10 Things I Want To See In A Bloodborne Sequel

(Warning This Article Contain's Major Spoilers for Bloodborne and it's expansion The Old Hunters. If you haven't played either I recommend doing that before reading this article.)

Since Bloodborne is currently one of the most highly rated and best selling PS4 games, a sequel is pretty much an inevitability and we already have confirmation that developer From Software is working on another PS4 exclusive. Bloodborne was a fantastic game with very few flaws to begin with and a sequel would be a great opportunity to iron out the rough edges to make something utterly spectacular. So here are a few things I would love to see in a Bloodborne 2 as well as a few things I hope that From Software will remember to keep just in case Hidetaka Miyazaki isn't available to direct.

1. Make Beast Transformations A Central Mechanic

The Beast and Kin Transformations do little more than add expanded move sets for certain weapons.

I think one of the most disappointing aspects of Bloodborne was the lack of any kind of beast transformation at launch. Early information on the game indicated that players could possibly turn into beasts and be hunted by other players, but in the final game the only remnant of this was the Beasthood stat that boosted attack power at the cost of defense when a special item or weapon was used. The Old Hunters Expansion finally did add the ability to transform into a beast and even an alien kin, but it was totally up to the player wither or not they wanted to become one and didn't offer any major changes to the gameplay. I think it would be far more interesting if in the next game From Software tied beast transformations to a mechanic similar to the Humanity system they use in their Dark Souls series. When you died in human form in Dark Souls you would become undead. When you were undead you couldn't summon other players for help and in Dark Souls 2 consecutive deaths in undead from would reduce your health. I think it would cool if Bloodborne 2 could play around with an idea like that. Maybe there could be stages of transformation that cause enemies and NPCs to behave differently towards you or even a system of multiplayer covenants that react differently to different states of transformation allowing for a great deal of interesting interactions with both the world and other players. I'm just throwing ideas out there and I'm sure the developers at From Software could come up with even better ideas then I can.

2. Offer More Diverse Player Expression At The Start Of The Game And Beyond

The lack of variety early in the game is one of Bloodborne's few flaws.

One of the major issues with Bloodborne early in the game is the lack of weapon and attire diversity that is probably one of the best things about other games in the Souls series. Each time you begin a new game in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls every starting class has it's own unique weapons, abilities, and attire that helps set you apart from other players early on. However, in Bloodborne every player starts with the same attire and at the start of a new game there are only three weapons and two sidearms available for players to chose. Picking a starting class or origin as Bloodborne refers to them as feels kind of pointless. There are also overall fewer attire sets and distinct looking weapons which is an undeniable downgrade from From Software's Souls series. I think an easy way to fix the lack of diversity in the early game is pretty simple. Having more starting weapons and sidearms along with some starting attire would go a long way to giving players a sense of having a unique way of playing the game early on. Fixing the lack of diversity later in the game is a bit trickier. While The Old Hunters added a fair amount of new attire sets for players to wear you would still often come across players wearing the same thing you are. I think a cool way that From Software could approach this problem is add a simple crafting system that allows players to make their own attire sets. Maybe they could even add a system that allows you to put passive buffs. Now let's move on to weapons.

3. Add More Ways You Can Customize Weapons

Weapon Customazation is more dynamic then the Souls games, but could still benefit from some more tweaks.

While Bloodborne overall has fewer weapons then the Souls games it makes up for it with how distinct each weapon is. Dark Souls for example has lots of weapons, but aside from small differences and stat requirements they are kinda indistinct from each other. The trick weapons of Bloodborne on the other hand a distinct from each other and each have there own move sets to master. However, that doesn't mean that Bloodborne doesn't have anything to learn from Dark Souls. I can think of a few things that could improve trick weapons and sidearms. In Dark Souls bosses drop unique souls that could be used to forge unique weapons. Imagine instead of finding the Amygdalan Arm you had to forge it by fusing the Blood of Amygdala with another weapon to create it. Another thing I think would be interesting would be the ability to upgrade weapons down different paths. For example, imagine your upgrading Threaded Cane and you have a choice between modifying the length of the blade to increase the range of the whip or serrate the main blade to deal more damage against beast type enemies. These upgrades could even change the appearance which could help with the diversity problem we talked about earlier. Finally I like a greater diversity of Blood Gems that could have been used to augment firearms. Like granting the Hunter Pistol the ability to deal fire damage with bullets.

