I hear NG+ and ++ and +++ and so on becomes more difficult, but I have never been a fan of the idea that you have to beat something first to then play the "real" game (Like dumb ass Diablo III).

Not to say it is as easy as Dumbablo III, but anyone that has demon's souls/dark souls experience should not go into dark souls 2 expecting to face punch the wall quite as much. Whether that is because the game is easier or because we are used to the game mechanics? Hard to tell. I do like some the streamlining of the more unnecessarily convoluted aspects of the last games, such as weapon augmentations/upgrades/whatever. You don't have to consult a wiki to figure out how to get some good weaponry. I do like the return of the mechanic that makes you lose max hp when you are not human. I hear they have since fixed it so that when you help someone kill a boss, you get some of that life back as opposed to only recovering from the little idol thingajigs or randomly from assisting due to a glitch.

That said, the PVP is much better from what I can tell. I'm sure Scrimbul would love to write you an essay about it if you ask.

Sportsmanship killed CF