistas or awesome looking locations and of course, NPCs and big dungeons.
No. Markers on the map is the best thing man.
The joy of wondering in the game is just amazing, reminded me of my time playing fallout 4 and just wandering around walking in the wasteland without a clue what is next to come :)
I wish we get more games like these I really hate the Ubisoft and Sony formula of games these days they are all baby proof which is a shame really.
@@MaxUmbra agree. Even if completely different as a game, it stood up in my mind to the hard core classic rpg mechanics of old school games like Morrowind.
@@MaxUmbra Aye, not having markers or constant direction is a huge boon. Go somewhere because you want to be there, not because the game has pop-ups, markers, indicators and all of that jazz thrown at you. Exploration is more rewarding that way.
@@SuperSledgePsycho Yeah, it's really nice to let the player's curiosity drive the experience. Much like Breath of the Wild or erm .... Crackdown? Sure, through the first Crackdown in there. Big world, do your thing.
Really glad you gave this a second try. It's definitely the best game I've played all year and even though I finished it 7 months ago I still think about it a lot.
God of War snatching that goty tho ;)
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@@Spriktor I dont think so. The gameplay for elden ring is far deeper, so really all GOW has is a alright story, since elden ring demolishes it when it comes to content.
@@jamesrothery4013 By whose standards? If the gamers got to decide on the GOTY then fine, Elden Ring will probably win. We don't though so GoW will most likely get it as it is a lot less divisive with opinions.
@@chrismason7272 Elden ring hasnt really been divisive at all. It got huge praise upon release apart from a few outlier youtubers. Im pretty harsh on the game, i think its the second worse in the from soulslikes, but even then i trounces pretty much everything god of war offers.
The gameplay is far deeper, with many different weapons, skills for those weapons, combo moves, magics, dual wielding. GOW has quite a few skill trees, but depending on your playstyle, you end up ignoring most of the moves. I used a poison build in my playthrough, which meant all of my skills were useless because the best way to use that armour is punching things. It isnt really that deep of a game because you just pick one aspect of the combat and use that to crush everything, whereas elden ring forces you to adapt to challenges and use things you might not have otherwise.
Story goes to GOW, but i personally found it lackluster. It had a fantastic start and was great until the angrboda bit, but even then it rescued itself for a few hours, before falling flat at the end.
And content goes to elden ring, and id argue thats not just quantity but also quality. GOW has big areas for you to explore in the realms, but they are just an extension of those same forest and deserts combined with a bunch of busy body side quests. They usually have one quest for a character and thats it. Elden ring has whole areas dedicated to bosses and their stories, as well as having more to do in them.
The argument for GOW being game of the year is a mystery to me. If we objectively compared the two games, i dont see how elden ring loses in any aspect that isnt story.
Very nicely done...
One of the best games I've played in a while I'm glad you're enjoying it.
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The fact a souls game has got this praise from Mac speaks to how good it is
Which is weird because, while I love ER, it's not the best souls game...I think DS3 and Bloodborne are both better games.
@@Chris-xo2rq They have a higher barrier to entry which puts a lot of people off
@@rekrab thats their whole point tho they dont want to be accesible to everybody. Still millions enjoy them which is why they keep making them.
@@rekrab How? They're almost the same game.
@@Chris-xo2rq Bloodborne still has arguably the coolest-badass-creepiest aesthetic in any video game ever made, and mind you I wasn't even that big into it (or the Soul genre in general)-though admittedly if I played it now I would be.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the game Mack. I hope you have more time after your move to get through to the end
To add to your point about difficulty, the Dark Souls games have never been forcefully hard. They can be tricky (sometimes to teach a lesson or to introduce the player to a crucial mechanic), but you have lots of options to make any encounter much much easier. It's more about learning than it is about technical skill. In this respect I liken them to Monster Hunter where knowledge of your enemy and your options is more important than being technically perfect.
I really hope you stick it out to the end once you feel you have have time because I imagine you are yet to experience some of the best bits, a lot of the my most memorable and fun boss fights were near the end and exploring the underground areas absolutely blew my mind, glad you enjoy it and good luck with your move.
