Typing this at 126 hours. He is not wrong about the time you get out of this game. Not even finished yet, level 112, and I’m still exploring and discovering new areas on the map, new bosses, new labyrinths. Game is a fucking masterpiece.
I finished the game at lvl 167 at 100 hs and only because nothing in the game gave me enough runes to level up in a consistent way without farming for some minutes lmao
This is my first FromSoft game and I’m loving it. I was worried it’d be too difficult for me but I’ve been able to go at my own pace and play to my strengths. This game is the perfect solution to the difficulty debate, give the option to make play easier by providing the freedom to play your own way while keeping the developers’ vision intact.
@@Steveburto that’s what I’ve been doing, I’m loving it and I can feel myself getting better at the combat. I’ve only killed the first 2 mainline bosses but I’m already level 50 just from all the exploration.
Can you elaborate a bit more on this? I’m seriously debating it but as a casual I keep feeling it will just drag me down with it’s sheer scope and difficulty. It looks so interesting though. How have you found adapting to it and the challenge? I’ve played the recent ACs and the Witcher etc and found myself loving them after a few hours (AC not so much). Be great to get more of an opinion from someone who seems to be in the same boat.
@@toming727 it allows you to play at your own pace without forcing you against a boss wall. You need to accept that you will die. You also should accept that you cant kill everything when you first run into it. Also it doesn't hold your hand and tell you where to go. The actual mechanics and controls also take some time to get used to. If you're on the fence go for it but know that while most dark souls games are like 40 hours, this one is prob like a 100 easy.
this game quietly shifted the paradigm of video games in ways we can't yet predict. an anecdote I saw on Twitter was something along the lines of "Elden Ring was inspired by games that don't exist, or rather, could've existed if we had taken a different path in development a decade ago."
Elden Ring could lead to a paradigm shift in the open-world genre or at least make developers reconsider the UbiSoft model. It’s far from perfect and even tedious in sections, but it’s remarkably fresh and unapologetic in its design. At its core, it trusts the player and their competency far more than its contemporaries; that’s refreshing.
@@bizmonkey007 But what will more likely happen is that developers will learn all the wrong lessons from it, and will fail to capture what made Elden Ring such a great game. As is always the case.
I had a fever dream that the last boss was called the “Shed of Chaos” and it was just the bed of chaos but instead of a worm thing in the centre it’s just a small tool shed. Edit- people seem to think this is a spoiler, it ain’t, the bed of chaos is a boss from Dark Souls 1.
Amidst an industry where most companies sell their soul to appeal to the masses for profit, Miyazaki and the team keep sticking to their creative vision and delivering it masterfully. I have so much respect for fromsoft.
Literally like a gateway drug. After playing this game and nearly on 70+ hours I’ve since bought and started Dark souls 1 and am loving that even more. Elden ring allowed me to learn the gameplay of a souls game at my own pace which then allowed me to embrace new ideas and learn the other games. Planning on buying sekiro soon as well for a rather different but familiar experience as well. Can’t wait
Ahh Dark Souls, my first Fromsoftware game. I loved it so much after playing it for 300+ hours i thought..."What else did these guys create?" Then i discovered Demons Souls, Played that to infinity and after a little while Dark Souls 2 came out... You should definitely play Sekiro! And if you didn't already, also play Bloodborne, if you have a PS4 or PS5 ofcourse.
@@frogstock2597 I didn't care for Sekiro myself. Too many penalties in dying for a Souls novice like myself. I played Dark Souls 1 a bit but never finished it but i didn't hate it. Elden Ring is freaking great though and I'm loving it. One of the best games I've played in a very long time. My plan right now is squeeze all of the content out of ER and then go back and try and finish the Dark Souls series. And once I'm a grizzled Souls vet I'll probably take another stab at Sekiro. i recognize my issues with that game rest upon me, not the game itself. I'm personally not ready for it but it'll always be there when I am.
Each new from soft title after dark souls imo really has that gateway drug quality. Sekiro got people to go back to bloodborne demons souls dark souls etc. Bloodborne got people interested in dark souls demons souls and any new titles. And now this game has gotten people into souls likes simply because of the options for difficulty. I love seeing these kinds of comments with people who managed to get in and find out why people love these games.
My hype for Elden Ring is insurmountable, I have never been looking forward to a release as much as this one. With that said, one thing that gives me almost as much joy is to finally hear Mr Shillden Ring himself talk about a from software game for 36 minutes! I am so pumped to hear what you had to say about this one!
I may try it. It isn't the difficulty it is he setting. Same with bloodborn I couldn't play it for more than 10 min. It Is just too dull and depressing to me. But I do not doubt t they are great games.
I’m somewhat worried by skillup saying he was one shoting bosses. I think this balanced out by the games size. But traditional souls doods might be looking for something harder.
I never seen a AAA in recent years have this much positive reception in a long time that is multiplatform. I love this, plus no microtransactions at all.... Gotta love FromSoftware! ❤️❤️❤️
The way you explain the map really reminds me of how important doing the same thing was in morrowind. The sense of reward for following a map clue to an unmarked cave or grotto to find an unmarked quest or hidden lore-related item was amazing.
Nothing has given me the feeling of explorartion and wonder as Morrowind has, figuring out stuff without markers felt amazing at the time, it was a shame they tone it down for oblivion and skyrim. I hope elden ring gives me that same feeling Morrowind had all those years ago!
@@marcms25 Completely agree with this. I've played a lot of open world games since, and nothing has really come close to the sense of mystery and excitement as Morrowind.
Not even Breath of the Wild came close to the fun I had exploring Morrowind. Nothing has. The only world that keeps me entertained is a heavily modded Skyrim where I single-handedly placed treasures all over the map while adding new worlds and places to explore. Nothing compares to Morrowind's world design. Not even Fallout 4 or Fallout 76 (Bethesda's latest open world creations), which were a huge disappointment filled with no value or substance.
I hated Elden Ring because I felt so weak and helpless, dying over and over again, but as I played I improved but the challenge remained which is great. Death is just a slight annoyance now, sometimes dying is funny. With this realization I rush into fights without fear, unlike at the start. Elden Ring has grown on me and I am in love with the game now.
Funny how real life works the same way... The lesser your fear of failing the better your chances of success... And understand failure is a part of the process of growth... Embracing it, learning from it
My fear still scales with my rune balance so I try to farm some less risky places quick, bank it with a level up, and then go get trounced by a boss a few times. But I'm realizing that most bosses are doable and as long as grace is close to the entrance, then I can just roll it and regrab my runes if I have to next attempt.
You say dying isn't a big deal but I wasn't able to recover 7500 runes due to dying in Stormveil's exile filled courtyard. That's 12k total runes in the godforsaken "legacy" dungeon & hours of wasted time. Seems early in the game and I'm no longer wanting to punish myself further.
Update on PC performance: either the day one patch has done something terrible or optimisation is just poor across the board. As I said, my experience was flawless except for the minor issues I discussed in the review, but frame loss and stuttering is so wide spread an issue for people on PC that the game currently sits at ‘Mixed’ on Steam. If you are planning to pick it up on PC, you may want to hold off until some performance patches roll through.
My first game was DS3 2 years ago and it ruined other games for me. Im sure this one might be the best but if some reviewer hasn’t “sold” you on the others then do yourself a favor and go have the experience after Elden Ring. Dark Souls 3 is super accessible to new players and also has an immaculate difficulty curve. Sekiro and Bloodborne are less accessible and provide less freedom but provide a curated, atmospheric and satisfying nail biting experience unlike any other. I highly doubt you’ll be able to resist the souls like craving after Elden Ring. Stop waiting to be “sold” and just make the observation that anyone who completes these games almost entirely unanimously sings their praise. That’s not a coincidence.
The embargo ended 30 minutes ago, you get this like for not only being the first I've seen release an Elden Ring video today but also for being eloquent in your explanation of this games varied landscape and system. Genuinely good job 👍
@@zcddrew dunkey can be kind of hit or miss in my opinion, through no fault of his own, it just seems like his opinion of a genre or type of game clouds over actual points of fact about a given game. but, then again, he never claimed his reviews were really anything other than entertainment.
When this review came out, I didn’t watch it because I wanted to go in mostly blind. Now I’ve beaten the game twice and am halfway through a third playthrough, and still keep finding new stuff constantly. The sheer density of this game defies expectations at every turn. Truly incredible.
You constantly amaze with your reviews. And what blows my mind is where you have the time to make mutible videos a week while puts upwards to 50 hours in each game. I can't imagine doing that for my channel. Hats off to you sir and never change Shill Up :)
He's amazing and dedicated. But it does help a lot that he's hired Austin to run the editing side of the house. That makes a huge difference in the amount of time he can spend playing.
Some of the open world was really really boring, the side quest were too easily broken by doing things in the wrong order, the interface is outdated and the difficulty spikes in the endgame were ridiculous. This all subtracts from being a masterpiece. I still had fun though and it got me hooked for 140 hours. Good game? Yes. Masterpiece? No.
@@50-50_Grind I never found the open world boring at all, I couldn't wait to explore every area I got to and find all the secrets. The interface is totally fine with the exception of the map button that if you hit it again doesn't close the map. I'm very familiar with the rest of the interface after all these years of souls games. Maybe I'm just comfortable with it at this point? I played some Borderlands recently and it continues to have the worst UI in the industry if you want to check out an absolutely god awful one, it's breathtakingly bad. I'll agree it's easy to muck up the side quests, it's more luck the first time through taking a sidequest to completion for certain. The souls games however are known at this point for the community coming together to figure out how it all works and what links to what etc, that for me is part of the fun. The thing is you don't necessarily miss anything because of that, you just get a different experience. Finding out later how something could have possibly played out just gives another reason to play through again. The fact that no two people ever have the same playthrough over 30, 40, 50+ hours is a testament to just how great this is. It's all subjective of course, and I totally respect your opinion, the game and it's kin aren't for everyone. For me though it's definitely a masterpiece.
This is my first From Software game and I'm about 10-15 hours in and just finished Stormveil Castle. I just want to say whoever designed Stormveil Castle deserves a freaking gold medal. I'm 30 and have played a lot of games, Stormveil is the literal best dungeon I have ever seen in a game period. Absolutely blew me away and I also hard as shit or I just went there too early 🤣
I’ve played many games in my lifetime but I can’t remember the last time I played a game that consistently left me as shocked, amazed, disgusted, and intrigued as Elden Ring. This is my very first Souls game and I’m 85 hours in and still haven’t beat my first play-through because I want to keep exploring. It truly is a masterpiece.
I haven't watched the review all the way through yet but thank you for doing non-spoiler audio so many reviewers I find fall back on describing what they did instead of the experience as a whole and for this game especially I want to know absolutely nothing.
Yay! After Elden Ring, I also recommend trying one of the Dark Souls games using a sorcery build, as it makes the game notably easier (it’ll still kick your ass at times for that authentic souls experience dw)
It is entirely worth it, these games are frustrating dont play them on a bad day lol. However, they are so unbelievable rewarding and the atmosphere is something you haven't seen in any game before.
Dude just get bloodborne, to beat that game u HAVE to be aggressive, there's no other way. If u manage to get through bloodborne, you're ready for anything
I thought the same but I recently played through dark souls 3. It's hard at first but u can easily make it easy as hell by overlevelling yourself or make it harder too.
I'm new to your channel but old enough to remember buying computer game magazines in the 80s when there was at least a certain level of journalism. Your great content and well written, in depth analysis is superb. It gives me the information I need without spoiling a game but also the personal level which inspires (I recently gave Outer Wilds a proper go: thank you). Great work and Best O' Luck from Ireland!!
Nice to see a fellow Irish man for once, sometimes I genuinely get quite lonely on here. I too remember game magazines and even though I don't always agree with his Reviews he is extremely constructive with them.
Can I just say THANK YOU for keeping the "going in blind" experience in mind with this review. I'm only 3 minutes in, listening to it, because I just want to hear your thoughts but I don't want to see anything yet. Very excited for the next 33 minutes. Thank you for what you do.
Appreciate the heads up on classes and builds. I really wasn't sure what I was going to go with my first go round but you've convinced me to go with a magic dexterity hybrid.
@@liamfoo09 Really depends on what you personally enjoy. If what you want is cool and flashy stuff, spells are a good bet. While sorceries are better than incantations (in terms of dps), incantations offer more variety, so you'll need to chose flexibility versus higher numbers. If you want to shred absolutely everything, a build based on bleed and dexterity is a good choice. Add the mimic tear to that, and you'll be able to kill most bosses in less than 10 seconds. If what you want is a fair challenge, a strength build is a good choice. You'll deal good amounts of damage, and be tanky enough to take punishment. As for me, i changed my build 2 times during the playthrough (at the 50th hour and the 100th), and the build i had during the last third was a strength build (+25 dismounter being my main weapon). The most important thing is to play how you want to. Play according to how you have fun, not how others think you'll have the most fun.
