Dark Souls - Xbox 360

Yep, the title of this review makes absolutely no sense right? Well that's where the beauty of Dark Souls comes in. My first introduction to this "series" was picking up Demon Souls for PS3 when it first came out. There was very little hype behind that game, and I was a bit scared reading reviews of how hard the game was, and it was just that. But wow, the feeling you get from beating those hard levels is indescribable, and this game is no different. To start the review, let me list off a couple facts about Dark Souls:- Souls are a form of currency, and are used to purchase things and level up- Estus Flasks recover HP, and you start off with 5- Bonfires are where you save your game, heal, and restore estus flasks- Humanity is an indication of your human form, when you die, you lose humanity and turn Hollow- Hollowing prevents you from Kindling a bonfire- Weapons, Armor, and Accesories all contribute towards your equipment load, and can hinder your movement speed- Bonfires can be "Kindled" meaning they now can give you more Estus Flasks (10 during a standard Kindling). This can only happen with an extra humanity point, and only when you are not hollow- Bosses drop special souls, that can be either "used" to gain many soul points, or, saved and used to create special weapons- When in human form, you can summon other players into your game, or, be summoned into other games to help out- You cannot 'pause' the game, if you need to walk away, make sure there are no enemies around, or, sit at a bonfireDark Souls is really like no other RPG. First, you are in complete control of character development, all of which is done through the gathering of Souls. Souls, which also act as the currency in the game, are obtained through battles with enemies, but also can be found in random locations, or on dead bodies of fallen soldiers (where you get 'Soul[s] of a Brave Warrior', 'Soul[s] of a Hero', etc). Once you obtain enough souls, it isn't as simple as pausing the game and clicking level up (a la Skyrim), instead, you must make your way to your save spot, known as a bonfire, to rest and level up.There is one caveat to that though, and is one of the most frustrating parts of the game, and that is if you die you lose all of your souls that you have in your possession (souls that had not been used to level up or purchase something). You are then sent back to your last bonfire and must make your way back through the area you are currently in. Now, the good thing is that you can get your lost souls back by making your way through and reaching the spot where you died last, but, die again before you get to your souls and they are gone forever!Already you are starting to see where the game has some "gotchas" and ways that it can really get you frustrated! But this is the beauty of Dark Souls, and that is that no matter how many times you die, and how many times you need to retry an area, the sense of accomplishment is like no other. You will soon find yourself putting 50-60-70 hours into the game and not realizing that much time has flied by as you are absolutely consumed.Now one thing that you will notice about the game is that there really is no in depth story, actually some will even argue that there is no story at all, but the beauty of the game is that as you play, you seem to forget about that, and almost not even care. The game is rather addictive, which is something you do not really hear when discussing difficult games.Tips:- Honestly don't give up. There are some areas where are just damn near impossible to beat, and that is done on purpose. This isn't a game that you can just sit down and beat in a week, so please understand this before making the purchase. There are some areas that will require you to go out and grind and grind and grind until your character is developed enough to withstand the obstacles ahead.- Use summons to your advantage! Dont be afraid to put a summon sign down and go into someone elses game and/or summon someone into your game. It can be a big help as you now have a partner to help you gain some souls and defeat an area you are stuck in.- Don't go using Boss souls right away! You can use these souls to create powerful weapons and armor, and before you use them to gain souls, you should check to see what you can make and if you are interested in the item- Take your time! Dont just rush into the darkness, take your time, examine the area and always plan a way out just in case you encounter something that you are too weak to defeat.- On the verge of giving up? Check out youtube for some great tutorials on how to clear certain areas. Watching these videos will give you some pointers on how to advance through the area, or show you that your character isn't fully developed yet.Note:I really hope that my review helped open your eyes to this game, and hopefully you will give it a chance. If you found this review useful, please mark it as such! If you find some discrepancies in my review, leave a comment and I will fix it right away. Thanks, and enjoy the game!Edit ( 2/13 ) : I realized i didn't really make note of any CONs, so let me just list a few that I came across:1. The game tends to lag at times. This is usually due to all of the stuff going on in the screen at once. For example, if you have a big group of enemies that you are hack and slashing, and some start dying off, the game lags as it tries to create the animation of the death of the enemies. Although it hasn't caused a huge problem or affected my gameplay much, it is something to note.2. If you are playing the game, and something happens to your Live connection, the game will exit to the main menu. No big deal because when you load you game it will put you right were you left off, except if you are fighting a boss! I was fighting Seth the Scaleless and was halfway through the battle. Started off with 15 flasks, and was kicking some serious butt. He was at half health, and I had 8 flasks left. Suddenly I see the "Disconnected From Xbox Live" pop up in the corner of the screen. The game goes black, and a message comes up saying that the game is returning to main menu. I crossed my fingers hoping that it would put me back right in the middle of battle to where I left off...... nope .... put me right at the "white light" before the battle, with only 8 flasks. I entered the battle, and he had full health! ... not fun :(3. Falling death glitches. This one has bugged me out so much! There are times in the game when you will be fighting and the enemy has a strong attack that launches you back, notably the skeletons at the Firelink Shrine. I got hit hard once and my character got launched back into some gravestones that you wouldn't normally be able to walk through. I tried jumping out but couldn't clear some of the stones. Next thing I know I fall through the ground and die. This also happened to me in the Lost Izalith where i got stuck behind some branches of the trees that are in the lava. After struggling to get loose, i eventually was able to jump out of being stuck. For some reason though, when i jumped out and landed in the lava (no big deal because i had a certain ring equipped), it instantly killed me (i had full health).

