Balder
Supreme Overlord
Trying to cut down the amount of movies I watch
Posts: 6,827 
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Post by Balder on Oct 23, 2018 8:07:43 GMT
Halloween month is here folks and it's time to get spooked by some scary games! This week: Dark Souls Chosen by: winnersdontusedrugsYear: 2011 Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: Namco Bandai Games Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch Next: Cervantes unless we get a horror game. Bring on some spooky titles for Halloween month.
For some reason this suggestion got lost in my messages for a while. Good thing it fits the festivities.
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Post by ModeratorNumber2 on Oct 23, 2018 8:09:45 GMT
Added and stickied.
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scipioafricanus
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Sega Does What Nintendon't... except the 32X
Posts: 3,571
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Post by scipioafricanus on Oct 23, 2018 10:52:13 GMT
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centipede
CGR Undertow Groupie
It was just one soy latte, I swear!
Posts: 2,697 
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Post by centipede on Oct 23, 2018 13:18:53 GMT
On my wishlist.
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Pimpjira
Guardian Force Shooter
Posts: 1,102
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Post by Pimpjira on Oct 23, 2018 19:11:23 GMT
I will play this eventually.
So far I've beaten Bloodborne, and played about half way through Dark Souls 2(which I always hear is the worst one).
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MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
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Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 24, 2018 0:04:07 GMT
Is it really as hard as people say it is? I ask because I've been considering trying this series for a long time, and I love challenging games. Dark Souls' difficulty level seems to practically be an internet meme by now, which I find strange given the current trend of casualization in the game industry (which started in the 7th gen, when this series was created).
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stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
Warrior with Bandana
Posts: 7,460
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Post by stratogustav on Oct 24, 2018 20:49:52 GMT
I don't have the first Dark Souls. Demon Souls, and Bloodborne are great though. I wish I had more time. Those are games you need to play solely for weeks at a time.
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,820
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Post by Cervantes on Oct 24, 2018 20:54:56 GMT
Is it really as hard as people say it is? I ask because I've been considering trying this series for a long time, and I love challenging games. Dark Souls' difficulty level seems to practically be an internet meme by now, which I find strange given the current trend of casualization in the game industry (which started in the 7th gen, when this series was created). It's not as difficult as the modern Ninja Gaiden series, but it has some steep difficulty spikes, especially in what was originally a DLC area (Astorias of the Abyss), which is optional but still worth it. Some bosses in that area are seriously frustrating - and, as far as I remember, even cross the line between "tough but fun" and "just unfair". Only looking at the main game, though, I only remember a few tough spots, but nothing too bad. In general, it's less about the game being hard in itself and more about each death having a cost - instead of just reloading your latest checkpoint, you'll lose all your currency/xp (they share the same item, souls); if you get to the spot you died last time, you can take it back. That's where the tension comes from: if you die again before getting your souls back, they'll be gone, so most people will try to be extra careful to not mess up again, which translates to a perception of the game being really hard and tense. I like this mechanic and other games have used it since then - from the top of my head, I can think of Shovel Knight as a good example. Another thing is: every time you save at a bonfire (the checkpoints), all the enemies are ressurrected. So you can't, you know, kill a few enemies ahead and go back to save your game to keep them dead - if you go back, they'll just ressurrect and you'll have to kill them again. That means you have to push forward, try to get to the next bonfire - and for a first time player, that's another very tense experience because these checkpoints are very far apart, so you don't really know when you'll find the next one. |
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leaon79s
Ace Bomber
Dishonorable Miscreant
Posts: 721
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Post by leaon79s on Oct 25, 2018 9:28:03 GMT
