Fextralife checked out the Shadow of the Erdtree story trailer:

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Story Breakdown - Full Trailer Analysis, Interview Info, and MORE!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree:

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree - Official Story Trailer

Fextralife explains how to prepare for the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree:

How to Prepare for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Thanks Couchpotato!

Fextralife compiled some info about the upcoming Elden Ring DLC:

Elden Ring DLC COMPLETE BREAKDOWN - Full Trailer Analysis, Interview Info, and MORE!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Eurogamer discusses a Bloodborne remake and more with Hidetaka Miyazaki and presents some gameplay of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree - Gameplay Reveal Trailer

Thanks Couchpotato!

Fextralife analyzes Elden Ring:

Is Elden Ring REALLY the Best Game Ever?

Thanks Couchpotato!

Vgchartz reports that Elden Ring sold 20.5 million copies:

Elden Ring Sales Top 20.5 million Units - Sales

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware announced the action RPG, Elden Ring, has sold over 20.5 million units worldwide as of March 31, 2023. The figure includes physical and digital units sold.

This figure is up from 20 million units as of February 22, 2023, 17.5 million units as of November 14, 2022, 16.6 million units as of June 30, 2022, and 12 million units sold worldwide and one million units sold in Japan as of March 14, 2022.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Eldenring will get an expansion:

Shadow of the Erdtree

Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together.
An upcoming expansion for #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development.
We hope you look forward to new adventures in the Lands Between.

Thanks Henriquejr!

Inverse thinks Elden Ring is the GotY 2022, but many players don't finish it:

ELDEN RING IS UNDENIABLY GAME OF THE YEAR — AND THAT’S A PROBLEM

Uncomfortably inevitable.

YOU KNOW IT. I KNOW IT. WE ALL KNOW IT.

This year’s Game of the Year contest was all sewn up just six weeks into 2022. Elden Ring is one of the rare games to truly transcend the nerd-o-sphere and become a bonafide cultural phenomenon. Even The New York Times wrote about it (awkwardly). As of mid-November, it had sold more than 17.5 million copies worldwide.

But there’s one reason the game’s uncontested greatness is a mixed blessing. Elden Ring is too long and too hard for the majority of casual (and even not-so-casual) players. And its inescapable acclaim could wrongly convince some folks that games just aren’t for them.

There are several compelling reasons Elden Ring deserves all the praise that’s been tossed its way like Mardi Gras beads from tipsy revelers. The first and most persuasive is its world. It’s no secret that many open-world games can sag under the weight of big, empty maps that too often reduce gameplay to a series of interconnected checklists. Elden Ring does not suffer from this issue.

[...]

Senior Entertainment Writer Eric Francisco expressed his mingled awe and dissatisfaction with the game rather elegantly in a December Twitter thread.

“I don’t know how else to express it but when it comes down to it, Elden Ring — a game I acknowledge is fantastic but that I ultimately do not love and cannot finish — kind of alienated me away from gaming completely,” he wrote. “Elden Ring’s immense status sorta disillusioned me on where the hobby is going, evolving into a thing I do not recognize and do not see myself fitting in anymore. It’s like everyone loves a person I had a very bad date with and I’m left to keep it to myself.”

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for the Elden Ring Colosseum update:

ELDEN RING Free Colosseum Update trailer

Come forth, warriors, and bask in the glory of the Colosseum.

The Colosseums of Limgrave, Leyndell and Caelid will open their gates, allowing players to engage in battles such as duels, free-for-alls and team fights.

Prove your worth in the free Colosseum Update. 

Redglyph spotted patch 1.04 for Elden Ring:

Elden Ring patch 1.04 is out, adding new NPC events and improved performance

The patch is out now on consoles and PC

Elden Ring patch 1.04 is available now and brings with it improved game performance and new events in certain NPC questlines, according to its developer.

Patch 1.04 now allows players to turn the camera’s auto-rotate function on or off, and adds new dialogue phases to the popular Souls NPC, Patches.

