Dark Souls II

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1483 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,133 out of 1483
  2. Mixed: 182 out of 1483
  3. Negative: 168 out of 1483
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  1. Makaveli
    Aug 18, 2014
    7
    Changing my review based on the hype train that I was on before.. I beat the game many many times.
    I will say that it isn't nearly as good as the first Dark Souls in my opinion..
    The world itself is really linear and some of which does not make sense ( elevator up to a volcano) It lacks the creative excellence of the world design from Dark Souls 1.. Dark Souls 1s world was expertly    Changing my review based on the hype train that I was on before.. I beat the game many many times.
    I will say that it isn't nearly as good as the first Dark Souls in my opinion..

    The world itself is really linear and some of which does not make sense ( elevator up to a volcano)
    It lacks the creative excellence of the world design from Dark Souls 1.. Dark Souls 1s world was expertly crafted so everything interconnected with each other and actually comparing the map viewer of these two games, you can clearly see that Dark Souls 1 was well thought out while Dark Souls 2 was not.

    The bosses do not compare to the first Dark Souls either. Most bosses are boring to fight, you can circle almost every boss without consequence . All bosses pretty well have the same move-set if you pay attention.

    Hitboxes are worse in this game than the first, and a game that is centered around its combat it has to be good, and in Dark Souls. Also, enemies spin/track you without moving their feet, it looks pretty bad.

    The game was just fan-service, I am also tired of people talking about difficulty as if that was the thing that made the series good... NO!.. Veterans of the series who watched interviews from Miyazaki would know that the series was never suppose to be about its difficulty, it was about overcoming a challenge and then being rewarded for it. They were very challenging games, but Dark Souls 2 tries too hard to be difficult just for the sake of being difficult. It is not a difficult game but you can clearly see that they tried to make it hard just by adding hoards of enemies that you have to fight, and most people will not fight them with melee so they cheese the hell out of these enemies, making it boring...
    In Dark Souls 1 you could cheese everything too, but you actually wanted to fight stuff int hat game, not like Dark Souls 2 where you either cheese an enemy or you just run passed everything.

    For people who like to manage their soul level ( which was a big part of Dark Souls and Demon Souls) are forced to level up or try and run from all enemies in the game because they do not want to increase their soul memory. For these people there is little to no reason to fight any of the enemies, or even help people with bosses.
    They broke their own mechanic of hollowing, you can now have a ring that if you die, you will not lose anything, Dark SOuls had this too but once it broke it was gone forever, Dark Souls 2 you could just keep repairing the ring which most people do and thus ruining the effigy system.

    There is no fear of losing your souls once you get that ring and as I said before, most people will use it , as you can tell because every time I invade someone you hear their ring break when they die.

    The duel wielding/ power stance weapons are very cool and I'm glad they finally implemented it.

    Now, don;t get me wrong it is still a good game but Dark Souls 2 lost its "soul" and I can go on and on about the faults of this game, but I will leave it there. I still like the game but it just feels like it has hit casual status( not talking a but difficulty)

    --- I will note that this has nothing to do with "Rose tinted glasses" I played Demon Souls 1st and I enjoyed the first Dark Souls slightly better. I fail to see how anyone can think Dark Souls 2 is better. Dark Souls 2 has more content but half the quality, and I take quality over quantity any day..    … Expand
  2. Norfel
    Mar 25, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is my first time writing a review for this site. Dark Souls 2 was one of the games I was most excited to play, as a fan of the series in general I looked forward to what the future would bring. In some respects, it delivered, the challenge was mostly intact, and the ability to customize, and gear out your character is better than ever.

    I initially held back on writing a review, however as I have now finished the game, I feel i can judge it more appropriately. It may sound bad, but it is more a symptom of being disappointed, and let down in critical areas.

    I suppose it feels somewhat devoid of the 'soul', which comes as little surprise to me, though I had hoped it would not be so despite the needless removal of Hidetaka Miyazaki, who directed both the previous Souls games. This manifests itself in a number of ways.

    The area design, both in aesthetics, and connectivity to one another feels disjointed and uninspired, like many areas would not really be able to connect to one another unlike in Dark Souls, where the connections were more or less reasonable and made sense. There is also a lack of awe, sorrow, fear, or desolation, and the locations feel more like video game levels, than places people may have once lived in, long ago. The washed out look created by having to axe the impressive lighting does not help. Whereas previously, many of the locales could somewhat tell you their story, as you traversed them. Discovering the bodies in New Londo, and seeing the sacrifice that was willingly made to keep the Darkwraiths entombed, that sort of thing.

    The bosses and npcs this time around, there certainly are a great deal of them, however it feels a lot as though the designers opted for quantity over individual quality. There is a depressing disposability to them, not one of them is seemingly as memorable as the characters met in either Dark Souls, or Demon's Souls.

    The bosses and enemies especially have disappointed me in many ways, the biggest disappointment being the apparent overuse of large, armored humans with polearms in place of more unique, grotesque/strange designs. Nashandra, Vendrick and the Ancient Dragon have the dubious honor of being possibly some of the worst bosses in the entire series, the Ancient Dragon especially being rather terrible and disappointing after Kalameet, who was a fantastic dragon boss from Dark Souls.

    The art design and style in general does not feel as inspired, or interesting either. I know, that with the previous games Miyazaki had quite a hand in the designs, he would speak with designers at length, and approve each design based on his ideas and sensibilities. The story itself also feels less developed, like it was made intentionally vague and obtuse in such a way to emulate Miyazaki's style without understanding it.

    On the more technical side, issues are prevalent as well. With the announcement of dedicated servers, many assumed it would alleviate previous problems with lag. Not so apparently. Lag and connection issues still rear their ugly heads, and the performance of the game on PS3 is especially heinous, with worse overall framerate and loading times than even the first game.

