Non-Review: Demon's Souls (PS3)

+'s

-intriguing use of online multiplayer (ability to: summon 2 players to assist you, leave helpful messages for other players, and invade other player's worlds. Each has benefits.)

-compelling use of souls for all form of upgrades (stats, weapon upgrades, items, etc.)

-'s

-Poor gameplay (I could right a paragraph on this easily, but the biggest problem is the use of stamina in boss fights. Bosses in particular are able to break your shield block, bringing your stamina to zero, and then attack you mercilessly while you are unable to block or dodge. This can be extremely frustrating.)

-Even when I did defeat a boss (I think I defeated 4 of them in 25 hours or so) I felt a sense of relief rather than satisfaction or fun.

-No maps or true sense of location reference. It's not enough that you can die at literally any point in the game, but you must memorize every turn and staircase while you're also wondering what's around the corner waiting to kill you.

-Incredible amount of backtracking and monotony. The penalty for death is losing souls (and a bit of HP if you die and go from body form to soul form) and having to start and the beginning of a level, and the enemies respawn along with you.

-Almost complete lack of hints or a guide in any fashion. The only real in game guides are the notes by other players (even essential elements of the game are not obvious. For example, I spent over 15 hours wondering how to leave messages, rate them, summon Blue Phantoms, invade other worlds, etc.) or via online walkthroughs and FAQ's. This is an incredible amount of rigor to complete in order to enjoy the game at any level.

-Very little entertainment value, if any

Neutral

-Voice acting is decent in spots and almost hilariously bad in others.

- graphics and sound (fine for the most part, but there is some screen tearing in places)

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Demon's Souls, but it really is a game only for the most rabid RPG fans wanting a ridiculous level of challenge and time investment. From what I've seen online, many gamers are really enjoying this game, but after 25 hours (that I can never get back) I just felt more and more frustrated. This is a perfect example of a game feeling more like work and less like a game.

Note: Non-Reviews mean that I did not complete the game, but I feel I played enough to make an appropriate judgement on a score/recommendation.