FacebookTwitter
Hatrack River Forum   
my profile login | search | faq | forum home

  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » Dark Souls - For those who like to suffer

   
Author Topic: Dark Souls - For those who like to suffer
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
I don't know if anyone here played Demon Souls a couple of years ago when it was released on the PS3. The game was lauded for being one of the most difficult games of this console generation. Enemies would drop souls upon defeat, and these souls acted as both currency and experience. Any unused souls would be lost when you died, and you died a lot.

The game had this way of making you feel stupid whenever you died. It wasn't cheap by any means, when you died you deserved to die. You dodged at the wrong time. You parried at the wrong time. You rushed in without looking around, or let yourself get surrounded.

Well From Software made another game called Dark Souls, it was released today. I've played about 3 hours of it and I've found two things.

1) This game is harder than Demon Souls

2) I've never had this much fun dying in a video game

The game is insanely hard. I've barely killed the first boss, and I must have died 40 times before I was able to bring him down. I only died to the boss twice. The other 38 times were due to undead soldiers ripping me a new one, or walking down the wrong hallway only to find a 10 foot tall knight waiting for me that hunted me down and stabbed me in the back.

Those of you that played Demons Souls may remember the online features. The game is primarily single player, but every once in a while you will find writing on the ground left by other players that may provide warnings or hints. You can rate the writings and if the comment is rated highly the person that left it will be rewarded.

You can also enter other people's games temporarily to either help them or assassinate them.

They have added a new feature called "covenants" that sort of act like online factions. I haven't made it far enough yet to experience their effect though.

Anyways, those of you that enjoy a challenge, check it out. I promise it will be one of the most frustrating yet awesome experiences you will have playing a game. [Smile]

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
AchillesHeel
Member
Member # 11736

 - posted      Profile for AchillesHeel   Email AchillesHeel         Edit/Delete Post 
Game Informer posted something to same effect.

The notes on the ground and the other players coming in to PVP you sounds insane!

Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
You can also enter someone elses game to help them out.

One of the factions gives you a skill that, when used, summons a hard phantom monster in 3 random people's games. If the phantom is able to kill the player, you gain half of the souls they had at the time. If they are able to find the location you used the skill in before they or the phantom are defeated however, they are able to invade your game to attempt to kill you. Obviously this could backfire and you could have 3 people coming into your game to hunt you down if you don't find a good hiding spot to cast the skill in.

Another faction (covenant) exists whose sole purpose is to invade other players to grief them so they can't complete a portion of the game. I'm hoping to rush past that part today so that I don't have to worry about people invading me once the jerks level up. [Smile]

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
AchillesHeel
Member
Member # 11736

 - posted      Profile for AchillesHeel   Email AchillesHeel         Edit/Delete Post 
As much as I want to play a game so fully realized I don't think can afford the tension right now. I watched two guys from Game Informer play about half an hour of Dead Island and I decided against buying until my blood pressure gets better.

Edit to add.
Here is the video in question, jump to 17:40 if you want to see what I mean.

[ October 04, 2011, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: AchillesHeel ]

Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
BlackBlade
Member
Member # 8376

 - posted      Profile for BlackBlade   Email BlackBlade         Edit/Delete Post 
I only want to know if it is more difficult than Super Meat Boy and Super Ghouls & Ghosts.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
And Order of Ecclessia.

I've only played the tutorial. Also, I play offline, I hate both the invading and the ways online helps you. It kind of makes the game inconsistent, for lack of a better word.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
I mostly played Demon's Souls offline since people LOVED to invade me for some reason. I decided that I'm going to play exclusively online for Dark Souls though.

Killed another boss last night, and actually had some help from someone to do it. Afterwards I rang a bell. A few minutes later I heard the bell ring again. Turns out if you are playing online and someone else in the same area beats the boss and rings the bell, everyone hears it. It was kind of neat.

