Shagger

As described in more detail here, my experience with Nioh was brief and terrible. First, I could barely get the game to run because of a glitch with the resolution compatibility, so it took me an hour just to even get started. Worse, I only ended quitting on the game completely after about 10 minutes because another bug displayed the controller UI when I was using M/K (I didn't even have a controller plugged in, so it made no sense.) and game killed me while I was in the settings trying to fix it. And this was years after the game launched, so there is absolutely no excuse for this. I already hate the "From Software" ideology with the sluggish melee combat and cryptic, "trial and error" approach to difficulty, but I would have at least given the game a fair chance if it didn't copy what is by far that philosophy's most stupid aspect.
 
Seriously, who do these games and dev's think they are to be so arrogant as to not allow such a basic feature of convenance as the pause function? It's like the game is penalising you for being a human being will inevitably need to use the toilet or eat something eventually, not to mention more life priorities like answering the phone, answering the door or your child walking in with tears in thier eye and one of thier arms missing. "Sorry son, you're going to half to walk to the hospital. According to team NINJA, Nioh takes priory.". There is no force in heaven, on earth, or residing in the fiery pits of with by far the music of the music of three that can convince me that this is anything other than fucking stupid.
 
Now obviously, there are time when games not allowing a pause or anything to disrupt the real time of the game world makes sense, mostly refering to sustained multiplayer worlds like MMO's, Fortnite, COD multiplayer and so on, but I will always see this as serious flaw in a single player game. The fact they implement it on purpose doesn't justify it, it only makes it worse and the dev's even more wanting of common sense.
 
Anyway, I apologise  for the rant, it's over now. I'll finally get to the topic. I have had my eye on this as a Day 1 Gamepass launch, but my heart sank when I saw who was behind it as I have never had a good experience with these "Soulsborne" games (With the possible expectation of Jedi: Fallen Order, if that counts). So I'll wait and see with this one, even though I'm don't exactly trust other people's opinions on these types of games. I want to be wrong, I want to enjoy these games, but I find them tedious and frustrating. It's not like I don't enjoy challenging games, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West on Ultra Hard are amongst my favourite gaming experiences, I just hate the way that "Soulsborne" games go about it. But rather than break out into another rant, I'll just say please share what you think of the game when it comes and I'll see if it's it's worth playing for me.

Pro wrestling doesn't lie about what it is, but I wouldn't describe it as "fake". It's an act, a show, it's scripted, staged, but not fake. They don't go through the kind of training, injuries and physical hardship that they do for something "fake". To the point though, Pro Wrestling doesn't lie about what it is and that's the difference. This video this guy has put together is not only a lie, it's an incompetent lie.

Well, I'll never unsee that. Thanks for the nightmares, Bandai Namco.
 
I know less than nothing about Naruto Storm, but when it comes to Bandai Namco I'm used to thier games, especially their JRPGs and anime licenced titles, looking a little "last gen" if you know what I mean. However, If you're right and this is made up of scenes, stories and assets from the older games that is pretty shady. That would be fine if they were being upfront about it, but I'm not the one to know.

Honestly, like so many indie games (except this technically isn't an indie game, but lets face it, it may as well be) with questionable motives, I find the controversy more interesting than the game itself. Even the controversy is mostly stuff we've heard before with the delays, lack of communication and so on, but it only really got very interesting in the last few weeks. The game disappeared from Steam just weeks before it launching and a reveal gameplay being delayed because the people who are behind this apparently didn't thing to trademark the name. A year and a half since they announced the game, and they never filed a copyright for the name. I mean what the fuck?
 
I don't see it as a scam like some people do. It's not like Star Citizen that charges thousands of dollars for ships and pay-to-win bullshit for a game that even after over a decade is still not out of alpha, but I do think the people behind this have bitten off more than they can chew.

We have briefly introduced already, but welcome to VGR. I'm having a look at you channel (Here it is for everyone else and just so you @BangEm linking to your channel as part of your introduction would been have OK) and it looks like a lot of fun.

