DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin Reviews

I love this game. I know this one gets shit on by a lot of people but it is probably my favorite of the Dark Souls series.

some good exploration and atmosphere in parts but it feels like complete ass to play

This game is not fun and hard for the wrong reasons because most of the difficulty of this game lies in having allot of enemies in all most like every room and having some of the worst runbacks of the century for example : sir alone and blue smelter demon, and also having some really unnecessery features such as no i frame when entering a fog wall nor opening a door not to mention that every time you die some doors just close and you have to open them up again and dont get me started about leveling adp the stat that determine your i frame on your doge rolls and healing is way slower then in ds1 in conclusion this game is like a 4/10 out of ten not worth your time and mental health

This game comes very close to DS1 when it come to the Enjoyment i had playing it. (I really like both games) It is kinda clunky at times but after you get the mechanics down it's really rewarding. Playing as a Paladin type build, i have to say that DS2 is probably my favorite Souls game when it comes to miracles due to them actually doing DMG and not having to throw all your levels into set stat. 8/10 Would fever dream again.

It can be enjoyable in many aspects, but the gameplay is broken (movement, ADP) and the lore, while somewhat fascinating, is ultimately not solid in presentation or with its continuity with the first game.

There are a lot of people who will say that everyone with bad reviews is lying. But I think I have more than enough hours (And every achievement) to confirm that you can have one of the worst gaming expiriences in your live. I think I can say that this game has the worst enemy placement in all of gaming. This games engine is way WORSE than the one from Dark Souls 1. As a mouse and keyboard player I needed to change every keybind and it was still weird af. AND YES. There are good things like lifestones. But thats all just small QOL.Adaptability makes this game horrible. And its not just that. The hitboxes are the worst. U get hit even if the attack isnt even close to you (visually). Almost every boss is way too easy except the final boss and King Vendrick. Also defeating the Darklurker was the worst boss and most annoying. The pilgrims of dark "challange" was on of the worst moments in gaming Ive ever had. And before people comment that I just should not have done all achievements. I want to get every Achievement in several Soulslike game and I wont let a terrible game such as Dark Souls 2 ruin that. The only good things about this game are Majula and small QOL things.

Dark Souls II is a really good game, offering a fascinating world, a challenging but fair combat system and, most importantly, an incredible gaming experience underlined by nervousness, panic and other pleasant emotions. It will drive you away a hundred times with constant frustration, but you will always return to it carefully, slowly, just to try it one more time. After all, it is just a giant waving its own torn claw, that would be so that you don't smash its head with an axe! And when it finally falls at your feet, the euphoria is almost indescribable. Even though a basic zombie will shamefully stab you around the next corner. The Scholar of the First Sin special edition is named after one of the new bosses/NPCs. It combines a slightly modified base game with the latest extensive patch and three expansion DLCs with a jewelry theme – Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King and Crown of the Ivory King. The changes in the patch, which also apply to the normal version, are also entirely beneficial - they adjust the online game, balance and generally fix some shortcomings. According to official statements, the version on PC and next-generation consoles has also received graphical and sound improvements, but this is not a revolution. You will notice a certain difference, but I think that very few people will stop to think about it. However, this does not matter too much - Dark Souls II may not be the most amazing game graphically, but you will still come across a lot of beautiful scenery and places, bursting with atmosphere. A pleasant combination of a modified (and more difficult) version of Dark Souls II and excellent DLC. The brutal difficulty and fantastic atmosphere have not receded an inch, they are even more intense than before. [b] 70% [/b]

Id rather work on an off-shore oil rig than play this game again, an unpaid 96 hour day shift where they crush the oil out my balls is better than this game.

I've been playing this game for a few hours now and I just have to say that I *really* wanted to like it. As a long time souls fan, I find basically something to like in every game and generally speaking hold the whole franchise including fromsoft's other works on a pedestal of some of the finest game design put out onto the market. However... There's really nothing redeeming here to say. I'm about 70% of my way through the bosses and some of them peak at being mid while the rest are actively terrible or forgettable. Pretty much every area I've been to has been boring, forgettable or so frustrating it makes me want to put down the controller. Every new zone is filled with random death pits, gank fights where they cut off the exits and give enemies way too high poise even for my strength build or some other random bs gimmick to try and artificially add difficulty to an area that otherwise would have zero since none of the areas have really been thought through. I know they limited the amount of ganks compared to the original release but honestly, it's still the primary core gameplay loop. I'll still keep working through this and beat it eventually because it's the only souls game I haven't yet completed, but honestly the game is beyond my ability to recommend it already. If you're going to play dark souls, pick either this game's predecessor or successor because those are both well designed, fun exploreable games with plenty of challenge, environmental intrigue and lore to sift through. This game is just a janky mess held up by a cult following of strangely dedicated fans that are here for the vibe the game gives off. Which, fair enough - if this is your comfort space more power to you. But it's as far from a well put together experience as humanly possible. It still honestly *shocks* me just how this managed to even get released in this condition.

This is the game that made me fall in love with souls. It is the reason i got DS3 and Elden Ring. However, It also introduced me to what i would arguably call one of its biggest flaws. The best way to experience a Dark Souls is at launch, You see the masses of blood stains, every boss has someone waiting to be called, Every Area has an ally. Its amazing, but after the hype dies down and people have stopped playing and bossing the experience is Lost, and very lonely.