Recent reviews by Sue

I got into FromSoftware games (primarily Souls, Bloodborne, etc) from becoming fascinated by the lore, environmental storytelling, and the beautiful art direction. As an artist who lives for this kind of creative style, I've fallen in love with Hidetaka Miyazaki approach and direction. And the bonus of George R Martin collab was great--there's a nice balance of both western and eastern ideals. I could rave on about visuals and writing, but that's a given. So, let's focus on the elephant in the room.

I uh, REALLY SUCK at gaming. I usually play at "Weenie Hut Jr. difficulty". I'm more into plot and characters than gameplay. I button smash when I panic. And FromSoftware? Hahha….no. I have mostly spent the years watching youtube lore videos, enjoying the art, watching gameplay streams. I don't think you have to always play a game to enjoy it. I did try out some of the Dark Souls games, and despite enjoying them, I had NO decent skillset and felt really out of place. This is more so on me--I think if I went back to play them now, I'd be a bit better.

I hesitated for a long time, but eventually my partner got me Elden Ring on PS5. And during the winter sales here, I broke down to get it on Steam for my deck (runs well all things considered).

This may be just me, but something about how Elden Ring is paced, structured, and handled is big galaxy brain move, even for newbies. To be fair, I went into this game knowing I would suck. And I am inherently a patient person. I had this initial drive of "I want to LEARN to get better" and was annoyingly positive about it all. I do have some health issues that do limit my motor functions and am not as mentally sharp as others. It's taken over 30+ hours of gameplay (between PS5 and Steam), but it finally started to click with me. And all that previous time wasn't wasted--I really loved exploring, learning from my mistakes, practicing, and just enjoying figuring it out on my own. It was after defeating Godrick that I realized "oh hey, I think I Get This". It's subtle, flows naturally, is investing. If you're willing to be patient and see it as a learning opportunity than an impossible challenge. And thankfully, I've run into a lot of helpful OP players in areas I struggled at, or online guides, and friends who have assisted.

There's something to be said of the vague, but intentional decisions between story and gameplay. It gives you a lot of freedom and space to learn at your own pace. There's so many playstyles and choices. It doesn't punish you too much either--I can change my look, respec, and it can give me motive to replay with another type of character. There's so many items, locations, and side quests to further make your experience unique. I'll be playing this years later and will find new things. THE MAP IS MASSIVE. That moment of leaving Stormhill was…mind blowing. I haven’t had such a sense of awe in a long time. It reminded me a bit of when I got Skyrim back in 2011, so that was nice nostalgia. It’s amazing how far games have advanced.

Critique? There isn't too much for now. I would appreciate some more accessibility options. Not necessarily an easy mode, but other expanded additions like color blind, etc. Maybe something to help those who have phobias. Other things are nuances--why do characters have such think necks? The multiplayer options/items were a bit confusing. We could use some more tutorials on basics, like what all the signs/symbols/buffs/etc mean. And I think a lot of the memes going around have some truth to them with annoying factors. I see why everyone is so sick of lobsters.

It’s not a perfect game and I can’t say how it all was at release—but for me, it’s run incredibly well, have not hit many bugs, and my main point: even someone who sucks at games can play and enjoy it. And that’s the biggest thing. The open world aspect really does wonders and helps me feel less “cramped”; I can be the annoying tourist in the Land Between without it feeling rushed and linear. It’s a slow burn game for me—just enjoying it bit by bit, though I have had my long hours of playing and becoming heavily engrossed. It’s immersive and is so full of intricate details. That and I guess I’m trying to face my fears of jump-scares (thank you those who leave messages as warnings for such things, I always try to rate them!)

I definitely recommend it. It’s on my top 5 of the past year and may end up becoming a favourite of mine in general.

Cheers!
Sue

To note, I have played this game since it's beta and release back in 2012. I've put in over 8,000 hours and played relatively consistently. I played Guild Wars 1 since 2006 or so--not sure how much I put into that, but likely A Lot. To state that I love this game is...putting it mildly. This game, the art, the community, and more have pulled me through some rough times. I wouldn't be the artist and creator if it weren't for Guild Wars, if I may be incredibly cheesy.

That being said, I know I'm clearly biased. I'm not a hardcore gamer or meta by any means. I am also aware of many flaws, letdowns, and changes. So you might have to take this review with a grain of salt compared to others. Personally, yes, I recommend this game! I've been able to tempt friends to join us, and so far, they all have enjoyed it. Of course, I recommend finding some friends to play with, but it's also doable if you are often a hermit in MMOs like me.

The game is not what we all thought it would turn out to be ten years later, but it is not wholly a bad thing after they did layoffs a few years ago (which sucks). Better quality of life updates, more interactions with the player base, roadmaps, and more. That has been incredibly helpful and a boon. They are adding in Season 1 finally, and as I said--the quality of life updates! Those are sometimes more important than new content, IMO.

