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Best Souls game ?

Best souls game ?


  • Total voters
    184
  • Poll closed .

Talby

Arcane
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Joined
Mar 15, 2008
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5,507
Codex USB, 2014
Dark Souls. Don't listen to the DS2 babies who say that one is the best; they're retarded faggots who don't know anything.
 

Gentle Player

Arcane
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
2,334
Location
Britain
Dark Souls 1 > DeS + BB > DS2 + DS3

I've not played Nioh, and haven't played enough of Severance to form a proper opinion.

From Software will never make a Souls style game as good as DS1 until they realise that allowing the player to easily warp from place to place removes a lot of the tension, worsens the game's pace, and to some extent disconnects the player from the environments.

DeS and BB offer fresh and interesting ideas (world tendency; chalice dungeons and blood gems) which unfortunately aren't executed very well.

DS2 and 3 are both derivative: they retell the same basic story of DS1 and offer very little in the way of new mechanics. DS2 is incoherent; its areas feel like a collection of outtakes that are individually well made but roughly patched together without rhyme or reason. It's also lacking in attention to detail and has the most static NPCs. DS3 has a more cohesive world but is painfully linear and abandons many of the minor gameplay improvements introduced in DS2.

Nevertheless I think they're all still solid games that are a joy to play.
 

Mexi

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
6,811
The original is still the best, with a great atmosphere and level design, especially the Tower of Latria

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Soul of the mind, key to life's ether.
Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel.
Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended.
So the world might be mended.
Tower of Latria was probably the only thing that was superior. The rest is not as good as Dark Souls. Only pure edgelords would say Demon's is superior. Dark Souls is a gigantic improvement over Demon's Souls, no argument.
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
Who gives a shit? It basically is a Souls game just with shit re-skinned and a title swap.

Also, why would you take issue with BB's inclusion and not Severance or Nioh? WTF? Severance in particular isn't really like Dark Souls at all. the parallels aren't very prominent.
 

ColonelTeacup

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
1,433
None of them should be there except for Demons Souls and the Dark Souls games. Any additions are simply trying to ride on the coattails of Dark Souls success. Bloodborne, and Nioh do not deserve to be in the same category as the Souls series, disappointments that they are.
 

praetor

Arcane
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
3,069
Location
Vhoorl
DS3 is by far the worst of the lot. the only thing it has superior to the others is the graphics (not even the art direction) and some bosses. combat is worse, multiplayer is worse, covenants are garbage, story/lore is the worst it has ever been, world design is the worst, even the music isn't good. but that's just compare to the other soulsborne games, because as a standalone game it's still excellent. it's just the worst of the ones in the list by a wide margin.

and just like DS3 is the clear loser, DS1 is the clear winner here. it's probably the only game of the list that manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. it truly is a special game that manages to transcend most of its flaws

i love Nioh. as many have said, by far the best combat mechanics of the options in the poll (if not the best action "rpg-ish" combat fullstop). but the repetitiveness kills it a bit, and the story/lore and shit is kinda eh (though the setting is great), so i can't vote for it :(

Severance will always have a special place in my heart. when it came out it was fucking beautiful (and still holds up pretty well), it has so many amazing moments, like the sense of Indiana Jones-y adventuring you can get from levels like Temple of Al Farum or Oasis of Nejeb or Temple of Inanna (the level design in general is absolutely superb. i don't think there's a single bad level in the whole game), the fucking mental traps that you need to go through to get the true sword and the real ending (they make everything in Soulsborne look like a kids game), the first time you encounter that Vampire Necromancer, how there's enemies in the bestiary who hate each other so you can get them to fight among themselves, how you can dismember enemies, the first time you find one of those special elemental weapons, how different the characters are... i have pretty much preyed to the gods of gaming every night since i finished Severance 7 times almost 2 decades ago to get something similar, until DeS finally came, but i can't vote for it... i've replayed it last time a couple of years ago, and the mechanics haven't aged nearly as well as the visuals/atmosphere, the characters aren't actually different enough (f.e. each having a different movement mechanic that would let you access different parts of some levels? a bit more variety than just the first level..), the story is subpar, the controls are beyond clunky, the progression way too linear, the dial-a-combo system is eh... :(

