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Can anyone recommend Dark Souls?

VikingRVikingR Member Posts: 88
Hello everyone,

my old, grumpy 360 has been collecting dust since a very long time now. Needless to say, I barely use it anymore. Now, I've been reading a lot about this Dark Souls RPG. It's atmosphere and look got me hooked.

One of the things I love about the Infinity games is the tactical, often very challenging, combat. Things can go wrong badly and I like sitting down with a cup of coffee and figuring out an appropriate tactic.

Modern RPGs, or more specifically, third-person RPGs, don't do that anymore. With the exception of Dark Souls, it seems.

So before I run off and buy it (BG2:EE will have to wait till most of the bugs are squashed), have any of you played it? Many reviews say it is downright brutal, if not unfair even.

Can you recommend it? Please share a bit.

Thx
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Comments

  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    I can recommend you avoid it on the pc
    elminster
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Dark Souls is really fun, especially once you get past that initial learning curve where you have no idea what you're doing and your character is pitifully weak. Once you find a weapon you like using and get to the first blacksmith to upgrade that weapon, you're golden for a while.

    The best part of Dark Souls is that it is brutal, but also fair. You virtually never die for any other reason than because you messed up your gameplay or weren't paying attention to the environment.
  • AlmateriaAlmateria Member Posts: 257
    It is literally the best game I've ever played. Also, there's nothing unfair about it, Dark Souls has more balance than Buddha. Also it's the prettiest and best-sounding game of this generation.
    You can and should play it on PC, if you are willing to install a few bugfixes. Much like BG, really.
    Chaotic_Good
  • AlmateriaAlmateria Member Posts: 257
    After finishing Dark Souls for the 10th time, I've never played a game since. Just thinking about other games makes me feel that there's a better game to be played. It's Dark Souls.
    Chaotic_Good
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    VikingR said:

    Hello everyone,

    my old, grumpy 360 has been collecting dust since a very long time now. Needless to say, I barely use it anymore. Now, I've been reading a lot about this Dark Souls RPG. It's atmosphere and look got me hooked.

    One of the things I love about the Infinity games is the tactical, often very challenging, combat. Things can go wrong badly and I like sitting down with a cup of coffee and figuring out an appropriate tactic.

    Modern RPGs, or more specifically, third-person RPGs, don't do that anymore. With the exception of Dark Souls, it seems.

    So before I run off and buy it (BG2:EE will have to wait till most of the bugs are squashed), have any of you played it? Many reviews say it is downright brutal, if not unfair even.

    Can you recommend it? Please share a bit.

    Thx

    Eh, have you looked at Dark Souls gameplay videos? You won't be sitting down with a coffee to think tactics, it's an action RPG. I did it love it, though. But don't go in expecting BG style combat. You want Dragon Age: Origins for a newer game with similar combat to BG.
    TJ_Hooker
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    i can easily recommend dark souls. brutal and fair makes for an awesome game. no level balancing at all either so you could walk into the wrong area and get completely destroy. I know I went to the 3 kings fight much too early and I realized that it was time to leave to return at a later date.

    only thing I still do not understand is the weapons and customization. I just don't know how to create the optimum weapon. I just got the dark knight sword you get pretty early and upgraded that, slow and hard hitting. i realized its ineffectiveness in pvp, however.

    I can recommend you get it for any system too, but never play it mouse and keyboard. luckily I hear the 2nd game's pc port will be better. just be careful about being human because that enables pvp, though you can also summon allies as well and upgrade bonfires.
  • AlmateriaAlmateria Member Posts: 257
    As I said, there's not optimum weapon. Each and every weapon is great for killing all kinds of enemies.

