I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
I haven't gotten too far in the game personally, but from my perspective it isn't lacking in the atmosphere category, the levels can seem a bit plain at the moment but that could very well change so I'll hold off judgement.What I can't believe is that being nearly 12 hours in I still am not even remotely close to the first of the four "great" bosses, or at least I don't feel close...
The feel of being helpless lost and in a rush isn't expected to carry over to dark souls 2 as you've played a dark souls game. So it feeling difficult and harsh doesn't come around till new game plus or if even. Frankly i love the series it's dungeon crawling at it's finest.
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
Well going through the game yourself and having to actually explore and figure things out will make a huge difference, Watching a walkthrough where the person knows all the secrets/paths/enemy ambushes takes a lot from the game. Watching ENB's guide is not giving you the effect of Darksouls 2
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
You are correct sir. But there are more factors at play here including: the world design, presentation, pacing, music, the bosses etc. I have a feeling people forget how fun getting to the next bonfire was in the original game. How alien the world felt, how big and interconnected the gameworld was. How every area had a life of it's own and it was breathtaking in it's own way. If you followed a guide for DkS you missed out on the best part, exploration. Dks2 has some of it's own memorable moments but they pale in comparison to the original. Dks2 is a very linear almost corridor like experience past the first hours.
I found it funny that after finishing Dark Souls 2 all that I could think of was how good the original was and how many fond memories I have of playing it.
TLDR: Dark souls 2 is a good game. Dark souls is a masterpiece.
i think orientation difficulties come way too much from "where can i even go now" rather than "is this the right way or will i get my ass kicked". i spent hours backtracking and even then i eventually had to look into a walkthrough.
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
Well going through the game yourself and having to actually explore and figure things out will make a huge difference, Watching a walkthrough where the person knows all the secrets/paths/enemy ambushes takes a lot from the game. Watching ENB's guide is not giving you the effect of Darksouls 2
Well, to be honest, even when watching walkthroughs of DaS, I can still feel the atmosphere. Personally, DaS' atmosphere did not come from the difficulty, the exploration or the secrets. It was just the general feel the world exuded from the very first second of the intro cinematic.
I honestly think that FROM wanted to make a very atmospheric game with DaS that also happened to be difficult. Most of the reviewers' attention, however, went towards the difficulty rather than the setting, so I guess FROM decided to go with it for DaS2. I could be wrong, of course.
On March 25 2014 03:24 Spyisaspy wrote: The rat convenant is by far the Most BS of all the covenants
seriously
I went into Doors of Pharos on accident and had to deal with a troll guy shooting fire arrows from above for 5 min while I made my way towards the end. I guess I was close because he ended up engaging me and pushing me off a cliff with a stab and ended my inadvertent exploration. I thought it was kind of hilarious at the time though. Just remember not to "disconnect" during PVP or your account will be flagged regarding online play.
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
Remember to consider that ENB has worked with From Soft and was 'in' on the development of the game. He also co-authored the official strategy guide to the game. His walkthrough tends to take the stress out of the game considering he knows where everything is, and knows the lore behind nearly every item. He also knows how to fight every single boss.
Its not quite comparable to taking on the game yourself with no idea what you're doing, even with DS1 played.
It took me ~50 hours to beat the game my first time through. NG+ is HARD. NG on its own was actually pretty weak in the difficulty area (for a Dark Souls game) but NG+ is just cruel. Bosses get way harder, more enemies appear, and those guys that could 1hit you when you were level 1 can 1hit you when you are level 150. The gameplay was better and certainly more addictive this time around.
I highly suggest the game, but maybe wait till its on PC? The graphics were toned down for the PS3 and 360 versions of the game, no idea what it will look like on PC, hopefully better (still looks pretty good).
On March 25 2014 12:14 MrCon wrote: Just switch to NG+ in your NG to have the full old DS experience =) There is a covenant for that at the very begining.
This game owns. Anyone who says it's inferior to DS1 just has an overly conservative or cautious opinion (sequel syndrome!). It's very clear that From analyzed closely what worked and what didn't between Demon's Souls and DS1 because the result is something that feels calculated and polished. I do understand the complaints about the environment though, some parts of the game world feel somewhat stale, however that was true for parts of DS1 (go to hell, Lost Izalith and Demon Ruins). One really cool thing in Dark Souls was finding a shortcut that led back to an earlier zone, which showed very careful and deliberate map design. That's still in DS2 but it's not as common, I'm finding.
