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[synchronicity]

No question in my mind. Dark > Demon's > Dark 2.

But a complicated issue, honestly, because Dark 2 did have improvements in some areas over the other games. But -- looking at it as a whole game, Dark 2 lacks the vision and, er, "soul" of the others.

That's how I feel. I loved all three so much though. Dark 1 and Demon's are my top 2 games of all-time, but I'm not sure how I'll rank Dark 2. It's very high on my personal list, but despite some of the improvements made, it was just missing a touch of the magic that made the first two better. I agree with the missing "soul" notion. Dark 2, while brilliant in its own right, was lacking some of the vision present in the other two. In some ways it felt like an incredibly sharp copy or faithful homage. So well done, but still not the original.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Demon's is still the king. Best atmosphere, most explorable areas, replay value, NPCs, plot, world design, music, co-op, PVP, everything. The Covenant system is still majorly flawed.

 

[Aeana]

I'm going to quote myself once.

Please try to provide reasons for your listings so this can be more of a discussion than a list thread.

 

[Mman235]

Dark Souls=Dark Souls 2>Demon's Souls

It's too early for me to do a final placement of Dark Souls 2, but I'd put it closer to Dark Souls and Demon's Souls is comparatively more unrefined despite still being a masterpiece and having some ideas/levels cooler than anything in the following games.

Edit: Did everything without reasons just get deleted? Lol

 

[Necromanti]

Dark Souls

- Everything after 50%>

I would agree for the most part on this point, but the DLC content definitely redeemed the latter part of the game for me, being perhaps one of the best parts of the game overall.

 

[Moaradin]

Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls = Demon Souls

I thought Demon Souls had the best atmosphere, but I vastly prefer the open world design of the Dark Souls games. Dark Souls 2 had a lot of gameplay improvements over Dark Souls 1, and a much better PC port. I miss the interconnectivity of Dark Souls 1, but it isn't a huge deal since the individual levels of Dark Souls 2 are really good anyway.

They are all great games though.

 

[MDSLKTR]

From someone that recently started replaying Demon (never finished) and for fun restarted Dark on pc (same):

-Combat: so so much better in dark, it's not just the animations in 60fps. It's the impacts, the blood, the sound feedback, swaying physics etc...
-Level design: Dark by a mile, I was watching a playtrough by a pro and I was blown away by how much shit I missed out in the starting areas. Nexus is cool , but the work went into Dark's world is one for the history books.
-Art: obviously graphic fidelity plays a big roll in that. Demon is ugly as sin today, Dark in 1080p will be a masterpiece forever. Also Dark armors > Demon armors, I saw some really goofy designs in the Demon's pantheon and the wikia list of armors is really not that impressive. The starting classes in Dark already all look more badass than all my characters in Demon's.
-Music doesn't do anything for me in both games.
-Dark kicks your ass more.
-The atmosphere seems the same for me, one has a fantastic horror vibe the other is more gothic.

All in all, can't wait to finish them both and start DS2!

 

[MoogleWizard]

Dark > Demon's > Dark II

I still loved Dark II but for some reason the game never grabbed me like the first two. It didn't have the same consistent atmosphere and something about the animation and character movement was off, I felt like my character had no weight.
There were too many individual areas that were pretty small, less areas but bigger would have been better. Some areas like Drangleic Castle, Shrine of Armana, Undead Crypt, Gutter or Sinner's Rise do reach the captivating atmosphere and the quality of the first two games but there are just too many unmemorable areas in-between to keep the quality on an even level throughout the game.

 

[Virdix]

I havent played Demons as I never had a ps3 (heres hoping for a ps4 release) but dark souls over Dark Souls 2. Something about to isnt nearly as compelling for me as I haven't touched it since 3 days after it came out.

 

[Brerlappin]

If we're talking Dark Souls 1 with the DLC, it may beat DeS for me since that added a ton of fun bosses and some cool characters. The back half of DS1 is a bummer; Tomb of the Giants, Lost Izalith and Demon Ruins are all pretty lame compared to the beginning areas.

