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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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!!!
  6. maiden987
    Dec 3, 2017
    5
    this game is cool BUT WAY TO HARDDDDDDDDDDDDD and thats not fun at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. DieterU
    May 17, 2021
    5
    Yeah it's pretty good but honestly nowhere near as good as Dark Souls. There were definitely some great boss fights, but they decided to put in WAY too many, and that severely affected the overall quality of the average boss. The level design was one of the things that took a pretty big hit. The areas were all so much less interesting, and it didn't feel so smartly built andYeah it's pretty good but honestly nowhere near as good as Dark Souls. There were definitely some great boss fights, but they decided to put in WAY too many, and that severely affected the overall quality of the average boss. The level design was one of the things that took a pretty big hit. The areas were all so much less interesting, and it didn't feel so smartly built and interconnected. The graphics also somehow looked a lot worse, at least for some areas (I saw the ogres in the first area and was so confused as to why they looked so bad). The graphics definitely do have some really good bits too, though. The story was good and cohesive, but I wish it had kept more in line with the storylines in 1 and 3. Still Dark Souls, though. Definitely still recommend checking it out.… Expand
  11. BaldursThones
    Apr 14, 2022
    5
    I had to cheat so my health bar wouldn't decrease every time I died- I hate the mechanic. The hardest part of this game is the run to bosses. Especially Iron Keep
  12. Tubey
    Mar 11, 2022
    4
    The 'black sheep' of the Souls series of games. A 'Marmite' title that you'll either love or hate - but then I honestly can't understand how anyone COULD love it.

    For me, compared to DS1 and DS3, this is a terrible game. Uninspired level design, terrible enemy placement, drab grey environments, lacklustre mob design. It is totally forgettable too, which is possibly it's greatest sin -    The 'black sheep' of the Souls series of games. A 'Marmite' title that you'll either love or hate - but then I honestly can't understand how anyone COULD love it.

    For me, compared to DS1 and DS3, this is a terrible game. Uninspired level design, terrible enemy placement, drab grey environments, lacklustre mob design. It is totally forgettable too, which is possibly it's greatest sin - Souls, at his best, is majestic; not just the core series, but Bloodborne, Elden Ring, all feature high points that have your jaw hitting the floor. DS2 has nothing, not an ounce of wonder to it.

    Souls games also live and die by how good it's heavy but fair combat design is; DS2 is lacking in that area too. There's little weight to it and everything feels that tad bit delayed. It's not bad, but just... uninspired.

    That really is the word to describe the whole game - uninspired. It suffers from being a marked downgrade on the first game, and the devs knew it too, with DS3 basically ignoring DS2 altogether and using the first game as the base instead.

    But not only is it a bad Souls game, I honestly think it's just a pretty bad game altogether. I now know after the fact that the game had a hellacious development cycle, and boy does it show. My advice would be to play literally any other Soulsborne game by From Software instead of this; they're all dramatically superior.    … Expand
  13. FartsGetMeHigh
    Apr 2, 2014
    4
    DS1 was has an environment where you don’t matter to anyone or anything. It is a game where loneliness, melancholy, meaninglessness, and suffering are life - being spiritually undead…is your Life. To search for meaning in this world, to find hope in Dark Souls was made utterly impossible and in such a vacuum the immense battle challenges that were the game became your true source ofDS1 was has an environment where you don’t matter to anyone or anything. It is a game where loneliness, melancholy, meaninglessness, and suffering are life - being spiritually undead…is your Life. To search for meaning in this world, to find hope in Dark Souls was made utterly impossible and in such a vacuum the immense battle challenges that were the game became your true source of happiness (see: Camus - “Myth of Sisyphus”). The combination of atmosphere, high quality battle mechanics, and extreme difficulty combine to make a once in a gaming lifetime experience.

    Dark Souls 2, on the other hand, fails from the get-go. The opening movie, for instance, tries to be vague but just comes off as stupid. The first interaction with the witches tries to be eerie but is forced and awkward. Even the tutorial embarrasses the Dark Souls name: it’s an unnecessarily long chore of “here’s a move, go try it on some dude.” Then, you just jump into the game and just start killing stuff with a lack of meaning that doesn’t mean anything - I legitimately found myself frequently zoning out mid-fight during the first few hours, something that never happened is DS1.

