Why Is 'Dark Souls II' The 'Worst Game Ever Made?'

Forbes - My colleague Michael Thomsen doesn’t like Dark Souls, and he dislikes Dark Souls II even more, calling it “the worst game ever made.”

The reasons why are a little harder to parse out—in part because Thomsen’s dissection of the game does a pretty good job explaining why people like it so much.

[Axonometri]

I feel like I wasted a tiny piece of my life on this article. I would complain but instead of wasting my time on that, I think I'll just say, pointless.

Yes, I feel better! Now, on to real game news. :)

[lelo]

I find it funny that people can't accept other's opinions. I "love" this mentality. /s
If a gamer doesn't like the game then he can't review the game nor expose his opinion of the game. Only people that love the game can review it... If that's so, then ALL games will average 10's in reviews.

As Dark/Demon Souls series, don't like them. I find they are repetitive (die, repeat, die, repeat, die, repeat... becomes boring), with crapie gameplay and an uninteresting story. That's my humble opinion. As for the people that like the game, enjoy.

[sdozzo]

It's the extreme opinion that's lame. 'worst ever' c'mon no one believes your crap when you say that.

[MWH]

a humble message to your humble opinion: PREPARE TO DIE!

[nix]

wow... not every game has to be a walk in the park.

Dark/Demon Souls series are made in such a way that you die because of YOUR mistakes. it doesn't have much of a story. Plot is to go from point A to B. You'll find stories scattered around and it's great if you can stitch it together. But what this game can give you in return is unmatched by most of the games on the shelves. The sense of triumph after you beat every boss or survive the section in a game is very addictive.

i think people love Soul series for those reasons no matter how repetitive it may seem to be. and how can you forget when you get invaded? But that's Souls series.

[Hicken]

@lelo: I'm just gonna mark you as trolling. Why? Because you HAVE to be intentionally ignoring how much hyperbole this article is, just to promote or support this "opinion."

Based on sheer quality alone, the Souls games can't be the worst ever. Agreeing with that is ignorance.

And EVERY game is repetitive. I dare you to find one that isn't. Go ahead. If the gameplay is that bad, why didn't you mention the problems that should be glaring and easy for you to point out? Story is the one thing that can be addressed with personal opinion, but given the rest of how you've spoken of the game, why take you seriously here?

That's before getting into your similar comments elsewhere.

So I'll be marking you as trolling, as that's the only way your intentionally vague comment agreeing with an obviously obtuse article.

[theDivision]

For me dark souls 2 has become more repetitive (but I still have over 100 hours already so I did really enjoy it). I have been farming the same guy for 4 hours maybe for the mad warrior set and since this game has no directly online PVP (with any serious consequence) and the mad warrior set isn't ridiculously good it is rather annoying and something I never had to do in the original dark souls. This one did somethings better than it's predecessor and something worse.

My biggest complaint would be having to wait until NG+ or having to use an asethetic (sp?) in order to get certain items. I just want to be able to obtain everything on the first playthrough.

[Baka-akaB]

There is a huge difference between not liking something , and admitting it's not for yourself , and outright call it crap without evne much to support that . Something too many do in the press or around here

[JasonKCK]

I agree with lelo, boring game. I think any Ninja Gaiden game is better. I know there are a lot of Dark Souls fans here, but I just didn't like it.

Crazy how lelo can't have an opinion without the threat of being removed for trolling by whining fans.

[MysticStrummer]

I find it funny that so many people think their opinions are worthy of entire articles.

Your comment is ironic because Axonometri gave his opinion about this article and you responded by attacking his opinion and labeling it as intolerant.

In my opinion the Souls series is one of the best ever. Great gameplay, great atmosphere, and stories that aren't spoon fed to the player.

My thought at seeing the title of the article… "This is either click bait or the person hasn't played very many games… either way I won't be clicking."

@Jason - lelo can have an opinion, but maybe they should follow their own advice about letting others have theirs.

[alexkoepp]

This game has a hardcore cult following that just love it. If you take the metactitic data of 92 and average it with the 5.6 user reviews, you get a 7.4 game, which is probably a fair score for it.

[DragonKnight]

lelo I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell everyone who says "I find it funny that people can't accept other's opinions."

It isn't that people don't accept an opinion. Clearly Axonometri was willing to accept an opinion. It's when that opinion is so overwhelmingly stupid, wrong, or extreme that people call it out.

As for your opinion on Dark Souls/Demon's Souls, I'm calling it out. Why? Because you said this...

"crapie gameplay"

Firstly, it's actually spelled "crappy"

Secondly, the reason I call out your opinion with this example is because the Souls series is reknowned for its gameplay by fans and critics alike. So to have that kind of an opinion you either haven't played the game at all and are simply trying to troll, or you require games that hold your hand more.

[SilentNegotiator]

An entire article about how some guy's friend doesn't like a game because it's too hard. What a stupid article.

