Dark Souls 3: DLC Announcement Update, Thoughts, and a Possible Bloodborne Connection

DLC ANNOUNCEMENT NEWS

     After months of playing Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and returning to Dark Souls 2 while a bide my time- the announcement we've all been waiting for has arrived.  Dark Souls 3's first DLC announcement will arrive on August 24th!

Huge news on the way, folks. 'What is it?" You ask? Well, you're going to have to wait to find out. pic.twitter.com/ivrzL0Z7N3

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) August 17, 2016

     Since the game was released in March, we've known that the $25 season pass would include 2 packs.  One would be released in the fall of 2016, and the second in early 2017.  Now we've gotten confirmation that information on the first will be presented on the 24th leading many people to speculate what it might include.

     From a Kotaku interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, we know:

   Kotaku: For people who have already finished Dark Souls 3, can you give any tease for the DLC? How do you intend to surprise players? 

Miyazaki: I’m not sure I can provide "information" without spilling the "surprise." The only thing I can say now is that we’re planning two DLCs for Dark Souls 3. The first is scheduled for release in autumn of 2016, and the second is scheduled for early 2017. We’re actually still working on the first one. Content-wise, it builds off of the previous titles and will be featuring a new area, enemies, gear, and story. The game story revolves around a new location which I believe will offer a different feel from Dark Souls 3.

     In addition there's been some supposed concept art leaks with potentially amazing stuff.  Granted, the leaks might just be old or unused images, as there IS the Faraam armor from part 2.  Although the amor DOES appear in Dark Souls 3.  It's item description in 3 says, "This set is named after a god of war.  The armor of the Forossa Lion Knights was preserved even after the destruction of their homeland, and is mentioned in numerous legends, alongside the names of those who are said to have gone beyond death."  Those who have gone beyond death makes me question things.
     Then in the second image below, the locale looks like the Lothric Castle area where you meet Emma, and fight Dancer of the Boreal Valley.  If it is unused art, it could be the precursor to the current entrance to Lothric with the angel-like statue possibly becoming the knight cutting his neck, and the chained woman becoming Emma.  I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

POSSIBLE BLOODBORNE CONNECTION

     But if it isn't simply old and unused art...

That city looks an awful lot like Yharnam.  And that tree is amazingly creepy.

     Ok, I've been really mulling on this idea.  I think the abyss is the dark of humanity (If I recall correctly, Manus was a man that succumbed to humanity and from that came the abyss), while the Deep was something other worldly- as we aren't told where it came from, just that it was found.  Just to be sure, I DO think they have a lot of similar properties, but are derived from separate sources- the same ways there is the first flame and the chaos flame. Similar things from varied origins.

     What if the deep is an internal portal to a place like the hunters dream- Aldrich (Eldritch!) feared what was there- so maybe he saw something big in his, you guessed it- his DREAM! - and that opened the doorway for the celestial monstrosities to possibly come through.  In the Old Hunters Bloodborne DLC one of those creepy brain sacks asks, "Have you heard how curiously the sea churns?  It bellows, from deep inside me." (Not an exact quote, but something close to that.)

Very reminiscent of where you fight Dancer in Lothric Castle.

     The Deep would be really cool.  Although I'm curious to see if we'll ever meet Gwynevere- who like Velka- has eluded us but has had an immense presence in the series.  I want to see what they've been up to.  Not necessarily in Londor though.  All the various gods from the Souls games like Caitha have been absent, so it could be interesting to see something else coming to power in another land.

     I think that the Deep would be better overall as the final DLC creating a potential bridge to the "dark fantasy" series that From has in the works. Maybe something that would take place in an era between Souls and Bloodborne, and I wouldn't mind a Pirate-like Souls type fantasy with explorable islands against those Lovecraftian horrors.  I mean the Hunters of Bloodborne had to start somewhere, so maybe the Deep is their arrival and causing the age of the Deep to come?  (And considering the "Old One" from Demon's Souls may be related/connected to those in Bloodborne...)
     To also further my suspicions, this particular leaked concept art has me really intrigued- a soldier with some Ebrietas like tentacles.

     Forgot to ask- what about all the other places we haven't seen- like Vinheim, Carim, or Astora's ruins? There's a ton of possibility for the DLCs. (White Birch Branches)  As with previous From DLCs they've been known to have them take place in times out of chronological order.  So of course we may get any number of alternate times of places we've heard of.

     Regardless, whatever they have been making will be wonderful.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES & THOUGHTS

     Notes on Aldrich possibly alluding to Bloodborne (citation from wiki):

     His name is spelled "エルドリッチ" in Japanese, which is read as "Eldritch," possibly a reference to H.P. Lovecraft.

     Aldrich Faithful covenant pendant, "The holy symbol of the Cathedral of the Deep, and crest of those who see beyond fire to the age of deep waters."

     His Soul, "When Aldrich ruminated on the fading of the fire, it inspired visions of a coming age of the deep sea."

