Dark Souls

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1574 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,343 out of 1574
  2. Mixed: 87 out of 1574
  3. Negative: 144 out of 1574
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  1. GahsLva
    May 19, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game has many problems.
    PvE:it has by Far the worst PvE of souls series its the most gankyest,even the bosses are gankers,Taurus demon,Gargoyles,Iron Golem, Ornstein & Smough,Nito,Four Kings,Pinwheel,Capra Demon,Gaping Dragon.

    There's also many ganks on the areas of the game,the most ridiculous example was these skeleton wheels,they're actually stronger than the bosses itself.

    PvP:It's completely trash, unplayabe,dark bead ,backstabs,Pursuers,R1 spammers,roll spammers,parry spammers,Hackers,Glitchers etc.

    Bosses:Every singles Boss that HAS "Demon" on its name is VERY bad,and they are MANY,not only demon bosses are bad,but as well pinwheel,Gargoyles;
    And finally the MAIN reason to every single soulslike player,hate this game,BED OF CHAOS.
    The only bosses i like in this game are,Sif, Artorias,Gwyn,these are really amazing.
    The others are Just BS.

    Difficulty: game lacks difficulty,estus flask Is completely broken,poise is broken,dex weapons,STR weapons are broken,any kind of spell,humanity as well,you can break the game really early Very easy,every single Boss has a ridiculously low amount of life,you can one shot almost ALL of them easy,by Far was ridiculously easy.    … Expand
  2. Rmznator
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    One of the best rpg if not the best, great characters, a creative map and a unimprovable gameplay, prepare to die
  3. NxtDoc
    Nov 17, 2020
    4
    Absolutely horrendous frame rate. Some areas are borderline unplayable. Such a disgrace coming from the spiritual successor of Demons Souls. Not sure how this game is rated so high
  4. avhscopyofalien
    Jul 8, 2020
    0
    my favorite game of all time. yeah, it's difficult, but it's one of the best slices of media i've ever consumed...
  5. AmonOsiris
    May 11, 2020
    0
    From software are the worst company ever. They make poor games amp the difficulty because they know people will eat it up. Your not good for beating this game. You need a life. Hated this game and anything else theyve done. Fix your games from
  6. pavel2
    May 10, 2019
    0
    Probably the worst game I have ever bought. Game was fun for a short while when I fought common enemies and discovered new things but quickly became a nightmare when I encountered bosses. To say they are very unfair is an understatement. Avoid this overhyped game at all costs.
  7. Broyax
    Mar 30, 2017
    0
    Par rapport au premier (Demon's Souls), il y a comme un progrès au niveau des graphismes bien qu'en fait les cache-misères comme une ambiance (trop) sombre et la faible luminosité soient utilisés trop fréquemment mais admettons. Cela reste laid pour les standards actuels (ou même passés) en matière de RPG.

    A part ça, on retrouve les tics (et les TOC...) de From Software : des menus    Par rapport au premier (Demon's Souls), il y a comme un progrès au niveau des graphismes bien qu'en fait les cache-misères comme une ambiance (trop) sombre et la faible luminosité soient utilisés trop fréquemment mais admettons. Cela reste laid pour les standards actuels (ou même passés) en matière de RPG.

    A part ça, on retrouve les tics (et les TOC...) de From Software : des menus moches et pas pratiques, une interface pourrie et une maniabilité à revoir. On retrouve aussi cette difficulté ridiculement élevée et des points de sauvegarde tous les 36 du mois : il s'agira donc de recommencer, encore et encore jusqu'au par coeur comme une récitation de CE2 (c'est le niveau des joueurs actuels, c'est leur mentalité). D'ailleurs, je n'avais encore jamais vu de RPG qui vous balance un boss dans la gueule au bout de 45 secondes (c'est un record...).

    Pour le reste -s'il y a vraiment un reste ou des restes- c'est un monde creux mais qui n'est plus aussi niais que les jeux de rôle japoniais que les Japonais ont l'habitude de nous jeter en pâture : assez logique puisqu'on passe sa vie (enfin façon de parler) à mourir : c'est "hardcore" et vous ne verrez aucun chocobo, non, non. Monde creux et générique donc, peu développé et sans aucune histoire digne de ce nom.

