Wow. This certainly taught me a lesson
I was aware of there being quite a buzz surrounding this game's release (fortunate for me, only really plugging-into that buzz myself – literally – mere weeks before it being on the shelves. My being an xbox owner, meant that it's "sort of" prequel(ish) Demon Souls, escaped my detailed scrutiny – more through indignant jealousy than anything else… I knew D.Souls looked staggeringly awesome, so – in fear of being pushed over the edge and having to end-up buying a PS3 to play-it – I avoided looking too much further than a casual watch of a review… click of a screenshot here or there.. a frustrated "tut", accompanying a dismissive click-closing of my browser…). I try not to let Sony push my buttons too often.
SO! You could imagine my enthusiasm when I discovered that the rumour I had heard of this franchise coming to the box, was anything BUT a rumour… that – what I would expect to be – a long wait to become personally acquainted with said franchise was in fact the last thing I would have to endure… oh n'noooo… this was now. This was happening, right, now.
And what a contrast of emotions to experience in such a short time frame.
From the high of anticipation… The spurring impressions given by articles, mouth-watering screenshots, and even rare praising, positive, critique paving the run-up to it's release… Even my ride home on my motorbike. Smug. Game in back-pack. Whole Weekend ahead of me to play it…
… the utter DREAD. Horror. Petulant frustration. Swear-jar filling, curse shouting, sofa-punching, controller throwing RAGE…! The painfully cautious exploration of the first area or so. The utter PANIC encountering even the weakest of enemy. The need to take a few steps back, REALLY pay attention to what you are doing. Your character build. Your stats. Your environment, your equipment. Your objetives. Your SURVIVAL. The challenge inherent in just making the right choices in preparing your character for the HORRORS that lay ahead of him (or her. There is a surface level customisation system provided in the character creation process that kind-of gives you the impression, that the developers are telling you "sure. Personalise to an extent. But don't get too comfortable. We're only going to kill you anyway").
You can see where I'm going with this, right?
Activate obsessive compulsion. Prepare for sleep depravation. This game sucks you in, in the most unlikely of ways. By besting you. Humiliating you. By KILLING YOU!!! But also by reminding you that there IS a way. There are solutions. … you can inch-on and achieve… but only if you have the Kahunas for it
Dark Souls, takes a lot of strategy to even so-much as scratch the surface of progress. Dark souls highest merit is to challenge it's player.
Most of the game you will find yourself too immersed in the critical, split-second timed combat, desperately balancing dodge, with attack, with replenish. … blinkered by the decisions of equipment, magic, METHOD, too take those rare moments to stand in AWE of your surroundings. This game is as lushly presented as it is punishing. Light bounces off of objects in a way that makes you SO proud to own a backlit L.E.D. TV. From Vistas you will look-out at golden rayed sun-scapes. You will creep through grotesque dungeons that feel like they have dampened your very bones.
You will JUMP out of your skin, when the relative silence of the game's vast ambient noise pallet is ruined by the clattering, jarring, crunching sound effects, of an (REGULARLY) attacking foe. The multitude of enemy types is fantastic.
Hoarders will be galvanised to persevere in search of precious loot.
Fighters will be gripped to critical "one variable will win this, or loos this fight" combat. Enemy AI, as basic as their approach may seem, the variations in their attack, defence and pursuit is staggering.
Adventurers will be lead into a HUGE set of maps to explore
Jerks will enjoy invading another game
Jokers will enjoy leaving smart-alec comments
Old school RPG heads, will tinker with stats in the clutch of classes, armour, equipment and magic.
ALL OF US will invent new swear words to even get close to the HATE for the (even minor) enemy that got the drop on you, and completely rebooted all of the soul collecting, map progressing headway you'd just spent the last HOUR making. BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. YOU DIDN'T SAVE YOUR WORK… £%$^$*!!!!!!!
Brilliant
Horrific.
Infuriating
… oh thank GOD for that save point…
And there was me thinking that I'd "buy this to tide me over until Skyrim"… what a fool. This game will grip me for MONTHS.