Theyre still nowhere near as bad as the ass end of DS2, with those fuck awful Giants Memories levels. They absolutely STUNK

 

[muffs92]

Demon's Souls = Dark Souls = Dark Souls 2

 

[MormaPope]

Theyre still nowhere near as bad as the ass end of DS2, with those fuck awful Giants Memories levels. They absolutely STUNK

I thought they were neat. You are invading the memories of a dangerous and majestic creature, so I usually sprint through the memory to avoid combat. If you're stopping to battle everything I don't think that was the intention design wise.

 

[krishian]

Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls >Demon's Souls

Love all three games and the fact that they seem to get better with each new title has me crazy excited for Beast Souls!

 

[Zezboob]

Dark Souls
- Open world resulted in you seeing unfinished maps early on

Eh, that exactly one of the thing I do love on DS1 and what I dislike about DS2.

That taste of the tease.

 

[Sotha_Sil]

Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Demon's Souls

Dark Souls was a huge step up from Demon's Souls, imo. Dark Souls 2 resides somewhere in the middle.

 

[BadWolf]

Demon's Souls for the world and atmosphere (and not looking butt ugly in soul form compared to hollow). Best boss designs as well probably. Hub world is one of the more memorable one's.

Dark Souls for the story and interconnected world. The later half did take a nose dive though and warping should have been made available earlier.

Darks Souls 2 for the gameplay which forces you to learn to play better instead of being able to hide behind a shield most of the time. Great balance between hub world and being able to warp. A lot of content and areas to go to.

 

[SovanJedi]

I'm glad this thread exists. I recently posted my thoughts about Dark Souls 2 on my Facebook account, basically saying it felt just slightly worse than Dark Souls 1 in every aspect (though I still enjoyed it through to the end), and then two of my friends just jumped on saying how much Demon's Souls shits all over the Dark Souls games and they were superior in every way. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't think that is the case, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[akaoni]

Dark Souls > Demon's Souls >>>>> Dark Souls 2. I only got 12 hours into DS2 before shelving it.

I don't want to say that you had to know someone would want to know why, but you had to know someone would want to know why!

I found myself being quite frustrated with DaS2 in the beginning but I put it down to blabbing through the entire thing over Skype and made a directionless sort of character.

 

[Brerlappin]

I thought they were neat. You are invading the memories of a dangerous and majestic creature, so I usually sprint through the memory to avoid combat. If you're stopping to battle everything I don't think that was the intention design wise.

Nah, they were straight up terribad. Memory of Jeigh was the worst thing ever in a souls game. Say what you like about tomb of the giants, demons ruins or lost izalith. They were still levels that you could play like the rest of the game, The Memories in DS2 were garbage tier design that felt like it was trying to show off a "spectacle", like some AAA Blockbuster shit. Dodge insta kill flaming fireballs, run past insta kill giants and insta kill rolling head statues and do battle with the crappiest boss in the entire series...sooo epic. Seriously, absolutely terrible stuff.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Demon's Souls>Dark Souls>Dark Souls 2

Demon's is my favourite but I admit there may be rose tinted glasses here a little as it was my first Souls game.

Dark I feel is more ambitious and it certainly impressed me on that front more so than any other game in the series, with it's interconnected open world. However, I do think it is more obtuse than Demon's and I found myself more reliant on wikis and forum help for where to go, what to do and what was the best equipment; something I felt came more naturally in Demon's.

Dark 2 on the other hand is kind of like Diet Dark Souls - it has the same basis and is still very enjoyable, but it's just not the same. It feels paradoxically easier overall and in places harder than DS1, due to specific encounter designs. In fact for a game that was touted as trying to be easier to get into for new players I'd argue this has the hardest overall start in the Souls games, lord knows the Pursuer, most notably for me, gave me alot of trouble and he was only the second boss.

 

[Yoshichan]

This is how I know you're trolling.

How so? The PvP in Dark Souls 2 barely has any lag and works flawlessly with arena-type maps. It's fucking amazing.

I'm going to quote myself once.

PLEASE don't make the princess lock this thread guys. I'm enjoying this thread a lot so far.

