Discount Dark Souls - Xbox 360

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I own both a PS3 and an Xbox 360 and my personal favorite type of game to play are RPGs, so when Demon's Souls Greatest Hits generated huge buzz upon it's release in 2009, I had to try it. Man, I'm glad I did because the game quickly became one of my all-time favorites. So, when the (sort of) sequel Dark Souls was announced, I knew I had to get it as well. Now, I went with the Xbox 360 version simply because I wanted the achievements for my Xbox gamer score, plus I just prefer Xbox Live over the PS3 Network. Both are great, but I just prefer the Xbox slightly. Now, on to the review...

This game, if given a chance, will consume you. You'll think about it constantly, think of ways to get better and will count the hours until you can play it again. Yes, it's difficult in the beginning. Most RPGs are, but this takes it to ridiculous levels of frustration at times. With that said, if you stick with it and level up I actual think it gets easier. However, some players may think it's too difficult, which is understandable. Everyone's tastes are different and if dying repeatedly and losing valuable souls forever that took you hours to accumulate doesn't sound like fun to you, then don't buy this game. I urge anyone on the fence about this one to rent it first. This is a unique gaming experience and it definitely wont appeal to everyone. I like it because I don't like to lose and when this game crushes my character with ease, I become all the more determined to pick up the controller and try again and achieve victory, because when you finally do, there's no better gaming experience!

Is there are story? Not really. Is it all just difficult combat? For the most part. Then what makes this game so special? The experience, it's the ride man. It's all about starting out with a weak character in the beginning that gets squashed by just about every enemy it comes in contact with, but ending with a powerful character than can take out just about anyone with ease! That's what isn't being said enough about this game in my opinion. Everyone is focusing on how weak you are in the beginning, but trust me, you have the potential to become God like in this! The maximum level you can reach is level 792 (for the record, it will cost you 11,938,030 souls to reach level 792), but just reaching level 100 makes you incredibly powerful. There are an array of amazing weapons you can master that at first are so heavy that you'll literally swing them in slow motion, but once strong enough you can swing them with ease. There are rings like "The Evil Eye" ring (gives you HP from fallen opponents) that give you an advantage over any foe. There's armor like the "Armor of Thorns" you can earn that covers you in spikes so that when you roll into enemies you'll deal out damage to them! You can take ordinary weapons and enchant them with special powers and abilities. I could go on, but simply put this is an RPG and gaming experience you'll never forget... and I haven't even mentioned the online capabilities! In online mode, you can enter other player's games and help them fight demons and be a heroic figure or you can be evil and invade other player's games with the intent to assassinate them and rob them of their items and souls. If you do this, your name can be entered into an online book that will allow others to hunt you down and assassinate you in order to avenge the player you killed. Plus, you can leave messages for other players regarding key moments of the game that either help... or hurt them. It's a fascinating world and experience that I strongly urge everyone to at least try. Don't let all the talk about difficulty keep you away. Yes, it's tough, but it's not impossible or nearly as bad as people make it out to be (in my opinion) in other reviews. I defeated Maser Ninja mode on Ninja Gaiden II and that was a million times more difficult than this. The worst thing that can happen to you in this game is that when you die the first time, you leave a blood stain on the ground in the exact spot where you were killed and however many souls you had on you at the time are now in that blood stain. So, you restart at your last bonfire checkpoint with zero souls. If you want those souls back, you'll have to fight your way back to where your blood stain is located and touch it. This is easier said than done because all the enemies in that location that you previously killed have respawned, so you have to kill everyone again in order to get them back. And if you die again on your way to that blood stain... you can kiss those souls goodbye for good. The most souls I ever lost was in Demon's Souls, I once lost over 150,000. It was a real spirit breaker to say the least! The most I've lost playing this game is a little over 1,500. Souls are important because they're like money in the game. The more you have, the more you can level up, upgrade weapons, buy items, etc.. So, if you can deal with that potential loss, than you can handle this game.

Now, I want to give people that are new to this series some tips in playing this game, if you don't want any spoilers, than stop reading now, but if you want some valuable advice that will save you some potential mistakes early on, then please read...