     The Deacons of the Deep fight has a familiar red aura that goes from Deacon to Deacon, and looks suspiciously like one from Bloodborne.  Perhaps the Deep is a place we can reach through looking inward. Besides, only the souls collected that have been effected by the Deep are blue.

     Could there be a connection that Aldrich is keep in the highest part of Dark Souls 3 with the possibility that above him is an ocean of another realm?

     It might be a nice touch to point out there's also a recognizable suit of armor (Demon's Souls) found in the chalice dungeons of Bloodborne.

     Bone ash armor description from Bloodborne:

"Armor made of bone ash,worn by the oldest keepers. 

The keepers, who mind the slumbering Great Ones,
gained eternal life, preserved in ashen form in
a ceremony of flame that cremated body and soul"

     And the look of the items look very much like the witches of Dark Souls such as Karla and Demon's Souls' witch Yuria.

     Due to the the way IPs work, I think the Souls games and Bloodborne can definitely be connected nicely, but never explicitly stated as two different companies own them- which fits wonderfully into how the games' whole story works- through pure implication.

     And as a plug for a couple guys far better at this than myself, these videos are well worth a watch:

ParagonDS Dark Souls 3 DLC Thoughts: The Deep

VaatiVidya Dark Souls 3 DLC Thoughts: Londor

VaatiVidy Dark Souls 3 Angels of Lothric (Possible DLC Connections)

Dark Souls Remaster: Officially Announced!!!

     The original Dark Souls has been a game fans have enjoyed in and out since its arrival in late 2011, and after years of asking and rumors culminating in an insider leak last month of a Remaster on the way, we finally have the first official teaser trailer and announcement.
     Series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki previously stated that his Dark Souls saga was complete with part 3's DLC The Ringed City, but left some potential openings for remasters and even new installments long down the line.

     Praise the Sun fellow travelers.  According to the official site:

     DARK SOULS: REMASTERED allows players to explore the twisted ancient land of Lordran in the first title of the critically acclaimed action role-playing series like never before. Experience the rich world of DARK SOULS in upscaled 4K resolution with 60FPS when playing on a PlayStation 4 Pro system, Xbox One X, and PC.  Also, 1080p resolution with 30FPS is available when playing the game on Nintendo Switch with its TV mode. 

     We've also been promised a much-needed multiplayer experience, with the move from Player-to-player connectivity to dedicated servers, as well as the change from 4 players to 6.  Now, many of us are waiting to see if we'll also receive the ability to play with friends that Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne had with the password system.
     Personally, I'm curious to see if they'll clean up the combat a bit (NOT sped up, just not as clunky)- with things like better hit boxes, omni-directional rolling, and the like.  Fextralife claims to have been working with Fromsoft on fixing a lot of these issues and the multitude of bugs in the game since 2016.  Perhaps we may even see some changes to Lost Izalith, as Miyazaki has voiced his displeasure many times about how it wasn't up to standards.

     This return to Lordran is going to be great.

     Dark Souls Remastered is slated to arrive May 5th, 2018.

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Dark Souls 2: Some Thoughts

     The announcement of Dark Souls 2 a while back had me super giddy.  The game is an utter pain to slog through, but the rewards for completing it's notoriously difficult landscape are hard to equal.  The Capra Demon plagued me for days, but once I beat him the first time, mostly sheer luck in the small corridor of a battleground, I had to pause to enjoy that moment.  What a relief. 
     There were plenty of times I was so tense from playing that I had to pause the game and compose myself because it got to be so intense knowing that even the most piddly of enemies can cause a swift death if you aren't careful.

     My first question about this sequel is why "Dark Souls 2" and not Darker Souls or Lost Souls?  Regardless- I am super stoked to return to this world, even if it's supposedly on another continent.

     Here's a couple quotes that struck me as interesting from an Edge Magazine article:

"...the story will once again revolve around a character who is cursed and seeking to find the cure for his affliction."
“The concept of time and the existence of time is something that will be key to Dark Souls II,” replies Shibuya. When we press for more detail, he simply rephrases the word ‘time’ with ‘eras’ and leaves it there.

     Hhhmmm...  are we to possibly infer that there will be time constraints in the game?  Perhaps things must be done within certain limitations of chronological order.  Let's say, for instance, you kill something off and are put under the strain of withstanding the repercussions of that choice.  Maybe you have to hide, maybe some things can only be done at certain times.  Could there be characters that are only available for a short window?  Only on specific dates or times?  Could time be used and warped like the game Braid?  Maybe you die, but rewind the clock to get another go at it?
     Good lord, think of the amazing possibilities if you were to be playing a character that had their soul split across the centuries- things you might have to do for your future self.  Carve a path to follow or hiding things in caves to retrieve in a later era.  The potential here is unlimited.
     Or, what if the character's curse is akin to needing to refuel or constantly need to watch specific levels from raising or lowering in their person.  Think of being infected- you would need to maintain a flow of something to keep it from being too potent in the blood.  Or if it works like a symbiosis, you then couldn't have too little either. 

