Who'd have thought that a hardcore action RPG series best known for its brutal difficulty would prove to be such a commercial success? That's exactly what Dark Souls managed to do though, and its challenging gameplay and lack of hand-holding continues to resonate with players around the world. Dark Souls is a spiritual successor to the Playstation 3 exclusive Demon's Souls, featuring the same unforgiving-but-fair combat that has defined the franchise. This time round, the game took place in a totally open world, filled with creatures that wanted nothing more than to kill you in increasingly creative ways. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow, and it could be devilishly frustrating at times, but Dark Souls always managed to draw you back in for another chance to master its fun, addictive combat. There aren't many games out there that offer the same satisfaction that comes from finally defeating a Dark Souls boss, and the game was always prepared to reward those that could rise up to the challenge.
