Dark Souls II - Cursed

Since completing Dark Souls, I've merely dabbled with NG+ - not really getting anywhere despite my best intentions. However, I have picked up the PC version recently and installed a bunch of mods which make the game look truly spectacular. So I've been going back to it quite a bit and faffing about with the early game. 

To be honest, I've spent most of the time taking screenshots and examining the textures closely rather than playing the game proper. I've also had the urge over the last few days to boot up Demon's Souls again, as it's been quite a while since I last dived into the world of Boletaria.

But of course, Dark Souls II has appeared on the horizon, surrounded by billowing black storm clouds and its heading this way like some terrible, unstoppable, inevitable nightmare.

A trailer was released this week and it made me weep with a mixture of fear and complete joy. Words such as curse, misery and frail hope are scattered throughout, so no change there then. It also shows ivy-strewn castle walls, a giant bandaged-wrapped monstrosity, a long-limbed freak, some god-forsaken fiery demon and spiders. Terrible, awful, spindly spiders.

As if to hammer the point home that this is no laughing matter, the narrator says: "Your wings will burn in anguish, time after time."

I hope at the end of Dark Souls II, FROM Software include a final death tally. That will make frightening reading. My pre-order is in and I'm ready. March can't come soon enough.

Praise the sun! Dark Souls vanquished

After 123 hours, countless deaths and some of the most amazing gaming moments I've ever experienced, I finally delivered the coup de grâce and sent Gwyn, The Lord of Cinder into eternal slumber. Yes, I've finally completed Dark Souls.

Over the course of the weekend, I knuckled down and made my way through Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, dispatching four bosses before finally coming face-to-face with Gwyn in the Kiln of the First Flame.

It was an amazing feeling to finally finish what I consider to be one of the greatest games ever made and even though the 123 hours logged was perhaps a bit extreme, I used that time well, exploring every inch of the game world - which, incidentally, features some of the best level design I've ever seen - and repeated sections to farm souls and upgrade weapons and armour.

Now, NG+ awaits, but I'm considering starting a new character and going through the whole experience again, playing in a completely different style.

So thank you to the spirited brawler who helped me take down Ornstein and Smough, to the multitude of invaders who made my heart beat significantly faster, to the horned Capra Demon for teaching me patience and new swear words, to the person I heard ringing the first Bell of Awakening which raised my flagging spirits, to those goggle-eyed curse frogs who taught me the true meaning of terror, and finally to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team for delivering a truly epic experience.

3D Dot Game Heroes - PS3 - review

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto must be feeling pretty good about himself.

3D Dot Game Heroes plays like an old school Zelda adventure, except this game by FROM Software drags 8-bit visuals into the 21st century, giving the game a unique and stylised appearance.

The game isn't afraid to wear its Zelda influence proudly on its sleeve. In fact, there are so many nods to the Nintendo series that it's easy to forget 3D Dot Game Heroes really has nothing to do with Link and his quest to save the land of Hyrule.

A mysterious ancient sword and boomerang make their appearance early in the game, while the inclusion of a bow, arrows, sling shot, bombs, health-giving fairies and chickens to chase around, makes you wonder quite how the developer managed to get away with it.

However, 3D Dot Game Heroes is more than a mere pastiche, with FROM Software throwing in a few of its own ideas, including nods to several of their previous games.

It doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is a good thing when you consider the story is whimsical fantasy nonsense, including genre staples such as a captured princess and a dark force spreading across the land.

Even thrusting a sword towards a group of enemies results in the unexpected, with the blade extending dozens of feet forward if fully powered up.

Gameplay is simple, with weapons mapped to two face buttons, while a third button is used to dash. Simplicity, though, is what the game is all about, and it's refreshing to play something that is intuitive and easy to pick up and play.

The old school design choice extends further than the game's looks - trekking through miles of wilderness between key locations is the norm and it can be annoying, especially as enemies re-spawn at every available opportunity. Die, and you'll be unceremoniously dumped back at the location of your last save.

While the camera angle can be changed when exploring the wilds, a fixed option takes over when exploring the game's dungeons. This is fine, but the dungeons are generally bland and fail to match Zelda's thought-provoking conundrums. The dungeon's bosses are also a mixed bunch, lacking spark and imagination for the most part.

But he real star of the show is the visuals. Featuring gorgeous blocky 3D characters, quaint Lego-like villages, sparkling rivers, a lovely depth of field filter, and more than enough charm to keep pulling the player through the 20 hour adventure, there's nothing quite like 3D Dot Game Heroes currently on the market.

FROM Software have even created a robust character design suite, and you can easily spend hours creating your own unique blocky character.

There are also more than 60 pre-set models to choose from, and each one can be picked when starting from a previous save.

Default hero Frum will be most people's first choice, but with a range of diverse characters to control - including a vampire, ninja, samurai and football player - it's worth checking them all out to see their animations.

The rousing musical score adds to the Zelda feel, with cracking 8-bit-style tunes ripping off older soundtracks to create a bright and breezy score which is a retro gamer's delight.

So forget about the stuffiness of other role-playing games and embrace this return to the golden days of simplistic adventures.

3D Dot Game Heroes may have flaws, but it's an absolute joy to play and Zelda fans should definitely take a look.

3D Dot Game Heroes: Update - PS3

3D Dot Games Heroes is less than a month away from release and with every new screenshot, it's hard not to be excited.

The story is fantasy fluff with a curious twist. In the Kingdom of Dotnia, six wise sages kept watch over six orbs which contained the power of God. However, when a demonic overlord attempted to lay waste to the kingdom, a hero took up the challenge and defeated him.

After the epic battle between good and evil, Dotnia became a tourist attraction, but eventually people stopped visiting. The King then had a brainwave that would hopefully entice visitors back - transforming the flat, 2D gameworld into glorious blocky 3D.

However, with the land now full of monsters, this course of action didn't go according to plan, so it's up to your character to explore the kingdom and find out what went wrong.

There's obviously more than a passing nod to Zelda, with similar gameplay elements and weapons, including a boomerang - which is used to hit far off switches - and bows. Even the game's music has a Zelda flavour.

It's still not clear how long the game will last, but with four character classes to choose from - hero, prince, scholar and - unusually - the lead character from the classic underground adventure Spelunker, plenty of items to find and an optional hard difficulty level, hopes remain high that 3D Dot Game Heroes will be a lengthy quest.

There's even a character editor packed in so you can throw your own blocky character into the action.

3D Dot Heroes is released in Japan on November 5. Check out the official site - complete with wonderful music HERE



Images courtesy of FROM Software.