Demon's Souls: review round-up!

[AtlusAram]

Folks, we'll toss in all the latest and greatest reviews from the North American release of Demon's Souls into this thread for your convenience. Feel free to share and discuss!

4.7/5
"Between its active battle system and its online functionality, there is a whole lot that separates Demon's Souls from other games."

-Cheat Code Central [LINK (http://www.cheatcc.com/ps3/rev/demonssoulsreview.html)]


9.4/10 (Editor's Choice)
"...truly exceptional RPG experience that hasn’t been offered by any other game in its genre."

-GameZone [LINK (http://ps3.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r38220.htm)]


A-
"I found Demon's Souls to be very addicting, especially when you make full use of the multiplayer features."

-Gaming Age [LINK (http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=ps3&game=demons_souls)]


5/5
"Demon's Souls is the best game I've played all year."

-RPGamer [LINK (http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.html)]


9.3/10 (Editor's Choice)
"...if you are a gamer looking for a true challenge with plenty of extreme action, fun replay value, great multiplayer and a unique twist on everything then this is a game you must own."

-GameFocus.ca [LINK (http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=reviewCard&fid=9056)]


9.5/10
"Without question, Demon's Souls is one of 2009's finest titles, and an amazing, challenging journey without equal."

-GameCritics [LINK (http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review)]


95/100
"Demon's Souls is one for the history books. It simply improves the recently stale action genre, and is way ahead of its time with its vision of online play."

-Gamer Limit [LINK (http://gamerlimit.com/2009/09/gamer-limit-review-demons-souls/)]


A
"...this one is a must-have PS3 exclusive for RPG lovers."

-News 10 Game Guys [LINK (http://www.news10.net/life/entertainment/story.aspx?storyid=66266&catid=99)]


8.8/10
"It’s a winner, folks. A big one."

-PSX Extreme [LINK (http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/279.html)]

[Manly Biceps]

With a number so huge and bolded, you have to believe it.

[CUR715]

I'm confused - the reviewer mentions a "genius character addition" - Royalty.

What exactly is he/she referring to? Surely not the 'Royal' class? Because depsite what they say in the review, i'd recommend that to any newcomer - it makes 1-1 a hell of a lot easier, trust me.

Apologies if i've misunderstood the text.

[iloveatlus]

atlus is publishing themselve another AAA game, Atlus knows an AAA game when they see one. Just look at demons souls- AAA persona 3-AAA, Persona 3 fes-AAA, Persona 4-AAA, devil survivor-AAA. Persona PSP - it's obvious AAA, Persona 3 psp - AAA, dur!

[ThePortableGamer]

I'm confused - the reviewer mentions a "genius character addition" - Royalty.

What exactly is he/she referring to? Surely not the 'Royal' class? Because depsite what they say in the review, i'd recommend that to any newcomer - it makes 1-1 a hell of a lot easier, trust me.

Apologies if i've misunderstood the text.

The title in the game itself is "Royalty," and I, too, would recommend it for all beginners to the game. REALLY helped me get past the first level/demon once I figured out what I needed to do.

[Macstorm]

I had a much easier time with a Temple Knight and the longer range on 1-1, but the Royal's magic is helpful.

[Mounce]

Hmmm, how does the Wanderer fare with as a beginner? I adapt quickly and am a very skilled all-around gamer? XD

[iloveatlus]

heres another review! ####ing perfect!

A

Demon's Souls is a great game that RPG fans will cherish.

http://www.news10.net/life/entertainment/story.aspx?storyid=66266&catid=99

[Yemeth]

I have preordered (will *import* the "stop import it" edition :D ) the game and not played it, but I like this review:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/demons-souls-review

Demon's Souls is absolutely compelling; dark, detailed, unforgiving, creatively cruel. It gets under your skin and becomes a personal obsession, daring you to probe further into its worlds, fall for more of its traps and overcome more of its impossible challenges; it slaps you in the face with your own incompetence and dares you to overcome it.

It's stoic, uncompromising, difficult to get to know, but also deep, intriguingly disturbed and perversely rewarding. You can learn to love Demon's Souls like few other games in the world. But only if you're prepared to give yourself over to it.

What do you think?

[ZomDizae]

Hmmm, how does the Wanderer fare with as a beginner? I adapt quickly and am a very skilled all-around gamer? XD
Love that class/origin - very good stat distribution for the beginning of the game and he/she comes with a top notch Asian blade too.
Same with armor, top notch for the start because it offers good protection while still being able to do evade-rolls.

My very first character was a Wanderer and I had absolutely no problems wasting all of 1-1 with him. Sooo... If you like Asian weapons like Katana, Scimitar, Kilij etc. this is the class for you.

[Mounce]

Hmmm, how does the Wanderer fare with as a beginner? I adapt quickly and am a very skilled all-around gamer? XD
Love that class/origin - very good stat distribution for the beginning of the game and he/she comes with a top notch Asian blade too.
Same with armor, top notch for the start because it offers good protection while still being able to do evade-rolls.

My very first character was a Wanderer and I had absolutely no problems wasting all of 1-1 with him. Sooo... If you like Asian weapons like Katana, Scimitar, Kilij etc. this is the class for you.

FFFF-, I thought you said he came with an Asian babe, damnit! Got my hopes up!

Well, he may start with that blade, but there's no reason why I have to continue using one, it doesn't matter what weapon I use, so as long as it isn't a SPEAR, I find those weapons are obviously for pussies and newbs who only feel secure attacking from a distance, bow requires that you actually have to aim, so no I will not say the same for the bow.

[ZomDizae]

Hmmm, how does the Wanderer fare with as a beginner? I adapt quickly and am a very skilled all-around gamer? XD
Love that class/origin - very good stat distribution for the beginning of the game and he/she comes with a top notch Asian blade too.
Same with armor, top notch for the start because it offers good protection while still being able to do evade-rolls.

My very first character was a Wanderer and I had absolutely no problems wasting all of 1-1 with him. Sooo... If you like Asian weapons like Katana, Scimitar, Kilij etc. this is the class for you.

FFFF-, I thought you said he came with an Asian babe, damnit! Got my hopes up!

Well, he may start with that blade, but there's no reason why I have to continue using one, it doesn't matter what weapon I use, so as long as it isn't a SPEAR, I find those weapons are obviously for pussies and newbs who only feel secure attacking from a distance, bow requires that you actually have to aim, so no I will not say the same for the bow.
Why don't you ask ATLUS if they throw in an Asian babe too, just to make sure that really no one imports the game anymore.:D

I don't like spears, they really are noob weapons in this game because you can even use em behind a shield. But the rest of the pole weapons are very nice & fun to use and can be quite powerful if upgraded right. Downside is, to handle them properly you have to go 2handed = no shield...
...Which isn't much of a problem since after a hundred of hours with the game you won't be touching shields anymore.

[Mooglepies]

No idea why there's so much hatred for spears and shields in this thread; Spears are awesome; particularly the Scraping Spear, and attacking with a shield held out is probably the only thing other than the fact that it only has piercing attacks that really justifies the weapon type at all, in much the same way that rapiers do the same thing but in a more compact form.

My personal favourite weapon has to be the Baby's Nail though, especially if you get it really early. It's quite possible to get it and then really, really ruin a low levelled character's day with it. Upgrade it with a few colourless demon's souls and someone is really, really going to take a pounding.

[ZomDizae]

No idea why there's so much hatred for spears and shields in this thread; Spears are awesome; particularly the Scraping Spear, and attacking with a shield held out is probably the only thing other than the fact that it only has piercing attacks that really justifies the weapon type at all, in much the same way that rapiers do the same thing but in a more compact form.

My personal favourite weapon has to be the Baby's Nail though, especially if you get it really early. It's quite possible to get it and then really, really ruin a low levelled character's day with it. Upgrade it with a few colourless demon's souls and someone is really, really going to take a pounding.
I don't mind it as long as you don't throw Acid Cloud in the mix. I made a PSN list of people using that stuff and every time I encounter one of them I'll use it too along with a Baby's Nail +5. :P

[iloveatlus]

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/279.html

8.8



" It’s a winner, folks. A big one. "

[iloveatlus]

I dont pay much attention to video game news, but did atlus present this game at pax?

