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LTTP: Dark Souls II. What the hell is this?
- Thread starter Nev
- Start date
poodaddy
Member
Yup.
Don't you know man? If a game doesn't live up to the prequel but is still a competent and well designed game it's actually, in fact, a horrible game......
/s
Regardless of how you feel about the game, I disagree completely with the animations being "cringe worthy",(seriously what the fuck man, you wanna quantify that a bit more?), as they're literally just as high quality as they were in Dark and Demon's and several of them are actually more impressive. The online integration was fantastic, but the world design took a hit for sure. The stats are actually more balanced and there is more class and build variability than any of the other games. Granted I've only played Scholar of the First Sin, so I can't speak on Dark Souls 2, but so far I think it's damn good. If I had a complaint it's that the enemy design isn't as varied as it is for literally any of the other Souls/borne games, but I don't really consider that a big deal overall. It's not as good as Demon's, but it's an incredible game.
eot
Banned
I don't disagree with anything you said OP, and you haven't seen the worst of the hitboxes yet. However there are some areas and bosses that are a cut above the rest. One boss in particular is one of the best in the series in my opinion. But, there's a lot more bullshit too.
Fuck your get good attitude. I did beat it SL1, in Company of Champions too, and without any kind of cheesy throwables or DLC stat boosting items. Can I say adaptability sucks now? You need the iframes more in this game than the others because the hitboxes are shit, and because enemy attacks track you to an insane degree. You know the black phantom outside Executioner's Chariot? I've started rolling past that guy as he initiated a jump attack, and he I SHIT YOU NOT turned almost 180 degrees in MIDAIR to track me. Dodge that. (He wasn't making a u-turn, he wasn't moving as hit hitbox was rubbing up against me for the entire jump).
Fuck your get good attitude. I did beat it SL1, in Company of Champions too, and without any kind of cheesy throwables or DLC stat boosting items. Can I say adaptability sucks now? You need the iframes more in this game than the others because the hitboxes are shit, and because enemy attacks track you to an insane degree. You know the black phantom outside Executioner's Chariot? I've started rolling past that guy as he initiated a jump attack, and he I SHIT YOU NOT turned almost 180 degrees in MIDAIR to track me. Dodge that. (He wasn't making a u-turn, he wasn't moving as hit hitbox was rubbing up against me for the entire jump).
The Research Hall is like what, 10 minutes short and feels like it was part of Lecture Building. And come on, Old Hunters bosses were awesome but Fume Knight, Ser Allone and Ivory King are some of the most memorable as well.
Hah, well played.
If someone tells me they love Bloodborne and hate DS2, it's a really quick way to tell their opinion of the Souls series doesn't align with mine in any way shape or form. DS2 is sublime - just a hair behind DS1, and a hair ahead of Demons for me.
Soyongdori
Member
SotFS redeemed DS2. Plus, the DLC was much better than DS1 DLC.
poodaddy
Member
The very image of shitposting.
Really? I don't think you know what shit posting is.
Tortahegeszto
Member
So it redeemed it by having the exact same problems plus having idiotic enemy placements at the start while requiring to buy an extra copy of the game.
No way I'll buy the 3rd game day1 after this.
poodaddy
Member
I don't think you know what contributing to a thread is if you believe that dropping in here and typing some periods then hitting submit is somehow worthwhile. Grow up man. Contribute or don't, but don't be rude.
That's ok, we can't take you guys seriously either
/s
But seriously, it's down to taste, to me it's better than des because for one I don't have to grind if I want to upgrade, while in Des upgrading is a literal chore, which SEVERLY impacted my enjoyment.
Point me to where I was rude?
Red Liquorice
Member
poodaddy
Member
You don't think it's rude to just type a couple periods and submit that shit? Rudeness goes beyond insults my man. You're purposely being dismissive and unproductive while adding nothing to the conversation. Say you disagree. Say why. Say that he's crazy. Give a reason. Say your underwear's too tight. Just say something man. Shit dude. Much love, I have no problem with you, but I can't stand that kind of drive by shit ya know? Just saying.