    Finalement je ne vois aucune raison de persister à se faire chier dans un jeu pareil, à part une inquiétante tendance au masochisme.    … Expand
  8. chainsawslayer
    Mar 9, 2016
    4
    why there is such a big hype about the souls series is beyond me. i bought this game because i wanted a good, challenging game. But instead i got a cryptic, broken, low budget game. Glad i paid only 5 bucks for it.
    First the pros: i like the environments and the enemy design.especially the boss design.
    The cons: the controls are totally overloaded, and the buttonlayout is completely    why there is such a big hype about the souls series is beyond me. i bought this game because i wanted a good, challenging game. But instead i got a cryptic, broken, low budget game. Glad i paid only 5 bucks for it.
    First the pros: i like the environments and the enemy design.especially the boss design.
    The cons: the controls are totally overloaded, and the buttonlayout is completely random and makes even after hours no sense.
    The menu is a total mess, and the most things get no explanation. If the game is
    self-explanatory like Ninja Gaiden, or Street of Rage then it okay when there is no ingame help.
    And that brings me to the next point. That is what the game should be, a linear brawler with a high difficult level, but instead we get a "where i have to go" game, with no map or waypoint system.
    The combat system is so stiff and unresponsive, and you have to fight more the camera then your enemies. do not believe you get something like a ninja gaiden combatsystem in an RPG version.
    The characterdesign, of your own guy, is one of the uninspired if seen in years, and i have no relation to the character. That is also the fault of the missing story. Some say, you have to carefully listen to the NPCs to get the whole story. Sorry, but no! The voiceacting is so boring and bad, that it is not even laughable. Even the fist CDROM games in the 90s have better voiceacting. The checkpoint system adds only more frustration to the game. it is so annoying, to go for an 20 min walk after a enemy hits you with a cheap instant kill, or the camera or the bad controls kills you. if this was a straight hack&slay, or you know where you have to go, you could get through the complete game in on sitting with ease, because content wise there is not much to it.    … Expand
  9. Neddy
    Sep 24, 2015
    0
    I bought it on Steam for PC. I know the controls suck but I battled for a couple of hours getting DSfix and DSMfix going and voila, almost playable. I loved the world and enemies enough to really want to play.

    Four hours later so six hours in total I have given up. I am stuck spawning in the same place over and over again for over three hours. I am sick of it. It is not hard, it is    I bought it on Steam for PC. I know the controls suck but I battled for a couple of hours getting DSfix and DSMfix going and voila, almost playable. I loved the world and enemies enough to really want to play.

    Four hours later so six hours in total I have given up. I am stuck spawning in the same place over and over again for over three hours. I am sick of it. It is not hard, it is taking the pi$$.    … Expand
  10. plotlesviolence
    Apr 28, 2015
    0
    OVERALL - 0 (or less)
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours    OVERALL - 0 (or less)
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours grinding your level up and find the "cheat" weapons with the walkthrough, most encounters become so easy they're boring; and it isn't fair, the game randomly punishes you (SEVERELY) often and without warning, and is totally unplayable without a step-by-step walkthrough. If someone patched the game to remove the upgrade system, properly balance the enemy encounters, and put a navigation arrow telling you where to go, a 50-hour-plus slog would turn into a 3-hour game that would bore you after the first hour.

    CONTROL - 2
    DS is a shallow hack-and-slash. Damage can go through blocking shields, and is affected by range to the enemy and whether you press the light/fast attack or heavy attack button, with every move drawing from a limited but regenerating stamina pool. There are only three moves:
    a) while locked-on, deflect an incoming attack to instant-kill; this reduces the game to a quicktime event without a button prompt
    b) while locked-on, hold the shield button to block a strike until the enemy staggers, then counter-attack
    c) do a dodge-roll to avoid a strike, then counter-attack. This is the most risky strategy, it mostly only works on bosses (whereas a and b only work on standard soldiers)
    All of these put you at risk when you face more than one enemy at a time, because you can only focus on one.
    The game also lies to you about there being other options. Supposedly it's possible to wield one heavy sword with both hands, or one weapon in each hand, but since you need the shield to block if you want to survive multiple encounters, these are impossible.

