Let me say very quickly, this is a review for the PC version, so the overall score will be affected by the PC version of this game. Also I am not covering story... it really doesn't exist that much.
For any of you who don't know, Dark Souls is considered one of the most unforgiving games out there to play. It takes fricken forever to beat, and it doesn't hold your hand. It's also been named one of the hardest games ever to appear on console.
I have played this game for 10 hours so far, so whatever you see here is from that experience. Enjoy! :)
GAMEPLAY
For the most part, I find this game very fun to play. I mean, with a 360 controller of course. Don't get me started with how the keyboard and mouse works with this game... the difference in smoothness is huge with the keyboard/mouse and 360 controller. It's ridiculous.
From what I've seen of the combat with a controller, it is "unfairly" balanced. What I mean is, it's somewhat balanced, but enemies still kick your ass. Which is obviously good for this game.
This game doesn't hold your hand, so you have to figure out how to kill enemies YOUR WAY. Throw firebombs, use a normal sword, an axe, you name it. And when you play this game, be prepared for vulgarity galore!
The Difficulty Factor
I think it's great that Namco stepped up to the plate and made a very hard game, which we are lacking nowadays. But there is one problem that they have made that has to do with the difficulty. I can stand how irritating the enemies are, how tough the bosses are, and having to find PERFECT strategies in this game to succeed. But they don't clearly tell you where to go next. Maybe I have missed something in the beginning of the game, but still. I've done the first part of this game, The Undead Burg after 8 fricken hours. But now I am unsure where to go, I know now, but I have to keep looking online to know where to go next, and I hate to do that. I hate looking up strategy videos, but I have to for this game.
However, Namco have got it spot on with the difficulty of the enemies. Even though they piss you off and are really difficult to beat, Namco still gives you ways to defeat them. By using combos, ripostes, backstabs, and things like that which allow you to beat some of the tougher enemies. So kudos to Namco for that.
Overall, once you know where to go, this game is "fairly" the hardest game out there. Plenty of difficult games have no clear cut way to progress, but in Dark Souls if you have some super great patience, you'll progress just fine.
GRAPHICS
Oh here starts the not so lovely PC port. First off, Namco has said publicly that they had no idea what they were doing with this port. And sorry to insult here, I can see that. Obviously the game "looks" good from pictures. Awesome npc design, model design with the armor and weapons, and some of the areas of this game look pretty nice. But a lot of times you can see some SUPER pixelated backgrounds, like watching a 240p video on youtube.
So if you're a graphics fiend, you will be disappointed. Or you could get some user created mods to help you with the graphics. But despite the graphics, it isn't a game breaker at all, I'm not saying that!
The Fun Factor
If you're in a super good mood and can stand any kind of troubles at the time, this game is hella fun. It also just feels so rewarding to kill some of the enemies/bosses you spent 30-45 minutes on to kill, and the game can reward you pretty well for doing so, which I love.
Final Verdict
Despite some poor choices in the PC port, the core game itself is stellar. I've only played 10 hours because my poor brain can't handle it, and I am not patient enough.
As for the low quality PC port, I do cut Namco Bandai some slack . Even though I think they could have done better, it's their first port. And the game still functions pretty good.
So with the PC version of Dark Souls, I give it a solid 8/10. An easy 9/10 however for console versions.
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Is the OoT screenshot a comp of hyrule field with the Windows Vista desktop layered over the foreground?
Bandai Namco has released its latest financial report, revealing that the Dark Souls series has reached around 40 million units combined.
Former SIE president Yoshida explained that Sony wanted to work on the sequel to Demon’s Souls with FromSoftware, but the developer turned it down and instead decided to work with Bandai Namco on what would become Dark Souls.
Not sure what Sony was thinking. Wrong people testing the game. It was my favourite game from the PS3 days. Had to import it from Canada because it wasn't available in Europe at the time. Then I bought it again when a local version was available. It was fun to play online and get two separate platinum.
I understand, sony acting so cocky when it came out. But they quickly realized what they were missing on. I remember an interview of Yoshida saying clearly he hated the game.
"But they quickly realized what they were missing on."
So they've been sleeping on Bloodborne too
Sony didn't realize what they had with Demons Souls. It happens. Marvel approached Xbox to make Spider-Man before they went to Sony and Phil Spencer said "thanks but no thanks". You win some, you lose some. Personally I wasn't THAT bowled over by Demons Souls either when it launched on PS3. I thought it was slow and clunky. The remake on PS5, however, is fantastic! So I get why Sony was lukewarm on the franchise. I dont know if anybody could've foreseen what From Software would eventually become.
To be fair, not even From Software knew the huge success it would become. Their revenue target was tiny, as already confirmed by Miyazaki.
Exactly, these nipple head 'journalists' trying to spin this into a story to wield against Sony are ignoring the fact that hindsight is 20/20.
As you correctly point out, Demons Souls was incredibly niche at the time so it's not a surprise that Sony were cautious about investing huge amounts into advertising and support etc.
You can't just find the RIGHT people. This kind of thing didn't exist yet. FROMSOFTWARE started something huge and you could never see it unless you happen to get someone who not only gets a gut instinct but also the will and authority to act on it. You can't look back from 2025, you have to see it in a 2009 landscape. And Demon's Souls didn't even hit big, it wasn't until Dark Souls that it all started hitting, shortly after it's release in 2011.
Hey sometimes you just can’t see the potential.
It’s like the Chicago Bears moving up in the draft to take Trubisky over Pat Mahomes.
Replies(2)I bought the Japanese version of Demons Souls before US release. Me and my friend heard about it from an online friend in Japan. It took a while for it to become popular in the US. It was a new IP with nothing like it at the time and it wasn’t easy to play obviously. Eventually word of mouth spread about it and sales picked up after launch. I don’t think anyone could have seen how big it would be at the time. It was considered very niche and hardcore games were minimal.
I do wonder if we'll ever see Demon's Souls 2. Sony clearly wanted it. FromSoftware's subsequent releases penetrated the mainstream in ways the developer likely never imagined. Any stigma or negative perception around the original game's release has long passed. Bluepoint's remake sold very well on PS5. I think the time has come to visit the IP that started it all.
With Sony now firmly in bed with Kadokawa now. I think a Demon's Souls 2 and/or Bloodborne 2 is fairly likely.
They also seem to not want to get on Fromsoft's bad side or undercut them in any way. I think it's completely up to FS. (which is kinda funny cause FS themselves makes weird moves with their games whenever it's not Miyazaki helming the project. ie DS2 and Nightreign)
