Zero Punctuation: Demon's Souls

[Axikal]

Yeah, I guess I was one of the many that didn't play Wolfenstein. Most of the games that I've played that he has reviewed have been spot on, notably Prototype, Valkyria Chronicles, RE4 and Uncharted.

Like I said: "He tends to use hyperbole with traces of honesty". But what I was trying to point out about his Wolf "review" was that he doesn't always stick to covering everything about the game. Sometimes he just chooses to take a more entertaining route; and make a fluff work. And honestly, I think it works when he does it. The Wolf video was done in limerick form; which is inarguably different from every other video he's done.

I also have to reiterate his time constraints to:

1: Play the game sufficiently as possible
2: Write a script
3: Record the script
4: Create the images/animations
5: Edit the video
6: Render the video

Trust me. It's not bloody easy to do. I tried incorporating a video supplement to a review I wrote up for the new Ratchet & Clank game, and opted out of it due to excessive time constraints. Granted, I feel there's a little missing from his last couple of videos, but I'm empathetic because I understand what he's got to struggle with to put these videos out for the site. Moreso because he gets PAID to do it; whereas I just do it as a hobby.

 

[axleblaze]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

I said it before and I'll say it again, you can't pause most online games.

 

[Nomanslander]

I've noticed that he tends to blend the two together in some of his videos. But in the end, people seem to be taking what he says so close to heart, that they're missing the entire point of the series.

That's because Yahtzee reviews are all about reviewing a game based on personal taste and opinions unlike other game reviews.

And in doing so, gamers reactions are met with in the same personal level.

You have to take these videos with a grain of salt because in the end these reviews are biased and Yahtzee has openly said that in the past.

But to be honest, the reason I watch these videos is because they are biased, most game reviews go out of their way to sound as unbiased as possible leaving you with a generic opinion about the game basing everything on a mathematical score that's just about as boring and impressionless as math in itself.

I like hearing Yahtzee's own opinions on the game and how they differ from mine, and the last thing I should be doing is taking these videos personally over whose opinion better...mine or his. Everyone is going to have their own unique impressions on a game and there for comparing one persons opinion with another is just stupid.

And that's what most viewers generally do when they hear a game they love get torn apart in his reviews.

 

[Axikal]

Anyways, I think that while he does simply state alot of newb traps he does so in a highly derisive tone indicating that he thinks they're all unreasonable and bad.

I'll simply have to agree to disagree. Where you heard derision, I simply heard "cheek". I thought he was just being coy about things. I'll just chalk up our differing views to perception. There's no way to infallibly prove what he meant, without him specifically stating so himself.

But I think it is fair to complain that he didn't play it more. I don't mind that he didn't beat it. What I do mind is it seems he played it for an hour or two TOPs. It's clear he never got out of the first area. I'm pretty sure he didn't fo back to the Nexus after he beat Phallanx in fact which means he never even got exposed to the four other areas, the multiplayer or even leveling up his character. He simply barely played the game at all and then presented a review of it. No matter how satirical the review is, he still didn't play it enough to represent it accurately or fairly which is his fucking job. If your getting paid to play a game you should beat or put about 20 hours in, whichever comes first. "I don't like this game so fuck it" is not acceptable when your being paid to play it.

A very fair point. I would have to agree that it does feel a little like he didn't play it far beyond 1-2, but I really wasn't here for something beyond a rip on the difficulty curve. Which is why it satisfied me. I figured he'd parrot my exact problems with the difficulty (not that -I'M- complaining! ), but in a fashion that was comical, cynical, and ripe with British idioms. I'm a sucker for them, guilty.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Sussex isn't cowpat central, it's a beautiful county. It has beaches, culture and rolling hills full of animals... oh. Yeah, I guess it is then. Actually, one of my earliest memories is of my best friend face planting into a cow turd. I felt so sorry for her. I mean, obviously I didn't give her a hug or go within a 2 meter radius of her for the rest of the day, but my heart was with her.
But yeah, I've a friend who was chatting about this game. Sounds kind of pointless. I mean, it doesn't sound like it goes anywhere.

 

[Axikal]

That's because Yahtzee reviews are all about reviewing a game based on personal taste and opinions unlike other game reviews.

And in doing so, gamers reactions are met with in same personal level.

You have to take these videos with a grain of salt because in the end these reviews are biased and Yahtzee has openly said that in the past.

But to be honest, the reason I watch these videos is because they are biased, most game reviews go out of their way to sound as on biased as possible leaving you with a generic opinion about the game.