Tip #1 I've read a lot online on Dark Souls forums that people are attacking and killing the first merchant they come across in the game, don't do this! It's kind of easy to do, because he looks like one of your enemies, but don't harm him! He sells some very important and valuable items that are critical to your survival early on in the game. He's located in the Undead Burg, which I highly recommend you start your game in. After the crow cut scene at the end of the tutorial, the crow drops you off at the Firelink Shrine. The path to the Undead Burg is located up a long hill and the entrance is guarded by some undead soldiers, one of which is constantly tossing firebombs at you. Defeat these guys and head inside the tunnel with the undead rat. Kill him, walk down the tunnel and out onto the steps and your at the Undead Burg. You'll find the area to the merchant guarded by two lone undead soldiers both holding spears and shields. They're easy to spot because they're both standing far out on a landing by themselves. Defeat them and then destroy the wooden crates that's guarding the lower level entrance to the merchant. Kill the lone soldier in this room (he's hiding behind furniture... sometimes) and then head into the outdoor room. The undead merchant is sitting on the ground, just talk to him to start buying from him. He has a pretty good bow (don't bother using crossbows, you can't really aim them) and has a large selection of arrows too. Also, he sells firebombs which are very important. Stock up on these to easily kill the large knights you'll find scattered thru out the game (target them, toss a firebomb, back up, repeat... easy). All of the knights have a low level tolerance to fire, so burn them up!

Tip #2 Never consume special souls! I've also read online where people have consumed the first Fire Keeper Soul they come across, which is early in the game. Don't do it! Instead, head back to the Firelink Shrine bonfire, head down the path next to the man who is sitting close to the bonfire and give the soul to Anastacia of Astora (she's the mute woman in the cell). She will upgrade your Estus Flask to +1. She will also upgrade the flask every time you send here a Fire Keeper Soul, so save them. By upgrading your Flask, each drink will give you more health. All of the unique souls you find in the game can be used to perform an upgrade or can be traded for something really cool, so never consume them. The only souls you should ever consume are the ones you find from dead humans in the game, and those should never be consumed until you're at a bonfire and ready to level up. For example, if you consume a hero's soul as soon as you find it, die and then fail to get your souls back from your blood stain, it's gone for good! So wait to consume them at bonfires only.

Tip #3 Once you reach the blacksmith in the Undead Parish start upgrading your favorite weapon immediately! You can upgrade most weapons to level +5 using souls and titanite shards. Don't worry, if you haven't got any enemies to drop any titanite shards yet, the blacksmith sells them, and pretty cheap too. Do this asap! It will allow you to kill enemies way quicker than if you kept using standard weapons. To increase weapons past +5, or enchant them, it'll take more powerful stones and items that you'll find later in the game, but if you play Undead and Undead Parish in that order, you can easily reach the blacksmith and can start making +5 weapons. I would also upgrade my armor to as high as it will let you at this part in the game.

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I found out about Dark Souls through one of my close friends who is an absolute Demon's Souls fiend. After reading all the previews and checking out the game play footage, I decided to buy this game and give it a try (and yes, I knew about the difficulty going in).

After spending about 10 hours on the game, I eventually decided to trade it in. Contrary to what most people are probably thinking (and before any of you Dark Souls fan boys start bashing me), I didn't trade it in because of the insane difficulty. I traded it in because I am a new father and after playing the game for about 10 hours, I knew I would not have the necessary time and effort needed to complete this epic game. If you are a dedicated gamer like my friend, I salute you. There were plenty of moments in this game that left me with a terrific sense of accomplishment after completing a certain area or defeating a certain boss (asylum demon, gargoyles, taurus demon, etc.), but in the end, this game just wasn't for me.

One word of advice to anyone who is considering purchasing this game and has not done any research on it... DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy this game if you are susceptible to gamer rage, or if you are prone to getting frustrated very easily. This is not the type of game you buy if you want to relax and take your stress away.

PROS

* The level of character customization is ridiculous. There are plenty of classes to choose from and plenty of weapons, armors, spells, rings, etc. to equip on your character throughout the game.

* The unique multi-player experience is second to none. The ability to read messages left by other players helps tremendously, not to mention the fact that you can summon another player to help you defeat a difficult boss.

* The world of Dark Souls is HUGE. There are a ton of areas to explore in this game. The graphics were superb in my opinion. The enemies looked great. And the music was tension-filled during boss battles.

* You really get a sense of accomplishment when you complete a certain area that you've been playing for a while, or you finally defeat a boss that has been giving you problems.

CON

* I would've given Dark Souls 5 stars if not for the fact that you lose all your souls if you die before reaching a bonfire. Yes, you can reclaim your lost souls if you make it back to the place where you died, but you only get one shot at it and the repetition of having to play the same area over and over again just kills it for me after a while. I just felt like it was a layer of difficulty that wasn't needed and doesn't add much to the overall experience of the game. I can deal with the challenging gameplay, the inability to pause the game, the limited number of bonfires, the dying after getting hit 2-3 times, etc. But I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to play an hour or two, collect thousands of souls, then lose it before reaching a save point. This is where "not having the necessary time and effort" comes into play.