4. Expand The Magic System

Bloodborne's magic is visually spectacular and integrated into the world in an interesting way, but desperately needs the same level of complexity the magic of the Souls series has.

Another disappointing aspect of Bloodborne when compared to the Souls games would be the magic system. Dark Souls series had three major classes of magic the tired heavily into the lore of the world those game. Bloodborne on the other hand replaces magic with guns and tools for the most part. There is magic in the game, but only 9 spells were in the base game and 3 more were added in The Old Hunters expansion. Out of the 12 spells almost half of them were differnet flavors of standard projectile spells to use in place of guns and the other half are either buffs that don't last anywhere near enough to be effective or esoteric effects that are very situational. I'm fine with magic being handled differently then the Souls game and I think with a little tinkering From Software can make a very good magic system for Bloodborne. But I want more distinct spells as well as more useful spells. I'm also not to hot about how both guns and spells consume the same resource of quicksilver bullets. I would have like it better if they had their own separate resources or were tied together in a better way lore wise. Maybe hunters generate quicksilver in their bloodstream that can also be used to channel arcane abilities as well as create bullets for firearms. I also don't like how there is no way to increase the number of bullets you can carry other then Caryll Runes that are fairly difficult to obtain. I would have been better if the amount of quicksilver bullets was governed by your Arcane and Bloodtinge Stats similar to how your number to spell slots in Dark Souls is governed by your Attunement Stat.

5. Expand The Effects Insight Has On The World

The first time I saw the giant spider hanging on the building I was freaked out and really wanted something that awesome to happen again.

One of the coolest mechanics of Bloodborne was insight. Insight was the level of eldrich knowledge the player had and was used to purchase powerful items at a special shop in the Hunter's Dream as well as summon other players into your world for help. You gained insight from encountering and defeating bosses, consuming special items, and just encountering weird things when exploring the world. The most interesting thing that insight did however was changing to world around you. The more insight you had the more weird stuff would start to happen. For example if you had 40 insight before defeating Rom, The Vacuous Spider you could see the Lessor Amygdala hanging on top of Oedon Chapel in the Cathedral Ward. However, the strange effects that insight have are sadly limited and many of the special things it does happen anyway after you beat Rom. I would simply love to see a greater number of changes to the world with high amounts of insight in a sequel. It would also be cool if they tied the amount of insight you have to the bell ringing woman. Invasions are a rare thing in Bloodborne unless you open yourself up deliberately to it. Perhaps the more insight you have the greater chance for the bell ringing woman to appear. Another good improvement a sequel could make is encouraging players to have high insight. I for one always strive to have low insight because it lowers your frenzy resistance which is one of the most deadly status effects in the game. Maybe Bloodborne 2 could encourage players to have high insight by increasing the number of runes you can equip or something simple like that.

6. Make The Chalice Dungeons More Interesting

The Chalice Dungeons are the most flawed aspect of Bloodborne.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious features of Bloodborne was the randomly generated Chalice Dungeons. The idea behind the Chalice Dungeons was to expand the life of the game long after completing the main game and share your unique dungeons with other players. While it was a noble goal the final execution leaves a lot to be desired. While their is a lot of good things to be found in the Chalice Dungeons like powerful runes, unique enemies to fight, and some of the best bosses in the game that doesn't fix the issue of how boring and repetitive the dungeons are. The flow of every Chalice Dungeon is basically explore the dungeon, find a lever that unlocks the boss door, fight the boss, and go to the next floor. There are treasure rooms you can find, but that still doesn't stop the environments themselves from becoming visually indistinct. There are four different locations that you can explore, but aside from having different enemies they are just reskins of each other. The amount of grinding needed to unlock all the dungeons is pretty ridicules as well. Some would rather that the Chalice Dungeons be removed entirely in favor of more levels in the main game, but I think they chalice dungeons could be improved. Maybe instead of blending all the areas together with the same rooms that can appear, each area has different rooms and hazards that are unique to them. I'm not exactly sure how you could improve the ritual system to be far less tedious, but I'm sure that From Software could think of something.

