Like the title says. I've heard great things about those two games, but I can't really see what makes them all that different from skyrim. I might be looking to pick one up so I was hoping I could get some good input from the community.

Cheers

Well, they're not in first person for one.

Well, I haven't played Dark Souls, but from what I've seen:

Dark Souls = A new school rip off of Dragon's Lair

I have played both Witcher games, so:

The Witcher = Dark fantasy mercenary detective rpg with advlt elements
The Witcher 2 = Upscale graphical[ly enhanced] bastardization with more of an arcade and cinematic focus

Hmm, I don't really know. I only played Demon's Souls. The combat was great and actually connected. The story has less emphasis to me than the combat does, the RPG elements are way different than Skyrim's. The Witcher 1 was like DA:O for combat and such. The Witcher 2 is more action based. Both Witchers are very story driven RPG's. None the less great games. Skyrim is open world, both of these aren't open world, and the environment isn't as accessible in either of those games. You can't jump in the Witcher and Dark Souls, It's only rolling. Beyond that it's really hard to compare they are very different style of games, all of them. I can answer more specific questions, this one is too broad, and I did the best I can to explain.

To me, I like Skyrim better because it's Open World, and I love to explore. There is no sense of true exploration in either of those games, so I liked Skyrim more.

Dark Soul's combat is way better than Skyrim's for one.

Same goes for the story.

...because it's basically built as an action/combat game first. With big, trial-and-error-gameplay (i.e, learn by dying over and over) boss fights.

That doesn't make it any less true, and if OP care's for such things, the focus on combat doesn't degrade the Story anyways.

Dark Souls is a fantastic platformer involving mushrooms and turtles. The Witcher is a turn-based romance game where you play dirty with a digital co-op friend. Just use Google, it's this amazing new search engine in something we affectionately call the 'WEB'.

This. Dark Souls is one of my favorite games of all time but the game is built around the combat. I really do love it but I prefer Skyrim because exploration and freedom are my two favorite qualities in a game. Skyrim wins no contest.

I have Witcher 2 but haven't played it yet. I hear mixed things on it and the general consensus is that it's dumbed down compared to the first one.

Play Dark Souls. It's truly legendary.

but only if you like jumping on mushrooms.

Typical of Japanese games since the 80's. Nothing wrong with that of course. DS reminds me of Castlevania but in 3D. The only thing I don't like about DS so far, is the the poor pc version. Luckily, modders have fixed--somewhat--some of the most glaringly problems(controls, textures, performance, etc.)

That's like a fraction of the game. Everything about Dark Souls is legendary. I adore that game.

Sarcasm.

Dark Souls originally wasn't going to be for PC either. I just started playing a little today and it does seem sort of like a 3D Castlevania world, except for the no jumping. One thing I have to get used to is playing in third person and seeing my character in front of me at all times. It makes seeing ahead of me a little harder. It's also worth mentioning it's meant to be played with a controller, since it's originally a console game.

Yes I know i'm a raging Bethesda really devoted fan, but no. I've never spoken a sarcastic word towards Dark Souls.

As far as aesthetics are concerned? They put other aesthetics first. "Narrative" first in the case of the Witcher. Instead of other aspects. Dark Souls puts the "Challenge" aesthetic first and foremost. For an explanation to what I'm talking about, here is this interesting video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepAJ-rqJKA

Skyrim puts exploration first as one of its core aesthetics.

Totally agree. I love me some old school hardcoe mushroom jumping. Like the good ol' NES days.

I was worried I didn't provide enough clarity, I meant slimgrin was being sarcastic.

Lol. I should have known. It's slimgrin.

Dark Souls is a great game, and I loved every single part of it. The combat is, as mentioned earlier, trial and error, and very strategy centered. When you manage to defeat a difficult opponent it feels very rewarding, which is awesome. The enemies come in a huge variety, and they're all very well designed, both visually and combat-wise. Different enemies requires a different approach by the player, and requires you to come up with different strategies. The boss battles are awesome, although rage inducing. You'll die a lot of times, and the game is not kind towards you. This only increases the satisfaction you get once you succeed though.

The game doesn't offer very much dialogue and choice in that regard, but you're still able to roleplay if you want that. I grew quite attached to my own character, and I got a feeling of superiority once I discovered a knight armour set in the woods, a feeling I've never experienced in another RPG. It suddenly felt like I was a badass, it was awesome.

The world is very big, and very beautiful. It's artistic, and at times surreal. The design is great and exploration is very fun. Unlocking shortcuts and gaining entrance to secret passages is very rewarding, and you get a feeling of achievement by progressing in the game. There is no hand-holding by the game, so you have to use guides or find out stuff yourself if you want to find items and secret rooms etc.

I really recommend the game. Definitely worth it.

It's nothing compared to Skyrim though, am I right?

Neither game has a particularly huge focus on exploration as the TES games. They do not take place in large seamless worlds. Both the Witcher titles are effectively chapter-based, and stick you into a relatively small (well, okay, they are pretty large) play areas where you do the majority of your questing. Once you finish a chapter and move onto the next one the area you were previously in becomes inaccessible from that point on. Meanwhile, Dark Souls works akin to a Metroidvania; it's effectively a labyrinth of interconnected areas. It's not made clear where you're supposed to go, so the goal is more or less to explore everything that you can, getting into new areas as you unlock every door you find and open up shortcuts as you discover them.

Combat is also fairly different. Witcher's combat isn't particularly actiony; it works somewhat akin to an auto-attack system that you see in a lot of MMOs, but with the addition of stringing your attacks together by clicking the mouse at the correct times and with the ability to dodge attacks whenever you want. Witcher 2 meanwhile plays a lot more like an action title; there is no auto-attack, you attack using strong and weak attacks with your sword, but it's absolutely vital that you avoid damage when you can by blocking and rolling away from attacks because damage can rack up quickly and there is no healing in combat. Fighting in DS is similar to that, but a lot more open; there are more weapons available, all of which have different attack patterns and move sets, you can dual-wield or two-hand any weapon at any time provided your stats meet the requirements).

Story is handled much differently as well. The Witcher games have a more traditional narrative. They're very character-driven, they have a focused plot, and they allow for a few choices to open up that have some long-term and delayed consequences. They both have one big one that causes a huge divergence in the plot. Dark Souls on the other hand handles things in a more minimalist manner. You're given the general backstory and a goal of sorts at the beginning, but it's up to you to dive into the world to see what it's really all about and try to fill in the blanks yourself (of which there are many).

Same for weapon and armor variety and fuctionality.

Same with enemies.

Same with atmosphere.

Same with innovation.

Skyrim has better lore though. Though Dark Souls' lore is quite intriguiging as well.

Dark Souls also has an incredibly unique multiplayer feature which sets it apart from any other game. It is not a rip off of Dragon Lair lol.

Honestly each game is good in its own right. If you liked Skyrim you may not like Dark Souls or the Witcher. Their strengths are pretty much Skyrim's weaknesses. Imo.

They are apples, oranges and bananas though. Each one is wuite different from the other.