Games of 2014 – Dark Souls 2

If you ask avid gamers what the hardest game of the last generation was, more often than not you’ll hear Dark Souls come up. When we talked to Namco Bandai at E3, they emphasized the fact that Dark Souls 2 would rival the original in terms of difficulty. However, word out of the recent beta suggests that the game may actually be easier.

Now, a beta is just that, a beta. It’s quite possible the final product will be just as rage-worthy as the original. However, it works out for everyone no matter how the game ends up. If it’s a gruesomely difficult adventure, fans of the original’s difficulty will be pleased. If it’s a little bit easier, it means it will be more accessible and probably sell more copies, which could easily lead to a next-generation Dark Souls 3.

Entry level difficulty aside, Dark Souls is a game that plays two different ways. Novice players will struggle through the game as they simply try to beat it. Hardcore players will take the gameplay to an entirely different level and do things novice players would not have thought possible. It’s very similar to fighting games in that there’s a higher level of play that can be attained if you work hard enough. This is what really has us excited about the 2014 release of Dark Souls 2.