I would suggest PowerA even though they do use MicroUSB for their controllers. If you're worried about Micro USB, they figured out a solution for that, as the USB cord sort of goes into a pocket on the controller so it's better protected from damage. Never had issues with it myself and I have dropped my controller multiple times over its lifetime.
Their controllers are not wireless though, they just have a detachable USB cord. I have two PowerA Fashion Pro Controllers for Xbox One. Never had any issues with them aside from the sticks falling apart after extended use (rubber on analog falling off, though seems easily replaceable). The build quality too rivals that of the original Xbox one controller imo, and has lasted me longer than most OEM Xbox controllers have. 
The controller is my usual daily driver for PC and Xbox. Even purchased my nephew one for Christmas last year.
Here is their site if you want to take a look - https://www.powera.com/ 
They do have a light up controller on Amazon here too that I couldn't find on their site - https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Enhanced-Controller-Officially-Licensed-x/dp/B095JNZGC4/
I'm surprised they still work. Most of my Xbox controllers, from 360 to Xbox One have always encountered analog issues. But maybe that's because I haven't played COD religiously like I did on those past controllers. 
But yeah, as you can see, I'm a PowerA fan and honestly prefer them over most everyone else. Plus their prices aren't too bad either. 
I wish I knew other options. I have a Logitech controller, but it's stiff as hell and I hate it, otherwise I'd suggest that too lol. 

I can see it's a great game, but as a trans woman I cannot support anything that benefits the author, so will be completely avoiding it.  I won't get into the specifics, that's not what this thread is for, but I hope those who do choose to play it enjoy it, there is no way any sort of boycott was ever going to happen for this game, it's just too popular, but from a personal standpoint I will not in any way support this game due to who profits from it.

Actually, I do know for a fact that J.K. Rowling get paid royalties from this game. An article from Escapist with more details.
 
Onto the politics, and first off please don't refer to that bitch's prejudice as "politics". A budget for healthcare, interest rates, deciding what the appropriate punishment for drink drivers should be, that's politics. People being transgender or gay or whatever is not politics, or at least it shouldn't be. That's just people living thier lives in a way that doesn't hurt anyone. The whole "keep politics out games" thing come up from "Gamers" about the same things, usually referring to inclusion, but they wilfully ignore political undertones, and even overtones otherwise even though they come up all the time. I've said it before, good fiction always mirrors reality in order to connect with real world emotions and provoke real reactions. The social politics of fictional worlds, and not just in games, is the same. Some societies in fiction my be very progressive whereas other adhere more to tradition. Are they patriarchal, matriarchal, a dictatorship or a democracy? There's economies often described, with some societies being more capitalist and some more communist. Are there rich to poor gaps? Then thier is war and conflict and I don't I need to point out why that is a political overtone. These themes are very common themes in fiction and reflect our own world and it's history. If you don't want politics in games, don't play games, or at least not any game made since 1995.
 
You "keep politics out of games" rhetoric is actually very common, but for some reason, so called "gamers" only ever seem to object to politics in games whatever a character is black, gay, female or trans. Something that, like I said, shouldn't even be part of a discussion around politics in the first place. Even Harry Potter itself has themes and world elements, mostly in reference to social class, that's much closer to real and relatable politics than that. Your statement " I just want games to be games and not a political battleground", whether you know it or not, is a lie. The truth is you don't want games to to challenge your politics and remind you of your own prejudices and flaws held within what you believe. The world has to agree with you, and when it doesn't, you avoid it and insist that it's wrong, that what it's saying is not real and should be shunned.
 
Some people think it's wrong to support this game because of how you indirectly financially support a horrible person by doing so, whilst others are happy to support the game and judge it only on it's own merits, and I can understand either perspective. All I've said it that I can't support this game knowing that some of that money, even just a tiny little bit of it, will fall into that bitches pocket because I guarantee you she takes that she takes the success Happy Potter receives as a sign that her prejudiced, ignorant and dangerous views on LGBTQ+ people are being condoned. I'm not saying that anyone who buys this game are transphobic or homophobic by doing so, but you're not a friend to thier fight for what is basic human rights either. It may be a good game, perhaps even a great game and you have the right to enjoy the game without guilt, just don't claim to be a friend to the LGBTQ+ community if you do.