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I feel you on the hand holding and reddit guide shiz, man.
The #1 thing that pisses me off most in No Mans Sky is the people who put a marker you can see from space next to all the objectives and hidden stuff you need to find in the expedition. There is a whole group of imaginary-clout chasing "gotta be first" douchebags who make it the point of their playthrough to rush through and be the 1st to tag everything... cus you get to leave a short message with your name that everyone can see.
Yeah... in-game social media mechanics. 🙄
If you wait to start a few days after the expedition comes out, every single objective and useful item is tagged with "Fuknutz69 was here" and "FIRST!! - Diklips420".
Let me play the damn game. Let me fail. Let me get lost. The point is the challenege, and the goal is to waste time in an enjoyable way.
Idk why anyone rushes through games or tries to cheese everything so its easy.
I think they miss the point of why people play games.
Without a challenge, stakes, cost and failure... its not a game. Its just jerking off.
Oh no..that's sounds terrible for someone like me that hates spoilers for anything I enjoy. No way to turn that off?
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those name balls people leave around in No Mans Sky remind me of one area in that game where you're playing through a narration of some developer, _ah what was the name of it._ It wasn't the Stanley Parable but it had a similar feel to it, but much less agency in terms of what you were allowed to do. Anyway, _that game_ had a cave area full of those glowy balls that all had messages in them, as you run through. Edit: I think it was "The Beginner's Guide" I'm thinking of.
@@piotr78 with the last update, Hello Games made it so you only see so many and you gotta be closer. So its "only" like 50 now and you gotta at least be on the same planet. But you still know once you get your bearings that the message ball icons are what you a heading for.
I try to ignore them, cus they sre everywhere, not just at the objective. If someone finds anything useful they tag it.
There is a problem with pan handling at the space anomaly, which is like a lobby where players can all meet. Theres always people begging for stuff, cus you can give items to other players, all sitting around the main area. Its like San Francisco.
The most recent update I think broke the game... they added difficulty settings that can be adjusted at any time... and they include being able to get everything for free, all tech unlocked and all hazards and damage turned off.
So there is an entire section of the player base that only knows how to spend money, fudge the system and complain.
If thats not an allegory for whats wrong with the world....
You can chose to lock your settings so you cant change them so thats what I do. But there is no set "normal" game anymore. discord is full of lazy entitled idiots who constantly ask jack assed questions cus they never bothered to actually learn the game, and think having all the things is the point of it all.
It caused quite a ruckuss, pretty much ressurected the "does Elden Ring need an easy mode?" debate. Which is why I brought it up here. I argue that without risk, cost, stakes and failure.... its not a game, and achievement has no value. All that cool stuff I played 1600 hours to earn, find, build and afford can be bought by a noob 5 minutes into the game now. Its pay to win without the pay wall to deter you from abusing it.
Still a fun game though, didn't totally destroy it. My consolation is that with everything free and immediate, the people who abuse it will get bored and stop playing.
The game can definitely be hard if you play non-ranged classes and don't use summons. But just like the other souls games, some classes make the game more accessible
Glad to hear you enjoy. I was never a fan of souls game but elden ring, dang man what a game. A true rpg, no hand holding, no x ray vision, no markers for quests, minimal hud, no enemy scaling. Can fight whoever you want, and live with the consequences. An old school rpg in a beautiful and immense open world. I have to say I didn’t finish it, got to the volcano manor, I’m very high level, kind of a completionist, put so many hours into it and switched to play something else and never went back to it (yet). Did a lot of PvP duels also. This review might have just gave me the proper motivation to pick it back up.
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Mack giving a Fromsoft game a real try... Feels weird, but I like it. Maybe this will inspire him to give Dark Souls a real try? Probably not.
The difficulty of the game is decided by the player. the summons are a GREAT thing, i did not want to use them, i wanted it to be my sword vs the boss. but the summons enable everyone to be able to complete the game, it is what you make of it, its a PROPPER adventure
It’s more important that you give this a good go to enjoy for yourself when you get time than the review. I’m not interested in fanboying or trying to folks minds if it’s not for them. Jst I’ve not played a game of this calibur in ages and it is well worth the asking price.
