Take a Walk Through the Hellish World of Dark Souls

[Tom Goldman]

Take a Walk Through the Hellish World of Dark Souls

The first trailer and screens for Demon's Souls spiritual sequel Dark Souls are just as terrifying as they should be.

I really didn't think Demon's Souls [http://www.amazon.com/Demons-Souls-Greatest-Hits-Playstation-3/dp/B002AB7TX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296682209&sr=8-1] could get any scarier. After taking a first look at From Software's spiritual sequel Dark Souls and its grotesque inhabitants, I realize that I was sorely mistaken.

Namco Bandai, taking over as publisher on Dark Souls, recently released the game's first real trailer and a set of screens and that show off what we'll have to face in the dark fantasy RPG. It isn't pretty.

[gallery=114]

Dark Souls' environments look similar to Demon's Souls, but they're shinier. The world is filled with giant crows, huge rats made of fire, and armored rhinos that fling you around like a rag doll. Apparently, these will be the least of Dark Souls players' worries.

The trailer shows what look like bosses that include an angry winged lizardman, strange insect beasts, and dragons. Then there's the creature that wears human skulls with an E.T. [http://www.amazon.com/T-Extra-Terrestrial-Widescreen-Henry-Thomas/dp/B000A2IPP0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1296682684&sr=1-1] hand that holds floating fire. Anything that holds floating fire is not something I care to hang out with, especially when it uses human bones as a fashion statement.


We also get a look at the new co-op system, said to be more robust than that seen in Demon's Souls, which brings other characters into your game as white phantoms. It'll be nice to have friends along to help deal with these horrors.

More details on Dark Souls can be found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107434-First-Details-Emerge-for-Demons-Souls-Follow-Up]. Not to buy into the hype or anything, but the game is already looking sick.

Dark Souls is scheduled for a worldwide release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the holiday season of 2011.

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/first-dark-souls-trailer-and-screens-are-appropriately-dark/]

Permalink

 

[Thedarkness77]

looks great. I loved Demon soul's but i do hope they add difficulty options to this game.

 

[hazabaza1]

and Xbox 360

Oh
God
Yes

That's a new thing to add to my "Want" list over the holidays!

 

[ShadowsofHope]

Dark Souls is scheduled for a worldwide release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the holiday season of 2011.

.. At least I can actually fucking play this one! Demons Souls is exclusive PS3, so my luck for that is dead in the water.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Looking forward to it. I really wanted to play Demon's Souls, but had no PS3. Glad this is coming out on the 360.

 

[Korten12]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! As a person who played Demon's Souls a crap ton, I can't wait for this!

 

[Korten12]

looks great. I loved Demon soul's but i do hope they add difficulty options to this game.

No! For the love of god! I really hope they don't that would ruin it! luckily they already mentioned it will be just as hard as DS.

 

[Suskie]

Funny thing is, if you haven't played Demon's Souls, you could probably look at those screenshots and wonder what's supposed to be so scary about them. Me? I'm terrified.

 

[Mstrswrd]

I might just have to go beat Demon's Souls another 3 times (bringing me up to New Game +++++++++) because ff this announcement and how excited I am.

What? I really liked Demon's Souls.

 

[Suskie]

looks great. I loved Demon soul's but i do hope they add difficulty options to this game.

No! For the love of god! I really hope they don't that would ruin it! luckily they already mentioned it will be just as hard as DS.

How would that ruin it? No one would stop you from playing it on a higher difficulty.

I didn't mind the difficulty in Demon's Souls in and of itself, but honestly, the game felt unbelievably cheap at times. I hope they keep the core combat but ease off on all of that flaming-death-from-above, cannonball-rolling-down-the-stairs stuff that's impossible to be ready for.

 

[Spawny0908]

*reads article*

...I think I just jizzed my pants...and I'm female!

 

[Korten12]

looks great. I loved Demon soul's but i do hope they add difficulty options to this game.

No! For the love of god! I really hope they don't that would ruin it! luckily they already mentioned it will be just as hard as DS.

How would that ruin it? No one would stop you from playing it on a higher difficulty.

I didn't mind the difficulty in Demon's Souls in and of itself, but honestly, the game felt unbelievably cheap at times. I hope they keep the core combat but ease off on all of that flaming-death-from-above, cannonball-rolling-down-the-stairs stuff that's impossible to be ready for.

No the game wasn't cheap it was really fair. Nothing, in the game was cheap.