Man I absolutely LOVE how the game "actively works to hide things from you" when it comes to secret areas and whatnot rather than having all of these hints pointing towards it. So refreshing!!!!!!!!!
I mean, if you think about it. These secrets would have been made with keeping them hidden in mind, lore wise. Just makes more sense if they are hidden in such ways. The way others try to make sure you know about them kinda defeats the purpose.
This is the trick that makes open worlds really engaging. Actively enticing you to explore it, instead of telling you which route to take through some nice scenery.
@@Herio7 Secrets are secret because they are hidden and requires you to search for them and discover them so having "!" pointers are being guided to them remove the satisfaction of the discovery, other devs are afraid that the player will miss out on the content but FS challenges the player and encourage him to make the effort so that the game can offer you a great sensation of achievement.
@@chebil_y4967 secret being made to be found doesn't make not-hidden. There is thin very line between obvious and subtle clues pointing players towards secrets but no secret is made to remain hidden forever. I've not stated that '!' you did and disprove the strawman.
I've been watching reviews all morning and this is definitely the most thorough and gets me the most excited. I cannot wait. Thursday night, 9:00 p.m. I will start my quest
There are few games which come out and you play for a few hours and immediately know that it's something special. There are a very few games I can say that about. BOTW, Skyrim and now this , Elden ring. This is my first souls like game and goddam is it the best game I've ever played. I can see myself playing and replaying this for years to come
@@orlando5789 Wouldn't say better, all previous Fromsoft soulsbornekiro games are not open-world games, and they are also very difficult when it comes to the flow of combat and the feel of the world. But yes, they all share the From-Magic and I highly suggest anyone who enjoy Elden Ring try their hands on the other Fromsoft Soulsbornekiro titles. Maybe even Demon Souls Remaster. Or Armor Core, if you really like Patches
@@lcmiracle They were better imo because they lacked the open world. I enjoyed them constantly, whereas, with ER, I was really bored by the time I got to the Snowy Mountaintops of the Giants.
Funny thing is I was always too intimidated by From Software games and their notorious difficulty. Tried my first one when Bloodborne was free on PS Plus. Didn’t get past the third major boss before giving up 😅 However when Sekiro dropped I couldn’t help but be intrigued and excited because of it having that Japanese/ samurai approach to it. I was extremely surprised when I managed to beat Lord Isshin and felt such a sense of accomplishment! So for him ( the reviewer) to say that Elden Ring has many more options in terms of how you play and conquer the Lands Between then that gives me hope. This is a world I do not want to miss out on 👌🏻💯
@@ethanethan9575 2 weeks of trying for a few hours and giving up with sweaty palms and sleepless nights thinking about that damn fight finally paid off in the end 😂 Never. Again 😂🤦🏻♂️
Your reviews have to be the best out there. So thorough and I can hear the excitement in your voice as you talk on certain aspects of the game! Austin's editing is top notch as well. The way the music mixes with what's on screen perfectly is just very impressive. Especially the endings of every review! Lastly, you leaving spoilers out of this or giving us a way to consume it that way is just so cool of you. You guys are awesome and thanks for getting me even more excited for this game! Props to you!
His review is good but he didnt even touch on the story component of the game. Nor the sidequests. You can talk about it without giving spoilers away. Is the story good, bad, too long too short... he never talked about it especially considering George RR Martin (the mind behind game of thrones) had a hand in it.
Damn, sometimes these reviews are so damn good and hit home so well that I honestly tear up. No one explains why I love games like Skill Up is able to.
One of the best reviews I've ever heard. Seriously, thank you for keeping this 100% spoiler free! Absolutely ecstatic to see this live up to its expectations. Elden Ring will be played and discussed for the next decade and I can't be happier!
Are you new to ShillUp? Not trying to be snarky, just wanted to let you know that what you're describing is.. well.. all his videos. I watch every single one even if I'm not interested in that particular game because the writing and editing are just so good.
"This is a double album, with FromSoft at the peak of their creative power. Unfathomably large, fathoms deep, and utterly remarkable." - 7:00 From one professional writer to another... Ralph, well done sir. *claps furiously*
after playing elden ring for two weeks I've roughly memorised it's complete layout. This, in my opinion, is incredible. Most games pull you along with quest markers or arrows that dumb down the actual progression through area, leading to me piggy backing off of them. The open world in elden ring is both so immersive and engaging that despite it's absolutely collasal size, I can remember it with ease. It is so distinct and colourful with each different place, area or landmark that trust me when I say actually mapping the landscape after a solid playthrough isn't remotely difficult. This game is incredible. Some bosses are shit (Looking at you godskin duo), but otherwise it''s fun as fuck and 100% agree with shillup.
Elden ring for me is the chosen one, i have played and loved every souls game to bits, the effort and love they have for their games is unique across the gaming space. They just make fantastic games that are incredibly consistent and get better and better every time. I don't think i've ever been so confident in a game being good and the way they made this open world and multiplayer is just amazing. The way they make their games is just second to none and very much worth going in as blind as possible. And on top of all of that..... it comes out on my birthday :)
@@Legalizeasbestos because the video visuals are spoilers showing areas many people havent yet seen, and he was careful to point out that there wouldnt be any spoilers in the audio, hence...podcast. I call that considerate, responsible journalism, thats why I said so.
@@Nosh_Feratu but isn’t every video gonna show you the game? Like that’s the visual. I agree he is being responsible. But it’s like saying “if you want to walk you don’t have to get in the car”. In this case “if you don’t want spoilers by watching the game, you can just listen to it” like wouldn’t everyone know that they’re watching a review and there would be spoilers of some sort by watching gameplay? The only thing he’d have to clarify was that it was “spoiler free review” rather than telling me not to watch it because I would have already decided on that. This is a very very minor thing and I just found it funny in its redundancy. Great review per usual
@@Legalizeasbestos Well, even before hearing what he said I scrolled down and just had the audio, but i think its just that it's all a bit sensitive at the moment where spoilers are concerned because very few people have seen anything outside of the network test. Either way, its nice for someone to provide information beforehand and give people the option if they hadnt already thought about doing it themselves. Its all good chief.
“The cataclysmic collision of tectonic plates, uneven, formless and splintered” this quote alone is making me buy this game and subscribe to this channel. An absolutely amazing piece of writing for this review. Just wow. I had to rewind the video just to show my girl how amazing the wording was. Just wow. And the icing on the cake is that the very next sentence that followed included the words “built different”. This man is becoming my favourite person in under 6 minutes
I honestly don’t see what’s so special about that wording that you’ll literally buy the game and subscribe to his channel JUST for that! You have a weird way of hopping on board with something!
I'm so happy I could cry, the gaming world was in desperate need of a timeless masterpiece, when I saw on opencritic it scored 96 out of 72 reviews, up there with the greatest games of all time like RDR2, Breath of the Wild, GTAV, I let sigh of relief, finally, its about time we had something really wonderful to play this year and years to come. Surely will win GotY 2022, sorry God of war and Horizon. Edit: Score just went up to 97 out of 79 reviews!
Horizon was a lot of fun but elden ring will definitely bring home that game of the year ive been looking for since the start of the next gen life cycle. Nothing has really sparked that feeling for me recently maybe with returnal or ratchet and clank but nothing would come close to this
Preach. I haven’t seen a top tier game since GTA V and RDR. Seems like most publishers are forcing studios to do money grabs instead of delivering great games. Smh.
@@Saint_Arod it's still a bit floaty no doubt but such a massive improvement on the first game by miles. Take my word it's worth the pick up, first game was pretty bland but the sequel is a lot of fun and you experiment a lot with movement and weapons equally. Would say it's worth the purchase if you're looking for a new game to get
Dude. This review was an absolute masterpiece. I've been on the fence since release about getting Elden Ring. I purchased Dark Souls 3, bailed quite quickly and never returned. I admit, I'm probably too casual for Elden Ring. The current discount got my attention and I've purchased it. Only a couple hours in and have avoided all bosses thus far. Your review makes me feel better about my purchase. Damn, I've got a challenge ahead, but fuck, it will be worth it.
Amazing review. I have to give a special shout out to the editing here though. Could quite possibly be the best I've seen in a video review. Maybe ever. The sizzle reels, cuts, information dumps, all interwoven with the soundtrack. Truly impressive and the effort shows.
With all these issues, how the hell did it get a ten. Constant frame rate drops, bad draw distances and trxture pop in. From Software is known for bad PC ports, so I wonder how it runs over there. Played it on PS5 and it just felt terrible to play considering how every other game I've played was a constant 60fps. There is no excuse for a tripple A game that has worse graphics than Denon Souls and looks like a last gen game to run this bad
@@exaltedreverse4463 From never really focused too much graphical fidelity - but they have decent hit box and combat systems which are usually cpu demanding than gpu
I saw a video that recommended you play as the Wretch for your first playthrough. The wretch starts with almost nothing and even stats across the board. This allows you to build your character however you want, but also makes your first playthrough highly rewarding. You have to fight and claw for every drop. Exploration is key to equipping the Wretch, and that fits so well with this game.
Only con with wretch is the stats on the other classes have much higher levels for the level they start at, even if the wretch levels to them it'll have lower stats at their level. So if you know what you want to do from the get-go I wouldn't recommend wretch cause you'll wind up with less stats than if you would've started as a specific class.
@@chappellroanplsgotomanilaibeg i wouldn't, pick one of the other classes that sounds interesting to you. you'll likely want all the help you can get as you adjust to these types of games.
@@chappellroanplsgotomanilaibeg that's what I'm doing. I've only played a little bit of Dark Souls 1. I want my first playthrough of this game to be as organic and memorable as possible. Dark Souls isn't actually hard. People make it hard on themselves because they do not learn patterns. Once you start memorizing which enemies could be avoided, how specific enemies fight. The game becomes so much easier, until you hit a wall because you come across something new and have to learn this too.
Dude I have tears in my eyes after this review. After seeing the developers that built my childhood sell out one after the other(CDPR, BioWare, Bethesda, DICE, etc.) seeing that the one I held in the highest regard standing strong and releasing a masterpiece that pushes the art form forward made me emotional in a way I never expected. I know these are "just games" but to me these developers were the equivalent of my childhood rockstars and I'm very happy to see fromsoftware has still got "it".
Yeah it looks like their genuinely good and non-greedy approach will reward them, and that’s great to see. Really hope it sends a strong message to some of the companies you mentioned
As a gamer of 25 years, Elden Ring is a game that I have always wanted to play, it’s a game that accomplishes so much of what I wanted from other games in my time. I can’t stress enough how good this game is. An absolutely satisfying masterpiece
How? It's a direct downgrade from their previous game and a completely shallow and barren experience for something that's "open world" compared to any open world game of the past several decades. You don't play many games?
@000ArDiLlA000 The combat (the sole focus of these game) was significantly worse and Elden ring was just another copy paste dark souls. Extremely densely packed? It's filled with nothing but copy paste lobotomized enemies that don't even talk and barely walk back and forth, if even LOL. You do nothing but mindlessly kill them and nothing else... Meanwhile entire cities are completely uninhabited, the few non hostile npcs there are don't even have organic dialogue, have awful quests, and are glued to position. It's a completely hollow, barren, and lifeless experience of a 2022 open world game. Tell me how fallout, a game about a literal wasteland from decades ago, manages to make their world more alive and immersive... Fromsoft is extremely lazy and any other company would be dragged through the mud for doing the same thing. Their game design is not meant for open world in that scale.
@@Digger-Nick to be fair it is a combat video game, so obviously it’s all about killing things and innately it will be more arcadey and less immersive in nature. that… and the world is literally dead (like every other soulsborne LOL). what else were they gonna add, a fishing minigame? regardless of whether the open world is empty or not there’s still the legacy dungeons which most people agree to be the star of the show
@@Digger-Nick This guy is coping so hard at the fact that Elden Ring won 300 GOTY awards and has sold 20 million copies. It’s not only critically successful, but commercially as well. Cope, seethe, mald.
I must say. Whenever Skill Up recommends a game I usually pick it up and am rarely disappointed with the purchase. I’m deff gonna be picking this up. Your reviews are just outstanding, thanks for the showcase here.
You finally convinced me. I read numerous reviews, listened to many friends that thought I'd love it, but your review pushed me over the edge. 70 hours in now, barely into the 3rd major area, and absolutely fucking LOVING it. This is after bouncing off Dark Souls and Bloodborne. As a new souls-like player, Elden Ring made it so much easier to "get it". The past games just felt impenetrable, and I felt punished for not putting the games' systems together quickly enough. This time I can do it at my own pace, and finally I feel like my understanding of the game grows at a pace that is more parallel with the difficulty curve. Finally, I'm converted. I can't wait to go back to Bloodborne with a new lens, and now suddenly I have an entire catalogue of other games from a developer that I now appreciate to an insane degree to work through. Thanks for your reviews, your passion for the industry doesn't cease to impress.