Same here, I didn't play a single souls game before only elden ring and im no fanboy.
It's just that most games recently are shit and this one was quite a surprise for me when I lost hope that we will get a decent game.
It's worth every penny and I'll play this over any other generic third person rpg that Sony or Ubisoft makes.
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"NON HAND-HOLDY"...The best thing about this game.
Wow I played this for 80 hours and didn't know you could use magic on the horse.
I agree with you, I never played a dark souls game because of the gatekeeping community, but Elden ring was a lot of fun with a lot of flexibility on how to approach things
Enjoyed the review. Think you said you are half way but based on what you showed you are still very early in the game, you will be very surprised how big the game is. Hope you keep playing and do another review at some point.
I am not a great gamer... and not managed to complete or enjoy any other Soul's game... and I beat this game and liked it, gave this a 8.8 / 10 for me its a Buy, was a great time and worth every penny.
Very fair & balanced review, as usual. Thank you sir
The thing that seperates this from other souls games is the ability to walk away from a boss and go adventuring to level up and practice. I've never had any luck with the Souls series but I have sunk over 250 hours into this game and still going. Im having a blast and even started playing Dark Souls series now and having a great time with it also. Once I learned the dodge timing I really started having fun. If you're unsure about getting this, JUST get it!!! The world is absolutely amazing.
ALSO Great review and yet another honest opinion!! Its funny how these big gaming outlets and channels had reviews out for this on release... I DON'T give a F$$K if they got an early copy or not... There is NO way anyone can create a real and honest review of anything in that short amount of time. Thank you for actually putting the time into your work and creating a genuine and honest review. We really appriciate it especially considering you most likely lost income from releasing it so far after the release date. GREAT WORK!!!
In my opinion the game is so accessible mainly because of the spirits you can summon- summoning them makes the fights much more simpler to people who want to enjoy the game without facing the true wrath of the bosses. However if you are someone like me who likes geting rekt 50+ times every fight, just don't use the spirits.
Also finding the meteor staff with meteor so early ;)
Yes agreed - the spirits are like a built in easy mode. My first playthrough I used them, and I was actually disappointed because the game seemed easy. But my second go, I did a no spirit summon/no NPC summon run and that gave me the challenge I wanted. Extremely rewarding, that!
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I only made it to Godrick, beat him in about 10 tries, just as I was about to give up and rage quit but I took a break after that and I never came back to it. I'll have to pick it up again. I really loved the game from what I played, it has that sense of adventure and exploration that few games have. I did find it quite hard though, I didn't look up any guides, I just started playing with a melee build and I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong but my road to Godrick has been a struggle.
From the perspective of someone who put 400 hours into this game, it's got issues, it gets more repetitive the further you progress into the story, but it's still an excellent thing. I played through the first run semi-blind, without guides except two pertaining to the location of one megadungeon and acing an interesting ending.
Good to see you back Mack. I was getting a bit concerned. House Moving is always a pita so stay strong, you'll get there. Great review as always.
He’s moving house not going to war
@@techtipsuk Clearly. you’ve never moved house. Say hi to your mum & dad for me 👋
The AI does cheat by reading your input to dodge. It also reads when you drink a flask, and takes that opportunity to charge at you.
I never really understood why people are always acting like souls games are so hard. you can summon, overlevel and skip parts even in the games before elden ring. Also the none boss fight parts get alot easier if you just take it slow and don’t run in like a prick. The ingame community is actually pretty nice tho!
@@MichaelJ44 ok? Its a third person melee game, what has being good at a fps have to do with anything?