Welcome to the boards. It's always nice to see new people here.

Welcome to the boards. It's always nice to see new people here.

Welcome to the boards. It's always nice to see new people here.

Ninja Theory did something like that with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, except it was schizophrenia and psychosis they portrayed rather than depression and anxiety. However, as someone who does suffer from depression I believe it isn't the sort of thing I that would translate into a video game very well. It's not the kind of mental illness that alters one's perceptions or everyday, immediate reactions and behaviour in a way an interactive experience and role play can really show in an engaging way. People who are depressed function perfectly fine like anybody else, they just feel different doing it all in a way isn't apparent from the outside. Suicide or attempted suicide is obviously depression at it's peek, but it's not necessarily something that plagues people who suffer from depression every day. Nor do we spend our time just sitting a dark room crying, it just isn't that obvious.
 
I've heard music that really captures this very well, check out Falling in Reverse, for example:
 
 
 
There are also plenty of movies and TV shows that get it as well (There's a lot that as don't as well). There's even some video games through specific characters that capture it well (Like Kate Marsh from Life is Strange), but making it the primary focus of a character and thier story in a video game is something I just don't see working because of the interactive nature. Unfortunatly, you just can't feel what depression is like through a controller no matter how hard a developer might try. Despite it being something that a person can't really know unless they've been through it, it is still one of things that's easer to understand from the outside by observing it from the outside. Nor is it that difficult, it just take a little patience, tolerance and understanding.
 
I genuinely apricate that you want to understand better through video games what it's like, but simple research is a better to learn. The late Chester Bennington talked about it, and he's spot on.
 
 
It is like having the energy to yourself depleted. Not enough to kill you, but enough to rob you of your will. Many days I wake up I just want to do nothing, say nothing, and most of all, be nothing. Getting myself out to go the the shop and buy milk isn't a chore, it's a goal. Not because I need the milk, but because it's more than I would normally achieve. I don't necessarily want to kill myself, but would be OK with laying there and dying. If that happens, so what.
 
That is what's it's like. Debilitating, but also kind of dull. It's not something that works as an interactive narrative. What would the game mechanics be like? A QTE to get out of bed? A fetch quest to the fridge because you really should eat something, it's been 8 hours? Sorry, but only way to make it work would be to go completely over the top which kind of defies the point.

Ninja Theory did something like that with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, except it was schizophrenia and psychosis they portrayed rather than depression and anxiety. However, as someone who does suffer from depression I believe it isn't the sort of thing I that would translate into a video game very well. It's not the kind of mental illness that alters one's perceptions or everyday, immediate reactions and behaviour in a way an interactive experience and role play can really show in an engaging way. People who are depressed function perfectly fine like anybody else, they just feel different doing it all in a way isn't apparent from the outside. Suicide or attempted suicide is obviously depression at it's peek, but it's not necessarily something that plagues people who suffer from depression every day. Nor do we spend our time just sitting a dark room crying, it just isn't that obvious.
 
I've heard music that really captures this very well, check out Falling in Reverse, for example:
 
 
 
There are also plenty of movies and TV shows that get it as well (There's a lot that as don't as well). There's even some video games through specific characters that capture it well (Like Kate Marsh from Life is Strange), but making it the primary focus of a character and thier story in a video game is something I just don't see working because of the interactive nature. Unfortunatly, you just can't feel what depression is like through a controller no matter how hard a developer might try. Despite it being something that a person can't really know unless they've been through it, it is still one of things that's easer to understand from the outside by observing it from the outside. Nor is it that difficult, it just take a little patience, tolerance and understanding.
 
I genuinely apricate that you want to understand better through video games what it's like, but simple research is a better to learn. The late Chester Bennington talked about it, and he's spot on.
 
 
It is like having the energy to yourself depleted. Not enough to kill you, but enough to rob you of your will. Many days I wake up I just want to do nothing, say nothing, and most of all, be nothing. Getting myself out to go the the shop and buy milk isn't a chore, it's a goal. Not because I need the milk, but because it's more than I would normally achieve. I don't necessarily want to kill myself, but would be OK with laying there and dying. If that happens, so what.
 