This is my first souls-like. It has broken me... I just spent hours looking for mini dungeons to no results (done 3 so far tho), died countless times, I feel incredibly weak, the little gear I've found thus far does very little for my magic Man, I am just so lost, going from 130 hours on AC Valhalla to this is a big change, I have no idea what to do, been pretty cool tho
Keep trying. Keep exploring. Keep learning and going back to the problems with new perspectives. That's the long version of "git gud". And once it clicks with you, you'll enjoy these types of games much more.
I would like to clarify that despite being lost I am loving it! Brings back the sense of satisfaction you get from achieving something in a game: something I have missed for a long time!
This was how I felt playing the first dark souls. Keep it up dude, I thought I wouldn't be able to beat any of these games, and since then I beat the ds Trilogy, bloodeborne, twice, and Nioh. This is garunteed to be the best gaming experiences you'll ever have
Your experience in casual creed games means nothing to souls. You are a runt who will be maimed and murdered for your recklessness. Now take my inspirational words and hack those yetis back into the cooler. Also know how much stamina you use with each attack and how many times you can dodge/roll before you get exhausted. It helps to know how long you can last in a fight before you leave yourself vulnerable.
I'm 20 hours in and for me its become an instant classic, I can see myself playing this for a long time to come, especially once the frame rates fixed, my PC isn't even warm when i run the game its almost as if the game isn't utilizing my hardware at all. But i get major drops very similar GPU to the one used for your review
Elden ring doesn't have a difficulty setting, but does this by giving you flexibility on how you aproach challenges.. you can build a defensive character, you can summon npc's and even players... in the end everything is doable for any skilllevel
@@Zer-db1bp and experiencing this as a wrench added that Unique feeling unlike using other classes, wrench was my first play through and I tried samurai the second and the experience felt different
After being completely hooked on dark souls 1 over a decade ago, I've always had this underlying sentiment that if the game mechanics were expanded upon and brought to an open world done right, it would be a masterpiece. I guess that was right.
Quite frankly it’s the best game I’ve played in a long time. Fourty hours in I’m seeing bosses as beatable. However, thats beatable after a number of tries, and solving the problem to beat them. The learning curve, the frill of a hard won victory, there is nothing like it in gaming. From software and its dark souls creation is a masterpiece in gaming. I’m thrilled on the journey and they do demonstrate what triple aaa gaming can be. This game is hard, fair, and fantastically rewarding. Easily, my game of the year.
I think they put the adventure back in action adventure games. That feeling of dread when you watch a boss intro. the cooler the cutscene, the harder they fall. And dont get me started on the dark lit corners of the world especially in some tombs. No one ever really mentions how genuinely creepy this game can be. Especially since most things can kill you. That's Adventure
Thank you so much for making a review that I can listen to as if it were a podcast without feeling like I’m missing something. I’ve been avoiding most footage for this game to go in completely blind, to the point where I haven’t even watched footage from the network test or the launch trailer, so thank you for this. I CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY THIS GAME!!!
My first ending…. 200 hours almost exactly and loved every minute, did spend some time really looking for more to see at end tho, I really didn’t want it to end, haven’t had that in an open world game ever, utterly incredible.
Loved the action scenes showcased together with beautiful music like a gameplay trailer. Been following you since the division days but I gotta tell you, you are undoubtedly the best game reviewer out there. The way you explain things, the way you express your experience and try to make the audience understand how much hard work has been poured into a product is simply amazing man. This was a fukin amazing review
@@timsmyth7942 the shooting and specially the feedback of bullet impact is something destiny does the best. No other shooter can make shooting feel as much fun as destiny.
Two years later and it still has not been outdone yet. Going to be forever until a non fromsoftware open world game knock it out of the park better than this.
from software and the man Miyazaki himself, have never once failed delivering any game in my opinion. really gives this perspective of them being the last game developer that dosn't sell out and push unfinished games. Well fucking done From.
As much as I love the company, not all of their games are good. Ninja Blade, for example, was a mediocre Ninja Gaiden clone, and the first King's Field, while it has it's charm and the exploration was pretty good even for todays standards, had really boring enemy encounters and the art design of the dungeons themselves were meh. Thankfully, unlike some other famous devs, those cases were rare exceptions, but still, Fromsoft isn't flawless. 100% on them not selling out for a cashgrab tho, even in their failures the guys at least tried.
@@jackmesrel4933 He never said Fromsoft is flawless, but even Scorsese has some misses under his belt. Even GRRM has had mishaps in the writing process. Doesn’t take away the fact that they’re some of the most respected creative geniuses of our time. Miyazaki wasn’t even the lead for Ninja Blade and King’s Field. Many of those earlier games dealt with severe funding and hardware limitations anyway, and it wasn’t until Demon Souls that Fromsoft was truly given a chance to flourish.
Iv never played a souls game. I mostly played shooters, racing and fighting games. Thought I give this game a shot and god damn I’m hooked. Even though I’m dying in the first area I’m still having a lot of fun
@@GuiiBrazil Just talking, duh. But seriously, i'm gonna enjoy the reactions to the first hour in this game and that's it but overall, i need to get a better life than playing games.
@@TheREALHugo4 well if you are spending time at youtube comment section on a video on a game made for enthusiasts telling them how much gaming wastes life , you ain't having one mate.
Really appreciated the Abyss Watchers OST in your combat section. I can listen to it all day, and it perfectly captures the dreary, morose, and really combatative nature of the Souls series.
One important note for new players. Dont expect to one shot bosses like skill up said. For him to have done it, he would've to find them in a very good order(that is kind of difficult) and also explore the world and the mechanics very thoroughly to be ready for them. I say this because you will face bosses a lot of times that are in a higher level and you should avoid them until later. Also some of the last bosses of the game are extremely difficult.
This game's challenge is going to feel so good after dozens of hours of Aloy telling me to use my focus every time I enter a new area. "I can probably jump backward to reach the other ledge." "Wow. That's a long way to the other side. But wait...there's a rope stretched across. I'll bet I can ride it to the other side." "I should climb this structure and look for the clamps." "Great. I'm here. Now to shoot the clamps." "Maybe my focus will show me a way I can defeat this machine." "Great. More machines. I can probably set a trap in its path to take it out." Jesus, Aloy. You wanna just play? I can put the controller down, if you'd prefer.
Some of her barks are quite helpful though. The ones in the ruins where you walk by and she's like "maybe I haven't finished exploring" and you're like "hmm" and sure enough there's a couple chests you didn't find earlier, and then she's like "ok I think that's probably everything worth digging up here." Those are very nice to me
Once again I am taken aback at your meticulous and deliberate use of language in describing the elements of the games you review. You never take the easy way out , “ this game makes you feel like”-isms, rather your use of metaphors and prose creates a sense of reverence/ respect for the genre unlike other reviewers I watch. Keep it up shillup, you are a gem amongst gems.
This is my first fromsoft game I've put serious time in. Im 90 hours in and still haven't beaten the game. It is so addicting and I spend most of my free time learning about new spells , weapons and other goodies. There are so many ways to approach the game. I wish it had some better story parts and some of the quest management could he better. But its one of the best games I've ever played
Not trying to invalidate your experience, but you're putting them on way to high of a pedestal. I'm super depressed, I played them, still feeling depressed. They didn't change anything and I don't think it's good to tell others that it could change things.
@@k33p1tc00l Look, if the games genuinely helped him with depression that's great. Unless he's lying I don't think there's any reason to rag on him for his personal experience. I just think that telling other people it could help them is setting them up for disappointment, and I don't think that's a good thing. What makes you hate Fromsoft fans so much that you want a game to flop just to spite them?
90-100 hours? Dude, I'm at over 30 hours and I've only finished West Limgrave and Stormvale Castle... granted I am scouring the map for secrets and loot... but I can't imagine even being halfway done at 100 hours. This game is almost overwhelmingly huge, but I ain't complaining!
I bought this game based on your review of it. And I absolutely hated it. I've never played a Souls game, and only two souls-like games (Nioh and Fallen Order). I was immediately struck by the poor controls, poor camera, and high difficulty of even standard mob encounters. I was really pissed I couldn't return it (since I bought it on Fanatical). But my buddy got it too, and he was playing it non-stop. I decided to change classes and give it another go. And I was hooked. Hooked hard. I've spent likely 20 hours or more on it just this week. I went from fearing combat, to doing everything on horse, to now jumping off Torrent just to fight. I don't shrink away from dungeons anymore. Now I seek them, hoping for a boss at the end. That feeling of dread when I saw a mist door is now replaced with anticipation of combat. To forego this game because of the combat is to make a critical mistake. Once you get used to it, the combat works well. It punishes greed, it punishes overreaching, but it rewards patience and execution. But that all pales to the exploration. This game is gorgeous, in a way that's not immediately apparent sometimes. The art design is striking and captivating. Every single location inspires exploration. You see something in the distance and immediately want to go to it, to see what's there. Emerging from Stormveil Castle the first time, you're hit with the absolute beauty of the game in its full scale. This has quickly gone from a game I actively hated (and uninstalled), to one that I cannot wait to get home to play. If you hit the wall early on this game, give it another go. And maybe a third. It's worth it.
Nailed it bro. Definitely had a similar experience. I didn’t hate it at first, but I questioned whether I would enjoy it. I then learned to go around an enemy if I needed to, and doubled back with a better weapon. I unlocked better spells, more flasks, and upgraded my weapon. Now I’m taking out major bosses in only a few attempts. Learn the move sets. Learn the combat loop. Learn the upgrade process. And never be worried to leave if you think you’re underlevelled. The boss will be there tomorrow, or a week later if you need. You absolutely CAN do it.
@@justinsaponari I started with samurai. Apparently that's a good starting class as you get a decent loadout. I think a big part of it was me not being used to the combat. When I went back, I started as confessor. You get a shield and decent sword, as well as a seal for incantations. Nothing major to start but I had a much better time with sword and shield.
God, I get chills watching this review, it is just still insane to me that Elden Ring came out and ended up being as good as it is, is From Software just the certified best game developer I really don't know how any game can match the breadth of options, areas, bosses, questlines ect. and have them all be as good as Elden Ring. Elden RIng might not be my favorite From Software game(Bloodborne takes the cake with Sekiro second) but I think it might be their best, just the fact that it was able to bring in such a larger audience is a testament to that. So many of my friends picked up this game and I honestly thought they wouldn't like it, that the series was too hardcore, but they all stuck with it. One of the overlooked features in Soul games is that information is kinda obtuse for a reason because it creates discussion, both with the in-game messages but also just discussion between friends on where to go or how to beat a boss, and that is really an experience that more straight forward games can't replicate.
Fromsoft fanboys are the most brainless drones in all of gaming. Imagine praising a game for cutting corners and omitting information. Only you people...
If I hadn’t already bought this game, your review would’ve convinced to buy a copy for myself and a friend. Super well thought out and executed analysis.
Bloodborne is personally my number one of the series, sekiro is a close second. The soundtrack along with it's eldritch horror blend together so perfectly in Yarnham. Also two words for you. Trick. Weapons. Dude, such a sick mechanic! That said I'm so hyped to see what Elden Ring has to offer! I cannot wait! From Software have yet to disappoint so fingers crossed this one's a doozy!
@@vergil_6707 well dark souls 3 is my favorite even after Bloodborne. The worst part about Bloodborne is the dungeons which are essential for gems. Dark souls I have 1000 hours and Bloodborne only 800. That's how worse Bloodborne is compared to dark souls 3. The reason for low hours is because the first time I played souls borne was in 2020.
Hands down the greatest open world game ever made. I am at the 80 hour mark and I'm still very much engaged with the world as I was in my first 10 hours. This might very well be the first open world game that won't bore me to death before I finish it.
@Ulrich Leland Like breath of the wild, the graphics of this game isn't about shaders or polygon count but instead it's about excellent art direction. As I've mentioned I'm 80 hours in and so far I'm really impressed with the level of creativity that's on display.
Finally finished. Level 140, 100 hours. Best game I can remember playing. The exploration and sense of discovery reminded me how the original WoW gave me the same feelings of awe. And like WoW, I want to re-experience that but its never as good as the first time. Very much looking forward to the DLC.
After I finished the game I started a second character which I always played when I was at the pc and didn't know what to do like a comfort game I always go back to to just roam around a bit and do random stuff. Recently I played on my main character again where I finished the game and explored a bit there and it rekindled my Elden Ring addiction, I found so much shit that I didn't know about before and what I thought would be a 30 min session again turned into another 90 hours in three weeks, trying out so many different builds and I'm on ng+5 now, man do I love this game
This game feels like a legit adventure to me like there are non-linear paths and then there is walking around a corner to meet a mid boss. Even the crabs can clap your cheeks if you are already injured and unaware. I am like 16 hours deep and at no point have I felt like the game play loop was boring. Even just grinding for loot and magic items has felt like it is a necessary evil that I can enjoy. 10/10 in my opinion. There is literally no one playstyle. I chose the confessor but rather than a faith build I chose to spec more for sorcery and strength. The character building is one of the best parts of this game.
