To date, Dark Souls remains one of my most treasured titles of all-time. Sure, it has its hiccups and technical deficiencies but hardly any game captures the intensity and atmosphere FromSoftware has injected into it.

For the first time, PC gamers will get to experience the thrills of the game in the new Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition and we were on the floor to talk about it firsthand.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition interview

While Dark Souls wasn't playable on the showroom floor, Andrew Davis, associate producer for Namco Bandai was able to answer plenty of our questions while also addressing certain concerns. It's no secret that Dark Souls had a rough launch with the multiplayer literally being broken for a lengthy period of time. There's been some concern over whether the PC will experience similar guffaws and Mr. Davis had this to say about it:

"We learned a lot from the Dark Souls launch... and we are trying to make it a much more smooth launch for the PC version."

The quote might not disclose proper numbers or specific details on the accident, but it does show that they've taken the time to make sure that it doesn't happen to PC users and, most importantly, that they care.

No... sudden... movements...

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition will contain around four to five brand new boss battles along with two or three completely new zones to die in... explore, I mean. There will be all kinds of new weapons and armor sets as well as optional bosses with bonus unlockables you might not even see your first time through.

For instance, the Darkroot Garden was a zone in the original Dark Souls but there's going to be a new area where it goes into the past. All manner of new traps and monsters will be present, of course and if you can get your way through it the Royal Woods await. We didn't get to see too many of the new bosses but they were showing off the Sanctuary Guardian ripping people to shreds at the booth. It was a bit unsettling, but exciting nonetheless.

It's actually one of the easier bosses. Am I right? Nope.

For some, Dark Souls presented an amazing player-versus-player experience and that's been taking into account for the improved game. There will now be instant multiplayer access along with several modes that can allow for 1v1, 2v2 or even 3v1 battles. Seeing as how certain people take PvP as seriously as they do, adding all this content makes it that much easier to sing Dark Souls' praise. Just don't expect me to show you any mercy online because, well, alright fine... you probably will kill me.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition releases August 24th on the PC, followed by a $14.99 update for the PS3 and Xbox 360 at an unannounced date. Make sure you don't disappoint yourself and give this one a shot, if you haven't already. I promise, you'll be miserable.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Dark Souls, E3 2012, FromSoftware, Interview, Namco Bandai, PC

Downloadable content, along with digital distribution, is commonplace among contemporary gaming.

Not only does it allow developers to fix issues with their game post-release, but it also gives gamers the ability to augment their experience with extra features and content, if they so choose. Great as it may be, what about flagrant issues that prevent a game from being completely playable? How much content do developers hold back, so as to put it on the marketplace at a later date? When do we say that enough is enough?

Ever since the launch of Microsoft's original Xbox, DLC has blossomed into essential material that every game must embrace. As a matter of fact, it's such a decisive feature that, upon release, some games that have yet to release any DLC already have a section of the marketplace dedicated to it. At the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, some games have DLC available on their release day, a sin that many gamers regard as unacceptable. And for good reason.

Hey, I'll totally help you up here for like, you know, five bucks.

Gaming isn't a cheap hobby. Whilst you can certainly wait for games to come down in price in sales or on the used market, it's still something that you dedicate ample time to and pay for with your hard earned money. That's why when a game releases and, on day one, it already has DLC available for purchase, gamers froth with anger. Shouldn't that DLC be contained within the game itself? Take Resident Evil 5 as an example; not long after launch, a multiplayer mode became available that was found to already be on the disk. Needless to say, no one was happy about that.

One can blame BioWare and their flagship Mass Effect 3 for the current resurgence in DLC hate. Following in Resi 5's shameful footsteps, ME3 will contain day-one DLC, entitled From Ashes, at a cost of $10 or 800 Microsoft Astral Credits. However, for those who are willing to fork over the extra cash for the N7 Collector's Edition (or Digital Deluxe Edition) the DLC will come at no additional cost. BioWare has already stated their reasoning for the day-one content, but that hasn't stopped people from outright boycotting the game entirely. Overzealous as it may seem, I still see where they're coming from.

