10 Hated Video Game Sequels You Should Play

When discussing the best From Software games, it's going to be rare to hear the name "Dark Souls 2" brought up unless it's in the phrase, "well at least it's not as bad as Dark Souls 2!"

Any sequel to one of the most beloved games of all time was going to come under heavy scrutiny, but this effort was pretty much disowned entirely as not being a "true" successor. That reputation is partly because the original director sat the sequel out, as well as its controversial changes to how healing works, the move away from the interconnected levels of DS1 and increase in humanoid enemies and bosses. Put simply, it's a very different game to Dark Souls 1, both in its mechanical focus and story, but that's what makes it so noteworthy.

Unlike a lot of sequels that rest on their laurels, DS2 attempts to etch out its own identity, and mostly succeeds. Yes, the world isn't connected and doesn't make geographical sense, but it's not supposed to, and with that trade off you get some of the most visually unique - and visually surprising - areas in the whole series. Humanoid enemies are repeated and come at you in large numbers, but sword duels are incredible and the increased volume of targets forces you to play in a more aggressive way.

For every change, there's a reason behind it. It might not be as polished as Dark Souls 1, but it shouldn't be written off because it's not just more of the same.