4.5.2016

Dark Souls 3 is a FANTASTIC game. Does have some minor issues but still some of the most fun I've had in ages.----Story----Anyone who has played a Dark Souls game before knows what the story is about. It is hidden, cryptic and requires a keen eye. You have to read item descriptions (ghasp!) and actually understand what it means (double ghasp). Anyone looking to be TOLD a story. To sit there and have the story delivered directly to you and allow it to wash over you, look for another game to play.----World----The world is fascinating. This is the true sequel to Dark Souls 1. Dark Souls 2 was a good game (you can check out my own review for that if you like)but it was missing something.Dark Souls 3 essentially takes Dark Souls 1 and extends it. The world of Lothric is deep and dark and yet shockingly familiar. You will revisit several sections from Dark Souls 1 in fact but most of the game is new. The new world here has grown up around the Dark Souls 1 world. You will meet new characters and old characters.There are plenty of wonderful places to go and characters to meet. There are also a few weird design choices. Especially in terms of fireplace placements. Now unlike previous games you get a new bonfire directly after each boss. Which is good because you can fast travel at will back to the central hub area and level up. Preserving your souls. But yet in certain areas there is then a second bonfire straight after the boss area. With no enemies between you and it. Which is stupid. In one instance you can SEE the boss bonfire while sat at the next bonfire. Just totally unnecessary and does strike as a little slap hazard.----Combat----The combat is very good. It is the same as always. R1 to hit. R2 to hit harder (and slower). L1 to block. L2 to parry (still hard as balls).The difference here though is that Bloodborne has clearly rubbed off on Dark Souls a bit because the combat is a lot faster than in previous games. In previous Souls it was often the best choice to turtle up behind a huge shield and go all out defence. Now though enemies hit just as hard before but some of the are straight up unrelenting. They will NOT stop hitting you. If you get stun locked by a fast enemy you'll no doubt be taking a trip back to the bonfire.----Bosses----I personally thought the bosses in Dark Souls II were too easy. Yes okay they were harder than most games but left me feeling unsatisfied when it only took me two attempts to defeat them.In this one I enjoyed them very much. Each boss is lethal. They are all very unique. Some of them feel a little unnecessary and like they are there as filler more than anything but still enjoyable.I must say though I am starting to feel a little bit of Dark Souls fatigue. Like sometimes I was just feeling like I'd been there done that. Some of the Dark Souls tropes have started to ware thin. Such as putting a huge dragon on your path and not being able to get past it unless you stand there and slowly wittle its health down with arrows. That is just boring.In terms of bosses I was feeling a little bit like I had their movements down but I was making stupid mistakes and I didn't care any more. So in a lot of cases I did call in phantoms in the form of NPCs and other players to help me with bosses. Which was a nice change to be honest. Felt like a fresher way of playing the game.----Covenants----This is one of my more negative experiences with this game. Dotted throughout the world are covenants. These are tied with lore of the world and involve PvP and online play.The issue is some of them are totally broken. Some of the covenants are PvP combat based. Some are friendly co-op based. Others are protection based. So it is basically some people can invade other's worlds. Some can help the invaded.The issue is for the protection covenants you can only be summoned into someone's world IF they are being invaded, they are at YOUR level AND they are a member of another covenant called The Way of the Blue. The odds of you getting this combination at high levels is almost negligible. Meaning you NEVER get summoned. Never getting summoned means you cannot fight for the covenant and you cannot rank up in that covenant.This makes getting the Platinum trophy a nightmare because you need certain rings and magic items from the covenants to get trophies which means you are basically cut off from Platinum in the late game. BROKEN!----PvP----I've not had a good experience with PvP in general. The covenant stuff aside there are some aspects of PvP that are a problem. The lag in fights for a start is utterly crap. You are swiping and hitting at players and they are jumping around and lagging. The sounds in the game are registering hits but no hits are actually registering. Really not good.If you place down a red invasion sign in certain areas you can get plenty of fights though which is good. Also placing down friendly co-op banners before bosses works well also. Even though there is still some lag here as well.The automated invasions are totally not working though. In the 70 odd hours I've played I haven't been auto-summoned once. Which is a problem.Also they have now set up so that the invaded can summon people to aid them. Which in my opinion now removes all of the use of the invasion mechanic because 9/10 when you invade you will come face to face with about five people and they will just group kill you. That isn't fun in the slightest and highly frustrating. It used to be that invading someone was just part of experience and you'd always get a fair fight out of it. Now it is just a cluster***k and not fun in the slightest.----Conclusion----I cannot recommend PvP play to anyone at this stage but having said that I thoroughly enjoyed this game and this world and the problems don't really take away from the experience for me. Being back in Dark Souls feels great since the gaming industry seems hell bent on making games easier and more tedious every year.The single player is still a massive treat and anyone who values their console/PC should own this game.

