Dark Souls - Xbox 360

my son is so happy! great Christmas gift. i had to wait for black friday shopping.

Let me start out by saying this: this game is ridiculously difficult. You're gonna die, a lot (if you get this reference, you are win). This is not a bad thing however because death is a central gameplay mechanic/motif in the game. The combat is tight and responsive and when you finally beat a boss that you've been trying to kill for over 2 hours you feel amazing. The graphics are alright, but hardly anything to mention (there are occasionally truly beautiful views from high towers, bridges, and cliffs). All in all this game is excellent. Paradoxically, however, this game is hard to recommend to anyone who isn't a hardcore gamer or looking for 60-70 of the simultaneously most frustrating, yet enjoyable hours you'll ever have. For more in-depth info I'd suggest looking up real reviews (I hope you'd do that anyways...) and for tips look up Benzaie's FAQ You! on Dark Souls.

if you want a challenge, this is the game for you.

-Character creation is very similar to other RPGs, with lots of control. Class information is confusing. -NPC interactions are rigid. Sometimes, they just keep repeating the last answer. -This game somehow reminds me of a cheaper version of Gothic, and not better graphics. Apparently, it gets great as one progress. -Only one difficulty level, and it is sadistically impossible and unbalanced. The initial starting player stats forced me to stay in the first two areas until my character was around level 30(!) and it was able to stand hits, dodge and parry without immediately dying. And that was after several days of killing the same mobs as they re-spawn after each rest at the bonfires. -This game is famous only because is extremely hard. There's no main quest or side quests (at least that I could find, and my character is level 89 at the moment). One may wander around for hours trying to figure out why, where, and how. Only solution is searching for information online, and that kills a lot of enjoyment. -No map available for any area. -No fast-travel. -No experience points earned, as it's habitual with RPG games, but collecting “souls” for each kill. This “souls” get lost if one dies, and cannot recover them before dying again. This also kills the enjoyment of exploration, as it's mandatory to rush back to the bonfire to level up or repair weapons and armor. -Automatic and constant saves. One can try things only once, but in-game information is very limited, and it's very hard to guess the results. -Graphics are very impressive and areas are huge and well designed (no loading screen), but the general green color cast, the overall murkiness, and clumsy camera angles makes them hard to enjoy. -Camera angles are awful again, as one may lock on an enemy and trying to fight it off, while only seeing the head of the character. -This game is not for “hardcore” gamers. This is not what “hardcore” is about. Of course, if one tries to do something for days or weeks, not matter how absurd, and finally succeed, one will feel great, and that's the consolation of some players... But this won't make the experience valuable. -Limited competitive online gameplay: there're two covenants, defenders and invaders and one map (as far as I can tell). Each group could be of 1 or two players, BUT the odd are extremely uneven, as one or two levels 30 have to fight one or two levels 140. Of course, the winner is known before the match starts. But one can invite friends to fight bosses and explore areas in a somehow cooperative way. -No trade system. Inventory can grow until it's very annoying, as the only option is to carry everything or drop items randomly to keep them organized. But there's no a weight limit for the inventory, and it looks that further in the game the worthless items can be given to a special NPC in exchange for the soul currency. -Character movement is limited and it reacts very slowly to commands (more like the Silent Hill or Resident Evil games -not like “Action/Adventure” games). It looks like the character has a mind of its own, as it parries when one tries to dodge, or dodges twice in a row. Many times, and when I switched weapons, the character does nothing; I hit switch again, and then it changes weapons twice, going back to the first one, as it can hold only two. -Only two items per hand (weapons-shields-magic wands). -Only two magic rings can be used at any single time. -Leveling up is sometimes frustrating, because it requires at least 5 to 10 levels to start making any difference. -I read about players reaching levels 200 and above. Not sure if this is true or false, but it's troublesome and at the same time, exciting. It's recommendable to rent/borrow or just get the demo for this game before committing to it, as it may be not the best and most enjoyable option out there.

If you have no life and enjoy spending all your time dying, dying, and dying again only to have to restart from god knows where, then this is the game for you. I have tried and tried and tried to like it, but growth as a character is slow, arduous, and you can only go so far. And you never really get better because the game keeps the challenges above your level. Slow play, but great graphics. I had all of the Dark Soul games thinking I would have untold hours of joy. Man, was I ever wrong. Go ahead and buy it see for yourself. But you were warned. Cheers