actually, they said you can play it in easy mode by exploiting the game's AI.
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Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin announced for PS4/XBO/PC - April 2015
- Thread starter RoKKeR
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actually, they said you can play it in easy mode by exploiting the game's AI.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
They argue that by letting the player make choices that can either make the game easier or harder, they used the mechanics to let the player chose how easy/hard they want the game to be. Which they believe is "getting it right".
The primal bonfire in Tseldora has no DLC linked to it either. It is however linked to a study room and a boss that drops Seath's soul.
Dragon1893
Member
I'm really torn. Since I haven't bought the dlc yet I guess I could justify buying it again even if there's not much of a visual upgrade, but I really don't feel like starting from scratch.
yeah, but you have to know them. therefore you need a bunch of players to figure it out first and then write guides, because the game never tells you what's easy and what is hard.
antisoulless
Banned
Oh. So no trainers....
You make a lot of sense, and I agree that scouring for answers would happen either way, particularly with a passionate, invested playerbase such as the one behind Souls.
From have never really made an attempt to be completely transparent, anyway. That's just the way they are. They also aren't blessed with a dedicated (western) community manager, which means often the publisher has to "speak for them", and we know how everybody loves that...
I appreciate that people want explanations and reasons for things they care about, and can understand how it's easier to label the core teams responsible for a title. I'd just never seen that A/B distinction made with any other studio or set of games before, and it just rubs me wrong (particularly as I personally know some of the people involved). With your Uncharted example, you didn't/don't see people refer to them as Naughty Dog A-Team and B-Team. Likewise with any number of sequels considered inferior by the hardcore fans. It just seemed like a cruel, lazy way to pin the blame on a supposedly less talented group of people, and I think it was largely inspired by the fact that people knew Miyazaki wasn't involved from the start, like you said. Even if intelligent people know specifically who they're talking about when they say "B-Team", it still sets a bad example, and others who are less savvy about the situation (and game dev in general) will follow suit, making everyone look ignorant and rude.
Anyway, I think I've gummed up the thread enough about this. Thanks for the chat
test_account
XP-39C²
That is a good illustration. Personally, i never really saw something very weird with that transition since it can make sense, like that picture shows. I wonder why Dragon Aerie isnt mention more instead if people want to mention weird transitions. That is one transition that i think look a bit weird, because looking around at the bottom area, you cant really see anywhere where the elevator is going. Personally, i dont really care that much though, its still an excellent game =)
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
A valid point in many cases. There are some cases where the player can figure some things out on their own with item descriptions like how I figured out in Demon's Souls that a Stone of Ephemeral Eyes can revive you without needing to defeat a boss (though it's a finite resource so it must be used with care).
But yes, there's plenty of things like the Drake Sword in DS1 which there's pretty much no way most people would just "discover" that; they would need a strategy guide or an online guide to tell them.
The upgrades in patch 1.10 involve adding enemy events to the world, which I think is what that dragon is about. You know how Freya pops in on you in Tseldora? I bet the dragon is a one time thing, something to make it more difficult for a new player to run into the optional boss of the area, and not the new regular enemy of the area. The chart on the darksouls.jp website is the most accurate one, and duckroll made a translation of the chart already. We're supposedly getting everything significant to the game with the Patch.
At about 57 seconds in we see the new creature in an area that doesnt exist in the game.
As for what I feel is weak from Dark Souls 1...let's list it out: (I think DS1 is a masterpiece and the better of the two games, but only because its a fucking goddamn masterpiece)
* Lost Izalith yeah. (Demon Ruins yeah.)
* Tomb of the Giants is some bullshit.
* Crystal Caves is some bullshit until you learn the route (if you're offline, it's harder to find your way)
* Hate the clam enemies as much as I hate the dragon butts, maybe more.
* Hydra is impressive, as is Hellkite, but the actual ranged and melee strategies for dealing with them feel like jokes or exploits.
* The felines in the forest. The Titanite Demons. Most people arrow these enemies because they're the worst enemies in the game. (Especially titanite demons....or is it prowling demons?)
* Hit Detection for arrows is really bad, especially in the burg, the anor londo residence, and the catacombs.
* Blighttown is such a nightmare in five different ways, especially on console.
* Stray Demon's hitbox on his attacks is hot bullshit
* Gravelord Nito is a garbage fight.
* Bed of Chaos feels like they rushed it in a week so they wouldn't have to cut it from the game.
* Seath can be terrible at times. He's got some corner traps, son.
* The runup to Ornstien and Smaugh, the runup to Seath, the runup to Bed of Chaos, the runup to Nito
* Manus is so exhausting to fight. I hate doing it. I do it every time, but by the time I'm done with manus i just want to never touch the game again.
* Capra Demon
* Ceaseless Discharge unless you EXPLOIT
* Centipede Demon (until you find the safe spot)
* Demon Firesage (lazy x3)
* The Great Hollow. Fuck the great hollow.
