Wall of text below, spoiling for saving space in the thread.
Given how much people compare Nioh as being souls-like (that was in fact, how that game even got on my radar at all), I consider that part of my overall "the souls game design isn't great, or very fun" opinion. And I feel my criticisms of that game are valid. A game where I play a supernatural ninja, and I can't fucking jump outside of cutscenes?! Come on. 600 weapons inventory? What is this, diablo? That much weapon churn is just silly.
Yes I did criticize RDR2, because I didn't find the narrative structure fun. As I said, I took issue with the game forcing me to take part in the violent beating of an unconscious dude, taking away all my agency, while on the other side, trying to imply I actually have agency that matters in any significant manner. Maybe I'm weird, but I felt genuinely ill when the game just sat there on that screen, waiting for my input, with no escape for me as the player, other than hard closing the game mid-scene, or beating a helpless man near to death. I don't like that. I don't like playing a game that makes me do that. And since that was in like the first 2 hours of gameplay, (and things I've seen about what happens later), I don't feel like I would like the game. In fact I know I won't, which is why I stopped playing it. No amount of testicular detail on a horse is going to make me enjoy playing a character like that. Especially if the game disregards my attempts to NOT play a character like that, whenever it decides to disregard my input.
Perhaps you are confusing my tendency to try and explain in detail, with heated emotions on a subject? I admit I tend to type lengthy posts, that's mostly because I find most reviews/critiques that boil down to "game bad, writing sucks, the end" to be so useless as to simply be a waste of space and data. So I like to explain why something that I find flaw with, IS flawed. Yes, I go on at length, but really it's mostly just an ambient sense of annoyance, with bursts of frustration if the game is particularly shitty design, like souls-esque ones. And yes when I do things like link the "crazy pills" clip from Zoolander, it's not expressing actual anger, it's meant you know, for comedic purposes, just like the scene in question is. And despite what @NerfedFalcon said, I AM enjoying the game in some ways. Mostly having fun with my wife, making fun of the various silly bits of the game. Like how this world REALLY loves big black cocks. And it really likes me to take a big black cock from behind, and choke it out until it screams, and sprays out fluid. How they like to have me get gang banged by a group of big black cocks from all directions, but if I jump on the big black cock from above, and mount it forcefully, I can ride that cock to completion, and have a satisfying release. And yes, this comes up between us with EVERY cock fight. I also...every...time I trigger my "hoover vacuum loot" ability, I cry out "Wiiiiiind Tuuuunnneeeelllll!!" And run around like an idiot, sucking up money and items. Because all I ever imagine when using that ability is the horny priest from Inuyasha. Whenever I jump a long distance that is just ridiculous I always vocalize this. The bit at @ 1:52
I also dub in dialogue when the game is kind of silly. Like how in a conversation with one person, Wolf pointedly refuses to indicate he's a shinobi, even going so far as to do that grinding teeth in frustration "I...CANNOT...SAY" But then 20 minutes later when talking to another NPC, who flat out asks him "So are you a shinobi?" He just says "Yes." *blinks* Um...ok game. Nice consistency there xD Or how when Kuro talks about how I will have to follow a rooftop path to talk to an NPC and says "The way was built for shinobis...but I'm sure a resourceful man like yourself will manage just fine" And I dubbed Wolf saying "...yes my lord....because...I'm a shinobi. I mean....that's literally my title, my job, and how I'm bound to you....are you even my lord!? You must be an imposter!!"
But it's mostly fun in spite of the game, not because of it.
I think my biggest issue, is when games so blatantly disregard having their narrative match their mechanics, and it's so glaring, that it totally takes me out of the game as my brain tries to process why that seemed like a good idea to someone. Like my above mentioned issue with that "choice" in Sekiro. I'm sorry but that is just a completely stupid narrative, and gameplay design choice. On every level. And, since this thread is about discussing the games we are playing, and giving our thoughts on the pros/cons, I'm going to express those thoughts. The thing I find frustrating at this point with Sekiro, is that I am now kind of getting into the story. As stated, I have something of a soft spot for Samurai/Ninja stories, and the broadest of feudal japan setting type genres. And once Kuro stated the he's disillusioned with all this Dragon's Blood nonsense, and wants to end it, despite his cultures belief it's divine or whatever, I found myself invested in the story. It's still a very bare bones story, as they refuse to give any more than drip fed dialogue about the stuff going on. I dislike having to fight the game's mechanics, and obnoxious bosses that seem to just be peppered about the map as nothing more than roadblocks, to GET to their story. That and the painfully stereotypical amnesic, grumbly, scruffy bearded anime protagonist, that speaks only by repeating the last thing he heard as a question (The last thing he heard as a question?). It's the death of a thousand cuts to my enjoyment, which sucks, and so I express why I think that sucks. And no amount of "yeah but it felt so good when I finally killed Ridiculous Boss 27 after he killed me 124 times!' will offset that. So now my internal debate is, do I think the story of Sekiro, will be worth ploughing through fights that I don't enjoy, with characters that have minimal dialogue, said in the most obscuring of ways, to try and see how it's resolved? So far, I'm still on the side of "eh, fuck it, I'll just cheese these bosses and see where the story goes." That might change *shrugs* We'll see.
