Verdict:
Buy now!
Buy on sale
Save your money

Overall Score:
8.5/10

Summary:
I feel like Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition has been taunting me for 4 years - waiting for me to play it. I'd heard a lot about it and the hype so thought I'd experience it first hand.

To critique this game is not so straightforward. There are major issues. It's a pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ console port and you will spend your initial time downloading the DSFix 'mod' just so you can get it into a reasonably playable state. Forget about playing it on Keyboard and Mouse, unless you like extra punishment, a controller is a MUST (Steam controller worked well for me as an aside). The graphics are pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ (even for 2012, but remember at its core this is a last-gen console game). The absence of a tutorial or tooltips will have you alt tabbing and searching YouTube just to try and find out even the most basic of info that will be crucial to your game.

Yet despite all that the game rises to be head and shoulders over the sum of its parts. Once you accept the basic premise that you are there to die and learn from your mistakes (the game even has a mechanic where you can watch other people’s death, via a ghost, by clicking on their bloodstain to help learn from their mistakes). Then you will practice and practice and finally get it right - rewarding you with extremely satisfying moments, a feeling not often found in today’s games. There is something to be said for taking on a boss 6 or 7 times then finally defeating him. It's not just a matter of doing the boss fight, it's clearing the trash every single time, occasionally losing your XP in the process, which will serve to both destroy your soul and have you punching the air in triumph when you are finally successful.

Overall the game is akin to flawed genius, you know something is not quite right, the game will brutally punish your mistakes and yet it is almost because of it that you will find yourself coming back for more. I'm pretty sure this is the only game I have actually Rage Quit in the last 5 or so years.

I've recommended picking up On Sale because the game has been around long enough and on sale enough times that you can save your money, add it to your wish list and then grab it at the next sale (unless of course you have a burning desire to play straight away).


The Good:

• Brutal and satisfying gameplay
  
• Community support
  
• Good old fashion boss fights
  
• Sound is great

The Bad:

• Can feel lost as a new player, with very little information to go on
  
• The graphics
  
• You need to fix the off the shelf game (DSFix) before playing it to avoid a suboptimal experience

The Ugly:

• A terrible console port, NOT supported after release
  
• Camera can be frustrating

Pro Tip
Although you may need to go to the Wiki / YouTube to get some of the basics of the game, I highly recommend you stay away from watching boss fights and reading guides - the most satisfying experience will be making your own way through the game.

[b]Verdict:[/b] [strike]Buy now![/strike] Buy on sale [strike]Save your money [/strike] [b]Overall Score:[/b] 8.5/10 [b]Summary:[/b] I feel like Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition has been taunting me for 4 years - waiting for me to play it. I'd heard a lot about it and the hype so thought I'd experience it first hand. To critique this game is not so straightforward. There are major issues. It's a pretty shitty console port and you will spend your initial time downloading the DSFix 'mod' just so you can get it into a reasonably playable state. Forget about playing it on Keyboard and Mouse, unless you like extra punishment, a controller is a MUST (Steam controller worked well for me as an aside). The graphics are pretty shitty (even for 2012, but remember at its core this is a last-gen console game). The absence of a tutorial or tooltips will have you alt tabbing and searching YouTube just to try and find out even the most basic of info that will be crucial to your game. Yet despite all that the game rises to be head and shoulders over the sum of its parts. Once you accept the basic premise that you are there to die and learn from your mistakes (the game even has a mechanic where you can watch other people’s death, via a ghost, by clicking on their bloodstain to help learn from their mistakes). Then you will practice and practice and finally get it right - rewarding you with extremely satisfying moments, a feeling not often found in today’s games. There is something to be said for taking on a boss 6 or 7 times then finally defeating him. It's not just a matter of doing the boss fight, it's clearing the trash every single time, occasionally losing your XP in the process, which will serve to both destroy your soul and have you punching the air in triumph when you are finally successful. Overall the game is akin to flawed genius, you know something is not quite right, the game will brutally punish your mistakes and yet it is almost because of it that you will find yourself coming back for more. I'm pretty sure this is the only game I have actually Rage Quit in the last 5 or so years. I've recommended picking up On Sale because the game has been around long enough and on sale enough times that you can save your money, add it to your wish list and then grab it at the next sale (unless of course you have a burning desire to play straight away). [b]The Good:[/b][list] [*]Brutal and satisfying gameplay [*]Community support [*]Good old fashion boss fights [*]Sound is great [/list] [b]The Bad:[/b] [list] [*]Can feel lost as a new player, with very little information to go on [*]The graphics [*]You need to fix the off the shelf game (DSFix) before playing it to avoid a suboptimal experience [/list] [b]The Ugly:[/b] [*]A terrible console port, NOT supported after release [*]Camera can be frustrating[/list] [b]Pro Tip[/b] Although you may need to go to the Wiki / YouTube to get some of the basics of the game, I highly recommend you stay away from watching boss fights and reading guides - the most satisfying experience will be making your own way through the game.