     Well, whatever they have been creating I'm sure I'll thoroughly enjoy it again.  I absolutely love the way the Dark Souls story was given, or rather hinted at.  The basic elements are there, but all the finer points have to be sought after.  With small hints given in weapon descriptions and items, we are free to fill in the blanks- such as the possibility that Solaire may be a son that was stripped of deity like powers.  The story of Dark Souls has all the proper parts, they just  need to be pieced together.  And that is something I feel is just as rewarding as playing the game itself.

     Hopefully I may dust off my beloved Winged Spear and Velka's Rapier to revisit this world and slay my way through the next inhumanely difficult land.

PS:  I actually saw something about a patch for the difficulty level in Dark Souls some time ago.  You know, that wouldn't be a bad idea.  While I fully enjoyed the game, I could've dealt with a bit less stress in game during the time I was searching for just story.  It was a Platinum Trophy that took months to get.  And 10,000 in-game deaths.  So if the challenge came on my 2nd playthrough I wouldn't mind.

Dark Souls 2: Multiplayer PVP and Co-Op

No Longer Safe.

     From Software has upped the anti on Dark Souls 2's multiplayer.  Considerably. 

     Now, there is no safety in remaining undead, or hollowed.  You can be invaded at ANY time.  If that was too little, they've added an additional torturous punishment, dying too frequently causes your maximum health to deplete up to around 50% of maximum.  Only using the new Human Effigy can restore the lost health and humanity.  So once you've used your Human Effigies, you could be in a world of dire circumstances.  Less HP means even the smallest enemy is cause for fear.
     What I wonder is why even have the humanity at all now?  Why not just stay in human or soul form and have a sliding health scale.  Perhaps there are hidden reasons to be one or the other now- like Demon's Souls' World Tendency.

     Sure, it sounds like an invader's paradise, BUT, and this is something I highly approve of, if you are part of the "Way of the Blue" covenant another player- a Blue Sentinel- will be called in during an invasion.  The threat is still there, but will be slightly reduced with, hopefully, aid and protection from a summoned reinforcement.  Provided they don't backstab you and help the invader.

     The summoning of helper souls has been changed as well.  Now, when White Soapstones are used, the summoned player has a time limit.  That time limit reduces in duration faster the more the assisting souls kill.  So if the person(s) summoned will only be along for a comparatively short time if they kill a bunch of enemies in quick succession.
     This was done to lower reliance on "assistance" from others.  I think this is a poor choice from the developers.  I enjoyed playing with some people online that were with me for a long time.  They didn't slay everything in their paths, but helped a lot regardless.  How will gamers bond with restrictions in time to help?  Do invaders have a time restriction as well?  I'm very curious about that.

     I hope the PVP doesn't devolve into invaders being 200 levels higher than you jumping in and lag-teleport-backstabbing-spammery.  If I had any real complaints about Dark Souls, that would be it. 

     On the whole, this sounds kind of counter intuitive to gaining new players.  It was a massive problem when I started playing- I had people constantly invade and be 100+ levels higher.  I even had a Fog Ring wearer take me out with a single arrow.  Through my shield.  From across the forest.

     There is a part of me that absolutely hates the idea of constant invasion threats, it was hard to enjoy a game (Dark Souls) when you get to a boss, then have an invader jump in and be completely ignored by all the enemies.  So you have to deal with enemies AND an invader that is damn near impossible to kill.  Biggest annoyance possible and it begs the question of whether they've been able to balance the multiplayer.  Seriously, I don't recall ANY risks to invading, while being invaded posed many, many risks of losing souls.

     Hopefully they'll balance the invader's soul and weapon levels to the player's so they aren't so far above you that you wouldn't stand a chance.  And the part of me that doesn't hate the multiplayer addition will join the Way of the Blue...   or just play offline.
     Although... I did have a couple invaders in Dark Souls jump in, run up to me wave then run and jump off ledges to their death.


From "Prepare to Die" to "Go Beyond Death."

     This is going to be a tough game, as the developer's have invented plenty of  new ways to kill us on top of falling, poison, plague, and swarms of nigh invulnerable enemies.  The lands of Dark Souls feels bleaker than ever, but I look forward to braving it...  despite the double digit death toll I'm sure to rack up before I light my first bonfire.

Dark Souls Remastered: Might Actually be Happening (Confirmed by Original Reporter)

[ UPDATE ] Apparently there's been some more confirmations to Original Tweet (& Deleted link), and Sellers also noted that two games were specifically the Dark Souls Remaster and Soul Calibur 6- as well as the fact they are NOT exclusives to the Switch.

     Dark Souls as a series might be over, but many fans (including myself) have been begging for a remastered version of the original (as well as one for Demon's Souls) for a very long time over on Reddit and elsewhere.
     Over the last few months there have been rumors circulating that one indeed may be on the way, and recently we got news of the Demon's Souls servers finally closing down after almost a decade.  Then yesterday Nintendo Switch Network writer Marcus Sellers accidentally revealed some juicy news.