[Bearcut]

4 Weeks Until the Launch of Demon's Souls!
What are you hyped about? (Thought this went with the review thread well)

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

[Manly Biceps]

8.8



" It’s a winner, folks. A big one. "

That's what she said. :)

[Manic Expressive]

The girl in the avatar? I'd hope so.

[Mounce]

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Well, at least you won't hear me talking in THY OLD LANGUAGE!!!! Being annoying in a comical way, or Pirate-speak!

AVAST ME MATEYS A DEMON BE HERE, ARRRRR!! CUT IT DOWN LIKE THE SALTY DOG IT BE!!!

[Quig]

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/279.html

8.8



" It’s a winner, folks. A big one. "

Does your mommy know you're playing on the computer, little girl? This game was a bad @$$ when it came out last Christmas, and I'm glad we don't have to wait a year or more to play it.

[Crow T. Robot]

4 Weeks Until the Launch of Demon's Souls!
What are you hyped about? (Thought this went with the review thread well)

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)
Ugh it's worse on Live.
But yeah I am and I'm not glad there's no voice chat, I mean it's not like we can't be given the option to just mute right? But I mean if it's a friend helping me out during a mission then I'd probably want to talk to him or her.;

[Bearcut]

I agree Crow, and most PSN games aren't real bad with voice chat, but I hate never having the option to mute players/turn it off. I end up turning on my mic and just taking it off my head because I can't stand it.
But with some games, like RE5, most players are chatty and helpful, but thats one on one gameplay.

[Bearcut]

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Well, at least you won't hear me talking in THY OLD LANGUAGE!!!! Being annoying in a comical way, or Pirate-speak!

AVAST ME MATEYS A DEMON BE HERE, ARRRRR!! CUT IT DOWN LIKE THE SALTY DOG IT BE!!!

Wouldn't be that bad : ) --> at least if someone were talking like that you'd get a laugh.
I'm just tired of playing KZ2 or BF1943 and hearing $%#$^!! 45#@$%#$5/ !!! @#%$@#% instead of helpful information.

[bullman422]

4 Weeks Until the Launch of Demon's Souls!
What are you hyped about? (Thought this went with the review thread well)

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Same Here. At least I won't have to invest in a headset/Mic although I guess a keyboard will come in handy.

[Mounce]

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Well, at least you won't hear me talking in THY OLD LANGUAGE!!!! Being annoying in a comical way, or Pirate-speak!

AVAST ME MATEYS A DEMON BE HERE, ARRRRR!! CUT IT DOWN LIKE THE SALTY DOG IT BE!!!

Wouldn't be that bad : ) --> at least if someone were talking like that you'd get a laugh.
I'm just tired of playing KZ2 or BF1943 and hearing $%#$^!! 45#@$%#$5/ !!! @#%$@#% instead of helpful information.

Well I'm quite the lively person, I'd make people laugh and giggle to the point where they'd fear nothing! They'd be too busy laughing about the things and insults I throw at the enemies as I combat them! Nothing like calling skeletons an anorexic boney failure with all manlihood lost of them, yet they try to act tough even without it, but they know deep down in their, BONES, that they can never be as manly as you, a man with flesh! Hence why they hate you and want to kill you so badly, to possibly Wear your skin....

[Darkenmal]

There already is a lot of reviews on metacritic, just use those.. and btw the average is 89, just short of that holy AAA. :)

[iloveatlus]

heres another review

"Demon's Souls is an incredibly immersive sense of true role-playing."

http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review

10/10

[iloveatlus]

2 more demons souls review

5 out of 5

Undoubtedly, Demon’s Souls is a classic and in our book, the best title on the PS3 so far.

http://www.ps3hyper.com/reviews/ps3hyper-review-demons-souls/

9/10

http://scrawlfx.com/2009/09/demons-souls-review

[Mounce]

2 more demons souls review

5 out of 5

Undoubtedly, Demon’s Souls is a classic and in our book, the best title on the PS3 so far.

http://www.ps3hyper.com/reviews/ps3hyper-review-demons-souls/

9/10

http://scrawlfx.com/2009/09/demons-souls-review

Those review scores are as teasy as your damn avatar! Both make me want The Game even more!!!

....you all LOST! D:<

[Pibbman]

heres another review

"Demon's Souls is an incredibly immersive sense of true role-playing."

http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review

10/10

Ahh man... this from the review

"Deaf & Hard of Hearing: You should be aware that although all of the game's dialogue is subtitled, sound plays a key role in locating enemies and being aware of their approach. Very often, an unseen attack will be preceded by a hiss or growl. Without access to this audio information, the player is at a definite disadvantage. The game is already quite difficult, and not being able to hear these cues mean that players with hearing disabilities will have to be extra vigilant."

Thats just great, I'm hard of hearing so basically I guess this game will be extra hard for me.

[gddctr]

4 Weeks Until the Launch of Demon's Souls!
What are you hyped about? (Thought this went with the review thread well)

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Right on! Possibly the best thing about multi-player on PS3 is less punk kids shouting crap when thier parents aren't listening! It will make it even better with no chat! And you can always use a private chat through the OS while playing w/ yer buddy. The limited communication will only serve to more fully immerse the player in the imtimidating environment this game is attempting to cultivate.

[popmicro]

I dont pay much attention to video game news, but did atlus present this game at pax?

[Alex]

4 Weeks Until the Launch of Demon's Souls!
What are you hyped about? (Thought this went with the review thread well)

Personally, I can't wait to experience multiplayer with no voice chat as I'm sick and tired of hearing kids spout obsentities in the background while I'm playing. As i'm sure they'll be doing here :)

Right on! Possibly the best thing about multi-player on PS3 is less punk kids shouting crap when thier parents aren't listening! It will make it even better with no chat! And you can always use a private chat through the OS while playing w/ yer buddy. The limited communication will only serve to more fully immerse the player in the imtimidating environment this game is attempting to cultivate.
:agree:
No voice chat is great!

[Bearcut]

It wouldn't be so bad if developers would give the option to turn off the voice chat. Alot of games don't even have the option to mute players anymore. I swear I was in a game of BF1943 last night and all i could hear through the speakers was "MORON! MORON!!!!!!" in a squeeky voice that would go well with chronic acne.
Its like im schizophrenic.

Anyway, I digress. Three more weeks from today! I'm debating between using a mace to smash everything, or a sword to slash everything.

[ZomDizae]

Thats just great, I'm hard of hearing so basically I guess this game will be extra hard for me.
Just advance slowly and check the situation every few steps and you'll be perfectly fine.

The game's just overly hard if you're
A.Unprepared
B.too overconfident

[iloveatlus]

Total review right now

9.5 out of 10 The Entertainment Depot
9.5 out of 10 GameCritics
9.5 out of 10 Gamer Limit
91 out of 100 Play UK
9 out of 10 PSW Magazine UK
9 out of 10 Eurogamer
8.8 out of 10 PSX Extreme
84 out of 100 RPGFan
8 out of 10 Playstation Official Magazine UK

[Pibbman]

Classic Game Room HD Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPThY2U0rI&feature=sub

No scores given because its a review, and scores are just silly. However, this is really worth watching because its hilariously narrated. Just keep in mind, he obviously reviews games from a huge number of genres, so RPG isn't his speciality.

(it's also worth watching the other atlus games he reviewed)

[RSPK]

Classic Game Room HD Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPThY2U0rI&feature=sub

No scores given because its a review, and scores are just silly. However, this is really worth watching because its hilariously narrated. Just keep in mind, he obviously reviews games from a huge number of genres, so RPG isn't his speciality.

(it's also worth watching the other atlus games he reviewed)


Nice find. Very funny and great video quality. Oct. 8th really can't come soon enough -_-

It's only by sheer will that I can I prevent myself from watching boss fight spoilers on youtube. I've watched everything else!

