This Game Should Have Never Succeeded

[@ManleyReviews]

O░P░E░R░A░░G░X░░I░N░░B░I░O░ operagx.gg/Manley. Why ring two bells when you can ring one by subscribing? Also free stuff over on patreon (Discord and other hijinx) \[T]/ : www.patreon.com/ManleyReviews

[@shawnwilcowski]

Thankfully KZbin actually rang the bell for me😂, hope you’re doing well man 👊!

[@longLee280]

Love your videos keep up a good work and I bet it take a long time to ride it all out 👍

[@ManleyReviews]

A functioning youtube feature!?!? lol

[@feresoththedamned2688]

i've never been sold on opera GX because i had my trusty Firefox for years, now that i've seen for the first time, and interesting and funny promotion for it, it might be time to give it a chance!

[@base13music]

opera gx is spyware btw idk if u knew

[@gmitchell5000]

In 2012 I was at Walmart, window shopping the game displays, and the electronics employee recommended it for me. I bought it at GameStop a few months later and was so glad I did. Beat it 7 years later

[@EDK105]

I got Dark Souls for free with Xbox’s games with gold program nearly 10 years ago. Best game offered that got hooked on the whole series and other entries from FromSoftware. Still haven’t beaten either even though I beat DS2 and 3 lol

[@ManleyReviews]

damn those loading times we're really that bad

[@JPx115]

Sounds accurate, some people, including myself, need years in order to find the right mindset to play the game, I got the OG DS1 xbox 360 version for free thanks to Games with Gold, I knew about the game and wanted to try it but when I did I felt like I was hitting a wall over and over again so I abandoned the game, came back 2 years later, same thing happened but I did a little more progress, ended up abandoning the game again. Suddenly one day, around 2018 or 2019 a friend of mine told me he was playin DS Remastered and that he was having a blast, he showed me some clips he recorded and something about seeing his character using cool armor and wielding awesome weapons, fighting against enemies completely different to what I was used to and also doing all that while standing in a mind blowing end-of-the-world-like scenario made feel that I was also capable of doing all that and that I was really missing a lot by not playing the game, so I decided to install my DS1 360 version again and to beat it. My friend gave me one and just one advice "use your shield and git gud" and, ironically enough, that was all I needed to complete the game. Afer that experience I felt like I needed more so I purchased the remastered version and completed the game again this time with the DLC, then I got DS3 deluxe edition and completed the whole game + DLCs, but I still craved more Dark Souls, I got DS2 and completed the game with the secret ending, loved that game, but after that I needed more, so I got Sekiro and what a journey that game is, I became a disciple of Miyazaki, a true DS grizzled veteran. Then, Elden Ring came out, first Fromsoft game that I got 100% achivements on, after that Armored Core VI came and so did I. Now I'm paciently waiting for shadow of the Erdtree. Miyazaki is my master, I will lack nothing.

[@foolishstrudel2689]

About a year ago, I got myself the Switch to play Tears of The Kingdom. While browsing my local GameStop for any other games to get for it, I saw a used Dark Souls Remastered. I've heard of the franchise before, so I bought it. To say it changed me would be an understatement.

[@gmitchell5000]

@@ManleyReviews I got stuck on Ornstein and Smough haha. I made it one of my 2020 New Year’s resolutions to beat the game. It’s the only one I stuck to

[@eminkilicaslan8945]

Miyazaki: halving player's HP was a mistake. Also Miyazaki: *stacking curse*

[@facundomontivero2299]

Well, you can't just start showing mercy. You gotta keep people on their toes.

[@Berttheturt314]

Halving hp genuinely is a mistake and is my least favorite thing about dark souls 2. I loved how in dark souls 1, even if you died and lost all your souls, the next section would give you way way more souls so that it didn't really matter anymore, so you weren't really punished for exploring and dying.

[@Willias]

@@Berttheturt314 He's talking about Demon's Souls. In Demon's Souls when you died you lost half your max HP (which was fine, the game was designed around you having that much health). In Dark Souls 1, if you died to the Curse status, you lost half of your health, and it could stack twice, leaving you at 1/4 health.

[@Weldedhodag]

@@Berttheturt314 ds2 didn't halve your hp on death though? it just whittled it down bit by bit, which was still annoying. and DS3 embers just gave you an hp boost rather than it being halved on death, though it feels about the same early game

[@GothJesus]

I mean to be fair it's half hp from deaths vs half hp if you get cursed by one of the few enemies that can curse you

[@CoolSmoovie]

It’s kinda crazy how work on Bloodborne began almost at the same time as the original Dark Souls. They were cooking before they knew they’d have a kitchen

[@Xtal0]

that's actually fucking crazy, what the fuck

[@Superman72185]

Thats pass​ion for the work

[@lumethecrow]

​@@Xtal0 Specifically Bloodborne and the DS1 dlc were worked on at the same time, I believe

[@Its_Only_Chill]

2 of his best games, that's crazy yet deserved

[@forwardmoving8252]

Not true at all lmao. Stop spewing bs. Bloodborne didn't start development until around the time the DLC for ds1 released. That means ds1 and the dlc were completely done being developed. Bloodborne and ds2 were basically developed simultaneously.

