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[Durante]

This I'll never understand. All the other criticisms about gameplay in DSII, ok, I'm not going to say much. I still liked it a lot, but I know the more hardcore players are more picky about things than I am.

But bland graphics? Naw. The graphics and art style and locations were superb for the most part. There were some areas that weren't very inspired, but you could say the same about Dark Souls 1 and Demons Souls as well, but people are always reluctant to criticize those games nowadays, acting as if they are flawless or something. Overall, I think I was far more impressed with the visual design and variety in DSII than in either of the previous games.

I fully agree with this, and as a somewhat hardcore player (with > 175 hours each in DS1 and DS2) I also think DS2 is the best Souls game in terms of gameplay overall. (Of course, I also think DeS is immensely overrated)

In any case, that it's great looking visually should be obvious to everyone.

 

[Foffy]

Man, really unhappy with how From's handled this game. From a game that was stated not to have DLC and no next-gen release to getting both in just months is blargy.

Guess bailing on the game when they first announced DLC was a good idea. What in that trailer was actually new, anyway?

 

[CybernatonEvolution]

This I'll never understand. All the other criticisms about gameplay in DSII, ok, I'm not going to say much. I still liked it a lot, but I know the more hardcore players are more picky about things than I am.

But bland graphics? Naw. The graphics and art style and locations were superb for the most part. There were some areas that weren't very inspired, but you could say the same about Dark Souls 1 and Demons Souls as well, but people are always reluctant to criticize those games nowadays, acting as if they are flawless or something. Overall, I think I was far more impressed with the visual design and variety in DSII than in either of the previous games.

I suppose playing it at 1440p on PC helped, and I know the console versions didn't look half as good, but still, saying the DSII was visually bland is too much.

DkSII looks very flat and empty; the previous games had GEOMETRY, assets around (corpses, jars, tables..etc), moss, decay effect and many other things. DkSII does indeed have superior lighting and shadows, but that is about it; it freaking has texture tiling on PC.

The previous games do have issues with graphics; DeS looks cartoon-y and flat in some areas, and DkS1 looks flat too. They are visually outdated, but their level design and aesthetics are superior (in my opinion). DkSII just has better shadows and textures, but the level design is bland and empty--the majority of the game consists of empty hallways that look the same.

Dragon Aerie is like one of the few places that doesn't feel empty. The other bland areas are mainly FoFG, Lost Bastille, and some DLC areas (these standout too much).

 

[PensivePen]

I fully agree with this, and as a somewhat hardcore player (with > 175 hours each in DS1 and DS2) I also think DS2 is the best Souls game in terms of gameplay overall. (Of course, I also think DeS is immensely overrated)

In any case, that it's great looking visually should be obvious to everyone.

While those are great shots, the visuals of the game are very, very inconsistent from area to area. It has beautiful places like this accompanied by downright ugly areas. I can't think of any place in Demon's or Dark Souls 1 that looks as bad as The Forest of Fallen Giants.

 

[julesodies]

Why give it this weird name and not just GOTY

 

[L.O.R.D]

i have the PC version with the season pass , all installed
but lost my save and want to start again,, this is good news for me
so now i can start the DX11 version ?
why its separated from the DX9 version ?

 

[Syntsui]

EDIT: nvm just saw it will release on PC too.

 

[Durante]

DkSII looks very flat and empty; the previous games had GEOMETRY, assets around (corpses, jars, tables..etc), moss, decay effect and many other things. DkSII does indeed have superior lighting and shadows, but that is about it; it freaking has texture tiling on PC.

The previous games do have issues with graphics; DeS looks cartoon-y and flat in some areas, and DkS1 looks flat too. They are visually outdated, but their level design and aesthetics are superior (in my opinion). DkSII just has better shadows and textures, but the level design is bland and empty--the majority of the game consists of empty hallways that look the same.

I think you are wrong, probably not on purpose, but rather because of nostalgia, which we all know to be one hell of a drug.

Here are some screenshots of Dark Souls 1, modded, looking its best:

 

[The Xtortionist]

Nah idunno, the only thing that is even remotely interesting designwise is Amana, whole world design was MEH as hell up until that point.

Not thinking the same with the armor designs though, its pretty fashion.

I think Heide's is pretty striking.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

Im definitelly picking this one up!

 

[derFeef]

One area I wish they would upgrade but is probably impossible are the ground textures and geometry. It's so flat and barren sometimes, not to speak of the flat grass textures

 

[DryvBy]

I'll gladly double-dip.

 

[Manmademan]

Everyone knew this was coming. Skipped the DLC because of it. Will probably pick this up, but not at launch. Bloodborne is more interesting for me right now, and remaster prices have a habit of dropping like a rock.

