demon's souls thread

[Don Flamenco]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Giant Bomb bashed it hardcore in their Quick Look.

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-demons-souls/17-1485/?_loginat=1255213469508

Amirox is flipping out over on GAF.

[treythemovie]

Giant Bomb bashed it hardcore in their Quick Look.

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-demons-souls/17-1485/?_loginat=1255213469508

Amirox is flipping out over on GAF.

eh, they didn't really bash it. Jeff hated it but Dave seems intrigued and Vinny, who is actually playing it, is on the fence. Seems like a rather nice reaction to a game as niche as this.

And yes, Amirox is indeed flipping out over it 

[Don Flamenco]

They didn't really bash it...they were just dreading the difficulty.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Jeff said the game is awful.

[Stoney Mason]

And yes, Amirox is indeed flipping out over it 

Its sort of amazing when mods act like the worst examples of a fanboy sometimes over there and everybody pretends they aren't acting in such a manner because they are mods. And it goes beyond just Amirox although he is the most common offender.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Well it doesnt help that you have Evilore in it with him.

[BlueTsunami]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

[Stoney Mason]

You have been banned for the following reason:
Perpetually belittling everyone involved in a gaming discussion while sitting on the sideline acting as the lone voice of reason. It's annoying elitism and it's time to stop.

Date the ban will be lifted: 11-10-2009, 11:00 PM

lol. I got banned.

Their rules but still funny.

[demi]

yeah asshole stop being elite on the preeminent gaming forum

[bork]

You have been banned for the following reason:
Perpetually belittling everyone involved in a gaming discussion while sitting on the sideline acting as the lone voice of reason. It's annoying elitism and it's time to stop.

Date the ban will be lifted: 11-10-2009, 11:00 PM

lol. I got banned.

Their rules but still funny.

You got banned for being the lone voice of reason?   

[treythemovie]

You have been banned for the following reason:
Perpetually belittling everyone involved in a gaming discussion while sitting on the sideline acting as the lone voice of reason. It's annoying elitism and it's time to stop.

Date the ban will be lifted: 11-10-2009, 11:00 PM

lol. I got banned.

Their rules but still funny.

But you are the the lone voice of reason most of the time.... and thats suppose to be a good thing!

[Stoney Mason]

Completely within their right.

What is funny though is that I only got banned after indirectly mocking a mod instead of the thousands of posters I've done it to. But he goes with the, "You've been warned mister. Time to drop the hammer" defense.



It is what it is. Don't poke the bear.

I'll stop derailing this thread though. It just happened as I was cross-posting in the same thread on both forums so it struck me as funny and worth mentioning.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Who are you on gaf

[cool breeze]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

I never played a King's Field.  how much are they like Demon's Soul?

[Smooth Groove]

I have to thank Methodis for posting that giantbomb video. 

After watching that video, I'm glad that I wasn't able to find it in stores.  I'll still give it a try but only when the price comes down to $30.

As a PC gamer, the gameplay just doesn't seem particularly innovative or fun to me. 

It just seems like trying to make it through the hard parts of a MMO by yourself. 

The graphics are also  . The game looks like it's running on a slightly updated version of Enclave's engine. 

[BlueTsunami]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

I never played a King's Field.  how much are they like Demon's Soul?

Think of the ambiance and dungeon crawling from Demon's Soul but the first person viewpoint and nearly open ended exploration of The Elder Scrolls (though you don't go out into a world, your contained to a series of dungeons). Its one of those games where it doesn't really guide you on where you have to go so you feel like a fish out of water.

If you can deal with the shitty graphics, I really recommend the original King's Field US for the PSX. The games are very slow (which is what usually causes people to drop the game). Demon's Souls stamina system (and how important it is) is something that has been carried over from King's Field, so running everywhere can get you in trouble.

[Don Flamenco]

You have been banned for the following reason:
Perpetually belittling everyone involved in a gaming discussion while sitting on the sideline acting as the lone voice of reason. It's annoying elitism and it's time to stop.

Date the ban will be lifted: 11-10-2009, 11:00 PM

lol. I got banned.

Their rules but still funny.

You got banned for being the lone voice of reason?   