[@Noizzed]

How did they even let him make DS1? From: "Sir we aren't even going to publish your game outside not because of costs but because we are ashamed of the game." Miyazaki: "Can i do it again?" From: "Absolutely"

[@datensaft]

THIS! xD

[@Malva_Studio]

In order to make masochist games, you need a masochist company too.

[@crash-testproductions9341]

Those guys were making obscure niche classics like king's field and the armored cores, I'm sure they were like "sure, one more drunk to the team can't hurt".

[@njsteere]

I like to think he was like “okay no problem I’ll take all these notes and make the game you guys think will sell” and then was like “psych bitch”

[@Galanthos]

I think that this actually ended up being the best thing that could have happened to Souls actually. From was always making really weird and niche games that didn't always find their audience. Atlus published Demon's Souls at a time when Atlus was known for difficult, hardcore games. I think a lot of Atlus fans picked up Demon's Souls on publisher recognition alone, and that the game ended up exceeding sales expectations just enough for From to see that they actually did have a Western audience.

[@Hepheat75]

"Don't you dare go Hollow."

[@SteveBufz]

Moans

[@lemonscentedgames3641]

Neither of us want to see you go hollow...

[@кипок]

I love you Andre

[@bungiecrimes7247]

Cornball ahh line

[@paradoxxikal7327]

“And pray that we never go hollo-“ SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

[@maximusstorm1215]

Having played Demon's Souls before Dark Souls came out makes you feel like you're in a special secret club. I remember pre-ordering Dark Souls. The excitement I felt for its release was only matched by Elden Ring.

[@thecoltster1]

I had a Japanese buddy who convinced me to buy the Japanese version. We would call each other while playing and he would help translate. We both got all the way through it helping each other on the way. Demons Souls will forever have a piece of my heart.

[@NicGoldenEddie]

A friend and I preordered it too, and waited till christmas eve. It was the last christmas that felt special. That game was just so atmospheric and new. I still love it. Pure nostalgia, but the new one on Ps5 with better graphics, I really dont care about that game. The OG it is!!!

[@macksalinas4147]

Same bro very few have this privelage 🎉

[@maximusstorm1215]

@@thecoltster1 That unironically goes hard as a core memory. It was such a shame for me because nobody I knew played it. I had ONE friend that played Dark Souls, but they had a different console:/ I did go to his once and bring my TV/console, then plugged it in next to his and played co-op together online using the same router, haha. Despite being hooked up to the same router, connecting was still a nightmare. Dark Souls had everything but co-op down.

[@maximusstorm1215]

@@NicGoldenEddie I actually have the remake on PS5, but haven't got round to playing it yet. I struggle with ADHD, so gaming is hard nowadays. I am yet so properly get into Shadow of the Erdtree, but I am still looking forward to it. As for atmosphere, discovering New Londo in Dark Souls was the best as far as atmosphere went back then (and it STILL goes hard). It blew me away when I first found it, and I was amazed when I realised you could go to most places you could see.

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

I'd say one of the top most unforgettable moments of every first-time DS1 player will be their first ever encounter of the amazing chest ahead.

[@ManleyReviews]

"be sure to hold with both hands"

[@RelaxingNostalgia]

bed of chaos is definitely the most memorable thing fromsoftware has ever made.

[@doggocapitano]

Try holding with both hands

[@njsteere]

Try thrusting attack

[@meattape574]

try tongue but hole

[@StupidJellyfish]

27:43 Finally, someone shows off the Pro Skater build. No one ever does that one.

[@toshiyukisawada7234]

11:38 Sales of 37,000 in the first week may seem small, but in fact the digestion rate was over 90%. The game was sold out at every game store, and even the manufacturer's inventory was depleted. So it was the sellers who had the lowest expectations.

[@diffusewizard7622]

Yeah, by the way he's talking about it in the beginning, it makes me feel like he didn't do all that much research. While yes, the games were nowhere near as popular as they are today, they weren't untouched like hes making it seem. Edit: btw Im referring to dark souls specifically, not demon souls bc the thumbnail and the general statements in the beginning.

[@jordanbarton1624]

My friends and I found Dark souls 1 at GameStop for $15 (it was used) back in 2012. All of us (4) tried it and we never stopped after that night. Truly the game of all time.

[@Moon_Presence]

"Truly the game of all time" what?

[@jordanbarton1624]

@@Moon_Presence your lack of meme knowledge is showing 😉

[@jordanbarton1624]

@@Moon_Presence just google “truly the most game of all time” lol. It’s just a meme.

