So now that the dust has settled a bit - Dark Souls 1 or 2, which is better?

Imru’ al-Qays;123695021 said:
A very large proportion of DS2 levels are totally linear, unchallenging, and choked with bonfires.
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The only legitimate complaint here is the bonfires, and that's really only a bad thing your first time through. Once you've beaten the game and just want to get from A to B quickly, you appreciate how many there are.

I don't really care for the more open areas of DS1. To me they largely feel like wasted space and some kind of an attempt to simulate the randomness of a real world instead of something that benefits from good video game design.
 
u know..now that ive played it a second time, dark souls 2, i found it a LOT more fun than not only dark souls 1 but than the first playthrough of ds2. i guess am sticking to ds2
 
I would say Dark Souls II, but I feel I can't for two reasons.

Atmosphere is simply lacking compared to Dark Souls I

The complete removal of a meta-game with the inclusion of "Soul Memory". Nice one FROM, you continue to surpass my expectations by completely fucking up a great multiplier concept with retarded shit.

Everything else is pretty much better in DS2, but my god did they kill any ambition for me to PvP after a few days.
 
KingJolly said:
Lord of the Fallens will be better than Dark Souls II at least. By 2016 its going to look like this

Bloodborne > Demon = Dark Souls > Lord of the Fallen > Dark Souls 2
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Can I borrow your time machine? I'm really cautious about Lord of the Fallens too. It's a City Interactive game. It might turn out to be good but I'm not raising my hopes up.
 
Dark Souls is easily the best game in the series minus the crappy P2P online. It's a toss up between the other 2.
 
Maybe DS1 technically, but DS2 is more fun.

SO, the choice is yours! Everyone wins, can't go wrong.

Brilliance is hard to quantify.
 
As far as the bonfire placement in Dark Souls 2 is concerned, I really think they should have considered putting a limited consumable item into the game that's required to light the bonfires. Like the save crystals in Tomb Raider or typewriter ribbons in Resident Evil.

There were too many balance oversights & half-baked ideas in DaS2 for me to consider it superior to DeS or DaS1.
 
Its been mentioned before, but this is the correct answer to the test.

Dark 1>>Dark 2>>Demons

Demons was a nice blueprint, but it wasn't the masterpiece that was Dark1. Tough going back to Demons. Sony's in the mood for all these remasters, why not spruce up demons
 
Dark Souls 1. I could tell by the first hour of Dark Souls 2 that the combat was 'off' and I never felt that way about 1
 
I love both of 'em.

I probably prefer Dark Souls, but I love playing Dark Souls 2 on PC because the port feels so good.

I think Demon's Souls is still my fave though
 
Dark >>>>>> Dark 2

Dark 2 broke more things than it fixed, and neutral changes drifted the end result far from both their target, what the series is, and what makes a better whole (less farming means less invasion opportunities). It's a game at war with itself, and if it hadn't done that, would have been the pentultimate Souls game. Such as it is, it is a greater collection of flaws than the first two combined.

You'll get people, some of whom are in this thread, who never could refute the litany of mechanics and mechanics interaction snafus contained within. Remember, we're assertaining quality, not love here.

Also, "wretched shitholes" is not a slight against a Souls level, it's "boring shitholes".
 
SatelliteOfLove said:
Dark >>>>>> Dark 2

Dark 2 broke more things than it fixed, and neutral changes drifted the end result far from both their target, what the series is, and what makes a better whole (less farming means less invasion opportunities). It's a game at war with itself, and if it hadn't done that, would have been the pentultimate Souls game. Such as it is, it is a greater collection of flaws than the first two combined.

You'll get people, some of whom are in this thread, who never could refute the litany of mechanics and mechanics interaction snafus contained within. Remember, we're assertaining quality, not love here.

Also, "wretched shitholes" is not a slight against a Souls level, it's "boring shitholes".
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I'm not sure about that, if anything, the game has got more farming than Dark Souls 1 since there are a lot more rare drops (which isn't a good thing, I hate farming).
 
Dark 1 > Demon's <?> Dark 2

I honestly can't decide if Dark 2 is better or worse than Demon's. I remember enjoying Demon's A LOT but its been so long, Dark 2 grew on me the more I played of it (didn't like it 'as much' to start with) so I'm really not sure.

Either way Dark 1 > all of them by a million anyway so it really doesn't matter - its like trying to decide who gets silver.
 
Dark Souls 1 easily.

