Demon's Souls (playing and acquiring this beautiful, beautiful game)

[schild]

1. This is a thread for people who have the game. (not me)
2. This is a thread for people that SHOULD know how awesome it is. (me)
3. This is a thread where people who want it can gather together and figure out a way to get it.

Most importantly,
5. If you live in Hong Kong or have access to import stores that carry Asian versions of games, now is the time to let us know. Also of note: Aquanaut's Holiday and Afrika/Hakuna Matata. HALP!

[Hindenburg]

Or you could buy Ninja Blade and bask in the awesomeness.
Just sayin'.

[schild]

Or you could buy Ninja Blade and bask in the awesomeness.
Just sayin'.

No! And don't derail my thread. I know enough about both to know which is vastly, and surprisingly, superior. That's why I made this thread and not a Ninja Blade thread, sucka.

[Moaner]

I received it today and have played for about 4 hours now.  It's fucking incredibly good.  Seriously.  I'll add more once I've put more time into it.  It plays like sandboxy 3d Castlevania on steroids... sort of.  At least that's the best comparison I can make.

Check ebay?  That's how I got my copy.  I had a pre-order from play-asia but they sent me an email telling me that they were unable to fill the order due to a shortage of copies.  They gave me a $10 voucher and told me they would email me as soon as the game was available again.  That very night I jumped on ebay, found a guy with a kick ass rating selling copies at a buy it now price of $59.99, took the plunge and a week and a half later I'm playing.  Hurray!

WHY THE FUCK DOESN'T SONY RELEASE THIS STATESIDE??!!

[Tige]

Did the number 4 touch you in a bad place?


On to the game.

I have it.  Yes, it is awesome.  Last time I enjoyed a game this much was playing Bard's Tale on my Apple IIgs (graphics! sound!).  Why Sony has not geared up for a NA/EU release is beyond me. 

Character creation and development is straightforward.  Pick a class (some classes start at a higher levels than others) pick a weapon and start dieing.  Repeatedly, in a good way.  Combat is deceptively simple. After you learn to manage Stamina (different costs for each weapon type) the combat system really comes into it's own.  Fighting requires a good bit of thought especially when fighting groups of mobs.  The best teacher in Stamina management is being ambushed.  Spaz and flail around and you are dead, run away and you are dead, somewhere in between and chances are you will be fine once you get some decent armor. 

I have not touched the magic class yet.

There is no voice chat.  Communication in game consists of emotes and messages left on the floor by other players.  The messages left by other players are rated by everyone, most of the time they are useful. 

There is co-op and something I can only describe as the anti-co-op.  Once players get the requisite item they can enter your game and PK you.  So far this system is still in the "hey that's kinda cool" phase for me but that may change soon.

[schild]

There is co-op and something I can only describe as the anti-co-op.  Once players get the requisite item they can enter your game and PK you.  So far this system is still in the "hey that's kinda cool" phase for me but that may change soon.

I hear some PK types are roaming around area 4-2 laying waste to whoever comes through. God I want this game.

[Tige]

I haven't dealt with PKs twice.  I got killed once and the other time I was in group and he left after we all chased after him.

I think the PK spawns are fixed.  Some players apparently camp the PK spawn.




edit: farked up the code

http://www.yesasia.com/us/aquanauts-holiday-chinese-english-edition-asian-version/1013087815-0-0-0-en/info.html

yesasia shows it in stock

[schild]

Aquanaut's Holiday
Afrika

[Moaner]

Ebay auction.  Steep price but who knows when/if the game will be printed again.

[Phire]

Videos must not do this game justice because it looks like another Viking/Kingdom of Fire game. Lands are barren and characters are missing shadows. I read a bit about the combat and the details involved in that but I wasn't able to see any of that in trailers and gameplay footage. Just looked like an average hack and slash.

[schild]

Viking/Kingdom of Fire game.

NO

[Phire]

Good answer, that totally changed my opinion!

[schild]

I don't feel the need to change your opinion. I'm just telling you you're wrong.

[Phire]

But you don't know that since you haven't played the game. I am not saying the game plays like those games just that it looks similar. I am not saying its bad either, just that in video form it doesn't look like this magnificent game you make it out to be.

[schild]

But you don't know that since you haven't played the game. I am not saying the game plays like those games just that it looks similar. I am not saying its bad either, just that in video form it doesn't look like this magnificent game you make it out to be.

Let's put it this way, this is the first game in the history of games that I watched over 5 hours of live-feed on of people playing. I'm way past spoilers, I froth beyond froth.

[Phire]

How many games actually have live feeds of people playing for 5 hours?

[schild]

How many games actually have live feeds of people playing for 5 hours?

Shitloads. What's your point?

[Phire]

You made a point to say its the first game that you have ever watched 5 hours of live feeds for. Well that is something that has only started to happen recently. I am sure if they had live feeds for games like RE4, Mario Galaxy, Shadow of the Colossus, etc, etc you would have watched all of those for the same amount of time if not more.

