Shamelessly stolen from Shorn Scrotum Man.
If you want me to add your Gamertag/PSN Name PM Me, that way I won't miss it.
Also if you want me to add some of your accumulated experience/advice to put in the second post a-la our own little Dark Souls Guide PM me what you want me to say and I'll post it. This thread moves too fast and I am sometimes too busy to catch all the advice people have.
Previous thread here: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/149649/game-on-dark-soulsdemons-souls.-a-veritable-buffet-of-souls/p1
I know everyone is going to be excited to talk about this game, but please don't spoil it for others. Please use the spoiler tags and please label your spoilers with something appropriate so people will have an idea of what they are about to see.
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Woah, what? What the hell is Dark Souls?
Dark Souls is the "sequel" to Demon's Souls. I put sequel in quotes because it's not a true sequel that takes place in the same world with the same characters, etc., shit that a sequel normally has, but it's the same vein of Demon's Souls in that it's a dark, medieval world, hard as fuck, and just as awesome. Japanese gaming rag Famitsu had an article about it.
- This is the official title of what was previously Project Dark
- This time they want to increase the amount of field exploration in the game.
- All fields are seamless, so whatever you can see, you can reach and explore. If you see a fortress or castle walls in the distance, you can eventually get there.
- There will be no map display in the game, just a position display marker.
- They aim to make the game just as challenging than Demon's Souls, but also just as rewarding when you succeed. The sense of achievement is important.
- The gameplay will be similar to Demon's Souls in concept, where it's about trial and error and learning from your mistakes to play better.
- The game does not share the same world and story as Demon's Souls.
- The game will not use the same format as Demon's Souls in terms of having 5 worlds connected via a hub.
- Instead all maps in the game will be linked seamlessly in a connected world. The pace of the game will feel more about exploration and discovering locations, which you can then go inside into a dungeon or whatever and explore the interior further.
- There will be more complex level designs in the game using more vertical design in areas and such.
- The world setting is based on medieval dark fantasy, and will contain themes like "high fantasy of kings and knights", "death and the depths of the earth", and "the flames of chaos".
- The character creation process will not be class based.
- The play style of the player character will have much more freedom this time.
- There will be many more spells and items, and the animation and uniqueness of weapons will also be increased.
- The online elements are very similar to Demon's Souls. There is cooperative and PvP.
- You can still leave messages, and see players who died at various places.
- There will be no Soul Tendency this time because they don't want to have to use dedicated servers to handle that shit again.
- Instead this time there will be more features allowing players to engage in "mutual role playing" which they say are still under wraps. They'll reveal more when it's time.
- The difficulty has been increased greatly over Demon's Souls.
Here are some videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekqkHjfw9Z0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93LFz_j5fQAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HobdMOegikIs there anything else?
We've got screenshots too!
! Dark Souls PSN List !
PA Name - PSN ID
Shorn Scrotum Man - sojakfa
YamiNoSenshi - YamiNoSenshi
Sarganym - RagingKermit
NailbunnyPD - NailbunnyPD
taliosfalcon - TaliosFalcon
mr weenis - Mr_Weenis
Nitsua - Darkhawk16
MonkeyConQueso - Aubvry
El Fantastico - ArcticArctos
Frei - Chace8625
Dignified Pauper - DignifiedPauper
Farangu - Farangu
Zombiemambo - MEGARAD3000
Mostlyjoe13 - Mostlyjoe
Stragint - Dash_Dashel
GMaster7 - SKI2000G
21stCentury - The21stCentury
Klatu - Klatu_PA
! Dark Souls XBox360 List !