    PRESENTATION - 7
    Graphics aren't bad, but everything more or less looks alike (brick castle with vegetation); the only reason you recognize places is that the game halts your progress so much you become familiar with the most generic of locations. The story isn't great but is unintrusive. Enemies ragdoll when they die and the physics of broken crates/barrels is actually pretty cool, although physics never affect gameplay.

    DESIGN - 0
    Non-automatic upgrade systems are a cancer on videogames, because they always result in boring grinding early on and then being boring-ly overpowered later in the game. Of course DS embraces both flaws to both extremes. But worse, you drop all non-spent experience points where you die and they vanish if you don't collect them on the next life, so it's easily possible to waste 2 hours of your time for nothing.
    Every checkpoint has like 5 paths branching from it, 2 of them hidden, only 1 of them feasible in order to advance the game, and of course there are no hints as to which path that is. It is unplayable without a walkthrough. This is a problem videogames solved around the GTA3/Crazy Taxi era: navigation arrows.
    Personally, I don't like "exploration" games, but for those who do, one of the prerequisites is that exploration not be painful. In DS, the constant risk of losing all your experience holds you back from trying new paths or risky jumps. At one point I fell into a pit and got hit by a gas that took half my health (aka "cursed"). PERMANENTLY. Unless you trekked across the entire map and bought one of a LIMITED number of cures. And since enemies respawn, it is totally possible to lose half your health forever.
    There are also some purchaseable projectiles, and the occasional rare item that grants you a significant advantage (like doubling your health or the weapon's damage, etc.) but you'll never use them because you die so regularly that any one-use item would be a waste.
    The game is so punishing that you stop feeling guilty about winning through exploits that aren't fun: spamming projectiles from outside enemy reach, tricking the enemy AI into walking off cliffs, etc.
    This isn't "hard", it's bad design. Super Meat Boy is hard. ANYONE can beat Dark Souls with a walkthrough guide and the willingness to be bored and frustrated for 50 hours straight. I only wasted as much time as I did to see what the fuss was about, and I regret even that.    … Expand
  11. youlouz
    Jan 20, 2015
    3
    This is one of the worst, most boring games I have ever played

    PROS
    -good graphics

    CONS
    -sad
    -too much to learn
    -boring
    -slow
    -too hard

    DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!
  12. TheAllRoundNerd
    Dec 22, 2014
    4
    I personally don't understand why people like this game. The toned down difficulty just spoiled the game, enemies are WAY easier to kill, did not deserve a game of the year nom at the game awards
  13. Starkiller94
    Jun 14, 2014
    1
    When this game was made available to be downloaded for free with the 'Games with Gold' program on Xbox Live, I thought I'd go ahead and try it. (Available from June 1st, 2014 - June 16th, 2014) Believe me, it's not worth the 3.9 gigabytes it takes up on your hard drive. This game is the most repetitive, unforgiving piece of rubbish I've ever played in my life. Just compare it to The ElderWhen this game was made available to be downloaded for free with the 'Games with Gold' program on Xbox Live, I thought I'd go ahead and try it. (Available from June 1st, 2014 - June 16th, 2014) Believe me, it's not worth the 3.9 gigabytes it takes up on your hard drive. This game is the most repetitive, unforgiving piece of rubbish I've ever played in my life. Just compare it to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which was released about a month after this game came out. Does this game look like it was made in 2011, or 2006? You tell me... I know Skyrim looks like it was made in 2011 for sure. The graphics are mostly made up of dull grays, browns, and blacks, with a little puke green added into the mix. Low resolution images and screen tearing plague the game. The characters mouths don't even move when they speak. The voice acting is horrible too, sounding like the voices were recorded in a portable toilet. The controls are even worse... I found myself drinking potions and using items in the middle of combat because the control placement is so bad. Want to hear the real kicker?

    Everytime you die, all of the enemies in the stage respawn!!!

