What does it mean to be a duelist?
Is it the air of flamboyance in your raiment?
Or the tales surrounding your blade?
The cold atmosphere of your stare?
Or is it purely your talent at arms?
A swordsman must be as a snake,
Biding her time to riposte and strike,
Reptilian eyes looking for a weak point,
There’s no underhandedness here though,
She is as regal as a king cobra,
And deeply respected as the fang she is,
The patience pays dividends of course,
A chink is spied,
No cuirass is impenetrable,
Not for an artist,
Not for a true duelist.
Hope you’re all having a crazy day! I wanted to talk to you guys about another video game that is close to my heart. Video games are, as i said in my previous gaming post, my primary hobby. Oh, aside from writing of course! I’m going to talk a little bit about my 2nd favorite game. Its a bit more recent this time. Another role-playing game. In my opinion one of the best RPGs of recent years.
My 2nd favorite game is Dark souls. Developed by From software and published by Namco Bandai. It was released in my country (the UK) on October 30th, 2011.
Picture/logo belongs to From software and Namco Bandai, obviously.
Now, i’m no game reviewer. I’m not going to be telling you the positives and negatives about Dark Souls. I’m simply going to be splurging about this video game that i love. Alright, now that’s out in the open, i’ll continue. Hehe!
Dark Souls is an Action-RPG. This means it’s a hybrid between an action game (Think God of war or Devil May Cry) and an RPG. An action game with elements of RPGs in it. Chopping monsters to bits while leveling up your characters statistics. I doubt anyone reading this actually needs this explanation, but there you go.
You play as an undead man or woman, in a dark, dreary world. The world resembles a water painting, if it were painted by Marilyn Manson or Edgar Allen Poe. Moody tones permeate everything. The settings range from dank dungeons to forbidding forests, from depressing sacred sites to disease-ridden swamps. Light is fleeting at best and completely false at worst. In fact, the only area with any significant sunlight is an illusion. The setting suits me perfectly. It’s mad in a subtle way, like the world is already ended and ended in a slow, corrupting way.
Being undead, you can’t die. When you’re cut down, you simply return to life at Dark Souls version of a checkpoint: the Bonfires. Oh, and you shall die a lot! Anyone who has heard of Dark Souls or read about it has most likely heard about its difficulty. Even the most humble enemy has the ability to tear you a new one. The bosses, of which there are many, will make you into a bloody stain in no time flat. Colossal dragons, giant suits of armor, demons, zombies, killer plants and demigods. This game has it all when it comes to enemy variety. From software really hit it out of the park here. I picture a member of the development team coming into the office and telling everyone about a nightmare he had. His colleagues would then proceed to take this nightmare and make it real in the world of Dark Souls.
One of my personal favorites: the Gaping Dragon.
The difficulty of the game works in its favor. Every achievement, every victory (no matter how minor) feels like you’ve reached the summit of Everest. Defeating a new boss for the first time really feels like you’ve defeated an unstoppable killing machine. To be pretty blunt, you feel like a bad-ass when you kill each one. I remember literally jumping for joy the first time i killed Seath the Scaleless, a dragon boss that i personally had a lot of trouble with. Oh, i do love fighting monsters on this!
I think that i should give a special mention to the music of Dark souls. It’s one of the only soundtracks that has compared to Final Fantasy. Practically every piece of music feels me with dread and wonder in equal measure. My personal favorite has to be the theme song for the final boss. I won’t spoil his name, i’m not that cruel. It’s clearly a boss theme and yet it is so sad. The melancholic piano reminds you that this boss fight is effectively a mercy killing. You’re putting an old, crazed god out of his misery. Dark Souls has a habit of making you feel like a horrible person, through both its music and dialogue.
A very good example, i feel.
Right, i feel like i have kept you long enough. I’d be surprised if anyone has read on this long. You must be as mad as me! I’ve splurged enough. I’d recommend Dark Souls to anyone who enjoys a solid fantasy experience with a dark twist. The fighting is solid, the leveling is dynamic, the setting is refreshingly twisted, the music is more than solid and the character design is exemplary. I have only one thing left to say: Play this game! Oh, and play the sequel when it comes out in a weeks time or so!
I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about something i love today. That something is video games. Or rather a specific video game. First things first though. Yes, the Harlequin is a huge gamer. I’m a huge nerd, clearly! I’ve been playing video games since the Sega Megadrive. I adore them. They could be my primary hobby, if it’s fair to call them one. Console or PC, it doesn’t actually matter. I play RPGs (Role playing games), strategy games and the occasional action game. Games like Total War, Civilization, Dark Souls and Disgaea to name a few.
One of my favourite gaming franchises is Final Fantasy. I’ve played the majority of the games in the series, as well as many of the spin offs. I have two favourite entries into the series. One of which is Final Fantasy 9, that nostalgic trip into crystal fantasy fun land. I’m not going to be talking about that today though. Nope, instead I’m going to be talking about my other Final Fantasy love: Final fantasy 11.
Picture belongs to Square Enix, obviously.
Right, Final Fantasy XI. Henceforth I’ll refer to it as FFXI, it’s just easier to type. It’s probably my most favourite game ever. I’ve made a number of lasting friendships while playing this game so it has a lasting place in my heart. It’s an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), much like World of Warcraft or Eve Online, but it takes all the little quirks and ideas from previous Final Fantasy games. That’s what i really love about it. Everything from the moogles to the job system makes this a true Final Fantasy game. It has all the same monsters, the whole emphasis on crystals, airships and even chocobos. Basically, the point I’m trying to make here is this is a real Final Fantasy game, despite being online. That actually works in its favor in my opinion. People you meet in virtual space are your party members now, not a host of occasionally irritating anime characters (I’m looking at you Vanille).
You pick a job (or a character class) from a list of 22. From the destructive Black mage to the iconic Dragoon, from the humble Warrior to the quirky Puppet master, there’s a class to suit all kinds of play styles. Personally i chose to play as a White mage. Basically my job is to keep everyone else alive and protected from enemy damage with healing and support magic. Easier said than done. Imagine a priest or cleric, that’s pretty much a White mage.
You then level up your character in a given class and go out and adventure! Fight big monsters, complete quests and traverse through a number of pretty impressive story lines. Yet another advantage FFXI has over other MMOs is the story missions. They make you feel like you’re playing a single player Final Fantasy game as you conquer boss monsters and watch cut scenes with other friendly players. It makes you feel special and valued while keeping that aspect of teamwork. From destroying an evil god, to exploring new frontiers, to traveling through time and space, FFXI has it all! I’ve poured countless hours in this game. That may reflect badly on my social life, but i don’t care all that much. It’s all in good fun eh?
I hadn’t really intended to tell you everything about this game, i just wanted to spill how much i adore this game! It’s the best, yet unrecognized Final Fantasy game in the series and far superior to the more recent Final Fantasy 14. Seriously, just go play it!
Have fun adventuring in real like and virtual land inmates!
WorldofHarley 