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Was Demon's Souls the GOAT back when it released in 2009?

Airbus Jr

Banned
not even close.

it's was and still is obtuse as shit.
tenor.gif
 

brenobnfm

Member
It was great, arguibly GOTY

But GOAT at the time? Fucking lol

Much better and infinitely more polished games were launched before DS, even for that generation up to that point.

Mario Galaxy is a 2017 game, you know?

Not saying that Demons Souls was anything short of great. But it had a lot of potential that would only be fullfiled by FROM in the sequels.

I don't care about kiddy Nintendo franchises, only Metroid.
 

Boss Man

Member
It was great, arguibly GOTY

But GOAT at the time? Fucking lol

Much better and infinitely more polished games were launched before DS, even for that generation up to that point.

Mario Galaxy is a 2017 game, you know?

Not saying that Demons Souls was anything short of great. But it had a lot of potential that would only be fullfiled by FROM in the sequels.
Not claiming it's the greatest game of all time, but idk it could at least be spoken out loud I think.

It might be a strong #2 on a list of games sorted by release date (newest) and influence? Is there a newer (or slightly older) game that had as big of an impact? COD: MW is the only other one I can think of and it's bigger and newer...but it's followed by Demon's Souls then a lot of empty space I think.
 
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Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I remember it was a popular underground import at the time. Play-Asia had it and I purchased both the Japanese and the Chinese-Korean version. I didn’t know the K+C version was in English until after I started playing the Japanese version. I visited a few low-key message boards about some of the bosses at the time. Other than that, no one really talked about it. I did write a review for it on another board. It was like gaming’s best kept secret. You had something that captivated the hardcore fantasy world setting with strategy and mystery.

I felt like it was hot enough for importers to see its potential, but the AAA/Gaming Journalist didn’t bat an eye at it or at least I didn’t see anyone really start to talk about it until Atlas brought it over. It gained a huge cult following and Dark Souls was sorta when it caught everyone’s eye. That’s at least how I see it. It sat unnoticed as a hot import. Being a launch game on the PS5 shows it really had an impact on players and it created its own genre that doesn’t conform to accessibility and comfort.
 

Hugare

Member
Not claiming it's the greatest game of all time, but idk it could at least be spoken out loud I think.

It might be a strong #2 on a list of games sorted by release date (newest) and influence? Is there a newer (or slightly older) game that had as big of an impact? COD: MW is the only other one I can think it and it's bigger and newer...but it's followed by Demon's Souls then a lot of empty space I think.
Being "the most influent of that era" is a lot different than being the GOAT

I can agree with it being influent (tho not that much). It's "mainstream" nowadays, despite not selling like crazy and being that much popular for the overall public (not "gamers).
Also, despite some mediocre clones, only FROM makes good "Soul like" games, even to this day. So its kinda niche, but not that niche as it was back then.

Bloodborne is considered one of the GOATS, but didnt sell 2M copies, for fucks sake.

In terms of quality, I believe that Demons Souls was surpassed by other Souls games by quite a lot.
 

Kagey K

Banned
No and it still wouldn’t be if it wasn’t the only reason to have a PS5.

There was a very small hardcore fanbase that latched into it early, but after Dark Souls it was mostly forgotten, because it was half baked and mediocre.

A small fanbase kept it alive.

After Dark Souls gained popularity everyone made it sound like Demons Souls was the be all end all of the genre and people swallowed it, making the game slightly bigger than it was.

This rerelease, has only helped to explode its popularity (especially for those with little “souls” experience,) since it is so basic compared to everything that came after.
 

petran79

Banned
Most were into games like god of war,tlous,uncharted and fps instead of demons souls. It would have caused them to break the controller
 

Nitty_Grimes

Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
If I remember it wasn’t released in the west for a long time after Japan. I could be wrong. That or it was a very limited run and it took some time to get another batch.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
No. It was very obscure and too hardcore.
Only Dark Souls really opened the franchise

DS wasn't really that obscure, when it got universal acclaim and even got a greatest hits edition. I'd say it was an unexpected success, a niche game that just kept selling based on word of mouth. It made From Software realize that a similar game but now on multiple platforms would sell even more. That's why they abandoned Demon's Souls and made the first Dark Souls game.
 

Yoboman

Member
Sony president Shuhei Yoshida was also dismissive of the game. When he play-tested it, he spent two hours playing the game and failed to get beyond the starting area. Believing it to be simply poor quality, he called it "an unbelievably bad game"

Sony president Shuhei Yoshida called it "an unbelievably bad game"

"an unbelievably bad game"
I dont blame him, depending on what he played it could be an easy mistake in 2009. Back then everything was getting easier and more accessible for years, Demons Souls was a total break from conventions

And I'm sure a preview build was even buggier and uglier

Big mistake in retrospect though
 
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Yoboman

Member
First (and only) game I've ever imported. The hype was real on GAF after a bunch of glowing impressions started coming in from users on the forum, but that was really the only place it was getting love. I remember being super happy to see it get a release in the US. I bought a second copy (already had the Asian version) just to support the game.