Allow me a few humble words. We are gamers; we are not developers. As much as we may see and read about it on the internet, we don't know what it's like to build a game from scratch. We don't know the ins-and-outs of working with certain engines and other design protocol, and we don't work at an office where we answer to the producer at every waking moment. However, as the consumer, we cherish a quality product and when something is wrong, our voice is usually heard. There still isn't a amiable way of accepting an additional fee for content on top of what we just paid for, and I expect there never will be. On day one, I expect to have everything out of the box that's core to the game world in question. Sure, I might miss out on a multitude of space rifles, colourful armor and other transforming oddities of doom (since you can't pre-order everywhere), but special missions that actually contain an interactive, core character is not something I'd want to lose out on.

That's right, baby! This punch will finish you and... the game dropped. Cool.

Saying that, BioWare's decision to implement this day one DLC does trouble me somewhat. I'm incredibly excited about ME3, but I definitely won't be purchasing a different version of the game just so I can get that extra content. Acquiescing in this way lets the developer and distributor know that what they're doing is somewhat acceptable. It's something that I just can't do.

This whole debacle poses several other questions brought on by this console generation, including one that still pertains to Mass Effect; are developers purposely holding back core game content so as to sell it to us later? If we're using ME3 as an example, that answer would surely be a resounding yes. However, I don't feel that every developer takes advantage of the DLC system in this way. Take, for instance, Rockstar and their exquisite, high-quality DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV. It was a bit pricey, yes, but the content and effort put into The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony cannot be denied.

Other developers, like Mortal Kombat's NetherRealm Studios, use DLC in ways that were both accepted and not. NetherRealm provided excellent support for their game well past its launch day, with a slew of DLC and hot fixes to make the game as balanced as it possibly could be. Whilst that's a struggle in itself, NetherRealm did a commendable job and I wish other studios showed as much passion as they have. Unfortunately, NetherRealm also used DLC to cover up the brittle multiplayer infrastructure. If you had a chance to play MK online, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Constant input lag, match slowdown, dropped games, broken lobbies - everything a fighting game considers critical to a great experience was entirely screwed.

Think I can summon you to fight this crazy boar thing? The network is still down? You can't let me die to this thing!

Fun as it was, I hold errors like MK's high on my sin list, and that leads us directly into another argument; what's acceptable when flagrant errors prevent a game from being completely playable? DLC can help this matter as unforeseen circumstances arise; issues naturally happen. For this reason, DLC can be a boon to certain games. Even still, there's no denying the embarrassing amount of games that rely on DLC to correct post-release issues. LittleBigPlanet and SOCOM: Confrontation threw up several patches just to allow you to play correctly. Gears of War 2 has its own special place in hell for what it did to its players on launch day and several months after. The point is, DLC allows games like MK to release with the intention of fixing the problem later. Dark Souls, one of my favourite games of last year, released with completely broken multiplayer functionality. It took From Software months to come out with the necessary fixes and even then, there were some mechanics that just didn't work in the way that it was intended they should.

DLC isn't the end of all things; it's just the opposite. Developers may not be using the system in ways that we would like to see, but its flashes of brilliance make gaming today a thing of beauty. It'll take time to weed out the issues but we can do our part by voting with our wallets and voicing our opinions on official message boards about what we think is acceptable. I'll never come out and say that day one DLC is ever 'alright', but I will always take a working game over something that requires several thousand title updates.

What do you think about day-one DLC? Do you have issues with patches coming in late or requiring several for you to even play your game? Voice your opinions below!

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Dark Souls, DLC, Feature, Grand Theft Auto IV, Mass Effect 3, Mortal Kombat, Opinion, Resident Evil 5

The end of the year is always a hard time for a videogame journalist. Not only do we have to recall every experience we've had over the course of the year, but we then need to match each title up against one another, like some kind of digital Mortal Kombat tournament, in order to find that elusive 'game of the year'.

Keep in mind that this list is my personal favourite games of the year, not a list of the 'best' or most popular out there. That means some of the more abstract titles out there might take the place of the greater ones.

Let's start things off with a game that was neglected, but is great in its own way.

10: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Space Marine is a third-person action shooter with combat mechanics similar to Rocksteady's recent Batman titles. It is Relic's first attempt at approaching the franchise using this genre and they did a fantastic job. The detail was extraordinary and, whilst the campaign was pretty short, the multiplayer served as a fun distraction with its competitive and co-operative elements.

