I just started Dark Souls 2 for the first time, and the gameplay feels awful compared to DS Remastered.

[Conkerkid11]

But none of those aspects are what people found worse about the game.

Hell, the gameplay's better than DS1 almost solely because you can move in whatever direction you want to when locked onto an enemy.

 

[Gilver]

Its so weird to talk about DS2 for me since its a great game like a 8.5 for me but its still the most flawed Souls game due to all the things that add up like the hitboxes/animations/weaker art and level design plus the over the top self referential-ness that I did not like. People who play DS 2 as their first Souls game I feel will have a great time with it due to them not expecting DS1 quality in design and art but its still a great game that is leagues beyond most RPGs that are somewhat comparable.

 

[Figgles]

Never understood the hate... I played them back to back, and it just felt like more Dark Souls. Not as good, as the first, but still good.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

I'd go for a memory checkup if I were you

Click to shrink...

Wait let me do some quick image search.
The Rotten is just a poor mans Nito.

Ancient Dragon? Lol.

Human sized enemies? Come on.

I could go on and on...

Smelter Demon is only memorable because of how god awfully generic his moveset is, and his shitty ass hitboxes.


You're tripping my dude.

 

[En-ou]

Amazing game, as good as any other From game. I don't have any issue with the gameplay or graphics. Looks beautiful in 3Dvision.

 

[Glass Arrows]

That is a problem when the game has like 30 bosses. Dude like who the fuck was high enough to make Royal Rat Authority?

Click to shrink...

"Let's make a boss similar to Sif, except without anything that made that fight memorable. Also we should add toxic rats the player has to kill at the beginning, because challenge"

 

[Listai]

I loved DS2, but I only played SOTFS.

Once you get used to the inferior controls there's so much fun to be had in experimenting with builds and varying your play-style.

 

[DarkFlame92]

Wait let me do some quick image search.
The Rotten is just a poor mans Nito.

Ancient Dragon? Lol.

Human sized enemies? Come on.

I could go on and on...

Smelter Demon is only memorable because of how god awfully generic his moveset is, and his shitty ass hitboxes.


You're tripping my dude.

Click to shrink...

The fact that DS1 bosses are objectively better,it doesn't make DS2 bosses bad. Stop this with the nihilistic approaches. I didn't say that DS1 does not have memorable bosses,neither did I ever make a comparison. I just mentioned that DS2 too has memorable bosses to a big extend.

You are the one tripping,cause you aren't paying attention to what I'm posting my dude

PS: Also don't post Manus,because I didn't post a single boss from the God-tier DS2 DLC. All my images are from the base game

 

[Wamb0wneD]

The fact that DS1 bosses are objectively better,it doesn't make DS2 bosses bad. Stop this with the nihilistic approaches. I didn't say that DS1 does not have memorable bosses,neither did I ever make a comparison. I just mentioned that DS2 too has memorable bosses to a big extend.

You are the one tripping,cause you aren't paying attention to what I'm posting my dude

PS: Also don't post Manus,because I didn't post a single boss from the God-tier DS2 DLC. All my images are from the base game

Click to shrink...

When you say they are memorable, people are going to compare them to what came before, like you know, actually memorable bosses. All I did was showing you said bosses. I couldn't remember half the bosses you posted and some of the ones I did remember I did because they were absolutely abysmal, like Smelter and The Last Giant. From their visual design to their encounter design, they are worse in every single way. "Big extent"? Nah, not even close.

 

[MrWindUpBird]

Dark Souls 2 captures none of the ambience, themes, emotion or sense of place the first game has, and the few inspired moments and design decisions all feel like first drafts.

Whenever I see more than one person says it's their favourite Souls game or that they love it I feel like Nancy in the last five minutes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Click to shrink...

I love it and it's my favorite Souls game. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Ant_17]

Don't bother , play Sekiro or Bloodborne because it has superior combat over any Dark Souls .

Click to shrink...

Yeah, pretty much.
I can't play DS1 and 2 ever since i played BB.

 

[dom]

But none of those aspects are what people found worse about the game.

