Genuine question, /v/ - what is it, precisely, about the Dark Souls games that attract you so?
Is it the fragmented, often vague story of the games?
Is it the often cryptic, flat non-player characters you encounter in the worlds?
Is it simply the gameplay mechanics that satisfies something inside of you?
Genuinely interested in your answers.
>>335778083
For me it's...
> Big environments to explore.
> Fun encountering strange new enemies, scenery, and items.
> High chance of death makes you pay way more attention, so everything is more meaningful.
>>335778083
Its fun.
>>335778083
In a world of handholding and lowest common denominators, this is the only game that stands out
It's the exploration, there being an amount of challenge so I actually have to pay attention and approach thing cautiously, and it being almost 100% gameplay 100% of the time.
>>335778083
>fun gameplay
>no obnoxious story, but plenty of lore and worldbuilding through visuals
>cool leveldesign
>atmosphere
>>335778083
epochal gamedesing
intense world exploring
>>335778083
good gameplay
first half dark souls 1 had excellent level design and item placement
game barely has any cutscenes slowing down the game even when you count the boss intros
tutorial in part 1 was probably one of the best i have ever seen
Exploration. Hands down.
I just like that i can experiment with things on my own instead of having to sit through a million fucking tutorials. Sometimes I am rewardes and sometime I got my shit kicked in
>>335778083
Adventure and exploration.
>>335778083
>exploration
>purity of gameplay
>visual design
The places feel like actual interesting worlds rather than just "levels". The story is interesting and open to interpretation, so I can think about stuff instead of just hearing it and moving on.
The gameplay is challenging enough so that I never feel like I'm just going through the motions, and when I fuck up it's mostly my fault and I'm able to recognize what I did wrong.
>>335780975
>actual worlds
They have stables, with nowhere for horses to walk. The buildings are too vertical. The pathways are too inaccessible to resemble a real town. Feels like levels to me. The cities dont even have multiple paths just blocked off by rubble or anything, theyre just flat out linear. Towns dont work that way.
The art, atmosphere, level design, story, voice acting, music, and controls are all really good, across all the games with a few ups and downs.
There is minimal/zero handholding, many times you are confused or lost as to how the fuck you are going to proceed.
This makes finally succeeding much more rewarding,
>>335781123
Which stables?
>>335778083
Most of the things commented by other anons.
Discussing about the games mechanics, bosses, areas and lore with my friends and people online is really fun with Dark Souls, not sure why. Since everything is much more subtle than in your average game, one feels like helping each other make a sense out of the world. Which is pretty much what all the characters in Dark Souls do. Since coop play is included in the lore of the game, I always felt that somehow discussing about the games is like being with other people around the bonfire talking about the world, so in a way included in the game itself.
Also, in general I'm pretty bad at games, so pushing myself to defeat boss after boss is really personal rewarding. It wil take me generally no less than 10 tries (because I'm really, really bad), but the feeling of achievement afterwards it's great.
>>335781149
Saw a few in Undead Settlement earlier, I think Bloodborne has them too. DeS also has a bunch of dead horses though at least the first world in that one resembles a city, kind of.
>>335781123
He said they FEEL like actual interesting worlds, not that they actually are. For something like Dark Souls, the facade is enough. It establishes the intended atmosphere more than adequately.
>>335781387
Yep misunderstood that. I think they dont feel real at all but thats why theyre interesting.
>>335781387
This is interesting, actually. In order to make a world look interesting, many companies nowadays go for the "open world" meme. This works in some cases, but in many other cases you get "open worlds" which are complete shit. When playing Dark Souls it really does feel like an interesting thing, even if it's only facade.
On these lines: I must say that also DS are one of those few games where I do feel the way my character is feeling. We've all visited thousands of dungeons in games since forever, and in most of cases they just feel like fantasy gimmick. When I'm in some catacomb-like level I really get the anxiety that the character and the NPC's you find are feeling. Not sure how to explain this.
>>335781727
I would just call that 'atmosphere' or 'ambiance'
it's something many games, and even movies/shows/books are lacking.
