Dark Souls II

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1317 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 976 out of 1317
  2. Mixed: 153 out of 1317
  3. Negative: 188 out of 1317
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  1. Type4101
    Mar 13, 2014
    5
    Forced "Player v. Player" annoyances significantly detract from what should be an improvement on the Dark Souls formula. While the theme of the series has always been about difficulty, the previous games always felt fair, and at least offered options to avoid some of the more annoying aspects of the game, like unfair PvP invasions. Even though many fans complained about the PvP of theForced "Player v. Player" annoyances significantly detract from what should be an improvement on the Dark Souls formula. While the theme of the series has always been about difficulty, the previous games always felt fair, and at least offered options to avoid some of the more annoying aspects of the game, like unfair PvP invasions. Even though many fans complained about the PvP of the earlier game, the developers inexplicably upped the ante in DS2, forcing PvP at all times (with no option to avoid), even for those who want no part in it. This results in an annoying situation where players must chose between unplugging their internet connection and playing offline--removing some of the most compelling aspects of the multi-player experience, like the ghostly messages left by other players--or being subject to merciless torture and annoyance. Added to this is a new, ultra-brutal death penalty that permanently reduces your health each time you die (save for the rare item that can restore it), which can leave you in a state where you are unable to continue in the game because you are too weak from being killed by invaders. The end result is that this new version of Dark Souls intentionally alienates players who mostly enjoy a challenging single player experience, instead adding MMO-like guild features, and social clubs. Dark Souls 2 seems like it wants to be enjoyed by only a select type of player (aggressive PvP junkies and griefers) and is less of a game for it. A simple option to play with online message features but avoid PvP would be wonderful, but the developers appear to have no interest in that. Avoid this game unless PvP is what you are about, because that is what Dark Souls 2 is about.… Expand
  2. DevilDjinn
    Sep 29, 2014
    5
    Don't let the high scores fool you!
    This sequal is a huge step back from the previous title. The overall feel of this installment leaves alot to be desired. Poor level design, no sense of direction or urgency, artifical difficulty coming from the way of broken game mechanics, terrible matchmaking mechanics (see soul memory) Unnecessarily tedious task like leveling up, bad hit    Don't let the high scores fool you!
    This sequal is a huge step back from the previous title. The overall feel of this installment leaves alot to be desired. Poor level design, no sense of direction or urgency, artifical difficulty coming from the way of broken game mechanics, terrible matchmaking mechanics (see soul memory) Unnecessarily tedious task like leveling up, bad hit detection/phantom hits, certain gear so over powered, you would be stupid not to use it effectively removing any customization. Unusable weapon classes because of horrendous move sets (im looking at you reapers) forgettable bosses all feeling the same....... the list goes on.
    On a brighter note, i may be describing it as a horrible game, but it still trumps other rpgs out there.
    Being a massive fan of the soul series i was immensely disappointed by this sub par sequal, they have fixed several balance issues associated with the first games, but have created a myrid of other issues.
    spend any serious amount of time playing this game and the cracks will begin to show.    … Expand
  3. SUPERFLY
    Mar 22, 2014
    7
    Dark Souls 2! Praise the Sun.... errrrr not so much.

    Dark Souls 2 is here and I’ve been playing it solid since release and I have a question.... where is the game I was expecting? I mean is this really it? This isn’t the game I saw advertised in all the promotional material. That game was beautiful! This game is not, hell this game doesn’t even look as good as the first. Oh, and then    Dark Souls 2! Praise the Sun.... errrrr not so much.