@@MichaelJ44 such a weird take. I'm not the biggest fan of souls combat but what exactly is your comparison with MW2 spec ops. Dark souls combat is just basic Hitbox and hurtbox interactions related to melee attacks that vary in range, speed , recovery time, damage dealt, stamina cost. I don't see the mechanical comparison to cod. Seems kinda stupid
@@MichaelJ44 I see the comparison and i still think its dumb. Doom and cod are both shooters but even if you were to compare them you'd need to understand their differences otherwise your argument is just shit. Doom has enemies that have projectiles instead of just hitscan, doom allows you to move and shoot at the same time at a much faster speed. The enemy design and geometry lead to much more dynamic encounters I could go on. You can't just say both games have ai and end your comparison there
Just using doom as an example because its also a fps and yet I can show how its insanely different to call of duty to the point where pointing out that they both have you fighting ai opponents is as useless as a comparison as twighlight and pride and prejudice both being books with words in them
@@MichaelJ44 damn that sucks. I was hoping you were a fellow sweaty gamer since you were going off about challenge :(
The example you show on video @ 08:54 is actually a feature, you killed the big guy first in this area, so the little guys are afraid of you and therefore won't attack lmao.
I’m loving the videos Mack, and that remix of the outro theme too
The fact that he doesn't know how to use a controller doesn't make it bad.
Seeing you review has made me officially replay this game today as a Mage. Stuck on the last boss as a holy knight but dam those spells look so dam strong I'm curious now.
Don't blame you for following a guide. The open world was completely overwhelming for me at first but things like the door you almost miss in the cliff wall that open to a dungeon just draws you in and makes you want to just go in a random direction and see what else you find.
the fact that most of the guides in this game are exploits, it really bumped me to continue the game... I never experience Fromsoft game before, it really confused me with the stats especially...
The dev really should make this game accessible for all people, considering the high praise coming from every reviewers (except Mack maybe, He really does holding back on this review to avoid controversy)
@@nickochioneantony9288 No game can be made accessible for all people. It's literally impossible, and no game should every strive for that either. It's either for you or it isn't, and that's okay. There's a lot to learn in Elden Ring but it's worth the learning if you're into open world games done right.
Perfect example of how Elden Ring or souls games in general are as easy or as hard as you make them. If you want an extra challenge you can do no summons or spirits but that’s completely up to you how you play the game. Whatever you have the most fun with is how I would recommend playing any souls game
You hit the nail on the head with the DS Community. My god what a but of ... yeah. Old gamer here, played a mage, used summons and had a blast. I think your critiques are spot on. I played on PC, while I didn't have as many control issues, I was handicapped a bit by Keyboard and mouse control issue. Overall I would say your review was spot on. Not a perfect game, but defiantly worth a buy. I spent about 205 hours in according to steam XD
and THIS is one of those moments, where i mourn mackscorner bitterly. how id LOVE to see a playthrough of mackerson the mage in elden ringpi...nevermind.
Have I just heard him say you're at a disadvantage as a mage hahaha
Thanks for the great reviews, as always, Mack!!
An extremely fair review! I absolutely love the game, personally. You wouldn't believe it, but you're still in the first quarter of the game! It is bananas how much the game just keeps growing with every new area. I've beat the game 7 times on the same character, got all of the achievements too, and I'm not an achievement hunter. Everything you've said is right on par. I've played games on a controller all my life, so I didn't find the controls so bad personally. But I can agree, otherwise.
this is, for me, game of the year EASILY, maybe even latest 10 years. it is honestly amazing, a game everyone should struggle with
I agree - amazing game!
"Its not that hard"
Genuinely how I feel about most of the dark souls games, learning curve, learn how to dodge/roll, and learn their attack patterns. Once I figured that out I was 80% there, people say its hard, its not hard if you are prepared, know your limits, and know what will get you killed quickly.
Genuinely, very happy to hear you are enjoying this, as I know you've stated you disliked Dark Souls games in the past, but I believe you are experiencing now what most of us have experienced in Dark Souls games.
Its a game I hated to turn on, it was borderline painful, but I always played 4-5 hours straight and loved it. Their fun games, and while not the same the feel, the excitement, that's the same.
You start off weak, you die easy, but the end you feel like a god, you feel unkillable for the most part, its that progression which has so many people captivated with the Dark Souls games.