>>335781270
Bloodborne has some dead horses and a lot of carriages.
>>335781527
Making locations feel even a little bit grounded makes a big difference, no matter how obviously just levels in a video game they are.
All you need are appropriate graphics, and level design somewhat different from the rest of the game that reflects the graphics, offering a vague approximation of the intended location. It's real basic stuff, but it does so much for a game.
Basically the locations feel alive because there's care and attention to detail and there's a lot of unique structures, basically every level has identifiable landmarks and you never feel like they just clone-tooled it. Even though the locations aren't full cities or towns, they manage to create the illusion of one.
For example Anor Londo in DS1 is rather obviously a bunch of rooftops floating over a void but you still feel like you're in a city rather than one large building's upper levels.
>>335778083
I appreciate the level design, lore and overall aesthetic of the series, as well as the gameplay mechanics.
>great world design
>excellent fast-paced combat
>taking the character you fine-tuned online to absolutely wreck people's shit
>lore is alright; I really like the cryptic nature of it
Also, being a SL 120 sorcerer for pvp is OP at times. Having 6 spells to choose from makes a fight against me feel like a god damn boss.
>>335778083
gameplay and artstyle
the sense of exploration
I love the series because almost every boss encounter is different and the design is usually great.
Also after beating a boss that you've been stuck on for hours gives me a nerdgasm and a sense of acomplishement.
I really liked the atmosphere in the Dark souls 1, after that it's pretty shit.
I really like the lore, while it is told vaguely, it often leaves you wandering what happened and you always wanna search for the answers online.(thanks vaati)
The combat isn't that great to be honest because it's just 2 attacks mashing after a roll but it's not that bad, the weapon variety makes up for it.I liked Dark souls 2 more than Dark souls3 :(
>shitty corridor level "design"
>2deep story with no effort put into it
>broken online play
>ps2 graphics in 2016
>huge imbalance since the beginning of the series
>cancer fanbase
Gee, I can see how /v/ autists find it so appealing.
>>335778083
what first attracted me was people said it was a hard game
i didnt have a playstation though so the series was totally fresh to me
i bought ds1 when the prepare to die edition came out and was hooked pretty fast
i didnt get ds2 for a long time after release cos poorfag, i got it like 2 months before SotFS came out so i was one of the people fucked over by missing the dlc and that update
whatever, enjoyed it but only got 1/3 of the hours i put into ds1 out of it
ds3 annonuced to come out soon so ifigured i should buy the dlc for 2 so i can experience it before its 100% ded
i dont know why but i totally destoryed all the dlc in 2, was the first time i tried a str build i guess but still was disapointed cos everyone said it was good
ds3 came out, im now on ng+ and playing a few other characters, im enjoying it more than any other souls game i think 100% because the online is so active at the moment, i never played the others at their peak so im fucking loving ds3
only boss i have never beated was kalameet and i am not sure when i will go back to do it, cos i lost my characters from ds1... whats a cheesy build to rush to him and fuck him up?
>>335778083
Because so many games make concessions for the sake of accessibility to a wider audience. Souls games force the player to struggle against adversity.
I started with Bloodborne because I liked the victorian horror theme and I figured it'd last me a while due to the difficulty.
I got pretty damn hooked on the franchise- it's amazing how well it sold me on gameplay and world design.
And specifically regarding level, holy shit Latria. Just holy shit.
>>335778083
The alluring skulls
>>335778083
Above all it's the sense of ownership and mastery that comes from taking the time to learn the mehanics.
Dark souls pays off when it finally clicks and you start playing smart. It seems on the surface to be a simple action game. Once you start reading the game properly, however, its hidden complexity reveals itself. Once it clicks and you realize that 90% of the time it's you that are sucking and not the game, the game gives you ample opportunities to feel like a badass for progressing.
Fun gameplay, interesting world, interesting stories, great atmosphere.
Bloodborne is my favourite, although Dark 3 is favourite at the moment.