    Dark Souls 2 is here and I’ve been playing it solid since release and I have a question.... where is the game I was expecting? I mean is this really it? This isn’t the game I saw advertised in all the promotional material. That game was beautiful! This game is not, hell this game doesn’t even look as good as the first. Oh, and then there are the technical issues like covenants that don’t work and no poise in PVP. That’s right I said “NO POISE IN PVP” (Dark Souls players will understand the importance of this). I could go on about the changes in the games structure to a semi open world that never quite lives up to the interconnected glory of the first games design, or the pacing and placement of boss encounters that are used far too frequently so that they end up losing the uniqueness and sense of accomplishment that they held in the first game, but let’s not go there. These major issues aside, is there an enjoyable RPG experience to be had? Yes there is. Will some of the issues be addressed with patches at a later date? Yes they will. Has Namco Bandai / From Software disappointed, disrespected and alienated a large number of their loyal fan / customer base? Oh, hell yes. If you are new to the Dark Souls series please don’t start with this game. Instead play the original and far superior title. Also, this game is getting over rated by fan boys. Please don't be sucked in by 10 out of 10 scores.    … Expand
  4. ActuallyAmDolan
    May 8, 2014
    7
    Dark Souls 2 had a lot to live up to from the moment is was conceived following the smash hit that was its predecessor.
    And simply put, it does not live up to it. It doesn't have as interesting a world, as memorable boss encounters or as intriguing NPCs. It is probably the most dull of the entries into the Souls series.
    And yet, even at its worst, Dark Souls 2 still offers a better    Dark Souls 2 had a lot to live up to from the moment is was conceived following the smash hit that was its predecessor.
    And simply put, it does not live up to it. It doesn't have as interesting a world, as memorable boss encounters or as intriguing NPCs. It is probably the most dull of the entries into the Souls series.
    And yet, even at its worst, Dark Souls 2 still offers a better experience than most other games of this genre to the player. Though the difficulty level has certainly been toned down, the game play and online matchmaking are more refined than they ever have been.
    If you loved the first one as I did, you'll like this one.    … Expand
  5. 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 loss 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
  6. LightningFoxHD
    Jul 19, 2014
    6
    While it's by no means a bad game; Dark Souls II, unfortunately, falls a long way short of the near perfect original Dark Souls. In terms of combat, world design, enemy design and boss design; Dark Souls II just doesn't live up to it's predecessor, or the hype generated prior to release. 10/10 for the cloth physics though :)
  7. Rumblefish
    Mar 20, 2014
    6
    not quite on a par with my favourite game of all time, Dark Souls, but not bad. Sadly, there are a few issues in this instalment that mar the experience. the graphics are really quite bad, enemies appear to be superimposed on to the landscape at times and there are many areas where the screen literally tears in half horizontally as you turn the camera. The game is perhaps a little hardernot quite on a par with my favourite game of all time, Dark Souls, but not bad. Sadly, there are a few issues in this instalment that mar the experience. the graphics are really quite bad, enemies appear to be superimposed on to the landscape at times and there are many areas where the screen literally tears in half horizontally as you turn the camera. The game is perhaps a little harder than the first in some parts but the fact you can repair the ring of sacrifice means you never have to play as undead or ever risk losing any souls after death. Additionally, enemies disappear after you've killed them ten or so times, removing some of the challenge of reaching bosses in difficult areas.

    There is the option to respec which removes some of the importance of your levelling up decisions. The experience just seems a little more forgiving and less unique. there are also a few real annoyances. For example, every time you wish to increase a level you must warp to a certain bonfire and talk to the same NPC who will say the same four lines of dialogue. That can wear a little thin by the hundredth time. Also, you are now unable to see the stats and prerequisites of your items from they are in your lockbox. This means you must take everything out of the box in order to make comparisons. There seem less options to modify your.weapons and although streamlining this removed some of the confusion around upgrades, it has also removed some of the pleasure of fashioning a really powerful weapon. The controls are also not as tight in DS2, your character lurches about at the touch of the joystick.

    The world itself is not as cleverly intertwined as Lordran in DS1 and the story and characters are just not as intriguing or interesting as the first game.

    However, for all its foibles, DS2 remains an outstanding RPG with a lot of variety and dangerous places to explore. After 55 hours, I am still trying to finish the game and unlock its secrets. I have died, I have become exasperated, but I am yet to lose the urge to push on through the fog gate one more time. It's a rare game these days that can dish out heartbreak and euphoria in equal measure but Dark Souls 2 achieves this. It's not the all time classic that its predecessor still is but it's a damn fine game nonetheless.