Demon's Souls was the game i have been waiting ever since i finished Severance all those many years ago. out of all the ones in the list, it has the best story+atmosphere (but not lore! :P), the setting is fantastic, and some of the ideas are great and it's "The First of its Name". but... i just can't vote for it. the mechanics are just way worse than all of the sequels in every single way, the build and weapon variety is pretty bad, the tendencies are good ideas but executed atrociously, most bosses are one-trick ponies and are boring to fight after the first time, most levels are mediocre, and i personally don't find any of the NPCs compelling other than meme material (just personal opinion). it's by far the least replayable in the series (but if you judged them on first-playthrough only, i'd say DeS is a very very close second to DS1) :(

and i'm having a difficult time deciding between DS2 and BB as the second vote. on one hand, DS2 is the pinnacle of Souls mechanically, it has the best online by a very, very wide margin, and the DLCs are by far the best Souls experience currently available, but on the other it's the ugliest (thanks to the last minute gutting of the engine and the overuse of 90ies era texture tiling), a bit too floaty (ironic, considering it's the only mocapped one) and some of the vanilla parts can be quite bad at times. and it has soul fucking memory. and BB takes the formula in a different enough direction to feel both familiar and alien enough, plus Lovecraft (though not really!) and great level design and visually and musically it's probably at the very top, but the magic system is crap (well, the spells are best they've been in the series by far, but making them cast by bullets was silly, and it's a bit too limited and needs quite a bit of metaknowledge to properly go arcane etc), it's too linear, combat feels to samey because of the focus on fast pace and aggressiveness so even though the weapons are the most diverse they have ever been, builds don't feel anywhere near as diverse as in DS2.

for now, my vote goes to DS2 because fuck the haters (and i used to be one ;)), even though deep down i probably think BB is the better of the 2

all in all, i would honestly vote for all of them (except DS3 :P), they're all great in their own way, and all are worth playing (yes, even DS3)

tl;dr: DS1 >>> DS2+BB > DeS + Severance + Nioh >>>>>>>>>> DS3
 

felipepepe

Codex's Heretic
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Joined
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Terra da Garoa
Everything after Dark Souls 1 is decline, From Software abandoned the exploration & sense of adventure for TEH HARDCORE COMBAT!!!1

Not only the world of Dark Souls 1 had an amazing connectivity, it was also always fresh. Sen Fortress, Blight Town, Tomb of Giants, The Great Hollow, the Crystal Caves... every are felt unique and altered how you played the game in a subtle way. Dark Souls 2 still did with some areas, which is part of why it still holds up well, but the rest... pfff.

Bloodborne is overrated as fuck, I honestly had more fun in the first 5 hours of Lords of the Fallen than with the first 5 hours of Bloodborne. Not only they severely limited playstyle and build options, but also gave every boss 3-4x the HP they would have in Dark Souls, making fights drag like crazy.
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
They were just like any other Souls bossfight to me. No idea where "3-4x hp" claim came from. Maybe those three assholes in Yarnham Woods whom I pretty much was left with no choice but to parry to death. Other than that it was typical Japanese action game boss fights.

But yeah, otherwise BB is overrated decline.

Everything after Dark Souls 1 is decline, From Software abandoned the exploration & sense of adventure for TEH HARDCORE COMBAT!!!1

Up yours! Those evil cretins at From Software trading minor focus in one good thing for minor focus in another good thing, how dare they! DS2 still has decent exploration anyways. It's a little less interconnected, a little less visually impressive, and a little less believable. I would consider it noteworthy decline over the previous game were it not inclined in other areas (systems, combat, MP). As it stands I don't mind that trade at all. Gameplay incline is the purest form of incline.
 
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cvv

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18,071
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Kingdom of Bohemia
Codex+ Now Streaming!