[@justinmacdonald6289]

@@Moon_Presence minus 1000 aura :(

[@mrfootfxtish9430]

@@jordanbarton1624you’re using it incorrectly. you say that for something mediocre

[@vorbo01]

"More than Tom Brady loves his own son" Damn boy starting like that are we?

[@A_View_From_The_Shire]

Ironic because it might not be his son 😬

[@toolittletoolate]

@@A_View_From_The_Shire That's good then it's not incest and just PDF File

[@ImGonnaFudgeThatFish]

I remember when I said on a news post announcing Tom Brady was already coming out of retirement for more football that he was doing it to get away from being a father, and everyone said I was the worst person ever in the replies Well, again I am right and Tom is still trying to not be home. Probably loves the pigskin more than his wife.

[@crakhaed]

Surprised he didn't use the picture of him kissing him on the lips lol

[@apotatofarmer2871]

And then “It’s 2011. The United States just killed Osama Bin Laden, but that’s not gonna stop the game industry from dropping bombs like:”

[@AntiNihilist]

Uncontroversial statement: Dark Souls got popular as Skyrim hype died down. PVP and character powers eventually were noticed to be entirely superior to anything Skyrim had.

[@keags1545]

the only difference between skyrim and dark souls for me is that one you have fun, and the other is CBT

[@jakestaheli8532]

Skyrim has better exploration than dark souls, elden ring too, maybe, but everything else yea fromsoft did better.

[@keags1545]

@Glosaiga ds2 isnt even that bad in terms of CBT, elden ring, or sekiro are worse

[@keags1545]

@Glosaiga the ape duo...

[@zephalion7386]

@Glosaigadissagree strongly, dark souls 2 has alot of things it did right, it may be flawed but so is every other souls game and i’m here for it all

[@Praxicaeon]

I have a friend who was obsessed with Demon Souls so when Dark Souls launched and I got a ps3 in 2012 I tried it. Got all the way to Sens Fortress and then gave up. A couple months later I just had that itch to go back to it. Started a fresh file and there was no looking back. My PS3 file has every character slot full with at least 20 hours. One of my favorite games of all time and such a wonderful experience

[@jtn81x]

Same for me. I did not particularly enjoy it back on the 360 and quit. But when I played it again on the PC like 7 years ago I loved it. I did play through it again a couple of months ago and it is still a great game.

[@edbrito-swdev]

Finally people writing about DEMON'S SOULS. It makes me dizzy seeing him talk about dark souls as if it came from nowhere. Demon souls, yeah, dark souls came from demon souls.

[@vincentcircharo8259]

@@edbrito-swdev Did we just watch the same video? he talked at length about demon souls and how that led to the creation of dark souls

[@vrowed7422]

​@@vincentcircharo8259yeah but at the start he was saying that dark souls appeared out of nowhere and stuff even though it came from demon's souls.

[@Flesh_Wizard]

Dark Souls is truly the Jak II of action adventure RPGs

[@ManleyReviews]

that actually made me laugh out loud

[@Motoko_Urashima]

@@ManleyReviews Well, you could review that one...

[@akira1699]

Jak 2 my beloved

[@Weatherman4Eva]

I don't entirely understand your comparison but I'll upvote anyone that keeps the memory of the Jak series alive

[@Dartokenove]

I've never played Jak games, can you explain?

[@jamesli2545]

About the warping.. I completely disagree. The point is the lack of warping makes you feel DISCONNECTED. Its what truly makes it feel like an adventure because you feel something no other game in the series or any game in general makes you feel: home sickness. And thats why the return to firelink from blighttown or parish hits so hard for every player who plays the game.

[@zephyr2ztsb]

I have never seen someone use a green screen so effectively lol.

[@dumbass9347]

Nakey jakey

[@MaVerik1727]

Check out internet pitstop. This one's better because he's dressed like his character, which is pretty funny.

[@indecay8756]

Check out Avatar 2, the story is dogshit, but they used the green screen really well

[@XSilent_DevilX]

It's not green screen, he's actually in those locations

[@slavko7898]

what about jakey, jakey, and jakey

[@indeimaus]

the editing is so god damn good, inspirational first video I've seen by you, sticking around for sure

[@ManleyReviews]

Thanks!

[@skinwalkergod]

Blessed by the Maus? sick

[@JTriggerVideos]

13:06 Periphery + Dark Souls is such a match made in heaven it made me want to immediately boot up the game and blast every Periphery album at the same time

[@theduckysmallz]

Listening to this at work. The Wildfire riff snapped me outta my zen for a couple seconds

[@biggsdickley1563]

Love this 😂

[@JoeFilms5420]

I really liked your point about how dreamy the world is in this game. Dark Souls III is my favorite in the trilogy but Dark Souls is so unbelievably special, largely because it has that dreamy world that none of the other games do. I like that each game really just kinda did its own thing.

[@Thisisthegreatestatofalltime]

Demon’s souls (the original at least) feels even more like that from my experience

[@paddyator]

Man 2011 was the golden year of gaming MINECRAFT, SKYRIM, PORTAL and DARK SOULS…. What a year

[@yobro6053]

+ Arkham city, Dead space 2, Gears 3, battlefield 3, deus ex… dayum.