    I'd give it 8.5 if I could.    … Expand
  8. CrimsonEwok
    Jul 6, 2014
    7
    Dark Souls 2 is a good game, but I feel it is a step down from Dark Souls. I'm not sure if others feel the same, but the way Dark Souls was connected by shortcuts It really made the world feel together. Some points in dark souls 2 don't make sense where they are placed and shortcuts are lame now that you can fast travel. The combat and how it plays feels similar enough to Dark Souls soDark Souls 2 is a good game, but I feel it is a step down from Dark Souls. I'm not sure if others feel the same, but the way Dark Souls was connected by shortcuts It really made the world feel together. Some points in dark souls 2 don't make sense where they are placed and shortcuts are lame now that you can fast travel. The combat and how it plays feels similar enough to Dark Souls so once I got used to it I had fun. Though I was letdown by the bosses in Dark Souls 2 which are mostly all re-skins of bosses from previous games with slightly different moves.So most the bosses felt kind of uninspired except for a few.A little more than half way through the game I was getting a little bored. Probably because I was expecting more.I still completed it, but felt it was missing something. The game was good and worth a purchase, but it is not amazing like Dark Souls.… Expand
  9. Roth_Vantage
    Mar 16, 2014
    5
    A few things flat out ruin the game and render it unplayable. You can warp from the get-go, thus destroying any sense of travel, danger, or dread. The bosses are poorly designed and forgettable, and their over-abundance causes you to over-level and make the game boring. You have to return to the Emerald Herald to level up, thus destroying any immersion and atmosphere built by theA few things flat out ruin the game and render it unplayable. You can warp from the get-go, thus destroying any sense of travel, danger, or dread. The bosses are poorly designed and forgettable, and their over-abundance causes you to over-level and make the game boring. You have to return to the Emerald Herald to level up, thus destroying any immersion and atmosphere built by the zones.There is no story. "You'll die a lot and lose your souls" "Seek larger souls" thanks a lot, why not give me some direction or purpose in the game so I don’t feel like I’m clearing areas for the sake of clearing areas.There is no back-story. The original Dark Souls had a back-story that was told in a cutscene and visually in the world. Dark Souls 2 has no such backstory which causes the placement and order of the zones to feel disjointed and arbitrary. I really can’t believe how flaccid and half-baked Dark Souls 2 is.… Expand
  10. crawlord
    Jun 5, 2014
    5
    This is a step back from dark Souls.
    The ghost damage one can get from a katana R2 etc or the mystical hitbox damage one takes when "out of range" of enemy radius is astounding.
    From seems to want gamers to spend 300+ hours on lackluster arenas that require grinding for example the blue sentinels (10,000) souls per orb.) On PC the game looks excellent , the story nothing to write home    This is a step back from dark Souls.
    The ghost damage one can get from a katana R2 etc or the mystical hitbox damage one takes when "out of range" of enemy radius is astounding.
    From seems to want gamers to spend 300+ hours on lackluster arenas that require grinding for example the blue sentinels (10,000) souls per orb.)
    On PC the game looks excellent , the story nothing to write home about . It is obvious Miyazaki was "busy" getting to be president of from.    … Expand
  11. Nataraja
    Feb 9, 2015
    5
    This game is only for those who consider themselves hardcore and enjoy the challenge of long winded battles and unresponsive controls. If you don't mind dying many, many times so that you can memorize the actions of mobs then this game will appeal to you. It was not so much the dying but the level of punishment for dying (reducing your maximum health) that I was so opposed to. I don'tThis game is only for those who consider themselves hardcore and enjoy the challenge of long winded battles and unresponsive controls. If you don't mind dying many, many times so that you can memorize the actions of mobs then this game will appeal to you. It was not so much the dying but the level of punishment for dying (reducing your maximum health) that I was so opposed to. I don't mind challenge but when the challenge is at this level, to reduce your health upon respawning as a punishment in addition to dropping your souls is over the top. I would be far more likely to spend the effort to over come the obstacle if I were not punished to the point where additional failed attempts would provide even less leeway and bring about a quicker death.