Hell, the gameplay's better than DS1 almost solely because you can move in whatever direction you want to when locked onto an enemy.

Click to shrink...

Naw. You can move in any direction when locked on, you just can't roll in any direction. But other than that, DkS1 is so much more responsive and free flowing.

 

[En-ou]

UGLY AS FUCK

Click to shrink...

Ya stick to your 60 FPS lock 4K dts Dolby 16.3 black ops and cinematic push up to win games.

 

[Glass Arrows]

Naw. You can move in any direction when locked on, you just can't roll in any direction. But other than that, DkS1 is so much more responsive and free flowing.

Click to shrink...

To be honest, I've never really found the more limited rolling in DkS1 to be an issue. I wouldn't have ever noticed it if people hadn't pointed out. Needing ADP to have decent i-frames (and your i-frames having such a large variance thanks to that mechanic) just makes your rolls feel worse anyways.

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I definitely noticed that the player character had a different 'feel' to the movement, etc. compared to the first game. I disliked it, but over time it came to be less of an issue. In the end, I thought the game was very enjoyable, even if not as good as the first.

Funnily enough, I've just started Assassin's Creed Odyssey lately and I noticed the same thing. The main character 'feels' completely different from the one in Origins. In terms of the weight of movement, animations, responsiveness, etc. It was all very jarring. Almost like they've moved to a new engine entirely. I haven't seen other people online mention it though, maybe it's just me.

 

[Elliott]

I'd go for a memory checkup if I were you

Click to shrink...

Most of these bosses are memorable in the worst possible way though.

 

[MilkBeard]

It definitely feels jarring at first, especially because of the whole i-frame thing and the animations feel different. But it's worth sticking to, as the game is still solid. Depends on if you like the way it works. But you should at least play for a while.

 

[Deleted member 679]

Yep, it's horrible. You'll get used to it for the duration of your current playthrough, but going back and forth always feels jarring.

It's the only game in the series that the more I play it, the less I like it. It's bad.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

this a complete guess by me, but it seems/feels like they decided to sacrifice the fluid animation to try and make the lighting system work. then when the lighting system didn't work, they didn't have time to fix the jank

 

[Deleted member 679]

When there was only Demon's Souls, and Dark Souls 1&2, I'd say yes. Despite the flaws it's worth playing. Now, I'm not so sure, unless you've exhausted Dark Souls, the third game, Bloodborne and you want more maybe. Casters were really fun to play initially too, but then got "balanced" into the ground. But yeah, the combat and camera were the first thing I noticed, and it took a really long time to acclimate. The atmosphere was never as good as the previous games, and the graphics (mainly due to the lighting) were pretty bad except for in the expansions.

Click to shrink...

Exactly what I think.

There are so many From games available on PS4, with possibly at least one more to come, that anyone starting out on them now would be honestly wasting their time playing Dark Souls II, in my opinion. Especially Scholar of the First Sin.

Maybe if it was possible to only play Shulva...

 

[LiQuid!]

Playing on PC with the dead zone fix is mandatory. Game was unplayable for me before the controller fix. Can't imagine being forced to get used to it on a console version.

DS2 isn't a perfect game, but I like some of its areas better than most of the late game areas of DS1. Also something about the changes to combat felt really good to me in DS2 that upped its replay value. Like, shields weren't mandatory. I ran a whole game playing with a rapier in one hand and a whip in the other and it felt great. Also 2-handing certain weapons or dual wielding some weapons also feels good. The fashion souls is also more real in DS2 than it is in DS1. For everything it bungles over the original game, I feel like it makes up in some other regard.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

Playing on PC with the dead zone fix is mandatory. Game was unplayable for me before the controller fix. Can't imagine being forced to get used to it on a console version.

DS2 isn't a perfect game, but I like some of its areas better than most of the late game areas of DS1. Also something about the changes to combat felt really good to me in DS2 that upped its replay value. Like, shields weren't mandatory. I ran a whole game playing with a rapier in one hand and a whip in the other and it felt great. Also 2-handing certain weapons or dual wielding some weapons also feels good. The fashion souls is also more real in DS2 than it is in DS1. For everything it bungles over the original game, I feel like it makes up in some other regard.