* Ash Lake doesnt REALLY make sense, and it's apparently a relic of an unfinished area of the game. Kinda wish they just cut some of this bad content and made it dlc later....like Oolacile was...(kinda wish demons souls had dlc for the sixth archstone....)
* Accessing the DLC is a stupid fucking process and you all know it.
* The front door of Duke's Archives is kind of shitty enemy spam with tons of snipers.
* The hit collision in Undead Parish can see you falling through the world if you backstab an Iron Tusk on the stairs (luckily it doesnt produce character saves in midair)
* The undead spam on your way to the bell gargoyles in the church. It's so bad, the worst "lets just flood you unless you kite SUPER DELICATELY
* The collision on the cliffs of Darkroot Garden. It's really bad sometimes.
* Basically, the second half of the game plus Blighttown and Capra. I don't think anything in DS2 is as SHITTY as some of the worst bits of DS1. I say the Prowling Demons and Felines are worse to deal with than the entire Dragon Shrine.
DS1 is a fucking masterpiece, but it's like everyone forgot that you have to exploit the shit out of that game with arrows, and that sucks. It's still my favorite game of all time (PSO is my second favorite.)
I don't think we can say "everything significant" until we know for sure what the new-gen game remix consists of, but it's fair to say that all new story content and major additions will be added with the patch. The new-gen improves will be technical and also include a full rearrangement of the existing game for a fresh experience, and that won't be added in the patch. How different that is or whether that improves the game or just alters it, is something that can only be seen when the new-gen version is released.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Curious is that it is always the same posters that come to these threads and begin to talk shit about the game.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Likely. I get the impression Aldia is so central to the story of DS2, he's implied to be a major force driving the (futility?) of this cycle, I can imagine them adding new NPCs who more clearly flesh his involvement out
I don't think the ancient dragon is "anyone". It's just itself. A false diety, created by aldia. Aldia ISN'T the dragon though. That line of thinking is a relic of people desperately trying to find links and ties in a game that wasn't really as sound lorewise as the first (which is why the dlc team is going back and fixing the lore)
Pharros isn't a boss, Aldia isnt physically represented in the game yet. I'd wager that big black twisting being of burning wood from the trailer (it COULD be the "new npc") has a better chance at being aldia. The ancient dragon is just yet another experiment. DS2, gameplaywise, was a complete experience. But they didnt finish writing the lore. the DLC shows that they can still do it, and the DLC already fixed some major things. the new dlc is going to just...fix the rest.
The Dragon is a false deity yes, possessing the soul of a giant instead. And yes, aldia was researching immortality and dragons and giants and all that. But aldia isn't the dragon. There's nothing that says the dragon is another person, or that another person became the dragon. That's what SHANALOTTE's entire purpose in the story is, is to be a human form dragon. Aldia just isn't in the game. They just didn't put him in. He's not there.
That's the answer. Pharros wasn't there either until that DLC gave a VALID suggestion. (That "oh he set up riddles of the black gulch and blah blah" theory made no fucking sense. it never did. it was grasping at straws, and wouldn't even work, because the black gulch and the rotten are older beings than vendrick is, since they were THERE when he arrived, and pharros shit is all over vendrick's and aldia's buildings.)
The game just didnt put pharros in. the game just didnt put aldia in. they put pharros in later, and aldia might get put in with this 4th dlc. It's like how the 3 other knights of gwyn just WERENT in Dark Souls 1. The Furtive Pygmy just WASNT in the game. Oolacile just WASNT in the game. A year later they put them in the game.
If DS1 had been as big then as it is now, there'd probably be a million people posting "Is Sif actually just the second of Gwyn's knights transformed?!??? heres my lore video!" People would have come up with some hot bullshit to explain how the Archer of Gwyn's court ended up as the fucking leech in blightdown.
People can jump all sorts of gymnastics through lore hoops. Most of the time people get away with it by using CONVINCING WORD USE AND SPEECH, but if you take notes (like literally, writing notes on a notepad as you watch of every "point" or such) alot of it falls apart as soon as you cross-reference anything.
Edit: Should mention, I wasn't targeting you with this post, I was merely responding to the common sentiment among alot of DS2 lore-fans that want to be the guy, or just care more about having an answer than having the right answer. Just a general thing, really.
For what it's worth, Famitsu suggests that the dragon at Heide is something which will only be in the new-gen version: http://www.famitsu.com/news/201411/27066435.html
Under the new-gen additions part of the article they use the dragon screen and the multiplayer screen to illustrate the additions. They suggest that the dragon at Heide is part of the rearranged enemies/drops/chests that will only be in the new-gen versions. They also indicate that the expanded online options are shown in the multiplayer pic, which seems to confirm 3 white phantoms + 2 red phantoms.
Under the new-gen additions part of the article they use the dragon screen and the multiplayer screen to illustrate the additions. They suggest that the dragon at Heide is part of the rearranged enemies/drops/chests that will only be in the new-gen versions. They also indicate that the expanded online options are shown in the multiplayer pic, which seems to confirm 3 white phantoms + 2 red phantoms.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
I can't help but to think the dragon at Heide's will only be available in NG+, since Heide's is an early-area in the game, it would be a major challenge for new characters to face a dragon.
