The Good
* Amazing, unique online features
* Dark, beautiful level design that draws you in
* Fantastic creature design and animations
* Intense, methodical combat mechanics
* Unique world structure.
The Bad
* Extremely difficult
* Some presentation issues.
The challenging combat is enhanced by a number of innovative online features that invite players to interact with each other. To survive, you not only need to pay careful attention to your environs, but you must be mindful of the clues other players have left for you, both purposeful and accidental. The game's online integration is nothing like you've ever seen, and it's a core component of the Demon's Souls experience. The signs and indications of other players are everywhere. You'll see translucent white ghosts roaming your world, moving about and swinging their weapons, though you can't directly interact with them. These spirits are actually other players. They are fighting the same enemies and sprinting across the same bridges, but they inhabit their own worlds, not yours. You see only their apparitions, but those apparitions may be enough to clue you in to a surprise ambush up ahead or a bit of hidden loot around the corner.
Nevertheless, other players aren't always your best pals; sometimes, they may be your worst enemies. Once you've progressed far enough (and procured the necessary item), you can invade another player's realm as a black phantom--and other players can invade yours. Don't worry that you'll suddenly be attacked by another player many, many levels above you: your invader must be around the same level as you, so you should be on more or less equal footing. Even so, the presence of an enemy player changes the very nature of your exploration. Not only must you cope with the array of demons seeking to slaughter you, but you must also be on the lookout for the telltale blood-red shimmer of your intruder. As a result, you'll move ahead much more cautiously--and when you do finally meet, the ensuing encounter is tense and exciting. Don't be surprised if you let out an audible gasp when you receive the notification on your screen that another player has penetrated your realm; no matter how often they happen, invasions never lose their potency. If you're the one being invaded, the intrusion is exciting and a little bit scary; you'll look around, wondering if you're being followed, and listen for signs of your foe. When you're the invader, you'll feel vaguely evil scouting about, trying to stay out of your victim's sight, and looking for the best opportunity to attack.
And there may be surprising moments in which these various systems coalesce. For example, you may join another player in his or her realm, only to have a black phantom appear. The unspoken (there is no voice chat) partnership between you and your collaborator makes banishing a black phantom from his realm almost as satisfying as banishing one from your own. Of course, the souls you earn sweeten the deal.
I just watched the review at GameTrailers.com and I'm intrigued. The one thing that was stressed throughout was the game's unforgiving difficulty.It makes me wonder if the game company might say via means of (hopefully free) DLC or something release new lower levels of difficulty to the game. I'm sure, as awesome as the game does sound, A LOT of gamers are going to be turned-off by how tough this game actually sounds -- especially w/ the way GameSpot addressed how brutally tough it is.
It's not a major deterrent for me but I do have a tendency to quit a game completely (or at least for an extended period) when it reaches the point of frustration.Same here.
It reminds me heavily of the old Codemasters game Blade of Darkness (aka Severance in Europe and elsewhere). That game was very dark, gritty fantasy with relatively punishing difficulty and felt like a mix of an RPG and action game. That one veered more toward pure action, but it was quite cool. They're also both a bit wonky in spots which can add to the frustration. The one thing that Severance had that Demon's Souls really doesn't was absolutely fucking epic gratuitous violence. Some of the best blood effects to ever grace a PC monitor were in that game, I tell you. Little stands up to it even today.Holy crap -- how the hell did I miss this Blade of Darkness (Severance)? (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/bladeofdarkness/review.html)
Pretty much. It isn't a story-heavy game from what I gather, as there aren't a lot of characters to begin with. The world is basically overrun and there's just a few people you run into. It's nicely presented, but there isn't really anything to it. But at least it's nicely presented.I know it's primarily an action-RPG game, but w/ what some action-heavy games do lately in the last 10-15 years -- System Shock 2 and Bioshock (audio and written logs); Doom 3 (audio, video, and written logs); Witcher (extra written info in the background section of the Journal); Mass Effect (codex) -- does Demon's Soul have like any of those kind of mechanics for the gamer who wants to take a break from the action and maybe dive into more in-game info and back-story to find out more in the story and get immersed into the world if they want?
