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[NEO0MJ]

Probably go with Dark Souls. The game had much better boss fights, music and lore. Still, the hate Dark Souls 2 gets is overblown and it's still an amazing game, probably even better than Demon's Souls.

The bosses in DS2 are straight up doodoo

loses infinite points because of that

I think this is Dark Souls 2's biggest flaw, how weakly designed most of the bosses were. It's one of the few things even Demon's Souls beats it in.

 

[gelf]

DS1 but I think DS2 gets treated unfairly as its still a great game. DS2 has a much better end game in particular.

 

[Nibel]

DaS 1 > DaS 2

Even though I appreciate the technical efforts of DaS 2 (despite not having the lighting system), I think DaS 1 was more carefully designed and therefore felt better to me.

 

[SolsticeZero]

DaS 1 > DaS 2

Even though I appreciate the technical efforts of DaS 2 (despite not having the lighting system), I think DaS 1 was more carefully designed and therefore felt better to me.

Exactly. DaS 2 is technically superior, but DaS 1 just does everything else better.

 

[Stone Ocean]

1 is far superior than 2.

 

[Ramrock]

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?

Is this a serious question? Dark Souls 1, of course!
Dark Souls 2 is a lame joke, compared to 1.

 

[Easy_D]

Not sure what your point is. That it was a bigger announcement?

Yeah, the hype surrounding it was amplified by the PC port news.

 

[legacyzero]

I love both very much, but I have to say Dark Souls 1 has a better world, seems much harder, the art and designs are much better, etc.

But DS2 has it's merits too.

 

[Mazzo]

I feel it's too early to say, although I think the quality of those games are closer than most ITT seem to do.

 

[elohel]

They're all equal to me

I dunno why I can't sort them

but I do feel like the missing lighting system and the strange focus on "b team" has harmed the perception of the game in a general sense

 

[GoaThief]

Seems like a good place to ask, I prefer Dark Souls offline due to the wonderful atmosphere not being disrupted by random stuff and messages. Does the sequel work as well offline?

Nobody seems to have touched on that aspect here aside from some saying multiplayer in Dark Souls 2 being better.

 

[Kerned]

I can't comprehend how someone could think DS2 is better than DS1. Everything about it feels like a weird, janky knock-off of DS1.

 

[Mman235]

Seems like a good place to ask, I prefer Dark Souls offline due to the wonderful atmosphere not being disrupted by random stuff and messages. Does the sequel work as well offline?

Nobody seems to have touched on that aspect here aside from some saying multiplayer in Dark Souls 2 being better.

Offline is exactly the same, beyond having slightly more NPC summons than the first game.

 

[thebloo]

They're all equal to me

I dunno why I can't sort them

Pretty much. Three great games, each with its highs and lows. I can play pretty much any of the three and enjoy myself. Or you know "enjoy" since the Souls games are not about glee.

 

[jacksepticeye]

Dark Souls 1 by a considerable margin

 

[justjustin]

Dark Souls 2 is my favorite in the series. It does the most wrong but, being the bigger game, it also does the most right.

I'm still going to keep replaying all three games, though.

 

[Ysiadmihi]

I can't comprehend how someone could think DS2 is better than DS1. Everything about it feels like a weird, janky knock-off of DS1.

I don't think "janky" is a good criticism of a Souls game. Both DS1 and 2 feel janky but in a charming sort of way.

 

[McLovin]

You are fucking high. The hitboxes in Dark Souls II alone make it a much less precise game.

thats what happens when you go by the internet and ignore poise.

 

[bob_arctor]

Dark Souls was pure magic. I consider it the "Super Metroid" of the series. That said, DS2 is really damn good and got even better with Crown Of The Sunken King.

 

[Abhor]

Demon Souls was the best. The hitboxes in Dark 2 are terrible, but I still prefer it over 1.

 

[DeaviL]

thats what happens when you go by the internet and ignore poise.

Actually, that's what happens when you roll too early into the arc of the stab and the stab happens to be a sort of grab attack.

He got nicked and the grab animation started, simple.


DSII' my favorite

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Dark Souls easily. Dark Souls II while good, was disappointing.

DaS > DeS >>> DaSII.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Playing DS2, when I take damage with zero audio and visual feedback after dodge-rolling around the side of a boss, the game can GFI. And exploration (so far) has been short dead ends and narrow hallways. I never feel lost but with the knowledge of knowing I'll find at least two exits as I did in the original. Dark Souls 1 > 2.