Man, I don't know how I missed watching this all the way through 20-some months ago. Great freaking job putting the brilliance of Elden Ring into words, Ralph. Bottom line: I'm a 37 year old gamer that was born the year the original NES came out. I played Final Fantasy VII when I was 14 years old, and for 22 years hence it was my favorite game ever. Until I played Elden Ring. This game could not have come into my life at a better time. I was in the middle of changing jobs away from a career I absolutely hated, into one I have come to truly love. I was a week into my new job when Elden Ring came out. The massive sigh of relief I was having at realizing my new job was going to be perfect (and still is, over 1.5 years later) helped me truly dive into Elden Ring with a completely unobstructed appreciation of its beauty. I really do think it's the best open-world game ever made. It's utterly brilliant.
The rest of 2022 doesn't even need to have games. I've completed the Pokedex in Legends Arceus but still want to play that. I haven't even taken the plastic off of Dying Light 2, barely got into Elden Ring, and am only like 50% done with Horizon 2
Man I love your channel, I feel like most games journalists have minimal talent and just kind of got lucky and fell into this industry. You on the other hand are a breath of fresh air, you and Austin create art that stands above literally everything else in my opinion. Which is ironic because I hated your channel and it's long form reviews at first, but over time I have grown to love them to the point that when I get a notification of a new video I get genuinely excited. In short, you and Austin are fantastic and thank you so much for striving to do these games justice, your labor is sincerely appreciated. -Red-
to be fair, you would need to be able to read, to fairly criticize game journalists. This guy is a youtuber that gives unofficial reviews on his channel for likes. He's not a game journalist, who usually require a college diploma in journalism, and they work in a much different way than youtubers, in relation to the game developers and gaming industry, ie journalists that work for example Kokatu or IGN, are bound by various laws that govern how they are able to approach a game review and what kind of relationship or lack there of, they can have with the employees of the company of which game they are reviewing. On the other hand youtubers, who do reviews on youtube, are not bound by such laws aside from slander and copyright laws, and can have any type of relationship and contact they want with any given developer. This enables them to incorporate some unfair advantages over actual journalists, and can do the consumer a disservice. That being said, Skillup appears to be genuinely capable and trustworthy ,but he is an outlier and not the norm. Just do me a favor and dont slander people that have paid out of pocket for schooling and education to do something they care about like write about games, which is a benefit for all us gamers, but have taken on some negative flack that was misinformation spread by bad faith incels during gamer gate. appreciate ya
@@RedwolfEDC sure.. still wish you wouldnt add to the non-stop mountain of fake news and bullshit that the internet in the last 10 years has so deftly promoted, and just fair warning, ill call you guys out on it every fucking time. for example, can you cite maybe one example or tow, where journalists "fell into their job" with just "luck" alone, and furthermore what are a few examples of gaming journalists exhibiting a lack of talent. Because in reality, those gaming journalists, ARE entitled to their opinion, and its TOTALLY OK if you disagree, right? JUST LIKE YOU SAID, and they dont have to be slandered as HACKS or "talentless incompetent losers" just because you disagreed with their takes on some shit like im disagreeing with you right now. But see how easy it is, when someone isnt saying things that are really factual and are just running with a false "narrative" that they heard from some else, but then when called out turn around and do the exact thing, that you were calling out journalists for having a bad take (which is having a difference in opinion from you) did, but its ok for us, but if its journalists, they must be talentless hacks, right? Just because i disagree with your take, and i think that its not genuine, it doesnt mean that im going to run around social media and promote some fake narrative that you are a hack and a shill. I think you are misinformed, but im sure you have talent in figuring shit out if you applied yourself. See what i mean tho? So unless you can tell me an example of something happening en mass re: journalists that caused you to believe they were all talentless hacks, and not just that you disagreed with their "wokeness " or something. Ridiculous man. Cmon dude man up . Give me some fucking examples or something man. If you gonna slander some people, back it up, thats all you need to do man dont be scared. Stand up for your mouth when it runs itself into a jam LOLO
I really appreciate that you want viewers to go in completely spoiler-free, that’s much appreciated. I stripped the audio for this video and listened to it on the way home from work as a podcast. You’ve convinced me to pick up my first souls game! Cheers man, and keep up the good work.
Me too! I've been pretty jaded toward games lately. Elden Ring has me excited, like a little kid. It's weird, but I don't really enjoy non-Fromsoftware games as much as I used to. They've essentially ruined other games for me.
why can from soft create such a massive and incredible world with tons of content, but the massive multi-billion dollar devs can barely give us a working game with more than 4 hours of content?
First time ive played a souls game and tbh i was quite intimidated going in... But i gotta say it was worth it... something about the game is almost spiritual in a way when the game clicks for me. Very special game indeed
It’s gonna be hard playing this game right now with a 5 month old but I’ll definitely being pick this up soon for my rainy day. Can’t wait and probably will watch this video 10 more times before I have it in my hands just because how excited I’m . Thankx for your great work .
Same boat my friend, get a kangaroo pouch. That way you can keep close watch and free your hands while they're napping. Single player is a necessity now because of the pause button lol
@@FlyfishermanMike LOL right . Sometimes I get a nice jam out and other times my game won’t even load up and little dude rolls over and looks at me judging like “ nah put that controller down I’m not out yet “ lol
Dad of two, I only play an hour a night or so. But that also means these high quality games come along and you get a lot of play out of them. This and HFW are gonna take me a good chunk of the year to complete, with each being 100 hours or so a pop.
Their past games arent even comparable to Elden Ring. Its so huge, theres so much content, and the map is dense with secrets Im 50 hours in and ive only killed the first 2 major bosses.
Hi, late to the party gamer here. I finally booted up Elden Ring...again. I started about 6 months ago, and got about 45 mins in (I've never played Souls games before) and was like..."meh." Life and other games steered me away. I gave it another shot last Sunday. Completely obsessed, and about 15 hrs in, and a few tips and tricks videos in. This is the deepest single player game I've played.
idk why some of my fav games always do this to me. Skyrim & Witcher 3 were like that but once i gave it a 2nd, 3rd chance i was HOOKED. Elden Ring only took me one time to get hooked but i totally understand u
I'm about to overdose on open world, just finishing up Horizon and going straight into Elden Ring a literal day later
Don’t tell me you already beat the new Horizon game. How could possibly have that ammount of time?
@@callmeviper7723 I make memes for a living, I have a lot of free time
@@callmeviper7723 No life, wife, or kids.
@@DolanDarker Try meeting women
im gonna be doing the same thing, once I finish horizon.
The fact you are making this completely spoiler-free is perfect. That's why you are my number one guy to go to for reviews.
Agreed
Of course he'll make it spoiler free
The game hasn't even been released yet
And bandai Namco will take down the video if he said any spoilers
it's filled with spoilers tho, tons of bosses, enemy types, areas and dungeons, it's not "spoiler free"
@@zackie8172 If you only listen without watching like he suggests, it is 167% spoiler free.
@@OldManTomJulio Exactly. I am listening to this like a podcast like he suggests while I work. It's perfect. I am super hyped.
Typing this at 126 hours. He is not wrong about the time you get out of this game. Not even finished yet, level 112, and I’m still exploring and discovering new areas on the map, new bosses, new labyrinths. Game is a fucking masterpiece.
1000%
100% it just gets better and better too, insane
I finished the game at lvl 167 at 100 hs and only because nothing in the game gave me enough runes to level up in a consistent way without farming for some minutes lmao
Why is this getting so many rave reviews? It's just boring.
@@Technodook93 until you reach Mountaintops
This is my first FromSoft game and I’m loving it. I was worried it’d be too difficult for me but I’ve been able to go at my own pace and play to my strengths. This game is the perfect solution to the difficulty debate, give the option to make play easier by providing the freedom to play your own way while keeping the developers’ vision intact.
Don't mainline it. Instead check out everything. It'll click for you and then you'll understand "git gud"
@@Steveburto that’s what I’ve been doing, I’m loving it and I can feel myself getting better at the combat. I’ve only killed the first 2 mainline bosses but I’m already level 50 just from all the exploration.
Can you elaborate a bit more on this? I’m seriously debating it but as a casual I keep feeling it will just drag me down with it’s sheer scope and difficulty. It looks so interesting though. How have you found adapting to it and the challenge? I’ve played the recent ACs and the Witcher etc and found myself loving them after a few hours (AC not so much). Be great to get more of an opinion from someone who seems to be in the same boat.
@@toming727 it allows you to play at your own pace without forcing you against a boss wall. You need to accept that you will die. You also should accept that you cant kill everything when you first run into it. Also it doesn't hold your hand and tell you where to go. The actual mechanics and controls also take some time to get used to. If you're on the fence go for it but know that while most dark souls games are like 40 hours, this one is prob like a 100 easy.
Nobody is playing this as their first From game dude. Maybe you are the very first, but you will just die if frustration in two hours.
this game quietly shifted the paradigm of video games in ways we can't yet predict. an anecdote I saw on Twitter was something along the lines of "Elden Ring was inspired by games that don't exist, or rather, could've existed if we had taken a different path in development a decade ago."
I wish I better understood what this meant.
@@comradecameron3726 it's just a fancy way of saying it doesn't follow the current trends, but still feels familiar enough to not be esoteric
Elden Ring could lead to a paradigm shift in the open-world genre or at least make developers reconsider the UbiSoft model. It’s far from perfect and even tedious in sections, but it’s remarkably fresh and unapologetic in its design. At its core, it trusts the player and their competency far more than its contemporaries; that’s refreshing.
@@bizmonkey007 But what will more likely happen is that developers will learn all the wrong lessons from it, and will fail to capture what made Elden Ring such a great game. As is always the case.
Thank you, Sam. Very cool!
I had a fever dream that the last boss was called the “Shed of Chaos” and it was just the bed of chaos but instead of a worm thing in the centre it’s just a small tool shed.
Edit- people seem to think this is a spoiler, it ain’t, the bed of chaos is a boss from Dark Souls 1.
Lol
Get to work modders!
Lmao
It's just a shed with your wife nagging at you to do the yard work.
That is terrifying
Amidst an industry where most companies sell their soul to appeal to the masses for profit, Miyazaki and the team keep sticking to their creative vision and delivering it masterfully. I have so much respect for fromsoft.
And this is why they will win in the end
FromSoftware are the best developers in the world. CD Projekt Red are the worst.
@@exysa2798 I can still forgive CDPR for what they did with Cyberpunk, but EA and Ubisoft are still the worst.
Bruh
They did sell their soul to keep making souls like games for money instead of the variety they used to have before
@@thefirsttrillionaire2925 That's what we said about CDPR too. Then, well, you know, Cyberpunk happened
Literally like a gateway drug. After playing this game and nearly on 70+ hours I’ve since bought and started Dark souls 1 and am loving that even more. Elden ring allowed me to learn the gameplay of a souls game at my own pace which then allowed me to embrace new ideas and learn the other games. Planning on buying sekiro soon as well for a rather different but familiar experience as well. Can’t wait
Ahh Dark Souls, my first Fromsoftware game. I loved it so much after playing it for 300+ hours i thought..."What else did these guys create?" Then i discovered Demons Souls, Played that to infinity and after a little while Dark Souls 2 came out...
You should definitely play Sekiro! And if you didn't already, also play Bloodborne, if you have a PS4 or PS5 ofcourse.
Sekiro is great
@@frogstock2597 I didn't care for Sekiro myself. Too many penalties in dying for a Souls novice like myself. I played Dark Souls 1 a bit but never finished it but i didn't hate it. Elden Ring is freaking great though and I'm loving it. One of the best games I've played in a very long time. My plan right now is squeeze all of the content out of ER and then go back and try and finish the Dark Souls series. And once I'm a grizzled Souls vet I'll probably take another stab at Sekiro. i recognize my issues with that game rest upon me, not the game itself. I'm personally not ready for it but it'll always be there when I am.
Each new from soft title after dark souls imo really has that gateway drug quality. Sekiro got people to go back to bloodborne demons souls dark souls etc. Bloodborne got people interested in dark souls demons souls and any new titles. And now this game has gotten people into souls likes simply because of the options for difficulty. I love seeing these kinds of comments with people who managed to get in and find out why people love these games.
I'm so happy for you! Bloodborne was my first
My hype for Elden Ring is insurmountable, I have never been looking forward to a release as much as this one. With that said, one thing that gives me almost as much joy is to finally hear Mr Shillden Ring himself talk about a from software game for 36 minutes! I am so pumped to hear what you had to say about this one!
