"Prepare to Die"

The video game industry itself is larger than both films and music combined, so it was inevitable that I would write about it at some point. I'm a huge fan of video games. I've been playing since the days of Atari 1600, and have owned a next gen system ever since. I imagine that I always will. I love RPGs (Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy), survival horror (Silent Hill, Resident Evil), and first-person shooters (Call of Duty, Halo). The only question for me in terms of this blog has always been, "which video game would compel me to knock out an entire article?"

That question was answered when I picked up Dark Souls a few weeks back. Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, a PS3 exclusive from 2009 which at the time was being described as, "one of the first truly great Japanese RPGs of this generation, and certainly the most remarkable." The spark that ignites the human race is slowly burning out. People are dying, and returning to life all over Lordran. They become immortal and slowly lose their sanity, becoming violent monsters in the long run. You play as a chosen undead who must battle the forces of darkness and reignite the flames of humanity in order for the human race to thrive. The opening cinematic for Dark Souls lays out the bleak history of Lordran, and offers up a creative (albeit extremely dark) mythology. Once you actually get started, you'll quickly learn that this game isn't going to hold your hand with some tutorial. That's right, no handshake. Just a punch to the gut. Within the first 10 minutes, you'll encounter the Asylum Demon, the first boss that you are expected to beat. This isn't a cheap battle with a strong boss that you are supposed to lose either.


The only way to truly describe this game to you is to say "baby steps." Those who enjoy an entertaining, story driven experience taken at a brisk pace will probably snap their controller in half. This is a game that forces you to learn from your mistakes. Each enemy is different and requires a different strategy to defeat. Every enemy from the first you encounter to the last, has an equal chance at killing you, so finding a place to relax is difficult. Did I mention there is no ability to pause the game? That's right, you had better be paying attention because there is nothing forgiving about this game. You'll quickly find this out when you've died more times in the first 10 hours than you have in your collective gaming career. The enemies also become more difficult with every death. The game also saves CONSTANTLY. Ever play a game and make a mistake, only to hit the reset button? Dark Souls laughs at your cowardice. Accidentally kill an important NPC, or miss the opportunity to obtain a weapon from a major boss? Oops, better luck on your second playthrough (which is about 60-100 hours away. Sorry losers, only one save slot per character). All of this sounds cheap, maybe even unfair, but it never truly feels that way. Dark Souls is never unfair. It gives you every opportunity to succeed, thus making the mistakes all your own. Every death can be avoided by learning the pattern of your enemy.


The multiplayer system in Dark Souls is among the most original and creative I have ever seen in a game. Instead of sending a game invite to a friend, the game will only allow random encounters. Players can draw symbols on the ground in a certain location, and if a different player makes contact with those symbols, the original player can be summoned to assist a person in defeating the area boss. By the same token, if you choose to take a darker tone, you can invade other people's games and steal their currency, or items. This system can be extremely rewarding as I have tackled some of the more difficult areas of the game by summoning more experienced players. I think the best part of this feature is that there is no voice chat allowed in-game. If you summon a player, it will be all non-verbal cues. You won't be completely in the dark however. Players can draw messages on the ground warning other players of an ambush ahead, a safe location, or a hidden room.

This has been an extremely exciting time for video games. In the fourth quarter alone, we've seen games like Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim. For me, Dark Souls came out of nowhere. I had never heard of the original, and all I was looking for was a time filler until Arkham City was released. What I found was one of the best all around gaming experiences out there. I can't imagine that I'll be putting as much time and energy into any other game in the near future.