›

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register

Quick Links

It's Time for the Souls Games to Take a Break - The RPG Files at MMORPG.com

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited February 2017 in News & Features Discussion

imageIt's Time for the Souls Games to Take a Break - The RPG Files at MMORPG.com

Can you have too much of a good thing? That’s the question we ask in this week’s RPG Files. With the recent success of Nioh and the growing onslaught of Souls-alike games, when is it time for a break?

Read the full story here



¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


Comments

  • RedFinRedFin Member UncommonPosts: 18
    I think that the developer should listen to the market when deciding to provide sequels to games. If people are still showing interest in your product, by all means, keep pumping out more. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the main guy behind the 'Souls' games already said that Dark Souls 3 was going to be the last in that series.

    The last souls game that I bought was Bloodborne, and I ended up trading that in before I was finished. I was disappointed that all the zones looked pretty much the same. I would rather see each zone be a completely different art style, like what they did in the earlier 'Souls' series.

    As far as the Dark Souls influence in Darkest Dungeon, I didn't see it when I played through Darkest Dungeon. The only similarity that I can think of is that they are both hard. I'm pretty sure you can find games before Demon Souls that were difficult (Ghost N' Goblins on NES comes to mind).
  • derek39derek39 Member UncommonPosts: 265
    edited February 2017
    I would love another BB. The lore hidden throughout that game is nothing short of incredible, Assuming you're into the Lovecraft "Cosmic Horror" genre. IMO it blew Dark Souls right out of the water and I consider myself a huge fan of both.

    I don't care for any souls-like games that are coming from anyone BUT From Software. They don't feel like they even come close to From's offerings. You can just tell a lot of thought goes into their rpg games.

    Nioh however, Is certainly the best attempt I've ever seen at cloning the souls formula, The combat is great change of pace. But the gripe I have with that game is the bosses don't feel nearly as epic and the story is very meh.


    TL;DR : YES MAKE MORE SOULS-LIKES, As long as they feel as polished and well thought out, as Bloodborne. Action-combat that is well made is just my bread and butter. Without those games, I'd be gaming less.

    Monster Hunter since '04!
    Currently playing: MHW & MHGU

  • AmsaiAmsai Member UncommonPosts: 299
    Respectfully disagree with Mr. Coke. Please more. Much more. I cant gett enough of these games. So much so that I even play the crappy ones not arent FromSoft. Though I am really enjoying Nioh. It would kind of be different if we were getting bombarded a bunch of really good Souls Likes....... but we aint. There is Bloodborne and the Souls series and the original Demons Souls and the DLC. And maybe 2 decently souls like games including Nioh. Nothing else (like all the little 2Ds) feels close. And the rest are just not very good. So I hope that The Surge does well.


  • GameByNightGameByNight Hardware and Technology EditorMMORPG.COM Staff, Member RarePosts: 793
    So here's the thing... the From Software games are good. Nioh, I hear, is pretty good. I just don't want the industry to overdo it, and that's kind of what the video game industry does.
  • angerbeaverangerbeaver Member UncommonPosts: 1,259
    The Lore is completely different. Dark Souls, the original, was meant for you to immerse yourself in the Lore and difficulty. Dark Souls II was made much simpler, and the reason everyone has end game achievements in DSIII is because it is the easiest of the 3 to beat.

    Bloodborne is a similar playstyle, but much quicker and a different lore completely.

    Nioh separates itself from them Lore wise as well.

    Saying they are all the same is saying MMOs are all the same because you click and attack. even though the look and story is completely different, you still click and attack.
  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,015
    As long as the games are good they should keep making them. Let each game stand on its own.


    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

    Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w


    Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547

    Try the "Special Edition." 'Cause it's "Special." https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64878/?tab=description

    Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo 
  • BlazeyerBlazeyer Member UncommonPosts: 562
    This hasn't got to CoD levels yet where the quality seemed to drop off a cliff. The souls-bourne series is still pumping out very solid, enjoyable games.
  • ShaighShaigh Member EpicPosts: 2,142
    The gaming industry needs more developers making solid action games, souls games are just one type. I hope team ninja can follow nioh up with something actiony instead of making stuff like dead or alive xtreme 3. I have big hopes with platinumgames making Nier: Automata, sadly bayonetta games are console only. I wish capcom would return to stuff like devil may cry and make sure they forget all about that restart.

    Sadly the big developers in the west just don't make those types of action games, instead its just an endless stream of shooters or action adventure games with dumbed down fighting. 
    Iselin: And the next person who says "but it's a business, they need to make money" can just go fuck yourself.
  • DistopiaDistopia Member EpicPosts: 21,183
    angerbeaver said:
    The Lore is completely different. Dark Souls, the original, was meant for you to immerse yourself in the Lore and difficulty. Dark Souls II was made much simpler, and the reason everyone has end game achievements in DSIII is because it is the easiest of the 3 to beat.

