I'll never understand people ranking Dark Souls 2 highly (especially as the best in the series). It was made my an inferior director and it shows in every corner of the game. The bosses are recycled, unimaginative and some of the easiest in the series (SPOILER ALERT: strafe anti-clockwise and attack). The areas have none of the depth of Dark Souls, Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3. The enemy placement is cheap and cheapened still further by their amount in certain areas.
Added to that the game punishes you actively for doing something that you are inevitably going to do (i.e: dying). Even trying to climb a long ladder quickly punishes you with a stamina drain. If you don't want me to want me to get up the ladder fast, stop putting long ladders in front of me that I have to climb.
Based on the starting areas alone Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne are superior in every way to Dark Souls 2.
That said I really struggled to get into Demon's Souls. It was possible that I was trying the game when I wasn't ready for that kind of experience but I would gladly try it again in a heart beat. I will however not touch Dark Souls 2.
Never again.
Ever.
My list (non-definitive):
Bloodborne
Dark Souls 1/Dark Souls 3
Demon's Souls
Pig Dung
Worms in pig dung.
Dark Souls 2