    The idea was to make this game more “accessible” to the general public but that was exactly what made Dark Souls great . Game devo’s need to learn that sometimes, a great piece of art and massive appreciation are mutually exclusive entities. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to see what the new creative directors have done (Instead of Hidetaka Miyazaki, it is Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura a move almost assuredly motivated by profits). If you add a laugh track to “The Wire” or redo the Mona Lisa with cell shading, you alter something that was very integral to the experience - this is what happened here.

    Anyways: if you still play the game, which I quit after five hours, here are my tips:

    1. Put the game as dim as you are willing: it makes the game much more atmospheric, as well as more difficult but if you prefer ease over a quality atmosphere, you shouldn’t be playing this game in the first place.

    2. When you sense you are falling into a vortex of masochism, take a break to A. Stretch B. Walk around and C. Take ten deep slow breaths.

    3. Continually remind yourself that when you fail, it is your fault and not the game's.    … Expand
  14. FlabbyCastle
    Apr 12, 2017
    4
    If you are a hardcore fan of the first game you may find this one very disappointing. Just a little about me, I have over 600 hours on DS1 (DS is dark souls) and at least 100 on DS3 by now so I have experience and I'm not totally spewing nonsense. I have also done many challenge runs in both including things like no shield, no estus, fat roll, and other runs (still haven't done soul levelIf you are a hardcore fan of the first game you may find this one very disappointing. Just a little about me, I have over 600 hours on DS1 (DS is dark souls) and at least 100 on DS3 by now so I have experience and I'm not totally spewing nonsense. I have also done many challenge runs in both including things like no shield, no estus, fat roll, and other runs (still haven't done soul level 1 cause I am a scrub). I love this series and mainly PvE (player vs environment) cause PvP doesn't really appeal to me.

    Pros:
    Runs really well especially on PC compared to DS1
    Has more cool weapons and movesets
    Looks fantastic
    I'm not into PvP much but I have heard it's the best of the series
    DLC has cool bosses

    Cons: (I'm an overly critical fanboy who loves DS1)
    Disappointing bosses
    -many are recycled DS1 bosses that seeming had no effort put into to revamp them
    -many have terribly straightforward movesets that are boring to fight against
    -made more to be unfair and ganky then to be mechanically challenging
    Clunky gameplay
    -lack of invincible frames on roll (probably the most important DS mechanic) unless you level your adaptability stat which makes it feel like your wasting levels
    -feels like the character isn't doing what I am inputting on the controller
    -frequently doesn't switch weapons or use items when I am smahing the button (tried on multiple controllers even brand new ones)
    -has weird mechanics (long pivot animation to run away from enemy, guard break instead of kick)
    -terrible hitboxes (DS1 had them too)
    Confusing and annoying world
    -enemies have boring movesets and ridiculous tracking
    -confusing areas with no clear progression
    -emphasizes quantity over quality (a lot of gank bosses and hordes of trash mobs)
    Awful and confusing story
    -instead of making a cool story and leaving it up to the gameplay to make you feel like a helpless undead it just mocks you and spouts off about how your going to die a lot
    -opening cutscene and conversation with fire keepers laughing at you feels like the developers were getting off to the fact that they made a game that's purposely made to be rage inducing
    DLC made the core game worse
    -random enemy placement
    -now comes with more ganking hordes of annoying BS
    -still doesn't fix clunky gameplay
    -blocks previously open paths making areas less accessible (can be unlocked but only by expensive/hard to find items)

