Sequel confirmed.

So, it being nearly 4 a.m. I figured why not check Google for news on Dark Souls? I did, checked the news feature on Google, and found this http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/04/05/from-software-confirms-dark-souls-sequel/, and being the good A.P student I am, here is a second source http://www.justpushstart.com/2012/04/from-software-confirms-follow-up-to-dark-souls/ So a Sequel is in the works, or at least an expansive DLC

Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah I think it's already being discussed somewhere.. I think we're all a little concerned about this sentence:
"The success of both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, which have each sold
over a million [units] per title worldwide, has made us shift our
thinking internally to not just core gamers, but to globalize our
products, that they can be successful on a worldwide scale."

@Rynoa May I ask why?

Being successful world wide doesn't necessarily mean lowering the difficulty. However the game in general will seem to be less difficult to those who played demons & or dark anyway. What it could also mean is that they'll add an actual story driven plot which can be used to attract a larger crowd. Dark Souls seriously lacks in that department.

more souls games bring it on but true that Rynoa. That statement about rethinking to globalize I hope doesn't mean dummying down the difficulty. Broadening the appeal is fine but I don't know how they'd do it. Although They're smarter then me so I know they'll find a way.

I just hope they play smart, and don't change the things that made Demon and Dark sell over a million.
I can't imagine what could possibly globalize such games if not making it easier, but I'm not a From developer so i'll just have faith in them
I hope they won't limit your freedom for the sake of a more story driven game, too

Rynoa wrote:I hope they won't limit your freedom for the sake of a more story driven game, too

Freedom to do what exactly? Ring a bell for no apparent reason not even knowing that their are two if you happened to attack the npc instead of talking to him? I mean you could very well struggle in the catacombs make it all the day down after dieing 200 times only to be stopped by a golden fog wall. You know since the obvious way to explore would be the giant archway & all that.

I remember showing my friend this game & he asked what's the plot about I paused for a moment because I honestly forgot there was a story & just said to kill 4 monsters for their souls to light a fire? Like I said seriously lacking. You can have a more structured storyline while keeping a game none-linear.

Pony Souls: friendship is...backstabb

I found this to be a nice breather from typical games. Sometimes it nice to just make your own story rather than have it spoon fed to you. I like that about the souls series, not saying I am right and you are wrong, just that in my opinion if they suddenly made a very plot driven game for the souls series I would feel a little let down. From is really very good at telling a story from behind the curtain.

But.. thats just kind of what I am into. Sometimes its nice to just sit down and play soemthing because its fun, since its been some time since I have seen a unique fantasy story come out of a game.

As for the update. From has been really good with its community, I don't think they would do something that would turn away the fans they have already just to cater to a wider audience. Thanks for the post OP it's good to hear the news

Yukon wrote:I found this to be a nice breather from typical games. Sometimes it nice to just make your own story rather than have it spoon fed to you. I like that about the souls series, not saying I am right and you are wrong, just that in my opinion if they suddenly made a very plot driven game for the souls series I would feel a little let down. From is really very good at telling a story from behind the curtain.

But.. thats just kind of what I am into. Sometimes its nice to just sit down and play soemthing because its fun, since its been some time since I have seen a unique fantasy story come out of a game.

As for the update. From has been really good with its community, I don't think they would do something that would turn away the fans they have already just to cater to a wider audience. Thanks for the post OP it's good to hear the news

oi get out of my head

Also this game is rather linear in allot of ways. Crestfallen explains that their is a bell above & below. Now logically speaking the bell below would be down the stairs of firelink shrine right? But wait I picked the pendent as my starting gift so I can't enter a shortcut I don't have access to. But wait stairs are still there right? Ok now you enter ghost vile. To do what exactly? O cool this item allows me to kill ghost that I couldn't hit before. Use that & make your way to Ingward who doesn't want to give me a key he just tolled me about. So what do I do? Kill his a$$. Yay I lowered the water & am reaching that bell soon right? Make it to the fog door to do what? Fall in a pit & die since I don't have Covenant of Artorias.

Yes yes lowering the water does grant you access to Blighttown through Drakes Valley however the game is intended to be started through undeadburg, church, depths, & then blightown.

Oo1Zer0 wrote:
Freedom to do what exactly? Ring a bell for no apparent reason not even knowing that their are two if you happened to attack the npc instead of talking to him? I mean you could very well struggle in the catacombs make it all the day down after dieing 200 times only to be stopped by a golden fog wall. You know since the obvious way to explore would be the giant archway & all that.

I remember showing my friend this game & he asked what's the plot about I paused for a moment because I honestly forgot there was a story & just said to kill 4 monsters for their souls to light a fire? Like I said seriously lacking. You can have a more structured storyline while keeping a game none-linear.

You don't check out the Archives much do you? Dark Souls has probably one of the most in depth and interesting stories I've seen in a game as of recent, but only if you seek it. It's like the rest of the game, it doesn't hold your hand, and that's something I love about it. If the game just tells me everywhere to go and holds a lolipop in front of my face, I'd be very disappointed in the sequel.

Tolvo wrote:You don't check out the Archives much do you? Dark Souls has probably one of the most in depth and interesting stories I've seen in a game as of recent, but only if you seek it. It's like the rest of the game, it doesn't hold your hand, and that's something I love about it. If the game just tells me everywhere to go and holds a lolipop in front of my face, I'd be very disappointed in the sequel.