[SasugaRIVAL]

From The Escapist:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/6527-Review-Demons-Souls

Bottom Line: Demon's Souls is equal parts aggravating, cruel, and punishing, but it's also extremely satisfying and rewarding. Yes, you'll cry bitter tears after dying for the umpteenth time, but when you finally do make it past the whatever-it-is that's been pummeling you for hours, you feel positively godlike.

Recommendation: In case I haven't made it clear yet, do not play this game if you're not ready to embrace failure. If you can stand the challenge, however, you'll find a true treasure of an experience awaits you.

[Leventa]

Another nice review video of decent quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBsywLMRLEk

[GamerSam]

Hell just froze over :o

Edge Magazine 9/10

[Jorlen]

Classic Game Room HD Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPThY2U0rI&feature=sub

No scores given because its a review, and scores are just silly. However, this is really worth watching because its hilariously narrated. Just keep in mind, he obviously reviews games from a huge number of genres, so RPG isn't his speciality.

(it's also worth watching the other atlus games he reviewed)

Nice video :) Thanks for the link!

[Karkarov]

Hmm thanks to some italian site called Spazio games and poor implimentation of Gamepro scores it has dropped back to 89 on meta critic. How a gamepro reviewer who admits to losing weeks of his life to the game because it is so addicting can rate it as less than a 5/5 is beyond me though.

EDIT: Whats worse is that after I translated and read Spazio's review it should be thrown out. One of their big gripes is a bad english translation. Of course they are reviewing the only non english version of the game, the japanese release. Who is really to blame for that big complaint then?

[ZomDizae]

Hmm thanks to some italian site called Spazio games and poor implimentation of Gamepro scores it has dropped back to 89 on meta critic. How a gamepro reviewer who admits to losing weeks of his life to the game because it is so addicting can rate it as less than a 5/5 is beyond me though.

EDIT: Whats worse is that after I translated and read Spazio's review it should be thrown out. One of their big gripes is a bad english translation. Of course they are reviewing the only non english version of the game, the japanese release. Who is really to blame for that big complaint then?
The Spaziogames.it one is a big joke - trust a Italian guy's opinion on that one ;)

[Karkarov]

The Spaziogames.it one is a big joke - trust a Italian guy's opinion on that one ;)

Yeap. I wanted to know why the score was so low which is why I translated it, but after the first paragraph I could tell it was a garbage review. Which is why it annoys me that of all the reviews out there this is one they are using to determine it's "industry standard" score.

[Pibbman]

Hell just froze over :o

Edge Magazine 9/10

LOL

I know, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Edge Magazine's score. Seriously, the only time I see them give high scores is either for Halo or Sports-based games.

[Mooglepies]

Hell just froze over :o

Edge Magazine 9/10

LOL

I know, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Edge Magazine's score. Seriously, the only time I see them give high scores is either for Halo or Sports-based games.

You forgot GTA, Final Fantasy and Bioshock, as well as the core Mario games.

[Pibbman]

Looks like Gamepro killed the 91 metacritic score. It dropped back down to 89.

[Leventa]

Gamepro. Not so pro.

[Karkarov]

Actually it was yet another "omg the game is hard" review by Gamervision that did it. Appanrently the only complaint the reviewer has is.... it is hard. So he scored it a 60 out of 100. The fact that he found choosing his class "overwhelming" and was mad he couldn't make an "attractive" character tells me he needs to go back to FF11.

[NeverFinal]

I agree with Karkarov

[Pibbman]

I shall e-mail him and ask if he needs a pacifier.

[Syra]

Actually it was yet another "omg the game is hard" review by Gamervision that did it. Appanrently the only complaint the reviewer has is.... it is hard. So he scored it a 60 out of 100. The fact that he found choosing his class "overwhelming" and was mad he couldn't make an "attractive" character tells me he needs to go back to FF11.

You can't make an attractive character in FFXI, it only gives you like two choices, and all the best armor in the game was designed specifically to make you look so horrible your virtual mom would cry.

I really wish reviews like that could be booted off the list, as Demon's Souls shouldn't be rated lower than Arkham Asylum(and I like Arkham Asylum). Hopefully the English version reviews will help out soon, since IGN, Gamespot, and other sites haven't thrown theirs up yet.

[Karkarov]

Whoops I meant FF12. Typo attack! Holds up either way if you ask me :devil:

[sarshelyam]

heres another review

"Demon's Souls is an incredibly immersive sense of true role-playing."

http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review

10/10

Ahh man... this from the review

"Deaf & Hard of Hearing: You should be aware that although all of the game's dialogue is subtitled, sound plays a key role in locating enemies and being aware of their approach. Very often, an unseen attack will be preceded by a hiss or growl. Without access to this audio information, the player is at a definite disadvantage. The game is already quite difficult, and not being able to hear these cues mean that players with hearing disabilities will have to be extra vigilant."

Thats just great, I'm hard of hearing so basically I guess this game will be extra hard for me.

You know, I've been meaning to comment on this because it struck a chord with me. I too am hard of hearing, have an unexplained hearing loss in my right ear that is beyond diagnosis (don't ask). Anyhow, I have played through the game 3 times and NEVER had a problem. The review above makes it sound as if the audio is so subtle that you're going to have to be alert at all times. While it IS a good idea to remain alert during gameplay, there are not really any audio moments where you're having to determine the location of an enemy based on the ambient surround sound...it simply isn't THAT dynamic. It's great, there is a level of dynamic audio and surround, but most of the enemies make it painfully obvious they're coming for you and because of the often narrow passages.

I wouldn't worry about this too much, one hearing impaired gamer to another.

[Pibbman]

heres another review

"Demon's Souls is an incredibly immersive sense of true role-playing."

http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/demons-souls-review

10/10

Ahh man... this from the review

"Deaf & Hard of Hearing: You should be aware that although all of the game's dialogue is subtitled, sound plays a key role in locating enemies and being aware of their approach. Very often, an unseen attack will be preceded by a hiss or growl. Without access to this audio information, the player is at a definite disadvantage. The game is already quite difficult, and not being able to hear these cues mean that players with hearing disabilities will have to be extra vigilant."

Thats just great, I'm hard of hearing so basically I guess this game will be extra hard for me.

You know, I've been meaning to comment on this because it struck a chord with me. I too am hard of hearing, have an unexplained hearing loss in my right ear that is beyond diagnosis (don't ask). Anyhow, I have played through the game 3 times and NEVER had a problem. The review above makes it sound as if the audio is so subtle that you're going to have to be alert at all times. While it IS a good idea to remain alert during gameplay, there are not really any audio moments where you're having to determine the location of an enemy based on the ambient surround sound...it simply isn't THAT dynamic. It's great, there is a level of dynamic audio and surround, but most of the enemies make it painfully obvious they're coming for you and because of the often narrow passages.

I wouldn't worry about this too much, one hearing impaired gamer to another.

Ah, thanks for your reply about that. It makes me feel a bit more at ease. I was worried it was going to be something subtle, that I would just end up dying a bunch of times because of some "small grunt" or something from someone just about to leap and swing a heavy sword at me or something. I'm pretty sure it would of annoyed me.

One thing I have to say is that I really like how a lot of games offer subtitles these days, it wasn't really like that before. I don't remember if there was some sort of rule that was in put in place to enforce such a thing or not. Anyways thanks for letting me know! :D

[Pibbman]

Gamepro. Not so pro.

Sorry, it was actually Gamersvision that killed the metacritic score

http://www.gamervision.com/gamer/coop/reviews/article/demon_39_s_souls_ps3

Seriously, the reviewer should of not played that game, it obviously was NOT for him. He kept complaining the game was too hard.


it seems like the median of the two schools of thought – one thinking that death is overdone and one thinking that it’s necessary – is to have the fear of death, but hope that gamers never actually experience their mortality. Games like Shadow of the Colossus do a fantastic job balancing this concept, creating an experience that can be difficult, with the possibility of the player dying, without resorting to one-shot kills, or trial-and-error game design.

