29.4.2015

This game, in short, is incredible. A homage to all classic games. But it's also an insight into elements that we have been deprived of in an age where games like Call of Duty, Unchartered and Assassins Creed achieve blockbuster status but are little more than interactive movies. This, is for gamers looking for a challenge. It's worth remembering that every death, every mistake and every shortfall you experience is your fault.I've invested over 120 hours into this game alone, but not every hour was joyous. We've all had those annoying gaming moments; the low health boss fight, segment where you're close to a check point, not enough ammo etc. We remember these moments because of the sense of achievement we get after they are over,but more importantly the sense of challenge we feel in retrospect.Dark Souls 2 is full of these moments. In fact, depending on your learning curve (more on this later) the entire game and all of its enemies could become moments similar to the ones mentioned above. Whilst that sounds frustrating from the off, it quickly turns into an engaging system that provides plentiful rewards.Once bitten, twice shy. An apt saying for someone who'd had a dabble at Demon Souls and quit after completing the first hub area. I'd found the game hard, frustrating and complicated. I'm not really sure what possessed me to buy SOTFS but after a strong recommendation from a friend, I approached it bitten and shy.GAMEPLAY: If you are familiar with the Souls series, then this will be familiar ground. If you're new, then prepare for a life lesson. I was born in the 80s, part of the 'Pixel Generation' and remember games that had no instructions, no walkthroughs, no save points, no QTEs, no health packs and required skill. The Souls series hark back to a time where games were challenging and memorable.It's more of an action RPG than an RPG in the true sense. Combat is weighty, purposeful and customisable. It also forms the primary means to an end, those searching for intricate combat systems will be most pleased with what From Software have created here. The possibilities for character creation is huge, and also provides the means to create a character that truly suits your style of play and weapon. It is, however, punishing and unforgiving. Beginners will be best placed to get a shield and weapon, guarding and circling against enemies and only striking when sure.GRAPHICS: SOTFS looks incredible on PS4. Whilst it's not a true next gen game it runs at 1080p and 60fps which make a huge difference in a game which demands the upmost attention. Enemies and Drangleic's environments look well detailed and set a foreboding mood where appropriate. From software have also managed to implement light in such a way that it's purposeful and realistic. Bonfires (the games rare check points) create a warm and welcoming light, but cast realistic shadows that can make you panic when you feel the most vulnerable. DS2 is also a very strategic game, therefore it's refreshing to see such detail lavishing Drangleic, where you'll spend plenty of time analysing routes, rolls, dodges and jumps.SOUND: Always worth a mention for next gen games, as it's a gaming element that's often overlooked. The sound engineering adds to an already tense atmosphere. Sounds attributed to enemies and weapons are appropriate and characteristic. Every time I hear a crow I shudder a little, every time I hear the crackling of a bonfire I feel a sense of safety.MULTIPLAYER / ONLINE: From Software have managed to weave a surprisingly engaging and useful online element to this game. Online and multiplayer are two very separate entities. Connecting to Dark Souls servers enables the extremely helpful comments littered across Drangleic. These comments, providing little tips as you inch forward with shield raised, are placed by other players of the game whose ghostly apparitions can be seen seconds before they are killed. Whilst this seems like a bit of a spoiler, it actually augments the fear factor and can often be the difference between life and cyclical death. Multiplayer encompasses two very engaging types.The rich community that has spawned from the Souls series refer to the game in two halves, PVE and PVP. PVE (player vs enemy) is where the majority of the single player experience resides, but also allows you to call on help from NPCs and players waiting in the lobby. I have called on many online players to help in boss fights and they not only helped, but inspired me to want to help others. PVP (player vs player) is an enticing prospect when your character begins to take shape mid game. Your game will often be "invaded" by other players, further incentivising you to build a character that is robust enough to survive the level you're currently in and survive a long and involved fight that cannot be avoided.STORY: Odd that this element of the review is left to the end. Apt, however, because although it is a vital and integral part of the Souls universe it can often be seen as an afterthought. This is due to the method From use to tell its story. It's managed through snip bits of lore littered across Drangleic and NPC dialogue. Overall, it's not essential to follow its story as it isn't vital to the games dynamics however it is interesting to piece together the various threads of lore to see the tapestry that From has managed to create.LEARNING CURVE: Odd also, that this needs a mention. Most games have tutorials that manage every aspect of the game, and this is no different. The first segment of the game dedicated purely to teaching you enemy, combat and environmental mechanics. But the tutorial doesn't teach patience. It doesn't teach you the art of combat. That it's advisable to run if you see more than one enemy. It also doesn't teach you that every death and drop in health is your fault. This you learn yourself. It doesn't take long for you to get this message, however it takes repetition and patience. Even repeating the training level over and over till you clear the enemies in a perfect run could help in getting a glimpse at the type of gamer that From is trying to create in you.FINAL THOUGHTS: In fact the training level reminds me of Karate Kid. Daniel son regularly asking "Why am I doing this, when can I get to the real Karate" with Myagi silently offering guidance, with the odd bit of dialogue to help steer. Eventually, Daniels off to kick ass, but patience is the real lesson.This game demands patience, attention and skill. Once this is realised (and this can be early on) it is an enriching gaming experience that is unrivalled. It shames the latest generation of pop games.

