Should i pick up Dark Souls Remastered?
Discussion
"Dark Souls" and "casual gamer" are two phrases that don't mix.
I'm probably a bit more than a casual gamer, and have given up on both Dark Souls and Dark Souls III after maybe 20 hours of getting approximately nowhere. You either really get the "let's play this area 400 times, learn every enemy's path by heart, and perfect the millisecond timing you need to beat the boss" style of play, or you don't. Personally, I don't.
I'm probably a bit more than a casual gamer, and have given up on both Dark Souls and Dark Souls III after maybe 20 hours of getting approximately nowhere. You either really get the "let's play this area 400 times, learn every enemy's path by heart, and perfect the millisecond timing you need to beat the boss" style of play, or you don't. Personally, I don't.
Accessibility wise, Dark Souls 1 and Demon Souls are down the list of an already inaccessible series.
I had completed Bloodborne (masterpiece but very hard) before trying Dark Souls and STILL I was getting an utter kicking.
I finally got to the last boss and couldn't beat him as I hadn't trained myself to Parry throughout the game.
I left my saved game and went off and completed the full Dark Souls 2 Scholars edition twice, Bloodborne once more with all DLC, Dark Souls 3 and DLC AND Demons Souls and by then had learnt how to parry and went back and beat the final Dark Souls boss.
These are not pick up and put down games BUT they are brilliant and maybe if you really dig in you will not be a casual gamer and be taken to the next level of gamer (lol).
I have my copy arriving today/tomorrow after pre-order.
RW
I had completed Bloodborne (masterpiece but very hard) before trying Dark Souls and STILL I was getting an utter kicking.
I finally got to the last boss and couldn't beat him as I hadn't trained myself to Parry throughout the game.
I left my saved game and went off and completed the full Dark Souls 2 Scholars edition twice, Bloodborne once more with all DLC, Dark Souls 3 and DLC AND Demons Souls and by then had learnt how to parry and went back and beat the final Dark Souls boss.
These are not pick up and put down games BUT they are brilliant and maybe if you really dig in you will not be a casual gamer and be taken to the next level of gamer (lol).
I have my copy arriving today/tomorrow after pre-order.
RW
deckster said:
"Dark Souls" and "casual gamer" are two phrases that don't mix.
Not necessarily true. I definitely fall into the casual gamer category - hardly ever use the PS4 at all during summer months, and even in winter rarely really "get into" games. Might play a few hours a week sometimes, and often lose interest.But I love the Souls games, and have completed them all. And although most games rarely hold my interest, there have been plenty of times when I've decided to kill 30 mins with one of them and then found it was the early hours of the morning and time I went to sleep. They are difficult, but I absolutely love them.
davek_964 said:
deckster said:
"Dark Souls" and "casual gamer" are two phrases that don't mix.
Not necessarily true. I definitely fall into the casual gamer category - hardly ever use the PS4 at all during summer months, and even in winter rarely really "get into" games. Might play a few hours a week sometimes, and often lose interest.But I love the Souls games, and have completed them all. And although most games rarely hold my interest, there have been plenty of times when I've decided to kill 30 mins with one of them and then found it was the early hours of the morning and time I went to sleep. They are difficult, but I absolutely love them.
I am not disagreeing that the OP should get involved, quite the opposite! Just to beat some of the bosses involves several goes in a row. 30 mins a night might mean you NEVER beat some of them. IMO
RW
Steven_RW said:
davek_964 said:
deckster said:
"Dark Souls" and "casual gamer" are two phrases that don't mix.
Not necessarily true. I definitely fall into the casual gamer category - hardly ever use the PS4 at all during summer months, and even in winter rarely really "get into" games. Might play a few hours a week sometimes, and often lose interest.But I love the Souls games, and have completed them all. And although most games rarely hold my interest, there have been plenty of times when I've decided to kill 30 mins with one of them and then found it was the early hours of the morning and time I went to sleep. They are difficult, but I absolutely love them.
I am not disagreeing that the OP should get involved, quite the opposite! Just to beat some of the bosses involves several goes in a row. 30 mins a night might mean you NEVER beat some of them. IMO
RW
I meant that, in general I'm an occasional / casual gamer. Except for the Souls games which drag me in (although I still don't generally play them in the summer either)
dieselgrunt said:
It has this fearsome rep for difficulty. As a casual gamer who dips into games for an hour here and there a week am I on to a hiding to nothing?
I do like the though of plugging away at a game for months trying to beat it...
Dark Souls isn't as hard as people make out, it's got a different style of play to most games, it requires more thought and some elements of learning. There is not much in the Dark Souls games that you can't get through by learning what the enemy will do and how to react to all of their different moves and tactics. Of course, every Dark Souls game has a few cheesy enemies or bosses that can be a pain, but for the most part the combat is well balanced and unforgiving to those who don't want to learn the nuances. You can't just hack and slash away and hope for the best.I do like the though of plugging away at a game for months trying to beat it...
I'd highly recommend Dark Souls to anyone who wants to put the time into it but not to someone who only thinks they'll put an hour or two a week in. DS2 and 3 are probably easier in the respect of the map layouts being much more linear, so it's easier to remember where you need to be heading. DS1 has a map that is a labyrinth in comparison, with many interconnected areas and many different locations stacked vertically, where DS2 and 3 had everything pretty much flat and with few shortcuts, which to me felt a bit lazy. Anyway, the main issue I think the map will cause for the casual gamer who only puts in the odd hour here or there is that you may well forget where you're supposed to be going or how to get back to an area you've visited previously if you need to get there. Nothing that can't be overcome with the power of the internet but I think it will be hard to get immersed in the game and if you don't put the practice in you might find some of the bosses a bit tough.
