Dark Souls 2

[Random Talking Bush]

I've been wanting to play the Demon's/Dark Souls series for quite some time now.

One question though: Do I need to play the first Dark Souls in order to understand what's going on in Dark Souls 2, or can I jump right into Dark Souls 2 without having played the first?

Having played through the first Dark Souls to the end, I can say that yeah, you can jump right into DS2 without having played the original. Same goes for Demon's Souls to Dark Souls.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be channelling my inner Waluigi.