Lets Play ASTRO BOT - Part 22 - The X Levels

[@SigmaGuardian66]

For context, Elden ring is its own self contained story. No connection to dark souls so it would be a good souls-like introduction though I will say the game is huge. Great amount of content in it but it will be quite the commitment to get through but with no shortage of interesting things to find.

[@heatherramirez6141]

Day 172 of reminding everyone Ian drank Casey’s Nesquik. No joke guys, I had a DREAM about you guys getting through the X levels and then doing a few more levels some nights ago. So I’m redonkulously hyped to see this episode tbh.

[@thatsaladprophet7051]

Did it live up to the hype?

[@heatherramirez6141]

@@thatsaladprophet7051Ngl kind of. The dream ended with them doing the pirate ship level so I haven’t seen it all yet

[@enderking7184]

I have been a silent observer for a while now and I do t know why this is the reason I decided to break my silence but Royal purple is by far my favorite color.

[@BornLosersGaming]

An excellent color choice.

[@ImperfectXIII]

15:08 *THAT IS BULLSHIT* *BLAZING* *STILL MY HEART IS BLAZING*

[@azulesmalls5514]

Im 90% sure that's Kazuya. His dad is Heihachi. And his son is Jin. That looks like Kazuya's hair, albeit a basic ps2 version of it.

[@blueglass24]

This part brought to you by: this horse egg. I never knew horses came from eggs! Watching Ian just casually first-try these X levels while talking about colors and Dark Souls is impressive. Between Bloodborne and Elden Ring, I'd go for Bloodborne in part because Elden Ring is a Very Long Game. At the rate you guys go through games, you'd be playing it for... a while. Norman Reedus Baby Fetus was Death Stranding, which was... interesting. Probably the most Kojima game ever made. It was very funny watching Ian build up the big snowball and anticlimactically shove it down the slope where it just sort of fell off. Doubly funny when it turned out that was your ticket to the secret exit.

[@theivoryguy2476]

If BLG's reputation with the Bloodborne community wasn't already shot, it's bleeding out after this episode.

[@Hazard1007]

Blg vs Bloodborne is my favourite running joke lol

[@sgamerxbox360]

@@Hazard1007 My vote for next April fool's, a single episode of a Bloodborne LP where they intentionally play it with the least optimal items and route possible

[@jaydmaster8824]

At least for me them actually talking about it and giving their reasons for why they haven't played any of them is fair.

[@bonk5159]

On the topic of which souls game to start with, Bloodborne, in my opinion, is the way to go. Bloodborne encapsulates everything great about the Souls genre in a shorter linear experience, while Elden Ring is a massive open-word exploration game with a souls game built on top. Both are 10/10 games, but Elden Ring is one hell of a commitment, especially for a lets play channel. Just my two cents, can't really go wrong with either, tbh.

[@waittheresmoor679]

Bloodborne is THE game that has made me want to buy a Playstation. Its all spooky gothic vibes. Someday I will play... but I'd also be happy to watch yall play!

[@hisupwassup]

For a souls game partner problem, I propose a simple solution - play it with Casey, Max and Lin! Unless I don't know something, this could solve the dilemma at the price of possibly bit too much people talking to mic, kinda overloading viewers, which is the prime BLG experience

[@verdantcorsair]

I’d give my left ha ha you know to watch BLG play Bloodborne. The gameplay is solid and the lore is completely unhinged, you might get a kick out of it. Also echoing that Elden Ring is its own game, and it actually has some mechanics that make it easier than the earlier games by the same developer. So if you play ER and then go “what if it was harder and a smaller world” then do the earlier DS games. Bloodborne is also a standalone but the aesthetic is pretty different than the other Soulsborne games fwiw.

[@rthomas2532]

Casy, the bloodborn hat is iconic Tell my other wise

[@Boogietron2000]

At 17:45 the character is named Jodie Holmes from the game Beyond: Two Souls. This starred Elliot Page (Formally Ellen Page) and Willem Dafoe as the lead characters and TLDR main girl has a psychic connection with an entity that gives her telepathic and body jumping abilities. This is made by the guys who did Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain. Just thought you should know. Keep up the good work, love you guys’s playthrough.

[@alienraven]

I know ive made this comment before, but i would love to see you play "Thank Goodness You're Here" Its a really funny british indie game. Its only a couple of hours long but i think you'll really enjoy it.

[@ImperfectXIII]

Casey's vendetta against the Bloodborne outfit is hilarious. XDDDD

[@Marsh_House]

Bloodborne is a great introduction into the series. It was my first game and to this day it's probably my favorite!

