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Writing on Games
United Kingdom
Registrace 28. 06. 2015
In-depth analysis and opinion pieces on games, their designs and their narratives.
Elden Ring's DLC is SO Much Bigger Than You Think (Shadow of the Erdtree Review)
A spoiler-free review/analysis of Shadow of the Erdtree-an experience so vast that to call it DLC legitimately feels like a mistake. This might as well be Elden Ring 2.
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Elden Ring's much anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, marks the first time I've been able to review a new Souls-adjacent game in over eight years. When I reviewed Dark Souls 3, I asserted that thanks to the high difficulty of these games, reviewing them can be a stressful experience. In the case of Shadow of the Erdtree, the difficulty is that the DLC is so ridiculously vast and dense with things to uncover, that trying to talk about the game while maintaining that purity of experience for you as a player is difficult. All this to say, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is bigger than most games (it feels about as big as the entirety of the original Dark Souls), and it's an unbelievably special experience to boot. In this review/analysis, let's talk about Shadow of the Erdtree!
This review is spoiler-free-in order to ensure this, I only included footage from the two early areas that were already featured in the preview. Trust me, that's only scratching the surface.
Review code provided by Bandai Namco
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Reviewing Souls games is weird
1:30 - Maintaining the mystery of Erdtree
2:43 - The enemies aren't what makes Erdtree difficult
4:25 - The artistry of the shadow realm
6:57 - Erdtree's world is difficult to navigate
8:30 - The shifting purpose of the map
10:21 - The perils of the Souls Content Industry
12:25 - Outro
---
Animated text intro by Isaac Holland - drazgames
#eldenring #shadowoftheerdtree
Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html
---
Elden Ring's much anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, marks the first time I've been able to review a new Souls-adjacent game in over eight years. When I reviewed Dark Souls 3, I asserted that thanks to the high difficulty of these games, reviewing them can be a stressful experience. In the case of Shadow of the Erdtree, the difficulty is that the DLC is so ridiculously vast and dense with things to uncover, that trying to talk about the game while maintaining that purity of experience for you as a player is difficult. All this to say, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is bigger than most games (it feels about as big as the entirety of the original Dark Souls), and it's an unbelievably special experience to boot. In this review/analysis, let's talk about Shadow of the Erdtree!
This review is spoiler-free-in order to ensure this, I only included footage from the two early areas that were already featured in the preview. Trust me, that's only scratching the surface.
Review code provided by Bandai Namco
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Reviewing Souls games is weird
1:30 - Maintaining the mystery of Erdtree
2:43 - The enemies aren't what makes Erdtree difficult
4:25 - The artistry of the shadow realm
6:57 - Erdtree's world is difficult to navigate
8:30 - The shifting purpose of the map
10:21 - The perils of the Souls Content Industry
12:25 - Outro
---
Animated text intro by Isaac Holland - drazgames
#eldenring #shadowoftheerdtree
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Video
I Played Three Hours of Elden Ring’s DLC, and I Have Thoughts
zhlédnutí 25KPřed 21 dnem
I recently got to play Elden Ring's upcoming DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, for three hours at an event in Paris. Here's my analysis of what I got my hands on, and why no preview of something so dauntingly huge can be fully comprehensive. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html ...
The Games Industry Is Completely Broken, and This Is Why
zhlédnutí 116KPřed měsícem
With news of Microsoft closing Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks (makers of much loved Hi-Fi Rush), it's clear the previous markers of success don't apply. When studios aren't safe even when they make a hit, something is deeply, deeply wrong. Apologies to Hbomberguy for ripping off the title format. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast ...
Stellar Blade is a Wonderful Mess (Review/Analysis)
zhlédnutí 48KPřed 2 měsíci
In this review/analysis of Stellar Blade (PS5) I discuss how, despite some frustrations, they just don't make games like this anymore, man. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html Early review code provided by PlayStation. Stellar Blade is a game I had zero expectations for, ...
this film is a game (and not the one you think)
zhlédnutí 16KPřed 2 měsíci
Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat depending on your geographic location) has a genre problem. It was frequently described as the "ultimate video game film" upon its release in 2014, thanks to its sci-fi military action and a plot revolving around a respawning Tom Cruise-like the futuristic Call of Duty or Battlefield games. Upon closer analysis of its mechanics and systems though... is this ...