Pleased you are finally getting a chance to experience it man :)
I know that maybe you are not going to read this Mac... But I'm very glad you gave this one a second chance... But I just might add 2 things... One, being a mage is easy mode in this game... Try a quality build or melee focused one... You'll understand.... Two, you're still early on in the game and that's a great thing... Keep going it will amaze you!
I honestly feel like this game is overhyped how can people ignore the the repetition, the mini dungeons you all find 80% of them have the same layout, re-used bosses, making beefed up versions of regular enemies. I honestly think this type of game doesnt work in an open world setting, bloodborne,ds3 etc all in a contained setting I think they should go back to the DS1 formula and have an interconnected map.
I have never played a souls game in my life when I played Elden ring I am absolutely trash however I completed it at 170 hours this has to be the hardest game I have ever played in my entire life and I completed it
It depends what class you are using if you’re using a mage it’s a lot easier than a knight I ended up going with a bleed build and that seemed like it worked
This game made me feel like I wanted to rip my soul out and burn it it made me so frustrated so angry I ended up in tears after losing 120 thousand runes after a giant ball killed me again
This is hands down one of the best games I have ever played it’s absolutely incredible it’s a 10 out of 10 for me
PLay Sekiro or DS2
@@Jaime_Protein_Cannister i’ve nearly completed blood-borne much easier except for that bloody boss on the fucking castle roof doing my head in
I’ve started dark souls three quite a bit of getting used to
I’ve tried Demon souls and I absolutely hated it so that’s last on my list 😂
@@carlosstfc321 Sekiro is a nightmare on another level
It's based around "Deflecting" , where you need to break enemy by blocking around 10-15 attacks.
Imagine Melania except you need to parry every attack and you have sekiro.
@@Jaime_Protein_Cannister I’ve heard not very nice things about that but I’m going to work it up to that game my friend is a lifetime souls fan and he said it’s the hardest one great
I 100 percented this game am I am not really a Souls fan. They really got the mix of difficulty and sense of exploration right in this game. If in the next one they tighten up their story telling and polish just a little more these games will be the greatest ever- but right now its obviously game of the year.
Mage is by far the best build if you want a mellower experience. Some even argue its OP but I wouldnt go as far, but it really makes it easier to keep your distance wich is key to almost every boss. Melee build defenetly gives you more of a workout so I cant agree that it would be the easiest build. The most recognicable perhaps, but not easiest.
Mack enjoying a Dark Souls game. We are in the end times people.
A lot of people are trying to say that God of War Ragnarok is game of the year I don't think so Elden Ring blows it away!
In another 100 hours of gameplay he's going to up that to a 9.5/10.
I disagree on the AI, you showed only one example and its not even true. The goblin enemies you were fighting at 9:00 surrendered once you killed the big queen, its part of their gimmick. Agreed with everything else, especially the part about the community. Also, I wish you would have played this on PC, its much better with M & K.
I was wondering about that since NONE of the enemies I met just stood there allowing you to farm them. I think I was level 55 or something and took a hiatus from Elden Ring for a bit but will get back to it soon.
Already mentioned the demi humans thing in a comment too myself.
And yeah the A.I was unfair maybe but never bad or stupid lol
I played with m&k too and it's a joy to play.
I'm glad you gave Elden Ring another go. This game really is something special. It blew me away constantly. And frustrated and challenged me also, to say the least 😅
Took Mac to play cheesy rock sling mage to like a souls game. I would say it might not be very representative of experience others will have playing it but its definitely fun and powerful.
Rock sling and meteor staff, almost as iconic as ornstein and smough or RoB and moonfail.
Thank you Mack, for secretly liking Dark Souls!
I like that you came back to this game and reviewed it again, thought you missed out big time in February due to all of the original technical problems.
The open world exploration is by far the best part of the game and one of the best we've had in years.
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Really glad your enjoying the game Mac. I know everyone's experience will be time limited as the game is so big, but you can find many more spells to improve the variety of combat.