 

[nortonff]

Why not include all three Souls game in one pack ?
All three games in DS2 engine, 1080p@60, all DLC's.
Never played any of them anyway....got bored after few deaths....may try this.

 

[Corleth the Fey]

I knew this one was coming, I could feel it in my water. So I'll get to play fresh on my PS4, I'm glad I waited.

 

[Raide]

Hopefully it sells well and they make DS3 a PS4, Xbox ONE and PC only project. Game seriously needed to be untethered by old ass hardware.

 

[DoubleTake]

DKS2 has more variety in aesthically but thats because of the the way the game world is layed out. DS1 feels much more like I an actual world that could be lived in where DS2 continuously reminded me I was playing a video game(Drangleic Castle vs. Anor Londo Castle). DS1 also has the more detailed art and texture assets while DS2 takes it on things like image quality and shadows.

EDIT: Really hope From gets around to remaking DS1(with Bloodborne's engine please). I would pick that up in a heartbeat.

 

[sappyday]

Why not include all three Souls game in one pack ?
All three games in DS2 engine, 1080p@60, all DLC's.
Never played any of them anyway....got bored after few deaths....may try this.

Well Sony owns Demon's so that's why they can't make all 3 in a pack. However, Dark 1 and 2 would be a great idea.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

PVP is absolute bonkers broken, and the hitbox in both pvp AND pve is very buggy.
World design is bland as fuck.
Bosses are bland as fuck.
World size is about the same as dks1, except they have like 15 more areas or something WHICH MEANS THERE ARE SO MANY AREAS THAT ARE SO SMALL THAT YOU WONDER WHY THEY ARE EVEN THEIR OWN AREA.
Kickass armor designs though.
Did i say the bosses are bland? Cause they are soooooooooo fucking bland.

These are the main reasons for me thinking its nowhere near dks or DeS, ayway.

Edit: The dlcs are pretty great though, so i guess there's that.

For me the biggest disappointment was character movement felt relatively unresponsive and clumsy compared to Dark Souls. I could never love it because of that alone. The weight of weapons and their moves also felt wrong compared to Dark Souls, which did these things perfectly.

EDIT: (Yes I put lots of points in agility, I doubt anyone would bring that up these days, but in case I'll nip it in the bud - movement still inferior to Dark Souls.)

Aside from that, it just felt like a well made video game. A large team putting a lot of money and time into making something that copied the other Souls games, whereas Dark and Demon's were made by smaller different teams and their own grand vision, and Hidetaka Miyazaki at their helm. The result is still a good game, but the weakest of the three.

I hear the DLC is good. I will eventually get it on PS4.

Eventually. Bloodborne comes before everything else.

 

[Syntsui]

Did they fix the bug that speeds the enemies reactions and breaks the weapons faster with 60fps on PC? (if that's is even fixable).

What happens when someone playing at 60fps fights someone online playing with 30fps?

 

[L.O.R.D]

i need a confirmation for this
i know there will be Paid upgrade to DX11
but, what about the season pass that i already have ?
do i need to pay for it again ?

 

[Seyavesh]

i hope one of the additions is scabbards

i miss scabbards so much.

also reviewing my dark souls 1 and 2 screenshots makes me notice a big difference in the overall lighting/style of the game: dark souls 2 generally has a 'softer' look to it than DS1- DS1 is really defined and 'rough'. something about DS2 just looks a lot 'cleaner', it's bizarre because in a really messy shot like the one below it still gives off that kinda feel.

though that just might've been my sweetfx settings, haha- i definitely had the sharpening cranked up on it a lot

edit: for a 'clean' shot comparison:

 

[DeadManWalking]

Good thing i didn't bought any DLC. I'm in.

 

[Castef]

Happy as a dancing penguin.

I skipped Dark Souls 2 due to time constraints and will immediately grab this new edition on XB1.

 

[Kosma]

i need a confirmation for this
i know there will be Paid upgrade to DX11
but, what about the season pass that i already have ?
do i need to pay for it again ?

Season pass isn't for the DX11 version so yeah...

 

[CyberPunked]

I fully agree with this, and as a somewhat hardcore player (with > 175 hours each in DS1 and DS2) I also think DS2 is the best Souls game in terms of gameplay overall. (Of course, I also think DeS is immensely overrated)

In any case, that it's great looking visually should be obvious to everyone.

As pretty as these cherry picked areas look, the majority of the game still looks like total garbage no matter the amount of colour correction and ao you inject.

 

[brandonh83]

Glad I held out. I suspected this was coming sooner rather than later.

 

[CountAntonius]

i need a confirmation for this
i know there will be Paid upgrade to DX11
but, what about the season pass that I already have ?
do i need to pay for it again ?

The DX11 version is it's own game but it includes all dlc. Saves won't be compatible and servers will be separate. We don't know if people who own the original will get a discount yet.