 

[Tiops]

Dark >= Demon's >> Dark 2.

Dark Souls is a better game in almost every category than Demon's (like gameplay and graphics), but the level design in DeS is so awesome that I still can't decide the best one.

Dark Souls 2 is great too and a more complete game than the other ones, but the level design and gameplay is worse, than it's predecessors. But the PVP is better, and it would've been even better if the shitty Soul Memory didn't exist.

 

[reson8or]

As others have said

1. Demon's (The tone and atmosphere are second to none and lost in the more sprawling worlds of the Dark games, also has best music, bosses and "worlds")

2.Dark 1 (Amazing in its own right improved on Demon's with an interconnected world)

3. Dark 2 Epic in size but loses something in the process, also streamlined gameplay initiatives are hit or miss for a Souls game)

 

[gioGAF]

Dark Souls just felt more polished and more treated with love.

Are you nuts? I like Dark Souls as much as anyone here, but if there is one thing that Dark Souls is not compared to Demon's Souls, it is "more polished and more treated with love". The entirety of Demon's Souls is top notch, every area and enemy is treated with great attention to detail. Controls and online interactions are also miles better in Demon's Souls.

If anything, Dark Souls could have been an even greater game if it had received the same polish / love that was poured into Demon's Souls. The first 50% of the game is solid, but many areas in the second half are just completely generic and empty, not to mention a heavy reuse of enemies throughout the second half. As someone else stated, Dark Souls peaks at around the half way mark (Ornstein and Smough fight). It makes me sad to think about how much better Dark Souls would have been if it had the same online structure and tight controls as Demon's Souls :-(

Another thing many people fail to realize is that going from Demon's Souls (PS3) to Dark Souls (PS3) is actually a downgrade in quality from a technical standpoint. If you bought Dark Souls on 360 or PC, this detail is lost on you.

 

[Colbert]

In my opinion each game has its flaws and its highlights but they are all good at giving you fun and satisfaction:

Demons Souls:
Pro: Boss fights very good thought out because you needed different tactics for each boss
Con: Upgrading weapons was a mess especially if you needed certain stones

Dark Souls 1:
Pro: NPCs, Shortcuts and Leveling at the bonfire,
Con: 2nd half of the game seemed a little bit rushed. Framerate problems in Blighttown

Dark Souls 2:
Pro: No massive framerate drops, better NG+, massive World
Con: Need to return to Majula for Leveling, too many bonfires, some boss fights i would not consider as a boss fight

 

[Uthred]

Theyre still nowhere near as bad as the ass end of DS2, with those fuck awful Giants Memories levels. They absolutely STUNK

I thought they were cool, the timed element was a nice change and the timer was more than generous. The enemies are also pretty weak and easily avoidable if you dont want to kill them. They are also extremely short. I can see people not liking them but I dont see why they seem to infuriate some people. They were a fun little diversion, the levels that are generally regarded as crap in Dark Souls were a much longer slog. As an aside, are the memories even required before hitting the Throne of Want?

. They were still levels that you could play like the rest of the game, The Memories in DS2 were garbage tier design that felt like it was trying to show off a "spectacle", like some AAA Blockbuster shit. Dodge insta kill flaming fireballs, run past insta kill giants and insta kill rolling head statues and do battle with the crappiest boss in the entire series...sooo epic. Seriously, absolutely terrible stuff.

You can play the Memories exactly like the rest of the game, you dont need to rush through them if you take them super cautiously you will be thrown out and have to do them again, which is analagous to how normal exploration works in souls game only here you get warped out as opposed to dying. Or you can be a bit less cautious and bang through them. Also you're exaggerating how much damage stuff is doing, my pure caster with next to no points in vitality and light armour one wasnt one shotted by either the fireballs or the giants so I cant imagine many other people were either. The head is laughably easy to avoid and no more unfair than any other of the highly lethal traps scattered throughout the series. The boss was easy but I dont think he was meant to be anything else. The intent behind the giant memories seemed to be to provide some quick background exposition in a fun way, you're meant to get through them quickly and then proceed on to the throne of want, I really dont think they were an attempt at spectacle like you suggested.

