Dark Souls II Reviews

I played the first Dark Souls and defeated Ornstein and Smough up to new game+ with a controller, so maybe it’s because of my muscle memory the fact that I found myself so uncomfortable while playing with a keyboard and mouse. Maybe, if you’re a new player who hasn’t played any of the Souls games yet, a keyboard and mouse might work for you, but for me, there really is no chance. If you have a controller, Dark Souls II works splendidly, it actually feels subtly more responsive than the first Dark Souls, which is absolutely fantastic.

Dark Souls is more than just a game. It's a genre-defining creation that has shaped the landscape for modern gaming as many developers try to replicate its foundation. From its punishing yet rewarding combat to its immaculate interconnecting levels, Dark Souls remains the prime example of why Soulslikes games are so special to its fanbase. While dodging can feel limiting when locked onto an enemy, and the second half of the game isn't as great as the first, the overall product results in a jo...

Dark Souls III is riveting, emotional, stunning and menacing. It immerses you in a fully realised world packed with secrets and backed by a sublime soundtrack. It’s jaw-dropping throughout and it’s an honour to have experienced. In so many ways it succeeds, but its increased accessibility strips it of the spark that existed in the game that underpins it. Its framework is supported so strongly by Dark Souls I that at times I sensed the game desperately wished to recapture the sacred “something” of its predecessor. Having to stand on the shoulders of such a giant is a tough task that Dark Souls III does tremendously well and it provides a fitting conclusion to such a decorated series. I’ve seen many reviews and general comments saying this is the best Souls yet. It’s not as clear cut for me, but it’s still an unmissable experience that’ll make other games pale in comparison.

From the moment the game starts it’s clear that this game was made side-by-side with Bloodborne. There are elements at play here that are so clearly pulled from that game but it comes off as someone watching a chef cook a dish, and attempting to replicate it without understanding why the chef mixed those ingredients together in the first place. Dark Souls is a slow game. You could always play it somewhat aggressively but it was mainly meant to be played in a more cautious and defensive manner which is why Bloodborne was such a breath of fresh air with its shift to a more intense, fast-paced style of combat. Dark Souls 3 falters in this regard because it’s attempting to mix the two types of gameplay together without realizing what made each work in its own separate way. Enemies are fast in this game, Bloodborne fast, but your character still rolls and moves in the same sluggish way you did in previous Souls games. Bloodborne balanced the more aggressive, speedier enemies by making your character faster and encouraging a riskier, more aggressive style of play with elements like being able to recover health by attacking an enemy after being hit yourself. Bloodborne also replaced the roll with a dash that always kept you in a stance for attacking and the weapons themselves were all much faster than they are in Dark Souls. Your weight, a key stat in Dark Souls, is practically nonexistent in Bloodborne with weight being a hidden stat that only minimally affected your stamina regen rate; other than that you could pretty much equip whatever you wanted and dash all over the place. Everything in Bloodborne was altered to fit this new style of play but Dark Souls 3 takes a piece of this puzzle and tries to force it into a different set.

Dark Souls 3 is the not-so-long awaited sequel to 2014’s Dark Souls 2, the series of Action RPGs from From Software which has earned their fanbase through punishing difficulty. When I sat down a little more than a week ago with the PC port of Dark Souls 3, I expected a familiar yet different sort of experience. And Dark Souls 3 is familiar, indeed. In fact, hot on the heels of Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3 feels a little too familiar.

Born in sin, come on in.

Dark Souls II lives up to the series' reputation for being unrelentingly difficult- but it's worth digging in your heels and spending a lot of time with it. The PC port is just as good, if not better than it's console counterpart, but you're going to want to use a gamepad. Using a keyboard is possible, and there's even a few mods out there to make it more functional and ergonomic, but it's still clunky and unintuitive compared to using a controller.

I was expecting far less from Dark Souls II's PC version – though I never actually got to play the first Dark Souls on PC, I'd heard plenty negative about it.

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Dark Souls II marks the third entry in From Software's series of action RPGs. Investigate within to discover if this game truly has soul, or if it has forgotten the face of its father.

Dark Souls 2 may not match up to its predecessor, but it gets close enough to be an utterly outstanding game.

Is the sequel everything we hoped it to be or is it a disappointment?

When Dark Souls landed on my doorstep some two and half years ago, initially I wasn’t crazy about it. I distinctly recall those first few hours into Dark Souls and how it tested my every last nerve. I never played Demon Souls, so I had no clue what Dark Souls was all about. At the time I was accustomed to mainstream games who spoon feed us along the way. This was not Dark Souls. It was a game that had no map, no directional arrows, no crusty characters to tell me where to go, no super power strength and no bad-ass weaponry. Oh and I didn’t just die, I died frequently. To the point where my controller felt the brunt of my frustration a few more times than I care to admit. Yet I kept coming back for more unforgiving, torturous, and ridiculously hard punishing gameplay. I can’t quite explain it but it was one of those games that stuck in your head well after you set the controller down. Dark Souls wound its way into my very fabric. To the point where I had Dark Souls II scribbled down on my calendar many months ago.

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How do you follow up an adventure often described as the hardest game ever made? Why, by dropping you, a cursed hero, into the mystical land of Drangleic and letting you figure everything out for yourself, of course.

With its foul intentions clear, Dark Souls 2 is a behemoth either way. It’s the best worst game ever created. Designed to be flawed, unforgivable beyond redemption and yet it’s robust enough to withstand any criticism. This is not a game for anyone, as there’s only contempt here, yet there will be many who will find its titillation pleasing, however twisted that may be, through sheer prowess in other facets. It’s rare for a game like that to exist, if it exists at all. No game gets slack like this one does. Prepare to die.

While the upgraded visuals and performance don’t change the core of Dark Souls 2 — this is still the same game it was on console — my latest playthrough on PC has without a doubt been my favorite. If you’ve been patient and have the option to play it on PC, this is absolutely the best platform for From Software’s masterpiece.

I awaken, face down, on a stone slab. My clothes are tattered and encrusted with blood, my memory is hazy. Small creatures scatter in my wake as I stumble towards the only source of light up ahead. An ominous set of footprints lead up to a hulking, one-eyed creature but I resist the urge to rush over and lay into him with my fists. After all, life is precious right? I wander into the nearby cottage for a discussion with a group of crones and my memories slowly return. As does a swish new outf...

As a cursed individual banished to Drangleic, it’s your goal to collect the requisite souls required to prevent yourself from becoming a hollow while learning about the mysteries that surround you. This may be a sequel to Dark Souls, but it exists very much in a realm of its own, and doesn’t rely too heavily on the series’ previous story.

Rest assured if you liked Dark and Demon’s you will like Dark Souls II. I was skeptical at first given the proposed changes, but ultimately I had an enjoyable time as I was aimlessly exploring its world and dying over and over to its bosses. Although the loss of Miyazaki stings a bit (particularly in the boss design department), I think this new team did an excellent job without him, and I’d love to see yet another Souls entry as soon as possible.