For me Dark souls 1 had the superior story, characters & setting/areas but had slow clunky combat which is what made the game harder because you had to be more precise with timing attacks & rolling. Dark souls 2 on the other hand has much better combat, it's faster, smoother & isn't as clunky feeling but everything else is indeed forgettable & I was extremely disappointed in how Dark souls 2 looks nothing like the gorgeous demo version.