Demon's Souls - Black Phantom Edition (PS3)

This is a fantastic game, and this edition is one of the finest. The art book, albeit small, looks gorgeous and contains some really nice concept art. The included soundtrack is nothing short of amazing, and the main theme can really give you chills down your spine. If games are art, it's because of the contributions of artists like these.

Demon's Souls is an unforgiving game. You have to play the levels from the beginning to the end, without checkpoints, so it's a hard, difficult experience with a steep learning curve.

With a good - if functional - backstory, a credible game world, gorgeous graphics and excellent controls, the old school gameplay of Demon's Souls will definitely have you coming back for more. But you have to be sure of one thing: you will feel frustrated. It's a frustration that - most of the times - feels fair: you die because you didn't play well, because you felt too confident, because you let your guard down and didn't keep all your senses locked to the screen. Play like clockwork, time your moves, and you will beat it.

Demon's souls is not for kids, it's - firmly - a game for the discerning adult, looking for an uncommon challenge. Under that light it's a true masterpiece. Buy it if you want to play a punishingly hard game where finishing a level feels like a true accomplishment. Don't buy it you want to chill out on your couch, this is not a dungeon crawler for the casual adventure seeker, but rather a gem for the hardcore player. It's refreshing, bold, dark and masochistic.

It's hard to think of another game which is as innovative and yet old-school, so punishing and yet open-ended, so brief and yet expansive as Demon's Souls is. It has been called everything from the best PS3 game to the hardest RPG ever, and having now finished the story over 25-odd hours, I'm inclined to agree with all the praise that has been heaped on this wonderful game.

My single favourite aspect is the combat. There's nothing quite like clashing with a tough enemy with a tight defence, rebuffing their attacks whilst waiting for an opportune moment to counter or parry. There are literally dozens of weapons in the game, from rudimentary swords, bows, spears and so on through to mighty blades which cleave the sky in twain. That every foe can, at the outset, defeat you if you let your guard down adds to the tension and makes every single battle intense and fraught.

You collect souls from each enemy you defeat, and these can then be traded for upgrades, items and weapons. However, should you die, you're returned to the start of the level, all enemies respawn and you lose accumulated souls, which languish where you died, awaiting to be re-collected (until you die again, then they're gone). It's a perfect risk/reward system, and the game thrives on careful play and forward planning. Most levels aren't particularly big, but with the number of enemies populating them, they can easily each take over an hour to complete. Luckily the game autosaves continuously, so if you do need to switch off mid-level you can do so and return later with no punishment. Shortcuts are also available in most levels, so huge chunks can be cut out if necessary, and these are permanently unlocked once activated.

Playing the game comes in two flavours - body form (nothing to do with ladies' hygiene) and soul form. You start the game in body form, but upon dying you come back in soul form - with half health (although kind of ¾ health really), and you must beat the level's boss, help out another player online or use an item to get back your body. There are different events which happen depending on what you do (far too much detail to go into here), such as meeting particular characters and unlocking hidden areas. To get the most out of the game you really need to use the Demon's Souls Wiki, but save that for subsequent play throughs.

The online modes are incredible. Basically, you can co-op with two other soul form players as well as get involuntarily invaded by another player, who will regain their body if they defeat you. Aside from this, players can post prescribed messages all over the game, so you might find out how to beat a boss, or use it to warn others of a trap or tough enemy. You can also see other players' last few seconds before death, which can help prepare you for the trials ahead.

The bosses are so good they deserve a mention all of their own. They range from twisted humans to massive deformed beasts, but most of them have a unique quirk, and beating them is a battle of attrition, skill and dexterity. Nothing is left to chance in this game and the bosses are perfectly balanced, and deserve to be remembered alongside the likes of Shadow of the Colossus or Zelda for its incredible and memorable confrontations.

Lastly, I suppose the difficulty needs a mention. Demon's Souls is a hard game, but most of it comes down to common sense, and most deaths come from avoidable player mistakes. Proceeding slowly, keeping your shield up and learning the level as you advance is the best tactic, and once you complete the first couple of levels, you'll have somewhere to grind for souls, which makes it all a bit more manageable until such a time as you can tackle the tougher enemies and levels. Patience and perseverance are definitely needed, but the game gets easier as you level up, get better equipment and learn the enemies.

Demon's Souls is an amazing game that embraces the new whilst keeping in touch with the aspects that made the 8- and 16-bit era so memorable. There aren't many games like it on PS3 - a third-person action RPG with an emphasis on combat and dungeon crawling, and with enough depth to rival the mightiest RPG - but it's so good that it sits up near the very top of the PS3 tree and occupies a niche all to itself. If you have patience, like a challenge and lament the lack of RPGs this generation, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.

This game is without a doubt the best RPG on the PS3. Bold statement? Maybe so, but with two game of the year awards (gamespot and IGN) behind me it has backup! It was first released in Japan last year, as the developers didnt think the western world would receive such a difficult RPG well. Oh how they where wrong! After huge critical acclaim and sellout figures, it finally came to the USA where it repeated its success, and finally it arrives in the UK and EU.

Gameplay is somewhat traditional RPG / action, but with a twist that gives this game its edge; its brutally difficult. You have not played an RPG this hard, at least this generation. The enemies in the game vary in scale and type from skeletons and plague ridden prisoners, to giant fire breathing dragons. The game also has very unique and terrifying demons, one of which worth a mention is the amazingly creepy soul eating Mind Flayer of the Latria Tower. If you are a fan of the monsters in Pans Labyrinth, you will see a lot of similarities in art style in the enemies of this game. This game really has diversity in its enemies. And the best thing is, even the low tier grunts have the power to one hit kill you, so you never feel a time where you can let your guard down. What makes this game even harder besides its tough enemies is the fact that it gets harder the more you fail, but I wont disclose why as you will figure it out as you play. Yes a game that gets harder on its own, every time you die!

Storywise, (no spoilers) Demons Souls follows a simple yet interesting fantasy path. The great fictional kingdom of Boletaria has been overcome by an enormous mystical fog, that provides ground for the most powerful demons to take the souls of every living creature in the land. Our nameless hero, (you get to chose from a number of classes including Mage, Warrior, Knight, Thief etc) like many before him take the challenge of saving the land from the demons and ridding it of the demon at the heart of all the fog, known only as the Old One. And without spoiling, you are in for an amazing ride. The game is set out over 5 different areas, each of which has a very unique art style and totally different batch of enemies and demons. The other twist on this game is that you are supposed to die. And believe me, you will. When you die, your body is taken by the land and your soul is returned into limbo (the nexus). The Nexus is a sort of safe haven where your soul will remain trapped forever, and aided by a couple of friends in the nexus you must return to Boletaria each time you die to bring back souls.

One last thing I have to mention besides the stunning artwork, graphics and detail of the game, is the depth. Because of its difficulty and huge replay value, the game has well over 80-100 hours worth of play. Then there is the multiplayer aspect which adds another endless amount of fun. There are so many weapons, armours and secret items to find, forge and steal that you will always have something challenging and fun to do.

Overall, Highly recommended, this is one of the greatest games of all time and if you have not already, pick this copy up with the art book and sound track. It's well worth your money.