Will you be doing a review Mack, for the upcoming horror game, the callisto protocol ? releasing December 2nd
Fair review, pretty much agree after finishing it. It doesn't need to be overhyped, it is just good and that's it.
i know its really late xD but it really bothered me that u thought the little gremlin guys had ai issues. if i remember correctly i bought one of those information scrolls from the vendor at the start that sayed that if you kill their queen they will cower in fear and give up, it also happends in the boss fight when u have two of the big ones if u kill them before the small ones die. there are those fun little tidbits in the game and it was fully intentional :)
Mack the reason you have to double hand the staff to cast while on a horse is because your riding a horse, so you need one hand for that. (realistic ? ;) Also the spells can beat enemy dodges, you just have to improve spell casting time (dexterity,rings)) or use spells that cast faster :)
Definitely a different review than im used to seeing from you but thats refreshing. Good to get an honest and fair review, i feel like it was overly praised so it was difficult getting an accurate take on the good the bad etc. Also good to hear it's not as difficult as the other souls games/nioh. They're just too much of an investment for me to enjoy
I've been waiting for Mac's review - cheers mate
Man, I went to that cave full of bug people with bows and arrows, I got there through a portal chest or something like that, and I spent 2h trying to get out.
I finally did. I opened the map and I was miles away from the starting area. I uninstalled the game, is not for me, but I recognize the fun of it.
I fell into that same trap. I had a blast though as I went super ninja, waited until the dead of night and snuck about, only attacking isolated enemies from behind. After about an hour I spotted a grace in the distance and spent 15 minutes slowly creeping up to it making sure nothing noticed me. I then spent the next 70 hours playing the game in full ninja mode lmao.
Don’t believe Mac.. there is no house move.. He’s just preparing for the £65 Harry Potter Hogwarts game that comes out in February ..
He’s actually stocking up on Bells and is about to enter a winter hibernation for the cesspool of mediocrity that is about to bestow upon him
Fantastic review! I remember you didnt enjoy the other soulslike games so honestly I find your opinion alot more valueable compared to others who always enjoyed the games and got used to the weird issues in the other games. The elitists claiming this is a game for hardcore only gamers are always a weird bunch, the game can become hard or easy depending on how you play it, some bosses will counter your builds, some are weak to it. I also find it funny how AAA video game creators were insanely mad on twitter on how people enjoyed this game for not being handholdy with world design and such, claiming its a step backwards in game design not to guide the player constantly. Honestly my favorite part of the game and just shows how clueless AAA studios are. Glad you put that as a positive and prefer a more immersive open world thats free to explore all by yourself, too many journalists just want a game that holds their hand non stop and fill the UI with nonsense on what you should do.
The thing about the enemies standing there, the game has aggro distance on different enemies, and this is because some rooms are just filled with enemies, and it would be pretty ridiculous for every enemy to just rush you. In the clip you had shown during that comment you can see that the enemies were cowering in fear and these kind of personalities in enemy AI has been a thing in Souls games since the first one, some enemies just aren't really enemies, could be because of an ambush from a stronger enemy emerging or to set the tone of the atmosphere as a lot of the times the games are very dreary and bleak. It's also used to sometimes show exhaustion of these enemies such as bone thin undead soldiers, mindlessly wandering without a purpose as the games are all about humanity and losing humanity makes you a husk.
Is the AI perfect? No way but sometimes games need this kind of piece-by-piece mechanics because solving their logic can increase the skill cap from 1 player to another, I understand the push for smarter AI is the ultimate goal, we want virtual things to be more human but solving a puzzle and finding out that there's depth beyond solving it can be enjoyable for a set of people. Knowledge of enemy patterns and threat in games like DOOM and Diablo 2 birthed optimising every little bit of the experience that kept them replayed even to this day.
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For me this game has the same problems that Other Dark Souls games have , The camerawork is trash you cannot edit how close or far your camera is from your dude , it spazzes out whenever there is a wall , oftentimes when a boss is oversized they make your Lock on Spazz out , especially when you're targetting mid or head section of a boss and go for an attack the camera just looks at the sky.
It's programmed poorly. Playing as a mage you probably experience less of this , but a meele character experiences this constantly.