No matter which side of the "death in games" argument you’re on, Demon’s Souls does it wrong.

and


Losing souls elicits feelings of hopelessness, and the overwhelming urge to simply quit the game. Technically that’s immersion, but if that’s what it’s like to be in the world of Demon’s Souls, than I’d rather not stay.

LOL

[sarshelyam]

Yeah, subtitles really only became prelevant when dialog became such a heavy part of our gaming. Once we started breaking out of that "Mario" mold where everything was implied, to actually telling a story with characters that obtained a level of individuality, well, subtitles sort of ran with it. Demon's Souls really doesn't have much dialogue during the game outside of dealing with NPC's, and I imagine a subtitle for "GRUNT" would be rather misleading and intrusive anyhow. It'd have to be followed by "GRUNT (southwest)" for those of us who are hard of hearing to really understand the implied direction of dynamic audio.

[John_Fat]

Actually it was yet another "omg the game is hard" review by Gamervision that did it. Appanrently the only complaint the reviewer has is.... it is hard. So he scored it a 60 out of 100. The fact that he found choosing his class "overwhelming" and was mad he couldn't make an "attractive" character tells me he needs to go back to FF11.

I think that Metacritic should exclude the highest & the lowest score when calculating the overall average. IMO it would make the score more realistic and fair.

[beastxjason]

Pibbman youl be fine, hence the written msgs dude. No worrys.

[Pibbman]

Yeah, subtitles really only became prelevant when dialog became such a heavy part of our gaming. Once we started breaking out of that "Mario" mold where everything was implied, to actually telling a story with characters that obtained a level of individuality, well, subtitles sort of ran with it. Demon's Souls really doesn't have much dialogue during the game outside of dealing with NPC's, and I imagine a subtitle for "GRUNT" would be rather misleading and intrusive anyhow. It'd have to be followed by "GRUNT (southwest)" for those of us who are hard of hearing to really understand the implied direction of dynamic audio.

lol, I didn't quite mean they should do subtitles of grunts and stuff, I was just rambling off there for a second lol.

Anyways, one thing has been bothering me. When I watch the videos and stuff of this, the game doesn't look that good, so I'm led to believe its some shoddy video encoding. Even Atlus videos on PSN of the game are bad, however all the reviews I've read say the game is absolutely gorgeous in detail in terms of graphics.

Now I'm not saying that graphics make a game, its just I'm a bit sad I can't see this "amazingness" in the poor videos quality being put out on this. There have been a few really good quality review videos, but their screen size was small.

[Alex]

the graphics are overrated in this game. they're not spectaculair. but they are ok though... the game itself is more than ok... ;)

[Karkarov]

Here is the YouTube user page for Mitocondriak that ZomDizae pointed me to in another thread. In fact Zom is in many of these videos hehe. The vids were made using an actual HD video capture card so they are considerably higher quality than most you will find and give a better idea of game visuals.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Mitocondriak

Oh PS: be careful of some spoilers. I would avoid any vid tagged as being for SilentG for example.

[Leventa]

That review was horrible and mostly consisted of whining.

[Pibbman]

Here is the YouTube user page for Mitocondriak that ZomDizae pointed me to in another thread. In fact Zom is in many of these videos hehe. The vids were made using an actual HD video capture card so they are considerably higher quality than most you will find and give a better idea of game visuals.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Mitocondriak

Oh PS: be careful of some spoilers. I would avoid any vid tagged as being for SilentG for example.

thanks, now I can tell much better. Looks great. I love the music videos under his account too. First time I heard any of Demon's souls music. Looks like the soundtrack will be worth it.

[Mooglepies]

On the Gamervision 6/10...

From reading the review, it looks like the reviewer didn't understand the core premises of the game more than anything else; he criticised it for being too hard, for having impenetrable mechanics, not moving the Co-op to the front end of the game and for being too much trial and error. The point of Demon's Souls is that it's a single player experience seamlessly integrated with an online component, and that trial and error is in fact the whole point of the game; that's why there's no penalty for death other than losing your current soul balance.

That said, they did at least praise the variety of the weapons and the impact they have on the game, as well as the game's immersiveness.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion I guess.

[SasugaRIVAL]

Sorry, it was actually Gamersvision that killed the metacritic score

http://www.gamervision.com/gamer/coop/reviews/article/demon_39_s_souls_ps3

Seriously, the reviewer should of not played that game, it obviously was NOT for him. He kept complaining the game was too hard.


BAWWWWW I DIED AGAIN THIS IS TOO HARDS

Cry some more... That reviewer needs to man up. I find it entirely appropriate that the reviewer has a baby kitten for an avatar.

How can a guy who obviously sucks so hard at games be a game reviewer is beyond me. He should pull his junk out from betwixt his legs or otherwise just stick to Barbie Island Adventure.

[Mooglepies]

Sorry, it was actually Gamersvision that killed the metacritic score

http://www.gamervision.com/gamer/coop/reviews/article/demon_39_s_souls_ps3

Seriously, the reviewer should of not played that game, it obviously was NOT for him. He kept complaining the game was too hard.


BAWWWWW I DIED AGAIN THIS IS TOO HARDS

Cry some more... That reviewer needs to man up. I find it entirely appropriate that the reviewer has a baby kitten for an avatar.

How can a guy who obviously sucks so hard at games be a game reviewer is beyond me. He should pull his junk out from betwixt his legs or otherwise just stick to Barbie Island Adventure.

Overzealous fan defends game needlessly. It's been pointed out many times that the style of game Demon's Souls encompasses is NOT for everyone. Clearly he wasn't a fan; I'd expect the same to be true of many that end up purchasing this.

[Pibbman]

Sorry, it was actually Gamersvision that killed the metacritic score

http://www.gamervision.com/gamer/coop/reviews/article/demon_39_s_souls_ps3

Seriously, the reviewer should of not played that game, it obviously was NOT for him. He kept complaining the game was too hard.


BAWWWWW I DIED AGAIN THIS IS TOO HARDS

Cry some more... That reviewer needs to man up. I find it entirely appropriate that the reviewer has a baby kitten for an avatar.

How can a guy who obviously sucks so hard at games be a game reviewer is beyond me. He should pull his junk out from betwixt his legs or otherwise just stick to Barbie Island Adventure.

Overzealous fan defends game needlessly. It's been pointed out many times that the style of game Demon's Souls encompasses is NOT for everyone. Clearly he wasn't a fan; I'd expect the same to be true of many that end up purchasing this.

I'm pretty sure there will be. This is going to be a double edge sword thing for Atlus. One, a lot of people will probably buy it, which is good for Atlus. However, a lot are probably going to return/sell it off used, which is bad for Atlus.

I know on the other forums, I mostly tell people not to walk into getting this game easily, and to make sure they know what they are getting into. I'm sure a couple of them will ignore it.

[Leventa]

Demon's Souls caters to the Hardcore gamer. The sort of person that just wants to throw a game in to blow a half-hour without much in the way of frustration or challenge, is not going to get much out of this release.

Casuals need not apply.

[Macstorm]

RPGamer is proud to award Demon's Souls our first official 5/5 of the year.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.html

[Karkarov]

Demon's Souls caters to the Hardcore gamer. The sort of person that just wants to throw a game in to blow a half-hour without much in the way of frustration or challenge, is not going to get much out of this release.

Casuals need not apply.

I agree, but I think there are many more gamers out there that enjoy a challenge than people realize. Quite a few of us grew up on the real first Ninja Gaiden which made the challenge of the Xbox one look like a joke.

[Hraesvelgr]

RPGamer is proud to award Demon's Souls our first official 5/5 of the year.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.htmlJust curious, how does the "Story" score get a 4 when one of the negatives is "Not much in the way of plot"? And how do you guys do your scores? Based on the scores for story, music/sound and visuals, the game should've gotten a 4.5, so I assume there is a different method of calculating the overall score.