That's weird, I'd subscribe to every single word of this post. Not used to that in the Souls community which for the past few years - with the DS2 hatred, DS3 worship and Remaster fanboyism - felt like retard central without a shred of prestigious taste or common sense.
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
for now, my vote goes to DS2 because fuck the haters (and i used to be one ;))

boggles the mind. I loved DS2 when it was released, even though I was disappointed by the decline of some aspects as well as impressed by the improvement of others as highlighted above. The fanbase were up in arms calling DS2 garbage and I just assumed 95% of them were completely retarded and kept away. This was, what, 2014? A good game with good uncompromising gameplay was released in 2014. How could it be? Why would I ever label it garbage just because it ditched some focus on minor elements of the previous games in favor of focus elsewhere? Yes it was disappointing and it could have been the best Souls game with ease if it kept that focus alongside the new gameplay incline, but still...garbage? Fuck off you atmosphere/art direction/immersion/LARPer/storyfag tards.
 
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Kitchen Utensil

Guest
DS > DS2 >>> DS3 for me. Haven't played Bloodborne and DeS yet, but from what I've seen from them, they'd probably end up somewhere between DS2 and 3.
Poll is shit though. Either limit the options to the actual Souls(/borne) games, or include other options as well, like Lords of the Fallen and The Surge for example.
 

Arnust

Savant
Joined
Dec 22, 2016
Messages
680
Location
Spain
boggles the mind. I loved DS2 when it was released, even though I was disappointed by the decline of some aspects as well as impressed by the improvement of others as highlighted above. The fanbase were up in arms calling DS2 garbage and I just assumed 95% of them were completely retarded and kept away. This was, what, 2014? A good game with good uncompromising gameplay was released in 2014. How could it be? Why would I ever label it garbage just because it ditched some focus on superficial elements of the previous games in favor of focus elsewhere? Yes it was disappointing and it could have been the best Souls game with ease if it kept that focus alongside the new gameplay incline, but still...garbage? Fuck off you atmosphere/art direction/immersion/LARPer/storyfag tards.
I think that storyfags are better served in 2 than in 1, actually. If only in the sense of having more of a *story* per se and not just blowing raspberries with a faintly dark fantasy subversion tone...

(I'm a storyfag so I may just be speaking for myself)
 
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Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
Perhaps, but storyfags are better served by the sense of believability and immersion of DS1 as a result of it's inter-connectivity, it's sense of place etc. I know I took DS1's world more seriously and was sucked in more by it as a result of its attention to detail in that regard.
Yet DS2 simply has an edge in gameplay. I consider DS1 better or equal to DS2 overall because you can get fun and entertainment value from a story, sense of adventure etc, but core gameplay again is pure and that's why DS2 is notable.
Besides, DS2 certainly has its epic moments, like Dragon Aiere.
Level design from a gameplay POV in DS2 is pretty grand too. I loved conquering the Shaded woods, navigating the maze of those evil pots that curse you and uncovering its secrets. Shrine of Amana was hardcore as hell. Iron Keep and it's constant traps, tightrope walking and asshole enemy placement. Harvest Valley/Earthen Peak is DS2's Sen's Fortress. Just so many great levels that was never even close to matched by any of the games after. DS3 and BB level design is somewhat bland by comparison to 1 and 2, though still leagues above most other games made today ofc.
 
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DJOGamer PT

Arcane
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
7,349
Location
Lusitânia
Everything after Dark Souls 1 is decline, From Software abandoned the exploration & sense of adventure for TEH HARDCORE COMBAT!!!1

Not only the world of Dark Souls 1 had an amazing connectivity, it was also always fresh. Sen Fortress, Blight Town, Tomb of Giants, The Great Hollow, the Crystal Caves... every are felt unique and altered how you played the game in a subtle way. Dark Souls 2 still did with some areas, which is part of why it still holds up well, but the rest... pfff.

Bloodborne is overrated as fuck, I honestly had more fun in the first 5 hours of Lords of the Fallen than with the first 5 hours of Bloodborne. Not only they severely limited playstyle and build options, but also gave every boss 3-4x the HP they would have in Dark Souls, making fights drag like crazy.

What is your opinion about Severance and Nioh?
 

Atomkilla

Arcane
Joined
Jul 26, 2011
Messages
715
Dark Souls is best for me, since it's the most *complete* game. Has its own share of faults and has drops in quality, but it's amazing all in all. Great sense of exploration and atmosphere, aesthetics, lore and is simply fun to play.

