Support NeoGAF

[ReaperXL7]

I think for me they have always been great. The issue that alot of people I think have always had with Software's games has been that they have not really been the types of games that are very easy to just pick up and play.

Armored Core for instance has always been pretty heavy in knowing exactly how to build a proper AC if you want to compete, story mode is not that hard, but competing against people who know what they are doing requires that you know aswell, because if not you won't stand a chance most of the time. Building a massive lumbering slow tank with a truck load of ammo will only get you so far, and if you don't know how to build and play as a feather you can be one shotted pretty easily.

Demon's Souls/Dark Soul's are similar in the fact that they are coming out at a time when many have never played a single game on anything prior to the PS2/Xbox or later. They are used to games holding their hands, never letting them really fail at something. So it's ends up being a stark contrast to everything else being made when their games require you to think, and learn from your mistakes, and be patient.

Many other devs have just evolved in the wrong ways, they make games based on focus groups which are not normally the brightest gamers and take that feedback as gospel. From sticks to it's guns and keeps on truckin, if you get on board it it can be great, but it's not a ride everyone will enjoy.

 

[Ratrat]

Fuck you op! From have made good games in the past. Also Ninja Blade.

 

[Kritz]

it's called port begging. i wonder why the master race can get away with it, nothing else.

Because all they fucking get are ports

 

[Orayn]

Because all they fucking get are ports

SHOTS FIRED!

Seriously, just drop it. Everyone.

 

[Conflict NZ]

I really enjoyed Enchanted Arms, one of the better JRPGs I've played.

 

[Kritz]

SHOTS FIRED!

No, seriously. Just drop it.

My solution was to just own everything and just run hdmi cables from my consoles into my monitors. The Witcher 2, D Souls and... Fable, all at once!

IT'S REAL TO ME, DAMN IT.

 

[Furoba]

Experience. They've been around for over 20 years.

King's Field -> Demon / Dark Souls
Armored Core -> Metal Wolf Chaos / Chromehounds

And, Otogi proved they could very well hold their own with an original IP.

 

[VeryGooster]

From Software is responsible for Tenchu Z, which was a mechanically crappy game as well as ugly but my lord did it become one of my favorite Xbox 360 games.

 

[Angelus Errare]

you 'Souls guys need to start paying your respect to Otogi.

You mean Kings Field right? Since Demon and Dark Souls are spiritual successors to that series.

Otogi has nothing in common with DS.

 

[Night_Trekker]

You mean Kings Field right? Since Demon and Dark Souls are spiritual successors to that series.

Otogi has nothing in common with DS.

The OP is asking when FS gained their talent, since their PS2 games were so shit (which is nonsense anyway). Otogi is one good example of the truth: they've always been talented.

 

[jj984jj]

One of the most talented? I don't know if I'd say that, they've always had their highs and lows for me.

 

[Angelus Errare]

The OP is asking when FS gained their talent, since their PS2 games were so shit (which is nonsense anyway). Otogi is one good example of the truth: they've always been talented.

Ah, my mistake.

 

[Laughing Banana]

it's called port begging. i wonder why the master race can get away with it, nothing else.

...You wonder?

 

[Card Boy]

when they started selling their souls

Or when they found their souls

 

[sleepykyo]

Ctrl+F "Lost Kingdoms"
Only 2 results

Better than I expected, but still slightly disappointed. I played the hell out of both of those games on the Gamecube.

They made Lost Kingdoms?

In that case most talented is stretching it. But, between Lost Kingdoms on the GC, Ninja Blade and the DSs, easily one of the best not quite prime time developers.

 

[Hellsing321]

They've always been good. They just have way more exposure now thanks to better publishers and the internet.

 

[ivysaur12]

Lost Kingdoms II and Otogi were damn good games.

 

[Gattsu25]

Remember their awful ps2 titles: evergrace, eternal ring, kings field ancient city. (yes I played them, not beaten them, but played them for a weekend back then)

How can I take the rest of your post seriously after you say that? Those games were fantastic!


They've always been a great hardcore niche developer. It's not just the DS games. The Armored Core games got *really* fun from AC3 -- Tenchu Z is a great game from this gen that is very under appreciated -- Otogi 2 was one of the best games on the 1st XBox -- and on and on.

They're probably my favorite console-only development studios and are definitely the only Japanese devs that I still trust.

