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Hard, but pretty. 
This will not end well. Didn't the lovely Adam Dork finish the game? I guess it was the import version. In the latest Cagcast Wombat stated, that the US version is supposedly harder than the asian versions. True?
@frythefly
False. They're exactly the same in terms of difficulty. Atlus made a big point to keep the difficulty the same as a selling point.
False. They're exactly the same in terms of difficulty. Atlus made a big point to keep the difficulty the same as a selling point.
FUCK YES CANNOT WAIT TO PLAY AGAIN
Also, what Magnalon says. This game may not "click" with certain people but for most I don't see why it wouldn't.
Also, what Magnalon says. This game may not "click" with certain people but for most I don't see why it wouldn't.
Gamefly is shipping this to me today! I have a feeling they'll be making money off of me while I play this bad boy.
@Magnalon:
I thought so. Thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to invading your games sirs (and ladies?).
I thought so. Thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to invading your games sirs (and ladies?).
Wednesday, like Higgins (where's my chopper, TJ and I need to pick up some LADIES), I have taken the day off, as well.
I don't believe Demon's Soul is a controller breaker. Its unquestionably hard, but its not cheap. A change in strategy is enough to get you past most points, and grinding areas are very clearly defined.
The game is entirely skill-based, I've beaten New Game+, and its amazing how fast you zip through areas that took you hours before in such a short time on the previous run-through even though the game is so much harder the second-time. The reason is simply tactics, if you treat this as a hack-and-slash it will be insanely hard- button mashing gets you nowhere quick. You have to think and confront, and use your skills as well.
When I beat this game I had around 200 deaths (it shows your stats at the end), some people have 500 deaths. I've put 100 hours into this game. Even with that, it still the most amazing gaming experience this generation. A game for gamers. Hardcore old-school. The type of game I'll be telling my kids about when they are old-enough to handle this dark-fantasy masterpiece.
The game is entirely skill-based, I've beaten New Game+, and its amazing how fast you zip through areas that took you hours before in such a short time on the previous run-through even though the game is so much harder the second-time. The reason is simply tactics, if you treat this as a hack-and-slash it will be insanely hard- button mashing gets you nowhere quick. You have to think and confront, and use your skills as well.
When I beat this game I had around 200 deaths (it shows your stats at the end), some people have 500 deaths. I've put 100 hours into this game. Even with that, it still the most amazing gaming experience this generation. A game for gamers. Hardcore old-school. The type of game I'll be telling my kids about when they are old-enough to handle this dark-fantasy masterpiece.
@ghets - find an old broken controller, and keep in on hand to bash repeatedly against the coffee table and then throw across the room. It's what I do.
@magnalon, This game probably won't appeal to players who played Viewtiful Joe like a standard beatemup, amirite?
@magnalon, This game probably won't appeal to players who played Viewtiful Joe like a standard beatemup, amirite?
@The Stripe
I'm unsure of what you mean, but if you're saying that it's probably too hard for people who aren't smart enough to use the Viewtiful "slow/quick" powers and simply mash buttons, then yea :D
I'm unsure of what you mean, but if you're saying that it's probably too hard for people who aren't smart enough to use the Viewtiful "slow/quick" powers and simply mash buttons, then yea :D
Love my Korean copy of this game. Very challenging but in the best way possible. This game is rewarding, and reminds is life is fragile so take good care of it.
Been playing this for the past month and have really been enjoying it. It is hard but actually makes you get better before advancing. Havent really had any issues playing it online as far as the pvp is concerned, and have gotten help when i needed it. Trying like hell to get my first playthrough done before borderlands comes out.
I realllllly wanna play this but i dont think i can fit in all that death. does this game have an easy
"I seriously do not have the patience for a game like this..."
Says the user with a Mega Man avatar...
Says the user with a Mega Man avatar...
I don't have a PS3, but if I did, this sounds like something I'd enjoy. From the sound of it, the difficulty isn't a question of numbers and stats, right? Like with Dark Spire or any other grindy RPG, where defeating a difficult enemy's really just a question of how many hours you're willing to put into leveling your character. This sounds like a game where every one of your steps needs to be certain, you need to know all your outs, and it doesn't hurt to be perpetually terrified.
So is this game in a way like a MMORPG? I ask this because the reason why I don't play MMORPG's is because I always feel like to truly enjoy it, I would have to stop playing any other game.
Does Demon's Souls work that way as well?
Just to make myself clear, I enjoy hard games to a certain extent. As in I finished God Hand, Metal Gear Solid(s), God of War and a bunch of other games on the hardest setting, as more classic games like Ninja Gaiden(s), Mega Man(s), etc. Yes, some of these made me trow more then few F bombs, but I like challenges.
Does Demon's Souls work that way as well?