I also adore Bloodborne very much, which makes it a close second - it's atmosphere, world design, sense of exploration and lore are fantastic, and it's obviously the work of love just like DS1 was (unlike DS2 and DS3). Plus, it plays differently from DS1 - as Hobo Elf pointed out, just mashing R1 won't cut it. It's also one of the few games that knew how to adapt Lovecraft properly so that it suits its action game needs, but also remain very much Lovecraft.
Fuck Chalice Dungeons tho.

DS2 and DS3 I rank on the same level, and that is - absolutely inferior to DS1/BB. I like both of them for very different reasons, and I hate both of them for very different reasons.

DS2 is a mess, to put it bluntly. Awful sense of exploration, level design that varies in quality too much, stupid bosses, several plotlines that are kinda trying to make sense as a whole, but really they don't.
On the other hand it has great atmosphere, best multiplayer, and those DLCs are mind-blowing. Also SotFS has the only NG+ in Souslborne that makes sense.
I was never a DS2 hater, but I can see why people dislike it - it's inferior to DS1 in almost every way. Still, for a game that was, according to rumors, made in less than a year it's great.

DS3 is a strange beast. On one hand it has some great levels and great bosses, on the other it has some pretty stupid stuff. On one hand some of its stuff feel like a natural continuation of established lore, on the other it's quite uninspired and rehashes too much stuff from DS1 - and I hate too much fanservice.
I would also love it far more if it's gameplay wasn't some poor mash-up of DS1 and BB that just doesn't work. There's a big difference in level design quality, which I think in general sums up DS3 pretty good - from some levels being really great and atmospheric, to other being just flat, boring swamps.
It is also messy storywise, though I found it less messy than DS2. Not by a wide margin though.
Despite everything, I thought it ended the franchise well.

I've played like an hour or so of Demon's Souls, so I can't comment on it. What I've seen was pretty good, but hardly enough to make up my mind.
Never played the other games.
 
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felipepepe

Codex's Heretic
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Messages
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Terra da Garoa
What is your opinion about Severance and Nioh?
Despite being a pioneer, Severance is great and has a level design that is far beyond what I saw in Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3. Tons of traps, interesting designs, diverse locations, etc... the end-game drags a bit, but the first level of the knight and the barbarian are amazing. Also, mutilation makes combat feels very satisfying.

Nioh I only played a bit on my friend's PS4, I'm waiting to build a new PC to dive into it. But what I experienced felt really good. Great sense of challenge, fun enemies and a polished combat system.
 

Wunderbar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
DS2 still has decent exploration anyways. It's a little less interconnected, a little less visually impressive, and a little less believable. I would consider it noteworthy decline over the previous game were it not inclined in other areas (systems, combat, MP). As it stands I don't mind that trade at all. Gameplay incline is the purest form of incline.
fingers crossed Yui Tanimura will have a chance at making another soulsborne-game.
At least, Miyazaki said "For me, Dark Souls III is the end. But that doesn’t mean the end for Dark Souls. If someone other than myself, like another staff member, wants to make a Dark Souls, then I don’t want to deny others from making future installments".
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
People letting the fanboyism cloud their reasoning around here.

First, if you're a fan of what Dark Souls does with it's levels, there's no way Bloodborne first 5 hours is shit. Yharnam Central + Cathedral Ward + Old Yharnam are among the better designed level sequence the series has seen, and put everything in DS2 and DS3 to shame. You can argue the game goes downhill after Rom, but before it? You're not being reasonable if you say that.

Also, come on, DS2 is a bold little game, and DS3 is an honest effort, but ultimately, if we are talking sum of its parts and sheer artistic genius here, the two can hug themselves and drown in their own shit because they will never reach the greatness of DeS, DS1 and BB. And come on I'm not talking about some "uncompromising fun poking people online in funny customes" here. I'm talking actual, engrossing, experiences bro. You can't say DS2/3 are engrossing experiences with a straight face and you know that.
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
BB is rather mediocre by comparison. Stop your lies. Yes it starts off ok, but it does indeed go slip a decline and quite fast.

Best setting and art direction, worst gameplay.
 

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