End of Dragons has been a fantastic expansion and worth the decade's wait. Still, I can be pretty picky about the story (I'm so bummed about Icebrood Saga! It had so much potential!). Still, the official characters are unique and memorable. Customization for our characters is a bit dated now to other MMOs. BUT I still argue you can't get better than glowing plants and fluffy military cats. I even enjoy the human race in this game, thanks to GW1, they have a good fleshed out story! The game still has a fantastical and stylistic style that has aged reasonably well.

Personally, I would love to see an update toward that, improving graphics, better textures, etc. The engine itself is a heavily modified one from GW1, and it demands to step on your poor CPU.

If you have played this before and now have moved on, that's valid. A lot has gone down and changed, and I won't argue on that point. But still, give the game a solid try. The art direction, races, ambiance, and much more are very satisfying. I can't comment much on factors such as professions and specific gameplay. I don't raid, and I often choose to enjoy experimenting and messing with builds than following meta. I honestly have low standards, bluntly. Life is short, if the game is fun, then that's enough for me, otherwise I do my best to be proactive if it's important enough. But I've been in the game developer industry, making and maintaining games are HARD. Try to have some patience as they work on improving it as best they can with what they have (ngl NCSoft probably breathes down their neck a lot)

I'm more of a person who wants to roleplay, devour lore, explore characters, get distracted by shiny things, and exploring. It's inviting to get into if you're an artsy-fartsy, roleplayer, LGBTQ+, or even just absolute trash casual like me. No subscription service, but buying the game+expansions is worth it. It's a good MMO to pick up and drop off any time and doesn't feel pressured to keep up.

I'm not sure if this review was helpful for anyone. Again, I'm inclined to tell you to try out the game. But I also have been incredibly involved with the community, have worked on fan projects, and the like. The love of the game is based on a lot of deeper factors. If you're similar to me, then you'll likely love it! But again, I do feel why some have mixed or negative feelings.

But at the end of the day, my brain thinks, "sylvari glow brain go brrrr!!!", "I would die for Gorrik", and "FASHION WARS IS END GAME."

Cheers! Feel free to reach out and bug me if you need help, advice, or simply just a buddy to enjoy the game with.
(dangit i wanted to post the review at 69 hours, RIP)


EDIT: I completely forgot to mention! It runs well on my steamdeck! A bit lower graphic settings than my PC rig, but it's such a good feeling to lazily play in bed (super great for those who are chronically ill/disabled, don't have a gaming PC). It's maybe crashed...once or twice? But frames are smooth. If you're playing directly with the actual steamdeck controls, then it may take awhile for you to find an ideal keymap. Look to FFXIV for inspiration or there are some great options done by the community. Might be worth setting up a small bluetooth keyboard for easier communication. But thumbs up here!

Got this game as a birthday gift--a great present! Honestly this game gets way more flack than it deserves. Have enjoyed it immensely, have not hit many ground-breaking bugs, the visual style is mind-blowing, one of my favorite soundtracks, fantastic worldbuilding, and it has Keanu Reeves. It's a huge inspiration for my work, but with art and storytelling. I do really hope they continue to update and follow through with their promises, or give us a roadmap--it is still not without flaws. But finally having a good cyberpunk themed adventure game like this is great--definitely recommend. Need to get back into playing it.

I lowkey hate how much I enjoy this game, hah. I remember getting the collectors edition a decade ago (pretty sure it was my first CE ever), when I having to withdraw from college for medical/financial reasons. Skyrim got me through a lot, real talk. Fast forward, and now I don’t live too far from Bethesda
. Maybe I’ll apply someday :P

I’ve enjoyed Elder Scrolls since Morrowind, and some of my fave worldbuilding. Open world, solid fantasy, and as someone of irish/nordic decent with a love of cold climates—it’s a particularly favorite province of Tamriel. (I have about 400hours on the older version fwiw)

An aesthetic I love is that sense of loneliness, journeying, large spaces, the exploration. It often gives me LotR vibes, which is a bonus in my book. It reminds me a bit of my dad, who passed away a couple years ago from cancer. But he used to be a mountain climber—my friends all know the story where my dad explained why he didn’t do Mount Everest. “It was too easy and too popular”; and then proceeded to climb harder, more obscure mountains in the Himalayas.

He never was a gamer, but often tolerated my rambling and appreciated the art and games setting. He always told me my art “was just as good”. I disagree…I got a long way to go! But it’s amazing…I’m still around, made it through a lot. Kind of surreal.

Y’all don’t want to know how much the soundtrack has helped me. Particularly “Skyrim Atmospheres”. Was one of the first songs to help me sleep better (yay sleep disorders)

It has its issues, I still will meme about it, can’t wait for the 11 year anniversary release on my closet door.

Still, life is certainly short It’s chaotic, hard, and often will find ways to beat you down and down again. But sit back and just enjoy it. Roleplay to your hearts content. Put buckets on everyone’s head. Be yote from all the way to Masser by a giant. Find all the ways to break your game. Never know what will happen in them next decade.

The scope of this “review” is a bit haphazard and long. But most reviews go over gameplay or graphics. Hope my ramble on a personal scale was entertaining.