Weighing in on Dark Souls (Not for fanboys)

[burningdragoon]

If you decide to do nothing and just sit around the bonfire, that's fine... but eventually you'll Hollow anyway and go crazy.

Oh man, they should have made it so if you sit at a bonfire for an extended period (like many, many hours) without touching any controls you would go hollow and loose the character completely. That would be cool as shit!

I bet you're a total Sunbro

Epic stuff right there. And you're right, Dark Souls isn't about saving the princess or being the hero of mankind. It's a journey to prevent you from losing your zombie marbles.

*Right-click* -> *Save Image*

Praise the Sun

 

[OldNewNewOld]

Thusly so, dear OP, I instead submit that you are not playing a game built by idiots -nay, sir, you are instead an idiot playing a game not meant for the lowly likes of you. Be that I were a less uncouth person perhaps I might suggest that you return to your "Call of Duty" or your "Modern Warfare" and leave the fine gaming delights such as the elegance of Dark Souls to players with far more refined and sophisticated tastes.

*puts her top hat and monocle on*

Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I must at once go and stab Seath the Scaleless repeatedly in his buttocks with a large knife and make a Moonlight Greatsword from his severed tail.

Good day, sirs.

Cheerio!

Actually, I know this is sexist, but I was a tad surprised to read "her". Which I also think is awesome. The only girls I know who game are... not into games like DS, let me tell you.

Anyway, keep repin' it for the ladies!

BUHWAHHH?! A woman wearing a top hat? Now i have seen everything .

OT: the controlles don't suck. This isn't God of war , or zelda you know . You can just spam attack ( or swing your wiimote in zeldas case) and expect to rip shit up .

Oh God, I almost died.
Zelda has bad controls you say? Go and play the game before talking shit. Zelda has some of the best controls in action-adventure or RPG games. And I say that as a lifelong RPG/Adventure game fan.

I haven't played Dark Souls so I can't say whether they are good or bad, but I can say that they can't be much better than Zelda's controls. At best, they are on the same level. Just because those 2 are different styles of controls doesn't make one better than the other.
One is more realistic, the other isn't. It was a design choice, not a design failure.

P.S.
Swinging the Wiimote like a madman will only get you killed. The enemy will block 2 time and counter attack you. Skyward Sword requires precision. You can spam-attack, but it won't get you far.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

If you go heavy load, the responses are deliberately sluggish. You went knight didn't you?

Yeah, in this game, knights get stabbed.

 

[WWmelb]

I never really had any issues. The camera was annoying as shit until i turned off the "auto camera correct" option, then i had no problem at all for the entirity of the game. Controls were well responsive, game was gorgeous. Blighttown sucked ass *dur*. but we all know that, it's the only major criticism.


It isn't perfect, but the fact that i know of no other game like it (apart from demon's souls) makes it all the more satisfying to me.

When i finally got through the final boss ... (difficult for me because i find parrying exceptionally difficult for some reason) i threw my controller into the ceiling and danced a jig!

And yes Ash lake creepy. Very creepy. Twilight Anor Londo also very very creepy. <3

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

And seriously: You.Are.Terrible. Blocking has NEVER caused me or anyone I know to cause them to turn their back, what are you doing wrong?

In all fairness you do turn your back when you block while not locked-on and then move backward. I have died several times because I pressed R3, which didn't lock-on to the enemy, and then moved back only to get hit. It's not a major problem but I think it's the biggest flaw in the control system. When blocking, whether locked-on or not, your character should step backwards instead of turning around and blocking in the opposite direction.

 

[chadachada123]

BUHWAHHH?! A woman wearing a top hat? Now i have seen everything .

OT: the controlles don't suck. This isn't God of war , or zelda you know . You can just spam attack ( or swing your wiimote in zeldas case) and expect to rip shit up .

Oh God, I almost died.
Zelda has bad controls you say? Go and play the game before talking shit. Zelda has some of the best controls in action-adventure or RPG games. And I say that as a lifelong RPG/Adventure game fan.

I haven't played Dark Souls so I can't say whether they are good or bad, but I can say that they can't be much better than Zelda's controls. At best, they are on the same level. Just because those 2 are different styles of controls doesn't make one better than the other.
One is more realistic, the other isn't. It was a design choice, not a design failure.

P.S.
Swinging the Wiimote like a madman will only get you killed. The enemy will block 2 time and counter attack you. Skyward Sword requires precision. You can spam-attack, but it won't get you far.

He wasn't saying that Zelda's controls suck. Re-read those sentences, and realize that they are separate sentences for a reason.

Anyway, Dark Soul's controls are very much like Zelda's. I would say that they are on the same level, Dark Souls with OoT or Wind Waker. You lock on to an enemy, dodge side-to-side, attack when there is an opening, get raped if you attack at the wrong time.

