Elden Ring feels like the End

TWITTER: / dj_peachcobbler
Today, DJ Peach Cobbler rants in an exceptionally (even for him) unhinged manner about how to tell when a game franchise has died. The dog is the harbinger of rot, and FromSoftware, with the release of Elden Ring...inches ever closer to the canine.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

An actual Elden Ring review is coming, I've written over 50 pages on this game, much to say. Most of my videos come from an overwhelming compulsion to write about something, the compulsion to talk about how dogs are the harbingers of the end-times was powerful. Special thanks to Thigikna for the thumbnail kzbin.info/door/FDeP0t1UaVu238w5qGNnAQ Join the discord! These exclamation marks are not intended to communicate excitement! I am screaming in rage at you! discord.gg/s3FpMrzYPz

[@cognisant307]

Have you read the manga "Blame!", basically grimdark cyberpunk architecture porn, as opposed to the grimdark gothic architecture porn of FromSoft games, and with that I suspect you already know where I'm going with this, heck even the plot of the manga reads like a FromSoft game as it alternates between horror, poignancy and boss battles. It wouldn't even be that different in terms of game mechanics, perhaps more ranged weapons than melee but FromSoft games have already been heading in that direction as boss battles become increasingly bullet-hell like and magic/bows become more prevalent.

[@stinkhauzer]

Can I smoke"meth" in a spiderman mask in your discord vc?

[@NameTheUnnamed12]

Legit thought this was gonna be an announcement of you being dissatisfied with youtube, and wanting to quit lmfao

[@hardhatstatue1942]

To be honest even if they did do a dog I like to think they'd do it right A fire that doesn't burnout with a dim But one that grows brighter as it grows ever so small

[@davidsabillon5182]

I don't like this pessimistic outlook from you man.

[@InfernoPlus]

It's fine man. Elden Ring 2 will just have customizable feet and it will sell 30 million copies.

[@completeandtotalregret4362]

How long are we gonna have to wait for that one?

[@catch.22]

Behold, leg

[@fictionmyth]

Do you know if they've already set up a pre-order page? If not, can someone send me the link when it shows up?

[@Wiseman108]

I don't think there will be an Elden Ring 2. Bloodborne 2 is probably the next logical step.

[@blaze595]

​@@RichMobb Both of your comments are wrong... There's been no announcement of Bloodborne coming to PC, and only around the top 20-ish best selling games of ALL TIME have reached/surpassed 30 million in sales.

[@RedMeansRecording]

Blaidd is in this game. He's a dog. There's tons of dogs. Some call them turtles but we know the truth.

[@wilymuppet8941]

The end is nearer than we realized and we fear not what it holds... but what it doesn't...

[@lostinmyworld]

@@wilymuppet8941 Doesn't it hold a...dog snack?

[@brz757]

@@lostinmyworld Throw your dog an invisible bone.

[@seevee9271]

Behold, dog!

[@mastervaderog8021]

What turtles?

[@wayne0075]

The thing about it is, FromSoft has been in this position before. Numerous times. They were in it with bloodborne. Dark souls 3. Sekiro. And each time the fans understood, they can't expect simply more of that. The game is the game. No, Fromsoft won't release dlc every year for sekiro. No, there won't be a Bloodborne 2 no matter how much fanart and possible new stories it could follow. Its something that fans ultimately come to accept, and new fans will either learn this mindset or leave the franchise. Fromsoft makes games for us, yes, but also for them. They make them because they want to, they aren't intimidated by the entitled man children wailing for an earlier release or the CEO's demanding it be finished on time. They take their time, and their games are a reflection of that.

[@duncanedgin9433]

Intimidated***********

[@MrHungryforbeats]

I don’t want bloodborne 2 i just want 60 fps bloodborne 👀

[@Lizbeth542]

Go outside Wayne, they already said they're making a sequel/expanding the world

[@Thisisthegreatestatofalltime]

Tbh I’m still impressed they released 3 games in three years (with plenty of great dlc on top of that) without any of them being objectively terrible (yes that includes DS2). I’m glad there taking longer breaks between games though since such output isn’t sustainable without complete stagnation of the type of game you make (despite its quality this was starting to be evident with DS3).

[@ethanhudson2009]

It’s true that they’re amazingly creative and innovative in many aspects of their design but let’s not act like they only do new things. They’ve used the same UI for every game they’ve released since demons souls. They use the same animations every game. Shit they even have a poison swamp in every game. This isn’t to shit on from software, I love them with my whole heart, this is to say that their creativity could totally come to an end. What else can you do with the souls formula? Going open world really is the last thing they could do to really genuinely change it up.

[@Morgan_Blackhand]

In Armored Core 6, our character is called a hound within the first 10 seconds. 😬 We ARE the dog

[@3782luke]

I scrolled till i hit this. "Wake up the hound"

[@Frierenhc]

"I've yet to meet a fire that didn't fade..." This is true but... One day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness. Like embers, linked by past lords.

[@joshuanigpuawszik8889]

Havent you played ds3? The more the fire is linked the more the ash builds, and the more desperate the plea for it to end

[@hybrid_and_legacy9951]

@@joshuanigpuawszik8889 That line is actually spoken at the end of ds3 in the age of dark ending. its the fire keepers prophecy for what will come long after the age of fire and the age of dark. basically saying the fire has faded and dark has fallen but even in total darkness one day hope will dance on it's horizon. There's plenty of theories what this means practically and like with any from soft story ending it's very much up to interpretation. i like to think of it as a kind of prequel to irl. those tiny flames being us humans rising from the primordial ooz

[@hllyenaylleth9576]

That made no sense, word salad. Although...... All fires die out till there is no evidence of it having ever existed.

[@Frierenhc]

-Fire Keeper (ds3)

[@eviljohnnybravo7575]

in other words, the utter darkness of the depression born of flying too close to the sun will eventually erode our memories down to the point that what was old will seem new again.

[@Relatablename]

I trust FromSoft. They've faced this problem before, and they branched off with new titles. They trained their fans not to expect sequels, and I think the artists there are talented enough not to let their work erode.

[@schnoz2372]

I strongly agree

[@schnoz2372]

They seem to know what they’re doing it’s real fun

[@crothschild]

Next game they have you play as a lowly Fromsoft employee who must travel into the mind of a Miyazaki himself to find the last good idea for a Souls game. He falls into a coma, but fortunately you have the ability to share his dream, which would mix beautiful scenes from his childhood with the most depraved of Berserk panels.

[@93hothead]

The next game will be a souls game but without killing, you will be playing as a merchant in a souls game before any war/fighting happens.

[@mahfuzannan8270]

@@93hothead there next game is Armored Core. I don't know how it will end, but I'm interested to see.

[@thunderbuddy78]

"I've yet to meet a fire, that didn't fade" Clearly you havent been Emboldened by the flame of ambition.

[@Prinz_Kasper]

Clearly he's never looked at the sun before

[@curbcheck6562]

@@Prinz_Kasper coming back to this comment in five billion years to prove you wrong

[@peacefindersimply5001]

@@curbcheck6562 coming back from 10 billion another star is forming

[@thevupham5605]

@@Prinz_Kasper Imma come back to this comment after the heat death of the universe to prove you wrong.

[@thesilliestgoose5990]

@@peacefindersimply5001 coming back during the heat death of the universe when the only thing left in the universe is Black Holes

[@kanalight2898]

What is next? This is the end- Armored Core VI: Okay buddy, whatever lets you sleep at night.

[@twistedmetal15]

thankfully for armoured core 6 theres more dark souls fans foaming at the mouth for more content than there are armoured core fans who were disappointed

[@Raine_Sakan]

Kingsfield sitting in the back: Mhmm… yep…

[@sintaribat9350]

Open World Armored Core confirmed!!!!!!

[@OCTO358]

​@@sintaribat9350 fuck no.

[@OCTO358]

​@@Raine_Sakan I wouldn't mind a remaster of KFIV. If they made a combat just a little bit faster, like in Lunacid, I feel like the game would benefit massively from that.

[@Onewingerdraven]

"I've yet to meet a fire which didn't fade" is the most poetic and clever nod to the fanbase. I love this punchline.

[@darthvader6808]

But it could be easily reheated in the microwave of evil

[@buzzyb13]

I agree with your sentiment, however I'd argue that "punchline" might not have been the word you were looking for. It was absolutely poetic, and a clever nod to the fan base for sure, but the intent of the message was for us viewers to feel exactly what Peach feels when he thinks about the matter at hand, which is a deep sense of sorrow and bitterness for knowing that nothing lasts forever, and that this particular franchises downfall with be especially wounding for a lot of us hardcore Souls fans. I think maybe the accurate word would've been "conclusion". Not trying to be a twat lol, I really related to what you said and I just think calling it a punchline suggests that it was a joke to some degree, which I can most assuredly say it was not.

[@atomix5054]

**cough** minecraft *couhg cough**

[@igor_kossov]

The profaned flame doesn't fade. Unfortunately it's completely evil and wrecks things it touches or is hijacked by evil executives like Sullyvan.

[@maybecoolperson7466]

A nicely done nod to dark souls

[@Naki5]

“I’ve yet to meet a fire that didn’t fade”. Jesus, that line hit different.

[@stupid90able]

Same I'm not even a souls game fan but it sucks seeing a series reach it peak because you know chances are it only only gonna decline from there

[@jasperlim8319]

plin plin plon

[@soulofcinder518]

@@jasperlim8319 cant parry the feels

[@MrWepx-hy6sn]

The fire fades and the lords go without their thrones

[@mackybell14]

Look up, you see that? That great big ball of fire is still there, it's been there since before you were born and it'll still be there long after your grand children's children have gone... It'll go one day sure, but not within a thousand of your lifetimes.... What I'm saying is FromSoft still has Armored Core, pls make a Giant Mecha souls-like Miyazaki. It might keep ya Goin for another 10 years.

[@briandisease3716]

The idea that FromSoftware is that self aware to make a trilogy about a decaying world and use it as a metaphor for their own creative resource is phenomenal. The worst thing I can think of is From turning into an EA or Ubisoft shilling company.

[@logeyperogi1805]

They didn’t do it with Elden Ring, in a time of constant shilling, they held their ground It’s gonna be a LONG while before they EVER hit that point, if it ever happens at all

[@AKANI32]

Coming up next! Elden Ring Immortal!!! DON’T YOU GUYS HAVE PHONES?!?!? Jk i hope they never reach that point but who knows, if the company is sold/bought/merged with something else it could easily fall into a Blizzard scenario.

[@saftigerkeks5212]

I mean, they didnt do it when all other companies made the big bucks with micro transaction bullshit, so I doubt they will do it in the Future. Not as long as miyazaki is the CEO. Maybe they will later when someone else becomes CEO, and turns the Company to shit, for more Money

[@Kira-pv4xq]

They will keep trying to keep the fire alive, sacrificing more and more creativity to try to fuel it, but the fire wasn’t supposed to go on for this long, and so the age of dark will eventually meet present.

[@DisastrousCake]

I mean even by Dark Souls 3 the formula was getting repetitive. I legitimately thought that was the end of soulsborne because it seemed like they had no more interest to make more games (and only even made 3 due to contractual obligations with Bandai Namco).

[@samuelstapelman8077]

The fact that sekiro, (which feels like innovation upon the previous souls format),and elden ring were developed at the same time for 2ish years, and the fact that Miyazaki is known for his experimentation and innovation gives me hope that they still have places to go with the souls formula in the future

[@tonyhart2744]

as long as you have leadership like miyazaki that didnt end up being a lap dog for investor, I think they could make a good game, maybe not elden ring level. but new IP with fresh story and setting with a liltle bit souls formula is enough we cant expect they make GOTY level game every release lol, the fact that they got GOTY back to back is already highest achievement in video games studios

[@textexadecimal9340]

Now I just need to see the world of Elden Ring with the gameplay of Sekiro. My life would be complete. And I think mods alone could provide that: like what if successfully dodging resets your roll cooldown and dropping your shield after a hit negates a portion of the attack's staggering effect and stamina drain. Imagine Dark Souls 1's importance of shields, but with a skill check.