    Conclusion: I fell like the design behind the original was lost and changed to just be hard/unfair to live up to the first being called super hard/unfair. To be honest I felt while there was some stupid BS in the first with the lag and cruddy hitboxes it was still a relatively fair game with universal mechanics that put you and the enemy on more fair terms whiles still managing to be incredibly difficult. Still it's not the worst game ever but definitely not a great one either. If this is your first souls game you may actually enjoy it a lot, but hardcore DS1 players probably won't. You may also want to have the wiki open 24/7 cause it gets confusing as hell.    … Expand
  15. DarkSoulsPlayah
    Feb 3, 2020
    4
    Dark Souls 2 is one of the worst games of 2014 in my opinion. FromSoft took everything Dark Souls 1 did and spit it right in the face! The Level-design is awful, the enemy placemant is awful, in every level theres a ton of enemies that swarm you and don't even get me started on the Shrine Of Amana. there are some new good things like the agility system and the only level i personalyDark Souls 2 is one of the worst games of 2014 in my opinion. FromSoft took everything Dark Souls 1 did and spit it right in the face! The Level-design is awful, the enemy placemant is awful, in every level theres a ton of enemies that swarm you and don't even get me started on the Shrine Of Amana. there are some new good things like the agility system and the only level i personaly enjoyed was The Dragon Aerie. The Bosses are painfully easy and none of the characters are interesting. Overall, i hate this game and i'd rather play Demon's Souls or Dark Souls 1 instead.… Expand
  16. Petrokolos
    Nov 19, 2020
    4
    This game is not just a bad FromSoftware game, it is generally a bad game. Terrible mechanics, boring levels (I bet that none of the people that gave it a 10 can recall a single memorable level) and even worse bosses. Hitboxes are also trash and the adaptability mechanic is a dreadful addition to the series.
  17. hedworm
    Sep 24, 2014
    3
    In no way does this game deserve a 92. It is an emotionless, dry world where everything feels plastic. The game lacks emphasis on basic details that make a computerized world feel real. Character and enemy movements are limp, lifeless and clunky beyond playability. Combat mechanics are actually poor, and feel unimportant somehow. Plus.. dodging/blocking attacks is NOT possible to do amidstIn no way does this game deserve a 92. It is an emotionless, dry world where everything feels plastic. The game lacks emphasis on basic details that make a computerized world feel real. Character and enemy movements are limp, lifeless and clunky beyond playability. Combat mechanics are actually poor, and feel unimportant somehow. Plus.. dodging/blocking attacks is NOT possible to do amidst a flurry of attacks. you just get beaten to a pulp if you take more than 1 few hits. Tiny piglets take 50 swings to kill. The user interface and inventory system is cluttered, and badly disorganized. Facial details and graphics look like they are from 15 years ago, and that is not an exaggeration. I played the first Dark Souls two times through... in a row. With this game Im finding myself wanting to uninstall after 2 hours in. Dark Souls 1 was one of the best games I have ever played. This one misses the mark completely. Another failed sequel added to the list. Don't waste your money on this, unless you enjoy dying by falling off 15 foot drops, and getting beaten to death with no ability to roll or block. Its a dry world with nothing to offer except immense false hopes.… Expand
  18. BlackIronYangus
    Jul 1, 2014
    3
    Dark Souls was and is my favorite game of all time, so when I heard about the sequel I was ecstatic. At first I loved the game and adored the changes they made from the original, but slowly I started to see the cracks. The bosses were mostly boringly easy (compared to the original) and seemed dull and generic. Most of the bosses could be circled around and stabbed while they ineptlyDark Souls was and is my favorite game of all time, so when I heard about the sequel I was ecstatic. At first I loved the game and adored the changes they made from the original, but slowly I started to see the cracks. The bosses were mostly boringly easy (compared to the original) and seemed dull and generic. Most of the bosses could be circled around and stabbed while they ineptly attempted to hit you, and the bosses that weren't easy were stupidly hard. For example, there is an optional boss in the game called the Ancient Dragon. This is the worst boss in the game. He kills you in one hit with a fire attack that covers most of the battle area. To attack him you must bait a specific attack of his and then sprint at him only to poke his feet, taking about one sixty-fourth of his health away, and then sprint back and hope he doesn't hit you with his fire. That is to get one or two hits. Now, I'd be fine with this if it was a completely optional boss that was made to be practically impossible, but this boss drops an item you need to kill another optional boss who otherwise has stupidly high defenses.
    Overall, the game's main problem is that it's Dark Souls 2. If it was a game from another company with another title, I'd be great. But altogether it falls far short of its predecessor. It lacks the same reasonable challenge that Dark Souls 1 had. The areas and enemies in the original were diverse and strange, but the enemies in Dark Souls 2 were all boring and just seemed like re-skinned versions of the same old thing. This game was a major disappointment to me, and should disappoint anyone who played and loved the original.

