Out of spells, sword almost broken, dropped down an edge I can’t get back up, totally lost and terrified. In my sheer panic of running around when I was out of spells, I have no idea how I even got here, and I did not want to fight my way back here again. I see a fog gate in the distance and have nowhere else I can go, so hoping for some miracle of a bonfire to be on the other side, I enter it. Giant fire demon boss shows up... ♥♥♥♥. I figure "that's a wrap" but I came this far, so maybe I can somehow pull this off. I recover my spells and repair my weapon with the materials I have on me, all while rolling away from crazy demon guy (who hardly even fits onto the screen) fire attacks and popping life gems to keep my ass alive. After several minutes, against all odds, I beat him. I immediately change my soiled pants and carry on to the next area to repeat this process again.

This is what makes Dark Souls so amazing. It's not the graphics (which are fantatsic), it's not the lore (which is pretty interesting), and it's not the gameplay. It's that feeling of hopelessness followed by somehow making it out alive through insurmountable odds. There are few games that can deliver that sense of accomplishment when you play them.

You will die. You will die A LOT. You will scream at your computer. You will want to snap your controller in half. You will die some more. You will freak out at how cheap the Shrine of Amana is and want to burn your computer to the ground, piss on the ashes, and give up gaming to find another passion in life. But it is all worth it.

I loved Demon Souls, I loved Dark Souls, and I love this one as well.