[@kf1243]

Sekiro was developed for 3 years and elden ring 5years. They started full development after the ring city dlc was done. What 2ish lmao

[@jacobesterson]

@@textexadecimal9340 Sekiro has the best combat in any game of it's type period, no need to overcomplicate it.

[@w157-p5x]

They most certainly have. The view in this video is just very limited. Human creativity can go nuts if there is a framework for it to spark. And there couldnt be a better framework than From Software.

[@joshuamenzies4728]

"I've yet to meet a fire that didn't fade..." That line hits hard af!

[@tomekkowal4780]

What about the sun ?

[@paultheviewer]

That too, is destined to implode into a black hole.

[@walesjedi9217]

@@paultheviewer white dwarf* but close enough

[@francoisrichaud6685]

It really does

[@ssic7595]

There is no fire. Really its not the fire that faded. Its yourself...

[@EchoRose1578]

Cobbler has the ability to take seemingly random points and connect them into a great point

[@kodyokeefe3212]

Cod is actually an extremely similar scenario

[@RageQuitRQ]

"I love the Beatles" these are words you hear right before you watch an entire video essay on death stranding

[@schizophrenicgaming365]

autism is a hell of a drug

[@immockingu3510]

@@schizophrenicgaming365 u rite

[@cardboardhed1967]

Gotta love a 20 minute video about elden ring that doesn't start talking about elden ring until 16 minutes in.

[@embargovenom9948]

My disbelief when the Pikmin 4 trailer was all about a dog.

[@Sodier402]

I trust pikmin, they kept the bulbie design there’s still hope.

[@alihasanabdullah7586]

After about an year, I can thankfully say, Pikmin 4 was awesome. Some dogs are good dogs.

[@jesseparsons3676]

Came here to say pikmin 4 goes hard with the dog

[@crow2989]

“Have you.. Have you never played Halo?” “Of course not! I don’t want the show to be spoiled for me.” Fucking comedy gold.

[@skottsimmonds8912]

Halo nuts an bolts got me 😂😂😂

[@Noperare]

Neither has the writers. Seriously, the writers openly admit to not have played the games.

[@channingtaintum]

@@Noperare I would bet any amount of money that it tries really hard to push ... _THE MESSAGE_

[@gunargundarson1626]

@@Noperare nah fr bro they probably had their kid play the game to start to finish, chances are high they are just used to writing scripts.

[@MachoMan_Vert]

@@channingtaintum ah a fellow drinker viewer I see

[@bluewallstrikesagain7724]

Truth be told, I completely agree. One thing that I will say is this: If Fromsoft can prove us all wrong and show us something fresh, I see no reason to not release it. However, if this IS it, if this IS the final great idea, let it end here. Let the fire fade. Let the series end on top of its cloud-piercing mountain, but never let it die at the bottom of an empty canyon.

[@spamsim8248]

honestly i think ending it at the bottom of a canyon would be a great representation of dark souls bosses and lore with the idea that all great beings will have a fall from grace

[@markdibuo3756]

On the plus side, FromSoftware could go back to the Armored Core series.

[@on10n64]

@@Wurldz Yeah, Cobbler kind of completely ignored those games. Sekiro and Bloodborne were undoubtedly “soulsborne” game obviously, but they played so different from dark souls and they were still amazing. FromSoft clearly can innovate without going bigger and even after Elden Ring, I’m pretty sure they’ve still got a bunch left in the tank.

[@alejandroaraiza2226]

Well Bandai just announced they’re planning to make Elden Ring a Franchise and expand it to other platforms (maybe a movie or tv series) so sadly this is not the end. Let’s hope they can come up with something fresh next time.

[@Username-wk7ni]

Fuck off, I don't care if there's no new ideas I'll never say no to more souls games

[@rowanwatt9300]

“Have you even played a halo game before?” “Of course not, I don’t want the show to be spoiled for me.” This had me dying 😂

[@Strausburg]

Turns out the show has nothing to do with the games or the Cannon, so he had nothing to worry about.

[@iceicejay9569]

the show made me rethink the entire franchise and sadly i have lost all investment in that franchise.. its been run into the ground.

[@wtpiv6041]

@@iceicejay9569 It really has. Sad to say but infinite just couldn’t rekindle that spark I had playing 2,3, and Reach all those years ago. Maybe a focus on campaign would’ve been a stronger option than MP alone. And I HATE to say it but a Halo BR might’ve actually helped them out here. I wouldn’t have played it more than once like all BRs but it just can’t be denied that the formula works.

[@inkajoo]

It was great to find out that Miyazaki anticipated this problem and had a solution already prepared in splitting the team into subteams to create smaller games. It's brilliant and humble and gives me hope that Fromsoft will give birth to a lot of next-level talent.

[@goroakechi6126]

This, more than everything else FromSoft has made, feels final. And as a wise woman said… A corpse should be left well alone.

[@OhImSaucy]

No fuck that keep making more so long as they keep making it quality and it’s not cash grabs who cares if they keep going

[@theantsaretakingover]

@@OhImSaucy I actually agree, I think fromsoft and Miyazaki have a talent of making things that should have become old and rotten by now feel great and new and fresh. I bet you there’s a thousand ideas in that man’s brain on how they can innovate the formula further, and I am all in on seeing how they do it.

[@zer0026]

@@OhImSaucy Nothing lasts forever, and only the naive look forward to being a glutton for more of the same. Besides, even if Miyazaki has "am million ideas in his head" like some say, do you really think he's also so close minded that he's going to keep making the same game but a little different with more "refinement" to the formula? I for one look forward to the day Miyazaki makes a game that's not only different from his Souls games, but basically isnt one. A game that has no dpad for equipment and item switching, no bonfire mechanic or estus flask stand in, no death mechanic where you lose xp/currency but get a chance to retrieve it. None of that. I want it to be as inscrutable and confusing and hard to get into as a game like Pathologic 2. Miyazaki is a very smart creator. Once he feels he's done everything he can do with Souls games, he WILL stop making them once he feels they stifle his creativity. He won't keep making what you like forever, and its nothing but stubbornness to say otherwise.

[@keketh3777]

@@theantsaretakingover While its a beautiful thought, the Dark Souls games can't last forever. That's the whole theme of the games- holding on is futile. The reason I think Cobbler would say Elden ring is the end it because it doesn't add anything new to the tried and true Souls formula, or at least, nothing too substantial. It combines them in a way. Dark Souls 1 set the stage for both the story/themes for future games, all of them being set in a once grandiose world plagued with disease or corruption, as well as setting up the challenging but overall fair combat. Dark Souls 2, while focusing more on gank fights and quantity over quality, which can go fuck itself sideways, did improve on lots of systems of the first game as a sequel should, like weapon repair at bonfires. Dark Souls 3 combined difficulty, improved systems, and the best story out of all the games. Bloodborne flipped this all on its head, changing the gameplay from defensive, dodge 'til you get an opening sort of combat to fast-paced fighting that rewarded you for aggresiveness by restoring health as well as flat-out removing shields as a defensive option. You cannot be passive in that game, and that's why it's so fantastic. Elden Ring takes most of these concepts and combines them, in what feels like a curtain call to the series. But it doss not make the future look bright, because it does not add anything new besides an open world, which the games cannot bank off of as their new identity. It simply would not work.

[@ItachiUchiha-69]

@@zer0026 buddy Todd Howard has made the elder scrolls into his own universe. Doing the same game since 1994 and people eat that shit up, seems to be doing something right.

[@lordgorgrath1773]

One thing you’re missing! Fromsoft wanted to make an open world game for nearly a decade. They tried to make Dark Souls 2 open world but didn’t have the tech, failed, and quickly made what they had into Dark Souls 2. Elden Ring is them making the game they wish Dark Souls 2 had been.

[@anaguma90]

Elden Ring actually reminds me a lot of DS2. Massive weapon and build variety and a whole ton of bosses, except the quality is just way higher.

[@hackabusa]

This has been my thought since the beginning (plus the piece of concept art for a divine tower that looked like Heide's Tower). This feels like a refined, Miyazaki-directed DS2, even down to the tutorial cave.

[@JohanKylander]

They brought back build variety especially with DSIIs powerstancing.

[@damienmichiels4119]

We finally got ds2 2 boys

[@jmjedi923]

@@anaguma90 I'm a ds2 fan and I was thinking the same thing, reminds me so much of dark souls 2

[@sator_project]

Ya, as soon as I started playing, it felt like we hit the ceiling of something. And I think I'm ok with that, Miyazaki himself is not fond of sequels. But at the same time, I'm in no rush to beat this game...

[@mackybell14]

I feel like whenever Miyazaki hits a ceiling, he just goes to another room to hit another ceiling there 😂

[@micalzoncillo249]

@@mackybell14 i think he did exactly that with sekiro

[@ucnguyenquang9030]

@@micalzoncillo249 oh god yes! thank you for reminding me about that masterpiece! I was sad as hell thinking maybe there will never be another darksoul game but Sekiro 2 eh!!! and 3 and 4!! oh god a new age of awesome Fromsoft games!!!

[@timnguyen4211]

@@ucnguyenquang9030 Bruh, they're gonna revive the mech genre with the leaked Armored Core 6.

[@jock4551]

The game still has close to 0 narrative, dialogues and quests. There's a lot to add... Imagine this world design with witcher's quality of characters and the above.

[@General540]

“The First flame quickly fades. and darkness shortly settle. But one day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness. Ashen one. Hearest thou my voice still?”

[@General540]

Everything end eventually, only god is eternal.

[@keef920]

@@General540it takes a long time, but God dies too.

[@General540]

@@keef920 big claim from a small humen, but hey... you will meet him someday, so think about that.

[@embargovenom9948]

Counterpoint: Sekiro was amazing, and it was still a Souls game while developing one of the most original and visceral combat systems of the last decade. Before that, Deraciné was a VR visual novel, basically. And, by all accounts, Fromsoft is turning to Armored Core next. So, From isn't the kind of company to just keep churning out Dark Souls forever. Not like Halo and CoD just keep getting pushed out for profit alone. Hell, even Elden Ring isn't truly Dark Souls. I don't doubt that, while Miyazaki is in charge, that they'll keep pushing to make innovative games. Even if they have to get a big Souls-like paycheck every once in a while.

[@toobig7150]

Comparing halo to Cod is really unfair. Cod is an anual release that its around is 26th? game Halo is just on his 6th main entry game, 8-9 if you count the spin-offs that most "casuals" did not play (Wars, Assault, ODST) I get what you mean but man, comeon, it has been 6 years since halo 5.

[@CRISNCHIPS12398]

It’s like CoD now they’ve gone free to play and launched a barely moving husk of a game where the store is the main focus.

[@ebicrobloxmaster]

@@toobig7150 Halo is not as awful as Cod but it would still be better imo if they never made a new Halo game after Reach as all the 343 games feel like they were just rushed out for profit

[@iDrifT4YourLove]

I want armored core back so bad it hurts

[@loois3431]

yeah all the companies he cited are western, asians have a different mindset and it makes all the difference.

[@xairo8134]

As a huge fan of the series, I share the feeling of finality that Elden Ring brings, its not a sad ending though. I've played Dark Souls since DS1... I have fond memories of this series and finally coming to Elden Ring gave me the feeling of 'We made it, from software has, in a way, defeated this genre'. As you said there's nothing wrong with the familiar things Elden Rings shares with its predecessors that is exactly why it is great, its the final perfected version, and if (given the popularity) FROM decides to release a sequel I'd eat it up, But part of me would always know that they've already done all they can, and for this series moving on is probably the best thing now.