    TL;DR: Not nearly as good as the first one.    … Expand
  19. RickyBooby
    Oct 2, 2014
    2
    A game famous (and infamous) for its difficulty and vast open world. Sounds like a fun challenge. I'll readily admit that perhaps due to not playing Dark Souls 1 I'm missing backstory and plot points, but with all due respect...what the **** is going on in this game? It starts out and quickly makes no sense. Controls or wonky, but like most games, a person will eventually get used to them.A game famous (and infamous) for its difficulty and vast open world. Sounds like a fun challenge. I'll readily admit that perhaps due to not playing Dark Souls 1 I'm missing backstory and plot points, but with all due respect...what the **** is going on in this game? It starts out and quickly makes no sense. Controls or wonky, but like most games, a person will eventually get used to them. The inventory system? Not so much. It's confusing and awful. You collect items with little to know idea what they do, are presented with paths to take...that you shouldn't because the enemy on the path is far too strong for your character. Battles consist of rolling around trying to stab a bad guy a couple of times until you run out of stamina, or better yet, hope you can get him to stand next to a rock that causes the horrible AI to make him stuck against. From there you can slice him through the wall...until an archer from across the map shoots you through the same rock wall. Wow.

    Development is sloppy, unique terminology is not explained, the animations are so long, slow, and disjointed that you start something then literally watch the enemy perform 2-3 actions while you wait for your animation to finish. Let's say you bring up the menu-well, you can still be attacked with it up, but whatever. You exist out and can start walking around...but not of your attacks or rolls work until you exist out of the menu's menu bar that is atop the screen. Really?

    Every step of the way lazy development and horrible game design prevented me from caring about what was going on, wanting to spend more time to learn, or give me any confidence that I was stuck in a learning curve that would end, and the meat of the gaming experience would start up.

    Now multiplayer. Perhaps through poor research on my part, I was led to believe there was a traditional co-op experience in the game. What actually happens is after getting a few nonsensical items and apparently drawing on the floor with them, you can have someone else join your game as a shade. That means they get to see you run around and enable conversations, open chests, open doors, play the game, while you're along for the ride. Able to walk on ledges with terrible camera control and enemy targeting, swing your weapon of choice, then eventually run out of time in your buddy's world and getting to re-appear at a bonfire, you are guaranteed to feel completely cheated out of the story and gaming experience. That isn't co-op. That's single player, with some small amount of interaction above watching someone's Twitch account.

    This is in my bottom 5 of worst games I've ever played, and I've easily played through 500+ games.

    Difficult? Yes. In the sense that it's difficult to ride a bike on the freeway with a missing tire, three pedals, and a blindfold, but I would argue the difficulty, and frustration, is due to sloppy development and horrible game mechanics. Exploiting bad AI and clunky animations is not cleverly difficult gameplay to me.    … Expand
  20. basicgamer
    Mar 17, 2014
    2
    WTF? Usually a sequel enhances what made the original so good. Not here. Feels like a totally different game. Every change is for the worse. Feels more like Fable than Dark Souls. Graphics, combat, character models and movement and overall pacing and experience is off. Whoever forced these changes at FROM SOFTWARE should lose their job. Don't let this garbage define Dark Souls. MyWTF? Usually a sequel enhances what made the original so good. Not here. Feels like a totally different game. Every change is for the worse. Feels more like Fable than Dark Souls. Graphics, combat, character models and movement and overall pacing and experience is off. Whoever forced these changes at FROM SOFTWARE should lose their job. Don't let this garbage define Dark Souls. My recommendation (for old and new players, alike), go back and play Dark Souls 1. Every detail is DS1 was done with care. This thing... like I exclaimed, WTF. Score: 2 (compared to original which I would give a 10). What a disappointment.… Expand
  21. Chowda
    May 5, 2014
    2
    Update on the Update: Final Review

    I am giving a final score of 2. I don't play online and I don't look at Wiki's, I enjoy the challenge of figuring everything out on my own. I spent two hours trying to figure out a way to stop poison from flowing into an area. Fireball didn't work, and my +10 Flame sword did not work........but my torch did. Just plain stupid....fire is fire, if I    Update on the Update: Final Review

    I am giving a final score of 2.

