Demon's Souls Greatest Hits Review
I would first like to say that this game is very fun. The character creation system if both in-depth and fast, allowing you to create a highly customized character in a couple of minutes. The class system is also completely non-rigid and allows for full and complete character customization. The class you choose only influences your initial equipment and skills, a magician can become as strong as a solider and a knight can become as agile as a thief. The combat system is also highly involved and enables you to dual-wield any two weapons you can use in one hand (L!/L2 control your left weapon while R1/R1 control your right weapon). You can also switch between wielding your right hand weapon in one or both hands with the press of a button. Most weapons are also upgradeable; if you like the feel of your initial weapon, hang onto it because any basic weapon can eventually become one of the best items in the game.
In addition to enthralling gameplay, this game is also a graphical masterpiece. The weapons, armor, enemies, and especially the world itself are all rendered masterfully. Despite the gruesome violence, dark tone, and incessant death; there are often times when you can tilt the camera and look out upon the horizon to see a beautiful landscape stretching as far as the eye can see. Seriously, look around when you catch a break in the fighting!
Speaking of fighting, Demon's Souls is rated M. The only content identifiers on the back of the package are Blood and Violence. Most long-time gamers will know that while those two often do appear in M games, they also often appear alongside sexual themes, nudity, and most frequently gore; none of which this game has. Many T rated games contain more blood and an equal amount of violence compared to Demon's Souls. Let's speak of the blood, specifically, for a second. In an industry shared by games like Devil May Cry and Nano Breaker, an action-RPG rated M for violence and blood would be expected to have showers and rivers and oceans of the red stuff. Not so, the amount of blood shown when fighting is realistic at most (and oftentimes so miniscule that you don't notice it at all in the heat of battle). Furthermore, the settings menu has an option to turn the blood green, or remove blood from the game entirely.
Online play takes an interesting incarnation in Demon's Souls. If your PS3 is connected to the internet, then you're already playing online. While each player exists in their own independent version of the level and fights their own monsters; you can see wispy white phantoms of the other players in the same area. Players can also leave messages that anyone can read; however, you are made to choose from a set of pre-created messages that the game presents (presumably to limit spam and profanity). When someone dies, they leave behind a blood stain; touching another player's blood stain will summon a red phantom and play a short scene depicting how that character died. Once you acquire a certain item, you can leave a soul sign on the ground. If another player touches this soul sign, they can summon you into their world for co-op play.
Now that I've explained the game's features and gameplay, I would like to say that this game is HARD! There is no selectable difficulty, everyone plays the same version of the game. Even basic enemies can slap you around pretty effectively and even kill you if you're not careful. More advanced enemies will prove very difficult to face, wandering into the wrong area at too low a level could very easily end you life. Once dead, you become a ghost and continue playing with your max HP cut to 50% (75% with a certain accessory). The game provides several ways to return to life, but being alive never seems to last very long. There are also many traps and ambushes that can easily kill lower level characters.
Upon death, you lose all of your souls (which serve as a combination of experience points and money). This can be very frustrating for new players. However, if you locate your own blood stain after death (it appears where you were standing approximately 3 seconds before dying), you can recover lost souls. However, if you die a second time or quit the game before recovering your souls, they're gone forever (you can only have one bloodstain). Dying also sends you back to the beginning of the level and resets all of the non-boss enemies, forcing you to wade through a horde of foes all over again in search of your own bloodstain.
Overall, this is an excellent game that I would highly recommend for RPG fans. I can also say, based on my experience, that this game is as appropriate for younger gamers a most T rated games that are out these days (the M rating is inexplicable). However, the ease with which you can lose your life (and worse, lots of progress) mean that gamers with little patience and temper problems should definitely avoid this title.
Demon's Souls Greatest Hits Feature
- Combining the best features of an action game and RPG, you'll slice, smash, shoot, and cast magic against some of the most horrible, vicious enemies ever encountered
- Network features go far beyond any previous RPG, allowing players to leave hints for each other, replay death scenes, cooperatively revive dead players, or invade and wreak havoc in another's game
- Not merely an add-on feature, multiplayer options are vast, and uniquely focused on changing and intensifying the single player experience
- The open-ended structure of the game means that there is no single path, but rather a wealth of options
- Build exactly the character you want by creating a detailed avatar, nurturing the right stats, and customizing your skills and equipment
Demon's Souls Greatest Hits Overview
Beautiful, compelling, and at times unforgiving, Demon's Souls is the hardcore RPG experience PS3 owners have been waiting for since the platform's launch. Revolutionary online features define your adventure like never before, presenting seamless interconnectivity that serves in every instance to enhance the single-player game. Unprecedented in its depth and subtlety, peerless in its relentlessly challenging gameplay, Demon's Souls is the ultimate action RPG. KEYFEATURES - Ultimate hardcore RPG challenge - In this brutal land, death is inevitable, but not final. Combining the best features of an action game and RPG, you'll slice, smash, shoot, and cast magic against some of the most horrible, vicious enemies ever encountered. Are you strong enough to face up to the impossible and win? - Ground-breaking online capabilities - Network features go far beyond any previous RPG, allowing players to leave hints for each other, replay death scenes, cooperatively revive dead players, or invade and wreak havoc in another's game. Not merely an add-on feature, multiplayer options are vast, and uniquely focused on changing and intensifying the single player experience. - Freeform and flexible - The open-ended structure of the game means that there is no single path, but rather a wealth of options. Set your own pace and progress as you like. Build exactly the character you want by creating a detailed avatar, nurturing the right stats, and customizing your skills and equipment.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 18, 2010 08:45:24
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