Hey guys, I need your opinions.

I've heard some crazy things about the PS3 and Xbox 360 version of DARK SOULS. Things like in the PS3 version the Japanese players who are extremely good at the game come in and kill you as Phantoms or something. This happens due to the PS3 version being connected to their servers as well and the 360 version isn't? Is that true?

Please guys, I want to get this game and I need to know if the things about the PS3 version are correct. I have both consoles if that makes things easier.

@ObsideonDarman: If you are completely new to the game, you are going to meet extremely strong assholes on both systems! Don't worry though, PvP is more or less optional. If you don't want to get invaded a lot, then It's fairly easy to avoid.

The PS3 version is technically better from everything I've heard so I would get that version. Also, you might want to consider the PC version with the, why it's not an official patch, mod that makes the game run better.

@TobbRobb: @mikey87144: So PVP is DEFINITELY optional then?

Looks like I'm getting the PS3 version then. I have the original DEMON'S SOULS so I would hate to get it for the Xbox anyway.

Thanks for the info guys! Appreciate it!

You can get killed by people with far more experience and great gear regardless of your level, due to many things being level-independent. (eg. lightning weapons are very powerful, irrespective of the wielder's strength and dexterity)

I recommend trying it out on either platform (I'm not sure whether there are performance differences), and playing offline if PvP becomes a hindrance. The game has plenty to offer with or without other players around. Additionally, you can choose to play off/online at the main menu (I am assuming this applies to 360 as I have a PS3), so you can switch between the two seamlessly.

I'd say go with either of these versions if the recent PC one is not an option. It has slightly more content and if you apply the user made dx9 patch it looks pretty good.

Here's a little article on the differences between the 360 & PS3 version, there doesn't seem to be any of consequence so whichever is cheaper.

@ObsideonDarman said:

@TobbRobb: @mikey87144: So PVP is DEFINITELY optional then?

Looks like I'm getting the PS3 version then. I have the original DEMON'S SOULS so I would hate to get it for the Xbox anyway.

Thanks for the info guys! Appreciate it!

If PvP is a massive concern for you, Dark Souls does save very frequently, so if you get invaded, you could always pull the coward's move and reset the PS3. You start the game "Hollow" which means you (generally) can't be invaded by other players in the traditional sense. As long as you don't spend humanity to reverse hollowing, you really can't be directly attacked by other players.*

Some caveats:

- If you never ever reverse hollowing, you can't kindle bonfires, which means that some boss runs might be a lot tougher.

- You also won't be able to summon help from other players or NPCs to kill bosses.

- You also won't encounter some of the NPC invaders and thus might miss out on some decent gear.

There's probably other downsides, too, but nothing that should seriously hamper your enjoyment of the game unless you're looking to 100% it.

I have encountered some difficult invaders. There's a lot of people that have somehow managed to get through various parts of the game with a very low soul level, and have managed to snag some great gear in the process, but I've encountered just as many forthright players that will fight honourably and won't be dicks about things. I can't verify if NA PS3s can be invaded by Japanese players, but I presume that the lag on that could be pretty huge, so I'd be amazed if they were significantly more effective than crazies on this side of the ocean. The higher-tier rewards in some covenants generally demand that you farm for humanity/some trinket the covenant needs or invade a whole lot, so most invaders I encounter are just trying to get better loot more than humiliate anyone.

* The only exception I can think of is that Gravelord Servants can "infect" your world, which spawns extra, slightly more difficult versions of enemies in the world. The only way to "cure" the infection is to find the mark of the Gravelord Servant, enter their world through the mark and kill them. Although, as far as I understand, Gravelord Servants infect multiple worlds with one Eye of Death, so it's just as likely some other player will enter their world and deal with them. Given that you already own Demon's Souls, I imagine you're probably cool with slightly tougher PvE, since an infected world has been compared to having a Dark World Tendency or something.

@mikey87144: How so? As I understand it, the PC version has full feature parity with the PS3 version, including allowing for better performance in previous areas that were a bit much for the PS3 version.

That is, of course, dependant on PC specs.

From my own (limited) experience of the PC version, the game pretty much requires you to use an Xbox gamepad (or PS3-pad using Xbox emulation), as the mouse/keyboard controls are pretty bad.