PA Name - Xbox360 ID
Spawnbroker - Xenacity
DoctorArch - DoctorArch
Dyvion - Dyvion
Aistan - Aistan
Sirialis - Sirialis
Peff - Savage Oxygen
Marslo - Mars on the bar
Zorak15 - PolarRelic
Stormwatcher - Stormwatcher 21
Posts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLPhq5gNeBI&feature=player_embedded
Also, I will increase this post with accumulated forum knowledge:
Demon's Souls is a recent PS3 exclusive title from developer From Software, already known for the Armored Core series, Chromehounds, the Tenchu series and Ninja Blade. Demon's Souls is a third person action game in the vein of From Software's old, old franchise King's Field. King's Field was know to be ludicriously hard and huge learning curve. Demon's Souls keeps that tradition pretty damn well.
So what's the big deal with this RPG that put's it above the others?
Demon's Souls "ain't yo mamma's RPG". It certainly takes keys from a lot of other well know games before it, like King's Field (naturally), Monster Hunter, and we'll throw in one you know like TESIV: Oblivion. It's not just another JRPG that is turned based, has that same menu in every JRPG ever made. For a gaming coming from Japan, it's distinctly Western. It has a very dark European background, full voice acting and some of the best environments that can be found in a game today.
Equipment comes in all kinds of forms, from long swords to katanas to a Pyramid Head-esque meat cleaver. Enemies range from zombies to dark knights to dragons. Bosses? Gigantic and intimidating. Giants mechanical knights, fire breating spiders (yes, you just read that), a veritable God. Pretty much every imaginable baddie is out for your ass in this game.
Did I mention how this game is hard? This game is hard. Like, fucking hard. I cannot emphasis the difficulty of this game. Now, it's not what I like to call "Ninja Gaiden Hard", where the game is difficult to the point of hindering the player (*coughfuckingterribadcameracough*). It is such a well crafted difficulty to the point where the game is never cheap. Your death is always your own fault. And you will die. And there are heavy consequences for that death.
There is no long and arduous tutorial. No quick time events. No button mashing. No pop-up hints. You will get mobbed by monsters. You will fight bosses that could very well kill you in one hit. You'll fall of ledges because you didn't watch where you were stepping. There isn't even a pause button! You'll fight tooth and nail to get past each and every level. But God damn it, does it feel rewarding once you do.
Ok, you've got me now. This game have a story?
While the story in Demon's Souls is simple, the world that is created around it is very interesting. It takes place in the fictional European-inspired kingdom of Boletaria, where a corrupt king summons "the Old One" and uses unholy powers to bring unrivaled prosperity to his lands. Prosper it did, but then fell victim to his own vices and traps and abused his power to cause great destruction, causing a great fog to cover the country and summon countless demons to devour the innocent. This is where you come in! You are a lone adventurer who quests into the depths of Boletaria to put a stop to the fog and bring peace to the land, not even death itself can stop your pursuit!
That's it. You play the part of a random adventurer out to find your fame. No girl to save, no friend who betrayed you. Just you, the legions of hell, and victory on the other side of them.
So how does it play?
Demon's Souls plays in real time from the third person perspective. You name and design your character yourself and use a system similar to Oblivion's face creation to get your look. There is a vast amount of weapons and armour and two kinds of magic: Spells (mostly offensive attacks) and Miracles (mostly defensive and healing abilities). And you need to take into account your environment. Yeah, you have an huge sword that smacks monsters around, but will it really be of any use in a narrow hallway?
Bring aware of your surroundings is key. Every new enemy you come upon will act differently. The most important piece of advice is move slowly, attack carefully. If you just waltz around playing like it's Ninja Gaiden, your liable to fall off a cliff or become stunlocked by an enemies attacks.
You have your tipical Health and Magic, but Demon's Souls also takes hint from The Elder Scroll's and implements and Stamina system for sword attacks and blocking with shields. Every action takes away a certain amount of Stamina, but it's always regenerating. The heavier the attack, the more Stamina you will use. The more hits you take behind your shield, the more Stamina will be drained.
Demon's Souls has over a dozen starting "classes", but in actuality it is a classless game. All equipment is dependent on your character stats, so even if you start as a cloth wearing Royal, you can still pick up and use the same heavy armor the Knight has if you have the right statistics. There are certain advantages and challenges from picking each starting class tho. As a Royal, you are well equipped to use magic but don't have a lot of armor or health. As a Thief, you can backstab easier because of your dagger. As a Knight, you have heavy armor and are well equipped for melee combat but roll slowly and have no magic. It is a very well set system.
