From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

My son got it with his holiday money he's been saving, and of course I
get to try it since we're on family sharing. I probably spent more time fiddling with the graphics than actually playing. It's very
picturesque. My son had me try things to get it to work on 'cinnematic' settings, Originally I was hitting like 15 fps and brought it down to
'high' settings to get it to play, but it can use the DLSS, and got it
up to 24fps, but feels like it's enough with the extra generated frames.
This seems to be the first game that really can be beyond my rig.
Also felt very dark in the beginning so up with the gamma correction.
Of course the beginning is at night.

Game-play, I'm not far along, but it feels like a typical action AC type
game, only with a lot more people to talk to. You even get some weird
blocky simulation powers, which again hearkens to AC a bit, though it's
a bit more. Apparently no actual mages you can play, which is a mark
against it for me for a fantasy game. You're stuck as this one guy for
most of the game apparently but eventually can play an orc or a
woman-warrior.

I really hate walking, it feels so so slow, more like a catwalk saunter.
The people who annoy me when out moving like a sloth and blocking my
path. Unfortunately you have to play a short bit to unlock sprinting.

I haven't really felt the need to play it any more than those 3 hours.
If I'd actually bought it for myself I'd be very disappointed. Back to Bloodborne, though I'm stuck there on the last DLC boss. Maybe I'll
take it up after I finish, probably not though.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Mon, 6 Apr 2026 10:05:09 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
said this thing:

My son got it with his holiday money he's been saving, and of course I
get to try it since we're on family sharing. I probably spent more time >fiddling with the graphics than actually playing. It's very
picturesque. My son had me try things to get it to work on 'cinnematic' >settings, Originally I was hitting like 15 fps and brought it down to
'high' settings to get it to play, but it can use the DLSS, and got it
up to 24fps, but feels like it's enough with the extra generated frames.
This seems to be the first game that really can be beyond my rig.
Also felt very dark in the beginning so up with the gamma correction.
Of course the beginning is at night.

Game-play, I'm not far along, but it feels like a typical action AC type >game, only with a lot more people to talk to. You even get some weird >blocky simulation powers, which again hearkens to AC a bit, though it's
a bit more. Apparently no actual mages you can play, which is a mark >against it for me for a fantasy game. You're stuck as this one guy for
most of the game apparently but eventually can play an orc or a >woman-warrior.

I really hate walking, it feels so so slow, more like a catwalk saunter.
The people who annoy me when out moving like a sloth and blocking my
path. Unfortunately you have to play a short bit to unlock sprinting.

I haven't really felt the need to play it any more than those 3 hours.
If I'd actually bought it for myself I'd be very disappointed. Back to >Bloodborne, though I'm stuck there on the last DLC boss. Maybe I'll
take it up after I finish, probably not though.

Thanks for the quick review. I had somewhat reluctantly added "Crimson
Sun" to my wishlist; superficially, it seems like the sort of game I'd
enjoy, but everything I've seen about it (and a lot of reviews)
indicate it's a fairly generic open-world CRPG and your experiences
seem to back this up. Which isn't to say "Crimson Sun" isn't a game
for me but it does push it quite a few steps down on the 'must buy
now' list.

These days I'm so reluctant to start a new RPG, just because they are
such time-sinks. Back in the day, I was more willing to dive into the
genre, because CRPGs were one of the few opportunities to explore
large open worlds. But these days every single game boasts gigantic
maps, and that has stripped CRPGs of a lot of their novelty. I sort of
wish the other genres would back away from open-worlds so I could get
back into CRPGs again ;-)


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/6/2026 11:16 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Mon, 6 Apr 2026 10:05:09 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
said this thing:

My son got it with his holiday money he's been saving, and of course I
get to try it since we're on family sharing. I probably spent more time
fiddling with the graphics than actually playing. It's very
picturesque. My son had me try things to get it to work on 'cinnematic'
settings, Originally I was hitting like 15 fps and brought it down to
'high' settings to get it to play, but it can use the DLSS, and got it
up to 24fps, but feels like it's enough with the extra generated frames.
This seems to be the first game that really can be beyond my rig.
Also felt very dark in the beginning so up with the gamma correction.
Of course the beginning is at night.