So overall, would I recommend Dark Souls to someone? If they have patience, dedication, and are not prone to frustration, then hell yes I would recommend it. But if they are just looking to relax and get away from their everyday lives, then I would steer clear of this game.

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Dark Souls is an extremely demanding action RPG that requires a lot of practice and patience to progress. It's brilliant in many ways, it looks great, the combat is fast and responsive, and it will have huge appeal for hard-core gamers. I salute those of you who have the moxie and determination to master this game, but I'm afraid I don't.

After spending nearly eight hours on the first boss in Undead Burg, after doing the research, after grinding for levels and gear, I still can't manage it. I've come close twice (after nearly 20 attempts), but this game is just beyond my skill level. I'm a little older and have never been great at twitch games, so the blame is mostly mine. Just be aware of what kind of gamer you are and what you want out of a game before you harrow your soul with this game. You may end up weeping on the floor trying to unclench your dead fist from the controller. Good luck!

Honest reviews on Dark Souls - Xbox 360

Dark Souls is a surprisingly fantastic game that is absolutely not for everyone. Some people are saying that this is a game that is even better than Skyrim will be, and some are saying that is is a terrible game. I believe that it is neither. Or both.

I was not inclined to like Dark Souls, and only picked it up on the insistence of a friend. I had heard about Demon Soul's brutal difficulty level and did not feel like starting a game that had the goal of killing the player over and over again. So against my better judgement I started playing Dark Souls. To my complete and utter shock, I was swept away into a dreary world of death, despair, and hope that produced in me a feeling that I haven't felt since I was a little child playing the original Zeldas for the first time.

Dark Souls's environment is completely awe-inspiring and pulls the player in. The storyline is utterly weak, and all of the enemies are unexplained and largely unknown quantities. However, instead of feeling like a confusing mess as one might expect, instead it produces a sense of wonder. The player doesn't know what fantastic creature is waiting around the corner (and there are brutally challenging enemies around literally every corner). For instance, after pillaging a key from a giant spellcasting butterfly I went into a dark tower where I was confronted by a short little creature with a giant hammer. I was intrigued and ran up to him, and was promptly squished flat in one blow. After about the seventh time of trying to beat him I finally did, and went into a lushly dark and moody forest, where I was promptly slaughtered by a hydra shooting bolts of death at me.

Death is the ranch dressing that Dark Souls pours liberally on this salad of nostalgic wonder. I considered myself a decent game up to this point, but almost every new enemy manages to kill me at some point. It is not possible to die. You WILL die TONS playing this game. But through that death comes perseverance and hope. I thought that I would get super frustrated at the game and that my controller would end up through my TV, but I haven't felt like that. Every death just challenges me to do better. None of the fights seem cheap, just strategic. And you aren't alone on this journey of death and exploration.

The online integration is possibly the most thoughtful and effective that I've ever seen in a game. Players can leave messages for one another either helping or hurting their fellow players (NEVER follow the suggestions to jump off a cliff ;)), and players can be summoned into other worlds to help their fellow players with boss fights. But no meaningful communication is established (no use of mics), and all too soon the player is left to fight alone. But knowing that you are in a community of people who are experiencing the same joys and frustrations at you somehow adds so much more to the mood that the game sets.

I could go on for a long time about what this game means to me in terms of the nostalgic feeling that I used to get as a kid playing games that I've never been able to recapture until now, but suffice it to say that Dark Souls accomplishes everything that it wants to in this game. That being said, what it wants to accomplish will simply not please everyone.

This isn't a game for 'only pro gamers' to prove how great they are. This isn't a game for casual gamers just looking for a fun afternoon. This is a game selling an experience, not bragging rights (although they may come). This is not necessarily 'relaxing' to play, nor is it emotionally taxing. Rather, it is a complete escape into an undefined world that is what you want it to be. You will be beaten bloody and made to come back for more, but in the process you will start to overcome the challenges that killed you before and start to master the death that rules over the whole game. If you don't think you want a game this frustrating and (at times) unfulfilling, then this isn't for you. But I do recommend it to gamers who want to see what the gaming genre is capable of producing. This isn't a masterfully written epic, or a revolutionary system, but it is what games are meant to be, and as such can be extremely satisfying at times. Then you die again and have to take a break before you get too frustrated :)

Overall:

PROS:

Graphics are great, detail is stunning

Sound effects are very well done

The mood that the game creates is intoxicating and addictive

CONS:

Music is at times underwhelming

Game difficulty is brutally difficult and death is assured

This game is not for everyone. But it is for some people. If you're on the fence, I recommend borrowing it or renting it for a bit before committing to the purchase, just to see if it's for you. Hope this helps you make a decision.