    Bloodborne is a similar playstyle, but much quicker and a different lore completely.

    Nioh separates itself from them Lore wise as well.

    Saying they are all the same is saying MMOs are all the same because you click and attack. even though the look and story is completely different, you still click and attack.
    Yeah I have to agree here, it's like saying KOTOR is the same game as NWN2. Which isn't even remotely true. Only in the most simplest terms could that be said. Yet that's the gaming community in a nutshell today. 

    For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson


  • JakdstripperJakdstripper Member RarePosts: 2,410
    now can we pls get a Dark Souls themed mmo pls?
  • ConstantineMerusConstantineMerus Member EpicPosts: 3,338
    edited February 2017
    Help me understand. Instead of getting 30 choices, you want to have 3. And you like the genre?

    I think this article is coming out of the complaints and frustrations of members when they see another MOBA or another survival. You know people behave like that because they come here to seek mmorpgs, because that's the genre they like and pursuit.

    If developers keep pumping out great (by community members' standards) mmorpgs no one here, and I mean no one, well maybe you, would say please stop making them great mmorpgs for us because you are wrecking it for us.

    If you mean horrible designers and developers should stay away from this genre, well horrible developers should stay away from all genres.

    And no, the titles you named don't share virtually everything. One should write and render opinions about the things one have a great understanding of, not just slightly appreciating from afar.
    Constantine, The Console Poster

    • "One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
  • MMOExposedMMOExposed Member RarePosts: 7,387
    I believe the Souls genre is overhyped, and just overblown fad of sorts similar to Action Combat and Anti-Trinity has been in the MMO genre these last few years.

    Philosophy of MMO Game Design

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    I played the first one and that was enough. Nothing very heroic or enjoyable about dying over and over again. 
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • DraemosDraemos Member UncommonPosts: 1,521
    edited February 2017




    MMOExposed said:

    I believe the Souls genre is overhyped, and just overblown fad of sorts similar to Action Combat and Anti-Trinity has been in the MMO genre these last few years.



    Nobody ever said you had good taste.
  • DraemosDraemos Member UncommonPosts: 1,521
    edited February 2017
    Good games are good. End of argument, end of story. Just because another game in the same genre is also good does not make it any less good. We should want good games, regardless is saturation of a genre... not diversity for the sake of diversity. That little nugget of foolishness has caused way more problems in this world than just in gaming.
  • ConstantineMerusConstantineMerus Member EpicPosts: 3,338
    edited February 2017
    Iselin said:
    I played the first one and that was enough. Nothing very heroic or enjoyable about dying over and over again. 
    With all respect, you die over and over when you suck at it. :| <3
    I have playthroughs with 0 deaths. It is an achievement with an in-game item rewards usually. 

    I've "died over and over again" (deaths per hour) in mmorpgs much more. 
    Constantine, The Console Poster

    • "One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
  • onlinenow25onlinenow25 Member UncommonPosts: 305
    After looking over some of the games you are claiming are "soul-like" I can't help but laugh.

    The Surge? REALLY? You mean an Action-Roleplaying Game, and Genre that's been around for YEARS?

    I think you only heard of the genre to due Dark Souls, if that's the case I really don't think you any credibility to make such a claim.

    You compare 5 games. 5 Games, one not even released and we are in the realm of over saturation? Please this screams as nothing more than yellow journalism creating an issue out nothing and trying to bait out click bait.

    Which apparently I fell for.
  • jmcdermottukjmcdermottuk Member RarePosts: 1,571
    I really wanted to like the Dark Souls games but they've all been such atrociously bad PC ports, they're unplayable.

    The first one was so bad I uninstalled after about 10 minutes. I never thought the second would be as bad, given the negative comments about the first port but it was even worse. So maybe it would be third time lucky? Nope, not even close. Just as bad as the others.

    I think they used monkeys to do those PC ports. In fact, I bet that was the name of the company, "PC Port Monkeys".
  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    ConstantineMerus said:
    Iselin said:
    I played the first one and that was enough. Nothing very heroic or enjoyable about dying over and over again. 
    With all respect, you die over and over when you suck at it. :| <3
    I have playthroughs with 0 deaths. It is an achievement with an in-game item rewards usually. 

    I've "died over and over again" (deaths per hour) in mmorpgs much more. 
    Could very well be that I sucked at it. It wouldn't be the first time I sucked at a game.