Changes have also been made to the damage of certain weapons, as well as how long certain magical attacks take to cast.
 
While Elden Ring has been lauded for its challenge, the community has also found plenty of ways to exploit certain weapons and item combinations, and thus this is the latest in a series of patches aimed at improving game balance.

You can read the full patch notes below.

[...]

Windows Central has an editorial on the lessons AAA game publishers have to learn if they want to replicate Elden Rings success.

1. World-building over Hollywood production values

Indeed, Skyrim is something Elden Ring has frequently been compared to, and it's a comparison I don't mind making either. Much like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the previous titles, one thing remains more true above all other comparisons from me, and that's the consistency of the world-building.

Neither game goes particularly deep on cinematics, although the few cinematics that Elden Ring does have are utterly awe-inspiring. And that's the point, really, sometimes less is more. But one area where that isn't true is world-building, which refers to the effort made to deliver a consistent, believable world.

In Elden Ring, it feels like every object in the game has a place in the lore and game's world. Nothing is placed there randomly or capriciously. From the emblems and designs of weapons and armor, to the placements of certain monsters, everything has lore implications. Why do living jar enemies explode into a wash of gore and giblets after being killed? Why are there mountains of them piled up at Elden Ring's erd trees? Why is Caria Manor full of disembodied hands trying to murder me like horrible fleshy spiders? I know that nothing here is arbitrary, due to the reputation FromSoftware has built up over the years. Through item descriptions, and through relatively light detective work, an entire world reveals itself to the player. A world with seemingly endless depth that truly sparks the imagination, and dare I say it, allows the player to use their imagination.

Bethesda Softworks follows these precepts, in Elder Scrolls games, Fallout games, and no doubt Starfield too. But, for whatever reason, few other developers really take their world-building too seriously beyond the most basic surface level. For some reason, they think spending $$$$ on heavy mo-cap and Hollywood-grade acting is somehow a better use of funds, over building a believable world that is cohesive and consistent across all of its design precepts.

Even if you don't read all of the item descriptions in Elden Ring, the hints and details you're given throughout the game give the world more life and believability than the last dozen Assassin's Dogs Cry Recon games do, while being more memorable. And hey, more marketable. People discuss the game's mysteries at length across socials, sharing the things they've found. I'm still haunted by a weird, fossilized face I found in the hidden basement area of Castle Stormveil.

[...]

DSOGaming reports that update 1.03 for Elden Ring is now available and comes in at three Gigabytes.

FromSoftware has just released a brand new update for Elden Ring. Update 1.03 is 3GB in size on PC, features numerous bug fixes and balance tweaks, and you can find its full patch notes below.

Going into more details, Patch 1.03 adds new quest phases for various NPCs. Moreover, it adds NPC Jar-Bairn, and a function to record an icon and the name of an NPC on the map when you encounter that NPC. Additionally, it adds some summonable NPCs in multiple situations, as well as night background music for some open field area.

[...]

Elden Ring is already on place #6 on the most played games list according to SteamDB:

Most played Games (ranked by All-Time-Peak)

1. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
2. Lost Ark
3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
4. Dota 2
5. Cyberpunk 2077
6. ELDEN RING
7. New World
8. Valheim
9. Terraria
10. Capcom Arcade Stadium
11. Fallout 4
12. Life is Strange 2
13. Among Us
14. POSTAL
15. Apex Legends
16. World of Warships
17. Grand Theft Auto V
18. HITMAN 2
19. Kathy Rain
20. Monster Hunter: World

Mortismal Gaming has reviewed Elden Ring:

Elden Ring: Review After 100%

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Attack of the Fanboy checked out Elden Ring:

Elden Ring Review

Editor's Note on Elden Ring PC Version

It’s a rare occurrence for us to withhold a numbered score on a game.  Unfortunately, in doing this review for Elden Ring on PC we ran into a myriad of what seem to be technical issues.  Since we couldn’t isolate whether those issues were from the game itself or whether it would be indicative of the experience for players at large when the game released we decided to not score this game.  While Elden Ring is a fantastic experience in terms of what’s been built here, it was completely at odds with these technical issues.  We’re going to hold off to see if these issues are widespread before putting a final verdict on the game in terms of a numerical score.  We experienced problems that were all over the place in terms of technical issues, our PC build crashed constantly. Loading screens were a crap shoot on whether the game was going to crash or not.  There was a weird stuttering all over the game and one boss battle had numerous bugs that almost made us give up completely.  We’re holding out hope that this was just our build, something in our game that was making these issues occur, because a game that is designed to be as difficult as these games are, the extra frustrations outweigh the general quality of the game itself.  Now on to our review of Elden Ring.

[...]

The Verdict

Elden Ring might be the best open world RPG in the last decade and right up there with Red Dead Redemption for peak of what we’ve seen from the open world genre itself.  It’s so, so good on the presentation front, the combat is spot on once again, the bosses, incredible and it continues to pull you deeper and deeper into the world as a good game should.  It’s going to give players 100+ hours just to see what the offline component has to offer.  From Software upped the ante, surpassing even their best efforts that we saw with Sekiro Shadows Die Twice in terms of world building.  Elden Ring is an absolute must-play game for 2022, but set aside some time and some patience.

Mortismal Gaming gives 5 tips to start the game on the right foot.

Elden Ring: 5 Essential Tips For Beginners

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Gamerant reported a post from Bandai Namco addressing the performance issues. They advise to PC owners to update their graphics drivers.

Bandai Namco Addresses Elden Ring's Performance Issues

Bandai Namco shares a new post that gives an update on the various performance issues affecting Elden Ring's release on all platforms.

Elden Ring officially launched today to rave reviews. It is currently one of the highest-rated games of all time, and it’ll be extremely difficult for most other games to reach such a lofty score. Despite Elden Ring’s several perfect scores, it looks like users are facing technical issues on all platforms.

A recent report suggested that the Elden Ring does not run at 60 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X in its frame rate mode. The performance is highly unstable, with the quality mode also missing a 30 FPS cap. While there are ways to bypass these issues, it looks like Elden Ring needs further optimization. The game's PC version is also not without faults, as many users reported severe stuttering, and it currently has a mixed rating on Steam. Now, Bandai Namco has shared an update on these performance issues.

The post begins by stating that the development team is aware of the performance issues plaguing the release of Elden Ring. It then lists out some problems, with a vague timeline of when fans can expect a fix. In addition to the frame rate issues, it seems like Elden Ring suffers from the mouse being too sensitive on PC and problems related to saving data on PS5. The anti-cheat software for the Steam version also supposedly does not launch under certain conditions. The post ends by confirming that FromSoftware is working on fixing other bugs and improving performance.

The full list of issues detailed in the Elden Ring post is as follows:

[...]

The Action RPG Elden Ring has been released:

ELDEN RING Official Launch Trailer

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Reviews have been released, and they look ridiculously positive.

Wccf Tech: 10

Elden Ring is not only the best action RPG developed by From Software but one of the best open-world titles ever made. A masterclass of game design, Elden Ring isn't just a game but an epic dark fantasy journey that no one will be able to forget for a very long time.

Pros: Masterfully crafted world and lore. Excellent open-world design that grants players the freedom to do things at their own pace. Intricate dungeon design
Deep combat and customization possibilities. Improved accessibility, with tutorials providing information on central mechanics

Cons: Minor, yet noticeable, stuttering on PC. No support for framerates above 60 FPS and ultrawide resolutions.

COG: 98 (reviewed on PS5)

Elden Ring is an awe-inspiring achievement. Both a summary and bold step forward, it fuses FromSoftware’s best and most effective ideas with an endlessly engaging open world. Its combat is the most refined of the series, challenging yet accessible to new players. Elden Ring includes an incredible amount of quality content. More importantly, it offers a captivating, polished experience fraught with danger and filled with beauty.