That is what's it's like. Debilitating, but also kind of dull. It's not something that works as an interactive narrative. What would the game mechanics be like? A QTE to get out of bed? A fetch quest to the fridge because you really should eat something, it's been 8 hours? Sorry, but only way to make it work would be to go completely over the top which kind of defies the point.

This topic is already starting to sound like the "Rules" from Scream...
 
 
Anyway...
 
One thing that does drive me nuts about Braveheart is the portrayal of Robert the Bruce. He didn't betray William Wallace at Falkirk. Hell, he wasn't even there. He actually grew up in the English court, so if her betrayed anyone it was England. At Bannockburn in 1314, he wasn't all dressed up in fancy armour either, he was actually armoured for something suitable for "reconnaissance" only and armed only with a small axe. An English Knight named Henry de Bohun spotted Bruce in this "disadvantaged" state with light armour and riding a small horse and charged. Bruce held his ground until the last second before side stepping and whacking Henry de Bohun with that small axe right between the eyes, both killing him and breaking the axe in the process in one of the most amazing combat baits in history. Bruce actually had to sit out the rest of the battle because he no longer had any means to defend himself.

Saturday Night Live have done a Last of Us/Mario Kart parody starring Pedro Pascal and it's even more brilliant than it sounds.
 
 
 

Where to even begin to tackle this feat in making sense of the animus story in the entire series. It is definitely something under appreciated and I aim to make sense of everything for the love of the series and the brilliance of that aspect in everything. The series jumps around in different time periods, but the animus story continues chronologically throughout tying in the modern world. I personally love the whole animus story and exploring ancient places always keeping in mind all the different aspects going on. I like to categorize Assassin's Creed as a Sci Fi RPG, with fantasy integrated in the more modern games. I will mainly focus on the Sci Fi part in this discussion, but the fantasy and history will work its way in there too. I am no way gonna be 100% complete as I haven't completed every single game. I'll add what info I can to make sense of everything. And the developers really did create a whole timeline of events like you would get from something like the Lord of The Rings and those ages involved. But I won't go far into so much detail. 
We have the modern world events where the Assassins are trying to stop the Templars who are hell bent on taking over the world. The templars created a corporation called Abstergo which controls pretty much everything as an umbrella corp. They created a machine called the animus which reads the DNA of a descendant of ancient people. Reading that DNA allows the person inside the machine to basically time travel to past events. The templar and assassins have differing reasons for using the machine and the question is why? The templars are looking for powerful objects created by an early first civilization before the humans. And those powerful objects have the ability to control people and grant immortality. The assassins are trying to find those objects before the templars do. And there is also a cataclysmic event threatening to wipe out the whole planet. Say what? 
Let's start from the beginning...There is the 1st civilization called Isu who populated Earth before humans. The Isu actually created humans in their own image. Sound familiar? Yes, like they say God created humans in his image. There are a lot of cool religious references like this. In what we see as God and all our religious beliefs actually come from the Isu. They are stronger and more intelligent than humans. The Isu created humans in order to control them and make them slaves for work and to fight. The Isu has a triple DNA helix giving them superiority over the humans which they created with our double helix. What ends up happening is two humans escape, Adam and Eve, and revolt against the Isu. They enter an age of war and I think there are several different ages where humans and Isu fight. The Isu are divided in that some want to enslave humans or annihilate them and others want to help humans. 
What ends up happening is a cataclysmic event damages Earth and wipes out most of the population. Most of the Isu population died leaving more humans than Isu. Over time, the Isu were becoming more and more extinct. While the humans populated Earth once again. To put a little time in perspective, all this happened way before any history modern humans know about. Eventually the Isu became extinct, but not really. They have found the ability to keep themselves alive forever in a sort different realms that we know of being Heaven and Hell, Elysium, Hades, Eden etc. They are memories that are consciously aware. Kind of like AI constructs or something, but more than that because they are living multiple time periods at once. Insane right??? It goes deeper than that and I can't find the right words. That is why I am summarizing sort of. 
All of this has some very extreme importance in human history and all our ideologies, religion, science, all in one. What we think is a God and religion, it was the Isu. They tried to control us. The templars try to control us. That is why the assassins were born, to protect the world from evil. The assassins wants humanity to have a choice in things. The templar wants complete order and control. And it's cool in the series how we see parts of history, the wars and events, and how it is all tied to the templars always trying to rule the world with the Isu being God like, some trying to help the assassins, other Isu against humanity as a whole. 
I will let this digest for now and hope there are comments for discussion. I just wanted to show the very interesting brilliance of all this and how it is played out in the series. It really has blown my mind away at times. Another thing to add, is the person inside the animus, while they time travel to past events, they are living as the protagonist in the game. So as you play the game, it's as if it is yourself that is in the animus playing in a past historical period. 