    Yes, I'm not kidding... Even if one of the small minion enemies kill you, the last 20 guys you just blew through are coming back. So basically it's a patience game... It tests to see how frustrated you get before you put your controller through a wall. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge as much as the next guy. But Dark Souls takes it way too far... The checkpoints are placed miles apart from each other, causing you to be sent like ten to twenty minutes back when you die. So yeah, that aspect makes the game extremely repetitive... It just boils down to an half-baked RPG that could have been something interesting, but turned out to be a crock of ****

    I beg you not to download this game... By not downloading or purchasing it, you'll save yourself a lot of grief and turmoil.    … Expand
  14. Deathmonger
    Jun 12, 2014
    1
    In short, this game is really, really bad. I can't believe that it was recommended to me and that people actually like it. For people that say it is "challenging" and terrific, you don't really have a clue about video games. This takes video games back to 1999, and not in a good way. I have beaten over 140 video games, so I'm not just trolling here. Why did I pick 1999? Well that isIn short, this game is really, really bad. I can't believe that it was recommended to me and that people actually like it. For people that say it is "challenging" and terrific, you don't really have a clue about video games. This takes video games back to 1999, and not in a good way. I have beaten over 140 video games, so I'm not just trolling here. Why did I pick 1999? Well that is the year that Drakan: Order of the Flame came out. And Dark Souls is basically that game, without even getting to fly amazing dragons. Drakan was INCREDIBLE...when it came out. The combat was epic at the time. Graphics were amazing. Pathetically, Dark Souls is just about where Drakan was then, and that was 15 years ago, but Dark Souls actually has WORSE combat, CLUNKY controls, and TERRIBLE camera. And you will miss enemies 1 foot from you because the weapons don't hit where they should. People are confusing "challenge" and piss poor gamemaking. Funny thing about Drakan, is that half way through, it gets really freaking hard as well. You have to count your arrows, roll like a maniac against giants, dodge and run and arrow giants, sometimes even backtrack half a mile to where u left your dragon just to pull a giant to it so you can mount up and take it down. Drakan was hard and you had to use your brain sometimes. Dark Souls is hard because the controls and graphics and camera suck. Glad it was free on Xbox Gold, waste of money otherwise, and I still don't recommend playing it. And it isn't even that hard once you compensate for the poor controls and aim boxes, but you shouldn't have to.… Expand
  15. Arauggio
    Jun 9, 2014
    3
    Another overrated game! It is just hype. The game is well designed, but it lacks in history. There is no indication on what you must do (you just wake up and start walking around. There is no explanation; there is no motivation), and the difficult is unfair. You must stay hours doing repetitive things to gain levels and try to have a chance against a boss.

    Unless you are a masochist    Another overrated game! It is just hype. The game is well designed, but it lacks in history. There is no indication on what you must do (you just wake up and start walking around. There is no explanation; there is no motivation), and the difficult is unfair. You must stay hours doing repetitive things to gain levels and try to have a chance against a boss.

    Unless you are a masochist (AKA "core") gamer, avoid this title. It's just waste of time, literally.    … Expand
  16. milesprower06
    Jun 8, 2014
    1
    I too came to this game through Games With Gold, and was looking forward to how challenging it supposedly was.

    I want challenging due to gameplay, not challenging because they don't show you even the most basic concepts of HOW to play. I didn't even make it 30 minutes in because my time is more valuable than throwing myself at a boss endlessly because I have no clue how to equip and use    I too came to this game through Games With Gold, and was looking forward to how challenging it supposedly was.

