Over the years, I've played a truckload of video games. Since my youth, when I fell in love for the first and only time—Metroid was what did it, on a chilly autumn night, me with my shirt off, thumbing the controller, over and over, until it hurt—I haven't been able to recreate that feeling of joy, that ecstatic sense …

Good morning again, Kotaku! I want to thank you all for the warm reception this weekend—thy scent is very human indeed, dear readership. And isn't the sun glorious today?

Borderlands and Demon's Souls were two of 2009's biggest hits, measured by sales and/or popular acclaim. So there's a nice symmetry in seeing Borderlands 2 paying homage to Dark Souls with an Easter egg encountered in the Caustic Caverns.

The asynchronous multiplayer in Demon's Souls helped make Atlus' 2009 PS3 exclusive a cult hit. And now it's going away forever.

If you've played games for more than a decade, you've undoubtedly witnessed the ongoing evolution of the medium. Some see technology as the primary driver, and there's no question games look and sound better than ever. The rising tide of tech has lifted all boats, making it possible for even a small team of developers…

We've heard (as far back at 2010) Sony admit that it blundered big time by not publishing Demon's Souls in North America. Now we know why they passed. Shuhei Yoshida, Sony Computer Entertainment's head of product development, told Game Informer that he played two hours of the game as it was close to final, and walked…

As it did last year, the impenetrably difficult Demon's Souls is giving players just a teensy bit of a break between now and New Year's. From now to Jan. 2, Demon's Souls will ease the game's difficulty and unlock "otherwise inaccessible areas and items."

Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Two of the nastiest, most unforgiving game of this console generation. So why the hell are they looking so adorable?