Each game is seeded based on its performance in the two opening rounds of pools. Every game in the Upper Bracket has defeated multiple other games in 1-on-1 polls to get to this point. These are still the best of the best.
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This is easy. You only get one vote per poll. The game with the most votes wins. In the event of a tie, the higher seed advances, so don't get complacent!
Even against one of the most charming, bubbly, colourful RPGs (and one of my personal favourites), I still have to cast my vote for Dark Souls. A perfectly-designed world; nice atmospheric way of delivering narrative via history (with the lacunae and distortions that involves); an excellent, weighty combat system where you have to think about your tactics instead of just mashing attack and dodge buttons, some of the best naturalistic (somehow, while also being totally insane) voice acting in games.
It reminds me a lot of Castlevania, where the game seems really hard at first, designed to push your limits and challenge you with carefully constructed ambushes and jumps and fights, but because of the pacing, each time you die you feel like you're actually learning something, and indeed, with each attempt, you're actually getting better at the game. Finally, eventually, you're so good at the game that you're flexing your skills at even the most challenging content. The game has honed you into a weapon! It wanted you to succeed after all! It's all worth it!
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Kong Wen wrote: ↑24 Oct 2023 04:06
It reminds me a lot of Castlevania, where the game seems really hard at first, designed to push your limits and challenge you with carefully constructed ambushes and jumps and fights, but because of the pacing, each time you die you feel like you're actually learning something, and indeed, with each attempt, you're actually getting better at the game. Finally, eventually, you're so good at the game that you're flexing your skills at even the most challenging content. The game has honed you into a weapon! It wanted you to succeed after all! It's all worth it!
I often think of Dark Souls as a successor to Castlevania SOTN, where the exploration, atmosphere, and variety of weapons are merged with the well-honed difficulty of earlier Castlevanias and a better death/checkpoint system. I'd say "what could've been", but really what's there is really darn good.
I think I've said this earlier in the BGE, but Secret of Mana has some serious hitbox and stunlock issues that are really frustrating, having played more recent ARPGs (and even some earlier ones like Crystalis). Its multiplayer is a good feature, but the magic and combat systems don't interact very well and there's a lot of stop-and-start going on if you're trying to play efficiently.
