If I may, I'd like to throw my own hat into the ring.
Dark Souls 2 does have many factors that make it worth at least trying to play, including new branches of magic, spells, weapons, shields, as well as a plethora of satifying bosses to fight against. HOWEVER, I do not think that Dark Souls 2 measures up to either Dark Souls 3 or Dark Souls 1 despite its strengths as an entry.
Let's go over positives first:
Hexes: I loved the fleshing out of this branch of magic, this felt like a genuine innovation. It was also disappointing how underwhelming they were in DS3, as it felt like a genuine trade off to have a powerful branch of magic scale off of two stats rather than one.
Weapon infusion: While I enjoy the system in DS1, this felt so much more streamlined in DS2, as now you just had to have a single material that you can find/farm, and it's as simple as visiting the blacksmith. No more trekking to the far reaches to get your Chaos Zweihander, or Lightning spear.
Powerstancing: While I never utilized it, it is a welcome addition, as it now allows for dual-wielding characters, which is always a lot of fun.
Boss Weapons: Akin to the infusion entry, it was relieving to not crank up a weapon to +10 before converting it, however it was annoying to get to the blacksmith, and unlock them. However I'll touch upon this later.
New Spells: Each branch of magic has its own repetoir, each with an awesome new variety of tools, and spells to compliment different playstyles. The variety of pyromancies, sorceries, and miracles is staggering.