Moreover you will have trouble catching up to bosses , because everything moves faster than you so fighting big things is more tedious than difficult.
Some bosses perform leaps , for instace when they leap behind you , in which case your camera will do Full on headspinning 180 if not 360.
Large enemies pin you to walls without actually touching you the hitbox is so fat that oftentimes you will get pinned by invisible Forcefield around the boss.
On top of that every dark souls game Exploits the fact that camerawork is shit (slow console like panning) and the game will hide dangers where you cannot Possibly pan in time, you cannot react unless you hear it OR you have played the area before. You have to accept this as "free dmg".
So then you unlock the shitty Targetted camera to get some freedom , except now you're attacking air 50% of the time , relatively slow attacks , animation lock , meanwhile enemies hit in 180 , you can't avoid unless you get the invincibility frame right.
EVERYBODY even the pro's get stuck on terrain frequently or as previously metnioned on boss hitboxes etc. I've watched many streams just looking at what these people fail at and they ALL
Die To clunk , they don't die because they lack anything , they most often die because game is clunky.
Even in this video you see how poor the enviroment is At 4:13 you get stuck on rocks , because Camera is so close to you , so you cannot see what you are doing.
You're being chased by 3-4 enemies in a tight corridor and the edges of the map are like super glue , you touch anything , you're stuck like a fly.
After that You roll twice , you roll into a wall and almost get stuck again.
At 4:34 because you are close to a wall camera sits on your shoulders and now you REALLY can't see shit.
4:45 stuck on destructibles, into animation lock... Enemy takes half your health because you can't move :)
Meanwhile 4:51 enemy does a slashing attack trough the entire corridor :)
This game is in essence "getting stuck on things" and dying to camer sim
it's a 6/10 for me , Kingdom Come Deliverance is 8.5 /10 for me and Elden Rign doesn't not even come remotely close.
I agree with all the camera stuff. I have no idea why they're forcing me to use noob lock on to use ranged attacks when in any other game I could just point the camera at the enemy and the projectile will go where I'm looking.
I wouldn't be put off by following some tutorials, there's so many ways to complete the game and so many quests you can do it'd be hard to do it completley alone. Obviously people have but I think a massive part of this game is the community finding things out and posting online. Which is another reason I think it's done so well, it's gets people talking, asking questions. What quest lines do I have to follow to get this ending, who do I have to defeat to get this weapon. The only game I've ever new game plused because you can duel wield some special weapons and it siiiiiick
Awsome review, totally agree!! Would you be up for re-reviewing cyberpunk? people say it’s much improved since release (couldn’t be much worse). But is it worth a buy ;-)
I can see how many people who are used to easy/non-games might think it's "hard" thanks hope this helps have a Blessed weekend 👌
Elden Ring gave me what I wanted in a game.....The passion for creating a AAA game that is for the players and everyone.
What most AAA game devs just do not get anymore.
Love ya mack, you make me feel so much better. Have a good one
For me the legacy dungeons were some of Froms highlight, but the open world and side dungeons were a From low for me, especially with how repetitive and samey the side dungeons get and I like to do a thourough exploration.
Thanks for the review Mac!
I've never played any of the Souls games or others similar, as far as I recall, I did hear about their mad difficulty, so I guess I'd have to ask, is this a good one to try out, I'm mulling it over
Go for it. The game is great and very accessible, anyone can play it. This was also my first game like this, and I had a really good time!
I'd recommend it. Like Mac says, the online community is toxic and just talks so much bull locks. Just ignore them and do whatever you like. Some parts are definitely not easy but if you ever hit a wall you can just go play somewhere else and come back when you're more powerful. I'd never played a souls game but beat one of the "super difficult" end game bosses 2nd try.