    I want challenging due to gameplay, not challenging because they don't show you even the most basic concepts of HOW to play. I didn't even make it 30 minutes in because my time is more valuable than throwing myself at a boss endlessly because I have no clue how to equip and use spells. Sorry. Questionable design decisions if you think players can just figure stuff out like that by screwing around in the menus hoping they click the right thing.    … Expand
  17. sominex
    Jun 5, 2014
    2
    this game looks cool but you can't even save, can't even go back if you make a mistake, annoying. I don't understand why a video game wouldn't allow you to save.
  18. nosebeagle
    Jun 2, 2014
    2
    I heard the hype and tried dark souls...I do not understand the hype. The world is well rendered, and the concept is good. However, the wheels fall off quickly. Repetition galore is what this game should be called. Enemies reappear in the same number, formation, etc. after you leave an area and immediately return. They follow the exact patterns of attack, and the game slips intoI heard the hype and tried dark souls...I do not understand the hype. The world is well rendered, and the concept is good. However, the wheels fall off quickly. Repetition galore is what this game should be called. Enemies reappear in the same number, formation, etc. after you leave an area and immediately return. They follow the exact patterns of attack, and the game slips into mindless lather, rinse, repeat. Combined with the insane difficulty, this game becomes boring quickly. I like a good challenging game - I just like a little variety. Killing the same enemies with the same attacks after they use the same moves over and over again is mind-numbing.… Expand
  19. Dude_Largepants
    Jun 2, 2014
    0
    This game is hard. Not just "hard" but "throw your controller through the screen" hard. It's a modern game for people that somehow enjoy Megaman and Castlevania games. Endless trial and error and enemy pattern memorization are the key to success. You start the game with no real personal back story, no primer as to what the hell is going on and not even really any instructions has to howThis game is hard. Not just "hard" but "throw your controller through the screen" hard. It's a modern game for people that somehow enjoy Megaman and Castlevania games. Endless trial and error and enemy pattern memorization are the key to success. You start the game with no real personal back story, no primer as to what the hell is going on and not even really any instructions has to how the entire game works. A few words scribbled on the floor are you basic control instructions and anything beyond that is left to the player to figure out. I don't like 2 hours tutorials that are tacked on to games, but I would like to have a basic rundown of how everything works.

    As for the game mechanics themselves they're awful. There isn't much going on besides going from enemy to enemy dodging attacks and hoping that they somehow don't get in a cheap shot that usually kills you instantly. That's assuming you can even get any hits in at all. I can't describe much more as I didn't make it past the first enemy I came in contact with. I play all of my games on the hardest difficulty right out of the box and this is just too much.

    I get it, make a punishing game in a market that stagnant with games that offer little challenge at all. I get that people want a game that pushes their skill, but this game just goes too far. I'm not sure how it gained critical media acclaim and the gaming news outlets should be ashamed that they overhyped a game of this calibur. I also don't understand the point of this game as playing video games is meant as an escape from reality. This game offers no real game world to get lost in, it's graphics are on par with games like Divinity II(terrible graphics) and with its immense difficulty curve it takes all immersion out of the game. If a person really wanted that much of a challenge outside of their real life, why not take up a hobby like trying to solve the Hodge Conjecture?

    The happiest part of the experience is knowing that I got it for free no thanks to Games for Gold. I can only suggest that you read all the negative reviews if you're planning on playing the game, as the positive ones paint this game in a completely different and unrealistic light.    … Expand
  20. JoeMc
    Dec 6, 2013
    3
    It's not a tough game just very very poorly executed. The following; no pause function whatsoever, majority of boss fights rely on pure luck to overcome, soul/recovery system is deeply broken, 'pvp' involves very advanced levels killing low levels attempting to overcome game content, the lowest of enemies is always able to fully kill you and remove all your hours of 'work', it feels likeIt's not a tough game just very very poorly executed. The following; no pause function whatsoever, majority of boss fights rely on pure luck to overcome, soul/recovery system is deeply broken, 'pvp' involves very advanced levels killing low levels attempting to overcome game content, the lowest of enemies is always able to fully kill you and remove all your hours of 'work', it feels like 'work', the distance between 'bonfire' checkpoints and excessively glitchy/poorly designed bosses is erratic, no story to speak of for the first 10 hours, dull slash-block-slash methods, casters/mage etc can't function below 15+ hours, environment hinders player while enemies slash through solid walls, enemies have friendly fire turned on and are unable to harm each other at all. I could go on but I'm aging here.
    I came up in the MegaDrive era, and all the folks here saying it's old school tough are sadly mistaken, it's simply very poorly put together, with very little 'challenge' worked in. The developers have simply found the games mechanical flaws and refined them, that does not really present the paying public with a progressive experience. I really disagree with it being a marmite type game, love it or hate it, I loved the idea, but the execution is frankly unforgiveably poor.    … Expand
  21. Lucky-Jinx
    Oct 11, 2013
    4
    I bought this game under the impression that it was an open-end world-- and technically that may be true. Go left for instant death, go right and die in 5 seconds, or go straight ahead and take a few hours memorizing the bosses moves so you can kill him in the best AI exploiting method you can uncover.