7.5.2016

Dark Souls III is in fact From Software's fifth game in this particular style (Demon's Souls and Bloodborne being the odd two out) and they really have pretty much perfected the design of these games at this point. Dark Souls III doesn't add much new to the formula, but feels like a tribute to everything they have done in the series as a send off for the final game of the series and it's simply brilliant.For those unfamiliar with the games, Dark Souls III is an action RPG with a heavy focus on exploration and tactical combat. That's not to say there is a lack of story, in fact, there is plenty, however it's through lore found throughout the game from talking to characters,examining item descriptions and essentially piecing the bits together rather than presented to you on a plate. The exploration isn't just in the physical levels but feels like you're really exploring a whole world. The level design to Dark Souls III is superb, after picking your appearance and class and being dropped in the game you will travel through castles, undead villages, swamps, unlocking various shortcuts and hidden items as you explore.Combat in the Dark Souls games isn't your normal game, if you just try and hack your way through the game you will die. Dark Souls is a game that rewards patience, looking for gaps in an enemies attack to counter attack, luring them away from the pack, hitting them with traps etc. I have heard a lot of people describe these games as hard, they aren't that bad, punishing for mistakes yes and not very forgiving but I have always found them fair. Normally when I died it's because I over extended at a time I knew it was dangerous to do so rather than roll away or hide behind my shield and suffered the (painful and often efficient) consequences. Despite being a Souls veteran I still died a decent amount and sometimes had to re-evaluate my tactics or equipment to pass certain enemies, it's one of the things I love so much about the series.The great combat, lore and excellent level designs aren't actually my favorite part of the series however, it's the unique online component. There are three ways to interact with other players in Dark Souls III. The first is to leave messages on the floor using a mixture of word and phrase options such as "danger ahead" or "hidden item". These messages are not always helpful as people will constantly try to get you to jump off cliffs and look for hidden rooms where there aren't any but messages can be rated for their quality and are genuinely helpful and sometimes funny.The second way is to summon other people to your game to help you fight in an area up to and including the next boss. I quite often joined other peoples games and helped them beat the next boss as a way of scouting ahead in my world. For the most part when playing co-op there is no headset communication just gestures like waving and bowing which has led to a surprisingly polite community even in the last way of playing.The third option is that you can invade or be invaded by other players who will try and kill you. This will often happen at the worst times, when playing as an invader enemies will ignore you so the invaders will often use them to their advantage. It can lead to some big battles including yourself, summoned co-op partners etc. I remember being in a brawl with four characters versus two invaders and a load of tough enemies, it was tremendous fun.(There is an option to play offline if none of this appeals to you however.)Presentation wise Dark Souls III has an epic soundtrack, very dark orchestral pieces that work extremely well with the action, they are largely played during boss fights making them feel pretty epic. On the performance side it's pretty solid. Load times are quick (unlike Bloodborne) and it looks great if not the most detailed or impressive textures on PS4. It does however suffer from frame drops here and there especially if you sprint through an area or there is a lot happening at once. It's perfectly playable in every way, just not 100% smooth. Where From Software really excel though is in their art design. The environments, characters, armour, and enemy designs are all amazing and stand out.My first playthrough beating every boss and seeing as much as I could lasted just over 60 hours, this is a surprisingly long game and it's easy to miss characters little story scenarios as well as weapons, spells and even some areas and bosses are completely missable. Throw in the multiple endings it has pretty good replay value, especially playing through on new game+ keeping your weapons and current level while going through again.I can't recommend this game enough. It isn't going to be for everyone, I can appreciate some people will get frustrated by it or find it too hard but if you can invest in the game and learn it's systems it is an amazingly designed and engrossing experience I have yet to find anywhere else.+ Combat is excellent.+ Exploring the world is marvelous.+ Stand out online components.+ Great soundtrack.+ Gorgeous art design.- Occasional frame drops here and there.

