So i noticed there's plenty of negativity about Dark Souls 2 from Souls fans. But i am still wondering why really. What exactly about Dark Souls II makes it a lot less good than the first one?
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin screenshots and new info
- Thread starter TeKPhaN
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I'm so torn on this game, I have never understood the appeal of souls games because I couldn't get into DS 1. Blood borne on the other hand has blown me away. I want DS2 to do the same but I'm worried that I won't get into it like BB.
You can make the combat in dark Souls nearly as fast as it is in Bloodborne if you choose to spec a character that way but overall it's a slower game. It does have some improvements over Bloodborne as well. The load times aren't as bad and the hub is a village you can walk to as opposed to have to teleport to. As you complete the story and walk with npc characters, more and more start showing up in the village. It's a nice design. Personally I think having to teleport to the hub world is a step backwards for Bloodborne.
Miyazaki didn't direct the project for one. I liked DS2 personally, but not as much as 1 and my favorite has always been Demon's Souls. Bloodborne will probably end up at the top or at second place in my book when all is said and done. As for DS2 remake, I just don't feel the need to revisit the game at this point.
I wanna say I prefer DS1 over 2. Just slightly though. DS1 had better level design, bosses, and enemy placement. DS2 was more polished and had better combat. But DS2 didn't have memorable encounters the way 1 did. It was still an unforgettable experience though. DS2 is right below DS1 on my favorite games list.
If they remastered DS1 I'd buy it faster than you can scream "f***!" at Ornstein and Smough.
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Are they really selling this at full retail price of $60? If so, I am out on a day 1 purchase. Loved the game, but no way am I paying full price for it again.
Finally some X1 gameplay
I heard that the DLC is very good. Is this DLC playable from the start or does it unlock after the game itself?
I heard that the DLC is very good. Is this DLC playable from the start or does it unlock after the game itself?
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DS2 made a lot of weird decisions.
Warning: rant incoming. Before reading keep in mind that I DO enjoy the game.
DS1 looked at Demon's Souls, and said okay how can we improve on this? They saw a lack of armor and added many sets. They say that heavy armor was more of a burden and added poise and heavier defense with heavy armors. They made a few other minor improvements here and there as well.
Then DS2 came along and pretty much undid everything that DS1 fixed.
They got rid of poise. It still exists, but is no way useful.
Heavy armors are now a burden again. With the added stat of vitality to wear heavy equipment combined with the fact that slow moving (walking or rolling) makes this game harder, heavy armor is no longer as good as it was.
Heavy weapons and shields are no longer as good. Many enemies and bosses can knock your shield away, and slow weapons aren't always fun to use. Combine this again with the need to pump a stat just to wear heavy equipment. Keep in mind that I beat DS1 dlc with a great axe and tower shield no problem.
Also, heavy weapons are broken thanks to the 60fps weapon durability glitch. Try a 2 handed strong attack with a great club. It kills the weapon in just a few hits. The longer a weapon "touches" and enemy, the more it breaks. Combine this with touching phantoms in multiplayer and you might as well just break it yourself.
The worlds are no longer connected as well as DS1. It is jarring going from one location to the next, and many places require a warp. It's just not as well thought out as DS1.
The torch mechanic was pretty much dumped, so each area has a bland look to it. The lights from torches added a lot to the dynamics of the environment. Looking back at original trailers makes me cry. It could have actually looked good and had dark areas.
Some game mechanics are not well done. You may come across an areas where you need to do something arbitrary just to proceed. The problem is this will probably be the only time you ever do it. There is one area that requires a torch to light something on fire, but it doesn't even look flammable. There is one area where you realize that killing enemies near something is important so it can absorb their souls, but in combat, you may not realize what is going on. I didn't know it worked like that because I was going in blind.
The game seems to throw a lot of mobs and ranged attackers in to inflate the difficulty. I cannot think of very many occasions where this happened in DS1. The enemies in DS1 were actually challenging without it. Even some boss fights rely on this in DS2.
Weapon balance is odd. I mean a basic rapier and mace can get you through the game better than most of the high end weapons. Look at speedruns.
Some decisions are just unnecessary. Did rings really need to have durability? Why is weapon durability so low at 60fps? It feels like I am being punished for being able to make it far without dying. I have to carry a backup weapon nearly always.
I don't know if they fixed multiplayer, but it was broken last time I tried it. In both DS1 and Demon's Souls, I created characters made to do co-op. Now, I have to go to ng+ to do that because the game keeps raising your multiplayer level so to speak even in co-op. You will eventually not be able to do it and move on. I put hundreds of hours in DS1 and Demon's Souls multiplayer, and these were pretty much the ONLY games that I ever touch multiplayer in.
I also dislike the enemies no longer respawning. Were you trying to get a rare armor set? Tough. You got 5 gauntlets and no helmet. The area is now clear. This also means you can't practice or try out weapons very well.
