The Souls Online Experience

During this dark month of uncertainty(which will be clarified about in my next post), hopes, dreams and desires which I have had for years have been intensified and a lack of prioritizing tasks and motivation has damaged me. From Software's Souls games have been excellent companions though, for they have rebounced and surpressed my negative thoughts.

I think it's important to reflect back on one's self at certain times and figure out what is going right and what is going wrong, in that order. That's why it helps to write about this sometimes. Normally, an old fashioned diary would do, but this blog could essentially fill that role too.

As I returned to both Dark Souls titles twice in May, I figured that their online experience deserves more elaboration and respect from me. Aside from the gorgeous aesthetics, the brutal challenge and the medieval setting, all titles are remarkable for how multiplayer works.

The first thing you will notice about this is either a written message left behind by another player, or a bloodstain, which replays deaths from other players. The former can be handy as well as deceiving(thus ratings and countermessages exist for that), and the latter can be either a guilty pleasure or a foresight into avoiding danger.

Next, you can create summon signs so that other players may invoke your help in their own world. Vice versa appears likewise, if you need help with a particular area or a boss, there are people who will offer their service, IF your humanity, effigy or ephemeral eyes are used to restore your body.

The counterpart towards co-op is versus, and in this case, an invading option is available where as people from other worlds can invade and kill you if your body is normal. This PvP system isn't exactly all the way balanced, but I have always seen variety in the builds people have made, so in overall it plays out as another interesting and unique aspect of the franchise.

Leaving invasion signs is possible too, but not as common as actual sudden invasions, although some areas are more bound for invasions than others. There are also leaderboards present which usually show us either specific PvP statistics, or the amount of loyalty players have made with their covenants.

Covenants are special agreements with clans which grant unique bonuses for your journey either in PvP or in PvE situations. Some covenants grant additional help with struggling players, others punish players for entering their area, stimulating for more overall multiplayer experiences. And this is just a basic summary, as many covenants have special conditions, rewards and actions for interacting with them.

The favorite statistic of the leadersboards in my opinion is the amount of deaths people have died in the games worldwide. In Dark Souls II from the top of my head, deaths are counted towards enemies, players and traps, and it's amusing and somewhat pointless to see the differences between console and PC versions.

Last but not least, about those written messages anyone can create, figuring out the cryptic and subtle worlds of Boletaria, Lordran and Drangleic together as a community is interesting not only to see back in for example wiki's, but in the actual games too in the form of the messages.

Things such as lore, illusory walls, strategies and other secrets are usually revealed in these messages, but it all depends on their authenticity and their frequent of appearing as far as servers allow them to be.

So a lot of the Souls franchise's pleasure comes from playing online. There was 1 instance where I beat Dark Souls offline for the first time, but since then, I have beaten all three titles online at least 1 time now. And I personally cannot wait what Project Beast is all about.

Dark Souls II

At last, I have been able to play and beat a Souls game properly. Demon's Souls's community was minor during the period I went through that, and I played Dark Souls entirely offline. Now, having bought part II from Steam, the online experience only became better and better.

Dark Souls II is every bit as good as it's predecessors, as all three have a lengthy journey, require a ton of patience, are notoriously difficult and continue to be diversive with regards to the overall lore, content and cool extra's such as NG+.

I was happy to acknowledge myself that the game was bigger than I thought, because at one point, the list showing all the different area's seemed to be complete, until that list grew further, allowing me to scroll down.

My first death was only after having played for 6 hours already, defeating presumably the first boss The Last Giant, and afterwards underestimating a grab move made by one of the two trolls at Things Betwixt. Soon after, the amount of deaths didn't matter anymore. I knew that Dark Souls was truly starting once again.

People have complained about poor graphics and some boss rehashes, but I easily disagree with both. Effective atmosphere was still to be found either when using dark or light colors, or when looking at distances to see nearby locations. And seeing these particular bosses return is only praiseworthy, for they were memorable enough to alter and re-enter here.

I seemed to make efficient use of the traditional writing/reading and summoning features, and as I was about to finally start invading, I got invaded numerous times at a new area I just discovered, which was both excruciating and entertaining, keeping me occupied for atleast 45 minutes before approaching the boss.

The world of Drangleic is yet another subtle one when speaking of the overall lore and the vague connections it has with the previous title. There are many area's, of which a few look marvelous, such as Majula, Dragon Aerie and Heide's Tower of Flame.

And before I knew it, I went through countless ordeals of venturing into dark unexplored and diversive areas, where many dangers await at every corner and turn. Covenants and NPC's return to help you with small support at first, but both eventually become crucial allies towards thwarting invaders, demons and bosses.

Dark Souls II is worthwhile to play if you enjoyed the others, and I wasn't dissapointed by pretty much anything, although many fans I have seen online have been, especially when speaking of PvP and a few broken tactics, of which both can easily become fixed in future patches.

From Software recently got bought out by Kadokawa Corporation, who published amongst other products and brands several titles developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51. From Software has also apparently been busy with another game called Project Beast, which recently got leaked and seems to be an exclusive Playstation 4 game.

