This is how you review. I like how he constantly states (in many of his reviews) that he can't get into it, or he's bad at the can't and can't enjoy it, and still gives us solid reasons for their worth.
The feeling i get when i first encounter a boss on Dark Souls is the same i had back then when i first played Shadow of the Colossus, terror, and the need to escape until i make myself an improvised tactic. It's a masterpiece.
"A game for those who are just good at video games..." I'd say that's wrong. Dark souls is one of my favourite games, and I'm terrible at most video games. Timing is definitely neccesary, but it's mostly just a game for people who are intelligent, patient, and can learn from their mistakes. It's easier then you think if you're willing to put in the effort to learn how the mechanics work. Though harder said then done.
On my second play through of this game. One of my favs of all time, Honestly,the game isn't THAT difficult. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely challenging, but it's all about learning the games rules, practicing them, and being patient. Dark Souls punishes you for being careless. You can't just go running into a new area. You have to be slow and methodical. If your a gamer like me, who enjoys a very deep game with a ton of challenge, but also a TON of reward, you will love this game. Trust me.
It's really funny that this game is so incredible despite not being some big budget, AAA hit. It's honestly one of the best games ever made. Actually, it might be THE best game ever made, but i'm not so sure, considering that the last 3rd is a pretty big mess that you have to sweep under the rug. What do you think?
I liked the third game, why do people hate it? The lack of poise? I thought that was better. The game was the most technical of all 3 Souls games, and I've played all (except for DeS and BB)
it should say somewhere in the case "not give up" but a cheer is kind of an awkward thing to ask, since a big part of the fun is to have enough moral to die tons of times and then beat a boss, i can't even compare that much success feeling from any other game, as you say, i feel sorry for the people who can't handle it
Thing is, alot of us dont play games simply for the challenge. Particularly with RPGs I play for the overall experience (I feel the TES series shines in this area) and for a well written, well told story with characters I can relate to and find engaging. Now i've not played Dark Souls but based on what I've seen in gameplay videos and reviews it doesnt appear to have any of that. The only thing I ever hear people talk about is how hard it is, and thats just not reason enough for me to play a game.
Dark souls doesn't have much of a story. The experience comes from the challenge and fantastic places that you visit. I don't care if someone doesn't want to play it because of the difficulty. I just hate when people say the game sucks because they can't handle it and gives up.
mrdante361 Lol no Im not going to say the game sucks just because its hard (some of my favorite games happen to be pretty hard), I just dont tend to enjoy games that rely on their difficulty like a crutch.
This is a very fair review of my favorite game ever. It just isn't for everyone, and I would say it has more in common with character action games like Devil May Cry than it does rpgs like Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy.
BrotherPorkchop I always thought it was unfair that when Dark Souls is too hard it's good game design, but when Devil May Cry 3 is too hard it's bad game design. I feel like Dark Souls get's a pass on a lot of things other games don't have the luxury of receiving when people review them.
Johnny Vulture But Devil May Cry 3's difficulty is good game design too. It's completely fair and you're perfectly capable of beating anything if you're skilled at the gameplay.
BrotherPorkchop I know that's what I was saying. People shit on one game for being too hard and praise another for it. When Devil Ma Cry 3 was too hard everyone panned it as being unplayable, but Dark Souls basically is the same way as if you go into the game with the same mindset of other games in the same genre it's going to kick your ass. The Devs wanted to make demon souls because games had gotten to easy, but Gamers are the reason games got to easy. Why would anyone intentionally make a difficult game if the gaming public used to pan games for being too hard? Devs don't want to lose money.
Johnny Vulture Because people like myself only like difficult games. I play video games all the time, and an easy one simply isn't fun to me. I need a game that requires skill and offers a challenge. The objective of a game is to "win" and you aren't "winning" anything if the game hands you victory on a silver platter. Devil May Cry 3 shouldn't have been panned, but the reason Dark Souls wasn't panned like that is probably because it says "Prepare to Die" right on the case. You know what you're getting into, if you think dark souls is bad because it's too hard, that's like saying Silent Hill is bad because it's too scary.
I have just recently realised that Dark Souls has somewhat similiar way of telling a story as System Shock 2. Item placements, body placements, item descriptions, the way the world looks, what the enemies are, etc. Though SS2 still has more concrete narrative, while Dark Souls focuses more on being subtle. Very subtle.
Most newbs just go after the game the wrong way and think it's a god of war esc hack and slash, but when you go after it in a logical manner it gets easier.
This is a good but highly superficial review of Dark Souls. Once you "git gud" at it, it's a VERY relaxing place to be. Anyone who's on the fence: It is possibly the greatest video game ever made. If you're going to play it, try your best to do so without guides. When stuck or frustrated, look it up. Later, after you've beaten the game once or twice, look into the nuances. The game has literally years worth of multi-layered enjoyment.
Once you've dropped 100hrs into the game it's relaxing:\ Mark's right, Dark Souls is sadistic, not hard, sadistic. Some get off on that, and some don't... If you're looking to just get through the game, start with magic&pyro. Once you level them up you can all but one shot the bosses, and the rest of the enemies become a joke;P
CarbonWaterCalcium I found that getting powerful magic or pyro without looking at guides is difficult and confusing at the beginning. I would say that a quality (dex/str) build is easier, and then a strength/tank/turtle build for massive weapons with AoE. It was only much later that I learned how to create an ascended pyro glove, and THAT was pure fun, for both PvE and PvP. Tried the magic thing and didn't like it, even though many people claim it's the easy mode of Dark Souls. In any case, that's one of the many things that's so cool about the game, which is how subjective the experience can be.
Per S that's right dark souls isn't just a game it's an experience so far I have learned a lot from this masterpiece that I can apply to other games it really is a modern classic
This is the Castlevania of our time. Incredible how many of the design decisions of Castlevania on the NES apply here as well, especially how enemies are positioned surgically to punish carelessness and how your weapon takes a while to swing and feels heavy (just like the whip in Castlevania 1), not to mention the whole Metroidvania structure they added in this one. I can't get over how well-design this game is.
To be fair, without being totally familiar with the controls (which you generally aren't at this point), the Undead Parish is pretty brutal. All things considered, I'd say it's one of the hardest parts of the game.
CipherOfHate sure that might be true but if ur reviewing a game its best to show different things the game has to offer not just the first part if the game
Juan Rodriguez Yeah I agree, especially since the Undead Parish and most of what comes before it is what I consider to be one of the slowest, most gruelling parts of the game.
finally, a CGR review of this! I was disappointed by Undertow's review whereas Dark Souls was one of my alltime favorite CGR reviews, so I am glad Mark reviewed this finally!
I die millions of time in Dark Souls but I still love the game, I die millions of times in Ninja Gaiden 2...I just get pissed off. I still don't know how that works
I have over 320 hours total clocked in so far, and I'm still playing it obsessively. This game is absolutely brilliant. Tons of enemy and environmental variations, absolutely massive variety of weapons and armour, stunning boss fights (and music to match - think Zelda boss fights) and of course, a challenge. If you like RPG's and are hesitant about getting this one, well...get off your ass and buy it. Now.
