Demon's Souls operates with a hub world and then there are 5 different levels to go to, each with at least 3 levels, some with more (so think of it like 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc.). To a certain point those levels can be tackled in basically any order. It might be easier to tackle Demon's Souls from that regard. Haven't played Dark Souls so I couldn't tell you how that all works out.

I prefer Demon's Souls, but I guess I would recommend Dark Souls for new players.

Both are great, but I think FromSoftware really came into its own with Dark Souls. Demon's Souls feels like Berserk: The Game at times, and as such, I think Dark Souls might be a bit more memorable. Dark Souls is also a bit easier, in my opinion, so keep that in mind if its a factor.

Dark Souls is way better, but if you play Demon's Souls first you'll appreciate it more. If you play Dark Souls first then Demon's Souls will be fairly trivial by comparison, but Dark Souls still puts up a significant challenge for people who played Demon's Souls first. Demon's Souls has some actively bad design decisions though so it's not really that huge of a thing to miss out on. Alternatively play the first 4 worlds of the first game and completely ignore that the Valley of Defilement exists, then play Dark Souls.

Other two games have nothing to do with this and also aren't comparable to the Witcher 2 so cheers on that front.

Dark Souls is my favorite of the two, but I love both of them. I came to Dark Souls first, and only played Demons a year or so later, but found it a ton of fun, all the same.

I started with Dark Souls and that worked out fairly well. If you only play one, I recommend Dark Souls over Demons. Just make sure you're patient when trying to get into it. It takes a couple hours of learning before everything starts to click.

Dark Souls is much easier to get into for a new player so I would go with Dark Souls.

The open world, exploration aspects of Dark Souls make it better than the hub world design of Demon's Souls.

Like Soapy89 I preferred Demons' Souls but I would probably recommend Dark Souls.

I think I may only prefer Demons' Souls because I played it first and it was just soooo different from anything I ever played before.

I like whichever I'm playing at the time more.

demon souls is free on psn for plus members at the moment

Yeah, same. I was apart of the first wave that headed in with no knowledge of what this game really was, besides a great looking action-RPG with superb combat. Oh, how unprepared we were. For whatever reason I actually imported it for like £52 so as to be right there on the frontlines... which is, like, unheard of for me. It's like the game called to me or something... Anywhoo while Dark Souls is perhaps the better game overall, I hold a very special place for Demon's Souls for how utterly awestruck I was.

@hunkulese Arguably more people played Dark Souls since it's out on both consoles and PC so I think the popular vote will be a bit skewed in that direction. That said, In terms of atmosphere, level and boss design Demons Souls is a lot better in my opinion. It also runs really smoothly as opposed to Dark Souls which has framerate issues in various places. Since you are playing the Witcher 2 which does a great job of building a believable world, you will definitely appreciate the eerie ambience of Demons Souls Nexus and various worlds much more than the somewhat plain looking world of Dark Souls.

Also if you plan to play both then Dark Souls will seem pretty trivial after beating Demons Souls.

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll give Demon Souls a shot since they seem to be love them or hate them kind of games and if I love it I'd prefer to play them in order. Is there anyone who loved Dark Souls but didn't enjoy Demon Souls?

You can't go wrong either way. They're both mostly great and both each have one specific shitty level that is a chore for one and all to slog through. :D

If you're playing Demon's first, couple tips to ease confusion:

1. You can level up after you complete the first area

2. The shortcuts you open in the level stay open even if you die

3. The path of least resistance after the first area is level 4-1 Shrine of Storms or level 2-1 Stonefang Tunnel.

Dark Souls is the better game since it refines a lot of the concepts from Demon's Souls, but at the same time, playing Demon's Souls first is a better idea. Makes Dark Souls even easier knowing its mechanics beforehand.

Definitely great tips and I'll add a few more.

- Make sure you don't hit any NPC's by mistake. They will fight back and will not ever forgive you. The game is all but impossible to beat without their help so be really careful around them, especially the guy who holds your loot for you. Without him and the Lady in Black you are just screwed.

- When you beat a boss you'll get a titular Demon's Soul. These are worth a fair amount of souls if you use them right away, but they can also be traded later in the game for spells or weapons. Take a look at a guide to see which spells and items you'll want and don't use the souls that will get you those spells and items.

- Don't be afraid to grind. This is a skill based game but leveling really helps in a lot of cases. There are also weapons and items of great value hidden in each world so going through each one multiple times will not only earn you more souls, but might give you a chance to find some great loot that is even more valuable than higher levels.

- Finally, when playing the tutorial the first boss you face can be killed. If you die to him nothing bad will happen. That is how the game is supposed to work. If you manage to take him down, though, you'll get a ton of really great loot that will let you start upgrading your weapons a lot quicker.

I don't know Dark Souls doesn't have a cool blind girl that tells you to touch the demon inside her to become stronger so that's one for Demon's Souls ... they should bring the maiden in black for DSII ( I know different story but still!).

I've only played Dark Souls so I guess Dark Souls.

Oh man, Catherine was a good ass game!

Skip Demon's Souls, Dark Souls is better in almost every way. As far as I know Dark Souls is not a sequel.

I would say Dark Souls, because it has superior level design.

Demon Souls is that cheap you really should by both

Dark Souls would love to have you visit!

Look forward to seeing you soon! <3