12.4.2014

I pre ordered dark souls 2 so had on day of release was black armor edition. Very happy with what I got nice case and well packed. Dark souls the 1st game is probably one of my favorite games if not my favorite. So it was a must when dark souls 2 was coming out. Now with darks souls 1 difficulty was its main draw for me. I have since mastered dark souls 1 and could complete eventually in around 3-4 hours. So i was not sure if dark souls 2 could really challenge in the way dark souls 1 did. I have to say however dark souls 2 makes the 1st easy in comparison.I also must note I unfortunately never played demons souls as never had a ps3. The reason why I ever played dark souls was due to hearing of demon souls so glad I did buy the 1st game.I also wanted to do a full review of this game only once I had played it a lot so I could compare to the 1st game. I am currently on new game+4 so have found most of the stuff in the game. Now on to the review.Ok first thing one of the main things this game does better is you will face multiple enemies more often. You will also face ambushes as well. You do however soon get used to this. At one point there is a certain boss and no joke at one point I was facing 5-6 at same time. There is also many more bosses and also the game is much vaster than the 1st game. Even with all the skills I had learned from the 1st game I was dying a lot of times. Did take me some time to get used to some of the new features. This time also you're weapons degrade quite fast. You can however always restore them to 100% just by visiting a bonfire rather than getting someone to repair. Once they are broken then you can only get a merchant to repair. This I did not know so at first get braking my weapons. This however does make the game much more realistic.You can also warp from each bonfire locations as soon as you found them. In the first game you had to get halfway through the game before this is activated. Graphically the game is much better than the first game. Game does suffer however with a lot of frame rate and late sound effects. Overall however it does not distract to much from the game etc. The game also like the first has alot of replay value even at newgame4 still things I am newly discovering. The game on newgame+ first time also has some content and enemies that can only be seen on new game. Also the game of new game+ does increase in difficultly even further but further games begins to settle. So the game has a lot to offer and even dark souls veterans will certainly struggle. Comparing dark souls 2 to most games would make them pale in comparison is in a league of it;s own. Comparing to darksouls 1 is it a better game? Well the 1st half of darksouls was simply a masterpiece that half is for certain better than the sequel. However the game as a whole is better than the 1st game in my opinion.The 1st game latter half was not anywhere as good as it's 1st. Where as darksouls 2 is quite strong in level design though out where i felt darksouls 1 seem to weaken. So I would say darksouls 2 is actually a better game once you get used to all the bosses. Perhaps the level design in places is not as good as the 1st game but overall is better I would say. Either way it is a close call between the two. Again compared to most other games this is an incredible game well worth buying for sure. I would say however if never played the 1st game play that first before. The game is very difficult so may well be too difficult and unforgiving for someone who never played the 1st game.Again as in first game you can choose which classes you are. I think there are six i however just choice knight class as I prefer to be able to combat enemies in close combat well. You can also choose other classes such as sorcerer and explorer. Have not used them however but there is a ton of new spells to use as well. Again pyromancy to use fire attacks is featured. It seems to be not quite as powerful as in first game so do not use as much. There is however a lot more options. I do now also use a bow and arrow a lot more often than first game which does mix things up. There is now much more opportunity to use due to having a lot more multiple enemies to face.The storyline is different than the 1st game makes slightly more sense. In short however you must still beat and gain some mighty souls to get to another area. Eventually killing these bosses to gain souls you will meet the final boss etc.Something different this time is the ability to be able to equip 4 rings as well. 1st game you could only equip 2 rings but I think having 4 is much better. It also then can allow you to equip some of the better heavy armor earlier with equip load benefit rings. You can then have other rings also equipped to help survive easier. You can also equip up t 3 weapons at a time think 1st game was just 2. With the rings however equipped it is easier to carry more weapons etc. This in short makes to game have more combat options as well.So overall dark souls 2 gets a near perfect rating for me. I am also so glad they did not somehow ruin the game like some sequels have. So it is more of the same as first game but a lot harder and much longer. In short if you buy you will not be disappointed. For a new player all together perhaps try the 1st game beforehand. Even veterans will struggle for sure.That is it thank for reading my review hope it helps.