     In a tweet he posted, he let it slip that at a December 15th Bandai-Namco event that "5 unannounced games would be shown off." In addition Nintendo would be featured heavily.
     What makes this even better is he replied to another person's tweet revealing the news of the Dark Souls Remaster- which has since been deleted, but thanks to the ever vigilant internet dwellers, it was screen-capped and saved.

     The tweet mentioned the fact that the 2011 game re-released in Remastered form would be coming to not only the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, but the Nintendo Switch as well.  If Seller's tweet is true, then all of us Souls fans can once again return to Lordran in all of its glory and splendor with a completely new and beautiful journey into darkness.*

     I'm sure many are hoping to also hear an official announcement of a Bloodborne sequel (personally if they do, I hope it's in a far futuristic setting like a Dead Space game), some Armored Core news, and the like, but for me- a Dark Souls Remaster is exactly the news I've been waiting for.  Improved graphics, a more balanced PvP connectivity, and better controls would be a godsend for the game.  When I say better controls- I do NOT mean the infinite rolling of the 3rd game, just a smoother flow and slightly less clunky as the methodical combat of the first game is still unmatched in its perfection.  This remaster could revitalize the entire Souls community.

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     Source [ Seasoned Gaming ] via [ ComicBook ] & [ Reddit ]

*My Ps3 trophies from when DS1 first arrived. Such great memories.

Dark Souls: The Breath of Andolus: Short Comic Book Review

     As both a comic book fan and a Dark Souls fan, I must say that the Dark Souls comic has been a terrible experience.  At best, this is a generic fantasy story skinned with Dark Souls, and at worst it resembles the source material in name only.  The Breath of Andolus contains none of the elements that make Dark Souls such an appealing series.
     At its base it's the story of Fira, a soldier on a quest to reclaim a dragon's tooth in the land of Ishra.  It's the old story of an undead curse and someone attempting to right it.

     On perhaps the only good note, you can see that at the its core, the creators had the right idea by playing with the undead curse and its degradation on the minds of those it afflicts, but when it came to execution they eschewed the brilliant FromSoftware storytelling method in favor of pure over-the-top Hollywood-esque action scenes.  In the last issue, things got a very tiny bit better as we find that the unreliable narrator has had some memory problems due to the curse and her joyous past wasn't as great or nice as she had thought.

     The comic series holds none of the tension, tone, or perfectly tailored atmosphere of the games.  None of it.  The complex lore at the heart of the games is also completely non-existent here, seriously, the closest it comes is a couple name drops- as one of the two main characters is named Aldrich, who may be the Aldrich of the third game, but comes across nothing like his past was described in the game at all by Hawkwood as a "right and proper Cleric."  It's like they purposely ignored all the things that make the games so good, and they clearly don't understand that special magic the games hold.

     Then they relied so heavily on exposition that it's downright awful, with far too much talking, and the overabundance of the "Thy's and Thou's" being force fed to us is infuriating.  There's a good reason why the dialogue in the games is so sparse.  They give us only the barest information and allow us to find the story, we become part of the journey by learning and solving the puzzle as we go.  Here, they give us no mystery, no way to obtain that same rewarding realization we get from finding it ourselves in the games.

     I fully believe that a Dark Souls comic can be done properly with a much defter hand*, and a more appropriate art style, but with The Breath of Andolus, that opportunity has been wasted.  Hopefully Titan Comics will find a team better suited to the incredibly unique FromSoftware storytelling method.  I already see they have a second series (Dark Souls: Legends of the Flame) in the works from the same writer, George Mann and aided by Dan Watters, but different artists.  Alan Quar will be joined by Piotr Kowalski, and Damien Worm.  My hopes are already at the lowest possible point until they get a better crew to make these.

     If you are a true fan of the game series in any capacity, avoid this comic.  It isn't the intriguing journey of an unkindled.  This feels more along the lines of a poorly handled, uneven, meandering mess that is a story belonging to a nameless hollowed infantry soldier- meaning it's a waste of your time to even stop and deal with it.  It's much better to simply walk passed it.  Ignore these comics and just play the games, you'll appreciate them more.


*If I were to choose, I'd suggest Becky Cloonan as writer (see her By Chance or Providence series) with art by Mike Mignola.  And good gods, get someone like VaatiVidya to be editor on these books!

Slashy Souls: Review: Dark Souls' Grotesque Tie-in Kin

     Theoretically, an endless runner in a Dark Souls related universe could've been an intriguing thing.  It sounded all right.  Unfortunately, what we got is a game rife with imbalance, poor controls, and a clunky character all wrapped up in terrible art and sound design.

A nice bug. Stuck playing behind a "You Died" screen- an apt metaphor for the game.

