Sacred Haven of Debauchery

This is the worst in the series hands down.

The fact people love this game astounds me.

Did you immediately dislike it?

Combat is improved, but movement in the game and overall feel just seems "off."

Well, you got the general idea. Better, but worse! And you even put "off" in quotes, you vegetable.

Play one skip, this game, then play three.

Another concussed vegetable-imbecile.

Charm and level design from Dark Souls is missing.

Again, you got the general idea.

Some enemies are needlessly challenging and come at you in numbers.

That's a flaw. I bet the gargoyle-noob-killers really gave you a hard time.

Bosses are bland, boring and generally easy.

And this is a problem in all parts, and not just with bosses, but also with regular mobs. In the first one, it's a little less noticeable, but it's still very apparent. Also, several bosses from the second game are very "fair," and you can't exploit them in any way; you can only beat them by memorizing the boss's moveset and the timing of the dodges. I don't remember any like that in the first game, and only the Nameless King in the third.

Dark Souls 2: Copy of the First Paste

Funny, considering that both subsequent parts are copies of the first, and the third is even more so.

I could say that these guys have the duckling syndrome, or maybe their butts are sore from those "needlessly" challenging enemies.
2 > 1 > 3, let them prove otherwise.