Should I get Demon's Souls or Dark Souls?

[Sack of Cheese]

I've always wanted to try Demon's souls, but I heard the server was going to shut down this October so I have been reluctant to buy it (I know, they prolong it for one more year). And now Dark Souls has come out, makes me wonder which one I should buy.

Does Dark Souls show improvement compared to Demon's Souls, or just more of the same thing?

 

[Weaver]

I'd buy demon's souls, the server shutdown got pushed back and it might be nice to play it before they go offline.

 

[Echo136]

Demon's Souls will be cheaper, but the co-op play will be shut down in a few months so you wont be getting much help with the difficult stuff or the character tendency changes. Dark Souls on the other hand is going to cost a bit more, (havent bought it yet so I dont know exactly how improved) and the co-op will be fresh and new.

 

[DustyDrB]

Demon's Souls. It costs less and the server will still be up until sometime next year. I enjoyed it, but these aren't accessible games that everyone will enjoy. I'd go with the cheaper product if you're not sure if you'd really like it.

 

[Gralian]

To be honest, i kind of prefer Demon's Souls. It feels more structured with the Nexus as the hub, and so you always have an idea of a tangible goal to work towards - pick a world, progress to the midway / end boss, return to the Nexus, move on to the next world. The Nexus also always felt like a safe haven to retreat to so you can focus on your stats and equipment without worrying about monsters or other players, as well as interact with NPCs to learn new abilities or just have a chat. I like the ambition of Dark Souls' open world, but i prefer the structured nature of Demon's Souls. Demon's Souls is also more forgiving if you pick a caster character, particularly the Royalty class who starts out with a ring that replenishes MP over time. That class was basically easy street in dealing with anyone who invaded as a black phantom, as well as being able to pewpew otherwise monstrous bosses from afar. Magic got nerfed in Dark Souls in light of this fact.

 

[otakon17]

I'd actually go with Demon's Souls first, then if you like that kind of game later on pick up Dark Souls when the price drops. Now I really like both games, but DaS has been giving me quite a few glitches since I've gotten it, one just an annoyance and the other that effects gameplay and can get you killed. Everyone, PS3 or Xbox360 have been having framerate issues in certain areas of the game even when installed. Many, including myself have been experiencing input lag when trying to use R1/RB when nothing happens, then about 3 seconds later you do the action which can get you killed in this game causing undeserved death. Not only that, it feels like the hit detection is a little wonky at times but that just might be me. Hopefully they'll be able to patch those issues soon. Still, good game if challenging.

 

[soulasylum85]

im a huge fan of both games and in my opinion the games are very similar but dark souls improves on almost every possible thing. i would buy demons souls first tho its only about $16 and see how you like it before spending $60 on dark souls. plus it will allow you to better appreciate the changes that dark souls has made.

 

[Malfy]

I was always hesitant of getting Demon's Souls myself. I played my buddy's copy when it first came out years ago. I enjoyed playing it, but I feared by the time I would buy it, no one would be playing it online anymore and it would take away the multiplayer draw of the game. Even though the servers aren't being shut down, is there a good number of people online still playing it?

 

[Jadak]

and the co-op will be fresh and new.

Really shouldn't comment on things like that prior to having played the game and without checking reviews on that particular subject. Dark Souls is for the most part an improvement, but the multiplayer functionality has took a nose dive into the ground. Even with the expiry date, if there's a point to be given for co-op it would be going to Demon's Souls for now.

 

[Echo136]

and the co-op will be fresh and new.

Really shouldn't comment on thinks like that prior to having played the game and without checking reviews on that particular subject. Dark Souls is for the most part an improvement, but the multiplayer functionality has took a nose dive into the ground. Even with the expiry date, if there's a point to be given for co-op it would be going to Demon's Souls for now.

Thats a tad bit discouraging to hear that the co-op suffered but most of the time I never braved body form in Demon's Souls anyways because i never wanted to mess up my world tendency. The first time i beat the game was when the PSN was down so I didnt get any help at all.

 

[soulasylum85]

I was always hesitant of getting Demon's Souls myself. I played my buddy's copy when it first came out years ago. I enjoyed playing it, but I feared by the time I would buy it, no one would be playing it online anymore and it would take away the multiplayer draw of the game. Even though the servers aren't being shut down, is there a good number of people online still playing it?

as of last week yes there was but i havent played since dark souls came out

 

[SaikyoKid]

I'd definitely say go for Demons Souls first before you go out and buy Dark Souls. It'll give you a good idea if you'd like the kind of gameplay it offers and at around 20 bucks or so, it's a much safer investment if it turns out you don't enjoy it all that much. I don't really know so much about the new one, but DaS is definitely a rough game to get through and may not be everybody's cup of tea, so it'd probably be a good idea to play it before investing 60 bucks into it.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

I didn't realise they're shutting down the servers. Well does that mean you won't ever be able to get the monk's head collar ever again?

Also more importantly why shut them down don't enough people still play DS?

This makes me rather sad.