Mostly I wonder why the entire game isn't like Oociale township and the painted world; in that they're tightly designed, have clever shortcuts + bonfire placement, and actual nooks and cranies to explore.

I thought the entire game was pretty cramped as it is. Usually, third-person games make larger areas because of the potential problems with camera control and movement. Not that it wasn't a good decision, which it was, but having the whole game be in a series of small rooms and staircases wouldn't be that great.

More of the bosses should have unfair numbers and complement each others attacks?  That just sounds annoying.

Orn & Smough is funnest boss battle  I know And more bosses should exert more pressure on the player, O&S is just one way to go.

You're just too good at the game, everyone struggles with the bosses the first time through. Making all the bosses tag-team you would be crazy overkill.

Just got through the Catacombs, from Skeletown to killing Patches, in one go.

You do know that Patches becomes a shopkeeper, right? In fact, you're supposed to fall in the hole, and he doesn't do anything after that anyway. (And he gives you two humanities when you bargain with him)

Since Sony was taking a loss from the Playstations for a long time, they probably made quite a bit less than Nintendo. Then factor in the whole red-ring debacle and Microsoft lost quite a bit of money there as well.

I mean someone else will step in, not Square. Though Square could too.

Atlus has stepped into Square's shoes in the jRPG front with the Shin Megami Tensei series, which has a huge following in the Persona series despite the fact that they remain turn-based RPGs (with a life sim element). Their other games also have a cyberpunk/apocalyptic bent, which is rarely seen amongst jRPGs. They have become a lot more edgy/fresh than Final Fantasy, and even have some FF-like elements (like the same demons returning in each  game).

Personally, I never played against bots, since it didn't feel to me like a "real game" if I was playing versus bots. I'm a play-to-win type, and bots feel like I'm playing to an empty room. I have no problem with singleplayer games, but multiplayer games are usually more fun if there are other players.

I don't oppose putting bots in, though... it's kind of like the decision to not add a car camera in Grid 2 -  it's not necessary, per se, but it's nice to have.

Monster King essentially hits the nail on the head, as always Sire.

It's a fucking video game. Too hard for you? I thought games were getting dumbed down all the time? Just admit you're not smart enough to learn how to play video games and go watch TV or something. I heard it doesn't have any rules.

Honestly, I just think that maybe he should look for a different genre. You don't buy multiplayer FPS for the singleplayer mode. I play FPS like a pro, but personally, I'm not that interested because I played a lot of Nuclear Dawn, which is kind of similar (FPS with a strategy component).

IMO, the Abyss is like a pocket dimension, and a portal can be created anywhere that leads to it. The 4 Kings and the sorcerers of Oolacile both used the dark arts to open a portal. However, it is much larger on the inside than the outside, otherwise you could probably see it from Ash Lake.

Maybe the abyss is infinitely deep, that's why the only creatures that can live in it are the serpents, because they are infinitely long.

Manus and various other monsters could live in the Abyss as well. But it's pretty safe to say that the Abyss is a vast expanse of infinite space. Artorias had to become an "Abysswalker" because otherwise you'd just keep falling forever.

Got to the Moonlight Butterfly, and I can hereby declare anyone who had troubles with it a spineless nooblet!

Dude. You fought it when you reached Blighttown. I fought it right after Taurus Demon. Completely different stats and equipment.

Whee, I just got to Anor Londo! How exciting!

It's so pretty... so beautiful... so...
WELCOME TO DIE!

Now look what you guys have done

http://i50.tinypic.com/zo7zgh.jpg

'Entrust thine flesh to me!' etc

Heh, I actually did suspect that he was two-headed. After all, you never actually see his other end, which means something is up.

Another thing which slightly confuses me is the two abysses, New Londo and Oolacile ones. Origin of Oolacile one was pretty clear, since it was done by Manus but how about the tamer version of New Londo? Was it created after 4Kings started to drain humanity and collected enough humanity to form the abyss?

IMO, the Abyss is like a pocket dimension, and a portal can be created anywhere that leads to it. The 4 Kings and the sorcerers of Oolacile both used the dark arts to open a portal. However, it is much larger on the inside than the outside, otherwise you could probably see it from Ash Lake.

I beat the game, and for the most part it was a great experience. I did reload a few other times, but mostly after I was killed by Sectopods and their dual-move gimmicks.

I think the key to playing on Ironman is not to put all your eggs in one basket. Putting all your highly-trained troops on a mission is a ticket to disaster - if the mission wipes, you will have only lost one or two important characters if the rest are back at base. That, and SHIVs come in really handy.

Some of us don't have the 1337 $killz that will let us perfectly dodge every attack for 5 minutes, jeez! Some of his attacks are actually pretty hard to dodge, at least for someone who is fighting this guy as his second boss as I did.

