Am I the only one who is solely disappointed by Dark Souls 2?

[xxninja666xx]

Warning! This is going to be sort of a rant thread. I'll try to make logical arguments and I don't mean to cause a flamewar. It's just my opinion and feelings about the game, which are to be discussed, nothing more. If you are here to argue in a hateful way, just leave. Normal discussion is appreciated, of course. It's also gonna be pretty long, so just be patient and read through all of it if you really care for discussing the game in this thread.

I actually bought the game when I found out the technical difficulties and crashing are caused by HDMI cable and certain series of GPUs, which I don't have. I played it for a longer while and quit with a strong feeling of disappointment. For me, Dark Souls 1 was kind of a love-hate game. I hated the way it punished you for slightest mistakes, but at the same time it had some kind of charm that made me come back for more and keep playing. Dark Souls 2 is nothing like that. The change in management is very noticeable. They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula. Problem is, they fucked up. "If something works, don't fix it" people say. They tried to "fix" the game and only made it worse. Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results. It does not apply anymore in DS2 because the only aspect that differentiates one item from another is the damage. All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword. That makes combat bland and unsatisfying. Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic? Playing the first time, I broke 3 swords before I got to the second bonfire in Forest of The Fallen Giants. Then I read on some forums that they repair automatically after each visit at the bonfire. That's ridiculous! Another thing is, all the fairness the first Dark Souls had is gone. The enemies aren't tough anymore and one-on-one fights are super easy, so what the creators did to increase the difficulty? Placed more of them. It's a really crappy design move because you find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often. Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you. And when you die, the game punishes you not only by taking your souls away, but also by dropping your maximum HP by a certain amount each time you die. It's not that noticeable at first, but after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human and waste the human effigy, which are really rare. In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming, just so you wouldn't go a few levels higher than the creators have anticipated and didn't have better stats, so you can get your ass kicked easier. Combine it with dying every short period of the game from unfair fights where you are outnumbered by enemies, and completely broken hit detection, where a hit can easily get through a shield or the game can register a hit when you are too far away for the enemy to actually hit you and what you get is the ultimate frustration and urge to just give up and quit. What's more is that the game lacks balance. There are three out of eight classes that are any good - a warrior, a cleric and a mage. Why? Because they are the only ones that have stats balanced out, fitting their profession and not handicapping you in a way you wouldn't want. The rest of them, however is a mess. They only have one stat maxed out as much as you possibly can while keeping a low level and lack severely in others making you sort of a "glass cannon" - you hit hard, but you are extremely fragile. Not to mention lack of balance or any logic in the starting equipment - the swordsman starts out with two decent beginner swords, a cleric gets a mage and a shield. What does a warrior get? A sword broken in half. What about a knight? Does he get some kind of heavy armor set and a sword + shield set? Nope. All you get is a broadsword and a chainmail armor... robe... something. Yes, no helmet, no shield. They hadn't really thought that out. The boss balance isn't any better. The first one is a walk in the park, you have to be a complete cripple not to beat it on your second-third try. The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players. What about players who want to play alone in offline mode, not to be disturbed by any invasions and such? They are screwed unless they decide to forcibly join "jolly cooperation" the game provides. Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere. It lacks peculiarity and uniqueness Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls had. Instead you get typical dark fantasy stuff in the vein of Gothic or The Witcher. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it had any personality. It doesn't, though. As I progressively made my way through Forest of The Fallen Giants and then the ruins of the huge fort the forest concealed, slashing through huntsmen with knives, warriors and soldiers with lances and swords, it all didn't make any impression on me, aside from pure boredom. It was bland, uninspired and didn't feel creative at all. Now the technicalities. It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard because of ludicrous control scheme consisting of finger-breaking key combinations just to do basic actions in the game, has obsolete graphics that makes it look like it came from the late PS2 era, can't launch on some configurations for absolutely no reason and is filled with glitches that take out the last bits of amusement this game could provide. I'm disappointed, From, really disappointed. Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably. It made everything that was good in the first game worse.

 

[Enderthedrago]

Jeez, first of all hit the Return key once in a while! I pretty much guarantee 90% of people will see this and TLDR it away.

I'm gonna take several of your comments in turn and try and stay away from flaming, that's not my intent.

They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula.
Nobody has ever made a sequel with zero changes/innovations. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. Developers never think 'how can I make this game worse', so can you respect their efforts please?

Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results.
You're describing DS2 as much as DS1 here.

All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword.
Wrong. Just... factually incorrect.

Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic?
I agree that this particular change doesn't really add much. It makes you take more care about not hitting walls, and that's about it. But I refer to point 1, they're innovating. Leave them be.

one-on-one fights are super easy
Tell that to the dragon keepers on that damned staircase. Or Sorcerer Navlaan...

find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often
If you were in a bar fight, would you take on three guys at once? Plan ahead and avoid that situation. If you aggros two or three guys, you're doing it wrong and you'll probably die.

Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you.
I'm going to go on record here and state they never ever ever do this. Did you get jumped from behind going for the Flame Sword?
after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human
Three words "Ring of Binding"

In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming
You've answered your own question. To prevent you from farming. Also, I'd like to think it's to avoid additional frustration from the run to a boss you keep dying on. Wasn't it nicer running to the Pursuer without having to deal with the peons?

where a hit can easily get through a shield
Some weapons hit through shields. They state that in the item description.

The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players
Parry, then hit with the ballista. Or just learn his attack patterns.

Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere.
Atmosphere? Yes. World? Jury still out...
But again, it's a change that's in the hands of the developers who were trying to make the game better.

It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard
Play on a pad. It's an action RPG. Did you play Tomb Raider with a mouse?

Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably.
Whilst that's harsh, the main issue that DS2 was always going to come up against is exactly as most reviewers have stated. It's a great game in its own right, but it's always going to be compared to DS1, which is arguably one of the best games of the generation. Possibly one of the best games ever made.

Bottom line, if FROM had taken every single aspect of Dark Souls and kept it identical for the sequel, just in a different setting (yet still keeping exactly the same environment and atmosphere), they'd be torn apart for being lazy. So they changed some stuff. Some of it has been well received, some of it less so. Can we say thanks?

 

[xxninja666xx]

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to separate every part of my post this time. Although I think, that when people are coming to a forum and don't want to read a post simply because it's longer than 3 sentences, then it proves nothing but that they're impatient and/or mentally challenged in some way.

All right, let's start with this

They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula.
Nobody has ever made a sequel with zero changes/innovations. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. Developers never think 'how can I make this game worse', so can you respect their efforts please?

Life taught me that efforts don't matter. The only thing that matters is the effect of these efforts. And in this case looks like they focused too much on punishing the player and making him suffer through playing, rather than making a fun game, exacltly as if they were thinking 'how can I make this game worse'.

All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword.
Wrong. Just... factually incorrect.

Try equipping a longsword, next a bastard sword and finally a halberd, and try to attack with one handed, weak attack with each one then. In Dark Souls 1 they've all swung at different speeds, making them feel like they have actual weight and really require some brawn to actually make them move, let alone fight effectively with them. In Dark Souls 2, however, my toon kept swinging all of them so fast, I thought for a moment that it's a slasher ala Devil May Cry, rather than Dark Souls. And I'm probably right, considering a "backstab" is now a "back-super-hyper-japanese-slasher-killer-combo". All the realism that Dark Souls 1 had was thrown out the window with the change of the director.

find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often

If you were in a bar fight, would you take on three guys at once? Plan ahead and avoid that situation. If you aggros two or three guys, you're doing it wrong and you'll probably die.

1. Forest of the fallen giants, courtyard where you meet Pate for the first time, room with 5 ballistae. Good luck trying not to aggro all three of the soldiers there.
2. Forest of the fallen giants, soldiers' rest, the gap with a makeshift bridge. Also good luck trying to get past there and not aggroing (?) both the turtle knights and the soldier with a bow. You simply can't and the creators did it on purpose. In the same location. Twice.

where a hit can easily get through a shield

Some weapons hit through shields. They state that in the item description.

Fair enough. But what weapon does hit you when you are farther than it can reach? Or goes point blank through flesh not doing anything? I don't know one in real life, but seems like DS2 has plenty.

[quote="Enderthedrago, post: 492494893, member: 4920959"]The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players
Parry, then hit with the ballista. Or just learn his attack patterns.[/quote]
Easier said than done. The parry system has been completely remodeled in Dark Souls 2 and while in Dark Souls 1 I was able to parry 95% of hits thrown at me, in Dark Souls 2 I haven't managed to do a parry correctly even once. And learning attack patterns can be taken as an advice for any boss in any video game in existence. The problem is, the Pursuer is too fast and hits too hard for being a second boss in the game. It behaves like Ornstein in DS1, and that was halfway into the game. Unless I'm missing something there.

[quote="Enderthedrago, post: 492494893, member: 4920959"]Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere.
Atmosphere? Yes. World? Jury still out...
But again, it's a change that's in the hands of the developers who were trying to make the game better.[/quote]
Does it get better then? Because I'm deepy disappointed at how bland the first dungeon is. You can put spoilers in, I don't care. It's not like showing a screenshot of a venue is something that would spoil a plot twist or something.

[quote="Enderthedrago, post: 492494893, member: 4920959"]Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you.
I'm going to go on record here and state they never ever ever do this. Did you get jumped from behind going for the Flame Sword?[/quote]
No. It was still in the forest of the giants. When you go from fort walls to the ground level, there is a small cave leading to a corpse with a soul of a proud knight and a frog(?) spitting fireballs at you. When you pick up the souls, two infantry soldiers pop out of nowhere and start attacking you.

In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming

You've answered your own question. To prevent you from farming. Also, I'd like to think it's to avoid additional frustration from the run to a boss you keep dying on. Wasn't it nicer running to the Pursuer without having to deal with the peons?

There never was any question. It was a statement. What if I actually want to farm? What if I want to go for a stat that is low on certain classes, just because I like a thing from their starting equipment, but want to go with my toon in an entirely different direction? That's exactly how I made my character in Dark Souls 1 (a Dex Pyromancer) - I chose a Pyromancer class and farmed until Dex stat went from critically low to satisfactory and then went on with the game. The enemies disappearances are just another ridiculous way to punish the player for even trying to play their own way and not the one the creators think is the right one.

[quote="Enderthedrago, post: 492494893, member: 4920959"]It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard
Play on a pad. It's an action RPG. Did you play Tomb Raider with a mouse?[/quote]
What's your point? I play Dark Souls 2 with a controller, but being an action RPG doesn't justify the need to do so. Skyrim is also an action RPG, Dragon Age 2 is an Action RPG, Witcher 2 is an Action RPG. All three are perfectly playable and comfortable to control with a keyboard and a mouse. From either got paid by Microsoft or they screwed up on this one. As for Tomb Raider - if you mean the 2013 one, then yes, I did play it with a keyboard and a mouse because it's a third person shooter that plays best on this kind of setup. I'll never understand how one can play such a game on a controller.

