Dark Souls II

[Aftrunner]

Hitboxes etc are the least of my concerns man. The game disappointed me in the one aspect I greatly respect the souls game for : LEVEL DESIGN. As he said in that video the game severely lacks any thoughtful level design (among other things). When he mentioned the moment where you had to kill the 4 giant souls in order to circumvent a pile of rubble I almost threw up. I hadn't noticed this while playing for god knows what reason. Maybe I wasn't as engrossed as I should have been. But then it really says something about the game itself rather than my attention span. I'm sure many people would find this game amazing and even up to par with the previous games but I found it a really forgettable experience. Maybe If I hadn't played the previous games I'd find this excellent too but that isn't the case unfortunately.

 

Thank god Dark Souls 1 never had any of that nonsense. Imagine if you had to kill 4 Lord Souls just to light a stupid fire.

[Aftrunner]

How is that level design?

 

Level design is about layout. What you are talking about is simply a visual cue. Would it make you feel better if it was a door instead of the rubble? Or an orange fog wall (EXACTLY what Dark Souls 1 does)? Or something else equally asinine? What difference would that make aside from an aesthetic one?

 

It is artificial gating. Thats all it is. Every RPG does it to some extent. Take every zelda game ever made, you collect X items to progress even though the final dungeon is right there and you can go to the front door of it whenever you want. Demons Souls had the same, you couldnt go forward in 1-3 till you cleared other parts of the game. Dark Souls wont let you proceed through the orange fog gates till you kill O&S. And then it puts a door in your way that wont open till you kill 4 Lord Souls. This is no different than that.

 

This is like complaining that you can see doors in a GTA game so why cant you enter every house? Or complaining that in a game you have to search for a key even though you have a bazooka and can blow the door open if it was "realistic".

[Tyler]

I think you're being a little harsh on the game. I'm pretty sure I can sit down and write a lengthy criticism of Dark Souls 1 as well (or any game/movie/book for that matter). I noticed that pile of rubble even before the video hammered it home. But yeah like Afty said, every game has artificial gating, even DeS and DaS1. DaS2 is genuinely good, sure not as good as DaS1, but that's like one of the best games of all time. But it's certainly not a disappointment in the way you're painting it to be. I've finished it twice already and I couldn't be more excited for the PC version to unlock. Contrary to the 'honeymoon phase' I'd say we're looking at DaS1 with nostalgia goggles as well. It's essentially the same game but with a few differences, some of which are good, others not so much.

 

Fast travel does make it feel different but in no way does it ruin the game. Like most others I absolutely adore the connected world of DaS1 but it really doesn't ruin DaS2 or DeS for me. It's just the way the worlds are laid out but most individual levels are still good. Don't forget DaS1 had areas like Lost Izalith and Great Hollow. Also not sure why you're calling the enemies uninteresting, there's a fair bit of variety and every area has at least a few new types to fight. I agree about the bosses though, there's an awful lot of them and it felt like a blur on my first playthrough but NG+ once again gave every boss an identity (well apart from stuff like Covetous Demon). Then again DaS1 had bosses like Pinwheel, Centipede Demon, Demon Firesage etc which were almost as forgettable as some of weaker bosses of DaS2.

 

I guess you expected something extraordinary out of the game and I suppose that's normal when previous games set such a high bar. I personally just expected 'more Dark Souls' and I more or less got that from DaS2.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Tyler

[Tyler]

I have always had this feeling that the difficulty level in the Souls series has been waaaaaaaaaaaay overplayed by its fanbase. People who couldnt finish an actual difficult game but can finish a Souls game seem to feel better if they talk non stop about how brutal and hard the game is.

 

So unless all you have played in the last 5 years are Ubisoft games which play themselves, you will do fine with Dark Souls 2.

 

This. The difficulty of these games is way overrated. I really blame the new generation of game critics for this.

[dante77]

Pinwheel? PINWHEEL! was he even a boss, because there are lot of them in Tomb of the Giants just before Nito. If he is considered a proper boss then he is the lamest one. Literally 5-6 hit.

[dante77]

 

This. The difficulty of these games is way overrated. I really blame the new generation of game critics for this.

+1. Yes, I died. A LOT but I don't consider DS a difficult game at all!

[Tyler]

Yeah he's a slightly larger version of the mini-pinwheels before the fog gate. Although I have never died to him if you don't kill him quickly he supposedly clones himself over and over again so it becomes hard to target the real one. Then again, no one waits that long

[KyoyaHibari]

 

Its not really that difficult.

 

I have always had this feeling that the difficulty level in the Souls series has been waaaaaaaaaaaay overplayed by its fanbase. People who couldnt finish an actual difficult game but can finish a Souls game seem to feel better if they talk non stop about how brutal and hard the game is.

 

Totally agree, I think the main reason to think the game is difficult is because of many deaths you face in game. Dying many times means not difficult. You would die atleast 1000 times before you complete Hotline Miami, that doesnt make it a tough game. Its just strict and needs a lot of attention. Its never difficult and hopeless.

 

I dont even understand why they overhype about difficulty I feel like i should show Ninja Gaiden and DMC dante must die mode gameplay everyone who say Souls series is tough. Then they would understant what difficult a game means.

[mango_man]

 

Its not really that difficult.

 

I have always had this feeling that the difficulty level in the Souls series has been waaaaaaaaaaaay overplayed by its fanbase. People who couldnt finish an actual difficult game but can finish a Souls game seem to feel better if they talk non stop about how brutal and hard the game is.

