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Demon's Souls |OT2| Soulsuckingly brilliant RPG full of Demon's Crack
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Facism said:Demon's Souls story was told by the gameplay, your character progression and equipment, the environments, the item descriptions, the coop, the invading, the myriad of dumb deaths, getting ruined by Red-eyed skeletons, having the piss taken out of you by an escaping crystal lizard, casting rage of god's to deal with the rats in 5-1 only to find you've killed the dirty woman as well, getting spit-roasted by 2 Maneaters, surviving that spit-roast, only to be charged off the bridge whilst you eat full-moon grass to recover and finally, trolling Garl Vinland with the Scraping Spear in NG ++.
I only Plat my favourite games and baby this has been one of the best games of the generation for me. Platinum was achieved last night
In addition to things you do, there are plenty of story elements that you can solve by piecing together things in game.
The backstory of Tower of Latria from talking to the wealthy woman in the cells, the idea that all the characters in Valley of Defilement are trying to keep you from their saint, the Maiden. The armor attributes you get From Garl's equipment elude to how they could survive those poisonous conditions without dieing (total magic resistance.) The set of armor in the bottom of the pit that matches Biorr's implies what happened to the other "Twin Fang." Even all the soldier in Boletaria were in the ranks of King Allant before succumbing to the fog.
The story presented to you is light, but there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that you can start to put together.
Facism
Member
oracrest said:
yup, there's a lot of incidental story and background, implications and whatnot like you've just laid out.
Dark souls is my most anticpated release in 2011. It's nice to have this kind of game in what is typically a creatively and mechanically bankrupt console generation.
NEOPARADIGM
Banned
Dai Kaiju said:I can't get into this game and it makes me sad
How long have you played? It literally took me a good nine hours before I got into it, and another six hours or so before I was truly confident in what I was doing.
I don't want to read a wiki to be caught by the story of a game....oracrest said:
And for what many have said, I know that there's a lot of backgroud elements scattered through the game, but they should serve a more consistent story about your character, and the present time and acts, not just be hints of the past that have no real purpose except building a more complex backstory.
MickeyKnox
Member
No, no they shouldn't.Fox1304 said:
Demon's Souls had a better narrative through everything that wasn't said than every other barely interactive anime-fanfic that passes for a jRPG "character driven story" to come out in God knows how long.
Mr_Appleby
Member
Help Me! said:
i'd at least check that he doesn't respawn. from memory the only enemies that don't are the minibosses.
Yeah, pretty sure he should be back.Mr_Appleby said:
In NG+3, I ran up there to get her, totally forgetting to take my hat off since it'd been a long time since I played. Realized afterwards that she didn't show up in the Nexus because of it. So I went back, and I had to kill him again. I would imagine he should be there still (even though my case is slightly different in that he did drop the bridge for me the first time).
That's not what I meant. I don't want a character oriented story. I love the way the world is depicted in DS, with hints and else. But any actions you do seem to change nothing in this world. I killed fake king, so what ? I always had the impressions, after killing a boss, that the only thing that would change would be a new archstone, and one more demon's soul for me, that's all.MickeyKnox said:
What I meant is that I'd loved the universe even more if the actions and the character had some impact on it, instead of just passing through.
I haven't finished it yet, but I'm pretty sure your character's actions do have some impact on the world in the end (for better or worse).Fox1304 said:
Even if they don't, or if the consequences seem anticlimactic to you, then I have a feeling that's the point. Despite all your efforts, you are just another lost soul doomed to remain in the Nexus. Essentially, you are just passing through, like any of the Storied Soldiers' or Legendary Heroes' souls you happen to pick up along the way
Personally, I kind of like that. It feels totally different from anything I've played before. Everything is so empty and desolate that you are to savour every bit of human contact and world/character history that you come across and try to piece it all together.
After killing each boss, did you want a cutscene? A hearty pat on the back? The first time I killed Phalanx I felt more satisfied and more relieved than after having played through the entirety of some other games, and that was enough.
Maybe we're just having a hard time understanding what you enjoy or what you were expecting. But like MickeyKnox said, this game universe feels richer to me - not just story-wise, but in terms of what you accomplish - than many other games I've played to date, JRPG or otherwise.
I totally agree with what you said.
Loved the sense of despair, and I know that they want to make you feel that you're just another soul in an endless circle.
And I loved it.
Maybe I'm feeling this way because of the ( I think ) very dull ending, that deceived me in every way.
The satisfaction after having defeated each boss is indeed tremendous, there's no way I could deny that. But there are some times where I bursted through levels without knowing who I killed, and even if gameplay-wise it was a very tense fight, it had no real meaning neither in the world nor in the "story".
I don't need any cutscene or "pat in the back" as you say, just feeling that what I did had some meaning or repercutions in the world.
Maybe I'm waiting too much on an already incredible game. I loved the universe and background so much and would have loved being more an "actor" of it as a player/character.
I know that their intention was to make us feel like lost souls in an endless circle, but they could have managed that AND make us care for the progression of the world and character throughout the game.