Clout chasing:

I firmly believe GAF can be thanked for this game not dying in Japan plus the English localisation being available well before it came to the States and Europe. The thread for it was huge. I didn't go into it for months but it was on the front page every day

The hype around here was so much I imported it from Play Asia, only game I've ever imported

Without that hardcore following I dont think Atlus ever picks it up for publishing in the US. It never reviews so well and wins GOTY awards. And Bandai Namco never commission the Dark Souls games
 

regawdless

Banned
It was ahead of it's time. It was the time of over-tutorializing, hand holding and simplifying games. Demon's Souls was like a fucking hammer in your face.

I loved it, but it was rough. I totally understand that it flew under the radar.
 

Radical_3d

Member
It has always been a mediocre game deified by the hardcore players. But, it’s online was a revolution and even 11 years later all that game designers come up with about online capabilities is the 1993 Doom’s death match, while Demons Souls offers a fresh take (even today) in what you can do with an online community. If guess graphics advance way quicker than game design.
 

killatopak

Gold Member
Specifically bought it back in 2009 thinking it was just a normal RPG.

I mean there was a serious lack of RPG during the time so I was willing to buy anything.

Ended being one of the best purchases I had done.
 
It was super niche back then in 2009 - product only for most hardcore gamers who learned of it existence through word of mouth since it orginally wasn't even released in west. It took years till Souls game became so famous.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
It was one of those games you occasionally heard about on the internet, but barely anyone knew what the hell were those were talking about.
 

ripeavocado

Banned
No it wasn't

Great game tho.

Add 11 years of nostalgia and the fact that is the only next-gen exclusive in sight and you get a goat.
 

Elcid

Banned
Upon it's release it was niche as FUCK and not that many people played it but the ones who did really did shill and support it to the end. The game that put Miyazaki on the map that was also the downfall for gaming journalists to be trusted.
Back in the PS3 days I kept hearing about this game and finally decided to try it and God damn did I love it. It really was GOTY when it released. Wouldn't really call it shilling though.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I give it 7/10 then and now, you can tell the formula is far from refined and the development hell it went through is evident with the varying quality, the way every area's final two bosses are right next to each other and stuff but it's still unique, fun and worth buying and playing for sure, even if Dark did it better and you've played it.

It might still be best of 2009, with some very nice competition like Bayonetta, Assassin's Creed II, Wii Sports Resort, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Punch-Out!!, Torchlight, Resident Evil 5, Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mirror's Edge, etc...

Edit: oh you mean best of everything up to 2009, not just in 2009? Lol, no, come on, don't be an idiot, nobody cares if you're too machour for Mario either.
 
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Valonquar

Member
Feel like it was a bit of a sleeper hit at first then built up steam as memes built up. The loading times for sure turned a lot of people off after the first several deaths.
 
I just remember it getting rave reviews across the board, and being really surprised that journos a) liked it and b) didn't cry and piss themselves because it was hard.
 

spawn

Member
It came out 3 years into the PS3's lifecycle and was exclusive to Playstation 3. Not very many people knew about souls games until Dark souls went multiplatform. It was very niche and out of my friends I was the only one who played it back then
 
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Fbh

Member
Not sure if GOAT, but at least to me it quickly went into my top 3.
Playing through Demon Souls at the time while talking to other people on online forums, sharing tips, strategies, stuff we had discovered, etc is one of my fondest gaming memories.
 

LarknThe4th

Member
I first heard about it when I lurked here in 2014, it kept coming up and I was like "what the fuck is a Demon Soul?" I got it and Dark Souls and cleared bot of em in a glorious week, I don't know about GOAT but definitely the game of the 2009, what else was like it at the time?
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
At the time of release of Demon's Souls, Super Mario Galaxy was the best game ever made. Shortly thereafter, this changed to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and stayed that way until now.
 

poodaddy

Gold Member
For my money Demon's Souls was absolutely the best game released in 2009. I adored the game from head to toe, but a fun fact is that I didn't actually "learn" to like the game until probably about 2014. I had been curious about it for some time, got PS3 in 2013, immediately bought Demon's Souls due to said curiosity, and was so put off by the difficulty that I just shelved it. The game just tested my patience so much, and I wasn't used to having to strategize so much and exercise patience in how I approached situations in games. So I quit, said the game was overrated, and that was that. About a year and a half later, I had some time on my hands as I had just quit my job as a bookkeeper to finish my degree, (which eventually become degrees, but I digress), as I had a G.I. bill to use and I felt compelled to use it before I got out of my 20's. I was waiting for school to start, and I didn't have a job for the first time in 9 years, so I got the idea to try out older games that I believed I didn't give a fair shake when I tried them the first time and gave up. So, Demon's Souls was first on my list because I still found the art style so interesting and I loved the dark fantasy world. Tried it, but this time I told myself it was alright to lose, and that I'd give it at least two hours before I gave up on it. Well.....I never stopped playing it lol. Over the next two weeks, I completely beat the game, and at that point became completely enamored with the series in general.

