Excellent game for people who wants a challenge

Thanks to Xbox for our review copy of Dark Souls II.

Incredibly tense and atmopsheric, Invitingly mysterious, Good value; plenty of game time on offer

Graphically disappointing; Controls are unwieldy and your hero unresponsive; Lacks clarity; demanding a lot from the player

When Dark Souls landed on my doorstep some two and half years ago, initially I wasn't crazy about it. I distinctly recall those first few hours into Dark Souls and how it tested my every last nerve. I never played Demon Souls, so I had no clue what Dark Souls was all about.

is a smart, massive, and incredibly rewarding sequel. It's crammed with deep systems, tense encounters, and enough clever multiplayer and New Game Plus elements to make me want to restart the second I saw the end credits.

Rewarding challenge; Tough but fair combat; Great enemy design; Smart multiplayer

Annoying death penalties

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

" Crown of the Sunken King " is the first piece of Dark Souls II DLC, and as such it has a lot to prove in showcasing what developer From Software are aiming to deliver with their trilogy of expansions.

Much like when you meet someone you haven't seen for ten years, there's a familiar yet oddly different feel for Dark Souls II . You know it's the same person, but time has changed them and it's up to you to figure out if their new quirks are worth your time and energy.

An expansive and varied world to explore; Slicker controls improve combat and traversal; Changes to core mechanics make for a better & more interesting game

… but said changes will throw (and possibly frustrate) Souls' veterans initially; Hit detection is still as buggy as ever; Graphical concessions are disappointing; despite other improvements

will kill you over and over again, but each death is a learning experience taking you one step closer to your goal.

Prepare To Die…Again and Again and Again.

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