Dark Souls, to play or not to play?

[XSin]

Hey all, just wanted some advice, I've heard a ton about Demons Souls and Dark Souls over the lawst year or two but didn't have a PS3 to give the first a go, now that Dark Souls is 360 was wanting to know. . .

1) What game would you say it's most like? All difficulty aside, how does it play? Is it Dragon Age or Dead Rising in it's weapon mechanics?

2) How ridiculous does the dificulty get? It seems to be the biggest issue people talk about and I think the idea of a game being utterly merciless is funny as hell but does it become a controller-thrower?

3) Would a rental give a good judge of the games content or should I just straight up buy it? It sounds like my sort of thing so. . . undecided

4) Does playing the first game matter at all? I heard the phrase spiritual successor thrown around so was thinking no but dont want to jump in if nothing makes sense.

TL;DR - How awesome is Dark Souls in your opinion?

 

[Syphous]

I love Dark Souls. But really there are so many reviews, videos, threads, and news stories about Dark Souls that if you just did some research you could answer all your own questions.

 

[Radeonx]

Basically, unless you take the time to figure out a really good battle strategy, the game rips off your testicles and throws them into your garbage disposal.

I got the hang of it quickly and am loving it, but it is pretty difficult.

 

[AlternatePFG]

I really like Dark Souls so far. (I've spent over 20 hours playing it, soul level 50 or so right about now) It's really not too difficult, as long as you don't try to rush your way through the areas or get sloppy, but it can be cheap at times. There is one boss fight in particular early on (Probably the second or third you encounter) that can be absolute bullshit, but it isn't impossible. I'd say the bosses are actually significantly easier than the ones from Demon's Souls, for the most part.

The combat system is probably one of the better ones I've played in a game, you have to time your slashes and attacks in order to be effective, and I like how most of the weapons feel quite different from each other.

My only real complaint is that the game decides not to explain a majority of the fucking mechanics to you at all. It's definitely a game you'd need to read the wiki for. Also, some framerate issues in certain areas of the game.

I rented it, and ended up buying it based off that rental, so you might want to try it out first.

 

[Itsthefuzz]

Be patient and have fun. I did that and hat a LOT of fun, 70 hours worth. Starting a pyro/thiefy guy tomorrow.

 

[Kingme18]

I love this game. Yes, at times it is definitely a controller thrower. But when you beat that boss you were stuck on for hours, oh, the satisfaction! I would say yes, buy this game.

 

[krazykidd]

There is an entiew 14 page thread on peoples intial thoughts on dark souls how the hell did you miss it ? It's called Dark souls: initial thoughts? Anyways if you are easily frustrated , impatient and/or like to be held by the hand don't get it . If you like exploring , having nothing explained to you and like a fair challenge get it . I personally love the game , souls level 95 first playthrough and still going , 50+ hours and intending to do a new game +

 

[Maxtro]

Rent.

Two days was enough for me to realize that it's a game I would never want to own.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I bought it Friday and I'm loving it. No controller-throwing moments yet, and I don't think anything's too difficult. If you're patient many of the starting areas aren't terribly hard. Can't say anything yet about later areas, however. As for bosses, every one I've fought so far only took me at most two failed attempts to defeat. They're certainly difficult, however; depending on your class you may end up dying in 1-2 hits from most bosses. If you're really unsure about the difficulty just rent it, and if you enjoy the game pick it up later.

 

[AzureRaven]

It's an absolute blast, I love it. There's so much freedom with the open world design. If you get stuck on one thing, come back to it later after taking care of something else. It's not a forgiving game, but it is a fair game. Definitely worth a try if you think you're interested in the style. But as someone else said, be sure to use the wiki or you'll be blind.

 

[chadachada123]

Hey all, just wanted some advice, I've heard a ton about Demons Souls and Dark Souls over the lawst year or two but didn't have a PS3 to give the first a go, now that Dark Souls is 360 was wanting to know. . .

1) What game would you say it's most like? All difficulty aside, how does it play? Is it Dragon Age or Dead Rising in it's weapon mechanics?

2) How ridiculous does the dificulty get? It seems to be the biggest issue people talk about and I think the idea of a game being utterly merciless is funny as hell but does it become a controller-thrower?

3) Would a rental give a good judge of the games content or should I just straight up buy it? It sounds like my sort of thing so. . . undecided

4) Does playing the first game matter at all? I heard the phrase spiritual successor thrown around so was thinking no but dont want to jump in if nothing makes sense.

TL;DR - How awesome is Dark Souls in your opinion?

1) I've never played Dragon Age, but as far as gameplay goes, it is pretty far from almost all other games. The BEST comparison by far is the Legend of Zelda 3D games, like Ocarina of Time. Lock onto an enemy, dodge attacks, and swing when you get an opening. That's what it plays most like, a manly version of LoZ. With RPG elements too.

2) Most of its difficulty comes from one thing: Carelessness. If you try to just jump into every fight, you'll get your ass handed to you, but if you are careful and slowly walk in with your shield up, you'll face a good chance of survival. If you pay attention and learn enemy movements, you'll also do well.

3) If you've never played Demon's Souls (I'm a 360 gamer, but I love Demon's Souls so much that I own it despite not even owning a PS3), I would say rent it, but make sure to sink a TON of hours into it to find out how much you like the gameplay. It really is a love-or-hate thing.

4) First game doesn't matter, except that it sets up the gameplay mechanics. Story has NOTHING to do with it; they take place in different game universes.

Dark Souls is easily in the top 3 best games I've ever played in my life. It is also, in my opinion, the best game of this generation, beating out Borderlands.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

If you have patience and are willing to look up info on the wiki, then it is a great game. It is like Minecraft: big learning curve, no real tutorial. At a certain point, the game will either make you quit or just click with you.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

1) Its combat mechanics are unique, kind of like a more complex version of hack and slash games like Legend of Zelda. Weapons can be customized from their base form to have enhanced, magical, elemental or holy effects, which I find is a very interesting system that adds a lot of depth. Also, each weapon handles differently from others, allowing further complexity. The stamina system adds a lot of strategy in deciding when to attack and when to wait and regain stamina.

2) I've never been particularly frustrated with Dark Souls, the difficulty always seems fair and areas are generally beatable with a bit of levelling, strategy or doing another area first. It actually appeared somewhat more fair to me than Demon's Souls was.

3) Due to the vast wealth of online potential (if they fix the many technical and balance issues as they say they will) and replayability offline, I don't think it would be a disappointment if you just bought it. I was playing Demon's Souls from when it came out to the release of Dark Souls and it is quite similar.

4) If you play the first game, you will get a few references (exe. Snuggly the Crow) but nothing really beyond that. You don't really need to have played the first game to enjoy this one, though I would still suggest checking the first out as I believe it is still an ingenious game, even without the online play and overshadowed by a sequel.

 

[XSin]

Thanks all, I had looked around a bunch of other places but didn't really get a good feel for what people thought, most of the threads are discussions so since I haven't played it most of the stuff goes right over my head

Will grab a rental tonight and give it a go, Ocarina of Time is my all-time favourite game so it's great to hear that this might feel like a more challenging version

 

[Dizzle26]

I've seen a close friend of mine playing Demon Souls and quite frankly, I think I'd toss my controller through the TV by how many times he died. And how easily. And how cheaply. Honestly..it pays to be the bad guy in this game. -.-

If Dark Souls is anything like it, I doubt I'll be looking into it.