PAX Prime 2014: Note Cards in a Hat

@zevvion: I loved dodging in Demon's and Dark Souls and do normally dodge more than I block, I just hated the way they changed it in DSII. My only playthrough of DSII was with a greatshield which I hardly ever use in the first two games. If they would've kept the rolling the same and not added the stupid adaptability stat I wouldn't have minded the shield changes as much. I always have a shield equipped because two handing or dual wielding aren't a big enough difference for me to not have a shield.

I'm pretty sure I'll like Bloodborne since nobody has a shield, it should be balanced for that playstyle and from what I've seen the dodging looks better than DSII.

Which is totally okay. But since DSII encouraged play without a shield and Bloodborne is essentially doing the same thing, I am confused as to how it is bad in DSII but in Bloodborne it is a fresh new take on the type of game.

Not saying DSII and Bloodborne are the same game, but if you didn't like playing without a shield in DSII it pretty much means you disliked dodging and crowd control. Which is the thing Bloodborne is supposedly about.

Also, I am confident that you will still be able to play Bloodborne in some form of tank build. Just like how it is still possible in DSII. I'm just very skeptical about everything Patrick said.

@zevvion said:

Though obviously not on every character, I usually carry a small/light shield, often with fairly shitty (phys) resistance and chosen by looks. It can be helpful to just tap the shield up when you're trying to use spacing to avoid getting hit as opposed to a roll, to counter minor miscalculations or lag but in DaS2 PvP you should just roll whenever your enemy attacks even if he's on the other side of the level, jesus christ.

(Great)shield only is also surprisingly PvE-viable in DaS2 and a ton of fun.

I'm one of those people and it's the main reason I was so disappointed with that game, I know rolling is more effective and I do roll a lot but I also always like to have a shield handy. I also hated the changes to the rolling system. Both of those contributed to me playing significantly less time than the first two Souls games. If I ever play DSII again it'll be on the pc and I'll mess around with mods and cheats.

It is. I remember when Dark Souls II first came out people were upset, like almost furious that using a shield wasn't as effective as it was in the first game. DSII is better played without a shield in a lot of area's. No question. I bet if Bloodborne had shields you could still make viable characters that used one. It just wouldn't be effective all the time.

Either way, I've been playing a lot of DSII lately again (didn't play the DLC yet prior) and I can count the guys I've seen with shields on one hand. Another user said something I tend to agree with. Patrick played DS in sort of a bubble where the people he knew who played it used a shield and a tank character and it made him think everyone plays like that. It is obvious from online play that the contrary is true though.

Just for the record, I've only played Dark Souls once and I went with a glass cannon sorcerer character, but whatevs. I honestly just had a lot of trouble blocking properly, dodging around like a maniac and using ranged just seemed to be easier.

I didn't actually beat it though :'-(

EDIT: Hey, @danryckert's top five Zelda games match mine! Except I haven't played the 3DS game yet, I should get on that.

EDIT 2: What do the guys like about Darksiders so much? I got up to the hammer dude and then my eyes glazed over and I quit. That combat was just too repetitious for me.

Nice shirt @alex!

Was super bummed I didn't respond in time for the forum post that went out for this meetup, but it was cool to hang out with you guys after the main panel. Definitely going to PAX again next year.

People polled were those that work at www.giantbomb.com Vinny, Patrick, and probably everyone they hang out with played tank characters.

Also fuck that because the first char I played was a fast dex character (though I admit by the end I started using some heavy armour because I didn't know what points to put shit into other than endurance).

Dota3, exclusive to the Disney Infinity platform. It's happening.

The mental picture of Shigeru Miyamoto saying 'yoyoyoyoyoyo' pleases me greatly.

It comes with a tower defense mode, so it wouldn't take that much modification from there.

@fobwashed As soon as Alex picked up the power supply box and proclaimed it was the processor, I knew things were going to go horribly wrong.

just got to where Alex is talking about GB East. So yea. This stream.

So seriously, how long before someone makes a MOBA in the Disney Infinity Toybox? I would play the crap out of that.

So question...is this separate from the actual panel they normally do or did this/has this replaced it?

Edit: Never mind, he answers my questions several minutes in.

I would also say the Acclaim games get a bad rap.

Thank you guys sincerely! The ability to do what you do in front of a live crowd, making bombcast is motivational. Thanks for all that you do. Love it all. GiantBomb for life!!!

It works because its real!!!

@assinass: I am covered up by the light on the right :(

I was in attendance and had a great time; thank you all for hosting and chatting us up

Wish I had been at PAX this year :(

Laughing so hard at Solaire praising the sun at the very open of this video. Whoever cosplayed that is a god.

Hyrule Warriors is called Zelda Musou in Japan. They're definitely not worried about putting "Zelda" on the cover.
Hyrule Warriors just sounds better than Zelda Warriors.