I think that's what they'll try to do in Dark Soul, with a more linear world system.
With the current organisation of worlds, there's no way they could have reached something like this.
Loved the sense of despair, and I know that they want to make you feel that you're just another soul in an endless circle.
And I loved it.
Maybe I'm feeling this way because of the ( I think ) very dull ending, that deceived me in every way.
The satisfaction after having defeated each boss is indeed tremendous, there's no way I could deny that. But there are some times where I bursted through levels without knowing who I killed, and even if gameplay-wise it was a very tense fight, it had no real meaning neither in the world nor in the "story".
I don't need any cutscene or "pat in the back" as you say, just feeling that what I did had some meaning or repercutions in the world.
Maybe I'm waiting too much on an already incredible game. I loved the universe and background so much and would have loved being more an "actor" of it as a player/character.
I know that their intention was to make us feel like lost souls in an endless circle, but they could have managed that AND make us care for the progression of the world and character throughout the game.
I think that's what they'll try to do in Dark Soul, with a more linear world system.
With the current organisation of worlds, there's no way they could have reached something like this.
sublimit
Banned
I liked the minimal approach to storytelling,DS has a much better story than most pretentious crap out there today.It kinda reminds me the way Team Ico approaches storytelling which i absolutely love.
And like others have said already the game's story is combined with the individual player experiences through the game.I loved reading player's experiences and stories in the old thread as well as in this one,they were as entertaining as the main story itself (maybe even more.)I hope Dark Souls will be the same in terms of storytelling.
And like others have said already the game's story is combined with the individual player experiences through the game.I loved reading player's experiences and stories in the old thread as well as in this one,they were as entertaining as the main story itself (maybe even more.)I hope Dark Souls will be the same in terms of storytelling.
That's cool, Fox. Without finishing it, I don't have much of a claim, but I'm glad we're seeing eye-to-eye on the whole atmosphere thing at least
I think we're all in agreement that Dark Souls cannot come soon enough, and if they can expand on those story elements you mentioned without sacrificing anything else, then I will not be one to complain.
As for Gee's post, I believe the Crestfallen Warrior offers a slightly more negative outlook...
Well, youve found yourself a Demons Soul, have you?
Im impressed... yes, indeed I am.
Stay the path, and you will soon be a monster yourself!
Hahahahahah!
Cant you see youve fallen for their trap?
I think we're all in agreement that Dark Souls cannot come soon enough, and if they can expand on those story elements you mentioned without sacrificing anything else, then I will not be one to complain.
As for Gee's post, I believe the Crestfallen Warrior offers a slightly more negative outlook...
Well, youve found yourself a Demons Soul, have you?
Im impressed... yes, indeed I am.
Stay the path, and you will soon be a monster yourself!
Hahahahahah!
Cant you see youve fallen for their trap?
Finally made it over the hump and am enjoying it so much. Managed to wrap up world 2 shortly after my last post. Since then I've been playing an hour or 2 each night this week and finished 3-1,4-1, and 5-1.
After my victories I did some passes back through 1-1, 1-2, and 2-2 to check on some stuff (dragon loot, red dragon, etc). I was really floored by how much of 2-2 I had bypassed my first time through, the bug caves were pretty incredible, really amazed by the games sense of scale sometimes. Just cleared through 3-2 and was equally impressed. Unfortunately when I attempted Maneater I attempted to dodge his initial charge only to discover that dodging to the side at the beginning of the fight isn't a great idea =(
After my victories I did some passes back through 1-1, 1-2, and 2-2 to check on some stuff (dragon loot, red dragon, etc). I was really floored by how much of 2-2 I had bypassed my first time through, the bug caves were pretty incredible, really amazed by the games sense of scale sometimes. Just cleared through 3-2 and was equally impressed. Unfortunately when I attempted Maneater I attempted to dodge his initial charge only to discover that dodging to the side at the beginning of the fight isn't a great idea =(
I'm pretty sure everyone who has faced Maneater has fallen do their deaths at least once. It's safer to make your stand in the middle of the bridge at the big brazier. Oh, and from the sound of things, you died before Maneater could show you his big surprise. That's too badMazre said:
hitsugi
Member
B-Genius said:That's cool, Fox. Without finishing it, I don't have much of a claim, but I'm glad we're seeing eye-to-eye on the whole atmosphere thing at least
I think we're all in agreement that Dark Souls cannot come soon enough, and if they can expand on those story elements you mentioned without sacrificing anything else, then I will not be one to complain.
As for Gee's post, I believe the Crestfallen Warrior offers a slightly more negative outlook...
Well, youve found yourself a Demons Soul, have you?
Im impressed... yes, indeed I am.
Stay the path, and you will soon be a monster yourself!
Hahahahahah!
Cant you see youve fallen for their trap?
the first thing I do when starting my game off is talk to that guy as much as possible..