Long story short: Yeah, it was always really damn good, and was definitely the best game of that year, in my opinion at least.
 

FunkMiller

Member
It was an extremely good game... but not that highly regarded, no. Definitely a niche game to start with.

The gameplay and narrative were perfected for Dark Souls, which is the superior game in almost every way.
 

Desudzer10

Member
To be fair, IMO, The remake Demon Souls is getting far more praise because there is literally nothing on next gen consoles that come close to it. Visually or gameplay wise. If it came out in a year or so instead of at launch it wouldn't be considered "best game ever or already of this gen".

Also i love it.
 

brenobnfm

Member
It was an extremely good game... but not that highly regarded, no. Definitely a niche game to start with.

The gameplay and narrative were perfected for Dark Souls, which is the superior game in almost every way.

Even in it's most niche period, it's an 89 metacritic game and Gamespot GOTY. Today it's revered as one of the most influential game of all time, 5th in GAF's game of the generation poll with votes canibalized by Dark Souls. You couldn't be more wrong if you wanted.


To be fair, IMO, The remake Demon Souls is getting far more praise because there is literally nothing on next gen consoles that come close to it. Visually or gameplay wise. If it came out in a year or so instead of at launch it wouldn't be considered "best game ever or already of this gen".

Also i love it.

There ain't many things close to it in an entire generation, it's getting more praise because Souls is an established franchise now and people know how to play these games.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
It was praised but still niche. Kings field back on psx was the same. Praised but niche.
 

FunkMiller

Member
Even in it's most niche period, it's an 89 metacritic game and Gamespot GOTY. Today it's revered as one of the most influential game of all time, 5th in GAF's game of the generation poll with votes canibalized by Dark Souls. You couldn't be more wrong if you wanted.

Calm down chap. OP asks whether it was GOAT, and that’s what I’m referencing. It’s not that highly regarded, so you don’t have to be a jerk in leaping to its defence, yeah? We’re all Souls fans here.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Neat game, too hard though....comes back to it months later, man, I really want to love this game but it's kicking my ass.....third time coming back, GOAT. Now the series is tied with my other favorite series, Diablo. I hope D4 and Elden Ring come out close to each other. I'd be in heaven.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
It's wild cause I never personally cared for Souls games, but I've always respected the hell out of them. The gameplay just didn't do anything for me.

I bought DS on PS5 to support and give it another whirl and...something clicked. 👀

After giving all the games a shot, including the original DS on launch, something finally clicked. So, I'm going to revisit each game and see if it sits with me better than before. I think it may, and I'm genuinely excited about. Because as someone that didn't care for the gameplay, I loved absolutely everything about them.

Never tried Bloodborne, and I'm about to right now. :)
 
Maybe not "GOAT" but it was fucking awesome. Amazingly the OG version still more than holds up which is a testament to its greatness.
 

brenobnfm

Member
Calm down chap. OP asks whether it was GOAT, and that’s what I’m referencing. It’s not that highly regarded, so you don’t have to be a jerk in leaping to its defence, yeah? We’re all Souls fans here.

My bad, i read it wrong, sorry.


It's wild cause I never personally cared for Souls games, but I've always respected the hell out of them. The gameplay just didn't do anything for me.

I bought DS on PS5 to support and give it another whirl and...something clicked. 👀

After giving all the games a shot, including the original DS on launch, something finally clicked. So, I'm going to revisit each game and see if it sits with me better than before. I think it may, and I'm genuinely excited about. Because as someone that didn't care for the gameplay, I loved absolutely everything about them.

Never tried Bloodborne, and I'm about to right now. :)

It's like this for almost everyone, you play it until it clicks, it's an acquire taste but there's no going back, you're in for a treat.
 
No and it still wouldn’t be if it wasn’t the only reason to have a PS5.

There was a very small hardcore fanbase that latched into it early, but after Dark Souls it was mostly forgotten, because it was half baked and mediocre.

A small fanbase kept it alive.

After Dark Souls gained popularity everyone made it sound like Demons Souls was the be all end all of the genre and people swallowed it, making the game slightly bigger than it was.

This rerelease, has only helped to explode its popularity (especially for those with little “souls” experience,) since it is so basic compared to everything that came after.

Thats hilarious considering I've played and beaten all the Soulsborne games and Demon's Souls and Bloodborne are tied as my favorites.
 
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