So, basically, you think the whole second half of the game is weak, and practically half of the whole first half is weak? Lol
I beat the game my first time through without much trouble while never using arrows at all, or any ranged magic, really. It didn't feel particularly unfair or anything. I beat the Ceaseless Discharge the non-exploity way this time too. I really enjoyed pretty much all of it. I thought Capra Demon was great. The runs to Nito and O&S aren't really all that bad at all.
Only thing I really agree with is the Bed of Chaos fight, and the run back to it.
Look at where it's placed though. It's infront of the blue cathedral, which is an optional area. I doubt the guardian dragons are going to be on every platform of the zone. I bet the critical path is reasonably done solo, still.
I wonder if the upgraded graphics move some of the skybox elements arround so heide's isnt off a million miles in no direction. Another big thing that people miss is that, while iron keep is not visible from harvest valley as what is probably a mistake, when you get to earthen peak, you cannot see any of the PREVIOUS zones. You can see all the way to the start of harvest valley, but Huntsman's Copse, Undead Purgatory, Majula, Dranglaec Castle...none of them are anywhere in sight. (There are rumors that vehicles were going to play a role in exploration of DS2, and perhapes there were overworlds connecting some of the zones that got cut during development.) All you see in the distance from the top of earthen peak is a swamp. There ain't no swamp back there. What you doin', DS2?
"Without much trouble" While I'm sure you enjoyed the game, I...just don't believe you. It sounds like you're just lying to me. The game is DESIGNED to give you trouble.
The reason DS1 is a fucking masterpiece is because, while the lows are FUCKING SHITTY, the highs are higher than any heights most games can even dream of. So many of those boss fights and areas are on my favorite moments of all time in games, and the combat just...it did something that I had wanted 3d action games to do since I realized I didnt care that much about performing combos in DMC3 (not that i can't do them, not that i can't get S ranks, I just don't actually enjoy performing them. I get hellsa bored of doing them.) I wanted a faster rate of game. I played Dark1 before Demons, so that's my first of this specific type there. (though in some ways, I feel PSO did some of this in a much more primitive state way back on the dreamcast and gamecube, but thats another discussion entirely) The shitty parts don't have ANY effect on my overall feelings on the game, because i want to play through it to re-experience those great moments each time. It's more important to me that a game grab me, than be inoffensive. I'd rather a game have good stuff in it, than not have bad stuff in it.
I fucking love souls. i love playing them, and I think dark 1 is the strongest of the 3. That's the long and short of it.
dancingphlower
Member
I'm glad I Waited on the dlc, gonna pick this up instead.
Edit: Also, quick comment. I didn't really use arrows ever either. I was able to get to the game just fine. It was absolutely challenging, but never to the point where I felt I needed to stop because it was too much. It was just right. It demanded just enough that I was able to say to myself "I can't believe you're asking this of me, but okay I'll do it."
I'm gonna go through your list and give my thoughts.
Lost Izalith is definitely the worst part of the game.
Tomb of the Giants is some bullshit, but I don't think that makes it a bad thing. It's a serious fuck you, and it's completely unexpected, but I love it for it. I love that the game actually presented something that genuinely seems like they went too far and then says "Too bad. Deal with it. Get it done." because it feels so much better once you do get it done. It also trained me to not be so dependent on a shield any more.
Crystal cave sucks, but I can see what they're going for. It looks gorgeous at least, but gameplay wise it is pretty lame.
I think Clam enemies are fine and can be really fun to deal with with the right weapons. Flipping them over with an uppercut or the BKGS is incredibly satisfying. Dragon butts are a stupid design and stupid to fight.
Hellkite is totally optional and can be easily avoided so I don't consider it being obtuse too beat as too huge of an issue, but falling in the water constantly for melee battle against the Hydra is just terrible. They should have given more room to get in and slash.
The cats in the forest are really unneccesarily tough, but I don't think the Titanite Demon's are. They're all optional, and they stand as a terrifying early game enemy that is extremely satisfying to kill once you're able.
Arrows are just goofy in the game. I didn't use them ever, but the tracking on enemy arrows can feel like a real "fuck you".
I only played on PC so I can't comment on the framerate impact, but Blighttown is so incredibly opressive it's like the titular Dark Souls area for me. I really like it, and I hate going through it. Getting down to Blighttown, then to Quelaag and losing repeatedly, to find ash lake, then run ALL the way back up to fight Quelaag again, decide I couldn't beat her and run ALL the way back to the Berg backwards through blightown to upgrade weapons, find out that there was a boss in the church (Gargoyles!!) that I had never fought and finally going all the way back down now sizably stronger and better at the game to beat Quelaag on the first try was such an arduous and daunting task that felt so just unique and impactful to accomplish. It made me feel like Dark Souls is a game unlike any other.
Stray demon does feel disappointing.
