According to the Golden Joystick Awards Dark Souls is the Ultimate Game of All Time

[Relapses]

Dark Souls isn't even the best Dark Souls game.

Anyway, might be a bit biased but my vote goes to Xenogears. : - )

[Aeluron Lightsong]

made so many things right and brought so many good things back

Like I call so much BS on that.

[DeltrusDisc]

Ultimate game of all time?

It should be a game that has had such a huge, widespread impact on ALL of gaming, that only the most niche corners of the internet have eye-batting at it. On page 1 of this thread, multiple people disagree whole-heartedly. This is hardly a niche corner of the internet, it's a massive 3rd party website dedicated to WoW and other games to a lesser degree.

UGoAT should go to a game a bit older, probably, that's at least affected more than one genre and had a major impact. Whether it created a genre or changed that genre forever, and maybe impacted others as well.

Really, I am thinking something like Mario, Zelda, FF, or similar.

Dark Souls ain't it... but there's other games that could be it for sure, though really... can one game truly hold such a title?

[Unlimited Power]

Guess it depends heavily on how you define Ultimate GOAT.

As far as games with greatest societal impact, a safer bet might be something like Super Mario Brothers or Pokémon games.

Hell, even Pong has probably had a greater impact on society than Dark Souls, and Tetris is another worthy contender.

If you're looking at games with the greatest impact to the games industry, you can easily point at games like Wolfenstein 3D or Doom.

Heck, even Rogue has been a massive influence for the roguelike and roguelite genres.

[gondrin]

and I say that Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards is the best game of all time.

I'm sorry... ULTIMATE GAME OF ALL TIME.

Bah, Goat Simulator. It is the Ultimate Game of all time. It even says it in the name.

[Rennadrel]

Not even close to the right game. When it comes to impact, there's a long list of games, hell franchises alone, that have done significantly more for gaming than Dark Souls ever has. Dark Souls is only popular with people who are looking for a gaming experience with a challenge that rivals a lot of classic games, but in reality a lot of those old games that were hard were hard because the games were janky and had very rudimentary programming or you had to learn patterns and remember things in order to beat bosses or complete levels, much like Dark Souls forces you to learn attack patterns of bosses like most games built with a retro gamer focus in mind do (Metroid Dread did that too).

[gondrin]

Soulsborne is not a genre. No matter how much souls fan boys want it to be. Sub genre at best, and even that is pushing it. OoT created all the basics of Souls gameplay, down to the lock on combat system. Nobody was calling OoT a soulsborne game. This is why zoomers shouldn't act like they know gaming history.

Soulsbourne games are basically Roguelikes without the need to restart every time you die.

[october breeze]

I used to work in a manufactring company as the senior marketing manager years ago.

Once in a while, i got a phone call from someone saying: do you want to be announced brand of the year in your industry? It will cost you this much. We will hold a conference, you pay us and we will give you a trophy. You can then use it for marketing material.

Now, im not saying that Dark Soul does not deserve it or not, just a heads up where most these awards coming from.

[Sammonoske]

Many here don't seem to understand the impact Dark Souls has had on the gaming industry.

[Atrea]

Many here don't seem to understand the impact Dark Souls has had on the industry as a whole.

A minimal one, at best.

[Sammonoske]

A minimal one, at best.

Wilful ignorance.

[Firefall]

Weird to pick a game that is so decisive. I think the "best game of all time," if such a concept can even make sense given subjectivity and how varied games are making it as silly as asking the best food/song/movie/book/play/painting/ect... probably has to be something that is at least neutral to almost everyone who engages with the form of media. So probably something Nintendo to be honest.

[Sorshen]

It's pretty high up there. Of all time? Idk about that.

[Mysterymask]

Dark Souls may have spawned a sub genre, but that's kinda it. But so did Metroid and/or Castlevania and where are those on that list?
.

I could argue that Dark Souls took a lot of inspiration from Metroid...hell a LOT of games can take inspiration from Metroid

[Tech614]

Wilful ignorance.

Blind fanboyism.

The majority of gamers don't even know what a "Souls Game" is. That poster was right that it has had minimal impact on the industry as a whole. Of course the hardcore souls fan boys would have you believe it was the first checkpoint based ARPG and invented this as a "genre" but that is not reality.

Dark Souls has had an impact on From Software getting larger budgets to make games, it has inspired another decent franchise in Nioh, and it has inspired a few decent 2D indy games. It has also inspired a few bad games like The Surge and Lords of the Fallen. Wow, such massive impact on the industry.

[AwkwardSquirtle]

Soulsbourne games are basically Roguelikes without the need to restart every time you die.

That's a rogue-lite, rather than a rogue-like.

[plz delete account]

What is your opinion on this? I personally wholeheartedly agree. It spawned a whole sub genre and despite that From Software has still not been outdone in the decade since Dark Souls came out. Some people may prefer Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, or Sekiro, but the amount of freedom you get in Dark Souls is unmatched to this day. I'm really excited for Elden Ring since it seems to be bringing back that level of freedom.

Obviously it's just one awards show and it doesn't mean anything in the long run, but I wanted to see what you all thought of this award.

Only a sub genre?
WC3 spawned three entirely different genres at the minimum, and the classic version is still beloved by many, and it's sequel, the World of Warcraft, killed many MMO-RPGs, and most MMORPGs today try to emulate it to other franchises. What I wouldn't give to get my hands on Blizzard's copy of WoWEdit.

- - - Updated - - -

Many here don't seem to understand the impact Dark Souls has had on the gaming industry.

What impact?

[Linkedblade]

[IMG]https://slack-imgs.com/?c=1&o1=ro&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FFE6vH0IagAAZq2e.jpg[IMG]

What is your opinion on this? I personally wholeheartedly agree. It spawned a whole sub genre and despite that From Software has still not been outdone in the decade since Dark Souls came out. Some people may prefer Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, or Sekiro, but the amount of freedom you get in Dark Souls is unmatched to this day. I'm really excited for Elden Ring since it seems to be bringing back that level of freedom.

Obviously it's just one awards show and it doesn't mean anything in the long run, but I wanted to see what you all thought of this award.

Perhaps in its niche genre. But definitely not the best game overall. Games like FF7 and OoT are master pieces for their times and genres, but I wouldn't put Dark Souls over them.

[Jastall]

Many here don't seem to understand the impact Dark Souls has had on the gaming industry.

What impact? Spawning a sub-genre with a couple gems and tons of me-too mediocre clones only known for being "Dark Souls except X" and only by fans of Dark Souls in the first place? Influencing the game mechanics of a couple AAA games that were hardly groundbreakers in the first place (such as Jedi Fallen Order)? Let's not pretend the series even invented check-point games with tough boss battles and RPG elements in the first place. Mash Metroid with Zelda and you get 90% of DS's DNA, the last 10% being the PvP mode that is even more grief prone than the average MMO's.

I hope nobody actually believes it "re-introduced difficulty to the mainsteam" or any nonsense like that lol. Or that From Soft has some sort of monopoly on good game design.

[Santti]

Ultimate game of all time? Of all time? And you hand it to... Dark Souls? That's a stretch and a half. I'd imagine Doom or Half-Life are way better candidates. Or maybe Super Mario.

I mean, Dark Souls have been influential, and it is a great and beloved game, but it shouldn't ever be compared to the likes Doom, Half-Life or Super Mario. Bah humbug, you murderer-come-latelies!