    I am perplexed as well by some other issues, some that were fixed in the first game and seemingly forgotten for the second. Namely:

    1. Non-respawning enemies such as the crystal lizards no longer give you their loot as soon as you kill them, if you die you can miss the loot forever.
    2. Lock on radius had to be patched to be greater.
    3. Scaling had to be patched to be stronger and not so inferior to elemental.
    4. Pyromancy, was too powerful and adjusted.
    5. Drop-rates in general of both armor and upgrade materials had to be patched so it was not abysmally low.

    There is also the scandalous issue with the graphics downgrade, while not a major problem to me, is clearly a form of false advertisement, and a more critical problem for others.

    In all, I won't say I didn't enjoy the game, or that I hate it. I'm just disappointed by many of the design choices and the state of the final product. In many ways, it feels not like a 'Souls' game, but a mod, or interpretation of what someone thinks a 'Souls' game should be, an interpretation given by someone who does not fully understand it but tries to emulate it anyways.

    People were right to doubt with the change in presentation seen in the very first reveal trailer, and the way the game has been marketed since.    … Expand
  3. Gamelore
    Mar 31, 2014
    6
    Compared to prior work, Dark Souls II is pretty awful. I feel bad that I waited 2 years and invested as much into it. I feel worse that the savior of traditional video game design sold out.

    - There is no character build specialization (there is abundant "respec") -- in one swoop, this completely removes the primary strategic level of the game. - Enemies not respawning removes most of    Compared to prior work, Dark Souls II is pretty awful. I feel bad that I waited 2 years and invested as much into it. I feel worse that the savior of traditional video game design sold out.

    - There is no character build specialization (there is abundant "respec") -- in one swoop, this completely removes the primary strategic level of the game.
    - Enemies not respawning removes most of the difficulty from regular areas catching you off-guard.
    - While at the same time, NPCs *DO* respawn, so you don't have to be careful around them.
    - Free, unlimited warping anywhere, right from the start, removing the challenge of layout memorization.

    The sad thing is these are all *features* the development team spent resources *adding* to the game. This isn't failure due to a lack of resources. This is intentional failure injected into the game by decision makers (i.e., making it more "accessible" to the much larger playerbase weened on post-16-bit games wanting fast content consumption, always-increasing "progress" and no developed appreciation for RISK AND IMMERSION): In other words, SELLING OUT.

    If you have not played a From Software title, do yourself a favor and don't introduce yourself to their work with this train wreck. The features vainly attempting to appeal to "new" players ironically make it unworthy to be a player's first exposure.    … Expand
  4. Arran97
    Apr 15, 2014
    6
    Dark Souls 2 was a disappointment, it's not a bad game; on the contrary it's quite good, even peaking greatness in some areas. Just comparing it to Dark Souls 1 it falls short; DS2 has more content but has tedious game mechanics, DS2 has a better engine but doesn't look any better, it adds new features (such as touches) but never really fully realizes them. DS2 has more bosses than itsDark Souls 2 was a disappointment, it's not a bad game; on the contrary it's quite good, even peaking greatness in some areas. Just comparing it to Dark Souls 1 it falls short; DS2 has more content but has tedious game mechanics, DS2 has a better engine but doesn't look any better, it adds new features (such as touches) but never really fully realizes them. DS2 has more bosses than its predecessor but the majority of them are either blatant rip offs (playing of nostalgia) or plain, old unoriginal. Even some of the level design are boring. You know the thing which made DS1 a house hold name; its level design. It's a fun game and if you want something for your Dark souls fix, pick this game up. But if you're a new comer, go for the first game. I wanna give this game a 6.9 but Metacritic won't let me.… Expand
  5. AlienSpaceBats
    Apr 10, 2015
    5
    To preface, I've played Demon's and Dark souls extensively, have finished both as numerous classes, and would rate them as two of the best games ever made. It's pretty telling that 4 hours into my first game of DaS II, I ejected the disc and started playing Demon's Souls again.

    This sequel has nothing that the previous games did that made them great, none of the tone and atmosphere is    To preface, I've played Demon's and Dark souls extensively, have finished both as numerous classes, and would rate them as two of the best games ever made. It's pretty telling that 4 hours into my first game of DaS II, I ejected the disc and started playing Demon's Souls again.

    This sequel has nothing that the previous games did that made them great, none of the tone and atmosphere is present, the lucid, elegant design is gone and it looks like a dull, generic, "dark (derp) fantasy" RPG which happens to have the words "Dark Souls" on the box. It's more Dark Souls for the sake of Dark Souls, and it feels like it was made by people who didn't 'get' why the original game(s) were so good. It doesn't feel like a Souls game, and it doesn't really look like one. So as if it could get any more unoriginal, the player is dragged through yet further iterations of the Valley of Defilement/Blighttown and Lost Izalith/Demon Ruins.

    Somehow parry/riposte and backstab has been ruined, enemies have the most ridiculous, insulting tracking, even when landing an overhead blow (they can literally follow you 360 degrees), hitboxes are an absolute joke, weapons and armoured characters act as though don't carry any weight and world progression is catastrophically obtuse. A lot of the time I had no idea where I was going, why I was going there, or what was going on. The game is constantly wanting me to guess what it's thinking which results in my most hated solution: boring and systematic elimination of possibilities. I constantly had to refer to a guide because there are so many leaps in logic/impasses I felt stunned into disbelief. Contrast with DaS, which subtly and economically keeps the player informed of where they need to be going next, either by means of a short cutscene, or talking with a certain NPC.

    AI is incredibly stupid, especially on NPC summons, who are borderline useless and seem to just crane their necks to watch whatever 30ft tall monster we're fighting smash them into a Drangleic pancake. You could never accuse DeS or DaS of cheap, artificial difficulty, but this game has loads of it, introducing awkward mobs of enemies (even in bossfights) instead of actual challenge. Most bosses are unimaginative and repeated (Gargoyles, Ornstein, Queelag's Scorpion cousin) and some, like the Iron King and Royal Rat Authority verge on cheap bullsh*t. FromSoft obviously heard everyone loved the Ornstein & Smough fight, so every other bossfight is a fu*king tag-team, also, most of them seem to have the exact same moveset. Do not get me started on the latency, lag filled puddle of watery faecal matter that is PVP.

