 Demon's Souls PS3 Reviews [IMPORT]
Please note this game is not officially released in the EU, nor is there any forthcoming date of release. However, there is a full english language version available from Import/Online Stores like Yes Asia or Ebay.
I want to place a review thread for this, to try and promote the profile of this game, as I believe that is possibly the best game released for the PS3 yet.
This game is a essentially a RPG crossed with an action slasher, the biggest comparison could be made to Oblivion, with the storyline and free roaming stripped, combined with a combat system that is as tight and deep as God of War. Of course, what also needs to be mentioned that this is then moulded together with a healthy dose of an extremely hard difficulty setting.
It is very rare that a game kills you in the Tutorial on purpose! The fact that the hero on the box cover is dead, suggests what kind of difficulty you will be facing.
The beauty of this game, is that it feels harsh, difficult and tense, yet unlike games where the difficulty is inflated because of bad controls or bad level design, this game is difficult because, at first, you are a novice in a tough decepit land of blood thirsty demons.
After a good of couple of hours of creeping around every corner and expecting death, you will start to realise how to play the game. You will learn enemy attack patterns, learn how to prepare for an enemy onslaught, learn when to run and when to walk away. You will still die, however, you will die because you got complacent or underestimated your foe, but the death is no longer frustrating, it just reinforces your learning experience.
Also, this game features one of the most unique online experiences on the PS3 or pretty much any format. Demon's Souls is a land of ghosts, if you have an internet connection you will be automatically logged in. Suddenly, your world becomes full of white transparent ghosts, fighting and dieing around you, these are actually other players, playing at the same time as you. It gives a feeling of life to the game, knowing that other players are experiencing the same hell as you! Added to that are bloodstains left by other players, examining them will show you how they perished. Then finally players can leave messages, which then creates a whole new level of tension. Do you jump off the ledge with the enticement of valuable treasure below? Or suddenly being warned about a trap makes you whirl around wondering where it is coming from.
After a short amount of time, the full multiplayer options will be available, allowing you to join other players as a blue phantom or invade them as a black. Both modes are equally rewarding, playing blue allows you to play with up to 4 others in co-op, often allowing you to learn the level and bosses as there is no penalty on death. Playing as a black phantom allows for some exciting PVP action and can be a lot of fun. This is at heart though mostly a single player experience, the multiplayer is very subtely added on and complements the game very well. It is not though a full fledged multiplayer game and shouldn't be approached as such.
On a technical note the graphics are good, however, not awe-inspiring along the lines of Killzone or Uncharted. The only exception are the bosses, which are impressively detailed and impressively huge (of course they can usually kill you in one or two hits!).
The sound is awesome, very moody and creates the perfect environment.
There is a lot of depth to this game and plenty in there to keep you going. The storyline is very sparse, however, this game does not require it, the joy in it, is powering up your character and learning the huge death filled levels. That said, there are a lot of intricacies and side quests in this game, that keep you playing through the levels time after time.
Overall, if you enjoy a challenging game that is going to last you over 40 hours for one playthrough, then offer many more on top of that if you decide you want to conquer it to the fullest. Then I really recommend considering this game, I think it will be a sleeper here in the EU and it will be dismissed by many who consider it too hard. However, after 30 hours of playing it, it is really one of the best games on the platform, I don't think another RPG will come close for a long time.
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14-07-2009, 2:04 PM
E. & O.E.
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