• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Bloodborne: Impressions After 40 Hours (EDGE)

GulAtiCa

Member
First 18 Minutes

Skip to 3:50 in that video(Beware it spoils the Hub Area). Youll notice 3 slots above where the weapon stats and scaling are. Im assuming this is what will indicate what kind of upgrade you have on your weapon. Watching a bit further when the player equips the weapons shows those slots filled in with a sort of picture. Possibly indicating what goes where.

I think weapon customization will be a big thing. Especially if we can put 3 different modifiers on 1 weapon.

Thanks! so looking forward to this game.
 
so already the hype is out of control and people are happy about less choice for other players. ok then.

I personally feel hopeful about the reduced weapon count because it means individual weapons are getting more attention. Dark Souls 2 has A LOT of weapons, but most of them are reskins or remixes of a 10-15 bases, often there is a best choice from type to type so that a lot of the variety ends up being low usefulness filler. Given me 1/3 the weapons of DS2 with a lot more polish and attention to the movesets any day.

Also they haven't even beaten the game and they found 6 weapons 6 guns. There is likely more to find, especially since they haven't visited the Chalice dungeons etc.

Off the top of my head I can think of

warped twinblades
scythe sword
kirk hammer
axe halberd
saw cleaver
reiter pallasch (sword gun)
cane sword
some kind of unrevealed greatsword (only concept art.)

the ones I played with have more moveset variety and more performable moves than I have ever seen in a souls game, including charged L2s and differing rolling attacks, lunging attacks, and transformation moves.
 
eeFFOwn.jpg

HAND HIM THE BALL!!! ARGHHH
 
I really hope they're right about this being a horror game of sorts. I trust it will be, going back to the comment about wanting to make the whole game like the Tower of Latria.
 

MrMatt555

Member
Maybe I was a shitty Dark Souls player but I only used like 3 weapons in Dark Souls And like 2 weapons in Dark Souls 2. The fact that they are cutting down the weapon choice but increasing the depth on each weapon is much more exciting than coming across the same garbage weapons over and over.

I usually only rolled with 2 or 3 different weapons I'd switch out depending on the situation. Although, the Great Club in DS2 was all i needed. Come at me, Invaders!

bambamgif_zps1c3524fe.gif
 

Blobbers

Member
If you really stretch it, Demons' Souls has 6 weapons in the first stage alone. Miralda's Cleaver at the beginning (need pure black or white tendency), Mail Breaker next, Bastard Sword up ahead, Crossbow on a ledge, Soulbrandt in a tower (gotta kill an NPC), Scimitar in a hallway.

Also, is this a prevailing opinion that most weapons in the Souls games are useless? For me it's kinda the opposite. There are some weapons that are shit, like Mail breaker, but most can be fun in their own way. Holy shit, let me just list the weapons off the top of my head that I've beaten the chunk of a Dark Souls 1 playthrough with: Lightning Uchi, Ricard's Rapier, most Black Knight weapons, Lightning Spear, Quellag's Firesword, Chaos Sword, Nito's Greatsword, Great Scythe, Falchion, Scimitar, the rare awesome one that drops from the snake duded at Sen's, Great Club, Thief's Knife, Estoc, Balder's Sode Sword. The list goes on, as I have probably more than a thousand hours in the game.
I fucking love the weapon variety in the Souls games. I remember in Dark Souls 2, upgrading 3 weapons during end game with those petrified dragon things, and they all had neat special attacks (R2 2-handed). Dark Souls 2 is also awesome with regards to weapon variety.

Seriously, do most people feel like 80+% of the weapons are useless in these games? I'd have to wholeheartedly disagree.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
Shameful repost.

I don't think the 6 (12 actually) weapons they found (there could be more) indicate that there is less variety.

In previous games there were a lot of weapons that functioned the exact same but were just reskinned with different stats, or became redundant later on, if Bloodborne gives you more freedom in customizing said weapons, the kirkhammer could basically be customized into a poison-based weapon, high dexterity weapon, strength-based weapon...etc.

Let's not forget that the Kirkhammer functions as basically a hammer AND a straight sword. I think we've already seen more variety in weapons in trailers alone than any Souls game.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Are they saying this will be more difficult than the previous games?

I'm a newcomer to the series and I don't mind a challenge (Alien was my GOTY), but hopefully this isn't too difficult that it stops me getting into it.
 

Dsyndrome

Member
If you don't want to be spoiled by reading the EDGE article, the complaint about "replayability" seems to come from the supposed "lack" of weapons to discover; I will say including items that you could only get in NG+ was an interesting way of "extending" peoples playthrough, but how many people simply used a BA to access these items (that you could get in this manner).
Did just that yesterday for the Old Dead One Soul in DS2, still rocking NG with BA use all over the game.