Nito fight was fine. Nothing more, nothing less.
Bed of Chaos is a bad attempt at recreating the Dragon God fight from Demon's Souls. A very, very bad attempt.
Seath isn't too bad. It's definitely a scary fight because of that curse. I like it.
I think the runup to O&S + Nito are both fine. Challenging but fine. Bed Of Chaos is booty because at the end your reward is having to fight the Bed of Chaos, Seath is just a long annoying trek because of the invisi bridges.
Manus is great! You're crazy! That is a VERY tough fight, but it's a well designed one.
Capra Demon feels like a fight where you have to learn the one right way to do it which isn't too terrible, but it's not the best either. Once you know how to handle it Capra's manageable just about every time.
Ceaseless Discharge fight is lame and I am glad the exploit is there otherwise it would be a huge damper on any playthrough.
My Centipede Demon fight was particularly bad because it was when there was a DSFix bug that made fog walls cause HUGE framerate drops so I played that whole boss battle at about 12fps with no slowdown so it was just choppy and hectic. Not recommended. I still haven't fought them legitimately.
Demon Firesage is definitely a "Really? Again?" moment. I do love the design of them all though.
The Great Hollow is great! I fucking despised it but that's what's so great about it! That was my first encounter with Papa Shrooms and getting all the way down there only to get super punched by those pricks was so fucking sucky but I love that they exist!
Ehhhhh Ash Lake is still a cool area for how it feels even if it's lacking in content. The feeling it creates is very special to the game. It's like you've really discovered something new and and massive.
Accessing the DLC is ridiculous and terrible. Absolutely terrible.
Front door of Dukes is tough but doesn't really stand out. It's a gorgeous area though, I really like it.
I've never had that fall through stairs bug, but it's unfortunate if that does happen.
Undead spam is perfect. I love it. It fucks with you because by that time you think you've got those dudes figured out. You don't realize they're being buffed so you just run forward and attack, then you see how many there are and how much damage they're doing. It puts you in check. It's so overwhelming. It reminds you "No matter how strong you think you are, we won't make it easy."
I don't know which collision you're referring to so can't comment.
I think Dark Souls II's lows never get as bad as Dark Souls's lows, but I think Dark Souls highs soar so incredibly high that no other game matches them. Dark Souls is my favorite game ever. Dark Souls II is really high up there too. It has it's special moments that come close to Dark Souls highs, but never quite reaches. But you're right that the worst of Dark Souls (Lost Izalith, Kiln of the First Flame) is just upsettingly awful. I don't think all of the second half is bad though. Mostly just Izalith.
I'm gonna go through your list and give my thoughts.
Lost Izalith is definitely the worst part of the game.
Tomb of the Giants is some bullshit, but I don't think that makes it a bad thing. It's a serious fuck you, and it's completely unexpected, but I love it for it. I love that the game actually presented something that genuinely seems like they went too far and then says "Too bad. Deal with it. Get it done." because it feels so much better once you do get it done. It also trained me to not be so dependent on a shield any more.
Crystal cave sucks, but I can see what they're going for. It looks gorgeous at least, but gameplay wise it is pretty lame.
I think Clam enemies are fine and can be really fun to deal with with the right weapons. Flipping them over with an uppercut or the BKGS is incredibly satisfying. Dragon butts are a stupid design and stupid to fight.
Hellkite is totally optional and can be easily avoided so I don't consider it being obtuse too beat as too huge of an issue, but falling in the water constantly for melee battle against the Hydra is just terrible. They should have given more room to get in and slash.
The cats in the forest are really unneccesarily tough, but I don't think the Titanite Demon's are. They're all optional, and they stand as a terrifying early game enemy that is extremely satisfying to kill once you're able.
Arrows are just goofy in the game. I didn't use them ever, but the tracking on enemy arrows can feel like a real "fuck you".
I only played on PC so I can't comment on the framerate impact, but Blighttown is so incredibly opressive it's like the titular Dark Souls area for me. I really like it, and I hate going through it. Getting down to Blighttown, then to Quelaag and losing repeatedly, to find ash lake, then run ALL the way back up to fight Quelaag again, decide I couldn't beat her and run ALL the way back to the Berg backwards through blightown to upgrade weapons, find out that there was a boss in the church (Gargoyles!!) that I had never fought and finally going all the way back down now sizably stronger and better at the game to beat Quelaag on the first try was such an arduous and daunting task that felt so just unique and impactful to accomplish. It made me feel like Dark Souls is a game unlike any other.
Stray demon does feel disappointing.
Nito fight was fine. Nothing more, nothing less.
Bed of Chaos is a bad attempt at recreating the Dragon God fight from Demon's Souls. A very, very bad attempt.
Seath isn't too bad. It's definitely a scary fight because of that curse. I like it.
I think the runup to O&S + Nito are both fine. Challenging but fine. Bed Of Chaos is booty because at the end your reward is having to fight the Bed of Chaos, Seath is just a long annoying trek because of the invisi bridges.