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Rakeesh
Member
Member # 2001

 - posted      Profile for Rakeesh   Email Rakeesh         Edit/Delete Post 
I've thought about playing the new one, or its predecessor, since it was time to decide on a new game. The high-scoring reviews caught my interest, but I'm wary to the point of not getting it of all the talk of, "Extremely, murderously, repetitively hard, from beginning to end."

I don't mind hard games, in fact I enjoy them, but games that (from what I've read) are designed with repetitive punishment in mind, where the way you learn something is to get a few button mashes into a boss, die, remember what you did, trek back, get a bit further, and die again is...well, it sounds exhausting and infuriating, on the relative scale of video games.

Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
0Megabyte
Member
Member # 8624

 - posted      Profile for 0Megabyte   Email 0Megabyte         Edit/Delete Post 
In that case, you should never try to become The Guy...
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
Yeah. It's an obtuse kind of hard. The difficulty is extremely lobsided in figuring out the methodology and not the manual ability to do it. Once you figure it out, it's like, how did I ever die.

It's hard like, okay I really need to block there,

I can't dodge that.

I need to run to the stairs.

I need to wait so the enemy comes to me.

I need to kill the fire guy first.

I can just shoot him.

I need to back up and get my stamina back.


Etc. But none of its hard to do. You're just liable to die until you've figured it out. And 90% of the times I died in Demon's Souls I was like "My god, I'm retarded"--Dark Souls is a little more bullshit though, but I'm loving it.

I do think some people exagerate how hard Demon's was, but Dark seems pretty much that hard. I don't know.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
No it is the same way. There was a part I was in last night that I just couldn'd get through, since there was a big enemy blocking my path. I would try to run from him and he would just follow me. I finally just led him to a narrow hallway where he couldn't really swing his sword well, and after a few parries I took him down.

The game is hard in that it is unforgiving. The game is not cheap in any way. Every death I have had is because I was careless. Not one was because the game was cheap.

There are parts in the first area I was in that I thought were impossible to get through, but once I figured out how to lure certain enemies to me and dispatch them one at a time, and what enemies are ahead, I can now go through there without taking a hit, and at record pace.

I think it is more psychological. People say the game is hard but its difficulty is really up to how quickly you learn from your mistakes. As I said, it is unforgiving.

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
I dunno. A few of my deaths were weird. And the way you solve getting by the drake is dumb.

Plus, they need to fix the target system. But I'm used to it again.

(spoilers, before bell)

Anyway, I got to the check point in the Parish. I'm exploring the lower part of that town now in undead berg now. I've briefly looked at that forest, and I know there was a staircase I haven't gone down in Perish. I've also ignored the catacombs. Like a lot of people.

What are you general builds? I'm basically going knight agility/weapons with reach right now. With a shield. And hoping to find a bow somewhere. Or some way to use magic. I got the guide thing that I haven't used. No idea what it does. Using the halberd axe. Had longsword and broasword before that. Also, I picked Master Key as my perk and boy was that stupid.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
I started as a thief so I got the Master Key at the beginning. It is the only gift/perk that you can't actually get later in the game.

I started as a thief and am building a VIT/STR/END character. I've been using the drake sword I got from cutting off the bridge dragon's tail. You can purchase a bow from the first merchant in the Undead Burg. If you are at the main bonfire in Undead Burg you go right out the door, kill the undead swordsman and archer, then go down the walkway. There are two more undead there and to your left are two Shield + Spear guys. There are some boxes on the ground, destroy them to reveal a stairway down. There is a merchant down there that will sell you a bow, arrows, the orange soapstone (lets you write messages) as well as a few other things.

With 16 STR and DEX it took me around 30 arrows to shoot the dragon's tail off. Go under the bridge and shoot it from there. The drake sword has 200 attack, it makes the first couple parts of the game pretty easy.

Oh! To answer your question about magic, when you are in the lower parts of the Undead Burg you will come across a door with someone trapped behind it. The door is locked, however the key is sold by the first merchant I described above. When you open the door talk to the NPC and he will make his way back to the Fire Shrine. There is a barrel near him that contains a full set of sorcerrr's armor as well as a staff you will need to cast magic. Simply go back to the Firelight Shrine after that and pay the NPC some souls to learn magic.

