AgentOrange wrote:
Um yeah ok no they are in no way at all the "Last decent Japanese devs".
Are in my eyes. They (Japs) used to dominate the console market worldwide. Now they produce dumbed down trash ('cept Dark Souls) just like nearly everyone else. Probably because microsoft swooped in with Xbox & shitty Halo combo + their dirty business practises and took over. It wasn't long after that that things started going downhill for all of gaming both PC & console.
AgentOrange wrote:While Last is technically correct, we usually use "First" in these cases
Dark Souls aint the first of its kind ya know. As I said the Japs used to dominate the consoles. Plenty of awesome Action RPGs with challenging difficulty waiting for you to discover them.
Go emulate.
Maybe you need a few pointers:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (2D Action-RPG perfection, all it needed was a hard mode, still challenging though
)
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (Great game held back by bonkers plot & characters, but gameplay takes priority)
Devil May Cry 3 (DMC1 has less RPG elements and challenge than 3 but more style and atmosphere, still worth a shot)
All have tons of RPG elements & save points like Dark Souls, no save scumming allowed. You underestimate the Japs.
DMC3 doesnt have as many RPG elements as the other two but solid combat and challenge.
There is also Final Fantasy 6 but thats turn-based and pretty easy until you get about half way through. Still for a SNES catridge it is an amazing masterpiece. Ahead of it's time, Until System Shock 1 came out a year later anyway, which was FAR ahead of its time/competition, all it needed was more RPG elements imo like it's successor, well and its engine has aged badly but it is still totally playable.
Even though SS1 was far more advanced than Doom, I struggle at deciding which one I like better. It's an odd thought.