Dark Souls

[Falconeer]

Game is coming out in four days, and NGI gets one of the first reviews out. Of course, it's positive and gets a global score of 9.0.

CLOSING COMMENTS
The reviewer's job is difficult when it comes to a game like Dark Souls. I simply can't unreservedly recommend that you buy it. It's not a game that you play to relax. It doesn't care in the slightest about whether you're enjoying yourself, and it doesn't give a fig for your notions of entertainment or your mental well-being. If you just play games for fun, this isn't for you, and no amount of insistence on my part is going to change that. But if you're interested in the limits of the videogame form – to see just how focused, how pure and how uncompromising in its vision a game can be – Dark Souls is unmissable. If you take the time get into Dark Souls' mindset, to begin to understand the twisted way in which it operates and taste the rewards behind its cruellest challenges, this is one of the most thrilling, most fascinating and most completely absorbing experiences in gaming.

Here's the video review too.


It's hard to overstate my frothing anticipation. That's why I started this thread, to steam off tension while hoping I didn't miss a previous one that the search tool didn't bring up.

Also lovely, the 5 reasons why Dark Souls will eat Skyrim's face. 

[Morfiend]

Game is coming out in four days,

Unless I am totally crazy it comes out tomorrow in the USA.

I cannot wait to play this. I am so excited. I bet it will even bring Schild back out for a bit to yell at anyone who doesn't like it.

[Modern Angel]

That Top Five Reasons article is horribly written horseshit.

[Rasix]

So, what are people getting this on?  I'm guessing the PS3 and 360 user bases won't be able to co-mingle.

I'm probably getting on the PS3 if I get it at all.  I know it'll be an amazing game, I'm just unsure if I'll have time to play it properly.  If it's like Demon's Souls, you have to put some time in to get better.  You just can't sleepwalk your way through it with "dad-reflexes". 

[Falconeer]

That Top Five Reasons article is horribly written horseshit.

Yeah, it's illiterate fanboi crap, and still has a point! (or five)

[Ingmar]

If I get it, 360, but I should not be counted on to provide any kind of useful multiplayer input or whatever.

[Falconeer]

PS3. I wonder if I will be confined to play with Europeans or it will be more global.

[Velorath]

Getting it on PS3.

[Hawkbit]

Initial reports state that it was one of the few games that will look mildly better on PS3 than Xbox, supposedly because the team has more Playstation experience. 

Reviews coming in from the major rags from 80-100, they seem to be weighted in the 90s. 

Anyone choosing Rage over this needs their head examined.  Fucking Amazon hasn't emailed me the shipping info yet... I'm about to tear someone up over there if I don't get this tomorrow. 

[Rendakor]

Getting the collectors edition for PS3.

[Ghambit]

Self-b-day gift decided.

[schild]

Fucking Amazon hasn't emailed me the shipping info yet... I'm about to tear someone up over there if I don't get this tomorrow. 

I am in the same boat. I will fucking make all their customer service people cry if this doesn't show up.

[Bann]

Mine is "shipping soon" with a delivery estimate of Oct 4.

[Morfiend]

I'll be picking mine up on the way home from work tomorrow.

[Quinton]

Fucking Amazon hasn't emailed me the shipping info yet... I'm about to tear someone up over there if I don't get this tomorrow. 

I am in the same boat. I will fucking make all their customer service people cry if this doesn't show up.

Nothing from them on this either, but the last thing I ordered with release day shipping showed up on release day with no warning, so I expect my PS3 collector's edition will arrive on time.

[Morfiend]

I'm not one for superstition really, but every single game I have ever bought a collectors edition for has completely sucked in some way, so I took the hit for you guys and didnt go collectors for Dark Souls.

[Rokal]

I'm not one for superstition really, but every single game I have ever bought a collectors edition for has completely sucked in some way, so I took the hit for you guys and didnt go collectors for Dark Souls.

