I have. Played through DS a while back, and Is currently slugging myself through DS2 at the moment.
While doing this, I started talking with a few friends who also played it, and we came to a conclusion:
Dark souls isn't hard, and neither is it difficult. It's simply unforgiving.
When you die, you can recover your souls. Your progress isn't "reset". it's still there, but there is a potential to lose it. Dying in Dark souls isn't a big deal. There is the potential for punishment, but you can do something about it. And if you learn how the different bosses and enemies work, you're simply not going to be dying much. Dark souls is pretty much unique, in that there are solutions to anything, and you just gotta find them.
Take the pursuer in DS2 for example: If you just strafe towards his' right, many of his' attacks cannot hit you. It's not 100% perfect, and nor does it work for all his attacks, but it makes the fight significantly easier. Part of playing Dark souls is learning how things work, and thus, how to defeat it. Don't focus on attacking the enemy the first time you fight them. Instead, focus on surviving, while only taking potshots at them while you're certain that they won't retaliate in time.