19.4.2016

I've written reviews on the previous Dark Souls games and Bloodborne and found myself often having difficulty describing the games in an objective way, largely because there are two kinds of gamers who will play them: those who have played DS games before, and those who haven't. Now, as obvious as that statement is, it really is quite relevant in this case.Gamers new to DS - this is a third person action adventure game with RPG elements relating to improving your character's abilities, weapons, spells etc. The game is - as ever - a deeply atmospheric affair drawing inspiration largely from western medieval history and fantasy. Players can choose how their character develops throughout the game by investing statistic points (souls)into various character traits such as strength, intelligence, dexterity and vitality. Each weapon, piece of armour or spell yields different levels of effectiveness depending on the player's stat build - want to be a hammer wielding warrior? Invest in strength. Want to be an adept sorcerer flinging spells left, right and centre? Invest in intelligence. And so on.The game's combat is highly nuanced and will come across as highly frustrating to begin with. Enemies are plentiful, quick and obnoxiously agressive. This is the main sticking point for many newcomers to the Souls series. This is not a button mashing affair like Devil May Cry or God of War, this is in essence a tactical fighting mechanism which requires the player to approach each confrontation carefully and with a well thought-out game plan. If you do not have the patience for this, I would honestly steer you away from DS3.The game - like the previous installments on PS3/Xbox360 - is very long and overflowing with content. The level design is nothing short of genius and invites replayability, discovery and exploration like few other games I know of. With that in mind, expect to get highly immersed in DS and lose hundreds of hours overall in its deep and inviting world.The other main reason new comers tend to be put off by the Souls games is due to their minimalist approach to story telling. DS3 - like its predecessors - does not oppress you with lengthy cutscenes or story-driven content. The lore of the Souls world is rich and deep, but it is there to be found, not handed to you on a plate. Emphasis is almost entirely placed on the gamer forging their own experience and dealing with the horrors you are confronted with, and not holding your hand through a linear campaign like other titles previously mentioned.For gamers who know DS - DS3 completely stands up to the high standards of previous games. With a beautiful level of presentation on PS4 (and presumably Xbox One as well), the games feels more alive and immersive than ever before. The vast levels of content we have come to expect from DS is present, and mixes in plenty of nostalgic mentions to previous games with its overflow of new content as well.New additions to combat have also been made which gives an extra unique dimension to each weapon. By holding the L2 button (previously used for parrying with light shields in earlier games) while holding certain weapons enters the player into a new fighting stance, allowing you to perform a range of deadly 'special' attacks. Don't think of spamming this however, as each time you use these attacks your magic meter is drained slightly. It's a clever mechanism which continues in the spirit of DS to force the player to make trade-offs, constantly measuring the risks and rewards of how you approach the game. The brilliant summoning and invading online multiplayer element is also present as ever, however this naturally requires a paid-for subscription to PS+.Overall this is a fantastic edition to the Souls series and one I am finding hard to put down. The sense of dread, nervousness and overbearing keeps players on their toes and doesn't let you relax while working your way through the maccabre world around you. New content mixed in with familiar elements to the game keep it feeling fresh without the sense that anything has been left out or changed for the worse (like parrying in DS2 - sorry, just wasn't my thing).Overview and final verdictPositives+ brilliant presentation+ brimming with content+ superb immersion and replayability+ challenging and subsequently immensley rewarding+ tight combat controls+ the player decides how to playNegatives (depending how you look at it)- very unforgiving for new players - this could cause frustration early on which might prevent you continuing- lack of plain storytelling might have the same effectFinal verdict - 9.5/10A must have for Souls fans and anyone looking for an immersive and challenging edition to their PS4 library. Casual gamers will most likely find this a difficult game to get into and enjoy, but if you have the time and patience I cannot recommend it highly enough.Thanks for reading and enjoy DS!