[Leventa]

RPGamer is proud to award Demon's Souls our first official 5/5 of the year.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.htmlJust curious, how does the "Story" score get a 4 when one of the negatives is "Not much in the way of plot"? And how do you guys do your scores? Based on the scores for story, music/sound and visuals, the game should've gotten a 4.5, so I assume there is a different method of calculating the overall score.

There isn't much in the way of a plot in the game, at least in so far as "Go here, go there, rescue my lost kitty!" kinda stuff. However, the game environment itself, the untold stories, NPCs, set-pieces, bits of background and hints of battles and struggles long since past, lend the game a sense of rich atmosphere that makes the story of your character's battle come to life in a way that has little to do with the plotline railroading that accompanies many so-called modern RPGs.

That'd be my guess anyways.

[Pibbman]

Far as I know from others, there really isn't much of a story in this game. Apparently you find out what happened and stuff from NPCs and the sort as you play through the game. So it doesn't really have a "narration" I guess.

[SasugaRIVAL]

Overzealous fan defends game needlessly.

I will avoid this bit of obvious flame-bait slander and go straight to the point at hand.

I don't think my defense of the game was "needless" - my critique of his review is warranted. The entire article read like a rage-quit forum post (albeit better written). His entire criticism of the game centers around, scratch that, is solely encompassed by the difficulty. His review and scoring ignores all the unique and great things about it and lets one aspect of the game completely influence his opinion of the entire package.

True, this game absolutely isn't for everyone, but I think a reviewer owes it to his readership to at least attempt to understand and "get" the game before submitting an opinion of it.

In fact, I doubt he even finished the bloody thing. Only Yahtzee should be allowed to submit a review of something he hasn't finished. No wonder he thought it was so ####, when he didn't even put time into it! Every other review talks about how at first everything about the game seems "impossible" (much like his review states) but after putting sufficient time into things start to "click" for them and the game becomes enjoyable. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't made it past 1-1.

Therefore, I stand by my original opinion, "overzealous" as it may be, that the reviewer needs to grow a pair before he tries to review a game known for being extremely challenging.

[Leventa]

Only Yahtzee is allowed to submit a review of something he hasn't finished.

Speaking of which, I wonder if this game would be up his alley...

[SasugaRIVAL]

Only Yahtzee is allowed to submit a review of something he hasn't finished.

Speaking of which, I wonder if this game would be up his alley...

lol I don't think he would like it... As much as he loves "immersion" I think he looks more for an enjoyable "experience" rather than a challenge.

But who knows, that guy surprises the hell out of me with some of the things he gives good reviews for.

[Karkarov]

RPGamer is proud to award Demon's Souls our first official 5/5 of the year.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.html

Very nice review there, I find it interesting he only rated it "hard" as opposed to the sites "very hard" option. As far as story goes way too many gamers these days are used to be force fed by long overly melodramatic cut scenes. From has always liked to give you the story in their games by reading journals off dead bodies, signs, item descriptions, talking to npcs, and villains that actually talk while fighting instead of fighting by monologue.

[Mooglepies]

Overzealous fan defends game needlessly.

I will avoid this bit of obvious flame-bait slander and go straight to the point at hand.

I don't think my defense of the game was "needless" - my critique of his review is warranted. The entire article read like a rage-quit forum post (albeit better written). His entire criticism of the game centers around, scratch that, is solely encompassed by the difficulty. His review and scoring ignores all the unique and great things about it and lets one aspect of the game completely influence his opinion of the entire package.

True, this game absolutely isn't for everyone, but I think a reviewer owes it to his readership to at least attempt to understand and "get" the game before submitting an opinion of it.

In fact, I doubt he even finished the bloody thing. Only Yahtzee should be allowed to submit a review of something he hasn't finished. No wonder he thought it was so ####, when he didn't even put time into it! Every other review talks about how at first everything about the game seems "impossible" (much like his review states) but after putting sufficient time into things start to "click" for them and the game becomes enjoyable. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't made it past 1-1.

Therefore, I stand by my original opinion, "overzealous" as it may be, that the reviewer needs to grow a pair before he tries to review a game known for being extremely challenging.

Fair enough; as I said in my original post on the matter, everyone's entitled to an opinion.

While, yes, it's true that his review doesn't encompass the best, most positive aspects of the game and it's very clear that he didn't "get" what the game was about, he's been paid to write a review based on his own experiences. You have to realise that the score that he's given it is actually what most people will think of the game; it's not a game that you can easily "click" with, it's not accessible and it often goes out of its way to make life hard for you. It's good only to the small, ultimately insignificant niche it was created for; having so far been reviewed only by that audience is the only reason for the overwhelmingly positive reviews so far, and it's a good thing that there's at least some balance thrown into the mix.

My post wasn't an attempt to be slanderous; your own post was little more than a personal attack on the guy for having an opinion that you didn't like, while ignoring the fact that that same opinion will be shared by the majority of people out there.

Finally, you dissed kittens. What the hell, man? You just don't do that.

[Macstorm]

Just curious, how does the "Story" score get a 4 when one of the negatives is "Not much in the way of plot"? And how do you guys do your scores? Based on the scores for story, music/sound and visuals, the game should've gotten a 4.5, so I assume there is a different method of calculating the overall score.

It's not my review, but I can speak for our site's scoring system.

1) You have to read the text of the review, not just the pro/con section to understand why the story was given a 4. Our story subcategory goes way beyond just basic plot and for a game like Demon's Souls takes into account the game's atmosphere, etc. One line from the review stated, "The story is experienced rather than told." That is how the plot can be missing, but the story aspects still be there.

2) Our overall score is not an average of the subcategories. A game that scores a 5/5 is consider to be an exceptional game.

[Mooglepies]

Just read the Edge review; very high praise from them.

[SasugaRIVAL]

While, yes,... into the mix.

So reviewers should be encouraged to give emotional reviews lacking in rationale and sound arguments and glossing over or straight out ignoring important facets?

My post wasn't an attempt to be slanderous; your own post was little more than a personal attack on the guy for having an opinion that you didn't like, while ignoring the fact that that same opinion will be shared by the majority of people out there.

When you apply a negatively connotative generalization to someone, it is typically considered offensive to the receiving party - might want to keep that in mind in the future if it is not your intent to be slanderous.

Furthermore, my attack on his character wasn't due to the fact that he had a different opinion. My attack on his character was due to the fact that he wrote a whiny, insubstantial review.

True, maybe your typical gamer will play a bit of it, deem it too difficult and throw it aside. But a game reviewer should do more than that. Judging by his article, he never even attempted to give it an honest chance because it was so difficult. If a game is difficult that just means he needs to work harder to properly understand it. He is just being lazy.

For example, would a movie critic be considered worthy of respect if he only watched half of a movie like "Mulholland Drive" or "Magnolia" because it is "too difficult to understand"?

Finally, you dissed kittens. What the hell, man? You just don't do that.

So comparing him to a kitten is to be considered disparaging to kittens? Who is insulting him now! ;)

[piratedrunk]

SasugaRIVAL

I think you are ignoring the fact that his overzealous fan comment was aimed at your first post on the matter and not the one where you actually explained yourself. That post did come off as needless where as if you had explained your reasoning in the first place I'm sure nobody would have said that.

[Sambuque]

It seems we enter the Review's Souls kingdom in this topic.

[SasugaRIVAL]

SasugaRIVAL

I think you are ignoring the fact that his overzealous fan comment was aimed at your first post on the matter and not the one where you actually explained yourself. That post did come off as needless where as if you had explained your reasoning in the first place I'm sure nobody would have said that.

Then attack the post not the person (unless somehow he mean my post was an overzealous fan, then I apologize for the misunderstanding)

I would explain this difference further but doing so would only incense the issue, as my previous attempts at clarification have apparently done so. Now, before my grievances with Mooglepies attract even more third parties, I will attempt to end it here.

"Move along, nothing to see here."

[piratedrunk]

You mean like the way you attacked the reviewer and not the review?

gotcha. nothing to see here indeed.

