I've come to realize that the "Souls" games and Bloodborne are terrible games...

[Zanten]

I've roped a couple of friends into playing Bloodborne, and one thing I noticed was that in both cases their experience seemed somewhat akin to slamming headfirst into a brick wall. They disliked it, declared that it wasn't fun, and just generally did not enjoy it. The first friend was actually planning to move on and look for another game, but out of boredom decided to pick it back up and try again.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and their opinion became a near polar opposite. It wasn't just that they liked it, they absolutely loved it, and I kept getting texts in the middle of the day just raving about a particular boss they had fought, stalking the Wikipedia so they could gobble up as much information as possible. It went from me giving them advice on finding a particular item or encounter, to them all but knowing more than I did. Their reasons for enjoying it in many ways mirrored mine, though I hadn't gone through the initial period of dislike they had; Controls felt very responsive, combat felt quick and engaging, and boss battles left me feeling more energized and empowered than pretty much any game I can think of. I've even done things that I don't usually do, like Record video clips of most of my boss fights, and actively seek out people I can talk about the game with.

Basically, this is the only game I can remember that has ever gotten me hyped while I was actually playing it. =P

That being said, totally understand that it isn't for everyone. I actually prefer it that way. I'm sure the game would have still been good had it been designed more like other, more conventional titles, but it just wouldn't have made quite the lasting impression on me that it has. I am greatly enjoying the Witcher 3, but it's really the same kind of enjoyment I have with most titles. I play it, am entertained, but it quickly gets tossed on the pile of the other 500 games I was entertained by.