Dark Souls: Initial Thoughts

[Gorilla Gunk]

Played a bit of it and I have to say, I'm a tiny bit disappointed. Emphasis on the "tiny bit" part.

My main problem is with the graphics. They really seem to have taken a hit. Everything is kind of jagged and kind of low-res. I guess they downgraded them a bit to accommodate the open world approach they're going for. Even the ghosts that wander around look worse. Compared to the clean, sharper visuals of Demon's Souls, one would almost think this was the first game and Demon's Souls was the sequel. There are also some framerate drops, especially when you look around the big wide open-world. Again, this is something I didn't really have too much of a problem with in Demon's Souls. But then again, that wasn't open-world.

Even worse is the menu. It's kind of hard to explain but compared the crisp, clean menu's from Demon's Souls the one's in this game look like they're from an early PS2 game. It's just really grainy and cluttered and kind of ugly to look at. Whether this was again the result of them having to downgrade the graphics a bit or it was done deliberately to give the game a dated, D&D-ish feel, I don't know. It just makes me wish there was an option to have the old HUD and menus back.

To reiterate, I haven't played the game much yet. I just got it like an hour ago and have only gotten past the first boss. These are just my initial thoughts. Hopefully they'll patch the game or something to fix the framerate issues because that's the biggest problem I have with the game right now, if that's even something they can fix.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

I'm also kind of disappointed I can't give my character the black bruised eye sockets and crazy Raiden eyes my guy in Demon's Souls has.

 

[Dansen]

Um, it is hard, I haven't even made past the opening of the first level.

If only I knew how to take down the giant skeletons, thenI would be set.

 

[crono738]

Um, it is hard, I haven't even made past the opening of the first level.

If only I knew how to take down the giant skeletons, thenI would be set.

You aren't supposed to go that way yet.

 

[McNinja]

Played a bit of it and I have to say, I'm a tiny bit disappointed. Emphasis on the "tiny bit" part.

My main problem is with the graphics. They really seem to have taken a hit. Everything is kind of jagged and kind of low-res. I guess they downgraded them a bit to accommodate the open world approach they're going for. Even the ghosts that wander around look worse. Compared to the clean, sharper visuals of Demon's Souls, one would almost think this was the first game and Demon's Souls was the sequel. There are also some framerate drops, especially when you look around the big wide open-world. Again, this is something I didn't really have too much of a problem with in Demon's Souls. But then again, that wasn't open-world.

Even worse is the menu. It's kind of hard to explain but compared the crisp, clean menu's from Demon's Souls the one's in this game look like they're from an early PS2 game. It's just really grainy and cluttered and kind of ugly to look at. Whether this was again the result of them having to downgrade the graphics a bit or it was done deliberately to give the game a dated, D&D-ish feel, I don't know. It just makes me wish there was an option to have the old HUD and menus back.

To reiterate, I haven't played the game much yet. I just got it like an hour ago and have only gotten past the first boss. These are just my initial thoughts. Hopefully they'll patch the game or something to fix the framerate issues because that's the biggest problem I have with the game right now, if that's even something they can fix.

It's FROM Software. They couldn't consistently design a decent menu if their lives depended on it.

 

[Corven]

Um, it is hard, I haven't even made past the opening of the first level.

If only I knew how to take down the giant skeletons, thenI would be set.

You're going the wrong way is your main problem, you're supposed to head up first.

 

[Dansen]

Um, it is hard, I haven't even made past the opening of the first level.

If only I knew how to take down the giant skeletons, thenI would be set.

You're going the wrong way is your main problem, you're supposed to head up first.

Just realized that, those in game hints are surprisingly helpful.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Um, it is hard, I haven't even made past the opening of the first level.

If only I knew how to take down the giant skeletons, thenI would be set.

Don't think of the game as totally linear. It's more linear than their "open world" claims would have you think, but if you can't make it in one direction, explore a bit and find another.

But if you REALLY want to see what's past the skeletons, it's just a few treasures. Pretty good ones, but not entirely worth it at the start. If you really want them and don't mind dying, just rush through the graveyard and snag up what you can. Or kick the skeletons off the cliff- that works.

But, fair warning, no matter how you kill the skeletons, they don't give you souls. So fighting them all to the death ain't exactly worth it.

EDIT: Right, I'm loving the game so far. Once I got past the first big boss (not the Asylum Demon) I felt like a new man really exploring the world. Taking forever, but damn is the ride fun.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

It's FROM Software. They couldn't consistently design a decent menu if their lives depended on it.