[SasugaRIVAL]

I was attacking his role as reviewer. As you can see, my original post stated plainly that I was questioning his capability as a reviewer. If you take a job, especially one that causes you to be in the public eye, you have to put up with people's impressions of that job. My opinion still stands that he should man up and actually play a significant amount of a game he reviews regardless of whether it is "too difficult."

Granted I should have explained my position better initially, and so therefore Mooglepies was correct to call me out on that fact - I just didn't appreciate the manner he did so.

And I was trying to let my grievances with him end, feeling that the issue was properly settled, but if you want to continue to exacerbate things that is your prerogative.

However, if you would like to join in on the actual debate of what constitutes a good review/reviewer than I would be more than happy to discuss it further as its a topic I find interesting.

[Mooglepies]

I'm happy to agree to disagree; the "overzealous fan" comment was aimed more at the tone of that first post, which was entirely vitriol aimed at the reviewer rather instead of the review, than at anything else.

I'm actually content that this review is out there now, this game was pretty marmite from the start and I was always interested to see how the mainstream gaming press would deal with it. Ultimately when I look at review I want the reviewer's opinion on the game and a recommendation as to whether I'm going to like it or not; I'm less interested in a technical, logical breakdown of all the mechanics involved and how they fit together.

If this guy is a casual gamer, it's hardly his fault for giving the game a poor review and more the site's administration for giving their casual reviewer a game with a reputation for only appealing to the hardcore.

What amuses me most is that it wasn't actually the first negative review that DS has got; Famitsu's method has both a "Hardcore" and "Casual" reviewer tackle each game. Demon's Souls got a 6 from the latter, with them claiming it was too hard. Sound familiar?

[Karkarov]

What amuses me most is that it wasn't actually the first negative review that DS has got; Famitsu's method has both a "Hardcore" and "Casual" reviewer tackle each game. Demon's Souls got a 6 from the latter, with them claiming it was too hard. Sound familiar?

Thats true, but Famitsu's review was also panned and laughed at for being completely one sided and only taking the perspective of one type of gamer, the uber casual. Their hardcore gamer probably thought ninja gaiden on xbox was hard too. Also if that is the "mainstream" view why did DS's sell out in Japan on day one?

The review was also hardly mainstream as I had never even heard of the site until I saw it on metacritic. From looking at their site and review teams it is also obvious they gave the game to a person who was not going to like it from the get go. In other words all they care about is getting "hits" not being a good review site. Because a bad review would get their site more attention than a good one would. Also like I said in comments of the review it is obvious he didn't even play the game for any length, or even attempt to adopt a playstyle that could be remotely successful in the game. He just went in saying "####ty diablo clone with good graphics", got owned a few times, then quit. In fact I would bet money he spent more time writing the "review" than he did playing the game. That alone is enough to tell me the review should be thrown out.

If you want a main stream opinion wait for Games Informer or look at Gamepro the two biggest gaming mags in circulation. So far the preview by GI was favorable and the Gamepro review was still a 4 out of 5 which as a person who subscribed to it for over 10 years I can tell you means more like 85-90 out of 100. The only way they score a game a 4 or higher is if they liked it or got paid to and I know for a fact they were not paid to review Demon's Souls. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it never even makes it into their print mag. Which is a big reason why I don't subscribe anymore as Gamepro's high scores/magazine space is almost always bought and paid for.

Edit: I should also throw out 1UP.com has yet to weigh in on DS as well. They are also definitely mainstream.

[Jorlen]

Why isn't there any Demon's Souls related news or previews or anything on Gamespot? That's my question. Do they only do that stuff to companies that pay them? The game is coming out next week and there's no news posted at all.

I'm actually really curious as to what gamespot and IGN will rate Demon's Souls. I predict 9s but who knows :)

[harlequ1n]

Why isn't there any Demon's Souls related news or previews or anything on Gamespot? That's my question. Do they only do that stuff to companies that pay them? The game is coming out next week and there's no news posted at all.

I'm actually really curious as to what gamespot and IGN will rate Demon's Souls. I predict 9s but who knows :)
I guess it's not "mainstream" enough for them, this game is increasing in popularity as the days to its NA release draw near and I'm sure everybody will be talking about it when the fabled day comes.

Gametrailers did a very nice Asian import preview on it and they normally do that for games they're really looking forward. I'm also very eager to watch their final review.

[Karkarov]

Why isn't there any Demon's Souls related news or previews or anything on Gamespot? That's my question. Do they only do that stuff to companies that pay them?

Uh yes.... It surprises me you didn't realize this already. Most "Mainstream" gaming sites and mags pretty much sell their scores and coverage space. You pay them a lot you get a decent score even if your game sucked and it gets covered. Look at WET. That game is just plain average to below par but everyone is giving it coverage and it's reviews have been at least quasi favorable. Make no mistake they won't say a game that is a 6/10 is a 10/10 or anything that ludicrous but they may be "willing to overlook a few flaws" and bump it to a 7.5.

Edit: It is interesting I used WET which by all means is a bad game as an example. Because Gamervision who scored DS a 6 just gave WET 7.5. I think that says everything you need to know about them.

[Sambuque]

Maybe DS is of those games that either completely sucks you in or throws you out, thus the either great or bad reviews.

Some bad reviews of Blazblue pointed it as old school and too technical, so it just may be the retro feeling that doesn't please everyone.

Edit: Usually, the likes of gamespot and ign only publish high scored game's reviews before launch, it's unlikely to see ds metacritic score going up.

[Mooglepies]

Maybe DS is of those games that either completely sucks you in or throws you out, thus the either great or bad reviews.

Some bad reviews of Blazblue pointed it as old school and too technical, so it just may be the retro feeling that doesn't please everyone.

Edit: Usually, the likes of gamespot and ign only publish high scored game's reviews before launch, it's unlikely to see ds metacritic score going up.

This. DS is just one of those games that divides opinion; I rather think that was the point though.

I'm more interested in what the user score will be if I'm honest.

[Jorlen]

Why isn't there any Demon's Souls related news or previews or anything on Gamespot? That's my question. Do they only do that stuff to companies that pay them?

Uh yes.... It surprises me you didn't realize this already. Most "Mainstream" gaming sites and mags pretty much sell their scores and coverage space. You pay them a lot you get a decent score even if your game sucked and it gets covered. Look at WET. That game is just plain average to below par but everyone is giving it coverage and it's reviews have been at least quasi favorable. Make no mistake they won't say a game that is a 6/10 is a 10/10 or anything that ludicrous but they may be "willing to overlook a few flaws" and bump it to a 7.5.

Edit: It is interesting I used WET which by all means is a bad game as an example. Because Gamervision who scored DS a 6 just gave WET 7.5. I think that says everything you need to know about them.

Well, I kind of figured that they'd sell pre-release space and do special previews if paid but I guess I never wanted to believe that these sites are paid MORE to give favourable results to a game that otherwise would have been rated lower. I mean, some sites probably do it, but I've noticed that gamespot is fairly consistent, most of the time.

And I guess I'm a little disappointed because Gamespot has a good gang of reviewers who adore the RPG genre, and yet there's no shred of news regarding DS.

[harlequ1n]

Well, I kind of figured that they'd sell pre-release space and do special previews if paid but I guess I never wanted to believe that these sites are paid MORE to give favourable results to a game that otherwise would have been rated lower. I mean, some sites probably do it, but I've noticed that gamespot is fairly consistent, most of the time.

And I guess I'm a little disappointed because Gamespot has a good gang of reviewers who adore the RPG genre, and yet there's no shred of news regarding DS.
Whenever I think Gamespot the Gerstmanngate springs to mind, I used to like their reviews a lot but they certainly lost credibility after that issue. I much prefer Giantbomb's overall style/reviews/features now.

[Jorlen]

Well, I kind of figured that they'd sell pre-release space and do special previews if paid but I guess I never wanted to believe that these sites are paid MORE to give favourable results to a game that otherwise would have been rated lower. I mean, some sites probably do it, but I've noticed that gamespot is fairly consistent, most of the time.