Wasn't the collector's edition a free upgrade for all pre-orders/release copies? In other words, I don't know that there is a way to play this on day 1 unless you bought the CE.

[Hawkbit]

Yeah, the CE was only for preorders and didn't cost anything extra.  I was hoping for hard-copy stuff, but looks like US gets mostly digital. 

Supposedly, this is how it works:

from http://preparetodie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1200&sid=397e838fcab85f606b63280797b90166

At Gamescom, I had the opportunity to discuss the CE with the EU Namco team, who were more than happy to spell out EXACTLY how it's going to work.

The reason for the confusion is that the EU and US are getting slightly different things.

The US Collectors Edition consists of a metal case, with digital collectables, possibly a physical soundtrack and/or artbook. Because of the size of the metal case, the strategy guide has to be digital too.

The EU Collectors Edition is a folding cardboard-ey thing, you know what I mean. However, it comes with a physical making-of/behind the scenes thing, a physical art book, a physical soundtrack and a code for a digital strategy guide, because it made no sense to make two different guides for two different regions (looking at you, Atlus).

I will double check and update to see if the US one has any physical collectables, it's possible it doesn't.
Also worth noting is the fact that the EU version comes with codes for the digital versions of the art book/soundtrack etc as well as the physical ones.

[Hawkbit]

Also, they announced that there will be NO DLC for this game.  I like it.

[schild]

Dark Souls Collector's Edition Includes:

    Special Designed Metal Tin Case & Protective Sleeve
    Dark Souls Game
    Mini-Strategy Guide*
    Custom Art Book
    Original Game Soundtrack*
    Behind-The-Scenes Videos*

*The Mini-Strategy Guide, Original Game Soundtrack & Behind-The-Scenes Videos are provided for digital download via a uniquely redeemable online code printed on a specially marked card inside each Collector Edition box.

Picture they show?


Fuck them in the face. Right in the fucking face. Atlus did it right. So, so right. Double Jump make guide, put guide in box, players rejoice. Assbags make guide, make it a PDF, put 12-18 characters on a shit piece of paper in the box.

Sigh.

[Hawkbit]

Sorry to be the bearer of that news, man.  I had hoped for the goodies as well, but ended up telling myself that the game is what matters, hopefully that will help dry my tears on my pillow. 

Anyways, their whole marketing deal with www.preparetodie.com was a fiasco.  Doing certain 'things' on that site got a person points and tokens, yet none of it was explained.  At one point I was ranked #5 on their leaderboards... and I have no idea what I did to get there.  At one point it was said that participation in the site was supposed to grant some early souls or something, but it was never explained. 

On a positive note, I got my Amazon email that I'm supposed to have it by end of day tomorrow.  At least I'll get about two full days to play before I have to pack everything up for the move out to Seattle.  Truck arrives on Friday, they'll be pulling the controller out of my hands when they get here.

[Yegolev]

Fucking Amazon hasn't emailed me the shipping info yet... I'm about to tear someone up over there if I don't get this tomorrow. 

I am in the same boat. I will fucking make all their customer service people cry if this doesn't show up.

^^^^

[Ghambit]

How do you guys think the game will perform on a relatively weak net connection?  Say 1.5meg at best.

[jakonovski]

I pussied out on Demons Souls but I want this game bad anywqy...

[Cyrrex]

I pussied out on Demons Souls but I want this game bad anywqy...

Not too late to fix that, hoss.  Still one of the best games in recent memory.

PS3 version all the way for me, as I've no doubt you need a gold membership with xbox live to do it on the 360 (and I refuse to pay that shit).  Was hoping EU release date was today, but it probably isn't.

[stray]

This is a sequel to Demon Souls, I'm guessing? *too lazy for Google  *

I liked that game... Yet, oddly, I think the story sucked though. It was barely an RPG in my eyes. It felt more like a technology demo.. albeit a good one. That's the only improvement I'd ask for. The whole game world needed life (not the atmosphere, mind you.. that was fine).