    Except the cestus, god damn it blows hard.
  • AlmateriaAlmateria Member Posts: 257
    Also it's 6$ on Amazon, activates on steam. COME ON
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    From what I have seen, I certainly recommend Dark Souls. I would however say it is nothing like Baldur's Gate. More like Dragon Age: Origins, but just more epic and myth-oriented. You start out in a prison and have to decide your own path. There is no guide to hold your hand, no quests, no anything. You're fully free to explore on your own. And here is where the 'Prepare to die' portion comes into play. As you are wandering around, you will eventually encounter enemies which are too strong for you. You will die to traps, during fights, tactical mistakes, etc. It will be frustrating, but also provide a great challenge, as you basically will have to find out which gear suits you and your fighting style the best. The story is hidden. You basically unfold it by collecting items and talking to the NPC's you encounter along the way. The intro movie also is a very important part of the lore. The graphics are wonderful, the story is intruiging (it's basically a puzzle), the world is vast and connected (every part is connected to another part), most of the NPC's are really quite likeable and well-written (for as far as they're developed, which is quite limited) and you decide how your character grows. Basically this game really is a recommendation for every gamer who loves challenges, beautiful environments and intruiging characters. I'd say: try it out!
    Aristillius
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    edited November 2013
    That's funny, I thought DAO was more like BG.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629

    That's funny, I thought DAO was more like BG.

    Yes, but DarkSouls isn't like Baldur's Gate for the reasons I described in my previous post. In Dark Souls you play a single individual (summons don't count), the story isn't as clear (you have to read the items' descriptions and talk to NPC's, but it's all very subtle and loosely connected, you have to puzzle bits 'n pieces together) and the world is more vast and undefined than in the BG games.
  • KaltzorKaltzor Member Posts: 1,050
    I tried Dark Souls...

    I personally didn't like it... For me the gameplay sort of felt more like a less awesome version of Ninja Gaiden than anything else...
  • ImperatorImperator Member Posts: 154
    On sale in Steam right now, bought it yesterday. Haven't tried it yet, maybe closer to Christmas, you know, something to balance all the cheeriness.
  • Chaotic_GoodChaotic_Good Member Posts: 255
    edited November 2013
    It isn't a game it is a work of art the emotions the game incites is horrifyingly beautiful. Demons souls(Dark Souls 1) is the reason I bought my ps3. If you like classics check out From Software older games Kings Field(1,2,&3), Shadow Tower, and Eternal Ring ( all first person rpgs).
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Kaltzor said:

    I tried Dark Souls...

    I personally didn't like it... For me the gameplay sort of felt more like a less awesome version of Ninja Gaiden than anything else...

    I guess they're...both third-person games and...have swords?

    Sorry, but I don't see the basis for comparison here. Ninja Gaiden is a balls-to-the-wall action game. Dark Souls is a dungeon crawl RPG.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    I wouldn't really call DS a 'dungeon crawler'...More like open world exploration? Knowing you don't spend all of your time in dungeons, but also on the surface and such. A bit Skyrim-like in this regard?
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190

    I wouldn't really call DS a 'dungeon crawler'...More like open world exploration? Knowing you don't spend all of your time in dungeons, but also on the surface and such. A bit Skyrim-like in this regard?

    Considering every inch of DS is covered in traps, monster ambushes, hidden pathways, etc, it's a dungeon crawler. Cosmetically, the forest may not be a dungeon, but gameplay-wise, it's a dungeon.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    I see. Well, not that it really matters. It's a marvelous game regardeless.
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    it is a marvelous game and currently 80% off on steam. go get it everyone :)
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    I have read that the PC port isn't that great, though...So maybe stay cautious before buying? :/
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781

    I have read that the PC port isn't that great, though...So maybe stay cautious before buying? :/

    everybody says it but I still don't know what is bad. Well, what is worse than the console versions at least. It didn't come with graphics options so the detail is that of the consoles without mods. It got bad keybindings which is why I and others (even the steam page) recommend a controller. It doesn't feel worse than the consoles though, just not much better. However the console version are not 80% off right now :)
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    @ChildofBhaal599: True, true...Well, if you can just play the PC version with a controller, I don't see any reason not to buy the game. I originally despised playing with controllers, but my boyfriend taught me, and I realised I just needed some practice and experience. The only controller I ever used before was a Nintendo64 one. Yeah, I'm old... :p
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    Ah... I see... so DS kinda needs a controller? Hmmm... that's something I don't have. 80% is an awesome bargain, but less so if I gotta buy a controller specifically to play it :(
  • Chaotic_GoodChaotic_Good Member Posts: 255
    I have not played it on pc, but I use a wired xbox 360 controller for classic games on emulators you just have to download the drivers from microsofts web site. For most modern games I like the keyboard though.
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781

