Elden Ring Launch Edition (PS5)

Product Information

Art/Design: 10/10 - Epic world, Epic enemy design. Some legit make you uneasy. It feels like playing a Metal music video. Put on some Dio and fall into the cycle of death and destruction. Invasions have mostly remained the same, other than you can not invade someone who does not already have summoned aid. This is a massive improvement over previous games as there is no humanity/hollow/ember/whatever system in Elden Ring to worry about. You don’t need humanity to summon aid, you simply craft an item that needs 2 flowers to make. And these flowers are everywhere! The other feature worth mentioning (whilst not technically a multiplayer one), is that you also have the ability to collect and summon in-game spirits to help you with bosses and tougher areas. These spirits come in the form of enemies that you fight during the game. These are a great little boon if you are not so inclined to summon people to help you. It will also be incredibly beneficial in years to come when the servers start to thin out and the available online help dwindles. Try dozens of skills and find one to best suit your style. Practice stealth to avoid danger or catch enemies unaware. Use the environment, the weather, and the time of day to gain an advantage. Learn the art of combat , where you must read your enemy’s intentions and a well-timed dodge or parry could be the difference between life and death. Ride your steed into battle against mounted mercenaries and cut them from their horses. Master arcane spells from the masters that still linger among the ruins of the war. Summon familiar spirits to even the odds against you or call on your fellow Tarnished to fight at your side and share the burden as you explore. Or, delve into the complex, bloody history of the Shattering and discover the lost secrets of the Demigods and their kin. All these paths are possible, and more. You also get disconnected from your friend when you beat a boss or great enemy together. That's if you don't get a "disconnected from PlayStation network error." first.....even though you're using voice chat on the PlayStation network and it never drops out. The choice is yours. Do you crave power, or do you seek understanding? Decide for yourself, then build your character as you see fit.

As of today, I finally finished Elden Ring after putting a whopping 223 hours into the game. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like spending that much time on a game grants me the slightest bit of entitlement to consider myself a pretty fair judge on everything the game has to offer, so I’ll start with the positives, followed by the negatives, and I’ll try and note specifics along the way. I heard that sharp gasp! I know, I know! This is the most amazing game released in recent memory. But of course, every burning star casts a shadow somewhere. But the stars that are above us the highest, um, cast smaller shadows? *cough* terrible bit *cough* just go with it. On that note, the entire game feels like an upscaled PS2 unfinished indie game. Other than the thrill of exploration and the challenging bosses (both of which lose their charm 20 hours in) this game barely feels like a AAA title at all. It’s got more of a Euro Jank feel. Add to that the pure imbalance of the entire game, and after the first front loaded charm wears off, you’ll go from feeling like you’re having the time of your life, to doing everything you can to rush through the rest of the game so you can be done with it forever. Give me a few minutes to compose myself here. I am sure you have all seen by now the amazingly high scores and praise that Elden Ring has been receiving since its release. But you’ve also likely seen all the media slamming that has gone with it. I will come out right now and state that I have not finished the game at the time of writing this review. But I do have close to 100 hours of gameplay. And I have enjoyed every, single, damn, second.Next, not only do the graphics look two generations old, but the gameplay itself just screams PS2 indie RPG. Anyone expecting a story, or modern gameplay we’ve become accustomed to, should search elsewhere. Elden Ring (like all FromSoftware games) puts all their effort in epic boss fights, and forgets a game should tell a cohesive story. Nothing about Elden Ring is cohesive, and if you’re expecting a AAA story RPG, you’ll be massively disappointed. Having loved Bloodborne, I’m okay with FromSoftware’s lazy storytelling, but considering George RR Martin wrote such a lore heavy world for them, it’s absolutely unforgivable that their first attempt at an open world game requires you to read item descriptions for the slightest tidbit of information on the story, info that constantly contradicts itself and just never adds up. Traversing the world is a delight. The introduction of a noble steed to ride from point to point is both a very welcome addition to the SoulsBorne formula and a necessary one. The world is massive. And that therein lies why so many reviewers (including myself) did not finish the game completely before writing the review. Each area of the game is immense and holds many, many locations to delve into to explore, loot, and inevitably, die in. There are bosses waiting for you at the end of most of the caves and dungeons you’ll find scattered and hidden amongst the landscape. There are even some thrown into the world at random that will take you by surprise -which is an absolute heart-racing delight! This review is mostly a rant of advice and information for newcomers like myself. The top part is the real review. It is always a mix of fear and joy when you are casually slaying minions and a half-decayed, bizarrely proportioned, mutated bird-like creature climbs over a ruined building and shrieks at you. The “oh sh*t! oh sh*t!” moments are what really make these games shine. Jumping!

ENHANCED EXPERIENCE ON PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: Using the power of a new generation of consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, will allow player to personalise their experience by choosing between GRAPHIC MODE to enhance the game's visuals (up to 4K) To play this game on PS5, your system may need to be updated to the latest system software. Although this game is playable on PS5, some features available on PS4 may be absent. See PlayStation.com/bc for more details. Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands) may take longer to reach you. My last note on the game, is that FromSoftware seems to have some major issues realizing what makes their games great, mainly the exploration factor, and in their attempt to branch out to a wider audience with Elden Ring, they massively failed. We all love beating that challenging boss, but a few bosses in Elden Ring are outright egregious to take on, and require abusing the hell out of the devs overlooked items/weapons/cheeses etc that might make things just a tad easier, before it gets patched a week later because FromSoftware has either lost touch with what makes their games great, or more likely, they hide their failings as a developer by distracting us with difficult bosses, so we forget the fact that they can’t tell a story to save their lives, even when one of the world’s most famous authors wrote the story for them.Ultimately, your journey will be defined by the strength of your own ambition. The greater your goals, the greater the challenge will be. Should you choose to claim the Lands Between as your birthright then yes, you must fight. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. In the Lands Between ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal, the Elden Ring, the source of the Erdtree, has been shattered. Marika's offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring known as the Great Runes, and the mad taint of their newfound strength triggered a war: The Shattering. A war that meant abandonment by the Greater Will.

In the Lands Between ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal, the Elden Ring, the source of the Erdtree, has been shattered. WORLD EXPLORATION IN THE LANDS BETWEEN: ELDEN RING features vast fantastical landscapes and shadowy, complex dungeons that are connected seamlessly. In addition to multiplayer, where you can directly connect with other players and travel together, the game supports a unique asynchronous online element that allows you to feel the presence of others. MULTIPLAYER: Players will be able to enjoy their experience with other Tarnished in the LANDS BETWEEN by cooperating or invading other players' worlds. Players on PS4 and PS5 will be able to play on the same servers. The guidance of lost graces – should you find them - will put you on a road to re-take these lands from the Demigods through might and magic, but you need not follow their path.

Brandish the power of the ELDEN RING and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.

Here's my advice as someone who hated FromSoft games before playing Elden Ring(coming from a guy that rage quit Bloodborne 2 hours in). THIS IS A GAME OF ATTRITION. I have little patience and I'm very prone to rage if a game treats me unfairly or doesn't let me choose my playstyle. The learning curve alone is going to make you feel like the game is unfair. It's just a lot to learn if you're used to button mashing type games. You can't do that here. You need to learn timing and strategy to over come challenges.