Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)

[drahkon]

Totally forgot that this was out today. It's getting really great reviews  

One of my mate's pre-ordered it, guess I'll have to bother him quite soon.  

[S.C.G]

I would have looked at the reviews but I've been too busy grinding in the game.

Taken a break to eat, also turned off the PS4 to let it cool for a bit, will be starting it up again soon though.

Might as well check the reviews quickly I suppose...

89 on Metaciritc with just 15 scored reviews, not bad.

Feels like a solid 9 to me, but that may change as I play more.

Speaking of which... *switches on PS4*

[dwarf]

It's good crack so far. The jump/wall jump mechanics are a bit loose and the movement feels a bit off in general but the combat is good fun. I get the feeling that the minibosses will repeatedly hand my arse to me - definitely worth dealing a stealth blow first to get a free hit on their life bar (or however you're meant to refer to the tiered health system.)

Edited March 22, 2019 by dwarf

[S.C.G]

I must have accidentally resurrected... pressed the wrong button without realising.

There are consequences, got to make things right now, to do that I have to get to the end of the stage I'm grinding on.

But to do that, I have to defeat the mini-boss, a load of enemies and then the main boss.

That has proven tricky, so I'm grinding again until I've got all the skills I need.

Then I can make things right, the damn autosave is as much a curse as it is a blessing.

[S.C.G]

I ended up grinding to get almost all the skills, still couldn't beat the mini-boss, so just skipped past, got to a tougher mini-boss, still not the main boss and then called it a night.

I'll get there, it'll just take time.

 

[S.C.G]

I found watching the above video helpful - still currently watching - obviously spoilers if you haven't played any of Sekiro but if you're playing and you're stuck then it's worth a watch.

Just before the one hour mark, I found out how to beat the first mini-boss I'm stuck at, so will give that a go later.

I'm curious to see if it goes up to the second point I got stuck at after skipping the first mini-boss...

I reckon later on tonight, I'll go on the attack at those points I got stuck at with a fresh perspective and some newfound determination...

... or just give up again and grind some more.

Edit - Just finished watching that entire video... well that's going to change how I go about the game completely.

Will give it another go later hopefully.

Edited March 23, 2019 by S.C.G

[The Bard]

I can tell From Software had a lot of fun designing the Guardian Ape boss. I have never felt quite as fucked with in one of their games before. I adore the combat though, it takes a lot of its mentality from fighting games, and I feel like all the bosses and minibosses have such great, fleshed out movesets that they could be their own characters in a FS fighting game. 

It reminds me of playing fighting games before the internet just gave you all the frame data, where you'd have to figure out what moves are plus on block, correct spacing versus specific characters, and looking for animation tells by eyeballing it and playing the matchup again and again.

Edited March 26, 2019 by The Bard

[S.C.G]

Sadly I haven't been back to Sekiro in over a month despite enjoying the game, I will go back though especially since its been updated.

In the meantime though...

It was inevitable I suppose.

[LazyBoy]

This really didn’t get much attention here did it? Any fans out there?

Since it finally dropped below £30 on the store I decided to finally chalk this one off. Big soulsbourne fan, but I like to space them out, and Bloodborne wasn’t too long ago for me.

Everything I read about this game was what you had to unlearn (from previous souls games). Now I’d read this before Bloodborne as well, and still found the games very similar - Bloodborne was just a little quicker, required less patience.

Sekiro on the other hand is TOTALLY different, and I found the first 10 hours of this really tough because of that. I kept circling enemies and bosses waiting for any opening, but the passivity gave me nothing and meant when I got struck down in one or two hits I knew I was playing it wrong.

Turns out it’s more of a rhythm action game. You got to learn the timings of each enemy attack, block accordingly, jump/parry as necessary, and interject with attacks when possible. It honestly reminds me more of Elite Beat Agents than Dark souls. 

In between bosses it’s more of a puzzle - navigate the environment and enemy placement with as little risk as possible. 
 

Anyway, loving it.

Edited June 10, 2021 by LazyBoy

[Sheikah]

I was a big fan (got the platinum trophy) but just didn't post much in here about it. It's a great game and challenging. There's a specific boss that you fight in a flashback that is really quite hard, and man, clearing it was such a great feeling. Can't recommend this game enough.

[nekunando]

2 hours ago, LazyBoy said:

It honestly reminds me more of Elite Beat Agents than Dark souls. 

If you're trying to sell me on Sekiro, well played 😅

After clearing Dark Souls Remastered on Switch, I don't think I ever want to play a similar game again. I assumed that would include Sekiro but you may have changed my mind!

[Sheikah]

45 minutes ago, nekunando said:

If you're trying to sell me on Sekiro, well played 😅

After clearing Dark Souls Remastered on Switch, I don't think I ever want to play a similar game again. I assumed that would include Sekiro but you may have changed my mind!

Sekiro is far more difficult than the Souls games, just so you know.

[nekunando]

19 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

Sekiro is far more difficult than the Souls games, just so you know.

