Zero Punctuation: Demon's Souls

[sanzo]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

I said it before and I'll say it again, you can't pause most online games.

Yeah, was about to comment on that. Since the game is online at all times, you can't simply stop the game like you would a single player one.

I mean, just imagine playing an online co-op game where one person's game pause caused the entire game to pause. Just imagine the trolling.

Like many people have said, enemies don't respawn and there are many safe areas to go to in case you need to take an in game break. Besides, you can hotkey items to the square button and cycle through them at any time, so it just promotes good inventory management

 

[rdrouyn]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

You can always pause the game by dying

But seriously, if every time you tried to play the game online and someone had the ability to pause the game arbitrarily you would never play online. Most MMOs like World of Warcraft and Multiplayer FPS dont allow you to pause either.

 

[Axikal]

if i can't enjoy a game after 6 hours, i think i have a right to say it sucks, i spent 11 hours (willingly, because exploration is why i play RPGs) just getting past Peragus and Telos in KOTOR 2, but spending 6 hours having to be more strategic than Ender in the final battle against the Formics doesn't make a game fun, it makes it a chore

Just because a game requires more strategy than you're willing to exert, does not mean it sucks. And most enemies/bosses have exploitable weaknesses to make the fights easier. Not only that, but you can pull other players into the game, and wade through sections with near ease. And again, the controls worked fine.

 

[axleblaze]

Also I just want to say Yahtzee is lucky he didn't get to the swamp. I love this game to death but the swamp is the one thing that makes me qualify it when I say "this game is no unfair". Really the swamp is the only part where I just went "fuck this game". Yahtzee would have been in hell if he got there.
I still don't know how I managed to get "Blind" there. Really getting it might be the single hardest thing to do in the game.

 

[Axikal]

Also I just want to say Yahtzee is lucky he didn't get to the swamp. I love this game to death but the swamp is the one thing that makes me qualify it when I say "this game is no unfair". Really the swamp is the only part where I just went "fuck this game". Yahtzee would have been in hell if he got there.
I still don't know how I managed to get "Blind" there. Really getting it might be the single hardest thing to do in the game.

I'll never beat that level -tear-

The rats alone had me cowering in a corner, desperately trying to cure my plague...

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

 

[Azaraxzealot]

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

Show me ONE online game that you can pause. And what's the point of needing a pause? The game's not a "pick-up-n-play" title. So putting in a Pause function would break the flow of the game; and detract from the experience.

if i want to play a game that take millions of hours to get into and has no way to save manually at all, then I'll play an MMO, but if i want a game that i can sit down and enjoy with a box of cookies and a cup of milk next to my bed, then i'll "PICK UP AND PLAY" a game on my console. to use a comparison Yahtzee used, i'll have some buttered toast, because i happen to have a metaphorically small appetite

 

[Photon987]

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

Enjoy the 3-2 boss fight. Now THAT fight, I must admit, is a pain in the ass.

 

[axleblaze]

I'll never beat that level -tear-

The rats alone had me cowering in a corner, desperately trying to cure my plague...

Only boss I needed help with (so far) was the Flamelurker. That boss was pure BS (imo).

Oh, you just need a bow and the rats are easy. The rats are nothing compared to the swamp. The swamp makes you walk slow, takes away your ability to roll and randomly poisons you. You also have to fight giant trolls there, who are REALLY a pain without rolling. To get blind (a sword that can go through shields!) you have to fight a black phantom that isn't impeded by the swamp at all, can kill you in a hit or two and full heals when she's low on health. I still don't know how I won.
I found the flamelurker pretty easy. I just shot him full of arrows and dodged like crazy. He got really agressive towards the end but it still wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Actually I found most of the bosses to be pretty easy except for Maneater and the False King.
Also, Protip: go offline for the 3-3 boss...it's alot easier! (though try it a few times online, it's hella fun!)

 

[Jumplion]

look, people are fucking idiots, Fable 2 got GREAT reviews AND it sold millions of copies, but what makes it any worse than Dragon Age: Origins or this game? KOTOR was also geat, as was Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins and Dead Rising (not so much, because it had the crappy shooting mechanics and the worst aiming and hit detection system of ANY game i've ever played which is because it was developed by capcom, which doesn't know good hit detection and aiming from a cheeseburger) was hell of fun, and it's obvious from this review by ZP and from all the gameplay that i've seen and played that it has the stench of japanese gameplay (not an insult to the japanese, but to many, not all, of their videogame mechanics). what i mean by this is that the game has terrible and awkward controls, and it has a broken save system that is unfriendly to anyone but the most hardcore of the hardcore. Obviously Yahtzee hated the same things, and I'd be fine with this game if it fucking worked.

