default header

Games

[PS3] Demon's Souls

Moderator: JC Denton

[PS3] Demon's Souls

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Apr 2009 22:52

another god wrote:It's pretty obvious that this is the kind of game that everyone thinks of when they're twelve. You're starting puberty and you want to be mature, but you're still adventurous and, well, a child. Knights and dragons are fucking rad, and being a knight and killing dragons realistically is way better than when you were a little kid. So it's realistic dungeon crawling whoa!

I had no idea how nerve wracking this game would turn out.

Like, "whoa this is serious business." But, seriously, this is serious fucking business. There's no running through everything and slashing stuff up till you drink a health potion. Hell, even when you die and restart you REALLY DIE. This soul concept of dying and having one chance to retrieve your body is intense. I don't think I've ever stopped and caught my breath as much in a game as I have in this one.

Anyways, is there a way to play with you guys? Or is everything random? I like how the whole game is IN GAME (even the leaderboards), but it makes it a little confusing for stuff like Multiplayer.


http://forums.selectbutton.net/viewtopi ... 749#522749

I really need to play this game.
User avatar
icycalm
Hyperborean
 
Joined: 28 Mar 2006 00:08
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Unread postby mees » 16 Apr 2009 03:49

This game looks awesome. Just a warning though, if you only speak English and were thinking of importing, make sure and get the Asian version, not the Japanese version, as it has English text.
mees
 
Joined: 30 Sep 2008 02:51

Unread postby Evo » 01 May 2009 15:04

I finally got my copy of this game. I payed for the Asian version but got the Korean version, which is OK because the Korean version comes with English menus and voice acting.

Unfortunately the manual is not in English so I have had a little trouble working out what everything does, but so far I have managed to work most things out.

This game is brutal. You think you are going fine because you can got toe to toe with the first couple of types of enemy, sometimes even two of them at once, and then the game presents you with an enemy, a knight with glowing blue eyes that is tougher, heals himself and well, can kill you in two hits. You work it out and advance on only to meet his red eyed brother whose spear kills you in one hit. Time to start practicing your parry and back stab on those weaker enemies at the beginning.

Dying sends you back to the beginning of the area. You lose all the souls you have collected off enemies so far and if you don't get back to your death spot before dying again you lose them for good. In this game you learn by trying not to repeat the mistakes you made last time. That is the great thing about the game though. It is your mistakes that kill you, not the game being unfair. If you walk into a pitch black room without your shield up and take a fiery sword to the face, well, next time you will know better.

Being able to use your block/parry/riposte/back stab/roll/dodge/weak attack/powerful attack skills well and knowing when to change to a different weapon depending on the enemy seems to be the key. There is no shortage of different types of weapons either. Halberds, axes, big swords, small swords, really big swords, clubs, daggers, shields, spears, bows, fire bombs, the environment, magic and miracles are just some of your options.

You can play as a basic soldier, with sword shield and spear. As a thief, lightly armoured and able to roll swiftly, a heavy armoured knight, a clubbing barbarian, a mage, a cleric. Even better choosing a class doesn't restrict you in any way, since once you kill the first boss and are able to start leveling up your skills, you can choose to keep them balanced or you can develop some skill sets really far for a particular niche style of play.

The souls you collect off dead enemies are used for everything. Leveling skills, buying and repairing weapons, upgrading weapons and buying items. You can't sell items, so you have to go out there and kill enemies to get anywhere.

But damn it is a fun game. Hard in the best way possible.
User avatar
Evo
 
Joined: 08 Mar 2008 10:23

Unread postby Kovacs » 20 May 2009 21:07

Atlus will be releasing Demon's Souls fall 2009 in the US.

http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3648

Nich wrote:All the dialogue and voice acting will remain, with a light pass on it to fix up some punctuation. (I've got that file open now, in fact...) Spell/weapon/item names and descriptions, though, will be revised for accuracy.


http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/sh ... 87&page=68
Kovacs
 
Joined: 07 Apr 2009 16:27
Location: New York

Unread postby equus » 26 May 2009 22:49

Hi everyone, this is my first post, but I've been reading this forum for a while. I felt like i had to comment about Demon's souls, since I feel like this game gets off a little too easy around places like selectbutton, for a number of reasons.

