Random: Divisive Dark Souls 2 Is Seeing a Resurgence and Some Revisionist History

Only thing that let DS2 down was the repetitive knight boss fights. Apart from that I never understood the hate.

Yeah it’s a very good game. Though I think Dark Souls 3 is probably the better game, I prefer 2.

It was my first Souls game: SotFS Edition on Xbox One. So I had no point of comparison with Demon's/Dark Souls and all the initial wow factor of the formula carried me through it.

Great game. Except that ice/fog area with killer reindeer. F that place.

Dark Souls 2 is my favorite dark souls game. Loved that enemies vanished after killing them so many times. Made it feel I was constantly making progress despite dying a lot.

Its always been a great game and i've always loved how eerie and wrong its world felt. The DLC is fantastic as well.

Dragon Age Inquisition in here just taking uncalled for strays

I loved Dark Souls 2 - I didn’t even realize until years later that it had a negative reception from some fans.

I think the problem with Dark Souls 2 is just that it isn't a very good sequel. It didn't expand or innovate on any of the elements that made Demon's Souls or Dark Souls so great. It's almost as if Dark Souls 2 started development as a completely seperate IP and then they decided to slap the "Dark Souls" label on it last minute to cash in on the originals success

I loved dark souls on the ps3 and then I bought it for the pc and loved it even more. I purchased dark souls 2 day one on the pc and was so disappointed with it. It just did not feel the same and felt cobbled together and it just did not flow the same way as dark souls did. Its not an awful game as it is quite an enjoyable romp but it's easily the worst of the series for me (personal opinion.) Maybe I'll go back to it again seeing as I bought the ps4 version dirt cheap and played it for a few hours. It could do with better graphics as it really looks like a ps3 game at times.

I had quite some fun with it.

I loved Demon’s Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring/Sekiro but have yet to try a Dark Souls game. I have Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III bought though 😂😂 gonna have to buy Dark Souls Remastered though to play that first

@Bunchesopuppies

Me after entering it.

Honestly I played dark souls 2 before I played demon souls or ds1, so in that context I thought it was awesome. It was literally my first taste of Fromsofts post kingsfield attempts at the formula.

It was only some time after that I heard all the negative discourse surrounding it at the time. A lot of it sounded like bandwagon herd mentality nitpicking.

Ironically now that same herd mentality hate lens seems to be given toward any soulslike game that does the exact same formula, oftentimes improving the shortcomings, but is not Fromsoft made.

Oh how the turn tables..... 🤣

I have almost 500 hours on it for the PS4, did 100% the trophy list. The game was fantastic. It pushed you to be very methodical and it really hooked me on soulslikes. It was my gateway drug to bloodborne that same year. The PVP was really fun. No other game they've done has cooler lightning effects, too. I just think the game has probably aged poorly just because all the newer entries play much more smooth and have less jank. I think a Demon's Souls esque remake of DS2 would go super hard, though.

I think EDGE said something like (paraphrasing).. even the weakest souls game is still one of the best action games of all time.

I am not sure if it is "Code Vein" or "Dark Souls 2" is the worst game in whole soulsborne genre but, it is obviously a pretty incompotent one.
I platiniumed it on steam but I despised every moment of it.

I replay all of them every couple of years, and it’s fine. I always have fun with it. As others have said, the worst souls game is still pretty good!

That's a funny coincidence since I'm doing my 4th playthrough of it rn. I don't know how I would rank it compared to the other 2 dark souls games; calling it the weakest one feels weird because it does a lot of things better than the others. However, it's easily miles better than elden ring, which I consider to be the worst fromsoft game to date.

Some of the worst bosses in the series and some questionable geography decisions, but I still enjoyed it despite it's flaws. Definitely my least favourite of the FromSoftware games I've played. The DLC is so good though.

It's the weakest in a series of great games. Disconnected areas, a lot of glitches, bad hit detection, weird movement, repetitive and uninspired bosses.
But it also has amazing areas like Majula and it can look great depending where you are.
It's the worst of the best.

it's not terrible but when you look at what From made before and after this game, you see that the art direction is lacking or missing.
still the best npc is there; Aldia, scholar of the first sin, a heavy metal god: "beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of dark, what could possibly await us?..."

My unpopular opinion is that DS2 is my favourite of the Souls games. I know full well it’s not the best of the bunch but it’s the first one where everything clicked and I truly fell in love with FromSoftware so it holds a very special place.