Bottom line, if FROM had taken every single aspect of Dark Souls and kept it identical for the sequel

I'm sorry, what? No offense, but you are, gently speaking, biased on this one. Three of my friends, who were hardcore fans of Dark Souls 1 and then played the sequel have noticed these changes and laughed at the creators for doing such a bad job, and yet you state that there were absolutely no changes in the system, apart from the atmosphere. Have we been playing the same game?

PS. Sorry for the little mess in this post. The quote frame doesn't want to appear for some reason in some of these, but I think it's comprehensible enough.

 

[Enderthedrago]

I think we're just going to have different opionions on several points.
1. Developers will always try to improve a sequel.
2. I agree the backstab animation looks too quick with big weapons, but that's a very specific and picky example.
3. The ballista room, if you aggro correctly half of them die to their own bolts, the other half come out in ones and twos. I'll give you Soldiers Rest though, that area was a pig...
4. Find me a game that has pixel perfect physics on every item in its world. Some weapons have weird hit boxes and phantom range. It's part of the game.
5. Parrying has changed. I've seen posts with people thinking it's easier, some think it's harder. It's probably just different. I don't parry much myself anyway. I'm not going to deny the Pursuer is tough. My first playthrough, he probably killed me over 20 times. Very little is unfair though.
6. The scenery changes, as it always does. You go through castles and dungeons and Blighttown-lite again. But wait until you come out of Drangleic castle onto the bridge before the first dragon fight. It's so beautiful I almost cried.
7. That's the exact bit I was talking about. They sneak up on you, but they don't appear from nowhere.
8. It seems you're building your character wrong. If you want to start as a Dex class, do that. If you want to start as a Puromancer, do that. Don't complain because they don't want you to start as a Pyromancer who can wield a Halberd and wear Havel's Armour whilst mid-rolling.
9. If you play on a pad, why are you concerned about the lack of K/M compatibility? Also Skyrim is 1st person, Dragon Age is stop/start, and I haven't played Witcher so can't comment.
10. I said 'if'... It was a hypothetical situation whereby I was saying you'd criticize them for being lazy if it was just more of the same.

 

[xxninja666xx]

The ballista room, if you aggro correctly half of them die to their own bolts, the other half come out in ones and twos.

I don't know if that's just my copy, but every time they came out of the room, the ballista bolts were going right through them, doing no damage, as if they didn't have a hitbox at the exact moment of going through the door. Then, they always came three at a time and I had to cheat their AI by going up and down a ladder, just so some of them would think I'm not in the area anymore and went back to their chamber.

Some weapons have weird hit boxes and phantom range. It's part of the game.

It's a glitch, not a feature. This isn't Goat Simulator. Things like these have to be fixed because it takes out the enjoyment from fighting knowing you can be hit at random even when you shouldn't be.

The scenery changes, as it always does. You go through castles and dungeons and Blighttown-lite again. But wait until you come out of Drangleic castle onto the bridge before the first dragon fight. It's so beautiful I almost cried.

Ok, you convinced me on this one. I can't deny that I hadn't played much of the game - it simply didn't appeal to me from what I've seen so far, but I thought of giving it another chance. Here's a question, though - is fight with Pursuer mandatory? I read on the wiki that it isn't, but I honestly don't know where to go if not to the area with the pursuer.

That's the exact bit I was talking about. They sneak up on you, but they don't appear from nowhere.

Tell me then, where they did come from cause I don't see any place from where they could nor any corpses that may have risen to end my miserable life.

It seems you're building your character wrong. If you want to start as a Dex class, do that. If you want to start as a Puromancer, do that. Don't complain because they don't want you to start as a Pyromancer who can wield a Halberd and wear Havel's Armour whilst mid-rolling.

I wasn't building my character wrong. Sure, it took longer, but a Dex Pyro is a viable build, not only used by many in Dark Souls community, but also it's the one I finally beat the game with. I don't want an OP "jack of all trades" character, as you think I do. I just want to build a character that doesn't specialize in one and only one thing and at the same time it isn't handicapped. Sure, I can go with a Dex Sorcerer, but what's of it, when I can't use any weapon except for a dagger at the beginning cause he's too weak. And I can't even farm to make him use anything other because the enemies disappear after being killed x times.

If you play on a pad, why are you concerned about the lack of K/M compatibility? Also Skyrim is 1st person, Dragon Age is stop/start, and I haven't played Witcher so can't comment.

I complain because it's a PC game, and PC games need to have some standards met to be PC-user-friendly. Dark Souls 2 simply isn't. Not only it's uncomfortable as fuck to play with K+M which is the default setup any PC player uses, but it forces you to use a specific controller, which belongs to a console. It simply doesn't recognize any other device apart from X360 gamepad. Good thing there are emulators for it or else I wouldn't be able to play just because I can't afford this overpriced thing and have a generic one instead (which, by the way, is recognized by all PC game with non-X360-exclusive gamepad support).

I said 'if'... It was a hypothetical situation whereby I was saying you'd criticize them for being lazy if it was just more of the same.

I'm sorry, my mistake. Although I think that if they kept the same mechanics, just in a new setting, only total naggers and haters would be displeased and true fans (or at least people who liked the previous games) would be satisfied much more than with the present state of how this game works.

 

[Enderthedrago]

1. Poke your head in the door and you'll hear the draw, then pull back.
2. I agree with what you're saying, some imperfections you just have to learn to live with.
3. Technically there are only about 6 or 7 bosses that are mandatory to complete the game. It's crazy. Pursuer gives you access to a route to the Bastille, which can be accessed in a long winded way from No-Man's Wharf.
4. I'm not certain, but I think it's above the entrance to the cave.
5. All I can add here is if you can't find enough enemies to farm ten levels or so, or however many you want to equip that weapon that's just out of reach, you're doing it wrong. If the area you're in is too hard, try somewhere else. There's usually another option. If the item you have required 30 Str and you only have 10, it's not for you.
6. It's not a PC game. It's a PC port of a console title. I wouldn't complain that SIM City, or Command and Conquer don't work well on console because they're designed for K&M (can you tell it's been a long time since I seriously played on PC??). Demon's Souls was a PS exclusive, Dark Souls came to PC later on, and so has Dark Souls 2.

 

[xxninja666xx]

Pursuer gives you access to a route to the Bastille, which can be accessed in a long winded way from No-Man's Wharf.

Can you tell me how to get there, or do I have to look on my own through the wiki?

If the item you have required 30 Str and you only have 10, it's not for you.

I'm aware of that. Dark Souls isn't my first RPG, you know.

It's not a PC game. It's a PC port of a console title.

I still don't see your point. Many (if not all) "big" games today are console ports, yet the developers manage to program a comfortable way for PC gamers to control it with a keyboard. Also, people of FROM promised that PC will be the leading platform of Dark Souls 2 and they'll polish mouse and keyboard controls. They kinda did, but it's not what any sane person using a PC would expect, so people have every right to complain about that.

Regardless, you convinced me to give this game an another chance. I'll be very skeptical while playing it, but you never know - maybe I'll like it as much as I did Dark Souls 1, despite its flaws.

 

[Enderthedrago]

There's a route from Majula into a stone building down a slope into some sewers. This is the route to the Wharf (eventually).
Take a break from the Pursuer, go do some other area, then you'll come back and wonder what all the stress was about.

http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/file/view/DS2map2.jpg

 

[xxninja666xx]

Thanks for the map, it's very helpful. One more question. The answer will be more of an opinion, but still: Is a build using any kind of magic viable when playing offline, or should I just go pure melee? I remember that in DS1 only two were achievable - sorceries and pyromancies, as they didn't have any special conditions required to be met by playing PvP or co-op. To do a faith build, you had to join 3 or four covenants and max out you rank there to be efficient with miracles and learn some more powerful ones. Is it the same in Dark Souls 2 or have they made some changes?

 

[Enderthedrago]

I've never been a fan of Miracles. Most of them are just too passive. And yes, there are some covenants that give out Miracles for progression.

The addition of Hexes makes it interesting, but I found in building my Sorcerer, the points I needed to put into Faith to make my Hexes worthwhile felt like a sub optimal use for them.

But in my opinion, yes. Sorcery is a viable option for offline PvE. High level spells like Soul Vortex and Soul Geyser are great for bosses, and once you've got two or three attunement slots dedicated to copies of Great Soul Arrow, you might never need to engage in melee between bonfires again.

 

[xxninja666xx]

While browsing youtube, I stumbled across this video.



The guy analyzes the game for 50 minutes and exposes its every major and minor flaw, giving hard evidence in the form of gameplay fragments, while simultaneously comparing it do Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls. After watching it, my sense of disappointment went even deeper cause I've been playing that game only because I was hoping only the beginning is so crappy and the game will start to get better from some point onward. From this video, it clearly shows it doesn't and I can just uninstall it, as it's not worth my time.

And yes, I actually have played the game a little since the discussion ended. I got to No-man's Wharf and explored it a little. There was literally nothing about these locations that impressed me - Heide's Tower of Flame felt like a cheap imitation of Anor Londo's splendor, while in reality it was a straight 4-minute walk to the Dragonrider. The No-man's Wharf felt just weird, like it didn't belong in a Souls game at all. A cave with a half-sunken ship, filled with undead pirates? Sounds more like it would fit into an Elder Scrolls game rather than a Souls game. Apart from that, I don't have to mention they felt incredibly bland and soulless (pun not intended) compared to Dark Souls 1's dungeons, do I?

 

[Enderthedrago]

I think you've made your decision. Not much point anyone trying to change it.

 

[xxninja666xx]

I think you've made your decision. Not much point anyone trying to change it.

Looks like it. Don't get me wrong - I didn't come here and create this topic just so I could nitpick on this game. I really, really tried to enjoy it and somehow I did, but not really much. Most of it felt like a chore because of major changes to the gameplay that were made just to make game hard (because difficulty is one of the attributes this game is popular for), but forgetting to add fairness to this along the way. The world also lacked any logic at all, and I'm not talking about interconnectivity, but common sense. While entrance to a forest leading through a cave was believable, the entrance to a majestic cathedral through a filthy, damp sewer is kinda out of place. Not to mention, the only place this cathedral led to is a seaside cave filled with sea raiders, shipwrecks and flotsam. I haven't seen a world that irrational in a long time.

 

[Enderthedrago]

I understand what's you're saying with that. The completely different worlds would be mroe suited to a Demon's Souls format of a central Nexus, whihc they kinda have in Majula, but at the same time not...

