This is an absolute amazing game. The combat is revolutionary--with the required timing of a parry and a followup riposte, the satisfying jab of a backstab, and the excellent customization system. Additionally, the multiplayer aspect of this game is wonderfully unique with the ability to play with other friends cooperatively or to engage in one of the most intense and rewarding Player vs Player experiences on the PS3. This game may seem difficult at first but once you get the hang of it, it is exhilarating! I would recommend this game to anyone.… Expand

I love a good challenge in a video game, but this game is not a challenge. It's an attempt to drive you insane by making you feel like you're nothing. People argue that the extreme difficulty will make you feel satisfied when you beat a hard boss or a hard level, but I didn't feel satisfied once while playing this game. I did maybe for the first thirty seconds after beating a boss, but that didn't last long because you're forced into another hard level afterwards. The game isn't even fun, mainly because of its combat system and level system. When you level up, your stats are hardly even increased, and you need a lot of souls(currency) to level up. Let me add that once you die, all of your souls are gone, but you can get them back by going back to where you died. If you die again without getting your souls back, they're just gone forever and there's no way to get them back. I know that your equipment is more important than your stats, but to play the game and not die every five minutes you'll need some really good equipment, and that's not easy to find. The combat system is seriously among the worst that I've ever seen in any video game, and it gets really repetitive. Block, attack, block again, attack again, repeat. Progressing in this game is a nightmare, it's entirely composed of trial and error, which is a horrible way to make a game. Needless to say, with constant trial and error and constantly dying, the game is no fun at all. The online features are also bad and completely unnecessary, you can either summon someone to join your game, or someone will just join your game automatically and mess everything up for you. Being allowed to let someone else join your game to help you is a nice feature, but just having someone butting into your game without you wanting them is just a terrible decision, and I really can't stress that enough. They'll just try to kill you, and mess everything up. They'll most likely have the best equipment and kill you like nothing, like the game wasn't already terrible enough without that feature. As an attempt to make the game a little easier, the developers put in a feature where you can leave messages to help other people, but most of the time what the messages say isn't helpful at all. Most of the time the messages I saw said "praise the sun!" which isn't the slightest bit helpful. I also saw things like "jump" at an edge of a big drop. I also saw stupid things like "I did it!" in random places, none of those things are helpful at all. The game is also completely absent of a story. So to summarize, the game has an unfair, brutal difficulty, terrible combat, poor level system, bad and unnecessary online features, progression that consists entirely of trial and error, annoying messages, gameplay that just isn't fun, and a nonexistent story. The one online feature that actually works is letting other people into your game to help you, which is the only reason I gave it a 1 and not a 0. Dark Souls is possibly the most overrated game of this console generation.… Expand

Dark Souls is a beautiful, fascinating game with a lot to explore and many deep ways to draw your attention. Brilliant game play systems, complex immersion elements, and a player-reliant approach to gaming put this far above any game I've ever heard of.
It has taken up much of my life since its release and I eagerly await more games of the franchise.

This is not a horrible game, that being said it is not a good game either. It has very minimal story and once you get going you realize that its basically a grind fest. The difficulty is overrated, its not hard because your opponents are smarter than you, and you need to figure out tactics to beat them,its difficult because the are stronger than you, the game plays like this. Get killed by a big strong guy 10 levels stronger than you, grind out 11 levels, beat strong guy, go two feet, rinse repeat. It just gets really boring really fast. One thing that is a major nuisance is the lack of a pause feature, for people who get telephone calls or occasionally have someone knock at their door or simply have to take a piss, you have to either find a relatively safe place to stand, die, or use an item to transport to your campsite, i guess the reasoning is that it makes it more difficult where in reality it's just annoying.… Expand

I would like to start off with my positive thoughts of this wounderful game called Dark Souls. Firstly I am going to talk about the single player, Dark souls is very hard but a very easy game at the same time for you see that the game teaches you to play it very well, but punishing you if you don't try hard. My second point is about the story or lore of the game which is done in a good way, it makes the community work together to find the meaning by hind this dark story and how characters desive you to to their will ect. Thirdly is the gameplay which is spot on. Weapons sound and move like you would expect and the enemies are effect by you attack as you would expect. My last point is about the muilt player, there are two modes where one is to help another player though an area and the second is to kill them, they are both balanced and very fun. Unfortunately with all good games they have bad parts to them and Dark souls is no exception. Firstly is the terrible FPS lag in some areas of the game, and I am not going to lie and say I don't know why it is laggy there. Second point is that is very laggy online for Australians such as my self, but I do not know how it is in other places such as the USA or Japan. Due to the negitive points above I have to give Dark Souls a 9/10 but I recommend it to every one who has the rage suppression skills to cope with it. Thanks for reading, KarjoTheCat.… Expand

This game is the most overrated ever! Let me Explain why I think this game is bad.......1st: There is no choice of difficulty settings, instead you were force to be challenge all the time (which I hate).......2nd: Its exactly the same game as Demon Souls, only difference is the place, environment and the monsters, people was mad that "COD" always being a rip off from its previous game every time but what about Dark Souls rip off Demon Souls?..... 3rd: Its not "open world" type like Skyrim or Fallout 3 but instead your were force to go on a linear path anywhere........4th: There is very few dialogue choices while communicating with several NPCs (infact there were very few NPCs) on a game which its genre has being called an "RPG" game........5th There is no "cheats" or "easy mode" for players who are so frustrated by the game and doesn't want to be challenge.......6th: There is no storyline to it, just a linear dialogue and lame cutscene to push you forward? To me gaming is about "fun" and I find this game isn't about "fun" but "challenges". For me who has less "free time" and a busy person, I find this game a horrible game for me...... If I want to be challenged, I'll do it in real life like challenge myself in sports or any competition but not on a nerd virtual videogame that was made by someone who is successful at making money from giving others "challenge" which is unnecessary.… Expand

As discussed before me, i can see this not being a game for everyone. The best advice that i can give is that you are meant to die, and it is about learning and accomplishing. You will not be able to take 50 hits before you go down, expecting your armour to take the flack, no no no, this is a game about being accurate and timing your moves correctly. Rushing through will get you killed quite quickly, even by the easier enemies. Every battle could be your last, and you dont want to loose those souls that you've collected! The areas in the game are astonishing, be vastly different from the last and the bosses and truely unique. As per the IGN review, this game gets in to your head, and it really does. I have not thought about a game when away from my console for a fair few years now, and dark souls will do that to you... if you give it a chance … Expand

This game is NOT for a wide ranged audience. It is for loved true RPG fans. It has a detailed system of weapons spells and armour. Good graphics and a long winded campaign. It isn't a game for me, but for someone who likes RPGs and strategic massive open world games, it's a seller.

The Bonfire System is an improvement to the Nexus system of demon´s souls. I did not like that the worlds in Demon Souls were separated and therefore i do welcome the new system. Its challenging and has a deep atmosphere but the graphic is average and the frame-rate drops are disturbing. Anyway, you can look at it how do you want to look at it, Dark Souls does really has a soul on its own.

Pretty good game... but definitely not for everyone! Including me haha! but still there is no denying that this is a good game and i probably would have enjoyed it alot more if it were not for the crazy difficulty and frustrating save system

This game is very fun and well designed. It is the first time I have ever died in a long time. Sadly most recent games like Skyrim or Fable 3 are far too easy. When I walk into a room I instantly know I can clear it. And just this morning when I was playing Skyrim I sat there being bored out of my mind as the same poorly designed and easy to kill NPCs charged at me. I than pulled out Dark Souls and got killed within the first five minutes by a fire breathing dragon. This game is beyond hard which makes it so interesting. It may lack side quests and a main storyline, but I have rarely played a game where it actually tests your ability not to die. Most games these days make combat as simple as press one button. This is one of my favorite games and deserves some credit.… Expand

The game is almost entirely skill based. UNTIL YOU LEARN HOW TO PLAY WELL YOU WILL DIE A LOT. A lot of friends I recommend this game to get frustrated at the first real boss/area. I tell them to power through and the ones that do have come to absolutely love the game. Once you learn how to exploit the game mechanics you will stop dying so much. Don't get me wrong, you will die still, but not nearly as often. Sometimes the game is "cheap" as in it instakills you out of nowhere. Just know this, anything you can do to the enemies they can and will do to you. So in that respect, I don't consider it "cheap" but rather a more immersive experience. The story is there if you really want to explore it, but generally speaking it takes a backseat to gameplay. The map is designed in such a way that will blow your mind. So, the game is awesome. End of story.… Expand

This is the best game of this generation. It nails gaming on so many levels. Yes, it's difficult for new players, but it gives the best feeling of success once you finally finish. Then play it through 100 more times!

