Zero Punctuation: Demon's Souls

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Axikal

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Oct 21, 2009
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lyrandar said:
Quick thought, shouldn't it be Demons' Souls?
Yes, and no. I hazard a guess that the title refers to the "Old One", and the "souls" referring to all the demons that have come about from its awakening. Hence "Demon's Souls".
 

yzzlthtz

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zondervan said:
Yahtzee, for whatever reason, probably gave up after an hour or two of play, and wrote a review for it.
To be fair, the game-play he presented took me about 4 hours to achieve....
 

Photon987

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Verrenxnon said:
The 'supposed to lose fight' is an arbitrary, lackluster trope in the context of a videogame; removing choice from a medium defined by it reduces the medium.
It is not arbitrary in this case. The boss fight is still part of the tutorial, and getting yourself killed by the Vanguard lets the game address both what happens when you die and the Nexus/what it has to offer you. If anything, it is actually a rather novel way of presenting a tutorial.

Axikal said:
lyrandar said:
Quick thought, shouldn't it be Demons' Souls?
Yes, and no. I hazard a guess that the title refers to the "Old One", and the "souls" referring to all the demons that have come about from its awakening. Hence "Demon's Souls".
Also, if I recall correctly,
isn't it said that the more souls you take in/use, the more you start to become a demon, yourself?
. If so, that could explain the title.
 

Axikal

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yzzlthtz said:
Demon's Souls is a good game. I've spent over 100 hours playing, have beat it like 8 times, have killed almost 200 invaders, and have had a damn fun time with it.
I'm quite positive I never want to be "alive" again. Invaders wrack my nerves. And the game's already nerve-wracking enough on its own!

But I certainly agree with everything you've stated elsewhere in your comment.

Demon's Souls is an example of a difficult game done right. The tutorial serves only to warn you just how hard the game is about to get. And just about every single monster, boss, or trap in the game can be circumvented. IF you're cunning enough to figure out their weakness. And for anyone that claims DS is about pattern recognition: I defy you to fight the Flamelurker. Go on.

For all the cheapery that the game tries to toss at you, it's up to you to be smarter. If there's an enemy that can spam your stamina (Gold Skeleton), take higher ground and spam it back with arrows. Or get better equipment, and upgrade your stats. Just like any RPG, there is some stat/level grinding one must do in some cases.

Not only that, but it's a very refined Action/RPG that will ultimately punish you for not thinking your actions through. It's a game that challenges you to be smarter. God forbid!
 

rdrouyn

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yzzlthtz said:
Verrenxnon said:
The 'supposed to lose fight' is an arbitrary, lackluster trope in the context of a videogame; removing choice from a medium defined by it reduces the medium.
It is? I can think of so may things that might be "arbitrary lackluster tropes," but "have to lose fights" as part of a tutorial, especially a fight that is actually possible to win, doesn't come to mind. Even if it is as you say, Demon's Souls does it pretty damn well.

Everyone on here who is criticizing demon's souls without actually playing it: why do you waste your life blubbering on pretending to know everything about video games? We all like what we like.

Demon's Souls is a good game. I've spent over 100 hours playing, have beat it like 8 times, have killed almost 200 invaders, and have had a damn fun time with it.

So then all these kids come around to stand behind Yahtzee's sarcastic bantering to throw rocks at the monumental achievement that is Demon's Souls and it looks just like you'd expect to anyone who has actually delved into it : children boasting about throwing rocks at a mountain.
Yeah I love how all the tools come out of the shed to gang up on a game they never played just because Yahtzee didn't like it enough to play it more than an hour. I guess these people never play a JRPG or a Mario game because daddy Yahtzee doesn't let them. Its sad to not have any taste of your own.
 

Axikal

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Oct 21, 2009
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Photon987 said:
Also, if I recall correctly, --spoiler was here-- If so, that could explain the title.
I hope not... I'm barely halfway through. I have to keep taking breaks or I'll end up breaking something! I don't recall hearing that in the game, though... But it does make for an interesting theory on the title.
 