 

[Smap]

I played a pretty decent amount of dark souls 1 (probably not even a 10th of the game, but like 20 hours) but I didn't really enjoy it. The game was fun, but it seemed very unpolished. Parrying seemed too easy, various combat styles seemed to be more strongly advantaged overall, and I had some serious camera issues. Not saying others had these problems but they caused me to have a mediocre experience. I feel that DS2 is in many ways how the developers meant for the Dark Souls games to be played. Dying a lot is more punishable, areas can't be repeatedly farmed for souls, and it feels to me like the progression is more about strategizing in difficult situations than being stuck in spots where you're cornered into one course of action where a single mistake guarantees death.

 

[xxninja666xx]

I played a pretty decent amount of dark souls 1 (probably not even a 10th of the game, but like 20 hours) but I didn't really enjoy it. The game was fun, but it seemed very unpolished. Parrying seemed too easy, various combat styles seemed to be more strongly advantaged overall, and I had some serious camera issues. Not saying others had these problems but they caused me to have a mediocre experience. I feel that DS2 is in many ways how the developers meant for the Dark Souls games to be played. Dying a lot is more punishable, areas can't be repeatedly farmed for souls, and it feels to me like the progression is more about strategizing in difficult situations than being stuck in spots where you're cornered into one course of action where a single mistake guarantees death.

I understand that you could actually not enjoy Dark Souls 1. It's all a matter of a preference, but you just can't say that Dark Souls 2 did everything better. Dark Souls 1 got its positive reviews because of really responsive, precise combat system and really well-balanced difficulty. Sure, they weren't perfect, but actually feeling equipment weight by observing character's movements as well as combat animations, and the game making you play by the same rules as the monsters (they could two-shot you, but so could you) felt punishing, but very fair at the same time. In Dark Souls 2, none of my deaths (save for environmental ones, like falling off a ledge) felt fair at all - you don't "feel" your attacks nor the weight of the equipment, you are handicapped in dodging and blocking until you put many points in adaptability stat, the enemies don't get tired (they spam their combos endlessly), they aggro artificially in groups and you simply can't lure them out one at a time, like you could in DS1, and the hitboxes are flat out broken (I often got hit when I was too far for them to even reach me or when it was clearly shown they missed me). The game stopped being fair when Miyazaki got fired - it just stayed hard and punishing, but in a totally wrong way. If you don't believe me, just watch the video I posted. It's quite long, but it clearly shows the flaws in this game, as well as the superiority of the prequel over it.

 

[Smap]

I'm not saying dark souls 2 did everything better, where did I give you that impression? (besides, aren't you pretty much saying that dark souls 1 did everything better?) I couldn't possibly spend that much time evaluating every minor detail between games, and in fact most mechanics are still the same.

 

[xxninja666xx]

I'm not saying dark souls 2 did everything better, where did I give you that impression?

Right there:

I feel that DS2 is in many ways how the developers meant for the Dark Souls games to be played.

Maybe you are not saying it directly, but the way it's said shows that you think the devs did their job better with Dark Souls 2 than they did with the prequel and its spiritual predecessor.

besides, aren't you pretty much saying that dark souls 1 did everything better?

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Why I think so? Just read all my posts where I mention game mechanics.

in fact most mechanics are still the same

You are wrong here. That's probably caused by not spending enough time in either of the games and not getting used to mechanics Dark Souls 1 had to offer. The mechanics in Dark Souls 2 has gone through major changes, which are, for the most part, changes for the worse. Want a proof? Read through metacritic "neutral" and "negative" reviews (positive are mostly overpraising the game instead of focusing on the details) of the game. Many people are noticing those changes. They tell the character feels clunkier, you are restricted in movement and deaths very often feel very unfair (sometimes even straight out cheap). Dark Souls 1, as well as Demon's Souls, set some standards in combat, movement and overall "feel" of the game that Dark Souls 2 doesn't have. As if the new director didn't know what made the first game great and made it his own way instead of keeping to the things beloved by fans (not to be confused with fanboys).

 

[Smap]

Dude you're going well out of your way to misinterpret what I'm trying to say. My quote that you use says nothing about implying that EVERYTHING in Dark Souls 2 is better. Then you go onto admit that you're saying everything in Dark Souls 1 is better, when you JUST told me not to do that. Most mechanics are unnoticeably similar, but the ones that are different are the only ones you're going to hear about. It's as I said, nobody would sit down and describe every facet of the game, just the ones that they notice right away, or that sway their opinion. Reading a review is a subjective representation of a game.

 

[xxninja666xx]

Ok, let's just end this. I'm still disappointed, but I think I wrote all the problems I have with this game. I have nothing more concrete to say, so I'm probably going to, unknowingly for the most part, trying to start a flamewar, which is against what I have written at the beginning of this topic.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Im not disappointed in it at all BUT that's because The Witcher 3 was pushed back and I haven't been able to get my RPG Fix since I discovered the Souls series in 2013. Same year I discovered Amalur and liked them both in their own respects. The Thing about Dark Souls 1 that I liked was the feel of something I hadn't played in a very very long time. It reminded me of, or gave me the same feeling I had when I picked up FF7 at age 11 or 12 not even know what an RPG played like. At first I thought this is isn't me and then I jumped down onto the Asylum Demons Head as a knight in my first EVER playthru and got hooked.

DARK SOULS 2 feels sooooo smooth. The Graphics are not better or worse they're just.. different. There are less textures or detail but the animations are mo-capped and the dodging mechanic makes much more sense and requires precise timing without the frustration of a sword just barely touching your boot but killing you while in mid dodge. Also I mapped my Jump to the left stick (not the most ideal place for a jump button but when sprint or dash and dive is B then the jump button shouldn't require you to take your thumb from it to then jump as that would be awkward but now I can sprint and dive or jump seamlessly.

Im a dodgy player so this is appreciated. I still would of like to have more 'vertical abilities' as I feel grounded in Souls and other RPgs as well because I cant vault over anything and a wall that is shoulder height is a BARRIER that forces me to go around. This Forces you to play a certain way an limits exploration while removing a whole lot of stealth oppurtunities. Maybe its not a stealth game but why do game have to be either action or stealth or shooters. Why cant they be all three. I understand, of course, that MAdden and NBA LIve plus MLB games aren't going to start releasing tri-sport games but most other games ARE action games or action games with heavy drama but now that we have technology to make one game have every element of every genre (Genre's existed solely because they provided a focus on on or two mechanics and a specific gameplay dynamic with added aspects from other games because it was hard to create a game that was stealth action choice based role playing strategy just because there are so many different things going on in each of those genre's but with smart coding and programing)

Next generation IMO means that Any game can be more than just a specific genre but rather a choose your own adventure experience in both the gameplay dynamic AND story + plot element. Atleast a true single player RPG experience for gamers that crave something that's not always hardcore action o stealth or gamers that need a break from competitive multiplayer. When it comes to COD and other shooters i just get a headache if I play for more than an hour of MP while I can relax and get into the story and gameplay of RPGs even if they require alertness and close attention to detail and precision tactics... its not a total clusterfuck of chaos an 12 year olds blaring the worst kinds of rap (someone should FORCE these kids to listen to some Bone Thugs, Tupac, Biggie, and Eminems last three albums as his first 4 where less music more shock) music and if you ask politely to turn it down they begin filling you in on every detail of how they plan to "butt rape and murder you into the next dimension" -Real Quote from random Xbox Live Halo 4 player.

Needless to say I was disappointed that this was another action RPG that has you hacking away at the shins and ankles of the larger bosses but Dark Souls had a few level designs that allowed for a plunging attack and yu could tell this was something the Devs thought of as there is a distinct animation that has you wrenching your weapon from the Demons head and the Taurus Demons head.

Every Action RPG should develop a concept for fighting enemies that tower above you ore than 5 feet. The map design can give you opportunities to strike at the more vulnerable areas such as the head and upper torso or neck of towering foes For enemies that are just much taller than you by 4 to 6 feet your slashes, thrusts, and/or strikes could be directed above their basic "ground parallel" arcs and straightforward thrusts or by using a different lock on system that always locks onto the middle of an enemies upper body (or their head if they are crawling or just much shorter than you) that way you can use lock on to get a upwards slash or use free aim to dive around their backs and cut at the achillies or lower spine.

Also a jump attack that doesn't just go up and then come down striking enemies into the ground like a pancake but one that, with well executed timing allows for a mid air cross slash, upwards then forward thrust, vertical uppercut (With a special move to then down cut with perfect timing, or horizontal strike while just before you reach the peak of your jump and then falling and rolling in the direction of your strikes momentum. Then using tools to climb or if the enemy has parts that can by grabbed onto and allow yourself to climb up or atleast allow you to make a timed jump onto their head and using a dagger plunged into the flesh and bone to use as a handle while slashing away with your free hand. Or using two daggers as clif climbing tools only its dragon scale or beast flesh assuming the equipped daggers can penetrate said layers of skin.

Also when it comes to equipment and equipping, one example for my next idea is having one dagger That could be auto equipped if your wearing specific armor that has extra sheaths or a dagger holster on the front or something like that where armor isn't just a form of protection but also a way to carry your equipped items and ONLY your equipped items while your unequipped inventory stays in the box to be accessed at bonfires or "Armories" and even merchants throughout the game.

Merchants could even charge a price to move to a certain spot for your convenience if you want to have them next to a specific boss fog in order to equip a specific weapon or armor that is not ideal for the trip to the boss fog and so on. I find it a little contradictory that you have an equipment load and yet you can still lug around More items then The Old Hag Melentia Without a ridiculous stroller/makeshift storage container strapped to your back. Axes, spears, shields, items, slabs of titanite, etc. If the actual equipped items add weight then its kind of redundant when I I get the hand of the game and can quickly equip a different weapon and a shield and even a diferent piece of armor wthout having it in a equipment slot.

And for my own aesthetic immersion EVERY game should show everything the character has equipped including rings and pendants plus sheaths for swords that I have equipped in every slot. Atleast two hip sheaths and two back sheaths. The unsheathing of a sword is somewhat of an iconic thing in movies and when it just appears in my hand it takes a little bit of the experience away. Same as when im in a safe/neutral zone and my weapons are all sheathed, Id like to be able to see then in their sheaths and items even in their pouches. If this game was next gen on PS4 id be taking a lot of picture to share cuz ever since they introduced the theatre modes in those one Shooter games... well having a passion for cinematography and imagery in general makes those modes a big plus. And even if I wasn't such a big movie, graphic novel buff/aspiring writer director illustrator cinematographer actor (ill do porn if it gets me into showbiz. After my first interacial scene ill ask the director to look over a script for a sci-fi fantasy movie or some drawings for a graphic novel.. lol???)