7. Keep The World Consistent and Interconnected

Being able to see the Nightmare of Mensis from the Nightmare Frontier was one of many ways that Bloodborne connects its level in an interesting and immersive way.

Now that I have covered what I would like to see improved from Bloodborne in sequel I want to cover want I want to be kept in from Bloodborne. The best things about the games directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki was the emphasis on making all the levels feel connected with each other making the settings of his games feel like real places. This is very evident in Bloodborne with the player being able to see other level from other areas of the game. This should be an obvious inclusion for a Bloodborne 2, but it should be noted that in Dark Souls 2 which was not directed by Miyazaki had issues with making the world connect in a way that makes sense. An example of Dark Souls 2's flawed level interconnectivity would be the elevator that in a windmill that sits in the middle of a desert somehow leading up to the middle of a freaking volcano fortress. I would hate to see flubs like that in Bloodborne 2. Dark Souls 2 also had very linear levels as apposed to complex levels that rapped around themselves and opened up shortcuts that were featured in Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

8. Make Things Interesting, Not Difficult

Bloodborne commonly has you face seemingly impossible odds, but the right tools, a some skill, and a bit of luck  is all you need to push past everything the game can throw at you

Another major issue that Dark Souls 2 had compared to Dark Souls and Bloodborne was the emphasis on extreme difficulty. Dark Souls and Bloodborne are both very hard games, but they are also very fair in a lot of ways. If you have a fair amount of knowledge on how the environment is laid out, how enemies behave, and a grip on how to best use the weapons and tools at your disposal you can get through Dark Souls and Bloodborne fairly easily. Dark Souls 2 on the other hand is hellbent on making everything as hard as possible. Mostly by throwing as many enemies at you at once as possible. The boss fights of Dark Souls 2 also have the "if we can't make a fight hard let's throw as many enemies into the fight as possible" mentality. It would be a crying shame if Bloodborne 2 suffered the same boss multiplication issue as Dark Souls 2. I hope that Form Software focuses on making diverse enemy types and unique hazards over throwing as many enemies on screen as possible.

9. Make Bloodborne 2 A Spiritual Sequel and Not A Direct Sequel

Bloodborne is defined by a Lovecraftian sense of mystery and it would be a crying shame to see that undermined by a sequel that explains everything.

Perhaps one of the worst things about Dark Souls 2 compared to the original Dark Souls was the massive downgrade in terms of storytelling. The main reason for this downgrade was the fact that Dark Souls 2 relied heavily on the lore and world of the first Dark Souls over making their own world. This is the main reason why I think that a direct sequel to Bloodborne would be a bad idea. I would much rather have a new world to explore with similar aesthetics and themes as the original Bloodborne. I highly doubt Sony would want to make a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne because that would mean abandoning the name recognition that Bloodborne has garnered, but I would like if they at least reboot the universe or something like that.

10. Try To Get The Game To Run At 60FPS

Bloodborne is a fantastic game and if it gets a sequel it deserves to be a fantastic as possible.

Finally, I just want to say that it should be a priority to get the sequel to Bloodborne run at 60 Frames Per Second. I understand that this is a big technical hurdle for From Software and would likely require some downgrades in other areas like resolution. But the fact that a fast paced game like Bloodborne is locked at 30FPS is simply unacceptable and I'm not the only one that thinks that. 30FPS isn't as much as a problem with the Souls game's because their combat is overall slower paced, but with Bloodborne and the fast reaction times it requires from its players 60FPS is a must and I feel that most fans would be willing to deal with a slight graphical downgrade if it meant having a better game overall.

Those are all the things I want to see in a Bloodborne sequel. I'm sure that I, some random crazy guy on the internet, will make enough of an impression on From Software and Sony to take some of my points into consideration. Now it's time to get to writing my web series I'm starting next year. Until next time.