    So the first 5-10 hours were most offputting, just awful bland areas and dull enemies. However in places it does become a semi-enjoyable dungeon crawler. Co-op is still good, in fact I had the most fun helping others defeat bosses, except where the game forbids you from dropping your sign because 'f**k you, you're doing this one solo". If it had a different name on the box, reception would be completely different. Dark Souls II does NOTHING better than the first game(s), and gets most of what it should get right, wrong. Bad design, bland, forgettable, most irritating game I played in 2014/15. Thankfully, this one has high resale value, I have no desire to ever touch or even finish it ever again.    … Expand
  6. Tirekyll
    Jun 25, 2014
    7
    A good game, not the greatest, but good.
    The start is a little rocky, you quickly learn that Dark Souls 2 is entirely linear and some areas can't be accessed early in the game. That's fine and dandy though annoying when compared to Dark Souls and Demon Souls which allowed the player to choose the path they wanted to take.
    As you can tell by the rating though, it isn't all bad, or even    A good game, not the greatest, but good.
    The start is a little rocky, you quickly learn that Dark Souls 2 is entirely linear and some areas can't be accessed early in the game. That's fine and dandy though annoying when compared to Dark Souls and Demon Souls which allowed the player to choose the path they wanted to take.

    As you can tell by the rating though, it isn't all bad, or even close. The game maintains its difficulty from the previous two incarnations by FromSoft even though at times to a more casual gamer, some deaths seem cheap. The new menu layout is a huge upgrade from DS/DkS, however I personally find it a bit less twitchy.

    I don't really want to give much away, but I will say having friends for this game will make it a lot more enjoyable. If you can, do yourself a favor and get the limited edition of the game for some extra equipment that will save you a lot of frustration at the beginning of Dark Souls 2.

    Overall, my ratings are
    Gameplay: 7/10 I never had the issues most people seemed to, but it still felt a bit clunky on PS3
    Graphics: 9/10 The game looks really good compared to its predecessors
    Sound: 6/10
    Fun: 9/10 If you have friends, 6/10 if you don't
    Replayability: 2/10 I can't see playing this game again, beating it once alone is enough for me    … Expand
  7. James_Russell
    Apr 21, 2014
    7
    I kept waiting for moments like:

    -the Asylum Demon dropping down minutes after starting the gane -the drake landing in front of you in the undead berg -the taurus demon running at you -barely making it to the first blacksmith -queelag appears -ringing both bells -iron golem -TARKUS TARKUS TARKUUUUUUUUUUUUUS -the rafters in anor londo -the archers -bulk and skull -Sif's intro    I kept waiting for moments like:

    -the Asylum Demon dropping down minutes after starting the gane
    -the drake landing in front of you in the undead berg
    -the taurus demon running at you
    -barely making it to the first blacksmith
    -queelag appears
    -ringing both bells
    -iron golem
    -TARKUS TARKUS TARKUUUUUUUUUUUUUS
    -the rafters in anor londo
    -the archers
    -bulk and skull
    -Sif's intro
    -fighting artorious
    -kalameet
    -getting your souls back after being rused by Seath
    -gwyn's fight and the music

    I could go on, but nothing grabbed me in 2 like those moments, I kept waiting for something big to happen but it never did. For me, there was a lot more content in 2, but a lot less substance.    … Expand
  8. Gravypie
    May 18, 2014
    5
    I've played and completed Demon's Souls three times and Dark Souls twice, so I was looking foward to Dark Souls 2 a lot. I have been very disappointed with what From Software have the nerve to call a sequel.
    It's clear that most of Froms' staff had been put onto working on the new PS4 ip and the unlucky few have been left to throw out this unimaginative, bland and lacklustre excuse. Where    I've played and completed Demon's Souls three times and Dark Souls twice, so I was looking foward to Dark Souls 2 a lot. I have been very disappointed with what From Software have the nerve to call a sequel.
    It's clear that most of Froms' staff had been put onto working on the new PS4 ip and the unlucky few have been left to throw out this unimaginative, bland and lacklustre excuse. Where are the huge majestic monsters? Where are the haunting imaginative locales? Why am I bored? Yes BORED!
    The environments are plain. There is a massive over-use of the same scenery...another burning body boulder anyone? And the regular enemies are just humanoids in armour over and over again. Also, most of the scenery looks like a good effort on a PS2.
    Two words explain this pitiful mess. Rush Job.
    Pull your finger out From Software, this is too good a franchise to get lazy with. Other software houses will make their own versions and we'll all go elsewhere.    … Expand
  9. GlobalNightmare
    Apr 10, 2014
    6
    I loved Demon's souls. I loved Dark souls. So much so, I felt the compulsion to grab all those tricky trophies and finish them both completely. I had high hopes for the sequel.

    I was able to look past the graphical downgrade, because lets face it, it's not all about looks is it? As bad as it looks, I carried on regardless. I quite liked the hollow/human system, and the fact that you    I loved Demon's souls. I loved Dark souls. So much so, I felt the compulsion to grab all those tricky trophies and finish them both completely. I had high hopes for the sequel.

    I was able to look past the graphical downgrade, because lets face it, it's not all about looks is it? As bad as it looks, I carried on regardless.

    I quite liked the hollow/human system, and the fact that you can warp bonfire to bonfire at the get-go. I also liked the vast amount of places to visit. Unfortunately, I felt unsatisfied upon finishing the game.

    The game becomes less enjoyable and confusing the deeper you get into it. There is only a vague explanation to what it is you're doing in Drangleic, and there is a great lack of explanation on where to go to finish your quest. Sure, there is plenty of lore to find and read through but it's all too vague. It is so easy to become lost and frustrated on where to go next it can become a real pain. For example I had no idea where to find the final boss, and I didn't understand the relevance of the "giant souls" as it was not explained. As least in the original you had a clear idea of what you were doing, and who you had to defeat in order to link the fires and end the curse to finish the game.

