Can we at least admit that it had the best lore and atmosphere of any Fromsoft game so far?
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Dark Souls 2
Can we at least admit that it had the best lore and atmosphere of any Fromsoft game so far?
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Thalidomide Vintage Ad Shirt $22.14 |
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No.
It was the last Soulslike game before the meaning of Soulslike changed. A weird, different sort of RPG with action elements is what Soulslikes used to be, now they're just spectacle over substance action games.
This is the best argument I've ever seen for Dark Souls 2 and just gave me a new appreciation for the game. I think I'll pick up Scholar now since I only played the original version back on launch. I really never liked 2 much, but thinking about it this way kinda changes things. For example, in a modern souls game, Lost Sinner would be a generic flashy jumpy Artorias clone fight with tons of particle effects and dumb cutscenes etc, but in Dark Souls 2 it's a Demon's style gimmick fight and actually more memorable in hindsight than most Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring bosses. I think you're on to something anon.
Lost Sinner is just a fight where most players figure out the gimmick before the fight starts and it just becomes a regular fight. Also she does jump and dash around quite a bit, the only memorable thing is that in NG+ there are red phantoms that exist purely so that her dash attack will actually have a chance to hit you.
This is my point entirely though. It's not a particularly hard fight, and the gimmick (the darkness) isn't particularly hard to figure out and circumvent. That's what makes it so fun. If you just use your braincells a little to solve the "puzzle" and then take your time learning the boss' patterns so you can fight it, you win. And the red phantoms in NG+ make it even cooler because it's an unexpected twist that ups the difficulty without being too crazy. It's really the best of Demon's Souls but with a more "modern" (at the time) feeling. What bosses in the following Souls games are like this? For all the ganksquad memes, there's actually a frick ton of DaS 2 bosses that are goofy gimmick bosses like Demon's. It's an artform From has completely lost.
I feel like they could've done more with the gimmick though, because I mean... personally when I first fought her, I already lit the oil beforehand and the fight just became a standard and honestly generic affair. I can't see how it's memorable when the player isn't even aware about the fight's gimmick before it starts and they don't have to interact with it at all. Honestly, I'd have rather they put the pathway to the oil in the arena itself because the current condition of the fight doesn't really make me feel accomplished for figuring out that you had to light the oil, since it made me miss out on a seemingly defining factor of the boss. And of course, on replays just ignoring oil doesn't really redeem it as you already fought the boss before and know what to expect. I think Freja's gimmick was a lot cooler on both NG and NG+, kicking around a decapitated head and all. It uses the torch better as well, and the introductory cutscene is great. One of my favorite bosses in the game.
>there's actually a frick ton of DaS 2 bosses that are goofy gimmick bosses like Demon's. It's an artform From has completely lost.
tbh I haven't played ds3, I played ER and off the top of my head the only "major" gimmicks I remember are Rykard and Rennala's first phase and the former was like Storm King if it was a real fight. Bloodborne had a good amount of gimmicks though, but quite a few fell into what I call "whack-a-mole" bosses which is essentially what Rennala's first phase was as well.
I can't even remember who Rennala is. Elden Ring fricking sucked.
I think magic girl that you need to kill her minions first
If a Souls boss becomes any more complex than this, it goes to the bottom of boss tier lists because it isn't a Zanzibart 1v1 with epic orchestra ear rape fight
Thanks anon, I used to love soulslikes before they all became the same thing by misunderstanding the source completely. The entirety of Soulslike game devs, even including FromSoft themselves, have been trying to recapture the magic that was Artorias in the original DS and failing.
The funny thing about Artorias is that he himself was a gimmick boss. While most Souls bosses were puzzles or gimmicks to some extent, Artorias was a straight slugfest that tested your mastery of the combat system, or alternatively a gearcheck to see if you had enough HP, defense, and poise to trade with him or enough magic to nuke him before attrition gets you. Other than Gwyn himself there weren't that many fights like him in the game
This is why the magic can't be recaptured. Nobody liked Artorias because he was an aggressive spinny flippy knight. We liked him because he was unique within his own game. There's also the fact that he isn't a Zanzibart with zero hype and lore nobody cares about. Even before the DLC, Sif was a beloved character, and people were speculating about the mysterious Artorias character and I even remember people doing proto-cosplays of him before we even knew what he looked like using Black Knight armor with his sword and greatshield and roleplaying as him in darkroot. The dude had hype long before we ever knew we'd get to meet him. This also elevates him beyond the typical clone slop, because the community actually cared about the character and was hype to see him long before the DLC even came out, and the fight actually being good was an incredible payoff.
It wasn't just about his fight, it was about the buildup. He got a huge portion of the basegame devoted to his legend and all, and where future souls-likes fail is that buildup. They just rush the lore for people like Sulyvahn and Godfrey and expect the same result.
