Demon's Souls Coming to America.

[NiX]

My apologies, Mr. Crankypants.

Sorry, I need to stop reading other forums before coming to f13.

[Hawkbit]

All good; I should have linked anyways.  I usually do, bu I've been brain burnt from classwork and not entirely all there these days. 

I'm interested to see how the PvP aspect works out; but the thing I'm most interested to see is the 'open world' aspect.  Wondering how they handle the player being in lower areas after they've leveled a bit.

[Morfiend]

I have a feeling that by trying to replicate and then ramp up the parts that made Demon's Souls special, they are going to accidently remove the fun. 

[Yegolev]

I'm also worried, especially with the new ways to PVP, but I'm hoping the world makes up for it.  Pre-ordered, so I will find out.

[MournelitheCalix]

Well I was so bored I decided to take a chance on this "rpg."  The added bonus was some guy was ebaying it for cheap (and thank god for that).  I can't remember a game that has ever made me feel like a hamster before.  This game did just that.  It even was thoughtful enough to provide the wheel.  Between the stupid lunging mechanism that always places you off target and the armored spear guy of death, the game was one of the most unenjoyable experiences i have had in recent memory. 

After playing it for 15 minutes I was simply astonished at how many people found this game entertaining.  The game mechanic where you die and go back to do everything over again wasn't at all novel to me, it was simply the second time in human history that a hamster wheel has been implimented. To put it in more literary terms, the mechanic was embodiement of Sisyphus.  Each death was the boulder roll to where the task began.  After undertaking the task about five times, I decided it was time to try something else... magic for melee wasn't very fun.  Big mistake, for magic isn't implimented any better and in many ways in my opinion its a lot worse.  As a mage your primary weapon is the sword *headslap*.  This wouldn't be so bad if your magic actually helped you fight with that sword but it doesn't.  The help you get is a sparky fire thingy and a water aura.   You quickly learn not to use magic too much as a mage because your limited to your dope meter.  Dope meters don't regenerate and this wouldn't be so bad if dope actually dropped to help you on your way, it doesn't.  Once your through your stores, have fun using that sword with no armor.  However the real fun begins when you die, now without the dope youdepended on you get to do the whole level over again as a mage with your ... sword.

Long story short, I don't see the fun in this at all but on the bright side I have a really fine coaster.  To be fair there was some interesting aspects of it.  The game can boast of some beautiful graphics and some really neat cinematic gameplay, what I saw of the Boletarian Palace walkway with the dragon torching everything was really nicely done as was the traps right before it.  The bowlling boulders of doom was quite humorous to unleash on the hoards along the wall and that at least was a very novel way to use the environment.  I also liked the encumbered dodging vs unencumbered.  I thought the animation was really top notch as well as it seemed so very fluid.  Sadly my game was never invaded, but I did really like the reading blood splats as it alerted me to some of the traps.  Good luck those of your waiting for Dark Souls, I hope you find a much harder Sisyphus simulator in its next incarnation.  As for me, I guess this was a learning experience.  I learned to stay real far away from this type of "rpg."

[stu]

Nearly everything players have problems with in the first level (weak magic, little armor, depleting bars) gets solved through loot during and after the initial stage. The first level on everyone's first play-through is the hardest one in the game (like Neo's first trip through the Jump Program). As a mage, there's swords whose strength is based on your character's magic ability, but the demons weeded you out before you found them.    Later on, there's levels that you can mow down in a single try and others that you'll need to summon the Blue Phantoms for.

Once the fog clears, everything clicks and you turn into a roiling death dealer. The game is all about a sense of defeating the odds, maxing stats, and solving problems for yourself, so Sisyphus is off the mark, but... Once you figure out your tools, the ball rolls pretty quickly in the proper direction.

I'm not sure why you were lunging out of control. Mages get an epee, right? Each weapon has unique attacks, so the power move for a fencing sword is different and less effective against heavy armor than what an ax, spear, or club would do. Also, if you're not locked on, you'll rarely hit your target with power strokes. Demon's Souls has the slickest, simplest, and most unforgiving combat on PS3, so if you miss your marks or lack the patience to learn the system, you get reamed.

[Amaron]

I've never tried Demon Souls but I must say your description makes it sound absolutely horrible.   Of course that's probably because I hate controllers and I know ahead of time how that would go.

[Quinton]

I find the game to be hard but fair and the controls to be fantastic.  It's certainly got a bit of a steep curve especially in the first level, but on the other hand it gives you tools to deal with enemies -- dodging, blocking, ranged attacks, magic, items, etc -- different classes or builds have different tools available. 

I find it much more of the "driving me to try again, tune my attacks, and improve" than the "throw the controller across the room" sort of hard, but there's certainly a fine line there and if you're on the wrong side of that, I could see it being un-fun.

[stu]

controllers

It's for sure a console only, but the implementation is top-notch. Smoothest combat ever. I couldn't see this as a kb-mouse game.

I lent the game out a couple times, once to a guy who loves GoW, and I'm pretty sure he gave up before beating the initial stage. OTOH, I have a couple friends who have put in hundreds of hours on the title. It's not for everyone, which is kind of a shame, because the atmosphere and soundtrack are excellent, and the unfolding story lets you figure things out at your own pace rather than railroading you.

[NiX]

I've tried finding out, but have they stated whether or not you can turn invasions off? I know it's part of the experience, but I know a fair amount of people ended up disconnecting their PS3 from the internet so they wouldn't have to worry about being invaded when they just wanted to play.

[Amaron]

It's for sure a console only, but the implementation is top-notch. Smoothest combat ever. I couldn't see this as a kb-mouse game.