    No character customization, no real plot, just a string of progressively harder boss    I bought this game under the impression that it was an open-end world-- and technically that may be true. Go left for instant death, go right and die in 5 seconds, or go straight ahead and take a few hours memorizing the bosses moves so you can kill him in the best AI exploiting method you can uncover.

    No character customization, no real plot, just a string of progressively harder boss fights with a mediocre combat system. However I did give this a 4 because when you DO beat that boss you feel that you really did accomplish something which is where the majority of the fan-base is coming from. If you enjoy punishing yourself, this is the game for you.    … Expand
  22. DarthRevan2552
    Sep 5, 2013
    2
    I went into this game with high hopes, just to have all of those hopes smacked down to the ground. I have heard multiple people praise it as if it were the holy grail of gaming, but I call BULL CRAP. First off, the story makes absolutely NO SENSE. Secondly, the tutorial doesn't explain nearly enough for the player to do an adequate job at anything in the game, it pretty much dooms you toI went into this game with high hopes, just to have all of those hopes smacked down to the ground. I have heard multiple people praise it as if it were the holy grail of gaming, but I call BULL CRAP. First off, the story makes absolutely NO SENSE. Secondly, the tutorial doesn't explain nearly enough for the player to do an adequate job at anything in the game, it pretty much dooms you to failure for the unfair difficulty. Yes, I said UNFAIR. Now, I'm not saying difficulty in a game is bad. In fact, a game without difficulty is the only thing i can think of that's worse than this. This game doesn't give you a chance at success. Cheap enemy placement, simply overpowered enemies, and a terrible death system. The game is basically saying, "Oh, you didn't see the 40,000 skeletons around the corner and now you're dead? Well TOO BAD, we're gonna take all your experience away!" Which brings me to another point, the experience and leveling systems are TERRIBLE. Scenario, you leveled up one of your class' main skill and want to level up one of the lower skills. WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU NEED TO SPEND THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL UP A LEVEL 2 SKILL AS A GOD DAMNED LEVEL 18 SKILL. And also, while the game looks good, it suffers from horrendous frame rate issues on consoles, and the animations just look stupid. No matter what you hear from other people, this game is NOT the great game everyone has made it up to be. You need to be a masochistic in order to get any entertainment from this game.… Expand
  23. RA1NMAN
    Jun 1, 2013
    3
    This game, to me, is dated, repetitive, and boring. It felt like it was only hard at times because the controls were so bad. After getting killed by a boss because of those clunky, unresponsive controls, spending 30 minutes having to fight all the re-spawned enemies to try again is not enjoyable, it's annoying. Some people enjoy this game, and that's fine, but these high ratings areThis game, to me, is dated, repetitive, and boring. It felt like it was only hard at times because the controls were so bad. After getting killed by a boss because of those clunky, unresponsive controls, spending 30 minutes having to fight all the re-spawned enemies to try again is not enjoyable, it's annoying. Some people enjoy this game, and that's fine, but these high ratings are ridiculous. I liked Deadly Premonition, loved it ,in fact, but I would never score it higher than 3-4. Here's a tip for everyone, most games have high difficulty settings in the options, if that's what you're after.… Expand
  24. Raizulee1
    Apr 22, 2013
    0
    This game is the most overrated ever! Let me Explain why I think this game is bad.......1st: There is no choice of difficulty settings, instead you were force to be challenge all the time (which I hate).......2nd: Its exactly the same game as Demon Souls, only difference is the place, environment and the monsters, people was mad that "COD" always being a rip off from its previous gameThis game is the most overrated ever! Let me Explain why I think this game is bad.......1st: There is no choice of difficulty settings, instead you were force to be challenge all the time (which I hate).......2nd: Its exactly the same game as Demon Souls, only difference is the place, environment and the monsters, people was mad that "COD" always being a rip off from its previous game every time but what about Dark Souls rip off Demon Souls?..... 3rd: Its not "open world" type like Skyrim or Fallout 3 but instead your were force to go on a linear path anywhere........4th: There is very few dialogue choices while communicating with several NPCs (infact there were very few NPCs) on a game which its genre has being called an "RPG" game........5th There is no "cheats" or what so ever for players who are so frustrated by the game and doesn't want to be challenge.......6th: There is no storyline to it, just a linear dialogue and cutscene to push you forward? To me gaming is about "fun" and I find this game isn't about "fun" but "challenges". For me who has less "free time" and a busy person, I find this game a horrible game for me...... If I want to be challenged, I'll do it in real life like challenge myself in sports or any competition that benefits me in real life and not on a nerd virtual videogame that was made by someone who is successful at making money from giving others "challenges".… Expand
  25. PWNS74R
    Nov 29, 2012
    4
    My experience with Dark Souls was terrible, now the reason why I say that, is that the game is flawed! So, first of the all lets get the graphics out of the way, it looks good but the textures look flat... Done! The A.I. offends me as not only is your character slow at recovering... but once you've been hit, say goodbye to your souls, as the A.I. WILL NOT STOP HITTING YOU! Plus, onMy experience with Dark Souls was terrible, now the reason why I say that, is that the game is flawed! So, first of the all lets get the graphics out of the way, it looks good but the textures look flat... Done! The A.I. offends me as not only is your character slow at recovering... but once you've been hit, say goodbye to your souls, as the A.I. WILL NOT STOP HITTING YOU! Plus, on top of that the A.I. will disregard it's own safety and fall off a cliff to get you! The controls feel slippery and awkward... why would you attack with the triggers, this isn't a first person shooter! The camera is awful, often getting pushed upwards against a wall, and I'm unable to see my character until I manually move itl As for story and music, I don't care... it's bland and unimportant. However, I do have to praise From Software for the art direction!