[@xairo8134]

@@yellowcard8100 I think this, sekiro and bloodborne very much still fall into the 'soulslike' category, while I have faith FROM could probably create successful new IPs I don't necessarily think Elden Ring is evidence of that, it's the final product which is a collection of ideas that they've worked on for over a decade now.

[@jooot_6850]

Elden Ring is truly the Dark Souls of the Dark Souls trilogy.

[@BenDover-qg3lj]

@@yellowcard8100 It's a sense of finality because it's very hard to recreate the experience you have first time with a game. Not trying to be corny it's just facts. Mechanics can only ever be refined to a certain point until it becomes another game entirely. Its final in the idea that the series can never really evolve from this point, except like cobbler said the addition of a dog, or building. I mean it's not bad, it's just not unique or BOLD anymore. Hopefully the team at FromSoft are excited to make something they really enjoy next :D

[@rockybacigalupi444]

@@yellowcard8100 except they didn't change up the formula with those games? It's the same formula just a different setting and maybe a couple slightlyodified mechanics

[@FardtilUshid]

@@yellowcard8100 What does Doom do that's so different or new? I played like 60% of it and then got so over the pacing, platforming, upgrades. I'd honestly rather play an early 2000s WW2 shooter.

[@Zanuth-001]

"I've yet to meet a fire which didn't fade" Utterly poignant, poetic and fitting to the subject matter. Masterfully put

[@dkhosh7380]

"but of course time did that most terrible thing it does and passed cruelly onward" ~ DJ Peach Cobbler

[@christianvisperas4027]

@@chrism4403 yep its really not

[@supremelemon6934]

laughs in profane flame

[@Huntanor]

It's also a paraphrase of a dozen traditional quotes.

[@N3onDr1v3]

If you think the whole "link the flame to become the new age of fire or dont for an age of darkness" wasnt a take on the game industry, BOY have i got news for you.

[@Kalashboy420]

I played elden ring for 221 hours and it has to be one of my all time favourite games if not my favourite. It really does feel as though they have achieved everything they can, im sure our boy Miyazaki has plenty of new ideas for us in the future.

[@nokronis]

As a middle aged gamer I can say that I used to hit this feeling often. I had a lot of fun with Elden Ring, but it was largely a game I had played in different forms in smaller packages throughout my life. The older you get the more this happens, but it isn't a horrible thing. Just make sure that in between the big hits you take some breaks to reset your gaming bar lower so the next big one you play feels good. If you keep plugging away hoping to chase that same dragon you'll rarely get it.

[@sporechannle]

Same advice works for crack too

[@kingfatty_sea5885]

And heroin, fentynal hahahahaa

[@theajtruth]

Inserts meme of Stan telling that to Randy .

[@MiguelAngelGutierrezRamirez]

Play some fighthing games or couch multiplayers in between. If you can, play with kids (like, family, don't go around taking other people kids, that'ts not cool).

[@asdfghjkllkjhgfdsa8725]

You played elden ring in smaller bits throughout your life? The game was out for like 3 months when you wrote this...

[@daseinz]

"Whenever I climb, I am followed by a dog called Ego" - Nietzsche

[@spiegeltn]

"There's a black man that follows me around when it's sunny, I call him Leon." - Brick from Anchorman 2

[@tyler-jo1wr]

crazy this is a real quote wtf

[@WyattWeir65]

As much as I've loved this entropic take on a potential future, I can't help but feel hopeful. Thing is, I don't think From Software will run out of ideas. There's always more to take and when they decided they needed more for an open world, they sat down and decided to get some professional help. George R R Martin was an acting means to spark new ideas within the team. He built the ground work and the team went wild. They're bound to find new ground, new ways to evolve. They aren't above asking for help to do so. But even if it does end, I hope its with a proper send off with their best ideas, and with enough money to retire their entire team for life.

[@CanadianYeti69]

It's just a melancholic take that focuses on how other developers have faired, so FS MUST do it too. Guys, they've been hitting the ball out of the park since Demon Souls. That's an incredible track record, especially when you compare it to its peers.

[@PauloGarcia-sp5ws]

@@CanadianYeti69It really is, I'm absolutely dumbfounded by how many amazing games FS have made. Its just hit after hit with them.

[@Odinsday]

@@PauloGarcia-sp5ws Hidetaka Miyazaki has a certain method to his madness you just can't find with other developers. Even when heading in different styles of action adventure (Dark Souls to Sekiro), there is a specific underlying philosophy that keeps everything together. It is a combination of the near endless creativity of the Fromsoft team, Miyazaki's excellent writing and worldbuilding, and the unrelenting passion he and his team have for gaming as a medium. Even with games that are more controversial like Dark Souls 2, I think it is a great game in its own right.

[@soutomaioraway666]

I honestly just wish to play a new armored Core by fromsoft

[@WyattWeir65]

@@soutomaioraway666 honestly, I wouldn't mind playing that either. I grew up playing the splitscreen versus on those games with my brother. But I was too dumb a kid to master the mechanics and finish any of the titles. A chance to try again would be phenomenal.

[@miroslavchudy3030]

They indeed revealed a dog. A hound, in the new Armored Core game. All souls games were just part of a plan to gather budget for the next Armored Core. You have all fallen for it and Michael Zaki will have his last laugh.

[@sirmatic2776]

Honestly can't wait for the upcoming Armored Core release so DJPC can make all the mech references known to existence

[@hamoodhabibi1579]

same here

[@brianferry4592]

My dog has covid

[@nobuffer101]

I would love the revival of Armored Core. With a lot of genres gaining momentum, the Mecha genre needs to be revived!

[@ultimaxkom8728]

Oh, Armored Core. What a nostalgia... I hope they would revive it so that I can relive the experience once more.

[@aaronball4700]

Ehh I’d honestly prefer a new Game like metal wolf chaos, just a balls to the wall mecha game that’s written like a mix between late night talk show political commentary and jojo levels of insane bullshit thrown into a blender and then hidden from the legal team and PR department until after its already released. That’s my only explanation for how that game released out of Japan during that time. Imagine the conversation between the project director and his direct supervisor. “Did you run this by legal?” “No…..” “You’re going to run this by legal though right?” “Fuck no! Did you read the synopsis? Legal can deal with it after release.”

[@vib2119]

Do I sense a dog in the future? Fuck yes. Will I still trust FromSoft, atleast one more time, to deliver a good game? Fuck yes. I understand how you feel Cobbler, I have played Elden Ring for around 150 as well, and I am not in the endgame yet, close to it but not yet there. And boy, this does not feel like Bloodborne or Sekiro, it doesn't feel like something new but just a really great refinement of Dark Souls, and that's fine; refinement is good. But I dont think it can be refined anymore. I feel like From's gonna have let the Souls genre go. I will mention that I don't include Sekiro in Souls genre it's too different imo, so Sekiro sequel might be on the table. But DS, Elden Ring and Bloodborne? It seems they have reached the peak of refinement atleast game mechanics wise, story wise I suppose there is more in Bloodborne, maybe even Elden Ring(though I understand little of it right now, but what I understand feels like the end), but I am pretty sure DS is done story wise as well ...But I am not a game dev, nor am I as creative as people at From, they may be able to blow my/our minds with the next Souls, that's I will somewhat blindly trust them atleast one time, I feel like they have earned it.

[@warrantyV0IDED]

Next from soft game is probably gonna be armored core 6. And about time too.

[@helexable]

we still have DLCs to wait for as well im hoping for 4 of them with on being a pvp focused one

[@kpando4952]

i feel like people miss things like the jump attacks, poise mechanics similar to sekiro and the level direction of the game as well as many art direction similar to bloodborne, soul like games are very similar because the gameplay is so thight that if you were to mask elden ring with a 1800s feeling you'd be like "man this doesn't feel like darksouls but more like bloodborne"

[@lorscarbonferrite6964]

They might be done with the Souls genre, but I'm not sure. In two years, it'll mark the 30 year anniversary since FromSoft first started exploring this concept, with King's Field back in 1994. There is clearly something about the whole medieval dark fantasy and high difficulty formula that typifies Souls games that FromSoft, and perhaps Miyazaki in particular, is consistently drawn to. It's held their interest for almost 3 decades now, so I don't think it'll be something they shift from too easily.

[@renno2679]

DS3 ended with a potential for a new world. Elden Ring's two out of three major endings open a potential for a new world. I think they'll just keep trying to evolve the games. Although I wouldn't mind if they made something different again like Sekiro...

[@GreetMyMeat]

If FromSoft shows us the dog, it’s gonna be awhile. When they wanted to branch out from Dark Souls, they made BloodBorne. When they felt the story of BloodBorne was finished, they made Sekiro (which is arguably the *boldest* move of theirs). And when Sekiro finished, they fell back on their roots and did *better* than ever before. FromSoftware is very careful with their games. If they have no inspiration, they’ll take a few years break. Then they’ll come back and make more games. And if they have no inspiration for the rest of their lives, they’ll quit while they’re ahead and let their company fade into the graveyard of the best to exist.

[@All4Randomness1]

I agree with everything but the last point. Companies don't just fade away, they violently die. Even if Miyazaki retires or moves on or whatever, there will still be plenty of artists there clinging to a sinking ship.

[@Aaron-g9b]

Elden ring is not better than anything they made before, DS1, BB and sekiro are all superior to ER because ER became a bloated mess after the capital and the boss design was much worse than those 3 games I mentioned.

[@gary7867]

you have to account their fans as well, no matter how sometimes some of the gameplay mechanics seems tedious or flawed that will kill you for multiple times, they'll play through hell and back out of those games. afterall there is a reason on why dark souls is called "stockholm syndrome: the game"

[@DatLazyBoi]

@@Aaron-g9b You were definatly playing the wrong game,bro

[@Aaron-g9b]

@@DatLazyBoi you going to sit there and tell me that the doesn't fall apart after the capital? Elden ring was your first fromsoftware game. Dumb fucking zoomer.

[@lhumanoideerrantdesinterne8598]

There is one key difference between Elden Ring and all your other examples though : From Soft isn't owned by a big publisher with creative control over their output. If they don't want to work on a game, no one can force them to. The closest comparison would be Blizzard before they were absorbed by Activision. A studio with massive success, adored by its fans and thus able to use the talent of its developers to launch new successful games one after the other. And the only way I see From Soft losing its soul (ahah, pun) is if they also get bought by some big publisher. But why would they ? They aren't exactly in financial distress right now. I don't know how they could top off Elden Ring but I think they're clever enough to not try and instead go in some other direction. One with big fuck-off mechs if rumors are correct... I, for one, am very optimistic about them.

[@guest_zzroman2076]

Armored Core Souls?

[@Bukwheat]

Wasn't Sony wanting to buy them?

[@Gehshme]

Ah yes, good point. Thanks God they are not partially owned but some kind of big media conglomerate like Kadokawa Corporation who has business alliances with Tencet and Sony. Oh wait...

[@randalthevandal4170]

Armored core Enjoyers rise up

[@cameronfrizzell3978]

How long till they are bought by one though

[@rustyshackelford312]

If there is one thing dark souls has taught me aside from patience it's that nothing lasts forever, every age needs to come to an end. The world will rot, stagnate and hollow if it doesn't.

[@thebasquez]

14:28 "You handed us the corpse of Michael Jackson then asked us to make a hit record with him" so true what a great analogy damn

[@NR-wk5dc]

wrong timestamp you mean 14:20

[@stateofopportunity1286]

Lol. Not remotely. Bungie set up the next story arc. Bungling gameplay, storytelling, and game design wasn't due to Halo being obsolete. It was due to 343 not having a clue. Apologetics disguised as philosophy are a bad look.

[@tombadil64]

Man this really makes "Time for Dog" infinitely more chilling.