This is the best game ever hands down! The difficult of this game remind me of what old school games in the 80s and 90s used to be like including Castlevania, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, etc. The people who gave this game a low score must be casual gamers that want every game to be easy like Call of Duty for example. This game may not be for everyone but it mostly for hardcore gamer like me, that want a challenge and the long length of the game and that are sick of modern games going water down and give us 4-6 hours single player length and getting rip off from 60$ games. This game has everything what hardcore gamer want. If you want a hard enemies, then you have it. If you want hard bosses, then you have it also. Struggling to see what items or weapons that is useful to you, then you have it. I love the dark atmosphere of this game. It make you feel like that there is no hope and everything want to kill you. After killing the boss that you have hard time on, it feel satisfies and rewarding. Anyone who never played Demon Souls like me, you haven't missed a thing but it take time to get used to the control and the game play. If your hardcore gamer like me who looking for a challenge, i would highly recommend to pick this up and also pick up the DLC of this game.… Expand

Good game but you better be prepared to die alot. This game has a huge difficulty right from the start and bosses and enemies are tough. You might feel huge frustration while playing this game but if you can overcome that, then this is easily one of the most best games to ps3.

Don't be fooled by people who give this game a low review, or anyone who said they played this game once through and where done with it. Anyone who has stuck with this game til the end knows that this game is a masterpiece deserving nothing less than a 10. Also note it is impossible to play it once and be done, because of new difficulty and how many things you will miss in one playthrough (I am talking who new areas with bosses, covenants and equipment) not to mention also the multiplayer.… Expand

This is the absolute best RPG of this generation. Story the story is very interesting and deep, it isn't told to you, you have to discover it by yourself, which increases the replay value by a lot. gameplay absolutely amazing if I were to explain everything now it would take way too long. Graphics on an artistic view beautiful on a technical view ok. Sound voice acting is fine but nothing special but the music is just amazing from boss themes or just laying around a bonfire it's subtle and epic at the same time. Overall easily a 10/10… Expand

Pretty awesome but Demon's Souls level design is a touch better

This game is so awesome! I love how this game is so brutal to noobs and it punishes you for not strategizing before a boss fight. Almost all the bosses are really fun to fight (not the Bed of Chaos). Theres heaps of cool items to collect. Every boss you kill rewards you greatly. The Lore is great if you ever look up the lore on youtube. This game can be really unpredictable. The graphics, landscape and detail is amazing. The NPCs have their own character and the decisions you make on how to approach things can effect the rest of your gameplay however the PVP is terrible. Most PVP in this game involves some sort of cheap tactic such as: Super OP Magic, Lagstabbing, Hacking and Ganking.… Expand

I LOVE THIS GAME.. I'll admit, when I first bought this game, I got rid of it within days. I bought it a few more times and had the same outcome.. About a month ago I bought it once more.. I still died alot but I decided not to give up.. I just started progressing further and further with each win over an area or boss felt like a victory IN LIFE. This games is the most rewarding gaming experience I have ever experienced. If you are a VERY experienced gamer well honed in the art of defeat and overcoming that defeat this is the game for you. Its beautiful, sounds great and doesn't hold your hand one bit.… Expand

This game is not meant to hold your hand. There is a plethora of strategy and fun to be found in this game, even while you are trudging your way along bowels of the world. It's lonely, yet it's not - the co-op and pvp make you feel like there is always somebody else struggling along, and the boss fights are simply amazing. This game is all about survival, and if you do survive, the game rewards you and makes you feel like a true champion. Quite simply this is one of the best games ever.

Controls - 10
Story - 10 (if you can piece it together (check out EpicNameBro's vids on youtube))
Gameplay - 10 (tailored to your playstyle, 100%).… Expand

In my opinion as a gamer one of the best crafted games of all time... classic solid action/rpg gameplay with a slightly retro feel, inspired worlds, characters, and lore. Tough challenging gameplay which never feels cheap, repetitive, or unfair. Brilliant pacing, hidden boss encounters, awesome loot will keep you exploring. This is a game for the true gamers, there's a reason why this game is still top 10 most discussed games on GameFAQ's folks. That being said, this game isn't for everyone, to put it simply, this game is hard and requires good patient pacing to play effectively. If you die you're returned to the nearest bonfire you rested at,which acts as a minimalistic hub of sorts and allows you to access some of the games features like level up which aren't available while roaming, bonfires also restore HP and relieve most status ailments amongst other things. Catch is that resting at a bonfire resets the world around you, so all the monsters you just killed? They're back. Leveling up requires souls, which are collected throughout the world mostly by killing enemies and bosses, say you've accumulated 5,000 souls, you're ready to level up, but you can't until you reach a bonfire, say you lose before you reach a bonfire, you will be returned to the previously rested at bonfire with 0 souls and you must travel all the way back to where you died to retrieve your souls. If you die a 2nd time before retrieving your souls then they're gone forever. So as you can see, the game can be pretty darn grueling. The game punishes you for making mistakes and you might find yourself cussing up a storm once or twice (I know I did), but for those wiling to endure the trials and to anyone who likes being challenged and immersed- If you're ready for it, Dark Souls is ready for you.… Expand

Dark Souls is a true masterpiece, in my eyes the best game of this decade so far.
The game is notorious for it's difficulty, and a lot of people seem to down rate it just because they become frustrated whilst playing it. When playing Dark Souls, you need to be in a set of mind that the game is SUPPOSED to be difficult, in this game, clearing an area or beating a boss is a true accomplishment, it's something you worked hard to achieve... And whilst it is true that Dark Souls is very difficult at first, it is never unreasonably difficult, if you are dying on a boss, it's because you are doing something wrong, not because the game is too hard. Each boss requires a certain strategy, there's never an enemy that's a pushover. This is a game, where you need to use your brain to progress, the weakest enemies in the game can kill a character that's cleared the game with only a few strikes, but then that wouldn't happen, because you would have learned to evade them so well. It's a game where you're constantly forced to say, what if I tried this, or what if I dodged this way instead, till eventually you figure out the proper way to defeat an enemy or boss.
The difficulty in Dark Souls lies not in overwhelming enemy stats or bad balance, it lies in the level of skill required to play it; the game is perfectly balanced.… Expand

I played this game and hated it the first time I played it, then the second time, then the third and even fourth time. But when i played a fifth time it got a little better. It isn't so hard to get used to the controls even if they do suck so bad they want to make your face explode. I did yell "What the FREAK!!!" quite a few times when I died from pure lack of good controls, and I did hate the fact that the pretty backgrounds were just that, pretty backgrounds. The internet play sucked the story line sucked, but once you got used to it, it was ok. Definitely not my favorite game though. Ive played worse. What made me the most angry was that you couldn't pause it. It just expects you to play forever. Put the game back in and if it is still too hard to get used to a new game play style then you are a noob.… Expand

No doubt this is one of the best game I've ever played in a very long time.

But be ready to throw in at least 10+ hours before you could feel the beauty of it

I had this game for 14 months, in that time I played it on and off for 8 hours total game time. Something kept bringing me back to it, but 30 mins into a session I would rage quit without fail. Then I spent some time online and read every single last piece of advice on the game. Where do I find the best armor, where do I find a good starting weapon (drake sword), where is the first blacksmith (upgrade your starting weapon ASAP), how do I kill this dude... you get the idea.

I went back to it this weekend. On Friday evening Havel must have killed me 40 times, but eventually he fell :)
It's been a joy ever since, this is quite possibly the best game I've ever played. You just need to be patient and use your brain, read advice on the net and open your eyes while playing. And NEVER panic.

In the past I often felt that I would never get that feeling of power from this game. In something like Diablo 3 it is sooo easy to feel powerful, but that's because of your character and your gear, a blind monkey can play D3 if the character has good gear. The beauty of dark souls is that gear takes you only so far, it's your skill level (yes you on the couch fatty) that determines your success, and that is awesome.

I hardly die at all anymore, unless I'm facing off against a proper boss, the mini bosses don't even scare me.

The world design is fantastic, there is so much to explore in such a small area. The interface is terrible, but after a while you get things done very quickly, it's just not what we've come to expect from modern game interfaces.

The heavy feel that combat has to it is so addictive, I think that's what kept me coming back. How I wish Skyrim felt like this.

I love this game, but I don't recommend it to everyone. It's unforgiving if you are impatient or unwilling to learn from your mistakes. As stated earlier, it's your skill that makes you succeed, not your character stats or your gear. Sure, those things help, but you make the difference.… Expand

This game takes the difficulty and challenges in a very different level, although it's not good for some people, that find the idea of learning with your mistakes over and over again disturbing, the challenges offered can make many other people dive into the greatness that the game offers.It's nothing but a shame that not everyone can play it and enjoy it the same way, it's not a game for everyone, but it does a very good job entertaining those that are fit for it.… Expand

It's hard for a sequel to be better than the original but Dark Souls does. The open world set up is different than Demon's Souls but I actually found that to be a better experience. Bosses are just as difficult, and I would have to say much more challenging. Anybody who calls themselves a gamer needs to at least give it a shot.