[@DzikiWaclaw]

You mean 2004 right? Right? Im not a boomer I swear!

[@yobro6053]

@@DzikiWaclaw no, he meant 07 😤

[@noti7510]

my fav is terraria, dark souls being second favourite; of 2011, and all time. 2011 was a good year for games, if only for the games mentioned, the seventh gen being in full swing. though, minecraft was a thing, and popular, long before it's 1.0 release, which was in 2011

[@scorpion0498]

@@yobro6053 was gonna give gears 3 a shout also. awesome package of a game, super fun system linked with friends :D

[@danielkenny8790]

Thank you so much for making this video. I am a student in a game development course and had to do a presentation on games that had an impact on the gaming industry. I chose to do it on Dark Souls 1, a game I had never played before, I knew it was a popular and well remembered game based on what I had heard so I chose that as my game. This video really helped me when I was doing my section on the History of Dark Souls, being able to talking extensively about the game that came out before it, Demon Souls, and talked about Dark Souls impact on the industry, it also helped me write my gameplay section and overall helped me understand the game better. My course work wouldn't be as good as it is right now without your help. Thinking about some of your jokes and quips helped me mentally as I was writing my long as scripts, especially the 9:14 where Sony slip Fromsoftware a crisp $20 bill under the table. That 1 section was playing in my head on loop through the course of me making my presentation. Thank you for producing such an amazing and entertaining video. ♥👏🎬

[@danielkenny8790]

I really look forward to that Dark Souls 2 video, I wanted to watched it right there and then ♥

[@HimePenguin]

"Git gud" is such a wonderful phrase. It's simultaneously a snarky insult against those complaining the game is too hard, but also the most genuine thing you can say to a struggling player. "Get up, try again. You'll learn eventually. You got this!" ... or, y'know... "Git gud"

[@poutineausyropderable7108]

Yes but you can also teach players genuine advice. It's very easy to put yourself into a pit and can be very punishing for newbs who don't know what to avoid. And there's so many ways to make the game easier. RTSR, and the roll ring and having proper stats and weapon level. Skipping enemies. I couldn't tell someone to get good at elden ring. It's such a hard game that sucks at teaching their players. I'd rather write a 10 paragraph essay on how to play the game generally and then every single openings of a boss + multiple variation of how to use said openings order from easiest to execute to hardest (where the harder methods lets you deal mote damage). And how to dodge every attack and general tips about the boss AI. Ans if they are an absolute noob, then explaining the basic of stats and weapon leveling is a must.

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

​@@poutineausyropderable7108 Elden Ring is objectively the easiest Fromsoftware game. You can become overpowered by accident easily.

[@witha1]

​@@poutineausyropderable7108bro let ppl just play the game, don't gotta tell ppl what to do yk

[@mr-scope]

'Surpass your limits. Right here, right now'

[@watchmehope6560]

I remember it didn't start as an insult ruined by arseholes. It geinuely was just 'you gotta get better' like you mentioned. Now everyone just uses it as a lazy diss.

[@Lordmau5]

Return of the King. (For real though, big fan of your editing style and content overall!)

[@longLee280]

Good

[@LeMel257]

Hell yeah, im alwais flabergasted every time!

[@emperortgp2424]

the only good nakeyjakey clone

[@fotnite_]

Good luck with the DS2 video, because people are gonna be upset no matter what you have to say about it.

[@ManleyReviews]

Don’t care. I had a hundred hours of fun where the haters couldn’t

[@AlesMicik]

Dark Souls 2 is the most problematic Fromsoft game since Demon's Souls and I still fucking love it... But god damn, it has some serious shit.

[@dorkusmaximus5765]

@@AlesMicik I’ve tried getting into DS2 multiple times but I just don’t get it. I’ve beaten every single fromsoft souls-like aside from DS2, even down to sekiro. But I still can’t get myself into DS2. My main agitation with the game is that it feels like the devs solution to making a “difficult” game was to put shit tons of enemies everywhere. I just struggle to find it enjoyable when I’m having to kill the same copy and pasted enemy dozens of times per zone. It gets really agitating, and sadly pretty boring. I’m sure I’ll try it again at some point, but as of now it just doesn’t click like all of the other fromsoft titles did for me

[@medrash8862]

@@dorkusmaximus5765all i can recommend is playing the og and not scholar of the first sin somehow, since that version doesnt have the horrible enemy spam

[@konrad1916]

​@@ManleyReviewsBut God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen- that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. Acts 26:22-23

[@ItsNanino]

Holy evangelical Genesis. This Thumbnail slaps so hard.

[@dumbbumsc5329]

Main reason I clicked and I’m subbing for the editing

[@Fellow_Follower]

It really is beautiful.

