I personally can not wait for this game. As long as they did not do any of the dumb things mentioned above, like making the game easy for instance then it will be a day 1 buy for me.

Dark Souls II: Prepare to Die Harder.

Man, I'm too scared to attempt the first two games, and now there is a third one to cause me further shame...

--- Replying to BigBadBob113 -----

I don't think there's any shame in avoiding them. They appeal to a very particular taste — you have to love repetition. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of repetition.

Either you are ignorant or stupid. Bethesda did not "invent" dragons, true they based Skyrim around them. The legends of dragons have been around for ages. Another thing, Demon Souls had dragons in it, and that came out before Skyrim. Dark Souls, which also had dragons, also came out before Skyrim. As soon as I read your statement about that I stopped reading this article seeing as you have no common sense. I will never again read anything from this website due to the fact that they employ people such as yourself as writers. And before you jump to conclusions, no, I'm not some Skyrim hater. I played it and liked it.

--- Replying to nkescallier -----
Wow... Ever heard of a joke? No? Alright, move on then.

--- Replying to nkescallier -----

Pot, meet kettle.

--- Replying to Macrocephalus -----
For a second there I had to check that I wasn't on GameFAQs.

--- Replying to nkescallier -----

What? If you're going to claim that it wasn't Bethesda who first introduced the concept of dragons, I'd like to see some type of evidence that's a bit more substantial than just your word. I'm not convinced at all.

(I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but my favorite part is where he warns against jumping to conclusions.)

By the way, I have a question about the first game (PC). I know that summoning can be frustrating, but that aside, is it still possible to experience the entire campaign cooperatively , without missing any content?

As I understood, the second player has to be re-summoned each time you enter a new area and will stay with you until you kill the area's boss, but what I don't know is how much time it takes to get to the next area and re-summon, and whether there is some type of content that is inaccessible in co-op no matter what.

@Rekka

I believe the entire core campaign can be played cooperatively, though there are some transitional areas and side quests that don't allow summoning.

Remember, when you defeat an area boss as a host, you need to go back to the start of the level to help your co-op partner get through the same level. This time you'll be the summoned player and your friend will be the host player. Once an area boss is defeated you can no longer summon another player. You also can't get invaded. Most areas are easily accessed through the Bonfire warp system, once you've discovered them.

Summoning tip: If you're having a hard time summoning a particular player, both of you should quit your game and load it at the same time. I don't know how it will work on the PC, but we managed to summon each other quite consistently using this technique on the 360.

Our Co-Op FAQ should help you with any other questions.

http://www.co-optimus.com/article/7002/ ... p-faq.html

Edit: Combined replies so I don't end up spamming my own comments.

@Rekka

Sorry, got off track. Getting to a new area where you can re-summon a friend will take anywhere from seconds to a few minutes, if you know where you're going. If you're new to the game it will take a little longer. Maybe a lot longer. Most areas branch off from Bonfire warp hubs, so it's not too bad. But you need to be patient to really enjoy Dark Souls, especially if you want to play with a friend.

Of course, that's my experience. Everyone seems to have a different take on Dark Souls, which is fine with me.

@Cubninja
Thanks for the valuable info. I didn't even know you had to repeat the content for your partner in order to be able to progress together. Is this repetition still fun and do the double rewards still manage to keep the experience challenging?

Between this, the unpredictable summoning system, differing death penalties, and so on, I'm still very conflicted about getting the game solely for playing it cooperatively. And yet, if the game is as good as they say, I really don't want to waste it on solo. Judging from your own experience, would you say that the co-op was still worth it? If you only had a chance to go through the content once, would you even consider doing in co-op and skipping on that side quest solo content you mentioned?

@Rekka

Repeating a level is a lot of fun. Once you've been through a level you'll find it much easier. What was once a two hour, nerve-wracking crawl is now a 15 minute triumphant march to the boss's lair. Both the host and summoned players reap the rewards, with a larger share going to the host. The game will remain challenging, especially your first time through. Invading players will make sure of that.

The co-op is worth it. It's different, but it works for this game. Playing with random strangers can be just as rewarding as playing with a friend.

If I was playing through Dark Souls one time, and one time only, I'd explore everything. I would summon and be summoned whenever I was able. The incidental solo portions are few and far between. You probably won't even find the few solo side quests on your fist playthrough, and the transitional areas are just that: transitional. There's really nothing to fear from them.

You may want to read our Co-Op Review.

http://www.co-optimus.com/review/891/da ... eview.html

PM me if you have any other questions.

--- Replying to nkescallier -----

Just for a bit of a troll here: Skyrim is based around dragons, YET there are Wyverns in the game!!!

Dragons have four legs and wings, while Wyverns have two legs and wings. Just go play Skyrim, you'll see that they only have two legs. It's a bit of a fail there, but Skyrim is still one of the best games ever made.

As for Dark Souls II, I'll buy it when it comes out. Normally I don't buy games at Day 1, but I will buy this. I bought Demon's Souls, finished it, bought Dark Souls Limited edition for PS3, finished it, and when it came out on PC, I bought it there as well, Limited Edition, too.