(UPDATED REVIEW) This game immediately reminded me of the good old Fighting Fantasy roleplay gamebooks by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone. I've been hooked by the sound/music, the dusty/muddy dungeons and the atmospheric landscapes. Monsters (especially bosses) look awesome. Just too bad about the lag sometimes (yes this game looks like it could have benefit more development time - that's why it's a 8/10 for me, too much technical issues take away from an otherwise perfect experience) however Dark Souls is about FEAR, it makes you feel like you have to fight to survive, and think about "strategy" too; just like real life situations - it may be a fantasy world, but the game succeeds to make you feel a real sense of DANGER. People who say this game is too hard probably didn't own systems in the 80's-90's. Dying 5-6 times an hour? Fine. Just try Contra III (SNES) on HARD for a change...You won't count the number of lives and 'continues' spent. No really, anybody can play Dark Souls and get used to it, but it's up to you to accept the challenge or not. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. In fact I'm already going back to it... Wish me luck =)… Expand

Extremely hard and frustrating yet addictive and fun. It is a much better game then skyrim.

Great and challanging game. One of the best games offering awesome atmospheres and gameplay this generation. Running through Dark Forrests and castles fighting against bloodthirsty monsters is a old concept but was very well made in this game But its not as good as the prequel Demon's Souls. The PvP fights are horrible buged and suffer through the badly implemented Netcode. And the Framerateissues in few areas in this game.… Expand

Dark Souls start out in a similar manner to Demon Souls, but unlike Demon Souls - Dark Souls is rife with frustrating deaths and cheap mechanics that lock the player to play the game the way the designers intended instead of being open ended like its predecessor. No longer does the play have the choice of which challange to tackle next, instead we have an RPG on rails due to the design scaling enemies by area. Thus if the player is stuck in a specific area he or she can no longer try a different challenge instead the game forces you to try the same long sequence over and over, which can lead to frustration and annoyance. When you have to run the same 15 minute sequence in order to fight that boss that you keep dying with no option of game progression, the game become an exercise in repetition instead of exploration and progression.

Also, a year after release the game is still rife with frame rate drops, graphical tearing, enemy glitches, and bad clipping. It is incredibaly frustrating when fighting a single skeleton and the game locks up or a two ghosts and the game drops down to single digit fps causing you to miss that roll. The worst though is enemies hitting the player through foliage or solid objects that should be impenetrable.… Expand

To say the least, get the combat of a action game with a few neat innovations, and without the combos. Get the character creation, customization and limitation, with every point counting from a tactical RPG.
Get the world a large book series, complete with hidden intricacies, plots and characters and make people read between the lines to find out more. Then mash them together and remove a tutorial. Take the hardest difficult, put it on steroids then repeat a few times. Prepare to die.
This game then takes what a action RPG should be, and makes it perfect. Every fight, whether against a dragon, knight or un-dead feels challenging and worthwhile. Combat is about combining precision, tactics and execution. Lure out enemies so you don't get over whelmed, bunch them together for a fireball, all while watching your supply of potions and spells decrease. You shape your character how you want, with the story even offering flexibility its progression, as well as about 10 different stats to focus on for development (in comparison to certain RPG's with 2-3 development stats).
But there's the beauty of the game. As you traverse the beautifully crafted areas of the world, you play as you character. And that's what makes it satisfying when you kill a normal enemy, sub-bosses releasing great happiness. After your character figures out how to beat a boss after dying to them a bazillion times you receive a sense of satisfaction and ecstasy that no other game can provide. And that's why you play dark souls.… Expand

Not a full 10 score, but pretty close. Overall a nice step up from demon's souls, the open world is great, I also like the adition of covenants to mix things up in pvp, design is top notch as always, and of course ambientation, production values, depth,etc, etc. But what shines above all is the gameplay, the souls games have probably the best combat mechanics I have ever seen, they are intuitive, brutal, vast and full of depth; each weapon has it's own animations, and they all feel different. It's not a perfect game, it has rough edges here and there, graphics feel dated, framerate goes to hell on some locations, and sometimes controls are not as responsive. In terms of tools available for combat, some spells and miracles are overpowered, and prone to abuse; this makes some pvp matchups frustrating as the opponents use cheap tactics over and over again. Weapon refinement (wich was spot on in demons souls) is uneven and feels a little lacking; there is no longer a str/dex weapon upgrade path, so str/dex builds are doomed to stick with weapons you find in the environment that naturally scale with such stats, don't get me wrong, they are good, but sometimes I would like to have let's say a str scaling spear instead of another ultra weapon. All in all, this game may not be for everyone, but if it clicks with you then like me you will find one of the best games ever created......… Expand

This game is definitely not for everyone. It's hard, it's unforgiving but i like every minutes of it ! The boss fight are all epic and challenging and you'll keep wanting for more. One of my greatest PS3 game.

Let's be honest for a second, here. Seriously. Ask yourself: "do I really like this game?" or "am I really enjoying this?". I think Dark Souls is the perfect example of Psychological Marketing. Developers and the media MADE US believe that suffering exhaustively with some sort of "do it again until you get good at it" business is something nice, something we want, the ideal gaming experience. It's not. Dark Souls is, no question about it, a beautiful game, challenging and well crafted. That being said, the difficulty level is just way, way too high - to a point that there's not fun at all to play it. But we do, we play, we suffer, because "they" made us believe this was the best gaming experience ever. I gave up on Dark Souls as soon as I realized that I just don't have time for this. Being a gamer in my 30s, I have pretty much 1 hour per day to play games. And I don't want to spend these precious hours hating myself or hating a game because I cannot have any fun, because of frustration. I'm no masochist, sorry. For me, the ultimate gaming experience is HAVING FUN. And there's [almost] no fun to be had in Dark Souls, sorry.… Expand

Possibly the greatest game I have played in a long long time. The game play is so deep that you literally feel like you are fighting for your life. The graphics are amazing (some beg to differ) and the game seamlessly connects to every other area in the game without loading screens. Every boss fight is like a 1 on 1 death match, its him or you, leaving you the sweet taste of victory or the bitter taste of failure. Every piece of armor/shield/weapon changes how your character moves around and attacks based on your play style. Its worth the 30 bucks for sure, but be warned, this game is not for the faint of heart. At times this game can be brutally hard and can seem downright unfair. 10/10… Expand

One of the most challenging games I have ever played, this game is hard, and you will die a lot if you do not learn from your errors, you need to adapt to your enemies techniques, and balance the the use of evasion movements, defensive approaches and attack patterns.///////////Enemies have their own, add they use to hide and make ambushes, cornering you and making you pay any reckless behavior you can make, luck will save you a couple of times, but mostly, your skills and speed of learning will give you an edge to beat this game.///////////Mistakes are paid dearly but once you nail an enemy, you become stronger, not only you character, the game have some items that make you life easier, this bring up something very important, all in this game matters, that little herb, a little knife, all of them have their purpose and can make you have advantage over enemies and certain situations, spells, miracles, some may seem useless, but they can save your life in daring situations//////This brings up this game is not hack and slash as you may already guess, most times you will be attacking, but defending, hiding and running will make your day also.////////There is a deep character customization, as first glance is not noticeable, but you will learn that specialization is a good bet, you scale your stats, and some weapons scale with the stats you have the most, but others with stats you scale the less making them less effective, for instance, a knife can be more lethal in an assassin built than in a warrior one, there is no advantage of one class over another, the skill you have with them will make win online matches as well as in the single player.//////Music and graphics are average, but design is superb, scenery and enemy design are awesome, you feel there is a sense of uniqueness in each one of them, as for the story, it is lessen, there are not big cut scenes and long dialogues, almost everything is explained though the menu, where you can read the story of each item you have, this will not stop you from understanding the world you are playing in, each character as a real meaning history and an air of mystery you will have to research.////////////This game is part of the history of gaming, you can decide if you will be part of it or not.… Expand

Man, i love this game. I read on the net that this game is very hard, and yea, hell hard. I didn't play Demon's Souls so for me is a bit difficult. In the first level, you are playing and you think that is easy, but only that level. After, the game gets more hard and the game starts there. Graphics are acceptable, the environment and the world is dark and beautiful. Game is very addictive, hard but addictive. The sound is good, without problems. Gameplay is damn nice, roll is better than use the shield to dodge enemies, and the enemies are hard if they hit you. There's different spells of each class. Example the piromantic has fire spells, the cleric casts healing miracles, and the sorcerer have soul sorceries. The bosses are hard, some bosses are very hard and you need help of others players online to kill him. Online is unique, if you are connected to PSN, some ghosts from other people playing appears, but they can't do nothing. There's a special item to summon others players that help you. Also you can fight against players, and take theirs souls. Conclusion: If you have patience to die, die, an die, and if you like or love RPG'S, BUY this game. If you are a good player, the game will be more easy.… Expand

I remember being in the 'demon souls club' (I just made the up), the days following the release of the game. Awestruck by its greatness. And now countless other get to enjoy the gameplay of Souls. There is no other game,gameplay, atmosphere, and world better than dark souls. It stands alone in numerous areas. Most games can't even stand alone in one. Although Demons Souls will still be the game that I was most immersed in in 25 years of video gaming, Dark Souls beats it in most ways. And the difficulty is high, but that's part where the immersion comes from. I still go back to it, and once again I'm perfectly happy playing the same section over and I've again once again. One of the best games ever made. One rule: you must be a hardcore gamer.… Expand

this is best game ever i would like to play it once finish all off design so cool action so great i would get stucked into game with action design i hope this game will get another game like these

Great game. Requires skill and not stats. A truly superb game in a time of very easy and non rewarding games. The game doesn't adapt to you. There is not an objective marker or map, you are on your own.