[@brandonaumiller3997]

Honestly I’ve always had this subconscious thought and I’m glad to see it put to words. But in a world full of Call of Duties, Far Cries, and disappointment with every new triple A title, it is a breath of fresh air to play something like Elden Ring. While I acknowledge the potential future, this game has made me and my friends feel like kids again, and, as such, I’m just going to live in the present for a bit and enjoy the game.

[@simonfarre4907]

There are good AAA games. Tlou2, god of war, Horizon Zero Dawn. All unique. All hand crafted from the graphics, to the story to the characters. Elden ring follow suit, although it doesn't come close to the story of those games, but I don't think they are even going for that. From isn't exactly the greatest story writers in the world to put it mildly, but for RPG, story isn't the key element, the world is and it is far easier to write/design worlds than it is to write intricate deep dives of specific characters. But since they put the same amount of detail in their world as aforementioned games put in their story, they produce a good quality AAA game.

[@brandonaumiller3997]

@@simonfarre4907 I never said there weren’t good triple A games, but they are very few and far between. Two of the games you cited as examples are almost half a decade old, with the exception being The Last of Us 2. Even still, you can’t ignore the controversy surrounding whether or not that game is considered “good.” It is loathed by many and I would hesitate to throw it in with unanimously beloved titles, despite having enjoyed the game myself. I would also disagree that world building and environmental storytelling is “easier” than a deep character dive. I don’t think one takes less craftsmanship than the other, but I do know that to enthrall someone in a world you’ve created, you have to master subtlety and the environment must engage with the player beyond being a “set piece.” These are two things very few writers achieve. Skyrim, on a surface level, is very basic and almost laughable mechanically and narratively and, yet, it is one of the most beloved games of the decade because of its capacity for environmental storytelling and sense of adventure. I consider that an astounding feat in game design despite its flaws, and I would argue that it has as much merit as a game that puts more emphasis on character than world. I believe that Elden Ring achieves the same thing, and I think the story that IS present, albeit simple is enough to grip the player and get them asking questions about the deeper lore. Complexity is not always akin to quality, and Elden Ring is nothing more than it needs to be. Moving forward I hope that this series continues to expand upon its simple premises, in depth mechanics and fantastic world.

[@bluewizard8318]

way to ride the fence

[@ojamarojo1301]

@@bluewizard8318 What side is there to pick? There isn't even a fence to ride here, the dude literally just acknowledged that they can't milk the Souls formula forever and then followed it up with "This game is good at least, I'm going to enjoy it while I can," and your immediate gut reaction was to [incorrectly] throw out a buzz phrase. Is _pretending_ to be retarded a hobby of yours, or are you the real deal?

[@ojamarojo1301]

@Pinko Slink Let me guess, you're the same type of person that thinks the Simpsons are still good aren't you?

[@Palemagpie]

"Theres nothing left to do after big darksouls" "....big robot darksouls?" "Holy Shit!"

[@Chillasart-chilla]

Enter lies of p 💀

[@witha1]

sci fi dark souls les go

[@mohammadsufyanparacha9036]

@@witha1 what about bloodborne

[@witha1]

@@mohammadsufyanparacha9036 yo scifi bloodborne!! even better

[@kaden-sd6vb]

Cthulhuseeker has given me a thirst for a sci-fi souls game

[@RyANWaLlEt]

Elden Ring feels like a brand new beginning to me, a proof of concept that FromSoftware can make a large, open world that connects as seamlessly as any other Soulsborne game they made does and still have it be a different experience from all the others. Wherever this journey takes us next, I'm confident FromSoftware won't disappoint us for at least one more journey.

[@Spinexus]

The point is that big doesn´t equal good. You can´t just make every souls game open world from now on. Remember Elden Ring and Sekiro were in development at the same time. This game took ages to make. There will be a fight at bandai about money for their next project. They will expect huge revenue from now on. Which simply cannot be achieved by games like Sekiro or Bloodborne. They are too specific. Even alot of core souls fans did not play Sekiro because of the setting or limited gameplay options (weapons). It´s either they will trust Miyazaki and let him do whatever he wants OR they will push him out since he won´t change his mind for anyone (probably).

[@RyANWaLlEt]

@@Spinexus That implies Bandai Namco makes decisions for FromSoftware, which they don't. They have no authority over FromSoft, because they're completely separate companies. Miyazaki is completely free to do what he wants, and that doesn't mean the next game will be a massive open world game. It's only a proof of concept that did insanely well, market-wise, and with how FromSoft makes games, we can only really expect great things from here- following a track record of great things. I also don't see, even if Bandai Namco did have creative control over FromSoft, why they wouldn't have tried forcing Miyazaki earlier to conform to the rest of the industry if money was an issue. FromSoft has always made niche games with high difficulty, and has carved a path of success by doing so. Their latest game follows none of the modern gaming conformities, and yet was a massive success. If Bandai Namco was keen on forcing conformity, Elden Ring wouldn't have come out the way it had. Elden Ring doesn't feel like the end. It's another beginning for FromSoft, just like Sekiro was another beginning, just like Dark Souls was another beginning, and just like Bloodborne was another beginning. Unlike most companies, FromSoft lets every beginning have an end by not making sequels- DS3 excluded because Miyazaki was sore over DS2. FromSoftware have proven an ability to take the concepts and mechanics from every game they make and adapt them for a new game, set in a similar genre but with a different story.

[@gutar5675]

How many times can you do that while keeping it fresh and inspired? Yeah ubisoft can shell out multiple large open worlds a year, but they all end up feeling the same and purposeless. Bethesda proved time and time again that they could make good open worlds and Skyrim proved that they could be massively successful, but Fallout 4 still felt passionless and creatively bankrupt to me.

[@RyANWaLlEt]

@@gutar5675 But none of these comparisons actually connect with FromSoftware, which doesn't release multiple games a year and instead takes the time to truly create every game they have so far released. Elden Ring doesn't even imply that their next game will be an open world, and they certainly won't release their next game in the next few years. This is the same problem that the video itself had, "Well, all these companies are terrible at doing this, so FromSoft is going to do it poorly too!"

[@dearkazuscorner2549]

@@RyANWaLlEt exactly!!!

[@sasoriharuno2898]

As sad as it would be for this to be the end it would be unbelievably poetic. If they could somehow make it even better after this I am all for it but I can't help but fear the possibility of FS not taking their own advice, whether it be by their choice or some executive's. Seeing this franchise wither and rot to the very stagnation that it has so vehemently abhorred would be a truly tragic end. Edit: But honestly this would definitely be in terms of Dark Souls, I would still love to see more Bloodborne, Sekiro, and even more new IPs.

[@donfuan76]

Remember the end of The Ringed CIty DLC? When you gave the paintress the blood of the Dark Soul and she says "I'll build a new place. A cold and very gentle place."? That's when the series really ended - but it didn't really. When i saw the first streamers play the online test my feelings were "they are straying too far from the formula, i hope they don't overdo it." Now that i've played it 250h, it feels WAY TOO MUCH like DS3. I wish they would have overdone it. We need something else. Although it is a bittersweet goodbye. It is all i could ever ask for, yet not satisfying me like other entries in the series did. I feel fatigue.

[@Acorn_Anomaly]

@@donfuan76 "When the world rots, we set it afire. For the sake of the next world. It's the one thing we do right..."

[@jacobg8870]

@@donfuan76 My man you played 250h in just a month of the game being out, I'd say the fatigue is just from playing it nonstop. Believe me, give the game a rest and you will come back in a few months no doubt.

[@Sorrowdusk]

@@donfuan76 The Painter in Dark Souls 3 was Miyazaki himself. Burning down the old world using the ashes to make a new painting, rather than just making direct sequels. And yet at the same time, all the Souls games, and Bloodborne/Sekiro *ALL* have themes of entropy and sacrifice. Especially for a past, you cant bring back. Souls-like has become something of a subgenre. Can more and better games be made in it, like they were for Roguelike/roguelite?

[@Sorrowdusk]

@@jacobg8870 I have 173 hours. *I'm still in Liurnia* . Still enjoying every minute of the game.

[@Dewelwield1010]

I remember hearing about a month before Elden ring dropped that fromsoft put out a survey to a limited audience to gauge interest for future projects, showing private screenshots of their next game. According to the people surveyed (note they were under NDA) they saw screenshots of a new armored core, the series from was previously known for back in the early 2000’s. Interesting if this is the case, from might have already figured out how to escape the series fatigue of dark souls… instead of trying to continue to innovate after making their magnum opus, their instead going to revive a niche classic off the back of the success of Elden ring. Its kind of a genius move really, now that they have everyone’s attention after Elden ring, people will be waiting to see what they’ll do next. And with armored core being something they already have experience making, plus the fact they have a massive audience now waiting, seems to me like they might just have found a way out of a corner.

[@Noxturne09]

Armored core was fun as hell too, one of the best mech games around

[@shroudshift9969]

I would love to be able to play a new AC game.

[@mathewkeen2356]

They made skeiro and Elden Ring at the same time. They are probably working on that and another souls type right now.

[@Burger19985]

jesus christ the game looks sick

[@sivadirective9060]

"From the creators of Elden Ring" in the trailer. I can see it now.

[@DeranRoute-vu5jy]

I love how fromsoft has since proved this video wrong with armored core 6, proving their not out of gas……..yet.

[@kingcole5977]

Wait, is Peach the one player who left all those “dog” messages in Elden Ring? Truly a man cursed with knowledge.

[@vicentesgarofalojerez8566]

This review does feel like the end. It's so well put together and thoughtful. Every single conclusion made here is on point. It makes you go deep into the feelings you already had about the game and really come to understand why you feel like that. Don't know if I ever going to enjoy a review as much as I did this one, but I hope Cobbler can continue to outdo itself.

[@Darko807]

Next video he showcases his dog

[@altusshow7574]

@@Darko807 it's too late. Look at the thumbnail, this _is_ his dog video. And it's pretty over the top. Next I'm afraid we'll get an "ancient Rome 2" video.

[@NOTIAREPANDA]

It only serves to remind me that eventually, video games may not be a part of the future.

[@victor_734]

This video actually has several wrong conclusions. Ill name one which is that Bethesda doesn’t care about Fallout anymore. There is literally no reason to believe that

[@altusshow7574]

@@victor_734 "Fallout 76"

[@coldshoulder14]

Great video, as always. Elden Ring does feel like their magnum opus/swan song. The love, effort and detail is brilliant in this game. The only other thing From Software could do to mix things up for their Souls formula is something noticeably missing from most of their Souls games’ (except Sekiro, sort of). That would be to make a Souls game (not necessarily open world) that is set before, during and after the decline of the world. I want them to make a world that people really care for. Sure the Souls’ games are fantastic, but no one in their right mind would get a house in Blighttown, Undead Burg, etc. Imagine the game starting off beautiful, a civilization at it’s peak and it slowly breaks down to what a Souls game setting is. Which is a dying world, barely holding on. To give a comparison from a gameplay perspective, think of how the setting of Majora’s Mask starts off “normal” then decays to the end of the world. How the characters in the world act on Day 1 vs Day 3. I hope they make a game like this, with essentially 3 big acts defining the peak of civilization, decline and fall. You as the player would live through all three, and then truly care about fighting for this broken world. I sometimes think about how great the Age of Fire in Dark Souls 1 was at it’s peak, and what it was like for the Undead Curse to break out and then how the world decayed to what it is when the DS1 starts.

[@starhammer5247]

They're not going to do that. According to recent news, they're apparently going back to an old series of theirs under the name of Armoured Core.

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

@@starhammer5247 And as an old Armored Core fan, believe when I say: That's a good thing. Armored Core was the best damn mech series ever made, and it was made when there were actually a bunch of mech games as competition.

[@starhammer5247]

@@MidlifeCrisisJoe And I don't fucking doubt that especially considering the few gameplay snippets I've seen of Armoured Core and how Armoured Core V had the first Patches. I'm interested to see what they do with this new instalment with their extra decade of experience.

