Official Playstation 5 thread

[blckgrffn]

Ok, I do have a complaint on FromSoft.

I get it. Some like gimmick fights, like wayward game journalists. I'm not one of them. I disdain and loathe gimmick fights and find them a waste of time. I've spent more time trying to complete the Folding Monkeys than I did on all the bosses so far. I was down to the last one, which I assume is invisible? Somehow, I fell, died, and it reset.

Can I skip this? Must I do this? Cuz, I'm sick of running around chasing them. Makes me want to stop playing.

I don't get gimmick fights. So darn lame.

PS - I'm going to look for guide on how to complete this part, and would rather not spend another minute wasting time on it.

One of favorite recent games is Control. The ability to modify the stakes at any time to keep the narrative flow moving was a revelation to me. I didn’t mess with it much but as a parent gamer who doesn’t get a lot of time, this meant a lot to me!

 

[MoragaBlue]

One of favorite recent games is Control. The ability to modify the stakes at any time to keep the narrative flow moving was a revelation to me. I didn’t mess with it much but as a parent gamer who doesn’t get a lot of time, this meant a lot to me!

Agreed!

Between chasing the orange monkey around and looking up a guide, I had spent 30+ minutes on this gimmick fight. Not that it matters what I think, but I've always been a big fan of games giving their players options to play it however they deem fitting.

For me, I'd love a button to just skip gimmick fights!

 

[purbeast0]

Dude 30 minutes on a battle in a Fromsoft game is nothing lol.

 

[MoragaBlue]

Dude 30 minutes on a battle in a Fromsoft game is nothing lol.

It's not the time per se which irks me, but the time spent on, in my view, gimmick fights. Personally, I find them stupid, lame, and a complete waste of time.

Thus far, I find Sekiro as perfect a game as I'd ever played. The combat mechanics they offer here is just sublime. It's quick, responsive, intuitive and allows one to play quickly and reflexively. You go from Genichiro (a skill check fight, which, IMHO, not particularly hard, but incredibly fun & fluid), and looking for more. Kind of like, ok, I'm ready for the real stuff. Let's turn up the volume here. Instead, I'm met with a gimmick fight chasing around an orange monkey for 15 minutes, and failing only to reset and do it again.

I don't mind the time, if it's conducive to defeating a foe or acquiring or honing skills. Gimmick fights, again in my view, offer nothing, and only wastes time. Perhaps, the devs thought some would need a reprieve after the Genichiro fight? Neither LOP or BMW bothered with gimmick fights, and I can only hope FromSoft will follow suit in their future fighting games.

This of course doesn't diminish my view of Sekiro being a masterpiece, and I look forward to the challenging fights I've heard so much about. I'm assuming there's no more gimmick fights after having to chase these stupid monkeys around for almost 45 minutes.

 

[MoragaBlue]

Defeated the Owl Father at the Hirata Estate last night. Ah, this is a legitimate hard fight. It had taken me about 3 or 4 hours to learn his move set, get the timing, and practice enough to not mess it up. This boss has more HPs than anyone I've fought, and it was near 10 minutes?

Prior to this, I thought Rellana was the peak boss fight. I take that back, it's without question the Owl Father. This is peak FromSoft genius, in my view. The most complex and fun fight I've ever experienced in video games. This fight demands of a player skill, knowledge, muscle memory and quick reflexes. Now, I can see why FromSoft refused an easy mode in Sekiro.

Where to I go from here? No fighting game will feel the same again. I can't wait to replay this game.

PS - According to steam, only about 21% have this trophy? Seems kind of low, to be honest.

PS 2 - Astounding Sekiro was made 5 years ago. It eclipses anything out there today, IMHO.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Defeated the Owl Father at the Hirata Estate last night. Ah, this is a legitimate hard fight. It had taken me about 3 or 4 hours to learn his move set, get the timing, and practice enough to not mess it up. This boss has more HPs than anyone I've fought, and it was near 10 minutes?

Prior to this, I thought Rellana was the peak boss fight. I take that back, it's without question the Owl Father. This is peak FromSoft genius, in my view. The most complex and fun fight I've ever experienced in video games. This fight demands of a player skill, knowledge, muscle memory and quick reflexes. Now, I can see why FromSoft refused an easy mode in Sekiro.

Where to I go from here? No fighting game will feel the same again. I can't wait to replay this game.

PS - According to steam, only about 21% have this trophy? Seems kind of low, to be honest.

PS 2 - Astounding Sekiro was made 5 years ago. It eclipses anything out there today, IMHO.

Wanted to thank you for your sacrifice buying Sifu since Epic Game Store gave it away free today lol. Is it just me or was Ishin a really tough required boss in Sekiro?

 

[MoragaBlue]

Wanted to thank you for your sacrifice buying Sifu since Epic Game Store gave it away free today lol. Is it just me or was Ishin a really tough required boss in Sekiro?

I could probably still return Sifu, but $15 bucks isn't a problem. I'd rather just pay for it, and not have to deal with another launcher. Now, if it had been, say, $100 bucks, then the "free" has more value, at least for me.

Ah, not sure, but will let you know if I run into Ishin? He's the Sword Saint boss I read about, right? While I'm trying to enjoy this first play-through blind, I have heard of a few bosses I've yet to encounter.