1. Healing is a lot harder to come by. I hated the consumable heals in Demon's Souls so I was disappointed to see they've made a return, but Estus Flasks are still in so it's okay. The reason I hated consumables in Demon's Souls is I was always very reluctant to use them since I never knew when I'd inevitably die again. Getting extra Estus charges is now something you actively want to seek out, and that in itself can require quite a bit of exploration.
2. Difficulty curve is a lot better. Early bosses are really easy, even easier than Asylum Demon, but some of the later bosses are pretty rough.
3. I slept on Adaptability thinking that it just increased Poise and Resistances, which are still pretty great. The fact that it increases item use speed and adds more invincibility frames to rolls makes me wish my Dex character invested in this stat a lot earlier.
4. Torch mechanics are really cool. You don't actually HAVE to use a torch anywhere that I've found yet, and in fact it's pretty easy to make stupid mistakes like blocking with your torch (hint: doesn't work too well!), but torches just go really well with the atmosphere of the game and even have strategic uses.
5. The humanity system is more nuanced, even down to how your character looks. Watching your character gradually become more and more Hollow with each death is pretty neat. You also have to make important judgment calls like gauging whether you should try the boss with 90%, 80% max HP or use an Effigy and summon assistance. This thought always runs through your mind: how low does my max HP have to get before I raise the white flag?
6. Shields have gone through heavy rebalancing. 100% physical resist shields are now quite rare (and possibly limited to Greatshields?). However, damage reduction now increases with upgrades. I upgraded my 90% physical resist small shield to +2 and now it's up to 90.5%, along with higher Stability. DS1 was arguably easier with plentiful 100% resist shields because you could stand right up to enemies to monitor patterns; now that comes at a small, gradual price. I much prefer it this way.
7. Tooltips explain things a lot better now, and there are many more things to look up. Stats like Poise (and Poise Damage) are finally well documented.
8. The limited respawn mechanic is something that bothered me at first, since it ostensibly makes the game easier the more you bash your head against it. Now I'm quite happy with it. On a couple of bosses, I've died so many times that I used up all the respawns for every enemy along the boss path. At that point, I was just relieved to get relatively uninterrupted attempts, or just throwing my hands in the air and using an Effigy without worry of dying to my own stupidity along the way.
9. The ability to artificially increase the difficulty through bonfire intensity and the Victor Stone covenant adds a lot of flexibility for veteran players.
On March 12 2014 16:10 iCanada wrote: 2) Enemies are much more aggressive and pack minded. In Demon/Dark Souls often times you could isolate one and go hard. In Dark Souls 2 good luck with that. You get 3-4 enemy packs early and often. Not only that, but the Invincibility frames from BackStabs and Ripostes are now gone. Not only are overwhelming fights much much more common, but they also took away the best tools for dealing with them.
FYI this isn't true. You do get invincibility through the entire animation, just like DS1. I did run into one situation where there was a guy behind me winding up for a strike while I was backstabbing his friend, which meant I couldn't turn around and block in time, so I ate the hit. In hindsight I might have been able to roll away, but I'm pretty sure the damage landed after the critical animation finished, and not during.
On March 24 2014 06:19 maartendq wrote: I have watched some walkthrough videos of ENB on youtube and I somehow feel that there is a lot less atmosphere in this game compared to DS1. Majula is atmospheric but not nearly as much as Firelink Shrine. The Giant's Forest doesn't hold a candle compared to the Undead Burg. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the Burg was once inhabited by a lot of people/undead, but the Giant'sForest just resembles any other rundown castle out there.
Personally, I think it has to do with the way the first objective is given to the player. In DaS, it is given to the player by the Crestfallen Warrior, a rather mysterious and not exactly trustworthy-sounding fellow who you don't know you can trust. He just says that you have to ring to bells, one above, one below. While you make your way to the Undead Parish, you really feel as if you're climbing an area and, vice-versa, when you are making your way to Quelaag, you are noticably decending. In DaS2, your objective - kill four bosses - is given by a rather depressing and overly talkative mage-like woman whom you're pretty sure is ok, because she lives in the main hub of the game. Speaking of hubs, Firelink shrine doesn't really become a central hub until later in the game. In the beginning, there's no point staying there, and any bonfire will do as temporary hub. Majula, on the other hand, clearly is presented as the one safe haven you'll have and something you will return to a lot whether you like it or not.
