Dark Souls

[Vanguard]

This game just came out on PC and it owns.  Anyone who likes roguelikes and doesn't have a problem with action games should check it out.

It's not as difficult or punishing as most major roguelikes, but it has a similar feeling of omnipresent danger.  Death doesn't mean restarting, but the player does drop all of their experience/currency (both of which take the form of "souls") and they have only one chance to recover them before they're lost forever.

It rewards knowledge and observation more than one would expect from an action game.  Your reflexes and precision don't need to be perfect as long as you know what to expect.  It reminds me of how much more effective a spoiled Nethack player is than an unspoiled player - when you know the tricks, everything seems less overwhelming.

Take a look at it if you haven't yet.

[Krice]

I really don't like these action role-playing games which are actually just action games with fantasy theme. Somehow rpgs went into this direction and it's a shame. But it's not a surprise, because commercial games need to be fast action and shiny graphics to attract the majority of casual players.

[Vanguard]

Man, have you gotta complain about some barely related thing in every thread?

Dark Souls isn't designed for casual players or mass market appeal.

If you don't like action games, that's fine, but not every game needs to be targeted at your specific interests.

[Krice]

Dark Souls isn't designed for casual players or mass market appeal.

I think it was first designed for XBox 360 and PS3, which we know are not commercial platforms...

[kraflab]

I really don't like these action role-playing games which are actually just action games with fantasy theme. Somehow rpgs went into this direction and it's a shame. But it's not a surprise, because commercial games need to be fast action and shiny graphics to attract the majority of casual players.

In terms of what "rpg" actually means, dark souls is probably the best I've played in many years.  And definitely demon and dark souls are not for casual players.  They are hard and basically have no tutorial.  The way even the plot is visible only through careful attention to detail in the environment or reading of snippets of dialogue is just beautiful design.