Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-12-04, 11:45:

Anyway, while I am mostly enjoying DS2, I can see now why some people don't find it as good as its predecessor. It feels like the developers went for quantity over quality here, especially with boss encounters. I mean, there's a boss around every corner now, and some of them just aren't that great. In Dark Souls 1, nearly all boss fights felt special and memorable in their own way. Here, it's kinda hit or miss.

It's been very interesting reading your posts on this game -- I felt pretty much the same way about the game back when I first completed it. I really liked it, but it felt like a step down from the first game. Interestingly, I actually found DS2 to be a lot more enjoyable when replaying it. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on Dark Souls III once you get around to playing that, because it's got some of the best and most memorable boss fights in the series.

newtmonkey wrote on 2025-12-05, 18:38:

It's been very interesting reading your posts on this game -- I felt pretty much the same way about the game back when I first completed it. I really liked it, but it felt like a step down from the first game.

While I haven't finished DS2 yet, I do feel that it's not quite on the level of its predecessor. Even so, it's still a very enjoyable game for me, and I'd rate it higher than many modern AAA titles that came out during the last few years.

newtmonkey wrote on 2025-12-05, 18:38:

I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on Dark Souls III once you get around to playing that, because it's got some of the best and most memorable boss fights in the series.

I have heard good things about the third installment, and I did buy it on Steam as well. The plan is to jump right in after completing DS2. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that I'm enjoying this series so much, especially given my previous experience with Nioh. Though that was years ago, and I didn't fully understand the mechanics of Souls(like) games back then. Maybe I'll revisit that one later down the road.

I liked nearly everything about Eschalon: Book 1 but I found the combat to be a miserable grind, and it stopped me from continuing in the end because so much of the game is combat. There was no skill or tactics involved as far as I could tell, just dice rolls against your stats, and because it allowed you to save during combat it just encouraged save scumming, which took all of satisfaction out of it. From what I read the devs tried to improve this situation with Book 2 so I'll go back and try that some day.

In the meantime though I've started Avernum - Escape From The Pit and am loving it. The combat is immediately enjoyable and everything is so well thought out. The writing and setting are wonderful too from what I've seen.

I love the old school graphics but everything is tiny at 2K, so I'm playing at 1600X900 and have used Reshade to clean up the blur with some sharpening and scanlines. It looks much nicer than this in person:

Making steady progress in Dark Souls 2. Didn't take long to meet the final boss of the poison areas, and she was much more interesting than the Jabba lookalike. This medusa lady had some nasty attacks, but the summoned NPC was super helpful in distracting her, which allowed me to go full offense and quickly secure the win. Good times.

Next up: the Iron Keep. The knights in this area could move and attack surprisingly fast. Those archers on high platforms were troublesome too. On a more positive note, I finally found the ember that the smith in Lost Bastille was looking for. Using crafting materials purchased from him, and others found in the poison areas, I upgraded the Large Club to +7. Yeah, I'm really liking this weapon. Specifically, its two-handed heavy attack has decent range, works fine in tight corridors, and can often knock down enemies, if it doesn't kill them outright. The only drawback is the rapidly decreasing durability, which is why I keep a few backup weapons.

I then proceeded to the boss arena, and the Smelter Demon fight was tough. He had many different attacks, all of them really strong. That explosion burst was particularly nasty, and it caught me off guard more than once. I think I only beat this guy because the summoned NPC diverted his attention at a critical moment, allowing me to heal up when I needed it the most. All in all, a very challenging boss fight, but also highly satisfying to complete.

After reaching the next bonfire, I wanted to go back and farm those knights some more. Imagine my surprise when the Pursuer spawned right next to me. Somehow, he's no longer considered a boss, despite hitting just as hard, and having a huge amount of health. No ballistas this time, so I had to come up with a new strategy. Taking off most of my gear got me some extra mobility, which was sorely needed. He could kill me in 2-3 hits even with my best armor equipped, while being light footed allowed me to dodge his attacks much more efficiently. As long as I didn't get greedy, and just went for a single hit after each dodge, I was making progress. Took a few tries, but I managed to beat him eventually, and got his upgraded ring.

Iron Keep's final boss wasn't that hard, but getting to him was a real chore. Platforming, lava pits, traps, enemies knocking me off ledges... yeah. Honestly, I didn't like this section at all. It reminded me of Sen's Fortress from DS1, in all the bad ways. Anyway, after the boss was vanquished, I lit another primal bonfire, and was teleported to some snowy area while examining a nearby fountain. But then I remembered that a few other options were now available as well, so I returned to the main hub to contemplate where to go next.