 

[Stone Ocean]

Not sure how to feel about this. Dark Souls 2 was such a massive disappointment to me that I couldn't even bother finishing it, let alone buying any DLC, but maybe if these improvements entail getting rid of fucking Soul Memory and fixing the bloody hitboxes I'll consider it.

 

[strafer]

Awesome, I love Dark Souls 2.

 

[mrklaw]

this aint demon souls or dark souls 1

This is my concern. I can't put my finger on it, but I just wasn't grabbed in the run up to Dark Souls 2's release, and the post-launch comments didn't help either. I should be hugely excited for this, but I'm not.

I'll approach with expectations at a relatively low level and keep my fingers crossed that it is a good release worth buying.


edit: and now Durante has me starting to hype up for this. Hopefully I missed out on a gem and I can right that wrong with the PS4 version (or PC, but my daughter liked watching me play Dark Souls and Bloodborne will be too bloody for that)

 

[Portugeezer]

With Bloodborne coming out, DS2 feels very underwhelming.

This, but we'll see how Bloodborne turns out.

 

[bobawesome]

Neat. At around 100 hours of game time I can't say I'm exactly ready to jump back into the world of DS2, though.

 

[Oni Jazar]

They still going to have bad lighting and an elevator from a windmill to a lake of fire?

 

[GeordieMark]

I'm prepared to double dip on GTA V because it's a significant upgrade, and has more than just visual enhancements, but not with this. This is just spit and polish on decent, but not great game.

I played DS2 to death and don't have any inclination to go back and do it all again. I felt like it went on too long even without the DLC and became a bit of a dull grind by the end.

I'd much rather have a remaster of the original Dark Souls.

 

[ElFly]

Tough decision between ps4 / pc; may get console if they make it 1080p/60fps, PC otherwise.

 

[Skii]

I read this a lot.

As a person who has played only Dark Souls and not the sequel yet, can you explain this to me? curious about it.

(I haven't watched a review of DS2 or much footage)

The main problem is that the game has no "soul".

It is extremely boring in every aspect in comparison to the previous two games. The level design is boring with no real shortcuts anymore. The graphical design is very boring aside from weapons and armour. The enemies in general are very boring with a huge emphasis on humanoid enemies. The change in the way enemies attacked brought about a false sense of difficulty which lead to frustration for many players.

The bosses are easily the worst offenders though. They are all average at best aside from the Darklurker (and even then, it's optional). Not a single boss is remotely comparable to the gravity and impact when you was facing the Flamelurker/Maneater/O+S/Kalameet and none of them made you care for them like you did with Maiden Astraea/Sif/Artorias. It was easily the most disappointing aspect of the game.

Ultimately, From's B team (if you can call it that) completely misunderstood the point of a Souls game. They focussed so much on creating difficulty for the sake of difficulty that all other aspects of the game suffered immensely imo. To the point where fighting bosses became a mundane task.

The next part is a very light spoiler for Dark Souls 2:

There's a section in Dark Souls 2 where you fight numerous "humanoid" enemies who seem to have infinite stamina causing massive problems in trying to negotiate them only to lead to the most unfair boss in any Souls game. It is easily the worst designed boss, the most uninspiring and that was the point where the disappointment just overwhelmed me.

Dark Souls 2 is a good game, don't get me wrong. But it isn't great like its predecessors.

 

[Atkison04]

Good news for me. I skipped out on Dark Souls 2 with the release of the new consoles. I'll gladly get this and bloodborne next year!

 

[TheTrain]

No free patch for the Dx11? Strange

 

[halfbeast]

there's something pepe le pew about this shot.

and now Durante has me starting to hype up for this. Hopefully I missed out on a gem and I can right that wrong with the PS4 version

it's not a bad game, it's definitely worth a playthrough, even if you might like it less than the other two souls games. but if you're a fan of the Souls series, it's a must play.

 

[Molemitts]

Whoa. I didn't expect this so soon to be honest, but I'll probably still be playing Bloodborne when this is out. Regardless, I still enjoyed Dark Souls 2 a lot, even if it was disappointing it was still a good game. I haven't played the DLC, yet, and this could be the perfect opportunity to do so. Does it say whether or not this includes the DLC? I'm guessing it does not.

Oh, the DLC is included! That's really good.

 

[Jsheldon]

Might get this for the bone if I haven't picked up a PS4 by April. Loved the Demons game but never bought Dark Souls 1. Intrigued and will likely pick up .

 

[Stereogatari]

Yes yes fucking yes. I couldn't get into the Souls games on PS3 despite loving the concept of them and watching gameplay videos and criticisms of the game on Youtube.

This is perfect fuck fuck fuck. Only problem is how to balance it with Bloodborne. Too many great games in the first 4 months of next year!