Especially if this game is so closely based on something in real life, there little point do it at all if you can't do it accurately. People aren't stupid, they will notice and it'll just break immersion and make the game look cheap.

Maybe Fox News saw this and decided to take it to the next level...
 
 

To be clear, I've never read that nor any other article on this kind of thing, nor will I because I like to keep my own thoughts, feelings and reactions to these things sourced only from myself. So whilst I appreciate the article, I won't read it.
 
It is a strange, but very clever reaction to provoke. Willing the character to kill themselves to end thier horror, there's such conflict the emotions and thoughts that the viewer needs to process in that moment. That's what really makes it memorable, by forcing the mind to process this incredibly difficult situation. That's the key to great filmmaking, creating a feeling in the viewer to remember rather than a situation.

Well there is a Demo available for the PC version now on Steam and EGS, so you are least able to figure if your PC actually can run this dam thing before you spend any money!
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1680880/Forspoken/
 
https://launcher.store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/forspoken

I agree with @killamch89. Ever since video games stopped being toys like they were before the mid 90's and became an entertainment medium, of course the stories, themes and the way in which those stories were told would become more mature and even aimed specifically at adults at times. That's why the inclusion of, let say, more "sensitive" content doesn't bother me any more in a video game than it does in a TV show or a movie. If that means having character say something or do something that would be considered offensive or inappropriate to get the message across, develop the character or fit into the setting (Especially in a game set in our own past history like RDR2.), then I'm fine with it. Obviously there's a limit to bounds of good taste and whilst opinions on what that limit is can vary greatly, I feel games tend to stay on the right side of it 99% of the time. I acutally feel controversies tend to erupt when people themselves are too sensitive like "Oh no! That character is gay! How dare they have a gay character in my game!" or "A woman on the Battlefield V cover! This will not stand!". Stupid shit, basically.

I just found out something interesting.  Type "The Last of Us" into Google.

I've seen this now, it is really good, a nice blend of action, comedy and drama. As one can see in the trailer, the animation is superb. It reminds me of Avatar, The Legend of Korra and The Dragon Prince, a colourful and rich blend of both eastern and western styles. The social commentary is interesting as is the story, you can definitely feel the love of the source material. The characters are done pretty well. They do ride close to clichéd at times, but that's more to make them more quickly relatable and each character still feels unique and like they belong in this world, they develop well as the story goes on. Some great voice talent, too.
 
The only real issue I have is that it is far too short, so short that this just as easily could have been a movie. Whilst the story does honour and respect the source material, it does little to nothing to explore and expand the Dragonage world and lore either. This is genuinely annoying, first because of the aforementioned sequel bait and also because it really feels like there was so much further to go in this story, it feels like it ends halfway. It's almost tempting to say wait until season 2 comes out, but knowing Netflix that might not happen.

I know that this is a movie based on a game and even made in partnership with the company that publishes that game, but it's still a movie, so this isn't gaming news. That is why I'm moving this to the movies and TV sub forum.
 
And to be honest, I don't really understand why this needs to exist. This isn't the same thing as making a movie out of Need for Speed because Grand Turismo has always been a plotless driving sim'. This will be a film about fictional racing drivers in a fictional racing series that meant to emulate and mirror the real thing, and I just don't se that working. It's got a great cast, but racing movies just work better if they based on something real like Senna or lean all into a fantasy, not a bizarre mix of both like this seams to be.