>>335778083
I've been replaying DaS because I don't have enough to afford DaS III at the moment and I'm trying to 100% the achievements.
It's just a fucking great game, OP. The game's pacing is so perfect that you cannot help but desperately attempt to accomplish your next task, just so you can get the next upgrade or the next item, or just whatever fucking thing you are hoping to accomplish at that given moment in time.
Dark Souls is one of the most perfect games I have ever played. The only thing that is bad is how hard it is to engage in proper multiplayer, but even that isn't enough to detract from the package as a whole.
Dark Souls is pretty much like a Krabby Patty: the only people who don't like it are the ones who haven't tried it.
I'll never understand how /v/ will love souls, but doesn't give time of day to DMC. There's not a single problem in Dark Souls that can't be solved with grinding on spamming R1.
>>335778083
Exploration and lore
I finish the game once and then post fanfics on /v/
>>335784254
>The game's pacing is so perfect
Oh yeah, it's especially a masterpiece once you finish Anor Londo...
>>335784432
>exploration and lore
/thread
>>335782176
>That grass trailing off into the distance
>>335778083
The adventure aspect. So basically a combination between world design, rewarding exploration and the singular narrative of the game.
All that makes the game really immersive also thanks to the atmosphere with the constant silence.
Though I still consider DaS1 far above every other entry for the fact that you don't have any "superpower" like teleportation, it ruined the "feel weak in an hostile world" aspect for me, especially because there is always a safe point when there is teleportation.
Maybe DeS is the one that managed it correctly, mostly because NPCs can really fuck you up in this one so the Nexus is never a place where you feel safe.
>>335784467
The only part of the game I believe is genuinely shit is the Bed of Chaos. Everything else, even the post-Anor-Londo-is-garbage meme that everyone spouts is gold.
I mean really; the Tomb of Giants, Izalith, Dukes Archives, and New Londo contain enough awesome scenery and sexy lore to satisfy anyone who gives the game a shot. And even then there is still the fucking Artorias DLC to be had.
The pacing is perfect.
>>335783086
My "shooters only" GTA shirt wearing idiot roommate plays souls. Souls is accessible, and this idea of it being super hard comes from the fact that its an RPG that forces you to grind excessively to retain avatar strength. Its fake hard in the truest sense of the word.
>>335784796
you shittin on shooters?
try playing quake 3/live faggot.
>its an RPG that forces you to grind excessively to retain avatar strength.
kek fuck off, first Dark Souls never forces you to do anything, second you never have to grind.
Sense of exploration, combat and art design (excluding DS2)
I grew up with zelda and castlevania, and honestly the souls games do everything better
>>335784796
>its an RPG that forces you to grind excessively to retain avatar strength
Action-RPGs by design allow the player to put skill over stats.
Stats are a crutch because you can go completely without them as long as you're good enough.
Do you even Soul Level 1?
Also if you grind in any RPG made after the year 2002, get the fuck out of my face
>>335778083
I like anything with medieval themes so there's that.
Gameplay wise I find it rewarding. It reminds me of older games where you had lives and maybe a continue, but you still had to be patient and learn enemy placement and their moveset.
I also like how vague things are, not just ftom a story standpoint but also in terms of the gameplay itself. After years of games like WoW and Diablo that always come down to crunching numbers it's fun to play something with stats that are more obtuse.
>>335784796
>DS
>forces you to grind excessively to retain avatar strength
Anon what are you doing
>>335784385
>There's not a single problem in Dark Souls that can't be solved with grinding on spamming R1.
You say that as though DMC does not suffer the same thing. Many games do, really.
Every DMC game is very, very beatable using minimal variety and tactic.
The style meter and the rankings it contributes to, those are what encourage players to mix it up. Not the game's difficulty.
Anyway, /v/ loves DMC, you retard.
>>335781270
You can ride in a carriage in Bloodborne.
>>335784796
Except the entire game is viable solo if the player knows what they're doing. Then you have lazy fucks like me that can't be bothered to solo anymore so they abuse summoning and being summoned for the sake of more souls and to have additional punching bags.
