Bosses just require a different sort of tactics, usually leaning more toward evasion than trying to tank or parry (at least for me). And I wouldn't call anything about it "roguelike", since you don't really lose anything in death except currency.

Yeah I appreciated the idea but somehow it just didn't quite come together. I liked the look of Demon Souls better plus the hub structure instead of one continuous world.

They really need to tighten up PVP matchmaking for the sequel. Basing it only on soul level was dumb (equipment counts for a lot more). There were way too many cheese items. Dark Wraith trolling was the most fun PVP but it was the hardest to obtain (forest hunting was the easiest PVP to get into but also the worst mode).

If you buy these games you really need to get it at release while PVP is still fun. Cheesing power gamers aren't common yet, and you catch plenty of people trying to run a level so you can ruin their day. Wait too long, and "designated dueling areas" are established for each area where everyone runs to during an invasion and waits for a polite duel with bowing. Booooring.

@SMA I chose "roguelike"because its an rpg where you almost exclusively fight mosters in a dungeon and get gear.

Also @SMA my main issue with the boss fights was that they broke the realistic conventions that had been established by all the fights with the smaller enemies that you mainly do. The bosses are HUGE but the range of their attacks seems dispropotionately small. I couldnt myself judge how far away they could hit me because from looking at them it would seem they could hit you the lenght of their arm (or whatever appendage) away, but it seemed that in order to make winning possible their attack range was reduced arbitrarily by the devs, like the boss wasnt even bothering to stretch out their arm fully to hit you.
So, the only way to guage their hit range was by trial and error. Which means dying and running back.
Anyway as mentioned above this is in contrast to the nice intuitive small enemy fighting. I do feel this game deserves discussion.

I think too many of the bosses were "learn to deal with their one super cheese attack" or "just keep hitting him with magic because the AI doesn't know how to deal with it".

I never did manage to beat Ornstein and Smaug without phantom help.

and wow how were you supposed to figure out the secret to the evil tree boss without a FAQ?

@Nominal: 'You mean the bed of chaos? It had giant 'fuck me' lights and an obvious path to the heart. IT was one of the few bosses I got the first time because it was so conventionally a three-hit boss.

T Nominal: FWIW, the devs have, in interviews, apologized for the entire Bed of Chaos fight just because it was so poorly staged and implemented. Pretty much all of Lost Izalith feels like it was rushed to deadline. Also, I'm not supergood at this game, so it took hell of practice and preparation, but I finally beat Ornstein and Smaugh with no magic, poison, or phantoms on my last run. I felt like King Badass on Curbstomp Mountain that day, but I firmly believe anyone could do it.

And THAT is why people love the game. Nothing is more satisfying then taking down that boss, leaning back feeling smug as shit with yourself, thinking how it wasn't so bad once you got your shit together, then repeating the whole process for the next encounter.

I still prefer Blade of Darkness

Severance, if you're in the UK, I believe was the title.

Had dynamic limb removal and cutting diagonally worked as well, tons of nuance in the (hard to control but fun once you master it) combat system, and was way less "Toribash" and more "Rune with better swordplay".

You could hack off an enemy's head, pick it up, and throw it at someone. It rolled around with pretty solid physics, and this game is definitely an oldie.

I miss blade of darkness.