Its a good game its just the dying and failure punishment out-weights the progression through the game. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or not Dark souls feels like it was purposely programmed to kill the player which after a while kills the charm of playing.
This is a list of favorite ever games. As you can see Dark Souls features pretty high in a pretty nifty list... need I say more. 45. Okami 44. Ghouls and Ghosts 43. kid Chameleon (Sega Mega) 42. Silent Hill 2 41. Tekken 3 (PsX) 40. Halo (Xbox) 39. Quake 2 (Playstation) 38. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (Multi) 36. Golden Eye 007 (N64) 35, Resident Evil (Multi) 33. maximo (PSX) 32. Limbo 31. Isolated Warrior (Nes) 30. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 29. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn) 28. Demons Souls (Ps3) 27. Left for Dead (Multi) 26. Zegend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 25. Secret of Mana 24. Ico (Ps2) 23. Shogun Total War 22. Wipeout (sega saturn) 21. Tomb Raider 1 20. System Shock 2 19 Command & Conquer 18. Solar Jetman (Nes) 17. Mario Cart (Snes) 16. Silent Hill (playstation) 15. Half Life 2 14. Monkey Island 2 Le chucks Revenge 13. Fallout 3 (Multi platform) 12. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (nintendo 64) 11. Dark Souls 2 10. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube) 9. The Last of Us (Ps3) 8. Dues Ex (PC) 7. Super Mario 3 (Nes) 6. Baldurs Gate 2 (PC) 5. Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker (Gamecube) 4. Doom (Multi) 3. Shadow of Collosus (playstation 2) 2. Dark Souls 1. Half Life (PC)
Come on Mark! Should have stuck with it. Infinitely better than Demon's Souls, you just have to give it a chance. Saying "this is hard. I give up" is not a way to play any game, let alone any of the Souls games. The more you play it, the better you get at it, just like anything. DS has a steep learning curve, but once you get the mechanics down, and are willing to take your time and be patient, it's actually pretty easy.
This game needs tremendous amount of patience. Mastering the controls is the first thing then comes mastering the environment and timing of attacks. After that you'll be playing DS again and again and again. Its a truly rewarding experience.. not to mention the lore is pretty awesome
The best in the whole Dark/Demon's/Bloodborne IP in my opinion, I've played and beat them all multiple times, but Dark Souls was my first, and remains my favorite for a few reasons. The level design is so great, how it's all interconnected, you can walk from one area to any other seamlessly. Every boss is unique (not including asylum demon variants), and fuck, it's just the greatest feeling beating this game. The first time I played through it, I rage quit after losing to Smough and Ornstein countless times. Picked it up a few months later, found a much closer bonfire, beat them, and now it's probably my number one favorite series. It's just one of those games that you really have to put close to 100 hundred hours into it to really get into and appreciate it, in my opinion.
I just don't have the time for this game to die. They say "true gamers play this game" but i'm like "it's called having a life, got other games that the true meaning of a game"
Dark Souls being OMGSOHARD is a stupid fucking meme and only people who don't bother with learning how to approach the game (roll, parry, riposte) fall for it. seriously, these 3 simple actions are all you ever need to beat even the hardest bosses. What Dark Souls is however is lacking direction so it's easy to not know where to go next in your first playthrough which can turn off a lot of people.
Galmion I agree when I first heard about the souls games and how hard they were the way I imagined them is nothing compared to the actual game. Yes the souls games are challenging but they aren't as brutal as people make them out to be
SuperBong420 same here when my friend first recommend me this game and stated how hard it was afraid to play it but once I started playing it's really not that hard as people say it is you just have to think more then just randomly tap buttons lol
This game can be hard at first when you're still learning the basics of the controls and combat. However, it's actually much more punishing than it is difficult. The gameplay is essentially extremely simple. You dodge, and you hit. Your dodge makes you invulnerable to all damage. With the fundamentals down, it turns into a game of timing. Time your attack animations against the timing of your enemy's attack animations so that you can deal damage without taking any, much like a fighting game, but much slower and with much fewer moves.
btw mark if you continue to play this game, you gotta use the gold pine resin on your weapon for that taurus demon, he is weak to it and it also stuns him some, I was able to take him down in just a few strikes with it bc gold pine resin adds lightning effect.
@LiamNeesonsDick is it ever possible to go through any bethesda game being purely stealthy? I found there to no point at all in allocating any points to stealth in either Fallout 3 or new vegas. What's fighting the dragons like?
Here's a tip, if you're enjoying playing through the first one don't buy the second until you're done, the better performance, online features and somewhat slightly easier bits of the second make you not want to go back to the first. But hey that's just me, I find it hard to go from DKS2's 60fps back to DKS1's 30fps.
It actually plays very well at 45fps. I have my DIfix ini set to max at 45 and it really vamps up the graphics. Especially at full resolution. I do get the occasional slowdown, but it's mostly traveling from section to new section. I fucking love dark souls and DSfix makes up for the sloppy PC port. (unless you play on a console, then never mind )
@Tellthatruth Are you referring to the xbox version of Ninja Gaiden? I also had trouble at first. However I got past it. Practice makes perfect. It is essential to master blocking and evading. Once you do you will find it much easier.It also helps to grind a lot so that you can upgrade weapons. Once you maxed out the dragon sword it's ultimate technique will make it fun to slice and dice enemies.As is the flying swallow technique.
Hey mark, that was an honest review, especially the part you said you were not good at the damm game!! Hehehe do you have anything to add about the framerate issues? I notice you play the 360 version and that's the version im interested in, cause i don't have the ps3 anymore
the beauty of this game. The area in which you reviewed it is only but a dot on the map ... after you leave the undead burg/parish areas ... the game is massive!
Demon's Souls is a game I still go back to, because I'm constantly shelving it due to frustration! But I keep coming back because it's such a rewarding gaming experience once you get into the rhythm of things. The challenge is refreshing, especially since we're in a time of cinematic games that tend to hold your hand all the way through. I look forward to playing Dark Souls.
Thanks for the advice man. I haven't played the game in a few days but gonna play in like a day or two. It does take a lot of patience just to not rage quit. I'm now at the 2 Gargoyle bosses. Any tips? lol
Mark seems to me like a really honest reviewer, and yeah he is stock in the beggining, but he acknowledge that, he say it in the review xD and i have played the game and he covered up the basics really good, things like humanity, story, etc is more fun to discover them for yourself:B
Awesome. I was wondering what you'd think of these games. Theyre my favourite. I found Dark Souls more approachable personally, and going back to Demon's Souls felt far more punishing. IMPORTANT QUESTION! I was wondering how far you got? You kept saying "you wont see the first few levels" etc. The Taurus Demon at the end of the review is the furthest part you show, is that where you gave up? Just curious.
cloudtx Why? They're as subtle as the game's narrative, so they don't go against theming and style of the game at all. If you're referring to how neither of them are really happy endings, then you're right. There are no good endings here, simply an ending where the age changes or one where the cycle repeats, just so history could repeat itself. Entropy is one of the major themes in the game, so the depressing nature of the endings is expected. But sure, they could show more about what the endings cause, but I don't think that'd fit with the game's style and atmosphere at all.