These are things id liked to of seen in a sequel and new mechanics like this seem like a whole new game but that's what a sequel should be. A whole new game that doesn't FIX anything but only adds to the experience and dynamics of the game.. (and "Action" in action RPG shouldn't have to be mentioned as I believe EVERY game with a decent story that has you playing the role of a specific character is technically a Role Playing Game and the turn based systems or Dragon Age system or point and click Diablo/warcraft systems are just too repetitive for me. I cant get into the universe or the fiction of the story unless um in love with the gameplay because it is a game after all. If im going to be challenged then I want to have fun dying over again and not thinking "Great I gotta point and click way all the way thru that dungeon again...."

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

While browsing youtube, I stumbled across this video.



The guy analyzes the game for 50 minutes and exposes its every major and minor flaw, giving hard evidence in the form of gameplay fragments, while simultaneously comparing it do Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls. After watching it, my sense of disappointment went even deeper cause I've been playing that game only because I was hoping only the beginning is so crappy and the game will start to get better from some point onward. From this video, it clearly shows it doesn't and I can just uninstall it, as it's not worth my time.

And yes, I actually have played the game a little since the discussion ended. I got to No-man's Wharf and explored it a little. There was literally nothing about these locations that impressed me - Heide's Tower of Flame felt like a cheap imitation of Anor Londo's splendor, while in reality it was a straight 4-minute walk to the Dragonrider. The No-man's Wharf felt just weird, like it didn't belong in a Souls game at all. A cave with a half-sunken ship, filled with undead pirates? Sounds more like it would fit into an Elder Scrolls game rather than a Souls game. Apart from that, I don't have to mention they felt incredibly bland and soulless (pun not intended) compared to Dark Souls 1's dungeons, do I?

This first point is soo over exaggerated. Its not even a FLAW its a matter of opinion. The Vision is meant to be either a memory or a vision. It could or could not of happened as Things are Betwixt. Look up that word..

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

I think you've made your decision. Not much point anyone trying to change it.

Looks like it. Don't get me wrong - I didn't come here and create this topic just so I could nitpick on this game. I really, really tried to enjoy it and somehow I did, but not really much. Most of it felt like a chore because of major changes to the gameplay that were made just to make game hard (because difficulty is one of the attributes this game is popular for), but forgetting to add fairness to this along the way. The world also lacked any logic at all, and I'm not talking about interconnectivity, but common sense. While entrance to a forest leading through a cave was believable, the entrance to a majestic cathedral through a filthy, damp sewer is kinda out of place. Not to mention, the only place this cathedral led to is a seaside cave filled with sea raiders, shipwrecks and flotsam. I haven't seen a world that irrational in a long time.

The Cathedral was a bit flooded and sunken under water. Perhaps the only entrance was the sewer entrance. ANd to agree with you somewhat, level design logic' is achieved much easier and wth better results when you give the player an ability to traverse the world with more than just a walk a jog and a dash with a few latters and gaps to jump that hardly break the monotony.

I think every cult success looses its novelty or its 'cult success' identity when a sequel is made an the really hardcore players like yourself are psychologically prone, nearly setting yourself up to be disappointed. The real crime is that not a single next generation game has been made and the only reason Dark souls was made for current gen? Cheaper dev cost. Another Souls game (you cant make 2 successful games as sequels and not make a 3rd 4th and 5th... or atleast a third. So many developers say this is the last one and then make 3 more spin offs and 3 more sequels.... Halo franchise.) Better deliver on some of the things that i consider core dynamics and aesthetics. If you want difficulty, how about asking for a game that has a fighting/sword fighting dynamic that is o realistic that its fun and challenging while taking a slash to the belly is just as crippling as it might be in reality while the threat having your head lopped off at any second by making one wrong move to many. Im the player and i should be the Puppetmaster so my skill should be reflected in how well i animate my puppets. That's the short version. Read my reply fr the extensive version.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

I played a pretty decent amount of dark souls 1 (probably not even a 10th of the game, but like 20 hours) but I didn't really enjoy it. The game was fun, but it seemed very unpolished. Parrying seemed too easy, various combat styles seemed to be more strongly advantaged overall, and I had some serious camera issues. Not saying others had these problems but they caused me to have a mediocre experience. I feel that DS2 is in many ways how the developers meant for the Dark Souls games to be played. Dying a lot is more punishable, areas can't be repeatedly farmed for souls, and it feels to me like the progression is more about strategizing in difficult situations than being stuck in spots where you're cornered into one course of action where a single mistake guarantees death.

I understand that you could actually not enjoy Dark Souls 1. It's all a matter of a preference, but you just can't say that Dark Souls 2 did everything better. Dark Souls 1 got its positive reviews because of really responsive, precise combat system and really well-balanced difficulty. Sure, they weren't perfect, but actually feeling equipment weight by observing character's movements as well as combat animations, and the game making you play by the same rules as the monsters (they could two-shot you, but so could you) felt punishing, but very fair at the same time. In Dark Souls 2, none of my deaths (save for environmental ones, like falling off a ledge) felt fair at all - you don't "feel" your attacks nor the weight of the equipment, you are handicapped in dodging and blocking until you put many points in adaptability stat, the enemies don't get tired (they spam their combos endlessly), they aggro artificially in groups and you simply can't lure them out one at a time, like you could in DS1, and the hitboxes are flat out broken (I often got hit when I was too far for them to even reach me or when it was clearly shown they missed me). The game stopped being fair when Miyazaki got fired - it just stayed hard and punishing, but in a totally wrong way. If you don't believe me, just watch the video I posted. It's quite long, but it clearly shows the flaws in this game, as well as the superiority of the prequel over it.

I don't see a problem with hitboxes. I think they are a lot better. So precise that ive gotten lucky because an Old Knights Sword or another Large enemies weapon literally shaved my head or gave me the old "cheek cut". (it barely missed me but it was close enough to scratch my cheek... if your that thick...) Are you sure you're playing Dark Souls 2? Your ppost date shows that you've gotten all the updates but idk. Youre just a disappointed gamer like me bro. There is nothing good out there to play that is new save for maybe one or two stand alone titles (if that). Its all rehashed recycled, regurgitated, trash, or Major Disspoinments.... and we have PS4s and Xbox Ones for shitting outloud. Witcher 3 save the queen. Please... I cannot go back to kidnapping or running rackets on the playgrounds. I need games!

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

You have to expect everything to be a minor disappointment these days so that you are pleaantly surprised when they are mediocre achievements. Untill that one game shows that there is still some creativity and motivation towards making a great game instead of pushing out marketing ads and fluffing our minds with propaganda and "Rubber Ducky Themed Gun camoflauge" for 1.99$ (Are you laughing in our faces while you suck the most easily controlled minds of generation Y: "The gamers" with insulting micro-transactions... Activision? Microsoft?) You cant get away with commiting a few crimes here or a few misdemeanors and felons there anymore so games are my only outlet for chaos and trouble making, thievery and deception. Watch Dogs save America.... (although your not a next gen only game neither is Destiny or anything that's coming out this year save for yet another COD that has Kevin Spacey raking in the big bucks while he gets a fat check. Kevin spacey is a good actor but when he got offered that job he proably laughed and said, "hell i was gonna take a vacation anyway. Ill just literally phone this one in" (cuz you can phone in voice overs like the way the voice actor for Chef on South park did. Forget his name.)

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Yes and the dodging mechanic is dumbed down the first hour or so unless you make sure to kill everything in things Betwixt including all three trolls. You can kill the trolls in the caves behind the house of firekeepers by standing close enough in the little entrance where the fog gate leading to the trolls 'habitat". The Trolls will follow you if you let them spot you and runn after you all the way to that little entrance. Its a cheep tactic but the trolls will keep attacking you and barely missing every time cuz they cant fit thru the archway but your close enough to provoke their A.I. Killing them and the Troll on the other side of Things Betwixt will net you 3750 some souls. That plus the souls you find and youll have a good 4500. drop it all on Adaptability then start your playthru.

 

[xxninja666xx]

This first point is soo over exaggerated. Its not even a FLAW its a matter of opinion. The Vision is meant to be either a memory or a vision. It could or could not of happened as Things are Betwixt. Look up that word..

True. Even I agree that this point is forced and made up, but you really have to watch the whole thing if you want to talk about it. Thae guy makes some really good points, only they aren't right at the beginning.

You have to expect everything to be a minor disappointment these days so that you are pleaantly surprised when they are mediocre achievements.

That kind of attitude is just dumb. I didn't have to expect Dark Souls 2 to be a disappointment because Dark Souls 1 was a really good game. The only thing they had to do to make the sequel at least partially enjoyable was no to fuck up every detail that made the former game good. Apart from "they didn't know what Dark Souls was praised for, except difficulty, so they went and did the game their own way" I see no other explanation. We can't let things like this slide because when we do and give a mediocre-at-best game a 10/10, the devs will think they did a great job and they'll serve us a sequel even worse in a few years, as they didn't learn from their mistakes.

Yes and the dodging mechanic is dumbed down the first hour or so [...]. drop it all on Adaptability then start your playthru.

It's not just about rolling. It's about the whole mechanics - it feels much worse compared to Dark Souls 1, to the point it makes the game thoroughly unpleasant to play. And I don't want to restart the whole game for the third time and go all over again through the content I don't enjoy because of how poorly it's made. If people enjoy that kind of crap, then it's fine - it's their opinion and their business how they spend their leisure time. As for me, unless they improve in quality in the next release or fix everything that is wrong with this game, count me out.

BTW Nice posting, bro. How many posts is it one after another? Four? Five?

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Jeez, first of all hit the Return key once in a while! I pretty much guarantee 90% of people will see this and TLDR it away.

I'm gonna take several of your comments in turn and try and stay away from flaming, that's not my intent.

They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula.
Nobody has ever made a sequel with zero changes/innovations. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. Developers never think 'how can I make this game worse', so can you respect their efforts please?

Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results.
You're describing DS2 as much as DS1 here.

All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword.
Wrong. Just... factually incorrect.

Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic?
I agree that this particular change doesn't really add much. It makes you take more care about not hitting walls, and that's about it. But I refer to point 1, they're innovating. Leave them be.

one-on-one fights are super easy
Tell that to the dragon keepers on that damned staircase. Or Sorcerer Navlaan...

find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often
If you were in a bar fight, would you take on three guys at once? Plan ahead and avoid that situation. If you aggros two or three guys, you're doing it wrong and you'll probably die.

Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you.
I'm going to go on record here and state they never ever ever do this. Did you get jumped from behind going for the Flame Sword?
after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human
Three words "Ring of Binding"

In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming
You've answered your own question. To prevent you from farming. Also, I'd like to think it's to avoid additional frustration from the run to a boss you keep dying on. Wasn't it nicer running to the Pursuer without having to deal with the peons?

where a hit can easily get through a shield
Some weapons hit through shields. They state that in the item description.

The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players
Parry, then hit with the ballista. Or just learn his attack patterns.

Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere.
Atmosphere? Yes. World? Jury still out...
But again, it's a change that's in the hands of the developers who were trying to make the game better.

It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard
Play on a pad. It's an action RPG. Did you play Tomb Raider with a mouse?

Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably.
Whilst that's harsh, the main issue that DS2 was always going to come up against is exactly as most reviewers have stated. It's a great game in its own right, but it's always going to be compared to DS1, which is arguably one of the best games of the generation. Possibly one of the best games ever made.

Bottom line, if FROM had taken every single aspect of Dark Souls and kept it identical for the sequel, just in a different setting (yet still keeping exactly the same environment and atmosphere), they'd be torn apart for being lazy. So they changed some stuff. Some of it has been well received, some of it less so. Can we say thanks?

Thank you for taking the time to calm this Flustered Soul down. While i understand the dodging and hit boxes it seems to only happen when fighting certain bosses with certain attack types and weapons. Like the Dragonrider for instance. I found it difficult to dodge anything but his basic spear thrust attack that he telegraphs and the hit box was always right on. But when they made this game they tried to recreate the mechanic behind dodging so that the player couldn't just wait until the enemy raised his weapon or telegraphs an attack they make you understand where the attack is going to hit and your timing must be precise. With the Old Knights in Hiede's Tower area. I found that running past them (Something else i liked that was a change is that ability to sprint with the lock on) was more effective them diving past them as they seem to be a little smarter then they appear as they will track you as you dive. It seems unfair but if your swatting a fly do you just swat the area the fly was just in just because your about to swat it or do you wait until it lands and then hit it just as it lands? If you're getting crushed then your...a fly. lol.

One thing about dodging was that angers me is its apparent they didn't animate a pivoting move so that you could dive backwards and then pivot as you get up instead of standing up facing the opposite direction and turning around. That really pisses me off. The Mo cap fails in this regard. Manual Animation and Mo cap have there strengths and weakness and it seems this game was completely Mo capped with no or not enough animating to fill in the movements that are just impossible for a human to do. If you watch the Mo cap actor for the Witcher game you'll wonder why he doesn't do every medieval/fantasy games mo cap cuz he is crazy with a sword and shield or a (insert medieal sword or weapon here). Dodging and rolling jumping flipping and PIVOTING!! Pivot you bitch!

I also find that the Swordsmen is a good character to pick over the warrior because you get more intelligence which helps you in fights against magic and you get more of each stat so you can almost create a "Universalist" type class with the swordsmen start up. But the lack of Vigor is really annoying. Your supposed to make up for that with dodging but iits like i said... no PIVOT!!! The guy who is doing the Mo cap animations/the mo-cap actor, for The Witcher is awesome. Check out some of his youtube videos just type in Witcher 3 mo cap. He's a trained medieval weapon specialist and we could of brought some tru agility and dexterity to Souls 2. And the Witcher is a great game. Its combat has its faults and isn't as good as Souls but i had to play that game a couple times before i was addicted.

 

[xxninja666xx]

@HollowPointJoker99
Jeez, man. I can hardly understand what is it you're writing. No offense, but most of your posts are pure nonsense. You made 5 posts in a row where you made 3 statements different from each other and in the next you are talking about how bad the mocap is in DS2 and about some medieval weapon specialist that's really good at what he does. Make up your mind, for god's sake!

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Yea about my posting... Blame it on my ADD? I just find it difficult not to respond to each thread i disagree with and sometimes take up too much space trying to articulate a single point and then ill post it cuz something else gets my attention then ill come back to the thread and everytime i post something im too lazy to hit edit or its too late and i just reply again because i might think of something else to say. I didn't realie this game was under new direction. I know they decided to go with MO cap and used a new engine which i like. They just didn't use the new engine very well n some aspects or, rather, they didn't take advantage of the new engines possibilities.

As far as the world, Id say its obviously bigger and while the Wharf seemed off the way you get from place to place seemed to make more sense even if a bit unpractical or unorthodox. Remmebr the rotating staircase of Anor Londo? Wtf?! And the Moonlight Butterfly was my least favorite boss and could of gone without ever fighting it but still its soo.... ridiculous. Its definitely not your typical Dark fantasy its more like... silly fantasy... Especially after just fighting an Asylum Demon (keyword Demon) and a Taurus Demon and then dodging the dragon breathe on the bridge before the Undead Parish. We go into the Darkroot forest to fight walking bushes and poison stingrays. I hated Darkroot forest. HATED it. So far ive enjoyed all the areas except the Wharf and i think The Forest and the Fort is a bit uninspired.

The Gutter was a much better version of Blighttown with the added element of pitch darkness and an atmosphere of Agony. The Huntsmans Copse was a appreciated change as it had some wide open areas much bigger than any outdoor area in Souls 1. The Skeleton Lord Boss was very cool. They Sat on thrones of bones... and where very easy but still cool. The Sentry was medium difficulty but another sweet boss design. The only one I didn't really care for was the Last Giant... so far.. And the Royal Rat Vangaurd... That was just ridiculous. I liked the idea of being swarmed but giant rats aren't as visually scary or interesting as spiders or scorpions or spider-scorpons or hollows misshapen and deformed walking around on all fours but upside down with their heads spun around like something out of the exorcist or Silent hill. But that would be to typical Dark fantasy i suppose...

 

[xxninja666xx]

Yea about my posting... Blame it on my ADD?

No. Actually, ADD is a fictional disorder made up by pharmaceutical concerns and diagnosed in children who don't want to behave properly or are just hyperactive, to sell some pills and other drugs, which are believed to "calm" the hyperactivity. Read it up on the internet. It's really worth it. If the last two numbers of your nickname are your birth year, then you are 14-15, which is absolutely the worst part of going through puberty. You are hyperactive and quick to lose attention because of all the hormonal changes going through your body at an incredibly fast rate, not because of some fake disorder. I used to be the same as you, but now that I'm (almost) 19, I'm more calm about everything that I ever was.

As far as the world, Id say its obviously bigger and while the Wharf seemed off the way you get from place to place seemed to make more sense even if a bit unpractical or unorthodox. Remmebr the rotating staircase of Anor Londo? Wtf?! And the Moonlight Butterfly was my least favorite boss and could of gone without ever fighting it but still its soo.... ridiculous. Its definitely not your typical Dark fantasy its more like... silly fantasy... Especially after just fighting an Asylum Demon (keyword Demon) and a Taurus Demon and then dodging the dragon breathe on the bridge before the Undead Parish. We go into the Darkroot forest to fight walking bushes and poison stingrays. I hated Darkroot forest. HATED it. So far ive enjoyed all the areas except the Wharf and i think The Forest and the Fort is a bit uninspired.

True, the locations were weird, but that's the charm of Dark Souls' atmosphere - Miyazaki combined "typical" western (from his perspective) fantasy with a lot of his own ideas and some of Japan's "craziness" and created a unique world that was really fun to explore and discover. Dark Souls 2, on the other hand, feels like typical, bland fantasy I've seen hundreds of times already in other RPGs. It tries to mimic the atmosphere from the first game, but fails at it because all they did was to copy some of the most distinctive elements of DS1 and place them in order that seems almost random. And to be honest - No-man's wharf was one of the more interesting locations in the game and didn't really feel "out of place" to me. The same with the Last Giant - it was the only boss so far that felt "true" to the Souls' vision of atmosphere - it was big, it was threatening and it looked it had his own backstory and an actual reason to be in this little cavern under the fort, instead of being placed for the sake of a location having a boss.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Yea about my posting... Blame it on my ADD?

No. Actually, ADD is a fictional disorder made up by pharmaceutical concerns and diagnosed in children who don't want to behave properly or are just hyperactive, to sell some pills and other drugs, which are believed to "calm" the hyperactivity. Read it up on the internet. It's really worth it. If the last two numbers of your nickname are your birth year, then you are 14-15, which is absolutely the worst part of going through puberty. You are hyperactive and quick to lose attention because of all the hormonal changes going through your body at an incredibly fast rate, not because of some fake disorder. I used to be the same as you, but now that I'm (almost) 19, I'm more calm about everything that I ever was.

As far as the world, Id say its obviously bigger and while the Wharf seemed off the way you get from place to place seemed to make more sense even if a bit unpractical or unorthodox. Remmebr the rotating staircase of Anor Londo? Wtf?! And the Moonlight Butterfly was my least favorite boss and could of gone without ever fighting it but still its soo.... ridiculous. Its definitely not your typical Dark fantasy its more like... silly fantasy... Especially after just fighting an Asylum Demon (keyword Demon) and a Taurus Demon and then dodging the dragon breathe on the bridge before the Undead Parish. We go into the Darkroot forest to fight walking bushes and poison stingrays. I hated Darkroot forest. HATED it. So far ive enjoyed all the areas except the Wharf and i think The Forest and the Fort is a bit uninspired.

True, the locations were weird, but that's the charm of Dark Souls' atmosphere - Miyazaki combined "typical" western (from his perspective) fantasy with a lot of his own ideas and some of Japan's "craziness" and created a unique world that was really fun to explore and discover. Dark Souls 2, on the other hand, feels like typical, bland fantasy I've seen hundreds of times already in other RPGs. It tries to mimic the atmosphere from the first game, but fails at it because all they did was to copy some of the most distinctive elements of DS1 and place them in order that seems almost random. And to be honest - No-man's wharf was one of the more interesting locations in the game and didn't really feel "out of place" to me. The same with the Last Giant - it was the only boss so far that felt "true" to the Souls' vision of atmosphere - it was big, it was threatening and it looked it had his own backstory and an actual reason to be in this little cavern under the fort, instead of being placed for the sake of a location having a boss.

ADD is a fictional/borderline fictional disorder but the Adderal sure helps one way or another.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

im 27 lol. I need to put more effort into my posts if i seem like im just going thru puberty.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

ADHD is more fictional then ADD. ADD is as real as you let it and if your under a lot of stress its hard to control. Its not so much a disorder but a state of mind one can get stuck in from time to time... But Anyways, total buzzkill post man.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

You take the giant down by attacking his stomping ankles. It was so easy I was caught off guard by the pursuer and Dragonslayer Bosses as they took a little more attentiveness. Although The Old Dragon Slayer is really predictable and doesn't do the gap closing spear charge/thrust enough nor does he dodge attacks enough or come after you right as you are healing like some of the Humanoid bosses seemed to do in DS1 but much of what i was talking about had to do with the video you posted, numb-nuts. I watched the whole thing.

 

[xxninja666xx]

i was talking about had to do with the video you posted, numb-nuts. I watched the whole thing.

You managed to pay attention for 50 minutes straight and watch the whole video at once? Looks like ADD really is a fictitious disorder you keep telling yourself you have. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

As for the rest of the post - it's incomprehensible to me, sorry. Try to use more punctuation next time and not type like a maniac, so that others can actually read what you have in mind.