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I'm 39. That's not really that old (right?) but it does put me in that group of gamers who still have clear memories of the 2600 and the NES era of gaming.

My first console was the NES when I was about 12 years old. I remember every day coming home from school, running upstairs and sitting down with Metroid, Castlevania, Metal Gear and Rygar. I spent hours, days and weeks on those games and I was pretty much consumed by them and fully immersed in their worlds.

Rygar, in particular, holds a special place in my gaming memory because not only was that game hard as hell and confusing to even know where to go (remember those top-down map sections with the caves?) but also because I was so determined to beat that game.

Anyway, one night when I was playing Rygar my family all wanted to go out to dinner to some Greek restaurant in Boston. I had no interest in spending an hour in the car to eat olives and feta because I was very near the end of the game. But off to Boston I went and so I hit pause, and left the NES on so that I wouldn't lose all my progress.

The whole night all I could think about was "Is my NES going to be alright being on for hours?" and "I bet if I do X, I can climb that tower and get to that boss".

Such are the thoughts of a 12 year old who has little else in life to worry about.

Those were great days to be a gamer and I'm sure little has changed for 12 year old kids today either (except they can at least save their games now lucky bastards). Games could consume you at that age and the worst consequence you had to face for it was missing a homework assignment every so often.

Needless to say I have always been a gamer but have missed that feeling of being so passionate about a game.

As the years went on (and the systems got better), I never really got that same rush as I did when I was 12 and was struggling to beat Rygar or find my way through Metroid or get all the way through Castlevania. Sure some great games have come along that really captivated me Okami, Half Life 2, NHL 94, Final Fantasy 9, the Mass Effect series and Silent Hill 2 but I just assumed that as I was getting older the window for me to ever have that pure youthful gaming experience had long since past and that the best I could hope for was to just really enjoy a game.

But I was wrong.

Dark Souls has reinvigorated me.

I am 12 again.

A lot of it has to do with the difficulty of the game. So often I'm reminded of sitting on my bedroom floor as a kid and punching the side of my bed or swearing at my tv when I got killed in a game only to pick up the controller again and try once more.

But that's not the only reason.

There is something special about this game. I've spent a lot of time trying to put my finger on exactly what it is about Dark Souls that has really captivated me and what I've come to realize is that Dark Souls is a true video Game (capital "G").

Lemme explain that better.

Dark Souls is pure gameplay. Like Rygar and Metroid you have to do things in a very specific order, memorize every enemy pattern in every level, perform each maneuver perfectly every time, know how to use all your abilities and, of course, just keep at it.

I miss that about games. Not that all games need to be like that, mind you, but there is just something so rewarding about doing something well and doing it right and making progress to the next section. Every parry and backstab have to be dine just right, every step down into the Hollow has to be just right or you fall to your death, every boss fight has to be taken on in a full state of gaming zen.

I'm so often reminded of my NES while playing Dark Souls those games were incredibly difficult (either because they were designed that way or because they were poorly made) but they were also so much fun to 12 year old me. Beating those old games was an accomplishment like surviving a digital obstacle course in the boot camp of a gaming academy.

And so here I am 24 years later feeling like a kid again. I'm back to swearing at my tv (a much nicer one these days than what I had back then) and I even occasionally feel the need to slam my fists in the couch cushions to vent all that pent up game rage.

In fact if someone was taping me, they'd probably think I was having a terrible time with this game but they'd be wrong. The torture is amazing and I want more of it.

So to sum up, Dark Souls for me is the first pure video game I have played since I was a kid and I feel like a kid again. I'm not as good at gaming as 12 year old me but I'm savoring this experience because I never want it to end.

I want to be 12 again for as long as possible until I have to go back to being an adult once more.

I know the game has only been out a year but it's officially on my best of all time list right after Rygar which, by the way, I beat that very same night when I go back from the Greek restaurant. Though the NES had been left on for hours, it was fine.

If I had known then that nearly a quarter of a century would pass before I'd ever feel this way about gaming again I'd have never turned the NES off.

(I originally wrote this not long after the game came out and posted it on reddit (I can verify that if need be). This is my updated and edited version to reflect picking the game up again since the excellent DLC came out.)