    I don't play online and I don't look at Wiki's, I enjoy the challenge of figuring everything out on my own. I spent two hours trying to figure out a way to stop poison from flowing into an area. Fireball didn't work, and my +10 Flame sword did not work........but my torch did. Just plain stupid....fire is fire, if I can light it with my torch I should be able to light it with my fireball.

    Bad graphics and fire/magic animations are brutal.
    Poor hit detection, I get hit and lose most of my health but no sound or controller "rumble".
    Visually I do not get hit, but I lose health. Full stamina button delays, especially on Estus flasks.
    Some buttons flow and can "stack" but others do not.
    Inventory animations looks like an early 90s RPG (Dark Souls Inventory Screen was perfect).
    Balance issues, you have to be so powerful to beat bosses that the regular enemies are too easy.
    Emerald Herald repeats herself every time, take away from immersion.
    I subtracted a whole point for having to chase down Crystal Lizards, having them cornered but still unable to hit them with certain weapons.
    Having to warp back to the Emerald Herald is a waste of time...I am over level 125....so over 125 warps and 125 times...seek greater souls.
    After playing single player, I wanted to play on-line......I did not have privileges. Apparently need Xbox Live Gold....
    Too much crap I will never use. I finally figure out the secret passage (or die 15 times trying to make a jump) to a chest and there is nothing useful inside....at least in Dark Souls the majority of the items you found were useful.

    Like I said in my original review, if another company tried to ripoff the Dark Souls formula, this is what it would be.

    Ongoing Sarcastic Comments:
    I actually warped to the Drangelic Wal-Mart. Believe it or not but their plastic toy weapons last longer than my +10 Blacksteel Katana.
    Drangleic, where magical fire from enemies burn you and only you. Friends of enemies get a little warmer but no damage.
    Emerald Herald "I'll tell you what buddy, I'll stop repeating myself when you collect the right souls. I don't care if I have to repeart myself 130 times. And I am not going to tell you where to go either, all I know is there is a forest down there and..........tell you what, I'll meet you at the castle, what castle you say? Well I am not going to tell you that."
    Job Posting for Covenant: We are the hardest covenant and will make your life a living hell. But don't worry, you will be well rewarded with stuff you already have!
    Straid (Voiced by Kingseeker Fampt) "I'll tell you what, you give me those souls from the bosses you killed and I will give you really crappy weapons. Well not really crappy, they are actually really cool to look at and use but I can't guarantee they will do very much damage. Ah man, I just can't lie to you, you are probably better off just using your +5 bandits knife.
    Straid cont'd: Oh and I have awesome spells....or they used to be awesome before you went and downloaded the update dumba$$.
    In Drangleic sometimes you take one sip or two sips of your estus flask. And sometimes not even at all.
    Drangleic, where only some of the environment is breakable. Massive support pillars yes, brown metal boxes...not so much.
    Drangleic, load up on VIT so can finally wear that cool armor and die in two shots anyways.
    Obviously the same company that built the walls in Lodran are the same company that built Drangleic. "You see this wall here? Yup, specially made so enemy weapons can slice through it like butter! Player weapons, no way Jose!!"
    Jump....don't roll don't roll don't roll....dammit.........meh I didn't need those souls anyway.
    Tee hee...I am lying on the ground and you can't hit me!!!
    Drangleic, where ladders are home free for the enemies.    … Expand
  22. Deusex
    Mar 23, 2014
    2
    A third person fantasy game, where It pushes you to it's limits.
    Pros:
    Graphics are a nice touch. Sense of danger. And basically feels like your stuck in hell and the only way to get out is to kill everyone in front of you, and if you die, you try again. Cons: No real story. Bad voice acting. Unrealistic gameplay and stamina use. Lifeless world and NPCs. Bad facial animations.    A third person fantasy game, where It pushes you to it's limits.
    Pros:
    Graphics are a nice touch.
    Sense of danger. And basically feels like your stuck in hell and the only way to get out is to kill everyone in front of you, and if you die, you try again.