I don't know if these assumptions are correct and I won't be able to play the game for some months still - if I play it at all - but it feels as if the game has lost some of its magic compared to DaS. To me, DaS felt like you were walking around in some kind of limbo, forced to undertake a seemingly impossible quest. This was made clear to the player from the beginning: within the first half hour you speak to a powerful-looking night who's about to die, and you face "weak" monsters that will still kill with ease you if you're not careful. Even the first boss is no cakewalk for new players. When you finally do arrive at firelink shrine, the first feeling any player will get is that of desolation, loneliness and, after having spoken to the Crestfallen Warrior, desperation and hopelessness. You, as an undead can not die permanently, so the only thing you can do is keep trying to push forward or hollow out. In DaS2, it's just some old hags laughing at you. Hardly anything that instills fear or dread into someone.
To me, the brilliant atmosphere From created in DaS was the main thing that kept me going back to the game. It was bleak and it never got any better. With each boss you defeated, it just seems as if matters got worse. Getting to Anor Londo, defeating those two bosses only to discover that the beautiful sunlight is nothing but an illusion. It would be a shame if that atmosphere is gone in DaS2. From what I've seen so far, DaS2 is more similar to DeS than to DaS in that regard.
Any thoughts?
Remember to consider that ENB has worked with From Soft and was 'in' on the development of the game. He also co-authored the official strategy guide to the game. His walkthrough tends to take the stress out of the game considering he knows where everything is, and knows the lore behind nearly every item. He also knows how to fight every single boss.
Its not quite comparable to taking on the game yourself with no idea what you're doing, even with DS1 played.
It took me ~50 hours to beat the game my first time through. NG+ is HARD. NG on its own was actually pretty weak in the difficulty area (for a Dark Souls game) but NG+ is just cruel. Bosses get way harder, more enemies appear, and those guys that could 1hit you when you were level 1 can 1hit you when you are level 150. The gameplay was better and certainly more addictive this time around.
I highly suggest the game, but maybe wait till its on PC? The graphics were toned down for the PS3 and 360 versions of the game, no idea what it will look like on PC, hopefully better (still looks pretty good).
I don't have a PC that can run it, and I'm on an internship in Germany now, so no access to my xbox! I'm just trying to get an idea of what the game is like because I don't really trust the reviewers. Thanks for the information!
I loved DS1 and already bought the 2 on steam already (waiting ). The only thing that buzz me a little from I've hear about DS2 yet is the storyline. It seems that the story has just started over, and every possible link that you can make with the first game seems more of a stretch than anything. Anybody have some info on that ?
On March 26 2014 01:32 WhiteDog wrote: I loved DS1 and already bought the 2 on steam already (waiting ). The only thing that buzz me a little from I've hear about DS2 yet is the storyline. It seems that the story has just started over, and every possible link that you can make with the first game seems more of a stretch than anything. Anybody have some info on that ?
DS2 takes place in a different land within the same world. There are very few callbacks which is probably by design so as not to make new players feel left out.
On March 26 2014 01:32 WhiteDog wrote: I loved DS1 and already bought the 2 on steam already (waiting ). The only thing that buzz me a little from I've hear about DS2 yet is the storyline. It seems that the story has just started over, and every possible link that you can make with the first game seems more of a stretch than anything. Anybody have some info on that ?
go watch vaati's(VaatiVidya) currently only lore video, you'll find it your choice of words to be rather interesting.
This game owns. Anyone who says it's inferior to DS1 just has an overly conservative or cautious opinion (sequel syndrome!). It's very clear that From analyzed closely what worked and what didn't between Demon's Souls and DS1 because the result is something that feels calculated and polished. I do understand the complaints about the environment though, some parts of the game world feel somewhat stale, however that was true for parts of DS1 (go to hell, Lost Izalith and Demon Ruins). One really cool thing in Dark Souls was finding a shortcut that led back to an earlier zone, which showed very careful and deliberate map design. That's still in DS2 but it's not as common, I'm finding.
1. Healing is a lot harder to come by. I hated the consumable heals in Demon's Souls so I was disappointed to see they've made a return, but Estus Flasks are still in so it's okay. The reason I hated consumables in Demon's Souls is I was always very reluctant to use them since I never knew when I'd inevitably die again. Getting extra Estus charges is now something you actively want to seek out, and that in itself can require quite a bit of exploration.
2. Difficulty curve is a lot better. Early bosses are really easy, even easier than Asylum Demon, but some of the later bosses are pretty rough.