Just to make myself clear, I enjoy hard games to a certain extent. As in I finished God Hand, Metal Gear Solid(s), God of War and a bunch of other games on the hardest setting, as more classic games like Ninja Gaiden(s), Mega Man(s), etc. Yes, some of these made me trow more then few F bombs, but I like challenges.
thanks for your non-review Dale. I can understand and take some difficult games, but when its difficulty comes from bad design it just pisses me off. I hate to repeat a whole level when I die, thats why I never could end a devil may cry game. a simple check point system is a bless, like on ninja gaiden. difficult games and frustrating games are very diferent
Your honesty has redeemed your many, many ingame deaths. That said, I look forward to dying over and over again with this game tomorrow evening. Out of curiosity, do you think you'll ever have time to finish Demon's Souls?
By the way, this game is greatly discounted at BuyNextGen.com -- be aware though that the free shipping ~can~ take a few days to get to you. The savings are worth it though.
Your honesty serves you well, Mr. North. I would not have known how difficult this game was otherwise. :)
Gsme is coming to my front door tomorrow and I can't fucking wait. It's got an 89 on metacritic out of 25 reviews, so it's gotta be doing something right.
Seriously, EVERY review says there isn't another game out there like this right now. Can't wait.
Seriously, EVERY review says there isn't another game out there like this right now. Can't wait.
Kinda wishing you didn't put this up, just because a great many gamers these days are pussy's and are going to be turned off simply because you said you couldn't beat it. I mean jeese people, you have PLENTY of games out there that an inbred retarded monkey could beat. Is it really going to kill you to have something in your library that requires some thought? It's not like you can only play one game at a time. Sure I don't want to play something challenging all the time, but if that's all you do, shit get's boring fast.
I'm getting into SF IV having NEVER played a fighter seriously in my life, but trying to learn from your losses is often more entertaining than rolling through many other games.
I'm getting into SF IV having NEVER played a fighter seriously in my life, but trying to learn from your losses is often more entertaining than rolling through many other games.
Dam Dale... to me it felt like an awesome review without a score. it makes me wanna play the game and cant wait till tomorrow
Once again, another game that lacks a numeric score. Good. This is how it should be. We can focus on the actual content of the article, instead of quickly scrolling down to an arbitrary number at the bottom of the page.
This is a much better format.
This is a much better format.
[i]"Once again, another game that lacks a numeric score. Good. This is how it should be. We can focus on the actual content of the article, instead of quickly scrolling down to an arbitrary number at the bottom of the page.
This is a much better format."[/i]
I agree. You guys should experiment with the numberless system for a few games and see how that fares.
People sometimes rush to judge a game SOLELY on that number, I'll admit, I've done that a few times and never judged it from the reviewers' own thoughts about the game and the number shouldn't be a range of how good the game is or can be without context. Someone's 7 can be another's 10.
Who knows, a game might be very good, but with flaws that might kill another's experience because they didn't read the bulk of the review.
This is a much better format."[/i]
I agree. You guys should experiment with the numberless system for a few games and see how that fares.
People sometimes rush to judge a game SOLELY on that number, I'll admit, I've done that a few times and never judged it from the reviewers' own thoughts about the game and the number shouldn't be a range of how good the game is or can be without context. Someone's 7 can be another's 10.
Who knows, a game might be very good, but with flaws that might kill another's experience because they didn't read the bulk of the review.
I laugh at those who think that Ninja Gaiden Sigma one and 2 are hard. I ate NGS1 for breakfast. Seriously beating Master Ninja only dying twice wasn't hard. If you think NGS is hard then stay away from Demon's Souls. This game requires a major amount of preparation and thinking. It's more of a "how am I going to go through this door, sword or magic?" game rather than Ninja Gaisen Sigma's "how many times do I hit the dodge button?" Come On you know it's true.
I've never been that interested in Demon's Souls, but I may pick it up next year. It's really great, though, to see a game being difficult for the right reasons, instead of being broken and glitchy. And also to see a review that's scoreless because the game was doing what it was supposed to.
I look forward to seeing your full impressions, Dale.
I look forward to seeing your full impressions, Dale.
Thanks Dale, this sounds like my type of game.I have to play it off-line, I wonder if it will be harder.
Your header image and letter reminds me of Too Human.
"The amount of patience required to learn from your repeated deaths is immeasurable." - And this reminds me of Ninja Gaiden on Xbox.
Your header image and letter reminds me of Too Human.
"The amount of patience required to learn from your repeated deaths is immeasurable." - And this reminds me of Ninja Gaiden on Xbox.
I think it's sad to see so many people turned off by the difficulty. That should never stop a gamer from enjoying a generation genre-defining experience, and that appears what we have here. Of course, I'm betting half those people even have a ps3, but at least a couple admit it.
That said, great review. I'm happy the game showed you that you can't beat it without breaking a sweat so to speak. Too bad a lot of people took that in the wrong way, despite you explicitly saying you recommend the game wholeheartedly .