    Cons:
    No real story.
    Bad voice acting.
    Unrealistic gameplay and stamina use.
    Lifeless world and NPCs.
    Bad facial animations.
    Unrewarding.    … Expand
  23. JeanZied
    Apr 30, 2014
    2
    Un jeu sans âme, une suite sans idées et assez moche, bien ennuyeuse, un titre faussement élitiste. Bref, ça n'arrive pas à la cheville d'un Skyrim par exemple.
  24. Winterspark
    Dec 28, 2014
    2
    I get it, its supposed to be tough and challenging. But there is a difference between tough and challenging and something that becomes dull and repetitive having to try the same thing over and over again. If I wanted dull, repetitive and challenging I would go to work.
  25. Saidixs
    Apr 28, 2023
    2
    Este juego es con diferencia el mas mediocre de la saga, muchas zonas pero todas se siente vacías, la estadística de adaptabilidad mal empleada y unas gitboxes malísimas, dificultad artificial al poner 20 enemigos en cada esquinas, Lore poco interesante comparado con otros juegos de la franquicia, PvP decepcionante, malos pactos lo que obliga ha farmearlos en vez de jugar online, Ia de losEste juego es con diferencia el mas mediocre de la saga, muchas zonas pero todas se siente vacías, la estadística de adaptabilidad mal empleada y unas gitboxes malísimas, dificultad artificial al poner 20 enemigos en cada esquinas, Lore poco interesante comparado con otros juegos de la franquicia, PvP decepcionante, malos pactos lo que obliga ha farmearlos en vez de jugar online, Ia de los enemigos mal echa, entre muchas otras.

    Tenia mucho potencial este juego y presentaba nuevas mecánicas interesante como el uso de la antorcha, pero a la larga se implementan mal, muy mal, este es posiblemente el juego que más me he obligado ha jugar, me falta 1 trofeo para platinarlo pero sin ninguna duda lo volveré a jugar jamás.Me sabe muy mal que la compania creadora de mi saga de videojuegos favorita hay echo una basura como está, nunca recomendaría este juego a nadie, no tiene nada que ofrecer al jugador y no entiendo como es el juego de FronSoftware con mejor valoración en esta plataforma.    … Expand
  26. ineedfiles
    Jul 21, 2014
    1
    this game sucks so bad.
    i'm totally glad I didn't pay for it.
    games like this are the reason I bootleg my games. the buttholes push this garbage on us and say it's gold and people eat it up. I must admit I fell for all the hoopla, and downloaded it, but to my dismay, I hate it. it's like it's unfinished or something. There is NO SAVE feature. something that people who have lives    this game sucks so bad.
    i'm totally glad I didn't pay for it.
    games like this are the reason I bootleg my games. the buttholes push this garbage on us and say it's gold and people eat it up.
    I must admit I fell for all the hoopla, and downloaded it, but to my dismay, I hate it.
    it's like it's unfinished or something.
    There is NO SAVE feature. something that people who have lives actually need.
    that ALONE should be enough to make people stop and think.

    I don't feel bad for making copies of this game because it is garbage and the only way i'll ever give Namco any of my money is... hey, i'll NEVER give Namco another dime.
    HOW IS NAMCO STILL ALLOWED to make games?
    dark souls II my butt.
    I hate this game.
    people give it high ratings because they don't have anything else to play, or it is as close to the lives they will never actually have that they want. like when people play those crappy tomb raider games, but reality those games suck too and they only play them because they like laura croft. im not gay or a lame, so I can speak my mind.

