Dark Souls II Announced

[Xeogred]

Both the first two games can be easy after awhile when you get the hang of things. Others could probably argue the real deal starts with NG+?

That said... on the fence about things myself. It's either:
A) This IS the third Souls game after all, perhaps myself/others are higher skilled at this point and having an easier time.
B) My Warrior rocking the Bastard Sword build is completely stomping things. Originally I made a Swordsman going for a Dex/Katana kind of build like I did in the first two, after 6 hours I figured I'd start over and mess around with something else. So I went with Warrior and caught up to that 6 hours of work in 1 hour. Now I've beaten a handful of bosses on my first try and am breezing through things. You still have to be on your toes, but yeah.

So, who knows? If we went back to the first two at this point, would they also be easier now? I still feel like Demon's had the best and more memorable bosses for sure though.

And it's funny how much I'm loving this, it's making me want to go back and play the others again too. These games are just perfect, and the Dark games are as I always like to say, 200% what modern 3D Castlevania should have been. Difficult, Metroidvania, non-handholding. Heck, there's even secret breakable walls!

I probably prefer the environments in this one over Dark. To me this game overall feels like... Demon's 1.5 Dark Remix 1.5 Souls or something, haha.

[MrPopo]

I feel like the big difference between Dark Souls II and the previous Souls game is that the majority of the bosses are humanoid and only somewhat bigger than the player character. The first two games had the majority of the bosses being very large monsters, while the DS2 bosses you can fight more like you would fight against the regular enemies (just with more "must dodge" attacks).

[MrEco]

I feel like the big difference between Dark Souls II and the previous Souls game is that the majority of the bosses are humanoid and only somewhat bigger than the player character. The first two games had the majority of the bosses being very large monsters, while the DS2 bosses you can fight more like you would fight against the regular enemies (just with more "must dodge" attacks).

Yeah, I've noticed that too.



Just finished the game for my first run through today. Going around and trying to clean up some loose ends before I go into NG+ or start a new character.

My thoughts, hmm... honestly I never thought I'd say this, but Dark Souls has Mass Effect syndrome. It's been a long time since I played Demon's Souls, but it feels that way if my memory serves me right. First game has the most interesting world and character interaction, second game loses some of that original charm but improves the gameplay, and then the third game streamlines everything to work even better and has even more depth to the gameplay, but now the world and story are even less interesting.

It's honestly making me like Dark Souls 1 less for being a sort of jack of all trades yet master of none, and appreciate Demon's all the more. Though I have to say of all three this one feels the most "fun." Combat is basically perfect this time and the huge variety of possible weapons spells and character builds make me super excited for multiple playthroughs.

[MrPopo]

End game I ended up completely redoing my build. I had started as a dual wielder, then switched to Havel's + Black Knight Halbard, then endgame I completely respecced to use a Mundane Santier's Spear and the Desert Sorceress gear for looks. The dual blades are pretty awesome to use, in my opinion.

[Stark]

Here's my first experience with DSII:
- Start up game
- Watch intro
- Create character (chose Knight)
- Wander into first area (think to self, "when do I get a weapon?")
- Go into white fog area
- Read something on ground about using two-hands on a weapon
- Do that, seems like I am just punching the air differently
- See dudes
- Get scared as I don't have a weapon and back out
- Wander into village-y type area
- Get annoyed by pig creatures that I can't seem to punch
- Start wondering if I have a weapon already and start poking around
- Look at inventory and see a broadsword and a shield that appear to be equipped
- Try a bunch of buttons to get a sword out
- Drink 4 lifegems when I didn't need to
- Wander into a cistern/underground area, don't see a way out
- Back to the village
- Pigs are annoying me so I kinda run away from them
- Fall off a cliff
- Achievement "This is Dark Souls"
- Quit game

END SCENE

[Retrogamer0001]

I feel like the big difference between Dark Souls II and the previous Souls game is that the majority of the bosses are humanoid and only somewhat bigger than the player character. The first two games had the majority of the bosses being very large monsters, while the DS2 bosses you can fight more like you would fight against the regular enemies (just with more "must dodge" attacks).

It's funny you should mention that because I was thinking the exact same thing. All the bosses being more or less humanoid with similar movesets just makes for a forgettable experience for me. The NPCs were also less interesting. I remember many of the boss fights from the first two games and also the absolute struggle to beat the two final bosses of those games, but in DSII, I beat Nashandra on my third try. She just wasn't difficult - in fact, it seems like only one or two bosses gave me any real trouble at all (Ruin Sentinels and Royal Rat Authority).

[Xeogred]

I wish you guys didn't say that, I was just saying the same thing to bruno. I've trampled through a handful of bosses on my first try and there's been so many big Knight like type bosses, that are pretty easy.

When I think of bosses from Dark, that huge worm like thing in the sewers instantly comes to mind. Stuff like that was nuts. Lot of weird bosses too, like that one that was in the water or something... snakes I think? But, I like weird bosses.

I'm laughing at youtube comments for the Old Dragonslayer track in DS2, people thinking Ornstein was tough here. I completely stomped him in this one and fighting him without his big buddy was easy mode compared to that battle in DS1, haha...

[Retrogamer0001]

Sorry Xeo, but the final five or six bosses are all knights/humans except for the final boss, who wasn't difficult anyway. I'm not saying I didn't like the game, I did, it was just kind of a let-down compared to the first two. It was Dark Souls-lite to me.

[Xeogred]

Pretty funny booting up Dark Souls and Demon's last night just for kicks. It's interesting how the perspective seems slightly different in the game, Demon's feeling a lot closer, and Dark is further back. Demon's almost feels goofy with how fluid it is, a bit too much sometimes, and Dark almost looks the worst to me... like it's not even HD haha. And damn, they did some good work on redoing the menu system for DS2. It's extra weird how flasks/healing in the first two are pretty much instant, for some reason them being a slow gradual thing in DS2 felt natural and I thought that's how I remembered them. I can tell if I went back to the first two games I'd probably do better at this point. I was thinking of picking up Dark after playing DS2 since I'd maybe be able to pull it off, but I don't know... I'm pretty lost and my character build is way different. I'll just have to start over.

[Retrogamer0001]

Did you finish DS2, Xeo? Any thoughts?