Painful.

User Rating: 5 | Dark Souls X360
I'm in the minority, I don't get it. The difficultly feels cheap to me (although not as hard as most people make out), the game looks dank, muddy (in a bad way) and a little old, the menu system is just as dank, muddy and depressing. The voice acting is bad. And while the controls are precise enough this aspect doesn't seem innovative, new or notable in any way.
The sound is good and I really loved the score. The premise is great and the game has a few surprising moments off the bat.
But I'm afraid that's it.
The player notes annoyed me. They seemed pointless and only served to break the immersion of being alone in some hellish wilderness. As did the player ghosts, as much as a few made me chuckle. Why is everyone jumping off cliffs?

No, I haven't given this game enough time. And no, perhaps I'm not patient enough. And yes, maybe I need a game to hold me hand a little (this game burns your hands). But when I go out and spend £40 on a brand new title I want to sit down for an evening - from start to finish - and enjoy myself. Which I really did not.
And that's why I think this review is valid, if only for a warning.
I love most rpgs. From big budget epics to indie productions.
But this game just isn't fun.

I'm clearly missing something. I'm perfectly happy most people love this game; it's not a brainless button masher and a lot of thought has clearly gone into it.

It's just a hardcore game that demands too much patience with too little reward.