I knew gaf was secretly anti-intellectual! 

[cool breeze]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

I never played a King's Field.  how much are they like Demon's Soul?

Think of the ambiance and dungeon crawling from Demon's Soul but the first person viewpoint and nearly open ended exploration of The Elder Scrolls (though you don't go out into a world, your contained to a series of dungeons). Its one of those games where it doesn't really guide you on where you have to go so you feel like a fish out of water.

If you can deal with the shitty graphics, I really recommend the original King's Field US for the PSX.

how is the combat?

I really like the combat in Demon's Soul.  Can't imagine it will be the same in first person.  As long as it's reflex based and not all about stats, I will be fine.

[BlueTsunami]

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

I never played a King's Field.  how much are they like Demon's Soul?

Think of the ambiance and dungeon crawling from Demon's Soul but the first person viewpoint and nearly open ended exploration of The Elder Scrolls (though you don't go out into a world, your contained to a series of dungeons). Its one of those games where it doesn't really guide you on where you have to go so you feel like a fish out of water.

If you can deal with the shitty graphics, I really recommend the original King's Field US for the PSX.

how is the combat?

I really like the combat in Demon's Soul.  Can't imagine it will be the same in first person.  As long as it's reflex based and not all about stats, I will be fine.

The first King's Field combat is a bit archaic. If you ever played Dagger Fall, its like that but there's no dice rolling involved (if you hit the monster, you'll cause damage). I believe weapons and armor end up being the biggest upgrades over enemies instead of stats.

The combat involves lots of strafing and timed swings (swooping in and out, trying to get behind the enemy). Though its definitely not as refined as Demon's Souls.

[Don Flamenco]

Jeff said the game is awful.

that's to be expected.  He is never a fan of difficult and unforgiving games with old school mechanics.  

its crazy how the perception of the game as done a 180 here.

or anywhere, for that matter.  I never expect great things from From Software.

King's Field

that's one series that I've never tried or paid attention to.  

wait, Tenchu Wrath of Heaven was so-so.  of course, I played it before I became a hyper-opinionated gamer with obsessively specific tastes  :'(

[demi]

you never played KINGS FIELD? fuckin BASTARD. robbing yourself of good gaming. i should ban you. i am the voice of reason.

[Don Flamenco]

nobody talked about it before Demon's Souls came out...I didn't know it existed.   :'(

[Bebpo]

Played the first stage & boss today and it was AWESOME.  Random thoughts:

-The controls are soooooooooooo good.  This surprised me more than anything because when I think FROM SOFTWARE I think clunky and slow controls (Ie. Otogi).  You move and swing and roll faster and smoother than your average action game, which is weird for an rpg!  But very, very, very awesome.  I feel like I'm kicking ass.

-Love the experience system and way the structure of the game is setup.  I had heard it was evil, but I've never felt like any minute was wasted.  It's not like a normal game where you play an hour, die, and lose an hours progress.  You're always gaining stuff and you can stockpile souls into weapons or retreat and stat up.  It's more like DQ in that way of not losing anything.

-Love the traps.  Man it's been forever since I played a game with traps.  Especially cool when you turn them on the enemies.

-Love the physics.  Having the dead bodies twirl around and being able to smash almost everything is great!

-Secrets...

-I picked a Royal cause that's what everyone's recommending but it seems kind of...cheap?  I mean with MP regen you just stand back and shoot enemies with auto-aim before they even get near you.  I feel bad because I'm not even being forced to learn enemy patterns. 

-The online is great.  On the asian servers there still bloodspots left EVERYWHERE which is totally cool seeing people die and realizing you better fucking be careful at that area.  Same with the writing, although from what I hear the US version has better writing to warn you of stuff.  I see white ghosts everywhere...are those other players actually playing?  Or are they like recordings of players who have played there in the past?  I'm guessing the big difference between Asia server and US server is for co-op fighting and pvp; I don't think there are a ton of people on the Asia server, and if they are they are like EXPERT PLAYERS by now.  Is the coop awesome?  It would seem useful to have a 2nd person as you went through the stages.  But I dunno if it's worth double dipping just for that.

