Dark Souls - GR Review
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Why do we so readily submit ourselves to the torturous wretches this industry dreams up? Why do we take on impossibilities as if they were surmountable challenges? There's a healthy balance to games like From Software's Dark Souls. You risk your time, your energy, your sanity all for that sweet, brief taste of victory.
That's the motivating factor in Demon's Souls and spiritual successor Dark Souls is no different. In its cold, unwelcoming world, players will find horrific, looming enemies equipped with weapons that dwarf the player in size. These bosses and the myriad of enemies leading up to them in each dungeon will absolutely punish you with every ounce of their being.
Imagine a month of eating nothing but brussels sprouts. At the end of this month, you get a tablespoon of vanilla ice cream. I couldn't possibly sum up the Dark Souls experience better.
Veterans of Demon's Souls will realize that Dark Souls blazes a slightly different path by providing players with a fully open world. There's a semblance of a hub, but wanderers can travel to any corner of the map at any given time, though they really shouldn't. Dark Souls will punish you for wandering out of bounds, even if you don't know what you did wrong.
This is easily the best improvement to the "Souls" formula. Respawning every enemy creates an invisible buffer between the player and their next objective. That buffer pre-grinds the player for his or her next soul-crushing challenge. I personally hate grinding in JRPGs. Of all the contrite, boring, monotonous modes of play in gaming, grinding is the worst.
But Dark Souls doesn't let you feel like you're grinding because it's done naturally. Bonfires also make replenishing health a risk-reward system. The reward is health. Plain and simple. The risk... well... all those enemies come right back to life.
The Xbox 360 version of the game had some horrible slow-down, but graphically Dark Souls is a treat to take in. Textures are rich and deep while enemies are varied and brilliantly designed to evoke fantasy archetypes. The bosses themselves are a joy to behold. Thankfully, you'll see plenty of them for all the times they kill you.
Getting invaded and invading other players' games is still the most enjoyable method of interaction in online gaming today. Hunting down another human player with rewards on the line is exhilarating and it's always nice to turn the tables and be the tormentor once in a while.
This is a game of inches, not yards. If you want a roller coaster on rails, I suggest you go elsewhere. If you want a game that explains everything upfront and gives you a clear path, I suggest you go elsewhere. If you want a challenging, briefly terrifying, often maddening game with plenty to explore, experiment with, and beat your head against, this is your game.
With the finer points of Demon's Souls intact, including the note system and the whispers of other players throughout the world, I can't recommend Dark Souls highly enough. If you're a true gamer and one with plenty of time and patience on your hands, there's a lot to love here. Minor issues like the sluggish animation system or the brain-boiling frustration you might feel will be washed away when your taste buds have the sweet vanilla cream of victory.
God, I hate brussels sprouts.
10 Tips for Dark Souls: The First 10 Hours
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Posted on Monday, October 3 @ 14:54:44 Eastern by Nick_Tan
10 Tips for Dark Souls: The First 10 Hours
1. You're supposed to die. Get used to it. Now learn from your mistakes.
If you're new to the whole Demon's Souls and now Dark Souls concept, just get used to dying. A lot. This is supposed to happen. As Daniel said in his review, this is a game of inches, and more than that, a game of caution.
Don't expect to hack and slash your way through enemies easily; instead, learn the timing of their attacks and get them to make a mistake, so that you can get around them (locked on or not) and backstab or riposte. Also know that you can kick enemies off ledges or just as a way to bait them into attacking. Note where each enemy spawns, how each enemy attacks, and why you died. Not only will that make your next attempt easier, but you will also be able to recover your dead body and all of your lost souls with a lot more success.
2. If you can, use the lunging aerial strike on bosses.
Immediately in just the tutorial area, you'll face an Asylum Dragon that seems to be far too large and powerful for you to take head on. So follow what the message on the second floor says and take the opportunity to strike from above for massive damage. From there, it's all about getting behind the dragon with evasive dodging and hacking away. This aerial strike will also prove useful for future bosses. *hint, hint*
3. Get the Heal spell as soon as you can.
This may not be obvious, but once you land in the open world, you can go up the stairs of the Firelink Shrine and speak to the cleric (next to lot of breakable pots) who tells you to keep your distance. But if you talk to him multiple times, he will soon teach you Miracles, which is essentially White Magic, and in particular, Heal for 4000 souls. This spell can be spent five times, is recharged every time you rest at a bonfire, and effectively doubles your healing capacity along with your also rechargeable Ester Flasks.