 

[Aaron-Lagann]

1. Dark. 2. Demon. 3. Dark 2.

I haven't played Demon, but I actively kind of dislike 2 in a lot of places, so my lack of knowledge makes Demon's better.

Generally, though, Dark 1 is one of my favorite games of the last generation (Such a unique thing to say, I know) and 2 really didn't come anywhere near it in terms of the magic.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Order I played them: Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2

How I'd rank them: Dark Souls > Demon's Souls > Dark Souls 2

In truth I prefer more things about Demon's than Dark, but there's a critical thing that pulls Dark ahead -- character building. Demon's motivates you more into a generalist kind of character so that if you were trying to go all melee you certainly could, but things like Second Chance made it feel like you were only gimping yourself doing so. Your character always had mana as well, so there was always some elbow nudging that your character needed to use some magic. Dark Souls got rid of that with its changes to the magic system, but more than that, Dark Souls features some of my favourite weapons in the series, so I just generally have more fun using my character in that over the other two. I also preferred the change in health recovery, Estus is far more elegant than grass.

Other than that, I prefer Demon's for almost everything else. The segmentation of levels, going into the familiar hub to choose where to go to next, the immediacy of its branching, better boss fights, better atmosphere, better online functionality, I enjoyed the tendency system, I just found it better structured than either of its successors.

Dark Souls 2 is just kind of weaker than either of the other two but still good on its own. I think it just lacks a strong identity as it tries to rehash a lot of previous concepts while its own changes are a mixed bag of results. The change in the feel of character controls alone bring it to being the worst in the series, but I still appreciate it bringing back some Demon's Souls concepts that I missed.

 

[MormaPope]

Nah, they were straight up terribad. Memory of Jeigh was the worst thing ever in a souls game. Say what you like about tomb of the giants, demons ruins or lost izalith. They were still levels that you could play like the rest of the game, The Memories in DS2 were garbage tier design that felt like it was trying to show off a "spectacle", like some AAA Blockbuster shit. Dodge insta kill flaming fireballs, run past insta kill giants and insta kill rolling head statues and do battle with the crappiest boss in the entire series...sooo epic. Seriously, absolutely terrible stuff.

So are you arguing there have never been areas like that is Souls games? Sens Fortress is one giant death sprint if you don't want to take things incredibly slow. The bridge with the dragon perched on the other side in Undead Burg is a peculiar spot that requires poking the dragon and timing a sprint to the middle or end. What about the mega archers in Anor Londo that caused players constant grief? Or the extremely thin walkways near the ceiling where monks attack you? There are tons of problematic spots for players where fighting isn't involved. Falling to your death because of taking one hit is the same thing as a one hit instant death, except gravity and inertia is involved.

The Giant's memory levels last for like two or three minutes if you sprint past everything. Instant death all around the player causes tension and fear.

 

[Nyoro SF]

No question in my mind. Dark > Demon's > Dark 2.

But a complicated issue, honestly, because Dark 2 did have improvements in some areas over the other games. But -- looking at it as a whole game, Dark 2 lacks the vision and, er, "soul" of the others.

I honestly feel the same way.

Dark Souls 2 has a lot more content, but since the worlds are so heavily disconnected, the content lacks clout.

 

[impact]

How so? The PvP in Dark Souls 2 barely has any lag and works flawlessly with arena-type maps. It's fucking amazing.

If there's barely any lag then why are phantom hits (ie dude swings at the air nowhere near me, I still get hit) such a huge problem, moreso than in either previous Souls game? Aside from that, soul memory makes builds useless so everyone is super leveled and powerful in everything making magic a huge factor which is annoying to deal with in such a laggy game. The PvP areas suck shit compared to Oolacile or Undead Burg too. And invasions are pretty much NG+ only, which sucks.

and before you tell me it's laggy because my connection sucks

 

[Deified Data]

1. Demon's Souls - Supremely atmospheric is the first words I'd use to describe this game. Online is elegant and accessible. The endgame feels as robust and thoughtful as the first few levels. A simpler narrative to its successor that relies less on obfuscation and more on powerful, pondersome archetypes (which I personally prefer for this kind of game). The most memorable bosses in the series and the most diverse environments.