Click to shrink...

are you saying you can't play DS1 without a shield? I beg to differ bro!

 

[Ferrs]

To be honest, I've never really found the more limited rolling in DkS1 to be an issue. I wouldn't have ever noticed it if people hadn't pointed out. Needing ADP to have decent i-frames (and your i-frames having such a large variance thanks to that mechanic) just makes your rolls feel worse anyways.

Click to shrink...

Of all the problems DS2 had ADP may be the most overblown one. Yes it sucks but after 2 areas you can level agility to a good point, you level up like crazy in DS2.

Meanwhile you can't up to have level 8-way roll in DS1. It absolutely sucks and makes combat while locked way more clunky than DS2 rolls without ADP, and the biggest problem of Remastered, that it wasn't fixed.

Before someone jumps on me DS1 absolutely controls better than 2, but not on rolls, 4-way rolling was stupid even before DS2 released (because you do have 8-way rolls unlocked).

 

[GiantEnemyCrab]

DLC elevates it.

DLC is also hard as fuck, though. Has one of the hardest bosses of all From games, too.

 

[LiK]

The speed and movement is different. I loved it tho. Platinumed vanilla version.

Still has best Coop/Invader mechanics and online compared to the rest.

 

[ShinobiBk]

I'm near the end of Dark Souls Remastered (litetally have a 3 way path to either Kalameet, Manus or Gwyn) and I'm very interested to pick up 2. So much negativity, I wonder if it's deserved.
I feel like Dark Souls 1 hitboxes aren't the best in the world. I can't count the amount of times I've missed hits despite standing directly next to an enemy. It drove me absolutely nuts in the Artorias fight. I hope that's fixed in 2. Also please God let there be actual fast travel and not the nonsense fast travel in 1

 

[Necron]

A mix of good and bad. I like it but it pales in comparison to 3 and recent games like Bloodborne/Sekiro. But I love Majula and its theme.

Also, invest in adaptability (20+ points).

 

[Glass Arrows]

Also please God let there be actual fast travel and not the nonsense fast travel in 1

Click to shrink...

You have fast travel right away in dark souls 2 and you can warp to any bonfire.

 

[Ferrs]

I'm near the end of Dark Souls Remastered (litetally have a 3 way path to either Kalameet, Manus or Gwyn) and I'm very interested to pick up 2. So much negativity, I wonder if it's deserved.
I feel like Dark Souls 1 hitboxes aren't the best in the world. I can't count the amount of times I've missed hits despite standing directly next to an enemy. It drove me absolutely nuts in the Artorias fight. I hope that's fixed in 2. Also please God let there be actual fast travel and not the nonsense fast travel in 1

Click to shrink...

It doesn't. It's the one that has the worst hitboxes.

 

[Novocaine]

I'm near the end of Dark Souls Remastered (litetally have a 3 way path to either Kalameet, Manus or Gwyn) and I'm very interested to pick up 2. So much negativity, I wonder if it's deserved.
I feel like Dark Souls 1 hitboxes aren't the best in the world. I can't count the amount of times I've missed hits despite standing directly next to an enemy. It drove me absolutely nuts in the Artorias fight. I hope that's fixed in 2. Also please God let there be actual fast travel and not the nonsense fast travel in 1

Click to shrink...

There is fast travel. 2 has its problems but all of the games have faults. It's such a good game if it clicks, definitely worth a try

 

[TheRagnCajun]

Worst souls game. Personally I don't think it every gets better. It's just rough around the edges and it had some abysmal areas that make lost izalith seem like a refreshing break.

 

[impact]

The speed and movement is different. I loved it tho. Platinumed vanilla version.

Still has best Coop/Invader mechanics and online compared to the rest.

Click to shrink...

How the hell can the game with soul memory have the best online? How is the coop any better than Dark 3 or Bloodborne when those games just let you play with anyone you want right from the start with password coop?

Dark 2 stans are not even in reality anymore. Say it has the best NG+ or something that is actually true.

 

[LiK]

How the hell can the game with soul memory have the best online? How is the coop any better than Dark 3 or Bloodborne when those games just let you play with anyone you want right from the start with password coop?