Down in the town portion of the Undead Burg I was finally able to kill the Capra Demon with some help, then made my way down into the depths. There is this (admittedly cute) frog type enemy down there that breathes this ugly mist. Stay in it too long and you get cursed, which reduces your maximum HP by 50%. Get cursed again and you are at 1/4 health, then 1/8 health, etc. The only way to remove it is to buy a certain item at a vendor for 5000 souls, or make your way to a certain NPC that will heal it for free. So watch out when you get to that point!

Have you killed the boss on the top of the Cathedral yet?

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
I thought I alsp picked up a master key in burg.

I've killed it and the capra demon. The capra demon is awkward fight. BEGIN SPOILERS. I went in armored/heavy and I ran to that corner to the far right after the stairs. That let me funnel the dogs in. They're dead. Most of the time the capra couldnt hit me there, though it did a couple times (whatever, right?). Thats where I could take the time to heal. The end of the fight was pretty close. We were both super low health and I just mashed and killed him.

I'm gonna go back a kill the black knight in parish. Maybe the dragon.

I've already found that stuff. I need to open my eyes more because I'd already met that merchant and read over the bow. I'm at the fire in "Depths". How do I free that guy in the barrel? Can I just hit the barrel because I'm kind of nervous to.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
Yes, you can just hit that barrel. As long as you only attack once you are fine.

Looks like some people already broke the game. If you join the dragon covenant you can get an item that turns your head into a a dragon's head, and you can breathe fire. If you face away from the camera, press the button then at the same time turn 180 degrees, press down on the D-pad to switch to a soul item, then quickly release then press your item button, your character will do the fire breath animation but will "shoot" the items infinitely, using them in the process.

Yesterday my brother and I made a character in which we did a suicide run down into the bottom of Blighttown then through the Great Hollow to Ash Lake. Once we joined the covenant and used the trick we were able to boost to level 300 in about 30 minutes of holding the button down. We won't be using it in our normal games, but it was interesting to walk around as a level 300 character for a while. [Smile]

I've now gotten to both bell towers and opened up Sen's Fortress (Near the Blacksmith) and recently was able to overcome the boss there. The fortress was a thousand times harder than the actual boss, though I'm pretty sure I cheesed the boss. I hit him in the back of his legs for a while, and he was on a narrow ledge. When I hit him enough he fell over the side, and I won.

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
I entered Blighttown from Drake's Valley and can't seem to find the way into Depths. Guess I'll just fight the boss and circle back later.

I have Halberd + 4, Astora's StraightSword + 1, and Drake's Sword. Pyro + 2.

I bought like three other spells I never and can't (with equiping Pyro) use.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Annie
Member
Member # 295

 - posted      Profile for Annie   Email Annie         Edit/Delete Post 
From the title, I thought this thread would be full of emo kids.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S NOT?
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Annie
Member
Member # 295

 - posted      Profile for Annie   Email Annie         Edit/Delete Post 
Excellent point.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
ricree101
Member
Member # 7749

 - posted      Profile for ricree101   Email ricree101         Edit/Delete Post 
Shame there's no PC version. From what I've read, it sounds interesting.
Posts: 2437 | Registered: Apr 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by umberhulk:
I entered Blighttown from Drake's Valley and can't seem to find the way into Depths. Guess I'll just fight the boss and circle back later.

I have Halberd + 4, Astora's StraightSword + 1, and Drake's Sword. Pyro + 2.

I bought like three other spells I never and can't (with equiping Pyro) use.

You actually went the backwards way. The way you went makes it easier to get to the Blighttown boss, but you bypassed the Depths entirely. The Capra Demon gives you the key to the depths, and the entrance to the depths is literally right down the street, near the shortcut that takes you up to the sewer near Firelink Shrine. There is a door there you use the key on, and it lets you into the Depths.