Yeah but at least Demon's Souls' menu looked nice and didn't resemble something you'd see in an RPG made in the late 90's/early 00's. It's just ugly as fuck man.

 

[ZeroMachine]

It's FROM Software. They couldn't consistently design a decent menu if their lives depended on it.

Yeah but at least Demon's Souls' menu looked nice and didn't resemble something you'd see in an RPG made in the late 90's/early 00's. It's just ugly as fuck man.

I actually kinda like the menu's aesthetic. It represents the sort of game I wanted to get out of Dark Souls. Dark, dreary, old school difficulty.

Definitely getting that, too. As Darksiders was the best Zelda game I played in a long time, I feel like this is the best Castlevania game I've played since Circle of the Moon

 

[Ghengis John]

Whether this was again the result of them having to downgrade the graphics a bit or it was done deliberately to give the game a dated, D&D-ish feel, I don't know..

My number one complaint about the original game was the graphics. Seriously they were muddy and awful to look at. Particularly the human characters who were rendered something like neanderthals under a grease lens. This news is most disconcerting.

 

[zarix2311]

I don't really have anything to complain about, I love it so far.

 

[Stormz]

Think it's great so far. I somehow managed to skip a major boss fight though and not sure if I have to go back to beat it or not. Currently stuck on the moonlight butterfly. Taking a break after...you know...screaming a little.

 

[Googenstien]

Loving the game, hating that Im stuck in a death_fest at every corner I chose now at lvl 16.

As for graphics, the game only does 480p, 720p and 1080i! If you have it in 1080I it will look blurred and jagged. Go down to 720p and I think you will be suprised and happy.. game looks amazing to me at 720p on my LED TV.

Ok, off to look for some tips on where to go.. one way I have a dragon 1 shotting me, another skeles that gang up on you and take forever to kill for no souls and then Ghosts who gang up on me so fast that all I do is die.

 

[Stormz]

Loving the game, hating that Im stuck in a death_fest at every corner I chose now at lvl 16.

As for graphics, the game only does 480p, 720p and 1080i! If you have it in 1080I it will look blurred and jagged. Go down to 720p and I think you will be suprised and happy.. game looks amazing to me at 720p on my LED TV.

Ok, off to look for some tips on where to go.. one way I have a dragon 1 shotting me, another skeles that gang up on you and take forever to kill for no souls and then Ghosts who gang up on me so fast that all I do is die.

The dragon is the easiest path I believe. Sprint across the bridge quickly and about half way there are two side paths. Take the right one and there will be stairs.

 

[Itsthefuzz]

Summing up my feelings for the game in easy points:

1. It's hard in a good way, first game like it so I'm dying A LOT
2. I like the various secrets to find, groups to join, and people to help/destroy.
3. I'm having a very hard time using the menu efficiently, but that's my only real issue.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

Some other annoyances:

-I know Demon's Souls wasn't big on explaining shit to you, but it at least gave you the basics. I've played the game a few more hours and I still can't figure out the whole "Hollowed/Humanity" thing and have no idea what "Kindling" is or why my character looks like a burnt pizza. Can somebody please explain this shit to me?

-On the subject of my character, and this is an extremely minor/petty complaint, but I hate how I can no longer give my character the black, evil-looking eye sockets my character in Demon's Souls has. Guess it doesn't really matter anyway since, again, your character has a burnt pizza face so no matter how long you spent making you character look exactly the way you want him to you won't see it for awhile.

-The combat feels different. There seems to be very little feedback when I hit a guy so I just don't feel like I'm doing any damage. And I still haven't figured out how to backstab dudes.

-The HUD/Menus are still ugly as fuck and I'm starting to think they were deliberately designed that way.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Loving it.

It feels a lot more polished that than Demon's Souls, in the way the characters move and the wy they attack.

I'm fucking loving how much crit damage daggers do in this game (started out as thief).

No complaints about the visuals, they look better than Demon's Souls (at least on my TV), the level designs are more varied and there's a lot more variation in the types of grunts you face, so it never feels like I'm fighting wave after wave of the same sort of bad guy.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Add me to the people who are loving it. I'm farming souls right now. And I got the Drake Sword. Things are going to be fun after I'm done leveling and stacking up on supplies.
It did take me forever to locate the first blacksmith and merchant, though. How I missed those staircases.....
Oh, and I rolled a Thief to start. DAT CRITICAL.
One question: how do I use Heal? I bought the spell, have a talisman, and my faith is 12. I can't figure out how to use/hotkey it.

 

[Neflame]

You probably need to put points into your attunement or whatever that stat is called. That's how you get slots for spells/miracles.