It drops in at number ten for numerous reasons. Whilst it did the 40k universe justice, I felt that the campaign could have had more combat variety. The weapons, despite being brutally satisfying, were very limited, as were the combat moves. The multiplayer also lifted many of its features from games like Call of Duty and Gears of War's Horde mode (Exterminatus). Despite those shortcomings, Space Marine successfully tied together satisfying mêlée combat with solid shooting mechanics. Couple that with jaw-dropping executions and beautiful environments, and you have a sleeper hit on your hands. I can't wait to see what Relic does with this franchise.

9: Bulletstorm

Bullestorm is a unique first-person shooter that focusses on killing with skill. Generically shooting enemies to progress is out, and performing perpetually-interesting moves to decapitate, obliterate, incinerate or otherwise maim your opponents is in. Also, dick jokes.

Bulletstorm received massive criticism due to its humour and absurd format of first-person shooting. Sure, the funny bits were pretty dry, but think of it like the movie Snakes on a Plane; the whole thing is one big joke. The shooting is also rather great, but you can't play it like a conventional shooter where you shoot a target dude until the life bar depletes. Bulletstorm doesn't work like that, and if you play it as such, you'll despise it.

For me, Epic's extremely under-appreciated title pleased me with its style and surprisingly funny dialogue. Never did I think a FPS could change the formula into such a winning concoction. Using the environment to manipulate and slaughter your opponents? It might not be for everyone, but you'll never know whether you love it unless you give it a spin.

8: Orcs Must Die!

Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die! is a third-person tower-defense-esque game in which you control a Warmage. A really stupid Warmage. Your master slipped and fell on the steps, thus leaving you to fend off the relentless assault of Orcs who are seemingly allergic to fire.

Seriously. I heard one of them say it.

Whilst tower-defence games are literally a penny a dozen, Orcs Must Die! provides an excellent variation on the genre. By utilising traps instead of towers and allowing you to fully control a character who can use various talent trees and engage in either physical or magical combat, this game stays fresh for its duration. Throw in extra levels, traps and monsters via DLC, and you have a game that you'll be playing for hours upon hours, and for a ridiculously low-price too. Trust me when I say that Orcs Must Die! is one of the best in the genre.

7: Dark Souls

From Software returns with the brutal successor to the PlayStation exclusive, Demon's Souls, 2011's Dark Souls. Bordering on ridiculous as far as difficulty goes, Dark Souls takes you into a unique world where you must combat demons and all other forms of monstrosity with very little assistance. Survive long enough and you might just become stronger to journey into the next room. What's that you say; you died at the hand of a skeleton? You're screwed.

Next to Bioshock, the Souls titles are the most atmospheric games I've ever played. The art design, the ambiance; everything about these games screams style, and it works. Dark Souls is terrifying and that's mostly because it's a game that embraces a lost style: discovery. As you continue to discover more and more about a certain region, you begin to understand the game itself better, as well as your limits. Never have I felt so rewarded for defeating a tough monster, and so betrayed in dying to a standard enemy. Although the multiplayer was broken at release, Dark Souls is such a unique experience that you do yourself a disservice if you miss out.

6: Dynasty Warriors 7

Have you ever laughed out loud at a game on the brink of release? I certainly did with Dynasty Warriors 7. A notorious joke within the industry, countless Warriors titles have released, and hardly any have been in any way worth praising. Surprising as it may seem, Dynasty Warriors 7 is the exception, and has unbelievably steered a sinking ship in a respectful direction. Yes, it's still a hack-and-slash game and, yes, it still has some pretty bad voice acting, but I'll be damned if I don't say that Koei did an outstanding job with this one.

As detailed in my review, one of the biggest selling points for me was online play, a first for the series. Even better, Koei actually took the time to refine the gameplay and eliminate the fluff that the series was known for. The story mode for each kingdom was confusingly addictive and the cut-scenes were crafted in a delightful way. With hours upon hours of relatively simple gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 7 was probably the biggest surprise of the year.

It also contains the best capes in gaming. Seriously, take a look.

5: Gears of War 3

Having composed the final entry in the Marcus Fenix story-arc, Gears of War 3 is the end of the story that all Gears fans know. Until this point, Gears had its highs and lows, but this game truly delivers on all fronts. As emotional as it is fulfiling, this is the definitive example of how a series should wrap things up.

