Zero Punctuation: Dark Souls
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
Wow, is this the first retro review of a game which came out after Yahtzee began doing Zero Punctuation? Speaking of, I think he mentioned most of the retro reviews he's done before in this one (Silent Hill 2, Painkiller, Castlevania: SotN, Half-Life to name a few).
Great video, and I get what you're talking about when it comes to newcomers. I started playing it a little while ago and struggled because I had no idea what I was doing. I might try giving it another go once I've finished with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, another game which I got stuck in a while ago.
Edit: Though did you notice how characters don't open their mouths while talking? Or that the textures look like they're a skybox because they go 2D as soon as you get ten feet away from them?
Great video, and I get what you're talking about when it comes to newcomers. I started playing it a little while ago and struggled because I had no idea what I was doing. I might try giving it another go once I've finished with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, another game which I got stuck in a while ago.
Edit: Though did you notice how characters don't open their mouths while talking? Or that the textures look like they're a skybox because they go 2D as soon as you get ten feet away from them?
Finally! I knew he'd end up liking it. Too many people focus on challenge as the defining feature of Dark Souls, but I agree with Yahtzee that the game's real draw is its atmosphere and unique style of storytelling. The difficulty of the gameplay is just one part of creating that atmosphere.
*SPIT TAKE* He actually liked it? Holy shit, I was mentally preparing myself for him to tear it apart. Yeah, it really is a game where you have to pull teeth to get into, but once you do get into it, dear god it's worth it.
Also I'm getting the impression that the halberd was his weapon of choice.
Also I'm getting the impression that the halberd was his weapon of choice.
I hate dark souls for the simple fact that you can't pause. Fuck whoever thought that was a good design decision.
[b/]SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE[/b]
yesyesyes.
I am highly pleased that this review happened.
Also nice to hear someone actually articulate all my thoughts on the game.
I've been trying to think of what a would change to make the game a tad more accessible. Number 1 would be to give the player SOME idea that their only real option is to go up the stairs to the Burg rather than waiting for them to get tired of dying on the skeletons.
There were also, as Yahtzee mentioned, some things they really should have explained. The uprade system, for one. The game is vague as all fuck and it isn't something you can learn from trial and error as you need hard to find materials in most instances.
Still, love the game. Incredible atmosphere.
It's like the designers at FROM have never had to take a piss in their entire lives.
Boom, boss fight over.
yesyesyes.
I am highly pleased that this review happened.
Also nice to hear someone actually articulate all my thoughts on the game.
I've been trying to think of what a would change to make the game a tad more accessible. Number 1 would be to give the player SOME idea that their only real option is to go up the stairs to the Burg rather than waiting for them to get tired of dying on the skeletons.
There were also, as Yahtzee mentioned, some things they really should have explained. The uprade system, for one. The game is vague as all fuck and it isn't something you can learn from trial and error as you need hard to find materials in most instances.
Still, love the game. Incredible atmosphere.
I can agree with this.chiggerwood said:
It's like the designers at FROM have never had to take a piss in their entire lives.
Summon Solaire and apply the lightning powder.Dragonlayer said:
Boom, boss fight over.
Yeah, I'm been thinking of playing dark souls again with winter break coming up next week(If I can tear myself away from the wildstar stress test). Mostly to get back into the dark soul mindset for the squeal.
I remember importing demon souls after hearing how it was like monster hunter, and the very next day it comes in the mail, Altus says their localizing it.
I remember importing demon souls after hearing how it was like monster hunter, and the very next day it comes in the mail, Altus says their localizing it.
I knew you'd dig it!
hey yahtzeee! did you play the DLC? just asking because it has 3 of the best 3 boss fights in the game IMO.
It's true that most fights after anor londo feel a bit less epic, at least for me, simply because you know what you're doing by then. But yeah Ooacile in the DLC really mixes stuff up.
PS: You can't pause the game because it was designed tobe an online game... I know it kind of sucks, but it happens.
hey yahtzeee! did you play the DLC? just asking because it has 3 of the best 3 boss fights in the game IMO.
