xSinghx: Right because that 50hrs was spread over 50 different hardware setups?

I'm sure QA follows that rule too - 50hrs is all they need on one rig to know something works right?

CharlesGrey: And if a game doesn't work flawlessly on every possible hardware and OS combination out there, that makes it a "bad port"?

CharlesGrey: [Nothing happened to me therefore the game is perfectly fine] Ain't I lucky?

xSinghx: By the growing list of negative Steam reviews and the technical complaints there in - it doesn't seem to be one hardware and OS combination. But why pay any attention to that when you can just make a gross generalization based on your sole experience and then belittle and condescend to anyone that does.

xSinghx: Yep - so far.

CARICATUREKILB: I have played all three Dark Souls games.
Dark Souls 1, have reached the Kings in the well.
Dark Souls 2, completed (I have no idea how I managed that!)
Just started playing Dark Souls 3 and reached FireLink Shrine. I love it.
All three have been played on consoles. I am the type of gamer who does not worry too much about pop in, out, all about, screen tear, frame rate drops et al, as long as they don't ruin my gameplay experience.
I'm looking forward to dying alot in this game.

CharlesGrey: Are you playing on PS4 or Xbone? It's too bad you couldn't finish DS1, maybe you'll pick it up again some time. There's good strategy guides on the web, when you get stuck on a boss.

Overall DS3 seems a bit easier and more accessible, especially the earlier portions of the game. It's the first Souls game I'm playing almost completely without any guides or other external help.

onarliog: Grossly simplifying the situation for brevity, but here it goes.

Like some others above noted TW is a more narrative/atmosphere-oriented affair, while DS follows the Japanese mentality of requiring you to practice for hours on end to perfect your skills, and beat a difficult yet fair challenge only once you accomplish that. In contrast, you won't find many people (if at all) who could not complete TW or similar western games because they were lacking the skills, but because they got bored or lost interest; it is akin to reading a book, anybody can do it if they invest the time.

In that sense the overall philosophy of DS is not any different from other core Japanese game styles like fighting games or shmups. Git-gud idiots are the members of the western community who couldn't handle the sudden influx of "awesome" (disclaimer: I'm biased toward JP games, but appreciate everything else too) when DS suddenly got popular.

I spend 99% of my time playing shmups and (non-Mortal Kombat) fighters, and this is something we see in those communities all the time. New players either outright blame the game for their lack of skills and patience, or they half-assedly beat a simple one and then convince themselves that everybody who can't are 'noobs' and not worthy of their time. Then they go on random forums and start posting shit :)

In short: apples to oranges -- they are very different, but go play both because they're excellent in different ways. Applies to all 3 games in both series.

CARICATUREKILB: I'm playing on the PS4, and finding the controls tight and responsive (unlike my middle age reaction time!). My lame excuse at poor play is due to this being my first ever Sony console and slightly different controller set up to my experienced memory of the X Box one (for example, when prompted to press the PS4 X, I keep pressing the X Box X on the controller buttons. Very annoying for this aged brain!)
I can't remember why I stopped playing Dark Souls 1, probably frustrated and went onto another game, only to completely forget the muscle memory needed to stand any chance to complete the game.

CharlesGrey: Are the FPS rates all right? I've heard complaints about the FPS in the console versions. I've played Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 & 2 on PS3 myself. I remember the FPS issues in those, especially in certain areas, but it never bothered me that much back then. Now that I've played DS3 and other games on PC, it would probably be hard to go back to the console FPS ( and loading times, heh ).

And I know the button layout is slightly different, but overall I'm actually kinda disappointed by the conservative controller designs from MS and Sony these past few console generations. They're almost the same and have hardly changed since the days of the first PSX pad ( which was mostly a SNES rip-off, to begin with ). But now I'm rambling and going off-topic... Anyhow, it just takes a while to get used to the slightly different layout. Now, the Steam controller looks fairly innovative. And I wonder what Nintendo will come up with for their new console.

As for Dark Souls 1, hey I finished it, and I don't think of myself as a "good" Souls player. There's some fairly reliable strategies for most bosses, if you can't win with your standard approach. And worst case you can summon an NPC or another player for help.

CharlesGrey: But I will agree that the success of Dark Souls 1 and its push towards the Western market ( with the Xbox360 & PC release etc. ) attracted a lot of idiots. But then, so does any other major video game release, especially if it has any kind of competitive multiplayer features.

CARICATUREKILB: It's the timing in combat that I struggle with, my reaction time is too slow. That's one reason I have stopped playing Blood Borne. No shield equals no chance for me! But I did beat Dark Souls 2, so I must still have it.
I'm having fun and enjoying the game: That's the paramount reason I play ANY video game...

catpower1980: After finishing DS1 & 2, I tried DS3 last week but the way they badly coded it made the game unplayable for me as the framerate was way too low even in 720p with everything settings down :(

So I had to refund it but maybe when I get a new PC in a few years, I'll retry it (or buy a PS4, so I can also enjoy Bloodborne and Nioh)

Breja: The thing is, Dark Souls brought that competitive way of thinking to single player games. I was never bothered byt whatever's going on with the multiplayer crowd, since I don't play multiplayer. But suddenyly this "git gud" culture spread to single player games, even RPGs of all things! Playing a single player RPG should be all about having fun with the story, the world, the characters, not about how difficult the game is and how awesome you are at beating them with one hand. I know that kind of thing was always there, with some people uploading videos to YT of how they beat some Final Fantasy with a single character and using only melee weapons or some such, but that was a mostly harmless fringe. But now it's become the next big thing, and everyone is trying to make the next Dark Souls, by simply trying to make a super difficult game, as if that was what it's all about.

I don't hate Dark Souls. I have no interest in playing it, even if we got a DRM-free version, but that's just because it's simply not my cup of tea. But I can't help disliking strongly what happened to the gaming culture around it.

CharlesGrey: In any case, if you're just not interested in the series or genre, that's too bad. But if you are, then don't let all the surrounding hype and bullshit keep you from enjoying the game. They're perfectly enjoyable as single-player games, completely ignoring any competitive gameplay, achievements etc.

Breja: Nah, the reason I'm not interested is because, well, I'm not very good at vide games :D I'm not terrible either I guess, but not nearly good enough to really enjoy something like this. I find action games that pretty much require you to replay the same level or fight again and again very tedious and frustrating. Looking back at an hour of time spent at unsuccesfully retrying the same level leaves me with a very annoying sense of a huge waste of time. I'm the kinda guy who likes to quicksave every 15 seconds. It's highly subjective- the same amount of time spent being stuck in a point & click adventure won't frustrate me like that.