28.4.2016

This is a fantastic example of what Dark Souls is. Intriguing environments, interesting NPCs and gameplay that challenges you to be better. For those who are on the fence from reviews crying out saying "too hard" or "terrible performance" the performance issues have been mostly addressed but due to the scope of the game cannot be simply "fixed" and for the comments on the difficulty, yes the game is hard. Its whole formula is around the feeling of achieving something and actually having earned the sense of accomplishment. There is a combination of patience, repetition and learning environments and enemy movements to overcome them.This is the most approachable souls game,being very forgiving and having a much more linear path. If you are put off by the number three, don't be. If anything I would recommend playing three even if you plan to play the other two to be able to understand the core of the game and how it works. There are minor changes in stamina/mana mechanics in three that were not present in its predecessors but these are easily understood. There is a story present in all of the souls games but much of it comes from the item descriptions and your impressions. For those who are interested in the lore, there are many youtube videos (Such as those from VaatiVidya) who explain some lore aspects (though as of yet there are not many DS3 videos).The limitations of console gaming are present in the 30 frames per second and some frame rate drops but other than that the game plays consistently well in most instances. Having played at least 60 hours I can say I encountered very few (if any from what I recall) severe problems that detracted from my experience.A few warnings to new players.1. There is no pause functionality, the world is always active and if you 'pause' the world will continue to attack you should you be in a fight.2. The multiplayer is very unique. You can have co op players or antagonists enter your game. To avoid spoilers, there is a state your character enters upon the killing of a boss that allows online functions to occur. There are three main things this causes. NPC phantom invasions (what it sounds like, a strong npc attacking you with an ai that is almost human), human invasions (a human player that enters your world for the purpose of killing you and sending you back to the checkpoint) and player summons (your choice to summon a human player into your world to help you). If this does not appeal to you, you can turn online functions off in the options settings but this really does add a level of enjoyment to the game even when you are being killed.3. Every action you do uses stamina. Stamina will deplete and when gone you will be unable to do anything. Do nothing but basic movement and it will regenerate at its fastest rate. Be careful of using too much stamina.Other than that, unless anyone has any specific questions, I have nothing else to mention. Hopefully this helps newer players decide if it is for them or not. These are fantastic games and I would love to see new players and be able to join you in Jolly co operation!I hope to see you in Lothric soon.\[T]/

26.1.2018

Most games of our questionable modern age are a far too easy with tutorials lasting half of their run time and gameplay as challanging as opporating a kettle, Dark Souls 3 is not one of those games.This is not a game for the faint of heart, it is brutally difficult with the first enemies you meet able to stun-lock you and kill you in a few hits and the very first boss beings tough it took me 9 tires and a couple of hours to get passed him. The hit-boxes are taking the mick and about halfway through the fight a giant demon thing takes over half of his body and his attack patterns change and he splatters you across the floor but its this frustrating difficulty that makes finally defeating the boss so satisfying.Dark Souls 3 hates its players with a passion,there are no buyable healing items all you have is a flask of limited use which needs specific rare items to be upgraded, and you cannot pause the game at any point so once you start a boss fight you are going to either finish it or die trying, each time you die all the souls you have collected from defeated foes which you need to buy supplies and level up are lost and you must reclaim them from the point of death, all enemy hit boxes leave much to be desired as an enemy with a spear can somehow stab an area the size of a small car and enemies have unique attack patterns which you'll need to figure out in roughly the 12 nanoseconds you have of life before they impale you, leveling up only effects a single skill at a time and with the cost to level up always rising you'll need to take on tougher and tougher enemies just to be able to afford to do it once but with this high level of Challenger and requirement of considerable skill, the game is so much fun to play.The extreme difficulty makes all the fights so very thrilling and all the more rewarding to win. The environment is the cherry on top, Dark Souls 3 has characters who you can talk to but its the world which tells the story, the once mighty civilization brought down by the relentless march of time. From what I understand, the game takes place in the last days of the age of fire with the age of darkness on the horizon, you an undead warrior, a tiny insignificant thing who must link the remaining fires to postpone the inevitable. The oppressive atmosphere is one of the best things about Dark Souls 3 and the frankly beautiful visual design and masterful sound design create the feel of a dying world.So, solid gameplay, subtle story telling, beautiful visuals and great sound work make Dark Souls 3 a solid A. As I said. the game is not for the faint of heart and you better get used to seeing the death screen and you die, die and die again and since I'm on my 40th hour and still nowhere near done yet you can bet this game will last you. Dark Souls 3 is an exceptional title and in an age where games handhold so much is refreshing to see a game with such complexity, if you want a challenge then you've come to the right place.