If you're still at No Man's Wharf, you haven't seen nothing yet.
Anyone remember Brightstone Cove Tseldora? Me neither.
Or Drangleic Castle, that area sure was exciting. I love sprinting through a literal corridor of enemies every time I died to the boss.
Or Iron Keep, the lava level floating in the sky.
Or Black Gulch, another boss corridor with poisonous puddles.
Anyone remember Brightstone Cove Tseldora? Me neither.
Or Drangleic Castle, that area sure was exciting. I love sprinting through a literal corridor of enemies every time I died to the boss.
Or Iron Keep, the lava level floating in the sky.
Or Black Gulch, another boss corridor with poisonous puddles.
SlipperyFishes
Banned
You should never play Tomb of the Giants, or Blighttown.
Probably my favorite Souls game. Most criticism aimed at DS2 can be found in all of the Souls games really. World's not connected, elevator to Bowser's Castle makes no sense and yadda yadda lore nonsense, sure. Things like enemy hordes or bad hitboxes are in all of them. The lower iframes on rolls when starting out just make them more obvious. Watched my nephew play Bloodborne today, getting hit with nothing by Defiled Watchdog, Bloodletting Beast and some other bosses.
I can understand why it was perceived that way. Wasn't what I intend to convey, admittedly horribly as I don't post much. Anyway I don't want to squabble in a post. I think you might have taken it as ill itent.
poodaddy
Member
lowhighkang_LHK
Member
I've noticed a lot of this too. If you play Bloodborne and then just go straight into Dark Souls 2, you're probably not going to like Dark Souls 2.
KennyLinder
Member
I've talked about my dislike for DsK2 in the past so I'll be quick here. SimpIy, I didn't like it either. The combat, controls, level design and boss fights (that I saw, which wasn't too many, to be honest) all felt off to me. The game didn't feel right after Dark Souls (1), a game that I loved dearly, poured 300+ hours into over 5 characters and saw everything.
With DkS2, I gave up soon after reaching The Last Bastile, which I know isn't very far, but it was 10+ hours for me which is enough to know if you want to invest further. I came away thinking that I was playing a different game to everyone else. So yeah, wasn't a fan.
I am interested in Dark Souls 3, but I'll be waiting a while to read up on what people think before jumping in Day 1.
With DkS2, I gave up soon after reaching The Last Bastile, which I know isn't very far, but it was 10+ hours for me which is enough to know if you want to invest further. I came away thinking that I was playing a different game to everyone else. So yeah, wasn't a fan.
I am interested in Dark Souls 3, but I'll be waiting a while to read up on what people think before jumping in Day 1.
I found Adaptability at 14 to be just fine for my dodging purposes. It took me a while to adjust to the new tracking enemies vs. Dark Souls (and some are still bullshit and I will only fight them at range, like Heide Knights), but I'm about 2/3 the way through the game now and I'm quite enjoying it.
poodaddy
Member
I played the hell out of Bloodborne before Dark Souls 2 and I'm loving it. It's not as good as Bloodborne, but it's a damn good game.
SlipperyFishes
Banned
It's wrong. All of it.
FromSoft not making or owning the engine?
Japan Studio developing BB with minimal assistance?
The Last Guardian using the BB engine?
I would ask you where all this conjecture springs from.
sublimit
Banned
When i first started criticizing the animations in DS2 people called me crazy. Me and a couple of others posted gifs side by side with DS1 gifs to show the downgrade in the animation department and people still refused to see it. Some even said that the animations in DS2 were superior to those of DS1 or Demon's. That was near DS2 release and seriously it was as if GAF was infested by Namco's marketing people disguised as GAF members defending the shitty animations.They also really fucked up the parry/riposte mechanic.