[@CWFDSmokeEater]

This is what i want bloodborne 2 to be, the decline of yharnam

[@starhammer5247]

@@CWFDSmokeEater There won't be a Bloodborne 2. But there will be an Armoured Core VI.

[@lordkanti8260]

The irony being that in armor core 6. Your referred to as a hound.

[@espenmauseth1284]

I love this, as your thoughts match mine to a tee, I’ve just not been able to put them into words. When riding around in The Lands Between I’ve occasionally felt this feeling of sonder and hopelesness, dressing what’s next and how From is going to top this stuff. Going big is usually the last bastion.

[@jacobhobart845]

Nice DS2 reference

[@btchiaintkidding7837]

Fromsoft does make other games too, they even made a VR game in recent years. But i guess by fromsoft you mean "miyazaki games", After the great DS1, He did a weeb game, a HP lovecraft game, ds's fanservice normie game aka ds3, and now the open world souls game too. What can he do more with soulslike formula? I still think as long as he can come up with new idea for new settings and even plot we can exoect good soulslike genre of games from him. Maybe no more of true "Souls" souls games of medieval fantasy but more like sekiro and BB , U know

[@poutineausyropderable7108]

@@btchiaintkidding7837 You calling ds3 a fanservice normie game. Tf. Pray tell why you dislike it.

[@seorwhite3333]

They can't possibly top this and they don't have to, they might just make big Bloodborne lmao.

[@WardenLoveless]

I dunno man, DS3 felt more like the end than Elden Ring. Then they made Sekiro! I don't think they'll ever stop making cool sword games.

[@decafleon]

your reviews always remind me of my inability to change things in the world as a whole and give me extreme depressive episodes. Thanks for the amazing content you glorified fruit and bread mixture

[@luciferhuey6285]

Get you brother

[@gbreuil1]

Well isn't that one of the most depressive game franchise when half of characters dies for the good of the plot, and evil win because why not :D

[@martinmayor1575]

That hit a little too close to home...

[@ryguytrys]

I don’t know why the comment section here is so fucking bleak but you are a human being. The only known creature in the universe capable of freely manipulating its surroundings and circumstances. You are literally a member of the only species that can change things in the world.

[@MaisterRaebbit]

Cobbler ... You are the voice I didn't want to hear. The nagging, I ignored. The amalgamation of all things I thought good and to be praised, made mundane. Pls don't stop.

[@Astrrxl]

tf aer u meaning

[@pubaguh3199]

What

[@Cheesepuff8]

I feel like after finishing a peach cobbler video everyone who watched it now talks and writes like him for the next 15 minutes of their life

[@dud5606]

@@Cheesepuff8 Same thing happening under Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation videos.

[@evn556]

@@Cheesepuff8 literally bro lmfao, like chill

[@Fufu0117]

And that dogs name is 621. *armored core noises*

[@jamesbenz3228]

I just discovered you about a week ago Cobbler and after binging every single one of your videos I have to say, you got the spice. You have some really top tier content. Your analyses are some of the most genuine and nuanced out of all the guys out there. Your trajectory looks good, just remember what your fundamentals are as you grow because it will get very easy to get lost in the ether as you grow. Write that shit down. Thanks for what you do man, I'll see you on the next video. Get some sponsors.

[@nobleradical2158]

Manz goated with the sauce

[@Jo-po2oo]

your comment is way to intellectual for me to understand any word also i hate punctuation but im here because i find the idea of a talking pie funny

[@khornii7513]

lets just hope that the world wide inquisition of "Raid Shadow Legends" doesn't turn it's cash grabbing head and convert our great pastry man into the light of random mobile game sponsors

[@nathanjensen7825]

Cobbler is the lord of spice. Like seriously I don't know off the top of my head what the perfect amount of spice in a normal peach cobbler is but I'm guessing in this case it's more than the rest of the ingredients combined. The topics are usually challenging and the delivery usually makes me feel like someone is being verbally slapped. But unfortunately I know that one day even this will end. To paraphrase: "one day the spice shall fade and only crumbs shall remain"

[@ohlookitsbryan]

Perfectly put.

[@Limxuv]

Something that gives me hope for the future of Fromsoft is that after they’d been perfecting souls games for years, they brought in an outside consultant to help them make Elden Ring. That consultant just happened to be one of the most celebrated fantasy writers of our time. Watching those old teasers and listening to some of the dialogue from the game honestly feels like George R R Martin wrote a handful of interesting bits of lore that weren’t at all intended to be connected and Fromsoft said, “we can work with this.” If other developers were as willing to collaborate across genres and mediums more often, I think we’d see many more games as interesting and fulfilling as Elden Ring

[@sebastiansteven9588]

That’s pretty much the point of this. There’s nowhere higher to go, other than just regurgitating the same stuff the made Dark Souls and subsequently Elden Ring so good. I mean how much bigger and better can the get? It’s like u said, one of the most renowned fantasy writers of mankind helped them make the story and it is an obscenely large game. How much bigger and newer can it get? Not very much

[@codyschwarz5155]

George is an absolute hack but it was a good idea to bring him in. -an ASOIAF fan for more than 20 years

[@v2153]

He added literally nothing to the game. You people are delusional.

[@sebastiansteven9588]

@@v2153 he did the worldbuilding bruv

[@v2153]

@Sebastian Steven What world building? You mean the same exact desolate landscape filled with undying people that you fight over and over because some force is keeping things like this that's been in every single from soft game since demon souls? George made the name of nearly every single character match his initials because he's an egotistical hack. Thats all he did. Can't even finish his own book.

[@DonnieDarko2584]

I actually view Elden Ring as the start. No more straight forward area unlocking but vast exploration completely unguided. What makes this game great isn'T just the game itself but the fact that almost every player will have a unique experience that is up to them! Sure paths overlap here and there but for a fair amount you will play this game the way you play this game and nobody else will. It is absolutely fantastic and THAT is the real new'ness of it. Name a single openworld game that does exactly this. Just on. One where you can technically beat enemies you are much too weak for still and feel acomplished. The hits, the feel of it is mindblowingly awesome. This feeling of fear, terror, annoyance, bliss, happiness, sense of achievement and last but not least supremacy once you leveled up and have strong weapons and found your playstyle. When you just own bosses because you can. I honestly don't know a single game that has ever created this sense within myself. I love it. Even the ocassional cluckiness or PC hardware stutter is forgiven for this piece of epicness. It has been forever since I spent so much time thoroughly playing a game and trying to find every secret and search every nook and cranny because I WANT to not because I literally cannot miss it and it is annoying if I dont do it. It is hard to phrase it accurately. But this is absolute and utter awesomeness and I hope we get to see more installments of the sort. This is not Dark Souls at all aside from the basics but you have to be willing to see it for what it is.

[@rouyzaki3758]

I just, can't agree with you. I feel your feeling optimistic about the next big FS game that'll comes out, but I just feel this would be the best and its peak. Just can't feel more than grateful and blissful that I am alive at this exact era where Elden Ring is released. Which this video vocalize my feeling really well

[@hieroprotoganist3440]

@@rouyzaki3758 Next up,bloodborne open world with even more trick weapons, platformin and stealth kills.

[@jjjaegerist0433]

Botw and skyrim too ig

[@HighDeafRadio]

Dog this game fuckin sucks and you're an open world shill lol. Go play Assassin's Creed again.

[@ozm0zesjoe466]

Why tf people write fucking thesis in comment sections

[@SunlightGwyn]

Comparing From Software to Bethesda and Activision is peak ridiculousness. We haven’t even gotten a Bloodborne 2 or Sekiro 2 yet. From Soft is nowhere near tapped out of ideas. We got a horse mount in Elden Ring, what about dragon mounts in Elden Ring 2? What about fighting bosses on mounts with their own attacks? The options are endless.

[@battenburg6089]

I wholeheartedly disagree, regardless of some of the points in this video. However, Dark souls 3 also felt like the end. Sekiro felt like the end. Yet, here we are. The game is set up to have future expansions, for the world to be experimented with, a test. Depending on how well ER does, decides the future. And it suceeded insanely more than their own predictions.

[@Bruh-ei3cg]

Facts.

[@INTCUWUSIUA]

Sekiro didn't feel like the end. Sekiro feels more like the future. Making tighter and more focused experiences in its vein seems like a good direction to take for the time being. Long term though I think they want to make Miyazaki's true dream game. It's why they're returning to Armored Core. Miyazaki's ultimate dream is to combine the gameplay of Souls and Armored Core.

[@Sin526]

@@INTCUWUSIUA HORRRRY SHIIIIIIT!!!

[@saganc.4090]

It’s a genre, not a series. They can change whatever they want. I think that Zelda is the best example of a game that lasted forever, and never really jumped the shark. Its still going and every piece is at least good if not awe inspiring, because they know how to change things

[@iamwithinyourhome]

The “Dog Thesis” of modern gaming is a fascinating, landmark academic analysis the current state of the games market, and I look forward to your further publications on the subject. Also this is funny as shit. As a graphics programmer, the 512MB of GDDR3 RAM on the 360 made me burst out laughing lmaoo thank god I found this channel

[@yellowsocker]

im racist

[@iamwithinyourhome]

@@yellowsocker what did he mean by this

[@scottjefferson4048]

@@yellowsocker the racist man is here!

[@unrelentingawesomeness7501]

@@iamwithinyourhome its pretty self explanatory what he meant

[@TK-7193]

dog ahead, therefore try friendship

[@idiotengineer3925]

I flew to a different state after elden ring came out. I saw someone playing it in my home airport, then at my layover on laptops. Then when I got to my destination I saw kids playing it at the hotel in the lounge on the TV. Then I saw people playing it again before my flight back. It was insane

[@bruhvenant]

First off, amazing video, subscribed. But more importantly, I'm here from the future to gladly inform you that FromSoft did not have a dog in it's future but instead a big ass robot. Fears of stagnation are warranted, in a lot of ways FromSoft has already grappled with that problem with DS2 being a rushed out developed-mandated sequel and DS3 reflecting their own desire to let things die. But this is the same studio who dropped something new in Sekiro right after that, who experimented with a weird VR game like Deracine, and who are now following up their most successful title with a return to a long dead hardcore mecha action franchise that is extremely different from a soulslike. They even gave an interview where they repeatedly rebuffed the notion it would just end up as "mecha souls". Yeah, I think FromSoft is gonna be just fine. They're simply too talented.

[@RhysticStudies]

this video absolutely fucking rules

[@Albert-_117]

Dude it’s all speculation.

[@Bignis805]

I absolutely agree it started about elden ring then he proceeded to shred every hated game and dead franchise he could

[@BryanSalyersXD]

@Kyle Kyle Kyle

[@retardsonacid2631]

@@Albert-_117 not really, the main point of focus might be. (as in, souls-like games ending). but not the actual truth behind the other dead games he was talking about.

[@__mindflayer__]

@@xptv11 okay

[@captainobviousiii3820]

The phrase "all good things must come to an end" is hitting different right now.

[@Mboogy]

"Elden Ring Feels Like The End," feels like the last video, but... but I know there will be MORE, and I can't shake this grin off my face. well written video! Definitely has me expecting a little bit of tragedy in FromSoft's future. I hope that isn't the case, as I know they've shown interest in other forms of media, now that Elden Ring has skyrocketed to the moon & beyond!

[@ltcuddles685]

From the sounds of things, we're gonna see Armored Core again soon.

[@jacktheripper7735]

@@ltcuddles685 Fuck yeah

[@yesdude3914]

The devs decided to add some cool and unique things and you nerds consider it to be selling out😂😂

[@suomij_]

As I’m reaching to the end of the elden DLC the dog is growing larger and more terrifying in my mind

[@OctillipedeGaminghey]

"Watching fromsoft be broken by success is going to hurt. I've yet to meet a fire that didn't fade." Subbed. Great commentary my man.