What a glorious experience. This game is the first to make me feel surprised, clueless, exhilarated, terrified, anxious, depressed, frustrated, unbelievably pissed off, ecstatic, gleeful, immensely relieved, and utterly content all in the span of an hour. Often all these feelings happen in the exact order listed above and make for a pretty unforgettable experience. If you don't mind dying often, chasing down your fallen corpse only to die along the way and lose all your experience, and having to learn fights the hard way then this is the game for you. Dark Souls is an epic experience with incredibly streamlined and functional controls, a rich and immersive world, awesome enemies and bosses, and way more to do and explore than you could possibly figure out on your own. It also features a constant auto-save feature and will not let you make multiple saves of one character. The saving is functionally identical to WOW's save system, anything you do is permanent. This means no saving before a boss and loading it for a quick rematch. It also means no saving before killing or talking to an npc to ensure you make the right choice. You also cannot save before crafting or spending your souls (the game's experience and currency) to make sure you don't screw up. This causes you to really think and debate about simple decisions like whether or not to make a special weapon; you may after all find that special weapon worse than the base weapon used to make it. Ultimately it makes you emotionally invested in your character and what you do, something very few other games manage to accomplish. Bottom line, if you can handle dying repeatedly and some pretty severe subsequent frustration, you will experience an incredibly immersive world and intense satisfaction only the hardcore games of the past could bring (for example Super Mario bros, Mike Tyson, and Megaman).… Expand

This was pretty much the best game to come out of 2011 all together, and let's be honest this is NOT a game for everyone. The fact that the game does not tell you where to go from the beginning gives you a sense of feeling lost or confused, but that also sparks an adventurous side of the player inspiring exploration of the game world. The boss fights were phenomenal, and the experience this game leaves you with upon completion is unmatched. Overall Dark Souls is uncompromising in its challenges and yet fair in its approach.… Expand

An amazing game, I've put in at least 500 hours into multiple different character builds, there is so much to do, so many little things to see, and so many different character builds to master..
Although the Pvp is little broken, it's still great if you find a fair fight..
Pve offers much more in the way of community play, item trading, Ng+ and regular game cross over (beware)..
I've got plenty of games, but this one keeps bringing me back to play it over and over again..… Expand

This game is a HARD 10, there is no other series like the souls series in terms of smart, connected level design, brooding ambiance, and consistent controls. I cannot stress the quality of the controls enough, they are absolutely perfect. This is a game that makes no concessions for BAD PLAYERS. Repeat, if you are a bad player who has been spoiled by the glut of hand-holding, cooing sissy games that let you save anywhere without any consequences whatsoever, then GO AWAY. I wish I could stuff you all into a box and launch you into the sun, unfortunately that box would have to be **** huge considering that the majority of gamers seem to consist of these sissy man-children.

This game takes PATIENCE. There is no sprinting through levels, jumping around like a ****ing idiot collecting rings or coins or whatever, if you want to play one of those games, take your pick of the ump-dillion sonic and mario clones out there, this is a game for real people, this game will kick each and every poser's ass until they cry about it on metacritic about why they are such bad players.

NOTE: In the beginning, you WILL suck at this game, but if you are smart, you can get up to speed in just a few hours of play. It is extremely helpful to watch a few videos on how experienced dark souls players play the game. Remember, patience is the key. When traversing a new area, WALK. Dont sprint like an idiot, there could be curse basilisks around the corner or some other variety of ungodly horror's waiting to eat your souls.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy finding out what lurks within the depths of this dark tomb.… Expand

First things first this game is as difficult as people have been saying but never in my life have i found a rpg or even game quite like this not only i don't rage every time i die i learn from my mistake and overcome like at the start a powerful armoured knight was guarding something i died going head on but then i found out if i lure him to the building with the ladders i could safely bombard him with firebombs and arrows i am loving this game so far and recommend this as a must buy for rpg enthusiast's or gamers who like a challenge… Expand

This is how to do a sequel..... All the core mechanics of dark souls have been tweaked and tuned and the experience is an in depth, highly complex and rewarding experience. The atmosphere is beautiful and bleak, creating a game that makes you feel like you are truly alone, with no hand-holding guidance from the developers. Evolving the Demon Souls formula of a central hub into an open world experience has worked perfectly, allowing the player to experiment with the world rather than be tied to any linear quests. That said, the online mechanics remain fairly similar, relying on other players on similarly lonely quests to help you through the game. Here the multiplayer does an excellent job of allowing players to interact and help each other out through a novel and understated set of game mechanics which are perfectly suited to the Dark Souls world. Without giving too much away, the multiplayer is a must for this game,since without the hints and occasional help from friendly phantoms your experience could be a very frustrating one.
For some players this will be a confusing and irritating experience. With no guidance and an exceptionally high difficulty level I can imagine controllers being thrown through TV screens. However, this is a game of patience, endurance and reward - something that is rare in console gaming of late.… Expand

First of all i have to say that the story is not that good or epic. But the game play and the atmosphere is epic. First you have no clue where to go or what to do. No NPC that says go there kill X come back and then bla bla. You have all the choice's to make. The fight system is skill based so its very rewarding for skilled players and very punishing for lesser skilled people, but you get into it really quick. All in all its very good game for people who like this genre.… Expand

This game is so good, everything about it is purely amazing, the visuals, the gameplay especially. It is so addictive and challenging and the feeling you get when you finally beat a boss that has been killing you over and over feels so good that it makes Dark Souls and Demon's Souls easily my favorite games of all time. The online is also very fun, it feels so good to kill that black phantom that breaks into your world. I wish Dark Souls and Demon's Souls were ported to the Vita because I would love to be able to play them on the go and I would be happy to buy them both again.… Expand

A game that demands a lot out of, but doesn't really give you this sense of reward people keep yapping on about. It's highly recommend that you play Demon Souls first, seeing how the tutorial isn't really that helpful or good here, which it should be, seeing how this isn't a game that suppose to hold your hand at all, and suppose to be hard, which it is. There are also a lot of cheap, and harder enemies across the board now, and you will die a lot, which is the point of the game (trial and error). And the boss battles can be incredibly hard, if you don't know the strategy behind defeating them, or you can simply keep dying, and running back until you get it right, and this is of coarse with enemies you previously kill respawning back, Fun! The graphics have improve a bit, but not to much. There still no worth while story, which isn't the selling point with these games. And the music is fantastic, and better than the first.

Overall I did beat DS (without soul glitching), and just didn't really fun with this game. DS1 felt right, this DS is pushing you to the limit of frustration, which isn't for me. If you love intense challenges, and constantly getting beat down, with no advantages insight then this is for you. You'll get you money worth if this is your cup of tea.… Expand

Dark Souls is a fantasticly deep, brilliantly designed game. It is difficult, but if you've played Demon's Souls you should have no problems as it is no more difficult. The clear best part of the game is the combat. The sheer depth of the combat in Dark Souls is incredible. Want to wear heavy armor and wield massive hammers and axes? They have that, but you'll be sacrificing speed and mobility for it. How about an assassin who backstabs his foes into submission? You can do that to. The frame rate issues have been well documented, but they are in no means game breaking. I had them occur in area only, and only when fighting one enemy (Blightown, giant bug things). Everywhere else in the game ran flawlessly, and looked beautiful.… Expand

Pros:
It is open world, with roughly equal graphics and frame rate to Skyrim. However, Dark Souls has no load screens. It's all seemless. Characters are graphically worse than Skyrim, but lighting and textures are generally better. LOD is much better in Dark Souls. Never any pop-in anywhere.

The characters are all killable, even the important ones. Some people might consider this a con, but I prefer realistic consequences and choices. It adds a new sense of urgency, caring, and caution that most games don't have. Voice acting is consistently good, and most npcs have informal, subtle quests attached.