[@errantcondor9349]

​@marine47ncaa25 haha that's awesome

[@grrrr255]

Weebs

[@knivesX1]

Anyone have a link to it as a wallpaper?

[@local_waver]

The phrase "mental de-buffs" is honestly a really good way of describing depression/anxiety/etc.

[@ales6305]

I'm going to proc curse irl

[@penatio]

I feel like I'm going hollow ngl.

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

What about mental rebalancing? Cuz sometimes I react to delayed gratification the wrong way (hard work makes food taste good…unless I had one of *those* days)

[@Br1anwastaken]

​@@penatiou good??

[@Br1anwastaken]

​@@ales6305u good???

[@cypher7523]

I had no idea who you are. I sat through the whole ad. I am now strapped in.

[@samwhite4961]

Being a DS1 fan in the first 6 months as the mechanics and lore began to unravel was something else. With no frame of reference for how to allocate levels or how weapons work or anything it was brutally difficult and every time you figured something out it was huge

[@Hebgry]

dude your thumbnails are always so god dang incredible

[@longLee280]

Good

[@Tyto_7]

8:27 OMG, I laughed audibly at the “ you wouldn’t steal a car” music. Man’s OG

[@InternetPitstop]

Great point about while having a interconnected world is cool it’s more about the experiences in that world that matter!

[@MFBushidoBrown]

buddy got the YT Comments, god damn

[@rizwanfaruqi]

Buddy brought the KZbin Comments goddamn

[@shira_yone]

buddy carried the ユーチューブコメント欄 got damn

[@Mattznick]

awwww shit it's IP

[@ceomusic7]

There’s a feeling i struggle with sometimes that I won’t find new games or music that impact me enough to be nostalgic. I have many blissful memories as a kid and i always want to be in a position to experience them anew. Elden ring was this experience for me in my 30s, which led to dark souls 1. DS1 atmosphere and music makes me feel like a kid who doesn’t quite understand the full picture of things, and in that mystery is a wonder and beauty I will always cherish.

[@grimkxdo]

I definitely feel you on that Ds1 has the most dark and hopeless feeling of all the games in my opinion no matter how many bosses you take out or even the scenery changing you end up meeting npc that gives you some bleak and sad message or remember an npc you just started to like just became hollow and you have no clue why . Game is truly a masterpiece in the dark / fantasy realm

[@ceomusic7]

@@grimkxdo agreed, many people may have the vision and execute closely but the balance achieved in this game even with limiting visuals and technical capability somehow creates the perfect blend

[@rwberger6]

Dark Souls suceeded because it trusted the players. Trusted them to figure out boss movesets. Trusted them to explore the environment for secrets and items. Trusted them to read item descriptions and environmental clues to understand the setting. And trusted them to enjoy a challenge. And that trust was rewarded.

[@barrupa]

First Dark Souls video I have ever seen that managed to include YTP style sentence mixing without feeling like a completely stupid addition. Don't change, never change.

[@J0J0Jetz]

I love how genuine these videos are and the innovations brought forward with every vid. Always so fun to watch, I've never played dark souls but the editing in and of itself kept me intrigued and learning something new. Hope surgery recovery is going well!

[@ManleyReviews]

Wait you WHAT!? Get your ass in the game before I revoke your gamer card

[@grimkxdo]

Really love how you can’t Tell you actually played and beaten the games you review the recalling , jokes , and lord you give into some points are great man new sub for sure

[@Solsev]

I really dug the vid, but I think you are missing one very important aspect of DS at the original launch, and that's the community (reddit, forums, ect). These places were on fire with little details, builds, strategies, and general patting each other on the back for getting past certain sections or bosses. I relied on the community during my teething phase with Demon's Souls, and there was a palpable buzz in these spaces, learning about esoteric mechanics, NPC behaviors or lore-diving, it made the whole experience something you wanted to proselytize to your friends about, knowing they were going to go get their asses kicked and come back to you with a shrug, and then you could offer some tips till it all just clicks into place. I converted no less than four of my friends through sheer "I never shut up about this" persistence. I think that player energy led to the seemingly continuous rising sales figures for the title years beyond the rush of launch. Having Vaati, and Bonfireside Chat, and guys doing ridiculous level 1, no hit playthroughs all just coalesced into excellerent for a hungry fanbase. It was a great moment in gaming.

[@rodrixgaming2527]

Completely agree, DS comunity is an important part of the experience. I hope he can cover that and the multiplayer aspects for the ds2 video.

[@Ewil.Bluetooth]

I don't understand him trying to argue that Dark Souls wasn't a hit until DS3. It was very obviously a hit, because it got funded for sequels as soon as the first title was released. It wasn't because of Bloodborne either. It was already a hit with Demon souls. Each entry just got more buzz about it..... because the previous game was beloved by a big fanbase. Hell just look at the gaming sites review of Dark souls original release. It was a hit. This guy seems to be convinced that games are only hits when he decides it.😂 Imagine starting to play first at the 4th entry and actually believing that a game series that has spawned 3 sequels, one every two years wasn't a big success.🤦 I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this guy didn't play DS on PS3 because he was a 360-guy. It was only because he switched to PS4 that he realized that fps wasn't the only games that are fun.