-One thing that's neat is how once you learn the stages they become much easier.  I could totally see myself running through the starting castle in a single quick run even if I had to restart on the US version.

-Finally fuck the tech graphic whores, this is one of the best looking games I've played this gen.  It's sooo smooth and responsive with huge areas that look EPIC and nice textures that From is known for.  It might not be a tech wonder, but the art direction and framerate really make this awe-inspiring to explore.

[Don Flamenco]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck  i went to pick up a temporary copy and all the stores around me are totally sold out.  wow.

[Smooth Groove]

Kranz, just play a superior game like Titan's Quest Gold instead.  You can still buy it for $5 at Direct2drive. 

[Van Cruncheon]

Kranz, just play a superior game like Titan's Quest Gold instead.  You can still buy it for $5 at Direct2drive. 

titan quest gold

[archie4208]

I loved King's Field when it first came out.  I wonder if it still holds up today.

[Smooth Groove]

Seriously, even with the Xbot goggles off, I don't see what all the fawning over Demon's Souls is about.  

There's nothing particularly innovative or spectacular about the gameplay.  Fundamentally, DS doesn't even play much differently from something like Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

And forget what Bebpo said about its mediocre graphics.  Bebpo's proven in the Bayonetta thread that he can't recognize bad graphics even when it's shoved up his weeaboo ass.  

[Stoney Mason]

Seriously, even with the Xbot goggles off, I don't see what all the fawning over Demon's Souls is about.  

There's nothing particularly innovative or spectacular about the gameplay.  Fundamentally, DS doesn't even play much differently from something like Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

And forget what Bebpo said about its mediocre graphics.  Bebpo's proven in the Bayonetta thread that he can't recognize bad graphics even when it's shoved up his weeaboo ass.  

Never played it so obviously if it was in my hands it could actually be a good game and I might change my mind but even if I turned down the volume on that quick look, it makes the game look pretty bad and lame. I couldn't imagine dicking around in that for hours unless the combat system gets a whole lot better than that.

But then I feel roughly the same way about Dead Rising. Never understood the hype on that one either outside of the great concept and theme which I thought were sort of ruined by poor execution and poor controls.

[Don Flamenco]

Kranz, just play a superior game like Titan's Quest Gold instead.  You can still buy it for $5 at Direct2drive. 

I loved the shit out of Titan Quest until my save got corrupted.  and now I don't own a PC anymore (though I'll probably get windows 7 and dual boot.)

[Smooth Groove]

Never played it so obviously if it was in my hands it could actually be a good game and I might change my mind but even if I turned down the volume on that quick look, it makes the game look pretty bad and lame. I couldn't imagine dicking around in that for hours unless the combat system gets a whole lot better than that.
 

I thought that the combat system was pretty smooth for a rpg but the environments are so dreary and dull that I can't imagine having fun going through each level several times.  

Kranz, just play a superior game like Titan's Quest Gold instead.  You can still buy it for $5 at Direct2drive. 

I loved the shit out of Titan Quest until my save got corrupted.  and now I don't own a PC anymore (though I'll probably get windows 7 and dual boot.)

Did you apply the fan patch for Titan Quest?  It fixes many of the bugs. 

I've been using Windows 7 for almost a month and so far, I think it's far superior to Vista.  Superficially, they might appear to be similar but Windows 7 is simply faster, more stable and more intuitive.  If you're gonna dual-boot, don't bother with Vista since almost all Vista programs will run on Windows 7.

Just go with XP and Win7.  If you aren't going to be playing any games older than 5 years, then don't even bother dual-booting with XP.  I still have XP but I've found no reason to use it at all. 

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Hey I was thinking of restarting a new Titan Quest campaign again, wanna play multiplayer?

[BlueTsunami]

Never played it so obviously if it was in my hands it could actually be a good game and I might change my mind but even if I turned down the volume on that quick look, it makes the game look pretty bad and lame. I couldn't imagine dicking around in that for hours unless the combat system gets a whole lot better than that.
 

I thought that the combat system was pretty smooth for a rpg but the environments are so dreary and dull that I can't imagine having fun going through each level several times.  