Leveling up is done by the games only currency, Souls. Souls are everything. They will get you higher stats, buy you equipment, potions, increase the effectiveness of your gear, are needed to craft new weapons. If you die, you lose all your Souls, and this is one fact that makes Demon's Souls so punishing. Now, you do have one chance to get them all back from a bloodstain you leave behind in your death, but if you die before you touch that bloodstain, all those Souls are lost.
The entire game is based around deep, complex dungeons that take ages to fully explore. Your only refuge from the monsters is the "Nexus" which is the hub or "town" of Demon's Souls. Here you can talk to the locals, level up, learn new magic spells, repair or buy new items and equipment, and store your unwanted junk. Don't think though you've got it all down, New Game+ provides even more to see at the Nexus!
Oh yeah, there is a New Game+. Playing in New Game+ raises the difficulty even more! It's a whole new ballgame when you enter your second time around. But it doesn't end after that. You can start a New Game++, and keep going. Every new game raises the difficulty more.
Is there multiplayer?
Oh yeah! Demon's Souls has some of the coolest and original multiplayer interaction ever.
Co-Operative
Players can utilize a special item called the "Blue Eye Stone" to set a marker on the ground that acts as a gateway to a multiplayer Co-Operative game. There's no lobby or matchmaking system. Other players online can see your marker and invite you into their world, and soon enough you and two other adventurers will be on your way to slaying some monsters.
All three players can receive Souls for their hard work, and they can team up to take out the Boss Demons with better efficiency! As your game together ends, players can grade the host adventure on a scale from D to S and this grade carries with the Host so other players know how good or bad a player they are.
Competitive
Don't like playing nice? With the use of the "Black Eye Stone," players with evil intent can literally force themselves into another player's world! Taking the role of the "Black Phantom," the player must hunt out and kill the invaded player to receive a special Souls bonus! However, if the invading Phantom is killed then you lose all your Souls and he gets a big reward for killing you.
If you want to join someone in co-op or kill someone by invading, you will only have access to those within 10 levels of you. No picking on newbies, and no getting sent to fight someone much higher than yourself.
Educational
Uh...what? Hang on, let me explain this one. Demon's Souls offers a special method of communicating with other players in other worlds, to help (or deceive) other players about events that may be coming up in around that corner, or across that dark bridge. By utilizing a wide selection of stock messages and phrases, players use a bizarre Twitter-esque system of leaving messages on the floor for others to read. These messages can be read by anyone, and can even be graded on their usefulness! Players who leave helpful or nice messages are rewarded with a full health restore!
The Pantheon
But wait! There's more! Demon's Souls taps into the desires of envy and jealousy by providing its own Leaderboards. Players can visit The Pantheon at the very top of The Nexus to see who the greatest Boletarian adventurers are. Ever wonder who has the most PKs? Who's played the longest? Who's got the most souls or the most Trophies? The Pantheon tells all.
Ok, I want this game. As in right now. How do I get it?
For the longest time you would have to import the Asian version, but not any more! As of October 2009, Atlus has published Demon's Souls here in the US!
Demon's Souls was also released in the EU by Namco-Bandi on June 25, 2010.
All versions have their own online servers. EU cannot play with US, Asian cannot play with EU, etc.
I live off review scores.
Fine. Be like that. Demon's Souls has gotten very positive reviews since it's asian release in January 2009.
Famitsu: 9 / 7 / 7 / 6
Dengeki: 95 / 85 / 85 / 85
Eurogamer: 9 / 10
RPGFan: 84%
GameSpot: 9.0
Gamer Limit: 9.5
GamesRadar: 9
GameTrailers: 8.9
IGN: 9.4
GameSpot 2009 Game of the Year
Now, slayer of demon's...go forth!
Helpful Links!