@CWill97 Unpopular opinion, but I think you played the best ones. I think the Dark Souls titles are the weakest of all the Soulsbornekiring (!) games. Don't get me wrong, they are still great, but to me those others are better.

It’s a fantastic game - probably in my top ten of all time. I prefer it to Sekiro but it’s probably my least favourite DS game.

I didn’t like the way enemies thinned out if you died too many times. I wanted to kill them myself!

Still my least favorite in From’s catalog of Soulsborne games. My opinion has changed significantly on Sekiro since release though. Sekiro went from a game I didn’t like at all but I thought had great combat mechanics, to a game that I think has the best sword fighting in video games and has become a game in my top five of all time.

Worst From Soft Souls game… still a great game though.

Revisionist history is punching down on Dragon Age Inquisition, what the actual hell? That was an incredible game.

Finished it a couple or months ago but nwwd to do Dlc areas I really enjoyed the game. Have only played ds1 and demon souls remake so far, and really enjoyed it. I played it at same time as ac odyssey, so was great playing two very different types of combat at the same time. My big decision as I own all of the soulsbourne games (and most of their copycats) is which to play next. Do I play in order of release so bb, ds3, sekiro, er or do I complete the ds triology?

Is what people say on twitter really newsworthy?
I guess things are slow atm.

DS2 is a strange one, its not the best mechanically and in the base game you can kill most enemies just by circling them to avoid and throwing attacks in as needed. However I would say its the best visually when it comes to exploration as the areas are wildly different and feel really unique. And the DLC reallly ramps up the difficulty with fights like Fume Knight.

I would say DS1 is the best overall, followed by DS2 then DS3 is probably my least favourite as some of the fights started to feel a bit cheesy and cheap

I’ll preface this by saying I’ve not played DS3, Elden Ring, or Sekiro yet, but I’ve played the other Soulsborne games and am currently doing my first playthrough of DS2 (playing Scholar of the First Sin edition). So far I’m really liking it and have thoughts on this debate. Compared to its predecessors here are some of the things I like that DS2 does differently; and some things I dislike:

Things I like and appreciate —
> Enemies not respawning after killing them a certain number of times. Especially since you have the flexibility built in to easily join the Covenant of Champions if you wanted to keep farming souls.
> Immediate fast-travel warping between bonfires from the get-go with no need for cryptic items (cough Lordvessel cough) or numerous shortcuts to get between major areas. The map layout is definitely disjointed and doesn’t hold a candle to DS1’s masterclass of interconnected map design, but including bonfire fast-travel really helps save a lot of the trekking back and forth.
> Majula is the best hub space I’ve experienced in the series so far. It feels like a safe homebase, and yet still part of the map. Especially DS1 lacked a good hub, and I understand that’s part of the whole genius of the DS1 map, but I liked having a safe haven like Hunters Dream and the Nexus, and Firelink Shrine just wasn’t it — Partly because it didn’t feel separate and secure and partly because it lacked a Emerald Herald / Maiden in Black / Plain Doll nurturing NPC.
> the funny inside jokes and quirky NPCs. Playing dress-up with Rosabeth, the rivalry between Pate and Creighton, Sweet Shalquoir, Laddersmith Gilligan, Galvan, etc, etc. I think this game has the best and most creative side characters.

Things that I don’t like —
> Bosses not as creative in art design or combat design. Bloodborne still the best with that.
> Fragrant Branches of Yore can get bent. Why would you cut-off significant areas, bosses, and items with an extremely rare item? Especially since you can use the branches to open statues which are actually completely superfluous also. Branches are easy to waste and difficult to obtain. The game already has Pharros Lockstones and keys to locked doors, so why do we need another item to gatekeep areas, key NPCs / merchants, and items?
> Gank squads. The game will often overwhelm you with multiple enemies, especially frustrating when multiple hidden archers or invisible enemies are involved.
> Too much poison and cursing. C’mon FromSoft, one poison themed area should be the limit.
> The Pursuer. How many times am I going to have to kill you?
> The gradual degradation of your max health with each death. I know it eventually levels off at around 30% reduction, but it’s still annoying.

Overall a great game though, so far. Not sure where it will land in my final FromSoft rankings yet.

@LN78 I haven’t played vanilla, but the health gems function fine in Scholar. I actually like the hybrid system of health restoration in this game — Consumables like the herbs in Demon’s Souls along with the standard replenishing Estus Flasks (as well as the various rings and magic spells available to restore health). The life gems drop frequently from enemies and can be purchased so it has a good built-in failsafe to use until you get your estus flasks built up. They also consume quicker than drinking estus so are nice to have in the heat of battle.