[@micahjones7837]

I played it in 2018 and this was still my experience. Having an in person friend to help was awesome, but the reddit community was ablaze wtg support, positivity, tips, and lore speculation. The game is great on its own but it really brings out the best in people. I've never been in a more positive gaming community online then ds1

[@Ekky]

Subscribed after the first minute! The editing is gorgeous (especially with the green screen)! It takes SO much time and effort to create. Great job!

[@dxii_real]

not as gorgeous as your videos man❤

[@y0Fiqqy]

the fucking production quality of these is just immense and honestly a feat, congrats mane, these videos are beautifully done

[@jpoo4572]

“Opera comes highly reguarded….” 😂

[@Motoko_Urashima]

I'm tired of a youtube tab in Brave taking up 1.9gb of memory. I'm giving Opera a genuine try.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Chinese spyware

[@high.level.noob.]

Not having fast travel makes having it that much more fun. It also makes some memorable moments like climbing out of Blight Town. It’s fun for me but I also kind of understand why people hate not having it.

[@jeanjorts6553]

It drove me nuts at the start, so many times I'd have to run back to the blacksmith to upgrade things and would groan at some of the back tracking, although I don't think it's the worst thing ever.

[@crakhaed]

It's like the anti Starfield

[@reggieisnotadog4841]

It also has the benefit of making you commit. If you had warping from the start, people are liable to reach Anor Londo, realise they hadn't gone down into the catacombs yet (now they're a bit stronger) and warp back to try those before proceeding. You see it in Elden Ring with warping back and forth across the world and it slowly becomes one big checklist rather than an adventure.

[@yourdad5799]

It just makes you backtrack. Just running around with nothing to do, just starting at that akward running animation

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

@@reggieisnotadog4841and that’s why I prefer semi linear souls, to open world souls.

[@SaveUsMarku]

The editing on this video is so sick brother, had to send to a few of my boys. Really enjoyed your content in this one and subbed for more.

[@100hundert]

I usually just listen to most video essays, especially on Dark Souls, since I've already seen much of this game. But your videos are so well edited, I really enjoy watching them with full focus 👌

[@DavidNwokoye]

We missed you Manley. Good to see you back 🥳

[@ManleyReviews]

oh hey love the vids

[@electriciansmate1987]

Easily top 3 KZbin videos I’ve ever watched, regardless of the topic. Great job, bro.

[@royalplayz4274]

22:15, the text on the ground appears to say "I am aware I am bending over for this game, but few of them ever deserve it".

[@Ah_Lecks]

Wow I can't believe he edited this entire video from the back of a Cedan in Puerto Rico Edit: I'm not gonna do it.

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

Sedan*

[@Shmurt007]

*Sedan

[@jerrodshack7610]

*Sedan

[@rizwanfaruqi]

sedan

[@ManleyReviews]

*saidan

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Finally someone mentions the Gamespot praise, I remember feeling the hype so much from their videos on the game, got the game and it basically changed my taste in gaming forever. Without Gamespot, I don't know if I could be able to say that today. Also dude, great humor and editing, super enjoyable watch.

[@vernaltear]

13:06 Oh man it feels good to be a Periphery fan

[@sixstringpitch5721]

7:00 It sure is nice

[@bobinasack]

i was not ready for that and it was incredible

[@willunderdown]

Yes it fucking does

[@willunderdown]

@@sixstringpitch5721I was wondering if it was meshuggah at first but I can’t forget p1, listened to that album maybe 600 times over

[@wintermintmojo2418]

Literally every time Im thinking “I haven’t seen a Manley vid in a minute. Let me make sure that stupid bell is working.” A video appears a few days later. 2:35 my god Ive never been called out harder in my life

[@brioche496]

These games are timeless. My favorite part of the souls games in general is no matter when you play you will still find messages from other players, recent bloodstains, and the occasional player phantom running around the same area you are at the moment, no matter the year. Shit I’m replaying bloodborne atm and I still see tons of people online playing the game. The community is alive and well, and these games have unparalleled replay value.

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

My man saw he had some of the best production quality on the platform and said "not enough" The thumbnail and transitions are sick

[@middy5284]

i could never beat gravelord NEET-o and eventually gave up. should i give it another shot, bros?

[@Fancy_Pants_Dan]

Of course

[@TheKing-kd9li]

If you made it to him you were just about to beat the game so not much else is there to see after that

[@AndroxineVortex]

No, he's literally unbeatable. No one's ever been able to get past him.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

Yeah you should and there are just a couple of things you need to remember. 1)don't go running to him. That will spawn the two giant skeletons that will make the fight really tedious 2) Learn the timing of his sword from down unded attack. Once you learn It's timing avoid it and to hit Nitto stand next to him. He won't be able to hit you. 3) Once you start seeing him sit down this is the AOE. Run away or pull your shield up. His AOE also takes care of the three skeletons. Get a blessed weapon to take care of those skeles for good.