    An introduction to "soul level" restricts multiplayer and invader interaction. Infusing weapons is far too easy, and boss soul weapons are weak and too easy to craft. There not even worth creating as they're so underpowered

    I must say though the combat was pretty solid, if a little glitchy at times.

    All in all, Dark souls 2 feels rushed, unfinished, and disappointing.

    It's not a complete disaster mind you, there is some fun to be had here, I just wish more time had been spent of it's flaws.    … Expand
  10. aadms
    Jul 6, 2015
    5
    Let's be honest here. The difficulty level in this game is mostly the clunky combat. And even when you have that done to a fine art of clunkyness, you have to go to your campfire and reset the whole level while you rest your weapon. Yes, your weapon isn't very good for a while so you have to take your time, attack the same enemies, rinse and repeat. It has its moments of satisfaction,Let's be honest here. The difficulty level in this game is mostly the clunky combat. And even when you have that done to a fine art of clunkyness, you have to go to your campfire and reset the whole level while you rest your weapon. Yes, your weapon isn't very good for a while so you have to take your time, attack the same enemies, rinse and repeat. It has its moments of satisfaction, but those time are literally few and far in between. Plus, the Japanese have a very strange sense of story telling. Not bad, just strange. It's like watching one of their commercials. Not a bad game overall, but I just don't have the patience to go through hours of boredom to finish this game.… Expand
  11. mrnice
    Dec 1, 2014
    6
    Update: Having now played the predecessor, I found much of the lore, visuals, and even level concepts to be reused in DSII. It makes way less sense in terms of world design, and everything that seemed carefully thought out in Dark Souls seems thrown into II as "hey this idea could be pretty cool too!". Ultimately, Dark Souls is a more artful game. For this, I subtract one point from theUpdate: Having now played the predecessor, I found much of the lore, visuals, and even level concepts to be reused in DSII. It makes way less sense in terms of world design, and everything that seemed carefully thought out in Dark Souls seems thrown into II as "hey this idea could be pretty cool too!". Ultimately, Dark Souls is a more artful game. For this, I subtract one point from the score.

    ( written July 2014: )
    Even after nearly 50 hours, there were still a few optional areas to beat, plus multiplayer battles. That kind of longevity is impressive in such an intense action game. The areas are varied and offers many surprises. The game rarely moves focus from the action, however, and there are loads of action games for PS3, so I'm not sure DS2 is a standout. In terms of artwork and scope, it's phenomenal, but the story and the non-action gameplay could have been more expertly crafted and brought more into focus.

    One optional but significant puzzle was so unintuitive that I feel inclined to subtract a whole point for it. The whole non-combat part exists in the background and only pops up when you interact with the environment, or when the story takes a subtle turn. The game ended abruptly, beautifully but without much closure. There's a Youtube critique done by 'Matthewmatosis' which explains very well how DS2 is far from perfect. It contains spoilers, so I'm just gonna tell you that there are lots of little things, and that the story doesn't really make any sense apart from the very broad strokes. Oh yeah, and the bosses are similar, and pretty much all enemies require the same approach in melee, no strategies or variations required. Just dodge, strike and repeat, with an occasional healing item thrown in.

    Overall, the game is a pretty, bombastic, fantastic spectacle. But is that all we should expect from visual media, eye candy?... When it could be a problem-simulator, a laboratory, a true playground. Instead, it forces you through hours of slashing and bashing on similar objects. It pretends to be more serious and deeper than a CoD game, but in the end, it plays on the same strengths, which is to impress with spectacle. There could be a deep message in there, as well as some playful and curious mechanics. Maybe that stuff is just reserved for other genres    … Expand
  12. EverFortune
    Apr 4, 2014
    6
    I see a lot of tens across the board, but I don't really find that fair for a game with no story, battle animations that don't match up with enemies' hit range, and painfully long loading times (this is key due to the amount of times you will die). I'll grant that the landscapes are gorgeous, the weapon selection is vast, and leveling system is pretty gnarly, but that's not enough forI see a lot of tens across the board, but I don't really find that fair for a game with no story, battle animations that don't match up with enemies' hit range, and painfully long loading times (this is key due to the amount of times you will die). I'll grant that the landscapes are gorgeous, the weapon selection is vast, and leveling system is pretty gnarly, but that's not enough for anywhere near a perfect score.

    The fans of this game always try to make it out that if we don't like it, we just don't "get it" as if the fault lies with us, but if a game doesn't motivate me to keep pushing forward even though i just paid 60 dollars for it, some of the blame has to be with the game itself    … Expand
  13. UCA
    May 5, 2014
    5
    It's a diffcult game. But I think this game is too simple because you really only can be two skills, dodge an attack and attack with your weapon or magic.
  14. blue_wat
    May 27, 2014
    6
    This game is good, but it's not without its problems. The game has some serious audio issues, menu issues, and issues rendering players (host/invader) from afar. A great game no doubt and worth the price of admission, but having played it for 200+ hours I feel like it should have been a next gen title.
  15. MaxPayneIsGod
    May 21, 2015
    5
    I see what they're trying to do here I really do, problem for me is that I've seen it all before. Being a Souls veteran, as veteran as one can be, after putting well over 100 hours into DS1 I just simply fail to see any significant forward progress in DS2. The best way to put is is DS2 lacks the atmosphere of DS1, the exploration is gone and the horror of encountering a new enemy or bossI see what they're trying to do here I really do, problem for me is that I've seen it all before. Being a Souls veteran, as veteran as one can be, after putting well over 100 hours into DS1 I just simply fail to see any significant forward progress in DS2. The best way to put is is DS2 lacks the atmosphere of DS1, the exploration is gone and the horror of encountering a new enemy or boss is lost, because I've seen it all before. Technically DS2 is marginally better than DS1, and so it should be, but these things do not interest me, core gameplay does, problem here is, I've seen it all before. I thought, I thought and I tried to get into DS2 but I couldn't, because I've been there and seen it all before. I did get that same Souls buzz after offing the bosses but sadly its just not enough any more. It is apparent that there is a new genre of game being pioneered by the Souls style of hardcore difficulty and grinding. Its just not for me. Dark Souls 1 was a masterpiece in every way, Dark Souls 2 is like it's younger brother, trying to live up to what big brother achieved. To summarize Dark Souls 2 is ONLY for gamers who play and enjoy this type of game and who're die hard fans of the franchise or new to it and want something to push their limits of gaming. Lastly Dark Souls 2 is NOT too hard, it is about learning patterns and upgrading stats.. Not my idea of enjoyment, any m.ore… Expand
  16. JMD
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    I see below someone describing the game as "easily one of the greatest RPGs of the generation" when the game isn't even the best game in the series. In fact, its the least good of the three.

