Dark Souls 2 is not quite the masterclass in game design that the first game was, but it still feels close enough to its predecessor to be an enjoyable title. There are little things throughout the game that make it feel not nearly as tight as the first Dark Souls, but I feel a lot of the hatred of the game that is found among many in the DS community to be a bit unwarranted. Yes, the adaptability stat is ambiguous and sucks because of the impact it has on gameplay. Yes, the level design isn't the marvel that it was in the first game. Yes, the player-character movement isn't as tight (though I barely noticed this until it was pointed out to me). And yes, it often feels like they tried to fit too many uninspired boss fights into the game. However, none of these flaws completely ruined the experience for me, and it retained enough of the enjoyable aspects of the Dark Souls formula for me to enjoy myself start to finish.