At this point, while this of course could turn out untrue, I've had enough time in this game where I suspect whatever I encounter post Owl Father will be less of a challenge. Except for Margit, I don't think I had spent more than 90 minutes on any Elden Ring, DLC, or LOP boss. This one, I literally spent 3-4 hours straight, and enjoyed the immensely.

What's unique about Sekiro is the emphasis on no wasted motion. Defense to attack seamlessly throughout the fight. For me, it's a pretty unique combat experience, and I hope 2025 will bring more of these games.

PS - Perhaps, because I've been playing only these types of games since ER, the Owl boss, both versions, were the only ones requiring more than a handful of tries. The Corrupted Monk had taken me about 20? Only because his/her moves had the delayed swings to get used to. I'm in the Fountainhead Palace now, and the actual Corrupted Monk was under 5, maybe 2 or 3, to get used to the 3rd phase. The Owl Father was on a different league, at least for me.

 

[MoragaBlue]

RE: Ishin

Ok, even after the stupid monkeys, there's one more gimmick fight. At least, this dragon thing wasn't as bad, but still not my cup of tea. Reminds me of the Rykard fight. Suffice it to say, not a fan of either.

Wow, Ashina is burning! Here, FromSoft turned up the volume and the sword fights are amazing. At this point, I can just tell by the sound of the sword clashes when I should stop attacking and begin parrying. So, while not easy per se, I made it through the areas with little trouble.

I thought I found Ishin, but it was the Demon thing. Ah, this fight reminded me of the ER/BMW type fights. Just dodge & jump, remain close, and spam R1. 3 phases are a little different, but only took me around 5 tries to figure it out? This one was like Messmer, just beat it with reflex and reactions. I think this is the first fight I actually found the prosthetic toolkit useful. The upgraded umbrella and whistle helped immensely, so not sure if I cheesed it. Without a doubt, absent those strategies, I think it would've taken me longer.

This fight took 30 min? For me, the Owl Father was much harder and way more fun. This one was kind of like "been there, done that" feeling.

Ok, I think I know where Ishin must be. There's only one more area. So, maybe I'll try to take him on tomorrow.

PS - Ok, just beat Ishiin, the Sword Saint. For me, this was not that hard--under 10 tries and about 45 min? Phase 1 was a cakewalk, just Genichiro. Phase 2, just learn to counter some of his set moves, which was pretty basic, at this point of the game. Phase 3 took some getting used to on his spear, but not too bad. Phase 4, ah, just return lightning and hedge with the eel liver thing.

Conclusion - For me, The Owl Father was the true "git gud" fight of the game.

So, deciding between a new play through or NG+.

 

[MoragaBlue]

So, for Sekiro, I see Gauntles unlocked? Are they worth doing? Do you guys suggest continuing on NG+ or start a fresh game with a different ending?

Great game and far & away my favorite fighting mechanic of any game. Though, except for The Owl Father, in my view, no other Sekiro boss compares to Rellana & Bayle. This isn't a knock on Sekiro, since, IMHO, I didn't find any of the bosses in LOP or BMW comparable to those two either.

Rellana and The Owl Father are really close on my best boss I've ever faced. The latter gets the nod for me, only because I think it was a more challenging and comprehensive fight. I think The Owl Father demanded more from me than any other video game boss I've fought. I mean, with that dude, one mistake, and it's over. You almost have to be perfect.

PS - Ok, NG+ with Gauntlets completed is amazing. If you complete it, you get rewarded with a move which reminds of Melania's WFD. You just wreck things with this move, especially with NG+ power levels. Don't even really have to bother with stealth anymore, just run around destroying things.

Amazing game! I kind'a wish this was my first FromSoft game, and imagine it would have been a sublime and once in a lifetime experience. As such, though it's easily one of my favorite games, I just never felt really challenged (except the Owl Father & Inner fights), probably due to of all the hours I had spent in ER and DLC, LOP, and BMW. I hope gamers picked this up during the Steam sale, because it's a generational masterpiece, in my view. The sound of the swords clashing is worth it on its own--it's that good!

Next round, think I'll try without Kuro's charm & Demon Bell. Let's see how that works out.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

So, for Sekiro, I see Gauntles unlocked? Are they worth doing? Do you guys suggest continuing on NG+ or start a fresh game with a different ending?

Have you been paying attention to ShadPS4? It only started booting Bloodborne seven months ago but now looks like it's the best way to play the game short of buying a hackable PS5 or hackable PS4 Pro and modding it. Can't say I like the reshade mod that screws up the art style of the game (same reason I never use reshade mods in other games either) but otherwise pretty promising.

 

[MoragaBlue]

Have you been paying attention to ShadPS4? It only started booting Bloodborne seven months ago but now looks like it's the best way to play the game short of buying a hackable PS5 or hackable PS4 Pro and modding it. Can't say I like the reshade mod that screws up the art style of the game (same reason I never use reshade mods in other games either) but otherwise pretty promising.

I have been aware of their efforts to emulate the game, but haven't been following closely. The last I checked, there were some reports the game wasn't stable, or at least not the kind of stability we're used to.

However, as you've said, it does look promising, and it's something I will be very interested in this year. I've never played Bloodborne, and can't wait to try it one of these days.