Dark Souls II

So you'll all know how much I love the first Dark Souls and how much it means to me if you've read my review of it, but going back to Dark Souls 2, I suddenly remembered the rather copious amounts of hate this game gets, especially from fans of the first. And do I agree with it? Well, yes and no.

The basic gameplay loop is still the same, and still really great, and the combat has received some tweaks for the better, including backstabs no longer being an instant lock animation, so they're no longer as ridiculously powerful as they were in the first game, magic and miracle builds are now much more viable, there's a huge increase in weapons, shields, items, spells, armor, basically everything really, and poise has received a much needed nerf.

So gameplay wise, there's really not much to complain about. It's just Dark Souls but made better. The big bugbears mostly come in with the areas and the bosses. Most of them, especially compared to the first game, are just not that memorable or well designed. There's also a fairly decent amount of them that are just a flat out pain. Not challenging but enjoyably so, like most areas in the first game, just a pain. There are of course a few stand-outs, but it remains sorely lacking compared to the first. This also applies to the world design as a whole, which is nowhere near as tight or interesting as the interconnected world of the first game, largely because areas don't tend to lead into each other the way they did in the first game.

The presentation is...so-so. Somehow it looks graphically worse than DS1 despite coming out three years later, and although sound effects are still great, the music is, again, sorely lacking compared to the amazing score from before. The UI has improved a ton, but other than that there's not much to say about the presentation. Most enemies and characters still have really nice designs, even if the areas unfortunately don't as much.

As for the story, while I still enjoy the lore a lot, the narrative of the game as you're playing it really isn't as well paced as the first game. It starts off fine and the middle is still good, but by the end, it just starts to feel like it's sagging across the finish line with the lack of any stakes being raised.

But as you can tell from my rating, I do still really enjoy this game, even if it's not as much as DS1, and I would recommend that you not let the more negative opinions on it discouraging you from playing it if you liked the first one.

First off, if you have played DS1, you know what you're in for. It's not going to be an easy ride. It will test your resolve and your patience, it will demand that you learn from your mistakes and find an angle, it will punish you for being lazy, it will teach you a thing or two about tenacity. But perhaps most of all, it will create an unforgettable, rewarding experience that will stay with you for the rest of your days. This sequel is everything you could hope for and more. It retains the original's mean spirit but somehow becomes more accessible and less tedious. Enemies respawn a set number of times, the bonfires are closer together so you don't have to walk 5 miles to get back to that boss that has murdered you 50 times over. The combat is refined and more polished and this time around, you are encouraged rather than discouraged to be versatile in combat. While in DS1 you had to pick your class and stick to it, and being a mage was pretty much an invitation to suffer horribly through the game, this time around being a mage is a viable option. Cast times are faster, spells do more damage and have more variants and more enemies are weak to them. However, it's always good to have a trusty halberd or greataxe in hand too, as well as a greatbow and shortbow and your trusty pyromancy flame. Being versatile means you can handle anything. The only class that I have found underwhelming is the faith build, or perhaps I just don't know how to use it? While I did love the realm of Lordran, Drangleic is more vast and has a more Gothic feel to it, where Lordran had a more medieval, enclosed vibe going for it. I am somewhat on the fence about the bosses. I did appreciate that they were more numerous, I think there are twice as many in DS2 than its predecessor, but they weren't as unforgettable as the bosses in DS1 were, nor as challenging. Besides the optional bosses, which border on unfair, most bosses could be breezed through in two or three tries where in the last game each one was worth at least a dozen death sentences, and thus immortalized them in your mind. The areas you visit range from downright ugly and unpleasant (the Gutter, the Crypt and Harvest Valley) to eerily beautiful (Huntsman's Copse, Shaded Woods, Iron Keep and Lost Bastille) to simply breathtaking (Dragon Aerie, Castle Drangleic, Heide's Tower of Flame and Shrine of Amana). Character customization has improved, with more attire to be found and worn to great effect, most carrying special properties that help immensely. The story is still ambiguous, as has become custom, but that is part of what makes it so unique. Dark Souls' lore and story is a topic that could be discussed and debated for hours upon hours, and this time isn't any different. If you're a fan, you're in for a treat. If you're not, after this you certainly will be.

From the acclaimed developer "From Software" comes one of the most anticipated video games of all time; Dark Souls 2; the third installment of the souls series. The souls is a franchise which tests your patience and skill equally and rewarding you handsomely for doing so. Except for some pro's out there, some people might not be aware of the reason why this game is so popular; Its' brutally punishing difficulty. You might slam your fists on your keyboard or throw your consoles across the room but at the same time you may dance around the house. The game balances difficulty really well, whilst you may find yourself learning from your mistakes each time you die.

If you are new to the souls series I would recommend you to follow the ign guide for Dark Souls 2.

Happy rage quitting!

If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with the Souls game series and what makes it famous: difficulty. If not, then welcome to Hell.

Dark Souls 2 manages to adequately follow Dark Souls by offering an equally hard and addictive yet flawed experience. I'm glad to say that FromSoftware saw fit to fix/improve a few things over DS1. Graphics are better, there's a much wider variety of weapons, you can fast travel right from the start, and the game's about as difficult yet rewarding as DS1. Unfortunately, this game also suffers from problems that plagued DS1. The story is almost identical to DS1 and is explained just as much... which is to say hardly at all. They just tell you to find powerful souls. That's it. No indication of who/what is carrying said powerful souls or where you're even supposed to take the souls once you have them.

I thought I'd try the game at first without consulting any sort of guide. Big mistake. I know you're supposed to play the game with trial and error (that's how you figure out which weapons you like best and how to fight each type of enemy), but honestly, like in DS1, there are a myriad of things you need to know to progress that you most likely wouldn't figure out without consulting a guide, or by dying over and over (as the developers intended, no doubt).

In short, this game is better and worse than its predecessor in certain ways, yet I still found myself going back for more. I highly recommend having the game's wiki open while playing to avoid excessive frustration. Overall, though, I feel like this game is worth a try if you enjoyed (err... survived) DS1.

TL;DR: For anyone who's curious about this game and has played the first Dark Souls:

Pros: Upgrading equipment and obtaining boss weapons is easier. Regular enemies are a bit tougher to kill. New Game Plus really ups the ante. Durability is replenished by resting at a bonfire. Soundtrack is awesome and less throat-singing heavy than DS1.

Cons: Some bonfires are less than 10 feet away from an enemy mob. Still no clear instruction for what to do story-wise. Have to go back to a certain area to level up. You can be invaded while hollow. Bosses are kind of lame; most of them are humanoid and heavily telegraph their attacks. Optional bosses are a grind since they have massive health pools and can kill you with one hit.

Waiting for the 2nd DLC of Dark Souls 3, I felt like going back to the previous entry for some extra experience, but was kind of worrying that after the phenomenal final chapter, this sequel wouldn't seem as great as the first impression. I was wrong. I had one helluva fun. It's certainly completely different from master Miyazaki's vision, but Yui Tanimura has nevertheless done an excellent job. No wonder that so many people simply become addicted to this franchise. While other games you play, Souls' games you have to survive, but for the time and patience they take, you'll get the unforgettably rewarding gameplay you'll be proud of for the rest of your life and will want for more.