27.4.2014

"Dark souls II" is an action role playing game, and like the games that came before it, the basic rule of gameplay is that your patience will be rewarded. You will be challenged to fight harder and more resilient enemies as the game progresses. While each fight will be really tough to begin with, the more you learn about the enemy, adapt your fighting style and equipment, you will eventually persevere. It's that simple: you put in the work, you get results.This is actually the third entry in a series of games which started with "Demon's souls" on the PS3. Each title so far has expanded upon the previous title's strengths without reusing & exhausting ideas. Each title tells a dark fantasy story set in some far-off land,with the usually quite downbeat inhabitants of the world telling you about their history, if you ask them. Each title is characterised by great art direction and original artwork, which so far has managed to stay fresh and inventive.The game world of "Dark souls II" is much larger than in the previous title. Not only are there more places to visit, each place is larger than in "Dark souls". There are more and more diverse weapons, armour, tools and items, too. The basic gameplay is unchanged, but there are some neat changes which make the game easier to get into.Building your character is a less frustrating exercise than in previous titles, which required you to fight and refight the same enemies in the starting area until you had accumulated enough of the game's currency in order to level up. In "Dark souls II" the effort needed to get your character into shape and not get easily squashed during enemy encounters is lower than in the previous titles.Your equipment still degrades as you use it, but now it is no longer necessary to walk a mile to find a blacksmith to get it repaired. In fact, you don't have to walk a lot any more, as moving from one area to another now happens instantly by "teleporting" between the safe havens of bonfires. Even the bonfires, the places of safety and recovery, are now placed closely to the areas in which boss fights take place.These changes take a lot of the frustration out of the game's more mundane elements, while still keeping the combat challenging and the locales interesting. By making it easier to move around and keep your character in play, you will be able to see more of the game world as you progress than in previous titles. For example, just starting out in "Demon's souls" meant revisiting the same castle areas over and over again until you finally managed to be strong enough to move elsewhere. This was not just challenging, but it easily became tedious and boring.I was surprised how quickly I managed to complete the game on a first run. Barely 71 hours in, after having played for about a month, at level 150, I was ready for the second play-through. Both "Demon's souls" and "Dark souls" were much tougher to master. "Dark souls II" is still quite challenging and addictive, but I can't quite put my finger on why I found that the older titles were more memorable in the challenges and achievements they offered. Beating the "Bell gargoyles" in "Dark souls" was a great experience. In "Dark souls II" I can't say that there was one particular enemy which left quite such a memorable impression on me.That said, "Dark souls II" manages to maintain the high standard of game design set by the previous titles. It has not stumbled into becoming formulaic or self-referential yet. Here is hoping that the next instalment of the series will avoid these pitfalls, too.

4.6.2015

I'll do my review in it's usual jumbled way in two sections.1. For NewcomersIf you haven't heard, Dark Souls is a bit more brutal and significantly less forgiving than your average title these days. It's also - for the most part - fair.Yes, you will probably die a lot. If you don't, well done, slow clap, you're a badass, woohoo. And yes, your constant murder may get on your nerves at some point. But you will hit a stage in the game when you die and think "Wait, that was my fault." I find there are very very few occasions where your death wasn't your fault. Admittedly sometimes, there was nothing you could do. But more often than not, you overextended, you mistimed something.When you hit this point you begin to appreciate (at least I did) the game a lot more.The graphics are definitely good. They're not next-gen-gold but they definitely look better than pretty much everything on previous gen.The gameplay is more varied than any other game I've played that I can think of. There are about 12 (probably more like 18, I ain't counting) classes of weapons, each of which has a general moveset, and each weapon within that class usually has a different but similar moveset to its peers.This game is all about choosing your weapon, aka your playstyle.Want to sit back with a bow and pop off arrows? Cool. GoOh? You like massive shields and going turtle mode with a spear, poking from cover? Sure, why not.You kinky ****, you like whips covered in spikes and enjoy making enemies bleed? Hell yeah.Two hand a katana like a crazy samurai? Yup.Two axes? Mmmhm.You know what screw it, two shields? Yeah, that too.You getting the idea here? And that's without including the menagerie of spells and random items that can be used to change up your journey through Drangleic.The story doesn't exactly stick to the conventions of your average game.Most of a time, the majority of a story is spelled out to you and you can hunt around for the tidbits.In Souls games, you're more given then bones for the story, but all of the meat is found around the world, be it in NPC dialogue, item descriptions, enemy placement. It's sneaky. Which I like. But you may not. Consider that.Overall, this is one of my favourite games (ever) so I'm a tad biased, but if you enjoy strong RPGs with a lot of variety, some gorgeous landscapes, and is pretty tough? Go for it.2. Should I buy this again if I played it on X360/PS3?Really that depends on how much you liked it. In some ways there is just enough change in this version of the game to warrant playing through it again, or say if you didn't play any of the DLC on the previous generation.If you were all about Jolly Co-operation or Invading, and are still all about that but need a new base of operations, I'd say definitely yes.The graphics are better, not hugely so but definitely noticeably. The item and NPC changes are refreshing, and you soon realise that just because you played the original does not make you safe. It's very reasonably price for a still fairly new next gen game in my opinion, and I'd say if you liked DS2 enough, then go for it.