 

[Seyavesh]

there's something pepe le pew about this shot.

do you mean the freecam? 'cuz it's totally a freecam shot. unless you mean that my shot makes all the ladies swoon with it's charm

The next part is a very light spoiler for Dark Souls 2:

There's a section in Dark Souls 2 where you fight numerous "humanoid" enemies who seem to have infinite stamina causing massive problems in trying to negotiate them only to lead to the most unfair boss in any Souls game. It is easily the worst designed boss, the most uninspiring and that was the point where the disappointment just overwhelmed me.

what section is this?
is it

Spoiler

dragon shrine

? 'cuz man... yeah. it's not all of the enemies there, but that one enemy type is really the standout for annoying and boring enemies to fight. everything else i feel is fair and manageable but those dudes...

 

[Seanspeed]

They had the source code for the original graphics effect; modders already replicated them (lighting) to some extent--I have a SweetFX/Gedosato setup that uses HDR/bloom/liftGammaGain shenanigans to do that.

They could have at least reworked the textures (skyboxes particularly) for the PC release; I doubt that they could have achieved the same polygon count from the E3 footage.

Seriously, it is painfully obvious that it is a mediocre port, even though they stated that they are porting the PC version as it is a priority.

I've seen these attempts and they really don't come that close to my eyes.

DkSII looks very flat and empty; the previous games had GEOMETRY, assets around (corpses, jars, tables..etc), moss, decay effect and many other things. DkSII does indeed have superior lighting and shadows, but that is about it; it freaking has texture tiling on PC.

Like Durante said, I think this is just you forgetting what Dark Souls 1 looked like.

DKS2 has more variety in aesthically but thats because of the the way the game world is layed out. DS1 feels much more like I an actual world that could be lived in where DS2 continuously reminded me I was playing a video game(Drangleic Castle vs. Anor Londo Castle). DS1 also has the more detailed art and texture assets while DS2 takes it on things like image quality and shadows.

EDIT: Really hope From gets around to remaking DS1(with Bloodborne's engine please). I would pick that up in a heartbeat.

Nah, DS2 texture work is much better overall. Again, I'm not sure people really remember DS1 that well anymore to be saying such things.

I agree that the DS1 world felt far more cohesive and plausible in terms of design and layout, though. But I'm talking graphics here.

EDIT: Maybe some people are talking about the console versions. In that case, I haven't had a close look between DS1 and DS2 graphically. But on PC, DS2 is absolutely the better looking game.

 

[Moaradin]

Already bought DS2 on PC at full price. I'll double dip for the upgrades and DLC if I get a good discount. I got a feeling it will be a 49.99 game on steam though...

 

[Lanrutcon]

Hated the bosses in DS2. Too many of them were 'Big humanoid with long reaching weapon'.

Boring.

 

[Sami+]

I read this a lot.

As a person who has played only Dark Souls and not the sequel yet, can you explain this to me? curious about it.

(I haven't watched a review of DS2 or much footage)

Think of it this way:

Demon's Souls is a filet mignon from a classy five star restaurant. Dark Souls is a filet mignon from the same restaurant, with slightly different seasoning.

Dark Souls II is a New York Strip from your local Applebee's.

Nearly everything that it does has already been done, but better. There is very little that it brings to the the table that is genuinely fresh. PvP is a joke, invasions are now completely gone in the first New Game, bosses are bland and uninspired, level design is mediocre most of the time, but at points incredibly frustrating at its worst, and so on. It's a Souls game that is difficult for the sake of difficulty. Enemies will have absolutely absurd poise and stamina, and the vast majority of the game's """"""Souls Difficulty™"""""" is nothing more than "hey let's take this really easy melee enemy and put seven of them in a group. It happens all the time. It ruins the roll/weight mechanic with the new stats as well by making it 100% variable.

I don't find it fun to play. I bought the DLC when everyone recommended it but I just can't bring myself to boot the game up. It's not fun - just frustrating.

Edit - also the bait and switch meant it's ugly 70% of the time

 

[Anung]

I'm in the same boat as a lot of people in this thread. I loved DeS and DS but bait and switch with Dark Souls 2 was so heinous it turned me off the game. Plus it was so obvious a next gen version was coming so my opinion feels validated. If it it was coming this year I'd maybe bite but since its after Bloodborne (dat Miyazaki A-team) I'll probably just not bother or wait for it to drop in price.

 

[DustyVonEric]

I don't think it's the best Souls, but I'll gladly buy this for next gen, if only to encourage Demon's and Dark Souls 1 remasters.

Plus, I've never played the dlc, which I heard was the best parts of the game like AotA was for DaS1.

The timing is a little screwy though. BB and this game may tear into each other's sales releasing only a month apart.