@@GangsterFrankensteinComputer I did eventually get it on PS4, and my character is now over level 100 and I've put 90hrs in, grind, progress, hit a brick wall, and repeat lol, I think I have 3 great shards/runes now if I'm right
I'm glad you came back to this. ER is in a completely different league than nearly every other game. A game that was unapologetically made for souls fans, no trying to appeal to everyone. Plus the work that went into the details on this puts every game made in the last 20 years to shame. Zero micro transactions, zero content withheld for dlc, zero fuckery. Just an incredible honest game. Everyone should buy this just to reward the company for not cash grabbing like everything else. Vote with your dollars people. Buy 10 copies of this if you can afford it. Let this set the bar for what we expect from devs.
The only thing I wished Elden Ring had was some more interactive environment and some items that can be used for certain weaknesses. For example, that sword that kills the Giant, it's a shame that it's only good for that certain giant. Would be nice to have something like that.
When it comes to difficulty, you have to factor in the class you're playing.
Magic makes the game MUCH more accessible (the same goes for late game weapon arts), which doesn't detract from people who want a challenging experience, while opening up the game to a broader player base that wouldn't delve into a standard Dark Souls game.
You will, however, have a very different experience when playing a melee character, especially earlier in the game, when you have fewer options of weapons and weapon arts.
So yeah, the game can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be, depending on how much you want to spec into magic or use certain weapon arts.
You could say the same thing about any game though. Call of Duty gets a lot tougher when you play melee only lmao.
this is the only game i ever had to uninstall. I put 80 hours onto this game on release week. That was the first week of my dissertation. I had to uninstall then. Been meaning to play it ever since but now im working just struggling to find the time. Fantastic game though. Mac is around 20-30% through from the footage I saw. Its hard, but easier than the other souls games (that I hate with a passion). Worth pirating, putting in 5 hours to see if you like it and then buying it. I was playing before the reshala nerf (made the game 5x easier), still got past the guy. Its so so so worth playing
Game of the year IMO, had a blast it with. Went all out for 100% trophies and that's rare for me. Got all the way to NG+7 if I recall it.
About the horse wand problem.. equip your staff in the right hand (mage should have main weapon - staff, in right hand). Now when you get on your horse, no need to change weapon! Easy..
I can't believe more people aren't talking about how BEAUTIFUL this game is. It's one of the most beautiful games ever made imo and deserves more praise on that front. With HDR it's incredible how magical it looks.
@Transistor Jump Literally everywhere. You can pretty much drop your character anywhere in the world and it looks incredible.
@Transistor Jump nope
@Transistor Jump Literally everyone else thinks otherwise. Go actually play it and come back.
@Transistor Jump Yeah, everyone that has played the game talks about how amazing it looks. People that already don't like souls games for one reason or another and have seen compressed images on twitter or watch youtube videos in 320p are the only ones that say it has bad graphics.
@Transistor Jump I can only assume you have a crappy console or some potato pc. Maybe even a terrible monitor or TV. Either way, your eyes are lying to you.
The difficulty is optional. Things that make it easier are magic, and ashes. That said, the difficulty spike LEAPS after Leyndell, and if you decide to go for the optional Demigods, you're gonna get sweaty.
Hey Mack you actually can use magic on horse just 2 hand the staff before you mount you can 2 hand by holding triangle and the left or right shoulder button depending on which hand is holding the weapon
I agree, it somewhat is repetetive and for me that was the biggest flaw. Otherwise there were none to me and I played it in launch. I enjoy Souls games a lot and this was pretty much like a Souls game but in the open environment. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, depending on what you like as a player.
For me the difficulty did ramp up a lot in the last 15 - 20% of the game, before that it was quite easy (though I am a Souls veteran so all the things learned from those games helped a ton). The last bosses were quite hard with my build, I still managed to kill all but one (without abusing bugs, or using builds or guides). I think I also found pretty much all the bosses so there's that. Wasn't anything too hard but you do need to like to explore and figure things out. It doesn't happen just by playing (or you can use guides to assist in this).
I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone who like to figure things out by yourself 'cause there's the enjoyment in this game. It's one of the most rewarding games ever if you just think and try things. If you watch all from a guide it spoils a lot of that potential joy there is in it. You absolutely can do that, but I'd recommend to play the first playthrough just by yourself and doing things you like (and not taking too much stress about it).