This is just speculation but I'm also not convinced that Kaathe and Frampt are actually separate individuals. I think it's possible that they might just be roles that any of the serpents can fill at any given time. I haven't checked if they are actually separate voice actors, but if so, that would probably nix this idea. They are indeed the same voice actor.

I think the Primordial Serpents propagated the myth of the "Chosen Undead" in order to find someone who was strong enough to kill Gwyn and the other gods, so they could regain control.

But why would Frampt try to get you to link the flame if the serpents wanted to usurp the Gods, or get so pissed at you if you disobeyed?

It does make sense given what the ending says about how Kaathe AND Frampt are both under your control, almost as if they are titles rather than actual beings.

So who's the next boss? I thought the game is somewhat non-linear. I plan to go to Darkroot Garden now.

The boss of Darkroot Garden is actually pretty hard if you aren't a spellcaster (or (duh) don't summon), and entirely optional. Before you go, you should know that there is a hidden bonfire in the Garden which makes your life a lot easier. Also, ranged weapons. I think. I killed it the hard way.

Surprisingly enough, so far I've had the most trouble with Bell Gargoyles, even though they are not that hard. Took me a while to realize I'm supposed to stay close instead of trying to keep my distance.

What? You mean you found the Gargoyles harder than Capra Demon? That's strange indeed. Gargoyles are usually pretty easily beaten because it's a short distance away from the save point, meaning you can go human and summon Solaire easily.

The next boss you face after Gaping Dragon isn't that hard either, at least if you can dodge well. The real difficulty comes from the area before it.

I agree that it would be stupid if Artorias talked during the fight. BUT... I was expecting him to have some dying words or something after he was un-possessed.  That was pretty disappointing to me.

It was clear that Kaathe might not be telling you the whole truth - after all, Ingward was willing to protect the seal until his death, and seemed to think the Darkwraiths were evil enough to justify killing an entire city, making Kaathe the prime candidate for destroying Oolacile. Perhaps the serpent simply wants to use you as a tool to kill the Gods, and usurp your power.

I just think the dark ending is better because, y'know, not dying and becoming the Dark Lord is pretty badass.

As long as a series is owned by a big company, it is bound to be exploited for profit because that's what they do. But, games are a product of their own time and place, so you can't expect the 10th sequel to Mega Man to be made under the same circumstances as the original. I think that the bad sequels are made up for by the actually better sequels (but usually they get worse again if there are too many sequels). Usually it takes 1 or 2 sequels to get it right, and any more runs the risk of spoiling the stew.

If Hideo really wanted to start experimenting again, he would, but he's making some good cash from making Metal Gear games, so he doesn't really care whether it "ruins the mystery".

Defeated Kalameet and saved Sif. Only Manus to go in DLC. That unused Artorias dialogue was interesting, I wonder why they didn't use it.

I thought it sounded a bit too young for Artorias, who was supposed to be an experienced, ridiculously powerful warrior. I mean, sure, he might have been young (since he was a giant, he still would look imposing), but it wasn't really the badass voice I would have expected.

Huh, I didn't realize the Murakumo was that powerful. I mean, I made my 2nd character a Murakumo-user after going through the trouble to get one, but it just seemed pretty slow compared to what I was using before. Looks badass, though.

(I got 3 man-serpent greatswords in my 2nd runthrough. There needs to be a way to tweak items between characters...)

I might have just accidentally stumbled into Gaping Dragon's lair and defeated it on the first try. Amazing monster design. Really creepy.

Gaping Dragon killed me the first time, but he's pretty easy if you have a high DPS. P.S. Did you know you can summon Solaire for the fight?

The entire sewer level totally grossed me out, and I've played countless sewer levels in every RPG ever... this one takes the cake.

Well, it did say "No Effect". You'd think someone would have figured it out by now if it did anything, anyway.

*Note to self: Build hoax about game to build interest!

Just popping in to say I was a fan of your music back in 8-Bit Collective!

Dark Souls does have a problem where any kind of "magical" forged weapon is rather weak compared to +15 Normals.

I think that DEX+INT builds are definitely the most powerful in the game, what with the DLC and its new dark magic. However, strength weapons are more cool-looking and fun, so it definitely doesn't detract from the experience. DEX and STR at the same time are just not worth it for stuff like the Murakumo.

I started the game again without Ironman, and I'm loving it. Though I wouldn't have gotten through on Ironman, since I got wiped about 3 times... two in UFO missions, and once in the Alien Base before I beat it. I'm not saving during the missions, though, only using the autosaves afterwards.

TBH I only died once from an exploding car, after learning how to play better (e.g. making sure you are within line-of-sight) I had less trouble with cover.

I started in Ironman because I heard everywhere that it was the "real" way to play, but for your first playthrough I don't think it's a good idea.