Below are several helpful links for those who need specific info regarding the game. Personally, I'm telling you not to use any of these on your first game because it ruins the fun, but if you really have to, go for it.
Demon's Souls Wiki - A comprehensive Demon's Souls wiki, started thanks to the people at SomethingAwful. This is the most comprehensive Demon's Souls resource there it. Maps, weapon, armor, upgrades, character builds...it has it all.
Ultimate Demon's Souls PvP Guide - Possibly all you wanted to know about PvP. What weapons to use, what builds to play and how to play them. A very good guide if you want to maximize in PvP.
Demon's Souls Ventrilo - This is a Ventrilo chat server maintained by the guys who run the Demon's Souls wiki. People hang out here throughout the day/night/whenever and talk shop. Some of the best DS players are on here and everyone is always up for a friendly duel. Not a lot of microphones, but everyone is usually in chat. Note: Pretty dead now.
Demon's Souls Forum - Another product of the great people who maintain the Demon's Souls wiki! If I need to tell you what a forum is about then you have some issues. Note: Still active![/quote]
! Demon's Souls PSN List !
PA Name - PSN ID (Region)
Shorn Scrotum Man - sojakfa (USA)
Mostlyjoe13 - Mostlyjoe (USA)
Folken Fanel - folken_PA (USA)
cj iwakura - cj_iwakura (USA)
Demon's Souls Soul Farming Guide!
pleasepaypreacher.net
because From Software hates people who have friends
Steam: TheArcadeBear
pleasepaypreacher.net
These words.
These words epitomise the reason they'd rather you pick up a mute ghostly stranger than your friends.
I don't understand? Is this some kind of "How dare you enjoy playing with some friends?" I mean this game boots you from playing when you join a live party, thats ridiculous and I'm surprised Microsoft allowed such insanity.
pleasepaypreacher.net
3DSFF: 5026-4429-6577
Aids the feeling of isolation and despair.
Where on earth did you get the idea that FROM wanted you to have fun?!
I'm guessing those items are behind Dark Sun Gwyndolin. You can't fight him unless you have the Darkmoon Seance ring from the Catacombs.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
Edit: I actually agree with their decision, except when it makes all the OTHER multiplayer functionality non-existent with it. Then it's just pants on head retarded.
Maybe From Software has that stereotypical loathing of hypothetical "dudebros" ruining their purer gaming experiences.
Game has some issues, like the framerate hit in blightland and the UI looks like its straight out of a PS2 game. Like Monster Hunter it kind of feels like a rough draft of a game.
pleasepaypreacher.net
When you kill Seath, there will be one right where he appears.
Fuck Crystal Cave, glad I got my Moonlight Sword and most of the Twinkling Titanite I'll need for now.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
Just don't stand behind him.
In the equip screen press X (or PS3 equivalent) a few times and it'll tell you the required stats for competent wielding of the item. Until you get the required stats it'll be flailing animations for crappy damage.
pleasepaypreacher.net
And just when I think I'm finally ready to try again (after all the slaughtering), I summon two complete dunces who do nothing but speed my inevitable demise.
Why can I only destroy this boss for other people and not for myself?! grrr
There is crystal lizards in Crystal Caves? Fuck, I dont want to go back.
I havent seen a single one there, but I guess the surroundings will give them natural camouflage.
Edit: I didn't find her too hard by myself. I actually think she is one of the coolest and most imaginative bosses in the game.
It's kind of fun to watch you try to swing a great axe one handed without the requisite strength. Spoiler alert, you pretty much will fall on your ass.
Yeah thats how I died right after the gaping dragon, to a damn torch zombie no less.
pleasepaypreacher.net
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
Uchi is a tiny bit better than Iaito, unless you really like Iaito's horizontal attacks
The Uchi is bad.
Really bad.
Killing the first merchant? Because thats who I buy my arrows from...
Also how do people seemingly jump off the edge of things? Because everytime I hit b I just roll off the edge.
pleasepaypreacher.net