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Dark Souls - PS3 - 360

Started by Viero_Berlotti, February 22, 2011, 05:01:46 PM

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Viero_Berlotti

Dark Souls the 'sequel' to the brilliant Demon's Souls will be released in 2011:

http://www.fromsoftware.jp/darksouls/

I absolutely loved Demon's Souls, a great mixture of RPG and addictively difficult 'just one more go' style, arcade action. I'm probably looking forward to this a bit more than Skyrim, just because Demon's Souls was so inventive and and was brave enough to try something different, in terms of gameplay, in a genre that so often seems to be stuck in a rut.

Slaaaaabs

360 as well, Sony aren't involved in this at all.

The combat in Demon's Souls was near perfection, proper visceral and weighty stuff. I hope they don't mess too much with the summoning, blood splash and message systems either, added another level of fear to an already quite scary game.


Rubbish Monkey

I ordered myself a UK copy of Demon's Souls last week after seeing this trailer. Just so I could enjoy it  all over again but on Euro servers.

Straight onto my "must have list"

Viero_Berlotti

So I got my copy of Dark Souls a day early, and managed to get a few hours play in last night. First impressions are, that despite a few tweeks it is essentially the same game as Demons Souls but set in a whole new world, this is a good thing though.

Personally, so far I am finding it easier than Demons Souls was at the beginning, but that's because the learning curve when you first play DS is so steep. It's one of those games you need to get the feel for, but once you get the hang of it, it is like riding a bike. Not had chance to do any online co-op or multiplayer yet so don't know if that has changed, but apparently there are a lot of American 360 owners that are unhappy at the anonymous aspect of the online play, they don't like not playing with their buddies. I quite prefer it that way though, and like the way you can just dip in and out of the online play. You don't feel as if you are letting everybody down when you have to stop playing for your tea.

Big Jack McBastard

My interest has been piqued, might snag this later in the week.

Viero_Berlotti

I've put a few more hours in now, and I'm starting to realise just how big this game is compared to Demon's Souls. The open world format is an improvement, but things aren't signposted so it can feel a bit directionless at first, on the other hand this adds further to the sense of challenge and achievement which are the two driving dynamics of this game.

I got the special edition and the bonus DVD contains a small featurette on the From Software team in Japan. It looks just how I imagined working for a cool Japanese software development house would be. I'm not one usually prone to fanboydom but I think I'm getting a bit of a softspot for From Software. They're like my new favourite band.

Johnny Textface

Hi

I've gone and bought this today even though I've read some reviews stating its extremely hard.

I've never played the first one so know idea what I'm getting into here..

Viero_Berlotti

Well I've hit my first brick wall with the second boss battle. After about the tenth go of trying to beat him I was a millimetre of a health bar away from finishing him off and he pummeled me. I was shaking with adrenaline after that and had to take a lie down in a darkened room. New strategy for that fucker tonight though, not going to stop until I've beat him.

I think I've chosen a difficult class to play with in the Thief, low armour classes that rely on evasion and speed need more skill to play especially in the boss battles. If you've never played before then I'd recommend Warrior, Knight or Bandit.


Johnny Textface

Thanks for the heads up. Any other little tips for newbies?

Viero_Berlotti

A few tips hidden for those that don't want spoilers, nothing too majorly spoilerific though:
Spoiler alert

When you are on the tutorial level you will come up against the first boss battle if the form of quite a large blue  demon. When you first encounter him don't try and take him on straight away, a lot of people make this mistake, and whilst it is possible to beat him on the first meeting you will definitely struggle to do this on your first play through. Just avoid him in the first encounter and duck through the open door on the other side of the room. Continue through the level and you will find it takes you to a position where you are better suited to take him on.

Once through the tutorial you're in the main game world. Head up towards the castle area 'Undead Burg', this is the best area to start in.

The Dark Souls Wiki will come in handy, because the game itself doesn't give you any tips:

http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/
[close]

Johnny Textface

Christ this is hard. These skeletons are kicking my arse and I've only just started..

Viero_Berlotti

#12
The skeletons in the graveyard near the Firelink Shrine? Try using a weapon with good crushing damage like a Morning Star or a Club, a lot more effective against Skeletons than a bladed weapon. If you're cocky enough try using it two handed as well, will do a lot more damage, you just have to time your hits well enough.