Unfortunately, it also comes with the limitations of the PS3 version - including the internal rendering being capped at low resolutions, which looks horrid. But the silver lining is that there is a fan-made "fix" to most of these problems. The game is still capped at 30 fps, but you can increase the internal rendering as much as you want. You can enable SSAO, SMAA and DoF.

The fix can be found at: http://blog.metaclassofnil.com/

I don't know if the PC version is the superior or inferior version. I'll grant you that it's a poor PC port (which FROM has admitted struggling with), but with a workaround, it seems at least as good from a functionality point of view. There might be other things I haven't heard of which does indeed make the PS3 version superior.

If anything supporting the PC version could mean that FROM doesn't write the PC version off as a mistake which didn't pay off, and actually making sure to get it right the next time around.

@Mnemoidian:I played both and the versions each have different strengths and weaknesses. The PC version looks clearly superior with that fan-fix, however, the online aspect is a little messed up in my opinion. The summoning success rate is noticeably lower on PC and I've encountered way more cheaters in my 50 hours with the PC version than in my 300 hours with the 360 version.

@ObsideonDarman: Buy the version for the platform that you prefer. And don't worry about invasions. You'll die a lot anyway in this game. It'll bother you at the beginning but at some point you'll realize that dying in this game isn't so bad. Also, I always liked the thrill and tension of invasions - regardless of the outcome.

@CptBedlam: Good information, thanks!

So far, I've mostly been running around Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg, and the invasions (hostile or friendly) aren't really something that interests me, so not something I've noticed yet :)

@Mnemoidian said:

@CptBedlam: Good information, thanks!

So far, I've mostly been running around Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg, and the invasions (hostile or friendly) aren't really something that interests me, so not something I've noticed yet :)

There's no such thing as friendly invasions. Just co-op via summoning someone else. ;)

And you should at least give it a few tries at some point. It's really a lot of fun and a very entertaining and quick way to earn souls.

@CptBedlam: Yeah, you're right - forgot how that mechanic worked ;)

Had some pretty terrible experiences every time I recovered in Demon's Souls (including the inevitable private message-heckling from some jerk with corrosive attacks who had just set me back a deozen hours by messing up my armor and gear)

I may give it a shot again when I feel more comfortable.

Thanks for all your advice guys. I really appreciate it. This is why I love the Giant Bomb community!

@Mnemoidian: There are no such setbacks in Dark Souls. You'll just drop your souls and humanity which you can easily recover within seconds most of the time.

@Mnemoidian said:

Had some pretty terrible experiences every time I recovered in Demon's Souls (including the inevitable private message-heckling from some jerk with corrosive attacks who had just set me back a deozen hours by messing up my armor and gear)

I may give it a shot again when I feel more comfortable.

Yeah, I don't think Dark Souls has any equivalent of the Scraping Spear or other weapons that will absolutely destroy gear. Well, I guess there's that pyromancy Acid Surge, but it's not really feasible unless you're really good at mastering its long cast-time. I've never run into it once.

@CptBedlam said:

@Mnemoidian said:

@CptBedlam: Good information, thanks!

So far, I've mostly been running around Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg, and the invasions (hostile or friendly) aren't really something that interests me, so not something I've noticed yet :)

There's no such thing as friendly invasions. Just co-op via summoning someone else. ;)

And you should at least give it a few tries at some point. It's really a lot of fun and a very entertaining and quick way to earn souls.

I dunno, I once got invaded by this guy who was clearly way better at the game than me, but I ended up staying alive long enough to the point where he was like "yeah okay you're clearly not incompetent" and dropped a Lightning Longsword +5.

That sword carried me.

@Terramagi: That was indeed pretty friendly.

I love that things like these can happen in this game. I had similar things happen to me and I also dropped stuff such as boss souls etc for other players.

@Mnemoidian: Sorry, I was saying I heard the PS3 version was technically a little better than the 360 version. I think the PC version with that fan made mod is the way to go if you have a PC good enough to run it.

If you haven't bought it yet and your PC is powerful enough to run it in 1080p with Durante's Res Fix then do not buy it on a console! Despite the talk of the poor porting job, with the resolution fix it has automatically become the best version of the game. It plays the smoothest and looks truly beautiful (which enables you to get drawn into the game's world even deeper..)

