Dark souls is utter crap as a game.

[Dirty Hipsters]

I saw the game as having the same difficulty curve as QWOP. It's only hard because of how difficult the controls are to master. Since it really seems like you're the only one who's weapon bounces off the geometry and environment, the enemies have free reign at you when you're recovering from the many times you'll be recovering from your weapon bouncing off the walls of a cramped hallway.

Cramped hallway = use smaller weapon. It's fairly realistic that you can't use a massive bastard-sword in a tiny hallway.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

I saw the game as having the same difficulty curve as QWOP. It's only hard because of how difficult the controls are to master. Since it really seems like you're the only one who's weapon bounces off the geometry and environment, the enemies have free reign at you when you're recovering from the many times you'll be recovering from your weapon bouncing off the walls of a cramped hallway.

Cramped hallway = use smaller weapon. It's fairly realistic that you can't use a massive bastard-sword in a tiny hallway.

Can't do much about what weapon you have when all you have is the weapon you were given by default. The issue is that the physics of the world don't seem to be a two way street. The enemies' weapons seemingly just phase through the scenery with little more than a "clank" sound from the wall. Not to mention the controls that were obviously built on a PS3 controller just didn't feel right on the XBox controller.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I saw the game as having the same difficulty curve as QWOP. It's only hard because of how difficult the controls are to master. Since it really seems like you're the only one who's weapon bounces off the geometry and environment, the enemies have free reign at you when you're recovering from the many times you'll be recovering from your weapon bouncing off the walls of a cramped hallway.

Cramped hallway = use smaller weapon. It's fairly realistic that you can't use a massive bastard-sword in a tiny hallway.

Can't do much about what weapon you have when all you have is the weapon you were given by default. The issue is that the physics of the world don't seem to be a two way street. The enemies' weapons seemingly just phase through the scenery with little more than a "clank" sound from the wall. Not to mention the controls that were obviously built on a PS3 controller just didn't feel right on the XBox controller.

Xbox 360 controller...? Demon's Souls was a PS3 exclusive...?

Also, seriously, the first level you get a mail breaker, and you don't need to go very far to get it. It attacks in a stabbing motion, perfect for fighting in corridors.

 

[Kimarous]

Huh. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvWvhZtaV7M&list=PL4825DBA198EBE9B9&index=1&feature=plpp_video] I [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXqb6NAdVzo&feature=channel] could [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycVU3ne0qE&feature=channel] have [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z8ptQ9xoa0&feature=channel] sworn [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxz4rLqWBe4&feature=channel] that [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOrrllYCOTQ&feature=channel] I [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXB_2QXhAwQ&feature=channel] saw some story in the game.

Guess not.

Please note that the very first video you liked to said that the story is "very large and scattered about." It may be really in-depth for people who actually take the time to gather the clues and try to piece it together, but for those who want something more straight-forward, it is very easy to consider frustrating and nonsensical.

Some people would just favour a straight-up book rather than bind together scattered pages with faded text, y'know? Some people like that kind of mystery, but others (like the OP) find it frustrating enough that the story seems illegible.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

I saw the game as having the same difficulty curve as QWOP. It's only hard because of how difficult the controls are to master. Since it really seems like you're the only one who's weapon bounces off the geometry and environment, the enemies have free reign at you when you're recovering from the many times you'll be recovering from your weapon bouncing off the walls of a cramped hallway.

Cramped hallway = use smaller weapon. It's fairly realistic that you can't use a massive bastard-sword in a tiny hallway.

Can't do much about what weapon you have when all you have is the weapon you were given by default. The issue is that the physics of the world don't seem to be a two way street. The enemies' weapons seemingly just phase through the scenery with little more than a "clank" sound from the wall. Not to mention the controls that were obviously built on a PS3 controller just didn't feel right on the XBox controller.

Xbox 360 controller...? Demon's Souls was a PS3 exclusive...?

Also, seriously, the first level you get a mail breaker, and you don't need to go very far to get it. It attacks in a stabbing motion, perfect for fighting in corridors.

Whichever was the new one. I always get the two titles confused. And I'm very much the type of gamer who searches every little nook and cranny, and I certainly didn't find anything in the first few areas, and just got frustrated because of how unforgiving the game was and how little it seemed to want me playing it.

 

[dimensional]

Well whether you think its crap or brilliant is up to you everyone likes and dislikes things about a game one mans meat is anothers poison and all that malarky.

