Gaming

My first experience with Dark Souls 1 was a real test of patience. I hadn't realized how helpful the roll mechanic was. So there I was, from the start to the finish of the game, either blocking attacks with a shield, or just tanking them.

Once I got to Anor Londo, I remember kitting myself out in the Giants Armor, with a paired Giants Shield, and a Black Knight Sword that had been carrying me through the rest of the game. I was at something like 99.8% equip load, just enough that if I equipped a longbow, it put me in the over-encumbered slow walk.

And that's how I beat the game. Just tanking everything that came my way. I got up to Quelaag in NG+ before I had to call it quits.

During the run, the rooftop Gargoyles gave me enough grief that I had to put the game down for a couple weeks. Had I decided to just give up then, I imagine my opinion of the Souls-like genre would be quite different today.

In the Final Fantasy Legend (or "Makaitoushi SaGa" as it was called in Japan), I somehow managed to make it to the game's final boss without realizing the shops in the game sold more than three items per shop.

The game's shopping interface presented you with a list of items, three at a time, but there was no indication on the screen that the list was scrollable, so I thought that the list presented were all they sold. That meant I missed out on about 75% of the items in the game, including a few that turned out to be kind of important for the last boss fight.

Of course, I couldn't beat the last boss, and the only way to escape the last boss's lair was to use an item that was sold in late game stores, but was buried in the list of items, so I had to start the game again from the top.

Good user experience design is important in games.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I got to this part in the game where I absolutely could not beat a boss. Consulted IGN and learned that the only way to defeat her was to have some ability that was only gained at some prior point. Unfortunately I didn't have any save points prior to that, so the only way I would be able to defeat that boss would be to completely restart. I just kind of noped the game after that.

I'm currently playing Diablo IV and I generally refuse to use the healing stations and stat-boosting shrines scattered around the map. I guess I want to save them for later in case they don't respawn or something. I also don't know what the shrines do until/unless I hit them so I don't know if they're worth triggering or not. I'm getting by without them so far, so it's okay, maybe?

The latest dumb one for me was Sonic Frontiers.

As a Soulsborne veteran who's beat Malenia, I can admit I just never really got all that good at parrying and mostly avoid it. So when I saw Sonic Frontiers had a parry option move, I just kinda filed it away in the back of my mind and never did it, despite the fact that timing is inconsequential in that game and you will parry as long as you're holding the buttons to do so when the hit lands. I kludged my way forward all the way through to the third boss where it was mandatory and learned my mistake.

OK game, better than a lot lately, but still a 5/10 at best.

Tears of the Kingdom. I haven't finished it due to time, but still even now after many hours, I often overlook the use of Ascend. I have spent a lot of time climbing or building flying contraptions when I could have just ascended

In the game bug fables I missed that there was a badge shop in one of the starting areas. I played through most of the game without using any of those badges. You don't need them, but it's nice to have options

In Elden Ring, my first every playthrough, I got the Baldichin's Blessing basically immediately and played through the entire game with that nerf. It wasn't that bad though! Powerstance halberds for the win.

FF13, my comp could not beat the final boss.