I totally agree, can't wait to master this game
me too! cant wait for the helm from my collectors
I may try it. It isn't the difficulty it is he setting. Same with bloodborn I couldn't play it for more than 10 min. It Is just too dull and depressing to me. But I do not doubt t they are great games.
Its just a souls game, calm down
I’m somewhat worried by skillup saying he was one shoting bosses. I think this balanced out by the games size. But traditional souls doods might be looking for something harder.
I never seen a AAA in recent years have this much positive reception in a long time that is multiplatform. I love this, plus no microtransactions at all.... Gotta love FromSoftware! ❤️❤️❤️
Fromsoftware is the best game developer
Good game
40 reviews on MC at 97 atm
Looks like FromSoftware is becoming what CDProjectRed was before CP2077 in the eyes of consumers. It's much deserved. ❤
@@Petesahut FROM has been like that for a long time. Its just becoming common knowldge now
The way you explain the map really reminds me of how important doing the same thing was in morrowind. The sense of reward for following a map clue to an unmarked cave or grotto to find an unmarked quest or hidden lore-related item was amazing.
Nothing has given me the feeling of explorartion and wonder as Morrowind has, figuring out stuff without markers felt amazing at the time, it was a shame they tone it down for oblivion and skyrim. I hope elden ring gives me that same feeling Morrowind had all those years ago!
^coc balmora
@@marcms25 Completely agree with this. I've played a lot of open world games since, and nothing has really come close to the sense of mystery and excitement as Morrowind.
@@BP-gw4zd I agree with all you guys
Not even Breath of the Wild came close to the fun I had exploring Morrowind. Nothing has. The only world that keeps me entertained is a heavily modded Skyrim where I single-handedly placed treasures all over the map while adding new worlds and places to explore. Nothing compares to Morrowind's world design. Not even Fallout 4 or Fallout 76 (Bethesda's latest open world creations), which were a huge disappointment filled with no value or substance.
I hated Elden Ring because I felt so weak and helpless, dying over and over again, but as I played I improved but the challenge remained which is great. Death is just a slight annoyance now, sometimes dying is funny. With this realization I rush into fights without fear, unlike at the start. Elden Ring has grown on me and I am in love with the game now.
Funny how real life works the same way... The lesser your fear of failing the better your chances of success... And understand failure is a part of the process of growth... Embracing it, learning from it
Dying in this game isn't a big deal. After so many naked corpse runs in Valheim, I was pleasantly surprised.
My fear still scales with my rune balance so I try to farm some less risky places quick, bank it with a level up, and then go get trounced by a boss a few times. But I'm realizing that most bosses are doable and as long as grace is close to the entrance, then I can just roll it and regrab my runes if I have to next attempt.
see, this is the mentality that people should have when playing Dark souls or any souls-like games.
You say dying isn't a big deal but I wasn't able to recover 7500 runes due to dying in Stormveil's exile filled courtyard. That's 12k total runes in the godforsaken "legacy" dungeon & hours of wasted time. Seems early in the game and I'm no longer wanting to punish myself further.
Update on PC performance: either the day one patch has done something terrible or optimisation is just poor across the board. As I said, my experience was flawless except for the minor issues I discussed in the review, but frame loss and stuttering is so wide spread an issue for people on PC that the game currently sits at ‘Mixed’ on Steam. If you are planning to pick it up on PC, you may want to hold off until some performance patches roll through.
Thanks for adding that. Also were the pc version ui, keybinding, mouse issues not as bad?
@@itinkthereforeiiz I mentioned the bad keybinds. Didn’t have any UI issues. I never played with a mouse.
Worth noting as well the console performance looks to be hilariously bad. Not too far off from most of their other releases though.
how about holding out until fromsoft realises there is such a thing as Keyboards?
SKILLUP18 is not working as a code for me.. got not other purchases...
Ok this finally sold me on the whole souls-like genre
i hope you enjoy it, the level and boss design in these games are incredible.
My first game was DS3 2 years ago and it ruined other games for me. Im sure this one might be the best but if some reviewer hasn’t “sold” you on the others then do yourself a favor and go have the experience after Elden Ring. Dark Souls 3 is super accessible to new players and also has an immaculate difficulty curve. Sekiro and Bloodborne are less accessible and provide less freedom but provide a curated, atmospheric and satisfying nail biting experience unlike any other. I highly doubt you’ll be able to resist the souls like craving after Elden Ring. Stop waiting to be “sold” and just make the observation that anyone who completes these games almost entirely unanimously sings their praise. That’s not a coincidence.
Enjoy your stay undead and avoid hollowing, will you?
@@daveyjoneslocker4703 "anyone who completes these games..." Yeah, that's the kicker.
I want to try these games but am also terrified of liking them and losing so many hours lol
The embargo ended 30 minutes ago, you get this like for not only being the first I've seen release an Elden Ring video today but also for being eloquent in your explanation of this games varied landscape and system. Genuinely good job 👍
Skill and ACG have to be the best reviewers putting out content in my opinion.
@@Lostjayyhawk hello? Are you forgetting about dunkey?
@@zcddrew right? The disrespect
@@zcddrew dunkey can be kind of hit or miss in my opinion, through no fault of his own, it just seems like his opinion of a genre or type of game clouds over actual points of fact about a given game. but, then again, he never claimed his reviews were really anything other than entertainment.
@@zcddrew agreed
When this review came out, I didn’t watch it because I wanted to go in mostly blind. Now I’ve beaten the game twice and am halfway through a third playthrough, and still keep finding new stuff constantly. The sheer density of this game defies expectations at every turn. Truly incredible.
3rd playthrough already ? And as of 2 weeks ago?? Jeez
How many hours per playthrough?
You constantly amaze with your reviews. And what blows my mind is where you have the time to make mutible videos a week while puts upwards to 50 hours in each game. I can't imagine doing that for my channel. Hats off to you sir and never change Shill Up :)
He's amazing and dedicated. But it does help a lot that he's hired Austin to run the editing side of the house. That makes a huge difference in the amount of time he can spend playing.
@@LordCyler it's not really that hard to edit together game play footage, he still has to help write the scripts and record them
The CinemaSins ding counter thing is really hacky btw, but so is CinemaSins imo so that shows my bias I guess.
@@quatreraberbawinner2628 he does a lot more than that but even if he didn't, video editing is not easy.
@@DjokovicIsOurLordAndSaviour well.....it ain't hard either lol. Unless you use a liberal definition of hard. Especially these days.
My first playthrough completed.
Game of the generation.
A masterpiece.
Some of the open world was really really boring, the side quest were too easily broken by doing things in the wrong order, the interface is outdated and the difficulty spikes in the endgame were ridiculous.
This all subtracts from being a masterpiece. I still had fun though and it got me hooked for 140 hours.
Good game? Yes. Masterpiece? No.
@@50-50_Grind I never found the open world boring at all, I couldn't wait to explore every area I got to and find all the secrets.
The interface is totally fine with the exception of the map button that if you hit it again doesn't close the map. I'm very familiar with the rest of the interface after all these years of souls games. Maybe I'm just comfortable with it at this point? I played some Borderlands recently and it continues to have the worst UI in the industry if you want to check out an absolutely god awful one, it's breathtakingly bad.
I'll agree it's easy to muck up the side quests, it's more luck the first time through taking a sidequest to completion for certain. The souls games however are known at this point for the community coming together to figure out how it all works and what links to what etc, that for me is part of the fun. The thing is you don't necessarily miss anything because of that, you just get a different experience. Finding out later how something could have possibly played out just gives another reason to play through again. The fact that no two people ever have the same playthrough over 30, 40, 50+ hours is a testament to just how great this is.
It's all subjective of course, and I totally respect your opinion, the game and it's kin aren't for everyone. For me though it's definitely a masterpiece.
@@50-50_Grind define a masterpiece
@@50-50_Grind Fully Agree!!
This is my first From Software game and I'm about 10-15 hours in and just finished Stormveil Castle. I just want to say whoever designed Stormveil Castle deserves a freaking gold medal. I'm 30 and have played a lot of games, Stormveil is the literal best dungeon I have ever seen in a game period.
Absolutely blew me away and I also hard as shit or I just went there too early 🤣
Stormvale isn't even the best dungeon in this game
try dark souls 1 after, and bloodborne, magnum opus each of them. and trust me, you'll beat them.
You are in for a treat! It only gets better except for that one red area everyone hates.
25 hours later, I'm just now getting through the academy. Another absolute banger! Loving this game!
@@jy1178 You beat the game yet? Lol
I’ve played many games in my lifetime but I can’t remember the last time I played a game that consistently left me as shocked, amazed, disgusted, and intrigued as Elden Ring. This is my very first Souls game and I’m 85 hours in and still haven’t beat my first play-through because I want to keep exploring. It truly is a masterpiece.
I haven't watched the review all the way through yet but thank you for doing non-spoiler audio so many reviewers I find fall back on describing what they did instead of the experience as a whole and for this game especially I want to know absolutely nothing.
This just fills my heart with so much fucking joy, of course they knocked it out of the park
Me too my friend, me too. I can't express how much I wholeheartedly agree.
Right?
FROM SOFT!!! FROM SOFT!!! FROM SOFT!!! HELL YEAH!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHH I'M SO FUCKING HYPE I'M GONNA DIE!!!! 😭😭
"of course they knocked it out of the park" didn't say that after cyberpunk huh
@@peoduction6068 You need to check your brain
Eyeing the Souls like genre from afar due to its difficulty exactly defines me. You've made me think about actually getting this now
Yay! After Elden Ring, I also recommend trying one of the Dark Souls games using a sorcery build, as it makes the game notably easier (it’ll still kick your ass at times for that authentic souls experience dw)
Don’t be intimidated. Take the plunge, you’ll thank me later
It is entirely worth it, these games are frustrating dont play them on a bad day lol. However, they are so unbelievable rewarding and the atmosphere is something you haven't seen in any game before.
Dude just get bloodborne, to beat that game u HAVE to be aggressive, there's no other way. If u manage to get through bloodborne, you're ready for anything
I thought the same but I recently played through dark souls 3. It's hard at first but u can easily make it easy as hell by overlevelling yourself or make it harder too.
I'm new to your channel but old enough to remember buying computer game magazines in the 80s when there was at least a certain level of journalism. Your great content and well written, in depth analysis is superb. It gives me the information I need without spoiling a game but also the personal level which inspires (I recently gave Outer Wilds a proper go: thank you). Great work and Best O' Luck from Ireland!!
he hooked me on his ff15 review. so good.
Nice to see a fellow Irish man for once, sometimes I genuinely get quite lonely on here. I too remember game magazines and even though I don't always agree with his Reviews he is extremely constructive with them.
Everything was better back then boys.
100% agreed
Can I just say THANK YOU for keeping the "going in blind" experience in mind with this review. I'm only 3 minutes in, listening to it, because I just want to hear your thoughts but I don't want to see anything yet. Very excited for the next 33 minutes. Thank you for what you do.
I'm so glad it came out so good.
A game worth the hype is the best feeling in the world to me.
i dont know why it wouldnt
Finally the cyberpunk fear can f**k off
that's what she said
@@renhardhalim this game was no where near the hype level of Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk was announced like 8 years before it came out lol
Appreciate the heads up on classes and builds. I really wasn't sure what I was going to go with my first go round but you've convinced me to go with a magic dexterity hybrid.
Same
Wretch for the win
Literally doing the same
I was going to do Confessor as well, but now I'm not so sure. I may be going naked dude (or dudette) with a club now.
@@Plathismo Magic-dexterity hybrid is the Prisoner
I fully explored and killed every boss. Total playtime: 150 hours.
Livin off borrowed time the clock ticks faster...
Heres your big boy badge 🏅
I finished it this morning, with 150 hours too. Likely won't play for a bit, since i just finished this massive journey, but it was great.
@@sciencepluspotato1294 which class is most fun?
@@liamfoo09 Really depends on what you personally enjoy. If what you want is cool and flashy stuff, spells are a good bet. While sorceries are better than incantations (in terms of dps), incantations offer more variety, so you'll need to chose flexibility versus higher numbers.
If you want to shred absolutely everything, a build based on bleed and dexterity is a good choice. Add the mimic tear to that, and you'll be able to kill most bosses in less than 10 seconds.
If what you want is a fair challenge, a strength build is a good choice. You'll deal good amounts of damage, and be tanky enough to take punishment.
As for me, i changed my build 2 times during the playthrough (at the 50th hour and the 100th), and the build i had during the last third was a strength build (+25 dismounter being my main weapon).
The most important thing is to play how you want to. Play according to how you have fun, not how others think you'll have the most fun.
Man I absolutely LOVE how the game "actively works to hide things from you" when it comes to secret areas and whatnot rather than having all of these hints pointing towards it. So refreshing!!!!!!!!!
I mean, if you think about it. These secrets would have been made with keeping them hidden in mind, lore wise. Just makes more sense if they are hidden in such ways. The way others try to make sure you know about them kinda defeats the purpose.