Dark 2 stans are not even in reality anymore. Say it has the best NG+ or something that is actually true.

Click to shrink...

Online coop and invasions are stable af and easy to summon even on console. DkS3 and BB was hit or miss. My experience was great and I didn't see a lot of Soul Memory cheaters during my run.

Calling me a stan? Keep that garbage to yourself. Just mentioning my online experience with the game and it was pleasant compared to the rest in the series.

 

[Weiss]

I'm near the end of Dark Souls Remastered (litetally have a 3 way path to either Kalameet, Manus or Gwyn) and I'm very interested to pick up 2. So much negativity, I wonder if it's deserved.
I feel like Dark Souls 1 hitboxes aren't the best in the world. I can't count the amount of times I've missed hits despite standing directly next to an enemy. It drove me absolutely nuts in the Artorias fight. I hope that's fixed in 2. Also please God let there be actual fast travel and not the nonsense fast travel in 1

Click to shrink...

Nah. I like DS2 a lot but the hitboxes are fucked.

There's instant fast travel but that's offset by the fact that you have to return to the hub to level up.

 

[Akronis]

Wait let me do some quick image search.
The Rotten is just a poor mans Nito.

Ancient Dragon? Lol.

Human sized enemies? Come on.

I could go on and on...

Smelter Demon is only memorable because of how god awfully generic his moveset is, and his shitty ass hitboxes.


You're tripping my dude.

Click to shrink...

Pinwheel was a joke

Manus was a joke

Fucking gaping dragon was the BIGGEST JOKE

Nito was a joke


None of those fights were good at all. Manus you could maybe argue because the setting and lore implications but that's it.

 

[nachum00]

It's better than 3

 

[Deleted member 679]

Dark Souls II has the best netcode by far.

Dark Souls III is close enough that I preferred doing invasions in it, but Dark Souls II being someone's favorite for online shouldn't really be a surprise.

Soul Memory does suck, but it's still easier to find matches even with it just because of how bad the netcode is in the other games, especially Bloodborne.

 

[Deleted member 2809]

The game handles like sludge. Can only move in 8 directions lmfao.
DS3 handles so perfectly next to it it's not even funny

 

[Ferrs]

How the hell can the game with soul memory have the best online? How is the coop any better than Dark 3 or Bloodborne when those games just let you play with anyone you want right from the start with password coop?

Dark 2 stans are not even in reality anymore. Say it has the best NG+ or something that is actually true.

Click to shrink...

Coop may be better in 3 because password but online overall is best in 2. PvP gets you fairly matched against other people without requiring your victim to be already in a coop session, both pve and pvp can happen after killing the boss, making areas more lively for online (you can still control that burning effigies), there's more pvp covenants and more varied ones. It also had the short summon sign for faster coops sessions.

Soul Memory does suck, but it's still easier to find matches even with it just because of how bad the netcode is in the other games, especially Bloodborne.

Click to shrink...

I think it's more about the weird ass rules Bloodborne (and to lesser extend DS3) had for PvP. DS2 was just conecting against other people, without the "ifs" BB and DS3 had.

 

[Weiss]

Pinwheel was a joke

Manus was a joke

Fucking gaping dragon was the BIGGEST JOKE

Nito was a joke


None of those fights were good at all. Manus you could maybe argue because the setting and lore implications but that's it.

Click to shrink...

I feel the same way. Dark Souls to me only really had a handful of good, challenging and fair bosses (O&S, Artorias, Gwyn, Sanctuary Guardian, and Manus). Dark Souls II's bosses were basically speedbumps and nothing special, but they got out of the way at least. There's nothing as egregiously terrible as Capra Demon and Ceaseless Discharge.

 

[ShinobiBk]

Nah. I like DS2 a lot but the hitboxes are fucked.

There's instant fast travel but that's offset by the fact that you have to return to the hub to level up.

Click to shrink...

Even worse hitboxes 😭

That's such a nuisance about leveling. Why would they go backwards from being able to level at all bonfires in Dark Souls 1?