Potato21

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Dec 17, 2009
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Right, now there's some things that need to be cleared up. You can in fact beat the boss that is supposed to kill you and you get a nice reward for doing so.
The game isn't THAT hard, you just need to keep your shield up and wear lighter equipment so instead of useless dodge you can dodge roll which gives you a split second of invincibility in the middle of the roll.
Thirdly, you REALLY need to use your shield at the end of the bridge in order to not get slain by the archers there.
Fourthly, after beating the "cow patty" demon you can summon other players for help which would help him on that bridge.
Fifthly, after beating the cow patty demon (which I shall henceforth call by his real name, Phalanx) you can go to all the other levels in the game and complete them in any order, the first part of the other levels are generally easier than the second part of the first.
Sixthly, dragon can be killed with a lot of arrows if you're getting sick of timing your runs and don't want to go in the tunnel
Seventhly, there are two rings in the very first level that a) make it harder for enemies to see you and thus you can have more 1 on 1 fights and b) increase your health to 75% when dead.
Lastly, once you learn how to stay alive it becomes a very rewarding experience. No matter how much you level you can die on the early stages since its as much an action game as it is an RPG and thus you need to become better, not just a higher level.

All that being said I was in tears laughing at this review. I just hope people give this game a chance, its my GOTY.
 

Mstrswrd

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Mar 2, 2008
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Common, Yahtzee! It's not that bad... okay, I have no place to talk about whether it's bad or not. I've beaten it 4 times, and am on "New Game++++." Also, if you think it's hard now, get to new game plus. Despite keeping your soul level and all of your items, weapons, armor, etc, the game nearly doubles in idfficulty, so all your stuff doesn't much help.

Third play through is the "I'm stonger than I need to be" playthrough, because after the second playthrough the game only gets about 8% harder per new game plus, so you end up leveling right past where you need to be, and then you can laugg in its face.
 

GrimCW

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Dec 17, 2009
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"Death isn't the handicap it used to be"

lol good review, even better obscure reference... loved that show i did.
can't wait to see what comes of the movie/new series idea's..
 

nightbringer360

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Dec 16, 2009
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To paraphrase The Simpsons: Unlike American games, which reward knowledge, this Japanese game punishes ignorance.

I was playing it before Assassin's Creed 2 came out, and I was loving it - it's not that hard, as long as you know what to do.
 

zondervan

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Oct 17, 2008
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Potato21 said:
Right, now there's some things that need to be cleared up. You can in fact beat the boss that is supposed to kill you and you get a nice reward for doing so.
The game isn't THAT hard, you just need to keep your shield up and wear lighter equipment so instead of useless dodge you can dodge roll which gives you a split second of invincibility in the middle of the roll.
Thirdly, you REALLY need to use your shield at the end of the bridge in order to not get slain by the archers there.
Fourthly, after beating the "cow patty" demon you can summon other players for help which would help him on that bridge.
Fifthly, after beating the cow patty demon (which I shall henceforth call by his real name, Phalanx) you can go to all the other levels in the game and complete them in any order, the first part of the other levels are generally easier than the second part of the first.
Sixthly, dragon can be killed with a lot of arrows if you're getting sick of timing your runs and don't want to go in the tunnel
Seventhly, there are two rings in the very first level that a) make it harder for enemies to see you and thus you can have more 1 on 1 fights and b) increase your health to 75% when dead.
Lastly, once you learn how to stay alive it becomes a very rewarding experience. No matter how much you level you can die on the early stages since its as much an action game as it is an RPG and thus you need to become better, not just a higher level.

All that being said I was in tears laughing at this review. I just hope people give this game a chance, its my GOTY.
Well put,you've more or less negated Yahtzee's review with this post.

I would put money on a bet saying that Yahtzee would have given Demon's Soul one of his glowing reviews had be played it prior to doing his weekly ZP reviews.
Perhaps Yahtzee should stop doing the weekly videos and just do things when he has good material. That way we wouldn't have to put up with these half-hearted reviews.
 

