I thought I create this thread for the upcoming new previews on Wednesday. I will try to keep up with everything and put relevant videos and impressions in the OP. Please feel free to discuss anything or link relevant information.
I understand that some people want to go in completely blind on the game but this thread may contain SPOILERS so you have been warned.
Previews
VOD || Youtube Video No Commentary Link
VOD
Dualshockers
https://www.dualshockers.com/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-preview-ps4-xb1-pc/That said, despite those setbacks, it's hard to deny that Sekiro(so far) is shaping up to be yet another excellent title that bears FromSoftware's signature marks. While I clearly have a lot of work to do to measure up to the demands that Sekiro seems like it has from players, from what I played, I am more than willing to sit, learn, and listen.
Gamespot
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-might-have-from-softwares/1100-6465371/What's interesting is the way Sekiro is using ideas similar to what fans are familiar with to create fresh experiences--whether it's combining the assassination opportunities of stealth that even work on some bosses, with more aggressive combat; or thinking about ways to both use and avoid death. Sekiro's different spin on From Software's formula creates a new, interesting relationship with video game death for players, while continuing to be just as crushing as fans expect.
Polygon
https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/6/18253125/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-preview-impressionsSekiro: Shadows Die Twice feels straightforward and streamlined in other ways. It has an easy-to-digest story of a hero seeking revenge and protecting his divine lord. There's also a bit of a time-travel twist; at one point, I prayed to a buddha statue that sent Sekiro a few years to the past, where he seemed confused about his time and place in the world. The enemies I fought are not the gory beasts of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but samurai, monks, mounted soldiers, yokai, and giants. But there are also unexpected things to contend with, like huge roosters that keep watch over buildings and a gargantuan, pure white serpent. And as is FromSoftware tradition, there are mysterious characters to talk to, who will offer cryptic hints about the world and its supernatural elements.
VG247
https://www.vg247.com/2019/03/06/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-hands-on/It feels as though there's plenty here to excite and interest even the most seasoned Souls veteran, and the unabashedly Japanese setting (complete with Japanese voice work) means there's a significantly different flavor, too. In other ways it's very familiar. You meet your weapon and health upgrading NPCs early on, and boy – these are the Souls tropes. The game seems to know it and own it, however.
It says a lot about the FromSoftware formula that despite all these differences Sekiro still very much feels cut from the same cloth as most of their other games over the last decade. Because of that I imagine it'll struggle to convert those who bounced off Souls previously – but if you're hungering for a new title in that vein and are sick of hoping and praying for a Bloodborne 2 or Dark Souls 4, Sekiro definitely looks like it'll scratch that itch.
Eurogamer
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-03-06-we-played-the-first-few-hours-of-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-heres-everything-we-found-outSekiro is full of interesting ideas, including how it deals with player death, and how the sickness, known as Dragon's Rot, spreads throughout the world each time you die. If you're even mildly interested in From Software's next title, give the video a watch.
PCGamer
https://www.pcgamer.com/sekiros-brutal-difficulty-demands-you-relearn-how-to-play-a-souls-game/But in the week since I played Sekiro, that's the memory I keep returning to. From Software loves to pull the rug out from under us: Stumbling into those high-level skeletons behind Firelink, or gaining enough Insight to see Yharnam for what it really is. The studio has a way of making worlds that are dense with strange, one-of-a-kind ideas. There's no doubt in my mind that the early game showdown with the samurai is just the tip of the iceberg. Sekiro's number one priority is to surprise you. In other words, it's a From game.
Gamesradar
https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-preview-if-you-dont-like-parrying-in-dark-souls-i-have-bad-news-for-you/I've only experienced a fraction of what Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has to offer, but I'm excited - albeit in a oh god I think I'm going to snap a controller kind of way. There are hints at a greater, potentially time travelling, narrative within the general shinobi and master dialogue, and with even more weird, wonderful and probably terrifyingly powerful things on the horizon, it should be quite the adventure.
IGN
https://nordic.ign.com/xbox-one-gam...die-twice-final-hands-on-preview-not-just-a-sSekiro: Shadows Die Twice may have the DNA of a Soulsborne game, but if there was one thing that became clear to me after spending three hours with it, it's that Sekiro is entirely its own beast. Sure, it's a difficult yet rewarding action-RPG with a sprawling world full of darkness and mystery around every corner. But it's the mechanics that set Sekiro (out March 22 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One) apart from the Souls series and Bloodborne that have me the most excited.
PCGamesn
https://www.pcgamesn.com/sekiro-shadows-die-twice/sekiro-combat-stealthTwo hours is barely the blink of an eye for Sekiro, especially when it's your first time playing. There's much to decipher, plenty to learn, and a thousand deaths to endure during the process. But what I do know is that Sekiro feels wonderful. It captures the essence of the samurai code in its combat and liberates traditional Dark Souls level design with its more freeflow, vertical movement.
As FromSoftware promised, this is a very different game to its previous works, but it maintains many of the hallmarks that make them special. It feels like the right mix, providing more surprises than Bloodborne did, but still clearly building on that common foundation many players have come
Gamereactor.se (Swedish)
https://www.gamereactor.se/forhandstittar/718273/Sekiro+Shadows+Die+Twice/With less than three weeks left to launch, I am now sure the Souls fans will enjoy exploring Wolf's history in Sengoku's Japan, which has been so beautifully incorporated into the adventure. The challenges are tough and tough, but also rewarding, just as you would expect from the genre. The big question is whether those of us who think the genre is a bit tough sometimes, will experience the game as being too difficult, relentless and frightening to fully enjoy it. The answer to that is of course highly individual, but fortunately we do not have to wait longer than March 22 to get the message.
Multiplayer.it (Italian) Google translated
https://multiplayer.it/articoli/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-provata-nuova-build.htmlThe questions on the game are still endless, and it was not enough an hour to dissect the complex and extensive world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but finally tried a new build has allowed us to touch the enormous potential of the new action from From Software, and to eviscerate his progression system a bit. This is a challenging game, very different from the Souls and perhaps even more brutal than them, because faster, devoid of their development RPG and cooperative multiplayer. the charm of the Japanese software house titles, however, is still all there, and we can not wait to dive into this alternative version of the Sengoku era, to discover all that has to offer.
4Gamer (Japanese)
https://www.4gamer.net/games/422/G042247/20190306028/
Famitsu (Japanese)
https://www.famitsu.com/news/201903/07172898.html
Skill tree video by Long Island Joe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9U0A21JykI
Dualshockers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJcrt0Vp_1M
Gamespot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwGgOK7oDM
Arekkz Gaming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1eLb9QW6FI
Inside Playstation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPpE0Zh0ZcI
GameOver.gr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL_Cb84y-oM
GhostRobo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q37D97Av6c
Criken2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkmmlJD92P4
Multiplayer.it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPlKkocgvIc
Gamesradar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l50Y2IyAsv4
TerraMantis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIgpuVA2-U
PCgamesn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9MO1yoo5Tk
IGN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_TWcFP3aQI
JorRaptor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrN5AgFZiXk
PolygonGuides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNtjhtmG5eM
Eurogamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYfhAk8qmSY
Alaska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e-hAkAEg2U
The Completionist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MiXCA0L5mI
Regarding frame rate on consoles
Update: Seperate thread for DF video regarding performance on PS4 Pro found here
https://www.resetera.com/threads/digitalfoundry-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-ps4-pro-first-look.104364/
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