Help me choose! (Please)

[Biosophilogical]

Good evening everybody (and anyone who is incorporeal). My name is Biosophilogical (call me Bio). I have a series of questions regarding the games Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. And I know these threads have been done before, but none of the answers have really satisfied me, so I figured that this may provide a new spin on it, and hopefully give me the answers I'm looking for.

First question: Apart from an Action RPG with ridiculous difficulty, what are those two games like? What's the customisation like, how varied is the combat, that sort of stuff.

Second question: Are either of them worth getting for their single player alone (I tend to play single player RPGs, and Demon's Souls servers are shutting down relatively soon, so it isn't really a great selling point anyway)?

Third question: I'm poor (wait a minute, that wasn't a question!)

Fourth Question: Given my limited funds, if I were to buy one of these within the next 2 months, which is the better to get?

I've heard various opinions, some stating that the first has 'true' difficulty, and that the second is just poor level design/mechanics, and I've heard others stating that the bonfire thing makes it easy, whereas others have said it adds to the difficulty because you can't just grind your way to 9999999 potions. Then there is the connectivity thing, where other players invade your game and kill your face, and I have no clue if that is optional or not. Essentially, apart from being a difficult action-RPG thing, I do not know enough, and no-one seems to explain those little details that make or break a game.

 

[Aeope]

Please note, I've only played Dark Souls, but hopefully my input will still be good?

First question: Yes, they are difficult. Perseverance, I have found, leads to some of the most rewarding gameplay that the genre has to offer. I wasn't much of a dungeon crawler fan prior to playing Dark Souls, but this game has sold me on it. There is nothing more exhilarating than fighting your way past hordes of enemies to find a bonfire tucked away in a corner. Combat is more melee based at the beginning (except for when they spam fire bombs) but ranged spells and bows come in to play and can be immensely helpful. The combat system is probably one of the best on consoles.

Second question: So far, with the exception of accidentally summoning another player, I have played solely single player. The invasion I have heard to be somewhat of a lag-fest and I do not have any friends to play co-op with (and we all know how randoms are). But yes, the single player alone is a good investment of your money.

Third question: Me too!

Fourth Question: If you aren't a fan of online, then I would recommend getting Demon's Souls first due to the cheaper cost. Both games will give you plenty of playtime. Dark Souls has some annoying combat parts and an almost schizophrenic difficulty. I was getting destroyed all the way through until I got the first blacksmith and got a halberd, and now I breeze past all the standard enemies.


I can't state anything about the first game, as I have not played it. If the first game is as good (or better than) the second, I would recommend getting it first. Invasion is optional as long as you don't join a convent (I think that's what they're called). And yes, connectivity has been a major issue for a lot of players with Dark Souls.

Hope I helped!

 

[Biosophilogical]

What's the deal with crafting (or whatever it is called)? I have been to the Dark Souls board and they talk about +5s and divine vs chaos weapons and all that jazz, but it is like looking at a Diablo board without knowing the slang (it's just a meaningless string of letters and numbers).

 

[Lawnmooer]

Well I've only played Demon's Souls (Because my PS3 crapped out and died... I'm too poor to buy a new one...)

The game is great, there is a lot of customization (What your character looks like, starting stats + equipment and where you want to put your stats when you feel like spending your souls on them and also what you want to wear and what types of weapon to use and what modifications to make to your weapons) combat is quite varied as each level of each world has different enemy types in and of course there are so many ways to build your characters it can lead to lots of time spent replaying the game different ways.

The single player is solid, I've not actually tried multiplayer but single player is fun and being online but staying single player leads to lots of fun with Bloodstains (Where other players have died, looking at them shows the final moments of their life) and messages left by other players (Preset messages only though)

I'd probably reccomend Demon's Souls since it's older and likely to be cheaper and should last long enough for Dark Souls to become cheap enough for you to be able to afford it in the near future.

Crafting in Demon's Souls is quite straight forward, you upgrade weapons (+1, +2, +3 etc) then at certain levels you can use different upgrades (After unlocking the ability to do so in world 2-2) to change the name and stats of the weapons e.g. Crushing Battleaxe and then upgrade them (+1, +2, +3 etc)

If you are struggling to figure out the crafting then http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/ does help understand what weapons can be made into what, what level you need them at and what stones you need for each particular upgrade.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Played both and love both. Demon's Souls is my favo PS3 game.

First question: Yes, they are difficult, but with caution and preparation you can get very far. To me it seems that Dark Souls is a bit harder than Demon's Souls. Enemy AI and moves have been upgraded a bit and bosses seem tougher. But, I'm not the kind of gamer with twitchy reflexed and perfect memory for combos, and both games work very well for me. Prepare and have your shield raised and you can meet any challenge.
The combat is great. The games feel more like medieval weapon simulators. All weapon types have their own moves, their own pros and cons. It's a From Software game, so expect lots of stats. Practically all weapons and armor can be upgraded and can have special effects added to them. You can't do aesthetic customization, but I don't really see the point in games like that. What's the use of looking good when you're being roasted by a dragon?
Crafting is pretty simple: you can upgrade a weapon by merging it with certain types of ore found throughout the world (as drops or treasures) and in Dark Souls paying some souls (the currency (as well as XP) in the game). So in Demon's Souls, when you add 3 shards of hardstone to a Long Sword +0 (base form), you get a Long Sword +1.

Second question: Yes. It's perfectly possible to finish the games as a single player (I played most of Demon's Souls offline, and until now quite a bit of Dark Souls as well).
Opinions are divided about the merit of the online component. Messages left by other players can be helpful or can lead you to your death (look before following messages blindly, people!), people can sometimes invade your game and kill you mercilessly. Getting some help online can make some boss battles easier, but Dark Souls solved that problem by making it possible to sometimes recruit NPC companions. So, playing online can add an extra dimension, but it really isn't necessary.

Third question: I'm not.

Fourth Question: I'll just list my personal pros for both games:

Demon's Souls:
+ better story and characters
+ you don't get lost
+ stats seem to have a bigger impact on gameplay
+ better soundtrack
+ cheaper

Dark Souls:
+ more content (bigger world, more equipment, more things to do, new moves)
+ online component will last longer
+ for me it seems like a bigger challenge
+ looks better

Demon's Souls is my personal favorite, but to each his own.

 

[Biosophilogical]

Thanks everyone. Demon's Souls it is (if I can find it). You've been insanely helpful (the level of helpful that would make The Doctor say "Brilliant").