Once more into the dark my friends!

A few great boss fights; engaging level design; wide variety of enemies; really interesting lore to be found

Non-linear progression seems to hurt enemy balancing; a number of incredibly bland boss fights; multiplayer changes mostly hurt the game

Ijust barely got it and had it turned on and I love it so far keep up the good work

As someone who is very fond of From Software's Dark Souls , and indeed due to many people of the world's love of this now legendary Action RPG from Japan, the sequel has a lot to live up to. Dark Souls 2 continues the heritage laid down by both Dark Souls and From's debut, Demon's Souls .

Updated 4/24/14 - scroll to bottom for full PC impressions. During my 54 hours with Dark Souls 2, I died 226 times. I know this courtesy of a worldwide death counter. But every time I took an axe to the face, or got murdered by somersaulting zombies, or mistakenly cartwheeled off a cliff, I learned...

Overcoming difficulty provides a fantastic sense of achievement; Fascinating world that feels like a character all its own; New gameplay elements make the Dark Souls experience more convenient; but not easier

Some bosses lack scale and eccentric design

There are few games that challenge a gamer's sanity, patience and skills more than the critically acclaimed Souls series by developer From Software. I learned this firsthand with the release of the original Dark Souls a few years ago, so when I heard they were making a sequel to an already...

Positives Solid brutal combat and real sense of accomplishment; Easier to get into for newcomers while retaining difficulty; Better graphics and sounds

Negatives Still not for the easily frustrated; Wrong decisions can ruin and adversely affect a play-through

As a longtime follower of From Software's work in the gothic-survival-adventure genre that one might say King's Field and the Souls games fall into, it's always been an irritation that Dark Souls garnered so much praise and attention (it became an industry-wide descriptor!

Conquering the Gargoyles on my own after countless defeats

Accidentally killing an NPC after 50 hours of trying to not kill NPCs

Quite slow to get into, not a great deal of combat.. for fans only

It all started with Demon Souls, a formidable and unforgiving beast, on the Playstation 3. Unfortunately it was a game I had very little exposure too but generated a lot of interest around the hardcore gaming water cooler.

Dark Souls II does little to tone down the tough gameplay the earlier instalments were renowned for. Fans of the series won't be disappointed, though newbies may also want to get in on the action.

Retains the same challenging yet addictive gameplay; Hub layout helps to streamline the experience

Very difficult and frustrating at times; Solutions and directions are not always clear

If you have the patience and are willing to give the game a chance, Dark Souls II becomes a masterwork of player empowerment goodness. After several hours grinding through the opening hours and learning the cold, brutal ways in which the game operates, you'll find yourself yelling victory chants and...

+Familiar yet refined and satisfying gameplay; +Great level design; +Fantastic art direction; +Varied enemies and environments; +Hours upon hours of gameplay; +It never gets old; +Great sound design that adds to the empowering gameplay

-Buggy AI; -Disappointingly "safe" at times; -Presentation is a little lacking