Redwolf's Journal (continued)

  Weird West was a fairly good little game. The setting is pretty... well... weird West? "Cowboys and Indians" with magic and supernatural stuff added in. In-the-moment gameplay is decent, with areas to explore that can be rewarding and combat that tends to be reasonably simple and quick. I've seen it called an "immersive sim" a lot. I guess that's reasonably accurate, in that you have some opportunity to approach things in a few different ways and there are some choices that have impacts, but none of them felt very major or distinct to me. As you move from one chapter to the next, certain choices may change things (pigmen living among humans or being wiped out, for example) and yet that did not feel to me like it made a difference. Maybe that's because I only played through once, but still. I would also say the amount of time spent on the map traveling between areas did not do the pacing of the game any favors. The five-chapter format, where you posses

 Early in the morn I woke from a dream in which I was GMing a Bubblegum Crisis -based game for some others. The relatively new player was running an ex-military major who had been extremely cyber-augmented and was causing disruption around the city. Somehow the city major or similar corporate official tracks him down and challenges him to a series of battles with a thought of "I'll show him in escalating fashion how difficult things can really get for him to demoralize and make him stop." The first fight is against a standard boomer, put forth with no expectation of actual challenge. Indeed, the major trashes his with little effort. Next is someone piloting battle armor roughly equal to what the AD Police field. This is more of a fight, but the major manages to dance around attacks and, deciding he doesn't want to kill the pilot, he slips around behind to pull out a power core. Then the mayor-guy puts forth the Knight Sabers. This is a real battle between the parties,

 I did have some concern that an open world might undercut the distinctive flavor of a From Software "Soulsborne" game. In my opinion, it only managed to elevate the formula. And so, Elden Ring is a pretty great game. Though, as with any Soulsborne game, it's not for everyone. The game mechanics are tightly tuned. Combat feels good and responsive. The game also adds a dedicated jump button, which is welcome, especially when navigating environments. There's also a mount with a double-jump. The stats and weapons maintain that From Software magic where one or two increases can feel like a big boost. Enemies are varied and can go from threatening to routine as you become accustomed to their patterns and increase your capabilities. This is one of the hallmarks of From Software's games, and it's here in full force. One of the other pillars in my mind is the level design. Previous Soulsborne games are known for winding and weaving areas that interlock and curl back