Why "Perfect" Games Are Boring
zhlédnutí 31KPřed 2 měsíci
People have been complaining about the imperfections and inefficiencies of Dragon's Dogma 2. I think the way we talk about games as a medium is weird. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html With the recent release of Dragon's Dogma 2, I've seen a lot of talk of required "opt...
How Helldivers 2 Turned Starship Troopers Into a Game (Analysis)
zhlédnutí 34KPřed 3 měsíci
An analysis of the ludicrously popular Helldivers 2, which takes more from Paul Verhoeven's seminal film Starship Troopers than you might expect. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html Review code provided by PlayStation. In Helldivers 2, if you're able to get past the dread...
The Success (and Failure) of Tekken 8's Story
zhlédnutí 70KPřed 5 měsíci
Tekken 8 is an incredible game. Its story mode, The Dark Awakens is... interesting. Let's talk about its successes and failures in this Tekken 8 review/analysis! Thanks to Bandai Namco for the early review code. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html I am on the record as be...
The Writing on Games 'Top Five Games of 2023' List
zhlédnutí 37KPřed 5 měsíci
It's the ninth annual Writing on Games Game of the Year Awards! Join me as I review the 2023 that was and analyse my favourites of the year. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html I imagine every game of the year list is going to start with some variation on "it was an incre...
Like a Dragon Gaiden Says Farewell To Kiryu Kazuma (Analysis)
zhlédnutí 19KPřed 6 měsíci
Well, not literally... yet anyway. An analysis of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, identity, and how it represents the point at which Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is finally ready to say goodbye to Kiryu Kazuma as the face of the long-running franchise. Spoilers for Yakuza 6, but if you've played Gaiden you've already had 6 spoiled for you. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/wr...
Hey Buddy, Where Have All The Videos Gone?
zhlédnutí 18KPřed 6 měsíci
By this point in the year, I've usually released around 22 videos. This year, that number is down to a measly, a pitiful... 15! What's the deal? Is this THE END?! Nah, it's actually kind of the opposite. Let's talk about in this long overdue channel update! Long story short-blame Ace Combat. Get access to two hours of fully scripted, fully produced videos exclusive to Patreon, at whatever level...
Alan Wake: Finding the Good Within the Bad
zhlédnutí 25KPřed 7 měsíci
An analysis of why I love Alan Wake, despite hating actually playing it. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html Potential spoilers for the first Alan Wake. No spoilers for Alan Wake 2. Alan Wake, as a story, absolutely rocks. As a gameplay experience, I struggle to think of ...
Spider-Man 2 Is Far From Perfect (Review)
zhlédnutí 115KPřed 8 měsíci
Spider-Man 2 review code provided by PlayStation. Spider-Man 2 is receiving near-universal praise, and while I enjoyed my time with the game a whole lot, I'm holding it to a high standard here-that of its 2018 predecessor. Buckle up for a more critical review than most. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/ch...
How STARFIELD Made Me Miss The Bugs of FALLOUT
zhlédnutí 20KPřed 9 měsíci
I didn't hate Starfield. I didn't even dislike it really. It just made me feel nothing, which might be the most damning indictment of all. Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames Podcast - anchor.fm/writingongamescast Second Channel - czcams.com/channels/1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A.html A lot has been made of the notion that Starfield is Bethesda's least buggy game to date, which is...
Bethesda's Intro Problem Is Getting Worse With Starfield
zhlédnutí 40KPřed 9 měsíci
It's typical now that the slow, restrictive intros to Bethesda RPGs like Skyrim and Fallout fail to convey the spirit of grand, open-ended adventure inherent to their massive worlds. With Starfield, their space-faring RPG, it would seem this intro problem is getting worse, not better. Let's talk about it in this Starfield analysis. Bethesda sent over code for the premium edition of Starfield wh...