I really had no expectations when I picked this game up. I never played Demon Souls and I read very little about the game. I read EVERYWHERE that this game is incredibly difficult - like punch the wall, throw your controller, kick your dog difficult - and those reviews are pretty accurate up to a point. This game punishes you for approaching it like every other game. Think you'll just run in and overwhelm your opponent with a flurry of attacks - probably not. See that edge that you think is passable - no guarantees. Think you're strong enough for the area boss the first time you get there - it's possible, but unless you're taking your time or reading a guide or both, it's not very likely.But, for me, that's one of the best things about this game. You have to forget about all the other games you've played and approach this with an open mind. Maybe you won't like it after you do, I totally get that. But, you might be like me and find it a really rewarding experience.Here is what I love about Dark Souls:Customization - Sure, no matter what you do in the initial stages your character will spend most of the game looking like a piece of old, chewed beef jerky...but unless you're running around with no gear on, you won't really notice. And that's where the customization really shines. Is there a substantial difference between sets of heavy armor? Not unless you have very specific pieces in mind. So what does that mean? It means you aren't pigeon holed into wearing the Uber Armor Set dropped by the second to last boss just because you'll never beat the game without it. Say you really loved that starting set, cool. If you spend the time to upgrade it, it will probably be sufficient to get you through the game (building in caveats for taking your time to figure out the best way through fights and so on). The same goes for weapons. Are there a handful of weapons that most of the community agrees are top-tier? Yes, of course. Do you have to use these to beat the game? No, plain and simple. Do you want to wear a motley mash-up of different armors so that your character looks like your bottomless box exploded? Go for it. If you like to feel like you can do exactly what you want in terms of gear without being penalized by the game, then Dark Souls delivers.Beauty/Atmosphere - Hands down the environments in Dark Souls are some of the coolest I have seen in a long time. Are there better looking games? Duh. But does every area in Dark Souls amaze you with scale, detail, and atmosphere? You better believe it.Jolly Co-Op - Just having this option makes me like Dark Souls more than most games I have played in the last year. I don't play online very often, because I am really just as happy as a clam with single player, but the few times that I have had someone assist on a boss or fought another player PvP I have been totally stoked. There is something really cool about the way most of the community handles itself. Whether it's dedicated co-op players helping with the games difficult areas and bosses, or dedicated PvPers wreaking havoc in other areas, there is something very unique and gratifying about this multiplayer experience (especially since 1.05).Freedom - I've been playing this game for a few weeks and I still haven't finished the story for the first time. I am enjoying exploring the world, finding items, upgrading the gear I like, and playing co-op/PvP. Is the story terrible? Is that why I'm avoiding it? No, the story is fine. This isn't like many other games with the story laid out in crystal clear monologues or 10 minute cut-scenes. Instead you have to piece things together as you progress and find new items, new NPCs, etc. Is that likely to bother some people? Probably, I get that. But maybe you don't really care about how likely the story is to be made into a best-selling novel. Maybe you just want to play an open-ended game with tons of potential for customization, RPing, etc. If that sounds like your speed, then Dark Souls is worth checking out.Yeah, so this is really long. Most people seem to love or hate Dark Sous with very few in the middle. I know I'm a quirky gamer and I don't think my experience is typical. You'll notice that I didn't think difficulty, mechanics, etc. were worth mentioning in my review. That's because I find everything about the game at least tolerable. When you add it all up, there isn't anything that bothers me or distracts from my enjoyment. Did I have to change my expectations the first time I lost 30k souls and didn't make it back to retrieve them? Yes I did. Does that stuff bother me now when I decide to carelessly walk back into *that* room? No, that's my fault.TL;DR: if you're willing to try a game that defies expectations, challenges you to play something totally unique, and has (arguably/potentially) a very steep learning curve, then Dark Souls is worth an initial look.