Manus is great! You're crazy! That is a VERY tough fight, but it's a well designed one.
Capra Demon feels like a fight where you have to learn the one right way to do it which isn't too terrible, but it's not the best either. Once you know how to handle it Capra's manageable just about every time.
Ceaseless Discharge fight is lame and I am glad the exploit is there otherwise it would be a huge damper on any playthrough.
My Centipede Demon fight was particularly bad because it was when there was a DSFix bug that made fog walls cause HUGE framerate drops so I played that whole boss battle at about 12fps with no slowdown so it was just choppy and hectic. Not recommended. I still haven't fought them legitimately.
Demon Firesage is definitely a "Really? Again?" moment. I do love the design of them all though.
The Great Hollow is great! I fucking despised it but that's what's so great about it! That was my first encounter with Papa Shrooms and getting all the way down there only to get super punched by those pricks was so fucking sucky but I love that they exist!
Ehhhhh Ash Lake is still a cool area for how it feels even if it's lacking in content. The feeling it creates is very special to the game. It's like you've really discovered something new and and massive.
Accessing the DLC is ridiculous and terrible. Absolutely terrible.
Front door of Dukes is tough but doesn't really stand out. It's a gorgeous area though, I really like it.
I've never had that fall through stairs bug, but it's unfortunate if that does happen.
Undead spam is perfect. I love it. It fucks with you because by that time you think you've got those dudes figured out. You don't realize they're being buffed so you just run forward and attack, then you see how many there are and how much damage they're doing. It puts you in check. It's so overwhelming. It reminds you "No matter how strong you think you are, we won't make it easy."
I don't know which collision you're referring to so can't comment.
I think Dark Souls II's lows never get as bad as Dark Souls's lows, but I think Dark Souls highs soar so incredibly high that no other game matches them. Dark Souls is my favorite game ever. Dark Souls II is really high up there too. It has it's special moments that come close to Dark Souls highs, but never quite reaches. But you're right that the worst of Dark Souls (Lost Izalith, Kiln of the First Flame) is just upsettingly awful. I don't think all of the second half is bad though. Mostly just Izalith.
Read your entire post. Thanks for putting in the effort it's much appreciated.
Alot of the titanite demons are optional, though if you don't know which way's proper and which way's mandatory, you can end up stuck against a real bastard that you dont want to ever get close to because of some bullshit attacks with crappy hitboxes. (or if you just have completionist issues) I feel like the annoying bosses in DS2 are all on the optional paths, such as smelter demon and blue smelter demon. The return fight against two sanctuary guardians can be an undoable thing as well, without cheesing again.
I forgot to mention, but bonewheels are ALSO the worst. both areas that you run into them in are such bullshit. (The raven ladies have pretty assy hitboxes on their grab, too)
Manus....It's not that he's TOO hard, its just that he's so hard that every time i do beat him, i'm basically "done" mentally. (its why I started running the dlc late in my playthroughs)
I was thinking about the dlc trailer again, and I just realised how great the dragon placement is and what it adds to the lore of the area (which is apparently the big goal of this dlc for the main game) Dragonrider vs Old Dragon Slayer. Dragonrider has taken over and driven Old Dragon Slayer into hiding. Guardian Dragons are infesting the ruins of Heide, and Dragonrider has taken the tower. Old Dragon Slayer is holed up in the cathedral, exhausted from fighting dragons nonstop, to the point of pulling up the bridge to keep the dragons out. It sort of seems like it'll add an air of desperation to the "attitude" the old dragonslayer gives in his fight. He's no longer just some guardian of a covenant, he's a tired, old dragon slayer. (Will dranglaec castle have some dragons added to it, I wonder)
Read your entire post. Thanks for putting in the effort it's much appreciated.
Alot of the titanite demons are optional, though if you don't know which way's proper and which way's mandatory, you can end up stuck against a real bastard that you dont want to ever get close to because of some bullshit attacks with crappy hitboxes. (or if you just have completionist issues) I feel like the annoying bosses in DS2 are all on the optional paths, such as smelter demon and blue smelter demon. The return fight against two sanctuary guardians can be an undoable thing as well, without cheesing again.
I forgot to mention, but bonewheels are ALSO the worst. both areas that you run into them in are such bullshit. (The raven ladies have pretty assy hitboxes on their grab, too)
Manus....It's not that he's TOO hard, its just that he's so hard that every time i do beat him, i'm basically "done" mentally. (its why I started running the dlc late in my playthroughs)
I was thinking about the dlc trailer again, and I just realised how great the dragon placement is and what it adds to the lore of the area (which is apparently the big goal of this dlc for the main game) Dragonrider vs Old Dragon Slayer. Dragonrider has taken over and driven Old Dragon Slayer into hiding. Guardian Dragons are infesting the ruins of Heide, and Dragonrider has taken the tower. Old Dragon Slayer is holed up in the cathedral, exhausted from fighting dragons nonstop, to the point of pulling up the bridge to keep the dragons out. It sort of seems like it'll add an air of desperation to the "attitude" the old dragonslayer gives in his fight. He's no longer just some guardian of a covenant, he's a tired, old dragon slayer. (Will dranglaec castle have some dragons added to it, I wonder)
The absolute scariest moment of my entire Dark Souls II playthrough was facing the Skeleton Lords, immediately rushing to kill all the Lords, and then seeing the bonewheel skeletons appear. The just amazing stir of emotions that erupted within my body the moment I saw them cannot even be described. At least they got a huge nerf compared to their DSI counterparts.
