Demon's Souls

[TEM]

EDIT: Page with better classes information
Gameplay video with informative narrator.
Demon's Souls HD Trailer Thing

I'm super pumped about this game. It takes the kind of combat, RPG elements, and co-op experience I like and blends it into one game. It also further validates my PS3 purchase which isn't too shabby either as it is an exclusive for that console.
Notice the "would" I put in the poll question; feel free to vote even if you'll never get the game because you are poor and can't buy a PS3.

I'm kind of leaning towards Priest, but I'm also considering playing as a Royal or Thief.

[Glorb]

I picked Thief because I'm poor and I steal stuff.

[TEM]

4 days. Definitely going to be a Priest. Any of my PS3 brothers getting this game? (now's a good time to add everyone's PS3 ID's, finally)

I'm ridiculously pumped for this game.

[Mr. Wiggles]

Well, it looks better than the equally as overhyped Killzone 2, and I guess playing with others wil be fun.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to buy it now, but maybe around the holidays since Tatsunoko vs Capcom was pushed back to January and I need a multiplayer game alongside New Super Mario Bros Wii.

Also, $299 lol.

[Glorb]

Comparing a stupid-hard-looking RPGish deal to a badass manly shooter is no sense make.

[Mr. Wiggles]

I'm talking about how they're both considered AAA titles for the system and how fanboys claimed them to be the shining beacons of the PS3 library.

Except Killzone 2 oozed generic from every aspect of the product while Demon's Soulds doesn't. It also helps that marketing didn't shove this game down every orifice of my body.

[Chupperson Weird]

Atlus has been publishing some pretty quality stuff recently and this looks interesting, but it also seems like it's reminding me of older From Software games. Maybe I'll get it when I finish all the other games I have. I'm not buying much these days.

[TEM]

TEM's Impressions After 5 Hours

This is a solid game and if continues as started might be one of the greatest games I've ever played.

The visual design is just "Wow." I can't think of anything else much to say. The character models and speech actually have character in it. The architecture in the game is stunning, particularly in the Nexus (but I haven't seen the vast majority of the game so can't say which part is the "best" quite yet). The overall theme is on the gray gritty side, but is punctuated by colorful brightness in a way that makes it significant. Example: the lounging dragons in the Boletaria Palace "stage".

The music is just fantastic. I haven't liked an original musical score this much in a while, and I'm not restricting that to video games. Sound effects sound good, can't really get worked up about those though. The voice acting is great, and as I mentioned earlier, is full of character and is simply fun to listen to despite what they are saying.

The game play is what hardcore video game fans dream of. It is unforgiving. It will make you cry. You will be spanked. You will be unsure where to go and get your face stabbed by a guy you shouldn't be fighting for another 50 soul levels. Most of this is due to what I'll call "culture clash". Death and experience work in unique ways. After you get accustomed to this and wipe your tears, the game is less terrifying and more fun.

The multiplayer works a bit differently from what I imagined. Co-op isn't straight forward co-op and the two different Versus modes have higher stakes than what most people are used to. The strangest thing of all is the Black Phantom mechanic. While playing your game another player can invade and their main goal is to hunt you down and kill you, at great possible peril to themselves if they should fail by anyway besides being killed by you. To join someone's game you usually have to be "dead". Anyway, my point is that this game should be viewed as a single player game with unique and awesome multiplayer quirks.

Tips: Read the manual, figure out how everything works down to the last detail.

Read the messages left by other players and be certain to heed them if they have been rated more than a few times. Keep in mind if you leave a good message your HP gets refilled every time someone says they like it.

THIS GAME WILL MAKE YOU CRY: NPCs can permanently die if you kill them, pathways may lead to foes presently too tough to fight, your actions will have serious ramifications on the world, read up on white and black tendencies and how you and other players affect them.

EDIT MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE:

He/She who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

[WarpRattler]

This game sounds incredibly awesome. Is the Black Phantom mechanic simply for griefing or is there a reward for success?

I hear there's no pause button, which makes sense and makes the game even more brutal.

[TEM]

Yes, the Black Phantom is a highly motivated individual, it isn't just being a jerk. BEWARE.

[Mr. Wiggles]

I hear there's no pause button, which makes sense and makes the game even more brutal.

Wow, that is nightmare mode incarnate.

I guess I'll be picking this up then.

[Weegee]

TEM, you'll earn our absolute respect if you can complete that game without resorting to an online walkthrough. Apparently, it's brutally difficult even by Japanese standards.

[WarpRattler]

walkthrough

Last time I checked, TEM actually plays video games rather than letting other people do it for him.

[Glorb]

This game sounds so straight-up manly I just have to play it.

[TEM]

I just did my first blue phantom attempt. The guy with the body summoned two of us, the other phantom died before we even got to the boss. Me and the other guy whipped the Tower Knight; I got my body back and a buttload of souls, it was awesome. I ranked the guy as high as I could because he knew what was going on and was kicking as much butt as I was.