 

[bangai-o]

on the subject of Otogi, the soundtrack is amazing. Before i started looking it up on youtube, i recalled it almost sounding like Curse of the Golden Flower.

the Xbox Otogi wiki does not say who composed the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyjVmC0_OWw&feature=related

and here is the first stage that came to mind when i started thinking of the sequel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzEW2CY99mo

 

[IrishNinja]

No, sorry, I love Dark Souls but the game does run like garbage in

Spoiler

Blighttown, New Londo Ruins, Some spots in the tutorial area

and a few other places, from what I've experienced.

And I'm sorry, we're supposed to point fingers at ourselves for noticing things? Not say "hey guys, great game and all but the performance is a little wacky in places?" I fucking love Souls but you're one hell of a fan if you think that's solid logic.

From Software makes a lot of mediocre games, too. Like I said: Ideas studio. Lord knows we need more people like them, but let's not blow smoke up our asses.

well, at least you said sorry.

and that's clearly not what i said: expecting the same polish from a small dev and a AAA studio makes as much sense as holding Dragon Age II and Witcher 2 under the same microscope, though that ironically still puts out the little guy far, far ahead.

notice things all you want, i'm saying if you expect a Grasshopper game to be as polished as a title by EAD, i think it's reasonable to say its your own fault for not understanding the strengths and weaknesses of development teams.

also, i tend to agree with your overall list of their titles, for the ones ive played (never did get Otogi). id personally rate 3D dot a bit higher, but i'm hugely biased for old-school zelda, so straight aping it worked for me, heh (though ironically i didnt get into Golden Axe Warrior or Alundra in the day).

ps port begging is normally weak, but i too would love to see say Demons Souls go PC just for framerate, legacy servers and you know, Castlevania mods.

 

[RooMHM]

They're an ideas studio - sometimes they can get their ideas out there, sometimes they stumble in the execution.

Funny that this is what every studio should be. Thanks for mentionning how 95% of developers are just recycling their shit without any ideas making them irrelevant.

it's called port begging. i wonder why the master race can get away with it, nothing else.

The Souls games are PC games by their very structure and by their target demographic. They're hard, deep, unforgiving, the gameplay is quite unflexible and rigid... Those games are very far from JRPG's, they are like the old WRPG except in third person. Hell it's like a knights, warriors simulation like Mount & Blade is. Souls games are PC games, hence the legitimity to want them on their true platform.

 

[Riposte]

The Souls games are PC games by their very structure and by their target demographic. They're hard, deep, unforgiving, the gameplay is quite unflexible and rigid... Those games are very far from JRPG's, they are like the old WRPG except in third person. Hell it's like a knights, warriors simulation like Mount & Blade is. Souls games are PC games, hence the legitimity to want them on their true platform.

lol so delusional. "Souls" is as far from WRPGs as they are JRPGs. You could just as easily attribute their unforgiving qualities to arcade games or Japanese action game design(which actually make sense since From Software makes harsh Japanese action games).

Also BigJiantRobut hasn't played many From software titles it seems and his definition of poor "execution" isn't worth considering looking at even a few of his examples.

EDIT: Also Dark Souls is anti-quicksaves. "PC games by their very structure" my ass.

EDIT: Also saying Dark Souls is like Mount & Blade because they both have knights... how shitty can one post be?

 

[Femmeworth]

Most talented? I don't know about that. I would say they are solid.

 

[LiK]

you 'Souls guys need to start paying your respect to Otogi.

Came to post this. Otogi was fuckin' BOSS.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

From Software made me realise a JRPG could be good.

Well, them and Paper Mario.

That's one of the most impressive things you can do for me.

 

[Clear]

Otogi2 is one of the very best games on the original XBOX, shamefully overlooked.

Stunning art-direction, the final confrontation with the nine-tailed fox is as visually impressive as anything of its generation.

 

[The_Monk]

If they were good they would put their games on PC.

Also I never heard of them >.<;

Did those ps2 games even come out in the west? I never even heard of those....

:O

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

They have made plenty of good games that aren't part of the Souls series.

Otogi 1/2, Ninja Blade, Chromehounds,Armored Core:Last Raven, Lost Kingdoms, Echo Night: Beyond,the PS2 Another Century Episode's games, Enchanted Arms, and I hear Metal Wolf Chaos is good. And I like these games over the Soul games.

They were always a good developer. This talent just did come out of nowhere.

Qft.

And this is coming from someone who just doesn't give about a crap about dark souls or demon souls.

Give me a ninja blade sequel with less qtes.

 

[Betta Lines]

If they were good they would put their games on PC.