Also reason why the difficulty would ruin the game is because New Game + wouldn't work. The seamless Co-op wouldn't make sense and would be wierd. Sure if the game had a structured co-op but the game has a co-op where at any time you can jump into or invades someone elses game.

Also difficulty choices would ruin the sense of accomplishment. like I said to another person on the forums. Demon's Souls wouldn't be considered a hard game if it had a difficult settings that were hard. It would just be considered a game with a hard mode.

 

[Suskie]

No the game wasn't cheap it was really fair. Nothing, in the game was cheap.

Also reason why the difficulty would ruin the game is because New Game + wouldn't work. The seamless Co-op wouldn't make sense and would be wierd. Sure if the game had a structured co-op but the game has a co-op where at any time you can jump into or invades someone elses game.

Also difficulty choices would ruin the sense of accomplishment. like I said to another person on the forums. Demon's Souls wouldn't be considered a hard game if it had a difficult settings that were hard. It would just be considered a game with a hard mode.

Why not keep the default difficulty the way it is but throw in an easier mode? Or do you ONLY want people to see the end if they can put up with the default difficulty? I guess I can respect that.

And I realize I'm in the minority with this one, but Demon's Souls was about a thousand varieties of unfair. Not letting me pause the game, forcing me to come to a standstill every time I want to use a healing item, placing one-hit-kill deathtraps that it's impossible to be realistically ready for, that sort of thing. And all of this would be more acceptable if you didn't risk losing SO MUCH progress every time you died. Like I said, I loved the combat in and of itself and most of the day-to-day enemies were a lot of fun to fight, but I seem to be in the small group of people who believe it's possible for a game to be TOO frustrating.

That said, I still oddly want to play Dark Souls, so the first game must've done something right.

 

[Wolfram23]

omg omg omg oMG OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

*passes out*

*wakes up*

oh... my god...

Seriously tho. CAN'T WAIT!

EDIT:

*reads article*

...I think I just jizzed my pants...and I'm female!

WOW! You know, I've always wanted to meet a girl that could do that! lol

 

[Korten12]

No the game wasn't cheap it was really fair. Nothing, in the game was cheap.

Also reason why the difficulty would ruin the game is because New Game + wouldn't work. The seamless Co-op wouldn't make sense and would be wierd. Sure if the game had a structured co-op but the game has a co-op where at any time you can jump into or invades someone elses game.

Also difficulty choices would ruin the sense of accomplishment. like I said to another person on the forums. Demon's Souls wouldn't be considered a hard game if it had a difficult settings that were hard. It would just be considered a game with a hard mode.

Why not keep the default difficulty the way it is but throw in an easier mode? Or do you ONLY want people to see the end if they can put up with the default difficulty? I guess I can respect that.

And I realize I'm in the minority with this one, but Demon's Souls was about a thousand varieties of unfair. Not letting me pause the game, forcing me to come to a standstill every time I want to use a healing item, placing one-hit-kill deathtraps that it's impossible to be realistically ready for, that sort of thing. And all of this would be more acceptable if you didn't risk losing SO MUCH progress every time you died. Like I said, I loved the combat in and of itself and most of the day-to-day enemies were a lot of fun to fight, but I seem to be in the small group of people who believe it's possible for a game to be TOO frustrating.

That said, I still oddly want to play Dark Souls, so the first game must've done something right.

Yes you are the minority because Demon's souls wasn't unfair.

Not pausing the game - Because the game was online all the time.

Health Items - Um... Put them on the quick slot, like everyone else does.

One-hit-kill - All can be easily avoided.

---

Adding an Easy mode would still ruin the game. The game purpose is to be a hard game that when you win, you feel an accomplishment not that fake accomplisment many games give now n' days.

The game will never and should never have to have an easy mode just for some players. Not every game has to be for everyone.

 

[Jumplion]

Funny thing is, if you haven't played Demon's Souls, you could probably look at those screenshots and wonder what's supposed to be so scary about them. Me? I'm terrified.

Haha, true that! I'm absolutely horrified of those baddies!

I loved Demon's Souls, so more of that, bigger and better, is a great thing for me.

But damnit, why holiday 2011? I would much rather it not clutter up the already cluttered up holiday releases...

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Looks awesome, I'm currently playing through Demon's Souls and while the game is hard, it is very fair. If you die it's because you suck.

 

[RollForInitiative]

Day one, hands down. I played Demon's Souls religiously. That game, coupled with Valkyria Chronicles, basically validated my purchasing a PS3.

 

[Jekken6]

It seems there's going to be finishing moves on some of the bosses. If so, the sense of accomplishment factor goes up even more.