It's not about them being happy or sad. I've had sad endings that I've been satisfied before. It's just that we got no narration even when got some narration in the intro. There was no sense of what was accomplished, specially in the Dark Lord ending. There was all that hype for what you were about to do and it all came out very flat and anticlimactic in the end.
cloudtx Subtleness is what the game is about, it never gives any straight answers. So having narration at the end where they tell you how the cycle repeats if you link the fire, or Abyss takes over again and turns men into those bloated head beings. Who knows, it's meant to be ambiguous, not set on stone, just like the rest of the game.
I understand what you are saying but I came out very unsatisfied after seeing both of those endings so regardless of what were their intentions to make them, to me, they suck. In comparison. Demon's Souls story was way better. More direct in its approach I suppose, but it gave clear enough answers and it was very satisfying all the way to the end.
@Aesop70 Continuing on the skill tree,I dont like the way levelingskills works at all.If I put points into smithing and branch up to Glass smithing, I still have to sit there and level up my smithing skill before I can even make the anything. Why not just base it on "if youre level 30, you can use Glass"? Why make me put points in it, and then sit there and make 300 iron daggers just to level up 1 skill enough to use one of my skills? The level and skillsystem is my biggest gripe with the game.
I actually wrote a guide for those archers at Anor Londo. If you place yourself correctly at the bottom of the square before trying to run past them, you can actually shoot at them with a bow without them being able to do anything about it. It won't do any damage to them because they are so far away, but if you use poison arrows, they will get poisoned after a couple of shots. I already said that about the skeletons, I never died there, but I can understand it can catch you off-guard.
I love this game. Really reminded me of playing Diablo 1 as a Warrior, taking it slowly, Diablo-dooring where necessary, and being damn frightened of nearly every encounter. Fantastic atmosphere.
I agree fully, this is hands down the best game to be released in the past 10 years, in my opinion. I really don't get into newer games, I'm more of a Genesis or snes RPG guy but I absolutely adore this game. Anyone who gives this game a chance and has the patience, will be greatly rewarded with one of the best experiences to be had on the current gen consoles.
IT IS a great ting when you review my favorite game of this year. Thank you mark. I beaten this game and was fatnastic. Now skyrim is another game that also a contender for a game of the year.
You could reverse hollowing and then summon Solaire (his summon sign should be right in front of the white light), and I find spears or rapiers to work best because you can block while attacking.. so just upgrade one of those to +5, get a decent shield like the hollow warrior shield and you should have no problem with the gargoyles.
Oh, and I didn't use any swords or heavy armor. :p I used various spears, shields, pyromancy gloves, bow n arrows, light armor to move around fast because I tried to play in a way I never get hit. Neither did I say the game was easy. I think I said in a difficulty poll that I thought it was 4-5/10 if you had played Demon's Souls, and 8/10 if not. The hardest part about the game is getting the hang of it and finding your playstyle.
Forgot to say that the equipment I said earlier is what I used 99% of the time. I used magic against Centipede Demon, as I died first attempt on it, pyromancy was no good and spear wasn't doing me much good, bow was too slow. The Four Kings in second playthrough did I use heavy armor, and poise and some items and pyromancy spells to boost myself. Focused on high defense and poise no matter the cost. Paid off as in form of a very easy battle, at least compared to without! xD
I hope I will be able to play through it all. I ordered it today. I might tend to suck at some games... but when it comes to games where the combat is difficult and about tactics and using your brain, I tend to be able to be good at that. Hell - Shadow of the Colossus is probably the only game ever I've beaten on the hard difficulty level. But man, this game just looks like it's amazing. I picked this one over Dragon's Dogma, and I hope I won't regret it. :)
what im feeling right now cause i just got done playing more of dark souls is relief i was stuck in a hole at this part with this dragon clan you can join which i wasnt expecting at all and there was these mushroom things an clam shell monsters and had to make my way all the way back to the door you open when you ring the second bell...i was lost and i felt hopeless cause i thought im never gonna get back to where i was thats how this game can make you feel but then you find it deep in your own soul to keep fighting and keep making progress even when you get EXTREMELY side tracked like i was i mean i went everywhere accept to my goal even to a demon lava looking hell place i forget the name that has this yellow fog door you cant go through it was crazy..anyway you find your way back hoping the whole way you dont die a million times which i didnt die once then when you get to that bonfire that you were looking for and you look back on the craziness you had to go through you relize how much you love this game its one big feeling of fear hopelessness accomplishment and relief...please play this game
or maybe i was extremely careful but i think luck has alot to do with it but just cause the game is really hard doesnt mean everyone who plays it isnt going to have a good streak once in a while
Cheers for the tips dude. To be honest though, I don't really wanna go back to Darkroot Garden. If I remember correctly, I walked in there by accident after getting lost and got chased by 10 of these giant things. Maybe go back there a bit later lol
I've just completed this game, it took me nearly 80 hours!! What you need is patience leveling up your character, good armour (with speed), a nice weapon with a good shield for blocking and most importantly learning how to roll dodge also dodging enemies by running through. There is no way i could of completed it without the help of the internet! Never has a game effected my mental wellbeing! What helps a lot is the online element, seeing other online ghosts and summoning too. Well worth it!!
@llamasaveur actually, when you're killed brutally is because you missed something, and you need to explore. Usually there's some easier area that you should go to first, or something in the landscape that will help you. It's a game about exploring and finding your way out, but you can go to really hard places from the very start of the game. So it's up to you to choose to go there or find easier areas. It's like a metroidvania game, but the key to access an area is if you can survive in it.
@WumboWarrior Why do you think PC players stick with the mouse for FPS games instead of using gamepads? Too bad FPS games on consoles don't allow you to plug in a USB mouse and keyboard. That would make console RTS games possible.
This generation of games don't challenge the players now a days. Dark Souls fills that niche and I'm sort of glad that this game will remain in cult status. I am one of the few who love the challenge and the absolute rewarding feeling when finally overcoming a challenge after hours of preparation and training. Gamespot's review hit the nail on the head with their review. The game has it technical flaws but for me, like others, the game is a total obsession.
That isn't really how you save, the game auto-saves every 4-6 minutes. The only time you use a bonfire is to either level up, or replenish your estus flasks (healing items). you can also save manually by exiting the game through the in-game menu
@TheRogueMonk That's sort of the odd part. You try and try and try and try beating a level. But when you do, you feel empty. It's the weirdest feeling. But when you try to beat the level you have a purpose. Something to work for. And when you finish you just stop. It's so weird. Don't know about the "special death moves" though. Do you mean when you get a small animation and you do massive damage to the enemy?
A terrific game - the learning curve at the beginning is practically a vertical line, but once you get past that its great. I must say I never would have progressed if it wasn't for help from online 'phantoms' - I've just ordered Demons Souls and I'm a bit concerned that the servers are being turned off in a couple of weeks...