I like hearing Yahtzee's own opinions on the game and how they differ from mine, and the last thing I should be doing is taking these videos personally over whose personal taste is better...mine or his.

And that's what most viewers generally think about when they hear a game they love get torn apart in his reviews.

You know, in lieu of ever re-stating my point, I'll simply re-quote this. Thank you.

 

[Joe Matsuda]

i it really his fault if people dont buy it cause he doesnt like it?

didn't he also say that people shouldn't let others tell them what to buy and what not to buy?

its just a funny review, yah haters...and flamers...and other "-ers"

 

[Azaraxzealot]

I'd be fine with this game if it fucking worked.

No. The game works fine. You just suck at it.

if i can't enjoy a game after 6 hours, i think i have a right to say it sucks, i spent 11 hours (willingly, because exploration is why i play RPGs) just getting past Peragus and Telos in KOTOR 2, but spending 6 hours having to be more strategic than Ender in the final battle against the Formics doesn't make a game fun, it makes it a chore that makes me want to chew my hand up

 

[Axikal]

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

Show me ONE online game that you can pause. And what's the point of needing a pause? The game's not a "pick-up-n-play" title. So putting in a Pause function would break the flow of the game; and detract from the experience.

 

[sanzo]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

I said it before and I'll say it again, you can't pause most online games.

Yeah, was about to comment on that. Since the game is online at all times, you can't simply stop the game like you would a single player one.

I mean, just imagine playing an online co-op game where one person's game pause caused the entire game to pause. Just imagine the trolling.

Like many people have said, enemies don't respawn and there are many safe areas to go to in case you need to take an in game break. Besides, you can hotkey items to the square button and cycle through them at any time, so it just promotes good inventory management

 

[rdrouyn]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

You can always pause the game by dying

But seriously, if every time you tried to play the game online and someone had the ability to pause the game arbitrarily you would never play online. Most MMOs like World of Warcraft and Multiplayer FPS dont allow you to pause either.

 

[Axikal]

if i can't enjoy a game after 6 hours, i think i have a right to say it sucks, i spent 11 hours (willingly, because exploration is why i play RPGs) just getting past Peragus and Telos in KOTOR 2, but spending 6 hours having to be more strategic than Ender in the final battle against the Formics doesn't make a game fun, it makes it a chore

Just because a game requires more strategy than you're willing to exert, does not mean it sucks. And most enemies/bosses have exploitable weaknesses to make the fights easier. Not only that, but you can pull other players into the game, and wade through sections with near ease. And again, the controls worked fine.

 

[axleblaze]

Also I just want to say Yahtzee is lucky he didn't get to the swamp. I love this game to death but the swamp is the one thing that makes me qualify it when I say "this game is no unfair". Really the swamp is the only part where I just went "fuck this game". Yahtzee would have been in hell if he got there.
I still don't know how I managed to get "Blind" there. Really getting it might be the single hardest thing to do in the game.

 

[Axikal]

Also I just want to say Yahtzee is lucky he didn't get to the swamp. I love this game to death but the swamp is the one thing that makes me qualify it when I say "this game is no unfair". Really the swamp is the only part where I just went "fuck this game". Yahtzee would have been in hell if he got there.
I still don't know how I managed to get "Blind" there. Really getting it might be the single hardest thing to do in the game.

I'll never beat that level -tear-

The rats alone had me cowering in a corner, desperately trying to cure my plague...

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

 

[Azaraxzealot]

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

Show me ONE online game that you can pause. And what's the point of needing a pause? The game's not a "pick-up-n-play" title. So putting in a Pause function would break the flow of the game; and detract from the experience.

if i want to play a game that take millions of hours to get into and has no way to save manually at all, then I'll play an MMO, but if i want a game that i can sit down and enjoy with a box of cookies and a cup of milk next to my bed, then i'll "PICK UP AND PLAY" a game on my console. to use a comparison Yahtzee used, i'll have some buttered toast, because i happen to have a metaphorically small appetite

 

[Photon987]

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

Enjoy the 3-2 boss fight. Now THAT fight, I must admit, is a pain in the ass.

 

[axleblaze]

I'll never beat that level -tear-

The rats alone had me cowering in a corner, desperately trying to cure my plague...

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

Oh, you just need a bow and the rats are easy. The rats are nothing compared to the swamp. The swamp makes you walk slow, takes away your ability to roll and randomly poisons you. You also have to fight giant trolls there, who are REALLY a pain without rolling. To get blind (a sword that can go through shields!) you have to fight a black phantom that isn't impeded by the swamp at all, can kill you in a hit or two and full heals when she's low on health. I still don't know how I won.
I found the flamelurker pretty easy. I just shot him full of arrows and dodged like crazy. He got really agressive towards the end but it still wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Actually I found most of the bosses to be pretty easy except for Maneater and the False King.
Also, Protip: go offline for the 3-3 boss...it's alot easier! (though try it a few times online, it's hella fun!)