I don't even remember any characters ingame ever speaking the name Sulyvahn despite youtuber loregays making him out to be this grand mastermind who caused everything in 3. Meanwhile I completely understood the entirety of Artorias' story without any loregays spoonfeeding it to me. Nu-Souls really is garbage. I also forgot which of the gods Godfrey even was so no comment on him. Elden Ring is the only From game I only played once and then abandoned. I'm not even gonna play the DLC. Just gonna sit tight and wait for more Armored Core at this point, souls is done.
There are multiple items that talk about the pontiff in that game.
>Just read the description tag on a sword you find that your character shouldn't know anything about and also study up on the cut content to know anything about this character
Cosmic big brain storytelling bravo Miyazaki-san
You realize this was the exact same with Artorias before the DLC right?
While yes, Sif existed and other NPC's actually spoke to you about Artorias as well, leaving a bit more than just descriptions and cut content. Nowadays, Souls NPC's exist to prattle on about nothing then laugh at you
godfrey is the guy with the axe and the lion on his back that epic wrestles you like a capeshit character i think, not sure
No, what the hell is wrong with you?
I can agree with that
I dunno if anyone else will though
Please elaborate on why you think that.
nah i really didnt like how it made undead world some pit that you can just jump into. i like the mysterious feeling of DS 1 where you're not certain what is outside
It's at least interesting to think about. In DS1 the Way of White is covertly ran by agents of Gwyndolin since he and Frampt just need kindling for the first flame. But now we can assume that Aldia has obfuscated how to get to Lordran/Drangleic, so his agents the crones would only be helping undead with the capacity to explore other possibilities get there through obscure magical means.
It's the only decent one
>b-b-but muh hitboxes
invesnt in agility
>b-b-b-but muh durability
stop hitting walls, moron
>b-b-b-b-but ummmm uwu?
yes, it is the best game
wut about the bosses that literally dont do anything
You take Covetous Demon's name out of your god damn mouth!
DeS has the best atmosphere of pretty much any game I've ever played
Yes, it is the most kinotastic game after all
genuinely delusional
It has the funniest lore that I don't really care about like wooow this guy made iron? that's it? not steel, not some fantasy element, just iron? skyrim guards would make fun of this man and his kingdom. iron keep vs. a butterfly who'd win LOL
A LIE REMAINS A LIE
Sometimes when I go shit I rest my elbows on my knees and chin on my fists and ponder the nature of things much like Vendrick. Then I light a bonfire aesthetic.
Vendrick wasn't really a thinker
Im playing through this game right now, just cleared out like all of no man's wharf, i skipped over this game previously becsuse i thought it felt like shit but after elden ring the slow pace is really enjoyable, why is the game so hated? What the frick am i in for?
Most of the people who discuss DS2 are extremists who love it or hate it, but the truth is that it's a pretty good game. The DLC is mediocre though.
The game isn't bad at all, a lot of shit you see online is usually taken out of context but there are still more weird architectural moments and general moments of world inconsistency in this game than in the others. You did No Man's Wharf? Did you think about how far down you went to get there? If you didn't, good for you, but think about it and just know that you aren't going crazy.
Some people think it's some alice in wonderland scenario because you go down a whirlpool in DrangLEIC (like lake hehe) but that's mostly just an excuse (even if it's a neat one and I buy it) for what was obviously remnants of a troubled development. The areas aren't bad, in fact I'd say that everything in DS2 that people regard as "the worst in the series" is all completely optional. The DLC Co-Op areas are notorious, there is a dragon later on that is... well I won't spoil but personally I don't think it's that egregious it's just a bad fight but you get what you're asking for when you do it. I like DS2, it may be too long and have a bunch of nonsensical decisions, but the main DLC areas are great and it has some of my favorite weapons.
I played it before ever coming on Ganker and loved it. Replayable as frick.
>why is the game so hated?
Any thread about any game on Ganker will be invaded by irony-poisoned weirdos who post pure vitriol just to get a rise out of people. In most threads they're called out as trannies but somehow people have been gaslit into thinking the hate directed at dark souls 2 is genuine.
Why is this old ass jank ass mid ass game shilled so hard on Ganker
>Can we admit [thing that isn't the least bit true]?
This game was awesome. Even remotely listening to homosexuals here or Youtube shills almost made me miss out. 1&2 are easily the best adventure style games of the series, along with Elden Ring.
Yeah the story and world is actually built up decently and interesting unlike most of the souls games. Peoople don't like it because it isn't cryptic enough I guess.
and they are actually genuinely there. Unlike elden ring meme.
The character game was really weak in this one, I don't really remember anyone but the Herald (because of all the mandatory interaction,) Aldia, and the cat who was a meme when the game came out.