There are multiple endings, but the chocies that lead you to the endings are hard to find and complex. There is both co-op and pvp online. Both modes are very fun, and take place in the seemless open world.

Variety- Dark Souls has a lot of it. Everything is unique. There are some very breathtaking set pieces, but everywhere in the game is a pleasure to look at in art direction and detail. Nothing is copy-pasted. Hidden areas- there are a lot of them, and they add replayability to the game, and stop backtracking from getting stale.

Unique loot- Most weapons and armor sets in the game are unique, and very hard to get. This makes getting things feel very rewarding. Much of the gear also has interesting special affects. For example, the heavy attack of the gargoyle tail ax makes the blade curve in 360 degrees all the way around your character.

Covenants- Basically online guilds that you can join (if you can find them in their hidden areas), they offer unique equipment and abilities in exchange for your services. Their special abilities are amazing. For example, one of them lets become a weird dragon-human hybrid thing and breath fire.

Crafting- you can craft and upgrade many weapons along branching upgrade trees using a variety of items which you can find, or take off of dead enemies. Multiple styles of play- You can play as a melee character, an archer, assassin, mage, etc. The weapons and spells are all very unique. Dual wield is possible. Inversely, you can choose to use a one-handed weapon in two hands to improve its affectiveness. You can block or dodge as well- blocking is useful for tanks, dodging more so for lighter characters.

No level restrictions- some items require you to have certain stats to use them well, but no items have actual level restrictions. If you get it, you can use it.

Realistic equip burden- Equipping heavy items without sufficiently high strength will slow all of your actions down progressively more, making it harder to run and dodge if you're wearing a ton of things.

Banking items- you can bank as many items as you want thanks to unlimited storage at bonfires. All bonfire storage areas are linked, so you can access anything from any bonfire.

No glitches- never, in all my time playing Dark Souls, have I seen a gltich. Apparently there were a few at first, but they got patched out in about a day after release.

No memory leaks- you can play for countless hours, and your frame rate will not lower due to memory leaks. Nice soundtrack- Music is rare in Dark Souls, but the music that there is is well-composed and never annoying. It conveys the intended moods perfectly. Great atmosphere- Tons of sound effects, small details, consistent colors, a great and unified art direction, and great lighting, and fluid animations on everything make the world seem vibrant and alive, even when everything is dead or trying to make you dead. :P

It's a long game- On average, it takes 80 hours to complete, but completionists may spend upwards of 120 hours on each playthrough, and it's not possible to get all the content on one playthrough, because some choices open up some areas or items and close others. New game+ :You keep all your level ups and items, and restart the story from the beginning as many times as you want. Enemy variety- there are tons of different enemy types- far more than in any competing rpg. All of them require different strategies to beat.

Optional bosses- Eight of the game's many bosses are optional, and some will even help you as long as the correct choices are made, but the game never tells you how to get out of fighting them. Neutral (Could be good, could be bad)

No "real" quests- There are quests in Dark Souls, but none of them are journalized, so many people think there are none. You'll have to remember things, or write them down. Quests are very informal- they're more of requests from npcs than anything else. However, they are epic.

No map- There is no map for Dark Souls. This would be a con, excepts, everything is so unique and the LOD is so good, you never get lost anyway. The game is VERY difficult, but never unfair.

Cons:

Pvp is quite laggy. (Co-op is fine.)… Expand

Dark Souls is a nice improvement over its predecessor and stays true to its original formula and takes you on an epic ride through a dark and beautiful world that will have you hooked for weeks. If you loved Demon's Souls then there is no reason for you to miss out on this fantastic game. Prepare to die my friends.

My first (westernized) Japanese-published game, and I was completely blown away. After having accepted my fate of countless deaths due to clever traps, incredibly exciting bosses and monsters in general, I understood the world that is Dark Souls. This game will test you, and punish you for mistakes. You're going to be both laughing and crying as a result of the many, many deaths, but it's all apart of the process.
This game is really a gem, with choices that MATTER, being final and in many cases irreversible, and a multiplayer system that's completely different from what I was used to, but still fun and creative, allowing for both cooperative play and PvP.

I bought this game purely because of the fact that it had been described as the "hardest video game" (or at least the spiritual successor to just that), and I have NOT been disappointed!

I had to take one score-point off the perfect ten, because of the poor performance in Blight Town, which was a bit of an annoyance.… Expand

My all-time favorite game, but not without flaws. Dark Souls is deep, and immensely rewarding, even after 400+hours. The combat is weighty and strategic. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding. And no game offers such a sense of satisfaction as your advance through each level and boss. However, there are a few flaws. 1) Online suffers from lag, which rears its ugly head in the form of lagstabs during PvP. This can get frustraing. 2) Sometimes your attacks get queued at the worst moments (Your press "Attack" button, only nothing happens. A few moments later, your attack finally registers at the worst possible time, leaving you open for counter.) 3) Camera can get janky and lead to deaths, although this can be fixed in the settings. 4) Bed of Chaos.... enough said. Overall, the lag is my biggest complaint to an otherwise fantastic game.… Expand

It's really, really good. Combat extremely hard, but incredibly satisfying; parry repast takes a lot of practice, but once you have it down, nothing makes you feel more suav. Loads of classes for easy customisation, you can truly be whatever you want! Bosses grotesque and huge, again very, very difficult, but each death spurs you on to try again (last boss took about 8 tries)! Armour looks incredible, as do high-end weapons, amazing graphics, fantastic atmosphere, and the boss soundtracks are second to none. Just watch out for the four kings!… Expand

In my opinion Dark Souls is best RPG ever made its challenging and there is much to explore. Like many games in these days are pretty short and easy Dark Souls is pretty long if you dont know what to do and its hard. I think this game is easier than Demon's Souls but that is just in my opinion . There are many weapons to choose from and many armor sets. I really hope next Souls game is even HARDER and it makes you more frustrated.… Expand

The unfortunate trend of sequel goes as follows; do exactly what you did in the first only do it in instalments and pad it out with features that will only serve to attract additional customers. Yes dear readers, the cold hard truth is that Dark Souls isn't anything near as gratifying or as enjoyable as its predecessor. Avoid the panic button however, since it is still quite easily one of the best RPGs we will see for another few years. The co-op component has been tweaked unacceptability so, the difficultly of the previous game has been explored and then ultimately abandoned in favour of magical camp sites and replenish-able health potions and perhaps worse the developer has refused to take a single serious step forward with the core mechanics so beloved in the original. Still a great game, just a very unsatisfactory sequel.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok, I will start with that Dark Souls is defiantly not perfect. But I can't seem to give it a lower score than a 10. I guess maybe it's because any game that can keep you indulged for over 300 hours is worth a 10 in my book. The game isn't all THAT hard, it's just people are use to easy ass games that we have today. The game is challenging that is for sure. You can't just mash the R1 button and get away with it. You will die. Some parts of this game ARE cheap however. These parts are not difficult but very cheap. But for the most part it's just difficult with some cheap areas. You will never truly feel powerful in this game no matter if you are level 1 or if you are level 600 hundred. I'm not sure but I killed an online player and I got like 300 million souls and it was weird because I leveled my character with these souls and the enemies seemed to be just as strong if not stronger than they were before. I tested this as well. I made a new game and leveled up only to level 13 and I fought Orinstein and Smough and it seems to me that the first time I fought them I was level 40 and when I was level 13 it felt the same. Another thing I don't like is when you kill someone online and receive millions upon millions of souls, it was because they cheated to get those souls, and when you kill them and get those souls it kind of breaks the game, because it's not like you are going to not use the souls that you received, and this kind of pissed me off because it happened to me many times where I'd kill someone online and receive a ridiculous amount of souls that when I leveled my level 50 character I was able to level him from 50 to like level 300 hundred and even one time I received the max souls for killing on online person so now i'm at like level 6 hundred and something. But the funny thing is that, even though my character is almost maxed out, it is still a hard game. Ever since I spent these souls and almost maxed out my character, it seems enemies can kill me in like 2 hits. So in a way it's actually harder than it was when I was at level 50. Leveling up to me doesn't really do much. The best way is to level up your armor and weapons, because leveling yourself up seems to make the game harder. Which is good. The only thing that matters is if you have enough strength to even hold a certain weapon that you like and upgrade it. People say the Drake sword is good.. yeah it is, but not for long. The Drake sword actually sucks even if you max it out. On New Game+ the Drake sword is useless. But by the time you are at New Game+you should have way better weapons anyway. The enemy that I hated the most was those skeleton wheel things. They aren't so bad in the catacombs but in the painting of aramis(or whatever) they are a real pain in the ass. I'm not going to lie this game WILL at some point frustrate you, and you will hate it, but it's a hate that you will love ( yes that makes sense) I don't know how many times I wanted to throw my PS3 controller, but then you laugh at how mad this game will make you. Like I said there ARE cheap deaths in this game, but for the most part it's just challenging. Don't go into Dark Souls and think you are tough **** The first time you get cursed you will feel like killing yourself.lol. That's what I like about this game though. In other games you get cursed or something and it doesn't really matter because it will wear off. If you get cursed in this game you are actually cursed... You will get only half of your health bar until you find a cure. This can be a **** because if you kill the guy in New Londo ruins ( to get the key early) he's the only one in the game that can heal your curse, and you can buy purging items from the guy at the first bell, but he only has 4 items that will release this curse. there is also a ring that you wear that if you die it will undo the curse. But if you kill the new londo guy and run out of curse items, then you will have to do the rest of the game with only half of your health bar... So yes the game will punish you if you do stupid things. which is good. If you haven't played the game yet I suggest to you that if you DO play it to not kill any of the NPCs the first play through because you might regret it... I killed the first merchant in undeadburg because I thought he was weird, and I regretted it because I couldn't buy the things that I needed to. Defiantly don't kill any blacksmiths because that you will no doubt regret.
The story itself is amazing, that is if you read item descriptions ( they don't hand the story to you) However both the endings of this game are weird, because it doesn't explain much, but you may understand it if you take the time and read and listen to NPCs. The first play through I didn't know what was going on. The 2nd play through I understood almost everything.. You have to buy this game just to experience it. it is an amazing game that is no doubt a great experience...… Expand