Yes I did criticize RDR2, because I didn't find the narrative structure fun. As I said, I took issue with the game forcing me to take part in the violent beating of an unconscious dude, taking away all my agency, while on the other side, trying to imply I actually have agency that matters in any significant manner. Maybe I'm weird, but I felt genuinely ill when the game just sat there on that screen, waiting for my input, with no escape for me as the player, other than hard closing the game mid-scene, or beating a helpless man near to death. I don't like that. I don't like playing a game that makes me do that. And since that was in like the first 2 hours of gameplay, (and things I've seen about what happens later), I don't feel like I would like the game. In fact I know I won't, which is why I stopped playing it. No amount of testicular detail on a horse is going to make me enjoy playing a character like that. Especially if the game disregards my attempts to NOT play a character like that, whenever it decides to disregard my input.
Perhaps you are confusing my tendency to try and explain in detail, with heated emotions on a subject? I admit I tend to type lengthy posts, that's mostly because I find most reviews/critiques that boil down to "game bad, writing sucks, the end" to be so useless as to simply be a waste of space and data. So I like to explain why something that I find flaw with, IS flawed. Yes, I go on at length, but really it's mostly just an ambient sense of annoyance, with bursts of frustration if the game is particularly shitty design, like souls-esque ones. And yes when I do things like link the "crazy pills" clip from Zoolander, it's not expressing actual anger, it's meant you know, for comedic purposes, just like the scene in question is. And despite what @NerfedFalcon said, I AM enjoying the game in some ways. Mostly having fun with my wife, making fun of the various silly bits of the game. Like how this world REALLY loves big black cocks. And it really likes me to take a big black cock from behind, and choke it out until it screams, and sprays out fluid. How they like to have me get gang banged by a group of big black cocks from all directions, but if I jump on the big black cock from above, and mount it forcefully, I can ride that cock to completion, and have a satisfying release. And yes, this comes up between us with EVERY cock fight. I also...every...time I trigger my "hoover vacuum loot" ability, I cry out "Wiiiiiind Tuuuunnneeeelllll!!" And run around like an idiot, sucking up money and items. Because all I ever imagine when using that ability is the horny priest from Inuyasha. Whenever I jump a long distance that is just ridiculous I always vocalize this. The bit at @ 1:52
I also dub in dialogue when the game is kind of silly. Like how in a conversation with one person, Wolf pointedly refuses to indicate he's a shinobi, even going so far as to do that grinding teeth in frustration "I...CANNOT...SAY" But then 20 minutes later when talking to another NPC, who flat out asks him "So are you a shinobi?" He just says "Yes." *blinks* Um...ok game. Nice consistency there xD Or how when Kuro talks about how I will have to follow a rooftop path to talk to an NPC and says "The way was built for shinobis...but I'm sure a resourceful man like yourself will manage just fine" And I dubbed Wolf saying "...yes my lord....because...I'm a shinobi. I mean....that's literally my title, my job, and how I'm bound to you....are you even my lord!? You must be an imposter!!"
But it's mostly fun in spite of the game, not because of it.
I think my biggest issue, is when games so blatantly disregard having their narrative match their mechanics, and it's so glaring, that it totally takes me out of the game as my brain tries to process why that seemed like a good idea to someone. Like my above mentioned issue with that "choice" in Sekiro. I'm sorry but that is just a completely stupid narrative, and gameplay design choice. On every level. And, since this thread is about discussing the games we are playing, and giving our thoughts on the pros/cons, I'm going to express those thoughts. The thing I find frustrating at this point with Sekiro, is that I am now kind of getting into the story. As stated, I have something of a soft spot for Samurai/Ninja stories, and the broadest of feudal japan setting type genres. And once Kuro stated the he's disillusioned with all this Dragon's Blood nonsense, and wants to end it, despite his cultures belief it's divine or whatever, I found myself invested in the story. It's still a very bare bones story, as they refuse to give any more than drip fed dialogue about the stuff going on. I dislike having to fight the game's mechanics, and obnoxious bosses that seem to just be peppered about the map as nothing more than roadblocks, to GET to their story. That and the painfully stereotypical amnesic, grumbly, scruffy bearded anime protagonist, that speaks only by repeating the last thing he heard as a question (The last thing he heard as a question?). It's the death of a thousand cuts to my enjoyment, which sucks, and so I express why I think that sucks. And no amount of "yeah but it felt so good when I finally killed Ridiculous Boss 27 after he killed me 124 times!' will offset that. So now my internal debate is, do I think the story of Sekiro, will be worth ploughing through fights that I don't enjoy, with characters that have minimal dialogue, said in the most obscuring of ways, to try and see how it's resolved? So far, I'm still on the side of "eh, fuck it, I'll just cheese these bosses and see where the story goes." That might change *shrugs* We'll see.
