God, I've searched high and low for a game shop that sells the first game of Dark Souls without any success. I've heard a lot of good about this game and it triggered my curiosity. Unfortunately, this game seems almost impossible to acquire. Especially the first Dark Souls!!!

Does anyone know why this game is so hard to find anywhere? I mean, I could find Oblivion (first game of Skyrim) in our local game shop, and that game is a lot older. So I thought it was weird that a relatively new game like Dark Souls is so hard to get.

Would also be nice if you could share your experience/thoughts about this game, not only the first one, but Dark Souls 2 and all of the other games too.

Thank you!

If I don't find a game at the local game shop, I normally buy it online and have it shipped. You can also check if any stores nearby (via internet) have it stocked on new/pre-owned.

First game:
http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-360/games/dark-souls/95532 (XBOX)
http://www.gamestop.com/ps3/games/dark-souls/95521 (PS3)

Second:
http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-360/games/dark-souls-ii/107209 (XBOX)
http://www.gamestop.com/ps3/games/dark-souls-ii/107210 (PS3)


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Yeah I usually also check online, but all the online stores in my country don't have it either. So....yeah.

The problem with GameStop is this:
"Our video games are NTSC (U.S.) versions. You must have an NTSC video game system to play them. We do not sell PAL (European) video games on GameStop.com"

I'm from Europe, so my console doesn't support NTSC games.

Uhh I'm sorry if this is kind of obvious but have you tried checking on amazon.co.uk or even amazon.de? (if you don't know german, google translate is your friend xD it worked for me).

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Yes, you're worthy!

I have played and finished all 3 as i am hardcore like that and special shutout for the crazy amount of Berserk references. Knight Artorias says hello.
DS: 8,5/10 The difficulty makes no sense and the entire thing is unbalanced in all degress but a strong way for From Software to establish themselves (Armored Core V was a decent 6,5/10 for a Newtype like me but it needed more time and money) and the first truly good thing they did. Start here.

DS 1: 9,5/10 What a sequel! From storytelling to world building to RPG/Battle mechanics everything is working like clockwork now. The length is crazy btw.. and i build myself a tank with the strongest two hand Dragon Sword in one hand and the best 100% block shield in the other. I had to grind for 6 hours while watching TV to be able to wield the first version of that build combo but it played off big time and the game nearly became a joke in the second half. I borderline stopped dying. The soundtrack is a 10/10.

DS 2: Basically a giant add-on as nearly everything is recycled. The difficult is a bit of a mess in parts as it has a second(?) boss (the Knight) that is just a wall that early on in how many Gargoyles did i need to fight at once again? The world/storytelling is also less coherent and there are less Berserk references. BUT the combat is even more refined again and it was the best game after Bayonetta 2 last year.

Dragons Dogma (DA) is a 8,5/10 btw. and a must too. By the complete editions of the games as the DLC is godly for once.
Bloodborne here i come and the games cost nothing on Ebay/amazon.

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

lol funny that I haven't thought of amazon, will definitely check out both sites. Thanks!




Interesting review, seems like my kind of game. A question though, does Dark souls 1 and 2 have separate stories? or is DS 2 a continuation of the story of DS 1?

The main narratives are separate if you want to start on the current gen but don´t.
DS2 is a continuation of the world and lore and as it is set on the opposite side of the world in a way but very long youtube explanation videos will tell the story if you are interested.
The storys of these games are awesome but you need to hunt the narrative down yourself as clues come randomly and are very disjointed. An interesting storytelling decision and mostly unique to the medium of games. More like this please.
That Berserk comment was not a joke as the creator is a giant fan and it is background information for the lore and artdesign in fundamental ways.

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I sure hope you love dying. I have the game but can't be arsed to play it since I get fucked over by rats poisoning me while I try to land a blow in a small corridor that has no space for swinging.

And this is .. kinda typical point of view for someone who does not have the attitude or patience to approach the game with the care and observation the games in the series deserve. Different strokes and all that, but one of the main things in the games is to figure out why this is happening and using the tools you have to solve the situation.

If the area is narrow, you might want to look into getting a thrusting weapon like a spear or a rapier, or using the alternate thrust attack if your weapon happens to have one. You might want to lure the rats out to a more open space so that you can swing away more freely. You might want to grab a bow and see if you can stick a few shafts on the little bastards. You will die, yes. This is inevitable, but taking the lessons home from those deaths is what separates those who can/will from those who can't/won't.