Speaking of which, with the lack of upgrade materials early on, you will not be able to upgrade very much. While this may add to the challenge, it also means that your fancy boss weapon is still not as good as your starting class mace. For people like me who like to try out new weapons or look forward to increasing a stat to wield better weapons, this is annoying still having to use what I started with.
Well, anyway, I just felt like they ignore all the things that DS1 did well. I place this game 3rd in the Souls series. It is still a great game, and I will still play it, but I always feel like it could have been better. It should not have been a last gen game.
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Played an hour last night. The fidelity upgrade is very nice. Movement feels more precise, more sharp. It does have the downside of making the graphical flaws stand out more though. Clipping is very noticeable. I only just made it to Majula but I've already seen new enemy placement. One of the tree caves in the starting area is now blocked by a statue and some different enemies are in there. I've started as a sorcerer this time as I've never began as a magic character before.
Yeah, I hope the branches of yore are more plentiful because I have come across two new statues blocking my way so far and I'm only a couple hours in. The lighting looks really nice. Dark areas are darker and daylight is pretty brilliant. Heide knights near Heides tower, who would have thought? I've seen people voice concerns on enemies following you through boss fog walls and I can confirm that is a load of BS. They cannot follow. I killed Licia on my first encounter with her and that was a delicious feeling.
Currently going Dex with this playthrough. Have a winged spear and falchion leveled to +4 and a short bow at plus 3 so far. On my way to my 4th boss.
edit: 4th boss down and a pursuer in an unexpected spot. Also a third statue blocking my way to the 3 sentinel fight. Not sure how to proceed,
Currently going Dex with this playthrough. Have a winged spear and falchion leveled to +4 and a short bow at plus 3 so far. On my way to my 4th boss.
edit: 4th boss down and a pursuer in an unexpected spot. Also a third statue blocking my way to the 3 sentinel fight. Not sure how to proceed,
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I still haven't played it yet. I heard a 'complete' or GOTY version was coming out so I just waited. I don't own a PS4/Xbox One yet but I'll start looking into getting one. I do want to play Bloodborne eventually.
So....it's not locked at 60fps at all, for neither, but X1 takes the most 'damage' . Drops from 60 to 50s, 40s and lowest apparently 36fps. But in the comparison video it honestly doesn't seem all that bad....and when you have played Blighttown, i'm not gonna fuss over this.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-dark-souls-2-performance-analysis
Plus when i only have Xbox One so far, it's the only version i can get and again...in the text it sounds bad, much less when i watched the video.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-dark-souls-2-performance-analysis
Plus when i only have Xbox One so far, it's the only version i can get and again...in the text it sounds bad, much less when i watched the video.
Having a blast with this. The co op is awesome and it's so easy to find summoners and people to summon on PC. I helped 7 people with the sentinels back to back. There were 4 of us in one game which is one more than the previous max. Maybe if I play this for a while by the time I get back to Bloodborne they will have fixed the netcode. Level 74 in one day.
On a side not I am getting REALLY good at killing pursuers.
On a side not I am getting REALLY good at killing pursuers.
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Lol. Seems that leveling is either faster or I am just a lot better at Dark Souls 2 than Bloodborne. I mean the last 14 levels were just from the co-op games and then beating the boss on my own.
They respawn 7 times. Areas are easy to farm. I cleared out nearly 70% of all areas when I last played it. I think I broke level 350
You'll get enough branches of yore to unlock everything, but they are very spread out and some kinda hidden. Most of them you'll have to come back to later.
And enemies CAN follow you through fog gates, but NOT while the fog is active. I've seen numerous LPs where they got attacked while celebrating a boss defeat.
If you like spears I had great success with the Heide spear that you can get in Lost Bastille or whatever it's called, on my no-shield run.
Yeah, on Neogaf people were saying they could walk through the fog and join the fight against you with the boss. The drama was so great people were saying that that they were going to wait until it got patched. If the fog wall is down, they are not going through it. It seems their A.I. remains aggro'd for longer so they will come in after the fog wall is down. I've used the Heide spear before, I love it, I just wanted to use the winged one this time because it brings back the Demons Souls feels. I played this game to death on PC already.
edit: yeah I got one in the Bastille. I wonder if using one in the tutorial is worth it. A lot of surprises in the game. That plus the fact that the multiplayer is amazing makes me happy I switched. Give From/Sony time to fix BB's matchmaking.
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I think it's closer to 15 times. Also, the covenant of Champions makes them respawn indefinitely.
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I did not know that. Might have to join those guys for farming.
And I see what you mean about it bring easier now. I reached level 60 on my first play. Multiplayer world much better. I'm zipping in and out co op games in no time. It really boosts your levels. Only just reached hiedes tower.