    Thing is that I know that I can get better at games I start off sucking. But in this one I just didn't really have the motivation to persevere.
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • lahnmirlahnmir Member LegendaryPosts: 5,041
    Nioh is:

    40% Onimusha
    20% Ninja Gaiden
    20% Bushido Blade (stances & setting)
    20% DS Series

    People calling Nioh a Souls like game have NOT properly played other Team Ninja games or DS and/or Nioh. It has the soul and bonfire system, everything else is different.. I also think it is the better game because of that.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'

    Kyleran on yours sincerely 


    'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'

    Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...



    'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless. 

    It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.

    It is just huge resource waste....'

    Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer

  • ConstantineMerusConstantineMerus Member EpicPosts: 3,338
    Iselin said:
    ConstantineMerus said:
    Iselin said:
    I played the first one and that was enough. Nothing very heroic or enjoyable about dying over and over again. 
    With all respect, you die over and over when you suck at it. :| <3
    I have playthroughs with 0 deaths. It is an achievement with an in-game item rewards usually. 

    I've "died over and over again" (deaths per hour) in mmorpgs much more. 
    Could very well be that I sucked at it. It wouldn't be the first time I sucked at a game.

    Thing is that I know that I can get better at games I start off sucking. But in this one I just didn't really have the motivation to persevere.
    I didn't mean you suck at this game and I not to brag :P I meant it is possible to get that good whilst having a real life of course. Obviously, it is OK not to like a game. But the "dying over and over again" part wasn't intended to be heroic nor enjoyable. Same as when you wipe 100 times before you finally kill a boss in a raid for example.
    Constantine, The Console Poster

    • "One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
  • onlinenow25onlinenow25 Member UncommonPosts: 305
    edited February 2017
    Torval said:
    After looking over some of the games you are claiming are "soul-like" I can't help but laugh.

    The Surge? REALLY? You mean an Action-Roleplaying Game, and Genre that's been around for YEARS?

    I think you only heard of the genre to due Dark Souls, if that's the case I really don't think you any credibility to make such a claim.

    You compare 5 games. 5 Games, one not even released and we are in the realm of over saturation? Please this screams as nothing more than yellow journalism creating an issue out nothing and trying to bait out click bait.

    Which apparently I fell for.
    Yeah, it's action combat that he's referring to not the 2 hit death mechanic with save points. Being obtuse and ignoring the point just makes your entire post thoughtless and irrelevant.
    Your post refutes nothing.  He is calling all Action RPG games Soul-Likes.  I mean its in the first sentence that he describes 5 games all in the same genre as soul-like games, yet in reality its just a genre of video game.

    Article creator seems nothing more than a person having missed the genre that's been around for years till hype around Dark Souls grew due to its difficulty.

    What am I missing exactly or are you just trying to read something that wasn't written?
  • YashaXYashaX Member EpicPosts: 3,098
    Surely the OP meant to write "It's time for the musou games to take a break": every second game coming out of Japan seems to be based on that crap these days.
    ....
  • GameByNightGameByNight Hardware and Technology EditorMMORPG.COM Staff, Member RarePosts: 793

    onlinenow25 said:


    Torval said:



    After looking over some of the games you are claiming are "soul-like" I can't help but laugh.



    The Surge? REALLY? You mean an Action-Roleplaying Game, and Genre that's been around for YEARS?



    I think you only heard of the genre to due Dark Souls, if that's the case I really don't think you any credibility to make such a claim.



    You compare 5 games. 5 Games, one not even released and we are in the realm of over saturation? Please this screams as nothing more than yellow journalism creating an issue out nothing and trying to bait out click bait.



    Which apparently I fell for.


    Yeah, it's action combat that he's referring to not the 2 hit death mechanic with save points. Being obtuse and ignoring the point just makes your entire post thoughtless and irrelevant.


    Your post refutes nothing.  He is calling all Action RPG games Soul-Likes.  I mean its in the first sentence that he describes 5 games all in the same genre as soul-like games, yet in reality its just a genre of video game.

    Article creator seems nothing more than a person having missed the genre that's been around for years till hype around Dark Souls grew due to its difficulty.

    What am I missing exactly or are you just trying to read something that wasn't written?



    I'm certainly not referring to action combat. Torval has the right of it. Extra difficult games where you can die in an instant, have to do a corpse run to regain your XP, usually juggling mana, health, and stamina per fight, spaced out save points... the works. The Surge is definitely part of it. If you don't see the similarities, you haven't looked close enough. It's also coming from Deck 13, the developers who made Lords of the Fallen, another Souls-alike.

    Again, there's nothing inherently wrong with these games. The ones listed aren't bad. I've enjoyed them too. It's for exactly that reason that I'm rooting for the video game industry to not beat this style of RPG to death.
Sign In or Register to comment.