The games have a subdued narrative and story, large parts of which are hidden in the descriptions of items and pieces of equipment (though the stories themselves are good). The way weapons and armor are upgraded are sometimes more than a bit obtuse and this is something that you really should look up online, even if a FAQ-free run is generally recommended.

All of the games have an excellent atmosphere and use music sparingly, usually only on boss fights. Other times, the ambiance of your surroundings is where it's at, possibly giving you audio-clues to various things that are happening or can be found in the area.

On a technical side, each and every one of the games are imperfect, suffering from slowdowns and whatnot, especially in a certain type of level/area that is thematically present in each of the games. There is some jank all over and the lock-on mechanism can sometimes be somewhat infuriating (learning when to lock and when it should be avoided is one of those things you just need to learn).

I liked all of the games, though Dark Souls II is the weakest of the series in most parts, though it does have the best combat and inventory system, barring the sometimes even completely broken hitboxes and whatnot.

And whatever version you end up getting:

This is not a problem, discounting the multiplayer/online aspects of the games. Playstation 3 and 4 are both region free consoles, fully capable of running games from whatever region, barring the very few region locked games (Persona 4 Arena is the only one I'm aware of). I've personally imported Demon's Souls,Catherine and Dragon's Crown from NA and played all of them a-ok.

Edit: And about that availability. For example, Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition (PS3) is available to order right now in amazon.co.uk. I think you'll be ok on this front.


Last edited by Baalzebup at 6:32 am, Feb 9 2015

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It's also a warning for people who don't want to repeat the same shit over and over again. Can't tell what OP has heard of the game after all. Dark Souls is still a casual game, but not so casual that it would fill role of a game you play when you want to take a break and just chill. It definitely needs you to do stuff over and over again, but it's not like it's a competitive game.

Out of topic, but the complete name is "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion", so as you can see from the title Oblivion is not the 1st game in the series "The Elder Scrolls", it's the 4th game and Skyrim is the 5th.You can find more information here if you are interested.

Does this also apply to Xbox 360/Xbox One?

From what you describe, this seems like a hardcore strategic game. Good.



Creator being a Berserk fan? That's hot. Not surprised though, considering it was developed by Software in Japan.



lol sounds like someones stuck, well... as long as the game doesn't bore the shit out of me, like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, I'm pretty fine with getting fucked over by rats poison.



Oh thanks hun, the noob in me thank thee.

Just buy the steam version. Like, yes, it was made to work with a game controller and not a keyboard, but you can plug in xbox controllers to a PC nowadays, so if you have an even remotely performant laptop, you can experience it on a PC without issue, thanks to steam.

@Mamsmilk Really the rats? What have they done to you? The collision detection is the real enemy! And he http://demonssouls.wikia.com/wiki/Old_King_Allant is a nightmare. Seriously what the hell but then the games suddenly decide to have borderline joke final bosses. Did i even heal? I like it if a ending has creativity like in Zone of the Enders or MGS 3 or Fallout 1 but curb stomping some dude king in DS1 aftar that stairs descend is not the answer. The queen at the end of DS2 is weird as it is a battle of nutrition.
The "bad" ending to Demon´s Souls is kind of amazing in it´s nihilistic nature but the others endings are all famous for being crap.
He is in the game http://berserk.wikia.com/wiki/Bazuso which is unbelievable.
The series is hard but more of a 8,5/10 in that department. Parts of Shin Megami Tensei will eat you alive. Grade school version of me played harder games btw. Here is a review for DS1 http://youtube.com/watch?v=G9naXmOYAdE What i man, what a legend!
I have a 1250/1250 in Oblivion in a Platinum in Skyrim (but i do not have the trophy for killing a legendary dragon as you need to be near level 70). I also went over 100.000 Achievement points last week with AC Rogue and am Lev. 23 on PSN.
Please send help Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a 7,5/10. It is a good game to listen to podcasts. Same for Darksiders 1/2(2 is a 8/10).
While we are here. F#ck Monster Hunter + Clones which are a sleeping aid.
Edit: Region lock answered. http://play-asia.com/paOScore/19-71-99-15-dark+souls+2+360.htm l


Last edited by residentgrigo at 6:48 pm, Feb 9 2015

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Good question. I wish I had an equally good answer. I have no idea about the possible region locks on the Xbox family.

If you're going to pick up Dark Souls II at some point, you'll want to default to the Scholar of the First Sin Edition which is coming to the current gen consoles (and is being re-released on PC) in a couple of months.

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