And with recent similar looking game announcements such as Lords of the Fallen and Deep Down, it seems that the modern Action RPG genre is here to stay for a while longer. If you are craving for an old fashioned, simplistic yet devilish difficult adventure, alongside brilliant online gaming, Dark Souls II is a splendid choice alongside it's much acclaimed brethren.

Rating: 8.5

The Grand Design

Stephen Hawking is coming to The Netherlands to hold a lecture this month in Utrecht, and unfortunately, I was unable to attend this event, because the tickets were sold out within one minute. Which is severely disappointing, as it will most likely be Hawking's last visit considering his current health.

To somewhat counter my saddened state, I finished reading his latest book called The Grand Design, where new answers are written inside when speaking of the ultimate questions, such as why are we here and how did the universe began?

The Grand Design seemed to be more concrete to read than A Brief History of Time, and part of that easily comes from the fact that there is a distance of 22 years between the two books, as new discoveries have been made in astronomy and physics.

My favorite quote from the book turns out to be when speaking about the possibility of a multiverse: "Quantum fluctuations lead to the creation of tiny universes out of nothing. A few of these reach a critical size, then expand in an inflationary manner, forming galaxies, stars and, in at least one case, beings like us".

A general topic that constantly returns is Hawking's Theory of Everything concept. A broader term is shaped in the form of M-theory, proposing that there are 10 space and 1 time dimensions in this universe.

How and why these concepts and theories matter, is where I'd rather let the scientist talk about them, rather than myself. Assuming that the universal condition of M-theory is within the observable laws of nature, and considering the multiverse, quantum mechanics and string theory, it's very hard for a layman like me to discuss about these.

But I am learning from these popular publications. Such as the sections where Hawking talks about what Richard Feynman, the famous quantum scientist, has created and proposed over the decades. For instance, the idea of simultaneous particle paths to be taken in the chapter Alternative Histories is an astonishing read.

Although The Grand Design doesn't seem to offer anything really substantial true when speaking of scientific progression, it does have informed me of many scientific news related familiar concepts and theories anno 2010.

Rating: ***(out of 4)

Arkham City

For some unknown reason, my old Arkham City blog from January 2013 has been deleted without my awareness or consent previously. That's why I am reposting the post from the backup I conveniently made before I lost the details forever:

2012 has arguably been the best Batman year for me. The Dark Knight Rises was unforgettable, I had finished watching Batman: The Animated Series and I also beat Arkham City: Armored Edition. The only thing I would like to still try is to catch up on those animated films such as Mask of the Phantasm, or honestly, I should read a Batman comic for once, where the legacy all started.

At the end of Arkham Asylum, the Joker meets his demise at Batman after a fierce enhanced battle thanks to the toxic formula known as TITAN. 18 months later, Arkham City is in effect because of Quincy Sharp's influence as new mayor, claiming that previous prisons and the asylum have seen their best days.

Thanks to a beneficial sponsor and Hugo Strange's strange alliance with the mayor, the new city for the criminal population is formed with the approval of Gotham's normal citizens, and hell just got a new makeover.

Naturally, Bruce Wayne is worried about this large new experiment, and is through circumstances forced to put up the mask, take on the cape, rescue people and fight crime once again. He will have a lot of urgent events to deal with while moving his way through the wicked place.

Batman's gear is largely intact from his previous adventure, and  pretty much all of them have been boosted with new abilities in their  own ways, either in their mobility or in the case of the Wii U, visually as well as touch control being in effect.

The amount of content Arkham City provides is overwhelming. As I was exploring the area for the first time during the main objectives, and even if you think at first that because of the scale the map provides it could be somehow not as large as you thought, be prepared for the opposite instead.

The encouragement given during combat sequences is favorable because even I during the first playthroughs of both Arkham titles would be baffled sometimes as to what tactics should be used, in their amount of variety, quantity and such.

The percentage of the active rogue gallery is absolutely gonna make any fan happy this time around. Instead of a generous amount of present villains in Arkham Asylum, the sequel spoils with them so much, it's quite amazing.

Riddler has always been madly obsessed with our hero, but he truly has gone too far in Arkham City now. This place is BOMBARDED with the green questions, it's absurd! Be prepared that some of his puzzles will make you quite confusing for a while.

There are also others of course present, depicted below, and more. Not every encounter will be full fledged and dramatic as others, but in overall I feel that Arkham City really will please the majority for the faces that do show up.

The ultimate Batman game has now been boosted up with Armored Edition. It comes with the ability to activate B.A.T. mode, which will enhance Batman's strength even further. Playing the game on Hard mode remained no pushover even with this new feature being present.

It's easy to get lost sometimes on what to do next. Luckily, Batman is able to traverse around easily thanks to his gear and new ones as well such as the Freeze Blast. The main story to follow is around the same length as Arkham Asylum, but the side quests are everywhere.

Arkham City just plays extremely well and satisfying, more than just beating the crap out of criminals. Expect to sneak around, investigate crime scenes, interrogate and decrypt, as well as rescue allies and overcome platform and puzzle segments.

I might be a year "too late" according to the ones who beat the game on their PS3, PC or XBOX360 already, but once I saw the E3 trailer for the Wii U edition, I knew that it was worth waiting, just for the GamePad's touch, intel and navigational abilities alone.

And I can play the game in my bed or on the toilet.