    I should follow that by saying that Dark Souls II is a good game. If your expectations were low, it will meet them. But as a fan of the series I was disappointed by how little it innovated upon the    I see below someone describing the game as "easily one of the greatest RPGs of the generation" when the game isn't even the best game in the series. In fact, its the least good of the three.

    I should follow that by saying that Dark Souls II is a good game. If your expectations were low, it will meet them. But as a fan of the series I was disappointed by how little it innovated upon the franchise. It seems pointless to praise the game as its virtually just a carbon copy of Dark Souls with a new locale and new enemies to fight. I can't give the game any NEW praise that I haven't already given to the previous two entries which are both superior.

    The game ultimately fails in three key areas.
    1 - The graphics that were displayed prior to the game's release are not the graphics you will see in the game. There are countless side-by-side screenshots that depict this. It's something that's becoming more and more common sadly in the industry, but in my opinion this was the worst case of it ever. I noticed it from the very moment the game started.
    2 - The bosses are all serviceable but are nothing we haven't seen before. They are by far the weakest bunch in the series and I struggle to name one from the game that I would put amongst the Top 10 Bosses throughout the series.
    3 - I wore the same piece of armour the entire game. I really have nothing to add other than that. This pissed me off so much. Part of an RPG is finding loot and equipping it. A piece of armour I found very early in the game was statistically unbeatable for my character class throughout the whole game. This deprived of a huge slice of fun from the first two games.

    Dark Souls II is a good game. If you liked the first two, buy it. But I completely scoff at it's Metacritic of 91. I really don't understand how it achieved that score. If we are to go by Metascore, it is the highest of the three games. And yet it's user score is the lowest of the three games. Why the disparity? Perhaps the hardcore fans were the ones that noticed the minor flaws, and not the reviewers.    … Expand
  17. Carrottoes
    May 25, 2014
    7
    Having now spent over 100 hours in Dark Souls 2 I can firmly say that it is inferior to it's two predecessors in most every way imaginable. The map is atrocious, the enemies attacks hit you when you aren't near them, the online is terrible with the addition of soul memory. Two notable features which are neat on the outside looking in being NG+ having new items and Soul Vessels (the abilityHaving now spent over 100 hours in Dark Souls 2 I can firmly say that it is inferior to it's two predecessors in most every way imaginable. The map is atrocious, the enemies attacks hit you when you aren't near them, the online is terrible with the addition of soul memory. Two notable features which are neat on the outside looking in being NG+ having new items and Soul Vessels (the ability to reset stats) actually kill any hopes for multiple PvP builds which you could easily do in the previous games. Some of the bosses are okay but some are just an enemy in a small church. In NG+ the bosses apparently get harder however it appears that instead of changing the boss From just added more enemies in the boss area and called it a day. The story and overall atmosphere, which made Demon's and Dark Souls unique, is all but missing in this. Dark Souls 2 isn't a bad game, don't get the wrong idea I have had some amount of fun playing this but also frustration when I die from the poor hitboxes as well. If you've played the other games I recommend giving this one a try otherwise you should play the others and ignore this one.… Expand
  18. Zulos
    Apr 12, 2014
    6
    This game... man i had high hopes for it to be legendary in comparison to Dark Souls 1 but it fell short in a few ways for the PvE aspect of the game. Many boss fights just were too easy with a Dexterity character which is pretty sad because straight up Dex and Strength builds **** blow in this game. There was very little epic music in this game, i loved the hell out of the soundtrack forThis game... man i had high hopes for it to be legendary in comparison to Dark Souls 1 but it fell short in a few ways for the PvE aspect of the game. Many boss fights just were too easy with a Dexterity character which is pretty sad because straight up Dex and Strength builds **** blow in this game. There was very little epic music in this game, i loved the hell out of the soundtrack for Dark Souls and especially Demon's Souls (with its amazing intro). I wont talk much about the PvE because it's not the real issue here, it's the PvP. The PvP only and when i say only i mean ONLY full of casters of all types that can all one-shot with the press of one button. I have not been parried once or guard-broke once because no one **** goes for them. With how one-sided the fights i get are i still manage to beat these buttholes using all these under-powered setups with my simple dual falchion, dual poison dagger, target shield, and shadow dagger build. I have 2500+ of play time on Dark Souls 1 and seeing how horrid the PvP is makes me want to vomit. This Dom **** created the "Mega mule" for Dark Souls 2 within 3 weeks after the game's release, completely ruining NG+ PvP. I invaded someone that used 10 divine blessings and any Dark Souls 1 veteran would know what is terrible about that, I was a dragon spirit that had the choice of healing but i didn't and only managed to kill him because i was an OP sorcerer build. Now for anyone who thinks magic is for **** or wimps i completely agree and i'm telling you that in Dark Souls 2 you will be killed 9/10 times with a Dex or Strength build, I have parried people **** loads of times in PvP but they go and chug their Sunny-D and then i get one-shotted by a spell, so GG From Software on ruining the PvP, I just hope someone out there still plays Dark Souls 1 because I can't stand this $60 turd.… Expand
  19. ArcaneJelly
    Mar 31, 2014
    6
    This game is a mixed bag for everyone. Some will say it's the swan song of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, and others will give up just a few hours in. I played the first Dark Souls and I'm not afraid to say that the original is the better choice of the two. It all comes down to a few changes they made to keep it fresh.

