Or: "A Tale of Two Patricks"
Welcome to Nerds Without Pants, new listeners and old! We’re missing Angelo this week, but we have a huge special guest named Patrick Klepek. You’ve heard of him, maybe? He’s here to talk about interesting game mechanics that we’d like to see exploited more often, and it’s sure to be an interesting episode. Enjoy!
Take the best parts of Dark Souls II, add in some clarity, mix with a smidge of higher difficulty, and voila!
Dark Souls 2 was a great game despite the overlapping positive/negative feelings from its fans. When the three-piece DLC pack was initially announced, I pondered if it was truly a great idea since expanding on closed cases can sometimes fray loose ends. Sure, Dark Souls 2 wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t as bad as some insisted either. With the scent of the Sunken Crown lingering in the air, I was poised to see how it would tie in to the original DS2 storyline, even while I feared that over-expansion could ruin what made it so great. Thankfully I was happy with what I was given.
Come see the preview trailer for the upcoming DLC packs releasing on July 22, August 26, and September 24.
The curse is real; now prepare to die over and over
Masochistic is a word often associated with the Souls games. Though they’re known to be incredibly difficult for anyone who may be new to the series, they’ve become only mildly challenging for veterans. However, Dark Souls II is no pushover, proving to be difficult as soon as the journey begins. Even in the most basic tutorial area, players will find death waiting for them. Whether you fall into a hole you overlooked or walk past an enemy who is able to catch up to you for an easy backstab, Dark Souls II isn’t afraid to kill you mercilessly. Although the game never feels cheap, it always finds a way to lure me into a well sprung trap in which I am ill-prepared for. Difficulty isn’t the only thing in which the Souls franchise is known for though, and Dark Souls II gives us another beautifully crafted world that’s perfectly ripe for exploration with rippling lore waiting to be uncovered and dissected.
Spoilers to be expected (he does run the whole critical path), but a great treat seeing the game conquered in under 2 hours if you've already made it through.
Well jeez, I wasn't prepared to die this much.
Like many other small gaming outlets, PixlBit didn't receive their copy of Dark Souls II until the Friday before the game's March 11 release. This didn't afford much time to play the game to meet embargo; however, that's no big deal, because it's affording other opportunities, like this article! Until resident Souls master Chris Yarger has time to crank out his review, I figured that I'd provide some initial impressions for those waiting with bated breath for PixlBit's review of From Software's latest masterpiece.
Let's try not to die (too often).
If you plan to venture through the lands of Dark Souls II, you’d best be prepared with the reflexes of a tiger and the survival skills of a Cub Scout troop leader. The adventure won’t be easy, but it can be made bearable with a few tips and tricks from the grandmaster himself (which is me, if you didn’t know). Throughout this gratuitously grandiose guide, I’ll be giving a few tips based on the environment and exploration, combat, items and item management, and online portions of the game, so grab a nice blanket and get comfortable, because this is going to be one hell of a ride!
Stay cool, bird boy!
It's 2014, and the Pantsless Ones are back! Well, Angelo and Patrick had to wear layers for this recording, as they were smack dab in the middle of BLIZZARD 2014(tm)!