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The Souls series has been a blessing for video games & there's nothing like them

G

Gbraga

Member
Dragoon En Regalia said:
I mean, Xananext's definitely still a Falcom game, but it's unique within their old catalog and would appeal to Souls fans looking for something less intense, more casual yet interesting all the while. The final dungeon's what makes me bring up the comparison all the time; Xanadu Labyrinth and Eternal Maze are similar enough, too.
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Oh yeah, I'm not really thinking about combat at all. There's something about the world, or at least what I can perceive from trailer, and the exploration, that makes me think of Souls.

Maybe someone else who played both can tell us why we're making this connection, or say that we're both full of shit. :p

EDIT:

Morrigan Stark said:
I played both, and I can confirm that some parts of Xanadu Next wouldn't be out of place in a Souls game. Also the entire world is interconnected, with just about every dungeon looping back to the central town (with some limited warping/fast travel). It's pretty cool.
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There you go. Sounds exactly like what I was hoping for! Even more excited to play it as soon as possible.
 
D

DeathbyCheerios

Member
Okay.
I want to like the series and I feel like if I play thru Demon Souls I might have a chance.

What should I do before I go into Demon Souls to enjoy it more and not get to frustrated with it?

Or should I just skip Demons and go straight to DS1?
 
B

Blobbers

Member
Souls and Monster Hunter are two series where I will at points stop playing and marvel at the genius of weaving so many game mechanics and systems into a cohesive whole that's incredibly satisfying to play. Game design perfection.
I can see where the "this is what gaming has been building up to" folks are coming from. Putting play first, while feeling modern, while pushing the medium forward.

I also love games with challenging combat, dark and oppressive worlds, and "all hope is lost" stories, which is why SMT and Souls stand as my two favorite franchises.
 
P

PushingButtons

Member
DeathbyCheerios said:
Okay.
I want to like the series and I feel like if I play thru Demon Souls I might have a chance.

What should I do before I go into Demon Souls to enjoy it more and not get to frustrated with it?

Or should I just skip Demons and go straight to DS1?
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Start with Demon's. Just dive in and experience it as blind as possible. That's a big part of the fun is seeing where things take you and figuring out things on you're own.

Patience is a virtue
 
G

g11

Member
Wholeheartedly agree. Despite having much newer games to play, I keep coming back to Souls or Souls-like games like Nioh and Let It Die. It's the first series (Bloodborne too) I've ever gone back and played this many times.

I'd have to say FromSoft is my favorite developer working today and I'm on pins and needles waiting for more info on their next projects.
 
S

Sami+

Member
DeathbyCheerios said:
Just realized I don't have a PS3 anymore and I can't play it on PC...guess I have to skip it.
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Don't skip the series if you can't play one game though! I vastly prefer Demon's to DS1, but they're all great and have something unique to offer.

The series is really special to me and I want to share it with my gf so I think I want to get her started with Demon's, but honestly I'm just as inclined to have her start with DS3 just because it's more convenient and will look prettier on the TV lol.
 
H

hiryu

Member
Man, I really need a sequel to Bloodborne. I might have to replay that soon. Not sure any game will ever top Dark Souls for me.
 
R

Raptor

Member
Bloodborne is the best game ever made, simple as that.

EDIT:

ctw0e said:
Is this the next level of "this offends me as a gun expert" or "my dad is in the navy"?

Also, one random poster on the internet lauding its realism is a far cry from "people laud this game over its realism".

I call bullshit on this post.
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Damn it, I need to change my avy, yours better.
 
D

DeathbyCheerios

Member
Sami+ said:
Don't skip the series if you can't play one game though! I vastly prefer Demon's to DS1, but they're all great and have something unique to offer.

The series is really special to me and I want to share it with my gf so I think I want to get her started with Demon's, but honestly I'm just as inclined to have her start with DS3 just because it's more convenient and will look prettier on the TV lol.
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Oh no, I will just skip Demons unless I can find a way to play it.

The first time I played DS1 I got to the part right after you go under the bridge that, the dragon is on and you have that pathway with those big weird creatures. So pretty early and just wasn't enjoying it and had troubles having any motivation to move on.

Is there a trick to liking it and wanting to continue?
 
cireza

cireza

Banned
sublimit said:
One series that the Souls games personally reminded me a lot (which is also the case for many others that i know of) are the classic Tomb Raider games.
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Totally agree for Tomb Raider 1. There are some similarities in the atmosphere, how you are a single person a bit lost in pretty complex places, and have to understand things by yourself. Not much music either, death comes very quickly etc...

Did not really play the other ones (except for the two recent reboots).

funkystudent said:
Great games but it felt like they where running out of ideas in a big way in 3.
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Agreeing with this too.
 