I'm not against difficulty but the structure, movement and overall feel are important. I found Dark Souls to be much too clumsy and several sections took so much willpower to get through that I just don't want to deal with again.. much like Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.

I'm glad I played them both, especially as they both go against my usual instincts, but they definitely took their toll!

[Sheikah]

44 minutes ago, nekunando said:

I'm not against difficulty but the structure, movement and overall feel are important. I found Dark Souls to be much too clumsy and several sections took so much willpower to get through that I just don't want to deal with again.. much like Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.

I'm glad I played them both, especially as they both go against my usual instincts, but they definitely took their toll!

If you're worried about games needing willpower to get through certain sections then this will absolutely not be the game for you.  

[Hero-of-Time]

7 hours ago, LazyBoy said:

This really didn’t get much attention here did it? Any fans out there?

I played and platinumed it last year but talked about it in the Gaming Diary thread rather than here.

For me, it’s definitely the best out of the From games that I’ve played. No grinding, no calling for help, it’s all on the player to master the mechanics the game provides.

Like Shiekah mentioned, one boss fight is crazy hard. It’s probably the toughest boss fight out of any game I’ve played but the sense of satisfaction when I finally bested it was amazing.

@nekunando I agree with Sheikah in that I don’t think the game is for you. Then again, you were warned about getting an Xbox and that fell upon deaf ears. That being the case, I expect you to be posting pictures of your newly bought copy of Sekiro very soon.  

[nekunando]

Na.. it's gonna come to PS+ 

[Julius]

Bumping this for a weird reason, but trying to track down a physical copy of the game has made it abundantly clear to me in retrospect as to why Activision decided to sign the deal and publish this game in the west. 

I can't find a sealed copy of it anywhere, even on eBay. That's the case for both the launch edition and the GOTY edition of the game, and heck, there are also very few people selling it on secondhand unsealed as it is. I wasn't surprised when I had a tough time tracking down a sealed copy of the original release of Bloodborne or Dark Souls III, considering they were released so long ago, but this game came about three years ago! 

It seems like Activision must have done a limited run (for a game of this size and success) for around a year for each release of the game and then packed it in to sit tight and rake in more through the digital version, which, from what I recall, is rarely included in sales. 

I'm not in any great rush for it, but loving Elden Ring as much as I am made me want to pick it up so that I had it on my shelf ready to go when I felt it's call. 

Damn you Activision 

[Sheikah]

Bumping this for a weird reason, but trying to track down a physical copy of the game has made it abundantly clear to me in retrospect as to why Activision decided to sign the deal and publish this game in the west. 
I can't find a sealed copy of it anywhere, even on eBay. That's the case for both the launch edition and the GOTY edition of the game, and heck, there are also very few people selling it on secondhand unsealed as it is. I wasn't surprised when I had a tough time tracking down a sealed copy of the original release of Bloodborne or Dark Souls III, considering they were released so long ago, but this game came about three years ago! 
It seems like Activision must have done a limited run (for a game of this size and success) for around a year for each release of the game and then packed it in to sit tight and rake in more through the digital version, which, from what I recall, is rarely included in sales. 
I'm not in any great rush for it, but loving Elden Ring as much as I am made me want to pick it up so that I had it on my shelf ready to go when I felt it's call. 
Damn you Activision 

Why does it need to be sealed? Once you take the wrapper off it will look the same as a good condition used copy.

[Julius]

43 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

Why does it need to be sealed? Once you take the wrapper off it will look the same as a good condition used copy.

To clarify, with the talk of a sealed copy, I was highlighting how crazy it is that a game as critically and commercially successful as Sekiro can't be picked up brand new physically just three years after release - not in its launch edition, and not in its GOTY edition either. Even on Amazon the only PS4 copies available are secondhand from the marketplace. 

My personal preference would be a brand new copy, but I wasn't saying I need it to be sealed to pick it up. But the weird issue brought about by not having the game in print longer than it was means it's surprisingly slim pickings to choose from even if you do pick it up secondhand, at least compared to most other games in the secondhand market. 

[Sheikah]

To clarify, with the talk of a sealed copy, I was highlighting how crazy it is that a game as critically and commercially successful as Sekiro can't be picked up brand new physically just three years after release - not in its launch edition, and not in its GOTY edition either. Even on Amazon the only PS4 copies available are secondhand from the marketplace.  My personal preference would be a brand new copy, but I wasn't saying I need it to be sealed to pick it up. But the weird issue brought about by not having the game in print longer than it was means it's surprisingly slim pickings to choose from even if you do pick it up secondhand, at least compared to most other games in the secondhand market.

I don't think it's that crazy, most (>50%) people buy digital now, so from their view the extra expense of printing physical copies probably isn't worth it.

It also sounds fairly smart from a business point of view - reduce the physical supply to push up the price of pre-owned physical copies to the point where people buy digital instead. Digital sales means profit for them, pre-owned sales leaves them with nothing.

[Julius]

41 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

I don't think it's that crazy, most (>50%) people buy digital now, so from their view the extra expense of printing physical copies probably isn't worth it.