 

[darkaura5]

Sorry for my bad English.

I must say that I agree with most of your feelings and opinions.

Yeah the atmosphere seems to be bland and dull in DS2. DS1 has the best atmosphere I've ever seen in video games. It's very successful in portraying the medieval feel (Undead Burg, Unead Parish, Anor Londo, Sen's) while in DS2 it feels like a mixture, it didn't leave any remarkable moments in my mind.

Bosses are obviously worse in DS2 (no one can argue with this), there's no cool beasts" like Artorias, Sif, Quelaag, "Snorlax-Pikachu" and especially Black Dragon Kalameet. From Soft made a big mistake, they thought adding more bosses would make the game better, but no. Bosses in DS2 are stupid and forgettable. Their designs and movesets are not creative.

I'm now at the very first part of NG+... yeah it's becoming boring to me. I have no motivation to enter Lost Bastille and the rest areas.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Let the sequel syndrome blues run it curse and youll love DS2.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

If they made a game about traversing the 9 circles of hell to defeat Satan all with dark soul style gameplay, mechanics, dynmics, atmosphere, world/environment would that leave a lasting impression?

 

[xxninja666xx]

If they made a game about traversing the 9 circles of hell to defeat Satan all with dark soul style gameplay, mechanics, dynmics, atmosphere, world/environment would that leave a lasting impression?

That would actually be awesome.

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

If they made a game about traversing the 9 circles of hell to defeat Satan all with dark soul style gameplay, mechanics, dynmics, atmosphere, world/environment would that leave a lasting impression?

That would actually be awesome.

Technically they did make that game but t wsnt anything like Dark Souls. Basically it was Devil May Cry only the concept was Dante's Inferno with an action spin off. It was decent... But a REAL Journey through the 9 gates of Eternal Agony would be super damn sweet. Id like to see a movie. They made an anmated move based on the game but it was just your basic Japanese/western anime "Samurai X" type slash em up with some disturbing moments and uninspired demon concepts and creative designs for the Devil himself.

Ever seen Legend? That creepy old 80s movie with Tom cruise. Its laughable but it is inspiring to see that at one time a movie like that, so close to Christian mythology, was made and widely accepted. Im already working on my own version of something similar.

 

[Lil_Ze76]

I finished both DS games and I gotta say I agree with the OP. The sequel was disappointing and anyone who disagrees does so only because they simply can't admit to themselves that their money was probably better off being spent elsewhere. It isn't the sequel we all hoped for.

Combat has been dumbed down and the collision detection is terrible. Bosses with the exception of maybe 2 or 3 are boring and uninspired. The only bosses I actually enjoyed fighting were the Smelter Demon, the spider whatever her name was, and Nashandra. Rebooting bosses found in the first game like Ornstien aka Old Dragonslayer and the Gargoyles is just cheap. Some are just plain laughable, the big maggot just past the poison pool and the ridiculous looking sentries immediately spring to mind.

Locations are a cheap ripoff from the original. Enemies are repetitive and unimaginative eg. turtle knights. I mean seriously, is that the BEST the developers could come up with? An enemy that looks like a frickin Ninja Turtle? The enemies in the Lost Bastille - Fat gits with a fur coat, how long did they take to dream up? Later on you get mages and priestesses - Never seen those before...Now someone else mentioned Dante's Inferno. Whilst it's a totally different genre it is a shining example of great imagination at work. Killer babies armed with scythes and prostitutes with tentacles coming out their wotsit are enemies that I'm not going to forget in a while. DS2 has none of that.

The entire game can be easily finished using one tactic. Circle, melee, circle, melee, circle, melee. From the first Forest Giant to King Vendrick himself the tactics remain the same throughout. I found myself experimenting with different weapons and armor sets not so much to progress in the game but more just to break up the monotony of the graphics.

The only reason to buy this game is for the online mode. There is some fun to be had making your way through Drangleic with a two other players but even that has been limited. Why not simply program in a proper Coop mode?

Good sequels take the original ideas and make them bigger and better. DS2 just feels like a halfassed expansion.

 

[Atar554]

So many QQ babies here.

Criticizing circle strafe? as if Dark Souls 1 wasn't beaten by the very same tactic. It's a part of the game franchise, deal with it or play something else.

The bosses, not as inspired or rather "weird" as DS1. However they still served their purpose. They can brutally kill you, and they can be viciously beaten. That's up to you.

"Good sequels take the original ideas and make them bigger and better".

You can't have a unique and original game that uses ideas already done. Making them "bigger and better" means more of the same. You like spider mobs? Here's ....Spider mobs, Lobster Mobs? Crab Mobs? You like fighting guys with giant axes? here's a guy that has 2 giant axes, here's a guy with 3 giant axes, here's a guy that's made entirely out of axes...

At some point you have to realize you're going to get a lot of what you've already gotten in terms of creation. Like playing God of War. I wouldn't expect to see Zoroastrian inspired creatures. I expect to see...Greek or Roman style architecture and characters. That limits a lot of things to certain styles and feels. But it's even more important when a game is creating its' own lore. To deviate from it too greatly means to not only forget its' roots, but cause unnecessary confusion.

I also physically wretched when you mentioned "Dante's Inferno" and it being a "shining example of great imagination at work". Killer babies? really? Do you even Chucky bro? It's not "great imagination" taking someone else's work and making a somewhat literal translation with modern twists. It's also a game that if you got to the end levels, had a complete breakdown in level design, execution and creativity. Nothing like fighting those killer babies and the other enemies from the previous rings of hell....all at once on the lower rings. Try not to mistake "creativity" with "shock value".

Now don't misunderstand, Dark Souls 1 is superior to 2 in many ways. However, it's a catch 22 people fall into consistently. You don't want more of the same, you want unique, but you also want the game to be exactly what you loved.

The problem is Dark Souls 1 WAS completely new for most people. They just happened to love it. Dark Souls 2 is completely NEW in many ways, you may not happen to love it as much or at all. That's it.

I love Super Mario Bros. and beyond I personally didn't care for the original Mario. It wasn't my cup of tea. They created sequels and added new content and mechanics and things. They kept some of the core basics and even eventually altered them. I happen to like the changes more than the original.

 

[Sillentskills]

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to separate every part of my post this time. Although I think, that when people are coming to a forum and don't want to read a post simply because it's longer than 3 sentences, then it proves nothing but that they're impatient and/or mentally challenged in some way.

I wonder if not being able to hit the return key in order to separate ideas/points in a logical manner and create decent formatting is a sign of laziness or keyboard ineptitude...



I don't like Dark Souls 2 as much as the first either, but i'm not really disappointed in it and its' more for story reasons.

I'm not sure what you mean by the only difference being damage on equipment. Nothing has changed in that department. You can still tank with a shield or dodge everything. Weapon speeds are still different. The greatswords were really sped up, but that bit of difference can still get you caught. Then there is the recovery time until your next swing.

Not sure how I feel about it, but its' obvious why they changed the way durability worked. How many times did you break your weapon in the first Dark Souls? For me, not once. I never used those weapons with "ancient powers" and everything else has so much durability or went down so slowly that you'd have to be trying to not make it to the next bonfire.

The enemy encounters in Dark Souls 2 are harder. In the first, one-on-ones were never difficult and nearly every enemy could be dealt with the tactic of "raise shield, rebound off shield, circle around for backstab." In a lot of cases, you didn't need to raise the shield, just circle-strafe all day, erry day. Let's not even pretend that Dark Souls didn't throw groups of enemies (pretty much the only time they were a problem) at you. Oh, a ton of high-DPS mobs in one area? Don't worry, just use your monstrous I-frames during a backstab and don't even sweat it. In 2, the enemies are grouped more often and they are a lot better at protecting their backsides.

Enemies never spawn out of thin-air. If you were ambushed, it was a genuine ambush. It's like in that part in the Forest of Fallen Giants where some hollowed-soldiers will jump up from on top of that hill when you do something near that part with that curious Flame Salamander.

Losing max health on death is great and is the way it used to be. Actually gave those who didn't bother with PvP or Co-Op a reason to not die. Of course, also like it used to be, you can mitigate this somewhat. I lie, there are even more ways in Dark Souls 2. Like the Cling Ring, this game has the Ring of Binding which stops your max health from going below 75% no matter how much you die. This ring can be gotten within the first hour and you only have to kill one enemy to get it. In addition to that ring you've also got the various rings that stop you from losing your human form OR souls. And when they break you can fix them for the price of 3000 measly souls. AND there are, like, five of them in the game.

Enemies not re-spawning is good and bad. I've never killed any enough times to get it to happen (if I need to retry a boss I just ignore them all), but it'd be much easier for those that are trying to get to the boss so they can get out and not waste healing items beforehand. With the introduction of Bonfire Ascetics, there is no stopping the player from farming, but the player has to make the decision of whether or not the difficulty of the farm is worth whatever it is they intend to gain. From what I gather, you hadn't made it very far yet so I won't spoil with names or anything, but there is one area in particular that stops you from needing to farm for pretty much anything so long as you have some Ascetics.

As a side note to the farming bit, I HATE how rare some of the drops are, which would be expected, but then they go and put them on one-time spawning invaders or enemies! It's just ridiculous that a piece of armor or weapon has a 1% or 5% chance to drop so you'd have to keep asceticing them till you kill them five or six times to where they drop a piece. There isn't even a guarantee that it'll be a unique piece.

Hit detection is spotty, definitely. Obviously we're not talking about PvP where phantom range comes into play, but in PvE things will be okay for the longest and then it'll happen and you'll hate that unfair hit/death. That Hungry-Hungry-Hippo attack is probably the worst offender i've ever been hit with. Roll to early/late and even though you're clearly out of range you'll be sucked into its' hands. I was not aware I was playing Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer.

I don't agree on the classes thing at all. Beyond them meaning nothing pretty much by the time you get to the first boss, you definitely don't want balanced stats if you're not going for a mundane build. They all have stats allocated in different ways so that you can pick one whose stats best line up later with what you're going for, meaning the least amount of wasted stats, and also at different Soul Levels for varying degree of early-game flexibility. For instance, I never choose cleric for my faith character because his stats don't line up with what I plan to do with him. I'm fairly sure they thought out the beginning classes while keeping in mind that they were going to be irrelevant very soon afterwords. They just made sure that there was a foundation for you to build off of and get started while not being too hard (except for the Deprived which has a lot of advantages for the poor start) while not being too easy, which is why they don't give all the classes the easy starting equipment. The Knight has the best starting armor and a good weapon and the Merchant has good inventory right off the bat AND the hood that gives you +item discovery.

Not entirely sure why anyone would need player-help to kill Dragon Rider...