The Gaming Lycanthrope's Top Games of 2015

So 2015 was a pretty great year for video games for both games from big budget developers and small independent studios. We got great games ranging from mechanically complex action games to intimate interactive narrative experiences. There were so many great games that came out this year that I don’t think I’ve even played a fraction of them, but I still want to talk about the best games I played this year. So here are my top games that I played this year. Let’s start with some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Batman Arkham Knight

I’m a huge fan of the Batman Arkham series and this one is no exception. It was a fantastic experience that delivered what I personally thought was a great end to the Batman Arkham series and refined the gameplay to an almost mirror shine. However, Batman Arkham Knight fails to place anywhere on my actual list for three major reason. Reason one is the overabundance of Batmobile sections that really started to wear out it welcome towards the end of the game. Reason two is the absolutely ludicrous amounts of DLC that Warner Bros. has made for this game just feels sleazy especially with most of it being little bonus stuff that was ripped out of the main game to make an extra buck. But the third and most important reason it’s not on my actual list is the fact that the PC port is an abomination. I played the PS4 version so I was thankfully spared the massive number of technical issues that plagued the PC version, but the fact that Warner Bros. thought they could release a game that poorly optimized in 2015 is unforgivable. Still I enjoyed the game enough to at least recommend it. Just wait for the inevitable game of the year edition that comes with all of the content. Like I probably should have done.

Broken Age

I grew playing a lot of point and click adventure games particularly the Monkey Island series so I was very excited when I discovered that Double Fine had Kickstarted a whole new adventure game. While there is no denying the development woes that plagued Broken Age which resulted in it being split into two parts the first part was so good that I was sure that it would be worth the wait. Sadly part two didn’t really deliver on the promise of part one. It wasn’t bad, but it felt extremely underwhelming after it was all said and done. Which is why in spite of how much I enjoyed it Broken Age only gets a honorable mention.

Life Is Strange

In a world where most games are about saving the world or surviving the apocalypse it’s just nice to play a game that is a little more down to earth. Granted it still is a little out there with the main character being a teenage girl that suddenly out of nowhere gains the ability to rewind time, but still it’s nice playing as someone that feels like a regular person that has been thrust into an extraordinary situation. However, I can’t deny that some of the writing isn’t very good at times and the ending also isn’t very good as far as I’m concerned which is why Life is Strange only gets an honorable mention.

Star Wars Battlefront

I’m not usually a big fan of multiplayer shooters, but I love Star Wars and it was a great injection of pure Star Wars nostalgia before I went to go see the new movie. However, I should point out that I’ve never played the original Star Wars Battlefront games and general consensus is that it’s the this reboot is a major downgrade that lacks even half the content featured in the original Battlefront games. I guess that EA is just waiting to sell us the rest of the game as DLC. So Star Wars Battlefront only gets an honorable mention. Now that honorable mentions are out of the way it’s time to get to my top five games of 2015.

My Top Games of 2015

5. Apotheon

I’m a huge fan of Metriodvania games. I’m also very interested in greek mythology. Apotheon is the best of both worlds letting us explore a beautifully presented 2D representation of Mount Olympus as you play as a lone villager trying to steal the power of the gods to save the world from their indifference. Unlike most games that have influences of Greek Mythology like God of War, Apotheon goes out of its way to be as accurate to the old greek myths as possible and making interactions that would make sense with each Greek God like having a drinking contest with Dionysus or engaging in a hunt with Artemis. So great job Alientrap I can’t wait to play more games from you guys.

4. SOMA

The guys behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent, one of the scariest games of all time, have done it again. I’m personally glad that Frictional Games didn’t just try and make the same game again with a new coat of paint. Instead of making a traditional horror game they decided to make an interactive science fiction story dealing with themes of consciousness and what it means to be human in a way only a videogame can properly convey. Interactive narratives often get a lot of flack from gamers for their ironic lack of interaction, but Frictional Games went out of their way to make their game worlds as interactive as possible and SOMA is no exception. It also helps that SOMA is still as terrifying as Amnesia: The Dark Descent in spite of its admittedly simplified mechanics with some of the most terrifying moments set pieces I’ve ever experienced in a game.I don’t want to say anything more because if you haven’t played SOMA yet I don’t want to spoil it. Well done Frictional Games for making a fantastic thinking man’s horror game.