>>335779528
this plus the feeling you get after managing to beat a hard boss after several tries
>>335778083
Because I'm a masochist and i think everyone else that plays can agree.
>>335785389
I finally beat the Nameless King after two dozen or so tries by staggering him and beating my Butcher Knife into his face
Best feeling
>>335785468
I just appreciate a proper challenge.
>>335785210
>/v/ loves DMC
?
>>335785482
Allant and Kos gave me a cathartigasm.
Like the slow deliberate combat and exploration.
>>335785564
Is it your first day or something?
>>335778083
Gave me the feels and deja vu that my GOAT gives me (Vagrant story).
Especially DS1 in comparison to VS
>>335785153
enemies in the later game are only harder by the merit that it takes longer to kill them, not because they're actually more sophisticated. By contrast, You don't even flight a blitz in DMC4, or pain elementals in doom until much later.
>>335784867
Don't get me wrong, I love good arena shooters, but I can't understand the fascination with a game that just generally feels like a sloppy mess compared to DMC or Ninja Gaiden. Honestly, I think its the RPG elements. People like to think they're making progress, and getting better, even if that progress is fake, and just a mounting numerical advantage obtained through grinding souls.
>But faggot, people beat souls without leveling at all
Anyone who's familiar with DS knows that's a half truth. There are also ways to improve avatar strength and alter your difficulty besides leveling. Many difficult parts of the game can be passed over almost entirely, and while this fits well with games like Doom, I feel it makes DS a sour experience. I don't like souls games. I'd rather be playing DMC for the gameplay, and I'm not a guy who values anything else nearly as high.
>>335785210
>Every DMC game is very, very beatable using minimal variety and tactic.
No, because you won't build DT, and its highly beside the point. Souls lacks execution. Damage comes from vanilla swings, and there's not much to DS besides rolling and vanilla striking. If all I wanted was a test of my reaction speed, I'd just have a friend drop a ruler within my grasp and see how quickly I can snatch it. DMC feels liberating to play in comparison.
I like there no pause button
I like how some other live player can be a dick and ruin your progress
I also like how you can trick the invader and get the upper hand
Love the music and dark atmosphere
I'm a big fan of skulls
Enjoy helping others progress
And of course the emotes and the funny stones
>spamming hello and thank you
>>335778083
I can kill a tree by punching it in the balls
>>335785848
>because you won't build DT
You don't need DT. Personally, I hardly ever use it. Like recently I played DMC4SE, my first time playing DMC4, and I used DT probably less than five times in the entire playthrough.
>there's not much to DS besides rolling and vanilla striking
Every weapon type has its own moveset
Some weapons within the same type will have unique movesets
In DaSIII they have weapon skills which adds another move which can vary
There are light attacks, strong attacks, running attacks, jumping attacks, rolling attacks, plunging attacks, parries, ripostes, backstabs, kicks. And as I said, these all differ based on your weapon class (of which there are many).
You can hold multiple weapons and switch between them as you see fit, including dual-wielding
You have combat items
Three types of magic with many spells each, which you can also use in tandem with a physical weapon
To be honest, in moment-to-moment gameplay, Souls gives you more options than DMC.
>a test of my reaction speed
Is a more appropriate analogy to DMC than Souls, given that it operates at a much faster pace and is more punishing for those who cannot keep up.
>>335778083
The cool monsters you get to fight. Even late into the game you run into new weird shit and I like that.
>>335786536
>You don't need DT. Personally, I hardly ever use it.
You do realize there are moves you can't perform without it, right? What DI is? Anything? Really? 5 times? I use DT five times an encounter, and that just for DI.
>Every weapon type has its own moveset
Some weapons within the same type will have unique movesets
>here are light attacks, strong attacks, running attacks, jumping attacks, rolling attacks, plunging attacks, parries, ripostes, backstabs, kicks.
>To be honest, in moment-to-moment gameplay, Souls gives you more options than DMC.
Keep telling yourself that. You're just demonstrably wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CKTDLhid4o
This is what it must be to read soulsfag posts.