With that said i ended up really liking DS2 for what it was.Especially the PvP.In that department the game was so much fun to play,experimenting with so many different weapon movesets and playing Fashion Souls with the biggest variety of armor we've seen so far in the series.Also God i loved so much the animation cancels in PvP, which offered an extra layer of immersion and quality in PvP combat.This is something i really miss in other Souls games and in Bloodborne (and unfortunatelly i'll also miss in DS3.)However although the PvP in general was so much fun they still found a way to fuck it up with the stupid Soul Memory system.Still i must say that i enjoyed PvP much more than i did in other Souls games or Bloodborne.
To be fair SOTFS fixed many of the issues the original game had (although again they found something to fuck up and that was weapon durability) and IMO DS2 SOTFS stands side by side with the other 2 Souls games (mostly thanks to PvP) but is definitely a few steps below them.
With that said i ended up really liking DS2 for what it was.Especially the PvP.In that department the game was so much fun to play,experimenting with so many different weapon movesets and playing Fashion Souls with the biggest variety of armor we've seen so far in the series.Also God i loved so much the animation cancels in PvP, which offered an extra layer of immersion and quality in PvP combat.This is something i really miss in other Souls games and in Bloodborne (and unfortunatelly i'll also miss in DS3.)However although the PvP in general was so much fun they still found a way to fuck it up with the stupid Soul Memory system.Still i must say that i enjoyed PvP much more than i did in other Souls games or Bloodborne.
To be fair SOTFS fixed many of the issues the original game had (although again they found something to fuck up and that was weapon durability) and IMO DS2 SOTFS stands side by side with the other 2 Souls games (mostly thanks to PvP) but is definitely a few steps below them.
You haven't even seen the worst yet, OP. Not even close. No Man's Wharf is a level design masterpiece compared to some later levels like Tseldora or Earthen Peak.
DS2 has some unique strenghts but overall it's by far the worst Souls-game. It misses the mark on so many aspects that are essential to these games.
That said, I just finished the main game and diving into the DLC now for the first time. I'm somewhat used again to the lackluster mechanics of DS2 amd I'm a bit excited to see new Souls-content.
DS2 has some unique strenghts but overall it's by far the worst Souls-game. It misses the mark on so many aspects that are essential to these games.
I'm currently playing SOTFS for the first time because I haven't seen the DLC yet and while they improved some aspects, they fucked up others (besides weapon durability). I really like what they did with the Dragon Shrine but levels that were fine before, such as Iron Keep and Heide's, are garbage tier now with the new enemy placement. And WTF is up with the constant NPC invaders everywhere?
That said, I just finished the main game and diving into the DLC now for the first time. I'm somewhat used again to the lackluster mechanics of DS2 amd I'm a bit excited to see new Souls-content.
Uhm, how about "no"?
This was me exactly a few months ago.
Dark Souls 2 felt pretty clunky after Bloodborne, and I wasn't too keen on some of the animations, but anyone describing it as a "bad" game is chatting it.
It was proper solid and a lot of fun.
Benzychenz
Member
I was LTTP and just finished it the other day (still need to do the DLC areas though).
I can't say I noticed weapons feeling off, but I did notice the extreme lag when picking up items and the like, getting your ADP up to 20-30 gets your roll and estus drinking times to a normal level though, which I had by like 2-3 bosses in.
The bosses though, my god. I one shot around 75% of them, just utter trash design with no creativity put into them. Most are just larger humanoid enemies that basically have the same movesets as trash fodder.
And yeah, the enemy design is way too full of just waves of enemies coming at you, and it just isn't fun.
And the world isn't connected, at all. You pretty much just choose a path from Majula and it's a clear straight progression from zone to zone, and there aren't any shortcuts to find around the world.
I still had fun with the game because the formula is just so good, but it isn't near the masterpiece the other games are.