    The story is done well. The lighting is NOT well done. The textures are muddy and archaic. The game is not very accessible and appeals to a particular type of player. Simply put, I don't find the game to be fun or entertaining. Its more of a chore than something that I find enticing.

    I know that some people enjoy very difficult challenges and will bang their head against a boss until they beat it. For them this game will be a must play. There are very few challenges out there like this and if you are masochistic and like to deal with over powered bosses that way over stay their welcome (at least for me) then this game will be a gem.

    I do hope that Bloodborne will be more accessible. Watching the play through that has been recorded during the Alpha it certainly appears to have more variety in the combat and tactics and be more accessible.

    I can only give it 5 out of 10 - for the writing, voice acting and soundtrack.    … Expand
  12. Jub
    Mar 27, 2014
    7
    Part of me wants to rate this game higher, but another wants to rate it less.

    When I completed DS1 I had a genuine sense of relief. When I completed DS2 I was left thinking 'so is that it?'. I found the game far too easy - this might be due to spending so much time playing the first game but I'm not convinced. Even after completing DS1 seven times there are areas/bosses that I still    Part of me wants to rate this game higher, but another wants to rate it less.

    When I completed DS1 I had a genuine sense of relief. When I completed DS2 I was left thinking 'so is that it?'.

    I found the game far too easy - this might be due to spending so much time playing the first game but I'm not convinced. Even after completing DS1 seven times there are areas/bosses that I still find difficult. However, in contrast, I beat most DS2 bosses first try and most of the remainder second try. There were only a few that took more than 2 attempts. And this is with no soul farming - I just played through the game. I played mainly sword and shield and didn't use any magic of any kind.

    I was never a fan of the PvP in DS1 and so I was hoping there would be an improvement here. There isn't. After a few hours of the game I started playing it offline which I enjoyed more - as I was avoiding reading player messages anyway to add to the challenge.

    Improvements:
    -Smoother gameplay eg no more running on the spot trying to step over rocks.
    -Frame rate.
    -Controls.
    -Item/player menus.