It's hard to think that the third entry is Epic's swansong for the series. Whilst it most definitely won't be the last game we see in the Gears universe, Epic has done a fantastic job of sending it off. Four player co-op? A refined multiplayer experience with dedicated servers? A skilled author composing the story? Everything Gears of War 3 brings is the best of the series, and the only way you'll know is to play it yourself.

4: Dead Space 2

Renowned engineer Isaac Clark and the very angry Necromorphs both return in the much anticipated Dead Space 2. Having lost seemingly everything in the Ishimura incident, Clark wakes to find his nightmare renewed and, of course, he's the only one with the knowledge to stop the growing threat. Scary, atmospheric, technologically superior and, most of all, fun, Dead Space 2 is a worthy instalment to one of the better third-person titles available to gamers.

To this day, Visceral's creation is yet to be matched by an equally-fun and jump-worthy third-person shooter. The first Dead Space took many of its cues from the superb Resident Evil 4, but while that series has somewhat lost its course, Dead Space has evolved with the rest of the gaming industry and put out an incredible sequel. Although its multiplayer is forgettable beyond measure, the single-player experience never wavered in quality, and that's what really matters.

3: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Every Elder Scrolls game is huge, and Skyrim is no exception. Taking cues from the ways that games have changed, Bethesda has streamlined their seminal franchise to cater to all types of play-style and gamer. Couple that with an intriguing story, beautiful technology, and discovery elements that have been lost since Morrowind, and you get Skyrim, one of the best games of the year.

I have yet to finish an Elder Scrolls game, but Skyrim might just be the first game to break that mould. It certainly has its faults and glitches, but even those are not enough to sway my recommendation. You can play this game however you want, and with the death of the awful, awful level-scaling system present in Oblivion, even I can enjoy this game.

2: Mortal Kombat

You're reading the words of the most loyal Mortal Kombat fans out there. Yet, I never thought that Mortal Kombat could drag itself out of the abysmal hole that it dug itself into. But I was wrong. If you know nothing about Mortal Kombat - and if that's the situation, shame on you - understand that this game's accessibility is unparalleled and contains everything that made the old games memorable and great. Which largely means that Liu Kang isn't a zombie this time.

Foregoing the 3D style and retracing its steps back to the original days, Mortal Kombat is a masterclass in what a fighter should be. Not only does it give you the best story that any fighting game has ever seen (no, seriously, play it), but it is also loaded with unlockables, challenges and DLC that doesn't suck. The only thing holding this game back from perfection was its rather awful online component. Constant disconnection is enough to dissuade anyone from trying to compete online, but if they can get this right next time, then I can't wait.

1: Bastion

You might laugh, but my number one game this year is a downloadable title that will take you less than ten hours to play through. Regardless of its duration, you cannot measure the importance of quality in a game, and Bastion achieves that quality to the highest degree. Supergiant Games hasn't created a great title, they've created an incredible one.

Akin to some of my old favourites, such as The Secret of Mana, Bastion is an action-RPG that knows the ropes. Everything from the music to the combat feels right, and the story is mysterious enough to make you want to continue on your adventure to discover more about its surreal environment. Whilst it isn't the longest, deepest, most addictive or largest game out there, Bastion is composed so professionally that anyone can get into it. Saying that, if you've yet to skim the surface of this exceptional game then please, do so. Now.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Bastion, Bulletstorm, Dark Souls, Dead Space 2, Dynasty Warriors 7, Gears of War 3, Mortal Kombat, Opinion, Orcs Must Die, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Every year a cascade of triple-A titles beam themselves into the households of gamers everywhere. Surely it's a grand time to be anticipating the holiday schedule and perhaps the sequel to a game you enjoy dearly, but what about the games that don't receive such high-profile traffic? What about the games that rival the behemoths of the autumn, but don't get nearly a fraction of the attention? Of course, you don't know what I'm talking about, because you're probably too busy thinking about Modern Warfare 3. But, for a moment, forget about Activision's latest; I'm here to disclose to you the best games which are most likely to fly under the radar come the year's end.

Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Rage... the list could probably go on indefinitely, and I'm sure that - if you're reading this - at least one of those games has you trembling with excitement. The fact of the matter is that the excitement you're feeling should be redirected toward something more clandestine. Alright, so maybe these games aren't exactly invisible, but when put up against the likes of Gears and Modern Warfare, they might as well be. The titles found below all contain something magical that, unfortunately, will be glassed over by millions. Try very, very hard to not let this happen, and expose yourself to something that's not going to make a quadrillion dollars.