Those Skeletons are tough though so I'd leave them for a bit and try and take on the Zombies up in Undead Burg. The steps up to Undead Burg aren't easy to find, they are close enough by to where you start off though. If you are facing the guy at the Firelink Shrine who is sat down wearing the chainmail, take a right towards the cliff face, here you will find some steps up that take you to Undead Burg.

EDIT: I caved in and restarted last night with a new Bandit character, playing as a Thief was a bit too tough. Ok you start with the Master Key to open doors you otherwise couldn't but the trade off of low armour and relatively low melee damage isn't worth it really. I played Demon's Souls as a tank type character with high armour, but the transition of playing styles from this to a low amour dexterity based character was proving too tricky for me.

Junglist

Put about 5 hours into this now, not having played the original. It really is daunting to begin with, and you seem to die every 10 minutes or so but once the mechanics of battle kick in, and you remember not to be a mental when you've collected thousands of souls, it really clicks. 

However, like an idiot,
Spoiler alert
I killed the merchant in the Undead Berg, not realising he was a merchant! So the diffculty has raised even more.
[close]

Truly loving it, though

Big Jack McBastard

#14
What a ball breaker of a game!

Started off as a knight thinking I'd take the edge off it but I'm slowing coming to the realisation after about 20 deaths that I'mma have to grind like a mother to get through some of these bastards. I'm circuiting through the zombie infested Burg and back to the camp site at the beginning of the level to get my stats up a bit before venturing any further up or down the winding staircase in the Burg Tower (with the big boss Taurus bastard up top and the mad lightening quick, cudgel wielding, metal clad loony at the bottom) I ran past the latter thinking 'oh I'll get a bit of a reprieve' to be met with a forest full of ice giants and a massive water hurling monstrosity in a nearby lake right outside the bloody door.

All rather grimy and dark, fun though, was almost thinking about duel wielding shields to try and get through the catacombs but I think I'm going to need a crusher weapon like VB said.

Johnny Textface

Christ this is nuts-hard. Am I right here - you get through a load of pretty difficult / nasty zombies in Burg, then your choices are either take on this guy with his back to you (who has killed me with one strike a couple of times even though I thought I had my shield up), at the bottom of the spiral, or take on this massive guy at the top of the spiral  - who is fucking rock as well?

If you fail against either of these guys, you start again back at the bonfire about half way through so far, and you have to kill all the pretty difficulty / nasty zombies again to have another bash at the big guys - (where I just get twatted again btw)? And you can't even go back and rest at the bonfire just prior to taking on one of these boss fellas - because all the zombies get reset again - SO YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN ANYWAY - the developers of this are sick.  I'm pretty addicted though - but not sure how long its going to last until I smash it.

Quote from: Big Jack McBastard on October 12, 2011, 09:08:57 PM
I'm circuiting through the zombie infested Burg and back to the camp site at the beginning of the level to get my stats up a bit before venturing any further up or down the winding staircase in the Burg Tower

Now then, whats this?

Viero_Berlotti

Quote from: Johnny Textface on October 12, 2011, 10:44:04 PM
If you fail against either of these guys, you start again back at the bonfire about half way through so far, and you have to kill all the pretty difficulty / nasty zombies again to have another bash at the big guys - (where I just get twatted again btw)? And you can't even go back and rest at the bonfire just prior to taking on one of these boss fellas - because all the zombies get reset again - SO YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN ANYWAY - the developers of this are sick.  I'm pretty addicted though - but not sure how long its going to last until I smash it.

It's not a game, it's a religious penance.

The trick is to make sure you at least get your souls back on each trip. So at least then all the work isn't for nothing. Just wait though, until you have about 30 or 40 thousand souls dropped somewhere, you're making your way back to pick them up from where you last died, but you switch off for a second or try to rush a tricky area and get your arse handed to you by some low level minion or you drop off a cliff. 40 thousand souls and several hours game time you'll never get back. That's what makes it a gripping and, dare I say it, emotional experience. Most games you die and it's no real problem, but in Dark Souls it can often feel as if there is something genuine at stake, you start to put real value onto those souls and if you lose a massive chunk of souls you do get an awful sinking feeling inside. I used to play roulette in the casinos and it is a similar feeling to putting your last £50 on red and losing out to black, no money for a taxi and a long walk home.

