Forum Overview :: Demon's Souls

Attack variety and enemy variety in general are both obviously lacking. by Worm 05/03/2014, 1:16pm PDT Bonfires are definitely an issue. I actually was running past the second bonfire in Harvest Valley for awhile while zerging the Covetous Demon It basically made no difference beside maybe 30 seconds of walking. I really don't know if I'm right in calling the game smaller, but it sure feels smaller. There is less dead space and open areas. Even though encounters consist of many more enemies they feel less dense. Though I think the major issue is that enemy design, placement, and overall pacing are really lacking. Heide's Tower of Flame is one of the rare areas that has a few enemy types and probably a good example of my issues with the game. Assuming you come in from the Pursuer's nest, you've got the scythe guys, dogs, archers, and great sword wielders. After the area boss there are exploding zombies and those are the things you run into first if you take the No Man's Wharf shortcut. I don't even think I'll mention archers since they're really meaningless beyond the 3 right next to the Sinner's Rise bonfire. Scythe guys are basically only a problem because they have 240 degree swings (like the area boss) once you get over that and calmly attack them they're pretty easy to deal with, they do have a few other attacks like a fire bomb, 2 choke slams (same starting animation as fire bomb, and a few different slashes. Dogs will decide to lunge based on RNG, it feels like as you're walking toward McDuff's Workshop the dogs don't leap but when you're leaving toward the boss they'll leap all over you. The Royal Greatsword Users are generally worthless unless they mob you and the first room with a significant number of them basically requires a special tactic to pull them separately, all of which feel just as cheap. You can kill some through the window opposite them, they'll just run to the door and get stuck there, since they can't open the door, you can walk very carefully in the door way and to the right and the 3 extras to your left won't pull, or you can have a summoned friend close the door on them. Even as they're mobbing you if you can wait for their recovery frames to line up you can probably kill quite a few easily. After that there are a few extra great sword mobs and a boss door. Once you beat the boss you basically go into an area that is all exploding zombies. This area actually felt a little tense and used some audio cues for the zombies. However they're easily oneshot and the whole area becomes trivial if you just offhand a crossbow. It didn't quite stick in my craw that much being so early into the game, but this whole feeling of simplicity doesn't go away. It's really hard for me to get a grasp on since I don't think Anor Lando was much if at all better, but all the same it had better pacing and felt more like an area I'm actually exploring. Tower of Flame has really weird corrals here and there to keep the enemies from spilling out where they're not supposed to go. There really aren't shortcuts or anything like that and well there don't have to be since the area is just tiny. It might be unfair to be comparing such an early area of DS2 to such a late area of DS1 but I'm trying to think of some of the most irritating single pull mmo-ish areas of DS1. I'd compare Tower of Flame to Undead Burg but I don't think I could do that since Undead Burg is just wildly superior. Bosses are another thing that ultimately feel really disappointing. Royal Rat Authority is just awful, Duke's Dear Freja at a glance looks difficult but gets ridiculously easy if you don't treat it like it's hard, and Covetous Demon literally is the easiest fight in the game if you shoot a couple of arrows at the pots hanging above him before you fight. I can't quite tell if it was a conscious decision or an overall lack of craftsmanship but just so many things feel off. I'm perfectly willing to accept that I'm up my own ass with regards to this, and I don't think DS2 is as bad as it sounds I think it is. However I think the real problem I have with this game is that it reminded me how great DS1 was. I guess I'll go try Demon's Souls eventually, since Dark Souls 2 really is leaving me unsatisfied.

Probably the first release day purchase I'll be making in 5 years by fabio 03/09/2014, 3:54pm PDT     Re: Probably the first release day purchase I'll be making in 5 years by Lurker 340924 03/09/2014, 7:03pm PDT     Re: Probably the first release day purchase I'll be making in 5 years by Cannibal Dave 03/10/2014, 12:24am PDT         What happened in addition to getting TLOU to make it a good day? NT by mysterio 03/10/2014, 3:47pm PDT     So it looks like the console version didn't ship with any shaders/lighting? by Worm 03/12/2014, 6:19am PDT         Oh and just a little flavor to add to this fact. by Worm 03/12/2014, 7:43am PDT             Goddamn, my first thought was "why are they comparing the DS 2 beta by Arbit 03/12/2014, 10:07am PDT             That's some sweet Virtual Hydlide you got there NT by jeep 03/12/2014, 2:53pm PDT         That's an expensive fix NT by If it wasn't crippled on purpose? 03/12/2014, 7:45pm PDT         After watching more of the gameplay it seems like some areas look better. by Worm 03/13/2014, 1:04pm PDT             Lighting seems kind of shitty for me by Rafiki 04/24/2014, 7:59pm PDT                 NEVERMIND. I guess lighting is shitty across the board for console and PC :( by Rafiki 04/24/2014, 9:03pm PDT                     I'm having 2nd thoughts on first day purchasing :( by fabio 04/25/2014, 1:05am PDT                         To clarify weapons degrading by Lurker 410942 04/25/2014, 5:28am PDT                             You can change the jump button in the options by Rafiki 04/25/2014, 8:09am PDT                                 Did you join the hard mode covenant? Enemies felt more brutal once I joined. by Worm 04/25/2014, 11:13am PDT                                     I don't know, I don't think so. I joined the mopey guy in Majula covenant by Rafiki 04/25/2014, 3:08pm PDT                                         The hardmode covenant just increases enemy damage and lowers your damage. by Worm 04/25/2014, 5:53pm PDT                                             It's becoming increasingly obvious how much the last minute lighting change ruin by Rafiki 04/26/2014, 8:02pm PDT                                                 Fuck the Ruin Sentinels. by Worm 04/26/2014, 10:29pm PDT                                                     Too many of these bosses by Lurker 340924 04/26/2014, 11:38pm