It also sounds fairly smart from a business point of view - reduce the physical supply to push up the price of pre-owned physical copies to the point where people buy digital instead. Digital sales means profit for them, pre-owned sales leaves then with nothing.

I don't disagree with you. It's smart as a business decision to maximise profits by going all-in on digital and quickly phasing out a physical print – but this is something that has only happened with Activision as From Software's publisher, which makes it feel like, yeah, it's a smart decision from the perspective of the business, but it's also a dirty one from the perspective of a prospective consumer. 

This isn't the norm, that's my point, and that's why I'm surprised and think it's crazy that a game as, again, commercially and critically successful as Sekiro can't be found on a shelf brand new just three years later. I'm confident that if I do a quick search I can probably find every other GOTY winner at The Game Awards since it's inception available brand new in some form physically, probably except for the ones published by Activision. 

Different publisher and different ethos, sure, but Bandai Namco still keep stock strong for Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, and the GOTY edition of Dark Souls III to this day. And this goes without saying when thinking from the perspective of a prospective consumer, but from what I can find online this is the case with Sekiro in a fair few places outside of Japan, in all of the territories where Activision has printed the game, and so by not having physical versions of the game available, there could easily be people in less positions where downloading the game simply isn't an option, and so they just won't have access to the game period. 

Again, I don't disagree with you: as a business decision it's smart, but it is almost aggressively so. I mean, that's probably as you'd expect from Activision, but I can already imagine the confusion and outcry if the same were to happen with other companies (especially first party companies, and Nintendo would probably be at the top of the list for mass hysteria there). I think even if we agree that the business logic checks out, it's hard to deny that it's strange and that this wouldn't have been the case under most other publishers. 

As an aside, I can't help but wonder where Xbox's ongoing acquisition of Activision might leave the game in terms of its publishing moving forwards. I imagine it's probably going to end up in a bit of a black hole outside of being available digitally. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

@Julius one of my nephews had the exact same problem at the end of last year. He couldn't find a new copy of it for love nor money and eventually bought it digitally. He hit on lucky as it just happened to be on sale on PSN at the time. Even when you could find it in shops, the game held its value insanely well. It rarely went below the £30 mark.

[Hero-of-Time]

2 hours ago, Sheikah said:

Why does it need to be sealed? Once you take the wrapper off it will look the same as a good condition used copy.

To be fair, I'm like this as well. Back when I used to buy games in shops they had to be factory sealed or they didn't get my cash. I walked out of GAME a few times due to games not having the official seal still intact. It's something that I still do to this day when buying games off eBay. If it's just a random stock photo I always message the seller to see if it's factory sealed. 

Yup, I'm weird and I dont care.  

[Julius]

58 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

To be fair, I'm like this as well. Back when I used to buy games in shops they had to be factory sealed or they didn't get my cash. I walked out of GAME a few times due to games not having the official seal still intact. It's something that I still do to this day when buying games off eBay. If it's just a random stock photo I always message the seller to see if it's factory sealed. 

Yup, I'm weird and I dont care.  

As someone who also loves getting games physically still, I think I'm probably only a step removed from wanting to get everything I can factory sealed myself  still shudder when I think about the variety of conditions the PS3 games I got from CeX were in when I picked up my PS3 a couple of years back: PlayStation Hits, dented steelbooks, and a very concentrated scent of smoke 

My preference is definitely to buy new, and the only thing that gets in the way for me a lot of the time is when getting the factory sealed version seems like an obstacle in and of itself, which has been the case for a lot of the DS games I've hunted down in recent years: I either couldn't find the game sealed at all and so easy out of luck from the outset, or if I could, as you could probably imagine, those prices hurt my eyes to look at! Thankfully the games I picked up were basically in a pocket where you'd almost expect fans to keep them in good condition anyways, and I made some lucky bets with those considering their apparent value these days: Dragon Quest V for £70, Dragon Quest IV for £40, Pokémon White 2 for £35. 

For me, it's when it gets to the point that a sealed copy of a game is costing me an additional 25% or more than an opened copy in good condition is typically where I draw the line, because I just start to think of what other games I could pick up with that money instead. 

The only things I really hold out for with my collection is avoiding promotional packaging (PS Hits/Nintendo Selects), minimising steelbooks, and going for launch editions, because I'm never a fan of a GOTY banner or awards on a case. Which probably sounds a bit crazy too, but I'm also one of those who has a blu-ray collection of films, so that's probably par for the course with me.

Goodness knows what I'll do if I ever need to cut down on clutter...but I'll cross that bridge and burn it down if that day ever comes 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

Yeah, some of the condition of games you see in the likes of CEX is just ridiculous. People clearly don't take care of their goods. It's the same on eBay when you look at retro games marked as 'As New' and they have marks all over them and dents to the boxes.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting a collection that is in good condition. Like when I was collecting for the N64, I obviously new sealed wasn't an option but I made sure the boxes, carts and instructions were as mint as could be.

Its funny, when you look at how games are treated over here and then compare it to the Japanese second hand market, it's like night and day. A lot of the second hand games and consoles over there do actually look to be new and barely used.