    The randomized levels leave the player at mercy of a clearly thoughtless setup nearly every time you restart- as traps are so close to each other in succession you almost always are forced to take damage.  Jumping barely gets you over obstacles, weapons and spells damage is negligible, and every single thing ticks off the precious little life you are given to start with.  This isn't a case of practiced skill and restraint in gaming tactics that is the foundation of the series.  This is a downright abomination of those principles that made the series great in the first place.
     Adding to this series of compounding problems is the fact the game is riddled with bugs that cause it to crash frequently forcing you to restart the application.  It just isn't worth the time.  No amount of Estus flasks can bring new life to this hollowed game.

     No element of the Dark Souls legacy has been such a despicable enemy in the game as Slashy Souls is in itself.  The torment it provides players is something Souls veterans should be used to, but this is so much worse than anything previously encountered in the series.  Even my first battle with the Capra Demon in Lower Undead Burg was far less painful or frustrating than playing Slashy Souls.

     As a free-to-play title meant to build hype and gather pre-orders for Dark Souls 3, I feel like I should get a rebate for wasting my time playing it.  Was it too much to ask that Bandai Namco to release something more like a small side-scrolling platform-adventure, or Marvel Future Fight instead of this embarrassment?

     There is nothing spectacular or even remotely notable with this tie-in to the Souls games that captured audiences attention and built an avid fandom over the last decade, and after years of From Software's wonderfully developed world, Slashy Souls' amateurish look and awful gameplay is a truly horrendous blight that only tarnishes the Souls namesake.

*I played Slashy Souls on an iPad Mini.

Dark Souls 3: Launch Trailer, Pre-Game Thoughts, and Difficulty

LAUNCH TRAILER!

     Let's start this with what many of you are here for- the epic launch trailer:

     There'll be many deaths in the process of lighting the bonfires.  Many, many deaths.

THOUGHTS

My character Old Ben from Dark Souls 2, in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC.

     Those that've read this blog long enough know that I've been a long fan of the series in the seven years since Demon's Souls first came out.  Through the good, the bad (the awful mobile tie-in), the memes, and even the wonderful humor courtesy other players.  Back in late 2013 I made a wish list for Dark Souls 2, and I kind of want the same things for the third installment.

     1) "Trusty" Patches (The Hyena).

Who isn't suspecting a new incarnation of the tricky fellow that enjoys kicking people into trap and treasure filled pits?

     2) A Sword of Moonlight.

          A FromSoftware staple, a blade of moonlight.  I hope for a smaller sword this time.
          I think a Moonlight Rapier would be more my style.

     3) Lore.

More lore.  Always with the mystery and search for what is really going on.

     4) A new Painted World of Ariamis

Obviously a world within a world is always a good thing in Dark Souls.

     FromSoftware has an amazing track record for great games, and this'll be no different.  My hopes burn as bright as the light of the Kiln of the First Flame.

DIFFICULTY

     I've been seeing this debate going on and on and on, and personally, I wouldn't mind an easy mode, and for those of you that immediately want to reply with, "Get good," I'll have you know I Platinum Trophied Dark Souls.  It isn't that I can't do it, it's a matter of having the time to grind through versus wanting a more casual experience of the tremendous world-building in the universe FromSoftware has created.  I would enjoy a more exploratory journey where one wrong step didn't result in instant death, or going the wrong way might lead to an enemy far beyond the reach of early level players.

REKINDLE THE EMBERS

     Will we finally break the cycle of descent into the abyss or relight the firelink shrines and establish a new light in the world?  I'm going to try.  Over and over and over again in the path of life and death spinning as a wheel.

     It's time to summon assistance, praise the sun, and step through the fog gate- I'm prepared to die.

My Dark Souls character- Njeru.

Dark Souls 3: Possible Ashes of Ariandel DLC Hint

A DLC HINT?

     While I've been awaiting the Dark Souls 3 DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, to arrive I've been playing a lot of Dark Souls 2 and 3 in silly ways in addition to looking for things I may have missed in previous playthroughs.
     Well, in my clubs character (and talisman for a little extra healing because I'm using no armors or other weapons) I came across this small thing behind the Cleansing Chapel bonfire at the Cathedral of the Deep.

     There's an altar of sorts blocking a statue behind it.  It's probably nothing, but I just found it intriguing that it might be something.  It appears that it was placed there to prevent viewing of what's behind it.  To me it seems like the shrine after the Abyss Watchers fight that moves and opens another passageway.  Could this be something from when the Cathedral's inhabitants started turning to the dark, when the Deep became something more corrupt than it's original peaceful form.  The miracle Deep Protection says, "The Deep was originally a peaceful and sacred place, but became the final rest for many abhorrent things. This tale of the Deep offers protection for those who worship amidst those horrors."
     Why I'm drawn to this is because in the Ashes of Ariandel trailer there's a couple shots of this area with someone offering up a torn piece of something.  Could this be one of the ways into the DLC?  I was initially thinking that it would be in the Irithyll room with the 4 paintings and the silver knights, but this is looking equally plausible now.  On top of that, in the gameplay trailer at the 3:38 mark a lady comes in that looks an awful lot like this statue.
     As I said though, it'll probably be nothing, but it's still a potential link.