[@larry5272]

You're so close!

[@iNaif7]

That was a fantastic review. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and was surprised to find that it was 31 minutes long. I am eagerly awaiting your review of Dark Souls 2.

[@shpek_shpek]

Oh man, finally! I thought you've quit making your awesome vids! Glad to see you back!

[@bannisray3683]

Manley is the Dark Souls of Nakey Jakey.

[@gregoryoaks2173]

Whack

[@RJam56]

Bro, your vids are actually top tier. The funny af writing, the visual work, and just the reviews in general are amazing. You gotta keep going dude.

[@ManleyReviews]

new one's in the works dw.

[@RJam56]

@ you’re a lad 🫡

[@surkhabsingh5856]

Your channel is amazing Mr.Manley. such good writing and editing. Please never stop ❤️❤️

[@INdySycive]

I love everything about this video, from the thumbnail to the intermission in each section. Good to see you back after all this time.

[@giank.5373]

Dude, you really nailed it with the being "in game" thing, it was very cool, i aplaud you. Nice video too!

[@Mr_McPicky]

Awesome vid man. Especially dug the Periphery: Wildfire instrumental edit at 13:00.

[@sixstringpitch5721]

Letter experiment is at 7:00 too

[@danielfernandezaguirre]

hell yeah another Manley video! hope your feeling better after the operation man

[@ManleyReviews]

Thanks doing way better now

[@mrsnulch]

Awesome video, I never knew that part of the history of its development. Regarding the 25:20, I might be crazy but I actually love the fact that you can't warp to bonfires in DS1. It feels like you're delving deeper and deeper into this world and there's no turning back.

[@pascova5088]

Great vid, as a long time dark souls fan (15 months fr 💪) I was genuinely shocked by how much of this I didn't know

[@ManleyReviews]

Better late than never

[@wassupjg]

Awesome editing man, must have taken you as long as it took me all the times to run back to the ornstein & smough boss arena, looking forward to the ds2 one

[@samuelbojko9929]

Bro just casually dropped the hardest DS edit I've ever seen?

[@Satsui_No_Hado]

Dark Souls is without question my favorite gaming experience of all time. A friend of mine who was really big in a from soft games recommended it to me at a time that was very difficult and I just locked in. It took a while though but once you really get it and you get good there's almost nothing else like it, It's like you said the world design is unreal, the interconnectedness the story, the general theme and the feel. And when you take down that big boss like artorius, It's such an amazing feeling. Love Dark Souls remastered and I know it's a different version than the one that first came out. That said, it's my favorite game of all time. My other favorite games are Chrono Trigger and super Mario 64 to give you an idea, they couldn't be any different, That said, Dark Souls rules supreme. Awesome content by the way, new subscriber. You have really good content 🔥 looking forward to your Dark Souls 2 video

[@Ssmilesmcgee]

“not quite sure what a covenant does. ‘It does this” had me deceased

[@sslinger704]

@ManleyReviews 6:33 As a game development student, I can tell you that the simple answer to what different difficulties in games mean is "Yes". A change in difficulty can literally be any of the things you've mentioned, it really all comes down to whatever the devs and publishers perceive as difficulty. If it's a maze game they might make the maze bigger and more complex, or add additional obstacles to get past. If it's a rogue-like, or rogue-lite, then they might spawn more enemies, or maybe decrease the players stats. Difficulty is whatever the f##k we want it to be, lmao.

[@Joe_Silly_FEH]

I just want to say I don't think there is any channel on youtube that matches your level of consistent quality Almost every frame has some editing baked in that would take me hours to learn. The music/visual choices, the small details, witty jokes, everything I eventually want to make "guy in front of green screen" content and when I watch your videos it makes me think: "yeah nobody can top this without plagiarizing" lol. Keep up the great work man

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

As someone who's dabbled in video creation, it takes TONS of time. That's why it's rare.

[@shadowyyCFH]

why is this guy so unrecognized his editing is so good and the videos are also really good. deserves way more than just 250k subs

[@LostWallet]

amazing how this series could have never been made. Miyazaki was in an accounting firm. he quit his job on a whimp. Fromsolf decided to hire a guy on a whimp. they promote him to director out of nowhere, Japan company normaly dont do that. they happen to let him take charge on Demon Soul on a whimp. everything just happen on accident all by a coincidence. and the stars aline, and everything was history.

[@ursaminor2732]

whim*

[@jeanjorts6553]

I think you mean *whim. But this is historically accurate!!

[@wizcatcheslightning]

12:50 oh yeah, hit em with the Skyward Sword roll credits theme 😎

[@ManleyReviews]

it's a "break glass incase of emergency" song i save for those moments.