I can't say I noticed weapons feeling off, but I did notice the extreme lag when picking up items and the like, getting your ADP up to 20-30 gets your roll and estus drinking times to a normal level though, which I had by like 2-3 bosses in.
The bosses though, my god. I one shot around 75% of them, just utter trash design with no creativity put into them. Most are just larger humanoid enemies that basically have the same movesets as trash fodder.
And yeah, the enemy design is way too full of just waves of enemies coming at you, and it just isn't fun.
And the world isn't connected, at all. You pretty much just choose a path from Majula and it's a clear straight progression from zone to zone, and there aren't any shortcuts to find around the world.
I still had fun with the game because the formula is just so good, but it isn't near the masterpiece the other games are.
Lanrutcon
Member
OP is apparently useless without the overpowered insta-dodge from BB. Gotta time those i frames now, son. Can't just skip around like a dandy in a ballroom.
And the wharf is hard? That's a valid complaint now? That's how low these threads have sunk. The non-expansion content from DS2 is fucking stupidly easy with the possible exception of the Darklurker as a melee build.
And the wharf is hard? That's a valid complaint now? That's how low these threads have sunk. The non-expansion content from DS2 is fucking stupidly easy with the possible exception of the Darklurker as a melee build.
Enjoy your literal monthly "LTTP Dark Souls 3: [opinion]" threads.
I died enough times in the first part of IK to make everything stop spawning before I killed that stupid boss. I died far more to them than to the boss itself. It's a thoroughly annoying place that highlights how horrendous enemy placement in DS2:SotFS. Black Gulch made me wonder how people were paid do to something that bad. Yet, I made pass them eventually.
Then I get to DS1. I only made past Catacombs because I stumbled upon someone's tip about bringing a divine weapon (that I had to go find; first what it meant, and then where one could be find), otherwise I'd have immortal skeletons chasing me to this day. Later on and find myself between Tomb of the Giants, pitch black with enemies designed to either smash you in two hits or knock you back and skeleton dogs just because, and New Fucking Londo, with no bonfire and ghosts literally coming out of the walls.
And apparently I'm yet to find the worst zones? Just thinking about it makes me not want to go back to it.
Benzychenz
Member
The necromancer enemies in the catacombs resurrect the skeletons, and once you've killed one it never respawns. Basically you have to make a mad dash from necromancer to necromancer, it's a really well designed area.
Bloodborne even reused the idea.
And you can carry a lantern for Tomb of the Giants
New Londo ghosts were pretty annoying though, I'll give you that.
What do you mean? Both of the bosses there were complete pushovers that I one shot
Which was terrible, seeing progression wise they were basically equivalents to O&S.
I loved this.
*at top of a building*
*take elevator up*
Didn`t finish first Dark Soul or second one, but i got very far in first one. Second one is even more difficult for me. Making game more difficult does not make it necessary better in my opinion. Especially if it is made more difficult in the way that DS2 does.
One day i will finish all souls games though, one day...
One day i will finish all souls games though, one day...
It's not awful at all. From someone who has put well over 100 hours into all souls games it's no where near as bad as op says. The only bad thing about it os the far too many number of humanoid bosses.
I recently replayed both games in preparation for DS3. It reaffirmed my belief that DS2>DS1. DS1 is an excellent game, it starts so great, the world is interconnected everything just clicks but then you beat Ornstein and Smough and the quality drops. Gone are the interconnected areas, gone are the cool areas aswell. Instead you go to boring and frustrating areas like the area before the bed of chaos, to fight frustrating enemies until the game ends. It is so obvious that Miyazaki and From run out of time or money at the end and attempted to finish their design ideas as good as they could.
On the other hand DS2 doesn't have the starting quality of DS1 but it maintains it's quality throught the huge game. It never drops on quality, can't think of an area where I felt bored. And at the end the vastly improved DLC with art direction through the roof and interesting bosses like sihn the dragon, fume knight and the ivory king. The DS1 dlc was also good but having replayed it recently it simply isn't as good as the DS2 ones. The bosses are very good yeah but the areas nah not so much. The first area of the dlc is just a big forest with no paths or anything just a piece of land with enemies inside.
