Yes.

I'm on my third playthrough on the PS3. It's much easier than the previous titles, but IMO it's also the most fun from the series. Hasn't left my ps3 since release...

I have just started playing and it seems a step down from DS 1 at pretty much every level. Even the graphics.

But still it's a great game.

Quote from brandons48 :

[...]I'm also a lot more into this game than I was with Dark Souls 1 - Which I didn't like very much.

Is Dark Souls 2 more linear than Dark Souls 1? I really liked Demon's Souls, but was completely lost on Dark Souls 1 because I always seemed to walk the wrong way. I remember being fresh from the asylum and walking into an area designed for lvl 40-50 characters because I didn't see where else to go. It took me an hour of fighting each monster for ~3-5 minutes until I realized I was supposed to walk somewhere else where I could one-shot enemies.

Quote from Maelstrom :

I have just started playing and it seems a step down from DS 1 at pretty much every level. Even the graphics.

But still it's a great game.

I started to feel that way too after playing dark souls 2. I actually went and bought the DS1 prepare to die edition thinking i'll enjoy it more...

Have you actually tried DS1 again since you last played it?
When i did, i realised DS2 is MUCH MUCH prettier, more fun, and the controls/gameplay are miles better too.

Yeah. Also, Ds2 seems easy because the skills you gained playing DS1 carry over quite well.

A great game.