[Hellsvacancy]

"its gameplay focused solely on killing things, the entire experience repetitive, cyclical"

Yet he would rather play Aliens: Colonial Marines

[levian]

Isn't the point of literally 90% of all games to kill things? It doesn't mean that's literally ALL the game is about though. The exploration factor is huge. Finding out the story is awesome. And finding secrets. I'd argue that finding secrets and exploring as every bit as important and as fun as the combat

[TitanUp]

tons of games are repetitive not sure why they had to pint that out.

[KinjoTakemura]

An article that describes the typical, whiney, COD loving, casual gamer. Go play FEZ.

[MeteorPanda]

hey l played fez and dark souls :<

why hating fez ???

[MWH]

FEZ is a nice looking game with a refreshing idea, but unfortunately the overall gameplay falls flat, it wasn't interesting enough.

I played nearly 50% of it then, disappointedly, I quit.

[SilentNegotiator]

Of all of the "casual" games to attack, you chose Fez? WTF?

[KinjoTakemura]

Hell. Should I have said go play SuperMotherLoad? Maybe Thief?

[WillGuitarGuy]

What's up with Forbes and all their clickbait articles?

[Angeljuice]

To be honest I think they use non-gamers to review games. Who else would declare Xbox 1 as the winner of the console reveals the day after the TV, TV, Sports, Sports TV bombshell (Forbes did).

[ShowGun901]

This game is for the hardcorest of the Hardcore gamer... Having a non gaming website review it is silly. Would you have a gaming magazine review the newest, most top of the line fishing pole? "yep, it's a pole alright, and it's for fishing. Nothing new here". Fishermen would be up in arms. There's a reason there's specialist media. Although gaming media has been pretty piss poor lately...

[oIITSBIIo]

Pointless.
Go and find something else to read .

[OrangePowerz]

Is that supposed to be Forbes? Looks more like the Sun. More games should stop with the constant hand holding of the players and just throw them into the game. I don't remember the original Super Mario Bros having a tutorial that told the player what each button does and how he can move.

[Nate-Dog]

Probably because your friend is a moron.

[jronj]

I can't believe I spent over 80hrs playing the worst game ever made..

[blackstrr411]

30hours at level 135, dex 50, blacksteel katana +10 x2, uchi +10. Trying to farm berzerker blade but its taking too long Just entered shrine of amalar

[nix]

wow.. how the hell did you do that?

i'm in 40+ hours and 100+ level. still shit scared to walk around though. lol.

[Kivespussi]

Wrapping up my no deaths & no bonfires run on my second character. On my first character I have ~70 hours and I've completed NG+, have yet to move to NG++ since I have too much to do still.

[pandehz]

I agree with this:

''the entire experience repetitive, cyclical''

The game feels like that right from the beginning hours.

Definitely not my cup of tea but not worse than Ride to Hell:Retribution.

[Hicken]

If only that weren't the case for every damn game ever made, you might have a point.

[BIB]

Different strokes for different folks I suppose...Even though I wasn't really an RPG gamer, I got into Dark Souls 1 pretty quick on PC...The level of exploration is what got my attention.

[blackstrr411]

LMAO. Dark souls is the best rpg I have played (not turn based). It's hard but not unfair ala ninja gaiden yaiba. The lore, story, wonder and the bosses. Only mgs series rivals ds in terms of boss fights. Only problem I think for me is the torch paths and the stone golem door unlocks.

[Kivespussi]

Stone golems aren't that bad in my opinion. I feel what really pisses me off is the bad level design in some places. Aldia's Keep has the petrified monster blocking the way for example. There's a ton of space to go under its arm but noo. You can't. Not a big thing but usually souls games have been careful about stuff like that

[blackstrr411]

In drangleic castle. Stone golems

[Summons75]

Riiiight, and I'm assuming Call of Duty, Supernan 64, ride to hell retribution, vampire rain, and colonial marines are all perfect examples of balanced gameplay, excellent level design, and great at teaching how to play by using gameplay to teach you... please learn what makes a good game and don't state your OPINION as FACT, makes you look bad as a journalist.

[VsAssassin]

While I've been very vocal about DS2 not being superior to DS or Demon's Souls, it is by no means a bad game, let alone THE worst game ever made.

Having said that, DS2 is a bit of a let-down for me. This is just my opinion, but an opinion with good bases.

[Nate-Dog]

I concur, I have been quite disappointed with Dark Souls 2 (mind you I didn't expect anything good from it after hearing what From Software had to say about their aims with it when they first started talking about it), but it is by no means a bad game by any means, just not as good as the previous games.

[NovusTerminus]

I was coming in here to say this exact same thing, a good game but just a step back from its former glory.

All franchises stagger here and there, gonna wait before I break out the pitchforks.

[mezati99]

there always that one guy..always

[McScroggz]

This was...odd. This article is questioning the original article on Forbes wherein that author said Dark Souls II was the worst game ever. The thing is, that article read almost like a pretentious New Yorker review except it's over 3000 words long. While reading, I found myself confused with the points the author was trying to make because his writing was so long-winded and obtuse. It's like he said nothing despite the overwhelming length of the piece.