The control system is hardly broken. Left trigger (L1) uses your left handed weapon (usually a shield, in that case it holds it up for blocking) and vice versa for the right trigger. Just hit the R1 button and you attack. If you have a sheild, press L2 at just the right time to do a parry/disabling move (depending on the type of sheild) and preform a reposite (counter). Press the directional pads on the according hand and you can switch out weapons and items.

At times, yes, it can be clunky especially if you're panicking and trying to find out if you have your catalyst equipped, but it just further pushes you into being better. Be caution, be prepared, make sure you know what you're doing, and you'll come out victorious.

As for the save system, in actuality Demon's Souls autosaves after every little thing. Kill an enemy? Autosave. Just entered the Nexus? Autosave. Just died? Autosave. Just picked up an item? Autosave. Walked around for a minute? Autosave. What Yahtzee was actually nit-picking about was the checkpoint system which is designed to be that way. When you die a million times at a certain section, it's a god-send when you find a lever that opens a gate permanently to let you go around the area quicker and makes it that much more satisfying to triumph over the game. After opening that gate, either continue onward or sprint back home to spend your hard earned Souls.

Like I said before, Demon's Souls is clearly not for everyone. It's difficulty and tiny nuances can be frustrating. But it can just as easily be an outstanding game for anyone who gives it a chance and really pushes through. Under that pool of nails, syringes, and bear-traps is a delicious chocolaty goodness that just gets better and better every time you get the candy. It's just a matter of pushing through the nails, syringes, and bear-traps.

 

[Axikal]

if i want to play a game that take millions of hours to get into and has no way to save manually at all, then I'll play an MMO, but if i want a game that i can sit down and enjoy with a box of cookies and a cup of milk next to my bed, then i'll "PICK UP AND PLAY" a game on my console. to use a comparison Yahtzee used, i'll have some buttered toast, because i happen to have a metaphorically small appetite (yes, i'm fat and i'm not ashamed to admit it)

Saying that a game sucks because you suck at it; or that it isn't good for you, is like trying to convince a religious/non-religious person that their preference in belief is crap. In the end: You're only being an ignorant ass.

And what's the point of telling me about your weight problem? I couldn't give a toss. Stick to relevancy, or piss off.

The point is that this game ISN'T a PUAP type of game. So complaining about the lack of PAUP in it is just... it's on a level of illogical that I cannot begin to wax poetic about it. DS is meant to be an immersive, in-depth, strategical game. It's also meant to be frustratingly difficult. The game doesn't suck. You do.

 

[Axikal]

Oh, you just need a bow and the rats are easy. The rats are nothing compared to the swamp. The swamp makes you walk slow, takes away your ability to roll and randomly poisons you. You also have to fight giant trolls there, who are REALLY a pain without rolling. To get blind (a sword that can go through shields!) you have to fight a black phantom that isn't impeded by the swamp at all, can kill you in a hit or two and full heals when she's low on health. I still don't know how I won.
I found the flamelurker pretty easy. I just shot him full of arrows and dodged like crazy. He got really agressive towards the end but it still wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Actually I found most of the bosses to be pretty easy except for Maneater and the False King.
Also, Protip: go offline for the 3-3 boss...it's alot easier! (though try it a few times online, it's hella fun!)

Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to keep them in mind once I take on 4-2. I left a puddle of 70k souls in the "light slug pit" that I really should retrieve... -shifty eyes-

 

[swimjim219]

That was top notch. Best ZP in a long time.

 

[Majere613]

Whilst you can't pause the game, you can quit back to the title screen at any time and when you reload, you'll be at the last point where you gained Souls, picked up or dropped an item, gained or lost health, or a myriad of other things.

While you may have made some legitimate points in the rest of your message, I'm sorry, but being unable to pause a game somehow is quite frankly inexcusable.

Ooookay. Not only are we talking about an online game here, which tends to imply not pausing, but if you read what I said, quitting back to the menu at any time saves everything you've done bar maybe a bit of running about. That, effectively, is your 'pause'- it's a bit like logging out in WoW, but it happens instantly and there's no chance a mob will respawn and be beating you to death when you log in.

 

[KingKamor]

I dunno, I've seen gameplay of this game, and it looks like my kind of thing. (i.e. A third-person dungeon-crawly adventure from Japan)

A hilarious nonetheless. Keep it up!

 

[Majere613]

Actually, I should probably add that for the most part I enjoyed the vid. I was seriously waiting for the bit at the end where he comes back and tries a bit more and gets the hang of it, discovering the true meat of the game, because that alone would probably have made most of the inaccuracies at least tolerable in the cause of wit. But sadly, that moment wasn't there and we were left with a bacon sandwich bereft of tomato sauce. Or if you prefer, spoilt by the addition of said sauce.

 

[KotaroKun115]

Oh Lookie Here Yahtzee Finnaly Reviews a Japanese Game...While your at it how about trying some Japanese Games like*Oh I dont Know* Touhou Project Or The Disgaea Series...
Oh Hahahahahaha thats Rich Yahtzee reviewing Japanese Games Now that is comedy!