    It was alright overall but just didn't feel like the same experience as the first game and nowhere near as rewarding.    … Expand
  13. maiden987
    Dec 3, 2017
    5
    this game is cool BUT WAY TO HARDDDDDDDDDDDDD and thats not fun at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  14. Apjay
    Feb 5, 2015
    5
    This game was a huge step down from the original dark souls and all I can say is it felt rushed. The developers claimed better graphics, more polish. Instead it's big, bland and frustrating. I put 120 hours in the original and loved everything about it. DS2s world had really no exploration at all to it, just clear this area move on to the next. There was no believable slow emergence intoThis game was a huge step down from the original dark souls and all I can say is it felt rushed. The developers claimed better graphics, more polish. Instead it's big, bland and frustrating. I put 120 hours in the original and loved everything about it. DS2s world had really no exploration at all to it, just clear this area move on to the next. There was no believable slow emergence into the next world, just your clearly in the lava stage now... From an elevator... That took you all the way up... From a windmill...? Much of the enjoyment of the original was just exploring this vast world and looking for surprises. For the first 30 some hours of DS2 there was nothing. Funny enough that some of the few issues from the original were either still there or made worse by new rules implemented. They can rerelease DS2 on Xbox one and say it looks better now all they want. They should have waited and put out a clean game than to lie about DS2 and disappoint fans of this series… Expand
  15. Wheresmyseme
    Jul 25, 2014
    5
    Great for bosses. That is about it, the game still plays almost exactly the same as the previous two, people will claim that there is new content such as power stance and Hexes, those people are wrong, there is nothing really new.
    The only real difficulty of the game still comes from poor animations and mechanics, if you get hit by someone returning to their default stance after you avoid    Great for bosses. That is about it, the game still plays almost exactly the same as the previous two, people will claim that there is new content such as power stance and Hexes, those people are wrong, there is nothing really new.
    The only real difficulty of the game still comes from poor animations and mechanics, if you get hit by someone returning to their default stance after you avoid there attack, the animation of their movement will inflict as much damage to you as their attack would have.
    Multiplayer is still 50/50.
    There is still not a decent story line.    … Expand
  16. jdizzy
    Apr 9, 2014
    7
    They tuned up the combat from the previous installment and it really rewards players for exploring every nook and cranny. They tried pandering to the suggestions and ended up dropping humanity and replacing it with effigies. The armor and weapons are no longer that cosmetically pleasing and pvp is still unbalanced. Ganking is still a problem among all online players. They need betterThey tuned up the combat from the previous installment and it really rewards players for exploring every nook and cranny. They tried pandering to the suggestions and ended up dropping humanity and replacing it with effigies. The armor and weapons are no longer that cosmetically pleasing and pvp is still unbalanced. Ganking is still a problem among all online players. They need better matchmaking so low-levelers aren't going against new-gamers+7. They made menus easier to navigate but the screwed up some mechanics such as item durability. All items wear out faster now and the Pharros' lockstone system is awful. You might want to stay in Anor Londo a bit longer. They took away choice when it came to the ending and there is no memorable npc's. All the bosses are rehashed with new paint and are similar to many of the bosses from the previous game. Upgrading and enchanting weapons is now a difficult and obscure process. An iffy sequel to say the least.… Expand
  17. jcarl663
    Feb 14, 2015
    7
    Not as good as DS1 as far as world building, but the raw combat mechanics, especially in PvP, are dramatically improved. The characters are in most cases weaker, and the bosses in most cases are less creative and they seem to have this hard-on for humanoid monsters with big tracking overhead swings. Some of the bosses, however, are really great. It doesn't capture the feel of Lordran, butNot as good as DS1 as far as world building, but the raw combat mechanics, especially in PvP, are dramatically improved. The characters are in most cases weaker, and the bosses in most cases are less creative and they seem to have this hard-on for humanoid monsters with big tracking overhead swings. Some of the bosses, however, are really great. It doesn't capture the feel of Lordran, but it's more fun for the most part to actually play.… Expand
  18. Whutupribs
    Aug 7, 2014
    6
    I won't go too in-depth here, but they really messed this up. The first Dark Souls got it right, in that they found an excellent balance between difficulty and reward. This game has all the difficulty and more that Dark Souls had (although this time around it's difficult mostly because of the broken combat system), but it's almost like they left everything that was wrong witht hat game andI won't go too in-depth here, but they really messed this up. The first Dark Souls got it right, in that they found an excellent balance between difficulty and reward. This game has all the difficulty and more that Dark Souls had (although this time around it's difficult mostly because of the broken combat system), but it's almost like they left everything that was wrong witht hat game and broke everything that was great. It's not challenging, it's frustrating. It's not rewarding when you beat a boss, you're just relieved that you don't have to fight it anymore. It's not exciting, it's irritating. It just doesn't feel "challenging but fair" anymore, it feels like you're constantly at a huge disadvantage. Enemies hit you when they shouldn't, your weapons don't feel like they have any impact, and you never feel quite strong enough to have a chance. You're constantly being swarmed by enemies and you often have no way to protect yourself from taking at least a bit of damage. The healing system is screwed up, with HP recovery taking a painfully long time, time you just don't have in most situations. The game just feels like it's sucker punching you at every turn, and to me that's not fun or challenging, it's just annoying. You shouldn't have to play through an area 10 times just so you can find all the places the game is going to kick you in the nuts. All in all, it feels more like a "rage game" than a full production title. Dark Souls was an incredible game, a real feat of game design and a shining example of what a video game should be. I'd really like to know what happened here. They took a game that was tough but fun and took all the fun out of it.… Expand
  19. bcbmtb
    Apr 16, 2014
    5
    The game is great fun, however after logging 60+ hours it told me my save data was no good, even though I saved and quit properly. Play at your own risk!!!
  20. Xitra
    Apr 29, 2014
    6
    I very much love Dark Souls 1 and Demon Souls but I found Dark Souls 2 to be a BIG Disappointment. the consequences of dark souls 2 are nothing compared to Demon Souls. The bosses are easy compared to both Dark souls 1 and Demon Souls, there is forced pvp (i like pvp mind you) but the hit detection is complete garbage. Yes I do enjoy the fact that when you die your max health goes down butI very much love Dark Souls 1 and Demon Souls but I found Dark Souls 2 to be a BIG Disappointment. the consequences of dark souls 2 are nothing compared to Demon Souls. The bosses are easy compared to both Dark souls 1 and Demon Souls, there is forced pvp (i like pvp mind you) but the hit detection is complete garbage. Yes I do enjoy the fact that when you die your max health goes down but they ruined it by making the ring that lets you die but not become hollowed (thus pay 7000 souls and boom safe again...) they made weapons relatively ridiculous in this game and magic is bleh... I am on NG+ 15 right now... I found a boss you can repeatedly kill in less than 60 seconds and get 400000 souls for each kill... that's 1.2m souls in 3 minutes... when you see someone in havels armor and he is running and jumping and rolling at light/medium speed its not right... (seen it way to many times) but there are a few nice features for us dual wielders they gave us power stance and they gave us twin blades (woot woot lol) but otherwise if you are looking for a challenge look elsewhere its horriblw here.… Expand
  21. Retro-Sapien
    May 7, 2014
    7
    While a good, solid game in its own right, "Dark Souls II" is ultimately somewhat of a step backward from its predecessor.