I always view Manus as the last boss, so I see that feeling of exasperated "I'm done" you would have with it. Defeating Manus legitimately (ie, no iron flesh) has such a sense of finality to it that I actually completely understand ending your playthrough there. I just don't think that needs to be viewed as a negative necessarily. It's a fantastic fight to end on and is the biggest challenge you'll see in the game, aside from maybe trying to cut off Kalameet's tail - but that's an optional goal.
Eh. That was more about accessing the Shrine of Winter than anyhthing. What's dumb is how the Shrine of Winter was completely useless until the DLC was out
Sure, if having an opinion is equal to substance abuse. Whatever floats your boat.
I think you will be very entertained.
Well, I mean, I'm just speaking from my own experience. And I didn't mean "not much trouble" as in no bosses took me more than 3 tries, or something like that. Some took a lot of tries. But I never really felt like I got stuck against a wall, or anything. Or, in other words, I never had so much trouble that I felt I had to exploit certain bosses or enemies with arrows.
That's mainly what I was responding to, since you phrased it as "you have to exploit the shit out of that game with arrows." And I don't think I'm taking you too literally here. I know you don't mean you literally have to. But I still think it's an exaggeration.
Great post.
I haven't started DS2 yet and I (obviously) wont until april 2015 but it's nice to see DS1>DS2 story is not as black-white as I assumed. Your arguments are much more rational than the usuals 'DS2 has no soul!' or 'no miyazaki = fail' I constantly read on the boards.
The spirit of the series gameplay-wise, yes, but absolutely not in bigger picture of the spirit.
You have to acknowledge that this game, the first one being handled by different director, split the fanbase to half.
Seeing something like this makes my policy on not pay heed to bulleted list of reasons even more cemented.
Both Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are better in that regard. Dark Souls 2 just win by sheer quantity of the enemies.
i wish i could replace the second half of dark souls 1 with the DLC or something. except duke's archives. that level is short but real cool.
because haha wow the second half of DS1 is a great combination of being either unfun or boring or both if you don't approach them in a 'well im just gonna run past everything' kinda manner. you never really get to flex your skills because all of the areas are basically purposefully weakening your character by introducing some form of limiting gimmick which on paper sounds interesting but in action is just irritating at best and downright frustrating at worst. it's something that the shorter dev time really hurt because they tried to implement the concepts anyways without probably having enough time to really flesh the ideas out in interesting ways rather than 'welp deal with this orange/dark/ghost shithole'
the artorias DLC is great because instead of pulling stupid ass gimmicks on you, it's just a straight up brawl against really strong enemies with your dude being powered up. ds2 and the artorias dlc share a lot of design similarities in that sense because instead of a slow crawl through an area with lots of dangers that drain your resources from bonfire to bonfire/bonfire to boss it's a slugfest with relatively short distances between bonfires/bosses. the enemies are somewhat simple to deal with in a one-on-one scenario because of your higher damage output shredding their health but are also still dangerous because they're both fast and powerful. the setups for the encounters tend to be 'regular mooks + support guys' alongside a few ambushes but overall the levels are extremely straightforward. it's a great flip of design in comparison to the rest of the game because it is so damn different while still being challenging- it's a situation that lets your character flex their muscles instead of being chained up trying to pull some houdini shit.