More hack-and-slash/walk-and-punch adventure games have come out over the last year than in any other time since the days of the Super Nintendo and Genesis. Only a few, though, have adequately instilled the thrill of the old 2D titles - where timing and skill ruled the day - into 3D gameplay. It's funny that Treyarch, a developer known best for its PC title Die By the Sword, would be able to do that with its first console game, a 3D hack-and-slash with a brain called Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm.
Repetition is the biggest issue, but I've been surprised a number of times by different things in a level or different ways to go about something, and each time through you feel like you're really honing your skills, learning how to take down each individual monster more effectively and more safely. Not to mention you're usually picking up some extra items on the way.Isn't repetition usually what the Action-RPG genre is all about, though? Doesn't that go w/ the territory in these kind of games?
The one thing that made me happy was one guy said it reminded him of Die by the Sword (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/diebythesword/index.html). I don't know if he meant it as a compliment or not, but that was the game Treyarch was known for before they did Draconus (http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/draconuscultofthewyrm/index.html).More games I miss'd -- sheesh! Those games look pretty cool. Someone tell Treyarch to leave COD franchise alone for a bit and go work on more of these kind of ARPG's.
Atlus is publishing the game in North America. Atlus has confirmed that people with the North American version will be on separate servers, and not able to interact with people playing other versions. Save games from the non-North American version will not be able to be transferred to the North American version.
So.. That means that I'd have to buy the US version and play on US servers (with crazy lag) to be able to play with you guys?! Crap! Now I have to be careful which version I pick up!Some games do that -- i.e. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel and Sacred 2: Ice & Blood do the same thing w/ ClosedNet. (Side note: there are many ways around that w/ SA:FA & IB, though -- check the Ascaron forums about I&B.)
Well, the reason explained by Atlus (the publisher) was to give US players a fair chance, the comparison being Final Fantasy XI, where the Japanese players had already established themselves and nearly 6 months later when the US players jumped in they were overwhelmed by meta-gargantuan Asians.If you buy a USA Import, that would force you to be stuck w/ USA servers, right?? Would a USA import work in your country's version of the PS3 even?
Now that I know there's no friend list or any control over who you play with I kinda understand their reasoning. However I don't understand why the Hell there's no friend list! What if I wanna play co-op with any of you guys or my friends here?! WTF man!
I'm intrigued. I wonder if it would be pretty easy to find down the road. You guys think this has any chance of becoming rare?
Did the regular version also come with the artbook and such? That's what I'm seeing on Amazon.
<Quemaqua> So the first coop ended in death. I didn't realize that these monsters could grab multiple people simultaneously..
<@idolminds> haha
<Quemaqua> Well, they can. We found out as they ate our heads... simultaneously.
<Quemaqua> The second went really well for quite a while until the guy's game got invaded by a black phantom.
<Quemaqua> Apparently the guy was good, because he got us in a narrow hallway and fucked us almost instantly. I died right off the bat, but the other guy put up a bit of a fight... but it was no contest in the end.
<Quemaqua> So then I said fuck it, I'm just going to go to the end of the level and put my soul summon thingy right in front of the boss, and that went better. First guy and I were doing well, but then either he kicked me or the connection dropped. Not sure.
<Quemaqua> I went to do it again and accidentally did the black stone rather than the blue, so I invaded another player's game.
<@idolminds> heh
<Quemaqua> I can tell you what happened, but I don't know if you want it spoiled. I assume you don't plan to do stuff online with others by choice, so it wouldn't be a spoiler because you wouldn't see it otherwise.
sorta' semi-spoiler follows (not a huge deal unless you can't have anything revealed beforehand)<Quemaqua> Then I did another coop against the boss with a guy, and we murdered it.(click to show/hide)
<Quemaqua> I came back to life as a real body, rejoiced, went to a new level, and promptly fell of a fucking cliff like a complete idiot and was back in soul form again.
<@idolminds> it sounds so awesome
<@idolminds> haha
<Quemaqua> Yeah, the game is fantastic
Ah so the game requires continuous Internet connection?
