Regarding my low playtime: After trying to make this game playable on my PC, I switched to the console version and play it currently there. I still don't get it why the game runs like Cyberpunk 2077 in 4k with RTX on, while looking like "Dark Souls 3"... but ok ...
I heard that it got better, but for now I won't start a new game on PC and just try to finish it on console first!

Kudos to my best pal who let me borrow her Playstation. On console I invested +80 hours so far, but I am far from being finished.
https://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2817752846
(Because I couldn't make screenshots so far I just took one from my friend Baadrix)

The Open World
I read a lot about the boring Overworld filled with nothingness, but I believe it has a lot to offer. The areas are filled with landmarks, secrets and astonishing views. Everywhere you go you can find either a cave, ruins, a graveyard, small random bosses, merchants and other NPCs. It might repeat the further you go, but it still keeps up with the overall good atmosphere.


Combat:
You lock in enemies and try not to die, while using swords (or other kinds of weapons) and magic. And don't forget to panic spam the parry button. If everything doesn't work, try to backstab!


Soundtrack:
It is so beautiful and I am so impressed that I even bought the Soundtrack extra!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg-ihOyyJKk

Design & Graphics:
Impressive! First let me repeat what I said before. The game doesn't look good at all and the graphics isn't even worth talking about. I can't believe that these people also made Sekiro, which looked mind blowing compared to its predecessors. As mentioned the areas look stunning, unique and the overworld doesn't need to hide itself from other great titles, but it feels a bit too dated at some point. What I really love is the enemy design. If FromSoft can do something right, it is the grotesque and fascinating way they design their monsters. Each boss is visually a highlight!


How hard is it?:
I had more problems getting used to Sekiro and even my first Dark Souls 1 playthrough was harder. It might be because this isn't my first souls-like, but this game feels .... fair. Even the weakest enemies still can kill you easily, but the more you explore the more powerful you get. It can even happen that you finish a boss fight first try, because you came in totally overleveled/overgeared. It is rare and there is still a challenge in each fight, but this happend to me a few times and I still have no idea if it was funny or sad. What I still hate are enemies which do an attack animation, stop for a small second (a second where you either roll or block or try to parry) just to hit you without any warning when you didn't expect it at all - Aka "fakeout" combo attacks. You get used to it, but it is a really stupid mechanic they added. By far less fun as any earlier boss designs they had.


Controls:
The bit I played with my standard Playstation controller on PC, I had no issues at all ingame. Just feels like all other good old Souls games.


Story:
Story? I mean if you expect a fully fletched and straight forward storytelling you are totally wrong here. This isn't bad at all tho. I was annoyed of how barebones the story was told in Dark Souls 1, but after digging into the lore I was suprised how complex it could get. Each item tells a story and each boss, area, enemy and NPC has a story to tell. Some are more easily to understand and others are far more complex. You will never get told at all how things work and all you get is a meager introduction. The rest is up to you (and up to all the great lore videos on YouTube).


My conclusion is that "Elden Ring" is by far not a perfect game. It has its flaws and some new design choices are not that great. This all might sound negative at all and I really hate it how the game runs on PC, despite looking fairly aged. But besides all these things I still love this game. It feels like all the old Souls games and this is by far not bad at all. Some new mechanics are even very welcome! Did I mention that you can ride a horse? I am still hoping that the performance issues will be solved sooner or later (At least there will be 100% a mod for it.... like usually).

If you never played a Dark Souls game before, this might be the perfect introduction into the series/genre! And if you have played Dark Souls before you will surely feel the excitemnt all over again. Don't get lost on your new adventure and stay safe!

This is the way I would describe this game, if I could only use a few words.

I won't post any spoilers about the story at all, because this game is a journey!


I am going to make this super short. People who already played the games before, know what is going on and new players should really go into this game completly blind!

You are Commander Shepard and you are on your way to investigate an incident on one of the human colonies. The mission goes not as planned. On top of that you find out that there is a hidden threat lurking in the dark corners of the universe.
Now it is up to you to unravel the truth! Gather a team, meet strange aliens, explore planets and fly through the galaxy! Write your own story and decide if you want to be a hero or a villain!
https://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2897691704
I just want to highlight that everything you do in this game have consequences. Even during the character creation you can decide what background story your Shepard has. This will also reflect how some NPCs react to you. Decisions you made in ME1 might change how things (NPCs or Missions) are going to be in ME2.


This just needs to be part of this review. For most people Mass Effect is more about your crew than anything else. While playing you will meet a lot of people, but those that stay with you and those that fight alongside you are going to always have a special place in your heart. Each one of them has a unique story to tell and comes with their own personality. It is just something you can't really describe if you didn't play the game at all, but you will know... Have fun getting to know them better and better as the game progresses.

Also you can practically romance nearly anyone of them.


To make it quick: You talk to people and get missions. On these missions you shoot (Sometimes even talk) your way out and get EXP and money. Just the usual RPG experience. The missions are squad based! This means that you always have two mates going on the missions alongside you.

There is also a moral system added. You can either be a good person or a bad person. This will reflect in some dialogue options and in some actions you can take during the game. The world also sometimes reflects how you managed to solve situations like that.

Example: If someone aims at you with a gun you can either talk to him and try to tell him to back off, or you simply let the situation escalate and shoot him.

Lets take a closer look:

The Combat:
The combat feels like your average third-person cover shooter. Hide behind a corner and shoot whatever gets infront of your gun! Bioware-like you can always pause the game mid combat and give your two squad mates orders (Get to that point; Use ability X). You too have some nice abilities as well. During the character creation you can decide which class you want to play. You have your average soldier (Who can use all weapons!), but you also have classes like a space wizard (I can't remember the name right now) or engineer. Each class has its own pros and cons and different abilities.

The RPG Part:
If you are not on a mission you can just casually walk around in the hub worlds and talk to NPCs or your crewmembers. If you ever played any Bioware games before you know what you can expect. The dialogues are well made and even if they are going on for minutes, they are never boring. My favourite part was always to talk to all the Aliens and find out more about their Species.

I also mentioned the Good/Evil thing before. Those options are well integrated into the dialogues and can even add a lot more options to solve issues or to get bonus rewards and hidden informations.


A good game doesn't need good graphics, but Mass Effect still holds up to this day! Nothing to complain about here!


They just managed to pull out such a great soundtrack! it is amazing and it fits the whole game very well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i-4g3yx9as


This game is a masterpiece! It is totally worth it! If you are still not sure if you want to get it or not, you should play this game via the "EA PLAY" pass to safe some cash. You won't regret it I promise!