Players that don't want to be bothered with invasions can just play offline like you said. There are still piss-poor, easy NPC invasions like the last game, but, well, yeah. They should just play online if available because they made it stupid hard for random invasions to come about which is another thing that I really don't like about the game. You can't purchase Cracked Red Eye Orbs (there is no full version) until NG+ and they are 10,000 souls each. Ridiculous. I was randomly invaded once in all my play-time by a red phantom and the rest were blue spirits of vengeance which were still a rare event.

Atmosphere doesn't seem too different too me. In fact, it feels a lot like Dark Souls. Each location has its' own feel and I dig that. Later areas really blew me away when looking at them and going through them, again, like Dark Souls. Demons' takes the cake in general atmosphere, but the Dark Souls aren't terrible by any means. Now that i'm thinking about it, i'd probably give the edge to Dark Souls II over Dark Souls I.

PC Mouse+Keyboard controls are indeed non-optimal. Sure, everybody already knew this and knew beforehand they'd need a gamepad, but that doesn't change the fact. I'm not too picky with graphics, I just know they look good as a whole, definitely not PS2 era anyway.


Again, I like Dark Souls II the least out of any of the Souls, but this is more for story reasons than game-play reasons.

 

[Callipygias]

I finished both DS games and I gotta say I agree with the OP. The sequel was disappointing and anyone who disagrees does so only because they simply can't admit to themselves that their money was probably better off being spent elsewhere. It isn't the sequel we all hoped for.

You state your opinion and flat out say that anyone who disagrees is wrong. In a weird way I kind of respect that.

For my part I have very much enjoyed the game, but it lacks a certain something the previous Souls games had. Atmosphere is what I'm thinking of, I guess. I've adapted pretty well to most other issues I had with the sequel, but after less than a thousand hours I find myself starting to think about other games already, and I suppose it's because it lacks the feeling of solitude and dread I got from the other games.

I've been playing Demon's Souls again (the online is still remarkably active), and I've been itching to return to Lordran on a new character. I miss that feeling of striking out into the world with a crappy little sword and shield, without the safety of a hub I can warp back to on a whim.

 

[CrownClown510]

Dafuq...

 

[Shoulderhair]

While browsing youtube, I stumbled across this video.



The guy analyzes the game for 50 minutes and exposes its every major and minor flaw, giving hard evidence in the form of gameplay fragments, while simultaneously comparing it do Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls. After watching it, my sense of disappointment went even deeper cause I've been playing that game only because I was hoping only the beginning is so crappy and the game will start to get better from some point onward. From this video, it clearly shows it doesn't and I can just uninstall it, as it's not worth my time.

And yes, I actually have played the game a little since the discussion ended. I got to No-man's Wharf and explored it a little. There was literally nothing about these locations that impressed me - Heide's Tower of Flame felt like a cheap imitation of Anor Londo's splendor, while in reality it was a straight 4-minute walk to the Dragonrider. The No-man's Wharf felt just weird, like it didn't belong in a Souls game at all. A cave with a half-sunken ship, filled with undead pirates? Sounds more like it would fit into an Elder Scrolls game rather than a Souls game. Apart from that, I don't have to mention they felt incredibly bland and soulless (pun not intended) compared to Dark Souls 1's dungeons, do I?

That critique is so bad I watched it when it came out and paid it due attention; its not even the fact its a critique..its just an absolute fail..I am so sick of seeing it linked too...his points are so contrived and nonsensical, especially in the context in which he uses them to compare the games...its sad kids are watching that when they probably enjoyed the souls game play at some point..because its a haters haven. He tries so hard to keep sound flow so he can justify his harsh statements but its just a mess.
Its so far from a respectful critique,..to make matters worse when these occasional negative opinions of the game show up its rarely long time fans, and they more than often fail to elaborate their opinion and in addition they make direct quotes from that video in the form of their own words as they struggle to hold arguments.

"uhh I can't quite put my finger on why but I know I want to hate it and that's why I'm typing...uhh the atmosphere, duh corridors are too narrow, umm I don't like the souls games but I like the souls games, they have no soul you know for lack of a better explanation? uhh look at this critique he hates it too he rants for an hour so there. God gave birth to Dks1 and Dks2 is fan fic garbage, that's right...they are completely different, look at me playing Dks1 beside Dks2 look they're so different its obvious which ones worse durr..how could anyone enjoy the second durr"

I am extremely critical of some changes and painfully attached to details, but I love all the souls games..a change in formula was what I wanted and I got it, I still play Dks1 alongside Dks2 and have owned them since their respective releases. There are so many vastly varying and frankly well justified opinions from the biggest of souls veterans from different strokes that completely dispute opposite claims so often that I just don't care any more.
I think it takes a special kind of delusion to believe Dks2 is by any means a radical departure from the formula, these highly volatile hate rants I see more often than not glorify the original for reasons that make no logical sense. Some people just need to admit they have gone hollow; I play both these games like its an addiction...the things people come up with are so batsh*t its ludicrous.

If you want to tell me Dark Souls 2 is some kind of critical failure or is inherently disappointing for personal or logical reasons; there is no way in he** you could ever convince you even enjoyed the first game or understood what made it so great..because the core of its genius is very much intact despite it being put through the ringer in other various ways during its transition to a sequel.
You are either sick of souls game play, or were a trending casual player at some point and couldn't get off the train without admitting it just wasn't for you..your mistake was not just buying the second game, but also even finishing the first one once.

To be honest though the community just gets better when it goes through these phases, there's so much love/hate.. the coming and going is becoming cyclical and its not a quiet process to say the least..
I have to explain the game(s) to one out of every 5 players I get summoned by, they literally don't know a thing about the games but they have opinions formed by other people ready to launch at me. in the few minutes we spend in co-op.

Don't get me started on the "because Miyazaki," clearly he gave no F*cks about the franchise he was a big part of conceiving "his biggest contributions are debatable" and having TWO directors instead of one replace him is clearly evidence of that..its also obvious that he made sure grade school children with learning disabilities were used for the primary development team..clearly the game is mario kart.

 

[Squerolx]

Warning! This is going to be sort of a rant thread. I'll try to make logical arguments and I don't mean to cause a flamewar. It's just my opinion and feelings about the game, which are to be discussed, nothing more. If you are here to argue in a hateful way, just leave. Normal discussion is appreciated, of course. It's also gonna be pretty long, so just be patient and read through all of it if you really care for discussing the game in this thread.

I actually bought the game when I found out the technical difficulties and crashing are caused by HDMI cable and certain series of GPUs, which I don't have. I played it for a longer while and quit with a strong feeling of disappointment. For me, Dark Souls 1 was kind of a love-hate game. I hated the way it punished you for slightest mistakes, but at the same time it had some kind of charm that made me come back for more and keep playing. Dark Souls 2 is nothing like that. The change in management is very noticeable. They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula. Problem is, they fucked up. "If something works, don't fix it" people say. They tried to "fix" the game and only made it worse. Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results. It does not apply anymore in DS2 because the only aspect that differentiates one item from another is the damage. All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword. That makes combat bland and unsatisfying. Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic? Playing the first time, I broke 3 swords before I got to the second bonfire in Forest of The Fallen Giants. Then I read on some forums that they repair automatically after each visit at the bonfire. That's ridiculous! Another thing is, all the fairness the first Dark Souls had is gone. The enemies aren't tough anymore and one-on-one fights are super easy, so what the creators did to increase the difficulty? Placed more of them. It's a really crappy design move because you find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often. Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you. And when you die, the game punishes you not only by taking your souls away, but also by dropping your maximum HP by a certain amount each time you die. It's not that noticeable at first, but after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human and waste the human effigy, which are really rare. In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming, just so you wouldn't go a few levels higher than the creators have anticipated and didn't have better stats, so you can get your ass kicked easier. Combine it with dying every short period of the game from unfair fights where you are outnumbered by enemies, and completely broken hit detection, where a hit can easily get through a shield or the game can register a hit when you are too far away for the enemy to actually hit you and what you get is the ultimate frustration and urge to just give up and quit. What's more is that the game lacks balance. There are three out of eight classes that are any good - a warrior, a cleric and a mage. Why? Because they are the only ones that have stats balanced out, fitting their profession and not handicapping you in a way you wouldn't want. The rest of them, however is a mess. They only have one stat maxed out as much as you possibly can while keeping a low level and lack severely in others making you sort of a "glass cannon" - you hit hard, but you are extremely fragile. Not to mention lack of balance or any logic in the starting equipment - the swordsman starts out with two decent beginner swords, a cleric gets a mage and a shield. What does a warrior get? A sword broken in half. What about a knight? Does he get some kind of heavy armor set and a sword + shield set? Nope. All you get is a broadsword and a chainmail armor... robe... something. Yes, no helmet, no shield. They hadn't really thought that out. The boss balance isn't any better. The first one is a walk in the park, you have to be a complete cripple not to beat it on your second-third try. The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players. What about players who want to play alone in offline mode, not to be disturbed by any invasions and such? They are screwed unless they decide to forcibly join "jolly cooperation" the game provides. Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere. It lacks peculiarity and uniqueness Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls had. Instead you get typical dark fantasy stuff in the vein of Gothic or The Witcher. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it had any personality. It doesn't, though. As I progressively made my way through Forest of The Fallen Giants and then the ruins of the huge fort the forest concealed, slashing through huntsmen with knives, warriors and soldiers with lances and swords, it all didn't make any impression on me, aside from pure boredom. It was bland, uninspired and didn't feel creative at all. Now the technicalities. It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard because of ludicrous control scheme consisting of finger-breaking key combinations just to do basic actions in the game, has obsolete graphics that makes it look like it came from the late PS2 era, can't launch on some configurations for absolutely no reason and is filled with glitches that take out the last bits of amusement this game could provide. I'm disappointed, From, really disappointed. Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably. It made everything that was good in the first game worse.

I agreed with you... The game is MEGA dissapointing, worst than Demon's/Dark Souls in every aspect sadly, bad game overall... Its made for pure commercials, and that three DLCs in a row is just a one big joke, which give us something to think about haha... I think that discussion about how the game is bad makes no sense, cause there are A TONS of fanboys everywhere, who will tell you, for example, that you are "trolling", or you can't play games (u r casul, oh god...), or tells stupid comments like "worst than Dark/Demon's Souls, but overall great Souls game". Game is GODLY crap, even as no-Souls game (I have TONS of arguments on that, too many talk about)... People just cant see facts about it... Take a note of one from my threads, how pathetic they are : http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/693333-dark-souls-ii/69929199
Plus the game was made by From Software B-Team, without Mizayaki support (telling that everything is okay was just talk about cash), so I know now that possible are some of things that make the game as it is....Sorry for bad English, not my main language...