3. I slept on Adaptability thinking that it just increased Poise and Resistances, which are still pretty great. The fact that it increases item use speed and adds more invincibility frames to rolls makes me wish my Dex character invested in this stat a lot earlier.
4. Torch mechanics are really cool. You don't actually HAVE to use a torch anywhere that I've found yet, and in fact it's pretty easy to make stupid mistakes like blocking with your torch (hint: doesn't work too well!), but torches just go really well with the atmosphere of the game and even have strategic uses.
5. The humanity system is more nuanced, even down to how your character looks. Watching your character gradually become more and more Hollow with each death is pretty neat. You also have to make important judgment calls like gauging whether you should try the boss with 90%, 80% max HP or use an Effigy and summon assistance. This thought always runs through your mind: how low does my max HP have to get before I raise the white flag?
6. Shields have gone through heavy rebalancing. 100% physical resist shields are now quite rare (and possibly limited to Greatshields?). However, damage reduction now increases with upgrades. I upgraded my 90% physical resist small shield to +2 and now it's up to 90.5%, along with higher Stability. DS1 was arguably easier with plentiful 100% resist shields because you could stand right up to enemies to monitor patterns; now that comes at a small, gradual price. I much prefer it this way.
7. Tooltips explain things a lot better now, and there are many more things to look up. Stats like Poise (and Poise Damage) are finally well documented.
8. The limited respawn mechanic is something that bothered me at first, since it ostensibly makes the game easier the more you bash your head against it. Now I'm quite happy with it. On a couple of bosses, I've died so many times that I used up all the respawns for every enemy along the boss path. At that point, I was just relieved to get relatively uninterrupted attempts, or just throwing my hands in the air and using an Effigy without worry of dying to my own stupidity along the way.
9. The ability to artificially increase the difficulty through bonfire intensity and the Victor Stone covenant adds a lot of flexibility for veteran players.
On March 12 2014 16:10 iCanada wrote: 2) Enemies are much more aggressive and pack minded. In Demon/Dark Souls often times you could isolate one and go hard. In Dark Souls 2 good luck with that. You get 3-4 enemy packs early and often. Not only that, but the Invincibility frames from BackStabs and Ripostes are now gone. Not only are overwhelming fights much much more common, but they also took away the best tools for dealing with them.
FYI this isn't true. You do get invincibility through the entire animation, just like DS1. I did run into one situation where there was a guy behind me winding up for a strike while I was backstabbing his friend, which meant I couldn't turn around and block in time, so I ate the hit. In hindsight I might have been able to roll away, but I'm pretty sure the damage landed after the critical animation finished, and not during.
Over time I've grown to appreciate many of the views you share as well. I was very put off at first by many facets of the game, but adapted (mostly subconsciously) and explored to iron things out. I will say I still LIKE the first game more, but I'll now hesitate to say it's SUPERIOR to DkS2. Strangely enough, they are almost too different to compare, despite being extremely consistent as far as sequels go. They took so many aspects of the previous game(s) and improved upon them intelligently, and the things that seem "worse" are few (albeit significant, but that's my personal preference).
I'm still slightly tweaked about the whole graphic ordeal, but there are still a few sections of the game that are really great looking to distract me from those that are not. And I'm still holding out a bit of hope for the PC version. I don't consider myself someone that's overly invested in the quality of graphics, especially in a day and age where GAMEPLAY seems to be sacrificed for visuals in some franchises, which disgusts me. But this was just a somber case of "what could have been". I'm not up in arms like some fans, but rather longingly disappointed seeing the old trailers haha. That being said there are still some areas in this game that I really loved (the Aerie/Shrine are WAY cool for example, even though I spent so little time there!).
Ironically, the game's length is what's currently holding me back from doing more playthroughs and trying more builds / covenants / etc. I loved the length the first time through, and the availability of a few Soul Vessels lets you do a bit of fooling around with the character(s) you've already slogged through the game with, rather than forcing you to start fresh. But I'm hesitant to start a bunch of new characters to fool around with, which was one of my favorite parts of DkS, and something I still do to this day (have played about 4-5 hours of DkS since DkS2 was released even). For this reason I'm kind of holding off on finishing my second and third characters until the PC version. If there are some changes and more... flexibility... in the graphics then I'd rather save my new characters to fully re-experience it at the end of April. If PC ends up being the same, then I'll just play the console version now and then for the foreseeable future.