I am not trying to say this game is crap you, are being defensive out of your silly hype for this game. I only asked what makes this game so "Awesome" and you have yet to give me a valid reason. I am honestly interested to know its not so that I can argue with you.

[Murgos]

You made a point to say its the first game that you have ever watched 5 hours of live feeds for. Well that is something that has only started to happen recently.

You are utterly wrong.  I watched live feeds for games 7 years ago (specifically FFXI in 2002).

[schild]

I am not trying to say this game is crap you, are being defensive out of your silly hype for this game. I only asked what makes this game so "Awesome" and you have yet to give me a valid reason.

I wasn't aware I needed to give you a valid reason.

[Phire]

You made a point to say its the first game that you have ever watched 5 hours of live feeds for. Well that is something that has only started to happen recently.

You are utterly wrong.  I watched live feeds for games 7 years ago (specifically FFXI in 2002).

Which is an MMO, I don't think it has been as popular for single player console games.

[schild]

You made a point to say its the first game that you have ever watched 5 hours of live feeds for. Well that is something that has only started to happen recently.

You are utterly wrong.  I watched live feeds for games 7 years ago (specifically FFXI in 2002).

Which is an MMO, I don't think it has been as popular for single player console games.

Man, seriously, just stop. People used to trade videos of playthroughs in goddamn day school back in the NES days.

[Phire]

Shit man all I wanted to know why you guys are so hyped up this game. Is that too much to ask?

[Llyse]

I live in Hong Kong 

I'll drop by the Electronic's district tomorrowish and see if I can find it?

What price are you looking at? What's reasonable?

[Falconeer]

I can get it in Europe pretty easily but it says "Text in japanese, voices in English". Is that for the japanese version only, while the Chinese version has English text too?

Seems so. I am getting the HK version.

Now I am curious, what's their prooblem with releasing this game in Europe/NA?

[AcidCat]

I've heard nothing but good things about this game, about the worst that's said is "it's hard."

I think it looks really cool but I am cheap and lazy and will just hope it eventually gets a NA release.

[Salamok]

/boggle how do you run out of copies of digitial media when people are still around willing to pay $$ for it. 

Just throw it on some Sony Asia site available for purchase globally, then when the NA release is ready sell another copy to all the NA folks who want it in engrish.

[schild]

I live in Hong Kong 

I'll drop by the Electronic's district tomorrowish and see if I can find it?

What price are you looking at? What's reasonable?

I don't know what "reasonable" is and I don't know how to tell if the version you'll find has english. >_<

[Nonentity]

Okay! I am officially interested.

[Falconeer]

I got mine on ebay for a total, shipping included, of 77$. Which is 63€ so I'm cool.

It said ENGLISH/CHINESE. English subtitles so it should be the one, means the menus are in english too, right Moaner and Tige?

On the other hand the Japanese one apparently only has English voices, no text.

[schild]

It said ENGLISH/CHINESE. English subtitles so it should be the one, means the menus are in english too, right Moaner and Tige?

On the other hand the Japanese one apparently only has English voices, no text.

This sounds correct.

[Nonentity]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI_ovxW7uts

Trailer + Gameplay

[Moaner]

I am not trying to say this game is crap you, are being defensive out of your silly hype for this game. I only asked what makes this game so "Awesome" and you have yet to give me a valid reason. I am honestly interested to know its not so that I can argue with you.

The reason the game is getting so much hype is because it fucking rocks.  It's word of mouth hype, not shove this fucking Halo3 commercial down your throat 29 times a day hype.

List of reasons why this game owns from someone who's actually played it.  If you blow it off as another hack and slash, your loss.

- The combat is as tight and responsive as anything I've ever played.  Think DMC4 combat with a free roaming camera.
- The weapon/armor selection is amazing.  Not only do items have typical RPG stats, they also behave differently.  Larger weapons are heavy and behave as such, while lighter weapons typically have faster attack delays and are easier to wield in tight spaces (hallways for instance).
- Each weapon/shield has two attack modes.  There is a regular attack mode, a strong attack mode, a shield block, and a shield parry.
- Although the story is railroaded, there is shit tons of open exploration to do.  Think Ultima Underworld or StoneKeep.  
- Fuck tons of hidden goodies that are actually fun to use and satisfying to find.
- Bosses are incredible to see and fight.  Again, think epic hard DMC style boss battles set in an RPG environment.  
- Character customization that makes Oblvion and Fallout 3 look pathetic.

I could go on but I have to get back to work.  I would like to add that after 8 hours of playtime this game could easily go down as a personal favorite, right up there with XCom and Wizardy.  Screw Bethesday, this is how an open ended RPG should be done IMHO.

Falconeer,

The Asian version is the only version that has English/Chinese options.  The Japanese and Korean version have English vocals but everything else is in moon language.

EDIT:  If you do have the game and want to do some Co-op, add Happy_Hedonist through PSN.

[schild]

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_dmptZVideoQ5fGamesQ5fGames?_nkw=Demon%27s+Souls+asian&_sacat=0&_fromfsb=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=Demon%27s+Souls+asia&_osacat=0

I think this is the Ebay guy to get it from.

[schild]

MrHat is the man.