| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PC | 9.40 |
| Overall | 9.40 |
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The yearly sequel is usually a fast track to franchise fatigue, quality takes a hit and ideas get stale. This is the third souls game in three years but unlike most yearly franchises this one remains extremely high quality. DS2 was a misstep, everyone knows it, Dark Souls 3 seems to be very aware of this and makes sure to take all the best elements of the entire series to make the ultimate souls game. I'm not going into specifics, by now all of you know how this series plays, it's still the same. What DS3 does so well is build on all mechanics from past games including the faster paced combat from Bloodborne, while keeping all the combat freedom souls offers. The result is the best combat in a souls game, rolling feels faster, attacks flow better, it's not as fast as BB but that's fine because souls games should be more methodical while offering way more combat options. What blew me away most is how all weapons feel valid now, FROM did an amazing job balancing all the weapons so that move list and preference wins out over stats. This allows for incredible weapon experimentation, there is no wrong or right way to play this. The biggest addition to the gameplay is a weapons skill system which gives every weapon a special attack that takes up magic. These attacks vary from weapon to weapon and can be offensive or defensive. Some daggers allow for a dash move with large invincibility frames, staffs have a twirling attack. Some swords have spectacular boss like attacks that have you sliding or jumping around. Having these attacks tied to the magic bar keeps them from becoming too overpowered and allows for more customizable options that pairs well with the magic system. Now there are two kinds of flasks, one to heal health and one to heal magic, the player can choose to divide the amount of flasks between the two any way you want. As cool as these moves are they don't really need to be used at all, often times they take too long to attack leaving the player vulnerable. It's a cool addition but not a necessary one. Dark Souls 3 follows the bloodborne approach to world design with a wide linear approach. There is usually one way to go but the environments are incredibly designed with multiple paths and enough room for quality exploration. It's not a twisting totally interconnected world like Dark Souls 1, you won't be able to jump to an area from late in the game right from the start. That said the world is still all connected in cool ways, you will see a cathedral in the distance from high up on a giant wall which of course later you travel too. All areas you find can be warped to making it easy to navigate the dense world. It is filled with loads of secrets and the holy crap moments you expect from these games. There are some stunning locations to discover, this is easily the most beautiful of all souls games. What makes these games special is the struggle to advance, everything from the most standard of grunts to some gigantic dragon can kill you around every turn. Then there are the monstrous bosses that come in all shapes and sizes which provide the most intense white knuckle moments. DS3 had one of the best collection of bosses and enemies the series has ever seen. A great mix of more human like fast paced battles with some of the giant monsters. Strategies change from boss to boss and some will test all your skills. Some of them are so huge in scale that it creates one of those hugely memorable game moments where you can't believe what you are playing. If I were to look for a negative in this game it's that the covenants are very lackluster especially when compared to all the enhancements DS2 had. It has all the usual covenants that pit groups against each other but does a terrible job of actually creating battle zones. I had to go out of my way to engage in PvP or coop as I rarely got summoned through a covenant. I am glad I did because PvP is the best it has ever been in this series, dumb rolling back stab attacks are not prevalent. In nearly every way Dark Souls 3 feels like the culmination of all the best elements that makes this series so special. It feels like the true Dark Souls sequel we did not get with DS2, it has tons of references and return cast members from the beloved DS1. This game suffers from Twilight Princess syndrome, if this game existed outside time and we look at all games equally then this is the best Souls game from a design point of view. But it doesn't work like that, Dark Souls came first and it set the standard, it was the most memorable and after so many of these games in so few years fatigue is setting in. That magic is still there but it doesn't shine as bright as it did when Dark Souls hit. If this is the last of the “Dark” soul games then it ends in a high note. This is another masterpiece in a series that has no peers, it remains a strange niche game that no one else can replicate. One that is so needed in this day in age when so many games feel like they are made in assembly line, we need this boldly japanese game. This is a great game for fans of the series and a great entry point for newcomers as it is the best in the series mechanically. |
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Posted by Dvader Sun, 08 May 2016 02:06:22
Recently Spotted:
travo (16s)
I had the KFC Variety two piece meal which came with two zinger wings and a chicken breast strip. It was all rather salty.