Zero Punctuation: Dark Souls 2 - Prepare to Die Again

Hutzpah Chicken

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Of course, when the real version comes out, most people won't bother until it's 75% off and they made all the money for the game from selling Counter Strike stuff.
 

Ishal

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He needs to get to NG+, that's when the real game begins. Yeah, I know that sounds like a dubious "it get's better later" statement, and well, it is. But I only say that since about 2/3 of his complaints are addressed in NG+. As in they're gone completely.

I'd say the game improved in spades what DKS did. The areas and world are better than DKS imo. Don't get me wrong I love the burg, both Londos, Sen's Fortress, and the like. But Dark Souls 2 has the feeling DKS gave all over again. The undead crypt and a few other areas are pretty memorable.

I have to disagree on one thing though, and I know I'm in the minority here, but I like the big dudes in armor bosses. I like them for several reasons. 1) I like their armor and weapons, which you can almost always obtain for yourself adding more reasons for me to play the game. 2) Those bosses were the memorable ones from DKS, at least for me. Gaping Dragon was cool, and his lore was interesting, but it just seemed like an overindulgence in horror schlock an edgy DnD dungeon master would think up. Same with the Old Iron King and a few others. Old Iron King looked like a monster from FF. That's a big fucking no no. Let's stay away from that poison. 3) It's more opportunity for them to fight like another player would. Artorias, Ornstein, and I suppose Manus(still a humanoid appearance) all either jumped backwards, rolled away, lunged, and combo'd their moves resulting in challenging fights.

That is the one thing I really love about the design of this game. Just about every enemy (even trash mobs) can combo/chain their attacks and catch you with low stamina. Couple that with how they now wait to attack you in groups, and it's a much more rigorous ordeal than the first.
 

marioandsonic

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Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
I would like to know this as well.

Still, really enjoyed the video. That barrage of slaps had me rolling on the floor.
 

Freddyqaqualung

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Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
Sort of, yea. I felt like the beginning tried to ease you into it more, at least as much as can be expected from this series. There were rarely any bosses that took me more than two or three tries to beat. That being said, some of the later areas can be pretty difficult, but you'll probably have a pretty good idea of what you're doing by then, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.
 

Jake the Snake

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I'd love to give these games a go, but as a college student I have neither the time nor the patience to spend hours on end dying. Perhaps some day in the distant future...but by then Inquisition will be out...
 

Ishal

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marioandsonic said:
Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
I would like to know this as well.

Still, really enjoyed the video. That barrage of slaps had me rolling on the floor.
Dark Souls 2 is a fine place to start. The stats and tutorials are more forgiving. It's made lots of improvements in terms of accessibility. It's easier to understand equipment burden, upgrading equipment, and other things. A few seconds going over the stats of your character sheet and what they mean will take you a lot farther in 2 than in the other games, imo.

I'd say go for it.
 

Machine Man 1992

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Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
Here's a tip: Don't.

There are better, less frustratingly ass-backwards games out there that are worth far more of your time and money.

Yes I hate the series with every fibre of my being, why do you ask?
 

Ishal

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Branindain said:
Machine Man 1992 said:
Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
Here's a tip: Don't.

There are better, less frustratingly ass-backwards games out there that are worth far more of your time and money.

Yes I hate the series with every fibre of my being, why do you ask?
Oh look, Machine Man got in before Zira this time.

You know when console fanboys come onto forums to tell you that games on the other console, that they haven't played, are bad? I've always found those people so interesting and insightful.
Yahtzee's videos always seem to generate interesting threads. So many people who either passionately agree or disagree.

Machine Man is a good one. I hope he at least makes the thread entertaining with his misplaced and misguided rage over a video game.
 

Skeleon

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I haven't even played the first one yet, but I did buy it. I really hope to get around to playing it soon. By the time I'm done, maybe the second part will be really cheap already? :-D
 

Deathfish15

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Love the mention of "the real version", as if to say that consoles are nothing more than bad versions of games that are clearly better on PC. Truth hurts.
 

Branindain

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Ishal said:
Yahtzee's videos always seem to generate interesting threads. So many people who either passionately agree or disagree.
That's true. My personal favourite Yahtzee thread is anytime he reviews a Nintendo game, ever. Those poor Ninty fans are on the defensive something fierce, even when he's sorta nice to them (which is almost never, but then, join the club).
 

jdarksun

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I've been meaning to get into Dark Souls. Should I just play Prepare to Die edition or hold out for DS2 PC?
 

