Demon's Souls is quite possibly the hardest game, or more aptly put, the most frustrating game I've ever played. From the get go Demon's Souls takes no time in putting the very common and unwelcome "You Died" upon your screen. The "tutorial" is nothing more than a journey through a seemingly forsaken castle teaching you the basics, and then having your face mashed in by a giant brute of an enemy called "The Vanguard". When you die, you lose all of the "souls" you have collected throughout the level, the games currency. You may get these back, but you must fight your way back through the level as all enemies respawn, and whatever killed you will be waiting for you as soon as you return.

However, putting aside the games difficulty, it is one of the nicest looking console games out this generation. Not to say that it's Uncharted 2 equivalent, but it's still extremely good, locked at a solid 30 frames per second (Slight drops in some areas), and complemented by a bleak but beautiful world. For some, the setting will probably get a bit repetitive, as there are a variety in the actual area layouts, but the color palette is very monotone. Saying again what I said before, it still looks extremely good - especially considering the game was actually made a year or so ago.

The gameplay in this game is practical, strategical, and gives you only the essentials needed to kill an enemy. It requires you to think just enough, and none too much. The gameplay in demon's souls doesn't seem exciting until you're holding the controller in your hands. You really connect with your avatar, playing somewhat like a survival horror. Conserving your resources, and taking each step carefully to avoid falling off a stairwell or facing off with a medusa-like foe.

Demon's Souls soundtrack isn't a very prominent feature throughout the game, but when it does show up, it hits home. The scores go well with the scenery, and complement certain bosses you encounter throughout the game. The bulk of the game's audio is ambience and clashing shields and swords.

The online feature of this game is simply ingenious though. It's one of a kind. It enables you to party up with other players and tackle the levels together, as well as leave messages on the ground for other players to see. You may also invade others' worlds, to a more detrimental effect, of course.

All in all Demon's Souls is definitely not a game for everyone. I wouldn't blame someone for not playing it simply because of the difficuly level. For those of you who relish a challenge, and miss the old days of gaming when games were unrelenting in their quest for gamer domination: Look into it.