Most of the areas in 2 are kind of bad, usually either aesthetically or design-wise, sometimes both. Places like the Shaded Wood just look atrocious and then you have garbage like The Gutter where it's nothing but a bunch of square planks of wood stacked on top of each other. It's also aggravating how often you're cut off from other areas through natural progression, like the broken ladder after the Skeleton Lords, the entire Gutter, getting those items in the Dragon Aerie and being forced to feather out, it just reeks of amateur hour compared to the other games (I've seen like one level of Demon's Souls from a Giantbomb video and it looked vastly more compelling than anything I've seen in 2).

Then you have the excessive number of bosses and their homogeneity, broken hitboxes, bizarre titanite shard allocation, mediocre NPCs that do nothing but talk about the DARK or how little they remember, bonfires every two steps, poise barely doing anything, excessive enemy counts, the vague progression steps 80% through, enemy despawns and rare item drop rates combining to form a massive shitpile of a mechanic, the jerky tracking they tacked onto every enemy because of backstabs in the other games, it all just ends up being too much to ignore
 
Dark souls 1 > Dark Souls 2

While Dark souls 2 is better in pvp and gameplay it falls horribly to be too accessible to newcomers in many ways, so many heal items, so many options to survive, so many failsystems to not deprive your entertaiment that in the end make the game pointless of your actions.
 
DS2 is the better game. Far too many quality of life improvements, a great port, and lots more content. Though my particular tastes and fondness for the games genre would probably just about place DS1 higher - if only because I like the pain and I'm extremely nostalgic of the time we spent together.

If suggesting the series to a seasoned gamer, I'd say to play DeS > DS1 > DS2 in the way they were developed to appreciate the evolving series with the expectation they'll be able to stomach, and appreciate, the trade off DeS and DS1 make for immersion/atmosphere.

If suggesting the series to a more casual gamer, I'd say play DS2 as it's the most polished and refined of the series with far less rage points or bottlenecks to hamper enjoyment. Nor would I feel they'd appreciate the sacrifices for immersion/atmosphere outlined above.
 
Ysiadmihi said:
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I had no idea they even had this attack.

For me... Dark Souls 1 will always be magical, since it was the first Souls game I played. I felt like it handled the Metroidvania type stuff better, which is definitely a plus for me since I love that kind of exploration. Dark Souls 2 did have some cool stuff as well (like the
giants in Black Gulch
). 2 is definitely a lot clearer in regards to a lot of mechanics, especially covenants, and PvP was more accessible as a result. There's just a ton of "well, this was better in 2 but this was better in 1" so I can't really rank one over the other. Both of them are great experiences.

TLDR: Dark Souls 1 = Dark Souls 2
 
Played through both on PS3 initially, making my way through the PC versions of both right now. Dark Souls 2 is the more enjoyable game for me, just because I feel like the incentive to replay is so deep with a more accessible PVP model, changes in bosses on NG+, and a smooth 60 FPS. Dark Souls 1, despite my somewhat nice PC with a 750 ti and i5, would still tank in certain areas like Blighttown. Although I think the world design of DS 1 is significantly better, DS 2 had me far more addicted than when I first played through DS 1. I'm replaying through both of them right now, multiple times. So, opinions may change. DS 2 was definitely a far easier game, and didn't have as impressive a world, but I felt like the combat was more rewarding as a melee character.
 
Aureon said:
1 has higher highs and lower lows than 2.
2 has no Undead Burg or Anor Londo, but has no Blighttown nor Lost Izalith either.

Overall, i'd say 2 - even considering the MASSIVE dropoff in environment\map design.
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Blighttown is a phenomenal level.

tokkun said:
Demon Ruins? Crystal Cave?
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Crystal Cave is barely a level, I usually just group Demon Ruins with Lost Izalith.

Now let's list the shit levels in DS2: Heide's, Harvest Valley, Black Gulch, Shaded Woods, Doors of Pharros, Tseldora, Amana, Undead Crypt, Aldia's, Dragon Aerie/Shrine. None of those would be even average if they were in Dark Souls.
 
Anyone else prefer 1 but more time with 2? I'm guessing it's the better multiplayer that keeps me coming back.

And really enjoyed using the engraved ring to do a co-op playthrough with my wife. Gonna miss that with Bloodborne :(
 
Ysiadmihi said:
The only legitimate complaint here is the bonfires, and that's really only a bad thing your first time through. Once you've beaten the game and just want to get from A to B quickly, you appreciate how many there are.