I would prefer to give this game an 8.5. Great game. Love the multi-player component to it. It seemed more difficult than its predecessor, Demon Souls, to summon people however. I love that the story line was simple, diverse enemies and the look and feel of the game.

The ONLY reason I didn't give this a full ten is due to the online game-play not being "perfect enough". Slight latency problems, not always easy to connect and nobody seems to understand in what level ranges you can summon/be invaded in (There are guesses and theories, but no one actually knows). Other than that, this is nothing short but my absolutely favorite game since the SNES days. There is no one I can not recommend this game to. It's just purely fantastic.… Expand

Don't let this game's reputation for "extreme difficulty" discourage you! I've never been a fan of very difficult games, but Dark Souls is one of the best PS3 purchases I've ever made. The combat is reactive and fun, but this is the sort of game where offense really isn't the best defence -- if you don't keep your shield up or dodge an incoming attack, there's no forgiveness. Even standard minions might take you down a few times, but the feeling of mastery you get in this game is rarely found in others. As others have stated, you do feel genuine pride after taking down some of the harder bosses (but don't worry, they're not all that daunting).

On the aesthetical side, the graphics and creature/weapon/stage design are all top grade. The story of the game is told with little direct exposition, but fits well in the game world which really does feel very solid.

My first playthrough took me close to 40 hours, most of which was exploration and doing optional side bosses. It's definitely doable in far less time, but there's so much well-designed content and fun little quirks in this game that putting in some extra hours is definitely worthwhile.… Expand

One of my favorite games of all time. Favorite game this generation. This game is masterful. One of the best gaming experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Prepare to die. Prepare for the storm of the century because once you've seen the trailers you know that you're in for a real, Challenging, nerve racking RPG. Even if it's not as hard as they make it out to be. I have played this masterpiece of game for 200+ hours playing different classes and such and i've got to say that this game is what Role-playing games should be like. This game is puzzling at first but once you get to know the controls, the mechanics and the game itself, you'll get to have some real fun with dark souls. The bosses are beautifully rendered and somewhat hard at first but you do seem to breeze through them without worry once you strategize how to kill them. The real boss that you come across to be remotely harder then the others is Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner smough. These guys atleast for me were hard on my first try but once you've defeated them and other certain bosses you can't help to feel a bit of accomplishment and rush after killing them. Especially the infamous twosome. After seeing the "You defeated" pop up whenever you kill a badass of a boss it gets you excited for the next and very indulged in the game. It makes you think you can take on the damn world. The environment, characters, Voice work, Music, Art of this game is astonishingly beautiful. I can't seem to just rush into certain mobs without looking at it's wonderful scenery, and look at the epic game design. You also feel compassion for some of the other bosses, especially for poor Sif, the great grey wolf. When you strike him down to the last bit of health and he starts to limp, fighting unconsciously. Then you know that he was loyal to the end, protecting that grave with his life from trespassers and enemies. I think I've never wanted to kill a boss as much as I did at that moment. Especially with the beautiful violin in the background playing at his sad demise.. The online for dark souls is also very well done. I love the fact that they didn't stray too much from it's predecessor, demons souls' for it's online invading - get invaded, co-op quirk. Other then the chain backstabbing of course (which i really hate sometimes.) This game atleast to me is a perfect 10 and is a perfect sequel to demons souls. Anyone that's second guessing on getting this game, just get it. It's worth every penny for this wonderful Masterpiece.… Expand

Dark Souls is in my opinion the best game of this generation, a current day realisation of the classic gameplay experiences of the 8-bit era. It's a game that pervades your psyche; you'll find yourself running through levels and boss fights in your head as you go about your daily business wishing you were playing it with the curtains drawn.

It is a difficult game, sure, but not unfairly so- rather it rewards player discipline and mastering of the tight combat controls. If you are a new player who is considering picking this or it's predecessor Demon Souls up, if you can get through the initial despair of dying multiple times before the controller has even warmed in your hands, you will find one of the most rewarding and memorable gaming experiences of the last 15 years.… Expand

Perfect. I give Dark Souls a 5/5. Never have I felt so accomplished from beating a video game. The world of Lordan is a terrifying place to explore, danger is around every corner. I wish more RPGs would draw inspiration from this game. I cannot praise it enough.

This game is a lot of fun and it has a great combat system. The boss fights are epic, you will easily find yourself playing this for dozens of hours. On the other hand, the controls feel unresponsive at times and the game has some camera problems, specially during boss battles.

From Software delivers another gloriously dark fantasy gem with Dark Souls. It may not be quite as impactful as Demon's Souls but this game is bigger and features a more accessible interface and outlook. Dark Souls also has more to offer on the multiplayer front, introducing Covenants you can join to help or hinder your fellow online adventurers. What remains the same is the punishing difficulty, once again it is possible for any enemy to kill you if you let your guard down for even a second, regardless of character level. But with great challenge comes greater rewards and Dark Souls is immensely satisfying when you kill a huge boss, or save someone in co-op. A highly recommendable and engrossing world to explore and conquer in your own unique way.… Expand

It's been a long time since a game drew me in and made me want to play for hours, days, weeks...you get the point. FROM renewed my faith in gaming and I hope other developers are taking notes.

My favorite game of 2011. I've invested more time in this than BF3, CODMW3, and Skyrim combined. I don't know what it is about this game that I love, the difficulty, the dark environments, or all the insane armor and equipment combinations and spells that there are. Def pick this game up if you've got lots of free time and love a challenge.

This game is as hard as it is amazing. Awesome and deep combat, great bosses, a great art style and very, very rewarding. Difficulty may turn some people off, and the camera can be annoying at times. Everybody looking for a challenge should play this.

I have been playing this game for 60 hours nearly, level 79. I love this game. Frustrating? Yes. Difficult? Yes. Rewarding? Yes. Atmospheric? Yes? And, easier than Demon's Souls? Yes. But still brilliant, a must-play for this generation of consoles.

one of the most challenging games I play but well worth the time I put in Dark souls is one of the best game out there you die during the first few hours of the game but you steady get better until does enemy that gave you a challenge are a piece of cake but mess up and you will be right back to the bonefie

To anyone that loves a good hardcore challenge, Dark Souls is the game for you, entering yourself a sadistic world where enemies are unforgiving and show no mercy to kill. The story line has an interesting detail to it, the combat mechanics is for people to learn, when you die, you lose some of you humanity and turns you into an undead, you can also try and assess the enemies location, find what weapon is best for killing them and how to approach them. From Software wanted to make a game which is really really hard for people, they have made it difficult for people because they didn't want to make a game which is too easy for people to play, it has 100 hours of gameplay and includes multiplayer, multiplayer can't be chosen, if you are signed in to PSN or SEN (they are the same thing, only named differently) you will have access to play with others, other players are phantoms, so they are with you, only they are a phantom. You can have an option to either help each other out on a hard situation and you can both become rewarded or you could become as sadistic as the NPC's and you could raid another person's session and kill the players that are there, you could become rewarded with a Black Phantom Soul, when you kill the player, they would try to strike you back, before you leave, make sure you forgive yourself from kill the player by talking to the person you see (not the player, the NPC character), if you struggle, there is a good advantage of having a PSN or SEN, you can write messages to others from your game, these messages can be read as advice and tutorials, you could rate these messages to recommend to others by rating them. Overall if you have money that you saved up and you want to get a RPG for the PS3, Dark Souls is recommended for you. And to say it once more, they have made it hard on purpose.… Expand

Dark Souls is a game for people that love a challenge. This game throws you into the fray with JUST enough tutorial so you know how to play the game mechanically, but still approach every corner with absolute horror and fright. The game's difficulty ramps up perfectly throughout the game, so that the more tricks and nuances you learn, the more the game throws at you and demands improvement. It's refreshing to see a developer make the game they want in today's game industry, rather than rehash games that did well before or make something mind-grudgingly easy for the kids. This game has, hands down, the most perfectly done multiplayer I have ever seen in a video game. I played this entire game with a massive nerd boner. Must-play.… Expand

The first true succesor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. That's not a compliment given lightly, since it was to date the best game I've played. All Dark Souls' other small flaws can be forgiven for its brilliant gameplay, sense of immersion and replayability.