@zevvion said:

People who play through the game once usually just facetank, trade and chug, which is pretty easy to do in NG anyway.

People who replay the game or go through more NG+ cycles dodge more because it's the far superior defensive option.

Love this, great fun to watch. Really glad you guys were able to get this archive up so rapidly. The ideas for the future Jeff was talking about sound fantastic. Hope you guys can find your way to London too!

Adjusted.

Zelda II is the only one I ever was entertained enough to play through to the end.

With regards to mini game collection party games I grabbed Wii Party U a couple of weeks ago when it was discounted as part of the Smash Bros build up. I've always liked a bit of Mario Party nonsense but this is a huge improvement over those games. The board game modes have a load less time wasting bullshit whilst still having some good quality minigames. Then there structures outside of the board games are much better as well.

Easily the best version of that sort of game I've played, probably not going to change the minds of those who hate them though.

Really? I'd figure there'd be a lot more shield users than not but I avoid the multiplayer in those games so I never see anybody else. I'd definitely consider myself a hardcore player and like I said I always use a shield so I don't think there's any real way to get the stats Patrick mentioned.

@topsteer: Again though, most people I talk to and encounter do not use a shield, contrary to what Patrick stated. But, again, I am deep into the game. There is no way of knowing if it's just hardcore fans playing that way, which is the people I encounter most, or not. But then nobody can really know.

Either way, the way I've been playing Dark Souls is the way Bloodborne wants you to play anyway. So I'm good.

I am all about Crash Bash. Great game.

Here's my top 5 Zelda games:

1. Hyrule Warriors
2. Link's Crossbow Training

CROSS COUNTRY SKYPIN'

Cool show!

I have no idea why their opinions on the Warriors series annoys me so much. I have zero problems with any of their other opinions on games I like, for example I'm a huge football fan so I tend to buy Madden every year and it tends to get shit on even more than the Warriors series since it's more popular but I actually really like those quick looks with Jeff and Vinny where they just shit on the game and mess around. Considering my favorite genre are JRPGs, I'm used to people dismissing some of my favorite games out of ignorance.

I can't wait for Hyrule Warriors and it's pretty much the only thing Nintendo could've done to get me excited about a new Zelda game.

I think a better way of saying what Patrick said would be that most players always use a shield and Bloodborne is forcing people away from that.. Even as much as I played the Souls games I've never played without a shield, it's just not a playstyle I'm interested in. That's the only thing I'm hesitant about in Bloodborne, the whole not having a shield thing.

@mrshowardmoon: My mother did that!

Explains a lot really.

@amyggen: You missed my change of heart! I yelled, "Yay pregnancy!" and followed it up by chugging my beer, because I am a lady. <3

Sweet is this the PAX Panel?

Jeff Gerstmann has the number 4 in his beard.

He did research on the internet how it was advised to play Dark Souls for beginners. He used his high STR massive armor build when playing Dark Souls for the first time and thinks it's the way most people play the game.

I don't think there is any statistic anywhere. But everything points towards the opposite. I'm a very active Dark Souls player and the amount of tank builds I see are almost non-existent. They either have an emphasis on mobility or they are highly agile. I barely ever see a real tank anymore.

That said, I'm pretty sure he was talking about beginners like himself. Not the crazy people who keep replaying the game, finishing the various NG+'es and creating new characters. It could be true. I just don't think there is any way of knowing for sure.

Not that any of it matters. I never play Dark Souls with a tank build, so Bloodborne will, by the sounds of it, feel completely natural to me.

Crash Bash is amazing fuck Jeff.

@splodge: That's a fair point, a games reception good or bad seems to spread like wildfire now. But I feel that Nintendo have made a conscious choice to keep "LEGEND OF ZELDA" branding off of the game, I'd still argue that Zelda can pretty much survive a number of mediocre spin offs due to the sheer love for the franchise and the recent successes of that Wii-U demo (people seemed to freak out over it) and the 3DS game. That being said I can't remember any truly terrible Mario Spin offs, even the sports games are pretty high quality.

Remember that when CD-I was a thing, the internet mostly wasn't. There is a wider audience now to consider, and anything popular has its followers, some rabid some not. There is a chance a lot of Zelda fans knew nothing about the CD-I or indeed that there were Zelda games for it. HEll, when I was a kid I could not even afford Nintendo Power or any gaming magazines, so my exposure to games was all through word of mouth and my friends. I did not know the following existed until the internet became a proper thing, when I was about 15 : The jaguar, the CD-I, the Intellivsion, the Virtua-Boy, the many variations of the Sega Saturn, and many more.

@splodge: Even as someone who's playing his first Zelda in his mid 20's I think it's a name that's too big to hurt really. There were those completely horrific CD-I games with the name on it and they really didn't seem to do anything to the brand (and they weren't just niche but competent games like this) I think I read it was a let down in first week sales though.