Dark Souls is basically a "grown-up" version (quotes used because I don't have a better word for it, both are very enjoyable) of Zelda's combat (Gamecube/N64, not Wii controls). It has a stamina bar preventing unlimited rolling/swinging/blocking, and your guard can be broken more easily if you aren't careful.

 

[dancinginfernal]

Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I must at once go and stab Seath the Scaleless repeatedly in his buttocks with a large knife and make a Moonlight Greatsword from his severed tail.

Any time I'm feeling sad at how unloved Otogi: Myth Of Demons is (another game by FROM Software), it cheers me to see its legacy live on in games like Dark Souls.

The Moonlight Sword: best weapon in Otogi, and by the sounds of it, best weapon in Dark Souls too.

The Moonlight Sword is great for mages because of its Int. scaling. I wouldn't call it the best weapon in the game, but it's up there.

 

[AJax_21]

I never saw the controls as a problem. Though thats probably because ive probably suffered worse systems including the infamous "claw" grip required to play Monster Hunter on the PSP effectively. I can part my index and middle finger on my left hand up to 80 degrees thanks to that though.

I can't agree with you there. Dark Souls' (and demon's souls' for that matter) controls are stellar, and I have yet to die a single death that was caused by bad combat controls.

There are quite a few bugs with the controls especially while trying to attack while blocking, although to the game's credit it's a very, very rare occurrence after the patch.

As in when you attack youre forced to drop your guard?

Ok, being serious, whats the actual glitch and why did i not get it even in the original release version? For reference i ended up going through most of the game with a spear and greatshield.

You're holding the L1 button to block then press the R1 to attack, your character does nothing. This never happened in Demon's Souls but it did happen quite rarely in Dark Souls. Not game breaking but worth mentioning.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

I bet you're a total Sunbro

Epic stuff right there. And you're right, Dark Souls isn't about saving the princess or being the hero of mankind. It's a journey to prevent you from losing your zombie marbles.

I will now thank you for the new desktop background. Praise the sun.

OT- the controls in Dark Souls are some of the best I've ever experienced, they are just unforgiving as all fuck. I have been killed numerous times for double tapping attack while I am still reeling from a hit I just took, then having my character try to attack twice in between horrible beatings. As others have already said, the controls are meant to be difficult. It is supposed to take time for each swing. I have no clue how you kept suddenly turning around while blocking and they allow to swing in different directions while still locked on to keep you from getting killed by other enemies, not that it won't stop them from killing you anyway. Your problems with the story are understandable, as are the problems with character models, but your character model is either dead, covered in armor, or both at the same time (usually the latter) anyway so what they look like doesn't matter.

 

[Skin]

Trying to start leveling dex to work on a dagger build.

Umm. Don't. =)

As a person who went through the game twice with a dagger knife/dex build, it is definitely not worth it. It is not so much challenging as it is stupid, though it makes fights with Silver Knights fun.

And I completely disagree with you on balance. The balance in this game is terrible. Weapon scaling is so garbage that there is no need to get any more strength or dex than you have to in order to wield your favorite weapon. Once I stopped dicking around with my Bandit Knife +10, and got myself a lightning Uchigatana, the combat became a joke.

 

[Samechiel]

Umm. Don't. =)

As a person who went through the game twice with a dagger knife/dex build, it is definitely not worth it. It is not so much challenging as it is stupid, though it makes fights with Silver Knights fun.

I don't know. I'm actually having a lot of fun with theme builds. A ninja build with dual bandit knives seems like it would be pretty boss.

I'm running with a Simon Belmont build right now. Got a Divine Whip +5, and I'll have the notched whip soon which I'm taking to +15 to keep the dex scaling. Having trouble finding decent-looking armor for him, so I'm mostly just using leather. My item slots are loaded with throwing knives and fire bombs (holy water!), and I've picked up some pyromancy to simulate item crashes. His damage output is terrible against bosses, but compared to the abortion that was Lords of Shadow it's the most Castlevania-related fun I've had in a LONG time.

 

[Skin]

Umm. Don't. =)

As a person who went through the game twice with a dagger knife/dex build, it is definitely not worth it. It is not so much challenging as it is stupid, though it makes fights with Silver Knights fun.

I don't know. I'm actually having a lot of fun with theme builds. A ninja build with dual bandit knives seems like it would be pretty boss.

I'm running with a Simon Belmont build right now. Got a Divine Whip +5, and I'll have the notched whip soon which I'm taking to +15 to keep the dex scaling. Having trouble finding decent-looking armor for him, so I'm mostly just using leather. My item slots are loaded with throwing knives and fire bombs (holy water!), and I've picked up some pyromancy to simulate item crashes. His damage output is terrible against bosses, but compared to the abortion that was Lords of Shadow it's the most Castlevania-related fun I've had in a LONG time.