In conclusion if DS1 ended in anor londo then it would be DS1>DS2. But this is a marathon and not a sprint so DS2>DS1 in my opinion at least.
Oh and I don't agree with the OP especially on no man's wharf being bad. That is one the best areas of the game especially on SOTFS with all the torches you need to light, the stalking enemies and monsters in the dark, the ghost ship, the many secrets it holds, the difficulty with only one bonefire. How can someone hate this area is beyond me.
On the other hand DS2 doesn't have the starting quality of DS1 but it maintains it's quality throught the huge game. It never drops on quality, can't think of an area where I felt bored. And at the end the vastly improved DLC with art direction through the roof and interesting bosses like sihn the dragon, fume knight and the ivory king. The DS1 dlc was also good but having replayed it recently it simply isn't as good as the DS2 ones. The bosses are very good yeah but the areas nah not so much. The first area of the dlc is just a big forest with no paths or anything just a piece of land with enemies inside.
In conclusion if DS1 ended in anor londo then it would be DS1>DS2. But this is a marathon and not a sprint so DS2>DS1 in my opinion at least.
Oh and I don't agree with the OP especially on no man's wharf being bad. That is one the best areas of the game especially on SOTFS with all the torches you need to light, the stalking enemies and monsters in the dark, the ghost ship, the many secrets it holds, the difficulty with only one bonefire. How can someone hate this area is beyond me.
Constant LTTP threads have to differentiate themselves from the previous hundred, so the views have to keep getting more extreme.
JetSetRadio
Banned
Bosses are a joke too, I always expected the real boss to show up but it never did, it get better near the ending though.
Level design is pure shite, world is badly thought out.
Mobs should compete in the winter olympics skating disciplines. Still an enjoyable game but quite a mess indeed.
Level design is pure shite, world is badly thought out.
Mobs should compete in the winter olympics skating disciplines. Still an enjoyable game but quite a mess indeed.
Lux R7
Member
Play the game OP, it's the best game of 2014.
I know it has flaws, many flaws, but there is a huge amount of content.
However, my main problem with the game is character movement. I mean, i'm not talking about rolling, i'm talking about walking, running and direction changes. It feels just off with a big imput delay.
The same game with DS1 controls and movement would have been far more amazing imho..
I know it has flaws, many flaws, but there is a huge amount of content.
However, my main problem with the game is character movement. I mean, i'm not talking about rolling, i'm talking about walking, running and direction changes. It feels just off with a big imput delay.
The same game with DS1 controls and movement would have been far more amazing imho..
GeordieMark
Member
I convinced myself it was great at first, but now I really don't like DS2. It's an ugly game, and is nowhere near as good as Dark Souls, or Demon's. So much thought went into the original in terms of level design and enemy placement. DS2 feels so basic and cheap by comparison. Like OP says, it's really only the strength of the mechanics it inherited from Dark Souls that make it worth playing.
I think most of us agree that ds2 is probably the weakest entry in the souls series including demons and bb.
But it's still a very cool game and way better than most. I really liked the PvP in this game and spent many an hour hosting or taking part in fight clubs, or going around invading people. During the fight clubs you would see many different builds which is really cool as it must of been a proper pain to balance this game.
So yeah a 8/10 for me.
But it's still a very cool game and way better than most. I really liked the PvP in this game and spent many an hour hosting or taking part in fight clubs, or going around invading people. During the fight clubs you would see many different builds which is really cool as it must of been a proper pain to balance this game.
So yeah a 8/10 for me.
Necromanti
Member
That sounds like the Souls series in a nutshell, though Dark Souls 2 broke that trend a lot--drawing the ire of those who thought that that made the game too easy--and had bonfires that were right by some bosses.