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.

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!!!!

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

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.

Arrived on time brand new

I’m writing this review 10 hours into the game. While most of you that read this will probably say that’s nothing enough to write a review. What I can say, I’ve done a few bosses already. The game isn’t easy by any means. This is my first souls like game, ever. My friends did warn me I’d probably lose my patience with this game, which in the beginning I almost said I was down. However, determined to learn about it and push through it, I’m glad I did. YouTube and the internet will be your bestfriend trying to learn about this game. I highly recommend it. I have this for Xbox series X and it really is a beautiful game. I play on performance mode too and there’s no stuttering, extremely smooth actually. All in all, like I said, I’m only 10 hours in so far which is just touching the surface but the exploration and leveling up of my character is my favorite part. Enemies are challenging but once you level up, understand their movements, and time your dodges, it is very rewarding and satisfying to beat those enemies that just weren’t giving you any mercy.You def need to add this game to your collection and simply just have fun. Hope everyone experiences this game in the way I did for the first time. Cheers!