You will need a Faith stat of 12 before you can use Heal, so concentrate on that stat when you first spend souls at the bonfire to level up. Of course, you won't have 4000 souls at your disposal at the beginning, so you'll have to grind for them. You'll also need a talisman to cast the miracles, a trinket that the cleric also sells for 1000 souls or that you can find. So save up your Lost Souls items, which don't dissipate when you die, and don't use them until you have enough to purchase Heal.
4. Get a shortbow (or crossbow) as soon as you can. Also, pulling.
The merchant in the Undead Berg who you can find near the bonfire in the area (he will be downstairs from a platform with two undead and annoying pikemen with shields) will sell a shortbow and plenty of arrows. Go ahead and purchase the cheap ones at 3 souls a pop, and some of the more expensive ones for bosses if you like. Make sure you have enough Dexterity to wield it properly. While you're equipped with the shortbow, you can switch between the two types of arrows with L2 and R2 (or LT and RT) and also go into target mode with L1 (or LB).
The point of the shortbow is to take out those firebomb-throwing undead bastards from afar and, most importantly, to be used as a tool for pulling. "Pulling" is a method by which you get enemies to come at you one at a time, without all of the enemies coming at you and surrounding you at once. That said, most enemies are much more easily disposed when you're fighting them one-on-one. So if you want to get a particular enemy out of the way first, shoot an arrow at that enemy at a distance and watch them get all mad and come after you.
Using a bow and a whole lot of arrows, you can also snipe the red dragon's tail from a distance while you're below the bridge. You'll know the red dragon when you see it. If you snipe the dragon's tail enough times (that is, a LOT of times), you'll receive an extra powerful Flying Dragon Sword that requires 16 strength to hold... at least that's what I think it's called, because I didn't follow tip number 5...
5. Don't kill the merchants.
I accidentally swiped at the undead merchant in the Undead Berg and then he got all mad at me. No matter what you do, he won't sell you anything, which means you can't get the Orange Soapstone or any arrows or chain armor or... Well, if that happens, you might as well kill him for a neat sword. But you'll still be very, very sad.
Dark Souls Prologue Continues with Part III
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Dark Souls Prologue Continues with Part III REMEMBER ME FORGOT PASSWORD? NEWS CONSOLESREVIEWSPREVIEWSVIDEOSFEATURESCHEATSCOMMUNITY GAMES FAQS GOODIES RELEASE DATES MAILBAG PODCASTS FORUMSPlayStation 3
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Other... GameRevolution » News » GAMING NEWS Dark Souls Prologue Continues with Part III Posted on Monday, September 12 @ 11:00:00 Eastern by danielrbischoff
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Wow! A king! A wizard-looking guy! Oh no! A skull dude holding a torch! It must be Dark Souls!
Wait, wait! Before you stop watching because you're scared (and you should be), know that there are some awesome monsters in this brief trailer. With Dark Souls approaching retail shelves about as cautiously as any... knight.... entering a room with a ton of... demons...? OK, OK, one my greatest regrets is not playing enough of Demon's Souls which Longo_2_guns talked me into buying. Maybe I'll find the time between now and Dark Souls' release on October 4, 2011.
This was posted as a result of your input! Head to this post and let us know what games you want to know more about this Fall in the comments!
Related Games: Dark SoulsTags: Dark Souls, namco bandai, From Software
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Longo_2_guns - Joined: Jun 30, 2003Honestly Daniel, I really think if you knew a little more about what you were doing with Demon's Souls, you wouldn't regret the purchase. Most complaints I've heard are from people who didn't really get how to play it. It's like a fighting game. If you don't get the technical parts of it, you won't have fun.0 0Like or Dislike?Posted: Sep 12th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
JunkyArd - Joined: Aug 18, 2006JETSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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S?r
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(boy this looks more annoying and more like spam than just a one-liner, don't you think? lol)0 0Like or Dislike?Posted: Sep 12th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
JunkyArd - Joined: Aug 18, 2006**** commented on the wrong. article. lol. i guess it really was just spam.0 0Like or Dislike?Posted: Sep 12th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Bras - Joined: Jul 16, 2008DEATH BY DECAPITATION!!!0 1Like or Dislike?Posted: Sep 12th, 2011 at 9:26 pmJunkyArd - Joined: Aug 18, 2006at least its quick and painless0 0Like or Dislike?Posted: Sep 13th, 2011 at 12:30 amPost a comment LOGIN or REGISTER to post a comment or rate this review. Username:Password: Remember me next time?