The Good: Incredibly satisfying combat. Immense, beautiful world. Refined mechanics. Fluid control and movement. More user friendly than past Souls games.

The Bad: Some critical path mechanics unclear. A few uninspired enemies and areas. Minor visual glitches. Story might be too opaque for some.

RPG Fan:

It's the best Dark Souls game to date.

Pros: A true sense of place, open world weaves seamlessly into Dark Souls design, options.

Cons: Coming back to old places to find secrets can feel Goomba stompy, graphical issues (will eventually end).

PC Invasion: 10

Elden Ring is a spectacle and a marvel to behold. Although there are some issues, the overall experience remains deeply engaging. It's one of the best open-world games I have ever played.

VGC: 5

Elden Ring is a fantastic game that can still deliver the unmatched thrill of defeating a tough boss after an hours-long battle. Those who worship at the church of Souls-like will find a game that’s basically everything they ever wanted.

Pros: Incredible world. Thrilling combat. Unimpeachable art direction. Some of the series best ever boss fights.

Cons: Occasional technical issues. The graphics are a slightly dated.

RPG Site: 9

After having finished my first playthrough of Elden Ring. I immediately want to play it again. I have never experienced that with an open-world game before - usually, I find myself thankful such behemoth games are over. FromSoftware has managed to nimbly incorporate its deliberate and challenging action RPG gameplay into an open world with a huge sense of freedom. The fact that they accomplished this feat without compromising on difficulty or narrative is a true marvel. Managing to also avoid almost all of the pitfalls of conventional open-world design is a step beyond even that. Even if you're fatigued over the familiar trappings of dark fantasy soulslike games in particular, Elden Ring is a masterful refinement of the formula that is the current zenith of its form - and it deserves glowing recognition. 

PCGamesN: 10

A supercut of FromSoft's very best work, transported to a totally new space. Elden Ring is not only a masterpiece by its developer's lofty standards, but in packing so much density into the Lands Between, it lights the path ahead for open-world games in general.

GameSpot: 10

In a genre that has become wrought with bloated and over-designed games, Elden Ring is defiantly contrarian in almost every way. Its commitment to design by subtraction and to placing the responsibility of charting a path through its world entirely on the player makes it stand head and shoulders above other open-world titles. Elden Ring takes the shards of what came before and forges them into something that will go down in history as one of the all-time greats: a triumph in design and creativity, and an open-world game that distinguishes itself for what it doesn't do as much as what it does.

The Good: Exploration and discovery that's driven entirely by the player. Stunning world design that blends a new open-world with the classic enclosed Soulsborne-style locations. Challenging combat that is both rewarding and thrilling. A visually stunning world that is diverse and memorable. A compelling, layered, and multi-faceted story that demands to be analyzed and unpacked.

The Bad: Still, at its core, a difficult game designed for a specific kind of person with little in the way of approachability options.

Bandai Namco released a new trailer a few days ago.

ELDEN RING – Overview Trailer

Much has changed in the Lands Between since the days of your banishment, Tarnished. Come and learn what awaits you on the path of grace.

ELDEN RING releases on February 25, 2022.

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PCInvasion, among many others, played the game for 6 hours and shared their first impressions.

Elden Ring preview — Ringing in a new age

One Elden Ring to rule them all.

If there’s one thing I can easily state after six-ish hours of Elden Ring hands-on preview time on PC, it’s that the game is very definitely a ‘Soulsborne’ game. In fact, I can go one step further: it’s pretty much a Dark Souls game. Shields are useful. Combat is… well, not ponderous, but weightier than Sekiro or Bloodborne. Poise, staggering, and item weight are things of huge importance.

In a lot of ways, Elden Ring feels like Dark Souls 4 with the names swapped out. I mean, the spell styles (Sorceries and Incantations) have different names and are mashed up a bit, but they’re effectively used the same way. Bonfires are Sites of Grace, and Souls are Runes, etc. But for all of that? If this is Dark Souls 4, then it’s had a lot more meaningful additions than we saw at any time between Souls and Souls 3.