How Save Scumming Makes Baldur's Gate 3 Better ⁽ᶠᵒʳ ᵐᵉ⁾
zhlédnutí 20KPřed 9 měsíci
How Save Scumming Makes Baldur's Gate 3 Better ⁽ᶠᵒʳ ᵐᵉ⁾
A Personal, In-Depth Review of Armored Core 6
zhlédnutí 89KPřed 10 měsíci
A Personal, In-Depth Review of Armored Core 6
Armored Core 6: The In-Depth, Four-Hour, HANDS-ON Preview
zhlédnutí 69KPřed 11 měsíci
Armored Core 6: The In-Depth, Four-Hour, HANDS-ON Preview
Why I Enjoy Horizon Forbidden West, Despite Itself
zhlédnutí 26KPřed rokem
Why I Enjoy Horizon Forbidden West, Despite Itself
The System Shock Remake is a Must-Play (Sponsored)
zhlédnutí 19KPřed rokem
The System Shock Remake is a Must-Play (Sponsored)
Why Tears of the Kingdom is DEEPER Than You Think (Examining The Depths)
zhlédnutí 160KPřed rokem
Why Tears of the Kingdom is DEEPER Than You Think (Examining The Depths)
Why Tears of the Kingdom's Empty Space is So Important
zhlédnutí 68KPřed rokem
Why Tears of the Kingdom's Empty Space is So Important
How Resident Evil 4 Brings Out the Horror of John Wick
zhlédnutí 37KPřed rokem
How Resident Evil 4 Brings Out the Horror of John Wick
The Armored Core Series: A Newcomer's Journey
zhlédnutí 780KPřed rokem
The Armored Core Series: A Newcomer's Journey
Forspoken (Review): This is a MESS... and I can't tell if I like it
zhlédnutí 69KPřed rokem
Forspoken (Review): This is a MESS... and I can't tell if I like it
The Writing on Games 'Top Five Games of 2022' List
zhlédnutí 47KPřed rokem
The Writing on Games 'Top Five Games of 2022' List
God of War Ragnarok's Twist Changes Everything (Analysis)
zhlédnutí 21KPřed rokem
God of War Ragnarok's Twist Changes Everything (Analysis)
God of War Ragnarok (Review): The PS5's Biggest Epic to Date
zhlédnutí 39KPřed rokem
God of War Ragnarok (Review): The PS5's Biggest Epic to Date
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a Big, Dumb Mess
zhlédnutí 51KPřed rokem
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a Big, Dumb Mess
You're not too old for fortnite. Been playing since 2017 (am almost 20 now) and you really just need to learn the game and try and improve and over time you too can do that as your cousin, as far as you have time for that
I'm amazed by how good this DLC is, wtf, I'm never impressed, holy fuck.
I love the setting of these games but I wish they'd made that RTS they canceled because I can't stand platformers, the gameplay in this is just not my cup of tea, it's a shame too because it doesn't seem incompetently made either
Corporations expects analytically leapfroging momentum not perspectional one, matter of nuance and interests on over perspectional interceptions are not market king makers, silicon valley moto : competition for losers.
Kids, Nihilism is bad, not cool. Just run from it.
The sheer fact that there are around the same amount of bosses as DS 1 and the map is gigantic and just as layered as Lordran is insane to me. This "DLC" is an entirely new game that Fromsoft lovingly added into the base game. My god this game is amazing.
Every From Software game has a different purpose. Dark Souls is a game about persistence and strategy to overcome the challenges. Elden Ring is an adventure game. Most like Zelda, you explore and gather resources to further your adventures throughout this beautiful world they've created.
I’ve been playing ds3 and so far I disagree there very different boss styles and on taking on a tactical general type fighting style and the other a warrior style that requires fast reaction time and they end up feeling very different one makes a fight feel like a duel and one a dance
Its kind of hilarious how no one in the game acknowledges how beautiful EVE is. The only exception being Roxanne who creeps EVE out.
Sekiro is still the best
We got Elden Ring 2
No hate at all, but the comparison regarding the size of Elden Ring’s DLC to that of the Witcher 3 is very misrepresenting. They are both perfectly sculpted to do 2 completely different things. Erdtree is more Elden Ring. It’s a very beautiful and vast world that is primarily a combat experience with bits of story told throughout the world. Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are stories, the voice acting and quest crafting in B&W alone is massive and so is the explorable world. Two very different concepts, I believe to be nearly equal in scope and quality.
She is gorgeous and gives you ambition to dress her up. Hunt cans and nano suits.
song list pls
Excellent video.
Fantastic script, as always!