I found the Visuals to be a bit weak compared to games released in the same time, stuff breaks, blood flows & characters are shiny & detailed but that's about it. but all the other aspects of the game are very very good indeed. it's fun, challenging, satisfying & addictive

In a generation of **** this diamond shines bright. Bursting with creativity & viscerally satisfying combat Dark Souls will keep u hooked. I wish more games were like this. Rich in atmosphere & with a diverse range of magic (fire, poison, protection etc), diverse range of weapons (swords, meat clevers, axes, bows u name it!), property enhancing rings, armour, shields, locations (ranging from castles to blood curdling poisonous swamps, ghostowns) all makes for the definitive RPG. Its a gorgeous dark fantasy RPG that requires patience & rewards that patience with intriguing new scenery & items. Biased be thy name, a 10 this shall gain ^^.… Expand

I am a huge fan of Demon's souls but I even find this one is a tad bit sadistic. They are oushing a bit with this title. The difficulty will push a lot of newcomers away...The game is very similar to Demon's Souls in a lot of ways but the main flaw is that some of the rewarding aspects (such as the large amount of items to be gained) are a lot less in this title. This is a problem as you will be stuck with the Drake sword for an unecessary amount of time with nothing (that I have found) replacing this weapon for a long part of the game. I actually went back and made a character that could use this sword really early and I found this game to be easy because of this; I hope they add more items to be gained for the players who are loyal to the Souls games. The difficulty is not impossible, just stick it out and be in for the long haul as most Souls fans are aware of. Other than that, enjoy this title.… Expand

It's a tricky game. It truely is. But it's not too hard. I have red too many reviews telling this game is too hard. It's not. You just have to use some common sense to approach each situation and learn from your mistakes. If you are new to video games in general this may not be the best starting game but it is doable. Even a bad player can complete the game with help of some more experienced players.
The way different stats are displayed in Dark Souls is a bit confusing in the beginning and it takes some time to get used to. The game doesn't do very good job explaining what different attributes mean. Things like damage scaling, bleed, divine and occult damage and critical hits are never explained. That is left for you to figure out. Some use of wiki is adviced to clear those things out. Once you get the hang of those you start liking the presentation.
Dark Souls has also multiplayer aspects to it. Players can leave messages to help each other or to troll other players. This system is only needed during the first playthrough since you already know everything in new game+. The summoning and invading system is a great concept and a lot of fun. Nothing beats summoning 2 decend players to beat a difficult boss down after several attempts. Invading and PvPing is also a lot of fun. It's cool to test your skills and your build against other players. Most fights start with players politely bowing to each other. This reflects the amazing community Dark Souls has. The lore in Dark Souls incredibly epic and interesting. It is by far my favorite. The sad part is that many players completely miss the whole story. The setting is told in 4 minute long intro cinematic and the story progresses by listening to NPCs. A lot of background in the story are told in item descriptions which is a bit odd. Not only is the gameplay hard but the story is as well. It's annoying to read short pieces of text just to get the story. The best thing in my opinion in this game is the vertical level design and connectivity. They didn't just make a flat map with different areas like in skyrim for example. Everything is well thought out and the feeling blows your mind when you realize that the end of the first area is directly above the starting area. Even though most of the environment is build or it otherwise makes you run in pipe-ish areas there are still several ways to get from point A to point B and that is amazing.
SUMMARY: To sum this all up I'd say that the positives are: level design, lore, challenge, community and unique multiplayer aspect only shared by the previous Souls game Demon's Souls.
Negatives are: Beginner unfriendly stat presentation, lacking explanation of various game mechanics and unnecessarily well hidden story.
I love this game. 60+ hours in and enjoying every second of my adventure. It's always a challenge.… Expand

First to note, DO NOT GET THIS GAME IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE IN FOR. This game is already established to be astoundingly difficult, and rightfully so, it can claim to be one of the most difficult games in modern era gaming. Someone who is looking for a good time, a good story or just to have fun will put this game down after just a few hours. The beginning of the game is like running into a brick wall, but after you get to the first bell ringing, the game begins to open up to become a much larger, much more enjoyable RPG. The combat is one of the most solid, fluid and challengingly simple battle systems I've seen on an action RPG. The careful micromanagement of your health, your stamina. And finding the right window to parry, block, attack and dodge is probably one of the most engaging things you could do. Every enemy is unique, and has their own little quirk that's key to taking them down as gracefully as possible. The bonfire system is a unique aspect, though also a somewhat frustrating one at the same time. Giving you checkpoints you head to so you could level up, and manage your items to prepare for the next step. Currency and experience is shared in a total pool listed under "souls" and while an interesting aspect. Time and time again you do need to see yourself grind to get a couple of your stats up high enough, if it's just to wear new and better weapons or equipment, get a new spell, or just get a small advantage against your adversaries. While more skillful players can progress while keeping grinding to a minimum. Less skilled players will be found doing this because it has less risk than going up against a powerful enemy, getting splattered on the ground somewhere and being forced to start over, going back to pick up the pieces of all your lost experience and coin.

The graphics? They're pretty good for a modern game, but to call them great or even the best would mark me as a liar. The facial models are horrible. God awful. When you're making your character. You have to spend time shaping their face and it makes me cringe about how deep into the uncanny valley these models sink into. The environment is both varied yet slightly repetitive. The above ground segments and level design is just brilliant. Making it feel like you're going forward, yet when you find a new path, it leads to a familiar area. It feels extremely well planned and very well thought out. Though at other times you'll just wonder how big this giant sewer you're in actually is as you spend time in it for hours and hours on end. The enemies in the game are.. well how do I put it? They can beat your ass. Every single enemy can take you out in just a few good hits, even with you wearing solid armor. They never let up OR go easy on you. You'll need your A game at all times to even consider beating them every time. If you get lazy or tired, these enemies you fought before can get the best of you. Making you rather angry you died to something you've beaten before. The boss battles are obviously both the most exhilarating aspect of this game, when the epic music begins to swell as you behold your behemoth sized foe, tossing about in an ever lasting game of david vs goliath. You with your slingshot, taking every chance you have at dealing a solid hit. It's just pulse pounding once you get past the 2 or 3 times they end up crushing you like a bug. If you do extra well, you even get special items.

PVP is just a blast to play sometimes. When someone invades your game and you spend minutes going toe to toe to see who is really best. Fighting off another person just made me smile in joy afterward. After hours of frustration for minutes of epic reward. This game is great but it still has a few flaws. It doesn't explain enough for people not familiar with this game type. The controls are slightly awkward to handle, and can be a bit clunky before you master them. It can piss you off at times with the fact it always has a brand spanking new way to piss you off. And because it clocks in at over 50 hours of you doing THE BARE MINIMUM during your first run. It can feel like you're making no progress for hours on end of repetitive combat. The plot is nonexistent, and made me disappointed they did not improve on the meat of the game, the force that drives you to set onward, a hope for progression and a feeling of closure that isn't there. Without the plot, it feels like there's no journey, just one big awesome dungeon crawl and the quest to find more loot. You'll find yourself here for hours as you try new and different characters, builds and equipment, so it has plenty of replay value on it as well.

Now you are asking yourself, Should I buy this game? My question is, why shouldn't you? One day this game will be seen as a classic, because it should be. I love it even if it hates me.