THE PAINTED WORLD

     Director Hidetaki Miyazaki told Polygon that, "It is taking place in the Painted World, but it’s taking place in a different Painted World.  However, there are some connections between this Painted World and the one from the original Dark Souls. The reason I decided to return to the Painted World is because it matches with the theme I’m trying to describe in the first DLC. Players should be able to understand the reason as they play the DLC."
     I would take this in a couple ways.  One I believe to be is an alternate world- like the Dark Firelink Shrine.  The reason I use that example is- and I have yet to see anyone else pose this idea- is that I believe the Firekeeper Champion Gundyr failed to protect was Irina of Carim, but in his own world.  His soul reads, "Once, a Champion came late to the festivities and was greeted by a shrine without a fire, and a bell that would not toll."  I don't believe Untended Graves is necessarily in our past.  There are many worlds between the characters- as shown most notably with helping Anri kill Aldrich in her world, helping Sirris kill Creighton, or being invaded by Hodrick after his body is smashed beneath Curse-Rotted Greatwood.  It's best explained by Solaire from Dark Souls 1, when he tells us how summoning works.  He says, "The flow of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries old, phasing in and out.  The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure.  There's no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact.  But, use this, to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!"
     Anyways, back to Untended Graves- you find the Firekeeper's eyes on a Firekeeper body in the same place Irina sits in the normal Firelink Shrine.  It heavily suggests that in Gundyr's world she was the one that died.  Backing this up is the fact she actually becomes a Firekeeper in our own world if we buy all her miracles and she moves to the tower of bodies behind the Firelink Shrine and sits in the dark.
     So what if this Painted World is simply someone else's version, as the names are Ariamis and Ariandel.  They're far too similar to be coincidence.

     The second way I could think of this is what if we are changing time, as FromSoftware is known for messing with time.  What if meddling with the shifting times has altered the paths and subsequently changing the names and properties of the world in the wake.
     Maybe this Painted World is from a time before the Deep became corrupted?  Such as if the events of this DLC will lead to the Deep becoming full of the dark and gnawing creatures.  Perhaps it's an offshoot of that- in a world where the corruption didn't happen, but the flame was dying- leading to a world of cold, which could eventually lead to an era of the Deep.
     I don't know, these are just some thoughts I wanted to toss out.  I'll need to mull it over and consider some more possibilities for what we might be getting and the hints we got in the trailers are about.  Like the Lothric connections in the trailers (the boss characters from the main game), they make me wonder if it could be from a time when the Deep began to spread and infect those from Lothric- thus serving as a bridge in the story.

ONE LAST THING

     The attention to details and connections are so damn amazing in these games.  Think about the body near the bonfire at the Profaned Capital, it took me forever to place it as Laddersmith Gilligan, and the only reason I recognized him is because I've been playing DS2 again.  It makes sense because he's also surrounded by a ton of ladders.  Seeing him again brings a really nice call back to the previous game.  And what makes it better is it's something many people wouldn't bother to think about- it's just another body laying around.  So I'm keeping my eyes peeled for more small touches like this.

     And lastly, something that made me laugh.

     Not sure how this happened, but it gave me a chuckle.

Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel: New PvP Trailer: Choose Your Allegiance

     As we inch towards the release date of the Dark Souls 3 DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, more hype should be expected.  Today we see the release of a trailer hinting to something that feels pretty broken in the core game- PvP.

     This take on the newest Souls' Painted World offers us the typical DLC fair of weapons, armor, bosses, and a new locale.  But this particular trailer focuses primarily on the PvP battle experience in what appears to be an arena devoted solely to destroying each other.  It sounds awesome.

     What might not sound so awesome, however, is the fact that this is the second to last Dark Souls release we may ever get.  To be fair, we do know they are working on another dark fantasy series, that Director Hidetaka Miyazaki hopes will surpass it.

     Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel will be available Oct. 25th.

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City: New Screenshots Revealed

     With a mere 3 weeks until the release of the final Dark Souls 3 DLC content, The Ringed City, we are sure to get tons of teaser hype.  Today Bandai-Namco and From Software have given us a bunch of new images and snippets of text to whet our appetites.

An ancient city that has sunken under darkness. 

Many things have sunken, but at the same time, many have arose.

Because there may be spoilers contained in the images and descriptions click to continue:

Dark Souls 2: Collector's Edition Meme: Shut Up and Take My Money (Souls)!

     This is the first thing I thought of when I saw the Dark Souls 2 Collector's Edition and the Black Armor edition.  So after giggling like an idiot all day at work- here's a little Dark Souls meme I whipped up for whoever happens to stumble by here.  Hopefully you read it with the sound of using a soul from in the game.

     It seems fitting that I would pay for it with souls and it's more than likely something that "Trusty" Patches the Hyena would sell to me after kicking me into a hole.
     Well, enjoy.  I'll have some comments on the PVP and Co-op announcements tomorrow.  As well as another fairly funny picture I thought of to go along with the Souls series.

Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel Trailer & Quick Thoughts

     The official trailer has dropped and it looks great.  We are getting the already known new weapons, armor, spells, a new area, new enemies, and a whole area devoted specifically to PvP called the "Immortal Competition."  But now we get to see so many more clues!

     The name Ariandel is immediately reminiscent of The Painted World of Ariamis.  It's another snow based area, and even has someone reaching out to touch something that appears very like the familiar looking painting itself at the 55 second mark.  Another notable thing is that some characters that to be covered in feather like capes- that being related to Velka.  Which makes me wonder is the self-flagellating character that is seen multiple time (best shot at 2:12) Velka herself?

     I think we also get a cool shot of someone using a Lordvessel as a weapon as well.  At 2:17 an enemy is crushing a player with it, and dumping lava out on them.  That is tremendously awesome.

     Overall, I'm wondering if- as FromSoftware is known to do- this takes place in another time.  I can't really say yet, but I would guess that this takes place prior to Dark Souls 3- as a still shot looks like what could possibly be a young Ludleth of Courland.  But then, it could always be someone we've never met.  At the 35 second mark there is another, presumably, Firekeeper.  Is it possibly one we already know- perhaps from the Untended Graves?  And/or the Shrine Handmaiden?
     If this is in another time- we've never met gods like Flann, Gwynnavere, Caitha and so on- so what if this is a DLC to show where all the (or some of them at least) have gone to when they abandoned Anor Londo.

     On to the PvP stuff.  We honestly don't get much in the way of info for it other than being assured there will be a dedicated area for some sweet Dark Souls fight clubs.  Personally, I'm not good in that fashion but will give it a shot anyways.  Hopefully FromSoft will fix a lot of the annoyances with the system as well.  Like, as much as I hate being invaded- they SHOULD still allow for invasions/summons after a boss is defeated in the area.  It offers more replayability for people, and increases the fun (and frustration).

     Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel arrives on October 25th.

Dark Souls 2: New Despair Trailer Released

     Lucky us, we got a 12 minute footage of the game with a sort of interview yesterday, and today a new trailer today.  Not much extra in the trailer from all the juicy bits yesterday, but excellent none the less.

     Since they made a big deal out of "time" being important, I am wondering if this game takes place either in the past, or with a person that may warp time.  Some people have mentioned the similarity between the Painted World of Ariamis of Dark Souls and the land across the bridge in this one.  There are some things that look the same.  Not exactly proof, but it does make me think, and given that a great amount of time may have been placed between the games it is quite plausible.  It also bears mentioning that the painting was a portal.  Was it created to contain a fragmentary piece of the "real" world?  I mean, maybe someone was embarrassed of Priscilla the Half-Breed, and wanted her locked away. 
     As for the character- could this protagonist be Lord Gwyn from before the dragons were slain?  From an earlier era- before he gained all his power, became the Lord of Cinder, defeated the Everlasting Dragons, and came to be where he was in Dark Souls.  Watching the young Gwyn become the king and Lord Soul.  His is an interesting path through the world of Dark Souls. 
     Or possibly, on a long shot guess, could this be his nameless firstborn son, stripped of deity status? (If Solaire of Astora isn't/wasn't that son- I personally believe there was evidence to argue that he could be)  I am very curious as to what happened to him.  Why was he stripped of his status?  Where did they go?  There is plenty of room for the character.
     If it is the lost son, he could be on a quest for redemption.  A quest for vengeance could be just as entertaining though.  If I had my Deity status torn away, I'd probably be a very pissed off and bitter person.  Longing to reaquire what was taken, the great powers and abilities of my birthright.  

     Regardless, I will actually looking forward to dying in many stressful ways.  A massive amount of nerve wracking, nail biting frustration is in my future.

     PS- With the head creator as only a supervisor, it makes me wonder if he's got another team secretly making something for the next gen PS4.  That's what I believe Rocksteady is doing with the Batman: Arkham series.  It makes sense, farm out the current gen games and focus on upping the ante for the next gen. 

Dark Souls 3: Gameplay Trailer Revealed!

     The newest Dark Souls 3 trailer from the Microsoft's Gamescom 2015 press conference focuses primarily on gameplay.  It is every bit as gruesome as one might expect from a series like this. 
     The third installment in the Dark Souls trilogy shows us more of the same- enormous monsters, undead skeletons, a place very reminiscent of Anor Londo, a lot of rolling around, and the almighty backstab- but it looks smoother and cleaner on the new generation of systems, leading us to the story's epic conclusion.

     It leads to a welcome sense of familiar foreboding as we descend into the darkness.

     Dark Souls 3 is set to release in 2016.

The NeverEnding Story: The Original Dark Souls: The NeverEnding Souls Meme

   

      It's been quite a while since I posted on my own sites, and even longer since I made any kind of memes.  Well, I've been on a Dark Souls kick recently, and going over old movies for reference material for a project I've been working on.  In doing so I came across a long-time favorite film from my childhood- The NeverEnding Story.