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Dark souls - preview
Dark souls is the epitome of relevant back. His predecessor, demons souls, published by Atlus, was a sleeper hit, also by software, an eerie, intentional, was surprised just how many people are painfully difficult desired Fantasy RPG. Write Ah yes, I have "horrible" difficult? I said, "throw your controller, you are sleep wines, die to keep until you remember how it was on the NES" difficult. And that's the point. It should be.
As a modern reinterpretation of the classic game dark souls has become an answer not only feel the game too easy and forgiving, but they have to also focus on formulaic gameplay and instant gratification instructed. At the same time, several contemporary design concepts, in particular, an open-world environment include increased from the optimized level-based hub demons souls. Well, if you can see a Forboding Tower on a hill in the distance, you can get there; In other words, if you have the desire, the courage and happiness.
Where demons souls the test run for software ideas, dark souls is the full throttle - the same idea but fully realized. Sure, it has almost an identical setup: your character has cursed by a ring been fall to soul with fight him (or her) unforgiving towers and corridors with Monster, and a general spirit of injustice ridden release. Or as they call it: "Surprise". But that's what her fans crave. Course, there are more, is because each game unremorsefully can be made more difficult; Dark souls is beatable right repertoire and technique, in a Word, sophisticated, but most importantly, with the.
In will be from the first level, such as veterans, that run away is a legitimate strategy. To practice. It can be cowardly and little helpful updated to capture the souls for new equipment and character, but only fools for free in a private Dungeon, who think that their enormous Greatsword legionaries twice by a horde of undead as big as their will save. Unfortunately, this is not a Dynasty Warriors or some Diablo clone. Survival depends remarkably attentive, blocking, riposting and retreat, during use of choke points and spacing to your advantage. It does not matter how many medicinal plants you have when the proverbial rear flanked you are preserved.
Fortunately this time fire are littered the battlefield and offer a fast recovery and point, not far beyond the famous "tent" element in JRPGs. Although respawn every time, when a fire is lit, offers enemies a large focal range loops for souls and away your humanity burn - not literally (well, maybe), but statistically. Each player has a human attribute (not sure what happens if it to 0 (zero)), can create passive bonuses for all, that plays the game, especially someone close: the bonfire of choice be burned.
We are not sure about the extent of the bonuses at all, but one thing seems clear: the more people that play, the easier will it be,. Therefore the game of the most difficult close from the start and at the end of his life will be, that all players ignored written messages to warn, on the walls of the world around you and your online brothers all oncoming of doom can be written.
Prepare to die, when dark souls 4. October 2011 arrives. I would also remind you first users that the limited collector's so ordered Edition at the same price as the standard edition, it now before your soul is sucked.
Dark souls "NWN don't need", is "Fully completed", says Namco Bandai
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Remember the time when you could buy a game, and it would be the full game? No dealer pre-order bonus nonsense? No taking away content only, to sell it later as DLC? Now, reminds developers of software and North American Namco Bandai of at the time, especially Daisuke Uchiyama, Chief publishing producer for Namco Bandai:
Sure, the PS2 was not for long ago (but I'm sure some of them were thinking about blowing Nintendo cartridges), but in this new age of online console, has almost every major publisher shenanigans, the player DLC, pre-order, collector's Edition questions whether they really get the whole package. In this sense of the limited collector's Edition of dark souls comes in a collectible Tin and contains a bonus Artbook at no extra charge. That's right, it's still $59.99; This is a thank you to the fans, if there ever was one:As announced on the Gamescom, we plan no DLC for dark souls. The game is balanced internships enemy deeply with its exquisite and card designs. We intend to be our resources on fine tuning and network load balancing the game much, and feel that the saved game may hinder additional content such as such as DLC, we have achieved that, for all players who pick up this game.
It will be such a great pleasure when there are many voices of fans call for DLC, but I am very confident that the game has been completed and all are satisfied with the game without additional content.
In addition, we have stressed RPG elements, so that players have several ways to enjoy the game and explore the world, that we have. Depending on the role of a player in the game takes affects the action in the game and the various RPG elements brings many variations in the direction of how a player can play their own roles. This is another reason why we believe that we need not DLC.
Finally, I would like to all fans of dark souls to be fair. I want to items or weapons, a player can buy to get an advantage in the game. I would rather prefer to a same amount of opportunities to everyone to try and reach, get all the elements on the basis of the trouble that a player makes. Ultimately want to feel sincere, we players for a sense of accomplishment when the difficult tasks in the game to conquer.