 

[Azaraxzealot]

man, console exclusives always get more praise than they deserve... Halo was good, but not amazing, and Uncharted 2 was okay, but not superb, and this game is just not half as good as RPGs that have come before. I say Japanese-made RPGs have a long way to catch up as Pokemon has already set the bar so high that they may never achieve it (i think that may be the nostalgia talking though). Fun is ultimately what games were meant to be, and so far, Japan's game industries have made (more than 80%) games that i find more hand-gnawingly insane than fun or even playable.

 

[LtFerret]

Actually, I should probably add that for the most part I enjoyed the vid. I was seriously waiting for the bit at the end where he comes back and tries a bit more and gets the hang of it, discovering the true meat of the game, because that alone would probably have made most of the inaccuracies at least tolerable in the cause of wit. But sadly, that moment wasn't there and we were left with a bacon sandwich bereft of tomato sauce. Or if you prefer, spoilt by the addition of said sauce.

Which is the problem when it comes to reviews. They have to play and write up a review quickly and can't always come back to it. I remeber when i first played Mass Effect, i hated it. I gave it some more time and it eventully became one of my favorite RPGs. Likewise i loved Devil May Cry 2 when it first came out, untill I played it some more and found it kinda crappy.

 

[Hazy]

man, console exclusives always get more praise than they deserve... Halo was good, but not amazing, and Uncharted 2 was okay, but not superb, and this game is just not half as good as RPGs that have come before. I say Japanese-made RPGs have a long way to catch up as Pokemon has already set the bar so high that they may never achieve it (i think that may be the nostalgia talking though). Fun is ultimately what games were meant to be, and so far, Japan's game industries have made (more than 80%) games that i find more hand-gnawingly insane than fun or even playable.

Tell me, did you take Yahtzee's word to heart, and has this been the only review you have seen of this game?

If you have answered "Yes" to either, I highly recommend you read up more about it.

A lot of reviewers, myself included, state roughly the same thing: "It's a fun RPG, with a steep difficulty curve that rewards you when you play the game like it's supposed to be played, and punishes you for being careless."

Personally, this is one of my favorite JRPG's, not only because it mimics Western Style to the point where you would have never known this was a JRPG, but because it doesn't assume the player is an idiot. This game will not hold your hand, but it certainly won't cheat you out of life, either.

 

[yzzlthtz]

And whenever an RPG that tries to copy the styles of American and European RPGs (by incorporating strong medieval themes and using a shit-load of european accents or by just simply NOT using turn-based combat and fucking ludicrous stories with characters who have absolutely no depth) is published by a Japanese company... it never goes over well (as far as I've seen).

Demon's Souls is considered an advancement in modern RPGs, and is highly sought after in all three regions. Going so far as to having people in the UK start petitions to bring the game to their demographic. What the hell are YOU smoking?

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/demonssoul/review.html
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/demons-souls-review
http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review

et al.

In summary: You're an idiot.

look, people are fucking idiots, Fable 2 got GREAT reviews AND it sold millions of copies, but what makes it any worse than Dragon Age: Origins or this game? KOTOR was also geat, as was Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins and Dead Rising (not so much, because it had the crappy shooting mechanics and the worst aiming and hit detection system of ANY game i've ever played which is because it was developed by capcom, which doesn't know good hit detection and aiming from a cheeseburger) was hell of fun, and it's obvious from this review by ZP and from all the gameplay that i've seen and played that it has the stench of japanese gameplay (not an insult to the japanese, but to many, not all, of their videogame mechanics). what i mean by this is that the game has terrible and awkward controls, and it has a broken save system that is unfriendly to anyone but the most hardcore of the hardcore. Obviously Yahtzee hated the same things, and I'd be fine with this game if it fucking worked.

omg...you're really dumb.
i wasn't sure at first.
you continue to bash a game you have never played, and you compare it to games that are rather unlike it. and you pit fable 2 against triumphs like KOTOR and then mention dead rising in the same sentence.

you should really just stop talking, cause you're not getting any "hear hear"'s out of anyone, and you're earning yourself a lot of well-deserved hate.

the controls are amazing in demon's souls. they're like a more chivalrous and strategic form of the dodge/block/strongattack/weakattack/magic formula of, say, God of War.
and they work fantastically in every situation.

different weapons handle just as you'd want them - giant swords and hammers are lobbed about laboriously with great effect, smashing foes to the ground or sending them flying, while rapiers stab and jut lightning fast from behind shields.

the only real problems with this game are the occasional frame rate hiccups and the fact that corpses are light as air and jostle about too much when you walk over them. that, and the occasional AI burp.

unlike Peter Molyneux's fun but challenge-less and slightly contrived attempts at action rpgs, where he promised the world and offered up a small slice of cake instead, demon's souls actually succeeds at doing something new with the genre.