Dark Souls I, II and III

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by KSubzero1000 »

The Peaks and Valleys of traversing Lordran


I've lost every single one of the 25+ times I've been invaded. I'm nothing without my Claymore, I don't understand the weird broken builds people go for and those dastardly backstabs are always coming out of nowhere. :(

I've defeated Ornstein & Smough, Four Kings, Nito, Artorias and Kalameet all on my first try. Speaking of Kalameet, I've also been sunbroing like crazy and helped at least 5 people get the tail cut on that slippery lizard. :P
User avatar
James
Moderator
Posts: 1763
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 5:42 am
Location: Worcestershire, UK
Contact:

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by James »

Well done on that tail cut. It’s no mean feat!
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Since I'm currently replaying some of these games, here are my thoughts on the way they compare to one another. Not as a simple boring list, but as the different ways each specific game excels at. (Because clearly, the internet needs more Souls-themed discussions.) Spoilers, obviously.


Demon's Souls
  • Best Atmosphere
I feel like Demon's Souls has been improved upon in almost every other aspect, but its signature sense of adventure, isolation and dread is still unmatched for me, with only Dark Souls coming close to it at times. Whereas the other games tend to end in bombastic and empowering boss battles, Demon's Souls remains opaque, inhospitable and confusing until the very end. The deck is stacked against you in this one, now and forever.

Personal highlights: Boletarian Palace, the noticeable differences in sound design between Body Form and Soul Form, the delightfully anti-climactic final boss.


Dark Souls
  • Best World Design
  • Best Lore
  • Best Traversal
  • Best NPCs
Replaying it recently reminded me of how wonderful the traversal is in the first half of this game. The world manages to feel like a lived in place instead of a quick succession of video game levels. The lore is at its most simple and potent here, and the various NPCs are simply dripping with tragic charm and personality.

Personal highlights: New Londo Ruins, Painted World of Ariamis, seeing a pair of eyes loom over you out of the pitch darkness in Tomb of the Giants, arriving back at Firelink Shrine after Blighttown, Hawkeye Gough one-shot no-scoping that loser Kalameet, Knight Artorias battle, saving Sif (the beauty of Life), fighting Sif (the tragedy of Death), Gwyn soundtrack, getting invaded + losing 100k Souls + swearing off the game for all eternity + popping it back in 15 minutes later.


Dark Souls 2
  • Best Build Variety
  • Best Multiplayer
HEX builds are simply fantastic. Giving the magic path the equivalent of a quality build sounds like a complete no-brainer and yet it has inexplicably never been better implemented than in this one. No, the half-baked physical spells in AotA don't count. Power stancing is neat and the multiplayer options are very nice, if that's your thing.

Not a huge fan of DS2 overall, but it certainly has its strengths.

Personal highlights: Darklurker, the massive quality improvement in the DLCs.


Dark Souls 3
  • Best Level Design
  • Best Bosses
  • Best Soundtrack
  • Best Covenants
  • Best Health Mechanic
Level design and bosses are the two most important aspects of the series for me, and this game delivers on both fronts. Which is probably why I hold it in higher reward as most other fans, although I definitely understand the criticisms aimed towards it. Also, the soundtrack is stellar and the Estus system has never been better balanced.

Personal highlights: Stumbling upon Irithyll of the Boreal Valley for the first time, Untended Graves, The Ringed City, the two different soundtracks for Firelink Shrine, Pontiff Sulyvahn, Twin Princes, Nameless King, Sister Friede, Darkeater Midir, Slave Knight Gael, getting emotional over the end (?) of the series.


Bloodborne
  • Best Combat
  • Best Setting
  • Bets Hub
  • Best Character & Costume Design
  • Best Unique Mechanic (Insight)
The fast-paced combat is excellent and I love just how wonderfully distinct every weapon feels in this one. But it's the setting that really seals the deal. Medieval fantasy stories are a dime a dozen (although most don't come close to the world design of Dark Souls for my money), but a Victorian-era werewolf fiction undergoing a thematic change into full-fledged Lovecraftian eldritch horror at the mid-way point is simply a marvel to behold. World Tendency and Dark Sigils are nice, but the Insight mechanic is a stroke of genius and one of the best implementation of an "organic" plot twist I've ever witnessed in the medium.