    So yes, the game is difficult.. but for all the wrong reasons, it's called Fake Difficulty, and thats what dissapointed me, if it all genuine... I would of enjoyed it! But is it worth playing? Not if you want a fair challenge... only resort to it if other games aren't difficult enough for you, and you want to push yourself!    … Expand
  26. xXCoD4LyFXx
    Nov 14, 2012
    0
    wat i booght this gaym and WAAT!!! no guns??????? wat kynd of game has no guns?!?!?!11/

    ryt anywaiz, teh game is just so terible. u do lyk NO DAMMAJ to mostners srsly?? do tey evn want ppl to win? lolol is it hard?? no its just super unballanced sword does 10 dammag??! in cod knyf kills 1 hit always so sord shud do like, 0-shot some1! okey so after playin sum more i got atacked by    wat i booght this gaym and WAAT!!! no guns??????? wat kynd of game has no guns?!?!?!11/

    ryt anywaiz, teh game is just so terible. u do lyk NO DAMMAJ to mostners srsly?? do tey evn want ppl to win? lolol is it hard?? no its just super unballanced sword does 10 dammag??! in cod knyf kills 1 hit always so sord shud do like, 0-shot some1!

    okey so after playin sum more i got atacked by some **** and tey killed me evn when i hit em! wat a peece of sheet. review: bosses lol dun bovver tey kill u cause tey ****s, all plaayurs are knyfer ****s an dun fyt faare and just evrythin wong wit it. by cod an enjoy kilin ****s in one-go wit ur knyf lolol oh and cod has gunz!!!! like, so mutch coller than ****gy swords    … Expand
  27. iozay
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    The game is impossible to control. Controles are by default incorrect displayed in the interface(For PC version at least). I would defenitely not recommend this game to anyone. The game defenitely has a lot of potential but is not executed well.
  28. Chapa9dj
    Aug 24, 2012
    4
    Overrated, uninspiring and boring. So this is the game that my friends pictured to me as the ''Panacea of Gaming'' and turned out to be completely wrong.
    The gameplay is clunky as hell, especially when you engage in a boss fight.. The map design feels bland and very empty, not to mention that the graphics are downright terrible. Is this 2012 or 2004?
    Ok, continuing with this, its not    Overrated, uninspiring and boring. So this is the game that my friends pictured to me as the ''Panacea of Gaming'' and turned out to be completely wrong.
    The gameplay is clunky as hell, especially when you engage in a boss fight.. The map design feels bland and very empty, not to mention that the graphics are downright terrible. Is this 2012 or 2004?
    Ok, continuing with this, its not open world as some people told me, its completely linear and boring and the character lacks personality and charisma.
    Also, it has GFWL. That is enough for anyone to stay away. I don't even know why companies still use this.

    I'm glad i got it as a birthday gift, but sometimes i wish my friend didn't have to spend that amount of money. I'm not ungrateful, on the contrary, but this game is definitely not my cup of tea.

    Definitely one of the most dissapointing games of 2012.    … Expand
  29. AncientGR
    Aug 13, 2012
    4
    Challenging, addictive and exciting but eventually proves to be too user-unfriendly and unrefined for it's unforgiving level of difficulty. Lacking of all but the basic plot and scenario, forwarding the story at a very slow and repetitive pace that strongly resembles the early 90's -fun- yet now obsolete trial-and-error mechanics.