Personally I thought it was a very fair game not difficult just unforgiving which I can handle, also OP you say you can complete the game by not thinking and rushing in it just takes to long well this is probably true I dare say I could beat King of Fighters XII on the hardest difficulty just by jumping and light punch but it would take ages and be no fun not to mention I would be ignoring every other option at my disposal.

My play style in Demons Souls was generally ranged but have a massive double handed sword so if they got close I could knock them down and make them stay down, armour wise I hardly had any I just dodged but there are loads of ways you can play it.

As for it not being an RPG because the story dosent take centre stage well thats a whole other bag of worms and I dont feel like getting into what makes an RPG (video game wise) right now.

Oh I am assuming we are talking about Demon Souls here as that is the only one I have currently played its just the messages are getting confusing especially when OP switches between Demons souls originally to Dark Souls later.

 

[Zeh Don]

So tell me how to turn this game from "suicide trial" Into"Brilliant game"

Dark Souls requires a few things from you in order to be enjoyed properly.
1. Mindset.
Understand that you're a worthless sack of shit and you don't deserve a fucking thing. You are literally a fucking sack of rancid shit who is considered to be worth less than a diseased, maggot infested corpse. You are scum; the dags on a dog's asshole.
In the world of Dark Souls, we are all less than nothing. We are all sacks of shit.
Dark Souls has no mercy. It doesn't want to make you happy. It doesn't want you to succeed. It wants to hurt you; it wants to break you; it wants you to quit.
The more people who quit Dark Souls, the more meaning success in Dark Souls has. This is a game so very few will finish. But those few who feel a sense of accomplishment for doing so that basically no game on the market offers.
Go into Dark Souls understanding that you're going to fail. Every time you come across a boss, you're going to die. A lot. Every inch of the game world that you progress, you do so on the back of a hundred failures. If you can't handle this, give up now. It will eat you up, and spit you out.

2. Skill.
Dark Souls requires skill, more so than basically any game made in the last few years. This isn't about twitch kills - it's about patience. DO NOT RUSH IN. You must study your enemies. You take your time. You must learn every attack for every single opponent. Every enemy - every. single. one. - will fuck you up, rape your corpse, eat you and shit you out if you don't slow things down and study them.
If you refuse to literally dedicate yourself to understanding every single enemy in the game, give up now - Dark Souls will not roll over for you. You have to focus 110% when playing. A single fuck up will end you.

Once you know an opponent's attacks and patterns, you can begin to fight back. Understand that this is a game of back and forth; block a few attacks until your opponent is stunned, than attack. Learn the openings in their moves. If you're opponent is a massive soldier with a giant sword, dodge their attacks as blocked will stun you.
Take time; respawn enemies deliberately by using a bon fire and practice an area until you've mastered the opponents. Don't be afraid to die.

3. Rest.
Playing Dark Souls is a draining experience because of the dedication it can demand, especially against some of the bosses. Don't be afraid of looking things up on the Wiki; there is a difference between not trying and just looking it all up, and reaching the end of your rope and needing a little help. Don't be afraid of playing online for the tips and hints; we're all in this together, working together against Dark Souls.
However, nothing helps like a solid rest. You can't play Dark Souls for 12 straight hours. This isn't Skyrim; Dark Souls challenges you, and never gives you a moment's rest. Fuck, even pausing doesn't actually STOP the game.
I play about two hours every other day. I prepare myself mentally. I can't come home from work and jump into Dark Souls to relax; if you relax, you're dead.

If none of this sounds enjoyable, don't force it. Those of us who love Dark Souls aren't better than you - despite what some people will tell you - we're just a different breed of gamer. We love to be challenged. A lot of gamers pretend to enjoy the challenge; Dark Souls murders those pretenders and rapes their undead bodies while they weep.

Oh and a BRILLIANT GAME is a total package, which means you have to give me some points for wandering where the fuck the story want in something that's dubbed an RPG...

Not all RPGS are Final Fantasy exposition-heavy games where you spend as much time watching the story as playing the gane. If you think an RPG is dialogue trees and World of Warcraft-grind heavy combat, quit now.
Dark Souls is an RPG - it's just an old one. It's an RPG in that it requires exploration, understanding and personal drive - it's an Old School RPG, like the early Ultima games, and Dungeon Master. The story is in the world - you have to work to put it all together, though.
If you think a "story" is what defines an RPG, you're not understanding what an RPG actually is, and you've been raised on mainsteam console titles. Dark Souls is none of these things.