@Waage83 I tried doing this method but I couldnt lure him to that spot, he just wouldnt come. I guess since that was the case I probably could have just shot arrows at him to kill him but didnt have a bow.
@WumboWarrior Honestly speaking, it is because of the 360 version. Demon's Souls was PS3 exclusive, meaning they only needed one server to host everyone. Because Dark Souls is multi-platform, they had to split their servers up. On Demon's Souls it was easy to pair up with a friend (just have to be quick on the summoning). On Dark Souls, you can't tag with a friend because you almost certainly will never be on the same server.
I have played this game for a'while now & I can say that it's a pretty good game. It's beautiful, the lore is very interesting & this game is exciting to play. I can also say that it's VERY challenging. I haven't manage to get very far, since every single enemy can kill you easily or at least do major damage. I'm not against challenging or difficult games. The main reason why I bought this was that Dark Souls has very interesting world & lore. I saw the LP of Dark Souls from UnPlayedAThing & after that I really wanted to play this game. Even though I prefer JRPG style in looks, Dark Souls is a beautiful game. Also the game's history of the world & all the characters are so good.
I'm interested in this game, though I'm not sure how bad I'm gonna be at this game. So I assume I will die a lot, will dying make this game eventually become repetitive? Ugh not sure what to do, the game looks fun, but it's a challenge.
It's a good thing you weren't young in the 80's than and had the (dis)pleasure to be bossed around by the 8 and 16-bit generation of games. THOSE were hard games, the souls games merely remind me of that and it is one of the reasons I consider the souls games among the best ever made. I'm glad challenging games like Ys, meat boy, the binding of Isaac and indeed the souls games ones again seduce me to rage quite. The first 10 hours of demon's souls were disastrous, but it enthraled me ever since.
EVEN HARDER!? Holy shit, I can't even beat the second level in Demon's Souls! But I'll be getting the Limited Edition of Dark Souls because as punishing as the games are, they are SOOO damn good! And great review BTW :)
It depends on what game you played first, they're overall almost the same in terms of combat and mechanics. I played Dark souls first, it wasn't that difficult, I didn't even die until I ran into the Titanite demon by Andre the first time. I obviously gained a lot of experience throughout may playthrough, beat it, and played Demon's souls and flew right through it since I had combat skills from Dark souls. If you played Demon's souls first, obviously it would be harder, you're a noob at the game at that point.
What a great game, I am over 40 hours in and don't want it to end. I tried not to use any wiki's or videos but that became impossible. Now I think I am a little over powered but still really enjoying every new location I come across.
Dark Souls is the most unique game i have ever played. The intense emotions of love & hate and feelings of overwhelming joy i get in beating boss are mind blowing. No game i have ever played in my gaming years gets into my brain like this. This game get's into my being and all i think about is this game, i feel this game has poss est me. For a game to effect me as this game does is scary. I really got my money's worth when i bought this game. 10/10+++
Dyeing IS apart of this game, and I love it! I have a tendency of exploiting that feat with taking that opportunity to level and explore. Not sure if anyone else does that though.
This game is a masterpiece. If you're in a hurry to get to the end, it'll probably frustrate you or even drive you a bit crazy. In this game you have to enjoy the experience of playing, and learn from each death. When the end does come, you'll probably want to just start over anyway... This game can really suck up some hours of your time -- of course the same warning applies to any great game.
I was talking about two and a half playthrough, not an 8th one. As I said earlier, to be fair, I beat Demon's Souls in three and a half playthrough only dying around the same amount of times. Observe your enemies and learn how to take them out without taking any damage yourself. Don't rush. Anyways, the key to pretty much never dying is to pretty much never take any damage. There is always a way to avoid taking damage. Though The Four Kings required a different tactic in later playthroughs.
I have played this on ps3 and ps4 and can verify that the remaster on PS4 is easier than the version I have on ps3, still difficult though with bosses like the capra demon and the abyss wraiths.
@Broyale26 Sport and Racing games are just trying to deliver that certain type of feeling that you feel in a movie such as Mighty Ducks, RTS games try to make the master general... and i meant more current gen games similar to uncharted 3
This is how you review. I like how he constantly states (in many of his reviews) that he can't get into it, or he's bad at the can't and can't enjoy it, and still gives us solid reasons for their worth.
The feeling i get when i first encounter a boss on Dark Souls is the same i had back then when i first played Shadow of the Colossus, terror, and the need to escape until i make myself an improvised tactic. It's a masterpiece.
"A game for those who are just good at video games..."
I'd say that's wrong. Dark souls is one of my favourite games, and I'm terrible at most video games. Timing is definitely neccesary, but it's mostly just a game for people who are intelligent, patient, and can learn from their mistakes. It's easier then you think if you're willing to put in the effort to learn how the mechanics work. Though harder said then done.
If you are intelligent, patient and can learn from your mistakes... you are good a vidia gams.
If you are a casul, you dont.
He's hella right.
True.
On my second play through of this game. One of my favs of all time, Honestly,the game isn't THAT difficult. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely challenging, but it's all about learning the games rules, practicing them, and being patient. Dark Souls punishes you for being careless. You can't just go running into a new area. You have to be slow and methodical. If your a gamer like me, who enjoys a very deep game with a ton of challenge, but also a TON of reward, you will love this game. Trust me.
This game took a large chunk of my time back when I first got it. I loved it.
It's really funny that this game is so incredible despite not being some big budget, AAA hit. It's honestly one of the best games ever made. Actually, it might be THE best game ever made, but i'm not so sure, considering that the last 3rd is a pretty big mess that you have to sweep under the rug. What do you think?
I liked the third game, why do people hate it? The lack of poise? I thought that was better. The game was the most technical of all 3 Souls games, and I've played all (except for DeS and BB)
I have to say, Classic Game Room have by far, the best video game reviews on the internet. I love them.
One of the most fantastic games ever made. I feel sorry for people that give up on this game. You have missed out my friends.
so true
it should say somewhere in the case "not give up" but a cheer is kind of an awkward thing to ask, since a big part of the fun is to have enough moral to die tons of times and then beat a boss, i can't even compare that much success feeling from any other game, as you say, i feel sorry for the people who can't handle it
Thing is, alot of us dont play games simply for the challenge. Particularly with RPGs I play for the overall experience (I feel the TES series shines in this area) and for a well written, well told story with characters I can relate to and find engaging. Now i've not played Dark Souls but based on what I've seen in gameplay videos and reviews it doesnt appear to have any of that. The only thing I ever hear people talk about is how hard it is, and thats just not reason enough for me to play a game.
Dark souls doesn't have much of a story. The experience comes from the challenge and fantastic places that you visit. I don't care if someone doesn't want to play it because of the difficulty. I just hate when people say the game sucks because they can't handle it and gives up.
mrdante361 Lol no Im not going to say the game sucks just because its hard (some of my favorite games happen to be pretty hard), I just dont tend to enjoy games that rely on their difficulty like a crutch.