Ya but Dark Souls original had a way better world layout and design. It's intricate crisscrossing was fantastic. Elden Ring and the DLC in general are the largest "souls games" to date but 90% of it is open world, with too many catacomb "dungeons" and then you have the few standard "dungeons" where main bosses are. I wouldn't really classify it as bigger. The original game's illusion of scale was more impressive in my opinion. Even if objectively it was a shorter game.
i just started it yesterday.. the amount of area to explore is huge with much of it being multi-levelled terrain.. eg. caverns, valleys and multi storey castles so its always much bigger than it looks..
when I was a kid I was told that gaming is for losers and I resented that sentiment. now the state of the gaming industry is totally different, and the more I look around the more I see how much of a shitshow mainstream gaming has become which only justifies their sentiment. the only reason why it's that way is because people keep buying games that run the industry into the ground. if nobody bought their games they would have no choice but to change what they're doing, it's that simple. it's time we either start boycotting things we don't like or shut the fuck up. too often do I see people complaining about things they contribute to by continually buying into things that turn out to be shit because they couldn't wait. that's the consumer mentality at play, the coomer consumer ejaculating over false promises and false claims because they thought something would be neat at the idea level when in reality they're just baiting you into blowing your idealistic load over a bunch of nonsense when you know damn well the won't deliver but they don't care because they know they can get you going just like that and they'll do it year after year until you either stop or keel over, and by then it will be too late because a whole new batch of consumers will take your place and they will repeat your failures because you refused to abstain from the coomer consumer lifestyle and thus the cycle repeats ad nauseam.
Unreal Engine and Unity have made their engines so intuitive that now you and your friends can make a video game in your spare time. Everyone grab your closest friends. Chip in for an amazing desktop PC with a 4090, an I9 (14th Gen) and 128 GBs of DDR5 RAM. Set up one profile that will be used to run unreal Engine (Unity had a higher cost) and set up remote software for your friends to log in.ake sure everyone has different work to do so you don't walk all over each other when logged in using multiple sessions for the same account and build a video game. Build your dream game. When you have a playable product start an LLC to limit the amount of taxes you have to pay. Them go to crowed funding platforms and show off your product and ask for funding so you can market the game and pay attorneys for the copywrite filings and work. Let me give you a hint about how lucrative this is. A guy and his wife made a video game where the player just runs around taking photos of amazing digital scenery. They made several million dollars off that game.Get your hustle back. Let's take advantage of these times and break these greedy publishers or publishers who are beholden to shareholders. We still have one free market out there. Let's fucking win!
Dont get manipulated by Trailers, ignore new 3A Title, only play Indie: 1 year later we will have good games again. They have to.
It's a lot of shit is what it is.
Honesly in terms of long term multiplayer I think DS3 was better than Elden Ring. They should really imporve the support for online play a bit disappointing with this in terms of the DLC update
It's very sad what's going to happen to hellblade 2, they made a huge mistake being an Xbox exclusive
The world is huge as is the damage output...
I have that kind of bad luck that I never really get to play the original games. I never played GTA 1 (started with 3), never played TLOU retail PS3 (started with the PS4 Remaster), never played Quake 1 (started with Counter-Strike), never played Unreal Tournament (both the very first and 1999, started with Unreal 1 and UT 2004), never played Tekken 1 on PS1 (started with 3), and the list goes on and on and on. The only game I really remember playing as the definitive first title was Half Life - after I played through HL2. Is that just my life now? lmao
I can't take you seripusly as a crotic sonce you think last of us 2 has good writing
Cold War campaign is soo corny
The mimic tear weirdos need to get gud at being better at life. Let people enjoy the game the way they want. Obviously the devs think it’s valid. Your opinion of what’s legit is irrelevant when they put the thing in their own game.
dont compare the elden ring dlc trash to dark souls 1 in any way please dark souls 1 is mater class game making elden ring dlc is the pile of garbage that builds up when a company starts making ltos of money!
Dark souls is shit 😅😅
@@Prawnsacrifice dark souls is a master peice and kicked of this whole franchise saying its shit is the dumbest statement any one playing a souls game could say lol!
@@roberonin7400Just Because It Came First Doesn’t Mean Its The Best. Like Man Are You A Adult? Lol Dark Souls Is The OG But This Is The Game It Could Have Been. You Should Be Happy It Became Bigger..Gate Keeping Is Weird & Not Something Gaming Needs.
@@PMKru Yes kid i am an adult and you should speack to you relders with more respect then just throwing indults and ciming to strange conclusions! dark souls is better for a multitude of reasons none of which are to do with the order of its creation! its not gate keeping of any kind stop repeating words you have heard and dont understand how to use!