I don't even

 

[Hunter-Zero]

Duh, From Software IS a great developer, since...always.

 

[daebo]

You know, I came to post about chromehounds and the other listed... and it dawned on me... I've had more fun playing From Software games this generation than I have from Square Enix, Capcom, Bioware, EA, etc... I've played and enjoyed more games from them. Are the game perfect? God no. But I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy them all.

 

[Atolm]

We need Otogi 3.

 

[locomotic]

They were talented since King's Field, and especially talented with the release of Shadow Tower. The first Armored Core, the only one I played, was pretty good too.

 

[Mr Touchdown]

Came to say Otogi 1 & 2 were spectacles of amazing. They should do another one.

Don't like the Souls series, though I appreciate what it is for the most part.

 

[Dunan]

Anyone know where the company got their name?

Using a common English preposition as their company name is just begging for confusion, particularly when people on the internet sometimes don't capitalize proper nouns (sorry, OP; didn't mean to pick on you).

Demon's Souls is amazing, but I wish From Software were called something else.

 

[Label]

"run like garbage" is borderline trollish

Not when the game very often drops down to 16FPS.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Lost Kingdoms II and Otogi were damn good games.

I hope there's a Lost Kingdoms III in the works. I really do. Love the Lost Kingdoms series.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Demon's Souls is great but Armored Core was the shit back in the day. They've always put out pretty decent games IMO (at least the ones I've played) ... I think DS is just the culmination of years in the business.

 

[Aguirre]

Not when the game very often drops down to 16FPS.

pc games have been doing that for decades

 

[IrishNinja]

Not when the game very often drops down to 16FPS.

so uh, how do you feel about SOTC, for one? lots of games do this. me, i wanna say i only notice the bad drops when rolling into multiple things or getting mobbed. feels like a tradition after Demons Souls, heh.

 

[Paracelsus]

so uh, how do you feel about SOTC, for one? lots of games do this. me, i wanna say i only notice the bad drops when rolling into multiple things or getting mobbed. feels like a tradition after Demons Souls, heh.

I don't know about him but I honestly feel like the PS2 version was deleted from history and SoTC is a brand new PS3 game.

 

[LiK]

I forgot they made Enchanted Arms. Great JRPG, just remember to play with the Japanese voices. Way better. Full 1000 points.

 

[ultron87]

More Otogi! Now!

so uh, how do you feel about SOTC, for one? lots of games do this. me, i wanna say i only notice the bad drops when rolling into multiple things or getting mobbed. feels like a tradition after Demons Souls, heh.

Lots of people also said SOTC ran like trash. Because it was true.

 

[Red Liquorice]

3D Dot Game Heroes!!

Reply #19! It took to reply #19!

 

[Label]

pc games have been doing that for decades

Where did I state otherwise? I was just saying the comment was not trollish because it does run like crap.

so uh, how do you feel about SOTC, for one?

SOTC also runs like crap.

Am I saying these game are bad? No. I am simple stating their performance are sub-par.

For the record I am currently really enjoying Dark Souls and love the hell out of Demons Souls.

 

[ULTROS!]

I wasn't particularly fond of Demon's Souls but 3D Dot Game Heroes was OK. I'd say they aren't the best but they're better than before (due to Demon's Souls and Dark Souls).

If I'd list the most improved developers they'd be Atlus, Falcom, and From Software.

 

[Paracelsus]

I wasn't particularly fond of Demon's Souls but 3D Dot Game Heroes was OK. I'd say they aren't the best but they're better than before (due to Demon's Souls and Dark Souls).

If I'd list the most improved developers they'd be Atlus, Falcom, and From Software.

Falcom has been at that level since ever, From Software since the 128 bit era and...yeah, Atlus.

 

[SmokyDave]

Never played Otogi 2 but Otogi was mad annoying sometimes.

None shall pass, none shall pass, none shall pass, etc. Fuck off you aren't Gandalf.

Well done. I came in here and Ctrl+F'd 'None Shall Pass'.

NONE SHALL PASS.

'From' are awesome though.

We need Otogi 3.

Yes we do. On PC please.

 

[Gwanatu T]

Otogi and it's sequel on the original Xbox were unbelievable games. If you haven't played them, do yourself a favor and get them any way you can.

 

[Fersis]

its called learning

you dont just one day become good you know, you improve as you go. I dont know what youre asking here..

Exactly. For example: Diego Forlan got good by playing in Independiente here in Argentina.