GameCritics.com Podcast Episode 61: Dark Souls, Gaming Confessions

That was probably the best podcast in GameCritics history. Tim could read a phonebook aloud and he'd still find a way to make it entertaining.

I stand by what I said about Dark Souls, it's a very good game flanked on all sides by downright horrible design decisions.

Totally agree with Eric's comment, the gaming confessions segment is one of the topic that makes GC podcasts awesome.

my humble self agrees. (based on what i experienced on DS1.0)

Carelessly button mashing is possible in many games? Really?
The difference between the "average game" and DS is not that DS forces the player to play more cautiously, it's DS only offers this single rigid way of playing, while many other games let inexperienced or laid back gamers, who don't want to be challenged at a freaking level continuously, enjoy it on a low difficulty, which often allows almost any approach, but at the same time those games offer also a harder difficulty that definitely not allows run and gun button mashing.
Currently playing Quantum of Solace. Run and Gun kills you on hard difficulty. Almost immediately. It's no RnG shooter like Serious Sam, even not like its engines blueprint; CoD4, so you better use cover.
DS has a clear vision of how they think every individual should enjoy their game, but all who can't or don't want are left out for no rational reason, while other games offer variety and offer the tense "play it properly" experience but also the "just push some buttons here and there" experience. That's a tremendously better game design if you ask me, offering a fun time to more than just the players who will play it "properly".

And the exploration of the non documentation is part of the game?
Whoa. I understand that point in Minecraft where the whole game is based around creating every quest and gameplay out of nothing, but in DS it's just one of the horrible design decisions to make it appear like a broken RPG within a brilliant hack&slay-action-adventure.

Another highly enjoyable podcast - thanks all!

Eric - for the sake of argument, could you list the horrible design decisions? I can think of one supremely irritating situation I've got myself in so far that could have been designed better, maybe, but not so many overall.

I seriously think this may be your best podcast since that Chi3 episode that was full of Nintendo bashing :D