Photon987

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May 27, 2009
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zondervan said:
I would put money on a bet saying that Yahtzee would have given Demon's Soul one of his glowing reviews had be played it prior to doing his weekly ZP reviews.
Perhaps Yahtzee should stop doing the weekly videos and just do things when he has good material. That way we wouldn't have to put up with these half-hearted reviews.
Things don't work that way when you get payed to review.
 

Azaraxzealot

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It's just as well, the Japanese have no skill in making videogames beyond simple turn-based RPGs or erotic novels (and even those are highly questionable). 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). They should just keep making their shitty turn-based combat and ridiculous hairstyle themes. DON'T CROSS PETER MOLYNEUX, ANDREW GOWER, NOR BIOWARE NOR BLIZZARD! Filthy buggers whoever tries to top those guys in epic medieval games.
 

zondervan

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Oct 17, 2008
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Photon987 said:
zondervan said:
I would put money on a bet saying that Yahtzee would have given Demon's Soul one of his glowing reviews had be played it prior to doing his weekly ZP reviews.
Perhaps Yahtzee should stop doing the weekly videos and just do things when he has good material. That way we wouldn't have to put up with these half-hearted reviews.
Things don't work that way when you get payed to review.
That is really what its all about, getting the bills payed. I wonder if Yahtzee gets any joy out of doing these reviews anymore? He seems just as cynical as ever, but he also seems like he's tired; his heart just doesn't seem in it anymore.
 

rdrouyn

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Dec 16, 2009
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Azaraxzealot said:
It's just as well, the Japanese have no skill in making videogames beyond simple turn-based RPGs or erotic novels (and even those are highly questionable). 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). They should just keep making their shitty turn-based combat and ridiculous hairstyle themes. DON'T CROSS PETER MOLYNEUX, ANDREW GOWER, NOR BIOWARE NOR BLIZZARD! Filthy buggers whoever tries to top those guys in epic medieval games.
You have obviously never played the game as it is 10 times better than the fecal matter called Fable.
 

quiet_samurai

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Apr 24, 2009
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I have a friend that has this game. I asked her if it was any good... she said I don't know I only played it for five minutes. I didn't know why until I saw this.
 

Axikal

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Oct 21, 2009
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zondervan said:
That is really what its all about, getting the bills payed. I wonder if Yahtzee gets any joy out of doing these reviews anymore? He seems just as cynical as ever, but he also seems like he's tired; his heart just doesn't seem in it anymore.
1: He's already said he has the flu, hence why he sounds so down
2: It's his job. Obviously he has to do something to get paid. Or do you plan on creating a world in which all goods are given for free, and no one has to lift a finger? At some point, you need to come to grips with reality that jobs exist to pay for things like games, bills (cable, internet, et al.), books, and other luxuries; as well as living necessities like running water and food.
3: He's a bloody satirist. Why can't any of you get that? For the love of all that is holy, someone with some common sense please speak up before the droves of trollish imbeciles drown us in their gibbering masses!
 

Mr.Baginki

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Nov 18, 2009
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Well excuse me for not posting something the second the video comes out, guess having a life prohibits me form posting anything someone might actually read!
 

rdrouyn

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Dec 16, 2009
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zondervan said:
Photon987 said:
zondervan said:
I would put money on a bet saying that Yahtzee would have given Demon's Soul one of his glowing reviews had be played it prior to doing his weekly ZP reviews.
Perhaps Yahtzee should stop doing the weekly videos and just do things when he has good material. That way we wouldn't have to put up with these half-hearted reviews.
Things don't work that way when you get payed to review.
That is really what its all about, getting the bills payed. I wonder if Yahtzee gets any joy out of doing these reviews anymore? He seems just as cynical as ever, but he also seems like he's tired; his heart just doesn't seem in it anymore.
He really mailed it in this week, he didn't give the game much of a chance.

Sometimes I think he likes riling up people, disliking a game everyone likes for no good reason. An eloquent internet troll with a game review gig, if you will.