The myth of the game's supposed difficulty was initiated by the original marketing campaign with their 'Prepare to Die' catchline, and perpetuated by those who fancied giving themselves a pat on the back for being a wannabe hardcore gamer after playing it... The actual game however, is very manageable once you understand it. True, it will require quite a bit of trial and error which in turn means many, many 'deaths', but is by no means as nigh-frustratingly insurmountable as some 8-16 bit era games. The process of progression is essentially as Cervantes describes. But the ultimate allure of the game is in the PvP, which extends the life of the game almost indefinitely beyond the regular beginning to endgame playthroughs. After 2 playthroughs to see the 2 endings (there is no manual save-load, so there's no choice but to play through again to see the other ending), all subsequent playtime will mainly be towards acquiring all the best gear for becoming proficient at dueling other players. Provided you stick with it, you will eventually get to the point where you realize that it's best just to not 'finish' the game or choose an ending at all, and rather just play the game to the point where all areas are unlocked so that you can PvP there forever. Truthfully I've only played Dark Souls 1 & 2, without even touching 3 or Bloodborne yet. But the two I did, I played both quite thoroughly with about 350 hours logged into each (and getting the platinum trophy for 2). It's understandable if a minimum of about 100 hours to get the most out of a game is a daunting prospect... part of the reason I'm a little reluctant to get a start with 3 myself, as I know I'll be stuck in it for months. But if someone has the time to invest, it's one of the more rewarding game experiences in the entire industry. I will play this eventually. So far I've beaten Bloodborne, and played about half way through Dark Souls 2(which I always hear is the worst one). For some reason I like 2 more than 1. Partly due to the 'by the sea' setting, but mainly I think because I hail the Emerald Herald as the greatest Dark Souls waifu ever.  |
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Pimpjira
Guardian Force Shooter
Posts: 1,102
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Post by Pimpjira on Oct 25, 2018 21:50:47 GMT
For some reason I like 2 more than 1. Partly due to the 'by the sea' setting, but mainly I think because I hail the Emerald Herald as the greatest Dark Souls waifu ever. I have heard a few people say that. And to add, I didn't dislike DS2 I just got distracted by other things in life. |
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MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
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Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 26, 2018 1:11:10 GMT
Is it really as hard as people say it is? I ask because I've been considering trying this series for a long time, and I love challenging games. Dark Souls' difficulty level seems to practically be an internet meme by now, which I find strange given the current trend of casualization in the game industry (which started in the 7th gen, when this series was created). It's not as difficult as the modern Ninja Gaiden series, but it has some steep difficulty spikes, especially in what was originally a DLC area (Astorias of the Abyss), which is optional but still worth it. Some bosses in that area are seriously frustrating - and, as far as I remember, even cross the line between "tough but fun" and "just unfair". Only looking at the main game, though, I only remember a few tough spots, but nothing too bad. In general, it's less about the game being hard in itself and more about each death having a cost - instead of just reloading your latest checkpoint, you'll lose all your currency/xp (they share the same item, souls); if you get to the spot you died last time, you can take it back. That's where the tension comes from: if you die again before getting your souls back, they'll be gone, so most people will try to be extra careful to not mess up again, which translates to a perception of the game being really hard and tense. I like this mechanic and other games have used it since then - from the top of my head, I can think of Shovel Knight as a good example. Another thing is: every time you save at a bonfire (the checkpoints), all the enemies are ressurrected. So you can't, you know, kill a few enemies ahead and go back to save your game to keep them dead - if you go back, they'll just ressurrect and you'll have to kill them again. That means you have to push forward, try to get to the next bonfire - and for a first time player, that's another very tense experience because these checkpoints are very far apart, so you don't really know when you'll find the next one. Would you say it's harder than LoZ Majora's Mask? |
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,820
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Post by Cervantes on Oct 26, 2018 1:23:54 GMT
MeleeMonk - It sure is. Much, much harder in this case. Majora's Mask isn't a particularly difficult game, so Dark Souls easily surpasses it in this area.
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Post by winnersdontusedrugs on Oct 27, 2018 5:56:56 GMT
A lot of Dark Souls difficulty relies on whether or not you make a good character build. If you can't make a decent build, you'll have to intimately memorize every enemy and boss pattern and almost perfectly execute it while poking away at them with your shitty lightning spear (my first playthrough was pretty rough). Making a decent build isn't hard to do if you pay attention to what your stats do and how different weapons and buffs scale with your stats. Even then, I wouldn't say Dark Souls is outright easy unless you make a really op build. Like people in the thread have said, it'll take you at least a few tries to get through a boss or a section of a level. Dark Souls isn't the hardest game in the world, but you can't call it easy just because you're not having a hard time on your 5th playthrough. leaon79s I like 2 as well and don't know why it gets so much shit compared to the rest of the series. The Soul level mechanic sucked and some of the level design was iffy, but it feels like some people take a microscope to the game trying to find faults. Even DS1 had it's problems, you can argue the game started falling off once you got to the Demon Ruins. |
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