2. Dark Souls - A refinement of everything that made Demon's Souls a modern-day classic. A cogent, interlocking world with lore that feels timeless and significant. A superior check-point system to Demon's but with inferior online functionality. Less balanced than Demon's. Endgame feels rushed.

3. Dark Souls 2 - Fair to say that for every problem with Dark Souls that Dark Souls 2 fixed, it created another problem unique to itself. Fix low-level twinking via Soul History? Soul History kills online functionality for people who regularly participate in co-op. Make invasions less common? Make invasions so rare that you don't even need to worry about them on your first playthrough. Enemy extinction to prevent excessive grinding? The world becomes empty and permanent soul loss discourages experimentation. I enjoyed it while I played it but there's no denying it's the worst game in the series.

 

[MormaPope]

I thought they were cool, the timed element was a nice change and the timer was more than generous. The enemies are also pretty weak and easily avoidable if you dont want to kill them. They are also extremely short. I can see people not liking them but I dont see why they seem to infuriate some people. They were a fun little diversion, the levels that are generally regarded as crap in Dark Souls were a much longer slog. As an aside, are the memories even required before hitting the Throne of Want?

Spoiler

If the player enters the Throne of Want before the Giant Lord is defeated only the Throne Watcher and Throne Defender boss is encountered here. This can be utilized to avoid back to back boss fights as the player is free to leave after

.

You can enter and fight in that boss fight, but to fight the final boss you just need that one memory.

 

[peronmls]

Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Demon Souls

Dark Souls and Demon Souls where identical in many ways. Great games. Would play any Souls game. I think I really liked the eeriness of Dark Souls.

 

[Struct09]

For me, Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls > Demon's Souls

It's mostly around how I played the games with the community. I've been playing DS2 since its PC launch and have had a great time with the summoning and covenants. It's helped smooth out the experience for me, I don't typically hit road bumps that make me want to tear my hair out. I'm also much more comfortable with the series so I can take my time exploring the areas rather than spending a lot of time reading FAQs on how the various systems work.

I played Dark Souls 1 on PC a while after it came out. Summoning was few and far in between, and I hit a couple brick walls that I didn't enjoy. I'm looking at you Capra Demon and O&S...

I played Demon's Souls a while after it came out, but I didn't really understand the multiplayer very well since it's not well explained in game. I didn't do any sort of multiplayer outside of reading/writing messages, and I had a hard time with the pacing of the game.

 

[Brerlappin]

So are you arguing there have never been areas like that is Souls games? Sens Fortress is one giant death sprint if you don't want to take things incredibly slow. The bridge with the dragon perched on the other side in Undead Burg is a peculiar spot that requires poking the dragon and timing a sprint to the middle or end. What about the mega archers in Anor Londo that caused players constant grief? Or the extremely thin walkways near the ceiling where monks attack you? There are tons of problematic spots for players where fighting isn't involved.

The Giant's memory levels last for like two or three minutes if you sprint past everything. Instant death all around the player causes tension and fear.

Theres a difference, instant death in DS is because youre not paying attention and something killed you. In those memory levels its because of cheap design and the fact that youre being rushed through a timed sequence that only exists to try and look impressive. Is the equivalent of an on rails section only youre still able to die. There is no reason for those levels to even exist...theyre awful.

 

[doomquake]

Durante/Durante/Playstation Plus

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

Since my other post got deleted:

I think all games are equal. Demon's Souls had the most varied bosses for me with awesome stuff like the Blind Boss. Dark Souls had the BEST Bosses with multiple epic, large scale fights and some crazy stuff like 4 Kings. Dark Souls 2 had the best locations and not the shitty End-Dungeon problem of Dark Souls 1 but the weakest bosses.

So, all games have their strength and weaknesses and overall are the same quality for me.