First, and most importantly, the soul system isn't that exciting. This isn't like a roguelike where you die once and its over; you get a second chance to return to your point of death (from the start of the level) and get all your souls back. Add to this the fact that you can basically run through to any point in a level in a couple minutes, avoiding most of the threats, and you'll quickly realize that losing a substantial amount of souls is barely a possibility. Besides, we aren't talking about huge amounts of progress here! At most, you'll lose what amounts to a one or two level-ups.

Second, the combat. Think Otogi with no dashing. You have a heavy/light slash, two-handed combat, etc. but thanks to a "stamina meter" which drains as you do basically anything (attacking, rolling, running, blocking) there is a lot of waiting around. If you can't defeat an enemy by just running up to him and emptying your stamina meter in light slashes (rare), you just sit back until the meter recharges, and then do it again. And worst of all, the enemies, for the most part, will just let you do this, since most of them spend all their time either shambling around like zombies, or flailing in hitstun. Sometimes there is a little more to it, as some enemies must be lured into positions where they can safely be attacked, and deciding in what order to attack (or even if to attack) a group of enemies adds some strategy to the mix. Overall, it's not horrible, just not too interesting when compared to similar games like DMC or Ninja Gaiden.

The level design gets a lot of praise, but really its a mixed bag. A lot of people talk about how cool it is when shortcuts open up after trekking through a huge level, making it easy to access the boss if you die and have to start over. The truth is, there is often still way too much crap between the player and the boss. Sometimes there will be a few challenging enemies to dispatch between the start of the level and the boss, post-shortcut. This is fine when the challenge is uniform throughout, but too often the pre-boss gauntlet is tedious, boring and really easy, whereas the boss is (relatively) extremely challenging. I'm thinking specifically of 3-2 here, where you are forced to slog through (even post-shortcut) about 5 minutes of mind-numbing stairway, gargoyle, and mindflayer time and time again, only to be dispatched by the boss in a matter of seconds until you finally figure it out.

As this is an action game, it risks ruination through grinding for better stats/weapons, but this is not exactly the case. There is sort of an implicit "order" in which you should beat the levels, although they can be tackled various order (1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, and 5-1 are all open at the start, but 1-2 can only be accessed after beating 1-1, etc). If you follow this order (I would say it's something like 1-1, 1-2, 3-1, 2-1 and so forth) there shouldn't be too much grinding involved. And since the levels are, for the most part, attractive and interesting, there isn't a whole lot of incentive to grind away instead of simply trying a different level. I was also pleasantly surprised to find, going back to the first level after getting about halfway through the game, that there are some real challenges tucked away even in the early levels. I died 5 times just trying to defeat a strange red-eyed knight tucked away in a concealed corner, when almost everything else in the level crumpled instantly before my powerful character. So, for the most part, if you're frustrated with a level then there is probably some other level which is more balanced according to your current abilities. If not, the challenge is usually more attractive than grinding.

Additionally, more difficult enemies, found on more difficult levels, offer more souls, so any attempt to grind will generally be directed at territory that is quite challenging. Once again, the onus is on the player's skill.

The much lauded "innovative multiplayer" is largely retarded. There are a couple of aspects to it, and listed in order of retardation, they are as follows: messages left by other players, ghost images of other players, co-op, PvP. I have barely even touched co-op and PvP, so I won't really comment on that except briefly: they are pretty clumsy.

The messages come in two flavors: hint and joke/unintelligible. Players can only leave pre-determined messages, by combining a bunch of stock phrases into some half-sensible jumble like: "This guy's crutch is shield." Since the stock phrases all related directly to things in the game world, these messages are usually hints which spoil the game, warning you of upcoming ambushes or giving away an enemies weakness. The other 90% of the messages are just garbled nonsense.