G

gelf

Member
sublimit said:
One series that the Souls games personally reminded me a lot (which is also the case for many others that i know of) are the classic Tomb Raider games.Sure different genres and all but they also share quite many similarities.Especially Tomb Raider 1 and TR 3 on Playstation (due to the similarly punishing save systems).The feeling of isolation,the level designs,the ambient sounds,being able to recognize an enemy even before you saw him due to the sounds he made,the often oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere,the minimal use of music,the deadly traps and the feeling that the environment can be both your enemy or your friend,The very cleverly hidden secrets that rewarded risk,skill and observation were all things that i missed so much in every TR i played after Chronicles and i was so glad to see all those elements back in Demon's Souls when i first played it in 2009.

To me the Souls games actually felt more "Tomb Raider-ish" than anything Crystal Dynamics has ever produced.
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You know I haven't considered it until now but I think playing Souls actually helped me appreciate classic Tomb Raider a lot more. I have a better mindset for that type of game now and indeed I went back and completed TR1 recently and had a good time doing it.
 
B

Beerman462

Member
I watched a 25 min speed run of DS1 last night. Then remembered it took me like 50 hours to beat my first play through. So epic.
 
Head of Vengarl

Head of Vengarl

Banned
I agree with you OP. I'm so glad FromSoft and the Dark Souls series exists, and I'm so disappointed that I let the original game's reputation for being super difficult hold me back from buying it.

xviper said:
it's one of the best series in gaming history

there is something like them, no, not that repetitive garbage, Nioh, or that pathetic game, Lords of fallen

the best and actually the only good clone of the souls series is an indie game called "Salt and Sanctuary", i'm a souls series veteran who played since Demon's came out, and i can assure you that Salt and Sanctuary is Better than that lazy piece of shit that is Disgrace souls 3
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:|

Dark Souls 3 a lazy piece of shit huh? Funny, because it's far-and-away the best RPG I've ever played...

Frodo said:
Dark Souls will forever be one of my favourite games, even though it has a bunch of flaws that were ironed out on the sequels (that introduced their own problems). The atmosphere was incredible, and unlocking shortcuts after struggling through a hard level is one of the most gratifying things ever in games.

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Dark_castle said:
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uxvlyp51mvvx.gif
 
A

Anticol

Banned
Idk if they are overrated or if they saved AAA gaming or Japanese gaming, but in my personal experience Darksouls was the game who got me into gaming after stopped playing in early 2000. Darksouls is my favorite game by far and bloodborne is the best game of this generation by a long margin.
 
S

SatelliteOfLove

Member
Demon's Souls being a big double middle finger to alot of the rot and superstition that the industry had infected itself with by 2009. A situation that had the phrase "it should not BE!" shouted by something that itself shouldn't.

Stiler said:
I love the Souls games and while I agree that it's world design/lore is unmatched I think you can actually trace a lot of its roots back a bit to a little known game,

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It shares a lot in common with the souls games, from it's weary world design and very similar combat systems (moves depend on what weapon you pick up, etc).

I loved the combat in Severance and the souls games are pretty much the closest to it that any game ever came after it.

Severance combat was a bit more in depth, when it comes to moves it has more per weapon then souls and the inputs are more like say, a fighting game, but once you get used to the controls the combat is amazing like souls.

You have to take into account the stamina cost, the length of the attack, and the enemies also can damage other enemies so positioning/dodging is key like in the souls games.
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I keep thinking of this as the Wishbone Ash to the Souls' Allman Brothers Band: Convergent Evolution

Luap said:
uxvlyp51mvvx.gif
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ahahaha this is a new one.
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Beerman462 said:
I watched a 25 min speed run of DS1 last night. Then remembered it took me like 50 hours to beat my first play through. So epic.
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The Souls speedrunning community is really cool, the streams are mostly very chill and everyone gets along well.

Check out SpeedSouls to keep up with them, if you're interested. Bloodborne has very recent world records, both for Any% and All Bosses.

Distortion2 has been working on a Demon's Souls All Achievements Run, he's actually online right now.

Anticol said:
Idk if they are overrated or if they saved AAA gaming or Japanese gaming, but in my personal experience Darksouls was the game who got me into gaming after stopped playing in early 2000. Darksouls is my favorite game by far and bloodborne is the best game of this generation by a long margin.
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That's so cool. How did you end up trying it in the first place?

Luap said:
uxvlyp51mvvx.gif
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Never seen that one before, hahaha.
 
M

mokeyjoe

Member
Thought Demon's Souls was a pretty interesting game, I played about half of it. But the formula hasn't done much for me since then. Maybe I'd enjoy them more if I had more time to dedicate to them, but I generally find all the Souls games very easy to put down and forget about. They're fine but never really hook me tbh.
 
S

Soar

Member
While I wouldn't put it at such a high pedestal, I have been really addicted to the playstyle and have been playing nothing but for the past few months. I think I have finally found my favorite gameplay loop, aside from the civ series.
 
P

Polioliolio

Member
Demon's Souls saved gaming in the shitty late 2000's era.