Big Jack McBastard

Ok I'm now owning the shithead zombies (Reinforced Club and lock-on FTW) Stocked up on a shit load of firebombs and then killed the vendor to nick his Katana, might regret that later if my idea doesn't work.

I think the strategy for Taurus is to get on the very top of the tower where there's a ladder to the right of the 'white mist door' an undead git with a crossbow and his mate are up there, kill them off,  pop down, lure the big fella out, peg it back to the ladder and drop down on the big sod a few times with my blades out, possibly chucking the odd firebomb at his hairy arse in the meantime.

You invest so much in getting to that 'last'[nb]I'm sure it's one of many[/nb] door just to have it pulled from under you so many times. That fucker is going down before I go to sleep.

Grindy grindy grindy....

Junglist

Quote from: Johnny Textface on October 12, 2011, 10:44:04 PM
Now then, whats this?

Grind Undead Burg. Hardish at first, but basically kill everything there, from campsite to spiral staircase, head back to campsite, heal, redo. I've gone up about 5-6 levels rather quickly. Not that it truly matters as a lapse in concentration for even a few seconds can have you deader than, well, yeah.

Big Jack McBastard

Quote from: Big Jack McBastard on October 12, 2011, 11:49:34 PM
That fucker is going down before I go to sleep.

That fucker is going down tomorrow. <whimper>

Big Jack McBastard

I can't believe I missed about half of the map near the beginning, the guy selling miracles up the steps to the right of the campfire, bloody Heal miracles!? FFS and 5 chests of gear..

Also don't pick a fight with the guy at the campsite straight off the bat, he'll own you over and over.

Off I go again.



Viero_Berlotti

#21
Just beat the Taurus Demon fucker!!!!
Spoiler alert
Apparently the Taurus Demon becomes a regular enemy later in the game!!
[close]

Junglist

Quote from: Viero_Berlotti on October 13, 2011, 10:36:45 PM
Just beat the Taurus Demon fucker!!!!
Spoiler alert
Apparently the Taurus Demon becomes a regular enemy later in the game!!
[close]

I beat him earlier, incredibly cheaply and without getting hit. Restarting tomorrow as I've borked my stats up.

Junglist

Some guy has ripped apart his official guide, scanned every page and made a pdf.

I love the internets.

Johnny Textface

Quote from: Junglist on October 14, 2011, 02:44:43 PM
Some guy has ripped apart his official guide, scanned every page and made a pdf.

I love the internets.

Any chance of a link? PM?

Big Jack McBastard

Quote from: Viero_Berlotti on October 13, 2011, 10:36:45 PM
Just beat the Taurus Demon fucker!!!!

Yay I finally got the bastard as well, gold resin on the blade and a black firebomb from the tower top, thank the effin jeff for that!

Viero_Berlotti

Yeah, the game starts to open up a bit once you've beaten him. Can see a lot of people getting pissed off with it though and giving up.

Quote from: Junglist on October 14, 2011, 02:44:43 PM
Some guy has ripped apart his official guide, scanned every page and made a pdf.

I love the internets.

That will be the free official guide that came with the special edition, they changed it from the physical book to a PDF on the last minute, so I'm not surprised it's floating around on the internet now. I've not been looking at mine though, too many spoilers.

Junglist

Quote from: Viero_Berlotti on October 14, 2011, 03:24:40 PM
Yeah, the game starts to open up a bit once you've beaten him. Can see a lot of people getting pissed off with it though and giving up.

That will be the free official guide that came with the special edition, they changed it from the physical book to a PDF on the last minute, so I'm not surprised it's floating around on the internet now. I've not been looking at mine though, too many spoilers.

No, I've got that also, I bought the LE. Its the proper, 250mb, official guide. 300+ pages.

Viero_Berlotti

I thought that's what came with the special edition, obviously not. If I do use them, I always prefer to have the actual physical guides anyway. It's better to just have them at hand to flick through when playing rather than having to piss around with a PDF on my laptop.

Junglist