    The change in directors is evident in the form of a weaker plot, inconsistent world-building, lack of variety in enemies, and aggravating changes in combat mechanics (such as increased enemy tracking) which come off more as difficulty for difficulty's sake rather    While a good, solid game in its own right, "Dark Souls II" is ultimately somewhat of a step backward from its predecessor.

    The change in directors is evident in the form of a weaker plot, inconsistent world-building, lack of variety in enemies, and aggravating changes in combat mechanics (such as increased enemy tracking) which come off more as difficulty for difficulty's sake rather than to offer a rewarding challenge to players. In addition, while not necessarily a problem, the obvious downgrade in graphics and lighting may come as a slight disappointment to fans.

    Overall, "Dark Souls II" is a flawed, yet serviceable entry in the "Souls" series, and the aforementioned issues are possibly just growing pains from the change in direction that will hopefully be ironed out in future installments.    … Expand
  22. leonardo1281
    May 10, 2014
    7
    The main issue with DS2 is that it's a game with no soul ! It becomes repetitive way too soon, combat is flawed, rolling most of the time will be useless, throwing knifes do more damage than arrows (and won't consume stamina) making bows just trash. Warping right from the beginning really upsets immersion. Bosses are bland. The interconnected maze Lordran was is gone, Majula is aThe main issue with DS2 is that it's a game with no soul ! It becomes repetitive way too soon, combat is flawed, rolling most of the time will be useless, throwing knifes do more damage than arrows (and won't consume stamina) making bows just trash. Warping right from the beginning really upsets immersion. Bosses are bland. The interconnected maze Lordran was is gone, Majula is a rather straight road world.
    All in all, creators decided to "improve" things that were perfect. Only in certain aspects they succeeded.    … Expand
  23. Robo11
    Dec 26, 2014
    7
    Let me start with a disclaimer - It is very hard to review any sequel without comparing it to the original. So with that said let me say that Dark Souls 2 is a good game and it makes some mechanical improvements on the previous game. Just know that for the most part the combat system remains excellent and still has the same weight to it as the previous games in the series. However, itLet me start with a disclaimer - It is very hard to review any sequel without comparing it to the original. So with that said let me say that Dark Souls 2 is a good game and it makes some mechanical improvements on the previous game. Just know that for the most part the combat system remains excellent and still has the same weight to it as the previous games in the series. However, it certainly has flaws and takes several steps back in other areas when compared to Dark Souls 1.