[@RedFlameGamer]

I don't know about the end, per say. However, it does feel like Elden Ring is what Miyazaki and Fromsoft have been building up to with Dark Souls, Sekiro and Bloodborne. In hindsight, they were clearly seeing what works and experimenting with different design ideas. So, for now, we have Elden Ring. The final product of all that work and it's glorious. I won't be so upset if From decides now's the time to experiment in a different genre, with different ideas. I can't wait to see what masterpiece they make next. And after that? Maybe then design philosophy will have evolved, their creative minds will have had time to recover. Maybe then they'll revisit the souls formula. Or maybe not. I for one can't wait to see.

[@Cheesepuff8]

The story is a bit janky though Also if they’re done with their usual stuff I hope they come out and say it rather than surprising people with something unexpected cause that usually doesn’t go well

[@johndoe7017]

@@Cheesepuff8 Just no. Elden ring already pushed the story harder than any other souls game. If you want the story pushed harder, go play sekiro or some other story driven game. People play souls games not for the story but for the gameplay and the feel.

[@starhammer5247]

According to a recent Survey by From Soft, they're already working on a new game, and it looks nothing like an EldenSoulsBorneSekiro game. The reason I say this is because the accompanying screenshots contain a mech.

[@johndoe7017]

@@starhammer5247 😭

[@starhammer5247]

@@johndoe7017, They're going back to Armoured Core, the game series that originally put them on the map before Demon's Souls.

[@klikk99]

"There was nowhere to go with Fallout" - I just don't agree with this - Making games is expensive and extremely risky, so of course there is immense pressure to not do anything truly new with an established series - why kill the golden goose? Fallout New Vegas proved that you can do fallout 3 RIGHT, but that was done by a team on the side without the pressure of a numbered release - it was a throw away and they can take that risk. From is in a different situation, we wouldn't have had bloodborne and sekiro if they were all about, sorry for mixing metaphors, milking the golden goose.

[@azazellopez1046]

Fallout just needed the job rpg aspect to go full on new controls fps mode with iron sights and slide moves etc

[@ignizxnr3021]

Nah fallout fell off, its trash

[@MrSkeltal268]

You’re right. It’s not about fallout, or even gaming. Once a medium reaches a certain point in its life, the bottom line becomes the only metric it is judged by. Sadly, video games crossed this threshold. The minute something makes a crap load of money, it becomes the expectation. So risks are adverted, and costs kept down, and they try and do the same thing over and over with minor “tweaks” to entice people.

[@klikk99]

​@@MrSkeltal268 Yeah totally - but just in the AAA/AAA-adjacant space - it's an unholy alliance because you need a ton of money to make a massive polished game and that money comes from people who only care about that metric. I worked at CCP when there was a shitshow around microtransactions (back when that was a new concept) and tbh CCP got it wrong and messaged it badly but they had good intentions - management legit saw it as a way to avoid being beholden to those interests. I think this is why From is so refreshing - they just do what they do regardless of whatever trend is happening (I mean- how late are they at an open world game? In 20 years will we have a battle royale Dark Souls???) - it's like someone who has their own personal style they like which goes in and out of fashion. I play way more indie & open source games these days. Being in game development I still see indie studios who knocked something out of the park on some bootstrapped project and pick up financing for a new project thinking they'll be the ones to buck the trend and always a year later it's the same story. Not gonna name names, but these are good people it happens to, but they're always the ones to take the blame when the project ends up disappointing.

[@THE1vbLLover69_]

I like to imagine you had a video script written about dogs for a while now, then Elden Ring came out and you were like "How can I work with this?"

[@nurgle-j5n]

yeah pretty much

[@Matt-td8xw]

Every fromsoftware game feels like the end ngl.

[@NoSmoke1]

True, they could have done nothing after DS1 and I would have accepted it

[@ziggytheassassin5835]

Ya dark souls 3 felt like the biggest end for me. Elden ring feels like another game in the post dark souls 3 era for from software where they make games that all feel seperate from eachother like sekiro and that new sci fi game that i heard rumors about.

[@willvermillion1025]

@@ziggytheassassin5835 the sci fi game is an armored core reboot

[@qaztim11]

@@willvermillion1025 god I hope so. Can't wait to see how they would handle the series in the current day.

[@RyANWaLlEt]

@Abandon Ship FromSoftware will keep reigniting their flame until all that is left is ashes, and, just like the world of Dark souls, no one knows how many cycles it will take before they truly reach the end. Every journey will be new, and every journey will captivate, even when we're treading on the ashes of glory. Or something like that.

[@shox8160]

You articulated that nagging itch I've had in the back of my mind playing and enjoying Elden Ring. It's the reason I'm really taking my time with it. I could have finished the game a few days ago, but...when something feels like its become the best its ever going to be and the idea that it will be over, what do you do other than to prolong the experience as long as you can?

[@luizgdc4096]

@I have no mouth And i must scream find god

[@info0]

there is NG. Up to NG+6. There are 3 or 4 endings. Not to mention, probably DLC coming in future.

[@bigiron1990]

Link the first flame… duh bruh.

[@dudemanbroguy3464]

Okay game through again in ng+ as a whole new build. But I don’t care about some philosophical nonsense about something ending, hitting the peak. I have played and beaten dark souls 3 over a dozen times, and have played bloodborne through almost double that many times. And I’ll sure as hell play Elden ring multiple times going on. If they don’t make any souls like that’s fine, if the remake the souls like experience with a modern spin from dark fantasy that’s fine too.

[@TrueMakaveli50]

The First Flame quickly fades, darkness will shortly settle. But one day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness. Like embers, linked by lords past…

[@InsideTheJoshMind]

Dude. You’re like a language magician with the way you bring thoughts together and articulate things. It’s pretty fuckin wild lol

[@cameronleach5902]

@@tonyphills6075 yeah that’s crazy but language and graphics design are different.

[@DizGaAlcam]

@@tonyphills6075 Uhh... because ur implying that the technical skill of graphic design is the ONLY thing that's needed to produce the video "with ease". Completely ignoring that being articulate is the skill the OC was focusing on. You can be the best graphic designer in the world and not be able to put this video together if u lack this skill. Point being, the features on Adobe won't make you a more articulate person, so your comment makes no sense.

[@josiahcamacho658]

@@tonyphills6075 yo chill tony, he was complimenting the man’s work

[@mathisblair2798]

Literacy is a god damned super power.

[@mathisblair2798]

Also I can quash the beef here. Homie #1: made the comment about his articulation. (Note that part) Homie #2: made the adobe/video edit learn. Comment. Now here we must note that homie 2 in a way did go "over" Homie #1's point. Homie #3 was the one to point this out. Please see homie #1's comment. HOWEVER Homie#3 went farther, calling out homie #2 in a fashion for his oversight. However we can come around here in a truce where we agree that while Homie#2's comment was past the target. It did add a tangible possibility an extra facet to the conversation that was before just admiration of articulation...worth reflecting on.... Combining articulation AND Adobe....(kden lite for my linux using ass i guess) to make videos...could be cool. I have hoped with these words to achieve comment world peace. Proving that these comments together... Are in fact captain planet.

[@lumer4199]

The inevitablity of the dog does give me hope though. It gives me hope that the people who watched the dog be born can take the ashes of the flame and start one last fire. However since most DJ Peach Cobbler predictions (about the future that is) are horribly wrong, FromSoftware will probably make a game greater than Elden Ring.

[@Destroyer_V0]

Perhaps they will. But it cannot be dark souls, is I think the point of this.

[@aleshofastora440]

@@Destroyer_V0 yes, they will stop making Soulsborne for a while, this is what I'm expecting

[@ivanmarquez2218]

@@aleshofastora440 Sekiro's Combat In the mediterranean. The Chosen Spartan grabbing Zeus' lightning bolts mid-air and throwing them back to Poseidon or some shit.

[@aleshofastora440]

@@ivanmarquez2218 Miyazak: "RANDOM BULLSHIT GO!!!"

[@solbenjib7580]

@@Destroyer_V0 try going back and playing dark souls or ds2. Those games dont compare to the new soulslike. Bloodbornes a good example of how these guys know what theyre doing with innovation so unless they get greedy just assume the next game will be great

[@jasondress56]

I don’t think that it needs to be viewed as the end but rather a large climax, if fromsoftware didn’t try surpassing Elden ring with their next title and instead did like sekiro 2 or something like it for the next few years that a bloodborne open world or something on the same scale as it would become even greater than Elden ring. The problem with cod is that they always try to surpass the previous game, but soulsborne fans would be grateful so long as they get any new content; if From just hits pause on trying to make a big break then the falling action will turn into rising action and climax again.

[@geekyboy6875]

To add one from software makes fantasy/rpg games which are the main genre that is for open world games and all there games have always been open world tbh they just removed the very view restrictions that they had. Blood borne and dark souls and sekiro have a lot the same openess just they take place in cities and similar stuff so it feels smaller and more linear they just removed that. But saying cause this their highest selling game and they went open world is like saying rockstar was gonna bomb after gta v (which rn is the highest grossing media rn) but they came back did it again with red dead 2 and has ppl waiting patiently for gta 6. And from software takes the same time and care making the their games as rockstar they’ll be fine. Yes all flames die but there are thousands of reasons they die out. Some just get old and new guys come on the block but doesn’t mean their skill or artistic approach vanishes. And art is about highs and lows every artist or company has had low moments cod was low for a while but they came back in force with cod ww2 this feels very much like it’s getting popular now so it has to be bad

[@ThisistheTale]

I read that they may return to the armored core series, I think that would be pretty awesome

[@AJ_Ol]

I’ve been saying the exact thing. Sekiro is still my favorite From game and needs a sequel. I would absolutely love a Bloodborne inspired open world game as well.

[@griffithdidnothingwrong7117]

Please god give me sekiro 2

[@josey_8204]

Armored core is dope. I'd like to see that return.

[@erikreddington461]

I just wanna rock back and forth, repeating "who hurt you" and then I'll brush your hair

[@erikreddington461]

Who hurt you, cobbler, who hurt you, who hurt you, who hurt you..m

[@moon_cricket8358]

Wtf dad

[@andrej13666]

"there is a dog in the future" had me laughing like a maniac

[@draconiandraco]

Not fromsoft, won't happen

[@andrej13666]

@@draconiandraco the only dogs they have are ones with 5 hit insta-poise-break-combos of death

[@draconiandraco]

@@andrej13666 that and turtles.

[@rpgfreak9999]

@@draconiandraco No series can be the "all-important, special snowflake diva" forever, lmfao. Except maybe Elder Scrolls since we can do literally almost whatever the fuck we want with the Creation Kit. :3

[@mizunaut]

I've been a FromSoft fan my whole life. Grew up playing Kings Field on the PS1. Their track record is perfect. Release a masterpiece, come back a few months later to release a DLC pack or two at a modest price. Then vanish off the face off the earth while they work on their next masterpiece. It's a flawless record and one I think they won't soon break. The way they set their games up as action rpgs with many bosses is a formula that allows for so much artistic exploration.

[@maidenless1156]

“Their track record is perfect” AAHAHA AHAHAHA *Sure it is*

[@Sorrowdusk]

@@maidenless1156 Dark Souls 2? Orrr are you referring to some Armored Core games?

[@pdtate22ify]

@@maidenless1156 I really enjoyed DS2. The story was really good.

[@Valkod23]

@@Sorrowdusk Some of the Armored Core games were not good, my biggest example is Nine Breaker.

[@mycookiehasnoname]

@@Sorrowdusk look up Iron pineapple's video "FromSoftware's worst game" lmao

[@chazisdead5413]

Honestly, I think it has to do with the time it takes to craft your art. I think the dog philosophy is true, but I also think there are other environmental factors like producing a game every year. FromSoft has had this in the works for years. Patience pays off as opposed to being fed the same slop every year. I think that as long as the dev team is given as much time as they need, every time, we'll continue to see quality content and no signs of DOGma.