[@Pixiewithpens]

any FromSoftware game you choose would be like a gift especially for me so i'm only offering the following as hopefully helpful context, i'd be super delighted with any of them! based on hollow knight i think you two would love speculating on the lore (provided you have mods to delete spoilers in the comments lol). bloodborne is the most cohesive aesthetically and thematically, very feminine gothic, some real messed up monsters, it's a masterpiece. elden ring is the most beginner friendly gameplay wise, is stunning to look at, and there's a LOT to explore and do. ian might go insane trying to be a completionist about it. darks souls 1 is, well, dark, and has messed up monsters, but it also has an incredibly charming silliness to it. both DS1 and elden ring have that dark/silly tonal balance going on, but i think DS1 is the silliest. do with these opinions what you will!

[@jaydmaster8824]

You got the PS5 so i would start with Bloodborne over Elden ring since it is less of a commitment to get through. That being said there is no great spot to start playing them since there are fans of one that will not like you playing the other, sadly that is just a large part of picking one. Anyway I hope you see this and have a good day, since you guys make me feel at my core better... :D

[@peachesplums]

the Gifted Soul with the not so imaginary friend is *not* from life is strange. it's Jodie from Beyond: Two Souls also do play the god of war morse mythology saga. this comment is brought to you by my eggs

[@evan_sunprince]

Thank for who Gifted Soul was, I knew it was LiS, only imaginary stuff, was the little boy from a side chapter

[@peachesplums]

I don't think I understand what you're saying at all

[@evan_sunprince]

@@peachesplums they did a mini game leading up to Life is Strange 2, where you're a little boy with imaginary stuff, who ends up a character in LiS 2.

[@aedaniammx7559]

Gotta be one of my favorite outro conversations/skits so far tbh

[@evan_sunprince]

Typewriters are still how you save in Resident Evil, the games are kinda big on stripping you of most tech from anything past the 90s. That universe fucks with genetic engineering rather than our worlds advancements of communication

[@tree8925]

I would love to watch/listen to you two play God of War!

[@AstralMuffin105]

The correct title is “Norman Reedus and his Funky Fetus”, actually

[@ArcticTron]

Honestly I think acquiring Bloodborne might be the hardest part, its stuck on the PS4 so I don't entirely know how easy it would be for you guys to play.

[@rayray6035]

Death stranding is exactly a very popular game and death stranding 2 is one of the most anticipated games

[@kooliokenneth7671]

Cameo Bot origins, in order of appearance: - Agro from Shadow of the Colossus - Kazuya Mishima from Tekken - Buzz from Buzz!: Quiz TV - The Hacker from Rez - Sol Badguy from Guilty Gear - Jodie Holmes from Beyond: Two Souls - Sam Porter Bridges from Death Stranding - Connor from Detroit: Become Human

[@eemulleye]

Coming from someone who has only watched playthroughs of Fromsoft games (I am not good enough at games and not patient enough to "git good" at souls mechanics) I would love to see Bloodborne because I freaking LOVE Bloodborne. We love some Lovecraftian eldritch horror in this house On the note of Death Stranding, I will never forget the launch of that game. I worked at GameStop and it was so freaking funny hearing everyone talk about it because literally nobody knew what the hell the game was about before launch, and then when the reviews came out they were all: "this game is so mechanically repetitive and monotonous, it can barely be classified as a game. 10/10" Also I always called it "Norman Reedus and his funky fetus"

[@mx.e2176]

The kojima game with Reetus and his fetus was death stranding

[@Poseidon4862.]

Personally speaking, I am way more interested in seeing you play God of War than any of the Souls games. The newer games have some really great stories attacked to them.

[@Mart1n192]

This entire playthrough is escalating to a full 100% Bloodborne LP

[@evan_sunprince]

Casey calling bloodborne basic and easy to costume as in the didcord Blue complained today about his cosplay being hard to make Also edit to be fair to Casey, she isn't seeing the actual style of Bloodborne, which is covered in blood and grime.

[@void4831]

can't believe this death stranding slander

[@lucas.n.carvalho.artist]

The Souls games might be prime BLG material, but I'd much prefer, personally, that they played the Ratchet & Clank games recently released(Ps4 Remake and Rift Apart), after they did God of War. They're short, they're fun, they're hilarious, they're emotional, they're beautiful, they're filled with extra content and lore, and much more. And that's when it comes to Playstation exclusives, in general I'd love if BLG regularly keeps playing Sonic games after Shadow Gens! (Unleashed, Rush duology, Advance trilogy, Colors Ultimate, Forces but Casey playing, a revisit to the dreamcast era games like the Adventure duology and Heroes, spin-offs like Battle and Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, fangames like Project 06 and Triple Trouble 16-bit remake, etc.)

