Andrew Day of Capsule Computers wrote:
As a huge fan of both Demon’s Souls and its spiritual successor Dark Souls, I was cautiously optimistic of Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls II, especially when it was announced that the series’ new director; Tomohiro Shibuya wanted the series to be more accessible. I, like many players assumed that this meant the game would be easier. Well, at this year’s EB Games Expo, I was able to pick up a controller, go beyond death and put my fears to rest.
Bandai Namco has released its latest financial report, revealing that the Dark Souls series has reached around 40 million units combined.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Man, I dunno about that. In fact, most boss fights in Dark Souls 2 were forgettable.
Dark Souls was the best game i ever played......and my only only platinum.Being a gamer in his thrities I never bothered collecting trophies, Dark Souls was the first game that made me get a platinum. If you haven't played Dark Souls you don't know what it means to be a true gamer in my opinion.
The Tomb of the Giants was soooo hard