    Ah... I see... so DS kinda needs a controller? Hmmm... that's something I don't have. 80% is an awesome bargain, but less so if I gotta buy a controller specifically to play it :(

    For just how much I love this game, I would still recommend it. In the end the discount still helps shave off a lot of the price, even if you get a controller. Also some have managed to play it with keyboard and mouse, so maybe you will manage it. I am just giving a warning that most find it unbearable and even the page for it on steam recommends it. I actually bought a wired controller just to play this exact game, as all my 360 controllers were wireless and it was cheaper than the PC wireless adapter.
  • OneAngryMushroomOneAngryMushroom Member Posts: 564
    edited November 2013
    As a major Dark Souls buff I have a few things to say
    First of all, Dark souls is a brutal game, every mistake, no matter how slight is punished in this game and it requires you're full attention at all times. Secondly it is a game that is VERY unfriendly to new players, you are given no information and no hint on where to go at all. Dark souls also requires a different mindset, In most games dying is seen as losing, not so in Dark Souls, the penalty for dying is very small, dying twice in a row is, but I'll get to that point later. The only time you ever "lose" in Dark Souls is when you get so frustrated that you just rage quit. The game beats you. Every bit of its advertising says "You WILL die in this game" So, expect to die, and don't let it frustrate you. Dark Souls is a game about learning and understanding when you die you lose all your souls and humanity, but you can get them back if you pick them up where you last died, but if you die before that, they are lost. It punishes you for mistakes and it punishes you more of not learning from them, Every boss can be beaten if you know they're attack patterns and telegraphs, every mob is put there to push you to be better. I found it to be one of the best made, best thought out, best playing, just best experiences I have ever had in a video game

    PvP is what it is, really it depends on who you're matched up with. But in short Dark Souls is a very rewarding game, IF you have the tenacity and the mindset to say "I will not let this game beat me, I am the master, the game is my bitch" right before you get pummeled by a giant minotaur with a 2 ton hammer.

    Edit* I've been writing term papers, can you tell...
    lolien
  • KaltzorKaltzor Member Posts: 1,050
    edited November 2013

    Kaltzor said:

    I tried Dark Souls...

    I personally didn't like it... For me the gameplay sort of felt more like a less awesome version of Ninja Gaiden than anything else...

    I guess they're...both third-person games and...have swords?

    Sorry, but I don't see the basis for comparison here. Ninja Gaiden is a balls-to-the-wall action game. Dark Souls is a dungeon crawl RPG.
    I said the gameplay feels like that... Playing Dark Souls for me feels like I'm playing a much slower paced version of Ninja Gaiden... and no jumping around on walls.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    Kaltzor said:

    Kaltzor said:

    I tried Dark Souls...

    I personally didn't like it... For me the gameplay sort of felt more like a less awesome version of Ninja Gaiden than anything else...

    I guess they're...both third-person games and...have swords?

    Sorry, but I don't see the basis for comparison here. Ninja Gaiden is a balls-to-the-wall action game. Dark Souls is a dungeon crawl RPG.
    I said the gameplay feels like that... Playing Dark Souls for me feels like I'm playing a much slower paced version of Ninja Gaiden... and no jumping around on walls.
    Maybe that's why Ninja Gaiden is called Ninja Gaiden and Dark Souls Dark Souls. No ridiculous jumping on walls needed in the latter to be utterly stunning in gameplay.
  • elementelement Member Posts: 833
    ive spent many, many hours on it and I would say its definitely worth while

    I would disagree that its unfair but it is unforgiving

    if u have a ps3 though I would suggest getting Demon's souls I personally found it to be a more enjoyable experience, its world was far more interesting.

    if I was to give any advice it would be to always let your enemy do the work particularly in pvp and never engage another player on there terms
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Kaltzor said:


    I said the gameplay feels like that... Playing Dark Souls for me feels like I'm playing a much slower paced version of Ninja Gaiden... and no jumping around on walls.

    You know what? You're right. Oranges just feel like much softer apples that you have to peel to me.
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