[@taurusmachina]

I feel like Bloodborne would be funnier because the general vibe might tickle Ian's "I don't like horror" bone, but Elden Ring is definitely more bombastic and grand. Especially if you know *nothing* about it, a lot of the game really shines. I would be interested in seeing both games from you, just because I like them both and am interested in seeing what kind of build you would go for in the respective systems. However, if it is really only going to be one of them, Elden Ring is the grander adventure since it's open world and rewards exploration whereas Bloodborne is largely linear. I also feel like the vibe of Elden Ring is more aligned with what you would go for (though I can't speak for Max and Lyn).

[@roienn777]

I recommend the curveball of Sekiro for your first FromSoft game. The rhythmic element to it and really balanced and focused difficulty makes it maybe my favorite of them. And to me has the best combat of any game I've ever played. But if the choice is between Bloodborne or Elden Ring, I vote Bloodborne. Much more interesting theming and boss design to me and Elden Ring is just SO long. I don't think it lends itself as well to Lets Plays since you'll be playing it for the next two years.

[@PoisonDistilled]

I just got a redbull X astrobot ad What the hell 😄

[@moddedpan4252]

I recommend playing bloodborne first, DLC included once you beat the basegame because it feels really short without it dont listen to what people on the internet say, elden ring has a lot of streamlined mechanics but it has some of the hardest boss fights in its genre to compensate. bloodborne is lowkey easier and a better introduction point

[@reaperscry2647]

I'd like to see god of war you know the dark souls of videogames

[@SpiritOfGotham]

I enjoyed Norman Reedus and the Funky Fetus. It's very Kojima

[@mx.e2176]

I want Casey to watch trailers for guilty gear strive cause I think she’d love it as an artist

[@dollypartonfan]

I agree with Casey: John Bloodborne looks like a generic little pirate. Also, didn't they mention Buzz in a recent playthrough ? I wouldn't mind you playing God Of War or Bloodborne.

[@TheomanZero]

There's actually one egg left in the Crash Site. It's pretty close to the pyramid that required 250.

[@codydoxey2497]

Death stranding is alot of fun and the gameplay is very satisfying. Alot of people ive watched play it has enjoyed the game. I get how it can not be some people's cup of tea. It took me awhile to get into the soulsborne games but elden ring is a great accessible way into that series of games.

[@keenemaverick]

Bloodborne, Elden Ring, or Dark Souls 1 are all great to start with. Dark Souls would be a shorter experience, Bloodborne a bit longer, while Elden Ring would be easily four times as long as the others at best. Regardless what you choose, I'd love to see it.

[@CenturionMan15]

I would have died so many times on the X levels

[@AeosLoire]

So a bit late but I'd personally say Bloodborne is probably the better place to start. It's a much shorter (still quite long) game compared to Elden Ring. And personally I much prefer it over Elden Ring. The trick weapon system is still one of the best things FromSoft ever made.

[@evan_sunprince]

TLDR if you don't wanna read a giant paragraph, I'd say if your looking to get into tge souls borne games, Dark Souls 1, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are all acceptable places to start for various reasons. Sorry for a giant paragraph, i don't spoilt anything I think if BLG was to visit the soulsborne games, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, or either Darksouls 1. Demon souls isn't connected un universe to the Dark Souls series, so it isn't really necessary to play if your interest is darks souls. Bloodborne and Elden right are both reccomended as a potential first for similar reasons. They aren't related the Darksouls, both are separate universes. Elden Ring is the most accessible, being open world, you can make the game much easier if need be. Bloodborne is much more refined combat wise, not having as much class diversity than other games.

[@EmeraldKing6987]

You know what, at least they got Connor’s game correctly, maybe not his name, and Detroit isn’t sad if your smart and play good, I recommend looking at it, I really loved it but idk you twos likes and dislikes

[@PURPLELOVA]

9:17 Hell yeah

[@NadirEatsRocks]

Elden Ring is probably a good starting place because it's so popular right now. But that said, Demon Souls has a boss called the Penetrator soooo...

[@NadirEatsRocks]

Also if you really want to piss off the Dark Souls fandom, start with 2. It's supposed to be the worst lol

[@duke-stewart]

DAD AND BOY!!!