Supposedly your supposed to be able to open up shortcuts so the treks through each area isn't as long (once you progress deeper into them). About the environments they just get more dreary and oppressive.

[Van Cruncheon]

das ist correct

[Don Flamenco]

Never played it so obviously if it was in my hands it could actually be a good game and I might change my mind but even if I turned down the volume on that quick look, it makes the game look pretty bad and lame. I couldn't imagine dicking around in that for hours unless the combat system gets a whole lot better than that.
 

I thought that the combat system was pretty smooth for a rpg but the environments are so dreary and dull that I can't imagine having fun going through each level several times.  

Kranz, just play a superior game like Titan's Quest Gold instead.  You can still buy it for $5 at Direct2drive. 

I loved the shit out of Titan Quest until my save got corrupted.  and now I don't own a PC anymore (though I'll probably get windows 7 and dual boot.)

Did you apply the fan patch for Titan Quest?  It fixes many of the bugs. 

I've been using Windows 7 for almost a month and so far, I think it's far superior to Vista.  Superficially, they might appear to be similar but Windows 7 is simply faster, more stable and more intuitive.  If you're gonna dual-boot, don't bother with Vista since almost all Vista programs will run on Windows 7.

Just go with XP and Win7.  If you aren't going to be playing any games older than 5 years, then don't even bother dual-booting with XP.  I still have XP but I've found no reason to use it at all. 

I didn't apply the fan patch, I didn't even know it existed at the time.  I'm excited to check out windows 7 though I'm not sure how much gaming I'll get done with macbook specs: 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3, and 9400M Geforce.  might run TQ decently if I bottom out the settings.

[duckman2000]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck  i went to pick up a temporary copy and all the stores around me are totally sold out.  wow.

Some people (read: Sony tards) seem to think that it means incredible sales. Doesn't it seem more likely that it's an oddball title and therefore poorly stocked?

[Don Flamenco]

Atlus said it's a big shipment for them, so that's like...100,000 copies or something?  i don't know shit about sales-age...

[duckman2000]

Me neither, just didn't look like a title that stores would buy a ton of. But what the hell do I know.

[Don Flamenco]

my gamestop (in the middle of chicago) only got a handful of non-preorder copies, so I imagine it's low stock.  probably won't crack the npd.

[BlueTsunami]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck  i went to pick up a temporary copy and all the stores around me are totally sold out.  wow.

Some people (read: Sony tards) seem to think that it means incredible sales. Doesn't it seem more likely that it's an oddball title and therefore poorly stocked?

Definitely has to be small shipments. I'm happy that its selling through whatever they've sent though

[FatalT]

I'm pretty excited the game is doing so well too. Atlus titles usually never sell in my area and it seems to be sold out everywhere. I'm gonna farm some more souls tonight and pump my stats. Unnnggghhh!

[Bebpo]

How is royal not incredibly overpowered with its magic?  I did 1-1, 1-2, and 2-1 today and it's been a fairly easy ride.  I died about 6-8 times in 1-1 learning the game, twice in 1-2 on the boss, and once in 2-1 because of the DOGS which I have no strategy against right now when 2-3 rush me down.  Otherwise, just going through the levels 1 hit killing ever enemy from far with magic arrow has made it very doable.  It must be an entirely different game doing a physical run where you have to learn enemy patterns, dodge/parry them at risk to yourself, and then counter with hits that don't even kill in 1 hit.  :X

[BlueTsunami]

I've read the game starts to really nerf the effectiveness of Magic farther into the game. PREPARE YOURSELF, BEBPO.

[Bebpo]

BRING IT ON

/ps. what is a good strategy for dogs?  I can't block them and if I roll or something it doesn't work since there are several and they are fast and hit me when I'm getting up.  They're also fast so by the time I shoot/hit one the other two are stabbing me. 

[iconoclast]

I'm playing a melee character so it's a bit different for me, but I lure them out with the bow. On 2-1, you can see a single one waiting in the distance near the start of the stage. You can pull him by himself. Then the other two dogs will spawn, and you might be able to pull them out one at a time. You definitely can with a Thief's Ring (reduces aggro distance).