I love doing this to just about all enemies in this game. There is something so fun about it, I can see why people do it to other players. I just like having one on me though, for whenever someone tries to troll me. Something fun about doing the same thing to them.Facism said:
Kyleripman
Member
My first time through, I killed the first Maneater the cheap way. On NG+, I faced them both at the same time...I would Firestorm them, then sprint to the other side of the bridge to heal/restore magic, then repeat...This is arguably a cheap way too, but I find melee to be much easier when it's just one of them at a time.
patsu said:
Yes, once you use Warding, you can keep your cool and form a tentative plan to get both of them together, or one at a time. Adjust plan as you go.
I didn't die at all fighting Maneater during my first playthrough. Died once in my second playthrough.
The fight was intense/epic nonetheless. My friend watching me play clenched my chair and wouldn't let go (I couldn't swivel !). He was yelling out helpful tips like "Behind you !", "He's there !" (Sometimes those maneaters fly too far away), etc.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Wow all this time I thought the scraping spear didn't work on npcs.
I think I need to put this game down for a while. I have died 10 times during the second stage of Shine of Storms, by either falling, being pushed, surrounded (even though I carefully tried to avoid it by walking slow, luring enemies, etc.), or the worst of all, killed by the third Reaper after I killed him but he managed to get a shot off that went through my shield. My blood pressure is probably off the charts right now; all I can see is red. Fuck this game.
Relaxed Muscle
Member
Help Me! said:
It happened to me during 4-1, I just keep dying and dying and when I thought of the thousands of souls lost....RAAGGGEEE.jpg. Damn even the shitty boss kill me 2 times, when the first time I beat him with no problems at all!!!
Probably the best you can do now, is play other world or leave the game for a while...(I did the last)
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
You'll be even more pissed when you are killed by what awaits you after the third Reaper.Help Me! said:
Yeah, once you see an invasion, it's very likely to see more right after the first (or second) one. The game stops at 3 invasions I think.
Sometimes, I'd wait for invasion when I start a game. Finish all the invading black phantoms and then proceed with my regular games. The advantage is you can stay at a corner, watch them appear and stab them from behind.
Sometimes, I'd wait for invasion when I start a game. Finish all the invading black phantoms and then proceed with my regular games. The advantage is you can stay at a corner, watch them appear and stab them from behind.
brentech said:
Yeah, I did the same, resulting in countless falling deaths in that battle. As I learned the rolling invulnerability better, I started this tactic, and can defeat them a lot easier. Generally, I keep the battle "in line" with the narrow walkway. Even if he hits you, you won't be knocked to the side and over the edge.
I have come to find the hallway area easier to battle him in, as opposed to the brazier. That area is very useful when the second arrives though.
It may help to practice roll dodge from weaker enemies, until you get the timing down. Don't roll away from attacks, but through them. Works like a charm with giant depraved ones too, since you can see their attacks coming from a mile away.
Timekiller
Member
Oh my, can't find my NTSC copy of demon's souls anywhere. Thinking of buying a PAL version, that would come with no shipping costs to where i'm currently living... the save will work with that, right?
Okay, just rented this and killed my first demon (Phalanx). How much more is there to the game? Is it just getting through the five other locations linked through the statues and killing their respective demons?
So far I don't really find the game difficult so much as just punitive. It doesn't hold your hand so much like most western games this generation, which really you can say about any current gen Japanese game. On top of that DS actually seems to be quite fair. You lose progress when you die, but the game gives you a loophole through which you can get it back (if you die twice do you lose everything from your first death?). Also, is the entrance to every boss room a locked door right near the beginning of each area?
It's what I actually like about Japanese games this gen - they actually let me play the freaking game, give me a reasonable challenge, and don't treat me like an idiot. Furthermore, actually learning the core gameplay took me less than two minutes, which says something about every other long-ass tutorial I've had to go through.
I still haven't "bought into" the RPG element of the game though - getting loot and grinding so I can get better swords and armor and crap. What I've seen so far in the game could've worked as just an action game, but we'll see.
So far I don't really find the game difficult so much as just punitive. It doesn't hold your hand so much like most western games this generation, which really you can say about any current gen Japanese game. On top of that DS actually seems to be quite fair. You lose progress when you die, but the game gives you a loophole through which you can get it back (if you die twice do you lose everything from your first death?). Also, is the entrance to every boss room a locked door right near the beginning of each area?
It's what I actually like about Japanese games this gen - they actually let me play the freaking game, give me a reasonable challenge, and don't treat me like an idiot. Furthermore, actually learning the core gameplay took me less than two minutes, which says something about every other long-ass tutorial I've had to go through.
I still haven't "bought into" the RPG element of the game though - getting loot and grinding so I can get better swords and armor and crap. What I've seen so far in the game could've worked as just an action game, but we'll see.
Timekiller
Member
GABDEG said:
fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
EDIT:
ckin YEEEEES, found it >
RedSwirl said:
Yeah, you only leave one bloodstain at a time, so your souls from your first death are lost if you die again before reaching it.
The bosses aren't ways locked at the beginning, but the levels tend to have shortcuts to reach them again quickly.
RedSwirl said:
Yeah I have to agree with you there. As a pure action game, it could have been a nice 3D successor to old-school Castlevania.
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