Only time I ever used new weapons in DS was when a boss was strong against whatever I was using. I'd be ok with 6 weapons, but I'm sure many won't be, mostly because it's not what they're used to.
 
Anyone worried about the weapon count should relax about it. I'd take a fewer number of weapons if it meant that the movesets and playstyles offered were more varied and balanced - more weapons isn't necessarily a good thing, plus each weapon will probably have at least one "alternate" mode like the alpha did.
 

Fbh

Member
After how dissapointing Ps4 exclusives have been a part of me was still worrying this would somehow turn out to be bad.

But damn, other than the weapon variety everything else sounds amazing. Can't wait!!!

Also, come on people there are like 30 details about the game and almost all of them sound awesome. Why the hell is everyone just focusing on the damn weapons?. Sounds clear that it won't have as many as the Souls games but for all we know there can be a plenty more than the ones this one guy found, specially considering he didn't even finish the game or have access to online features (some of the coolest weapons from the Souls games have been tied to NG+ or covenants)
 

tcrunch

Member
http://community.eu.playstation.com...sive-Interview-with-Jun-Yoshino/td-p/23062300

Here is the english ver of that producer interview I posted in the closed thread. Seems to confirm invaders will have no welcome message so strap in kiddos. Bear in mind that despite what he says here the co-op mode is initiated by the player in the network alpha, he may be saying that ringing the bell is the criteria for "opening the game up" since we know invasions can possibly begin at that point.

How did you implement the cooperative mode in Bloodborne? Is it a classic, drop in drop out mode where none can lose its character progress or is it like the Demon/Dark Souls' one?

People will need to support each other at times, but what From Software always want to go for is that Players are able to come into your game seamlessly without any warning. Players have to figure out what their motives are. Are they there for PVP or for coop? After you fulfil a certain criteria, you can actively open up your game. We wanted to avoid situations where players get so frustrated, they’ll stop playing. Coop is really important, but not offering it in a traditional sense and rather keep it a little unknown
 

convo

Member
All great impression, then suddenly a worrying as fuck bulletpoint:
"Only found 6 or so weapons and 6 or so guns in 40 hours"

This does not sit well with me.

Condense all weapons of dark souls into their weapon types you get maybe 6 or 7 types.
Each of those weapons in Bloodborne has two modes which are entirely different. Each of them are completly unique instead this short sword compared to this slightly longer short-sword which still moves the same. There is no actual reason to use a weapon of one type that is not the best version of this type, except maybe looks which doesn't become a reason after you played through the game. They changed their approach here but explain to me why this changes things to the worse? Each of the weapons can have different status ailments put on them. There are 16 weapon types in monster hunter,with versions that are stronger with the upgrade path not much so the attack animation.No one is complaining about it.
 

VE3TRO

Formerly Gizmowned
Since it's debut I've really wanted to play this but after getting my ass kicked in both Demon Soul titles I'll probably skip. I doubt this will be any less harder?
 

Conduit

Banned
A good amount,
until I did the Dragon tail arrow exploit.

Well, i didn't.

Any, read this :

First 18 Minutes

Skip to 3:50 in that video(Beware it spoils the Hub Area). Youll notice 3 slots above where the weapon stats and scaling are. Im assuming this is what will indicate what kind of upgrade you have on your weapon. Watching a bit further when the player equips the weapons shows those slots filled in with a sort of picture. Possibly indicating what goes where.

I think weapon customization will be a big thing. Especially if we can put 3 different modifiers on 1 weapon.

Condense all weapons of dark souls into their weapon types you get maybe 6 or 7 types.
Each of those weapons in Bloodborne has two modes which are entirely different. Each of them are completly unique instead this short sword compared to this slightly longer short-sword which still moves the same. There is no actual reason to use a weapon of one type that is not the best version of this type, except maybe looks which doesn't become a reason after you played through the game. They changed their approach here but explain to me why this changes things to the worse? Each of the weapons can have different status ailments put on them. There are 16 weapon types in monster hunter,with versions that are stronger with the upgrade path not much so the attack animation.No one is complaining about it.

I don't see any problem with weapons. You do? You conclude too early!
 
All Ill say is if the only complaint they have so far is weapon count then weve got a gem on our hand folks.

Also shameless repost.

First 18 Minutes

Skip to 3:50 in that video(Beware it spoils the Hub Area). Youll notice 3 slots above where the weapon stats and scaling are. Im assuming this is what will indicate what kind of upgrade you have on your weapon. Watching a bit further when the player equips the weapons shows those slots filled in with a sort of picture. Possibly indicating what goes where.