20.3.2014

This is an edit of my initial impressions with the game which I decided to delete now and replace with a review.First off let me tell you that I really liked Dark Souls, the best I played in the genre in a long time, so when I heard about Dark Souls 2 and saw the reveals I was instantly hyped, the new torch mechanic and pitch black scenarios looked really tense and exciting, but unfortunately most of it didn't make to the final release, the game suffered a massive downgrade which is very evident when you visit the areas shown in the reveals, most areas that had awesome lighting don't anymore and as a result the general atmosphere suffers a lot,to give you an idea braziers are in a lot of places throughout the game but most of the time you can see just fine without lighting them. Another huge letdown for me is level design, while levels look quite nice on the outside most of the exploration is just underwhelming in comparison to the previous title, and to add to that a lot of rooms and item placements could've been thought off much better, transitions are for the most part nonsensical, in particular the transition from Earthen Peak to Iron Keep and a lot of other places don't see to have the same attention to detail the previous game had.Combat is better and worse imo, it has a bit more diversity now with dual welding and new different animations for backstabs and ripostes but it lost it's weighty feeling and somehow combos don't feel as fluid as they were before, plus the R2 to R1 combos aren't there any longer and neither are the unique R2s most weapons used to have.Animations are motion captured this time and they do look better and more realistic but there is less variety about them specially when it comes to weapon holding animations and walking/running animations.Bosses are overall less memorable and seem to lack elements to make them more interesting, like better movesets, more varied arenas and the element of surprise and tension the first game had.Difficulty seems similar but the risk/reward that was present in DaS1 suffers heavily from both the over abundance of healing items, as well as bonfires and its placement, movement is also a lot faster than it used to be but enemies in general remain quite slow making it overall quite easy to just circle around them and attack on opportunity.Fashion souls is the most clear improvement over the previous games but that's all.PvP seems better than before but I haven't had that much experience with it because I played most of the game offline, still the biggest difference I noticed is that backstabs don't seem to be nearly as bothersome as they were.Unfortunately all these little things add up and make this game quite disappointing, it's overall still a good game but for me it felt somewhat rushed or incomplete throughout. If it's your first game in the series you might appreciate it more though. But personally I was left with the impression that Yui Tanimura(the director) didn't really understand what made the previous games so great. I'd give this a 7 out of 10.

13.4.2014

I've been a big fan of the Souls games since importing the original Demons Souls and have put several hundred hours in them across the board, time thoroughly enjoyed thanks to the ever increasing difficulty and PVP systems. So when Dark Souls 2 was announced it was immediately pre ordered as my last game of the generation to tide me over until there are decent games on the next gen consoles which warrant a purchase.Now lets get one thing out of the way straight off the bat, this game is probably the easiest in the series. Sure its still difficult but without any guides or anything each boss went down within 3 attempts, there are no Ornstein and Smough type encounters here which make you shout out aloud,

28.3.2014

I'll apologise in advance for not offering an opinion on the game itself yet, which I think it's fair to say is going to be good at the least (hopefully), but for anyone who's trying to decide which version to buy...I pre-ordered this set primarily for the soundtrack CD, and also to accompany the other Special Editions of this game series that I had bought.Given the excellent quality of Demon Souls: Black Phantom Edition and Dark Souls: Limited Edition I am somewhat disappointed to say that Dark Souls II: Black Armour Edition isn't quite up to scratch.Firstly the soundtrack CD is recorded in MP3 Audio format, which completely voids the point of having a physical CD.

