ELDEN RING

First time with a Dark Souls type game and loving it. I am 52 so apparently it's never too late to get good.

The note said "chest ahead" at the edge of a cliff with nothing in sight...there were plenty of bloodstains but they must've missed the jump... I had to be sure

This game feels like...walking out into Hyrule field after the Great Deku tree. I did not think I would ever experience such an overwhelming feeling of amazement again.
Please bring back this level of gaming. I'm so tired of paying $14.99 for skimpy DLC and $29.99 "season passes." Just give us complete works like Elden Ring. I promise you'll get all our money.
And honestly? This game is the new example in evaluating all others. Why should you pay $60+ for a game that's not even half as complete as Elden Ring?

you can hug a woman

If you rush you can make it the hardest Souls game you've ever played.
If you take it a bit slower, it will be similar in difficulty to the old games.
If you take it very slow and out-level content it also fits the bit more casual player, although don't think it will be easy.
The open world and "questing system" are the new benchmark for the entire genre. For me it's one of the best games I've ever played.
Opinion might change along the way as I am only half way, will update accordingly.

First game in a long time where you get exactly what you payed for and exactly what was advertised, no micro transactions, no battle pass, just a massive playground where the only one limiting your enjoyment and progression is you. The only thing as grand and marvelous as the world itself are the horrors attempting to keep you from your goals. Elden ring is as hard as you make it.Flaws are few and far between (a few npc quests were unfinished and guess what, its already been patched-looking at you coz!). I wish other game developers put as much love, care, and dedication to its games, its fans, and its employees as FromSoftware has.
My advice, explore the world when you get stuck on a boss, go off the beaten path, strike first, strike hard, No mercy.

I'm a total noob when it comes to Souls-Games. Usually I play RPGs on easy mode to enjoy the story in peace.
Obviously there is no proper easy mode in Elden Ring, but the game allows you to play it in your own pace.
I literally spent the first 12-14 hours just riding around on my horse which I named Dolly, picked up flowers & only killed some easy enemies. The more I played the more I got confident & noticed that I'm able to kill some small dungeon bosses, because the game allows you to level up without going for the big bosses. When I felt strong enough I went for my first story boss & it was fun, not too easy, not too difficult.
Like that's the great part of Elden Ring: you don't have to be this awesome Souls-Veteran to be able to enjoy the game.
You can just take your time with everything, explore the beautiful world from the get go & just enjoy the view & smaller bosses.
The game doesn't push you to kill a certain difficult boss in order to get somewhere ingame. You're not forced to farm the same enemies for hours on end until you're strong enough to continue your journey. You can just keep exploring & will eventually level up in the mean time. & if you're not getting any further with a specific boss, then you can just leave it be for now & do hundreds of other things instead.
I would also like to mention that the open world is done really good! You're able to explore every single corner & the game even rewards you for being curious. There are no useless areas in which you waste your time. You're always getting some kind of reward everywhere you go.