That said, great review. I'm happy the game showed you that you can't beat it without breaking a sweat so to speak. Too bad a lot of people took that in the wrong way, despite you explicitly saying you recommend the game wholeheartedly .
I'm not a huge glutton for punishment when it comes to games, but I'm excited about this one. Everyone says it's hard, but not cheap, and that's the key for me. The fact that strategy and thought can give you an edge is a major selling point, as are the online features, which are really original and ground-breaking.
Also, it's ironic that in the era of achievements, most gaming "achievements" are not that at all. Most things that you want to accomplish in a game can be done simply by investing time, even if you never get very good. It's nice to see a game that doesn't work that way, where if you beat it you can actually feel good about doing so.
Also, it's ironic that in the era of achievements, most gaming "achievements" are not that at all. Most things that you want to accomplish in a game can be done simply by investing time, even if you never get very good. It's nice to see a game that doesn't work that way, where if you beat it you can actually feel good about doing so.
gaming journalism is one of the easiest fields there and you can't even manage to beat a game. seriously youre just a pussy, dale stop sucking and try harder.
@Mag - More that people don't dodge, combo, dodge, combo, dodge combo, then slow-mo zoom rock-on for 3X multiplier and about 10-15x the Viewtifuls. But yea, those that don't fully explore the mechanics and use them when and only when necessary, will not be rewarded as greatly.
"Ugh, it's like they looked at that concept in Prey and ripped it off without the nice minigame."
@ matrixdude171 - "Nice" Minigame? That minigame destroyed Prey. There was no sense of accomplishment since you never felt challenged. You could beat the last boss within an inch of her life, lay the controller down and go diddle about for hours, then come back and finish her off. I mean, if the possibility of permanent death existed in the spirit world, it would've been a different story, but there were literally NO consequences for dying. It was actually the best way possible to rebuild spirit energy when fighting that last boss. Let her kill you, then aim for the blue phantoms. This isn't anywhere near the same concept. Not even close. This game punishes you utterly for failure. "Oh, you died. Hmm, better learn to block and parry. So here you go again, all the way back at the beginning of the level. Let me take those souls you earned, and here they are waiting for you on your corpse, (at least until you die again). And, what the hell, let's take 50% of your life, since you don't have that neato ring everyone is talking about. Have fun, don't die. What am I saying, we'll see you again soon."
OMG LESS THAN 12 HOURS!!!11!!1!1!!!!1!ELEVENTYZOMGPONIESUNICORNSANDDALENORTH1!11!ONE!
"Ugh, it's like they looked at that concept in Prey and ripped it off without the nice minigame."
@ matrixdude171 - "Nice" Minigame? That minigame destroyed Prey. There was no sense of accomplishment since you never felt challenged. You could beat the last boss within an inch of her life, lay the controller down and go diddle about for hours, then come back and finish her off. I mean, if the possibility of permanent death existed in the spirit world, it would've been a different story, but there were literally NO consequences for dying. It was actually the best way possible to rebuild spirit energy when fighting that last boss. Let her kill you, then aim for the blue phantoms. This isn't anywhere near the same concept. Not even close. This game punishes you utterly for failure. "Oh, you died. Hmm, better learn to block and parry. So here you go again, all the way back at the beginning of the level. Let me take those souls you earned, and here they are waiting for you on your corpse, (at least until you die again). And, what the hell, let's take 50% of your life, since you don't have that neato ring everyone is talking about. Have fun, don't die. What am I saying, we'll see you again soon."
OMG LESS THAN 12 HOURS!!!11!!1!1!!!!1!ELEVENTYZOMGPONIESUNICORNSANDDALENORTH1!11!ONE!
You don't actually "LOSE" all your souls when you die, they stay in your bloodstain, so when you've fought your way back to where you died, you get all the souls from your previous run, plus whatever souls you collected on the way back there.
Then you need to decide, go further? or run back and upgrade?
You wanna get those souls spent ASAP though, die twice, and only your second bloodstain is left, the first one being lost forever. So it's not quite the try try try try again experience you describe, it's more a case of trying to get back to where you died to continue. It adds a real sense of urgency to your second run, as you've got to get back to your bloodstain, and you do now know where the enemies are and what to expect, but it's still harder than you'd think!
Still, nice write up, hopefully you'll get some time to stick into Demon Souls, it's a fucking amazing game once you learn HOW to play it.
Then you need to decide, go further? or run back and upgrade?
You wanna get those souls spent ASAP though, die twice, and only your second bloodstain is left, the first one being lost forever. So it's not quite the try try try try again experience you describe, it's more a case of trying to get back to where you died to continue. It adds a real sense of urgency to your second run, as you've got to get back to your bloodstain, and you do now know where the enemies are and what to expect, but it's still harder than you'd think!
Still, nice write up, hopefully you'll get some time to stick into Demon Souls, it's a fucking amazing game once you learn HOW to play it.
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