I think weapon customization will be a big thing. Especially if we can put 3 different modifiers on 1 weapon.
 
Yeah it basically is. Spiritual successor to a spiritual successor to Demon's Souls.

its not a souls game, a souls game is set in medieval period with large variations in areas. the games have a large set of weapons and armor as well as the more defensive approach

Bloodborne is set in one persistent setting with alot less variation in its areas, weapons and armor. The game is much more action oriented,the devs didnt want a passive approach and thus also implemented mechanics which support this like the regain system. Everything points to a more streamlined approach and cutting out a lot of useless filler some of the souls games carried. Less weapons but more unique? Kirkhammer, bladescythe & chainwhip surpass mostly all weapons the souls games have combined in terms of design use and aesthetic personally.

saying bloodborne = souls games is like saying dynasty warriors = DQ Heroes
 

SargerusBR

I love Pokken!
Sony also did an interview with Bloodborne's producer Jun Yoshino

Regarding game design, how free will the player be to explore different areas in the game? Can we go straight to a bigger challenge or will the game push us to one direction at a time?

It’s quite interesting. It’s like a hybrid of Demon and Dark Souls. FromSoftware decided to mix those two together. I think it works out really nicely. You still have this kind of refuge, this central area you can always retreat back to. But the game world itself is more like Dark Souls, because in Bloodborne it’s all linked together as well. Once you venture out, you can effectively go anywhere you want.

I have always liked to explore and learn about different locations in the games created by FromSoftware. Can we have a slight glimpse of hope that Bloodborne will continue in different cities, in addition to Yharnam?

It’s the entire city of Yharnam and it’s huge. We might see forests, cold areas, etc. So, they will experience different environments rather than other cities. So, Yharnam can be defined as a world itself in a way.

Is the traveller modelled on Van Helsing, and is the game influenced by the film? And will Kate Beckinsale make an appearance as Anna Valerious?

Van Helsing is definitely one of the influences of the game. In terms of Kate Beckinsale, I don’t know. I’d love it, but I guess she will be a bit pricey…
7aY7VH2.gif
 

Hiko

Banned
I think people are jumping the gun on the decreased weapon count thing. Even if the game does have fewer weapons than Dark Souls, that's not necessarily a bad thing. You have to remember that DS1 had a lot of very similar weapons and redundancy. An example is Claymore and Bastard Sword. There really was no reason for the latter to exist. You can find tons of examples with other weapon classes. There's also starting weapons like the basic dagger or straight sword. Do you really need those? You quickly find something better and then those weapons permanently enter your box never to be seen again. All this stuff is taken even further in DS2.

In BB it looks like there are fewer weapons in term of sheer numbers, but not less variety. It seems like there will be even more variety with transforming weapons with dual functions (e.g. sword/sythe) and the weapons are much more customizable than in Dark Souls. It doesn't sound like we will just be increasing attack power. Seems to be much deeper than that.
 

viveks86

Member
i am crying

for various reasons

one being one of the worlds biggest souls fans is currently in prison (don't ask)

and we're sending letters back and forth

the letters basically contain a bunch of bloodborne-hype talk

he will miss the launch

i feel so sad for him

Whoa! :(
 

Mandelbo

Member
Something just came to mind about
Gascoigne's
boss fight. He's a proper boss fight, but he also helps you out earlier on just before the Cleric Beast fight. In the alpha, you were able to kill him here - in the full game, I wonder what happens if you kill him before his boss fight? Would the fight just not happen, or would he be replaced by another enemy?
 
EDGE will review it next month, they say the Chalice Dungeons aren't available until launch day and online also wasn't ready for them.

Impressions were that positive even without the online dynamic?

Damn

The online of Demons Souls blew my mind. Most inventive and original implementation of online of any game last gen. Was revolutionary in ways. Awesome. Engrossing.

I'm thinking the online in this game may surprise people. So yeah, pretty impressive getting these types of comment quotes with no online active at all.
 

Wakka212

Member
Demon Souls was my favorite of the entire souls series and this one is looking like it will eclipse it. The gorgeous aesthetic and meticulously refined gameplay mechanics have me floored.

I wonder what they mean about the lack of replayability. I wouldn't mind a higher dose of structure and linearity to the formula as long as the backtracking elements are still in.
 

gioGAF

Member
If you really stretch it, Demons' Souls has 6 weapons in the first stage alone. Miralda's Cleaver at the beginning (need pure black or white tendency), Mail Breaker next, Bastard Sword up ahead, Crossbow on a ledge, Soulbrandt in a tower (gotta kill an NPC), Scimitar in a hallway.