3. Fallout 4

Well who couldn’t see this game coming. Fallout 4 is a massive game with tons of stuff to do in it. Combat and Looting have been massively improved since Fallout 3 and New Vegas and the new crafting system is absolutely amazing. I have poured hours upon hours crafting new weapons and armor and building entire settlements. I’ve played over fifty hours and I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface of this game. The only real complaint I have with the game is the new dialogue that severely limits player expression and I while I appreciate the effort that went into giving us a voiced protagonist I hope they go back to a silent protagonist in the next Fallout game to allow for better role playing. Still I’m really enjoying Fallout 4 and Bethesda should be proud of their hard work.

2. Undertale

When I first started hearing all the buzz about Undertale I was very skeptical and when I saw actual gameplay it didn’t look all that spectacular. So after months of having my twitter and Tumblr feeds being nothing, but Undertale I finally decided to play it and I boy was I wrong. It is without a doubt one of the best games of the year, but I can’t really talk about why without spoiling what it is about. The best spoiler free description of the game is imagine Earthbound meets Shin Megami Tensei meets The Stanley Parable. It a game that takes your preconceived notions of what you think it will be and goes on to subvert every single one. It is also extremely replayable, but again I can’t spoil exactly why. It's a great game and you should probably. But Undertale is fantastic and I’m definitely going to be checking out creator Toby Fox’s other work. The hype may hurt your appreciation of Undertale, but it is a great game regardless and well deserving of a place on my list.

1. Bloodborne

While Undertale is undoubtedly more original, intimate experience probably more deserving of the number one spot this is my list and the game I enjoyed the most this year was without a doubt Bloodborne. Bloodborne was my first dive into the Souls series of game directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki (I’m probably saying his name wrong) and now I can see why people love these games so much. It was just so refreshing to play a game that did not hold my hand in the slightest, but at the same time subtly encouraged me to power through it and conquer all it could throw at me. I just love everything about this game. I love the gothic horror setting, the fast paced strategic combat, and out of this world weapon and monster designs. The few major faults I had with Bloodborne such as the long loading times and the grinding of chalice dungeons have long since been patched. Plus, The Old Hunters expansion have added a whole bunch of new areas, weapons, and tools that make an already fantastic game even better. I just love this game so much. From Software and Miyazaki should be proud of themselves for making such an amazing game and I can’t wait to play their next game Dark Souls 3 next year. So Bloodborne it’s awesome, I love it and you should go check it out if you can.

Well those we my favorite games I played this year. 2015 was a fantastic year for video games and 2016 is looking to be an equally fantastic year for video games. I’m definitely going to be uploading much more content next year and be working on far more ambitious projects. A huge thanks to everyone that has supported me from the beginning. Things are going to be much more active next year both on my blog and on my YouTube channel. I'll see you guys next year.

YouTube Channel: Attack of the Mirelurk Queen

So I found a new settlement while exploring the wasteland and got attacked by a fucking Mirelurk Queen. I got killed the first time and this is my rematch against it. I also recently discovered that the Mirelurk Queen respawns to attack the settlement so that's going to be fun.

Bloodborne The Old Hunters Review: Old Hunters, New Tricks

Dive Into The Darkest Secrets of Yharnam.

Developer: From Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Version(s): Exclusively for PS4
Price: $19.99
Release: November 24th, 2015

When I reviewed Bloodborne a few months ago I had very little negative to say about it. The only major criticism that I could muster was that the load times were pretty bad and even then an update released about a month after launch fixed that problem. But after months of playing and getting more familiar with From Software's other works I do have a few more. While I do favor Bloodborne's focus on fewer and more distinct weapons than Dark Souls many, indistinct weapons there still weren't enough to really make the most out of certain character builds. The randomly generated chalice dungeons were also an interesting concept that was undermined by the constant farming you had to do for materials to make them and the rather lackluster loot you got from these them often didn't even feel they were worth the time and effort to get them. Bloodborne also has the least developed multiplayer component out of all of their recent games. Does Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, the one and only major expansion planned for Bloodborne, address all of these issues. Let's find out.

The Gatling Gun is one of many new sidearms that can be found within the new areas of The Old Hunters.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters takes place primarily within a new location called The Hunter's Nightmare, a terrible dreamscape where all of Yharnam's oldest hunters are trapped forever engaged in an endless hunt. Within this new location are three massive new areas to explore each with their own horrors you must endure and defeat. One of the best thing about The Old Hunters is that it takes familiar enemies from other areas of the game and gives them all new move sets that you have to learn if you are to properly fight them. The number of NPC hunter battles has also increased considerably commonly putting you on equal ground with your enemies making for some very interesting fights. There are brand new enemies as well as new bosses, but I wouldn't dare spoil them because they are some of the most enjoyable encounters I have had in quite a while.

