Post by Tenjen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPJaJ5ys_G0OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
PLEASE DONY FRANCHISE THIS INTO STUPIDITY PLEASE BE AS GOOD AND BALL BREAKING HARD...PLEASE BE GOOD
http://25.media.tumblr.com/ac7838c5832416dab8d4c705174faf0b/tumblr_mepsbaBPeS1qdqlkxo1_500.jpgIntroducing Edge 249: Dark Souls II unveiled
An eternal battle rages at the heart of Dark Souls II. On one side stands the stern force of challenge, the very soul of the Souls series. It has inspired thousands of fans to hack their way through two of the most demanding and rewarding games of an era, fans who expect at least the same test on the next go around. On the other side is the bright promise of accessibility. And why not? Why shouldn’t FromSoftware and Namco Bandai open Souls up to a wider audience when it could otherwise be in danger of becoming stuck in a cult cul-de-sac?
There are many, after all, who have been put off by the series’ habit of obscuring its best assets from all but the most committed. Entire systems, such as Dark Souls’ covenants and Demon’s Souls’ World Tendency, remain mysteries to even reasonably experienced players – wouldn’t it be a service to the games to help everyone understand them better? On the other hand, isn’t the very nature of the Souls series about obfuscation and what it makes you work for? Aren’t its greatest pleasures about the slow crawl of discovery in a world that refuses easy interpretation? What would the series lose if it was made more explicit?
As we find out in issue 249, the answers to these questions are in the hands of game directors new to the Souls series, Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, who have taken the reins from Hidetaka Miyazaki. Their descriptions of how they intend to mould Dark Souls II into a more approachable form seem reasonable. But Shibuya admits that their approach will be influenced by their individual characters. “I personally am the sort of person who likes to be more direct than subtle,” he tells us. “Dark Souls II will be more straightforward and more understandable.” We sympathise if that sort of statement concerns you, but at the same time, we can surely agree that we would all like to see Dark Souls attain as great a presence as The Elder Scrolls. How it gets there is a worthy matter for debate, but it’s certainly a noble task.
Quote from the company itself. SOme of the words used are worrying but oooh GOooooood please be good!
From Tumblr:
Before everyone turns on Dark Souls II and FromSoft, let's be reasonable for a moment.
There is already a lot of… skepticism, to say the least, about what the new directors have said. And, yes, new directors. Miyazaki will not be the visionary for Dark Souls II, but the game will be getting his stamp of approval since he is supervising the project.
Now, as for the talks from the most recent issue of Edge involving making the game more “approachable, understanding,” and wanting to attract to players to the franchise. None of these are inherently awful things. I mean, look at how the tutorials have worked in the two existing titles; fourth-wall shattering, brightly lit messages telling us to “press R1 for a light attack” or that “the real Demon’s Souls starts here.” People might be worried about Dark Souls II being more direct in explaining its mechanics, but I’d be hard pressed to think of a way to be more blunt than what the Souls series offers right now. That said, if Dark Souls II is more direct in explaining other things, like what weapons are suited for each stat, how weapon scaling works, how smithing works, how humanity (or whatever is used in DSII) works, then I don’t think that is of any damage to the game itself.
If the added clarity to Dark Souls II is primarily a service to help new players wrap their head around the game mechanics more easily so they can start making stronger forward momentum into crafting the character they want, I think that’s great. However, if this “accessibility” is going to extend to less-subtle methods of storytelling or removing the mystery of accessing certain hidden areas or features (like specific Covenants), then I don’t think any of us would be too happy about that.
So while it’s best to reserve judgment until we have a stronger impression of the game, none of From’s ambitions that we’ve seen so far should be too alarming, but the entire “broader appeal” and “accessibility” shtick has been so played out among so many franchises in recent years that I can’t blame anyone too harshly for spitting venom on reaction.
Also worth noting, the quote from Edge comparing the success of the Souls franchise to the Elder Scrolls was just that; a quote from the publication, not from ANYONE working on the game itself.