Likewise, the player ghosts, which are just 5-10 second glimpses of other players running around, in translucent form, are mostly for atmosphere. They are kind of ugly and don't really add much either way.

The graphics are decent. Given that all the levels in a given area are contiguous, these are actually some of the largest levels ever seen in an action game, and the scale really gives some levels room for incredible detail. Level 3-2 is a huge, decaying network of high-rise towers connected by an ominous spider-web of chains, and the pulsating giant-heart enslaved in the center of the largest tower really sets an appropriate sense of wonder and dread about the scene. On the other hand, Stonefang tunnel is, well... a bunch of tunnels. Not too exciting.

The enemy designs are overall pretty bad. Some are downright technically incompetent (dogs) and some just ruin the atmosphere (why is the otherwise excellent shrine of storms, all washed the solitude of muted, crumbling castles and quiet grass pathways peppered with hyperactive skeletons that look like terminator?!). I chalk this up to From Software trying to handle material they aren't too familiar with. This game has more of a European setting, and frequently underwhelms, whereas Japanese lore is stunningly rendered in Otogi.

As for the sound, its okay. Some atmospheric effects (dogs barking in the background, haunting screams) are good because they actually alert the player to forthcoming events. The slashes and cries of pain are all par for the course. Two things stand out: the boss music and the voice acting. The boss music is LOL worthy, a hideous, minimal blend of horn notes that induces laughter rather than terror or awe. The voice acting, on the other hand, is startlingly good. Many memorable voices and lines ring through my mind, and the cryptic dialogue hints towards some interesting plot developments.

So, I would say Demon's souls isn't exactly all it's cracked up to be. 3 stars from me.
equus
 
Joined: 26 May 2009 21:39

Unread postby icycalm » 26 May 2009 23:09

I banned this guy because he's an alt account for user mees, who was banned a few days ago but who has since made half a dozen alt accounts in order to piss the fuck out of me and ensure that I will never, ever, under any circumstances, allow him to keep an active account here again. I've only been getting about 10 minutes of internet time per day recently, and this little fucking prick is doing his best to make sure that I waste as much as possible of it on him.

Anyway, I haven't read the post, but I'll leave it up for now. Whoever's played the game, read it and let me know if there's anything valuable in there so as to keep it, or if it's full of shit so I should delete it.
User avatar
icycalm
Hyperborean
 
Joined: 28 Mar 2006 00:08
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Unread postby Dial-Up » 27 May 2009 16:43

I found out about Demon's Souls for the first time from this site awhile back in the PS3 Import thread. This game is far from perfect, with numerous glitches, sloppy use of rag doll physics, and a bizarre good/evil world system. Despite these issues, Demon's Souls is the best game I have played for the PS3. Since this game is good enough for discussion on this site, I wanted to comment on equus' opinions.

equus wrote:Add to this the fact that you can basically run through to any point in a level in a couple minutes, avoiding most of the threats, and you'll quickly realize that losing a substantial amount of souls is barely a possibility.


Not a fact whatsoever. All the threats are placed in locations that require confrontation. Already doesn't sound like he has played the game.

equus wrote:Sometimes there is a little more to it, as some enemies must be lured into positions where they can safely be attacked, and deciding in what order to attack (or even if to attack) a group of enemies adds some strategy to the mix.


OK, he may have played the game for a couple of hours because that statement is accurate. Though what he calls "sometimes" is more like "all the time."

equus wrote:Overall, it's not horrible, just not too interesting when compared to similar games like DMC or Ninja Gaiden.


What is he talking about? He just said that you have to lure enemies around, plan a strategy, know when to attack, when to run, etc. Then he says the game is similar to DMC and Ninja Gaiden?

equus wrote:I'm thinking specifically of 3-2 here, where you are forced to slog through (even post-shortcut) about 5 minutes of mind-numbing stairway, gargoyle, and mindflayer time and time again, only to be dispatched by the boss in a matter of seconds until you finally figure it out.


