I have to disagree. I thought the "here is the whole map, figure it out" aspect was brutal but brilliant. Dark Souls is the modern equivalent of Zelda for NES. You immediately have access to paths you have no business entering at the start of the game. But that makes it all the more gratifying when you come back later and concquer that path.

With ever advancing quest logs, way points, and real time navigation arrows, it's nice to see game designers go with the opposite approach.