But DS2 was a disappointment yet scored higher than Demon Souls and DS1.
That's because it was the first game that average reviewers actually liked.
Demon's Souls and Dark Souls scored well because they were incredibly crafted games that reviewers had no choice but to appreciate, even though they didn't particularly enjoy playing them.
Around 2012-2013, there was this weird renaissance where people who were previously lukewarm on the games, like the Giant Bomb crew and Yahtzee, suddenly started really liking them.
This newfound love of Souls perfectly coincided with DkS2's release, which led to higher scores than it should've received in relation to the previous games. If reviewers could amend their scores, I'm sure DkS would hit 96-98 range, DeS 92-95.