changethel1ghts

I just started really playing Dragon's Dogma for the first time. This game is absolutely badass. It allows for you to get lost, it lets you screw up, and it lets you have second chances. It's unforgiving, but it gives room to explore.

Let me tell you what happened to me:

I was deep in a dark - and when I say dark, I mean pitch black - dungeon. Bats occasionally nibbled at my neck, but I brushed them away. I reached the bottom of a gigantic spiral staircase and found an item.

Suddenly, monsters appeared all around me. I began to fight them but grew frustrated with my inability to kill them all. That's when I realized: I don't need to kill them. I just need to run.

Rather than sprinting back up the stairs, I noticed a small passageway. I found refuge there. I make my way through the passage, expecting it to be an escape route.

I walked slowly through it, having been safe for a short while. Suddenly, those invincible creatures I had just escaped begin rising all around me. I reached the end of the tunnel. The passage had been nothing a long dead end.

At this point, I thought I was screwed. I sprinted back towards the room I had fled. The enemies rose around me as I ran out of breath. Occasionally, one of my companions would rouse me when I am was out of stamina, and I would aid them as well. I was filled with terror.

I then ascended the pitch-black stairs I had strolled down so leisurely before. This time, I was tripping and running out of breath all along the way, barely dodging enemy attacks. I also escaped with the quest item I needed - thank goodness.

---

Had Dragon's Dogma not let me tread down this passage with such safety, luring me into a false sense of security? Or, had it not let me sprint down a series of lengthy passages to a dead end? I never would have had such a gripping and memorable experience. It felt like I was adventuring because it felt like I was in a place that wasn't designed for me. I was lost in a long-abandoned tunnel, and it felt like it.

What a truly strange, lovely experience this game is. I can't recommend it enough for folks looking to scratch an RPG itch.

PS: Literally just writing this in the heat of the moment, so pardon the rough writing.

@boozak: Very good point. I think whenever you reboot a franchise that folks haven't lost interest in yet there's a feeling from some like, "hey! Why did you take away this thing I liked?"

I just had the chance to play through the 2012 FPS reboot of Syndicate. I was shocked at how great of a time I had with it. All the old reviews and comment sections that I've run into while researching this game have been incredibly negative. Most had to do with the game being a pretty straightforward shooter in a franchise previously known for its RPG depth. I can see where some folks would be frustrated, but I ended up loving my time with Syndicate. I had to wonder what other games I have missed out on because people were dog-piling on the hate bandwagon during the time of release.

Are there any games you feel were treated unfairly on release?

I have hope in my heart!

I decided to see what the playerbase is like and it seems like one of those "small but dedicated playerbase" type situations. Looks like the devs are updating it regularly, too.

I'm just really surprised because I never hear folks talk about it, but now I really dig it.

Just started playing Deep Rock Galactic since it's free for the next couple of days on Steam. Been having having a really good time with it just playing solo. It has a really nice style to it, and it feels great. Have any of y'all tried it out?

I know it's belaboring the point, but I just finished the start of Forza Horizon 4. I am in love.

I had a bizzarely emotional experience with the start of this game. Life's been tough lately, and the start of that game is just boiling over with joy and positivity that I had a huge smile the whole time. Like, it was this deep down kind of joy you don't get often. It was odd because I can't recall the last game that gave me such a raw emotional response.

Have any of you guys ever had a response like this to a game? I'm sure it's a combination of a lot of things that lead to such a response, but regardless, I think the start of this game is fantastic.

I just started getting into Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines for the first time with the unofficial patch. I’m really impressed by it, and I’ve learned a pretty morbid amount of what it means to be looked down upon.

I really didn’t know what to expect, so I decided to try playing the “Nosferatu” clan because they seemed good at stealth. The way the game put it, they have to “hide from the world” because of their monstrous appearance. Little did I know the game means it. In the game, you have to conceal vampire powers from humans, but when you are a Nosferatu your very existence reveals the reality of vampires. Playing a whole game where you’re trying to exist in a world and where people don’t just dislike you, but will literally run screaming? Even if they’re vampires? I’ve never experienced anything like it. You end up having to use stealth just to live a normal life.

At one point I walked into a doctor’s office to buy painkillers, an old lady screamed, and a police officer shot me. This was right after I had a friendly exchange with the lady at the front desk. If I was a normal lookin’ dude, then things certainly would have gone differently. Obviously, I look monstrous in the game, so fear responses make sense, but this game clearly has some things to say about oppression. It’s discussing the topic in the most on-the-nose way possible, but as someone who has had the privilege of not experiencing a lot of oppression, I certainly feel I am learning from the game. I just really needed to write this out because I’m surprised at just how this all works in the game.

@ikabubu: Stellar recommendations. I'm thinking about giving Space Plan a go.