Anyhow here is the article:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172516
Japan Review Check: Demon's Souls
Famitsu weighs in on SCE and From Software's dark action RPG.
By Nick Des Barres, 01/28/2009You know it's a slow week when all Famitsu's editors can find to talk about in their introductory paragraphs are upcoming movies and hot new pop songs (Marcus Nispel's Friday the 13th remake and "Hey! Hey! Alright" by Scha Dara Parr and Kaela Kimura, for the record). Nevertheless, the venerable Cross Review crew is on the case, tackling the week's only major release: SCE's Demon's Souls.
All four reviewers cited Demon's Souls' scorching difficulty and most deducted points accordingly -- two 7's, a 6, and a 9 were bestowed upon the From Software-developed action RPG. A three-point split between editors is exceedingly rare, and probably speaks to the nature of games like From's King's Field series: You either love them or hate them.
Coming down on the "love" side was editor Paint Yamamoto, who gave Demon's a 9 and wrote, "This is a game you learn how to play by losing -- you'll face sudden death frequently. But! Keep playing... and you'll realize how deep it really is. If you're looking to experience rich RPG elements, by all means play Demon's Souls!!".
At the other end of the spectrum, casual gamer Maria Kichiji felt differently about the game's challenge, giving it a 6: "It's super-difficult... 'Souls' are needed for everything from shopping to power ups, and the entire game is unforgiving. Even worse, there are almost no hints. Demon's Souls is far too stoic... it's not a game for everybody."
The other two editors' opinions fell somewhere in the middle, though both spent considerable space complaining about the difficulty. "The basis of this game is trial and error... the lack of checkpoints in the stages is punishing," wrote Leona Ebihara, while Sugashi Kawada said, "Since death means the end in this game, I might compare it to an expert chess problem."
It's clear the generally middle-of-the-road Famitsu came down on Demon's Souls for its hardcore challenge, but it's worth noting rival publication Dengeki PlayStation had a more favorable opinion, giving the game 85/95/85/85. One reviewer even dubbed it "my game of the year so far... fans of old-school games will shed tears of joy."