5.8.2017

I have played every Souls game (even that one) and I love Dark Souls 3. I can't stop playing it, I never get tired of it. This game is the sequel to the first souls game I always secretly wanted. Continuing the story of the world, improving game mechanics (that aspect especially!) combat and the infamous boss battles. My advice for playing a souls game is this: Don't feel bad if you can't figure things out on your own. I know what I'm doing and even I get stuck from time to time. A-lot of the games choices are incredibly arbitrary. For instance, the NPC interactions have always been one of the best parts of Dark Souls and it breaks my heart that they're so easy to miss.This game does improve some-what as most of them are on the main path but they all have 1 bit thats very easy to miss and the whole quest line is shot.Dark Souls has always relied on the shared knowledge of the community and thats a double edged sword. Its very easy to have the entire games lore and surprises spoiled for you. I have met people who will pretty much read to you the games entire plot even though they were asked a completely different question.For your first character...always keep it simple. In Dark Souls 1 it was the Pyromancer and here its definitely the Knight. Just focus on getting your strength, dexterity, stamina, vigor and vitality up. I like to keep them all on the same level, personally. And give yourself as much Estus as possible, you won't need the Ashen Estus flask unless you're using spells which I don't recommend for your first play through in this games case. So make the blacksmith one of the first people you talk to. Pro-tip: Embers are your best friend. They're worth 1000 souls and when used restore all your health instantly, so use them to save your estus once per life. Explore! See anything shiny? Pick it up, see something? Assess the situation and pick them off one by one, think you can make that jump or get to that area, give it a try, does that wall look suspicious? hit it! An item you're not familiar with? Try talking to somebody or taking it to the fire to see if any new options or dialogue pops up. Sell anything you can't think of a use for or store it for later, if you must. You do need all the souls you can get after all!For your first play through only really focus on going down one path and once thats exhausted, try the other path until thats exhausted and so on. The game rewards exploration and being careful! Its worth investing in a bow or some firebombs. If you do heed this advice its very likely you'll find and kill most of the games bosses. There are three optional areas and bosses you see, all easy to miss if you're not paying attention. They're not mandatory or anything but are just more large things to kill. two of the three are very easy to find if you heed this advice, the third is very tricky. You see you need to have visited one of the other areas to access the the other. So do stay observant!

21.6.2016

Another outstanding game in the Souls/Bloodborne series...if you've played the others, you won't be disappointed. Although it is fair to say that finally, familiarity might have set in, which could rob the game of some of it's power to impress.You'll find yourself arriving at the start of the game in a dreary rocky/ruined castle area, populated by lurching goons, which is the tutorial. Learning the moves is easy, and you'll look forward to arriving at the Firelink Shrine, which is the game's central hub for shopping and levelling up. However this time the game's designers throw you in at the deep end with a tough first boss battle that is NOT optional, and you need to get through this alive to progress to the safety of the Shrine.