I'm sure that it's far better with a controller and would make a poor kb-mouse game.    I suck with certain parts of controllers sadly.    What kind of skills does it require?   I can't aim with a joystick for shit but I can pull off button combos just fine.   I'm ok with some forms of timing but if it's like PSO where you're supposed to constantly repeat the same timing perfectly over and over that shit drives me batty.

[Hawkbit]

Demon Souls reminds me of playing Mega Man as a kid.  It requires decent timing and it is brutal but fair with failure.  It never made me want to stab things like Ninja Gaiden for NES did, but I definitely wanted to throw the controller a few times.

It's one of the greats.

[UnSub]

If something is coming out on the Xbox 360, I can be interested in this game now.

[Yegolev]

What kind of skills does it require?   I can't aim with a joystick for shit but I can pull off button combos just fine.   I'm ok with some forms of timing but if it's like PSO where you're supposed to constantly repeat the same timing perfectly over and over that shit drives me batty.

I can't imagine this game with kb+m, it would be like playing Doom on a console.

What kind of skills?  There is definitely some reaction time needed, but you really need patience.  Combat is pretty slow compared to some other games.  Learning the enemies and world is important.  Attack patterns, weaknesses, etc.  You should find the Cling Ring in 1-1 as well, which increases your health while dead.  I think it's in the beginning of 4-1 where you can get a Crescent falchion... Crescent weapons cause your mana to regenerate.  There is also a ring which adds to it, but you might not want to wear it all the time.

It's hard to specify, but you will get better with play.  I have started three characters, a rogue, a mage and a knight.  Event though they require different playstyles, I was able to go through Boletaria Palace faster each time.  It might also be encouraging to say that you can make changes in the world, provided you can get that far.  Fighting through the palace will let you open a couple gates which are initially closed... if you think to go out on that balcony and strike the chains holding the portcullis up.  Turn on the "elevator" in 3-1 and it will be operational every time you come back.

Yes, your mage will have to fight with a sword and probably a shield unless you raise dexterity/stamina enough to dodge well (keep your encumbrance low).  You won't even get any super spells until farther in, and until then you might want to carry a bow and some arrows for when your mana runs out.  Your armored fighter will want to use a bow or learn a spell, unless you are a masochist.  A rogue will be better off dodging and backstabbing (really, don't wear armor), which takes a bit of practice.  Dodge, sneak, cheat, run away, kite... it's all fair and even though mages/archers can cheese certain things you still have to learn and fight for every inch of ground you get.  Hard but fair is a great way to describe it.

If something is coming out on the Xbox 360, I can be interested in this game now.

Yes, releasing on 360.

[stu]

... aim with a joystick for shit but I can pull off button combos just fine.   I'm ok with some forms of timing but if it's like PSO where you're supposed to constantly repeat the same timing perfectly over and over that shit drives me batty.

Players lock on to targets by pressing R3, allowing you to concentrate on your approach. The melee combos are straight-forward. Block, parry, dodge, swing, & lunge. Patience and a cool head are key. Everyone gets overzealous, and you'll need your stamina to recover after dishing out unsuccessfully and then taking a clonk to the chest. The most intense moments often come while recovering as a hulking Boletarian demon knight bears down on you.

As Yegolev said, the Cling Ring in 1-1 helps a great deal.* Staring as a Royal allows you to start with a Magic Regen ring.


*Everything becomes second nature after a little while. If you decide to try a second play through, you'll probly make it through 1-1 in less than twenty minutes.

[ffc]

Regarding invasions: you only have a chance of being invaded while you are in body form.  For >99% of the time a new player will not be in body form but in soul form because you go into soul form after dieing in body form. 

So a new player will likely die and be in soul form before even having a chance of being invaded while in body form.  If you disconnect your PS3 then you miss out on blood stains, messages, getting/giving help, and ghostly images, all to avoid a tiny chance of being invaded.

The better you get / the more you know what to do, the more time you spend in body form, and the more likely you are to get invaded.  It's a brilliant system to constantly challenge players as they grow with the game.  As summarized...

It's hard to specify, but you will get better with play. 

Demon Souls reminds me of playing Mega Man as a kid. 

I find it much more of the "driving me to try again, tune my attacks, and improve" than the "throw the controller across the room" sort of hard [....]

Once the fog clears, everything clicks and you turn into a roiling death dealer.

...getting better will come with time, and when it does, it feels great.

[Fabricated]

Bump: https://twitter.com/AtlusUSA/statuses/206073372436729857

Looks like the Demon's Souls servers are staying up indefinitely.

[Hawkbit]

That's awesome.  I was just thinking the other day how games like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Dragon's Dogma have such a core part of the game experience being online.  What a shame once the servers die.  Good to see them keeping it alive.

[schild]

Bump: https://twitter.com/AtlusUSA/statuses/206073372436729857

Looks like the Demon's Souls servers are staying up indefinitely.

That's huge, I actually liked the first one more - I don't know why (as I consider the second one as good if not better).

[Yegolev]

I don't know why I liked the first one better either, but somehow the comments in Dark Souls seem more useless and the bloodstains don't seem nearly as informative.  However this may be because I have the Chinese Demon's Souls and the NA Dark Souls.  I do know that playing Demons' after so much Dark is a bit weird.  Like uncanny-valley weird.

[Fabricated]

That's awesome.  I was just thinking the other day how games like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Dragon's Dogma have such a core part of the game experience being online.  What a shame once the servers die.  Good to see them keeping it alive.

I played on a pirate PSO server for a while. Unfortunately it takes an act of god to get PSO Blue Burst working on Win7, so I gave it up.