Tag: RPG

I thought this article from Punch Jump hit the nail on the head. Demon’s Souls breaks the normal chains of gaming convention.

The most important part of Demon’s Souls is that the game’s no-save policy, clever enemies, and traps all coincide in a masterful design that allows the player to learn with each level attempt. Much like a classic 2D side-scroller, users will learn to defeat known enemies quicker, avoid traps, and become accustomed to the no-save policy.

I haven’t gotten to log much time with the game yet; hopefully have some time over the weekend. The user views on the game are starting to roll into Metacritic. Demon’s Souls is still rated at 90% (based 33 critic reviews), but perhaps most important is the 9.4 user score (based on 87 votes).

I wrote the following this morning, but for some reason forgot to post it. Now the game is here … so there you go!

I got a notice last night from Amazon that my Deluxe Edition of Demon’s Souls shipped last night. Have to love that Prime Release Day free shipping service! On Metacritc, Demon’s Souls is still rated highly – 89% based on 25 reviews. Will be interesting to see how actual gamers rate this one.

What am I getting myself into? I preordered the Deluxe Edition of Demon’s Souls, but I have damn near zero chance of advancing very far into the game. According to GamingExcellence (9.5 out of 10), I am about to get totally screwed. Or owned. Or frustrated. Whatever.

Demon’s Souls is a dungeon-crawler, which immediately brings forth thoughts of loot, upgrading abilities, and facing progressively tougher and tougher opponents as you progress through the game. This is true of this title, but there are actually five dungeons to progress through, and you will be forced to do them in parallel, because, and this is key, the enemies become stronger faster than you do. The game does not let up, and it does not care that you have died six or seven times in a row, because eventually you will have to learn how to dodge that large sword, or figure out where to go to avoid the massive attack that dwarfs your entire body.

I like a good RPG as much as the next guy, but I have never been a joystick jockey; I lack the dexterity necessary to really be proficient at action RPGs. With that said, I figured Demon’s Souls sounded too good to pass up.

I did something a little uncharacteristic. Something a little out of the ordinary. Dare I say impulsive. For the first time in a long time I actually saw an ad for a game I knew nothing about, and ended up doing the preorder thing from Amazon.

I am not sure where I first came across Atlus Games’ Demon’s Souls earlier today, but I saw an ad, checked out the site, and then headed to metacritic. The game sounded interesting, the propaganda hooked me, and the reviews convinced me that I should give this one a go.

This review from Ace Gamez gives, which gives Demon’s Souls 10 out of 10, pretty much convinced me that I should pre order the game.

Completion of the first level also pries open four additional worlds, each broken down into four or five individual stages, and it is then that Demon’s Souls’ design genius first hits home. It’s more open ended than open world, but nonetheless the options are rife. Suddenly there are five unique worlds to explore at your own pace, each more challenging than the last. Stonefang Tunnel, a dwarven mine now corrupted with lizardmen, taunts you deeper into its fiery depths, culminating in a set piece battle with the Dragon God demon. The more sinister Tower of Latria, on the other hand, is a jail populated by octopus-headed illithids which not only sound the part, with shiver-inducing bells that ring as they walk and cast spells, but also prove particularly challenging to overcome. Stuck on a particular stage? Cut your losses and try another world. Each will take many attempts and repetition is unavoidable, but the solid level design, varied and challenging enemies and the overarching freedom to dabble where you will cleverly alleviates any monotony.

I decided to go with the Deluxe Edition, and Amazon is offering the FREE Release-Date Delivery option, which means I get this puppy October 6.

This may be old news, but Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest is now priced at all of $19.99, which is an absolute bargain if you are into “hack and slash” type games. I wrote about this one back in the day. It is developed by Snowblind Studios, which happens to be the great development shop that developed the excellent Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.

Champions may not sport the ever popular Dungeons and Dragons license, but it has the plenty successful Everquest moniker. I you like games that are long on fun, fairly simple in terms of strategy (i.e. it is hack and slash), leveling up, and the like Champions is for you. The graphics are beautiful, the sound is solid, and the gameplay is about the best you can get for this type of game. In short, Champions of Norrath rules.

My oldest son calls this one “the father’s day game” for reasons that I should not have to explain. I have not played Champions in a few months, but recently picked it back up as father-son activity. Hey, hacking an orc is quality time, right?

We are just inside the last part of the first section of the game. In order not to give away spoilers I will not elaborate too much; there are a bunch of spiders and I am about to have the first really nasty boss battle for that scroll/map thingy. My son is playing the dark elf warrior (he loves those disease bolts); I went with the archer guy to try something a little different. Anyway, perfect father-son game for my six-year old. Thankfully the developers allow you to turn off the blood effects, but interesting enough, some of the animals bleed. Go figure.

In my solo game I am putting out fires in the temple in the middle of a desert. Not sure how far this is in the game, and I am not about to read a FAQ to find out. In this game I am currently a level 17 barbarian; I went for brute force.

On a final note, unlike other games in the hack and slash genera, you can customize your armor and weapons, which adds a lot of depth. As an example, different items can be added to armor for extra fire damage, or the same item will provide fire resistance if you add it to your armor (gloves, boots, shield, breastplate, etc).

I would love to write more, but I am short on time. Think of this summary as the newer less frills version of what I would have written under the old banner. Norrath: Realms of Everquest is well worth the money and in my book is about as must play as it gets (for hack and slash fans).

I continue to enjoy the “Father’s Day Game” as my oldest son is fond of calling Champions of Norrath; yes – it was one of my father’s day presents last June. I have yet to finish this game, and I have not played online yet, but it continues to suck me in each time I play. This game definitely causes a case of “just 5 more minutes.”

So why does this game have lasting power? Fun factor and serious replay value; true hallmarks of a worthwhile game.

First, it is hack-and-slash action at its finest! If you just want to power your way through a game with little regard to anything other than “mash, slash, and bash” this one is for you. The cool thing is that the game plays completely differently depending on your character of choice. Do you want to plow through the game with brute force, or would you rather use a vast array of spells? Either way the game is equally fun.

Second, the graphics are exceptionally solid. Snowblind Studios is one of my favorite development shops – they also developed Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, which was the previous bar for hack-and-slash action on the PS2. The graphics in Champions of Norrath are about as good as it gets; regardless of the effects, be it water, fire, spells, arrows sticking to attacking creatures, pools of blood (option for those with small children), level design, or pretty much anything else. Seriously, even your most jaded graphics whore will be impressed.

Third, the intangibles are impressive. The flexible “level-up” system provides some strategy and makes the game a little more interesting than your normal flavor of hack-and-slash games. You get to allocate points to various attributes (strength, dexterity, intelligence, and stamina) and you get to allocate points to various skills (power up your slash attacks, shoot ice/freeze arrows, cast disease attacks, and so on). On top of all this, you also get to power up weapons for a truly creative system that provides a few reasons to plan out your path through the game.

Fourth, the game is a joy to play in co-op mode; my son and I are having a blast playing through this one together. Needless to say, this game has me convinced that I may actually be missing something by not playing online. That is a big omission for this gamer.

Final words – Champions of Norrath has what it takes; the game has an extremely high fun factor, and the reply value is easily worth the price of admission [currently $19.99 new at most major retailers]. Check out Game Rankings for more Champions of Norrath information.