A Brilliant Game is one which achieves what it sets out to do. Dark Souls set out to be a true challenge in a world where failure has literally been removed from every title on the market. Dark Souls set out to give you an honest to god feeling of accomplishment that modern games lack, and remove this bullshit "you are entitled to see the end of the game because you bought it" mentality.

When you finish Call of Duty, do you feel like you did something worth anything? No. You throw it onto the pile and play the next retarded game. Call of Duty is a fucking piece of shit because everyone who buys it CAN finish it.

When you finally finish Dark Souls, you fucking go bananas: YOU FUCKING BEAT DARK SOULS. It's an accomplishment to do so. It makes you earn your success.

If doesn't sound fun, if this isn't what you want: sell it now. Do not try. Give up. You will not succeed. It will break you. It will make you want to die.
Dark Souls isn't for everyone. And because it's not everyone, it's absolutely fucking brilliant.

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

So tell me how to turn this game from "suicide trial" Into"Brilliant game"

Dark Souls requires a few things from you in order to be enjoyed properly.
1. Mindset.
Understand that you're a worthless sack of shit and you don't deserve a fucking thing. You are literally a fucking sack of rancid shit who is considered to be worth less than a diseased, maggot infested corpse. You are scum; the dags on a dog's asshole.
In the world of Dark Souls, we are all less than nothing. We are all sacks of shit.
Dark Souls has no mercy. It doesn't want to make you happy. It doesn't want you to succeed. It wants to hurt you; it wants to break you; it wants you to quit.
The more people who quit Dark Souls, the more meaning success in Dark Souls has. This is a game so very few will finish. But those few who feel a sense of accomplishment for doing so that basically no game on the market offers.
Go into Dark Souls understanding that you're going to fail. Every time you come across a boss, you're going to die. A lot. Every inch of the game world that you progress, you do so on the back of a hundred failures. If you can't handle this, give up now. It will eat you up, and spit you out.

2. Skill.
Dark Souls requires skill, more so than basically any game made in the last few years. This isn't about twitch kills - it's about patience. DO NOT RUSH IN. You must study your enemies. You take your time. You must learn every attack for every single opponent. Every enemy - every. single. one. - will fuck you up, rape your corpse, eat you and shit you out if you don't slow things down and study them.
If you refuse to literally dedicate yourself to understanding every single enemy in the game, give up now - Dark Souls will not roll over for you. You have to focus 110% when playing. A single fuck up will end you.

Once you know an opponent's attacks and patterns, you can begin to fight back. Understand that this is a game of back and forth; block a few attacks until your opponent is stunned, than attack. Learn the openings in their moves. If you're opponent is a massive soldier with a giant sword, dodge their attacks as blocked will stun you.
Take time; respawn enemies deliberately by using a bon fire and practice an area until you've mastered the opponents. Don't be afraid to die.

3. Rest.
Playing Dark Souls is a draining experience because of the dedication it can demand, especially against some of the bosses. Don't be afraid of looking things up on the Wiki; there is a difference between not trying and just looking it all up, and reaching the end of your rope and needing a little help. Don't be afraid of playing online for the tips and hints; we're all in this together, working together against Dark Souls.
However, nothing helps like a solid rest. You can't play Dark Souls for 12 straight hours. This isn't Skyrim; Dark Souls challenges you, and never gives you a moment's rest. Fuck, even pausing doesn't actually STOP the game.
I play about two hours every other day. I prepare myself mentally. I can't come home from work and jump into Dark Souls to relax; if you relax, you're dead.

If none of this sounds enjoyable, don't force it. Those of us who love Dark Souls aren't better than you - despite what some people will tell you - we're just a different breed of gamer. We love to be challenged. A lot of gamers pretend to enjoy the challenge; Dark Souls murders those pretenders and rapes their undead bodies while they weep.

Oh and a BRILLIANT GAME is a total package, which means you have to give me some points for wandering where the fuck the story want in something that's dubbed an RPG...