This is a very fair review of my favorite game ever. It just isn't for everyone, and I would say it has more in common with character action games like Devil May Cry than it does rpgs like Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy.
BrotherPorkchop I always thought it was unfair that when Dark Souls is too hard it's good game design, but when Devil May Cry 3 is too hard it's bad game design. I feel like Dark Souls get's a pass on a lot of things other games don't have the luxury of receiving when people review them.
Johnny Vulture But Devil May Cry 3's difficulty is good game design too. It's completely fair and you're perfectly capable of beating anything if you're skilled at the gameplay.
BrotherPorkchop I know that's what I was saying. People shit on one game for being too hard and praise another for it. When Devil Ma Cry 3 was too hard everyone panned it as being unplayable, but Dark Souls basically is the same way as if you go into the game with the same mindset of other games in the same genre it's going to kick your ass. The Devs wanted to make demon souls because games had gotten to easy, but Gamers are the reason games got to easy. Why would anyone intentionally make a difficult game if the gaming public used to pan games for being too hard? Devs don't want to lose money.
Johnny Vulture Because people like myself only like difficult games. I play video games all the time, and an easy one simply isn't fun to me. I need a game that requires skill and offers a challenge. The objective of a game is to "win" and you aren't "winning" anything if the game hands you victory on a silver platter.
Devil May Cry 3 shouldn't have been panned, but the reason Dark Souls wasn't panned like that is probably because it says "Prepare to Die" right on the case. You know what you're getting into, if you think dark souls is bad because it's too hard, that's like saying Silent Hill is bad because it's too scary.
+Ngu Mi'gogl Eh?? Dark souls and devil may cry are completely different! lol
I have just recently realised that Dark Souls has somewhat similiar way of telling a story as System Shock 2. Item placements, body placements, item descriptions, the way the world looks, what the enemies are, etc. Though SS2 still has more concrete narrative, while Dark Souls focuses more on being subtle. Very subtle.
I honestly find Dark Souls to be relaxing except when I fight bosses. I think it's the repitition
Most newbs just go after the game the wrong way and think it's a god of war esc hack and slash, but when you go after it in a logical manner it gets easier.
This is a good but highly superficial review of Dark Souls. Once you "git gud" at it, it's a VERY relaxing place to be. Anyone who's on the fence: It is possibly the greatest video game ever made. If you're going to play it, try your best to do so without guides. When stuck or frustrated, look it up. Later, after you've beaten the game once or twice, look into the nuances. The game has literally years worth of multi-layered enjoyment.
Once you've dropped 100hrs into the game it's relaxing:\ Mark's right, Dark Souls is sadistic, not hard, sadistic. Some get off on that, and some don't...
If you're looking to just get through the game, start with magic&pyro. Once you level them up you can all but one shot the bosses, and the rest of the enemies become a joke;P
CarbonWaterCalcium
I found that getting powerful magic or pyro without looking at guides is difficult and confusing at the beginning. I would say that a quality (dex/str) build is easier, and then a strength/tank/turtle build for massive weapons with AoE. It was only much later that I learned how to create an ascended pyro glove, and THAT was pure fun, for both PvE and PvP. Tried the magic thing and didn't like it, even though many people claim it's the easy mode of Dark Souls. In any case, that's one of the many things that's so cool about the game, which is how subjective the experience can be.
it is a masterpiece.....this would have been really enuff to say!
Per S that's right dark souls isn't just a game it's an experience so far I have learned a lot from this masterpiece that I can apply to other games it really is a modern classic
This is the Castlevania of our time.
Incredible how many of the design decisions of Castlevania on the NES apply here as well, especially how enemies are positioned surgically to punish carelessness and how your weapon takes a while to swing and feels heavy (just like the whip in Castlevania 1), not to mention the whole Metroidvania structure they added in this one.
I can't get over how well-design this game is.
I bet this guy never even made it passed the Undead Parish....the cut scenes only showed the first quarter of the game
To be fair, without being totally familiar with the controls (which you generally aren't at this point), the Undead Parish is pretty brutal. All things considered, I'd say it's one of the hardest parts of the game.
CipherOfHate sure that might be true but if ur reviewing a game its best to show different things the game has to offer not just the first part if the game
Juan Rodriguez
Yeah I agree, especially since the Undead Parish and most of what comes before it is what I consider to be one of the slowest, most gruelling parts of the game.
finally, a CGR review of this! I was disappointed by Undertow's review whereas Dark Souls was one of my alltime favorite CGR reviews, so I am glad Mark reviewed this finally!
I die millions of time in Dark Souls but I still love the game, I die millions of times in Ninja Gaiden 2...I just get pissed off. I still don't know how that works
well, Ninja Gaiden is as it sounds: gay den. a den for gay people to have fun in. I hope this answers your question
TrancoTechnizer No you pronounce it as guy-din. People still dont know this?
***** Im not the one playing the gay den game...just heard of it in this video, hence I start making fun of it
***** meh, whatever. I didnt mean to. Just the name Ninja Gaiden sounds extremely funny
ya ok TrancoTechnizer
I have over 320 hours total clocked in so far, and I'm still playing it obsessively. This game is absolutely brilliant. Tons of enemy and environmental variations, absolutely massive variety of weapons and armour, stunning boss fights (and music to match - think Zelda boss fights) and of course, a challenge. If you like RPG's and are hesitant about getting this one, well...get off your ass and buy it. Now.
Its a good game its just the dying and failure punishment out-weights the progression through the game. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or not Dark souls feels like it was purposely programmed to kill the player which after a while kills the charm of playing.
i love the classic game room intro theme! makes ma day :D good vid btw!
I was so proud of myself when i finally platinumed this game... 300 Hours well spent.
damn bro
You sound more legit than Mr "am I the only person who played through this game 1st time without dying even once?"
This is a list of favorite ever games. As you can see Dark Souls features pretty high in a pretty nifty list... need I say more.
45. Okami
44. Ghouls and Ghosts
43. kid Chameleon (Sega Mega)
42. Silent Hill 2
41. Tekken 3 (PsX)
40. Halo (Xbox)
39. Quake 2 (Playstation)
38. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (Multi)
36. Golden Eye 007 (N64)
35, Resident Evil (Multi)
33. maximo (PSX)
32. Limbo
31. Isolated Warrior (Nes)
30. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
29. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn)
28. Demons Souls (Ps3)
27. Left for Dead (Multi)
26. Zegend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
25. Secret of Mana
24. Ico (Ps2)
23. Shogun Total War
22. Wipeout (sega saturn)
21. Tomb Raider 1
20. System Shock 2
19 Command & Conquer
18. Solar Jetman (Nes)
17. Mario Cart (Snes)
16. Silent Hill (playstation)
15. Half Life 2
14. Monkey Island 2 Le chucks Revenge
13. Fallout 3 (Multi platform)
12. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (nintendo 64)
11. Dark Souls 2
10. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
9. The Last of Us (Ps3)
8. Dues Ex (PC)
7. Super Mario 3 (Nes)
6. Baldurs Gate 2 (PC)
5. Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker (Gamecube)
4. Doom (Multi)
3. Shadow of Collosus (playstation 2)
2. Dark Souls
1. Half Life (PC)
Come on Mark! Should have stuck with it. Infinitely better than Demon's Souls, you just have to give it a chance. Saying "this is hard. I give up" is not a way to play any game, let alone any of the Souls games. The more you play it, the better you get at it, just like anything. DS has a steep learning curve, but once you get the mechanics down, and are willing to take your time and be patient, it's actually pretty easy.