14.3.2014

Haven't actually played the game yet, but after playing the beta it is very obvious that the game-play resembles that of Demon's Souls instead Dark Souls, the faster and more fluid combat as well as more realistic animations that look a lot better. This installment includes a lot of new features that are designed to add more difficulty to the game (only one Estus flask at the beginning, reduced durability on weapons, stat requirements needed for elemental or overpowered weapons and armor, hollow invasion, etc.) which may annoy and frustrate some players but for some of the more masochistic gamers they may welcome these additions. The graphics are improved,

24.4.2015

TL;DR - If you enjoy dark fantasy, a tough yet fair combat system and value for money that is all too uncommon in modern games then go for itI came across the first Dark Souls being offered as a freebie on the Games for Gold Xbox promotion, I had heard about it as a legendary kicker of bottoms with a strong focus on difficulty and old school Metroid-Vania style. This bought back happy memories of Metroid Prime on the Gamecube and Castlevania on the GBA from the early 2000's so I gave it a go. After several hours of being cuts into small chunks and losing all my progress I finally broke through the wall of frustration,

19.4.2015

Ok I guess many may not agree with me n that's fine as with everything, the context in question is subjective "each to their own". I never played the first souls game "my loss", so when this was first loaded up, the pure frustration of the first 10 to 15 hours can't be put into words without using plenty of fs :). Got to the point where I nearly gave up n traded it in, but you see something clicked, I started thinking n taking my time, paying attention to what everything does and how it works. See this game breaks just about every modern game rule. No telling you where to go, no easy gratification, no going in just killing everything, no completing the game in one day.

16.3.2014

And so Dark Souls 2 has finally arrived but does it fulfil the hype? Thankfully it does - it just depends on how much effort you're willing to put in :-) Although there have been refinements (a slightly more manageable intro for beginners) it still feels like a 'Souls' game and that's the main thing. And what a game!Ignore the criticisms about the graphics - they're fine and quite pretty in places. The real reason to play a Dark Souls game is the gameplay and feeling of satisfaction in beating that boss and moving further into the captivating world. Combat feels precise once you understand the timing of your chosen class and the roll/dodge manoeuvre will become your best friend very quickly.I

16.10.2016

After playing dark souls 3 and bloodborne, I decided to play this. At first I found it slow and jerky , especially after coming from bloodborne. But after a while I adapted to DS2's playstyle, and I got gud. The graphical upgrades are excellent, and the upgrade to 60FPS really makes the game faster. They've also changed some enemy placements, so it's not exactly the same as DS2 on the PS3. Now, onto the difficulty of the game. The bonfires are few and far between, which was a contrast from DS3, which had them everywhere. However, i like this, as it makes the game more challenging. The enemies are mostly challenging, look good and have a good set of attacks,

23.3.2014

Dark Souls (the first game in this series) came as a complete surprise for my wife & myself. We picked it up on a whim in Tesco one day. After our first hour of playing, we agreed - the game was hard, REALLY hard. But we just kept coming back for more and must have racked up 200 hours in the game between us.So when Dark Souls II came out, it was a must buy. We're only a little bit into the game but we haven't been disappointed. The game still has the difficulty level right. You die often but you never feel cheated by the game. You know that when you die, it's because you made a mistake & you hope that next time you won't make that same mistake.

19.3.2014

Just wanted to say the figurine is really really cool. I don't usually buy these expensive collectors editions with figurines but I loved Dark Souls so much (the best game I ever played) that I thought at 36yrs old, maybe it was time to start. This also comes with a beautiful metal game case and brilliant art book. Only the cloth map gets a 'meh', it is at least better quality than any other map I've owned (hmm, big deal) but still pretty pointless. That will now stay in its wrapper forever. Just to reiterate though, the statue is absolutely the hounds rounds. As a bonus I got a limited edition metal card with one of the characters from the game engraved and a unique production number (1 of 2500 made).

9.5.2014

I'm about half way through the game and I really enjoying it, it's not quite as good as Dark Souls 1 but it's still as addictive and just a brilliant game.Positives;- Bosses are great so far, they look great, are challenging yet fun and the fact that they threw in a few DaS 1 bosses too was great. Overall I think the bosses are better in DaS 2 than 1- The game mechanics are pretty much the same as DaS 1 which is what I wanted- Small things like; weapons break easily yet repair at bonfires (better then the old system are having to use souls to repair). Finding Estus shards to increase Estus flask uses, less confusing than the reverse hollowing/kindle system.

Dark Souls 2 - Reviews

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