The information about the lore for the most part are on items you find. That's not a story driven plot that's items that explain history about a world. There are RPGs that *gasp* actually do both.

You don't talk with many NPC's, look at the world too often, or seek secrets do you? A lot of information is in the game outside of item descriptions, you just have to search. I can't tell you how much time I've spent just absorbing paintings in Anor Londo, or comparing symbols and architecture from New Londo and the Darkroot Forest.

What Dark Souls does a piss poor job at doing is explaining the why. You're on a quest for no apparent reason to kill someone who you don't even know is good or evil. What motivates the protagonist? What motivates the antagonist? Hell how about an easier question like how did the protagonist even die? Like I said doesn't explain the why which is a key factor in a role playing game.

PS: Actually I've talked with every NPC multiple times. The majority of them have very little to say in terms of things that are actually relevant. The most interesting thing was probably the way of the white people.

The challenge is typically what motivates, otherwise you'll just be another crestfallen warrior waiting to go hollow in the firelink shrine. As a hero/villain without a past, and possibly a future, when presented with possibility and adventure, you would just sit there asking, "Why should I go out when I can sit in the shrine?" I could say the same about any game, "Why should I escape from my cell in Oblivion?" "Why should I try to get into Out Haven?" "Why should I try to kill the god of war?" There is a why, but really outside of your will to play a game is there ever a real reason to do anything in game?

Freedom = use your skills to stay alive and go wherever you like. You can do the catacombs or the forest before doing blighttown, for example, you can be a GL or a DW early in game or you can go to Sen's/Anor and do those places later. Ash lake? Sure, I'm doing it right now - nope I'll come back later - I won't even go there ever.
Except for some keys you have to find to progress nobody will ever tell you to go here or there. If you have the guts to take on an advanced area soon, nobody will ever tell you that you should go the other way instead.

There are games massively based on story which tell you everything you need to know crystal clearly, there are games which give you information about the past/present lore in a more subtle way, where you have to get the pieces together yourself. If the game is well done, I'm okay with both solutions.
Seeing as Dark Souls is the kind of game where you have to find out pieces of lore yourself, make your own story, and go where you like, I would feel disappointed if they changed this aspect.

Same would happen if the next, say, Final Fantasy, isn't story.driven at all.

That's complete ******** most rpg's have clear signs of what drives the hero.

Edit: Problem is you're NOT SUPPOSED to do the catacombs first. This is proven by the golden fog door in gaints tomb. If the game were truly non-linear you wouldn't need to place the lord vessel in order to obtain that lord soul. Half of the game is locked do to this very important key.

Ryn, exactly. Probably your response is a bit better worded of a way to say what I was trying to say.

Reading item descriptions comes as second nature to me, its been in most of my favourite games as a very subtle way to progress the plot and give you that why, I found the dialogue from npc's helpful, almost everyone in firelink gives you a quest of sorts.

"I've heard of great pyromancy in the swamps"
"I am seeking the great sage big hat"
"My friends have arrived and we will be departing for the catacombs briefly"

I agree that the level design can feel a bit linear at times, but most of the games that have managed to avoid that simply feel too big. Linear games like this and Ico, they set you on a clear path, but you really feel the scale of things, without needing to walk 5 hours to go and collect bear butts for the nearby village lady. To me the game felt full of hints and tips, a new key the item description tells you where to go, a new ring, almost always seemed to explain bosses, all the boss souls typically pointed you in a direction.

Yukon, I'll never complain about Dark Souls level design. Ever since my first time opening the Shortcut from the Basement to Firelink near the female undead Merchant, I'm just incapable of doing it in any means.

If you want to be told exactly what to do in a souls game then you have no idea what this series entails. Working out things for your own is key and central to the difficulty of the souls series and if you don't like it, well then you should find a new series.

I wasn't complaing, tolvo. I really enjoy walking through levels and being able to see the next area below me, but in comparison to demons souls some of the areas feel like they are on rails (lower undead burg for example), that is not to say all of them. I really love this game to bits, the level design is one thing you can't scold from on, they know how to set up a good level that teaches you what you need to know to progress.

What I mean was that you are not in an open field running for 6 days being attacked by wolves while you pick flowers like in skyrim. Games like that don't feel as big, they feel long, but there is something about dark souls that just makes the world seem huge as compared to some other rpg where you have vast open fields to frolic in.

Oo1Zer0 wrote:

Rynoa wrote:I hope they won't limit your freedom for the sake of a more story driven game, too

Freedom to do what exactly? Ring a bell for no apparent reason not even knowing that their are two if you happened to attack the npc instead of talking to him? I mean you could very well struggle in the catacombs make it all the day down after dieing 200 times only to be stopped by a golden fog wall. You know since the obvious way to explore would be the giant archway & all that.

I remember showing my friend this game & he asked what's the plot about I paused for a moment because I honestly forgot there was a story & just said to kill 4 monsters for their souls to light a fire? Like I said seriously lacking. You can have a more structured storyline while keeping a game none-linear.

With respect, Oo1ZerO, if that's the kind of RPG you want then there are plenty of them around. I know because I've played most of them. Dark Souls goes one step beyond your bog standard RPG and then some. As far as I'm concerned Dark Souls doesn't have to explain itself. It's way above that. Of course, there will always be those who like their hot little paw held every step of the way. Cue tedious cut scenes and interminable conversations.