>>335778083
I just like it because the story
It was oldschool in a world full of casual shitfests.
gameplay and exploration.
its igavania in 3d without platforming
I guess out of those options it would be;
>Is it simply the gameplay mechanics that satisfies something inside of you?
I like the combat, the level design, atmosphere and all that shit.
>>335787115
>DI
Can't say I'm familiar with the acronym.
>If I call him a Soulsfag, it will devalue his statements and paint him as nothing more than a delusional fanboy!
Nice.
And fuckin' you think I actually did the math on how many moves DMC4 Dante has?
And it's just DMC4 Dante.
Nero is far more limited.But I'll admit I missed Devil Bringer when it came time to be Dante.
I assume the other DMC4 characters as well, I haven't really played around with them much.
And then you go back to DMC1 and 2 and it's much more constrained.
>>335778083
its the zelda gameplay minus retarded puzzles for 7 year olds and the fashion souls, plus they are dark fantasy themed like drakengard and they aren't afraid of being mature like a certain gook producer
Post more Aldrink fanart.
I grew bored of cutting myself and i needed something more, this game is the level above
>>335778083
honestly I have yet to play any of the souls games, but I grew up a rabid Armored Core fan and all the hype and attention the souls games get bothers me sometimes. AC never got this kinda love, and the souls games have all but killed that franchise. we probably won't be getting a good AC game for a long time, and we won't ever get a decent pc port... sad days.
i'm sure souls is good, but it will never compare to armored core for me. fuck it.
>>335787669
>Nero is far more limited.
Actually, its arguably higher. Exceed timing and DT cancel give Nero a more narrow, but just as high skill ceiling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ6wURth1oo
This guy even misses at least a few. You can hold enemies in your hand, and walk around by holding the button, which I think he misses, and it doesn't include any exceed variations.
>If I call him a Soulsfag, it will devalue his statements
I'm calling you a soulsfag because you're being a fanboy. To say that Souls gives you more moment to moment freedom than DMC, a game that practically bleeds said freedom, is practically trolling. It has a fucking stamina bar for christs sake to keep you from doing too much.
>And then you go back to DMC1 and 2 and it's much more constrained.
And see, now you're omitting the third game, while including the pariah, 2. I never brought up dark souls 2. It sounds like you're just a stupid faggot who's only played souls games, and is highly defensive about it. It sounds less and less like you've actually played DMC.
>>335788005
One thing I like that I don't think gets mentioned much is how the game doesn't try to sell you on moral absolutism in regards to behaviour. You can literally do what you want, and there's reasonable consequences based on your actions but it's never "theatrical".
Like, let's say you see a guy in cool armor. You can kill him and take his shit, and that's that. The game will never stop and say "minus one karma point asshole" or spring the knight police on you because you killed someone. The only downsides are that killing an NPC will mean any future services the NPC might provide are lost, and occasionally it might piss off another NPC. You're never forced by the game to play a certain way consistently like an alignment meter, it's just you and your decisions on what to do.
Also none of the endings are really good or bad, just different decisions you can make. The end of Demon's Souls is a good example because killing the Maiden in Black isn't just doing it to be a cunt, it has a clear reward for the next playthrough, a unique soul. That marries the gameplay and roleplay actions, because your reason for killing her in the story is because you've become a hungry demon seeking souls, and so on.
It's nice, my choices are able to line up between ethical and practical use.
>>335788417
Are you going to tip your fedora now?
>>335788482
I can't afford a fedora.
>>335782545
How do you even get a fight club going?
The feel of the combat, everything else is gravy really. Slow methodical fights, where even basic enemies matter and weapons that felt heavy and as powerful as they were.
Sadly the series with BB and DS3 have almost gone away from the feel I enjoy and are creeping to close to DMC.
On that note I fairly disliked lords of the fallen's combat.
>>335788302
>you're being a fanboy
Then why, when I was playing Bloodborne and DMC4 back-to-back, did I actually hate playing BB and almost went straight into a second playthrough of DMC4?