If you have a ton of souls I suggest either buying some Curse curing items or be VERY careful in the depths, because the froggies down there will curse you, instantly killing you and cursing you to 50% (then 25%, then 12.5% etc. if you keep dying to it). The good thing is that it is a cloud they belch out and you usually have time to get out of it before it builds up too much. Just make sure you don't get cornered against a wall.

Good luck with the boss in the Depths. He is one of the bigger bosses and is fairly difficult. I suggest going there as a human and summoning the two NPC's that can help you. Provided you haven't killed them of course [Smile]

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
I know. I went to depths and beat it. I went back and explored. Killed Stray Demon. Went from Great Basin into Drake's and whoops I'm in Blight Town.

I'm at the Bonfire in Sen's Fortress right now. Also, that mimic and me killed eacchother simultaneously so no lightning spear.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geraine
Member
Member # 9913

 - posted      Profile for Geraine   Email Geraine         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by umberhulk:
I know. I went to depths and beat it. I went back and explored. Killed Stray Demon. Went from Great Basin into Drake's and whoops I'm in Blight Town.

I'm at the Bonfire in Sen's Fortress right now. Also, that mimic and me killed eacchother simultaneously so no lightning spear.

Oh no!!! Don't worry, you can make your own lightning spear soon, or (even better) you can use one of the bosses souls to make a nice lightning spear. I don't know how to explain this to you without spoiling it...I'll try

In the next area the boss is two people. If you kill the fat one before the skinny one, you get his soul. You can then forge the skinny guy's soul into a nice lightning spear...

I hope that didn't spoil anything, if it did I apologize.

Oh, and if you haven't already, go back to the asylum and grab the doll before you go to the next area. It lets you go into an extra area with a bonus boss.

Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
The Black Pearl
Member
Member # 11788

 - posted      Profile for The Black Pearl   Email The Black Pearl         Edit/Delete Post 
News on sequel.

Edge Magazine has a blow out on Dark Souls 2 this month, and the details are out. Brace yourselves for the horror and anticipation of a brand new journey.

- Edge says they were shown a 10 minute playthrough of Dark Souls 2, and it is a huge step forward graphically. It looks on par with Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313 in terms of "next-gen"-ness, or so they claim.

- Miyazaki is not working on the development of Dark Souls 2. He is not a director or producer, and is merely a "supervisor".

- Even as a supervisor, he isn't making any development decisions. He only tried to reinforce the team's commitment to releasing things on time, because of the bad experience they had with the patches in Dark Souls, and he also recommended the return to server-based gameplay ala Demon's Souls.

- The new directors, Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, are indeed the From Software staff who previously directed the Another Century's Episode series. The decision to have the two directors replace Miyazaki was a company decision made by both From Software and Namco Bandai Games to help move the series forward in a fresh direction.

- Miyazaki is working full time on directing a new game. He will not disclose if it is a new IP or a sequel to something else.

- Darks Souls 2 will be a direct sequel, and have an open world of about the same size, but more dense with content.

- It does not take place on Lordran. The name of the world is the key of the story, they will reveal it at a later date.

- One thing Shibuya wants to enhance is the action in the game. He feels that he can contribute because of his experience working on action games in the past.

- Shibuya says he wants to make things like the Covenant system clearer and more accessible, and he wants to make the story and messaging less subtle.

- He promises there will still be "hidden" elements in the story and world which can be missed.

- Development started in September last year, and was done in parallel with some of the Dark Souls patches and DLC content.

- The game is 25% complete, and the team is substantially larger than Dark Souls. The world creation internal staff for the sequel is nearly double that of the first game.

- The game might not make it for 2013.

- They showed a fat grotesque creature, which Shibuya said was the result of the fusing of different creatures by a mad scientist character in the game, like Frankenstein.

- Another new enemy is a Nazgul-like black rider, who apparently serves as an executioner of evil doers. Shibuya confirms there is some sort of morality system in the game.


...

We'll see.

Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
   

   Close Topic   Feature Topic   Move Topic   Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:


Contact Us | Hatrack River Home Page

Copyright © 2008 Hatrack River Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2