@@merccc1 secrets they are meant to be found not remain hidden
This is the trick that makes open worlds really engaging. Actively enticing you to explore it, instead of telling you which route to take through some nice scenery.
@@Herio7 Secrets are secret because they are hidden and requires you to search for them and discover them so having "!" pointers are being guided to them remove the satisfaction of the discovery, other devs are afraid that the player will miss out on the content but FS challenges the player and encourage him to make the effort so that the game can offer you a great sensation of achievement.
@@chebil_y4967 secret being made to be found doesn't make not-hidden. There is thin very line between obvious and subtle clues pointing players towards secrets but no secret is made to remain hidden forever. I've not stated that '!' you did and disprove the strawman.
I've been watching reviews all morning and this is definitely the most thorough and gets me the most excited. I cannot wait. Thursday night, 9:00 p.m. I will start my quest
Yeah mate, I have been watching reviews all day as well. Can't wait!
Ikr I thought i couldnt get more hyped but these reviews got me frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal.
Queensland gang
Dude thank you so much for making audio spoiler free, I love having that option.
There are few games which come out and you play for a few hours and immediately know that it's something special. There are a very few games I can say that about. BOTW, Skyrim and now this , Elden ring. This is my first souls like game and goddam is it the best game I've ever played. I can see myself playing and replaying this for years to come
Play the other ones they re better
@@orlando5789 Wouldn't say better, all previous Fromsoft soulsbornekiro games are not open-world games, and they are also very difficult when it comes to the flow of combat and the feel of the world. But yes, they all share the From-Magic and I highly suggest anyone who enjoy Elden Ring try their hands on the other Fromsoft Soulsbornekiro titles. Maybe even Demon Souls Remaster.
Or Armor Core, if you really like Patches
@@lcmiracle They were better imo because they lacked the open world. I enjoyed them constantly, whereas, with ER, I was really bored by the time I got to the Snowy Mountaintops of the Giants.
Same. This is like Skyrim but with an actual battle system, and better story.
Goddamn*
I've never seen a "very strongly recommends" from you, the hype cannot be contained!
Funny thing is I was always too intimidated by From Software games and their notorious difficulty. Tried my first one when Bloodborne was free on PS Plus. Didn’t get past the third major boss before giving up 😅 However when Sekiro dropped I couldn’t help but be intrigued and excited because of it having that Japanese/ samurai approach to it. I was extremely surprised when I managed to beat Lord Isshin and felt such a sense of accomplishment! So for him ( the reviewer) to say that Elden Ring has many more options in terms of how you play and conquer the Lands Between then that gives me hope. This is a world I do not want to miss out on 👌🏻💯
Beating ishin is no small feat either! Id consider myself a souls-vet and I still never bet isshin 😒
Pro-tip for Bloodborne (or others). Summoning Coop people is key to enjoying the first playthrough.
Isshin the Sword-Saint! 🤩 what a marvelous fight!
@@Itachi-xi9sl it was truly the greatest and most heart pumping fight of my whole gaming life ! 😅
@@ethanethan9575 2 weeks of trying for a few hours and giving up with sweaty palms and sleepless nights thinking about that damn fight finally paid off in the end 😂 Never. Again 😂🤦🏻♂️
Your reviews have to be the best out there. So thorough and I can hear the excitement in your voice as you talk on certain aspects of the game! Austin's editing is top notch as well. The way the music mixes with what's on screen perfectly is just very impressive. Especially the endings of every review! Lastly, you leaving spoilers out of this or giving us a way to consume it that way is just so cool of you. You guys are awesome and thanks for getting me even more excited for this game! Props to you!
Ay thanks a bunch man! Always love reading those comments, appreciate it!
@@MajorasLullaby whose account does this belong to?
His review is good but he didnt even touch on the story component of the game. Nor the sidequests. You can talk about it without giving spoilers away. Is the story good, bad, too long too short... he never talked about it especially considering George RR Martin (the mind behind game of thrones) had a hand in it.
Damn, sometimes these reviews are so damn good and hit home so well that I honestly tear up. No one explains why I love games like Skill Up is able to.
"I *very* strongly recommend: Elden Ring"
Just what we all wanted to hear. Thank You!
Can't wait to play it now 😃
see you in the lands between, tarnished
You needed someone else to tell you to play it? Just think for yourself
@@DrViperVideos games cost money, don't want to waste money on a game and then it turns out to be unplayable and filled with bugs
@@jackdoyle9808 Yeah exactly
One of the best reviews I've ever heard. Seriously, thank you for keeping this 100% spoiler free!
Absolutely ecstatic to see this live up to its expectations. Elden Ring will be played and discussed for the next decade and I can't be happier!
Are you new to ShillUp? Not trying to be snarky, just wanted to let you know that what you're describing is.. well.. all his videos. I watch every single one even if I'm not interested in that particular game because the writing and editing are just so good.
@@TheJunnutin I never actually tried only listening to them.
"This is a double album, with FromSoft at the peak of their creative power. Unfathomably large, fathoms deep, and utterly remarkable." - 7:00
From one professional writer to another... Ralph, well done sir. *claps furiously*
Can't believe the writer of Wreck it Ralph wrote this too, such a genius.
*slow clap*
I loved this line!!
It’s their white album. Fromsoft are the videogame Beatles at this point
after playing elden ring for two weeks I've roughly memorised it's complete layout. This, in my opinion, is incredible. Most games pull you along with quest markers or arrows that dumb down the actual progression through area, leading to me piggy backing off of them. The open world in elden ring is both so immersive and engaging that despite it's absolutely collasal size, I can remember it with ease. It is so distinct and colourful with each different place, area or landmark that trust me when I say actually mapping the landscape after a solid playthrough isn't remotely difficult. This game is incredible. Some bosses are shit (Looking at you godskin duo), but otherwise it''s fun as fuck and 100% agree with shillup.
Elden ring for me is the chosen one, i have played and loved every souls game to bits, the effort and love they have for their games is unique across the gaming space. They just make fantastic games that are incredibly consistent and get better and better every time. I don't think i've ever been so confident in a game being good and the way they made this open world and multiplayer is just amazing. The way they make their games is just second to none and very much worth going in as blind as possible. And on top of all of that..... it comes out on my birthday :)
'to avoid spoilers just listen to this thing as if it were a podcast' . . .dude, this is so massively appreciated, many thanks.
lol I don’t get why he said this. You can do that with any video. All he had to say was it was no spoilers?
@@Legalizeasbestos because the video visuals are spoilers showing areas many people havent yet seen, and he was careful to point out that there wouldnt be any spoilers in the audio, hence...podcast. I call that considerate, responsible journalism, thats why I said so.
@@Nosh_Feratu but isn’t every video gonna show you the game? Like that’s the visual. I agree he is being responsible. But it’s like saying “if you want to walk you don’t have to get in the car”. In this case “if you don’t want spoilers by watching the game, you can just listen to it” like wouldn’t everyone know that they’re watching a review and there would be spoilers of some sort by watching gameplay? The only thing he’d have to clarify was that it was “spoiler free review” rather than telling me not to watch it because I would have already decided on that.
This is a very very minor thing and I just found it funny in its redundancy. Great review per usual
@@Legalizeasbestos Well, even before hearing what he said I scrolled down and just had the audio, but i think its just that it's all a bit sensitive at the moment where spoilers are concerned because very few people have seen anything outside of the network test.
Either way, its nice for someone to provide information beforehand and give people the option if they hadnt already thought about doing it themselves. Its all good chief.
@@Nosh_Feratu agreed!
This review is just like the game, full of poetic moments, hardships, a full dramatic structure, and then you realize it was just the intro.
The words he describes it with are giving me goosebumps.
"Was it Dark Souls 2?"
"NO "
That cracked me up bro. A man of the people!
Great review as always, love the honesty.
Love your channel!
Yea I can’t wait to play tomorrow. Also, your content never misses. Love your channel
keeps up the great content my guy, good to see you’re into games too
What is this? A crossover episode?
Talk about honesty, love yours too brother! Love your channel!!
“The cataclysmic collision of tectonic plates, uneven, formless and splintered” this quote alone is making me buy this game and subscribe to this channel. An absolutely amazing piece of writing for this review. Just wow. I had to rewind the video just to show my girl how amazing the wording was. Just wow. And the icing on the cake is that the very next sentence that followed included the words “built different”. This man is becoming my favourite person in under 6 minutes
Facts! Such a professionally done video
Welcome to Shillup. Get ready for this week in video games! Also, his old reviews of other games are fun as retrospective pieces
@@Flecco Shillup is my sweet moment of the day
I honestly don’t see what’s so special about that wording that you’ll literally buy the game and subscribe to his channel JUST for that! You have a weird way of hopping on board with something!
Yeah he is great writer.
I'm so happy I could cry, the gaming world was in desperate need of a timeless masterpiece, when I saw on opencritic it scored 96 out of 72 reviews, up there with the greatest games of all time like RDR2, Breath of the Wild, GTAV, I let sigh of relief, finally, its about time we had something really wonderful to play this year and years to come. Surely will win GotY 2022, sorry God of war and Horizon.
Edit: Score just went up to 97 out of 79 reviews!
Looking forward to this. Gow hasn't came out yet tho lol
Horizon was a lot of fun but elden ring will definitely bring home that game of the year ive been looking for since the start of the next gen life cycle. Nothing has really sparked that feeling for me recently maybe with returnal or ratchet and clank but nothing would come close to this
Preach. I haven’t seen a top tier game since GTA V and RDR. Seems like most publishers are forcing studios to do money grabs instead of delivering great games. Smh.
Lmao yeah happy for you but we don't know how Gow2 is yet. May still win goty after all
@@Saint_Arod it's still a bit floaty no doubt but such a massive improvement on the first game by miles. Take my word it's worth the pick up, first game was pretty bland but the sequel is a lot of fun and you experiment a lot with movement and weapons equally. Would say it's worth the purchase if you're looking for a new game to get
Dude. This review was an absolute masterpiece. I've been on the fence since release about getting Elden Ring. I purchased Dark Souls 3, bailed quite quickly and never returned. I admit, I'm probably too casual for Elden Ring. The current discount got my attention and I've purchased it. Only a couple hours in and have avoided all bosses thus far. Your review makes me feel better about my purchase. Damn, I've got a challenge ahead, but fuck, it will be worth it.
Was it just the difficulty that made you quit dark souls 3?
So glad to see this not only live up to the hype but to also surpass it. FromSoft and Miyazaki are the masters of game design
You know it’s hype when he *very strongly recommends it
An amazing review
Amazing review. I have to give a special shout out to the editing here though. Could quite possibly be the best I've seen in a video review. Maybe ever. The sizzle reels, cuts, information dumps, all interwoven with the soundtrack. Truly impressive and the effort shows.
With all these issues, how the hell did it get a ten. Constant frame rate drops, bad draw distances and trxture pop in. From Software is known for bad PC ports, so I wonder how it runs over there. Played it on PS5 and it just felt terrible to play considering how every other game I've played was a constant 60fps. There is no excuse for a tripple A game that has worse graphics than Denon Souls and looks like a last gen game to run this bad
@@exaltedreverse4463 Not trolling at all 😉
@@exaltedreverse4463 From never really focused too much graphical fidelity - but they have decent hit box and combat systems which are usually cpu demanding than gpu
@@aravindpallippara1577 I'm on PS5 and it's still bad in performance
What a phenomenal game. 30 hours and feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface.
85hrs in and I don't feel like I'm super close to the end lol
On my third legacy dungeon there's supposed to be 6 I think
@@netwatch7261 100 hrs in just got to the academy
so happy to read all those commend, 50 hours in and just finished the first castle lol
@@MrChisnok yeah this game is really big. It has six different endings too, so there are plenty of ways to play :)
Dude your script for this is killer. Such a great review. I can tell you thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece 👌
I saw a video that recommended you play as the Wretch for your first playthrough. The wretch starts with almost nothing and even stats across the board. This allows you to build your character however you want, but also makes your first playthrough highly rewarding. You have to fight and claw for every drop. Exploration is key to equipping the Wretch, and that fits so well with this game.
Only con with wretch is the stats on the other classes have much higher levels for the level they start at, even if the wretch levels to them it'll have lower stats at their level. So if you know what you want to do from the get-go I wouldn't recommend wretch cause you'll wind up with less stats than if you would've started as a specific class.
Always the wretch mate that's the only way to play this games
Havent played any souls game, would it be best for me to play Wretch?
@@chappellroanplsgotomanilaibeg i wouldn't, pick one of the other classes that sounds interesting to you. you'll likely want all the help you can get as you adjust to these types of games.
@@chappellroanplsgotomanilaibeg that's what I'm doing. I've only played a little bit of Dark Souls 1. I want my first playthrough of this game to be as organic and memorable as possible.