 

[120v]

now i've finally had some time with DS2... i'd say it's a match, more or less. it is true the world is nowhere near as inspired in DS2, and the overall feel is a bit off, but it's a very competent sequel. never had any issues with hitboxes or the sound design. and while i thought the early warping would kill the exploration honestly i found it kind of welcome after awhile.

when you compare the game to the early build the downgrade is glaring though. still a beautiful game, but a bummer in that regard

 

[Ferr986]

Dark Souls 1 is better, but Dark Souls 2 is a damn awesome game too.

 

[Percy]

demons >> dark >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>dark 2

So so much this.

Dark Souls 2 felt considerably less polished and the world design was less interesting than the previous two games. The amount of recycled ideas certainly did it no favours either.

 

[ObbyDent]

thats what happens when you go by the internet and ignore poise.

What? That GIF has nothing to do with poise. Especially in Dark Souls II, where if that guy had been full havels with iron flesh it would have still hit him and locked him in that animation. Something tells me you haven't even played Dark Souls II or else you would have known this. That's the attack where you are impaled on his sword and he steals your humanity.

 

[GECK]

DS2 was B-team quality and it showed. DS1 was the better game no question, the comparison isn't even close.

The upside to Dark Souls 2 being mediocre junk compared to its predecessor is Bloodborne will most likely be amazing.

 

[DeaviL]

DS2 was B-team quality and it showed. DS1 was the better game no question, the comparison isn't even close.

The upside to Dark Souls 2 being mediocre junk compared to its predecessor is Bloodborne will most likely be amazing.

Nothing worse then the ol' "B-team quality" thing, ugh.

 

[Schweinehund]

2 is a far better PC port, better combat system, better pvp support/summoning systems

1 has better inner world constructiveness, some memorable bosses, but also had some really bad zones


I like them both, can't wait for the DLC to 2 if it is as good as Artorias was.

 

[Kerned]

I don't think "janky" is a good criticism of a Souls game. Both DS1 and 2 feel janky but in a charming sort of way.

Maybe "less polished" then. It's a less polished DS1.

 

[Jobbs]

there's no question that 1 is better.

 

[nStruct]

I enjoyed my time with DS2 more than I did with DS1. Mostly because I played when there was a bigger community playing.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Nothing worse then the ol' "B-team quality" thing, ugh.

Yeah, it's really annoying.

 

[v1perz53]

Dark Souls 1. Which is unfortunate, because there are so many little things that Dark Souls 2 improves on, like the stat systems, a better levelling pace, and UI improvements. But it goes and makes the actual combat worse, which is pretty much the draw of the game. The world itself is also so much worse, why give me a shortcut after a bonfire when I can just teleport to that bonfire.

Though to be fair, I have the platinum trophy in both, and possibly have more hours in DkS2 overall now trying to get this no deaths ring, so it is by no means a bad game.

 

[mcz117chief]

demons >> dark >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>dark 2

agreed

 

[Sami+]

On break now, so I can type a bit more -

I've been a huge fan of the series since shortly after Demon's Souls came out in '09. I had read reviews, and my friend got it, so I figured I'd buy it myself and I absolutely fell in love with it. Beat it about four times, I think. I replayed both it and Dark Souls before playing Dark Souls 2 last month, and it still holds up amazingly well. The atmosphere is just sublime, and while the gameplay doesn't have the new features the other games introduced, it didn't feel like a step down when coming back to it. It's my favorite game.

I bought Dark Souls at launch on PS3, and was extremely hyped for it. I found Demon's to be a bit more aesthetically pleasing and consistent in quality, but despite that I still loved the game. I beat it once on PS3, bought it and replayed it on PC a year or two later, and replayed it for a third time last month. It's grown on me more since then - I prefer it's lore over Demon's and I think the Artorias DLC is the best the series has to offer. There are also some places that are really beautiful, like the Crystal Cave and Anor Londo. Like its predecessor it's undoubtedly a masterpiece in my mind.

Dark Souls II's development background shows in its gameplay. It is not a Souls game by the Souls guys. It's just, sadly, not. It's a good, fun game, but it's exceedingly clear that it was a game made by people trying to emulate other people's work without truly understanding what made it so good. I remember what my girlfriend said when she first started playing it (Dark Souls was one of the first console games she's ever beaten, and her favorite game now after beating it a few weeks ago) - "When I die in this game it's not the same. I always feel like I'm saying 'that's bullshit' unlike Dark Souls 1 where I almost always felt like it was my fault". This is of course a common complaint, but it really spoke to me that she, who doesn't even play games, was instantly able to feel a difference between the two. I feel the same. Enemies with stupid high poise, extremely accurate tracking, and infinite stamina? Why? Difficulty is often a result of bad enemy designs or crowded mobs in a cramped area. It just isn't as fun.