Brador, The Healing Church Assassin is one of the new characters introduced in The Old Hunters. You should be very afraid when you hear that bell he's ringing.

The real stars of The Old Hunters however are the large amount of new weapons that you find in The Hunter's Nightmare. There are eleven new trick weapons, five new sidearms, and four new hunter tools that you can now find to beef up your arsenal. My favorite new weapon has to be the Whiligig Saw with is basically a mace that can be transformed into a buzzsaw hammer. My favorite new sidearm is the Loch Shield which grants a great deal of defense against magic attacks. My favorite new hunter tool is the Blacksky Eye which can shoot a meteor at distant enemies. The best thing about all of these new weapons and tools is that you don't have to jump through hoops to get most of them you can just find them laying around and then use them as long as you met the attribute requirements. You don't have to find badges that unlocked them at the shop and then grind for Blood Echos to actually buy them like in the base game.

The Holy Moonlight Sword. A staple of almost all From Software RPGs returns with heavy story significance in The Old Hunters.

Another awesome feature in The Old Hunters is the ability to finally transform into beasts which is something I'm baffled wasn't in the game at launch. The process for unlocking this ability requires that you fight an incredibly difficult boss but it is well worth it. In beast form all of your attacks fill the beasthood meter that you get when you use a Beast Blood Pellet and if you use the Beast Claw weapons when in beast form you get a vastly expanded moveset. There is also another transformation you can unlock, but again I don't want to spoil it because it's pretty awesome.

The Beast's Embrace rune allows players to finally transform into beast themselves and unlocks the true power of the Beast Claw weapon.

Another great thing of The Old Hunters is that not all of it's content is exclusive to those that buy the expansion. A free patch to the main game added a new covenant called The League for all players which encourages players to cooperate with each other to rank up within the covenant. You can join The League by talking to a new NPC named Valtr in the in the Forbidden Woods. It is a great addition as one of Bloodborne few flaws was the lack of incentive to actually help other players. Another major addition that all players can enjoy is the improvements made to the Chalice Dungeon. Rather then having to struggle to do anything multiplayer related in the Chalice Dungeon, the premade Chalice Dungeons now are shared by all players as if it were an area from the main game. Materials needed to make randomized Chalice Dungeons are also much easier to obtain since they are now available at the shops in the Hunter's Dream on New Game Plus.

Yamamura, The Wanderer is one of the new character you can summon for help if you are a member of The League.

In conclusion, The Old Hunters is everything an expansion should be. Something that adds a lot of new content to an already fantastic game and addresses the few flaws that were there from the start. If you are a fan of Bloodborne this expansion is pretty much mandatory and if you are new to Bloodborne you can purchase the base game at a reduced price. Combined with price of the expansion you can get the full Bloodborne experience for $59.99 which is a great price for amount of content this game offers. Bloodborne was already one of the best games of the year and The Old Hunters has just made it even better. Bloodborne The Old Hunters is available for $19.99 of the Playstation Network Store

YouTube Channel: Ghoul Out of Time and Space

Yet another Fallout 4 glitch for all you guys. This time it of a ghouls I found after clearing out a settlement that the game seem to forget about. It just stood there doing nothing, frozen in time and space it purpose gone and yet unable to move on. So I put an end to his miserable existence.

YouTube Channel: Spinning Corpse Glitch

While repairing some stuff in Sanctuary Hills after a raid by the Institute I came across a casualty that seemed to be being pulled into a black hole and spinning uncontrollably into the ground. I tried to pull him out, but it would seem that that he was going anywhere anytime soon. Expect more weird glitch videos in the following weeks.

YouTube Channel: Nick Valentine Attempts Suicide

Here's a clip of a weird moment of Nick Valentine jumping off a balcony to catch up to me. It looked like he was trying to kill himself. Expect more Fallout 4 stuff for the next month. Also the building I'm in the same place you can find the Strength Bobblehead.