 

[Jumplion]

look, people are fucking idiots, Fable 2 got GREAT reviews AND it sold millions of copies, but what makes it any worse than Dragon Age: Origins or this game? KOTOR was also geat, as was Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins and Dead Rising (not so much, because it had the crappy shooting mechanics and the worst aiming and hit detection system of ANY game i've ever played which is because it was developed by capcom, which doesn't know good hit detection and aiming from a cheeseburger) was hell of fun, and it's obvious from this review by ZP and from all the gameplay that i've seen and played that it has the stench of japanese gameplay (not an insult to the japanese, but to many, not all, of their videogame mechanics). what i mean by this is that the game has terrible and awkward controls, and it has a broken save system that is unfriendly to anyone but the most hardcore of the hardcore. Obviously Yahtzee hated the same things, and I'd be fine with this game if it fucking worked.

The control system is hardly broken. Left trigger (L1) uses your left handed weapon (usually a shield, in that case it holds it up for blocking) and vice versa for the right trigger. Just hit the R1 button and you attack. If you have a sheild, press L2 at just the right time to do a parry/disabling move (depending on the type of sheild) and preform a reposite (counter). Press the directional pads on the according hand and you can switch out weapons and items.

At times, yes, it can be clunky especially if you're panicking and trying to find out if you have your catalyst equipped, but it just further pushes you into being better. Be caution, be prepared, make sure you know what you're doing, and you'll come out victorious.

As for the save system, in actuality Demon's Souls autosaves after every little thing. Kill an enemy? Autosave. Just entered the Nexus? Autosave. Just died? Autosave. Just picked up an item? Autosave. Walked around for a minute? Autosave. What Yahtzee was actually nit-picking about was the checkpoint system which is designed to be that way. When you die a million times at a certain section, it's a god-send when you find a lever that opens a gate permanently to let you go around the area quicker and makes it that much more satisfying to triumph over the game. After opening that gate, either continue onward or sprint back home to spend your hard earned Souls.

Like I said before, Demon's Souls is clearly not for everyone. It's difficulty and tiny nuances can be frustrating. But it can just as easily be an outstanding game for anyone who gives it a chance and really pushes through. Under that pool of nails, syringes, and bear-traps is a delicious chocolaty goodness that just gets better and better every time you get the candy. It's just a matter of pushing through the nails, syringes, and bear-traps.

 

[Axikal]

if i want to play a game that take millions of hours to get into and has no way to save manually at all, then I'll play an MMO, but if i want a game that i can sit down and enjoy with a box of cookies and a cup of milk next to my bed, then i'll "PICK UP AND PLAY" a game on my console. to use a comparison Yahtzee used, i'll have some buttered toast, because i happen to have a metaphorically small appetite (yes, i'm fat and i'm not ashamed to admit it)

Saying that a game sucks because you suck at it; or that it isn't good for you, is like trying to convince a religious/non-religious person that their preference in belief is crap. In the end: You're only being an ignorant ass.

And what's the point of telling me about your weight problem? I couldn't give a toss. Stick to relevancy, or piss off.

The point is that this game ISN'T a PUAP type of game. So complaining about the lack of PAUP in it is just... it's on a level of illogical that I cannot begin to wax poetic about it. DS is meant to be an immersive, in-depth, strategical game. It's also meant to be frustratingly difficult. The game doesn't suck. You do.

 

[Axikal]

Oh, you just need a bow and the rats are easy. The rats are nothing compared to the swamp. The swamp makes you walk slow, takes away your ability to roll and randomly poisons you. You also have to fight giant trolls there, who are REALLY a pain without rolling. To get blind (a sword that can go through shields!) you have to fight a black phantom that isn't impeded by the swamp at all, can kill you in a hit or two and full heals when she's low on health. I still don't know how I won.
I found the flamelurker pretty easy. I just shot him full of arrows and dodged like crazy. He got really agressive towards the end but it still wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Actually I found most of the bosses to be pretty easy except for Maneater and the False King.
Also, Protip: go offline for the 3-3 boss...it's alot easier! (though try it a few times online, it's hella fun!)

Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to keep them in mind once I take on 4-2. I left a puddle of 70k souls in the "light slug pit" that I really should retrieve... -shifty eyes-