I never played Demon Souls and nearly missed Dark Souls 1 thanks to Skyrim overshadowing it greatly, but thankfully I got it and enjoyed many hours of grim and foreboding exploration, death and elation with a 180+ level character, buying the prepare to die edition too.

"Legend has it that in the deepest reaches of the Black Gulch, behind a door locked from the inside, is a magnificent city built for a great sleeping dragon." This was part of the description that I was given for a peculiar dragon talon that would open a door to Shulva, the first area of the Crown...

New and challenging areas; Great boss fights; Now featuring puzzles

Added difficulty sometimes feels cheap; The new puzzling element is pretty simple

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

Excellent game for people who wants a challenge

It took me a whole two and a half years to push myself beyond the deliberately unwelcoming first few levels of Dark Souls , and even now, after punching through the whole of it in a mere four days and developing a begrudging respect for the game, I'm not convinced that it's truly great.

Good pricing for a game in great condition, only complaint I have is there was no instruction booklet, not a big deal but wish I would have known.

Dark Souls II has been one of the most publicized and critically acclaimed games of 2014, cited for great gameplay, stunning visuals and replay value. However, I struggled to understand what all the hype was about.

The Hero keeps on dying and they mention YOU DIED all the time. Poor graphics and ugly characters. After playing Skyrim and Witcher this game is from the 1990s. Avoid this game it has no aim but slash and kill. I just wonder how this game could have such a high rating seems like a scam.

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

Avoid the icy grip of death. A lot of early Dark Souls II discussions centered on comparisons to the previous two entries in the series (including Demon's Souls ), but FromSoftware managed to regain some control of the post-release narrative with its DLC trilogy.