Therumancer

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Rabidkitten said:
When you go back and play Demons' Souls (Yes its plural possessive), you will notice how much of dark souls pulls from Demons' Souls. Blighttown and the Gutter are just new versions of the Valley of Defilement. Demons Souls had half your health bar gone always when you were not human. The world design was also similar as well, A central hub with a woman who upgrades you that spans off into numerous hubs that you can start warping from at the start. Actually Dark Souls 2 imo is more Demons's Souls then Dark Souls.
One thing that I've been wondering is if your health loss from dying in Dark Souls 2 caps out at half, or if it's possible to pretty much put yourself into a permanent fail state by depleting your health too much and not having any "humanity restorers" available.

I'm waiting for the PC version, but this is the big question that's been bugging me about this one.
 

OrpheusTelos

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Would it be fair to say that Dark Souls 2 would be a good starting point for someone such as myself, who is quite curious about the Souls games but hasn't had the courage to step in just yet? From the sound of things, it's a tad more user-friendly, so I was thinking about playing them in reverse order.
 

Ishal

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Therumancer said:
Rabidkitten said:
When you go back and play Demons' Souls (Yes its plural possessive), you will notice how much of dark souls pulls from Demons' Souls. Blighttown and the Gutter are just new versions of the Valley of Defilement. Demons Souls had half your health bar gone always when you were not human. The world design was also similar as well, A central hub with a woman who upgrades you that spans off into numerous hubs that you can start warping from at the start. Actually Dark Souls 2 imo is more Demons's Souls then Dark Souls.
One thing that I've been wondering is if your health loss from dying in Dark Souls 2 caps out at half, or if it's possible to pretty much put yourself into a permanent fail state by depleting your health too much and not having any "humanity restorers" available.

I'm waiting for the PC version, but this is the big question that's been bugging me about this one.
It is possible, but unlikely. If you sin, i.e. invade and kill players or murder NPC's, your health with start to dip below 50 if you keep dying.

However there are several ways to mitigate this.

There is a pardoner in this game, similar to Oswald in DKS. He can absolve you of sin. There is a ring you can obtain that halts HP reduction at ~75% after repeated deaths. It's located early on. Finally, if things get really desperate, there is a shrine that will restore your human form and full health. To use it, you must have 0 sin and 0 human effigies (humanity equivalent) in your inventory. It's the last resort option.
 

Darth_Payn

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Yikes. It sounds like the Souls games have a very sadomasochistic relationship with their players. Why didn't Yahtzee make an S&M joke in this video? Too easy?

captcha: nanoo nanoo

End transmission, Mork.
 

Trishbot

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I am currently waist-deep in Dark Souls 1, around level 36 and doing everything I can to procrastinate going into the Depths and bumping into those Curse-spewing Basilisks.

It's a great game, but after HOURS, I'm about ready for the game to go "you want us to cut you some slack? Fine. Fine. Here's SOME slack. Not much. A little. It's all you get".
 

Dragonblade146

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And yet.. Console version is still just as fun, and I preferred it on the console with Dark Souls. I can't be the only person that seems to think that.
Right?
Really? Is it so impossible to enjoy the base game without any mods?
lol
 

gittonsxv

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i pretty much agree with this review,
it is not an upgrade to the first but it is also not a step backwards, more a stumble to the right.
oh and that last bit, "when the real version comes out", shots fired!
 

Ferisar

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Under_your_bed said:
Hey, he said that Souls 2 was "easier for the noobs". As a noob to the Souls series, is it a good idea to do 2 first to get the hang of it and then do one? Any veterans got anything to say?
There's a conflict here, unfortunately. If you start with two, you get a tigher, more "secure" experience in terms of design (a lot of iteration that will "feel" good), but that would mean that if you went back to Dark Soul 1, you wouldn't have any of it.
In my experience, going back to prequels without having nostalgia-goggles is really painful, so it would probably be ideal to play the first game if you planned to do a "series" playthrough. Otherwise, you could just play 2... And just never play the previous games.
The connection between the two games is largely thematic, not narrative-driven. There is correlation, but besides some nods and hints, it's pretty much a standalone game.