Written by Chris Rah Osiris
Oblivion is Bethesda’s baby. It is loved by some, hated by others. I do not hate Oblivion, but I can say that the leveling system does bring me to the point of throwing the controller. I attempted to discuss this frustration with a few Oblivion fans to no avail. They simply clung to the argument that the leveling system added a new level of strategy to the gameplay. That is fine and all, but…not for me. This is quickly getting off topic. Oblivion is a great title as a whole. There are legions of fans and deservingly so. So let’s think about what Demon Souls can be based on what we have seen from the likes of Oblivion.
Demon Souls has already shown us that it will have amazing visuals. You have seen the screenshots right? Please tell me that you have. If you have not seen them, you are insane. This game looks downright amazing. The character models and the scale of the game appear to be headed in the right direction. Based on the info that the game will be playable at TGS, you can assume that these screenshots are what you’ll be seeing once we finally get a chance to play it.
Back to the tangent on the leveling system, I could not leave the subject alone. I need the leveling system to not be like Oblivion’s. I would cry. I will leave this topic alone because we really do not have much information about this. Tomorrow could certainly change all of that.
The world of Oblivion is one of its greatest strengths. You can travel far and wide in an actual living world. The size of Demon Souls’ world is currently unknown, but…if the comparisons are correct, possibly there will be something of this type of scale. Not a bad thing. What could be a drawback is a ton of travel that is boring and drawn out. Like I said, no one really knows yet. (I did not find traveling in Oblivion boring or tedious, merely voicing complaints that are out there).
Is this title ambitious? It certainly could be. This is the first time that physics are being applied to an RPG. Size and weight of weapons will have an impact on the gameplay. Does not look like you will be able to carry around 100 potions in this bad boy either, sad I know. I may have to be wiser when it comes down to falling in love with a sword. Hopefully we will see how this works out sooner than later. All I have to say is that if this game is anything like Oblivion, we are in for a treat.