Personal highlights: Smashing fools with the Kirkhammer, landing a life-saving backstab mid-battle, fighting Father Gascoigne, chasing Micolash, performing a visceral attack on Ebrietas, looping back to Iosefka's Clinic from the Forbidden Woods, "Aah, you were at my side, all along. My true mentor... My guiding moonlight...", the first Insight-related mind-screw, everything about Lady Maria, seeing the Hunter's Dream on fire, "Oh, good Hunter...", receiving a love mail for helping a random defeat Ludwig after a dozen tries.


Thoughts? :)
User avatar
Chopper
Member
Posts: 1405
Joined: April 16th, 2013, 6:35 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Chopper »

Can't argue too much with any of that, though I haven't replayed DS3 or Bloodborne yet; they were put down as soon as the fire was lit/whatever that carry on with Gehrman was. I suspect that DS3 is actually my favourite of the Dark* games but I need to go back to be sure. I loved the callbacks to DS1 in there. So funny to be hit with sadness/nostalgia for those horrible Spider-Ladies :lol:

The games do so much right that it's possible to have a list of best things about them that is significantly different to yours above, and still enjoy them. For example I don't give a fig about lore, multiplayer, or difficult boss battles (one of the reasons I like Demon's best is that it wasn't afraid to put 'trivial' or different boss fights in there), but I still love the games.
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

We're not seeing Dark Souls on Switch until Christmas, are we?
User avatar
Suits
Member
Posts: 3174
Joined: October 28th, 2015, 3:25 pm
Location: Chelmsford, UK

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Suits »

Nupraptor wrote: August 13th, 2018, 7:12 pm We're not seeing Dark Souls on Switch until Christmas, are we?
There was a listing on an European Amazon site that stated August 31st.

I would certainly hope it comes out before Christmas, not because I personally want it but because of the fuss Nintendo made about - they will look a bit silly.
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

Fingers crossed. If this goes on too long, I may turn hollow! (Crestfallen laugh)
User avatar
Suits
Member
Posts: 3174
Joined: October 28th, 2015, 3:25 pm
Location: Chelmsford, UK

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Suits »

Nupraptor wrote: August 14th, 2018, 2:29 pm Fingers crossed. If this goes on too long, I may turn hollow! (Crestfallen laugh)
Here we are fella, coincidentally Bandai Namo have just announced the new release date - October 19th.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018 ... lease-date
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

Yes! Just spotted it. Rather pushes the definition of "summer", but hopefully the wait will have been worth it and they'll have ironed out all the (chaos) bugs!
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

I finally have Dark Souls on the Switch! I'm delighted. It doesn't look substantially better than I remember it, but it's an amazing thing to be able to play it casually in hand held mode.
I've started my first ever souls run as a caster, which is great fun.
I've ordered a Solaire amiibo which is going to take pride of place on my work desk once I've finished!
I have a confession to make: This is also the first time that I'm playing through online. I know that's a huge part of the game for most people, but I've never done it before. There's so much that I've missed! All the messages, the phantoms, the invasions. And the help! I just took on the Belfry Gargoyles accompanied by Solaire AND some dude with a massive club. They didn't stand a chance!
Praise the sun!
User avatar
seansthomas
Member
Posts: 856
Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by seansthomas »

I had a brief past relationship with Dark Souls on Xbox360 but my console red ringed just as I rang my first bell and I'd started to get it.

So I am loving having this on Switch and being able to play it on lengthy train journeys. I'm up to Sens Fortress now and absolutely loving it. I think I have the bug.
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

Good luck with that horrendous castle filled with traps, Seansthomas! It's one of the most fiendishly frustrating sections of the game.