Were there good games? Of course, but the design philosophy back then, and it still lingers somewhat today.. something like 'hard games aren't fun.. challenge isn't fun. People want to be wowed as they are hand-held through a hallway.'

I was so burnt out on gaming at that time, and then Demon's came along and I was fully entrenched again, like I was playing Super Mario 64 for the first time.


While I still enjoy the formula, I'm ready for something new. Souls fatigue is real.
 
U

ubiblu

Member
The souls series is probably my favourite gaming series after Zelda, and I find that crazy given I only started playing them two years ago in an otherwise 25+ years long gaming career. Having said that, I wouldn't rate any individual game in the series in my top 5 of all-time despite loving all of them. I can't explain why, but only BB enters that 'gaming masterpiece' space, and even then DS3 is still probably my favourite to actually play.

Ready for my DeS/DS1 remakes though! Come on From.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
I think Zelda II is one of the best games of all time, and I am a fan of classic Castlevania games, and the Souls series (Bloodborne included) have given me an entire series of games just like them. That alone has been a huge draw for me.
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Gold Member
Ever since the original Dark Souls clicked for me, Soulsborne has been my favorite series. I'm so, so very glad that I gave that game a chance after initially brushing it off.
 
I

III-V

Member
sjay1994 said:
No one is getting upset at people liking a thing. It's fine to like a thing.

It's when people act like something is the greatest thing ever made and invalidates everything else as casual trash, that all criticism people have is simply because they didn't git gud, that we should all be thankful for this series existing because its "a true video game" and its for "big bois" when things stop being "merely liking a thing" and becomes obnoxious.
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ctw0e said:
Where are people acting like this?

GameFAQs?
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Lawd have mercy
 
W

Weltall Zero

Member
Rtas said:
He has a PHD in history specializing in Historical combat through this he does HEMA along with other medieval combat and martial arts styles, people laud this game over its "realistic" combat, according to him its inaccurate and that saddens him. Why is this embarrassing?
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Because it's a fucking game and "literally" (or even figuratively, which is probably what you mean) crying over swordfighting accuracy in a videogame is the saddest thing imaginable, and having a PHD actually makes it sadder yet?

hotcyder said:
Enemies engagement gets kind of boring - especially bosses with enormous health bars that just become a matter of kiting and whittling health.
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Everything in your post is highly debatable but mostly a matter of taste, but this is factually wrong. Souls bosses are among the least durable in all of gaming; you can down pretty much any boss in a souls game in less than twenty seconds of hitting them, it's just that you don't get many chances to safely hit them. This is precisely one of the things I love so much about Souls games, that combat is very deadly not just for you, but for all enemies including bosses.

I really have to ask, if Dark Souls is boring and its bosses have enormous health bars, what games do you consider fun and engaging while having even less durable bosses?
 
J

Jedi2016

Member
DaciaJC said:
Ever since the original Dark Souls clicked for me, Soulsborne has been my favorite series. I'm so, so very glad that I gave that game a chance after initially brushing it off.
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Yeah, I remember that moment when I finally understood what the games were doing.

I'm still rubbish at playing them, but I'm aware that I'm playing something special.
 
K

KillLaCam

Banned
Yeah Im hoping FromSoftware teases their next game sometime this year.



Rtas said:
I know a friend who actually does HEMA as a historical martial artist and the swordplay in this game literally makes him cry with its inaccuracy.
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Atleast he doesn't do Kung Fu and Muay Thai, I literally cry at the inaccuracy when I play any fighting game

/s
 
R

Ratrat

Member
KillLaCam said:
Yeah Im hoping FromSoftware teases their next game sometime this year.




Atleast he doesn't do Kung Fu and Muay Thai, I literally cry at the inaccuracy when I play any fighting game

/s
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Really. These are possibly the dumbest criticisms Ive seen of Dark Souls.

The combat isn't realistic!!
 
psychotron

psychotron

Member
It took me a while to get into the Souls games, but now I love them. Bloodborne was also incredible. Nioh and most recently, The Surge, were very enjoyable. Surge had incredible level design and really tough trash enemies. Bosses were okay, but easy to cheese.
 
A

arglebargle

Member
I've read a lot about souls in my time and have never really encountered arguments that the combat is realistic. you can roll around in full suits of armor. Calling that realistic is crazy.

Definitely my favorite recent series even though I do feel a little fatigued by now. Bloodborne was a breath of fresh air and more variations like that are welcome.

I don't really know how to describe the hold they have on me. I do know that when I'm in the middle of a playthrough but not actually playing I think about them constantly. They really stick with me in a way few other games do.
 
M

Mephala

Member
Love the games and especially Bloodborne.

Weapon designs and armor designs in particular are great.
3a88a87f0833fc57606e50558f00e766.jpg


And the enemy designs! Amazing in so many ways!
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I like the difficulty too. Some people say trial and error, it is a little bit like this at first because there is little to no guidance. As you become more familiar though you tend to get more confidence and it less trial and error but more risk vs reward.
 
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