Ultimately, it's still not a massively hard game and it's only £35, so what's the worst that could happen? For that price I'd probably give it a punt. The thing with the Souls games is they became a hit despite being harder than the average game. There is something addictive about the challenge. Finishing a DS game does feel like a real accomplishment - most games these days will hold your hand and require very little effort or skill to complete. I suppose developers of AAA games probably felt like people would stop buying sequels to games they couldn't win, so made them very easy and this trend stuck in the industry.
I was nervous about first playing it as I'm not patient and it's reputation was worrying. But when you are comfortable with it it is fantastic. You do get used to the difficulty level and adjust. I also love the customisation of your character - it feels like you can really create something that is your own. Don't be afraid to consult youtube to help with the bosses!
Give it a go, they're great games. Alternatively, grab DS3 on the cheap. Best of the bunch, in my opinion.
Give it a go, they're great games. Alternatively, grab DS3 on the cheap. Best of the bunch, in my opinion.
My copy arrived on Saturday morning.
I only played DS1 through once on my PS3, so this is fun to go back and try it all again.
It is like having driven somewhere once before. You basically know how to get there but couldn't explain it all without seeing it with your own eyes again.
About to head down in to the depths after beating the Gargoyles, Butterfly, Hydra, Havel, Capra Demon etc. I couldn't recall how to get to the door that lead to the depths so had to youtube it as I missed the steps to the right just before the Capra fog gate...
Would I say it is much better than playing it on PS3? Not really. Just convenient that it plays on the PS4 and plays smooth.
Happy days.
RW
I only played DS1 through once on my PS3, so this is fun to go back and try it all again.
It is like having driven somewhere once before. You basically know how to get there but couldn't explain it all without seeing it with your own eyes again.
About to head down in to the depths after beating the Gargoyles, Butterfly, Hydra, Havel, Capra Demon etc. I couldn't recall how to get to the door that lead to the depths so had to youtube it as I missed the steps to the right just before the Capra fog gate...
Would I say it is much better than playing it on PS3? Not really. Just convenient that it plays on the PS4 and plays smooth.
Happy days.
RW
Reviving this thread because DS1 remastered is £22 and I'm contemplating it.
My question (to those that have played DS1 and DS3) iis.... Is DS1 harder than DS3? or not? or around the same? or easier?
Many seem to say DS1 is harder, but i feel this could be due to them being newer to DS when playing the first one, and being experierenced/hardended when playing DS3 so know what to expect. Some say there's no difference, some disagree. so im not 100% sure.
I've only played DS3, to me it was a refreshing challenge to games that are rather easy nowadays. the main difficulty of DS3 revolved around not being hit and/or how much estus you can heal with.
My question (to those that have played DS1 and DS3) iis.... Is DS1 harder than DS3? or not? or around the same? or easier?
Many seem to say DS1 is harder, but i feel this could be due to them being newer to DS when playing the first one, and being experierenced/hardended when playing DS3 so know what to expect. Some say there's no difference, some disagree. so im not 100% sure.
I've only played DS3, to me it was a refreshing challenge to games that are rather easy nowadays. the main difficulty of DS3 revolved around not being hit and/or how much estus you can heal with.
I wouldn't over think it. If you enjoyed DS3 you should enjoy DS1. They're very much two games from the same series. There are obviously some changes but general gameplay is very similar. Difficulty also similar. I found DS1 a bit harder, but as you said that may be because I was new to the series back then.
Don Roque said:
Still no Bloodborne remaster or even a 60fps mode!
I'm currently playing the Demon Souls remake on the PS5 and it is excellent. Coming from Elden Ring you forget how challenging the earlier titles were, comparatively speaking.
As much as I loved Elden Ring, I feel Demon's Souls was very well polished and in some ways was even more appealing.I'm currently playing the Demon Souls remake on the PS5 and it is excellent. Coming from Elden Ring you forget how challenging the earlier titles were, comparatively speaking.
Steven_RW said:
As much as I loved Elden Ring, I feel Demon's Souls was very well polished and in some ways was even more appealing.
Demon's Souls was one incredible game. I've only played the PS3 original but the PS5 remaster looks like an amazing job - hope they bring it to PC.The only thing I would say against it is that to get the most out of it, you really need a wiki/FAQ. There is a lot of lore but it's all embedded in item descriptions plus there are tonnes of special weapons/gear that can only be obtained in events linked to World Tendancy that the average player is unlikely to stumble upon. Also there are a lot of unexplained game mechanics which can help/hinder you. I originally gave up on the game as it seemed nearly impossible to play but after finding some great online resources I got back into it bigtime and did much better.
Steven_RW said:
Don Roque said:
Still no Bloodborne remaster or even a 60fps mode!
I'm currently playing the Demon Souls remake on the PS5 and it is excellent. Coming from Elden Ring you forget how challenging the earlier titles were, comparatively speaking.
As much as I loved Elden Ring, I feel Demon's Souls was very well polished and in some ways was even more appealing.I'm currently playing the Demon Souls remake on the PS5 and it is excellent. Coming from Elden Ring you forget how challenging the earlier titles were, comparatively speaking.
Ruskie said:
I’m worried going back backwards will be an issue when I get round to playing DS.
It has held up pretty well for the most part. The design is simple in concept but it can be quite challenging. The lack of bonfires between bosses is quite notable. It really brings back the tension of your first run through the early games as you hunted for a bonfire to checkpoint at. But here, you have some tricky bosses often with gimmicks involved before you can checkpoint. Some of the level design is great, some of it is a total pain in the arse (Latria). With the remake, the developers had the chance to make some changes that would have been quite welcome. For instance, the five minute run to the Maneater boss arena and then that awful fight still exist with pretty much unchanged except the fog door arrow cheese has been patched out!
The combat is slower and far less dynamic than BB/DS3/ER too. It's not bad though.
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