Game-play, I'm not far along, but it feels like a typical action AC type
game, only with a lot more people to talk to. You even get some weird
blocky simulation powers, which again hearkens to AC a bit, though it's
a bit more. Apparently no actual mages you can play, which is a mark
against it for me for a fantasy game. You're stuck as this one guy for
most of the game apparently but eventually can play an orc or a
woman-warrior.

I really hate walking, it feels so so slow, more like a catwalk saunter.
The people who annoy me when out moving like a sloth and blocking my
path. Unfortunately you have to play a short bit to unlock sprinting.

I haven't really felt the need to play it any more than those 3 hours.
If I'd actually bought it for myself I'd be very disappointed. Back to
Bloodborne, though I'm stuck there on the last DLC boss. Maybe I'll
take it up after I finish, probably not though.

Thanks for the quick review. I had somewhat reluctantly added "Crimson
Sun" to my wishlist; superficially, it seems like the sort of game I'd
enjoy, but everything I've seen about it (and a lot of reviews)
indicate it's a fairly generic open-world CRPG and your experiences
seem to back this up. Which isn't to say "Crimson Sun" isn't a game
for me but it does push it quite a few steps down on the 'must buy
now' list.

"Crimson Sun?"

I was already reluctant upon learning (I think you posted it) that it
was essentially an MMO changed into an action rpg. Probably more like
Witcher 3 really than AC, but without the really well done story/interaction/npcs.

The main attraction seems to be how pretty it is. So the Crysis of
today's 3rd person action rpgs.

These days I'm so reluctant to start a new RPG, just because they are
such time-sinks. Back in the day, I was more willing to dive into the
genre, because CRPGs were one of the few opportunities to explore
large open worlds. But these days every single game boasts gigantic
maps, and that has stripped CRPGs of a lot of their novelty. I sort of
wish the other genres would back away from open-worlds so I could get
back into CRPGs again ;-)

I used to really be into CRPGs myself but don't seem to be anymore.
Inventory management (junk) crafting (more junk) open worlds (more junk) really turn me off now.

I mean compared to souls games, which really are action rpgs souls are
more rpg than this is since your 'build' is by stats instead of skill
trees, and combat more... realistic... weighty? Not excepting the magic
bits which I love. Even ER the open world is too much for me now.

Even Baldur's gate 3 the inventory management and piles of junk was so
bad I eventually just couldn't stand to play it anymore.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 7 Apr 2026 07:41:55 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
said this thing:

On 4/6/2026 11:16 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

"Crimson Sun?"

Whoops. My brain conflated "Crimson Desert" with "Dark Sun" (another
CRPG, one which featured a crimson-colored sun and lots of desert),
probably because I was reading about the latter just prior to posting
my article.

It just goes to show you that you should never read stuff, kids!
Literacy does bad things to your brain! ;-)

I was already reluctant upon learning (I think you posted it) that it
was essentially an MMO changed into an action rpg. Probably more like >Witcher 3 really than AC, but without the really well done >story/interaction/npcs.

I've heard that too, and -again- there's not much about the game's
marketing that suggests otherwise. The various reviews indicate more
depth though, which is the only reason I finally wishlisted it.

Even Baldur's gate 3 the inventory management and piles of junk was so
bad I eventually just couldn't stand to play it anymore.

If a game doesn't give me infinite inventory, I tire of it very
quickly. I hate messing with that stuff. Just let me pack-rat and
forget it. It's not realistic... but neither is a 20-ton lizard flying
on bat-wings ;-)


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/7/2026 8:22 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2026 07:41:55 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>

Even Baldur's gate 3 the inventory management and piles of junk was so
bad I eventually just couldn't stand to play it anymore

If a game doesn't give me infinite inventory, I tire of it very
quickly. I hate messing with that stuff. Just let me pack-rat and
forget it. It's not realistic... but neither is a 20-ton lizard flying
on bat-wings ;-)

It's semi-infinite. As long as you have the weight capacity, each
character can carry up to that no matter how many things it is, you can
also send anything you pick up to camp inventory which is infinite.

It's more a matter that there's just so so much stuff, there's over 100
types of food for instance. Almost every single box, crate, barrel has something in it, usually more than one thing, and possibly small stacks
of some of it, and there's spots in the game with I'd guess 50
containers within as many feet of you.

Then there's all the minor magic, ammo, weapons, clothes etc. that all
come in numbers almost equal to food.

And the inventory UI is not great either. It's really the main single
thing that keeps me from going back.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2