     In re-watching the film I realized that Dark Souls has a LOT in common, and a lot of parallels with the film (and I suppose the book it's based on).  I mean, right off the bat, Fantasia is being destroyed by an infection of darkness called The Nothing- whereas Lordran is being devoured by consuming dark called The Abyss.  There's the great wolf Gmork and the great wolf Sif, and so on.  There's the multiple gates on the way to finding a way to solve the problem besetting the land. I'm genuinely curious to know if Hidetaka Miyazaki has ever seen this and unconsciously drew any inspiration from the film.

     I'd actually like to recommend people just watch the film again anyways, due to the tremendously meta work of the story itself- and in even more surprising recommendations, I recall the book being less impressive than the film- which is quite rare for me to say.  Anyways, I laughed watching this scene and picturing this exact moment as if I were playing the game and experiencing it like this.

     Have a laugh and enjoy.  #NeverEndingSouls

Uncharted 4 + Dark Souls 3 = Uncharted Souls

     Since I haven't done any stupid posts for a while, I decided it was about damn time.  After playing a few hours of Naughty Dog's amazing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, I decided there were a lot of locations that reminded me of Dark Souls 3, and more so of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and I just wanted to have a little fun with that idea- so I made these!

Oh come on- I'm not even Embered!

     For the boss fog wall I wanted to make Sam look like he was a summon, but didn't have nearly enough time to do it.  But now the I think of it, I should've put in some summon signs on the floor too.  Oh well, maybe next time.

Good thing I summoned Sam. #PraiseTheSun

     I have a few more screenshots with some better ideas, but didn't have time.  I thought of tossing in some soul finds by combining the Dark Souls' items and Uncharted's notes systems into one.  There may be some crypts with Draugrs coming soon as well.

     Enjoy my stupidity.  [ For some of my old ones... ]

     #UnchartedSouls

Dark Souls 3: My Exp for the First Week: Boss Meme!

     Over the course of the first week of playing Dark Souls 3, I was taken by the new touch of not having a fog gate for the first time you encounter a boss to be a welcome surprise, albeit a frustrating one as well.  Stumbling into a major battle with no supplies is tantamount to instant doom for players fighting a boss for the first time.

     So, to celebrate this nice new feature, I made a Dark Souls meme about it:

     And if you like, here 2 old ones I made, "Shut up and take my souls!" and "Oh look, MORE Cracked Blue Eye Orb!"  Nothing special, just quick things thrown out for fun.  Enjoy.

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City: The Final DLC Announcement Trailer & Thoughts

     Dark Souls has been going strong for years now, and Bandai Namco and FromSoft have released the most recent trailer.  The final DLC of the entire series is titled The Ringed City, and touts a new world, new enemies, bosses, armors, weapons, and magic- all at the end of the world, and at the end of the age of fire.

     According to the official description:

"At the close of the Age of Fire, as the world ends and all lands converge upon themselves, a lone adventurer descends into the madness of the earth and uncovers the secrets of the past. As players make their way to the fabled Ringed City they will encounter ancient beasts, a new cast of characters teetering on the edge of insanity, new armor, weapons, magic, and at the bottom of it all, a long lost city filled with new horrors for players to overcome."

     The Ringed City looks like we'll finally get to see the city of hollows itself, Londor.  It also makes me wonder, was that tall woman with the crumbling jar thing Velka?  Regardless, I'm super excited for this last installment, and looking forward to what other games FromSoft will move towards after this.  Though, I do hope this last DLC will offer us answers to questions from long ago, as well as point to the future.  Maybe the end of the age of fire means their new dark fantasy game will be from the age of water Aldrich dreamed of.

     As much as I liked Ashes of Ariandel, I have to truly hope that they can match the scope of Bloodborne's Old Hunters DLC which was unbelievably well thought out and executed.

     Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City arrives on March 28th for $14.99.

          (Or as part of the DLC Season Pass for $24.99)

Dark Souls 2 DLC Announced: The Lost Crowns Trilogy

     Namco Bandai and From Software announced today that Dark Souls 2 will be receiving 3 DLC pieces on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Crown of the Sunken King, the first chapter in the trilogy, sends players on a journey to reclaim the crowns that Drangleic's King Vendrick once owned. Crown of the Sunken King features an entirely different world within the Dark Souls II universe, where stepped pyramids span a vast underground cavern. It is said that one of the ancient crowns lay buried deep within these dark caverns; but surely such a valued item cannot sit unguarded. Players that seek adversity and glory will be rewarded with a crown that holds the strength of lords from times long past.

     The first of the three, Crown of the Sunken King will be available in the Americas on July 22, the 2nd DLC Crown of the Old Iron King on August 26, and the 3rd, Crown of the Ivory King, will arrive on September 24.  Each will be individually purchasable for $9.99 or The Lost Crowns Trilogy in its entirety will also be available via a Season Pass for $24.99.

     Source [ Namco Bandai ]