Dark Souls II

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.

I love the first DS and as for this one, I just find it ok. Just ok. I had fun while playing it but after 35hrs I was like, "when does it end?" and not because I found it hard but because I felt it dragged during the final hours. I consider the first one a total masterpiece and I guess my main problem with this one is it's just "the next one."

Second chapter of the game that marked the world. This chapter is terribly underestimated, because as far as the plot is concerned this game is the best of the saga, it is true the game play is not the best but it is valid even if not really excellent.

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.