    Story - I really don't know what to say about the story, the souls games have never been big on exposition but have always managed to deliver a simple, effective narrative which is enriched by scraps of lore you encounter through item descriptions. I get the impression that the narrative here was outsourced to a 15 year old goth. It seems to relish in being mysterious and dark for the sake of being mysterious and dark. Just know that you will have no idea what is going on until the late game, and once you do sort of know what is going on, the story introduces time travel before it's pantomime "it was me!" final boss and ambiguous ending. Regarding the lore (item descriptions) - all you will get is more ambiguous crap like "could this have been that?" or "perhaps that was this?" or "some people say that.....". Why craft a story when you can just plaster everything in meaningless ambiguity? or is it?

    World/Levels -unlike Dark Souls 1, this is not an open world game though it does a decent job of masquerading as one. This is highlighted by some of the ludicrous transitions from one area to the next (Earthen Peak to iron Keep). It's essentially a series of linear levels, each of which ends in a boss fight. Environments for the most part are good, though some are fairly drab looking, while others are a bit too video game-y (Iron Keep).

    Enemies/Bosses - Severe lack of variety in this department. Most enemies and bosses in this game are basically just some iteration of 'dude in armor' with few exceptions. This actually is reflective of a big problem with the game and perhaps it's biggest failing - there is a severe lack of creativity in this game in general.

    All that said, it is still a good game and worth buying if you're up for a challenge.    … Expand
  24. RealHelghast
    Sep 17, 2018
    7
    This game had a lot of potential. However, the developers added a new gameplay mechanic known as Soul Memory (SM). PVP connections are no longer based on soul level. Instead they are based on SM which are grouped into different tiers or levels which dictate who you can connect to. The primary reason the devs did this is to prevent people from getting gear, upgrading it, then griefingThis game had a lot of potential. However, the developers added a new gameplay mechanic known as Soul Memory (SM). PVP connections are no longer based on soul level. Instead they are based on SM which are grouped into different tiers or levels which dictate who you can connect to. The primary reason the devs did this is to prevent people from getting gear, upgrading it, then griefing players who aren't that far along in the game. However, this wasn't even necessary because players can still play in offline mode. Players can still invade or do co-op at a specific SM if they purchase the Agape ring which absorbs souls. However, souls are needed to buy items as they are the game currency. Eventually, you will progress beyond the SM tier you want to be in because you need souls to buy items. This will add to your total number of accumulated souls. Players need to micro manage their souls carefully by making frequent backups to online storage in case they die and lose all their souls. When you loose your souls, it's still counted in your SM capacity. Of course you can farm for items like in DS, but who want to do that? If I wanted to buy something in Demon's Souls or DS I would just farm souls which was easy and buy a stack of items. Another mechanic is the Effigy Doll which is like Humanity from Dark Souls. If you die, you lose 5% of your HP each time for a maximum of 50% of your health. So, the game really punishes you for dying. You can find Effigy Dolls to restore your humanity and total health, but they are rare. Also, as Demon's Souls and Dark Souls evolved into a franchise, it seems like the devs spend less time on graphics. The characters in Demon's Souls looked great. They looked a bit funny in Dark Souls. In Dark Souls 2 they look even worse. Dark Souls 3 is the worst of all. The environments have changed too. Demon's Souls environments made you feel like you were in the game. They couldn't even add moving clouds to DS II so you don't feel like the environment is immersive. A lot of the weapons and armor are not even usable unless you're going for low equipment load and a parry/crit hit build. Even then, most players just go half naked. I would have rated this game higher if it were for SM, Effigy Dolls and lackluster characters and environments. Weapons could have been better too.… Expand
  25. DarkSouls1over2
    Aug 10, 2015
    6
    This game is so much worse than Dark SOuls 1, i cant even describe how much.
    First of all, if you have Dark Souls 1, keep playing it and dont bother with Dark Souls 2, because its difficulty isnt "hard" its compulsively hard, and this makes it worse than Dark Souls 1.
    In 1 you know you had to be better than the Enemy/Boss and you could easily defeat every boss , alone. In Dark Souls    This game is so much worse than Dark SOuls 1, i cant even describe how much.
    First of all, if you have Dark Souls 1, keep playing it and dont bother with Dark Souls 2, because its difficulty isnt "hard" its compulsively hard, and this makes it worse than Dark Souls 1.