Also, is this a prevailing opinion that most weapons in the Souls games are useless? For me it's kinda the opposite. There are some weapons that are shit, like Mail breaker, but most can be fun in their own way. Holy shit, let me just list the weapons off the top of my head that I've beaten the chunk of a Dark Souls 1 playthrough with: Lightning Uchi, Ricard's Rapier, most Black Knight weapons, Lightning Spear, Quellag's Firesword, Chaos Sword, Nito's Greatsword, Great Scythe, Falchion, Scimitar, the rare awesome one that drops from the snake duded at Sen's, Great Club, Thief's Knife, Estoc, Balder's Sode Sword. The list goes on, as I have probably more than a thousand hours in the game.
I fucking love the weapon variety in the Souls games. I remember in Dark Souls 2, upgrading 3 weapons during end game with those petrified dragon things, and they all had neat special attacks (R2 2-handed). Dark Souls 2 is also awesome with regards to weapon variety.

Seriously, do most people feel like 80+% of the weapons are useless in these games? I'd have to wholeheartedly disagree.
Yes, there are many useless weapons. Demons Souls has 7 piercing swords, but the Estoc is pretty much the only one you will use by endgame, only the upgrade path will vary. There are many different straight swords, but only 2 are really usable (Blueblood and Knight) as swords and the Kris Blade is used because of a secondary passive ability. This is the case with most of the other weapons and is also the case in Dark Souls. The movesets are also very similar, so you don't really have as many weapons as you think.

If Bloodborne only has several weapons but they are fully realized and customizable, you don't need a whole bunch of them.
 

convo

Member
Well, i didn't.

Any, read this :





I don't see any problem with weapons. You do? You conclude too early!

Well i talked to Blobbers. And no i don't have a problem with weapons here the exact opposite. I am more confused by your response because i didn't quote you. I am defending less weapons to the guy that is worried about less weapons with how it used be with the souls games.
 
Only found 6 or so weapons and 6 or so guns in 40 hours

Don't like the sounds of this one bit. There's no problem with adding more depth to fewer weapons, but re-skins, stat adjustments, etc.. so there is more loot to find would be preferable. The souls games might not be considered loot games, but they sure had a ton of stuff to find. And that made part of the adventure really rewarding and fun.
 

Ramza

Banned
They say in Souls you are frequently scared of dying, but in Bloodborne you are also scared of what is coming to kill you - "There is a moment in Dark Souls that we will never forget: down in the Depths, picking up an item from a corpse and a slime dropping onto our head. We spent the rest of the level panning the camera endlessly for unseen threats, no longer scared of dying, but of moving. Imagine a whole game of that." - For this reason they think taking the replayability factor to CD makes more sense.


FUCK. YES.
 
Demon Souls was my favorite of the entire souls series and this one is looking like it will eclipse it. The gorgeous aesthetic and meticulously refined gameplay mechanics have me floored.

I wonder what they mean about the lack of replayability. I wouldn't mind a higher dose of structure and linearity to the formula as long as the backtracking elements are still in.

I guess they think the only reason people replayed the previous titles was to play with a different weapon? Dunno.

Don't like the sounds of this one bit. There's no problem with adding more depth to fewer weapons, but re-skins, stat adjustments, etc.. so there is more loot to find would be preferable. The souls games might not be considered loot games, but they sure had a ton of stuff to find. And that made part of the adventure really rewarding and fun.

Possible they were unlucky? Possible the chalice dungeon holds secret weapons and items and such? Possible they hadn't unlocked any secrets so weren't getting chances for weapon drops?

Thinking to the games ... how often did you really find a weapon that you really wanted to use from a drop? They generally came from purchasing or some sort of secret that unlocked the weapon.
 

Tactics18

Member
It's a shame about the weapons and only one vendor.
Maybe they missed some stuff, who knows at this point.

As others said though with the weapons being transformable it might not be such a blow.

Everything else sounds amazing though. Especially how they called the game's world a Masterpiece.

I would urge folks to not get hyped up about a potential Beast mode though. It's highly unlikely and it'd better not to set yourself up for disappointment.
 

Auctopus

Member
A good amount,
until I did the Dragon tail arrow exploit.

Can't have got very far with that.

Dark Souls had a nice amount of weapons, DS2 had way too many that did the same job.

EDGE could be playing through the game hastily to try and finish it and miss all the secrets and hidden pathways Souls is known for, NG+ might hide other weapons too.

There's no point worrying until you're at the final boss on NG+, you've only seen 7 weapons and you're crying your eyes out, slamming your controller against your head.
 
Top Bottom