[...]

Because this is both a bit long and because I don’t want to spoil anything else, I’ll finish here. I normally try to end previews with “but it might be a bit shit,” and there is always the possibility that it’ll fall apart a bit after extended play. Equally, if you’ve never enjoyed the Dark Souls combat or challenge, then Elden Ring isn’t likely to change that. It’s as hard as ever: it just gives you plenty more options in terms of what to deal with and how to deal with it to let you play at your own pace and with your own style.

However! I played the Elden Ring preview for six hours without so much as taking a break for food, and I could happily have played for six more — not least because when I was banging my head against a boss I could easily just go explore somewhere else in this gorgeous, horrifying world and bang my head against something else. If the fact that I couldn’t put the damned thing down isn’t an indication that you should really pay attention to Elden Ring, then I don’t know what is. While Bloodborne and Sekiro tried different things, Elden Ring feels like the natural evolution of Dark Souls: familiar, but fresh.

Destructoid commented on the new gameplay footage and the mini-dungeon feature.

New Elden Ring gameplay explores one of its mini-dungeons

There isn’t much time left until Elden Ring is out. The dark fantasy action game from From Software heads into another world full of ruin, magic, and danger. And some new mini-dungeon gameplay footage of Elden Ring shown today helps you get a sense for what dangers might appear in the open world around you.

A new batch of info dropped today, as part of Game Informer’s big cover reveal. Part of it includes some exclusive new Elden Ring gameplay footage exploring Castle Mourne, a locale classified as a “mini-dungeon.” The full game will have numerous mini-dungeons to explore; these caves and other areas exist in the world alongside larger dungeon areas like Stormveil Castle.

In Game Informer’s footage, they head into the castle after dodging absolutely massive harpoon-like arrows from one very angry giant. We get to see the double-jump and mount combat in action, and a sick sword graveyard in the distance, before the player heads into the castle.

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[...]

PC Gamer reported that Elden Ring had gone gold, as those who watched the video posted yesterday may have already heard (or read...).

Elden Ring has officially gone gold

Elden Ring is no longer a meme nor a dream. It's really coming and, according to an interview with FromSoftware's Yasuhiro Kitao during the Taipei Game Show, will definitely launch on time. Elden Ring had a short delay from its originally announced January date to February, but it sounds like any other pushbacks are off the table now. Elden Ring has officially gone gold. "Please be assured, the title will be ready for sale on February 25th," Kitao says.

In as much as the terminology matters when so many of us will be downloading Elden Ring, "going gold" means a version of the game exists that's ready to be put on a disc, slapped in a box, and stuck on a store shelf. Practically speaking for PC players, it means that Elden Ring is completed and ready for sale. 

"The master version has already been submitted," Kitao explains in response to a question about whether development is going smoothly. "Right now, the team is working on a day one patch, to make sure everything in the game is just so."

In earlier parts of the Q&A interview, Kitao explains how the release version of the game differs from the version that some players got to try during the Elden Ring network test in November. Unsurprisingly, Kitao says that major parts of the game like the levelling system and the legacy dungeon areas are the same but that "myriad small things have changed," like item flavor text being fixed and enemy placement being tweaked.

He also mentions that the release version will of course have the full character creator, unlike the network test where only five classes were available. Details about character customization leaked earlier this month, proving that, yes, you can make a horrifying character with a wild skin color. Even if you do, Elden Ring's characters look a lot prettier than past Souls games, in part thanks to FromSoftware feeling a bit pressured by the Demon's Souls remake to nail their own snazzier, now-gen graphics.

Elden Ring is launching on February 25th and is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam.

@SirJames spotted a new video from Bandai Namco about Elden Ring, with gameplay and interviews. Thanks!