Maybe I was just fucking wrong and said something off the cuff without much thought.
>It sounds like you're just a stupid faggot who's only played souls games
I've played every DMC, bar DmC.Didn't finish 2, though.
I've never even touched DaSII.
Comparatively, I have played more DMC than Souls given I haven't even finished DeS or DaS1. I'm only about halfway through both of them.
Fuckin' fite me DMCfag
>>335787669
FWI, DI stands for Devil Impact, or Double Impact. It allows you to almost quadruple the damage of some moves, just in case you were still interested.
>>335788776
>It allows you to almost quadruple the damage of some moves
Is this a legitimate mechanic?
there is no intrusive tutorial in the way of gameplay
>>335788742
Don't own a playstation. After hearing bloodborne, I was already out of my element, but for the sake of argument, explain how you find more variation in Souls than DMC.
>I have played more DMC than Souls
It's downrightimpliedin your previous that you've only done a single run of DMCSE, which starts you on Devil Hunter difficulty, normal. If you're being honest about all this, I am very concerned that you're a casual. (What kind of person plays DMC and doesn't know about DI?)
>>335778083
The exploration and the collecting/using so many different weapons and armors. It's got a sense of wonder and mystery that few games have anymore, and I guess it might be the lack of cutscenes and menus and all the things that would streamline a game into a narrative experience. The difficulty is secondary to this, I'd love it even if it was baby easy. I don't consider the games that hard anyway since 90% of the time it comes down to your playstyle.
>>335788842
A bit more than jump canceling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8hx5licmrM
>>335788985
>explain how you find more variation in Souls than DMC
Well there are more weapons and methods of attacking.
Larger enemy roster, probably. Pretty sure.
Larger worlds and the environment impacts the combat more.
>What kind of person plays DMC and doesn't know about DI?
A person who hasonly played them onceand doesn't engage with the fan community much.
For the record I never got to play DMC until the HD collection and I'm not the type of guy that plays games over again very often.
Only every so often will I feel like "I want to play X again," and only a seldom few games get that feeling more than once every couple of years.
>>335778083
Getting my ass handed to me by bosses when I first meet them. Then learning and predicting their moveset and patterns based on my own to beat them. Kind of like learning their rythmn and beat, almost doing a weird dance with them.
>>335778083
lore, end of thread.
>>335789415
>Well there are more weapons and methods of attacking.
I don't think this is true. You can't add all likes equally, and, while is arguable if we take an apex vs average vs, no weapon gives you the freedom you posses continuously throughout DMC. It is not fair to compare all collective weapons when that is just not how Dark Souls really works. Contrary, using all, or at least always gaining DT (meaning no two moves together within a single chain 5? moves long) of your moves in DMC is very realistic, and representative of gameplay.
>Larger enemy roster, probably. Pretty sure.
Not "pretty" sure, true, but I think DMC takes a very different approach to enemy design, in my opinion, where enemies are designed with a purpose. For example, chimeras first teach awareness and aggression, but once they've combined, they teach the player to play more passively as to not get nicked into oblivion. It's true, enemies themselves have less variety, although if I have to fight another reskinned "large enemy with stick weapon" in DS3, I'm gonna wipe my C drive. DS also has terrible time representing the number of enemies Legendary Dark Knight mode can produce, so that's worth mentioning. It's not ideal on either side of the fence on that one, but I think you're right. DMC needed more enemy variety, and in some ways, Souls delivers.
>Larger worlds
I'm not a "worlds" type of guy, and
>Environment impacts combat more
True, but only if we narrow it down to 4. 3 had bosses you literally ride on, damaging environmental hazards and the works.
>>335778083
Not sure how I got into it, but I managed to rack up 1000 hours in dark souls 1 just by pvping (never actually finished the game without cheating). By the time dark souls 2 and 3 came out I stopping being ass at video games and actually beat them, but never managed to get as much enjoyment out of them as I did from 1. Maybe pvp in 3 will change that
Is it true that people are getting banned when they update the game on steam?