Anyway, already a good way into my New Game+. I wish I knew that Demon Souls were unique (meaning you can only hold one each), as I had several left over from my previous run. I already wasted the Tower Knight's soul...

Oh well, just gonna try to take Flamewalker out ASAP. I just finished 2-1, and right at the start of 2-2 I saw a crystal lizard, so I went to kill him for his fat lewt. Then, as luck would have it, a phantom invaded as I was shooting him. One good whack with my Meat Cleaver took him down to 40-45%, and then he dodged right into one of those exploding mine carts and got killed. That'll make him lose a soul point, right? 

[Akala]

I love Titan's Quest, and it sucks compared to this.

[cool breeze]

The first King's Field combat is a bit archaic. If you ever played Dagger Fall, its like that but there's no dice rolling involved (if you hit the monster, you'll cause damage). I believe weapons and armor end up being the biggest upgrades over enemies instead of stats.

The combat involves lots of strafing and timed swings (swooping in and out, trying to get behind the enemy). Though its definitely not as refined as Demon's Souls.

I might load it up on my PSP and try it.  I don't have a problem with old crappy PS1 graphics.

and geez, are some of you people really trying to judge the game based on the video?

[Jansen]

About the environments they just get more dreary and oppressive.

and that's part of what makes this game so awesome.

the sense of dread and the constant fear of dying make for a really intense experience.

on 5-1 i was constantly terrified that i'd fall into the canyon and once i finished the level i felt so relieved and victorious.

games rarely have that effect on me these days and it's great when one is designed so well that it gives you a real sense of accomplishment.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Holy shit I want this game so bad. Why is it exclusive? 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

It's under RROD warranty. Mr. Gates takes good care of me.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I've been recently considering letting him feed me his slim.

[Third]

Is that giantbomb guy distinguished mentally-challenged? He can't play for shit.

[iconoclast]

Just beat Flamelurker in the New Game+... Damn, he was brutal. If I had a decent sword he probably would have been easier, but he raped me and my Meat Cleaver more times than I care to remember  . Wound up using most of my Late Moon Grass as well. At least the soul payout is good (90k)!

[Don Flamenco]

can't wait to start this tonight when my folks bring by my deluxe edition. 

it doesn't actually look all that hard in the videos.  It seems like if you go slowly through dungeons and wait for the enemies to go into recovery animations before you attack, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary damage.

[Third]

can't wait to start this tonight when my folks bring by my deluxe edition. 

it doesn't actually look all that hard in the videos.  It seems like if you go slowly through dungeons and wait for the enemies to go into recovery animations before you attack, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary damage.

Yeah, you'll eventually learn the enemy attack patters. The first level and its boss (1-1) is pretty easy, haven't died once there.
But other levels can become pretty hard. Even if you know how the enemies attack. They still somehow manage to fuck you up.

I would advice everyone to equip the Thief ring ALL THE TIME. Can be found in lvl 1-1. Without the ring enemies see you from far away and they will hunt you down until you're dead. With the thief ring you can run away and enemies won't hunt your ass down. And enemies won't see you immediately with the thief ring equipped.

[Don Flamenco]

cool, i'll be sure to get that. 

anyone have impressions of the strat guide that comes with the DE?  is it a double jump guide?

[Akala]

Guide has some useful info, but could be better. Not really sure it's worth the extra
money.

[Bebpo]

3-1 was annoying.  Took me like 4 hours :\
Plus when I met the black phantom at the end I thought it was a player and not an NPC with AI patterns so I got owned and assumed the player stole my souls so I didn't even go look for them and then I died against the phantom again and lost 10k souls >_<  Then I got to the boss and realized I had left all my healing items at the nexus before I went to 3-1 and the enemies had only given me MP recover items.  So yeah, with no healing items the boss was >_<

At least it's done now.  On to 4-1, and 5-1 next!  Soul level is 29 now.  Been pumping most of my stats into magic and HP/DEF.  My magic is at 20.  End/Vit around 15.

[Bebpo]

I hate this game.  I'm supposed to be working and all I can think about is "welllll I could do the work later and PLAY SOME DEMON SOULS NOW"