Not all RPGS are Final Fantasy exposition-heavy games where you spend as much time watching the story as playing the gane. If you think an RPG is dialogue trees and World of Warcraft-grind heavy combat, quit now.
Dark Souls is an RPG - it's just an old one. It's an RPG in that it requires exploration, understanding and personal drive - it's an Old School RPG, like the early Ultima games, and Dungeon Master. The story is in the world - you have to work to put it all together, though.
If you think a "story" is what defines an RPG, you're not understanding what an RPG actually is, and you've been raised on mainsteam console titles. Dark Souls is none of these things.

A Brilliant Game is one which achieves what it sets out to do. Dark Souls set out to be a true challenge in a world where failure has literally been removed from every title on the market. Dark Souls set out to give you an honest to god feeling of accomplishment that modern games lack, and remove this bullshit "you are entitled to see the end of the game because you bought it" mentality.

When you finish Call of Duty, do you feel like you did something worth anything? No. You throw it onto the pile and play the next retarded game. Call of Duty is a fucking piece of shit because everyone who buys it CAN finish it.

When you finally finish Dark Souls, you fucking go bananas: YOU FUCKING BEAT DARK SOULS. It's an accomplishment to do so. It makes you earn your success.

If doesn't sound fun, if this isn't what you want: sell it now. Do not try. Give up. You will not succeed. It will break you. It will make you want to die.
Dark Souls isn't for everyone. And because it's not everyone, it's absolutely fucking brilliant.

hmm so this would be like me trying to get you to understand my feeling of accomplishment as I've micro managed world war 2 from dutch to german to russian to american to italian to suisse to chinese perspectives?

Would you then agree with me if I said this is a different kind of difficulty?
and still, I'm a bit at a loss here because you've not turned back my argument of the "1 shot boss" who I can study his every move but he he knocks me out of the water with no effort anyway.


See you are painting me as a mainstream gamer someone who play's cod all day, when I clearly am not.

I look for a strategic challenge in my games something that makes me think at least.
Dark souls does not make me think, actually I suppose as you describe it dark souls turns one more into a machine

A mindless sobbing machine that can only get gratification from sitting through painful hours off bullshit, and then afterwards declare this as "good" to other people because quite obviously you liked it.

Study their every move. yes I see but this isn't I WANNA BE THE GUY.
For that's what springs to my mind when I think of dark souls.

Yes you heard me, dark souls makes me think of I wanna be the guy

Why? because there is only 1 route which you must find out through an endless cycle of suicide.
And sometimes you come across something different. maybe dark souls is not for everyone bcause it's too bland.

If I want what you're telling me this is supposed to be I'll go play I wanna be the guy.

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

Well whether you think its crap or brilliant is up to you everyone likes and dislikes things about a game one mans meat is anothers poison and all that malarky.

Personally I thought it was a very fair game not difficult just unforgiving which I can handle, also OP you say you can complete the game by not thinking and rushing in it just takes to long well this is probably true I dare say I could beat King of Fighters XII on the hardest difficulty just by jumping and light punch but it would take ages and be no fun not to mention I would be ignoring every other option at my disposal.

My play style in Demons Souls was generally ranged but have a massive double handed sword so if they got close I could knock them down and make them stay down, armour wise I hardly had any I just dodged but there are loads of ways you can play it.

As for it not being an RPG because the story dosent take centre stage well thats a whole other bag of worms and I dont feel like getting into what makes an RPG (video game wise) right now.

Oh I am assuming we are talking about Demon Souls here as that is the only one I have currently played its just the messages are getting confusing especially when OP switches between Demons souls originally to Dark Souls later.

I might have written demon souls but I meant dark souls sorry. 't was a bit late.

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

So basically, the OP is complaining that he keeps rushing in trying "many different plans that don't work" so he's calling the game shit?

I'm not one to brag, but I never had much difficulty in Demon's Soul's aside from a few bosses. Why? Because I actually played carefully, I planned out how to take down my enemies when I saw them in the distance. I didn't just run in and hope something worked, I planned for something to work.

I made a mistake I was referring to dark souls which is supposedly sooo much more difficult and unforgiving.


And this isn't what it's about you didn't even read the posts properly.

It's more that one can clear the main areas easily with tuck 'n rol and find a big boss, you expect to be able to fight this boss but HELLO BIG STICK and oh look you're dead, then you try to lvl up which usually works but not in this game no no no you run up to him tuck 'n roll like the hardships of the game have taught you so well and you tuck 'n roll and are hit mid roll to instant death again.

