Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a video game developed by From Software. The game has been published on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games. It was previously developed under the codename Project Dark and is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls. Dark Souls was released in Japan for the PlayStation 3, on September 15, 2011; it was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 4 in North America and on October 7 in Europe.

Gameplay

Dark Souls focuses on dungeon exploring and the tension and fear that arise when players encounter enemies in this setting. The game is a spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, which in turn is considered a spiritual successor to the King's Field games. The game takes place in an open world environment and uses a third-person perspective. The player battles using various weapons and strategies to survive in a dark fantasy world. Online features allow players to share the play experience without need for direct communication.

With respect to Demon's Souls, there are more weapons, spells, and new classes. Before release, it was also said to be "significantly harder", with more enemies and more difficult encounters. It includes leaving messages to other players, seeing others' deaths, and player versus player (as well as a new co-op system); similar to the online functions in Demon's Souls. The items the player uses in these games are significantly different.

Prepare to Die Edition

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is the PC re-release of the game that was, until its release, solely available on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

The game released on August 24, 2012 and includes the Artorias of the Abyss mini-expansion that includes new Bosses, Weapons and Locations. The Artorias of the Abyss DLC is also available as a separate download for Xbox 360 and PS3 owners.

Minimum System Requirements

CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 545 3.0 GHz - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0 GHz
RAM: 2 GB
VGA: ATI Radeon HD 4870 - GeForce 9800 GTX+
DX: 9.0c
OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or newer
HDD: 4 GB
Sound: Direct Sound Compatible
Network: Online play requires software installation of and log-in to Games For Windows - LIVE

Reception

Dark Souls received critical acclaim, earning an 89 on Metacritic. IGN gave the game a 9/10, whilst GameSpot gave the game a 9.5/10. Many players had divided opinions, saying that the game was too hard, too boring, and uninteresting: others claimed Dark Souls to be one of the best RPG's of all time.