Oh, ok. Theme build - I do that alot too. I thought you were going for a PvP type thing, in which scaling weapons = worthless.

As a man who has soloed Smough and Ornstein with a bandit dagger +10 (I still have nightmares), I can tell you that it is going to be as hard as balls. Luckily, you can run past most things and if you get the very large ember early on, then you have a much easier time.

 

[Nimzabaat]

Well a lot of good responses. Quite a lot of off-topic responses too but that's to be expected. A lot of support for the arguments I made and thanks for that. A lot of opposing opinions and I can respect that. It is gratifying to know that for everyone who didn't encounter the same problems there was someone who did. I will take the "mess with the camera controls" suggestion to heart though, that seems like it could be helpful.

To those who made the comments about "taking your time" "assessing the situation" etc, I was well aware of that requirement before I started playing.

To those who say the graphics get better eventually, or that they are intended to be fugly. I wasn't really griping about the graphics and even stated that bad graphics are not a deal breaker for me. I mean the first game I ever played was Karateka...

In closing, I didn't hate Dark Souls. I do intend to finish it at some time in the future when I am burnt out on all the other games I have. I was stating that I don't like its flavour of difficulty. System Shock 2 got very hard but not because of control issues. Hell I even had a boss fight in Lord of the Rings War: in the North that was a bit frustrating. I just like fighting things in the game, not the game itself

Thanks for all the great posts!

 

[Exius Xavarus]

To summarize, I can?t get behind anyone saying Dark Souls has ?good? or even ?adequate? combat. The games entire charm is that the combat is bad enough to make the game difficult.

I fail to understand why you're talking about the controls as if this is fact. Not everyone has trouble with the controls. I've had no problem at all, and even enjoy the controls for Dark Souls and Demon's Souls. I can't get behind you saying that the controls are just that terrible, because I trashed everything no problem, without all this "stopping and assessing the situation" nonsense. Now, I'm not trying to say they're the best controls of all time, but they're definitely not as bad as you're trying to make them out to be.

P.S. If you actually HIT the Asylum Demon with the plunging attack, you get to live.

 

[Skin]

I just like fighting things in the game, not the game itself

We aren't fighting the game at all. Seems you just have to get used to the controls.

 

[SLy AsymMetrY]

I don't rate my skills too highly. I sucked at Ninja Gaiden and suffered the humiliation of forcefully dying in order to trigger the easy mode. And I still couldn't complete the game!

But I have had no problems with the controls. Or the difficulty of this game.
It is unforgiving of your mistakes sure, but not patronizingly difficult. After about 6-8 quick/casual deaths during the tutorial, I realised I had to be patient, and curb the impulse to just wade in. No button mashing, no rushed attacks or careless defending are allowed in this game. I treat every manoeuvre as if it will be my last. And have been doing fine since then.

Having said that, I'm not sure how long i'll be playing this. The main draw for me is the combat but i'm finding the game world terrifyingly....dull. I can't connect with my character or the world it inhabits, which is fairly important for an rpg. For this reason, i'm not enjoying this as much as I did Skyrim. A very different rpg, not a better one.

 

[Skin]

Having said that, I'm not sure how long i'll be playing this. The main draw for me is the combat but i'm finding the game world terrifyingly....dull. I can't connect with my character or the world it inhabits, which is fairly important for an rpg. For this reason, i'm not enjoying this as much as I did Skyrim. A very different rpg, not a better one.

The lore of the world is leaps and bounds better than Skyrim, but it is presented in a minimalistic fashion that requires the player to piece it together. If you do get around to finishing the game, there are some good YouTube videos explaining the lore and the story and whatnot.

There are parts in Dark Souls that are known to have caused manly bro tears.

 

[Eddie the head]

I didin't find it that hard. But I lost like 30 min of game play time if I did die. It just broke the flow for me I didn't find doing the same thing I just did for the 3rd time fun.

 

[Dylan Greer]

Trying to start leveling dex to work on a dagger build.

Umm. Don't. =)

As a person who went through the game twice with a dagger knife/dex build, it is definitely not worth it. It is not so much challenging as it is stupid, though it makes fights with Silver Knights fun.

And I completely disagree with you on balance. The balance in this game is terrible. Weapon scaling is so garbage that there is no need to get any more strength or dex than you have to in order to wield your favorite weapon. Once I stopped dicking around with my Bandit Knife +10, and got myself a lightning Uchigatana, the combat became a joke.

I played the game with a pyromancer/dex build, and from that can really recomend the quelagg fury sword for any dex build if you dont want to use daggers because of the good dex scaling.

Oh and weapon scaling was for when you are lvl 190 at the end of new game plus where you can actually get stats that far outweigh the lightning weapons, which is good for the whole game except for the last boss, for which he is resistant.

And the uchigatana was a little weak, i went with the iato(chaos) with the washing pole as my backup, (lightning)