This is where I start getting a bit frustrated, so I try something different

Say hello to firebombs
-chuck-chuck-chu...oh look I've been walking backwards chucking firebombs at him and he's already caught up with me and killed me.

Reitirate this then
-chuck-run-chuck-run-chuck-run-die
I got a bit further now you see 3 chucks but the guy is faster than me I can't evade him by running I'm on a stairwell and I can't fight him face to face because he blows my head off in one go.

This is where I feel game just becomes chore or I dunno the lottery

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

Huh. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvWvhZtaV7M&list=PL4825DBA198EBE9B9&index=1&feature=plpp_video] I [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXqb6NAdVzo&feature=channel] could [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycVU3ne0qE&feature=channel] have [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z8ptQ9xoa0&feature=channel] sworn [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxz4rLqWBe4&feature=channel] that [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOrrllYCOTQ&feature=channel] I [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXB_2QXhAwQ&feature=channel] saw some story in the game.

Guess not.

Please note that the very first video you liked to said that the story is "very large and scattered about." It may be really in-depth for people who actually take the time to gather the clues and try to piece it together, but for those who want something more straight-forward, it is very easy to consider frustrating and nonsensical.

Some people would just favour a straight-up book rather than bind together scattered pages with faded text, y'know? Some people like that kind of mystery, but others (like the OP) find it frustrating enough that the story seems illegible.

Thank you, I will refrain from calling out the man you quoted as I had already said I found some story apparently present in the intro and then somewhere hidden on wikipedia "the entire story" in like 20 lines of which 13 were from the intro.

And it's not so much that I want a straightforward story as at least someone telling me when I've gone from A to B without any explanation and then me being sucked into a land of not so magical wonder why the hell I would take a left or a right other than "we'll find it out for yourself"

Find it out for yourself is all good and nice, I do get a bit frustrated when "find it out for yourself means you're gonna throw me 2 lines of story/dialogue every 5 hours into a game which has such a vast world but no real explanation for anything for you doing rather than "well you're supposed to be doing something you know!"

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

I must admit I have always thought it was highly depressing in atmosphere, with very little plot and a very console based "action RGP" approach. The graphics are also comparatively terrible (although not bad by PS3 standards). However, I think I would prefer to say "it isn't to my taste" rather than "crap".

thank you for your opinion and you may be right, I might have better phrased my OP better.

 

[Tjebbe]

I didn't think the game was *that* hard. And the challenge isn't the end-goal, but the combat does keep you on your toes; any enemy can kill you, and will if you let them.

After the asylum, in the first hour I played I did die countless times, and perhaps I kinda felt like you do. As it turns out, I had simply not considered that there might have been another direction I could have headed into rather than the one I did, being too used to the standard that you are guided through most of the game.

The thing I then realised that this is essentially a game of exploration, and not in the sense of 'let's see what treasure lies in that dungeon', at any time there are at least 3 areas to visit, and it's up to the player to figure out which direction to go and how to approach it and its enemies (combat being exploratory in nature too, what approach works, with what weapon and items). And there are quite a lot of hints, but you'll have to find these by yourself as well (though messages from other players help a lot).

Same for the back story; there is quite a bit of it, it's just not explicitly told through some text, you'll have to discover it by yourself.

If that's not your thing, too bad. I consider it the best game I've played in a long, long time.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Yeah, with Demon's Souls, it is all about preparation and careful observation. Don't put all your points into one or two stats, observe the environment, read the hints left by everybody for god's sake, take things slowly and carefully, and you should be able to make it through nearly every level in one go. I know I did, and I am not even close to one of those people who play games for the challenge. Also, get a few basic spells, like flame toss or soul arrow. I know, for a melee based character they might seem silly, but you absolutely need them. Bow+arrows too. Both make hard bosses insanely easy.

 

[TitanAtlas]

Well... not everybody likes the same thing. I liked the costumization, the armor variety and how you had to be carefull with what you wear (cuz heavy clothes can slow you down, and light clothes give you more chances to dodge or escape), i liked the difficulty that prevents me to smash the attack button to win, i loved the music and the story (wich can be found through characters, weapons and items, so instead of giant cutscenes and pounds of dialogue, you get a much easier and fluid way of storytelling), i loved the music, and the ambience of the game, the multiplayer aspect and the enemy design for every single undead bastard i faced.

So i find it really dumb to classify the worst of the worst to dark souls and think people only like it cuz it's hard.