I've beaten Dark Souls 2 once already, and am doing a co-op run with my girlfriend now. It's really fun co-oping, but as a solo single player game the difference is extraordinarily vast. Demon's and Dark are both fakery very close to each other and beat the other in specific categories, but Dark 2 is worse than both by a huge margin.

 

[Robot Pants]

Dark souls 1.

2 is really shit compared to it.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

Never played Dark Souls 2, but for me Dark Souls and Demon's Souls were almost a draw. I almost finished Demon's (but the game was of a friend of mine, so he took back and sold it later) and was able to finish Dark.

Both had great areas, great combat, and some epic moments! Maybe for nostalgia I could say Demon's, but I have to admit that Dark may be more polished on many aspects (gameplay wise) and its more open world style added to it.

Edit: However... Remembering some Demon's levels and Blight Town on Dark Souls make it sounds to me that Demon's was more enjoyable overall.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

dark souls 1

 

[BriGuy]

Dark Souls 2 is like the video game version of the uncanny valley for the Souls series. It's a really close approximation to the real thing, but there's enough that's off with it as to end up being repellant.

Ranking the games, it comes in as a distant third with DeS and DS1 tied for first.

 

[jyoung188]

They're both incredible games but Dark Souls 1 is better.

 

[Nuklear]

DS1 just because of the durability glitch on PC DS2 makes the game very frustrating to play.

 

[Freeman]

Dark Souls 1 is better for me. The level design and world building is superior.

Dark Souls 2, is also very good but it isn't as tight. It does many things better but it also does some key things worse. The DLC's will help Dark Souls 2 overtime.

People will use hyperbole to say one is great and the other ones is shit, they are just overreacting like allays (getting used to DS2 was little upsetting in the beginning for me as well).

Both could use a better and more challenging final boss.

A Dark Souls Collection for nextgen is absolutely necessary for me and I wouldn't mind if Demon's Souls got the same treatment as well.

DS is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the game of the generation.

 

[onken]

Hrm well after all that it looks like DS1 has been removed my region's Steam store. Guest that removes the decision for me...

 

[TWILT]

Dark Souls 1 by far.

2 is a good game, but I thought it was quite a step down from Dark 1 and Demon's.

 

[ryushe]

It boggles my mind that people don't care for or even outright dislike Demon's Souls...

Like, really?

Other than the world tendency stuff, which, I honestly kinda liked myself (though I can see why others wouldn't), that game is perfect from start to finish unlike DrK1 where the first half is genius and the latter half anything but.

 

[AnnTiPa]

I'll go with Dark Souls 1, simply because you can get weapons from the bosses' tails. I don't mind the more level-like structure of Dark Souls 2, if it had boss tail weapons it'd be the better one.

 

[Durante]

After playing both for over 150 hours, I have to give the edge to Dark Souls 2 - particularly after the latter's first DLC, and considering that 2 more are on the way.

DS2 has more variety in everything - spells, weapons, builds, levels - it has more polished combat mechanics and stat effects, and crucially it has a far better online/multiplayer implementation ensuring its longevity.

While the average level design quality might have gone down a bit compared to its predecessor, especially with the DLC there are now so many great levels in DS2 that it's hard to get hung up on that complaint, at least for me.

And of course, it helps that the PC version is incredibly superior to the first game.

It boggles my mind that people don't care for or even outright dislike Demon's Souls...

Like, really?

I like it, but when I tried to go back after DS1 DeS felt like more of a beta test for the greatness that would become Dark Souls.

 

[Riposte]

I wish more people actually backed up what they said with even a small amount of reasoning, especially if it reveals dog-whistle scrubiness like "it's not fair".

dark souls 1 is better by a large margin. especially with dsfix on pc.

the hitboxes on 2 are so bad i just cant. its worse than lag.

The hitboxes are not anywhere near terrible, although perhaps one could argue for exceptions that seem questionable (namely an attack from Ruin Sentinels). For at least 99% of the game, it'll be your fault if you get hit. I'm confident if you dodge intelligently based on your agility, the hit boxes won't feel terrible. And if you boost your agility way up there, then you'll feel as untouchable as you did in Dark Souls (which could very likely be what made those hitboxes feel better).