I'm still having a whale of a time on my first online and sorcery play through. Summoning help for bosses makes a huge difference and the combination of that and being able to pelt people with sorcery meant that even Ornstein and Smough went down first time. That was a battle that took me hour after hour and death upon death to finally get through on my first play through. Very empowering.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Alex79 »

Genuinely jealous of anyone experiencing this game for the first time. I came to it a year or so after release and it honestly changed the way I looked at games for a long time. I felt genuine disappointment that I'd finished it, and couldn't help comparing everything to it for years after. It's a truly ground breaking piece of work, and changed the gaming landscape for ever. I don't think it'll ever be replaced as my favourite game of all time.
User avatar
Nupraptor
Member
Posts: 94
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 8:42 pm

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Nupraptor »

I have realised that all of my sorcery and online play doesn't do anything to make the Bed of Chaos fight any less frustrating. Grr.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by KSubzero1000 »

ThirdMan wrote: November 17th, 2018, 12:06 pm Would I be absolutely crazy playing the last-gen version at this point?
Absolutely not. The differences are minimal and the 360 version is perfectly serviceable.

The performance issues are noticeable, but they are mostly limited to one area of the game and please do keep in mind that the game is generally a lot slower than Bloodborne. Nothing that should prevent you from playing the game from start to finish and experiencing everything it has to offer.

Hope this helps!
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Alex79 »

Exactly. It was the last gen version that everyone fell in love with. Get it as soon as possible and jump right in.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Alex79 »

Honestly, I'd play online and try to exercise some self control with summoning. Difficult, I know. When you're banging your head against a wall the temptation to call on a couple of fellas to finish it off for you is high and difficult to ignore, but ultimately you are in control of whether you summon or not. I think getting invaded and reading messages is such a part of the series, I'd miss playing it without them. Indeed, I'm currently halfway through a play through of DS2 on PS4 but abandoned due to not having PS+ at the moment and being forced to play offline. I'll pick it up again when I've got some cash to resubscribe.
User avatar
KSubzero1000
Member
Posts: 3365
Joined: August 26th, 2015, 9:56 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by KSubzero1000 »

ThirdMan wrote: November 18th, 2018, 4:45 pm On the subject of Dark Souls 2, how do you find it?
Is this an open question? I don't want to steal Alex's thunder here.

Personally I like DS2, but it's by far my least favourite game in the series. The combat is less tight and precise with plenty of cheap moments, most of the bosses are neither visually nor mechanically interesting, the level layout is often very basic and boring, and the story never grabbed me in the same way the others did. NPCs are a mixed bag. It does have its strengths like build variety (check last page) and a very nice, soft and mythical atmosphere at times, but I rarely feel compelled to revisit it.

I still hold it in higher esteem than most other AAA games of the past few console generations because I like the core Souls formula that much, but it will probably always remain in the shadow of its Miyazaki-directed brethren for me.


It's certainly the most controversial entry without a clear consensus within the community. Plenty of people love it and for very good reasons.
User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Stanshall »

I think Dark Souls 2 is absolutely wonderful. It was the first one I finished which probably has something to do with it. The Scholar version is particularly brilliant, clarifying lore and tying a lot of atmospheric and slightly too abstract threads into an improbably cohesive patchwork of ideas and areas and unique takes on the Souls formula. It's by far the weirdest Souls game with a more dark fairytale kind of vibe and lots of one-off mechanics and experimental ideas. Some of it is frankly shit but it does so much so well that I love it love it love it. While DS3 is far more consistent and well conceived, it's Souls-by-numbers. Dark Souls 2 is the weird outlier living in the attic.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: Dark Souls I, II and III

Post by Alex79 »

ThirdMan wrote: November 18th, 2018, 4:45 pm On the subject of Dark Souls 2, how do you find it? I made it to Lost Batille before putting it aside (as you can see, I have a big problem with keeping focussed and finishing games). I really enjoyed the 6 or so hours I spent with it, particularly No-Man's Wharf.
I loved it. Bought it for PS3 on release day, and finished it. Bought the Scholar Of The First Sin version for PS4 and still love it.

So many great areas, bosses, it is still Dark Souls, and even 'the worst game in the series' is better than 90% of everything I've ever played.
Post Reply