Dark Souls!

[Rush]

Picked up my copy this morning and have only been playing it for about an hour. Like the first one, it throws you right into the action. 5 minutes in you're already fighting your first boss - though this one isn't nearly as bad as the initial boss in the first game. I have to admit this guy killed me 3 times before I figured out his mechanics enough to down him - though on the 4th try he didn't even hit me.

Not really a spoiler, just a good tip for the first boss:

Spoiler

Don't fight him when you first enter his room! Run out of the far exit. 3 minutes later you'll be able to enter his room from the second floor and do a dropdown hit on him to start the fight.

Enclosing it in tags anyway in case you want to go through the game without any help whatsoever.

The gameplay is great - seems the same as Demon's Souls, possibly slightly tweaked. You have to be extra careful about which hits you choose to block with a shield, as they still do a good amount of damage to you (with the initial crappy shield). I'll post more impressions after playing a while longer, which may have to wait until tonight. Why does work always have to get in the way of gaming?

I chose a Pyromancer hoping for a good mix of magic and combat. Anyone else picked it up and played it yet? What class are you and how far in?
Edit - I also chose the master key as my gift, as most of the other choices seemed like they were either useless or only good for one use.