Gary Swaby of TheKoalition.com writes: Namco Bandai were one of the publishers I knew I had to check out at E3 this year. It was my goal to check out Dark Souls II and see just how this game compares against its two predecessors Demon Souls and Dark Souls.
With a presentation from CQC analyst Matt Warner and a hands-on session, I now understand what Dark Souls II aims to accomplish. There's been a stigma surrounding these games that it's designed to be hard on purpose. In actuality Namco only aims to make a realistic combat game that rewards players for putting thought behind their actions. Dark Souls II establishes this niche in a way that creates enthusiasm for the challenge.
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.
And it will happen in the future when he doesn’t touch them as he is planning on.
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.”
I beat them all with my fists and no hits were taken. What do you mean you don't believe me? I used a guitar hero controller!!!
All the bosses are only from Dark Souls. No Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, or Demon Souls
I never really got a chance to get into this series but maybe I will check it out now.