ELDEN RING – Taipei Game Show 2022

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Rejoice, Tarnished, and feast your eyes on Taipei Game Show 2022’s special broadcast program on #ELDENRING – previously filmed last December. Hear from producer, Yasuhiro Kitao, about the game mechanics, and find out his answers to some of your burning questions.

Wccf Tech has reported that new gameplay footage was being shared online by Xolara; there are currently 11 new short videos to peek at.

Elden Ring New Footage Showcases New NPCs and More

New Elden Ring footage has been shared online, showcasing some new NPCs and more.

The new footage, which has been shared on YouTube by Xolara, provides a new look at three NPCs that can be encountered in the areas featured in the Closed Network Test but were disabled in the build provided to the testers. As always, avoid watching these videos if you want the game to be a complete surprise for you when it launches next month.

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[...]

Wccf Tech reports new gameplay footage for Elden Ring.

Elden Ring New Footage Showcases Never Seen Before Enemy

New Elden Ring gameplay footage has been shared online today, showcasing a never-seen-before enemy that looks extremely good.

The new video, shared on YouTube by ER-SA, showcases a powerful knight that's reminiscent of the Dark Souls' Black Knights. In addition to regular weapon attacks, this enemy can unleash some flashy special attacks that look spectacular.

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Earlier this week, more Elden Ring gameplay footage providing a better look at Stormveil Castle has emerged online. Location design seems to be extremely intricate, which is quite impressive, considering Elden Ring will be an open-world game with plenty of different locations.

A story trailer for Elden Ring from the Games Award.

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More of Elden Ring, as Fextralife shares his first impressions on the game after playing it for 70 hours.

Elden Ring Hands-On Impressions after 70 Hours of gameplay! Is it Good? It's MASSSIVE! Network Test!

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[...]

• 0:00 - Elden Ring Network Test Impressions Intro
• 0:29 - I Played 70 Hours of Elden Ring | Hands-On Impressions
• 0:58 - Taking Your First Steps
• 2:16 - Gameplay Loop
• 3:07 - Classes & Magic
• 4:07 - Weapons, Skills, and Upgrades
• 5:04 - Item Crafting
• 5:37 - Enemies & Bosses
• 6:34 - Lore and NPC Background
• 7:20 - Open World
• 8:53 - Final Thoughts

Elden Ring is some of the most fun I’ve had this year, and I literally played almost without sleep for an entire weekend that flew by. And I was just playing what is likely just a small fraction of this massive game. I finished the demo with each and every Class, and tested all spells and most of the weapons and their skills, and I have a fairly good idea of what the Network Test has to offer, and it is grand indeed.

However, it’s the unknowns that have me most curious. There are very few Weapons and Armor in the demo, and From Software has stated there would be more than Dark Souls 3 when tallied up. This means From Software is holding the vast majority of its content back for full release, so you are only seeing but a scratch of what Elden Ring has to offer. As good as Elden Ring is with so little of what they have being used, I can’t even imagine what it will be like when all of their content is present in the game. We will likely have to “hunt” for all it’s secrets together, and I simply cannot wait until February.

Game Informer has some new gameplay video for Elden Ring.

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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a big one. Join Game Informer's resident Souls expert Dan Tack, along with Marcus Stewart and Alex Stadnik, as they show off some brand new gameplay from Elden Ring, the hotly-anticipated open-world outing from masterminds behind Dark Souls.

Wccftech reports on the expected tech features for Elden Ring.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has shared a detailed outlook of the main tech features available for Elden Ring (such as maximum resolution, frame rate, HDR support, et cetera) across all of the supported platforms.

The biggest news is that Elden Ring will support ray tracing in some form on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, though it'll happen post-launch with a patch. On the downside, however, owners of high refresh rate displays will be disappointed to learn that the frame rate is locked to a maximum of 60 FPS even on PC.

[...]

@danutz_plusplus spotted a gameplay preview of Elden Ring. Thanks! :)

ELDEN RING - Gameplay Preview

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@DSOGaming A new gameplay clip for Elden Ring.