YouTube Channel: Bloodborne The Old Hunters Bosses

Here are all the boss fights in Bloodborne The Old Hunters. Enjoy.

YouTube Channel: Micolash, Host of the Nightmare Post Patch 1.07

For the most part I found Patch 1.07 to be a fantastic update to Bloodborne. We got a new multiplayer covenant, a new spell, and spells in general got a huge buff making them far more useful. However, because of the huge buff in spells one of the games bosses, namely Micolash, Host of the Nightmare, has gone from challenging, but fair to extremely frustration. He only has three attacks and before the update only one of his attacks was basically a one hit kill and could easily be interrupted. Now post update two of his attacks are basically one hit kills and he is much harder to interrupt. This video showcases me assisting the another player in battle Micolash and the frankly absurd strategy that we had to adopt to prevent him form using any of his one hit kill attacks in the second phase of his fight. This is something that I think From Software should consider when thinking of issues to fix in there next update.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Being Episodic: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Logo for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

During Sony's E3 2015 Press Conference Japanese game publisher Square Enix's revealed the remake to Final Fantasy VII, a game considered by many to be one of the most important and influential games ever to be made. For many years prier to this announcement fans of the original Final Fantasy VII have been clamoring for a remake as the original has not aged very gracefully with very poor graphics by today's standards and some very poor translations in some points. A few days ago at Sony's PlayStation Experience event we finally got our first look at the actual gameplay. It showed that the remake would shift the classic turned based role playing game into a more action oriented direction. Purist were obviously a bit sour at this revelation, but I and many other were still on board with this remake. Then yesterday it was revealed that Square Enix would be releasing the Final Fantasy VIII Remake would be released in episodic chunks. Needless to say this did not go over well with lots of fans of the original Final Fantasy VII, myself included. Now that I have had a chance to calm down and get more information of this topic I just want to metaphorically sit down and talk about this. I want to go over all the pros and cons that releasing the Final Fantasy remake in episodic format will mean in the long run and what other problems it might symbolize in the industry. So let's get started shall we.

Logo for the original Final Fantasy VII.

Part 1: The Facts

Let's first compile everything that we should know before we get into the real meat of the discussion. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a front the ground of remake of the PS1 classic Japanese Role Playing Game Final Fantasy VII which was first released in America the autumn of 1997. Final Fantasy VII is considered by many to be the start of the popularity of JRPGs in the west. Interest in a remake for Final Fantasy VII was sparked after a tech demo for Sony's PlayStation 3 was shown at E3 2006. For years after Square Enix was very ambiguous about the prospect of making a remake of Final Fantasy VII. Going back and forth saying that they were interested in the prospect of making a remake and that they did not have the resources nor the desire to make a remake. Then Square Enix finally decided to make a remake of Final Fantasy VII which they revealed at E3 2015. We finally got our first glimpse of gameplay at PlayStation Experience last Saturday which showed that the remake would have gameplay similar to Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series. Then on Sunday following the gameplay showing of the remake we received confirmation that Square Enix was planning to release Final Fantasy VII Remake as an episodic series. Square Enix later elaborated that the reason for this business model was that remaking Final Fantasy VII was such a huge undertaking that it just had to be released in separate parts.

Screenshot of the original Final Fantasy VII. 

Part 2: The Good

There honestly isn't a lot of good you can say about this decision, but for the sake of fairness let's look at a few of the positive things that can happen by release Final Fantasy VII Remake episodically. For one, we'll probably be able to get our hands on the gamer sooner rather than later. Square Enix has a bit of a reputation with announcing promising projects and then having them languish in development hell for years. The upcoming Final Fantasy XV started life as Final Fantasy Versus XIII and was meant to be a spin-off game before the project grew so astronomically over its ten year development it became the next official entry into the mainline Final Fantasy series. So it's nice to hear that they are priotitizing getting into the hands of gamers as soon as possible. They have also have promised that each individual part will be self contained and expand on parts of the original game which is nice to hear.