[@lovedeepthandi3154]

Cyberpunk 2077 was also in production for a really long time. I guess good things just aren’t supposed to last forever.

[@MrMarttivainaa]

@@lovedeepthandi3154 If word gets around that From is rapidly losing talent and directors are abandoning ship left and right, leaving fresh employees under horrible management to try and scrape a game together, then I'll be worried that a cyberpunk situation is around the corner. Cyberpunk and ER took forever to make for different reasons.

[@user-sb7wj1vn4x]

@@lovedeepthandi3154 this is untrue, the actove development phase came in in 2017-2020 which is not long in open world titles. they came up with concepts and a little here and there in mid 2016, but they didn't really do much on the project. the deadline was april 2020 so the target development span was 2 1/2 years, which only works when you already have a good foundation (engine,asset library) which they didn't. this is the only reason ubisoft can pull off assassin's creed in a 1-2 year cycle, because they reuse the same shit. elden ring was in development since 2017. and the side project was an entire different game which made it to game of the year. this is how you take time, you don't give release dates until your game is polished and everything until then is closed testing and smaller bug fixes. if cd project red started development in 2013 because they wanted to get familiar with next gen consoles at the time, they would have a banger game that would probably go down in history as one of the best.

[@poorlydrawngouf4281]

Fall out 76 also took a couple years to make and it was trash

[@lovedeepthandi3154]

@@MrMarttivainaa oh I wasn’t aware of this

[@Zyckro]

I also dread the day their creative fire fades. The fact that they outsourced the worldbuilding for Martin makes me think Miyazaki didn't have any concrete ideas, yet it also makes me hopeful for the future. Sometimes you just need the time to be inspired before you can make something new.

[@aelithmackinnon8656]

I've been part of the game industry for 30 years. I've never before read or listened to a review that I not only wholeheartedly agree with, but also made me cry. I have seen only 4 masterpieces in gaming in my lifetime: Zelda: A Link to the Past Star Control 2 Morrowind Chrono Trigger And Elden Ring is the 5th. I cannot understate how rapidly that sudden and total sensation of profundity hit me within the first 10 hours of playing. I told my wife, my kids. They're all playing it now too. I don't even mind waiting my turn to play, watching THEM play the game is as much a joy as experiencing it myself. Also, now I know the answer, thanks to you, of the deepest question in Elden Ring. Why is it always dog?

[@sleepnt992]

Never played Star Control, but beside that I like your list ;) Morrowind is what I seek in every other Open World after it (Morrowind and Gothic, but it feels like no one knows it beyond Germany). I feel somilar for the other listed games - I do play AlttP to this day at least once a year, maybe more (randomized). But I do not think I will ever feel the same way about Elding Ring. Elden Ring is a culmination. A best practice. I feel the good old Morrowind and Zelda in Elden Ring. I feel Dark Souls in it. Things I missed in games. But nothing new I have to admit. I love it for that. But I am curious how people look back on it in ten years. Will they think of it like now if Dark Souls? Or Link to the Past? I don't think so...

[@JackStacks_1]

Play botw

[@aelithmackinnon8656]

@@JackStacks_1 Did. Wasn't that impressed actually. It was an interesting shift for Zelda, but the dungeons hardly deserved the name, and a great deal of the game felt like it was...everywhere else. Very little distinctiveness. I have hope for botw2, with the years of open-world innovation since then.

[@voidcheque7019]

Sadness ahead

[@peterkorisanszky2950]

I'm not a part of the game's industry outside of being a consumer, but I've been an avid consumer of PC games since 1990. I also went back and played a lot of the 80's backlog in my teens, as well as most of the NES and SNES catalogue through emulation. I can't say I agree with your take exactly. I think things are more nuanced. First, we have to acknowledge that games are masterpieces in relation to what was available for their technology, and their competition at the time. Games which iterate on what came before, and refine it to a sharp edge. Morrowind is a janky awkward mess that fails on nearly every level for most of its storytelling outside of a few key threads, and its combat. But man was it a mindblaster for its day in terms of its presentation, exploration, and sense of wonder. I think there are a lot of games in that category. Even its predecessor Daggerfall did really similar things in terms of pushing the boundaries of a large world with a lot of explorable space with roleplaying opportunities. So yeah, if Morrowind's a masterpiece, I think Daggerfall is too, just for its day. OG Doom also fits into this category. It was derivative of Catacombs3d and Wolfenstein 3d, sure. But what it did pushed things so far in terms of presentation, pacing, and level design that I don't think Doom could be considered anything but a masterpiece for its day, unless you want to call Doom 2 the masterpiece with its much broader range of level design. There are tons of games in this sort of iterative category: Starcraft: Brood Wars, Baldur's Gate 2 TOB, Thief 2, Civ 2, Fallout 2, Ultima 3, 4, or 7 depending on preferences, Final Fantasy 6, 7, or 10 depending on preferences. And of course, bother Super Mario, and Super Mario 64 for what they did for 2d and 3d platformers respectively. Then we have games which come along and risk doing something totally new, and maybe don't quite pull it off but are so innovative that they inspire a lot going forward. Deus Ex, Ultima Underworld, Left 4 Dead, Smash Brothers, Dune 2. Ultima 1. Knights of the Old Republic. Diablo. Sim City, or The Sims. Do these games get their due in spite of their jank? I usually use the term classics. Games which are important parts of gaming history either because they're important for the evolution of games, or because they honed their craft to the point of near perfection for their day. I can't disagree with your choices in regards to quality. I've played all of those games, and they're some of my favorites. I think The Ur-Quan Masters is quietly one of the best games ever made (though its combat is not great). They have a consistent theme though. All of those games encourage nonlinear exploration, and reward you with forms of progression, lore, or teases of new playable space or spectacle. They're games you wander through being awed, not sure what you'll find with the next away mission, or in the next cave or chest. But those aren't the only kinds of games which are subjectively great. They're not the only masterpieces in the history of gaming. I mean Starcraft: Brood War was an iterative magnum opus for real time strategy design and balance, a breakout success for e-sports, a new bar for storytelling and worldbuilding in games outside of the graphic adventure or RPG space, visually stunning for its day, nearly unparalleled for its depth of user created content and modability, and just fun to play for millions of people. It's hard to call it anything but a masterpiece, but it doesn't evoke wonder or awe. I guess the way I see it is, I don't like the idea of boiling the complex stew that is gaming down to a few key points of success. These four games are the good ones. There's good, bad, and great all over. There are loads of games which I think match the quality and presentation of your list for their day, and have different strengths and weaknesses. And all the games you listed fit that mold as well. Morrowind's visuals and exploration were astonishingly good, but its combat and storytelling even for its day were decidedly less good. Link to the Past's presentation, pacing, and exploration were all top notch, but its combat was just serviceable, and a lot of the exploration was smoke and mirrors for how linear it really was. Star Control 2 is still my gold standard for exploration, right alongside Ultima 3 and 4, and now Elden Ring, but the storytelling was... quirky. Sometimes it landed, sometimes it didn't. Some of it aged well, some of it didn't. And the combat was basically a bolted on minigame which didn't mesh well with the resource management side of exploration when you could just master a single ship and kill any enemy fleet of any size with it without taking a loss. Chrono Trigger.. Yeah ok that game's pretty much perfect, I have little to add. The thing that blows my mind about Elden Ring, is that it's the first game in a very long time to just blow me away across the board. Storytelling, tone, lore, visual presentation, Combat, exploration, pacing, non linearity. I haven't found myself this all around impressed by a title since I first played Mass Effect 1 and 2 back to back. Elden Ring feels like they made 3 games worth of content, kept quality and presentation up for all of it, and released it as one game. It feels like an indie game from a really passionate dev who got an unlimited budget to realize his vision. I strongly feel like this is a milestone game. This game is going to be important for inspiring the next generation of developers. It shows itself as a shining example of what games CAN be with time, vision, budget, good management, and artistic integrity. I think it likely that a decade from now people will be comparing games to this game. Two decades from now people will be going back and playing this as classic in a way reminiscent of how I went back and played Wasteland or Ultima 4 in the 2000's, or how people still go back and play Link to the Past. Anyways sorry for being so long winded. Good health, and good gaming my dude.

[@jv11t4]

I like how game come out just a month ago and it makes people have this strong feelings. Also strange to make something feel like end when it just begins. Or maybe that is true souls think. It begins where it ended and ends where it begins.

[@nukenade4623]

its the end of an era for me

[@dragcraftmaster7]

So amazingly poetic my friend, you might be right

[@andrewstephens5885]

Bruh right out the gate it presents some of the most beautiful art direction, lighting, painting and rendering I’ve ever seen😭 it genuinely makes my jaw drop, but I’m not too much of a gamer I just loved the souls games and bloodborne was the coolest game I’d experienced before this. The hype is fr, I’ll get so hyperbolic about this game, it’s got the vibes.

[@Nerevaar]

Well I mean knowing their previous work and playing this one now really puts these thoughts into your mind. As enjoyable as the basic game play is you can't help but feel that something is getting really stale between the fifth copy pasted double boss fight and the next swamp area to crawl through

[@dukkiegamer1733]

I think it is an end. Tell me what is there to improve on this. Many games have tried but all go open world when there's nothing else left and from there it just gets more stale with each new game they release. They should take a page from Naughty Dog's book and end it on a high note.

[@TheRealSonicBeats]

Honestly, From is one of the few developers that probably understands this. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a souls-like shooter based survival horror in--line with Dead Space/Resident Evil style

[@stick1869]

that sounds accursed

[@TheRealSonicBeats]

@@stick1869 and brutally painful.... i want it

[@stateofopportunity1286]

Make it an FPS and I'm in

[@goose1114]

That sounds fucking awesome

[@dr7922]

Why does it have to be souls like??? Unless you're making big changes like in Sekiro, where it feels like something different, then don't do it. I'm burned out on souls and ER was the final one for a while for me.

[@agustinfernandez5115]

I love this video. From time to time I come back to it, and it makes me laugh and contemplate on the things you bring to the table on this matter and that's something that doesn't happen that often anymore. It doesn't really matter what they do, its just a game at the end of the day, its not like anyone is going to die if they sell out. But the passion, the care, the reluctant acceptance of whats to come, that fire is rare to find in any form of media, even harder on yt where there's just a lot of videos like this one. just amazing, thanks for doing the things you do.

[@grimwuah9954]

This video made me realize something. It really does feel like the end of "dark souls" but in a good way. I love these games, but after finishing DS3 and Sekiro I felt like something was missing, I wanted more from them, be it a sequel or dlc, anything. This time though, I think I'm finally satisfied. Sure I'd like to see dlc, because there's characters and places that I want to know more of, but other than that, I don't really have this huge need for a sequel or even another spiritual successor. I'm feeling kinda conflicted because if I like these games so much, why don't I crave for more? I think it's just because, to me, this is the purest form of these games. All the missing pieces have been found, that nagging feeling that something's off is gone. I don't know, it's a weird feeling and just wanted to share it.

[@jazzyj7834]

That's the feeling of experiencing perfection. Of something without lack. A masterpiece. It's a rare feeling, and one that is becoming rarer still... Perhaps that's why this one hits so strongly. Rushed games, and broken promises across the medium have ruined the artform. But not this. This... This is perfection.

[@premium_chrome]

It's called releasing a finished game. Lol kids of now didn't really experience.