[@wizcatcheslightning]

@@ManleyReviews you accomplished what you were going for in style my friend

[@Cignafi]

Literally redefining video game essays.... Fantastic. Find myself wishing you could be doing this full time so we got more content!

[@KNIGHTMAREMANIAC]

Lol, Dark Souls sold over 2.7 million copies in its first year, that's hardly "basically no one."

[@cbv7207]

Especially for the time, this video is so mid

[@Rl55322]

I think he might be talking mostly about America and the west?

[@train123z]

where did bro get this sales metric lol

[@A-Rune-bear]

This is why reading and hearing comprehension is great to learn

[@MA-go7ee]

I have no idea where you got the impression that no one played DS until Bloodborne came out. That doesn't even make sense - Bloodborne was highly anticipated *because* of Darks Souls. DS made a HUGE splash when it came out. I have no idea why people are suddenly rewriting history. It sold very well AND got a tonne of critical acclaim.

[@ManleyReviews]

it did make a splash but most gamers didn't touch it. bloodborne was highly anticipated because it looked sick af and was pushed hard by sony.

[@ESPlover707]

Picking up the first dark souls again and seeing the first clips you shared was a painfully fresh reminder of what this game is like.

[@GameTalesHQ]

Manley! You are right up there with NakeyJakey as my two favorite content creators on this website. The humor, the editing, the pacing and information are all top of the line. You deserve a LOT more subs man!

[@RitsukiKageyori]

4:12 Bro got his period…

[@UltimateFuzionZ]

Caught this video by chance. I was dumbfoundingly impressed by the quality of the script, the production value and the editing. I thought to myself "This guy must have 10M+ subs with content like this" I looked and I haven't been more shocked by a sub count in my life. You should be the king of the hill of review youtubers.

[@MikeHedges1993]

Me - Mom can we have jakey. Mom - We have jakey at home.

[@ManleyReviews]

mom - we have original comments at home

[@MikeHedges1993]

@@ManleyReviews LOOOOOOOOOOOOL good vid btw

[@MaxAveris]

5:50 Orc Massage Mentioned 🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@memenazi7078]

I love this

[@WhyUsochocolate]

I think I probably binged 5 videos of yours and I was like “Oh hey I’m not subscribed!” Jolly good content my man

[@nelsonraley]

The motion graphics video in this go insane, dude

[@cunningdingus7781]

I don't know why this isn't getting put in my home feed, It should be seen WAY more

[@jaysondoster9729]

Manley I hope you're reminded every day how good you are at editing videos. So fun to watch.

[@pascova5088]

14:57 wtf I'm dead lmaoooo

[@bespincloudcity]

Dark Souls 1 absolutely did not come out of nowhere. It had tons of hype from IGN and many other gaming outlets coming off the cult success of demons souls. It sold over 6 million in its first year.

[@NeumaSeven]

Yeah...I don't understand why this video isn't centered around the first Souls game unless making it about Dark Souls gets more views?

[@ManleyReviews]

no it didn't lmao. it sold 1.19 mil on its first year according to bandai namco earnings reports. still was coming from a cult hit, only to be in another cult of its own.

[@bespincloudcity]

@@ManleyReviews It came out in September, right before Skyrim. I should have said ‘in its first 12 months’. DS1 was not a ‘cult hit’, it was a blockbuster. Source: I was there.

[@NeumaSeven]

@@ManleyReviews I still wouldn’t consider DS1 a cult hit if it had success like that it’s first year. Either way it’s a well made video. Definitely way more than what I can do lmao

[@solame10101]

​@@bespincloudcity I was a bit confused about this part too, coming from demons souls i was picking up hype when the das1 footage started releasing. I remember the launch being pretty big, only that skyrim kinda fucked with it.

[@krak3979]

Absolute immaculate choise of music at 13:04 Periphery goes so hard

[@whiskeybuddha1995]

“…..should come at least with 3 to 4 older brothers…” lolol

[@97Multiphantom]

HE’S FINALLY DOING DARK SOULS!!!

[@biged7415]

THIS GUY PUT LETHAL LEAGUE MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO, IM WATCHING IT WHOOOOLE

[@steezydan8543]

Dark Souls is the type of game that makes you stop thinking of yourself as the main character, and it starts making you think like the character you're controlling.

[@BakesKamuari]

I hate how no body mentions demon souls like wtf

[@tont39]

agreed demon souls laid the ground work for dark souls.

[@asian-ginga]

Hey man I know it's been 8 years since you uploaded this but I've watched this vid 3 or 4 times now and I gotta say it's really well put together! The transition scenes like the 2KEleven one are really nice

[@MightLaugh]

Thanks patches

[@humans34]

Nakeyjakey? Is that you?

[@webdevsam]

skinny nakeyjakey

[@Azzrix]

Periphery in a dark souls video is something I didn't know I needed

[@erik_star4386]

Can somebody tell me the name of the song at 5:11?

[@kiefersmith2384]

Did you ever find out?

[@SelfControlla]

I wanna know too