God damn this is literally impossible to find in Canada. Nearly every major retailer didn't order any copies, and the few that did (Best Buy, EB Games) only had a few.
ATLUS SUMMONS MORE COPIES OF DEMON'S SOULS INTO STORES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA; DELUXE EDITION SOLD OUT, OFFICIALLY DISCONTINUED
Own one of the best reviewed RPGs of all-time!
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19, 2009 -- Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced that additional stock of Demon's Souls™, the newly released award-winning action RPG for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, will be making its way to stores across North America this week in response to overwhelming demand.
"We're thrilled at the level of interest and acclaim gamers are showing for Demon's Souls, one of the best reviewed games of the year and one of the highest-rated role-playing games of all time," stated Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales for Atlus. "We're working quickly to get more copies of the game out onto store shelves. We thank fans for supporting a daring, innovative product, and we ask interested gamers to be patient as stock is replenished."
The publisher also announced that the game's Deluxe Edition, which featured a 160-page strategy guide and collectible embossed slipcase, is now considered out of print in North America and will not be remanufactured.
"While the now discontinued Deluxe Edition of Demon's Souls was the only way to obtain the game's official strategy guide, the title already benefits from an in-game messaging system, a tremendous online community, and dozens of online resources for players who are finding the game to be a bit challenging."
Among those online resources is the official Demon's Souls wiki, which offers a central location for community members to share what they've learned about the surprises that await in the Kingdom of Boletaria. As more and more people discover the game, the community-driven assistance tools expand in quality and breadth, ensuring that while gamers are tested during their adventures, they never have to be frustrated.
"Mr. Jabbari," interrupted a frantic worker. "The game-making engines... They just can't take much more of this! They're going to blow," cried the man in a thick Scottish accent before turning about and returning to the game-making furnaces, soon followed by Jabbari.
Demon's Souls is out now for PlayStation 3 system and retails with an MSRP of $59.99. For more information, visit the game's official website.
I actually don't even know what the benefits to doing that are, but damn it's fun, and it adds a certain amount of intensity to the game.
I hate Maneater!
There is supposedly a pretty cool set in 1-1 that you can get by killing, Executioner Miralda.
I played this for a bit today and I suck at it. I have to get my rhythm back. Didn't notice anything interesting happening with the world tendency. How do you get that to change? As I've been playing it's almost always been neutral.
That's strange. I know the gate will open (this holds for most gates and stuff I believe) on either pure white and pure black world tendencies. As a result, I think some areas that would otherwise be blocked off may be open at this time of the event. Are you playing online? You have to be signed into PSN and logged into the Demon's Souls servers in order to take advantage of this event. I'm also not sure how much longer the event will last.
So, this is probably one of my favorite games of all time. I can't get enough of it.
Red Knight is still ruining my shit.
I haven't even touched 1-3 yet because i know I've gotta fight two to save that dude.
The only way i've been able to kill him so far is to kite him to the winding staircase on the other side and have him fall down it and die.
So let me get this straight. It's actually wise to skip levels? I should go ahead and hit up some other worlds?
Yahtzee's review (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1321-Demons-Souls)
Not so much a review but rather his experience and playthrough of the tutorial, 1-1, and 1-2.
Oh, christmas events you say? I think it may be time for that second play through.
If you have white or black WT Executioner Miralda appears there. She has a pretty dope axe. And Past that there is the brushwood armor. Which is nice. She had a lot of hp though.
Well shit
She didn't drop an axe for me. Just her armor and some ring
Also, I found the guy with the brushwood stuff. unfortunately i only had enough burden left to grab the shield. no problem I'll just go back to the nexus and offload some shit.
bad idea. Armor was gone.
I really enjoy reading this thread even though I have no idea what anyone is talking about. I've been following it for weeks now.
Yahtzee's review (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1321-Demons-Souls)
Not so much a review but rather his experience and playthrough of the tutorial, 1-1, and 1-2.
Challenge is good. I like a challenge. And there's nothing about Demon's Souls' gameplay that is completely broken and unfair - with caution, and gradual understanding of the combat mechanics, you could get by. But in this day and age there is no, absolutely no fucking excuse for keeping your checkpoints half an hour of gameplay apart.