I agree 💯 percent. From soft tried to make a game that basically forces multi-player and is open world to try to capitalize on that type of game since those games are very popular. Elden ring tried to do too much and ended up being just okay at everything instead of being good at a few things. Elden ring is far from being the magnum opus it is being held as. Elden ring is just as terrible as darks souls 1. I have played and beaten ds2 , ds3 and bloodborne ( I beat bloodborne with no summons or co op dlc included ) elden ring will never live up to the rest of the soulsborne games and that's a fact. Cope.
I keep throwing myself at these games since so many people I respect love them.. but still have yet to find one of them fun. The lack of communication about critical gameplay elements just drives me up the wall and ends up pissing me off, feeling like it's being obtuse, not challenging. Dying for hours trying to figure out how I'm f'ing up my timing on blocks/dodges/parries only to finally look at a wiki and be told those just don't work against that thing always felt like the opposite of fun.
It's called needless AAA Hollywood motion picture budgets, as well as making everything woke. Many of these companies are even coming and saying if people don't like the content, don't buy it. Well, many of us aren't, then they point the finger at white gamers and call them racist, taking zero responsibility for making a bad game or movie.
dope review and i appreciate you going into the substance but not the specifics to avoid spoilers ... i had work early this morning so i was online when it dropped last night .... but i had been helping many tarnished kill bosses over the past months to prep for the dlc (killed 5 mohg's already in t he spawn of 2 hours last night) but i was surprised to see people immediately asking for help on with dlc bosses on day 1 of the dlc being released..... people don't know how to enjoy something anymore at times
100% Agree. When I was younger, I played a lot of FFXI, which at the time had a lot of friction in the game world in relation to travel from place to place. As the player level and resources go up, the friction goes down, but it was still usually a bit of a hassle to get somewhere remote. You experience the wonder of strange new vast landscapes. Your first time, you may not have a map, or if you do, its a vague map. Its part of what made the experience memorable. It also cost you a lot of time and the game was extremely grindy.
Usually i am very critical of gaming journalists. Your opening statement had an underlaying concept that EVERY game reviewer should understand! Reviewing a video game is a VASTLY different process than playing it organically and finding your enjoyment over time while "getting good"! Great review and i cant wait to play Erdtree when i get home!
So the map is copy pasted into the DLC, but it's "darker"? yawn.
Been playing the DLC for 10 hours, can say that's bullshit.
@@supersbbrawl4ever I saw the same area where that ball rolls down the stairs
@@FordHoard Might as well say that a soldier in a castle is the same area.
@@supersbbrawl4ever You know what area I'm talking about.
@@FordHoard Lmaoooooooo, then say it rather than be cryptic, not gonna make you look good is it?
Thanks for not spoiling the magic that is exploring these games, 10/10 review
Love the video! Would really love to know what your build is? I’m wanting to run the 2 backwards blades as well!
Eh. It's not a big deal. The talented people will move to independent/smaller studios who make good indie or AA games. AAA will only be filled with yes men and the untalented people who lack any sense of independence and they will produce slop no one will buy. The AA will gain acclaim and talent and become the AAA studios of the next gen, and the cycle will begin again.
So pumped for this. When I can get to it in three weeks 😂
I played Elden Ring before ds1, and after completing both, ds1 is one of my favorite games. It's truely a masterpiece.
Ubisoft etc screaming into their pillows because a DLC for £30 reviews so much better than any game they've released in years (or ever).
Shadow of the DLC (get it, because it's big)..... I am in great pain.
Bethesda dlc sells gun for $7:00, adds lame questline... Todd Howard: "We've gone the extra mile" Fromsoft ware dlc is full game the quality of Elden Ring... Miyazaki:
What a time to be alive, gentlemen.
The writing in this review is absolutely top notch. Definitely painted a picture
I know you're embargoed, but couldn't you talk to others who were given early access? Since you and other have the early access, I think you would be able to talk to them since nothing is getting to the outside world.
The fact that you can have s3x with animals in baldurs gate means i will not be buying it. "But its not an animal bro! Its just your druid form blah blah" Stfu idc. Its plot armor for beastiality that simple. Just like the little anime girls whos head is half the size of their body but in the story theyre adults YEA OKAY 👌
1 day boys, one day