 

[HollowPointJoker99]

Warning! This is going to be sort of a rant thread. I'll try to make logical arguments and I don't mean to cause a flamewar. It's just my opinion and feelings about the game, which are to be discussed, nothing more. If you are here to argue in a hateful way, just leave. Normal discussion is appreciated, of course. It's also gonna be pretty long, so just be patient and read through all of it if you really care for discussing the game in this thread.

I actually bought the game when I found out the technical difficulties and crashing are caused by HDMI cable and certain series of GPUs, which I don't have. I played it for a longer while and quit with a strong feeling of disappointment. For me, Dark Souls 1 was kind of a love-hate game. I hated the way it punished you for slightest mistakes, but at the same time it had some kind of charm that made me come back for more and keep playing. Dark Souls 2 is nothing like that. The change in management is very noticeable. They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula. Problem is, they fucked up. "If something works, don't fix it" people say. They tried to "fix" the game and only made it worse. Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results. It does not apply anymore in DS2 because the only aspect that differentiates one item from another is the damage. All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword. That makes combat bland and unsatisfying. Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic? Playing the first time, I broke 3 swords before I got to the second bonfire in Forest of The Fallen Giants. Then I read on some forums that they repair automatically after each visit at the bonfire. That's ridiculous! Another thing is, all the fairness the first Dark Souls had is gone. The enemies aren't tough anymore and one-on-one fights are super easy, so what the creators did to increase the difficulty? Placed more of them. It's a really crappy design move because you find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often. Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you. And when you die, the game punishes you not only by taking your souls away, but also by dropping your maximum HP by a certain amount each time you die. It's not that noticeable at first, but after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human and waste the human effigy, which are really rare. In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming, just so you wouldn't go a few levels higher than the creators have anticipated and didn't have better stats, so you can get your ass kicked easier. Combine it with dying every short period of the game from unfair fights where you are outnumbered by enemies, and completely broken hit detection, where a hit can easily get through a shield or the game can register a hit when you are too far away for the enemy to actually hit you and what you get is the ultimate frustration and urge to just give up and quit. What's more is that the game lacks balance. There are three out of eight classes that are any good - a warrior, a cleric and a mage. Why? Because they are the only ones that have stats balanced out, fitting their profession and not handicapping you in a way you wouldn't want. The rest of them, however is a mess. They only have one stat maxed out as much as you possibly can while keeping a low level and lack severely in others making you sort of a "glass cannon" - you hit hard, but you are extremely fragile. Not to mention lack of balance or any logic in the starting equipment - the swordsman starts out with two decent beginner swords, a cleric gets a mage and a shield. What does a warrior get? A sword broken in half. What about a knight? Does he get some kind of heavy armor set and a sword + shield set? Nope. All you get is a broadsword and a chainmail armor... robe... something. Yes, no helmet, no shield. They hadn't really thought that out. The boss balance isn't any better. The first one is a walk in the park, you have to be a complete cripple not to beat it on your second-third try. The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players. What about players who want to play alone in offline mode, not to be disturbed by any invasions and such? They are screwed unless they decide to forcibly join "jolly cooperation" the game provides. Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere. It lacks peculiarity and uniqueness Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls had. Instead you get typical dark fantasy stuff in the vein of Gothic or The Witcher. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it had any personality. It doesn't, though. As I progressively made my way through Forest of The Fallen Giants and then the ruins of the huge fort the forest concealed, slashing through huntsmen with knives, warriors and soldiers with lances and swords, it all didn't make any impression on me, aside from pure boredom. It was bland, uninspired and didn't feel creative at all. Now the technicalities. It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard because of ludicrous control scheme consisting of finger-breaking key combinations just to do basic actions in the game, has obsolete graphics that makes it look like it came from the late PS2 era, can't launch on some configurations for absolutely no reason and is filled with glitches that take out the last bits of amusement this game could provide. I'm disappointed, From, really disappointed. Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably. It made everything that was good in the first game worse.

I agreed with you... The game is MEGA dissapointing, worst than Demon's/Dark Souls in every aspect sadly, bad game overall... Its made for pure commercials, and that three DLCs in a row is just a one big joke, which give us something to think about haha... I think that discussion about how the game is bad makes no sense, cause there are A TONS of fanboys everywhere, who will tell you, for example, that you are "trolling", or you can't play games (u r casul, oh god...), or tells stupid comments like "worst than Dark/Demon's Souls, but overall great Souls game". Game is GODLY crap, even as no-Souls game (I have TONS of arguments on that, too many talk about)... People just cant see facts about it... Take a note of one from my threads, how pathetic they are : http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/693333-dark-souls-ii/69929199
Plus the game was made by From Software B-Team, without Mizayaki support (telling that everything is okay was just talk about cash), so I know now that possible are some of things that make the game as it is....Sorry for bad English, not my main language...

You suck troll, lol

 

[Squerolx]

Warning! This is going to be sort of a rant thread. I'll try to make logical arguments and I don't mean to cause a flamewar. It's just my opinion and feelings about the game, which are to be discussed, nothing more. If you are here to argue in a hateful way, just leave. Normal discussion is appreciated, of course. It's also gonna be pretty long, so just be patient and read through all of it if you really care for discussing the game in this thread.

I actually bought the game when I found out the technical difficulties and crashing are caused by HDMI cable and certain series of GPUs, which I don't have. I played it for a longer while and quit with a strong feeling of disappointment. For me, Dark Souls 1 was kind of a love-hate game. I hated the way it punished you for slightest mistakes, but at the same time it had some kind of charm that made me come back for more and keep playing. Dark Souls 2 is nothing like that. The change in management is very noticeable. They tried to make the game something different by throwing in new ideas, while keeping the same formula. Problem is, they fucked up. "If something works, don't fix it" people say. They tried to "fix" the game and only made it worse. Let's start with the most elementary aspect, that's the core of Souls games - the combat system. In DS1 it was something that stood out because you had to time your attacks and think of a tactic for every enemy. Getting the right equipment was a huge part of it because every item felt entirely different - some were heavier but offered greater damage/protection, so you could just tank your way through, or you could go for a leather-clad, dagger-wielding rogue and rely purely on dodging. Every combination of items gave different results. It does not apply anymore in DS2 because the only aspect that differentiates one item from another is the damage. All weapons swing with the same speed, so there's no difference if you use a greatsword or a shortsword. That makes combat bland and unsatisfying. Also, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make weapons durable as if they were made out of plastic? Playing the first time, I broke 3 swords before I got to the second bonfire in Forest of The Fallen Giants. Then I read on some forums that they repair automatically after each visit at the bonfire. That's ridiculous! Another thing is, all the fairness the first Dark Souls had is gone. The enemies aren't tough anymore and one-on-one fights are super easy, so what the creators did to increase the difficulty? Placed more of them. It's a really crappy design move because you find yourself ganked by three or more enemies and stunlocked to death very, very often. Sometimes they even pop up out of thin air behind your back and ambush you. And when you die, the game punishes you not only by taking your souls away, but also by dropping your maximum HP by a certain amount each time you die. It's not that noticeable at first, but after six deaths in a row, when you have more than half your bar cut off, you just have to turn back human and waste the human effigy, which are really rare. In addition to that, the enemies disappear from the game world after certain amounts of deaths (their deaths, not yours), preventing you from farming, just so you wouldn't go a few levels higher than the creators have anticipated and didn't have better stats, so you can get your ass kicked easier. Combine it with dying every short period of the game from unfair fights where you are outnumbered by enemies, and completely broken hit detection, where a hit can easily get through a shield or the game can register a hit when you are too far away for the enemy to actually hit you and what you get is the ultimate frustration and urge to just give up and quit. What's more is that the game lacks balance. There are three out of eight classes that are any good - a warrior, a cleric and a mage. Why? Because they are the only ones that have stats balanced out, fitting their profession and not handicapping you in a way you wouldn't want. The rest of them, however is a mess. They only have one stat maxed out as much as you possibly can while keeping a low level and lack severely in others making you sort of a "glass cannon" - you hit hard, but you are extremely fragile. Not to mention lack of balance or any logic in the starting equipment - the swordsman starts out with two decent beginner swords, a cleric gets a mage and a shield. What does a warrior get? A sword broken in half. What about a knight? Does he get some kind of heavy armor set and a sword + shield set? Nope. All you get is a broadsword and a chainmail armor... robe... something. Yes, no helmet, no shield. They hadn't really thought that out. The boss balance isn't any better. The first one is a walk in the park, you have to be a complete cripple not to beat it on your second-third try. The second one, for a change, is impossible to beat without any help from other players. What about players who want to play alone in offline mode, not to be disturbed by any invasions and such? They are screwed unless they decide to forcibly join "jolly cooperation" the game provides. Let's talk about the atmosphere now. The change of the project director is also very distinctive in this aspect. This game is completely different from the previous Souls games in terms of world and atmosphere. It lacks peculiarity and uniqueness Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls had. Instead you get typical dark fantasy stuff in the vein of Gothic or The Witcher. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it had any personality. It doesn't, though. As I progressively made my way through Forest of The Fallen Giants and then the ruins of the huge fort the forest concealed, slashing through huntsmen with knives, warriors and soldiers with lances and swords, it all didn't make any impression on me, aside from pure boredom. It was bland, uninspired and didn't feel creative at all. Now the technicalities. It's 2014 and what we get is a PC game that is completely unplayable on mouse and keyboard because of ludicrous control scheme consisting of finger-breaking key combinations just to do basic actions in the game, has obsolete graphics that makes it look like it came from the late PS2 era, can't launch on some configurations for absolutely no reason and is filled with glitches that take out the last bits of amusement this game could provide. I'm disappointed, From, really disappointed. Don't get me wrong though - as a separate game, Dark Souls 2 is pretty decent - a 6/10 at least, but as a sequel to Dark Souls 1, it fails miserably. It made everything that was good in the first game worse.

I agreed with you... The game is MEGA dissapointing, worst than Demon's/Dark Souls in every aspect sadly, bad game overall... Its made for pure commercials, and that three DLCs in a row is just a one big joke, which give us something to think about haha... I think that discussion about how the game is bad makes no sense, cause there are A TONS of fanboys everywhere, who will tell you, for example, that you are "trolling", or you can't play games (u r casul, oh god...), or tells stupid comments like "worst than Dark/Demon's Souls, but overall great Souls game". Game is GODLY crap, even as no-Souls game (I have TONS of arguments on that, too many talk about)... People just cant see facts about it... Take a note of one from my threads, how pathetic they are : http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/693333-dark-souls-ii/69929199
Plus the game was made by From Software B-Team, without Mizayaki support (telling that everything is okay was just talk about cash), so I know now that possible are some of things that make the game as it is....Sorry for bad English, not my main language...

You suck troll, lol

da f**k man, if you wanna to post comment like that, then better shut up