[@knickers3359]

lets just say yet, there aren't going to get another game out in years, your point of view can vastly change with time

[@D00000T]

It’s depressing that this might be the peak of fromsoft and the souls series but at the same time, this is probably the best legacy they can leave behind if they start going downhill hard from here. All 7 souls games they’ve made since 2009 are great games and each is memorable in their own way. Even if the series itself starts to go to shit, the games are big enough to the point where they can self sustain themselves without being tarnished by more recent installments. Cod4, battlefield 3, and new vegas all stem from series that are currently held in poor regard by the masses yet these games are viewed as an exception and most judge them differently from their counterparts. So even if we get a shitty dumbed down dark souls 4, 5, and 6 with micro transactions and whatnot in the future, I doubt that dark souls 1-3’s reputations are going to be severely affected by them just due to how strong they can stand up themselves. Nintendo is the only company I can think right now that has managed to continue making great games even after their individual series’ peaks and I currently can’t say that fromsoft is capable of pulling off those same feets, especially with the standards of today compared to back then. so better to just embrace for that fromsoft dog tech showcase in the future

[@ProfessorLandjo]

Just wait for big Bloodborne

[@bobbob-cd9yl]

@@ProfessorLandjo its already been stated that bluepoint are making bloodborne 2 which sucks and means it'll probs suck ass. Fromsoft are working on armoured core right now

[@ProfessorLandjo]

@@bobbob-cd9yl Do you mean the remake ?

[@wackywackster114]

@bob bob That sounds like the 100th BB2 rumor that's repeated every single time, don't think that's true

[@bobbob-cd9yl]

@@ProfessorLandjo nah it's from colin moriaty who also knew about the new biochock

[@wololo3781]

It's so over, from has fallen, billions must dog

[@mmmmello6964]

Honestly I think when FromSoft shows the dog I think everyone's going to love the dog because its going to be a pretty kick ass dog.

[@ImperialGuardsman2]

They already did though with the dogs that hit you 85 times in two seconds (literally) inflicting massive bleed. That said, when they main stream the dog, I'm going to be more terrified than anything.

[@two_tone_xlophone2630]

@@ImperialGuardsman2 i was going to say we technically got the dog in DS3, it was grey wolf sif.....

[@BilliamTorpedo]

Dogs are pretty sick ngl

[@CdrChaos]

They showed the dog in the first Dark Souls.

[@georgiestuff]

Made you kill the dog 👀

[@Crybaton]

Elden Ring makes me happy. And I believe it can still get better.

[@elanlynn5973]

It's not flawless, it is a new begin.

[@Vermbraunt]

That's what patches and DLC are for. I don't really see the point in a new soulsborne game atm

[@captainuh-oh8355]

@@Vermbraunt Yeah "at the moment" but these games take like 4-6 years to release.

[@eldennub]

IMO the mechanics added open up a lot of new possibilities. Also rebalancing old mechanics like weapon arts being very strong (or at least useful), powerstancing unlocking more movesets, quicksteps and jumps giving i-frames, posture system for those sweet crits, etc, all of that makes Elden Ring feel like not like the end but a new beginning for me. If fromsoftware refines and balances all these mechanics the genre can still evolve, personally I love the minimalistic DS combat of just rolling until you can eventually press R1 and repeat, but I'm more of a Doom Eternal fan where you have a wide set of tools that are useful and being witty on using them all is half of getting good. Though It could be as Peach says and Elden Ring is just as good as it's gonna get. We'll have to wait to know.

[@jwilham]

Imagine being slightly upset and disappointed that a game is so good.

[@zeallust8542]

Tbh man, im having a hard time seeing what From will do with the DS formula next. (That said, id love a scifi soulslike game from fromsoft)

[@s1NPHL]

@@zeallust8542 I fucking love this idea, and if anyone can get the atmospheres right to pull it off, its Fromsoft

[@maskedmenreiki]

@@zeallust8542 Don't take this as fact, but I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that they're planning for their next step to be a new Armored Core game

[@Nick-kc4pb]

@@zeallust8542 The thing is they can do literally anything now. They can do something bat shit crazy. Dark Souls in space. Dark Souls in hell. They can take their perfected formula and do whatever they want because they’ve created it and mastered it. Dark Souls in the future. Of course it has to be very well thought out but I wouldn’t say the devs are going to fail because they havent yet. I personally give a studio one bad game to see how well they bounce back. Currently doing that for CDPR. I think Cyberpunk will be great someday but that doesn’t forgive the shitty release of it but more importantly we need to see how they do with the Witcher 4 to actually judge them since they had a near flawless record so far. FromSoft has that perfect record and delivered with Elden Ring. Nothings stopping them from toning it down and making a more narrative driven souls-like next time around. That would be interesting tbh. A Souls-like with a Nier type of story? Would be insane

[@zeallust8542]

@@Nick-kc4pb i agree man, one bad game isnt the end of a company for me, tbh im still waiting to see if bethesdas next game id great, sometimes you land bad, and it happens. But man, hopefully our next few games from From are fantastic. And until then, well, Elden Ring has so much more for me to find.

[@tyler547]

This is one of the best youtube videos of all time

[@_Cooly_]

“A bombastic swan song” Perfect. Love this game to death, honestly I feel it’s one of my top 3 open world games. But I love hearing this differing opinion even more. Loved your vids ever since your “tragedy of dark souls 3 bosses”. Keep it up!

[@Noah-dg8oo]

Honestly no other dev team has put out absolute masterpieces back to back. DS1, DS3, bloodborne, elden ring I feel is even beyond a masterpiece it's the impossible video game. How does a dev team go from never doing a full pledged open world game to making the best ever made? To be honest fromsoft have done enough to be immortal. They now deserve to have fuck ups and I'm ready to play them.

[@imgaming2393]

🙏

[@heszedjim9699]

They did have their fuckups. They made kingsfield with guns, for example.

[@loladas9]

I loved Elden Ring, but let's not act like it perfected the open world formula. You're penalised for not exploring: flask of wondrous phisicks, golden seeds, tears, summons, and important items are mostly on side areas. But the loot in main areas is absolute garbage, and you're penalised for exploring these. Just look at Haligtree: the area is huge, and a maze. It literally only has one boss, and the majority of the loot is garbage. It's a waste of time to explore main areas, I just found myself rushing to the endgame bosses because that was the only thing that felt like a challenge at that point.

[@heszedjim9699]

@@loladas9 correct. You have to go out of your way for power. Kind of core to the fromsoft formula.

[@loladas9]

@@heszedjim9699 yeah, but it would feel nice if main areas had nice loot. You can find a lot of decent items in Dark Souls by exploring alternative routes, while in Elden Ring, the alternative routes feel devoid of useful items. Plus, finding a Sacred Tear in an alternative route is fun, having to hit every single church just to leave after? Not so much (it's a minor detail but relevant to the whole debate) Every time I explored I asked myself "is this really worth my time"?

[@kounterkitty]

I've definitely had the same melancholy following me throughout Elden Ring, that it does sort of feel like a goodbye to Souls. If it's not, I desperately hope that they'll return to the smaller scale of their previous games, FromSoft are smart and I'm hoping they'll continue to show that. Elden Ring can't be topped in terms of scale, but it can in quality, and if there's anything From have been good at it's continuing to learn and improve (I am writing this as if Crucible Knight exists only once).

[@OfLanceTheLonginus]

malenia also exists only once

[@gstylez0107]

Not true. With a new engine and a larger team, amazing things could be done to make this series even better.. It's just a matter of whether or not Fromsoft is willing to dump the time and money into it.. They could easily profit off another rehash, but if they put quality and artistic integrity before profit, this series could still be elevated even higher.. It's rare to see anyone do that though, eventually everyone caves to the money once enough success is brought about..

[@Pokémon-b8c]

I really do hope they return to smaller scale games like Dark Souls 1. Elden Ring just wasn’t focused enough, and that scared me. It feels like less of Fromsoft learning what worked and what didn’t with their previous games, and more of them just throwing lots of elements together (to extremely varying degrees of success).

[@eldenlean5221]

My personal best case scenario is that they release a dlc that consist of a smaller single area thats as polished and focused as can be to sunset the souls series. Not really that wild considering theyve released amazing dlc thats usually better than the base game.

[@kounterkitty]

@@eldenlean5221 DUDE your name is so cursed

[@Benji.O]

FromSoftware’s integrity in game design is what brought them to achieve Elden Ring, and I don’t personally imagine they’d forsake their passion for creating the best video games ever made. If anyone can withstand success without selling out artistically, it’s them.

[@meepk633]

lol they rereleased 2 games with barely any changes at full price. "Integrity".

[@OpaqueNihilist]

​@@meepk633demon souls was rereleased a decade later as a graphical showcase for PS5 and everyone was demanding for DS1 to get the remaster since DS2 released... plus DS remastered was 40$ never 60. I don't think either was the best rerelease or 'remaster' I've ever seen but you have impossible standards if you think FROM has ever sold out their audience...

[@meepk633]

@@OpaqueNihilist I'm not talking about Demons Souls. That was an actual remake. I'm not talking about it BECAUSE it's an actual remake. DSR and SOTFS are not remakes. They are blatant cash grabs by a massive corporate game studio. I don't have impossible standards. I have the standard used by From when they ordered a remake of Demons Souls.

[@OpaqueNihilist]

@@meepk633 fair enough. I forgot about Scholar but then again, wasn't that just a rerelease for PS4 and Xbox1 they ported over to PS3 and 360? It also did significantly change the overall amount of gank in DS2 as well as the accessibility of the DLC content. Not gonna defend SOTFS tho, it isn't better than vanilla DS2. I don't think changing Lost Izalith and Bed of Chaos would have actually changed the perception of the remaster personally. Maybe if it came out around DS3 and Bloodborne, but it came out right before Sekiro. Changing DS1 to that degree and fixing it to be the 'perfect' game might be what the purists want, but having a 10+ FPS Blightown and the enhanced contrast is REALLY nice in some areas while not taking away from the world of the first game at all. I think Demon Souls was a really good remaster but I actually prefer the origin atmospherically, it just feels more claustrophobic and limited. I feel like it would have been a cash grab if they charged 60$ and it wasn't on any newer consoles fs, since it would have been a literal performance patch, but Sekiro releasing and that being so different from the FROM formula thus far really gave DS1 a good niche to fill in the ecosystem. Also replacing the amount of reskined models (particularly in lost Izalith) and trying to replicate the amazing interconnectivity of the first half of the game would be a monumental task, especially using the nearly decade old assets. It's not a bad product at all, even on a Nintendo Switch which is a bit of a mind fuck coming from someone who played it on the PS3 originally.

[@OpaqueNihilist]

@@meepk633 tbh man I don't know of a even semi large developer that would have had superior business practices. Rereleases have absolutely flooded the market the last two decades really... Some games are on their 3rd or 4th 'remaster' at this point, and many sequel games are basically remastered nostalgia bait by any other name. I'm not trying to suck them off, but at least From makes very high quality games

[@TicTacPilgrim]

A video about Elden Ring: first off, call of Duty Ghost Me: I see where this is going in relation to an open world dark souls.

[@Sen_Apollo]

Tbh I thought it was going to be a dumb joke about all the "Dog" messages left near anything with more than 2 legs.

[@nathantagg2691]

Lies of P is comming out in september and I'm stoked.

[@SlowestThief]

“I’ve yet to meet a fire which didn’t fade” FromSoftwares end will be a tragedy. But it will be poetic. A story of their most popular game leading to become their story

[@PankoBreadcrumbs]

Knowing FromSoft and everything they've proven capable of, this doesn't feel too much like the beginning of the end; it feels like the end of the beginning for them.

[@Aqueox]

You didn't pay attention then.

[@joeydunn1867]

@@Aqueox everything in this video was personal opinion 🤷‍♂️

[@Aqueox]

@@joeydunn1867 That has nothing to do with what I said. Disappear.

[@the-man-who-bites-his-tongue]

@@Aqueox Careful not to cut yourself with all that edge, youngin'.

[@Aqueox]

@@the-man-who-bites-his-tongue Lol Okay redditor.

[@feelio_]

The soulsborne games are so powerful, i've never been so moved by a game and don't think i ever will be again.

[@snap4936]

Never say never