 

[JLeack]

Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls > Demon's Souls

Proper online infrastructure and no FPS lag -> open world.

 

[dcx4610]

For someone that hasn't played any of them, which would be best to start with?

I would think Demon's since it was first but it seems a bit polarizing in some ways.

 

[I speel my dreenk]

Demon's = Dark (ps3 & pc) > Dark II (ps3 & pc)

Certainly, specific aspects of mechanics or UI were done better by one game over the others, but my ranking is an overall picture encompassing all aspects of the games (movement, combat, dialogue, plot, lore, architecture, atmosphere, music, sound effects, etc). I'm sure that I'm not just looking though my rose-tinted shades, either, since I played through Demon's again in January, and Dark again in February - they both hold up amazingly well, and the mystery and atmosphere of Demon's is unmatched for me. Dark II certainly has the others beat in terms of usability in the pvp department, but there are just so many dumb changes and unappealing design decisions made in almost every other part of the game, I have a tough time having fun while playing it. If I just ignored these and turned my brain off it probably wouldn't be a big deal, but that's not why I play a Souls game in the first place.

Nah, they were straight up terribad. Memory of Jeigh was the worst thing ever in a souls game. Say what you like about tomb of the giants, demons ruins or lost izalith. They were still levels that you could play like the rest of the game, The Memories in DS2 were garbage tier design that felt like it was trying to show off a "spectacle", like some AAA Blockbuster shit. Dodge insta kill flaming fireballs, run past insta kill giants and insta kill rolling head statues and do battle with the crappiest boss in the entire series...sooo epic. Seriously, absolutely terrible stuff.

I pretty much agree with you, though I don't feel as harshly about it - the memory sequences didn't feel like they belonged in a Souls game at all. When I realized they were putting a time limit on traversing an area (and eventually killing a boss), I just lost all interest. Lots of people seem to be fine with running past stuff in these games, but that's never how I've played 'em. Slow, methodical, meticulous, deliberate are all ways to approach a Souls game that I value.

 

[SpokkX]

Demon's Souls is still the most superior game, and last gens best game.

My opinions of Dark Souls (1) is pretty known and old by this date, but the game is great up until you reach the 50%> part. Then it becomes an intern piece of shit game.

Dark Souls 2 is an utter shit fest on PS3 (iliterally the worst game I've ever played on PS3) however it is a REALLY great game on PC. Better than DkS(1) but obviously worse than Demon's Souls.

So basically: Demon's Souls >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dark Souls 2 >>>>>>> Dark Souls 1

DeS has the best atmosphere, bosses and framerate. The game is also quite good from start to finish. Quality gameplay all around and even though there are some better/worse levels, nothing is really "bad"

DS has better world design (love that metroidvania map), better mechanics and weapons/armor. It easily reaches higher highs than DeS. However after about 50% the game kind of falls apart in so many ways. Technically (blight town) and gameplaywise (tomb of giants, lost iziliath etc). So after 50% it reaches way lower lows than DeS

DS2 is not even in the competition imo. It just lacks something. The atmosphere is missing almost completely, the map design is just bad and a lot of stuff is just reskinned from DS.

Imo:

DeS > DS >>>>>>> DS2

 

[NEOPARADIGM]

Nah, I'm just not a fan of circle jerks with no critical assertions whatsoever.

Some people have been here for years and years and have made dozens if not hundreds of "critical assertions" about these games, to the point that now they're content to be a bit less detailed, leaving that to people like you, who are in the mood to make large posts on the matter. I don't see why we can't have both. It's like you've never read a thread on here before.

 

[MormaPope]

Theres a difference, instant death in DS is because youre not paying attention and something killed you. In those memory levels its because of cheap design and the fact that youre being rushed through a timed sequence that only exists to try and look impressive. Is the equivalent of an on rails section only youre still able to die. There is no reason for those levels to even exist...theyre awful.

Watch where the fire hits the landscape, look for a path so you can run by and avoid the giants, reach the end. The time they give you to complete the memories is really generous, so you have more than enough time to analyze the environment and plan your course.

