I wish I dug it more. I'm just terrible at playing the dodge and riposte game; I much, much prefer using shields. I'm going to keep trying, but I barely beat the first boss and I seem to be getting further from beating Gascoigne each time I try. At some point the highs don't outweigh the lows in games like this.

I really like Bloodborne. I also really, really miss the option of using an effective shield. Will definitely finish, but at this point I don't see myself trying to get a Platinum trophy. The other Souls games I got pretty obsessive about - in fact holding off on PS4 release of DS2 until after Bloodborne is pretty much killing me. :)

@rorie: Whereas I prefer Bloodborne because of dodging and can't stand shields. It's interesting how much personal playstyle preferences factor into people's opinions of BB. It's not often that a new IP comes with so many preconceived expectations.

I suppose that's why they didn't put Souls in the title, to differentiate this from their past work. Though obviously, we're all comparing it to Souls, anyway. Curious what the reception from the most hardcore fans would've been like with more build options to make a tank viable.

To be honest Rorie nailed it right here. Bloodborne's biggest problem is the highs just plain do not match the lows. Yes the death penalty is lesser in Bloodborne than in the other games, but it is also ridiculously easier to die. Joe Schmoe enemies can two or three shot you at multiple points in the game, many later bosses can one shot you, Dark Souls 2 may have had enemy groups but it never asked you as a total new character to go down a street with something like 15 mobs on it 3 of them with deadly accurate long range weapons.

The worst thing about Bloodborne is that the middle of the game is the fun part, the end and the beginning are just equal parts frustration and gamey encounters. That is just not good pacing or design.

@karkarov: I dunno, man. Another personal preference thing. I felt like Bloodborne had a smooth curve that got more satisfying as I learned the mechanics.

First of these games I've finished. 29 hours for all the bosses seemed like a perfect length for me. I felt that the previous games were just too long, which is why I always stopped.

@karkarov: Eh... I felt Bloodborne was by far the easiest one of these games. Didn't have a problem with any part of it, not even the one they described in the podcast. I knew immediately: okay, this is just a frenzy area then, there are probably some safe zones around here, let's see... ah, I don't get frenzied here, okay got it'. The only challenge it really gave me was the optional semi-final boss.

That said, I've also played all prior Souls games without a shield, and it is just really noticeable how much larger the dodge and parry windows are in this. I felt like Bloodborne was designed for the player to succeed, rather than to be conquered by a player like the previous Souls games were.

Still good, just less good, I thought.

@rorie: And the high-octane style the game seems to mandate only exacerbates other larger issues more endemic to the Souls games as a whole. The camera, for instance, suffers mightily in rolly/dodgy/evady situations where it only kind of sort of stunk in any shield/sword scenario.

Moreover, farming is a complete drag, and it has no discernible or rightful place in a game like Bloodborne, where pace and momentum are so important. It's already a trying experience to sprint past enemies to make it to a boss-fog. Adding a limited-but-necessary inventory of consumables you have to manage at all times only augments the tedium.

What would be nice is if Blood Vials/Quicksilver Bullets weren't part of your inventory, but were just refreshed to full every time you died/returned to the Hunter's Dream. They could still drop from enemies, but for all intents and purposes, there's no reason to farm.

I emphatically disagree.

Just took out those three hunters. The feeling that follows something like that is pretty unique in games. Bloodborne has ben a great experience so far.

Really like reading your thoughts about it.

@andylonnsaid:

Now, when the Souls games came out I didn't pay them much mind. Over the years I've gotten soft and have felt that my time was better spent with games that welcomed my presence more than those games did.

I've played all of the Souls games, but haven't beaten any of them. I have been avoiding Bloodborne for the same reason you stated there. However, reading your post makes me consider picking it up. I'd like to play it, but i'm worried it will just end up like all the other Souls games I've played. But after reading @csl316's comment about how Bloodborne was the first game he's finished in the series, I am at least a bit more optimistic.

I think it's worth considering what sort of games you like to play. I've been playing dodge-heavy action games since like Streets of Rage 3, so this was a natural fit. On the opposite end, Rorie prefers his shield classes and enjoyed it less. So even though I finished, just take my case as someone that likes this sort of combat more (I watched enough preview stuff to know I'd prefer it before even playing).

If you like fast-paced games but found Dark Souls kind of slow, this is a bit faster and lends itself to my playstyle a whole lot more. It's not DMC by any means, but it's the closet to character-action this game will ever get. The hunter battles remind me of human-sized fights in a modern action game, which I can't say for anything in previous From games.

Keep in mind that the structure is very, very in line with the Souls series. The minute-to-minute gameplay is slightly different but you'll still be adventuring, dying, and running back to bosses. So in a sense, it's still got the spirit of the series. I don't think it's as harsh as the Bombcast made it seem, but if you're used to playing games on easy or normal you may have a tough time.

@rorie said:

I had the same problem for the first few hours of Bloodborne. My thing was that I was stuck in the "tank" mindset I've carried since the first Dark Souls. The Father Gascoigne fight is designed, I believe, to utterly break that mindset and force you to adjust to how the game wants you to play. It's hard to break two (or three) games worth of conditioning, but my tip would be to use the dodge aggressively, and to use the two-three hit stun combo. Always dodge in and never away because Bloodborne is designed to punish cautious play. The game wants you to wade in and wreck house. The regain system is clever, and allows for error so long as you follow it up with a counter attack. That doesn't necessarily mean mashing R1 either; I've found that a quck roll after a hit, plus some spacing, provides plenty of time left to get my hits in and regain any lost health.

The Saw Cleaver is your friend. Lighter, faster swings are always preferable in this game to the slower, heavier attacks like the Kirkhammer. I was getting frustrated for awhile with Papa G, but I don't know, once the combat in this game clicks with you, it really opens up into something that's very satisfying and fun to watch. Hunter NPC battles are almost balletic in the way they twist, turn, dodge, shoot, parry, riposte, and attack. I hope you stick with it, duder, because if you can get out of the Souls mindset and embrace Bloodborne for what it is; a character action RPG, then you'll probably have a ball with how liberating and fluid the combat can be.