Dark Souls isn't actually hard. People make it hard on themselves because they do not learn patterns. Once you start memorizing which enemies could be avoided, how specific enemies fight. The game becomes so much easier, until you hit a wall because you come across something new and have to learn this too.
Dude I have tears in my eyes after this review. After seeing the developers that built my childhood sell out one after the other(CDPR, BioWare, Bethesda, DICE, etc.) seeing that the one I held in the highest regard standing strong and releasing a masterpiece that pushes the art form forward made me emotional in a way I never expected. I know these are "just games" but to me these developers were the equivalent of my childhood rockstars and I'm very happy to see fromsoftware has still got "it".
LOL must be your time of month
@@Mercs_Beamers I am in your walls
@@lb3215 ikr he didnt even cry over busting in your mom lol.........this dude right?
Yeah it looks like their genuinely good and non-greedy approach will reward them, and that’s great to see. Really hope it sends a strong message to some of the companies you mentioned
@@lb3215 crying is release
As a gamer of 25 years, Elden Ring is a game that I have always wanted to play, it’s a game that accomplishes so much of what I wanted from other games in my time. I can’t stress enough how good this game is. An absolutely satisfying masterpiece
How? It's a direct downgrade from their previous game and a completely shallow and barren experience for something that's "open world" compared to any open world game of the past several decades.
You don't play many games?
@000ArDiLlA000 The combat (the sole focus of these game) was significantly worse and Elden ring was just another copy paste dark souls.
Extremely densely packed? It's filled with nothing but copy paste lobotomized enemies that don't even talk and barely walk back and forth, if even LOL. You do nothing but mindlessly kill them and nothing else...
Meanwhile entire cities are completely uninhabited, the few non hostile npcs there are don't even have organic dialogue, have awful quests, and are glued to position.
It's a completely hollow, barren, and lifeless experience of a 2022 open world game. Tell me how fallout, a game about a literal wasteland from decades ago, manages to make their world more alive and immersive...
Fromsoft is extremely lazy and any other company would be dragged through the mud for doing the same thing. Their game design is not meant for open world in that scale.
@@Digger-Nick to be fair it is a combat video game, so obviously it’s all about killing things and innately it will be more arcadey and less immersive in nature. that… and the world is literally dead (like every other soulsborne LOL). what else were they gonna add, a fishing minigame? regardless of whether the open world is empty or not there’s still the legacy dungeons which most people agree to be the star of the show
You never played like the other fromsoft games?
@@Digger-Nick This guy is coping so hard at the fact that Elden Ring won 300 GOTY awards and has sold 20 million copies. It’s not only critically successful, but commercially as well.
Cope, seethe, mald.
I must say. Whenever Skill Up recommends a game I usually pick it up and am rarely disappointed with the purchase. I’m deff gonna be picking this up. Your reviews are just outstanding, thanks for the showcase here.
I’d really like to get this game. I just don’t have the patience
It's funny because I'm the opposite most games he's recommend I've hated but ive been a souls fan since og demon's souls so unlikely hear
You finally convinced me. I read numerous reviews, listened to many friends that thought I'd love it, but your review pushed me over the edge. 70 hours in now, barely into the 3rd major area, and absolutely fucking LOVING it. This is after bouncing off Dark Souls and Bloodborne. As a new souls-like player, Elden Ring made it so much easier to "get it". The past games just felt impenetrable, and I felt punished for not putting the games' systems together quickly enough. This time I can do it at my own pace, and finally I feel like my understanding of the game grows at a pace that is more parallel with the difficulty curve.
Finally, I'm converted. I can't wait to go back to Bloodborne with a new lens, and now suddenly I have an entire catalogue of other games from a developer that I now appreciate to an insane degree to work through.
Thanks for your reviews, your passion for the industry doesn't cease to impress.
This is my first souls-like. It has broken me... I just spent hours looking for mini dungeons to no results (done 3 so far tho), died countless times, I feel incredibly weak, the little gear I've found thus far does very little for my magic Man, I am just so lost, going from 130 hours on AC Valhalla to this is a big change, I have no idea what to do, been pretty cool tho
Keep trying. Keep exploring. Keep learning and going back to the problems with new perspectives. That's the long version of "git gud". And once it clicks with you, you'll enjoy these types of games much more.
Look up guides
I would like to clarify that despite being lost I am loving it! Brings back the sense of satisfaction you get from achieving something in a game: something I have missed for a long time!
This was how I felt playing the first dark souls. Keep it up dude, I thought I wouldn't be able to beat any of these games, and since then I beat the ds Trilogy, bloodeborne, twice, and Nioh. This is garunteed to be the best gaming experiences you'll ever have
Your experience in casual creed games means nothing to souls. You are a runt who will be maimed and murdered for your recklessness. Now take my inspirational words and hack those yetis back into the cooler.
Also know how much stamina you use with each attack and how many times you can dodge/roll before you get exhausted. It helps to know how long you can last in a fight before you leave yourself vulnerable.
this aged like fine wine
I'm 20 hours in and for me its become an instant classic, I can see myself playing this for a long time to come, especially once the frame rates fixed, my PC isn't even warm when i run the game its almost as if the game isn't utilizing my hardware at all. But i get major drops very similar GPU to the one used for your review
Why does anybody like this game.
@@eltopo71 ok
@@eltopo71 This question on a 20+ minute video explaining the answer... we live in a world
Elden ring doesn't have a difficulty setting, but does this by giving you flexibility on how you aproach challenges.. you can build a defensive character, you can summon npc's and even players... in the end everything is doable for any skilllevel
Yep. This game is great because if you struggle with a boss just go out and level up then come back.
@@Zer-db1bp and experiencing this as a wrench added that Unique feeling unlike using other classes, wrench was my first play through and I tried samurai the second and the experience felt different
apart from the last boss
After being completely hooked on dark souls 1 over a decade ago, I've always had this underlying sentiment that if the game mechanics were expanded upon and brought to an open world done right, it would be a masterpiece. I guess that was right.
Prophet
Quite frankly it’s the best game I’ve played in a long time. Fourty hours in I’m seeing bosses as beatable. However, thats beatable after a number of tries, and solving the problem to beat them.
The learning curve, the frill of a hard won victory, there is nothing like it in gaming. From software and its dark souls creation is a masterpiece in gaming.
I’m thrilled on the journey and they do demonstrate what triple aaa gaming can be.
This game is hard, fair, and fantastically rewarding.
Easily, my game of the year.
I think they put the adventure back in action adventure games. That feeling of dread when you watch a boss intro. the cooler the cutscene, the harder they fall.
And dont get me started on the dark lit corners of the world especially in some tombs.
No one ever really mentions how genuinely creepy this game can be. Especially since most things can kill you. That's Adventure
Man, there's something special about listening to a reviewer at the top of their game describe a work of genius.
Yes I obsessively refreshed until this went live. I already have it pre-ordered but want to hear Skillup's thoughts anyway.
same lol
Thank you so much for making a review that I can listen to as if it were a podcast without feeling like I’m missing something. I’ve been avoiding most footage for this game to go in completely blind, to the point where I haven’t even watched footage from the network test or the launch trailer, so thank you for this. I CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY THIS GAME!!!
My first ending…. 200 hours almost exactly and loved every minute, did spend some time really looking for more to see at end tho, I really didn’t want it to end, haven’t had that in an open world game ever, utterly incredible.
Loved the action scenes showcased together with beautiful music like a gameplay trailer. Been following you since the division days but I gotta tell you, you are undoubtedly the best game reviewer out there. The way you explain things, the way you express your experience and try to make the audience understand how much hard work has been poured into a product is simply amazing man. This was a fukin amazing review
he likes destiny 💀
I agree, and I ain't know a damn thing about Dark souls, though he has made me spend more money on games than any trailer has
@@timsmyth7942 the shooting and specially the feedback of bullet impact is something destiny does the best. No other shooter can make shooting feel as much fun as destiny.
Two years later and it still has not been outdone yet. Going to be forever until a non fromsoftware open world game knock it out of the park better than this.
from software and the man Miyazaki himself, have never once failed delivering any game in my opinion. really gives this perspective of them being the last game developer that dosn't sell out and push unfinished games. Well fucking done From.
As much as I love the company, not all of their games are good. Ninja Blade, for example, was a mediocre Ninja Gaiden clone, and the first King's Field, while it has it's charm and the exploration was pretty good even for todays standards, had really boring enemy encounters and the art design of the dungeons themselves were meh. Thankfully, unlike some other famous devs, those cases were rare exceptions, but still, Fromsoft isn't flawless. 100% on them not selling out for a cashgrab tho, even in their failures the guys at least tried.
this game seems to be good but don’t act like dark souls 2 doesn’t exist lol
@@jackmesrel4933 He never said Fromsoft is flawless, but even Scorsese has some misses under his belt. Even GRRM has had mishaps in the writing process. Doesn’t take away the fact that they’re some of the most respected creative geniuses of our time. Miyazaki wasn’t even the lead for Ninja Blade and King’s Field. Many of those earlier games dealt with severe funding and hardware limitations anyway, and it wasn’t until Demon Souls that Fromsoft was truly given a chance to flourish.
@@metanoiic Miyazaki was not the creative director for DS2, and even if he was, you could do a LOT worse than that game in the RPG genre.
@@Mpc333k Fair enough Miyazaki didn’t work on ds2, though the comment mentions from software lol
Iv never played a souls game. I mostly played shooters, racing and fighting games. Thought I give this game a shot and god damn I’m hooked. Even though I’m dying in the first area I’m still having a lot of fun
The choir kicking at around 29:30 is so on point👌 the music editing all together was actually top tier. Great work as always.
Agreed, and does anyone know where the choir music comes from? Thank you in advance
What a time to have gaming as hobby. In middle of all the fuckery, we sometimes receive some special ones. Enjoy, my friends. Enjoy it!
No need for me. There are better hobbies out there than gaming. Gaming is a waste of time.
FUCK YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
@@TheREALHugo4 Dafuq are you doing here, little buddy?
@@GuiiBrazil Just talking, duh.
But seriously, i'm gonna enjoy the reactions to the first hour in this game and that's it but overall, i need to get a better life than playing games.
@@TheREALHugo4 well if you are spending time at youtube comment section on a video on a game made for enthusiasts telling them how much gaming wastes life , you ain't having one mate.
Really appreciated the Abyss Watchers OST in your combat section. I can listen to it all day, and it perfectly captures the dreary, morose, and really combatative nature of the Souls series.
One important note for new players. Dont expect to one shot bosses like skill up said. For him to have done it, he would've to find them in a very good order(that is kind of difficult) and also explore the world and the mechanics very thoroughly to be ready for them. I say this because you will face bosses a lot of times that are in a higher level and you should avoid them until later. Also some of the last bosses of the game are extremely difficult.
This game's challenge is going to feel so good after dozens of hours of Aloy telling me to use my focus every time I enter a new area.
"I can probably jump backward to reach the other ledge."
"Wow. That's a long way to the other side. But wait...there's a rope stretched across. I'll bet I can ride it to the other side."
"I should climb this structure and look for the clamps."
"Great. I'm here. Now to shoot the clamps."
"Maybe my focus will show me a way I can defeat this machine."
"Great. More machines. I can probably set a trap in its path to take it out."
Jesus, Aloy. You wanna just play? I can put the controller down, if you'd prefer.
Some of her barks are quite helpful though. The ones in the ruins where you walk by and she's like "maybe I haven't finished exploring" and you're like "hmm" and sure enough there's a couple chests you didn't find earlier, and then she's like "ok I think that's probably everything worth digging up here." Those are very nice to me
I think this might be your best written review yet Ralph. Huge congrats to you and Austin! Looking forward to playing this game
Once again I am taken aback at your meticulous and deliberate use of language in describing the elements of the games you review. You never take the easy way out , “ this game makes you feel like”-isms, rather your use of metaphors and prose creates a sense of reverence/ respect for the genre unlike other reviewers I watch. Keep it up shillup, you are a gem amongst gems.
This is my first fromsoft game I've put serious time in. Im 90 hours in and still haven't beaten the game. It is so addicting and I spend most of my free time learning about new spells , weapons and other goodies. There are so many ways to approach the game.
I wish it had some better story parts and some of the quest management could he better. But its one of the best games I've ever played
The soulsbourne games not only changed my life..they saved it. To anyone feeling depressed with some extra time, and an open mind, try them.
Not trying to invalidate your experience, but you're putting them on way to high of a pedestal. I'm super depressed, I played them, still feeling depressed. They didn't change anything and I don't think it's good to tell others that it could change things.
what???
@@k33p1tc00l you were praying were you? I think some self examination may be in order right there.
@@k33p1tc00l Look, if the games genuinely helped him with depression that's great. Unless he's lying I don't think there's any reason to rag on him for his personal experience. I just think that telling other people it could help them is setting them up for disappointment, and I don't think that's a good thing. What makes you hate Fromsoft fans so much that you want a game to flop just to spite them?