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, it's the follow up.  Not really a sequel, as I understand it...I think the worlds and stories (such as they are) have little or nothing to do with each other.

I didn't mind the lack of story in the original.  What was there was compelling, and I thought the vagueness and mysteriousness made it more interesting overall.  I take your point, though...it wouldn't be for everyone, and anyone looking for a traditional RPG is in for a shock.

[stray]

Yeah, it's the follow up.  Not really a sequel, as I understand it...I think the worlds and stories (such as they are) have little or nothing to do with each other.

I didn't mind the lack of story in the original.  What was there was compelling, and I thought the vagueness and mysteriousness made it more interesting overall.  I take your point, though...it wouldn't be for everyone, and anyone looking for a traditional RPG is in for a shock.

Well, it's not exactly "not for me" either. It's fun enough. I'm just not into games strictly for gameplay. I don't want to just run around on a platform and fuck around with random set pieces and mechanics. All of that is more fun when there's a bigger story to tell.

"Souls of the lost withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted so the world might be mended."

That's about all I got as far as story goes. 

That said, it had better combat than just about any RPG around. That's what really annoys me. That they can accomplish something rare like that, and invest little time in the rest. In my eyes at least. Maybe they did invest time in it and thought it was brilliant.

[Hawkbit]

DS oozed story; it just didn't make you sit through dialogue to get it.  For that, you have Dragon Age.  The lack of thick, complex story was an added bonus to me. 

I still feel that DS was more akin to Mega Man than any other game I've played in the last 10 years.  Both games were brutal.  Fair, but brutal.

Status:  On a truck for delivery.  Which will arrive five minutes before my class tonight... of course. 

[schild]

Status:  On a truck for delivery.  Which will arrive five minutes before my class tonight... of course. 

Not yet shipped.

[Cyrrex]

Bleh, EU release is on Friday.  Friday!  Not like I was going to have time to play it before then, but STILL.

[stray]

DS oozed story; it just didn't make you sit through dialogue to get it.

I don't even need Bioware like dialogue.. that can be tedious, I know. You can present a story "in motion" though, so to speak.. escapsulate important plot points with dialogue in the midst of gameplay (like so many action games do.. for example, God of War). That's not RPG-like either, but I'd take it.

This otoh was too understated to say it "oozed" anything (except good gameplay). Not only are you a stereotypical mute hero come to save yet-another-realm from the big-bad-whatever-the-fuck, but it encourages things that make no sense narratively speaking (like repeating game levels). It's all built around gameplay and grinding. And it's fun for what it is. But what it's not is something that oozes story. You're imagining things (perhaps I should envy you though. A good imagination is not a bad thing).

[Hawkbit]

I've said it before, I prefer to ignore the man behind the curtain.  Maybe you're right.  I still contend that the atmosphere of DS contributed to the story.  Regardless, awesome game. 

Not yet shipped.

/fingerscrossed Hmm.  I hope it will be like someone said above; it will simply arrive without notice.  I noticed that three days ago it was removed from my "orders listed by date", but yet I could still see it under "open orders", which makes no sense.  I think the release-day delivery does janky stuff with their system.

[stu]

Wait, I thought the repetition of game levels was the equivalent of multiple threads of reality. And the white shadows you see running around are the realities co-mingling, as if they're all stacked on the same plane.

The story from the original is told through atmosphere and objects rather than being force-fed to the player. It's all pretty straight-forward, but 80% of it had already taken place when the game starts. You're just the hero/villain who gets introduced in the third act. Dense stuff like KotOR and Dragon Age give you heaps of information interrupted by brief lapses in combat. I can never get through those games because they make fantastic worlds feel mundane.

[Ghambit]

Well, this version is near completely non-linear and the grind is actually counterproductive, so get used to non-forcefeeding fun... errr, frustration.