I was never disappointed in Dark Souls 2. It’s not my favorite Fromsoft game but I really enjoyed it when it came out and still play it from time to time.
It also had solid DLC, in my opinion the best in the Dark Souls trilogy.

Dark Souls 2 is the weakest (modern) FromSoftware game... Which isn't saying much since the bar is insanely high across the board. It's still very good, maybe just slightly less inspired than the original and DS3.

@KundaliniRising333 Is it really herd mentality? A lot of flaws can be pointed out with the game such as the weird hitboxes on the player, the terrible level design, the odd level transitions (which some people tried to defend with a lore explanation of "time is convoluted"), recycled bosses and some downright terrible animations and models on enemies like with the Falconers, Lion humanoid enemies or miners for example. Then of course there's the extreme graphical downgrade the game had along with the extreme washed out lighting that just made the game look ugly.

I think there's more herd mentality with people who defend everything about From Software's games and argue that they're perfect.

It reminds me of how Bethesda games used to be considered. The fans would never accept any flaws with the games.

@Sequel EDGE is smoking some good stuff then if they said that.

I never actually played 2. It just kinda slipped past me lol

Dark Souls 2 is definitely the weakest in the series but that’s also like saying it’s the worst donut in the box. Is there really such a thing as a bad donut?? 🤔😉😂😂😂

Coincidently i just started a new playthrough while I wait for Wukong. It's probably my favorite Souls game tbh lol

Idk why. It has like a weird, dreamlike atmosphere that I just can't get enough of. It has it's flaws, but I love it.

I've only played DS1, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. Gone back and forth on DS2, but I've heard plenty of compelling arguments against it online that have stayed my hand when it comes to buying in.

@DETfaninATL "Is there really such a thing as a bad donut??"

Yes. Plenty of days old clearance donuts from grocery stores I've gone to. Literally just a waste of calories.

@Ralizah May your future be full of only the freshest donuts. For me, I will enjoy any donut in my path………. as long as it’s not moldy 😉🤣

@TruestoryYep while I don't agree that your criticisms are so blatant that they are any different than other Fromsoft Souls likes. In fact they all have garbage hit boxes, reused animations both boss and reg enemy, as well as repetitive enemy encounters. I do agree world transitions were not great, but to pretend like they were in any of the souls games is pretty generous.

I do completely agree that people praise anything modern day Fromsoft does almost with blind allegiance. I think their games have a ton of issues and haven't evolved much in over a decade nor do they address the biggest shortcomings in favor of churning out the same formula reskined over and over again using the same dated unoptomized engine, boss animations and assets and garbage UI.

They are far from perfect and deserve more criticism than they get, as well as other developer attempts at the genre are deserving of more praise than they get.

@Ralizah @DETfaninATL I've nothing to add beyond that this donut conversation feels like it was written with me in mind.

@NEStalgia I feel like a donut-themed video game is a missed opportunity, somehow…… 😉🤣

@NEStalgia Are you a stale donut connoisseur?

@DETfaninATL lol I'm on a keto diet, so I can't remember the last donut I ate.

When I do splurge, though, it's on something worth taking the hit for. I went to a restaurant recently with these bananas covered in sugar. Ate way too many of those things!

I wish you many non-moldly, and sufficiently non-stale donuts in your future!

Tell you what it did do very well: new game plus. It really mixed things up, something they haven't repeated in recent releases, sadly

@DETfaninATL @Ralizah I have drunk from the well of supermarket day old clearance cardboard. I have tasted from the font of moldy donuts. I am well versed in the holey scripture of kruller customs. We speak a common tongue, and together fry a single path.

@NEStalgia LOL

I got a glazed donut from Safeway once. Last one. Thing was so crusty and gross, but I was skipping school and there wasn't anywhere else nearby to eat, so I dove in.

Needless to say, my stomach felt weird that night.

@CWill97 Dark Soul 3 is very close to Elden Ring, of course without the open world aspect. Really liked this game. DLCs were awesome but boss fights are brutal.

Dark Souls 2 was very good. People hated it because Miyazaki didn't direct it. Most people probably couldn't even tell and jumped on the hate bandwagon. I could tell it was different because the world was less connected than with the Souls games before it, but that was a minor thing, not the existential crisis the "fans" would have you believe.

It felt perfectly average in most aspects. Its fine, that's about it.