Justin "SlasherJPC" Celani interviews Joseph Kartje, Bandai Namco's Community Manager: "SlasherJPC is back with another exclusive interview, this time with Joseph Kartje, Bandai Namco’s Community Manager. Slasher gets all nitty gritty, asking Joseph about how he became a part of the industry, Joseph’s experiences in dealing with the Dark Souls community, and just how hard it is being a middle-man between the non-English speaking developers and the fervent fanbase. And guess what? Joseph spills the beans on a ton of information, including giving us his unique perspective on the build up to, and initial reception of Dark Souls 2."
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.”