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Dark Souls II Review - "Flawed By Design" [NoobFeed]

Daav from NoobFeed tackles the colossal giant that is Dark Souls 2. Beautiful expanses open up a world to get lost in and also lose life in. Despite meticulously crafted character enhancement and differing approaches, its qualms are plentiful and aggrandized by its own design.

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noobfeed.com
hulk_bash19874110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

Haha a website called noobfeed not liking Dark Souls 2 is pretty hilarious.

Master-H4110d ago

Casual review ahead..(same could be applied to Madam Sessler's review)

SteamPowered4110d ago

Why not a casual gamer review? He made some good points regarding death in abundance, and some flaws within the game. I thought it was a good review. The Hardcore's that have beat the first game to death may be a bit biased.

Captain Qwark 94110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

well i dont think you should say "flawed by design" in a review unless it actually was. to me that indicates a broken game, such as the features included do not work. Most of the things he complains about are while the souls fan base loves it so much. example and i quote....

"This also makes the game uncompromising. One dodge too soon and the enemy will capitalize on it; one overzealous sprint into darkness and a pitfall will take everything away. Death is always around the corner. Any death sets back the journey with a loss of humanity and that comes with a strip of health filed off. With that, the odds start stacking up. Steeper and steeper, getting felled resets the play even harder, starting from one of the bonfire waypoints, which allow for fast travel between regions. Receiving fewer tools and being expected to do better also heightens the likelihood of inevitable “re-death” and that can grow dangerous, as the health bar quickly turns to a nub. With helpful items being finite and costing souls in the process, it’s a dangerous gamble to waste resources on.

Sadly, these reoccurring loops are the end of the freedom handed out in Dark Souls 2. Fewer means require mandatory grinding periods, locking players to certain areas until they can be overcome. Making matters worse, enemies disappear after a certain amount of deaths, to prevent this very advancement, leaving no means to climb back up. That sets a certain impassable bar of progress when facing bosses, since just about anything can kill instantly in Dark Souls 2 already, but all of the otherwise impressively statuesque bosses have one-hitters aplenty. No matter how advanced a character, facing a champion is the equivalent of demanding a perfect run. Any one sidestep and it’s back to square one, meaning an endless amount of repetition to play these odds."

this is the design of the game and what fans wanted. its not a matter of wanting to be punished but we want a challenge as many in this community are tired of games that hold your hand which is virtually every game released today. i for one am most excited for being penalized for dying. in demon souls your health was halved while hollow, in dark souls it barely seemed like there was any punishment thus i played nearly the whole game hollow. i want a reason to make my humanity mean something and to give me a reason not to run recklessly into an area because death will cost me. this is far better design i think.

all that said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if its a 7/10 to him, so be it but he should word it better because anything more than those changes and those who are actual fans of the series would have been upset had they catered to his likes. if it aint broke dont fix it

Palitera4110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

^ Exactly, Captain.

I'm a fan from the series since Demon's Souls release (okay, I'm not hardcore because I didn't play King's Field :P ) and I call it perfect design!

Why? Because the results of it are exactly what the developers wanted.

SteamPowered4110d ago

Captain,
That's fine that's what you are into, but for someone who has never played the franchise, this is good info. Knowing that your health bar gets shorter and shorter while the enemies remain difficult would turn a lot of people off of this game. There is no harm in being informed. And yes, if your health bar gets shorter and enemies remain impossible, that will inevitably leave you without the health to continue. That to me sounds like it could eventually turn into a flaw. No health and impossible enemies, that disc would go right out the window.

IamHaru4110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

I agree Captain Qwark 9, but I thought his major concern was actually this (which seems legitimate in my eyes):

"It isn’t just trial upon trial though, as there are also plenty of technical flaws that will bury the perfect structure of design Dark Souls 2 has built its combat on. Nigh impossible progress is set on muscle memory in addition to luck as the deciding factor. Collision detection is filled with holes, probably due to the immense size of the RPG, allowing enemies, but not players, to hit through walls. That leads to death. Just about any boss or taller enemy will see weapons clip and vanish through any texture undetected. Swiping through a boss or fully going through them, instead of detecting the hit, leads to death. Environments can trap players in place, causing automated death. Audio cues can come in seconds later, not prompting danger in certain places. Moreover, pop up issues allow enemies to go undetected until it’s too late, due to entire segments of the connected level design not loading on time. These things, once more, lead to death."

