Synonamess Botch said
After playing a great game, I don't automatically want a sequel.  Do something similar in theme or tone sure, but otherwise go a different direction.  Don't let the previous game tie you down creatively.

I'll need a fairly spacious tombstone when I die, because I constantly remark about things that need to be added to it. That there will be one. In fact, my most common thought after playing a great game is for the love of all that is good and beloved I hope nobody makes a sequel to this.

Dark Souls had almost no audible, surface level story. Dark Souls had one of the most intriguing, complex, nuanced video game stories I have ever experienced. Ha! It felt good to write those sentences beside one another. It's the truth, we all know it!

But I worry the same thing, Botch: Will the team wallow in their own crapulence and think "goddamn, our story in Dark Souls was great, let's make the story of Dark Souls II wank on about how fucking radical that was!"

Mmm, but that's a bit unfair; especially after witnessing the most recent work FromSoftware has made, the Artorias of the Abyss content. It is in my opinion (and others; see: the internet), narrative-wise, at the very least nearly flawless and at its subtlest just spectacularly considered.

I know I would prefer they move on from the specific lore of Dark Souls, because I don't feel excitement for the words "Dark Souls II" ... but where I would normally lack faith in many developers churning out a sequel, I don't fear for what the game will become. I'm confident it will be up to par, barring tragically misguided leadership.

We'll see.

Yep, his "New era of Souls" video is worthwhile viewing for fans. He also finally admits being burned out on Souls. Can't blame him with all the work he did.

I share his sentiment in that I too am not really feeling it about Dark Souls II, but regardless of that I will be a launch-day purchaser. FromSoft readily earned my loyalty for the foreseeable future, so while for now I won't be expecting a superior experience to Dark Souls I will at least expect something great.

Also, Botch, I'm not sure if you've read much of the Edge magazine feature, but there is a part where Miyazaki makes clear that it was not his choice to move on from the series, but Namco Bandai's decision to take it in a different direction. That is a bit saddening. And also like ENB says, assuming Miyazaki moves on and helms some new project, I would probably be more interested in that than a Dark Souls sequel/successor.

You have to wonder. Sure though, it can take a few experiments to find that one calling, your "purpose" so to speak. I mean, did the Zelda guy do anything before Zelda? This would be similar.

Whatever happens with Dark Souls II, I can honestly say I'm not overly concerned. Unless the game comes packed with technology that deletes my Dark Souls save files and transmits a radio signal to my Dark Souls disc to self-destruct, then Dark Souls II cannot take away Dark Souls! If it's great, then there will be a whole new world to explore and, presumably for a few years, an online one too. If it's a total failure then people will probably go back to Dark Souls. There is no terrible loss in either scenario. And I think in a year or so, whenever DkS2 comes out, I will have had quite a fill of the original to satisfy that itch for some time.

I don't see how it isn't already accessible. I know a lot of people feel that Dark Souls is harder than Demon's Souls, but I'm not one of them. Dark Souls became far more accessible in my opinion. They got rid of the utterly confusing world tendencies, they gave more incentive to play cooperatively (you could also say there was anti-incentive in Demon's Souls, since you'd be "rewarded" with your body form after successful co-op, but most players I know prefer soul form), and while, yes, a hub world may seem more straightforward, it isn't really.

And if you want to go into other factors, well, is there any boss in Dark Souls that is a bigger pain in the ass than Flamelurker or False King Allant?? I don't think so. Maybe if you combined Artorias, Capra Demon and O&S into one ultra-aggressive super boss. And Blighttown is certainly wretched but I don't think there is any moment in Dark Souls nearly terrifying as the whole of Latria. The only thing that could top Latria in Dark Souls-- or any future Souls game-- would be a combination of the deadly traps of Sen's Fortress, the toxicity of Blighttown and the dark of the Tomb of Giants. And no matter how awful the outside world becomes, you always have the comforting strings of Firelink Shrine. Defeat three world bosses in Demon's Souls and you were left with this nightmarish shit!

Also, I'm pretty sure the sales of Dark Souls topped one million copies so...is that not accessible? I think it's the best thing Namco Bandai has had in a good while, so now they just want it to be more accessible. Even still, I think there are enough talented bodies at From Software to make this work for both hardcore Souls fans and this bunch. And speaking of North America's bad track record of cover art, Bamco were still at it even with Dark Souls. Thankfully, it's not a bad cover on an Ico level, but still, when you compare what we got here with the Japanese version ... sigh. They give us no credit. (Why isn't a knight sitting at a bonfire as cool as someone-- who is a non-character, mind you-- badassfully walking with sword and shield drawn? Are bonfires "gay"? Ironically, the latter image comes from thegaygamer.com. Lulz woe is my point!) What's to say that a "frat house person" would go for a close-up shot of some man-thing over something more cerebral? Bleh.