Some people have been here for years and years and have made dozens if not hundreds of "critical assertions" about these games, to the point that now they're content to be a bit less detailed, leaving that to people like you, who are in the mood to make large posts on the matter. I don't see why we can't have both. It's like you've never read a thread on here before.

Then they shouldn't post in a discussion thread if that's the case. And it doesn't even have to be a large post, uttering out two or three words isn't doing anything for anyone.

 

[jimboton]

I'll include all the 'darkish' From rpgs I've played. Except for Eternal Ring which I don't remember very well

Dark Souls> Kings Field 4> Kings Field 2> Dark Souls 2> Demon's Souls> King's Field 3> Shadow Tower Abyss

One interesting thing about these games is that they come in three flavors in their approach to exploration: open and interconnected like DaS, KF4 and KF2, open and sprawling like DaS2 and KF3 and hub-and-levels based like DeS and Shadow Tower Abyss (although the latter could be argued to be interconnected it's very linearly arranged, also later levels don't become available until you've progressed in the earlier ones). I much prefer the first style.

I also think in regards to most other mechanics like multiplayer and combat both DaS games are more fully realized than DeS.

 

[Uthred]

Theres a difference, instant death in DS is because youre not paying attention and something killed you. In those memory levels its because of cheap design and the fact that youre being rushed through a timed sequence that only exists to try and look impressive. Is the equivalent of an on rails section only youre still able to die. There is no reason for those levels to even exist...theyre awful.

Come on this is pure spin, dying to the fireballs is no different to dying to any other environmental effect, they have a predictable pattern so if you die to them its exactly because you werent paying attention. Similarly the giants are just normal mobs so if you die to them its exactly the same as dying to any other mob. The time limit isnt even an issue in the Memory of Jeigh as you have at most two normal mobs and one easy boss to beat.

Edit: Quickly checked out the MoJ, naked the fireballs do ~900 damage, so as long as you have Vitality 9+ and armour on the fireballs shouldnt be one-shotting you, the giants do significantly less damage than that. And apart from their contribution to the games story the levels arguably exist as an end game soul farm to counteract the exticntion system for people who dont want to push on to NG

 

[Santiako]

Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Demon's Souls

Dark Souls had the best world design, best lore, best bosses, best npcs and improved everything that Demon's did. Overall the best game of the three, I loved the Metroidvania aproach to the world and I hope they return to it in future instalments.

Dark 2 is the most different of the three games. It has a massive amount of content, tons of bosses and levels yet it manages to maintain a great level of quality throughout the whole game. It does have definitely the worst lore and story, but I don't care much about that aspect. If they fix the whole Soul Memory thing, the pvp is going to be the best by far.

Demon's is very similar to Dark, just inferior in mostly every way. Suffers from the very linear path design of its world, and by having them end so suddenly with the last boss on each of them, when you expect another level. Still, an amazing game though.

 

[takoyaki]

Demon Souls > Dark Souls 1 > Dark Souls 2

In my book, no other game in the series has beaten the atmosphere and tight, responsive controls of DeS. I also loved the world tendencies, the bosses, the NPCs and it's still my favorite story of the series.

DS1 added that great, interconnected Metroidvania structure and a bunch of fantastic boss-fights, but some areas towards the end felt very rushed.

DS2 was fantastic towards the end, but the first 2/3rds felt pretty random to me and the controls were a little unresponsive from time to time (at least on the PS3 version).

 

[akaoni]

For someone that hasn't played any of them, which would be best to start with?

I would think Demon's since it was first but it seems a bit polarizing in some ways.

There won't be a straight answer. I would say Dark Souls 2 because it is the 'least penalising towards failure' and is fairly new so you will be able to get assistance from other players very easily. The tips you are better off knowing are things you might not want to know if you want to learn the series mechanics completely blind, by that I mean how to decide what to do with your character and your options. There are people who would completely disagree with choosing DS2 though.

 

[JetSetRadio]

Loved Demon's Souls.
Liked Dark Souls.
Kinda enjoyed Dark Souls 2 pc because I got it really cheap.

Can't wait for PROJECT BEAST.