...
But the time I have for playing games for a review is limited. When I'm killed and have to start over from half an hour ago, that's about an hour of wasted time. That's what made me angry about Demon's Souls. Every single time I pushed a little bit further, some new, dirty trick would be pulled and I'd have to re-play through the same dirty tricks that led up to it. And I'd get angrier and more hasty each time, increasing the likelihood of being killed by one of the earlier traps I thought I'd mastered.
...
Whoa, actually, hold the phone, I've just thought of a solution to that accessibility vs. challenge dilemma mentioned earlier. What if, like, at the start of the game, you could choose your level of competence? Say you could pick one option that would make enemies weaker and the player more powerful, and there'd be another option that made the enemies stronger and more numerous. And maybe there could be another setting in between for people who aren't sure where they fit. Man, that's a great idea. If only someone had thought of that before Demon's Souls came out.
So let me just clarify that I get Demon's Souls.And it is so clear that he does not.
Challenge is good. I like a challenge. And there's nothing about Demon's Souls' gameplay that is completely broken and unfair - with caution, and gradual understanding of the combat mechanics, you could get by. But in this day and age there is no, absolutely no fucking excuse for keeping your checkpoints half an hour of gameplay apart.See, hes simply wrong here. I'll let you play it first and you'll see what I'm talking about. Its used to give the player a sense of dread, which builds on the atmosphere of the game.
NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. announced an agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment for the distribution of the acclaimed action RPG title Demon’s Souls across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. Following its release in Japan and North America where it garnered high praise from media and a loyal audience of fans, the PlayStation 3 game will be launched on June 25, 2010 as an exclusive European limited edition retail pack containing the soundtrack CD, a new artbook and brand new strategy guide.
“We’re very pleased to be working with SCEI to bring the fantastic Demon’s Souls to gamers outside of Japan and North America,” said Olivier Comte, VP Marketing, Sales & Publishing NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. “The game is exactly the kind of quality experience with which we are continuing to grow the NAMCO BANDAI Games portfolio of titles, and we will be working hard to ensure it’s at least as much of a success in our markets as it has already proven to be elsewhere.”
For those who are unfamiliar with these terms, when world tendency is set to Pure White, enemies are easier but drop fewer items and have fewer souls to collect.
Pure Black, conversely, sees the enemies become more difficult, but with great reward. Typically, this is just influenced through player interaction, but can be adjusted at will by the developers.
Anyway, one other thing guys. How do you level up? The manual says something about some maiden in black or something. Where the heck is she?
So no one has invaded my game yet? I need to be prepared for this I guess. How do I summon someone if I get invaded? I think it is awesome that I have no choice in getting invaded.
Also, how do you invade someone else?
As has been discussed thoroughly on IRC, I have been back into this game the past few days.
It's too good and too unique to leave in the backlog pile. I will see this through.
YOU CAN'T KILL DEMON'S SOULS!
"Demon's Souls will not be denied as publisher Atlus announced today that it will support the game's online features for the "foreseeable future." Unlike players in the unforgiving RPG, the servers just refuse to die!
"While it originally seemed as though it would be unfeasible for us to continue to sustain the servers, a number of developments have made it possible for us to continue to invest in and support our fans as they have continued to invest in and support us and Demon's Souls," said Tim Pivnicny, VP of Atlus marketing and sales, we imagine holding a cat o' nine tails. "For all the gamers who have yet to discover the game's amazing online experience, we're happy to say you can still log on and find out why Demon's Souls is still regarded by many as one of the finest games of all time."
The entry fee for electronic sadism is a mere $20 now, as the game is part of the PlayStation 3's "Greatest Hits" collection. The game's online features were intended to end at midnight on May 31, but darkness always finds a way to stay alive."
Not coming to PC, but they've also been super cagey when asked about whether it was a timed exclusive. They never said no, just no comment. I'm betting that information just wasn't supposed to get out yet and it will actually happen later on. Or at least hoping so.