    The responsiveness in Dark Souls 2 is way beyond most gaming    This game is a mixed bag for everyone. Some will say it's the swan song of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, and others will give up just a few hours in. I played the first Dark Souls and I'm not afraid to say that the original is the better choice of the two. It all comes down to a few changes they made to keep it fresh.

    The responsiveness in Dark Souls 2 is way beyond most gaming standards. Some of the tightest controls to come out with an RPG and the greatest feeling of achievement when finally taking down a boss. But I'm sorry to say that if you compare it to the original Dark Souls, you'll be quite surprised how it doesn't add up. The sequel should have the far superior combat, right? Sadly, this is not the case. Item usage is mostly sloppy, and hitboxes are mostly precise, but some bosses and enemies have absolutely awful hitboxes all around. I'm not sure if the enemies are meant to be fought that way, but in either cases is feels unfinished. Not to talk about the critically huge difficulty spikes that happens way to often. Especially the bosses are unforgiving and punishing, and most of them requires you to bring a partner to even have a chance. This is not how the series was meant to be played, and in my opinion is a flaw rather than a mechanic. Finally I would like to note that Dark Souls 2 takes the most annoying aspect of Dark Souls 1 and brings it to a whole new level... Ganging up enemies against you.

    So the combat is a step down. How about the rest of the game?

    The lore in Dark Souls 2 feels a tad bit incomplete. I never had a distinct feeling of the area's history whenever I'd discover it like I would in the original Dark Souls. And the world isn't as interconnected as it's older brother, and misses a feeling of mystery. Little to no characters has a story you feel a need to discover and some feels like they didn't even need to be in the game. Maybe if I felt like reading a lot i might get a slight idea of what their story is, but to be honest that feels out of place. To be honest, if they left most of the "lore" out, it wouldn't feel less incomplete. Missing information, boring and bland characters, and a world made of mediocrity. This game makes some MOBA lore feel like the greatest piece of art ever written. Someday i might just read all of the Dark Souls 2 lore on the internet and feel like it failed to deliver.

    hopefully the third installment of the series (Which I'm sure will happen at some point) will fix the mistakes and make a game that's just as good as the original. I can only hope.    … Expand
  20. StllBreathnButY
    Mar 15, 2014
    7
    If it ain't broke don't fix it.

    That's the advice From Software ignored when making this game. Dark souls style may not appeal to a lot of people, but it was such a masterful game, damn near perfect. Dark souls 2 "refines" the experience with lots of changes to gameplay, balance issues, and lack of accessibility from the previous game. While playing DS2 it IS clear that From is on    If it ain't broke don't fix it.

    That's the advice From Software ignored when making this game. Dark souls style may not appeal to a lot of people, but it was such a masterful game, damn near perfect. Dark souls 2 "refines" the experience with lots of changes to gameplay, balance issues, and lack of accessibility from the previous game.

    While playing DS2 it IS clear that From is on top of every little detail about their game. The issues I have with this game are nothing that was overlooked, but rather, deliberate changes to the formula that almost completely ruin my enjoyment of the game. While they admirably address things from the previous game that seemed redundant or flawed, the changes they made create new problems in themselves.

    By far, the biggest issue with the game is the finite enemies. This is no doubt a measure that was implimented to stop people from grinding to get souls. After you kill an enemy a certain amount of times, they stop respawning. It seems like a glitch at first, until you notice the pattern. It feels like a slap in the face and goes against what the game is all about, to a degree. I legitimately killed enemies, died, respawned, and repeated, without making my way to the next bonfire. However, since I had killed the enemies enough times, they began disappearing, which made getting further easier, since there was much less in my way. I didn't feel like I earned it. The other issue with them disappearing is that I ended up losing lots of souls in the process. With enemies being finite, I now have to play every second of the game stressed out. If I lose some souls, those are souls I can NEVER earn back. So essentially you could run the risk of digging yourself into a huge hole that you can't get out of, forcing you to start over. This is a long game, having to start over is not fun at all. With finite enemies, this also complicates loot drops, a staple in RPGs. Now the loot is also finite. Farming titanite is a thing of the past. Now the decisions you make on upgrading your weapons are more stressful than ever, since it's not so simple to just go get more. DS1 kept the stress where it was fun, in the combat. I didn't have to fear that I was playing the game wrong and making things harder for myself hours down the line.

    Item durability has been expanded and tweaked. Weapons, armor, and now rings have durability and will break from overuse or damage. In DS1, items breaking was sort of a non issue, as they took a long time to break and were simple enough to fix, since the souls to do it were always around. This time, they break REALLY fast, and cost you precious finite souls to fix. Plus you must progress a bit to unlock the blacksmith who can provide the service. In the early go of it, I nearly was left with no useable weapons, since I couldn't buy any yet and had broken some.

    Some features of the game that aren't meant to be hidden are needlessly obtuse. It took me a while to see how to activate torches, and I still choose not to use them because they don't last long and are hard to come by. I had to look online to find that I had the ability to post messages the WHOLE time, I just wasn't able to do it because I wasn't in living form. I don't play in living form because I will most certainly get killed, as that is the nature of dark souls, and the item needed to become living is hard to come by, once again. I also didn't know how to level up for a while, unfortunately. I didn't like how it has to happen through some weird lady.

    Now, when you die, you lose a portion of your max health, up to 50%, until you use a finite item to revert back to living form. It's stupid, stressful, and a$$ backwards. You die, and the game gets harder?

    Combat feels more cheap this time. So often you'll find battles where you're pitted against a group of enemies, which is always challenging, no matter how "weak" they are. DS1 rarely made you fight more than one or two at a time, if you were patient enough, allowing you to concentrate on the fundamentals. The very beginning woods section of this game was full of these encounters and was enfuriating. This, coming from a guy who beat dark souls. I know how to play.

    The game was made "more accessible" by including fast travel between bonfires and has a supposedly easier world structure to get started in. First, getting started was not easy at all. Like I said, the woods, which is first, were unbelievably aggravating, since you barely have any gear, and you get swarmed all over. I can't imagine that to be more accessible to a newcomer. Second, fast travel, it's does have its perks. It saves lots of time, but the gameworld is built so sprawling and disjointed. Nothing like the masterful interconnected puzzle that DS1 was. Plus having to go to the main hub area to level up and such is annoying.

