@bfa1509 I've never understood why Dark Souls players are so against an easier difficulty, like the game has nothing else to offer. There is so much to be enjoyed, and identify the game with, without it.

It wouldn't have to be a much easier mode, like people always think people mean super-easy. But whatever some people may want to think about the level of strategy involved in the combat, you also need pretty damn good twitch reflexes, and that is something a lot of people can't learn. It sucks that they miss all the cool stuff in the game because players think a 'headstart' mode would ruin their own experience.

p.s. I'm not a DS noob btw, I just play for the lore, not the difficulty.

@Raxyman It makes sense though because one of the major motivations in Dark Souls is trying not to become Hollow, yet you were rewarded in many ways for being Hollow the whole game.

This simply gives you an incentive to pop Effigies and maintain your humanity. It'll be interesting to know how abundant they are, and how much life you lose though.

I think many people, even long time Souls players, will play offline for a while to prevent invasions whilst they assess the game.

The most difficult changes sound like anyone can be invaded at any time, co-op is limited, and it is filled with veteran-traps.

@aurora10662002 Thank the divines for the Cling Ring.

@aurora10662002 I've found that after about midnight my local time if I boot up my spare character I keep in AL I will get constantly gravelorded for a few hours, so I can do some PvP without being invaded.

Also, those guys you mention really focus on lore building, and the deeper RPG elements of the game. Lore is why I play. As far as I'm concerned the key motivation to killing any boss is to see what their unique drops have to say about themselves.

@taktikalz I don't think I ever experience this great feeling of accomplishment that people always talk about, or found the difficulty to be the most thrilling part of the game. Difficulty to me is just a game mechanic that makes it take a little bit longer to get to the good bits - the lore. But the style of combat is very fun, and most of the environments are great to explore, too.

@Romayo83 In my offline life I don't actually know a single person who is looking to buy a next-gen console. There are still a bunch of noteworthy current-gen titles being released after March, as well.

I'm getting next-gen partly because I like new stuff, and mostly because the contract I'm on now is likely to pay much more than the next one, so I'm pre-ordering stuff whilst I have surplus cash. PS3 will still be my primary gaming platform for probably a year or so.

@yeah_28 I think Shaun was just more surprised by the difference in texture detail in the environments between watching a video and seeing it himself, and assumed that would be what more people cared about?

@Dannystaples14 What I want from this new more powerful hardware is, for the genres that require it, worlds that are highly interactive and reactive.

@yeah_28 So much of the gameplay is dictated by the use of Knacks particle effects, and the capabilities and actions more powerful processors can accomplish, so they are talking about gameplay mechanics when talking about graphics. It's not revolutionary, but it's something not seen on current gen consoles.

@kljohns2 I read that Sony has pitched it for a May 2014 PS+ release for the major markets, so 6 months after launch. I'm going to spend the money to get it now because it is the only launch title that I'm interested in.