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4110d ago
SCW19824110d ago

Sessler never reviewed the game it was someone else who he posted the review for. Get your facts straight before making accusations.

Master-H4110d ago

You're right, i guess he's been busy unloading dat Smart Pistol on some unlucky bots..oh boy isn't that difficult and skill requiring.

TomahawkX4110d ago

there should be a rule, only reviewers that have beaten Dark Souls 1 may review Dark Souls 2.

IamHaru4110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

The author actually brings up legitimate gripes (if they are indeed true). It seems like a realistic review that Demons/Dark Souls fans (including myself) just immediately dismiss because it comes with a 72/100 score (thus screwing with DS2's chance at AAA status on aggregate review sites). For everyone who just jumps to conclusions, he does have high praise for many aspects of the game. It's just that the glitches seem to ruin it for him.

Palitera4110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

Dark Souls II currently holds a 91.07% (21 Reviews) on GameRankings. It is higher than: Assassin's Creed II, Killzone 2, Fallout 3, Borderlands 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dishonored. Are these not AAA?

And, finally, higher than Demon's and Dark Souls.

It is an average, thankfully, and it is very good.

IamHaru4110d ago (Edited 4110d ago )

Palitera, I'm just saying that for fanboys like us (who want the game to receive the recognition we feel it deserves), a 72/100 can be a huge hit to an average. I feel similarly about Gamespot's 7/10 to the new South Park game (which I am currently at the end of and LOVE). So, sometimes, we will lash out at reviewers when they bring up things we don't think will be an issue (despite not having played the game yet in this case).

Now, I totally understand the backlash on his critique of the unforgiving nature of the game... but, the supposed glitches? That's legitimate if true.

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130°

Why Dark Souls 2 Deserves a Second Chance in 2025

As difficult and frustrating as it is, people should consider reliving the Dark Souls 2 experience, especially because of what's coming to the game.

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gamerant.com
PrimeVinister31d ago

Many of those who hate Dark Souls II hate it because it's not Dark Souls. The same people love Dark Souls III because it isn't Dark Souls II.

And so many of the issues at the centre of common complaints about DS2 are present in DS3 and sometimes even DS1. The hatred and bile spewed over this perfectly decent game is ludicrous.

CrimsonWing6931d ago

I don’t think it’s a terrible game, but like a movie sequel by a different director, for me, it does NOT capture any of the “magic” felt from the Miyazaki entries. Boss battles don’t feel epic, environments don’t have the same sense of awe, the enemy variety isn’t particularly interesting, the art direction just feels bland, about the only thing I can give it praise for is some of the music.

Now, again, this is only how I feel about it, so I’m not trying to invalidate his you feel about the game, but it is the worst entry in the series due to those factors and it’s the least re-visited entry, for me.

Is it decent as a game on its own? Sure. But in comparison to the Miyazaki entries, it does not stack up and I believe that’s where many were disappointed with it.

PrimeVinister31d ago

Completely fair. I cannot disagree either, mate.

MrWood31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

You can also play it in VR flawlessly on PC & controller with the LukeRoss mod so… another reason to jump back in with extra immersion.

jznrpg31d ago

It’s not a bad game it’s just not as good as the others

Shadow Man31d ago

The controls felt very clunky to me, I tried playing it after beating Darksouls 3 and it didn’t feel fluid, obviously the hit detection is less superior for been an older game.

Show all comments (13)
100°

Dark Souls 2 Broke the Mold with Smelter Demon’s Over-the-Top Design

The Smelter Demon is a bombastic boss design that bolsters Dark Souls 2's roster with an experience that updates an older fight's form to function.

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gamerant.com
CrimsonWing69240d ago

Man, I dunno about that. In fact, most boss fights in Dark Souls 2 were forgettable.

__y2jb240d ago

Dark souls 2 is really underrated.

HyperMoused240d ago

My First DS's no idea why it gets so much hate

Redgrave239d ago

Or as I liked to call it, Horny Butthole Face

110°

Hidetaka Miyazaki claims Dark Souls 2 “carried” the series forward

Dark Souls 2 remains a divisive entry in the landmark RPG franchise, but Hidetaka Miyazaki believes it led to the success of Elden Ring.

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theloadout.com
anast471d ago

The game isn't good though.

Rols471d ago

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.

CrimsonWing69471d ago

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.

Aussiesummer471d ago

And it will happen in the future when he doesn’t touch them as he is planning on.

MrBaskerville471d ago

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.