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[FiveSide]

Definitive version is the last-gen SotFS bundle. That release integrates the DLC, but also has the same layout as the base game (i.e. the other SotFS changes aren't present).

I wasn't a big fan of the changes they made in SotFS. Some parts were better, but many other parts took an inexplicable step back.

As for the game as a whole, it's got the most content in the series (by far I'd say). Some of that content is excellent, some of it is abysmal. Just because people can point to truly dumpster fire-tier content doesn't mean the game is bad, it's just fairly uneven. The DLC, for instance, is A+ Souls content, the three of them combined are possibly my favorite levels in the series.

EDIT: It's a major bummer that you don't get a choice of whether or not to play the original layout or the SotFS updated version.

 

[Goldboy]

It's good, easily the worst in the series though IMO. The DLC has some of the best bosses/areas in the series though

 

[benicillin]

I think I might like 2 more than 3. It's the roughest Souls game but it has some of the highest highs in the series.

2 was a better game than 3 in more than a couple of ways, so you aren't wrong to feel that way!

 

[Zakalwe]

Bloodborne is the only souls game I like, and I can't play it because the frame pacing issues give me a headaache.

So no, OP, but thanks!

 

[charpunk]

But dark souls 2 is the worst of the series!

 

[FairXchange]

I love DS2, it's really amazing to see how a different director was able to approach this series in a unique and compelling way. It's a big game though, still haven't beat SOTFS.

 

[Arkanius]

For me, Dark Souls 2 is above and beyond Dark Souls 3 in terms of fun and pushing the envelope.

It's also the only Dark Souls that I replayed three times. It's absolutely fascinating the whole segment when you reach Drangleic and end up in the tomb... finding the king. Completely memorable.
And the DLC was great.
The build diversity was fantastic
The number of different landscapes was amazing.
Best Covenants in the game.
Best Hard Mode.
Best PvP

Top tiper which was shat due the downgrade in the graphics and the B tier accusations

 

[Alebrije]

Nice game but saddly the coop system still is crap.

 

[PfantzyPantz]

I have a genuine dislike of it, so much so that I'm hesitant to even try DS3 or BB despite knowing they don't really 'follow up' on DS2.

 

[Davey Cakes]

But dark souls 2 is the worst of the series!

This is like saying don't play Mario Sunshine because it's not as good as Mario 64, or don't play Super Mario 3D Land because it's not as good as Galaxy.

Just because a game is worse doesn't mean it's not worth playing. I think Dark Souls fans just have ridiculously high standards because DS1 is so fucking amazing.

 

[Diprosalic]

Both BB and DS3 are in my all time top 15 and i wouldn't play DS2 again if you paid me to.

 

[KINGofCRA5H]

haha. good one, OP

 

[Kudo]

All Souls games are best games you possibly could play.

 

[BlakeofT]

I'm a big fan of DkS1 and 3 and Bloodborne. But something just felt off with DkS2. I didn't spend a lot of time trying to identify exactly why I didn't like it, but it's just not as good as the others IMO.

 

[Surfside]

Absolutely, it's a fantastic game. But you forgot to mention its amazing characters, op. Lucatiel of Mirrah in particular is one of the best characters, not just in the Souls universe but in gaming as whole.
I also agree with you that it has the best hub world in Majula. Really it's as phenominal a game as Dark Souls 1.

 

[psyfi]

I got in on sale a few weeks ago and it's been kind of a chore.

 

[Laieon]

Enjoy EXPLORING a vast array of environments filled with DANGER at every turn!

Honestly, this is why I'm not too interested in the series. Games are mostly a form of relaxation for me these days, I just want to feel like I'm superman.

 

[AwakenedCloud]

I'm pretty indifferent about DS2 and SotFS from a quality perspective, but they almost seem like the textbook definition of an entry in a series you can skip with little to no remorse.

 

[JBwB]

All the games in the series are worth playing.

So despite being the worst of the bunch it's still a damn good game.

 

[pretty done]

I'm a big fan of DkS1 and 3 and Bloodborne. But something just felt off with DkS2. I didn't spend a lot of time trying to identify exactly why I didn't like it, but it's just not as good as the others IMO.