[@zachtheraven5007]

People do like death stranding it's just a long game that takes a long time to actually get to it's story

[@Tanner-Barlow]

GATCHA TIME! 0:33 Dusty* (Gravity Rush): He appears like a starry night sky with two red "stars" for eyes. 0:44 Might be a reference to Metal Gear Solid but likely is not. 0:54 Trico's Feather* (The Last Guardian): Held onto by The Boy to remember Trico(?) 1:08 Uchiwa (Japan): Wordplay. 1:15 Georama* (Dark Chronicle): Georama system is how you rebuild the villages with the appearance of a diorama. 1:49 Envelope (Tearaway): The goal of the game is to deliver this message. 1:59 Bug net (Boku no Natsuyasumi): Reference to a line during the ending of the game. 2:08 F/A Racing Kamata Fiera* (Ridge Racer [1993]): References a technique in game. 2:19 Saw Cleaver and Hunter Pistol (Bloodborne): Pun on the weapon name. 2:34 Typewriter (Resident Evil [1996]): Ink Ribbons are an item needed to save in the earlier games. 2:48 Paintbrush (Concrete Genie): Paint on walls to create creatures. 3:00 Batteries* (Real Life): Batteries usually comes with an item you purchase with no extra cost. 3:11 Bizen-den Uchigatana* (Nioh): Used to fight Yokai. 3:21 Captain Rock's Car* (Motor Toon Grand Prix): Vehicles will squash and stretch like in cartoons. 3:27 PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter* (Sony [2011]): Joke on the name. 3:40 Door (Resident Evil [1996]): Walking through the doors was meant to build tension (while also loading the game). END GATCHA TIME 5:07 Agro (Shadow of the Colossus): Joke on her name and a term used for aggression (commonly used in video games). 9:38 Kazuya Mishima (Tekken [1994]): Became a dictator with his power, also Iron Fist is the literal translation of Tekken. 11:05 Buzz (Buzz! The Music Quiz): Runs a quiz show. 13:26 Hacker* (Rez [2001]): Rez is a rhythm game with the story taking place inside a network called "Project-K". 15:01 Sol Badguy* (Guilty Gear [1998]): He's an Anti-hero type of character. 17:46 Jodie Holmes* (Beyond: Two Souls): Jodie is linked to "a supernatural entity" called Aiden. 20:31 Sam Porter Bridges* (Death Stranding): The game is about delivering packages and balancing them so you can navigate the environment. 26:38 Connor (Detroit: Become Human): He is used to deal with deviant androids. The game starts with you knocking an apple out of a tree before ending up next to Kat and beginning the game. (All of this info comes from the Gravity Rush Fandom page.) I've not played The Last Guardian and I don't want to accidentally spoil myself so I'm just guessing on that one. Dark Chronicle has probably been the hardest game to get any info about, it took probably 10+ minutes just to find something that is a basic mechanic. Georama is a real word for "a hollow globe whose inner surface contains a map of the world for examination by one standing inside." (From Merriam-Webster) (If you're reading this I'm still verifying something about this game.) In the Ridge Racer series it was possible to do a 360 drift and eventually became an achievement in 6. (All of this info comes from the Ridge Racer Fandom page.) I don't think the batteries are any specific reference to the game. Infamous revolves around electricity though which is why they are there. I am pretty confident that the katana I have listed is correct but it could also be the "Dodanuki Masakuni". I have no idea why the sword is glowing or why it is called the foreigner's katana though. (I know William Adams is a foreigner turned Samurai but I can't find anything about his sword.) I also don't know if the description is a more specific reference than what I listed. I cannot find any names for the vehicles in Motor Toon Grand Prix so if there is a name let me know. The appearance of the Sharp Shooter controller does not match (Looks like the PS VR Aim controller, probably for the ESRB rating) but the description and link to Killzone give it away. It was a controller that was meant to be used with Killzone 3 and a few other shooter games. The actual weapon the character would have would be a StA-52 Assault Rifle as the common weapon used by the Helghast army. Rez has a surprisingly interesting story premise for a rhythm game. (It also has rail shooter mechanics.) Rez takes place inside a network overseen by an AI named Eden that shuts itself down after gaining sentience by gaining too much information. Your goal as the Hacker is to re-awaken Eden by traversing the network and destroying anything that gets in your way. (All this info from the Rez Fandom page which did a good job on selling me on the game.) I don't know Guilty Gear lore but from my understanding Sol Badguy is the protagonist of the series and fights to destroy dangerous living weapons called Gears. He's not exactly a hero but he is trying to make the world a better place. Beyond: Two Souls was developed by Quantic Dream which became popular after releasing Heavy Rain. This was their next game and afterwards they went on to make Detroit: Become Human. I always hear people talk about Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human but I never really heard anyone talk about this game. Bloodborne is commonly considered one of the best games of all time so it could be fun to see you both try it out. It does have a lot of lore and fun gameplay so I think Ian's assessment is right. Although it might be good to wait for the remaster that is definitely coming, I swear... I believe.... I hope? I think a favorite color is almost like your favorite hex code of a color. You can not like any other shade or tone of that color but still have your favorite color be in that family. I think talking about every shade of a specific color would be a totally different discussion for most people. That was Kazuya, his father is Heihachi which is the old guy that refuses to die, and Jin Kazama is Kazuya's son. The neat part about the Tekken series is that the world is constantly changing and progressing with each entry. However they refuse to kill off Kazuya or Heihachi despite how many times they "die". This really came to a head with Tekken 7 and 8 where people really thought one of them died (no spoilers here) but they came back as DLC in the next game, kind of ruining the cool climactic battle in 7. If you don't know the story of 7 you should check out Maximilian Doods Tekken 7 Boss Rage video that goes over all the cool moments while skipping the bad parts of the story. The only problem I could see with starting Elden Ring is that the series would never end. That game is massive and it took people several months to finish it and, no offense, but you take a long time to finish games. It's not that you play slow though it's just that the upload schedule means that each game takes a lot longer before it's finished. (I do like how you do it though because it lets people have something to watch if they don't want to watch the newly released game or finish the game and catch up while the series is still going.) Death Stranding is at Very Positive on Steam so it's at least somewhat popular. It's definitely not a game for everyone though. This level is the one instance I can think of where the secret level requires a full second run through a level to 100%. Every other secret level is either close to the beginning or you can backtrack too after getting all the collectibles. This episode really kicked my ass, I started this right after you posted it and it took 4 hours just to find everything. These references are getting more and more obscure and harder to research.

