Demon's Souls

There's a lot to discover, and the game wants you to figure it all out on your own. But while Demon's Souls doesn't serve the answers to you on a gilded platter, it gives you a number of refined and inspired tools to help you succeed, and its astounding, oppressive world will cast its spell on you. If you crave true innovation, a fair but relentless challenge, and gripping exploration in which every step has consequences, then you crave Demon's Souls.

If Dark Souls converted you to the franchise, and you never played this original masterpiece, there’s no excuse for not scooping this title up on the PlayStation Store. It all started with Demon’s Souls, and while you don’t need this as a frame of reference for when Dark Souls II arrives, it’s a great stand-alone experience if you like the core gameplay pillars of the spiritual successor.

Demon's Souls is not a game for everyone. Actually, I take that back; it's most definitely something everyone should try, but the look, seemingly unforgiving nature and themes might be a bit off-putting. Don't let them be. Every single person that owns a PS3 should at the very least rent this game to see what all the fuss is about, and those that can remember the good ol' days when games taught through the highly effective use of intense punishment and a heavy price for not playing it carefully should scoop this up instantly.