Yes, there's fan service, I could have used a lot less.
Yes, there's no actual innovation to be found here.
Yes, the graphics are not technically top notch.
Yes, the sound and effects could use some polish and can be laid on a wider spectrum.

But there's something about how Dark souls does "End of the world" like no other game can.
There's something about the broken places, obsolete faces, rusted armor, tired gait, collapsed ruins.
And it takes you through a different experience, where there is huge potential for you to fill up the blanks and make your own interpretation of the world.
It is the journey that matters here, not the destination.

Hidetaka Miyazaki, take a bow.