And I guess I'm a little disappointed because Gamespot has a good gang of reviewers who adore the RPG genre, and yet there's no shred of news regarding DS.
Whenever I think Gamespot the Gerstmanngate springs to mind, I used to like their reviews a lot but they certainly lost credibility after that issue. I much prefer Giantbomb's overall style/reviews/features now.

I'm not familiar with Giantbomb but I'll check em out now.

[Ilikemyname]

Got 2 more that just came out:
http://worthplaying.com/article/2009/10/1/reviews/68955/ Gives it 9.0/10

http://www.digitalchumps.com/game-reviews/35-ps3/3842-demons-souls.html Gives it 8.6/10

[Karkarov]

That digitalchumps review is actually petty solid. It makes some mistakes about the game itself, none of them are "major" per se though. What it does well is gives a very balanced look from the average gamers eyes. It hits on the challenge hard but it doesn't downlplay the things the game does right in the process or let the only negative to the game outweigh all the good.

[harlequ1n]

That digitalchumps review is actually petty solid. It makes some mistakes about the game itself, none of them are "major" per se though. What it does well is gives a very balanced look from the average gamers eyes. It hits on the challenge hard but it doesn't downlplay the things the game does right in the process or let the only negative to the game outweigh all the good.
You're the first English-speaking internet person I've ever met that writes the correct for of "per se" instead of "per say" :)

[GamerSam]

The Digitalchumps review is well written, but I think they (amongst most other reviewers) are exaggerating the difficulty. Ok so I agree it is one of the more difficult RPG's released in recent years. But in the good old days all RPG's used to be this hard (Kings Field, Bards Tale, Eye of the Beholder, Dungeon Master etc..). I guess like some reviewer said, "they just don't do games like this anymore" ;)

Also they state that they did not complete the game (as have some other reviewers). It is a shame (and might become a disadvantage to the scoring), because some of the coolest levels/bosses/things are towards the latter part of the game. Also they are missing out on trying "new game plus" that is a pretty interesting change of pace..

So as for IGN and Gamespot it is for the better if they don't rush out a review. It is preferable that the reviewers complete it first, preferably twice before making their judgement.

[Karkarov]

You're the first English-speaking internet person I've ever met that writes the correct for of "per se" instead of "per say" :)

Thanks, I try :D

I agree though Sam it more than likely isn't as hard as they make it sound. I still like the review though because it may overstate the challenge but it also gives credence to everything else as well. I think the reviewer in this case did put in a decent bit of time on the game and probably will long term stick with it and clear it once. You can't expect reviewers to beat every game they review first, some of them are long to say the least.

[reson8er]

RPGamer is proud to award Demon's Souls our first official 5/5 of the year.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/demonssouls/reviews/demonssoulsstrev1.htmlJust curious, how does the "Story" score get a 4 when one of the negatives is "Not much in the way of plot"? And how do you guys do your scores? Based on the scores for story, music/sound and visuals, the game should've gotten a 4.5, so I assume there is a different method of calculating the overall score.

My guess is that they factored in atmosphere heavily as, done exceptionally, atmosphere contributes significantly to "story" just not as directly.

When atmosphere is this good (from what others have said, and mentioned in the review) it immerses the player in the world so whatever story there is (small or large) impacts the player more.

[iloveatlus]

here's what kevin vanord from gamespot have to say about demons souls on his twitter. his review his not out yet. he also invested 50 hours in the game.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27056731&page=4&tag=topics;page;5

http://twitter.com/FiddleCub


I promised myself no gaming tonight... but I effing miss Demon's Souls. I am so close to the next section of the Queen's Tower...

Bedtime. If I must dream about Demon's Souls, at least let it be the nexus.

On one hand, I wish I could stay in bed. On the other, Demon's Souls is at the office.

[ZomDizae]

I like this one:
http://playmagazine.com/index.php?fuseaction=SiteMain.Content&contentid=1855

"Demon's Souls, on the other hand, is as long as you are stupid." :D

[Jorlen]

here's what kevin vanord from gamespot have to say about demons souls on his twitter. his review his not out yet. he also invested 50 hours in the game.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27056731&page=4&tag=topics;page;5

http://twitter.com/FiddleCub


I promised myself no gaming tonight... but I effing miss Demon's Souls. I am so close to the next section of the Queen's Tower...

Bedtime. If I must dream about Demon's Souls, at least let it be the nexus.

On one hand, I wish I could stay in bed. On the other, Demon's Souls is at the office.

Van Ord's a good reviewer. I watched a GS video last night with him talking about the game for a few minutes. Demon's Souls is going to get 9.0 or 8.5 minimum with this guy, just you wait :) He's totally sucked in haha!

[Senku]

I like this one:
http://playmagazine.com/index.php?fuseaction=SiteMain.Content&contentid=1855

"Demon's Souls, on the other hand, is as long as you are stupid." :D

Looks like somebody needs to tell this quote to the 6/10 reviewer on that other site. :P

[7down]

So Demon's Souls is going to kick my butt. I still can't wait to play.

[he_clever]

Another review has come in: http://www.ztgamedomain.com/8541/Demons-Souls.html.

Damn, how many more high scores does DS need to push the meta score up to 90!?!

[The_Spleen]

Hey guys (and gals),

Destructoid just posted their "non-review": http://www.destructoid.com/non-review-why-i-couldn-t-finish-demon-s-souls-151008.phtml

The "non-reviewer" couldn't finish the game before they pulled the press servers today, so he didn't actually score it. He talks very positively about the game and you can tell he enjoys it immensely.

Here is his final thought on the game:
Would I recommend Demon's Souls? Wholeheartedly. It's a beautifully crafted game that demands your undivided attention and forces you to recall gamer skills that you proably haven't used in more than a decade. Don't let the fact that I didn't finish it dissuade you from enjoying it. I can't wait to jump back in. Don't let the difficulty factor stop you, either. Demon's Souls is difficult in the best way, much like some of the best NES and Super Nintendo era games were. Those with enough patience and dedication will be rewarded with the type of game we just don't see much of anymore.

[Ilikemyname]

Another one just popped up: http://www.honestgamers.com/systems/content.php?review_id=8425&gametitle=Demon%27s+Souls This one gives it a perfect 10/10.

[The_Spleen]

How's this for a quote from the honest gamers review?

Perfection can wait for heaven. Here on Earth, we have Demon's Souls.

Talk about loving the game!

[dsismygoty]

Hello there this is my first post and i just wanted to say this forum informed/ convinced to preorder the deluxe edition :). And i have one question for anyone who already has the the game. Is there the option to invert the Y axis? Please God almighty let it be so...

[Go_Angels!]

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-demons-souls/57297

Another review

[Perversion]

Removed and will post elsewhere...sorry. Admin: delete if you so desire.

[Pibbman]

Oh god, I wouldn't watch gametrailers. Seriously GT thinks its fun to show spoilers in their videos, that goes for any game on any system.

[Go_Angels!]

Oh god, I wouldn't watch gametrailers. Seriously GT thinks its fun to show spoilers in their videos, that goes for any game on any system.

That tends to happen with video reviews. Though, I agree GT does place spoilers on their videos.

[The_Spleen]

There aren't really any spoilers as far as I could tell in the GT review. For those who just want to know the rating they gave it an 8.9, citing the story as the weakest part - 7.5.

To me the review seemed rather rushed and not as detailed as I would've liked.

[Alex]

And i have one question for anyone who already has the the game. Is there the option to invert the Y axis? Please God almighty let it be so...

yes there is. fortunately. for me also important. i hate games without this option. ;)

[dsismygoty]

And i have one question for anyone who already has the the game. Is there the option to invert the Y axis? Please God almighty let it be so...

yes there is. fortunately. for me also important. i hate games without this option. ;)

Thank you very (very very) much for setting my mind at ease. Yes bought the newset silent hill upon release only to find out it was unplayable (for me). I really think reviews should also focus on things like customizable controls or booklet content. ....10 hrs till pick up for me.