    Compared to other titles of its age, feels more like an    Challenging, addictive and exciting but eventually proves to be too user-unfriendly and unrefined for it's unforgiving level of difficulty. Lacking of all but the basic plot and scenario, forwarding the story at a very slow and repetitive pace that strongly resembles the early 90's -fun- yet now obsolete trial-and-error mechanics.
    Compared to other titles of its age, feels more like an arcade than a complete-game experience.
    Unforgivable flaws include taller enemy attacks hitting you through walls, slippery surface glitches, frame rate drops, difficult multiplayer mechanics, dull combat mechanics, doesn't pause, and eventually subjects you to an unavoidable charade of almost endless farming and backtracking.
    Adult players should be warned that this game shows no respect of your time spent playing it. If you are playing video games only for a few hours of high-quality fun, then steer clear of this game.    … Expand
  30. pk45
    Jul 9, 2012
    0
    Really regret buying the game and was really hoping to enjoy it. The "hardcore" aspect was appealing...however, there is absolutely no ramp-up for your learning curve. The situations get so involved, so quickly that you do not have much time to get the combat system down (and I am not a fan of their targeting system)........if there was a chance for a learning curve and the combat systemReally regret buying the game and was really hoping to enjoy it. The "hardcore" aspect was appealing...however, there is absolutely no ramp-up for your learning curve. The situations get so involved, so quickly that you do not have much time to get the combat system down (and I am not a fan of their targeting system)........if there was a chance for a learning curve and the combat system worked better, it would probably be ok. You have to be very, very precise with your aim , so much so that it is unreasonable for what they expect you to pull off sometimes. I have not played the game for several months and I would still love to kick them in their collective balls and then give myself a good shot for being suckered in to the marketing. All I wanted was a good RPG (graphics, story, etc.) that was not necessarily for kids if you know what I mean. I do not mind difficult at all, but this is not difficult, it is unreasonable. Time for my therapy session! ;)… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 66
  3. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. Gamer Limit
    Nov 29, 2011
    85
    All in all, Dark Souls is a more difficult, but less enjoyable (and less accessible) Demon's Souls.
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  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2011
    90
    Dark Souls' world is dense with something new around every corner. [Issue#78, p.76]
  3. Xbox Achievements
    Nov 15, 2011
    90
    Dark Souls makes no bones about being unrelenting in its difficulty though, although it's by no means insurmountable. It's a rare game that's unlike anything else, refusing to pander or compromise in any way, shape or form. In this day and age, Dark Souls is hugely refreshing then, and well worth the time and effort.
    Read full review
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