that DS2 repeats this design throughout the entire game though is definitely problematic depending on what you want because it's an entirely different approach from what DS1 did, since the 'long trek+dangers' type of design overall has a lot more variability to it in this engine since there's ultimately so many enemy types/encounter types you can have in such a limited combat system. this is where people mostly get the 'DS2 does not have the 'spirit' of DS1' from, because a lot of the experience is drawn from the exploration and 'tone' built from traversing each of the areas
i personally love it because i love the combat more than the exploration so just having dudes constantly to mow down in various and interesting situations/areas is great. but it's not the same as DS1 in pretty key design ways and that's ultimately what i think turns people off. everything else they claim (infintie stamina? wth is this complaint, none of the enemies have stamina in the first place) are just extensions of that, with folks trying to figure out what exactly about the game is putting them off since overall level design/world design isn't something that is pronounced as core combat mechanics and enemy patterns
as an aside:
also using arrows in dark souls 1 is such a bad idea. they're so rarely actually useful that investing in them is such a waste. but that just might be my lingering wariness from doing a low level bow-only run. but everything that you can fight with a bow you can fight with a sword faster and better. and with a zweihander/black knight halberd the fastest and best a ha ha ha
because haha wow the second half of DS1 is a great combination of being either unfun or boring or both if you don't approach them in a 'well im just gonna run past everything' kinda manner. you never really get to flex your skills because all of the areas are basically purposefully weakening your character by introducing some form of limiting gimmick which on paper sounds interesting but in action is just irritating at best and downright frustrating at worst. it's something that the shorter dev time really hurt because they tried to implement the concepts anyways without probably having enough time to really flesh the ideas out in interesting ways rather than 'welp deal with this orange/dark/ghost shithole'
the artorias DLC is great because instead of pulling stupid ass gimmicks on you, it's just a straight up brawl against really strong enemies with your dude being powered up. ds2 and the artorias dlc share a lot of design similarities in that sense because instead of a slow crawl through an area with lots of dangers that drain your resources from bonfire to bonfire/bonfire to boss it's a slugfest with relatively short distances between bonfires/bosses. the enemies are somewhat simple to deal with in a one-on-one scenario because of your higher damage output shredding their health but are also still dangerous because they're both fast and powerful. the setups for the encounters tend to be 'regular mooks + support guys' alongside a few ambushes but overall the levels are extremely straightforward. it's a great flip of design in comparison to the rest of the game because it is so damn different while still being challenging- it's a situation that lets your character flex their muscles instead of being chained up trying to pull some houdini shit.
that DS2 repeats this design throughout the entire game though is definitely problematic depending on what you want because it's an entirely different approach from what DS1 did, since the 'long trek+dangers' type of design overall has a lot more variability to it in this engine since there's ultimately so many enemy types/encounter types you can have in such a limited combat system. this is where people mostly get the 'DS2 does not have the 'spirit' of DS1' from, because a lot of the experience is drawn from the exploration and 'tone' built from traversing each of the areas
i personally love it because i love the combat more than the exploration so just having dudes constantly to mow down in various and interesting situations/areas is great. but it's not the same as DS1 in pretty key design ways and that's ultimately what i think turns people off. everything else they claim (infintie stamina? wth is this complaint, none of the enemies have stamina in the first place) are just extensions of that, with folks trying to figure out what exactly about the game is putting them off since overall level design/world design isn't something that is pronounced as core combat mechanics and enemy patterns
as an aside:
also using arrows in dark souls 1 is such a bad idea. they're so rarely actually useful that investing in them is such a waste. but that just might be my lingering wariness from doing a low level bow-only run. but everything that you can fight with a bow you can fight with a sword faster and better. and with a zweihander/black knight halberd the fastest and best a ha ha ha
Aces&Eights
Member
Arrgh. I skipped DS2 knowing they would be releasing a new gen version. Trying to make heads or tails of the game quality is impossible. Every single thread is FUCK THE B TEAM or BEST SOULS EVER.
Can someone who is non-hyperbolic, in their late 30s or early 40s, who loved Demons Souls and really liked Dark Souls 1 please give me an honest outline of their experience with this game?
Can someone who is non-hyperbolic, in their late 30s or early 40s, who loved Demons Souls and really liked Dark Souls 1 please give me an honest outline of their experience with this game?
Arjen
Member
It's still a great game, if you liked playing trough the other 2 souls games, you will like this as well. Personally I'm not a big fan of some of the changes they made (rolling and how big strength weapons don't automaticly lock on) I still played the game for about 200 hours.
The only perspective someone could have where Dark Souls II is a bad game is one where they're explicitly comparing it to Dark Souls, or one where they're not willing or able to work through the standard difficulty of Souls games. As a stand alone game, it's definitely in contention for game of the year, and has a ton to offer souls veterans and newcomers alike. Dark Souls II has a lot of moments that left me thinking "This is why I love the Souls series." It had those moments that only the Souls games seem to be able to bring upon you. That complete wonder, being totally enthralled by the world created around you, the things you're seeing, the creatures you're facing, or the odds you just came out on top against.
There are definitely complaints to be had about the game, but they come nowhere near outweighing the things the game has to offer you.
ISee
Member
The question is: What is your current platform?
PC?
Just get the DLC, you are already playing the game in 1080p and 60fps. DX11 + some new Mul,tiplayer features are nice but not worth to spent another 50-60$. Also you keep your progress...
PS3/360?
You should consider it. Playing the game in 1080p/60 fps without stutters makes the experience so much better. Worth to even replay it. And yes I expect the game to run with 60 fps.
I don't think recommending people to "just buy the DLC" right now is wise. If they've held off until now, I think it's worthwhile waiting to see what sort of loyalty discount there is, if any. Because as it stands, it might be cheaper or the same price to just get the new version rather than to buy all the DLC as it is priced now.
Fallout-NL
Member
I'm 30 years old. Was really intrigued by Demon's Souls when it first came out (imported it through Play-Asia), but couldn't get into it back then. I then managed to got into Dark Souls earlier this year by trying it a number of times till the whole concept of it finally clicked for me. It is now in my top three games of all time, possibly taking the number one spot.