[iloveatlus]

Gamespot review is up - 9.0

It's innovative, it's really hard, it's really, really, really, really awesome. -Gamespot
^-^

http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/demonssoul/review.html

[Alex]

Thank you very (very very) much for setting my mind at ease. Yes bought the newset silent hill upon release only to find out it was unplayable (for me). I really think reviews should also focus on things like customizable controls or booklet content. ....10 hrs till pick up for me.
For me exactly the same. The latest Silent Hill I played for half an hour because of that :( One thing though: I have the Asian version so I do not know with 100% certainty that the US version has this also.

[psychoneko]

I've been going on Kotaku and advertising Demon's Souls. The folks there are very receptive of the game and many have already lost track of time. :D

Of course, I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy. Argh!

[ZomDizae]

I've been going on Kotaku and advertising Demon's Souls. The folks there are very receptive of the game and many have already lost track of time. :D

Of course, I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy. Argh!
I hear you, despite having played the Asian version to death, after I took a long break with the game I'm hyped again and my Deluxe Edition hasn't arrived yet... I hope there are still enough low-level players needing help once I set up all my characters in the NA version.

[grainock]

I've been going on Kotaku and advertising Demon's Souls. The folks there are very receptive of the game and many have already lost track of time. :D

Of course, I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy. Argh!

ha...I knew it had to be someone from this forum. I was going to reply on Kotaku but my account hasn't been aproved yet.

[Sferzar]

I've been going on Kotaku and advertising Demon's Souls. The folks there are very receptive of the game and many have already lost track of time. :D

Of course, I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy. Argh!
I hear you, despite having played the Asian version to death, after I took a long break with the game I'm hyped again and my Deluxe Edition hasn't arrived yet... I hope there are still enough low-level players needing help once I set up all my characters in the NA version.

I'm taking it real slow with the game, so let me know when you get it. I feel like working on my knight soon.

[ZomDizae]

I've been going on Kotaku and advertising Demon's Souls. The folks there are very receptive of the game and many have already lost track of time. :D

Of course, I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy. Argh!
I hear you, despite having played the Asian version to death, after I took a long break with the game I'm hyped again and my Deluxe Edition hasn't arrived yet... I hope there are still enough low-level players needing help once I set up all my characters in the NA version.

I'm taking it real slow with the game, so let me know when you get it. I feel like working on my knight soon.
Sure I will. ;)

[psychoneko]

I just heard back from Amazon on why the tracking number they gave me didn't work with USPS. I got a FedEx tracking number. Either way, they're expecting it to arrive at my doorstep on the 13th. God damn!

So yeah. I had a great time on Kotaku actually and if you guys read the comments on Kotaku in the various articles, there are many people who are still hunting down this game. I want to spread the awesome sauce that is Demon's Souls one more time before the end of this week so I'm hoping that Atlus will have more news for Joystiq and Kotaku to pick up.

[grainock]

how come we haven't seen a review by IGN yet?

[Viper358]

how come we haven't seen a review by IGN yet?

Heres the IGN review: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html

Score: 9.4! :D

[geostar8]

Great review by IGN. This game is outstanding.

[Ckarasu]

I'm glad to see that the game is getting high scores. I think the lowest it got was a 6. Not bad at all.

[psychoneko]

Who the hell gave it a 6?

[Ckarasu]

Who the hell gave it a 6?

Here it is. (http://www.gamervision.com/gamer/coop/reviews/article/demon_39_s_souls_ps3) Quite a few of the commentators didn't take it too well.

I don't care what it gets, I'll have fun with it either way. Rondo of Swords' reviews didn't stop me from liking that game. Still, I'm happy it is being received so favorably.

[SasugaRIVAL]

I'll admit that when I get pumped for a game, the game usually doesn't live up to the hype. It never seems to be what I was hoping for or expected. But this game has surpassed my expectations. As a somewhat jaded gamer, I haven't been this into a game in a long time. This game has me by the balls and isn't letting go. The best description of this game I can make is that it is like an MMO with all the annoying, boring, and repetitive #### thrown out the window. At least grinding and farming in this game actually keeps you awake rather than just mindlessly hitting number keys.

The excitement. The level of intensity. I don't think any review can really express the experience of playing this game. You know a game is good when you can actually feel your heart pounding in your chest when you play it.

[Karkarov]

I'll admit that when I get pumped for a game, the game usually doesn't live up to the hype. It never seems to be what I was hoping for or expected. But this game has surpassed my expectations. As a somewhat jaded gamer, I haven't been this into a game in a long time. This game has me by the balls and isn't letting go. The best description of this game I can make is that it is like an MMO with all the annoying, boring, and repetitive #### thrown out the window. At least grinding and farming in this game actually keeps you awake rather than just mindlessly hitting number keys.

The excitement. The level of intensity. I don't think any review can really express the experience of playing this game. You know a game is good when you can actually feel your heart pounding in your chest when you play it.

You got that right, even when I win an invasion easily I still get a helluva rush when it happens. This game gets the adrenaline going like nothing I have played in years and it is probably the most satisfying game I have ever played. Even when I get invaded and lose I don't really mind if the guy who beats me was a skilled fighter. A good fight in and of itself in DS is crazy fun.

[Rengaw]

I have a love / hate feeling for this game, I love the game for all it's uniqueness and great graphic's, I hate that i cannot be in a true first person view of my characters, I love going out treasure hunting and doing my fatal one strike killing blow like Brad Pitt in Troy, I hate that when i ganked by a mob and slaughtered i have to lose all my souls because i ran all the way back to kill them and fall off a staircase to my death again, I love the terrifing feeling i get when the dragon is swooping down to burn me to a cinder, I hate when i run out of arrows and have to spend tons of souls for more.
I've been playing this game for the past 3 days now and i don't think any other game i've played in my life has been as gripping as Demon'S Soul's for me, I goto sleep playing it and wake up in anticipation of playing it.
FANTASTIC work of ART by ATLUS, Thank you :) 9 3/4 out of 10 for me *10 if it was FP and real MMO.

[Narcotic]

Bring it to the xbox 360! :(

[Kenji]

Bring it to the xbox 360! :(
Yeah, wrong place.

Go ask From Software. They made the game.

Anyway, I'm still in the early stages, what with exams in there here and now, but this is one of the best games I've played in awhile.

[klee123]

Bring it to the xbox 360! :(
Yeah, wrong place.

Go ask From Software. They made the game.


From Software may have made the game,. but Sony actually owns the IP. The game was published by Sony in Japan.

[kingboo25]

:agree:Yes demons souls only for ps3 ha ha ha



"i hate xbox"

[kingboo25]

on a scale of a 1 to 10 i give it a 1000000000000001 out of 10 its that good

[kingboo25]

hey guys question will demon souls have dlc, like weapons,new places to go,or boss's

[Saint_Lucifer]

I give it a 8.8 i completed it for the first time yesterday!

Yippe... It took me 1month odd of fustration to complete but its a superb game hope DLC cums out for the roken archstone!

[foul24]

this is the hardcore RPG for amateur like me

[PsxMeUP]

Another positive review, by GameObserver.com (http://www.gameobserver.com/)

Overall Score: 86
Fun Factor: Fun
Worth to: Buy

"Brings a breath of fresh air to a genre desperately in need of saving by demanding skill, tactics and vigilance from players. An RPG you simply can’t afford to pass up."

Link to review (http://www.gameobserver.com/review/inside/all-platforms/demon-s-souls-312/)

[Jaklar]

Great article.

http://www.gamealmighty.com/demons-souls-pussies-need-not-apply

[Demonsal]

I must say, this is a great game.

[OH-Dae-Su]

one of the most addicting games i have played

[ladyvajedi]

Has the show X-play do a review of it yet? I haven't seen one yet. I am wondering if I missed it.

[stev09]

this the the best game i ever played.,.,
fedex tracking track number ground (fedextracking.org)