Well, couple hours in and at the moment I just.. don't enjoy most of what I'm playing. And it mostly comes down to the fact that it feel like DSII make 'pack' of monster simply too common, with what feel like an inferior way to deal with healing item.
Even as someone who loved demon's souls and still liked Dark souls ( but far less than DeS ), it's probably the first time I actually think they are using 'unfair' design to make the game harder.
To be honest, I can't call any of the Souls games fair unless they
actually explain their mechanics in-game. So much of the game is trial and error, aided only by a flimsy messaging system, and utterly broken by invaders or co-op summons. Although I don't think it's fair, I still manage to find the obfuscated nature of the Souls series fun, so I let it pass.
Dark Souls 2 is tackling the few avenues left for the encounter designs to take while still using the tried-and-true mechanics of the previous games. If From truly wanted to be unfair, there would be no enemies staying back to guard locations, no enemies falling off of cliffs, and a lot more dodging/reposting/blocking by said enemies. Betraying our expectations is something I've come to expect from Dark Souls and I'm glad that DS2 continues to follow this mantra.
The most interesting change I've noticed in DS2 is the increased focus on a warrior's panoply - having the right tool for the right job.
I think there was more I wanted to say, but my mind has wandered somewhere else. So, I'll end with a good, old fashioned
"Jump, Here!"