Then, at the end I could only assume that the author was trying to actually be satirical. If so, I understand what he was trying to do. By reiterating points he mirrored the cyclical nature of Dark Souls II's gameplay. By being so obtuse he alluded to the game's vague storytelling nature. By using such breathy sentences it mimics the long treks to bosses. And so on. I get it; but it still wasn't enjoyable to read. It's akin to those shocking art exhibits that display things most people, generally speaking, would find grotesque and off-putting only to symbolize an idea the artist had. Sure, you got your point across, but at the expense of the audiences pleasure.

Of course if I'm wrong and the author genuinely disliked Dark Souls II then he shouldn't write about video games anymore. Not because he dislikes a popular game, but because his article just came off as obnoxious and self-gratifying. I choose to believe the former.

In regards to the follow up article, I don't exactly see the point in it. The author, like most who read the original post, was confused as to the meaning behind the article. Is that worth writing an article for Forbes though? To say, "I don't know what my colleague was talking about."

Sadly, I think both were written with page views in mind. Writing an article on why Dark Souls II is the worst game ever is bad enough - then to have a different author write an article seemingly just to reuse 'Dark Souls II is the worst game ever' in the title seems fishy to me. Maybe I'm being cynical and reading too much into this. I just don't like feeling like my time is being wasted, especially by somebody being pseudo-intellectual.

[aliengmr]

Oh I think there is a purpose to the title. And I don't believe it was for clicks either. I was very tempted to think so at first, but after reading the article, not so much.

IMO, this article and its title are actually celebrating Dark Souls.

[ic3fir3]

casual gamers everywhere lol

Joke of the year.

dark souls its 1 of the best rpgs in last 10years

[cfc78]

Never played either dark souls games but i have played aliens colonial marines, enough said.

[Inception]

HAHAHAHA...hahaha...haha...ha. ..errr this writer, his joking, right???

[gabbboolo]

Go pay another 99 bucks on Candy Crush you filthy casual.

[Stoppokingme]

Calm down everyone...he's not having a go at Dark souls.

His only crime is poor satire.

[Wni0]

Dark Souls had rubbish level design and there is minimal story, might as well just call it mortal combat that way you dont have to walk around getting lost and can just fight,fight,fight.

[Inception]

Oh man, is this the mentality of young gamer this day? They hated the game if the developers doesn't feeding them with a golden spoon.

[Predaking77]

I have been playing the series since Demon Souls which was very good. My only complaint with the series is that it doesn't have much story and the endings are short. Apart from that I'm a fan of the series and think is one of the best righ now.

[gantarat]

Worst Article

[Grave]

I didn't read the click-bait, but I can tell you what's the worst thing about the Souls games: Once you get into them it's hard to play anything else.

[AstroCyborg]

another casual crying about hard games

[aliengmr]

I wonder if the title is sort of a metaphor for something.

See you really have to set aside the blind rage long enough to even get to the article. Then you actually have to keep that rage in check long enough to read said article, which is pretty long-winded and tough to get through.

Suffice to say, I don't think he means to say "Dark Souls 2 is the worst game ever made" in a literal sense.

[aLiEnViSiToR]

This dude should go in to comedy, thx for the laugh.

[D3ATH_DRIV3R_777]

Stupid article.

[Tzuno]

installed the game, played for about a hour and uninstalled it. No map, no navigation cursor or what so ever i mean where to go and what to do? i don't have time to waste so much just for a game.

[MicDude]

That's the whole point. Souls games do not hold your hand and spoon feed you like the mainstream big budget titles do and that is very refreshing IMO.

[thricetold]

The lot of you all play videogames for All the wrong reasons. Lots of insecure people here using videogames as a crutch.

[shammgod]

As far as the souls series goes, this game was lacking. Overall, still a good and fun game.

I thought the level design was sub par personally. Particularly later levels. Just not fleshed out. Still had fun with the game

[Ghostdogg]

You know I can understand that not one game is meant to be liked by everyone but when one of those complaints are that "The game is too hard" clearly tells me that they are either noobs or they are the type of gamers that where too afraid to attempt playing contra without the konami code

[brokenbracket]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Dark Souls II a 7.0, and that's a stretch for me. I for one have never played any of its predecessors, so it was completely new experience for me. The reason why I didn't think the final product didn't match the hype is that it's honestly not that hard not to die. I kept seeing all these articles about how many times people were dying while demo-ing the game before its release... when I died maybe twice after playing it for nearly 5hrs. If you have a strategy down, it's really hard for the AI to kill you. The easiest way to die is falling off a cliff. I found that to be more annoying than a demon killing me and me having to start over from the bonfire. It is also very repetitive. Very... very repetitive. Even if you don't die a whole bunch, the story line in my opinion was very linear, without any serious twists, leaving me wanting more filler to the overall game itself. The character creation was horrible, spells, weapons, just nothing was appealing. Just a waste of 60 bucks.