Um this is my unprofessional but yet authentic Dark Souls review.

Several months ago I went out to my local Gamestop store and bought Demon Souls used for 20 bucks plus "tax."  Yes you read it correctly, I was taxed for buying a used game at Gamestop store, a game that was traded in from a gamer at an unfair bargain which only wins in Gamestop's favor but yet it was sold to me with additional hidden cost, tax. I always hated Gamestop but now I hate it even more and that was the last straw and I will never buy a second hand game from that store ever again. Thanks to that robbed experience, I  haven't since there are many  attractive online alternatives like Amazon.com to chose from, but I just hate the wait.

In respects of Demon Souls, I enjoyed it immensely because it was an RPG, a real RPG, that delivered on the many aspects that defines an RPG that were desperately lacking current RPGs - games like Fallout, FFXIII, Dragon Age II, and other current RPGs felt like RPG lite or RPGs for dummies. I had fun with Demon Souls and it wasn't as challenging as many said it to be but it requires a strategic approach with a lot of leveling in mind. In other words, you have to work to get the best experience of it otherwise you're going to die often, very often since grinding, level and enemy placement memorization is the key to surviving.  On the other hand, what made that game to me was the cool and innovative online system - a system where players are seen as shadows, that don't really have a direct impact on your world but it gives you a sense that you're not alone. Furthermore, players can leave messages - some helpful and others are just there to fuck with you - and activate a player's recorded demise by touching blood stains that are scattered across the map.  There are other mechanics haven't mentioned but Demon Souls was awesome game, a game that compelled me to buy Dark Souls, its sequel.

Dark Souls is more or less very similar to Demon Souls with significant changes to the world's structure, instead of the world being divided, condensedly, into a level like structure. Dark Souls, however, is world is seamlessly  connected as a open world where the player is free to go wherever he/she chooses. Secondly, instead of mana points, spells and miracles have a certain amount of casting points and there is a cool save system where one can level up, repair and upgrade equipment, and so on.

I won't bother go in detail with the mechanics of the game but I will say this the mechanics in Dark Souls is a convenient system that moves the series forward. However, the game is still difficult and that's due to the vagueness of the game. The game does a poor job...then again I can't say it is a negative but actually a positive attribute of the game. Not knowing what lies beyond that door is a frightening cool aspect of the game. I had one gaming session where I was playing 3am in the morning at a level of complete darkness with no sound other than the enemies footsteps and occasional moans. I was freaked out and I was literally scared and I wanted the level to end because my nerves were affecting my level of concentration. I literally couldn't play anymore, so I turned off the system and went to bed.

For a game, a videogame that isn't categorized as a horror game it did deliver some scares and that would not been accomplished if it weren't for the excellent atmospheric level design. Dark Souls is a beautiful game - a game of awe and wonder with such a hunting and cynical world that's fits perfectly in the game's fiction or mythology. The game deserves all of the praised it has gotten because it is truly nothing like it out there. Games today are tripped away of their challenging qualities - when I speak of challenge, I speak of the fun of figuring out how to defeat a boss or a common enemy, and figuring out a puzzle with vague clues that makes sense.

On the other hand, the game's vagueness is also a deterring factor because it doesn't explain how the online multiplayer works and there isn't a proper visual cue to indicate to the player that the enemy is too hard. If it weren't for the online guides and the community message boards I would have been more frustrated with the game, but not to the point of stop playing. The game is challenging but it is fair and becomes extremely easy once your character reaches a certain level. The game's last boss was extremely easy and I wasn't even maxed out - 713 is the maxed level - I was only at level 112.

Dark Souls is a great game but it is not for everyone and I understand why Skyrim is a better game. It is a better game because it is more accessible and the player always know what to do and where to go.  Although, one could never get lost in Dark Souls but not the game's vagueness can deter the average player.

Well, that's my review of Dark Souls...I had fun playing it due to experience of exploring the world, leveling up to see the cool spells and equipment, and the fun in defeating a boss that was once difficult. However, the game was not fun because it was more of a chore than entertainment and game's should be fun. I had spent most of time leveling up through Dark Souls and I won't consider grinding to be fun aspect of gaming because grinding is like work and work is never fun.