Screenshot of the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Part 3: The Bad

However, the main reason people are upset with Final Fantasy VII Remake being made episodic is the fact that Square Enix hasn't proven itself very trust worthy in the past when embracing new business practices. One only has to look at Square Enix's mobile game line up to see just how greedy and short sighted this company can be. While they have released a fair number of simple ports of their Nintendo classics we have also seen trash like Final Fantasy All The Bravest. This "game" exists solely because Square thought it would be a great idea to exploit people's love and nostalgia for their classic games by making them pay for imaginary action figures to play a game of swiping their finger across the screen in a game that forces you to pay to win. The sleaziness of Square Enix doesn't stop there, Square is also big on preorder downloadable content and often take what many would consider critical parts of a players arsenal or a crucial part of a game's story and forcing you to pay in advance just to get access to this content. The most recent examples of Square Enix's greedy preorder practices would have to be the infamous Augment Your Preorder marketing campaign for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Augment Your Preorder was basically a demented Kickstarted campaign that demanded that gamers preorder the game in droves in order to unlock different tiers of awards with the ultimate prize of the game being released several days early. The backlash to this campaign was so fierce that Square was forced to cancel the whole thing. The greed that this company has demonstrated makes me extremely leery with them dealing with any kind of Episodic content especially with a game series this popular.

Image from the Final Fantasy VII Remake Reveal Trailer 

Part 4: The Ugly

However, I don't think that greed is the sole motivator for Square Enix's decision to make Final Fantasy VII Remake episodic in fact I don't even think greed is the primary reason. The primary reason for this game being made episodic probably has to do with what has to be a ludicrously high budget. The original Final Fantasy VII in 1997 cost around $45 million dollars to make which at the time was the highest budget for any role playing game ever. To make a game of the same scope with the level of graphical and gameplay quality that people have come to expect from big budget games in 2015 Square would likely need a budget triple or even quadruple that of the original. That is utterly ridiculous and speaks volumes of the just how much skyrocketing development budgets are killing innovation in the big budget space. That not even a game made nearly twenty years ago can just be remade with out any major issues. I'm going to definitely be researching more about how game budgets are handled and how we might be able to start making steps towards fixing this problem.

Compare and contrast of the original Final Fantasy VII for PC and the HD Texture Mod available for the Steam version for free.

In conclusion, I just want to say that I'm severely disappointed that Final Fantasy VII Remake is going to be episodic. I'm sure it will end up being a good game in the long run, but I in good spirits can't buy it the way the are planning of releasing it simply because I do not want to support such greedy business practices. I'd highly recommend buying the PC version of the game on Steam and simply downloading the updated texture mod or getting the PS4 or PS3 digital release. It's just a shame that the remake is being undermined buy so much industry greed and financial troubles. I hope that Final Fantasy XV doesn't suffer a similar fate.

YouTube Channel: Vault Tec Rep's Missing His Head

It wouldn't be a Bethesda Game if there weren't any weird glitches. This a dozy that I found in Sanctuary Hills after I invited the Vault Tec Rep from the beginning of the game to live there. I found him with his freaking head missing for some reason. It was actually kind of funny.

YouTube Channel: Lady Maria's Unique Kill Animation

This was one of the coolest deaths I've ever experienced in Bloodborne so I just had to share it with you guys.

YouTube Channel: Scavenging In Hester's Consumer Electronics With Piper

Just a clip of me exploring and scavenging in a random building in the Commonwealth with my love interest Piper. Been really digging Fallout 4 in spite of some major problems I have with it. Expect more videos in the coming weeks.

YouTube Channel: Kicking Ass As Boba Fett In Walker Assault

So I've been playing a lot of Star Wars Battlefront with my sister lately and I've been really enjoying it. Here a brief clip of me kicking ass as Boba Fett who has to be my favorite hero character to play as along with Han Solo.

YouTube Channel: Beating The Hunter Trio Without Cheating

One of the hardest parts of the Bloodborne when I first played it was fighting the trio of hunters in Yahar'gul Chapel. The best way of I found to beat these guys was to lure them one at a time to the top of the Chapel and engage them one by one. I actually used that tactic in my Let's Play of Bloodborne. But, I decided that was getting a bit stale so for this latest run of the game I decided to fight them directly this time and wouldn't you know it I actually managed to beat them. Granted, I had a good weapon for fighting groups of enemies, but I still think it's pretty cool that I managed to beat them.