So yeah, go out there and get it if you found this review convincing!… Expand

i find it impossible not to compare dark souls to demon's souls, and find it ultimately falls short - but only just. still got some great gameplay and music - but i found the game's atmosphere feels less spooky. still better than 99% of the games out there, just a little duller than the "prequel"

Dark Souls is a game that doesn't really make much sense, it has a lot of glaring problems and it's only advertised feature is that it will actively punish you for playing it. That alone speaks volumes about the game itself, which is both a nightmare to enjoy and wrap your head around. Playing the game is the same as playing any run of the mill MMORPG, with monsters running at you single file when you approach them and flailing wildly whenever you're in attacking range. The ranged enemies don't try to get a better vantage point when you're behind a wall, instead choosing to fire at the wall that you're standing behind. Many of the trash monsters in the game have one hit kill attacks that they will use as often as possible and the bosses seemingly lack this feature, making them the easiest things in the game to fight. The last boss in particular is a walk in the park. All in all, the game does punish you for playing it and you will die a lot, but the difficulty of the game is really only in line with how much time you intend on investing in farming titanite or souls to advance your character. The online component of the game is peer to peer, meaning much of the things rife in other games, such as laggers, exploiters and hackers, run rampant here as well. Overall, if you're considering buying the game to bring back nostalgia from the games of old, this is the opposite of the game you're looking for. If you're looking for a game that punishes you at every turn, there are free games on the internet that are much more fun and challenging. If you're looking for a difficult role playing game, I'd advise you to get a guide, as there is absolutely no feature documentation in game or the manual. I'm giving the game a five if only for the fact the trophies are easy to acquire and it does tend to be interesting at certain points. However the online and core gameplay is just too tedious to enjoy and reviewing this as a single player experience with intermittent online, there's not enough here unless you want to platinum the game.… Expand

Dark souls is my personal game of 2011, superb combat, deeply immersive environments, singular online functionality more then outshine its sometimes inconsistent technicals. Exploration and challenging combat in this dark medieval setting is not to be missed.

A game that requires no skill, concentration, and very few tactics, just a lot of deaths and picking some right moves. You learn nothing over your 100s of deaths, but you keep trying 'till you get it right. So it's simple; this game is not for everyone. If you are someone that loves a challenge and something more like classic Castlevania, then this is for you. You will notice the beautiful graphics and creativitey. Aswell as some excellent settings. But, as pretty polished as it is, remember that it might not be worth your 40 bucks if your anticipation for a challenge and sheer diffculty runs down quickly. Also take notice that the game itself will not have a lot of time invested in it as there are very few great moments in the game.
However this review is mostly positive, as I still enjoy the challenge and idea of the game. That takes us to the plot, which in some state, beats Skyrim's, which is a game I praised.
So if your a big RPG fan or even a casual gamer looking for something new, this is for you. If someone how enjoys more Skyrim like RPGs, prepare to be dissapointed. But the majority of you will be satisfied with this clever, original game.… Expand

(8.5 if I could) This game is a perfect example of what developers need to aim for: -A difficult game that requires thinking. -Actions that have consequences that effect the rest of your play through. -Suspense and a lingering unknown of what's behind the next corner. -A sequel that doesn't **** all over the predecessor Dark Souls took these three points and executed it almost perfectly. I have a few problems with the game though:
-Lack of dialogue
-Lack of story telling elements
-FPS drops pretty often

If you love tough and addicting game play with no true focus on story and characters, this is the game for you. Although, I would avoid this game if you are seeking a story telling adventure. Make sure to bookmark the Dark Souls Wiki, you're going to need it.… Expand

Dark Souls is one of the most misunderstood games of this generation, reported by the media as being one of the most difficult games of all time, a game whose difficulty harks back to the 8-bit era of video games. These statements I have a hard time agreeing with. Does Dark Souls give you a limited number of lives? No. If you die right after finding that Sword of Awesome, do you lose it? No. You do lose your souls, of course, but this is not permanent! You merely have to progress to the same point again to retrieve them. You did it once, didn't you? Now do it again. Simple! No, Dark Souls cannot be summed up simply with the word "difficult". It can be a testing game, for sure. To master Dark Souls requires the one virtue many gamers seem not to possess: patience. Patience to carefully traverse the world, navigating past the seemingly weak creatures while not allowing your frustrations to get the better of you. Patience to replay the segment you played just a few minutes before. Patience not to rush, to always keep your shield raised, and strike when your opponent is off guard. Patience. You must learn patience! If you're the controller-throwing type, this game might not be for you. But it is not the game's difficulty that is your enemy, it is yourself. There are some moments that might seem unfair, but these are almost always one-off occurrences. For example, the dragon that fire-bombs the bridge after you defeat the Taurus Demon - this will almost certainly kill every player's first time here, but it only happens once. When you return to collect your souls, the dragon does not attack again. The poison dart blowers in Blighttown? Once dead they never respawn, even if you rest at a bonfire. Same goes for the infamous pair of archers in Anor Londo. Take them down once and the area is forever yours (at least until New Game+). Sure, there are some bugs and frame-rate issues, but Dark Souls is not unplayable for them, as some might have you believe. Why do I like this game? Because Dark Souls has given me the most memorable game experience of this generation. I revelled in the intense atmosphere, tip-toeing through dungeons and sewers with my shield raised, invading others' worlds and being invaded. I enjoyed the time I spent helping other players defeat their current area boss. The time I spent pouring over weapon upgrade statistics at the various Dark Souls wiki sites, and tweeting incessantly about my latest victory, and when it was all over, all I wanted to do was start all over and do it again. 10/10.… Expand

I was skeptic about this game at first, especially with all the comparisons to Skyrim. However I bought it and started playing it. This is one of the best gaming experiences I've had since the days of the NES. They just don't make quality games like this anymore. If you are a real gamer who enjoys the challenge of games, this is for you. Not for the casual gamer. You'll need lots of strategy and enemy analysis to get through the whole game. The game is fun, immensely satisfying, and addicting! I'm 70+ hours into this game and not quite finished (on my first playthrough). Go buy this game!… Expand

We have a title that separates the common players, being a totally hardcore experience essential for those seeking challenge and innovative proposals without leaving aside the depth. More than 60 hours of natural incentive to campaign, holding and a DC voltage, which serves as motivation for the player to continue enjoying this memorable work. As if not enough, we have one of the most interesting of this generation systems online and that definitely will serve as inspiration for the coming games. Dark Souls may not be a game for everyone, but if you leave, he quietly sugará their soul. Prepare to die.… Expand

Dark Souls is the BEST RPG GAME THIS GEN!!! the only reason some people hate it is becasue its Hard.. Otherwise its a really great and fun game. You MUST by it if you have a PS3 or Xbox 360

BEST RPG game ever!, sooooo underrated too, i mean how the **** can an AMAZING game like this get a 7 or 8 while other **** games like Skyirm get 8 and 9, believe me.. you MUST buy this game.. Its so much fun, the story is also AMAZING! You will really like this game, I highly recommend this game to everyone with a PS3

I don't quite remember when I've enjoyed a game this much! The sheer terror of creeping around a corner, moving around with extreme care, the total enjoyment of sniping an enemy from afar with your bow inflicting critical damage and seeing him drop with an arrow through the eye. Never before have I cared so much about my character and what happens to him. This game is a masterpiece, and punishes players who are impatient...at the same time teaching patience, as it is the only way to survive.… Expand

Amazing game. Sunk 80 hours on first play through and there's no fat. Great combat, amazing atmosphere and some of the most rewarding moments playing a game. It's very difficult but in a good way--not hard like we just throw a ton of enemies at you--more like "it's a dangerous place out there and we warned you." Definitely pick up this game!

This game is just breath taking with the amount of creativity that has been put into it. Outstanding fighting system that will keep you engaged in every enemy encounter. The only down fall is the story for which it doesn't really provide you with one except that your a chosen hollowman who has a chance in gaining humanity. Definitely worth checking out.

A paradigm of game design, though challenging. You will die, so a word of advice, spend those souls before you lose them. Read the Dark Souls wiki, it will help a lot.

Dark Souls is simply one of the best and one of my favorite RPGs of all time! That said its not for the faint of heart. Those players that like playing games on easy and zipping through the game, this game is not for you. Patience is defiantly a virtue when it comes to Dark Souls.

Many people in their reviews talk about how these games' (Dark Souls and Demons Souls) difficulty take them back to an older age of gaming, when every game was either nearly impossible to beat or simply never ended. In many ways this is true. But these two games, and especially Dark Souls, harken back to that time in more ways than just their difficulty. They don't pride themselves on their complicated stories or their beautiful graphics or their hyper-realism like some games do. They take you back to a time when you didn't need millions of dollars worth of graphics and cutscenes to enjoy the simple pleasure of just playing through a videogame. They give you a short movie explaining the backstory of their world and the premise of the game, they let you create an avatar of your ideal character, be it someone who looks just like you or completely different, they present the basic gameplay mechanics and controls that you'll need, and then they take you to this dark, beautiful world they've created and just let you play. And for that reason this is, in my humble opinion, one of the best examples of videogaming as an art form. It is a game that you can immerse yourself in for hours, simply because of the joy of playing, and exploring a new world completely unlike your own, without constant interruptions by NPCs and cutscenes trying to shove more of the plot down your throat. In short, this is a videogame, and a damn good one.… Expand