ProfondoRosso

this sounds like if the developers read my mind and created the perfect game = huge zelda/metroid world structure with non linear levels and massive dungeons, set in a kick ass post-apocaliptic world with mythological creatures, all conceived by one of my favorite comic book artists. 
 
Doesn't hurt that early reviews for it have been quite positive as well.

i've never wanted a sequel to a movie more than for this one, hopefully Cameron will develop the next chapter in less than 10 years T_T

@ Bruce 
 If you like John Waters you must check this out, he never did something like Pink Flamingos ever again (thankfully.... or not) 
 
it must have been priceless to watch the audience reaction to it back in the 70`s.

Soul Ray was a loss, but it's hardly game breaking, and NEVER consume the bosses souls before learning what upgrades they can do. Like in life, in Demon's Souls you learn your lessons the hard way. :)
 
 If you are a magician, create a moon weapon with Moonlight stone, it will add magic damage to it, buffed by your magic stats.

Royal is the best magic user character, it starts with great equipment too. Soldier is a well balanced all around guy, so is the Hunter. I've found the Thief to be way too weak for begginers, Knights are way too heavy, dodging fast is a precious skill in Demon's Souls.

I don't remember Phalanx giving away any key, checked Demon's Wiki and there was nothing in there either, maybe it's a bit of a confusion going on. 
 
Just go back to the nexus and talk to the maiden in black to level up. you can return to the castle at any time and look for any missing treasure, also, maybe the world tendency got white when you killed the boss, check out if the door on the left, right at the beggining of the stage is open, there's some loot lying around and a crystal lizard, but also a bunch of black phantoms and Executioner Miralda, one of the secret evil NPCs in the game. Killing her drops the Master Ring and a set of armor for female characters. 
 
Now head to Stonefang Tunnel and try to make your way to Blacksmith Ed first, he's the guy who makes the advanced weapon upgrades. Watch out for the elevator levers, i completely missed some of them in my first playthrough. Use a piercing weapon, i`d recommend a lance, it's more effective against the miners.

yeah, i don`t think the game is hard to the point of being unplayable, on the contrary, it`s a game that rewards thoughtful playing. And i have zero tolerance for games like Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry on the hardest settings.
 
it's unforgiving with begginers though, the first hours in Castle Boletaria until you beat Phalanx are basically one long learning curve. The pacing is military, for the lack of a better word.

Demon's Souls is certainly one of the most talked about game releases of 2009, and being nearly ignored by the Giant Bomb guys is probably more upseting than giving the game a negative review. I was also puzzled by not seing it even mentioned at the PS3 GOTY section, so the question must be on a lot of people's minds as well.   
 
Yes, the game is my favorite PS3 game so far (even more than Uncharted 2? yup!) and it's one of the most original multiplayer experiences of the past year, both coop and pvp, and an epic single player adventure full of memorable stuff in it. 
 
And let´s admit it, it's not THAT hard, it's one of the most fair games i've played.