GameZone writes, "I’m going to go ahead and say right now that Dark Souls II is my most anticipated game of this fine year. There, I said it. There's no taking it back. March can’t come soon enough, and I know I will play the ever living piss out of it. While screwing around in Dark Souls over the holiday season (nothing says cheer quite like Dark Souls), I was killing Capra Demon and nostalgically thinking about the absolute dread I felt the very first time ever defeated this boss. I don’t recall the amount of times he killed me my first playthrough, I’ll ballpark over ten – I have no shame. This recent time though, as the “You Defeated” text flashed on the screen the first bout, I came to a frightening realization that things felt different. What if some of this magic is gone from Dark Souls II?"
Dark Souls 2 remains a divisive entry in the landmark RPG franchise, but Hidetaka Miyazaki believes it led to the success of Elden Ring.
DS2 was fine. While there was a bit of recycling assets or ideas for bosses, it was a bigger more open Dark Souls. The Fume knight boss is one of the hardest bosses in the series until Sekiro and Elden Ring were released.
The problem with Dark Souls 2 was the same problem when a different director takes over for a sequel to an outstanding movie. It typically (there are exceptions) doesn’t have the feel and vision of the previous movie.
I wouldn’t say Dark Souls 2 is terrible. Had Dark Souls 1 never been a thing and we got this, I think it would have been praised more. The problem is it didn’t have the Miyazaki touch to it and felt pretty derivative. The soundtrack is a banger though.
I like DS 2, might even be my favorite of the 3. But it's a hard sell, there's so many obscure things you need to do to make it an enjoyable experience. So always find it hard to recommend, but it is worth the trouble.
TheGamer writes, "Some weapons resist the test of time."
The Nerd Stash: “Whether you’re here to gloat about your victories or to see what the fuss is about, we present to you the hardest bosses in the Souls series.”
"You defeated"... That will be missed.
Praise the "you defeated".
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On topic, actually this is the feeling every Demon's Souls fan already had. Don't worry. You'll want to know what lies behind that damn trap or shines after that overpowered early knight.
After beating demons souls.. I was never compelled to play dark souls. Its just more of the same. I might get around to it. . the little that I played was alright.
I found Demons Souls to be very easy for the most part of what I played so far, with a little over 50 hrs into Dark Souls though I have yet to beat it. I can tell it is just as challenging sometimes more so than Dark souls but I rarely die. It is a game you adapt to and start to not make mistakes to often.
Dark Souls II probably won't feel as difficult as the previous simply because of the experience of having played Demon's, and Dark Souls.
My worry, though, is the part a while ago where they said it was going to be "more accessible." Usually it means dumbed down difficulty, which would ruin the whole essence of what a souls game is about. It would even borderline ruin the game if they had a tutorial...
*sticky white stuff ahead*