12.3.2017

I don't usually write reviews, and so apologies if this one doesn't offer what you would normally be looking for. The reason I decided to leave a review is because this game is so incredibly good that, for me, it replaced The Last of Us as the best game I've ever played.To give you an idea, this game is the complete opposite of a typical Ubisoft/EA game where they give away all features before the game was even released, in marketing videos and such. So when you play them you're never really challenged, never really surprised. There's just nothing new. I am sure the new Mass Effect will technically be very similar to the old one, even though selling it as 'a new galaxy'

17.4.2016

I'd like to state before I briefly review this game that there are many troll reviews which are quite obvious, so please check for a verified purchase first.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’ve played all the souls games and can say without a doubt this game is one of the best, it combines several of the best elements of the others while maintaining its own independence.The game uses the same game engine as BloodBorne and this truly shows and equivocally works to its advantage, I would like to point however as graphically pleasing as this game most definitely is with its majestic and enthralling scenic beauty,

16.4.2016

I have played all the games for PS3/4 and enjoyed them all. I never got far in bark souls 1&2 as I can't get used to the slower combats. I have completed bloodborne and loved it.DifficultyWell it's what everyone mentions. Ds3 is in my opinion is easier than previous ds games but a little harder than bloodbourn. The combat has been speed up from previous dark souls games and makes it seem more responsive but at the same time the bosses are also faster moving ramping up some of the difficulty. The game is very much a ds game in the turn of charictor building which was a little lacking in bloodborne.The world is a mix of both games. The DS games for there castles, towers and the like the.

23.1.2017

Brilliant game.I have been playing RPG games for decades, this one reminds me a lot of games when I was growing up in that it is actually difficult and there are many things in the game that are not clear and so it has an element of mystery. For example, the explanations of what various items do is extremely vague, and the is no manual to explain, so you have to just experiment and find out what stuff does (or cheat and search online which spoils the fun).The bosses are devilishly hard. They all have a weakness which can be exploited but it takes many attempts and experiments to defeat each one. This is so refreshing as most of the other RPGs I have played in recent years (elder scrolls, fallout,

13.4.2016

Having played through most of the game, I can safely say this Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne birthchild has delivered a fantastic finale to the series.Gameplay is much the same from previous games only with some minor changes; combat is slow (albeit a little bit faster than previous titles) and patient while you wait for your opponent to leave an opening without making yourself vulnerable in the process. Magic now uses focus points (a blue mana-like bar) instead of its normal usage counter. Another new feature is weapon arts. These also use focus points and basically give you another dimension for attacks/defence etc. For example the battleaxe has a buff feature, allowing you to deal stronger attacks,

16.9.2016

I am not sure what my review can say that others haven't but I will add my thoughts anyway.I have played and completed every Dark Souls, Daemon souls and Bloodborne games and I was so looking forward to this one. I was a little let down by Dark Souls 2 but I was so relieved that this game is the best bits from all of them and by far my favourite. It is a challenge and, at times, scary/creepy/gross but the rewards for persevering are unlike anything I have ever experienced. The bosses are tough and seem impossible.. but learn their moves and discover their weaknesses and you can defeat them and some even become trivial.If you are looking at starting your Dark Souls journey from number 3.

7.5.2016

I've been playing this game for 48 hours now as I wanted to give it a thorough amount of time in the story, in PVE, in PVP in experiencing the convenants etc before reviewing it.Having done that I can say I'm very pleased with it. I think it has overtaken Dark Souls 2 and Demon's in my list of favourite souls games , is behind Dark Souls 1 and equal to Bloodborne,The game continues in the deeply challenging and engrossing style of the Souls series and now has a slightly faster feel, perhaps borrowing something from Bloodborne.Once again the world is beautifully realised. This time though there is a central hub connecting the world, similar to the Nexus in Demon's Souls,

3.3.2017

I'm only about 25 hours in but i can tell you that this game is awesome!! Gone is the annoying 'vanishing enemies' mechanic ...i write this review having not completely finished the game. I'm only about 25 hours in but i can tell you that this game is awesome!! Gone is the annoying 'vanishing enemies' mechanic of dark souls 2 and back is the infinite grinding - if that's your bag.I feel that this game captures the loneliness of dark souls perfectly. That's what always gets me right there about these games, you feel alone, the place is oppressive and just.....doom laden. If you enjoy this - as i do- then you're in for one hell of a time.The graphics as far as i'm concerned are fabulous,

Dark Souls 3 - Reviews

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