3281

Well, it’s not quite like that. By not realising that the game does not work like most other ones today he made it harder than necessary for himself and missed a lot of the features and even whole already opened levels. That’s a pretty large failure for a reviewer as experienced and smart as himself.

Again, it’s quite understandable. Demon’s Souls does not spell things out for you much. It’s based on discovery to a degree that would be a design fault in a less accomplished game. It just so happens it actually has the chops to pull it off. Not for every player, though. Maybe not even most.

3282

What? You can kill the giant fucking thing that kills you in one shot in the beginning of the game?

3283

They didn’t. It has no number. It has a name based on the previous boss but that’s it. 1-2 is just gamer shorthand to make it easier to remember what level you’re talking about.

3284

They didn’t, actually. The numbering is solely an invention of the players. The only names the levels get in-game are the names of the teleporter archstones. They are named after the bosses you need to beat to get access to the stones. The archstone at the end of the first area of the first world / the beginning of the second area is called the Phalanx Archstone.

Then why is the second area so hard? To make the player try the other areas first and realize the new freedom they now have and to reinforce the lesson that this game is not like other games where you run in a narrow pipe. Almost everything in the game is there for a good reason. It is one of the most considered and well-thought-out game designs I have encountered.

3285

If you’re good, you can.

3286

The chances of someone being that good at the end of the tutorial? Virtually Zero. So effectively, I don’t think anyone is misrepresenting the game by saying you’re meant to die at the end of the tutorial. After all, it’s a conscious design choice by the developers. They know what they’re doing, and they want you to die there.

3287

From reading the posts over the last two pages, it seems to me Yahtzee’s review was perfect. Those of you who enjoy beating your heads against the wall to ascertain the One True Strategy to beat a one shot killing boss are objecting to its brevity, the rest of us who don’t play games solely for the purpose of being frustrated appreciate its tone. Either way, Yahtzee’s review is informative enough to be a deal killer or game seller depending on the type of player you are, right?

3288

No one was claiming misrepresentation, just expressing surprise at such a feat being possible.

Otherwise, you’re quite correct. It’s just a bonus for experienced players starting a new character.

3289

I know multiple persons who have killed the first boss on their first encounter with it. It’s all a matter of how quickly you grasp the game’s combat mechanics.

Even if you don’t kill it the first time, you have much better chances of getting it in New Game+. You have to beat the tutorial boss as a standard boss later in the game, which lets you learn its pattern.

Now, it is true that if you beat the first tutorial boss-- you get to face a second one that is absolutely unbeatable. The whole point of making you beat 1-1 before you level up is to establish that you get your body back after killing bosses. So Yahtzee’s misrepresentation is a minor one, but still is what it is.

3290

Okay then, is there any in-game hint regarding what the “correct” progression of levels is?

3291

There isn’t one. The point of the game is to play the levels in whatever order you can successfully pull off, kind of like a Mega Man game. So there’s an easiest order but many different ones that are feasible.

After you beat 1-1 you get access to five levels in total (1-2, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, and 5-1). The game seems designed such that players who encounter difficulty in 1-2 check out one of the other archstones and find it easier to make progress, then come back to 1-2 and kill the dragon or bypass it or what-have-you.

Yahtzee had difficulty in 1-2 and then put down the controller. So it’s possible he didn’t even realize he could go to the other levels or what, I dunno. I thought the game spelled it out for you by showing you all the other level entrances, but even that is less of a spell-out than most games would give you.

3292

It’s a hard question to answer. I would normally be a gamer who would agree with you. Heck, I tend to stay away from most super-hard games. I certainly stay away from games that require a big time investment with no payoff on the horizon. I definitely can’t get into games like Star Ranger 2, and Vic Davis’ games where I can’t even fully figure out the interface and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do, and the game doesn’t teach me, and I need to go to external sources to even try to learn the game.

But Demon’s Souls doesn’t really fit into any of those categories, at least not for me. It is really hard, but at the same time its very atmospheric, has a great sense of place, and has little rewards that keep it from feeling like I’m not making good progress.

So I kind of know where you’re coming from with these questions. And if I’d seen Yahtzee’s review without having played Demon’s Souls, I’d get the same impression and stay away from the game too. All I can say is, having actually experienced Demon’s Souls, it’s actually not the type of game that I was scared it would be.

3293

Your post fails the same way Croshaw’s review does.

Those of you who enjoy beating your heads against the wall to ascertain the One True Strategy to beat a one shot killing boss are objecting to its brevity, the rest of us who don’t play games solely for the purpose of being frustrated appreciate its tone.
There is no One True Strategy. Demon’s Souls isn’t like most games with boss fights. There are many ways to beat each boss. The right way depends on your actual playing skill, the character development choices you have made, the equipment you have discovered and the level of your character. In other words, the player determines the road to victory.

Amazing, I know. And in a Japanese game, to boot.

Frustration is not the main dish on Demon’s Souls platter. It’s one of the main courses, sure, but saying its players are motivated only by that is incorrect.

Either way, Yahtzee’s review is informative enough to be a deal killer or game seller depending on the type of player you are, right?
No, it’s not. By misrepresenting the design with large omissions it presents an inadequate picture of the game’s potential appeal. The deal killer side, sure, but many players who might enjoy the game can be needlessly scared away by his review.

Oh, and how does your post fail the same way Croshaw’s review does? By making inaccurate assumptions and letting your preconceived notions guide the judging of a game that breaks current conventions.

3294

I love when people harp on him for “not getting it” or “doing it wrong” when hes already said countless times that his reviews basically focus on the worst aspects of a game and if those things don’t bother you then you’ll probably like the game.

3295

Yeah, that’s the key. Because I know Demon’s Souls well and I therefore found Croshaw’s review inadequate I’m now unsure whether to trust his reviews of games I don’t know.

3296

It’s all fun and games until he reviews a game you like.

3297

The first hint: A level is too hard for you.
The second hint: You can now access several worlds. You go to an another world. It is too hard for you.
The third hint: You go to an another world. You can manage that.

The thing with all of these is they require the gamer to think about what they are doing and how they are progressing and then do something about it if they don’t like what they see. Just like the whole game does. So it is teaching a vital lesson to the player by not spelling it out.

3298

He usually does that from a much more informed position on the game under the scope. No one is complaining about him dissing the game. That’s to be expected by anyone who has seen a couple of his reviews.

3299

It’s all fun and games until he reviews a game you like.

I personally don’t really care. He’s reviewed games I’ve loved before (Assassin’s Creed, for example), I enjoy him making fun of them. The only reason I piped up is because noun was asking specific questions about Demon’s Souls, and in doing so he seemed to be coming from the same angle I would normally approach it too.

3300

You know what’s an exponentially more effective way to teach players vital lessons? Spelling them out.