Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin Rant: Crown of the Sunken King (Part II)

The boss fight in this DLC is shit. I said it and I’m not polite about it. In fact, the DLC is not mage friendly. I had to reallocate my stats to equip the right weapon to defeat Elana the Squalid Queen. Finally beat her after pulling a few hair strands from my head (don’t worry it will grow back. I hope!).

What was my tactic? Well, I farmed at Lair of the Imperfect bonfire for Petrified Dragon Bone to upgrade the Drakeblood Greatsword to +5. The beasts down there drop about 1700 souls. However, equipping Covetous Silver Serpent Ring will yield more souls. I used the extra souls to level up STR (strength) and DEX (dexterity). Summoned 2 NPCs for the boss fight. One died in the name of being a tank. Equipped gear with high dark magic defense. Regardless, no easy battle and we did it! I mean me and my imaginary friends. But I sure feel like a noob in this area.

We did it!

My character is currently level 157. Yes way too high (haven’t beat the game yet). Got side tracked tinkering things around. Then I realized I’m not making progress. I learned it’s not so much about strategy or timing in this level. The enemies just have high defense. There is a mob of them purposely gaining up on you and mind you better have high resistant to poison. This DLC is purposely hard for hard sake and I don’t really like it.

Trying to get down to the boss fight

If you have played Dark Souls II on PS3 and did not purchase the DLC, I would just leave it as it is when the credits start rolling unless you are into the lore and playing for difficulty’s sake. I like to make progress and not get stalled and mainly play this game for artistic exploration. You know like opening an adventure book and reading it except my imagination is limited so I need real visuals to appreciate the fantasy. Dark Souls franchise hit the spot for me. Sadly, I am going to put this game aside even though I have two more DLCs to clear. But then…the ice levels are always my favorite in video games. I can’t just move on. Just look how cool it is? My inner child, is beckoning me to come play with her. So, I just can’t say GOODBYE!!!

Rambling on Why My Video Games Backlog is Small

Did you take advantage of the holiday sale? When I buy games I feel as if I am putting more debt on my list of things to complete and then I feel paralyzed that I ended up not playing games at all. I am hear to tell you my secret on why my gaming backlog is small. Of course, I am not hear to lecture you and make you feel bad if you are the type who can’t resist a good sale. I always get shocked hearing from other gamers that they still have their games unopened, still in shrink-wrap. I wonder if you will ever play the game? Or you just trying to show of your gaming collection? Would you lend me your games so I don’t have to spend money on it? HAHA J.K J.K (not really lol).

The good thing about buying video game one at a time is that you don’t feel pressured to conquer your backlog. In fact, it’s more fun to take the time to enjoy it slowly. The same thing can be said about food. But I think my guilt stems from the fact my mom used to scold me on how I can’t eat video games after she found out I used up all my saved allowance to buy games instead of food. Back then, my mom wanted to teach us responsibility but also give us the freedom to make purchase on things we want. Was it a good idea? I believe so.

Of course I am no angel. I have a bad habit of buying games to complete a game series I enjoyed in the past. Then I realized I get burnt out easily, playing games back to back. I have tried making a list of games and I have finished the game only to be left disappointed. Why force yourself to play a game you don’t like? What is there to prove?????????!!!!!!!!!! Okay, in life we can’t always win. That’s a fact. I confess and now my stress level has decreased which means I can concentrate on one game at a time. Or if I feel overwhelmed with my backlogs, I’ll just hand over the controller to my gaming assistant: Halsdoll’s teddy bear.

Yes, in the picture, it’s Dark Souls‘ case that you are seeing. Halsdoll’s teddy bear is a very skilled gamer. 🙂

Well that’s it for now. Enjoy your game at your own pace. Until next time, bye bye.

Movies Become Games and RPGs become Series

This is more like a ranting post…I know I don’t hold popular opinions but I am going to speak my mind anyway.

I wonder if it is just me or I am going crazy. After I finished watching #Alive, a Korean horror zombie movie, I can’t help but feel as if I just watched someone played survival horror game. It’s weird. Then you have all these RPGs shows such as Dragon Dogma and the Witcher turning into series. It made me think, wow they really want to milk people out of their pocket and reach to wider audience. In fact, my co-worker who told me that gaming is a waste of time said he watched a really good series called the Witcher. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anger–when I replied to him politely that it’s actually based on a video game which was based on a novel. In fact even Stranger’s Thing, a popular show was inspired by Silent Hill and Silent Hill was inspired by a book. Video games and movies are interchangeable; it’s just the way how it is consumed that distinguish the two apart. To be frank though, (don’t throw eggs at me now for being a literature snob) great story comes from great books and then it takes shift and form into other mediums to reach wider audience, hence it’s why movies seem to be the popular route if you want to make big money.

That’s why I am not really a fan of cinematic games. It destroys a lot of creativity in the making of games. These days I find myself playing solitaire! What’s the point of playing if I can watch? When Last of US II came out, I didn’t even bother purchasing it. From my first experience with the first game, (click on the link for my review) it left me a neutral taste. If you want to play a good survival horror game, just stick to Resident Evil series. They are the master at it. In fact I think I just convinced myself to go kill some zombies now. Bye Bye now.