A new video was leaked earlier today, showcasing 25 seconds of brand new gameplay footage from Elden Ring. Now I know this isn’t much, but I’m certain that all Elden Ring fans will appreciate it as it can give them a glimpse at the game’s visuals and art style. Also, and according to the leaker, this gameplay footage is from the Xbox One version. So yeah, don’t expect next-gen visuals from this clip.

[...]

https://streamable.com/ohtwj8

FromSoftware manager Yasuhiro Kitao commented that Elden Ring was in the final stages of development, reports Game Rant.

Elden Ring Is In Final Stages of Development

[...]

Kitao made a small appearance on a video program hosted by Famitsu. One of the questions asked was regarding the content of Elden Ring, re-iterating what kind of game it is. He describes it as "a culmination of FromSoftware's expertise in dark fantasy action," with fans expecting the same kind of difficulty and adventure that were present in Dark Souls and the other games under the company's belt. Other things that he talked about involve the amount of dungeons that can be found in the game's vast open world.

The other details discussed involved Elden Ring's map and fast travel functions, which will be a big shake up from the company's previous games. This includes how big the map will be, with Kitao explaining that it is more unusual and unconventional. This involves the player being able to piece together their locations by picking up pieces of the game's map that can be found in the overworld, letting the player dictate how they wish to explore.

In regards to the game development stages, Kitao explained "We're in the final stages of development, and we're moving forward quietly." With a sense of humility, he gave a message towards the fans eagerly expecting this game as well. He started with addressing the gap of news between Elden Ring's initial E3 2019 reveal to the video that was shown off in June, saying "I thought it would be forgotten until then, but there were many people waiting for it, and I want to say thank you again to them."

[...]

Fextralife gives his first thoughts on a 17-minute gameplay preview demo of Elden Ring, the upcoming RPG developed by FromSoftware Inc. and published by Bandai Namco. Elden Ring just won 4 awards at gamescom 2021.

Elden Ring New Gameplay Breakdown & Impressions, New Mechanics Revealed!

We had a 17 minute GAMEPLAY preview demo and presentation with FromSoftware: Elden Ring New Gameplay Breakdown & Impressions, New Mechanics Revealed! PvP, Crafting, MAP!

Elden Ring New Gameplay Breakdown & Impressions, New Mechanics Revealed

In this Elden Ring New Gameplay Breakdown & Impressions, New Mechanics Revealed article I'll be discussing my thoughts about Elden Ring after watching a 17 minute gameplay demonstration, having a brief presentation by From Software's Yasuhiro Kitao, and getting to ask many many questions about Elden Ring's mechanics. If you've been dying to know more about Elden Ring, and have been wondering what the Gameplay is like, read on to find out!

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The Steam page for Elden Ring is now available and reveals a release date of 21st January 2022.

THE NEW FANTASY ACTION RPG.
Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.

• A Vast World Full of Excitement
A vast world where open fields with a variety of situations and huge dungeons with complex and three-dimensional designs are seamlessly connected. As you explore, the joy of discovering unknown and overwhelming threats await you, leading to a high sense of accomplishment.

• Create your Own Character
In addition to customizing the appearance of your character, you can freely combine the weapons, armor, and magic that you equip. You can develop your character according to your play style, such as increasing your muscle strength to become a strong warrior, or mastering magic.

• An Epic Drama Born from a Myth
A multilayered story told in fragments. An epic drama in which the various thoughts of the characters intersect in the Lands Between.

• Unique Online Play that Loosely Connects You to Others
In addition to multiplayer, where you can directly connect with other players and travel together, the game supports a unique asynchronous online element that allows you to feel the presence of others. 

Frontline talked to game director for Elden Ring, Miyazaki, in a two part interview. The first part is about G.R.R Martins involvement and the story while the second part focuses on the gameplay.

In contrast to the open field, Elden Ring also includes Dark Souls-style maps with verticality such as castles, which they call “legacies”. The jump greatly improves the freedom in exploring such maps, and Miyazaki thinks that Dark Souls series fans will find this very refreshing.

