Surprising Pick for GOTY from GameSpot

[CrimsonGhost56]

and the winner is...

Demon's Souls

Surprised? So were we. Yet in a year full of high-quality games on every platform, an unassuming action role-playing game captured our imaginations and still hasn't let go. In many ways, Demon's Souls is a traditional dungeon crawler. You skulk your way through dark, atmospheric corridors and courtyards, fending off all sorts of gruesome creatures and making slow but sure headway into the dark unknown. Yet even Demon's Souls' traditional elements are incredible, revealing a startling attention to detail that draws you in. Boletaria is a menacing and hostile kingdom, unique and yet entirely believable. You cross stagnant swamps where three-headed monstrosities lie in wait, and you climb endless winding staircases while screeching gargoyles descend upon you. The tools you are given to defend yourself are top-notch, and combat carries an amazing feeling of weight and intensity. Further enhancing the tension is Demon's Souls' high level of difficulty. It isn't easy to slice your way through hordes of tumbling skeletons, but there's no greater feeling of triumph than finally getting your first peek at areas previously unexplored.

Demon's Souls is no blast from the past, but rather it's a glimpse into the future. A stunning array of online communication features make Demon's Souls different from anything you've ever played. As you explore the game's five gloomy realms, you see the ghosts of other players as they traverse the same roads and cross the same bridges in their own copies of the same world. You find the bloodstains of slain players and can activate them to watch the last few moments of the poor souls' existence. You can leave messages for other players to find, warning them of dangers lurking ahead or precious treasures hidden below. These innovative features create an incredible web of unified worlds in which you silently and indirectly interact with your fellow adventurers. This player-directed hint system creates a sense of camaraderie between players and encourages those who provide assistance while discouraging miscreants who would mislead you. In the relentless world of Demon's Souls, players need each other to survive.

You can help others more directly by joining them in their own worlds or summoning them to yours. And even this more traditional brand of cooperative play gives you a sense of company among strangers. You cannot choose whom you will join or who will appear to assist you; by offering your assistance, you make yourself available to anyone and everyone who might call for help. And yet it works, thanks to Demon's Souls' carefully constructed mechanics and extended community. Impressively, all these features are seamlessly integrated into the game, as are standard game conventions like saved games and multiplayer options. There are few arbitrary, game-like intrusions, like blinking menus or annoying save-game prompts, to disrupt your careful progress.

Demon's Souls is an extraordinary blend of the old and the new, and the result is so distinctive that it's hard to even find games to compare it to. Yes, it's a hard game. It is ruthlessly, unforgivingly difficult. But it is also amazingly compelling and rewarding, because the tools you need to survive are built into the very fabric of the experience. Demon's Souls is innovative, immersive, and immensely entertaining--and the best game of 2009.

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ive been on the fence about this game for a while but with a little extra holiday cash laying around im gonna pick it up.

 

[leaffan]

lol gamespot.

 

[JeremyHight]

and the winner is...

Demon's Souls



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ive been on the fence about this game for a while but with a little extra holiday cash laying around im gonna pick it up.

I'll sell you my copy. It has been collecting dust and works just fine.

 

[CrimsonGhost56]

idk. ive heard great things about the game, and i know a few guys here enjoyed it, including maynard, and you know how hard it must of been for him to admit a ps3 game was good. a surprising pick with the likes of mw2 and uncharted out.

 

[JeremyHight]

idk. ive heard great things about the game, and i know a few guys here enjoyed it, including maynard, and you know how hard it must of been for him to admit a ps3 game was good. a surprising pick with the likes of mw2 and uncharted out.

I liked it, it was definitely a deep game. But I think it would have benefited greatly from a more easily understandable menu system and a solid tutorial to explain the very complicated portions of the game.

If you want a challenging dungeon crawler, I'd say pick it up in a heart beat.

If you want something to pass the time in short spurts of playtime, this is not the game for you. I think Uncharted or Ratchet and Clank are much better fits for that category.

Either way, if you want to buy mine, I'll give it to you cheap...ish.

 

[CrimsonGhost56]

I liked it, it was definitely a deep game. But I think it would have benefited greatly from a more easily understandable menu system and a solid tutorial to explain the very complicated portions of the game.

If you want a challenging dungeon crawler, I'd say pick it up in a heart beat.

If you want something to pass the time in short spurts of playtime, this is not the game for you. I think Uncharted or Ratchet and Clank are much better fits for that category.

Either way, if you want to buy mine, I'll give it to you cheap...ish.

yeah im looking for a challenging deep game. im tired of FPS. havent played anything but for what seems like forever

 

[Twigg4075]

My cousin loved it. He loves RPG's though. He played through it almost non-stop and said it wasn't as difficult as most were saying. I think he said he put 40 hours into it.

 

[killgod]

unreal game. worthy of the award but you could make a good argument for a couple others too.

 

[JayDizzle]

The one game that openly punishes you for sucking... I'd only recommend it if you choose to buy it.

No sense in just renting a game for a week only to get insta-gibbed before you get a handle on things.

 

[Maynard]

idk. ive heard great things about the game, and i know a few guys here enjoyed it, including maynard, and you know how hard it must of been for him to admit a ps3 game was good. a surprising pick with the likes of mw2 and uncharted out.

rarrey funny rarrey funny......

game was awesome, just so fucking hard. i couldnt argue with this game winning GOTY. It deserves it, but its lack of mainstream success meant it wouldnt get the attention it deserves. Glad to see one site took notice

still would have liked to see Batman get some more love. But with UC and MW its hard for any other game to be the winner. i am glad MW2 didnt get any GOTY awards. with as great as it is, the flaws are just ruining the game and no way should a game that flawed win anything