The movement is fucking weird and the hitboxes are off. Also the roll doesn't work like it does in literally every other Souls game.

 

[Toxi]

Hot take: Shulva and Brume Tower have better level design than any area in Dark Souls 3, including those in Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City.

 

[LastGamer84]

I actually prefer DS2: SOTFS to DS3. DS3 is such a weird game to play because of the futility of it. No matter what you do, everything is screwed. There's no endgame where what you do will matter. Sure, you might feel a sense of pride or stoic sense of accomplishment...but what did you really achieve?

In DS2, you can choose to try and escape the cycle and seek a different path. Unfortunately DS3 retcons this in the worst way possible.

Plus, power stance yo.

 

[PhilipDoesMatter]

Agreed. It's the one I'm most fond of in the series.

 

[Arkanius]

Hot take: Shulva and Brume Tower have better level design than any area in Dark Souls 3, including those in Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City.

No lies detected

 

[Aesnath]

I still don't get all the hate. I mean, sure, DS1 is better, and DS3 is a bit too (more debatable though), but it is still a very fine game that has some great moments. It is still mechanically more consistent than the first game, and I like some of the mechanical choices more than with the third game. I'll admit that the overall world organization isn't great, but the actual areas are pretty cool, and, as is often said, the dlc is kinda great.

 

[Voidwolf]

You know what? I love the series and this is the only entry I haven't even tried. Next time it goes on sale on Steam I'm gonna pick it up.

 

[E_Darkness]

I mean it's a good game but there are way more important games to play.

Spoiler

Such as Dark Souls or Bloodborne

 

[Chezzymann]

I don't like challenging games, just games I can use as an escape to relax. But if I can get it on sale for less than $5 I might try.

 

[bobawesome]

I feel like opinion of the game was heavily swayed by Matthewmatosis' video and DS2 detractors often use his criticisms and nitpicks as a guide.

Counter argument: Don't waste your time. Play Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3 or Bloodborne instead.

Wow, what a compelling argument.

 

[Barajas_201]

I'm trying. I'm really trying to enjoy DS2 but the roll immunity is absolutely vital for me. It just doesn't feel the same as DS1, Bloodborne and DS3.

 

[RionaaM]

No thanks. I played the first one for a while and didn't like it, so I won't bother with the sequel. This series is not for me.

 

[Massicot]

I know how people disliked the level design and linear nature of the game, but in a way it was kinda enjoyable. Like a more arcade-7 Dark Souls.

 

[Drencrom]

Nah, I rather replay Demon’s Souls or Bloodborne again.

 

[texhnolyze]

The problem with Dark Souls 2's image is that people played it at launch month and never come back. And these people's messages are what swaying newcomers away from the game, sadly.

It's been improved a lot by the devs, especially in the SotFS update.

 

[Toxi]

No lies detected

And I love the level design in Dark Souls 3, so this isn't a slight against that game.

The Crowns Trilogy is just that damn good. Anyone complaining about the level design in Dark Souls 2 needs to play the DLC areas.

Hell, I'd argue the level design in the main game is underrated. While yes, there is shit like Heide's Tower and Black Gulch being glorified hallways, the Gutter, No Man's Wharf, the Lost Bastille, and Iron Keep have some really neat layouts and ideas. It doesn't hold a candle to Dark Souls 1's ingenious first half, but I still feel that sense of exploration.

 

[Jombie]

I have more fun with it than 3.

 

[Bakercat]

Played it last year and I was very disappointed after my playthrough of dark souls. Eh, might give it a second go sometime.

 

[GOOCHY]

I tried to play it but just couldn't get into it. Maybe I need to give it another shot? I've finished Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodborne (plus DLC for all of them) but just couldn't get into DS2. Something about the movement and the way the beginning of the game is structured. I think I got stuck not knowing where to go and couldn't find decent weapon.

 

[Ratrat]

I find the Souls game and gameplay boring. It's just the same "wait for the enemy to start it's attack, dodge or block and counter" I could never get into them. I gave them multiple tries but the animation always felt like I was stuck in molasses. Bloodborne's setting and the fluidity of motion did seem much better but I'm so burnt out on every game trying to be "Souls like" and them all suffering from boring settings and gameplay and another Souls game being a year or two out that I've burnt out on even caring about the series

Er, its your playstyle that is boring.