[@Ixsarius]

GEORAMA DIORAMA HELL YEAH

[@evan_sunprince]

I think Casey would love the lore of Bloodborne and its type of horror, but it's a fromsoft game. It's sad.

[@mx.e2176]

Elden Ring is a better starting point imo, Bloodborne is also great but it was made during the same period as dark souls 2 so the game wasn’t as good as it could’ve been about quality of life features

[@GreasedupGaming1M]

This game is a sleeper. Astro for president

[@marcusthetired]

I’d say do Bloodborne. I think it’s a better entry point personally

[@moodle6500]

this algorithm comment was brought to you by ... this egg

[@choboy46]

Watermelon bros

[@SuperSonic64-64]

Day 22 of asking you guys to play Kid Icarus Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS Day 16 of asking you guys to play WarioWare Gold for the Nintendo 3DS

[@icedshadow5789]

Hahaha you guys were suposed to climb on the snowball not throw it inthe sea.

[@marshalllovelady8915]

Day 125 of requesting shovel knight dig or Pocket dungeon also I hope your all ready for EXTREME levels with a capital X that's right folks EXTREME levels for only the most EXTREME gamers it's really EXTREME!

[@aquilamage]

[@Ninjalover794]

I'd recommend elden Ring

[@tree8925]

Top commenter?! Also, I thought my phone was on the fritz with the video acting up. Edited, it was my phone. 😂

[@heatherramirez6141]

I love “on the fritz”

[@azulesmalls5514]

I've seen a little bit of gameplay from Norman Reedus and his portable Feetus. It's a lot of walking. Just, getting from one place to the other. A walking simulator.

[@moth_in_a_suit]

algorithm comment

[@josh0628]

I think Elden Ring is the worst souls game (not counting 2 cause I didn't have a system to play it). It feels like it couldn't pick a lane, being half bloodborne and half 'normal' while failing to be both well, imo. Also

[@starspangledkiwi7224]

Honestly, I would steer clear of the souls games. Bloodborne is stuck on an old console, and elden ring is so incredibly monstrously huge, and the backseating of the community is so notorious that I think it would just end up being a miserable experience. Go play god of war

[@rthomas2532]

Please play blood born

[@CreativeName17]

Algorithm comment.

[@KillLaGrill]

Norman Re- I mean death stranding it's a good game for sure, just not for me. It's VERY cutscene heavy(well duh it's Kojima) and the gameplay is kinda weird I guess? I can see why some don't like it, but also can see why some love it. Also, I WILL be there for any soulsborne game, wherever it's uploaded