Elden Ring - Xbox Series X

As a long time Souls fan, seeing the developers step away from dungeon crawl level design to open world was cause for worry, but they've translated their gameplay loop into a marvelous journey.VISUALS:-Stunning art design supported by very strong graphics and even better animations. The locations and scenery are varied while retaining a cohesive fantasy feel.AUDIO:-World music evokes a powerful fantasy atmosphere, while dedicated boss music sticks to what they know, meaning some of the most incredibly composed pieces of music in modern gaming. Sound design is well mixed, has umph, and utilizes the entire sound spectrum.GAMEPLAY:-The tried and true Souls mechanics with light modifications and advancements leaves for the best feeling title FromSoft has ever created. On top of implementing a portion of all of their previous games, they've given new ways for player expression. Class diversity is the highest its ever been, enemy types are diverse, boss roster is gigantic. Elden Ring also offers glimpses of their previous games gameplay loop through their dungeons and catacombs. The sense of adventure and discovery is also cultivated through a brilliantly designed open world.STORY:-While this wont impress the average gamer, their minimalist story telling is cryptic and feels like a narrative from the NES era. However, this is the best delivered story they've made, giving the right amount of backstory while leaving just enough for imagination to connect the dots.OVERALL:-Fantastic fantasy adventure, while I haven't completed the game yet, I've played 70 hours and still haven't discovered all of the world or main bosses. Thanks to the devs attention on managing player stress, this has been the most enjoyable title they've ever released, and will remain enjoyable for years to come.

I originally posted this review on the Elden Ring Steam page 11/25/22, since I also bought it there. But I beat it on XBOX first so adding the review here----Been here since the first demons souls on PS3. Blown away they managed a open world to the level they achieved in Elden Ring. Very little slowdown when traversing the huge world. The horse travel is welcomed, and very necessary for both combat and tactical retreat.Combat feels like Demons and Dark Souls, tweaked a bit. If you've played any of these, you'll fit right in. Block, attack, attack. Use a shield, or not, just dodge. Dual weild, sure. Weighing less you can roll farther. Over encumbered, you'll manage a thudding bounce. But...Newly added are the jump ability and horse combat. No more low horizontal running jump from dark souls here. You can jump reasonably high for someone in bulky heavy armor.The difficulty is a point of contention here. There is the option for using spirits (in single player) to help you in certain areas, mostly bosses. Generally, the spirits won't turn the tide too dramatically unless powered up. Certain spirits are rather strong thought. But if they tank for you, they can help be targets for the boss while giving you breathing room. That's not present in older titles. But having help for bosses by summoning phantoms is also optionalIn Elden Ring, I'd argue the biggest differences in difficulty, are the ability to fast travel outright, the open world itself, and the horse to escape dangerous spots. Before, you had linear paths, and not a open world to bypass sections/bosses entirely. Being able to fast travel right away is also in the players favor. These are the biggest benefits in Elden Ring. IMO, it's really impossible to lose runes since you can escape to safety easily.All in all, this games is worth checking out. Take the tips from a veteran and you'll get through Elden Ring (somewhat) easily

This is first game in years tht made have tht feeling of can't waiting to play game once I get done with work or whatever I'm doing. Tht feeling u would get as a kid waiting to play a good game u love while ar school or helping with chores or gone from home on vacation or something. Amazing game. I'm 41 now and got my new crimas of 1998. Been a gamer ever since. So yea. If he on the fence , jst buy it. Epic game. I beat base game and dlc. Freaking amazing. Can't wait for a part 2!!!!!!! Ran great on my series x!!!!

Being a child in 1978, growing up playing console , arcade and computer games for over 40 years- I have had a "favorite" or "Best Game of All Time" in my head for a long while now. I am not a competitive gamer, but I am a fervent fan of the games I love. Since 1995, my answer has always been Star Control 2 - on 3DO. Best game for so many reasons I could talk about for hours. In all 27 years since, some games have come close to taking it's place - like Dark Souls, Fallout New Vegas, the Elder Scrolls series, World of Warcraft, Diablo and so on. This one though ? All I can say, is for every dollar I paid, I got at least $20 worth of fun, excitement, frustration and thrills out of it . I love this game, and think it might be some time before I play a game that is so full of moments of elation from overcoming challenges, discovering new areas and items - or just feeling driven to explore and experience discovery for so many hours. This game would draw me in after 20 minutes and then it would be 6 hours later before I even knew it. I hope FromSoftware can put out a game that surpasses this one in the future, and I hope other companies will learn from them on how to make games enjoyable , not through holding your hand- but by letting you find your own way.

I saved money buying this on Amazon. It was on sale at the time. I like the game so far. There is no real guidance though you have to figure it out.