'Getting it' late had one positive side effect, I could get right into Dark Souls 2 after finishing up the first one. And I enjoyed it almost nearly as much. I'm not a hardcore pvp guy and don't min/max the shit out of everyhing, so I'm not bothered by what some consider grievous transgressions in terms of balance. I thought the game played great and the PC version also looked fucking amazing. Was completely hooked for the 80 hours that it took me to finish the game.
My only complaint would be that Dark Souls 2 loses that amazing sense of interconnectedness that DkS1 had, but it still has some amazing sights to behold and interesting level design. Also really enjoyed the ad-hoc coop system, seemed to work flawlessly as well (though I used it only to help others).
Lux R7
Member
Stone Ocean
Member
In my opinion those are the worst aspects of Dark Souls 2.
Bland enemies - specially bosses - and dull level design - I hope you like dead ends with meaningless loot because you'll get a ton of them.
I don't meet the age requirement, but despite all of the little issues I had with the game, I don't think it's bad. In fact, I find the parallels and divisions between Dark Souls II and the previous games to be something From experienced with the King's Field games. Both Demon's Souls and the first King's Field game were focused more on a "stage based" design, Dark Souls and King's Field II blew that basic design open by having a fully interconnected world with many overlapping and branching paths (King's Field II was a game released in 1995, so this is incredibly impressive), but Dark Souls II and King's Field III seemed to be far more linear and straightforward in their game worlds, and in many ways that linearity led to a strange feeling that X area connected with Y area when thematically it was a stretch.
I feel one of Dark Souls II's biggest weaknesses is relying far too heavily on the first game, because when it does so it seems too lazy to try to cut its own new path. Mechanically I have issues like with hitboxes and the like, but these are things that can potentially be fixed in this update. If you're looking for a dark fantasy game focused on difficulty and atmosphere, From has really been the top dog in that regard for nearly 20 years, and Dark Souls II is still a highlight of this, regardless of faults it may have.
I enjoyed it the least of the three Souls titles, but that was mostly a mixture of the gameplay issues I had and feeling in some ways parts of it felt "phoned in". In Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, save for a few poor places, many areas felt lived in and deliberate in their design, that there was a sincere state of world building going on, as if the world design had more of a heart than just the player going through it. Dark Souls II seems to have the least amount of this detail as it just seems to throw areas at you with little sense of connection as a game world which is somehow worse as the game allows you to branch off in far more radical directions at the start of the game. I was also not a fan that certain enemy models are just taken from the previous game and given next to no changes, save for the areas lighting.
I loved Demon's Souls and loved Dark Souls even more.
For me, Dark Souls II isn't on the same level but I still consider it a pretty good game, and spent a lot of hours with it.
I didn't get any DLC because I suspected this new version was coming, so I will be triple dipping when it comes out.
Brerlappin
Member
Im 34 so i i hope this helps.
Loved Demons Souls and Dark Souls. I consider Dark Souls the best game of all time, if im being honest. Dark Souls 2 is a fine game, however in comparison to DS it just has an awful lot of problems. The world design is alot less interesting, the way the maps are woven together is much worse, unlike DS where the entire world interconnects and makes sense, DS2 is just random maps with connecting tunnels essentially. Theres huge issues with hit detection too, swipes that clearly miss you will still take off health. Some of the graphics in certain areas (forest of fallen giants most notably) are absolutely terrible and feel like a first draft that someone just said "Good enough!" on.
Enemy design isnt nearly as interesting as DS, with msot enemies being humanod giant types. There are a BOATLOAD of bosses now, but hardly any of them are actually any fun to fight or even memorable. Some of them such as the giant slug demon thing are so laughably bad that its just kinda sad.
But there is some enjoyment to be had, co-op works better than DS1, and at times its a lovely looking game with great options for armour and weapons.
Stone Ocean
Member
In a nutshell, Dark Souls 2 feels more like a clone than a sequel in the franchise. They tried mimicking the first two games without really adding anything meaningful to the formula, and the things that were indeed added are either mostly pointless or are just bad.
Enemy and boss design is a joke, enviroments are mostly bland looking without some serious modding, wonky hitboxes, online play is a mess thanks to soul memory, forgettable lore and NPCs, etc.
The game is still technically better than most of what the industry has to offer and less picky people should still highly enjoy it, but personally playing Dark Souls 2 is like playing Assassin's Creed 3 after playing 2.
Look! The Pie!
Member
Great post.
I won't deny that DS2 had some issues, but I still fail to see how those issues justify the ridiculously over-the-top "RAAAARRRGGH DARK SOULS IS A FLAWLESS MASTERPIECE AND DARK SOULS 2 IS A LITERAL STINKING PILE OF SHIT" rants that get parroted every time the game gets mentioned.
Was easily my GOTY until Dragon Age: Inquisition, so I'll definitely be picking this up.
projectmayhem
Neo Member
Agree with the previous 2 comments, but want to add that the 3 DLCs are a lot better than most of the base game.