I could listen to this guy all day. Best voice and funniest reviews. 10 out of 10 as always.
LOL
i just entered here to see Lord Karnage getting his ass kicked by the game
im leaving satisfyed
This game needs tremendous amount of patience. Mastering the controls is the first thing then comes mastering the environment and timing of attacks. After that you'll be playing DS again and again and again. Its a truly rewarding experience.. not to mention the lore is pretty awesome
Using pyromancy on a Black Knight....
marty slackjaw he does say he's no good at it
The best in the whole Dark/Demon's/Bloodborne IP in my opinion, I've played and beat them all multiple times, but Dark Souls was my first, and remains my favorite for a few reasons. The level design is so great, how it's all interconnected, you can walk from one area to any other seamlessly. Every boss is unique (not including asylum demon variants), and fuck, it's just the greatest feeling beating this game. The first time I played through it, I rage quit after losing to Smough and Ornstein countless times. Picked it up a few months later, found a much closer bonfire, beat them, and now it's probably my number one favorite series. It's just one of those games that you really have to put close to 100 hundred hours into it to really get into and appreciate it, in my opinion.
I just don't have the time for this game to die. They say "true gamers play this game" but i'm like "it's called having a life, got other games that the true meaning of a game"
Recently bought this game...challenging? Yes. Will I give up? No. I am determined to beat this game :D
May the flames guide thee
Dark Souls being OMGSOHARD is a stupid fucking meme and only people who don't bother with learning how to approach the game (roll, parry, riposte) fall for it. seriously, these 3 simple actions are all you ever need to beat even the hardest bosses.
What Dark Souls is however is lacking direction so it's easy to not know where to go next in your first playthrough which can turn off a lot of people.
Galmion I agree when I first heard about the souls games and how hard they were the way I imagined them is nothing compared to the actual game. Yes the souls games are challenging but they aren't as brutal as people make them out to be
SuperBong420 same here when my friend first recommend me this game and stated how hard it was afraid to play it but once I started playing it's really not that hard as people say it is you just have to think more then just randomly tap buttons lol
@Broyale26 what videogame does not fit under the archetype of interactive movie?
am I the only person who played through this game 1st time without dying even once? this game is piss easy
were you there? NO, so shut up, I did do it I got 4 witnesses
manofknowledge1000 then you wouldn't mind uploading a playthrough right?
dumb kid is lying
Brother Cheese please explain how what I am doing is bullying, how dare you
the kroginator I didnt record it, I could do it again I suppose but I find the game kinda boring, games that are too easy are boring
love you CGR for making this!!!
Overrated
Says the guy that got completely crushed by Dark Souls and now calling overrated because you got your ass handed to you.
+Napalmburns Long story short, git gud scrub.
Napalmburns i have never played it hahahahaha i wouldn't waste my time on this overhyped pile of shit. Get trolled nerds.
Classy
This game can be hard at first when you're still learning the basics of the controls and combat. However, it's actually much more punishing than it is difficult. The gameplay is essentially extremely simple. You dodge, and you hit. Your dodge makes you invulnerable to all damage. With the fundamentals down, it turns into a game of timing. Time your attack animations against the timing of your enemy's attack animations so that you can deal damage without taking any, much like a fighting game, but much slower and with much fewer moves.
btw mark if you continue to play this game, you gotta use the gold pine resin on your weapon for that taurus demon, he is weak to it and it also stuns him some, I was able to take him down in just a few strikes with it bc gold pine resin adds lightning effect.
@LiamNeesonsDick is it ever possible to go through any bethesda game being purely stealthy? I found there to no point at all in allocating any points to stealth in either Fallout 3 or new vegas. What's fighting the dragons like?
@LiamNeesonsDick what kind of changes? How many times have you finished the game? Does it get harder on New game +? Have you played Skyrim?
Here's a tip, if you're enjoying playing through the first one don't buy the second until you're done, the better performance, online features and somewhat slightly easier bits of the second make you not want to go back to the first.
But hey that's just me, I find it hard to go from DKS2's 60fps back to DKS1's 30fps.
It actually plays very well at 45fps. I have my DIfix ini set to max at 45 and it really vamps up the graphics. Especially at full resolution. I do get the occasional slowdown, but it's mostly traveling from section to new section. I fucking love dark souls and DSfix makes up for the sloppy PC port. (unless you play on a console, then never mind )
@WumboWarrior Not these days, but there was cross-platform play between the Dreamcast and PC versions of Quake 3.
@Tellthatruth Are you referring to the xbox version of Ninja Gaiden? I also had trouble at first. However I got past it. Practice makes perfect. It is essential to master blocking and evading. Once you do you will find it much easier.It also helps to grind a lot so that you can upgrade weapons. Once you maxed out the dragon sword it's ultimate technique will make it fun to slice and dice enemies.As is the flying swallow technique.
I'm going to check this out. How hard can it be? I been through some real tough games before.
Hey mark, that was an honest review, especially the part you said you were not good at the damm game!! Hehehe do you have anything to add about the framerate issues? I notice you play the 360 version and that's the version im interested in, cause i don't have the ps3 anymore
the beauty of this game. The area in which you reviewed it is only but a dot on the map ... after you leave the undead burg/parish areas ... the game is massive!
so far ive been studying for finals and watching CGR all weekend
Demon's Souls is a game I still go back to, because I'm constantly shelving it due to frustration! But I keep coming back because it's such a rewarding gaming experience once you get into the rhythm of things. The challenge is refreshing, especially since we're in a time of cinematic games that tend to hold your hand all the way through. I look forward to playing Dark Souls.
@LiamNeesonsDick hows Dark Souls going for you? How many hours have you put in so far?
Thanks for the advice man. I haven't played the game in a few days but gonna play in like a day or two. It does take a lot of patience just to not rage quit. I'm now at the 2 Gargoyle bosses. Any tips? lol
One question: In demon souls you can start with a knight and end up like a mage, wathever; does this happens in DK too or the classes are indepedent?
Took me seven restarts, but I finally did beat this beautiful gem of a game. ^_^
Mark seems to me like a really honest reviewer, and yeah he is stock in the beggining, but he acknowledge that, he say it in the review xD and i have played the game and he covered up the basics really good, things like humanity, story, etc is more fun to discover them for yourself:B
Awesome. I was wondering what you'd think of these games. Theyre my favourite. I found Dark Souls more approachable personally, and going back to Demon's Souls felt far more punishing.