It's true that most fights after anor londo feel a bit less epic, at least for me, simply because you know what you're doing by then. But yeah Ooacile in the DLC really mixes stuff up.
PS: You can't pause the game because it was designed tobe an online game... I know it kind of sucks, but it happens.
I've honestly never played Dark Souls, even though I feel like I would enjoy it quite a lot.
Although I did hear there were problems with the Steam version...is this true?
Although I did hear there were problems with the Steam version...is this true?
I couldn't agree with Yatzhee more there: I probably *could* get into the game, but it just mercilessly crushed me so much at the start that I could only despairingly say "Fuck this!" and turn off the PS3. And don't get me started on the fucking gargoyle bosses on the roof of the undead church (or wherever it was)....
I always like it when Yahtzee talks about games he likes. Nothing can ever beat his rage-induced rants when reviewing a bad game, but it's always a treat (may I even go so far to say heart warming) to hear him praise a game he found worthy enough.
Maybe I'm playing like a beta copy of this game. I got Dark Souls ages ago and I put it down after my first weekend play-through. I remember that every monster killed me for hours and hours and hours. I also remember how terrible the level layout was. At first I took an obvious path up a cliff where a bunch of unkillable skeleton knights killed me. I spent a good three hours trying to fight them, but everytime I did kill one (no easy feet mind you) they just re-spawned instantly. Then after reading I wasn't supposed to go there, I went down the second most obvious path - the elevator to the underworld - and boom! More skeletons and more death. Two hours there too before I realized that oopps, wasn't supposed to be here either. Boy would I like some sort of instruction telling me where I'm supposed to go and why, because at this point I had completely forgotten the entire plot.
It wasn't until, like Yatzhee said, I read a f-ing walk-through that I learned there was a third completely hidden path that led to where I was supposed to go. This was maybe...6 hours of gameplay at this point.
See you can either have a game that's incredibly hard OR you can have a game that's incredibly obtuse. You can't do both because you'll get players like me, who know A. Monsters are really hard and B. Hate it when monsters kill you spending 3+ hours trying to kill one or two monsters, convinced the error is on my gameplay, NOT that the game was dumb enough to leave the door to the level 30 zone right next to the starting location.
That's why I can't get back into this game. It was trial and error - no no, it was something way worse. It was just error.
I think I quit after my 135th death, and I was sent back to the first camp fire again.
You're going soft Yatzhee. You from two years ago would have torn this game apart for bad controls, bad design, obtuse writing, insufferable fans, and the general unfinished quality of combat. Nothing in this game flows well. It is an unpleasant experience from start to finish.
It wasn't until, like Yatzhee said, I read a f-ing walk-through that I learned there was a third completely hidden path that led to where I was supposed to go. This was maybe...6 hours of gameplay at this point.
See you can either have a game that's incredibly hard OR you can have a game that's incredibly obtuse. You can't do both because you'll get players like me, who know A. Monsters are really hard and B. Hate it when monsters kill you spending 3+ hours trying to kill one or two monsters, convinced the error is on my gameplay, NOT that the game was dumb enough to leave the door to the level 30 zone right next to the starting location.
That's why I can't get back into this game. It was trial and error - no no, it was something way worse. It was just error.
I think I quit after my 135th death, and I was sent back to the first camp fire again.
You're going soft Yatzhee. You from two years ago would have torn this game apart for bad controls, bad design, obtuse writing, insufferable fans, and the general unfinished quality of combat. Nothing in this game flows well. It is an unpleasant experience from start to finish.
you can get a fan fix called DSfix which pretty much sorts out any and all issue in that version.. might be a bit of a pain in the ass to set up depending on your hardware though, but it's nothing too overwhelming.marioandsonic said:
This was surprising, but cool that you liked it. I do fully agree with your statement of lack of information from the game itself. I love Dark Souls, but damn, has it a poor tutorial considering menu's and stats.
I've been waiting years for this video and you sir have delivered. Thank you so much Yahtzee!
captcha: where to go...only way but up.
captcha: where to go...only way but up.