PDT                                                         Yeah I read about skipping it, it's just a stupid fight though by Worm 04/27/2014, 2:23pm PDT                                                             Oh I totally agree by Lurker 410942 04/27/2014, 7:11pm PDT                                                                 I can't believe that Royal Rat Authority wasn't designed by someone's kid. by Worm 04/29/2014, 7:11pm PDT                                                                     As an aside, the rat covenant is awesome by Rafiki 04/29/2014, 7:35pm PDT                                                                         I saw some people on reddit moaning about how it's 'not fun'. by Worm 04/30/2014, 10:32am PDT                                                                 It feels like the encounters in general are set up with the brawl mentality. by Worm 04/30/2014, 10:53pm PDT                                                                     It forces you to use cheap tricks by Lurker 340924 04/30/2014, 11:31pm PDT                                                                         Re: It forces you to use cheap tricks by Entropy Stew 05/01/2014, 9:44am PDT                                                                             Re: It forces you to use cheap tricks by Lurker 410942 05/02/2014, 4:49am PDT                                                                                 Right but the difference between SL 200 and 800 is what probably months of play? by Worm 05/02/2014, 10:44am PDT                                                                                     Oh I guess it counts lost souls toward your soul memory too. NT by Worm 05/03/2014, 6:21pm PDT                                                                     I thought you were retarded because I fought the guys you were talking about lik by Rafiki 05/02/2014, 8:46pm PDT                                                                         Yeah, if you are too far foward and block one of their attacks they all aggro. by Worm 05/02/2014, 9:46pm PDT                                                                             The group shit doesn't stop by Lurker 340924 05/02/2014, 10:31pm PDT                                                                                 I'm dying non-stop but it's just because I'm completely sloppy. by Worm 05/02/2014, 11:31pm PDT                                                                                     RPS says it the teleporting that kills the tension by Lurker 340924 05/03/2014, 3:42am PDT                                                                                         This game is just all around easier by Rafiki 05/03/2014, 8:56am PDT                                                                                             Oh, and like you mentioned, the bonfire placement is too frequent NT by Rafiki 05/03/2014, 8:56am PDT                                                                                             Attack variety and enemy variety in general are both obviously lacking. by Worm 05/03/2014, 1:16pm PDT                                                                                                 The only hard boss for me by Lurker 340924 05/03/2014, 9:15pm PDT                                                                                 Jesus christ the entrance to the Castle! by Worm 05/07/2014, 3:11pm PDT                                                                                     Not the worst part of the castle NT by Lurker 340924 05/07/2014, 6:40pm PDT                                                                                         You know it's funny, I'm already done with it. by Worm 05/08/2014, 1:04pm PDT                                                                                             I was thinking of the 6-door room by Lurker 410942 05/08/2014, 9:24pm PDT                                                                                                 See I think I might benefit from having solo'd way too much MMO content. by Worm 05/08/2014, 10:25pm PDT                                                                                                     Mirror Knight did not live up to the Demon Souls prison fight by Lurker 340924 05/09/2014, 12:42am PDT                                                                                                         I've just lost all desire to play this suddenly. by Worm 05/09/2014, 5:16pm PDT                                                                                                             Question by Fullofkittens 05/10/2014, 3:57am PDT                                                                                                                 The same reason I don't walk out of movies if they have bad scenes. by Worm 05/10/2014, 8:37am PDT                                                                                                             I didn't think the crypts were that bad since it was so short by Rafiki 05/11/2014, 5:36pm PDT                                                                                                                 I LOVE DYING IN THE THRONE OF WANT NT by Graveyard run from Thorium Point 05/12/2014, 8:20pm PDT                                                                                                                 It's not bad, just boring. by Worm 05/12/2014, 10:25pm PDT                                 So what are some positive changes from DS1? NT by fabio 04/27/2014, 9:23am PDT                                     Re: So what are some positive changes from DS1? by Rafiki 04/27/2014, 10:27am PDT                                         So I guess what that all means by Rafiki 04/27/2014, 10:28am PDT                                             2 baffling changes by Lurker 340924 04/28/2014, 9:41pm PDT                                                 If you walk out of the tent in the Cove the right way you won't aggro things. by Worm 04/29/2014, 1:13am PDT                                     More character customization! by Worm 04/27/2014, 11:51am PDT                             More of durability by Lurker 340924 04/27/2014, 4:17am PDT     So how is it? NT by console people? 04/17/2014, 10:51am PDT     There is an anti-piracy screamer, which is fucking hilarious. by Worm 04/29/2014, 1:43am PDT     Modders tweak the graphics again by Rafiki 05/04/2014, 9:26pm PDT         I forgot to mention, there's other preset files you can download from other peop by Rafiki 05/04/2014, 9:40pm PDT             thank u NT by Mysterio 07/28/2023, 9:52pm PDT