IMPORTANT QUESTION! I was wondering how far you got? You kept saying "you wont see the first few levels" etc. The Taurus Demon at the end of the review is the furthest part you show, is that where you gave up? Just curious.
Dark souls has a great story! Took a while for me to care much for dark souls, but I started listing to epicnamebros lore videos and I was hooked.
As good as the lore is, the endings suck.
cloudtx
Why? They're as subtle as the game's narrative, so they don't go against theming and style of the game at all. If you're referring to how neither of them are really happy endings, then you're right. There are no good endings here, simply an ending where the age changes or one where the cycle repeats, just so history could repeat itself. Entropy is one of the major themes in the game, so the depressing nature of the endings is expected.
But sure, they could show more about what the endings cause, but I don't think that'd fit with the game's style and atmosphere at all.
It's not about them being happy or sad. I've had sad endings that I've been satisfied before. It's just that we got no narration even when got some narration in the intro. There was no sense of what was accomplished, specially in the Dark Lord ending. There was all that hype for what you were about to do and it all came out very flat and anticlimactic in the end.
cloudtx
Subtleness is what the game is about, it never gives any straight answers. So having narration at the end where they tell you how the cycle repeats if you link the fire, or Abyss takes over again and turns men into those bloated head beings. Who knows, it's meant to be ambiguous, not set on stone, just like the rest of the game.
I understand what you are saying but I came out very unsatisfied after seeing both of those endings so regardless of what were their intentions to make them, to me, they suck. In comparison. Demon's Souls story was way better. More direct in its approach I suppose, but it gave clear enough answers and it was very satisfying all the way to the end.
@Aesop70 Continuing on the skill tree,I dont like the way levelingskills works at all.If I put points into smithing and branch up to Glass smithing, I still have to sit there and level up my smithing skill before I can even make the anything. Why not just base it on "if youre level 30, you can use Glass"? Why make me put points in it, and then sit there and make 300 iron daggers just to level up 1 skill enough to use one of my skills? The level and skillsystem is my biggest gripe with the game.
I actually wrote a guide for those archers at Anor Londo. If you place yourself correctly at the bottom of the square before trying to run past them, you can actually shoot at them with a bow without them being able to do anything about it. It won't do any damage to them because they are so far away, but if you use poison arrows, they will get poisoned after a couple of shots. I already said that about the skeletons, I never died there, but I can understand it can catch you off-guard.
I love this game. Really reminded me of playing Diablo 1 as a Warrior, taking it slowly, Diablo-dooring where necessary, and being damn frightened of nearly every encounter. Fantastic atmosphere.
I agree fully, this is hands down the best game to be released in the past 10 years, in my opinion.
I really don't get into newer games, I'm more of a Genesis or snes RPG guy but I absolutely adore this game.
Anyone who gives this game a chance and has the patience, will be greatly rewarded with one of the best experiences to be had on the current gen consoles.
IT IS a great ting when you review my favorite game of this year. Thank you mark. I beaten this game and was fatnastic. Now skyrim is another game that also a contender for a game of the year.
I loved it. I can't wait to play through again, once I'm back home from college.
You could reverse hollowing and then summon Solaire (his summon sign should be right in front of the white light), and I find spears or rapiers to work best because you can block while attacking.. so just upgrade one of those to +5, get a decent shield like the hollow warrior shield and you should have no problem with the gargoyles.
Oh, and I didn't use any swords or heavy armor. :p I used various spears, shields, pyromancy gloves, bow n arrows, light armor to move around fast because I tried to play in a way I never get hit. Neither did I say the game was easy. I think I said in a difficulty poll that I thought it was 4-5/10 if you had played Demon's Souls, and 8/10 if not. The hardest part about the game is getting the hang of it and finding your playstyle.
Forgot to say that the equipment I said earlier is what I used 99% of the time. I used magic against Centipede Demon, as I died first attempt on it, pyromancy was no good and spear wasn't doing me much good, bow was too slow. The Four Kings in second playthrough did I use heavy armor, and poise and some items and pyromancy spells to boost myself. Focused on high defense and poise no matter the cost. Paid off as in form of a very easy battle, at least compared to without! xD
I hope I will be able to play through it all. I ordered it today. I might tend to suck at some games... but when it comes to games where the combat is difficult and about tactics and using your brain, I tend to be able to be good at that. Hell - Shadow of the Colossus is probably the only game ever I've beaten on the hard difficulty level. But man, this game just looks like it's amazing. I picked this one over Dragon's Dogma, and I hope I won't regret it. :)
what im feeling right now cause i just got done playing more of dark souls is relief i was stuck in a hole at this part with this dragon clan you can join which i wasnt expecting at all and there was these mushroom things an clam shell monsters and had to make my way all the way back to the door you open when you ring the second bell...i was lost and i felt hopeless cause i thought im never gonna get back to where i was thats how this game can make you feel but then you find it deep in your own soul to keep fighting and keep making progress even when you get EXTREMELY side tracked like i was i mean i went everywhere accept to my goal even to a demon lava looking hell place i forget the name that has this yellow fog door you cant go through it was crazy..anyway you find your way back hoping the whole way you dont die a million times which i didnt die once then when you get to that bonfire that you were looking for and you look back on the craziness you had to go through you relize how much you love this game its one big feeling of fear hopelessness accomplishment and relief...please play this game
whole way you dont die a million times which i didnt die once? Think you watched to many videos on this game and not actually played.
***** no actually i didnt watch any videos of this game i just had a crazy good weapon someone gave me when summoned and i just got lucky i guess
or maybe i was extremely careful but i think luck has alot to do with it but just cause the game is really hard doesnt mean everyone who plays it isnt going to have a good streak once in a while
Punctuation exists.
Cheers for the tips dude. To be honest though, I don't really wanna go back to Darkroot Garden. If I remember correctly, I walked in there by accident after getting lost and got chased by 10 of these giant things. Maybe go back there a bit later lol
@MrSalmon88 I can't get anything to show up when I type in that link. What's the name of the boss?
I've just completed this game, it took me nearly 80 hours!! What you need is patience leveling up your character, good armour (with speed), a nice weapon with a good shield for blocking and most importantly learning how to roll dodge also dodging enemies by running through.
There is no way i could of completed it without the help of the internet! Never has a game effected my mental wellbeing! What helps a lot is the online element, seeing other online ghosts and summoning too. Well worth it!!
@llamasaveur actually, when you're killed brutally is because you missed something, and you need to explore. Usually there's some easier area that you should go to first, or something in the landscape that will help you. It's a game about exploring and finding your way out, but you can go to really hard places from the very start of the game. So it's up to you to choose to go there or find easier areas. It's like a metroidvania game, but the key to access an area is if you can survive in it.
@WumboWarrior Why do you think PC players stick with the mouse for FPS games instead of using gamepads? Too bad FPS games on consoles don't allow you to plug in a USB mouse and keyboard. That would make console RTS games possible.
do people still pvp on dark souls 1? I'm wondering if it's worth buying.