    On a good note, the frame rate in this game is Super smooth compared to DS 1. At its best, this game IS great. But not DS1 great.

    I could say more, no more room.    … Expand
  21. asdasd33a
    Mar 29, 2014
    6
    for the game that features single hit death combat as main aspect it has way too many bugs and glitches. While Dark Souls 2 is a good game it has fallen far from the original Dark Souls and Demon Souls that featured close to flawless execution of all game mechanics.
    I can attest that after playing Demon Souls and Dark Souls that all of the deaths I have experienced in those games were    for the game that features single hit death combat as main aspect it has way too many bugs and glitches. While Dark Souls 2 is a good game it has fallen far from the original Dark Souls and Demon Souls that featured close to flawless execution of all game mechanics.
    I can attest that after playing Demon Souls and Dark Souls that all of the deaths I have experienced in those games were result of my bad input where as in Dark Souls 2 I constantly die due to some unknown practices that clearly should not be happening causing me much frustration.

    Here is a list of some bugs/glitches that I have encountered:
    1. dodging is not working properly when dodging just to get outside of hit range and successfully doing so hits still land while character is outside of hit range.
    2. enemy hit miss detection is very wonky. character gets hits while positioned directly behind enemy that is performing frontal attacks and gets still hit. like getting hit while trying to back stab spear man that is poking in the opposite direction.
    3. lock on. fighting multiple enemies and killing one and then getting killed because lock on would not auto target another enemy right in front of me on screen. (option is enabled)
    4. lock on. weapons swinging in the opposite direction or at angle instead of the target. causing miss. causing death. making some weapons unusable with lock on.
    5. enemies stuck in attack mode with infinite stamina and spam lock character in place till guard break and death.
    6. lingering damage after attack is over like steeping into clear air after dragon breath attack has ceased only to die.
    7. randomly respawning enemies without ever touching a bonfire.
    8. using ingame menu to quit the game and dying while that is happening result in character loss.

    Features that do not belong in souls series:
    1. areas featuring infinitely spawning enemies
    2. ledges with loot that cannot be exited without returning to bonfire by death or teleport
    3. jumping mechanics that constantly require to remove equipment to jump further
    4. dropping down makes character automatically roll resulting frequently in death
    5. low health characters build are punished by making some loot and some areas accessible only much later as fall damage is no longer percentage based and some puzzles require taking fire damage for extended periods of time.
    6. most of the boss battles are located in the rooms so small and bosses so large that it creates camera issues and leaves no space to strategically position causing death by constantly dodging into walls.
    7. a lot of boss battles now feature more than a single enemy that cheaply raises difficulty of the fight.
    8. boss rooms sometimes are riddled with edges that can be fallen to the death and other things that do not allow enough room for normal combat. half of the fight time is spent waiting for NPCs to reposition themselves so they can be safely engaged again. that completely destroys the flow of combat.
    9. some enemies/areas seem to require ranged combat only approach
    what I want to underline is that game features a lot of easy bosses made hard through cheap gimmicks

    Overall it would be a good game if it wasn't carrying on the legacy of previous two titles which featured close to perfect gameplay. Dark Souls 2 fails to achieve that perfection and thus disappoints me greatly.    … Expand
  22. JudgeMathew
    May 24, 2014
    5
    The change of staff for Dark Souls II and the idea of allowing the series to become more "accessible" for a larger audience has caused Dark Souls II to be an absolute mess. The original Dark Souls was also a mess, though for subjective reasons, things which I didn't enjoy about the game. The mess that Dark Souls II happens to be, it's a mess caused by bad programming, contradicting story,The change of staff for Dark Souls II and the idea of allowing the series to become more "accessible" for a larger audience has caused Dark Souls II to be an absolute mess. The original Dark Souls was also a mess, though for subjective reasons, things which I didn't enjoy about the game. The mess that Dark Souls II happens to be, it's a mess caused by bad programming, contradicting story, and idiotic decisions for the online play. Dark Souls II does have something going for it, though...and that's the music. Everything was rushed and made horribly for an overall disappointing and unsatisfying experience.… Expand
  23. SpongyTwinkies
    Apr 25, 2014
    7
    There is nothing memorable about this title. The worlds and characters that intrigued me in the first two games, Demon's and Dark Souls, are flat and uninteresting in Dark Souls 2. While some fans are still saying "Praise the sun!," a reference to Solaire of Astora from the previous Souls title, you probably won't hear anything being repeated for characters in this title. This game playsThere is nothing memorable about this title. The worlds and characters that intrigued me in the first two games, Demon's and Dark Souls, are flat and uninteresting in Dark Souls 2. While some fans are still saying "Praise the sun!," a reference to Solaire of Astora from the previous Souls title, you probably won't hear anything being repeated for characters in this title. This game plays more like devolved fan fiction, rather than trying to stand on it's own as an interesting new world.

    There are plenty of other problems with this title: Lazy level design, illogical item progression, boring bosses (some that are nearly cut and paste from the previous Souls game), a story that really can't stand on it's own, and many other issues.