There are no Mind Flayer's (Squid-headed magicians, very tough) in 3-2. Getting killed by a boss until you finally figure it out is this game in a nutshell. If you don't like to die and need your hand held, you will not like this game.

equus wrote:As this is an action game, it risks ruination through grinding for better stats/weapons, but this is not exactly the case.


Here is an instance where he is giving the game a bit of credit I don't think it deserves. Whenever you raise one stat point (paid for in "souls" dropped by killing enemies) such as Strength or Magic, you move up one soul level, which raises the price for the next level. It gets very expensive very fast. In the early game, you can gain a couple of soul levels after beating a boss. Later on, it may take 2 bosses to raise just one point. Also, every weapon and armor set have prerequisite stats that you have to have first to use them effectively. You can achieve a decent level without grinding, but over half your inventory will be useless.

equus wrote:The much lauded "innovative multiplayer" is largely retarded.


The game's single player and multi player components are fully integrated. There is no lobby, no death match, no chat room. And since he admitted to not doing co-op or PVP much, I will elaborate. While playing, if you are in "body form" (meaning you have just beaten a boss, or used an item to "get your body back") you can summon other players into your level. Before summoned, these other players were playing the same level as you, and dropped an item called a Soul Sign to allow them to help someone else out. It's all random whose Soul Sign you will find, and very hard to coordinate amongst friends for a typical co-op experience. It is clunky if you want to summon a particular person to your world. But it is not clunky at all if you just want someone to help. It is as simple as hitting the "X" button over a blue glow on the ground.

Also while in Body Form, you can be invaded by other players called "Black Phantoms". This is the PVP portion of the game. While you are trying to get past the level, they are trying to kill you so they can get their Body Form back. I think thats rather innovative; no other game I have played has had real people as enemies in a single player game.


equus wrote:The graphics are decent. Given that all the levels in a given area are contiguous, these are actually some of the largest levels ever seen in an action game, and the scale really gives some levels room for incredible detail.


This is a fair assessment.

equus wrote:The enemy designs are overall pretty bad.


If he is going to describe the designs as overall bad, he could have at least touched upon the incredible design of the bosses. They each fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the level. For example, in the 4th world, there are giant flying manta rays shooting at you from the sky. The final boss of this world is a massive version of these enemies, big enough to carry about 15 of them on it's back.

They also each require a different strategy, and in some instances multiple strategies. The huge Tower Knight can be sniped from afar, or you can get behind him and try to take out his feet. You can fight melee with the Armor Spider, or dodge its projectiles from down a tunnel and kill it with magic. Not looking to spoil anyone on the boss of the 3rd world, so I would just say that the design of that boss is nothing like I have ever seen.

equus wrote:The boss music is LOL worthy, a hideous, minimal blend of horn notes that induces laughter rather than terror or awe.


I liked the boss music. Considering the game is completely devoid of music unless you're fighting a boss, the subtle bgm adds to the tension of the fight.

equus wrote:The voice acting, on the other hand, is startlingly good. Many memorable voices and lines ring through my mind, and the cryptic dialogue hints towards some interesting plot developments.


Agreed.

His post isn't complete shit, some decent things in there. Though someone who has never heard about the game would read that and get some misconceptions both good and bad.
Dial-Up
 
Joined: 27 May 2009 13:48

Unread postby El Chaos » 23 Jul 2017 03:41

The Lost Soul Arts of Demon's Souls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np5PdpsfINA

Matthewmatosis wrote:Demon's Souls' greatest strength is how it pulls you into its bleak, dangerous world so that you'd think about situations the way you would if you were actually there. This is something that the Souls games continue to do kind of well, but Demon's Souls still does it the best of them all because, excluding the innovative online features, almost everything else works in service of that larger goal.
User avatar
El Chaos
Insomnia Staff
 
Joined: 26 Jan 2009 20:34
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina


Return to Games