At least say the bonfires are better placed. Place them before bosses ffs.
Dying over and over to Bed of Chaos (this is the worst boss in the history of video games) and having to make the same long trek back was torture.

 

[Akronis]

I feel the same way. Dark Souls to me only really had a handful of good, challenging and fair bosses (O&S, Artorias, Gwyn, Sanctuary Guardian, and Manus). Dark Souls II's bosses were basically speedbumps and nothing special, but they got out of the way at least. There's nothing as egregiously terrible as Capra Demon and Ceaseless Discharge.

Click to shrink...

I literally got done playing the remaster like 2 weeks ago and it's hilarious how people think it's better than 2. 2 definitely has some fucking departures in terms of design, but anyone that think DS1 is just straight better is loony.

 

[Weiss]

Even worse hitboxes 😭

That's such a nuisance about leveling. Why would they go backwards from being able to level at all bonfires in Dark Souls 1?

At least say the bonfires are better placed. Place them before bosses ffs.
Dying over and over to Bed of Chaos (this is the worst boss in the history of video games) and having to make the same long trek back was torture.

Click to shrink...

As far as I remember the bonfires are roughly the same as DS1. Little treks to the boss with enemies you can run by. There's definitely more darted around the areas though.

I literally got done playing the remaster like 2 weeks ago and it's hilarious how people think it's better than 2. 2 definitely has some fucking departures in terms of design, but anyone that think DS1 is just straight better is loony.

Click to shrink...

I think Dark Souls and Dark Souls II do enough different from another that I can't reliably pinpoint which one is better. I like Dark Souls II more, but it's also as flawed in places that Dark Souls excelled as much as it improves over its predecessor.

I play Sorcerer and it was easily the most fun in the entire series in DSII, at least until I got to the DLC and everything had crazy magic resistance.

 

[LiK]

2 suffered with the worst level designs in the series. I think we can agree about that. The way the world was connected made zero sense in relation to the other games directed by Miyazaki.

 

[PanzerKraken]

I literally got done playing the remaster like 2 weeks ago and it's hilarious how people think it's better than 2. 2 definitely has some fucking departures in terms of design, but anyone that think DS1 is just straight better is loony.

Click to shrink...

Sizzling take

 

[Weiss]

2 suffered with the worst level designs in the series. I think we can agree about that. The way the world was connected made zero sense in relation to the other games directed by Miyazaki.

Click to shrink...

It was hard for me to be too upset about that since I found the individual aesthetic and design of the maps to be better for the most part. Not having to inhabit a cohesive world meant the maps had more of their own identity.

The lava castle reached by an elevator inside an old windmill was maybe a bit much, though.

 

[Akronis]

2 suffered with the worst level designs in the series. I think we can agree about that. The way the world was connected made zero sense in relation to the other games directed by Miyazaki.

Click to shrink...

It made zero sense because the entirety of the game is smashed together due to time fuckery. Time and space make no sense. I don't see why it has to make sense or why this is a criticism.

Sizzling take

Click to shrink...

Truth hurts

 

[LiK]

It made zero sense because the entirety of the game is smashed together due to time fuckery. Time and space make no sense. I don't see why it has to make sense or why this is a criticism.



Truth hurts

Click to shrink...

I think even with the time stuff, the overall level design was fairly plain and straight forward and wasn't that interesting to explore. The only part of the game I enjoyed exploring was the foggy woods.

Def a step down after DkS1.

 

[Akronis]

I think even with the time stuff, the overall level design was fairly plain and straight forward and wasn't that interesting to explore. The only part of the game I enjoyed exploring was the foggy woods.

Def a step down after DkS1.

Click to shrink...

Disgaree completely. DS2 areas felt like dungeons with progression. DS1 areas felt WAY to open in places and it just felt like a massive slog of samey scenery. Darkroot Basin and Garden were both awful in that regard.

 

[LiK]

Disgaree completely. DS2 areas felt like dungeons with progression. DS1 areas felt WAY to open in places and it just felt like a massive slog of samey scenery. Darkroot Basin and Garden were both awful in that regard.

Click to shrink...

That's fair. We have our own preferences.