If you want High-Ping PvP, buy the PS3 version. If you want low-moderate ping PvP, buy the 360 version. If you want a standstill among what many consider to be a crappy server platform (GFWL) buy the PC version.

@Pieman51: Yeah, I found the lag to be worse when I played the PS3 version. Maybe due to the fact, that there's a Japanese version in the equation. 360 is only Europe and US.

@CptBedlam: That's exactly why the PS3 version is laggy. I'm not trying to be racist, but Sony screwed up with that side of things just a little bit. It's still possible to get people from EU or America to invade you though.

I personally just use the PC version. A lot of people braced themselves for what was going to be a crappy port (due to GFWL) and that thought cloud completely SHIFTED from GFWL to the horrible keyboard controls. Don't even wanna get into that though. *_*

I've played all 3 versions. I now prefer the PC version (with a gamepad and the Durante resolution fix, of course).

Pros:

• Not only does the fix allow it to look sharper, but the the gamma levels seem better to me. I'm finding it a lot easier to see what's around me, and what dangers are at my feet. I could never get that much clarity with my PS3 on a large LED screen.
• Load times are super fast, which is key when you get the ability to warp. It really makes it feel like less of a grind.
• Apart from the new content, which is coming to consoles anyway, the updates have made the game a little more balanced so that all kinds of character builds are viable. The best new feature is they've increased the number of areas you can warp to. You used to only be able to warp to a few specific areas, most of which were far from where you wanted to go. Now there's a lot less backtracking and running around in the late game. These updates are probably coming to the consoles anyway, but for now PC's where it's at.
• No bottomless box item duping glitch. Some may see this as a con, not a pro. The community seems to like duping, but I find it cheapens the game.

Cons:

• Games for Windows Live. For me it works okay and doesn't interrupt the game experience. The problem I have is that the achievements are bugged. Often a player will unlock an achievement in game, only to find that it won't register on Xbox Live / GFWL. So if you're going for 100% completion like me, it ruins things when the you know you've achieved everything, yet your online profile says you haven't.
• I don't participate in a lot of co-op or PVP, so I can't speak to how well that part works. I assume the community is smaller, but I don't know.

@ObsideonDarman: If you have the PC to run it, and you don't really care about PvP, then I would go with the PC version. It looks much better when you use the fix that fan made up, and the load times are obviously much better. Going back to the PS3 after playing the PC version was crazy because I never realized how long the load times were until I played it on PC.

You also get the DLC earlier than most, and I would say some of the hardest/most fun bosses are in the DLC.

The real bummer is finding people to play with. Connecting is a real hassle, but I've managed to invade a decent number of people, and summon as well. So it's not entirely broken, but if you're looking for PvP then I'd go with the PS3.

Any of them would be fine, but now the PC has the Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition if you want to go for that.

If not, personally I prefer the PS3 because of Dark Souls but of course that's all a matter of opinion.

@CptBedlam said:

@Mnemoidian said:

@CptBedlam: Good information, thanks!

So far, I've mostly been running around Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg, and the invasions (hostile or friendly) aren't really something that interests me, so not something I've noticed yet :)

There's no such thing as friendly invasions. Just co-op via summoning someone else. ;)

And you should at least give it a few tries at some point. It's really a lot of fun and a very entertaining and quick way to earn souls.

Sometimes there's friendly invasions.

It's when they come in, dance a little, and drop a lightning sword. Then murder you when you pick it up.

I mean, net gain, you now have a fucking lightning sword.

@CptBedlam said:

@Mnemoidian said:

@CptBedlam: Good information, thanks!

So far, I've mostly been running around Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg, and the invasions (hostile or friendly) aren't really something that interests me, so not something I've noticed yet :)

There's no such thing as friendly invasions. Just co-op via summoning someone else. ;)

And you should at least give it a few tries at some point. It's really a lot of fun and a very entertaining and quick way to earn souls.

Sometimes there's friendly invasions.

It's when they come in, dance a little, and drop a lightning sword. Then murder you when you pick it up.

I mean, net gain, you now have a fucking lightning sword.

I've finished the PC version but I want to get into some multi player and it just doesn't work.

Is the PS3 version the one to go for?

The PTD Edition is available to preorder for £20 at the moment and I'd like a box to go on my shelf.