@@k33p1tc00l keep crying plub, I'll drink your tears
90-100 hours? Dude, I'm at over 30 hours and I've only finished West Limgrave and Stormvale Castle... granted I am scouring the map for secrets and loot... but I can't imagine even being halfway done at 100 hours. This game is almost overwhelmingly huge, but I ain't complaining!
I bought this game based on your review of it. And I absolutely hated it. I've never played a Souls game, and only two souls-like games (Nioh and Fallen Order). I was immediately struck by the poor controls, poor camera, and high difficulty of even standard mob encounters. I was really pissed I couldn't return it (since I bought it on Fanatical). But my buddy got it too, and he was playing it non-stop. I decided to change classes and give it another go. And I was hooked. Hooked hard. I've spent likely 20 hours or more on it just this week. I went from fearing combat, to doing everything on horse, to now jumping off Torrent just to fight. I don't shrink away from dungeons anymore. Now I seek them, hoping for a boss at the end. That feeling of dread when I saw a mist door is now replaced with anticipation of combat. To forego this game because of the combat is to make a critical mistake. Once you get used to it, the combat works well. It punishes greed, it punishes overreaching, but it rewards patience and execution.
But that all pales to the exploration. This game is gorgeous, in a way that's not immediately apparent sometimes. The art design is striking and captivating. Every single location inspires exploration. You see something in the distance and immediately want to go to it, to see what's there. Emerging from Stormveil Castle the first time, you're hit with the absolute beauty of the game in its full scale. This has quickly gone from a game I actively hated (and uninstalled), to one that I cannot wait to get home to play. If you hit the wall early on this game, give it another go. And maybe a third. It's worth it.
holy shit that first part definitely almost a bait
good thing I read it all, 😂
Nailed it bro. Definitely had a similar experience. I didn’t hate it at first, but I questioned whether I would enjoy it. I then learned to go around an enemy if I needed to, and doubled back with a better weapon. I unlocked better spells, more flasks, and upgraded my weapon. Now I’m taking out major bosses in only a few attempts. Learn the move sets. Learn the combat loop. Learn the upgrade process. And never be worried to leave if you think you’re underlevelled. The boss will be there tomorrow, or a week later if you need. You absolutely CAN do it.
So what was the first class and what was the class you chose, I'm about to purchase this game and would like to avoid your first experience with it?
@@justinsaponari I started with samurai. Apparently that's a good starting class as you get a decent loadout. I think a big part of it was me not being used to the combat. When I went back, I started as confessor. You get a shield and decent sword, as well as a seal for incantations. Nothing major to start but I had a much better time with sword and shield.
@@Paladin1034 damn Samurai was what I was most interested in lol.
God, I get chills watching this review, it is just still insane to me that Elden Ring came out and ended up being as good as it is, is From Software just the certified best game developer I really don't know how any game can match the breadth of options, areas, bosses, questlines ect. and have them all be as good as Elden Ring. Elden RIng might not be my favorite From Software game(Bloodborne takes the cake with Sekiro second) but I think it might be their best, just the fact that it was able to bring in such a larger audience is a testament to that. So many of my friends picked up this game and I honestly thought they wouldn't like it, that the series was too hardcore, but they all stuck with it. One of the overlooked features in Soul games is that information is kinda obtuse for a reason because it creates discussion, both with the in-game messages but also just discussion between friends on where to go or how to beat a boss, and that is really an experience that more straight forward games can't replicate.
Fromsoft fanboys are the most brainless drones in all of gaming.
Imagine praising a game for cutting corners and omitting information. Only you people...
@@Digger-Nick ikr, imagine liking a game you don’t like
@@namphan8593 Did you read anything he typed? Something straight from a cult
If I hadn’t already bought this game, your review would’ve convinced to buy a copy for myself and a friend. Super well thought out and executed analysis.
Bloodborne is personally my number one of the series, sekiro is a close second. The soundtrack along with it's eldritch horror blend together so perfectly in Yarnham. Also two words for you. Trick. Weapons. Dude, such a sick mechanic! That said I'm so hyped to see what Elden Ring has to offer! I cannot wait! From Software have yet to disappoint so fingers crossed this one's a doozy!
Same I hope they revisit the blood borne world my favorite game has it all and the dlc was great
If only bloodborne was on pc
@@vergil_6707 it’ll most likely be added to steam within the year
@@vergil_6707 well dark souls 3 is my favorite even after Bloodborne. The worst part about Bloodborne is the dungeons which are essential for gems. Dark souls I have 1000 hours and Bloodborne only 800. That's how worse Bloodborne is compared to dark souls 3. The reason for low hours is because the first time I played souls borne was in 2020.
Hands down the greatest open world game ever made. I am at the 80 hour mark and I'm still very much engaged with the world as I was in my first 10 hours. This might very well be the first open world game that won't bore me to death before I finish it.
@Ulrich Leland Like breath of the wild, the graphics of this game isn't about shaders or polygon count but instead it's about excellent art direction. As I've mentioned I'm 80 hours in and so far I'm really impressed with the level of creativity that's on display.
@Ulrich Leland It's a fantasy game, ofc it doesn't look realistic you muppet
@Ulrich Leland You mean others with only 1/3 the size of Elden Ring?
Finally finished. Level 140, 100 hours. Best game I can remember playing. The exploration and sense of discovery reminded me how the original WoW gave me the same feelings of awe. And like WoW, I want to re-experience that but its never as good as the first time. Very much looking forward to the DLC.
After I finished the game I started a second character which I always played when I was at the pc and didn't know what to do like a comfort game I always go back to to just roam around a bit and do random stuff. Recently I played on my main character again where I finished the game and explored a bit there and it rekindled my Elden Ring addiction, I found so much shit that I didn't know about before and what I thought would be a 30 min session again turned into another 90 hours in three weeks, trying out so many different builds and I'm on ng+5 now, man do I love this game
This game feels like a legit adventure to me like there are non-linear paths and then there is walking around a corner to meet a mid boss. Even the crabs can clap your cheeks if you are already injured and unaware. I am like 16 hours deep and at no point have I felt like the game play loop was boring. Even just grinding for loot and magic items has felt like it is a necessary evil that I can enjoy. 10/10 in my opinion. There is literally no one playstyle. I chose the confessor but rather than a faith build I chose to spec more for sorcery and strength. The character building is one of the best parts of this game.
Man, I don't know how I missed watching this all the way through 20-some months ago. Great freaking job putting the brilliance of Elden Ring into words, Ralph.
Bottom line: I'm a 37 year old gamer that was born the year the original NES came out. I played Final Fantasy VII when I was 14 years old, and for 22 years hence it was my favorite game ever. Until I played Elden Ring.
This game could not have come into my life at a better time. I was in the middle of changing jobs away from a career I absolutely hated, into one I have come to truly love. I was a week into my new job when Elden Ring came out. The massive sigh of relief I was having at realizing my new job was going to be perfect (and still is, over 1.5 years later) helped me truly dive into Elden Ring with a completely unobstructed appreciation of its beauty.
I really do think it's the best open-world game ever made. It's utterly brilliant.
The rest of 2022 doesn't even need to have games. I've completed the Pokedex in Legends Arceus but still want to play that. I haven't even taken the plastic off of Dying Light 2, barely got into Elden Ring, and am only like 50% done with Horizon 2
Man I love your channel, I feel like most games journalists have minimal talent and just kind of got lucky and fell into this industry.
You on the other hand are a breath of fresh air, you and Austin create art that stands above literally everything else in my opinion.
Which is ironic because I hated your channel and it's long form reviews at first, but over time I have grown to love them to the point that when I get a notification of a new video I get genuinely excited.
In short, you and Austin are fantastic and thank you so much for striving to do these games justice, your labor is sincerely appreciated.
-Red-
to be fair, you would need to be able to read, to fairly criticize game journalists. This guy is a youtuber that gives unofficial reviews on his channel for likes. He's not a game journalist, who usually require a college diploma in journalism, and they work in a much different way than youtubers, in relation to the game developers and gaming industry, ie journalists that work for example Kokatu or IGN, are bound by various laws that govern how they are able to approach a game review and what kind of relationship or lack there of, they can have with the employees of the company of which game they are reviewing. On the other hand youtubers, who do reviews on youtube, are not bound by such laws aside from slander and copyright laws, and can have any type of relationship and contact they want with any given developer. This enables them to incorporate some unfair advantages over actual journalists, and can do the consumer a disservice. That being said, Skillup appears to be genuinely capable and trustworthy ,but he is an outlier and not the norm.
Just do me a favor and dont slander people that have paid out of pocket for schooling and education to do something they care about like write about games, which is a benefit for all us gamers, but have taken on some negative flack that was misinformation spread by bad faith incels during gamer gate. appreciate ya
@@raidermaxx2324 You are entitled to your opinion as am I and it’s okay if we disagree.
I wish you all the best regardless.
@@RedwolfEDC sure.. still wish you wouldnt add to the non-stop mountain of fake news and bullshit that the internet in the last 10 years has so deftly promoted, and just fair warning, ill call you guys out on it every fucking time. for example, can you cite maybe one example or tow, where journalists "fell into their job" with just "luck" alone, and furthermore what are a few examples of gaming journalists exhibiting a lack of talent.
Because in reality, those gaming journalists, ARE entitled to their opinion, and its TOTALLY OK if you disagree, right? JUST LIKE YOU SAID, and they dont have to be slandered as HACKS or "talentless incompetent losers" just because you disagreed with their takes on some shit like im disagreeing with you right now.
But see how easy it is, when someone isnt saying things that are really factual and are just running with a false "narrative" that they heard from some else, but then when called out turn around and do the exact thing, that you were calling out journalists for having a bad take (which is having a difference in opinion from you) did, but its ok for us, but if its journalists, they must be talentless hacks, right? Just because i disagree with your take, and i think that its not genuine, it doesnt mean that im going to run around social media and promote some fake narrative that you are a hack and a shill. I think you are misinformed, but im sure you have talent in figuring shit out if you applied yourself. See what i mean tho? So unless you can tell me an example of something happening en mass re: journalists that caused you to believe they were all talentless hacks, and not just that you disagreed with their "wokeness " or something.
Ridiculous man. Cmon dude man up . Give me some fucking examples or something man. If you gonna slander some people, back it up, thats all you need to do man
dont be scared. Stand up for your mouth when it runs itself into a jam LOLO
I really appreciate that you want viewers to go in completely spoiler-free, that’s much appreciated. I stripped the audio for this video and listened to it on the way home from work as a podcast. You’ve convinced me to pick up my first souls game! Cheers man, and keep up the good work.
I'm already playing this game in my mind. Thinking about my build, exploration, the map. I haven't been this "pre-invested" in a game since Witcher 3.
Me too! I've been pretty jaded toward games lately. Elden Ring has me excited, like a little kid. It's weird, but I don't really enjoy non-Fromsoftware games as much as I used to. They've essentially ruined other games for me.
exactly same for me.I never been this excited since the witcher 3
why can from soft create such a massive and incredible world with tons of content, but the massive multi-billion dollar devs can barely give us a working game with more than 4 hours of content?
By design, they want to ring every dollar out of us.
First time ive played a souls game and tbh i was quite intimidated going in... But i gotta say it was worth it... something about the game is almost spiritual in a way when the game clicks for me. Very special game indeed
It’s gonna be hard playing this game right now with a 5 month old but I’ll definitely being pick this up soon for my rainy day. Can’t wait and probably will watch this video 10 more times before I have it in my hands just because how excited I’m . Thankx for your great work .
Same boat my friend, get a kangaroo pouch. That way you can keep close watch and free your hands while they're napping. Single player is a necessity now because of the pause button lol
@@Steadymobbin711 I know right . That is my biggest issue anything with no pause lol
Take advantage of those naps!
@@FlyfishermanMike LOL right . Sometimes I get a nice jam out and other times my game won’t even load up and little dude rolls over and looks at me judging like “ nah put that controller down I’m not out yet “ lol
Dad of two, I only play an hour a night or so. But that also means these high quality games come along and you get a lot of play out of them. This and HFW are gonna take me a good chunk of the year to complete, with each being 100 hours or so a pop.
Their past games arent even comparable to Elden Ring. Its so huge, theres so much content, and the map is dense with secrets
Im 50 hours in and ive only killed the first 2 major bosses.
Hi, late to the party gamer here. I finally booted up Elden Ring...again. I started about 6 months ago, and got about 45 mins in (I've never played Souls games before) and was like..."meh." Life and other games steered me away. I gave it another shot last Sunday. Completely obsessed, and about 15 hrs in, and a few tips and tricks videos in. This is the deepest single player game I've played.
idk why some of my fav games always do this to me. Skyrim & Witcher 3 were like that but once i gave it a 2nd, 3rd chance i was HOOKED. Elden Ring only took me one time to get hooked but i totally understand u