There was actual work involved into making that game. From sounds, mechanics and even to visuals. Demon Souls was the "beta" version for this great game. Heck i loved every single detail, every single enemy (design... cuz there are some enemies... that are real bastards), loved every single location (again... location design... cuz there are places that i really really really hated).

To me Dark Souls is the equivalent of a good Castlevânia game, but in 3D.... and doned perfectly.

 

[Bealzibob]

No mechanically as a game Dark Souls is great for the most part. Sloppy, perhaps intentionally, in some places but overall a very solid game compared to most. However as piece of entertainment and as the sum of it's parts you are right. It is fustrating, empty and ironically souless. It's atmosphere is solid if you let yourself breath life into it and work hard for the immersion but it fights against you to break it with it's annoying and redundant guts. It's head is held high with epic battles and bosses but it's world drags it's feet, it's in-depth combat, behind it.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Yeah, with Demon's Souls, it is all about preparation and careful observation. Don't put all your points into one or two stats, observe the environment, read the hints left by everybody for god's sake, take things slowly and carefully, and you should be able to make it through nearly every level in one go. I know I did, and I am not even close to one of those people who play games for the challenge. Also, get a few basic spells, like flame toss or soul arrow. I know, for a melee based character they might seem silly, but you absolutely need them. Bow+arrows too. Both make hard bosses insanely easy.

This. I rarely ever use range or magic in games, but in Demon's Soul's it was a necessity to survive. I started that game planning to be sword only. By end game I was a master archer, a skilled swordsman and a godlike Wizard.

The same thing basically happened to me as well. I started out as a Knight, planning on going full melee, but that dream pretty much ended with my encounter with the Tower Knight. By the time I beat the game, I was insanely good with a bow and sword (SL 100+). Not so good with magic though... I mainly used soul-arrow, flame toss, and soul ray, all those mainly for the bosses. Never went melee against any of the buggers. XD

 

[getoffmycloud]

Dark souls is just a game that requires practice. The first couple of hours for me were some of the most infuriating I have ever had while playing a video game but once I got the hang of it and started learning the enemies and how to recognise their attacks it became a lot easier.

 

[Mr Somewhere]

Really, another one of these threads? I could have sworn we'd moved on with our lives. Honestly, it bothers me that I love this game so and have to enjoy it despite the community which surrounds it. Men (and teenagers) with such a staggeringly insecure handle on their masculinity that the must play HARD games as if it would justify their very existence.

I enjoyed Dark Souls not for the challenge (though it is terribly challenging) but for the deft, oppressive sense of atmosphere and the unconventional manner in which the narrative unfolds. You have to piece together the larger story through titbits. It's somewhat similar to the manner in which Metroid Prime handled exposition, similar in delivery that is. You're exploring a dead society, it would only make sense that you get your information from hearsay and what little is left to the wind.

I enjoyed the game because it did feel like I was inhabiting a living world, because there was a sense of mystery that so many games lack these days.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Yeah, with Demon's Souls, it is all about preparation and careful observation. Don't put all your points into one or two stats, observe the environment, read the hints left by everybody for god's sake, take things slowly and carefully, and you should be able to make it through nearly every level in one go. I know I did, and I am not even close to one of those people who play games for the challenge. Also, get a few basic spells, like flame toss or soul arrow. I know, for a melee based character they might seem silly, but you absolutely need them. Bow+arrows too. Both make hard bosses insanely easy.

This. I rarely ever use range or magic in games, but in Demon's Soul's it was a necessity to survive. I started that game planning to be sword only. By end game I was a master archer, a skilled swordsman and a godlike Wizard.

The same thing basically happened to me as well. I started out as a Knight, planning on going full melee, but that dream pretty much ended with my encounter with the Tower Knight. By the time I beat the game, I was insanely good with a bow and sword (SL 100+). Not so good with magic though... I mainly used soul-arrow, flame toss, and soul ray, all those mainly for the bosses. Never went melee against any of the buggers. XD

You can get some really powerful spells and miracles with Boss Souls. Some that killed the later bosses in one hit.

I know, I got soul ray. I would have gotten all those others, but they required something like 200 magic to pull off when I had like 100 and was SL80+ (EDIT: and had like 2 spell mem and 1 miracle mem). And since I hate grinding (even grinding lvl 4-3 with stormruler, it would have taken ages to level myself up to the level I could actually use them at), I abandoned any hope of getting those.