Anyway Dark Souls 2 is great. My personal favourite after Bloodborne.

 

[Wiped89]

No chance

I don't like RPGs. I don't like overly hard games. I don't want to play it.

 

[Natasha_c13]

I loved Dark Souls 2! For me, the build diversity and the PvP were the best parts about the game. I platinumed the original DS2 on PS3, then 100%-ed the PC version and 100% DS2: SotFS on PC as well.

Good times, very fond memories of the game

 

[Yazuka]

No thanks. Im not a fan of those games.
I don't see or feel the appeal. Sorry.

 

[Brandon F]

Entering the sun-bleached cove of Majula and hearing that haunting but evocative theme never fails to make me swoon enough to consider I may have been too harsh with any real misgivings.

But it really doesn't take long before you realize a majority of the level layouts, bosses, and enemy variants do not carry with it even a fraction of the appreciation I could ever have for that blissfully peaceful and soothing moments spent in Majula.

 

[Soar]

Nah still the worst souls game. The engine can’t even properly animate your attacks if you circle strafe. I was using a murokamo 2hander and consistently had myself attacking in the wrong direction. Bosses are super easy, unvaried and you’ll die more to poison and falling damage than anything else.

Still worth playing for sure and I don’t really regret spending 70 hours completing StoFS but it’s flawed. The only positive memorable moments for me is the first time fighting the pursuer and fume knight. Can’t deny that is has great build flexibility but lacks a lot of polish.

 

[WheelHoss1]

One of my Top 3 games of all time with Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls

Like it more than Bloodborne (hate me but BB had 1 tone and boring PVP)

Best PVP in series by far (still!)

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

I wish I could have been lucky enough to die before I played Dark Souls 2.

God bless ya’ll for liking the game but I can’t find a single redeeming quality. It’s not a bad Souls game, it’s just a bad game in general. If someone was looking to play all the Souls games I’d tell them to play Lords of the Fallen before 2.

 

[dtcm83]

"I don't care what you've heard, watched, or read..."

How about what I've played? After beating DS1 (PC using DSFix) and putting significant time into Demon's Souls (and more recently Bloodborne), I tried DS2. It felt so different in a way I simply could not easily adapt to. 10 or so hours into the experience I gave up with the opinion that DS2 really missed the mark in enemy/mob layout and AI, and movement/control. I have gone back once to try again, for an hour or two, and came away with the same opinion. Something about the game rubs me wrong, it just *feels* off, like a western family version of a popular store brand.

I really do want to like DS2. I want to play through the entire thing and experience the awesome build variety I've heard so much about. Maybe someday I will, but for now it remains the dark horse of the series in my eyes (although I have yet to play DS3...)

 

[pretty done]

I actually prefer DS2: SOTFS to DS3. DS3 is such a weird game to play because of the futility of it. No matter what you do, everything is screwed. There's no endgame where what you do will matter. Sure, you might feel a sense of pride or stoic sense of accomplishment...but what did you really achieve?

In DS2, you can choose to try and escape the cycle and seek a different path. Unfortunately DS3 retcons this in the worst way possible.

Plus, power stance yo.

Is this even English?

 

[Drayco21]

I played like 20 minutes of it on pc through humble. All the enemies took like 20-30 hits to kill, and it didn't seem particularly hard, just boring to slowly whittle them all down. Said fuck it and uninstalled.

 

[Killer Queen]

I still don't get all the hate. I mean, sure, DS1 is better, and DS3 is a bit too (more debatable though), but it is still a very fine game that has some great moments. It is still mechanically more consistent than the first game, and I like some of the mechanical choices more than with the third game. I'll admit that the overall world organization isn't great, but the actual areas are pretty cool, and, as is often said, the dlc is kinda great.

It's definitely not a bad game, I don't know that anyone really hates it. It's just a game that does things very differently than others in the series, for some that's a plus, for others like myself not so much. It does many good things that I hope are carried over into future games, but I'm just not a fan of the level design, art direction, enemies, bosses or lore of the game. Though I will admit Shulva is one of my top 3 levels in the series without a doubt.