Control Volume posted:

Dark Souls II is a huge game, larger than its forebear and it offers perhaps the greatest sense of discovery, victory and, at times, frustration of any video game yet made. There is something mystical in its secrecy, in the obscured rules and storyline that compel you to explore deeper and deeper; there is something primal in the David vs. Goliath stand-offs with hulking beasts and the satisfaction of licking your wounds by a bonfire thereafter; there is something human in the delight at defining your character according to your own individual whims and tastes, choosing their weapons and armour and particular aptitudes; there is something playful in the risk/reward dynamic of venturing back into the world to collect what was dropped at the point at which you were last felled.

Dark Souls II is an extraordinary game. If it stops short of fulfilling something precious within the soul, it certainly has the heart, mind and fingers covered.