    In 1 you know you had to be better than the Enemy/Boss and you could easily defeat every boss , alone.

    In Dark Souls 2 the bosses are pretty lame, are hard to beat alone and are just annoying.

    Dark Souls 2 is bad.    … Expand
  26. John-Doe
    May 1, 2016
    7
    If you are a fan of dark souls, western medieval fantasy from a Japanese game developers point of view or just want to play a game that kicks your ass at every corner than dark souls 2 is for you. The game has amazing visuals, smoother game play and not to mention, BETTER FRAME RATE than dark souls 1, to a brand new fan of dark souls who would start with this game, it is a good choice.If you are a fan of dark souls, western medieval fantasy from a Japanese game developers point of view or just want to play a game that kicks your ass at every corner than dark souls 2 is for you. The game has amazing visuals, smoother game play and not to mention, BETTER FRAME RATE than dark souls 1, to a brand new fan of dark souls who would start with this game, it is a good choice. However, long time fans of dark souls who have played dark souls 1 will be disappointed in the layout of the world as it is not interconnected so it doesn't feel like one huge place. Also, the soundtrack, although its good to listen to, its just not up to the same level from dark souls 1 as most music in dark souls 2 tries to sound like ornistein and smough. Lore is present but in smaller quantities and some are just not that interesting to read and finally the boss fights. The boss fights are still hard but most are just not that hard to beat. Aside from these flaws the game is still fun to play and if this is your first souls game, it can only go up from there.
    CASUAL GAMERS BEWARE OF SOULS GAME    … Expand
  27. brendo214
    May 20, 2019
    7
    For each thing that this improved over Dark Souls 1, it messed up two more things.
  28. puchinho
    Aug 23, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dark souls 2 tiene como pilar fundamental el combate y, este a veces es muy molesta e impreciso. Los enemigos dan golpes que no tocan al personaje, el personaje falla golpes que parece que si tendrían que haber acertado... eso en un juego de este tipo puede ser frustrante, sobretodo contra enemigos algo exigentes.
    Después de eso, llegas a Majula, suena la música de fondo y se te olvida todo.

    Dark souls 2 ha hecho cosas que creo que deberían haber continuado en un juego de este tipo. El enfrentamiento contra enemigos acorazados en un pasillo de 2 metros de ancho crea angustia y te hace pensar como sortear al enemigo, porque quizás no sirva solo rodar. O la zona con estatuas que escupen veneno, con enemigos esperando para atacarte mientras te encargas de ellas...
    Quizás muchas zonas tienen enemigos de más, para incrementar la dificultad de esa manera, entonces es una pena, porque hay que correr para saltarse zonas y no te paras a disfrutar.
    A pesar de todo, no es un juego malo, pero su problema es que ha salido después de Dark souls...
    De todas formas es un viaje que os gustará experimentar, porque puede llegar a ser una aventura bonita y que os ayudará a conoceros mejor a vosotros mismos.    … Expand
  29. WakeUpJeff
    Feb 8, 2021
    5
    While certainly not holding a candle to the rest of the series, it's an okay action rpg in it's own right. Can be enjoyable on a surface level but lacks the care and depth it needs to be great.
  30. Jackwill
    Jul 21, 2022
    7
    Сначало я думал, что мое мнение про что дс 2 топ это истина, но это был мой первый солс и после прохождения других частей и повторного этой понял... что мое мнение это комедия...
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2014
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2014
4
#4 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. DarkZero
    Oct 9, 2014
    60
    Though it lasts a long time and provides a decent challenge, I think it really needed an extra push on top of what the game contains. I would describe it as just above average, but that’s as far as I’d go.
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  2. The Digital Fix
    Apr 2, 2014
    90
    Its over dependence on group battles, less interesting boss designs and a slightly more forgettable world let it down, but none of this is so severe that it stops it from becoming another superb entry into one of the best series of games of all time.
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  3. ZTGD
    Mar 25, 2014
    100
    If you have any interest in playing this game after reading this review, do yourself a favor and get it now. If you allow yourself to be enthralled with its atmosphere and game play you’ll become an avid fan just like me.
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