The following are my unprecedented predictions of the most underrated and underappreciated games of the year:

Mortal Kombat

Woah! Woah there, Mr. Critic! Mortal Kombat received overwhelmingly positive scores, is constantly being updated through DLC and balances, and is being enjoyed right now by a locust horde of gamers. How could this title possibly be under the radar?

This is easy: it's a fighting game. As much as I hate to say it, fighting games lose the majority of their player base after a short amount of time. Why? Because the general players aren't as hardcore as the true fighting fans out there, and want to sink their teeth into something more fresh. Mortal Kombat is probably the best fighter I've ever played; it's accessible and fun, but come year's end, people will make like Kenshi and turn a blind eye to it.

Outland

Borrowing from an excessive amount of incredible titles, Outland is a conglomeration of games that you loved, tossed together into a 2D plane. For some reason, people never remember the sidescroller. I don't like those people. Akin to Chair's awesome Shadow Complex, Outland is a title that all arcade aficionados simply must play. The aesthetic style, combat and platforming set this game apart from the myriad of other games out there. For $10, you can pick this up on the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade, but the majority just aren't interested, because that price is almost enough to get a map pack for Modern Warfare 3.

Shadows of the Damned

Suda 51 makes some unique games, but unfortunately the general populace doesn't buy them in droves. Shadows of the Damned is sold as a "psychological action thriller", and plays like Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space mixed with a plethora of phallic jokes. You really shouldn't miss out on this game. Whilst it ostensibly seems immature and contrived in all sorts of ways, Shadows of the Damned is one polished, beautiful disaster of awesome. The mechanics behind the game are a perfected Dead Space/Resident Evil 4 assortment and the humour is incredible. You might have to enjoy a dry style of comedy to really appreciate what Grasshopper has done here, but I'm telling you: this game is awfully good.

Dark Souls

This game is going to be hard. Really hard. Probably too hard for you. Which is why you're skipping it. Checkpoints are for losers. Loser.

Dark Souls has a lot of hype behind it. Being the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, this comes as no surprise, and will probably sell well within the month of its release. However, after that, I can't see this game being talked about in wide circles, since they'll all be too busy sawing people in half and/or levelling up their half-orc gnome. The game is going to be hard. But trust me, it's completely worth the price of admission.

Dynasty Warriors 7

If there was ever an effective deterrent, it'd be slapping the Dynasty Warriors moniker onto the front of anything. I've seen people run for their lives after just glancing at the title. I know I've washed my hands several times after handling certain games in the series.

Probably the biggest surprise of the year for me, Dynasty Warriors 7 is hands down the best game in the series. That would mean nothing if there wasn't a single redeeming feature in the franchise, but this game is both surprisingly simplistic and awesome at the same time. So, admittedly, these games were never very hard in the first place, but Koei has gone the extra mile in improving the quality of the game, along with developing a multiplayer component that actually works. The characters don't suck, the voice work is mostly pretty good, and the story mode is... fun. It's just too bad that hardly anyone is going to give this gem a chance.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Why bother messing with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, when you're going to be enjoying playing as Marcus and 'his lot' as they devour their own enemies, only just over a week after it releases? The masses agree: Gears of War will stomp the little Space Marine into a pulp.

In actuality, though, a single Space Marine would probably wipe out the entirety of Delta squad. It doesn't matter how big Cole is; you have no idea what a Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine is capable of. Saying that, September 6th is dangerously close to Gears of War 3's launch date, and no good will come of it. Space Marine will probably fare alright at first, but there's no chance it'll hold up against the popularity of the chainsaw.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

People don't care about planes in games. Ever. Which is a shame; Assault Horizon is the reboot of the Ace Combat franchise, and damn does it look impressive. It's just too bad that it's releasing so close to the rest of the triple-A storm that will more or less chew it up and spit it out. Just check out the trailer above, and tell me it isn't amazing-looking. Go on, tell me it isn't. I dare you.

Labels: 2011, Ace Combat Assault Horizon, Andrew Whipple III, Dark Souls, Dynasty Warriors 7, FromSoftware, Grasshopper Manufacture, Mortal Kombat, Outland, Shadows of the Damned