The idea of making this thread came by after talking a bit to Kupomogli about this game, watching some info about Scholar of the First Sin and overall being extremely hyped for Bloodborne.
Come to think about it, I've always had a fond memory of Dark Souls. I picked it up after reading things about Demon's Souls (couldn't play it at the time since I only had a 360), and without any pretentions or preconceived ideas (other than "I'm supposed to die a lot"), I started playing it, and inmediately loved it. Loved everything about it; the atmosphere, the gameplay, the lore behind items and the world itself and the messages on the ground. It's hard to describe for me how much joy I had playing it, whether it was being frustrated or conquering a boss and exploding with joy; but I just couldn't put it down. At times, I find myself replaying this game over and over (I think I have over 300 hours at it), and even when I have pretty much everything memorized, I still fail at times, which push me forward to go back again and conquer an specific area or boss.
And that being said, regarding memorizing, Dark Souls has the best dungeon design ever conceived as well.; at least, in my opinion. I have the map imprinted into my mind, and I remember every single enemy placement, every single secret area and every single item position. It just happened naturally, but I'd say this is the only time I've experienced something like this playing a videogame. For me, even with its flaws, Dark Souls is pure perfection; a tribute to gaming in general, an ode to amazing singleplayer experiences and a great multiplayer game as well. You might think I exaggerate, but this game inspired in a way very few games have been capable of.
As I said, though, the game has flaws. On the technical aspect, the game can be very bad at times (I'm looking at you Blighttown); some specific moments can be pretty cheap, especially the first time you're playing it, and the fact that the game forces you to die halfway through, during Duke's Archives, without any warning (with very, very low chances of you making it back to recover your body and your souls, so they're pretty much gone) was a dumb decision.
I often hear people saying Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 2 is much better than this. I can respect that, just like I can respect people disliking the Souls franchise altogether for the philosophy it portraits. But for me...there will be nothing that comes close to this, especially now when I'm tainted with nostalgia. I'm extremely hyped for Bloodborne, though, and if everything turns out right, it could dethrone Dark Souls in perfection. Time will tell.
