WHAT IN THE HELL: Dark Souls (VIDEO FEATURE, GURL)

"THAT'S THE BIGGEST PIECE OF ASSHOLE I'VE EVER SEEN.  FUCK THIS GAME.  FUCK THE DESIGNERS WHO EVEN THOUGHT THAT NORMAL PEOPLE WOULD SPEND THEIR TIME TRYING TO PLAY THIS MASOCHISTIC PIECE OF SHIT."--Conor Morris' last words before strangling himself with the charger cord of an Xbox 360 controller while playing From Software's Dark Souls.

I've been playing my suitemate's copy of Dark Souls as of late, though I sometimes don't know why because it's one of the most damned difficult games I've ever had the chance to play.  I'm quite addicted, though, even despite my rage as seen above.  It is in fact a really good game.

The entire experience IS frustrating, but it's frustrating because of what kind of game it is.

It's an adventure game.  A modern ode to the archaic pieces of work in the 8-and-16-bit era that were so fond of blasting gamers with infernal combinations of difficulty, technology limitations and just plain lack of regard for sanity in the consumer.  The original Ninja Gaiden, for example, and even Zelda II (even if it is a bad, bad thing).

Even despite echoing the classic adventure game experience, Dark Souls manages to have its own satanic difficulties that pull at the very essence of your being as it laughs at your suffering.  The interface is pretty barbarically simple for how complex of a game it is, the inventory system too guerilla and with too few hints on how everything works.

Pictured above:  Dark Souls (devils) fucking with you (pussyass pumpkinpeople).