They discuss the battles next, with Miyazaki saying that the heavy, high-tension combat remains present. The game does however give the player more options in combat as well, such as the ability to counter directly from a shield block, and he hopes that players will enjoy the new strategic approach to combat, which gives them more options to employ.

The interviewer says that with so many new options, the boss battles must be tougher now, and Miyazaki acknowledges this, saying that bosses are a special experience, being climaxes in the gameplay. At the same time, however, they wanted to avoid having situations where tough bosses would stop progress entirely, and did their best to reduce the chances of this happening. As he said earlier on, Elden Ring is designed to give the player freedom of choice, and the player can choose to leave certain bosses for later, or in some cases even clear the game without defeating them. Additionally, they have made it easier than the Dark Souls series for the player to be able to have other players help them out in multiplayer.

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The release date for Elden Ring has been confirmed as 21st January 2022. Also check out some gameplay footage.

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From Software's completely new work "ELDEN RING" is an action RPG title that explores overwhelming unknowns and threats in the world of full-scale dark fantasy. 

Release date: January 21, 2022 (Friday) 

Thanks danutz_plusplus!

DSOGaming reports that Elden Ring has been delayed until sometime after April 2022 and has released a short in-engine clip.

Kadokawa Corp, the parent company of FromSoftware, revealed that its upcoming new games have been delayed due to COVID-19. This, obviously, also includes Elden Ring, a title that a lot of gamers have been looking forward to.

According to the company’s latest FY2021 earnings, Elden Ring may not release by March 2022. Thus, the earliest you can expect to get your hands on this game is April 2022. Now obviously Elden Ring won’t come out in April 2022, but until then we can safely assume that it won’t come out.

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DSOGaming reports on a leaked gameplay trailer for Elden Ring.

It appears that a gameplay trailer for Elden Ring has been leaked online. Elden Ring is a new action-adventure RPG from the creators of the Dark Souls games, and below you can find an off-cam video showing 7 seconds from its leaked gameplay trailer.

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Phil Spencer was interviewed by Gamespot about Xbox, Halo, Elden Ring and more.

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At this point, you know how the story goes. The Xbox One had a tumultuous launch and presented itself as something other than what its fans wanted. However, fast-forward to today and, as a brand, Xbox is the healthiest it has been in many years. This it thanks to a realigning of strategies that places people that play video games at the center and, at the same time, moves Xbox in bold new directions.

Under the leadership of Phil Spencer, Xbox has pioneered Game Pass, a Netflix-like subscription service that offers a large library of games for a relatively low subscription fee. It has expanded this service to PC, and also launched a cloud gaming service in xCloud. Furthermore, the platform holder took big step to improve accessibility, and made meaningful changes to the Xbox One experience to improve it for Xbox One X. This, altogether, has allowed Xbox to turn a stumble into a steady jog towards success Ahead of the launch of the Xbox Series X and Series S, we spoke to Spencer about the identity of Xbox, the state of Halo, and the future of Xbox as he sees it.

01:08 - Identity of Xbox
03:05 - Charting The Future
04:48 - Killer Apps
07:21 - First-Party Timeline
09:39 - The State Of Halo
17:59 - Diversity Of Genres
20:34 - Japan And The Asian Market
28:27 - Elden Ring Update
29:33 - 1vs100
30:36 - No Gimmicks

GameRant reports that the narrative for Elden Ring will be similar to what was presented by Dark Souls.

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Specifically, Miyazaki has now made it clear that Elden Ring‘s narrative will be more in line with Dark Souls‘ story than Sekiro‘s. This means that the majority of the game’s story will wind up being told atmospherically, placing an emphasis on environmental storytelling rather than pre-rendered cutscenes. This is in contrast to 2019’s Sekiro, which still has a healthy amount of environmental storytelling but relies more heavily on cut scenes to tell a story than many of Miyazaki’s other projects.

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