GameTrailers Game Of The Year Awards 2011 Video Game, Best Role-Playing Game HD | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com
This.
Dark Souls is clearly the better game IMHO. Skyrim was fun, yeah. Fun in the sense that I flailed my arms madly and everything died, and it was mostly spent travelling from A to B. I actually did enjoy Skyrim, but it wasn't a top 10 game in any sense for me. I suppose it should be noted that I am not an overly big story person, I prefer gameplay to story.
Which is where Dark Souls comes in. Graphics which decimate anything else I've experienced, including Skyrim by far. Controls which are satisfyingly perfect. Combat which is horrificly hard, but gives you a great sense of gratification when you complete it.
Originality is a huge aspect of these games. I played through Oblivion and Fallout, and I felt like Skyrim was just another game. Yeah, it had a new story, and new enemies, and I am glad I played it, but it was just another game. Dark Souls was highly original. Even if you played Demon's Souls, and loved it, like I did, you still have a great challenge from Dark Souls, and everything is new and exciting.
I really don't see much competition between these games. Skyrim is a rehash, there really isn't much debate there, so it is placing a re-skinned Oblivion vs. the most gorgeous, innovative, difficult game on the market.
Before anyone bashes, know that I have platinumed Skyrim and not Dark Souls. I plan to go back and get the platinum, but it is a real challenge, and will take a LONG time, even though I have beaten the game once over, so I have been putting it off.