This is very interesting to me, re: enemy spam. Goes to show everyone is different. I literally have no issue running through basically any area in DS1, including the ones you listed. Meanwhile iron keep, the magic swamp area, the bell tower area, and the run back to the samurai dlc boss all haunted me. There’s another part in the dlc where you send like oil barrel dudes through a trap door. I did that area about 30x until Everything despawned.

I definitely know what you mean about those areas in 2. All four Lord Soul runbacks in DS1 make me feel a similar way. Though if any of these areas in either game were easy it wouldn't feel so dang good to overcome them :)

You benefit a lot from being able to use ranged weapons from time to time.

Totally. My first playthrough was as a sorcerer which was difficult, but advantageous in many ways. These games are praised for not hand-holding and DS2 is no different - you're expected to adapt. Adaptability is not just a stat, but a state of mind.

When there is enemy spam in ds1, you can almost always run past it. In ds2 you’re pretty much forced to fight every single enemy every single time.

I have to disagree. I never felt body-blocked so often in 2 as I did in 1. They don't make it easy, but in 2 most areas you can just run through if you bait enemy attacks as you dodge. There are some exceptions like Iron Keep which is downright sadistic in forcing you to kill the enemies, though, for sure. I felt the same way with the bloat-heads in Oolacile township, Demonic Foliage in Darkroot Garden, crystal undead in Duke's, 90% of enemies in Undead Burg and Parish, New Londo Ghosts. I'm sure the amount of experience with either game can make the difference between running through and getting stun-locked though - I still feel like a noob when playing 1.

I do think it’s over hated but I think it’s because people wanted a clone of ds1 which its not. If you went into without any expectations, I suspect it would be viewed much differently.

I think you're right. I played 2 before 1. Both were frustratingly difficult at times, but that was the only expectation I had going in, since the series is known for being about overcoming challenges.

No. Tired of people

Dark Souls 2 gets so much hate for a few things that I don't see as a big deal, or gets blamed for things that are present in the other games in the series.

They tied a stat called Adaptability to your dodge, so you have to level up that stat to get the same number of invincibility frames as the previous game. I did not notice at all until I read complaints about it. I never felt entitled to a certain number of i-frames. I can see how it might be annoying to someone with more experience from DS1, but it's far from a deal breaker for me.

People complain about hitboxes, as if DS1 isn't full of nonsensical jank in this category.

They complain about enemy spam, as if there aren't 12 undead crammed in a small room before the Gargoyle boss who will body block you if you don't deal with them. Or 8 Taurus demons followed by 6 Capra demons in a row. Or 40 crystal undead that hit like trucks in the Duke's archives. Or another 12 undead in one room in The Depths.

Then there's the magic bullet - Miyazaki wasn't that involved. Ok, well does that mean the rest of the company is useless? Maybe he should create the entire games all by himself just to make sure those pesky colleagues don't screw it up. It's so disrespectful to the rest of the team to imply they aren't shit without him.

People cry "development hell" when you point out the very unfinished second half of DS1, but crucify DS2 which had a massive change of direction and redesign halfway into development.

I've been to Jamaica and Dominican Republic.

Jamaica is beautiful and, in my experience, has more to offer if you're going off the resort. But for a lone traveller, especially the first time, I can't recommend it as the safer or more relaxing option, sadly.

DR felt a lot more touristy and the resort was much larger than the Jamaican one I stayed at. When I think typical beach vacation, this nails it. I would feel safe travelling there alone.

As for time of year I can't say. Both my visits were around July.

I was always worried about perfectly round holes in the ground and falling into them. Looney Tunes really over-represented how common they were.

Spice:

Spice girls

Dune

Pumpkin spice

Honestly, annoyed. It feels like they're trying too hard to do... something? So much start and stop, random instruments coming and going. Drums in the left ear!

I like a lot of Beatles' music, but this era is not for me. Rubber Soul and Help hit the spot. I prefer Pink Floyd's take on psychedelic or whatever it's meant to be.

Edit: to better describe the feeling, it makes me feel like being forced on a roadtrip or vacation with parents. Too young to understand or care about the destination, knowing there are an unlimited number of other destinations I'd rather be.

I highly recommend the lobster soup from Seabaron if you're into that

I think I'll try FOR since it's on SALE.

Terms like "connect", "be present", "superpower" tell me this is not for the average working person, but the higher paid bosses of such people who can do whatever they want.

I felt the same way before watching it. It's likely you have at least seen clips of it elsewhere. It's a good watch, go for it!