 

And (with the exception of 1-2 places) Dark Souls 2 is the easiest of the series. There are Bonfires (the game's version of check points) EVERYWHERE which means any time you fail at a boss, retrying takes all of 10 seconds. Like all RPGs ever made, the first 5 hours or so are tough and then it keeps getting easier and easier till you are destroying everyone and everything in the second half of the game.

 

Combat is easy to understand and easy to master. So unless all you have played in the last 5 years are Ubisoft games which play themselves, you will do fine with Dark Souls 2.

Thanks & thanks guys.. I will try it!

[meaNmachine]

Totally agree with what Tyler said. Completed the game twice and can't wait to start a new play through (dark magic build). Dark souls is addictive :/

 

1st playthrough - 80 hours (50% of that is just covenant PVP), 2nd playthrough - 12 hours. Magic = OP.

 

 

 

Thank god Dark Souls 1 never had any of that nonsense. Imagine if you had to kill 4 Lord Souls just to light a stupid fire.

 

[KyoyaHibari]

Just completed Gargoyles and Smelter demon bosses. Loved them I would put smelter demon in top 10 souls bosses.

 

After joining Bell cov I got lots of invasions today. After waiting so long finally dueled some guys Couldn't win may duals though

 

Yeah maybe "level design" was the wrong term to use. And as I said I didn't even notice it while playing through that part of the game. But it does feel a little off to me now that I think about it.

 

But the level design surely feels lacking in the game in general. Perhaps it was because of the presence of multiple bonfires in almost every area combined with the ability to warp right from the start. It took away the tension building while progressing through and area and the immense feeling of respite when finding a bonfire. Because of this even the shortcuts (whatever little of those the game has) were rendered utterly pointless. And all this would have been fine if it weren't a souls game and just some random RPG but now it feels a huge step backwards and nothing else. Combine this with the lack of interesting enemies, bosses and NPCs and what you have in the end is a disappointing sequel. I feel most gamers are going through a honeymoon phase with this game right now. This won't be remembered or regarded highly (as the reviews and rating seem to suggest) in the years to come.

 

Level design is the correct term. And I also feel lot of levels are not at all make like a Souls game levels. I honestly felt like Im playing god of war. Just running from one bonafire to a boss fog and from there to another bonafire and so on.

 

In previous games all enemies are placed in perfect locations and each and every enemies has a reason to exist there. For example the Taurus demon and Capra demon locations can be speculated as they might have escaped from demon ruins and reached undead berg. The serpenthead guys suit the sens castle perfectly. Silver Knights in Anor Londo. Ghosts in New Londo and so on... For each enemy i had to use different tactics.

 

In DS2 almost all enemies tactic is just block or roll and wait for the enemies to exhaust their stamina and then attack. Im using only Bastard Sword till now, never even had to change the sword to defeat any enemies. Also another point to notice is enemies has terrible posie, Almost all enemies are staggering after 1 R1 hit with Bastard sword. Even the Aloone Knights who wear such a heavy armor. In previous games I had to use Katanas for fast enemies and Greatswords for heavy enemies and needless to say about the parries and backstabs. I am not getting that 1st time experience which i had for DeS and DaS.

 

So thats why i felt like Im playing God of War. The deep level design in previous games is seriously lacking, the boss battles are solid though.

[SRINI87]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JFAuXa788SQ

[CarbonCore]

Game pre-loaded and ready to go

[Tyler]

Yup.

 

This game will unlock in approximately 7 hours.

 

So tempted to call in sick tomorrow...

[Heaven Angel]

You can unlock now itself via JP VPN.

(or wait of course)

[Tyler]

So thats why i felt like Im playing God of War.

 

Exaggeration?

 

Also I never changed weapons much in DaS1 either, the only place I usually switched from my chosen weapon was the Catacombs and I could have avoided that as well. The thing with DaS2 is that you find very good weapons early in the game so switching to other is not needed unless you really want to try a different one. I played a magic build and I had a hard time taking on enemies in melee until I got the MLGS, I kept switching between Flame Longsword and a magic Uchigatana until then. I also changed between a few staffs just because every staff has a distinct advantage.

[(A)Kira]

Phewwwww. Done. (Kinda, two optional bosses left)

 

 

 

So yeah, The last boss was kinda a let down :/

 

I guess they felt that two back to back fights would strike fear in the players hearts, but with the amount of healing and restoring items in this game, I just needed a pop or two to get back on my feet. Plus I had a Sunbro backing me up.

 

And Nashandra wasn't that good a boss in terms of gameplay either. She was easy to kill, nothing unpredictable once you know that you just have to take care of the orbs. I liked the Throne Watcher and Defender fight better.

 

I think it's just me, but the story didn't make much sense in terms of the interconnectivity like there was DaS.

 

The king invaded the giants to get some awesomesauce power back (Dark?) and then it consumed him(?) or his wife was so naggy he went hollow and locked himself away in the Crypts?

His brother went and became a dragon with a giant (Why?) and lets me get Giant Souls that can weaken his brother (Why would he do that?).

 

I didn't get much of the ending either. What does sitting on the throne like a Big Dick OG accomplish?

 

/rant

 

I'd really appriciate it if someone could explain it to me. It just flew over my head.

 

 

 

 

Ended with a Zwei+10, pyro+9 and the Drake Shield+10

Edited April 24, 2014 by (A)Kira

[CarbonCore]

You can unlock now itself via JP VPN.

(or wait of course)

 

Yup its unlocked, downloaded patch n all, just applying Durante fix for SSAA and HBAO+ and we're good to go.

[Tyler]

So going through the GAF thread it seems AMD users are having massive issues and guess what card I have?

 

I think I'll try VPN now...

[Tyler]

Dat 60 fps... WOW!

 

Game looks gorgeous.

 

 

PS: Works fine on my 7970.. phew!