    The game is okay for a short while, but after three builds and one NG+, I called it quits with Dark Souls 2. I'm back to playing the first two games.    … Expand
  24. Caestus
    Apr 23, 2015
    7
    While it is a good game compared to its predecessors it is a disappoitment. The riposte system is akward and the level design is not anywhere near Dark Souls.
  25. DreadLordAvatar
    Jul 13, 2014
    7
    Absolutely interesting, fun, worth the $60 (or $119 I paid for the statue edition). I've played this series to death, a huge fan of Demon and Dark Souls. Does it live up to it's predecessors? Unfortunately no. The story just isn't as intriguing, the changes are odd, and overall not as memorable. I don't have any interest in playing it over again, however, should it be ported to the PS4 IAbsolutely interesting, fun, worth the $60 (or $119 I paid for the statue edition). I've played this series to death, a huge fan of Demon and Dark Souls. Does it live up to it's predecessors? Unfortunately no. The story just isn't as intriguing, the changes are odd, and overall not as memorable. I don't have any interest in playing it over again, however, should it be ported to the PS4 I may give it another chance but it would need a graphics improvement (dark lighting - should have been in the PC version for bloody sake) and better gameplay mechanics/features. As a die hard fan of this series I can only grant it sadly a 7/10. However, it is still worth playing and experiencing for the exploration thrills and RPG challenges, despite the frustrating char/gear build and battle headaches.… Expand
  26. vlankton
    Jul 11, 2015
    7
    This game is such a disappointment compared to demons' souls and dark souls. The combat is slow and boring. the colors are very brown and boring.I liked majula it was a very much like the nexus. The healing is slow and the estus flask was pushed aside. I'm not saying this is a bad game its a disappointing game.
  27. Umaro67
    Mar 17, 2014
    5
    A poorly executed game overall that falls tragically short of what was shown off in playable builds before the game's release. The thrill of surviving against insane odds is still there, and really the only thing that isn't botched in this sad follow up to Dark Souls. The first thing that really baffled me about this game is how poor the framerate is. It constantly struggles, and oftenA poorly executed game overall that falls tragically short of what was shown off in playable builds before the game's release. The thrill of surviving against insane odds is still there, and really the only thing that isn't botched in this sad follow up to Dark Souls. The first thing that really baffled me about this game is how poor the framerate is. It constantly struggles, and often falls into single-digit territory. If you are fighting more than 2 enemies at once, it's worse than a stop-motion movie from the 30's. Combat as a result feels unresponsive and laggy. There is a perpetual sense of disconnection with the character, they do not move naturally, actions like attacks or evades do not always happen exactly when you expect them to leading to blamelessly getting hit or killed by enemies. The lock-on system is still terrible, even more problematic given the streamlined ranged combat new to this game. The level design is confusing, each area almost seems randomly connected to the next and none of them have anything to do with each other, thematically, narratively, or gameplay-wise, it's like a bunch of ideas were thrown on the cutting board and the designers just went with whatever looked best and strung them all together with ladders, a big door, or maybe a tunnel. The torch is unnecessary and essentially annoying because it takes your shield. I also had to look on the internet just to figure out how to even use it. The interface is still clumsy, and still uses those terrible lists assigned to the D-pad you have to scroll through (one-way only) while being attacked or chased or what-have-you just to perform an action as basic as drinking a potion or casting a specific spell. I just started reaching over with my right hand to switch items/spells so I could do it while moving. On top of all this, the game is more difficult than either predecessor and combines the death penalties of both previous games into a side show of arbitrary punishments: slashing your max life (which also lowers your humanity, since in this game you are a zombie...of course) for every death in addition to losing acquired souls (which are used for everything). Which wouldn't be such a nuisance if I didn't die so often from bad game design and troll-like sucker-punches (enemies who spawn right behind you at bad moments, and don't make much of a sound). At this point I think I would rather just play more Demon's or Dark souls, than spend anymore time with this technical mish-mash. I would say this game feels like a 4, but it gets a 5 for at least sticking to its guns of outrageous difficulty above all else. Too bad none of the ideas panned out, this could have actually been a masterpiece.… Expand
  28. Zenzukai
    Mar 17, 2014
    7
    I'm going to say that this is way over rated. Not hard at all, I just run passed goons to bosses. Goons take too many hits and give you barely anything, plus they can one hit you like any boss. I bought the game because of reviews say so good and hard, same old game little different graphics, unneeded annoyances that don't increase difficulty as much as the perception of difficulty. II'm going to say that this is way over rated. Not hard at all, I just run passed goons to bosses. Goons take too many hits and give you barely anything, plus they can one hit you like any boss. I bought the game because of reviews say so good and hard, same old game little different graphics, unneeded annoyances that don't increase difficulty as much as the perception of difficulty. I die because ledges and bad camera angles.… Expand
  29. StrawberryFC
    Mar 14, 2014
    7
    After I pushed past the fact that the game does not look as it was advertised and has many more unacceptable framerate drops than in the original Dark Souls, I was able to find a game worthy, in the most part, of being part of the Souls series. Despite the games recent boost in popularity, From keeps the games challenge intact, and delivers another experience that you won't find reallyAfter I pushed past the fact that the game does not look as it was advertised and has many more unacceptable framerate drops than in the original Dark Souls, I was able to find a game worthy, in the most part, of being part of the Souls series. Despite the games recent boost in popularity, From keeps the games challenge intact, and delivers another experience that you won't find really anywhere else, poor graphics and all.… Expand
  30. ZacOfTheZombies
    Mar 12, 2014
    7
    Dark Souls 2 is a return to form a la Demon's Souls. DS2 combines many aspects of both of the Souls games into one strangely unique experience. As for the pro, the typical list can be read off of the other Souls games but this one comes with it's fair share of faults. The grafics that were shown in the beta and demos are FAR from the finished product and the net code is degrading at anDark Souls 2 is a return to form a la Demon's Souls. DS2 combines many aspects of both of the Souls games into one strangely unique experience. As for the pro, the typical list can be read off of the other Souls games but this one comes with it's fair share of faults. The grafics that were shown in the beta and demos are FAR from the finished product and the net code is degrading at an impressive pace. Given time, the later can be mended but the grafical decrease can not. Other than that, still a very fun ride.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS3 Game of 2014
2
#2 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2014
1
#1 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2014
    92
    Dark Souls 2 bears the torch of Dark Souls with honor. No mean feat! [Apr 2014]
  2. Gamers' Temple
    Apr 16, 2014
    96
    Even more amazing, and difficult, than Dark Souls.
    Read full review
  3. RPGamer
    Apr 16, 2014
    100
    At the end of the day, Dark Souls II uses more subtle changes to find its own flavor and place in the series as a whole, rather than reinventing the wheel.
    Read full review
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