Dark Souls 1 on consoles is still very much active But on PC not so much
On PS3, yes. Lots of activity 24 hours a day. More on weekends.
yes, even now. Played it on NG+ an got invaded like 3 times within 2 hours and i wasnt even human for that whole time lol
Yeah. Dark Souls still has many a player.
wut doucar yeah even now on ps3 , I play pvp from time to time aswell , it's just fun.
This generation of games don't challenge the players now a days. Dark Souls fills that niche and I'm sort of glad that this game will remain in cult status. I am one of the few who love the challenge and the absolute rewarding feeling when finally overcoming a challenge after hours of preparation and training.
Gamespot's review hit the nail on the head with their review. The game has it technical flaws but for me, like others, the game is a total obsession.
That isn't really how you save, the game auto-saves every 4-6 minutes. The only time you use a bonfire is to either level up, or replenish your estus flasks (healing items). you can also save manually by exiting the game through the in-game menu
@TheRogueMonk That's sort of the odd part. You try and try and try and try beating a level. But when you do, you feel empty. It's the weirdest feeling. But when you try to beat the level you have a purpose. Something to work for. And when you finish you just stop. It's so weird.
Don't know about the "special death moves" though. Do you mean when you get a small animation and you do massive damage to the enemy?
A terrific game - the learning curve at the beginning is practically a vertical line, but once you get past that its great. I must say I never would have progressed if it wasn't for help from online 'phantoms' - I've just ordered Demons Souls and I'm a bit concerned that the servers are being turned off in a couple of weeks...
great review! as always
Try their earlier game series King's Field, it does the exact same thing, but it the hardware wasn't really good enough for the same experience! :)
@Waage83 I tried doing this method but I couldnt lure him to that spot, he just wouldnt come. I guess since that was the case I probably could have just shot arrows at him to kill him but didnt have a bow.
@WumboWarrior Honestly speaking, it is because of the 360 version. Demon's Souls was PS3 exclusive, meaning they only needed one server to host everyone. Because Dark Souls is multi-platform, they had to split their servers up. On Demon's Souls it was easy to pair up with a friend (just have to be quick on the summoning). On Dark Souls, you can't tag with a friend because you almost certainly will never be on the same server.
I have played this game for a'while now & I can say that it's a pretty good game.
It's beautiful, the lore is very interesting & this game is exciting to play.
I can also say that it's VERY challenging. I haven't manage to get very far, since every single enemy can kill you easily or at least do major damage.
I'm not against challenging or difficult games.
The main reason why I bought this was that Dark Souls has very interesting world & lore. I saw the LP of Dark Souls from UnPlayedAThing & after that I really wanted to play this game.
Even though I prefer JRPG style in looks, Dark Souls is a beautiful game. Also the game's history of the world & all the characters are so good.
I'm interested in this game, though I'm not sure how bad I'm gonna be at this game. So I assume I will die a lot, will dying make this game eventually become repetitive? Ugh not sure what to do, the game looks fun, but it's a challenge.
It's a good thing you weren't young in the 80's than and had the (dis)pleasure to be bossed around by the 8 and 16-bit generation of games. THOSE were hard games, the souls games merely remind me of that and it is one of the reasons I consider the souls games among the best ever made. I'm glad challenging games like Ys, meat boy, the binding of Isaac and indeed the souls games ones again seduce me to rage quite. The first 10 hours of demon's souls were disastrous, but it enthraled me ever since.
EVEN HARDER!? Holy shit, I can't even beat the second level in Demon's Souls! But I'll be getting the Limited Edition of Dark Souls because as punishing as the games are, they are SOOO damn good!
And great review BTW :)
Thank you I was waiting for your review ;p
This is a game where you regularly test your character's limits, and have to figure out how to perform beyond them
This is why I like Dark Souls
I thank you four your review, now I'm thinking about to buy this game (it looks awesome).
I would love to see you review Resident Evil 4 remake on PlayStation 5
I am impressed by this review. Liked.
A friend of mine once described Dark Souls like this: "Dark Souls is Demon's Souls on easy mode." I have to agree with her lol (I love both btw).
Eh? No way!! Dark souls is harder by a damn sight! I guess it's all opinion... But in my eyes the only massive challenge in demon's was Flamelurker..
It depends on what game you played first, they're overall almost the same in terms of combat and mechanics. I played Dark souls first, it wasn't that difficult, I didn't even die until I ran into the Titanite demon by Andre the first time. I obviously gained a lot of experience throughout may playthrough, beat it, and played Demon's souls and flew right through it since I had combat skills from Dark souls. If you played Demon's souls first, obviously it would be harder, you're a noob at the game at that point.
Aeolianshredhead
What makes Demon's Souls harder are the motherfucking World Tendencies
***** Imo that was an element that was indeed harder than dark souls but as a whole I reckon dark was harder. Just my experience of it though.
Aeolianshredhead
If you didn't have World Tendency towards Black then Dark Souls is harder. I just never managed to keep it up
I can get either:
DARK SOULS, ICO HD OR MGS HD.
WHICH ONE??!!
What a great game, I am over 40 hours in and don't want it to end. I tried not to use any wiki's or videos but that became impossible. Now I think I am a little over powered but still really enjoying every new location I come across.
Dark Souls is the most unique game i have ever played. The intense emotions of love & hate and feelings of overwhelming joy i get in beating boss are mind blowing. No game i have ever played in my gaming years gets into my brain like this. This game get's into my being and all i think about is this game, i feel this game has poss est me. For a game to effect me as this game does is scary. I really got my money's worth when i bought this game. 10/10+++
Oh? Thanks for assuring me of that. ^^ I really look forward to it.
Dyeing IS apart of this game, and I love it! I have a tendency of exploiting that feat with taking that opportunity to level and explore. Not sure if anyone else does that though.
hey if u fall off a cliff or something like that how do u get ur souls and body back
This game is a masterpiece. If you're in a hurry to get to the end, it'll probably frustrate you or even drive you a bit crazy. In this game you have to enjoy the experience of playing, and learn from each death. When the end does come, you'll probably want to just start over anyway... This game can really suck up some hours of your time -- of course the same warning applies to any great game.
I was talking about two and a half playthrough, not an 8th one. As I said earlier, to be fair, I beat Demon's Souls in three and a half playthrough only dying around the same amount of times.
Observe your enemies and learn how to take them out without taking any damage yourself. Don't rush. Anyways, the key to pretty much never dying is to pretty much never take any damage. There is always a way to avoid taking damage. Though The Four Kings required a different tactic in later playthroughs.
I have played this on ps3 and ps4 and can verify that the remaster on PS4 is easier than the version I have on ps3, still difficult though with bosses like the capra demon and the abyss wraiths.
This was a freaking amazing review.
When ever I rest at my fire my flasks don't come back what do I do?
@Broyale26 Sport and Racing games are just trying to deliver that certain type of feeling that you feel in a movie such as Mighty Ducks, RTS games try to make the master general... and i meant more current gen games similar to uncharted 3
I was stuck at the Parish for two weeks at one point. Now I can complete the game in under four hours. Still tons of fun.