    this game is GARBAGE STAY AWAY FROM IT    … Expand
  27. Gerdygerk
    Sep 4, 2014
    1
    Difficulty and poor controls/ game play make me a very unsatisfied buyer. Games should be fun and no mind-numbing exercise in frustration. Shame on you Namco. I want my money back.
  28. jamiec
    Jul 11, 2020
    1
    I loved both dark souls 1 and 3 and was excited to play this game however i could barely play for even 5 hours. The hordes of enemies are just frustrating to fight and the bosses are all boring with stupidly large amounts of health making every boss fight feel like a chore.
  29. Davidnotavailab
    Nov 5, 2022
    1
    Holy **** these games increases my chances of being more easily affected by the placebo effect. It was about when i got to harvest valley that i realised this game struggles with ideas, same level design, crappy encounters repeat that for 30 hours, now to a lazy maze until u get to a mediocre boss, done. At least ds1 had a good map design in the first half. Anor londo felt so differentHoly **** these games increases my chances of being more easily affected by the placebo effect. It was about when i got to harvest valley that i realised this game struggles with ideas, same level design, crappy encounters repeat that for 30 hours, now to a lazy maze until u get to a mediocre boss, done. At least ds1 had a good map design in the first half. Anor londo felt so different from the rest. How the hell is this a 90 metacritic game, how is this must play this is one of the things i would reccomend anybody sane in the head to avoid. Critics grow some **** balls and stop giving a 10 to any game like this. It gets to a point that a game can be ridiculously bad and its consider better than something that we used to see before.Also the graphics are horror. This came out in the same year as the witcher 3 did,wtf look how that games map and design looks. Im not talking about techniques used, just how it aesthetically looks. And dont defend it with **** like oh this was meant for ps3, ac iv was also playable on ps3 and looks infintely better than this. Gta v as well.… Expand
  30. Bo33y
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is by far the worst game I have ever played. Not because it is difficult is by fact quite easy, not as hard as the original. Because it simply has the most flaw out any game I have ever played.

    The UI is a mass of broken functions. If I am holding 99 a maximum of an item, yet I go to collect from a source which has tow items. I have to destroy some of the the maximum item in order to collect the other item of importance. Changing smooth stones at the nest is done slowly, one at a time. Inventory doesn't register any items, which have been placed in the item box. So if I collect an item present in my item box, it won't register that I already have this item. Boss souls which are traded for weapons won't register, if I am holding that same weapon, unlike other items which tell you specifically how many held within inventory. Spells cannot be traded for souls, these collect numerous uses but unlike every other item, they cannot be traded for souls. With spells they have to be painstakingly destroyed as they numerous fill inventory.. Bonfires are reset when traveling between them replenishing all uses and health. Although when using a spell, or item, to travel to a bonfire, this will not replenish any health, or uses without additionally resting again. Items when using functions keys if using only a single item, on a function key, they can go blank creating error. Targeting is within a stones throw of opposing damage, within weapon range. Everything can be avoided from roll away so this system is quite stupid. Targeting has it own set of error after setting a target, this will auto change if facing another direction. There is manual change after setting a target but the computer can auto change. Some weapons won't fire at close range like other item of exactly the same category in error.

    The AI are all really stupid. Most can be played round the round about with leading them up and down stairs by dropping off, or around chest ,as they get stuck having to go all the way around never hitting. Some will walk away after engaging returning to their spawns. Some will randomly attack at nothing when not the vicinity of them. Many bosses are identically are the same containing very few differences. Summoned AI are retarded getting stuck, dying to environment hazards, falling down holes, and not entering encounter that they have been summoned for.

    Attributes are grossly miscalculated. Seeing huge gains at the start of character creations per level per attribute. These drop rapidly upon any later levels. To the point it is not worth gaining 49 levels from 50-99 on set attributes because you will likely only see and additional point of damage per level. Any efforts are all wasted. meaning at level 99 I am only doing roughly 49 extra points of additional damage then that level 50 was. When they are using the same weapon and gear. There is no gained gear from maximizing stats. IE the same options are acquired 39 levels previously.

    Some Items will cancel other items outside of their descriptions. Some items will make boss encounters ridiculously easy to the point of pointless. Other items mean a level 10 will do only 100 points of less damage then a level 50.

    Some descriptions are worded wrong. In particular all of the resonant casting range. This states the more souls acquired will see a damage increases. However this is not the case when after collecting a set amount of souls there is no damage gained.

    PVP is boring because everybody is using the same items, gear, and spells there is no distinction to any of them. PVP can be quite annoying when being invaded. When trying to go to a get to a boss and waiting to summon other players, or be summoned, or simply trying to survive a level. The seed of giants don't reverse effect. When invaded by other players they are not equally attacked by any creatures within your environment unless using this item, which means you will also get as attacked when trying to reach them. An invader can attack you when in combat with other enemies.

    In short this is the worse game, I have ever played. Definitely not a contender for GAME OF ANY YEAR. Rated 0 a blight on any culture, a complete waste of time, containing so many flaws.    … Expand
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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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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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