I don't really care for the more open areas of DS1. To me they largely feel like wasted space and some kind of an attempt to simulate the randomness of a real world instead of something that benefits from good video game design.
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The best levels in DS1 are the Burg/Parish/Lower Burg complex, Blighttown, Sen's, and Painted World, and none of those places are defined by their open spaces.
 
DS1 is better due to the interlocking environments.
I couldn't stand how DS2's environments are all over the places, and warping everywhere to get to a new place.
 
Both are good games.

While DS1 has the better world and Story, as well as some gameplay aspects, I like the armor designs and graphics of DS2 better.

Overall DS1.
 
Banjo Tango said:
Anyone else prefer 1 but more time with 2? I'm guessing it's the better multiplayer that keeps me coming back.

And really enjoyed using the engraved ring to do a co-op playthrough with my wife. Gonna miss that with Bloodborne :(
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Or the fact that its a way longer game.

I played DS1 first, loved it. Then played DS2, thought it was complete garbage, then jumped into Demon Souls and I LOVED it.

I don't know which one I like more Dark Souls 1, or Demon Souls, but they were both vastly superior to Dark Souls 2. Though Dark Souls 2 did have some really small things that made it better than both, it was more of a "one step forward, three steps back" game.
 
skLaFarebear said:
Or the fact that its a way longer game.

I played DS1 first, loved it. Then played DS2, thought it was complete garbage, then jumped into Demon Souls and I LOVED it.

I don't know which one I like more Dark Souls 1, or Demon Souls, but they were both vastly superior to Dark Souls 2. Though Dark Souls 2 did have some really small things that made it better than both, it was more of a "one step forward, three steps back" game.
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There's nothing about DS2 that makes it 'complete garbage'. The games aren't so different that you can think one is garbage and one isn't.
 
Dark souls 2 would have been way better if you couldn't warp everywhere from the beginning. It makes shortcuts meaningless and negates the feeling of being stuck in a horrible place. Majula is always there for you to go to.
 
Haven't played DS1 or Demon Souls...

So I guess That means I like DS2. hehe..

All the talk on this thread (and Steam thread) makes me want to play DS1 though.

How was the PC port of that one?
 
How people say Dark 1 has lower lows when areas like the Shrine of Armana, Black Gulch and Iron Keep exist is beyond me.
 
Out of the two, DS1 easily. I never felt compelled to continue DS2 after getting the plat. DS1 was a game I built multiple characters and tried many playthroughs. Now between DS1 and DeS, I'm not sure.
 
onken said:
I was a big fan of Demon's Souls so was looking to pick up a Dark Souls game for PC - which one should I go for? I know there was a bunch of drama at the time when DS2 released but it's been a few months now so was hoping now would be a good time to jump in. Which should I go for?
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If you're a fan, then you want both, obviously. Starting with DS1 seems like the logical choice.
 
Dark Souls > Demon's Souls > Dark Souls 2

Teleporting from the get-go was a huge misstep. The world design suffered tremendously because of that. I still liked it though.
 
I think I've posted this before but:

Atmosphere:
Demons > Dark > Dark 2

Lore:
Dark > Demons > Dark 2

Plot:

Demons > Dark > Dark 2

PVE:

Dark > Demons > Dark 2

PVP:

Dark 2 > Dark = Demons

Boss Design:

Dark > Demons > Dark 2

Structural Level Design:

Dark > Demons > Dark 2

Aesthetic Design:

Demons > Dark > Dark 2

Technical Aspects(matchmaking, framerate)

Dark 2 > Dark > Demons

For every step Dark 2 takes forward, it takes 2 steps back in areas where Dark and Demons excelled. This is somewthing that is very noticeable and doesn't allow it to be on the same level of the other games even though it is a good game in its own right.
 
DoubleTake said:
Technical Aspects(matchmaking, framerate)

Dark 2 > Dark > Demons
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You may want to replay Dark Souls and Demon's Souls. Matchmaking is far better on Demon's, since the entire region the game is made in is all on one server. Allows for very quick and easy matchmaking with friends, strangers, and for tourneys. With Dark Souls, on console it takes a lot of shuffling and replacing of the soapstone to get the right person. Even on PC you need a mod to get it to work closer to Demon's Souls.

And with the framerate, again, replay Demon's Souls. It's framerate is far better. It NEVER gets to Blighttown levels, not even in the level that inspired Blighttown.

However, I do agree with the rest of your post.
 
I think its one of those cases where it simply doesn't matter which is best - they both offer a type of experience that cannot be found outside a Souls game.

I would always recommend DS1 to someone who hasn't played it, though.
 
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