Dark Souls II

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3117 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,992 out of 3117
  2. Mixed: 521 out of 3117
  3. Negative: 604 out of 3117
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  1. Bortx
    May 3, 2014
    0
    Crap port for PC. To open door press "Green X Button". Don't have a green, red, yellow, or blue buttons on my keyboard. Hate games that exhibit this kind of laziness. User interface is confusing and settings don't take (sometimes). You have to do some mouse gymnastics to get them to take. Graphics are poor and dated. For console standards this might pass but for PC this is 5-7 year oldCrap port for PC. To open door press "Green X Button". Don't have a green, red, yellow, or blue buttons on my keyboard. Hate games that exhibit this kind of laziness. User interface is confusing and settings don't take (sometimes). You have to do some mouse gymnastics to get them to take. Graphics are poor and dated. For console standards this might pass but for PC this is 5-7 year old tech. Story is confusing and nonsensical and expect to die all the time. This game is nothing but frustration. I don't see how anyone can enjoy this unless you have hours of time to waste and like to inflict pain on yourself.… Expand
  2. Dethstar
    May 4, 2014
    2
    PS - To Bandai and the paid for marketeers flooding this site with reviews. You might want to pay for native English speakers first. If your going to do it then at least make a proper effort. Then again, at least your consistent with your scam of a game as this probably took about the same amount of effort to create as some of the pidgeon English reviews they have been posting here andPS - To Bandai and the paid for marketeers flooding this site with reviews. You might want to pay for native English speakers first. If your going to do it then at least make a proper effort. Then again, at least your consistent with your scam of a game as this probably took about the same amount of effort to create as some of the pidgeon English reviews they have been posting here and elsewhere on the net.

    The first portion of the game is a long intro in which your mean to create your character. Unfortunately being an utterly **** console port (one of the worst I have seen) it is unplayable for me as try as I might the game will not recognise the letters on my keyboard so I cant create a character. Simply gives character unrecognised errors for everything. This in itself is not so bad if I had not been ripped off, spending 50 Euros on this terrible example of just why console games will never be as good as something designed for PC specifically. The field of view and aspect ratio during play is absolutely awful making it look like your watching everything through a small slot like a postbox.

    So I sent a message to Steam where I brought it. Despite UK and EU statutory law concerning sale of goods they sent me to Bandai. Bandai just do not respond at all. So not only did this game cause me to drop it, it cost a long term relationship with steam as well as they treated my with utter contempt for asking me for my money back ignoring the fact that the contractual relationship for sale of goods is between us. Passed it to the consumer protection agency and they are dealing with it. Also passed the story on to UK independence party campaigners to use if they see fit to indicate how corporations ignore EU law.

    There are claims that the game is beautiful etc.. Well, while your looking through that little slot it is a bit hard to tell as your characters arse takes up quite a lot of the screen real estate and there is little room to gauge how nice it might look. The quality of the art work reminded me of the witcher 2 but the field of view here was unplayable if your not limited by playing on a console.

    Perhaps some PC gamer modders will make this playable someday but it is not worth paying for as it is.

    So, this game was actually so bad, and the company behind it's support so poor that it cost me a 6 year relationship with a vendor I used to like.

    Sorry to digress but the outcome indicates how poor the game actually is.    … Expand
  3. Klun
    Apr 27, 2014
    2
    Critic Reviews plz find another job ...

    This game... Lets keep it short because this game is not even worthy of huge review. The story is bland as hell, same as the graphics and the gameplay ohhh my goood... You have a jump key but you cant jump, is a lazy "jump the puddle " feature, the game is Awesome because is so HARDDD , of course is HARDDDD is a Broken Mess, over sensitive    Critic Reviews plz find another job ...

    This game... Lets keep it short because this game is not even worthy of huge review.
    The story is bland as hell, same as the graphics and the gameplay ohhh my goood...
    You have a jump key but you cant jump, is a lazy "jump the puddle " feature, the game is Awesome because is so HARDDD , of course is HARDDDD is a Broken Mess, over sensitive camera even with the lowest settings, awful controls layout and beyond stupid Mechanics, customizations... a lot when you can figure it out.
    To sum up one horrid port that should stay in consoles, one of the worst Sp experience in years and the Mp ... well good luck with that. Avoid this crap    … Expand
  4. pfmahoney
    Apr 28, 2014
    2
    I heard from friends that Dark Souls II was pretty good - and the metacritic scores were pretty good so I bought a copy, downloaded it on Steam and found that it's basically unplayable. The tutorial says to hit buttons that plainly don't do anything. It says to hit "A" and I hit A and it does nothing. I finally figured out how to open a door but then it says to hit "B" and that doesI heard from friends that Dark Souls II was pretty good - and the metacritic scores were pretty good so I bought a copy, downloaded it on Steam and found that it's basically unplayable. The tutorial says to hit buttons that plainly don't do anything. It says to hit "A" and I hit A and it does nothing. I finally figured out how to open a door but then it says to hit "B" and that does nothing.

    I am completely perplexed by trying to play the game... it's like it's broken. The mouse works ok, and I can move around like I always do with W, A, S, and D but any sort of move or action doesn't actually work at all, and I can't figure out how to do anything. I've spent some time reading reviews by users and apparently, it's all using the console controls - which is ridiculous. It's a PC game sold on Steam - PC's come with keyboards and mice.

    I don't understand how it's even legal to sell a game which doesn't work. I'm going to try to get a refund from Steam... but since I've never heard of anyone getting a refund on Steam, I'm thinking that I have a hard struggle in front of me... but likely easier than trying to learn how to play Dark Souls II on the PC.

    I'm totally disappointed and the company should be embarrassed that they released this mess.    … Expand
  5. slauterhause
    Apr 28, 2014
    0
    I am SOOOOOO stupid for trusting the 'professional' reviews on this one, I should have looked closer at the user reviews.

    This is perhaps the worst port of a console game that I've ever purchased. It's beyond dreadful. If you care about anything like key-bindings, windowed Full screen or any of an endless list of normally available options, keep walking - nothing to see here. I    I am SOOOOOO stupid for trusting the 'professional' reviews on this one, I should have looked closer at the user reviews.

    This is perhaps the worst port of a console game that I've ever purchased. It's beyond dreadful. If you care about anything like key-bindings, windowed Full screen or any of an endless list of normally available options, keep walking - nothing to see here. I suppose that yes, technically it works on the PC, but that's it, you won't enjoy it. It's criminal that they charge $$ for a horrendous port that looks like it was done in about 5 minutes.

    0/10 - Easily one of the worst games I've bought in recent memory.    … Expand
  6. DaveTheJackal
    May 15, 2014
    2
    Forget what others are saying about the console port re controls, that's the least of this game's issues.

    What it does right: better usability in some ways, with improvements to game-play BUT: Not only is an xbox controller mandatory and there are xbox prompts on the screen AND the graphics are way worse than in previews but the fact that this is the barest of bones port is revealed    Forget what others are saying about the console port re controls, that's the least of this game's issues.

    What it does right: better usability in some ways, with improvements to game-play BUT:

    Not only is an xbox controller mandatory and there are xbox prompts on the screen AND the graphics are way worse than in previews but the fact that this is the barest of bones port is revealed in terms of how spell durations, invulnerabilities, even some actions are timed in the game.

    They do it by using counters decremented each time a frame is drawn on the screen. Not this is a dubious method of programming anyway (haven't these people heard of timer interrupts?) but at least on the consoles, which are locked to 30fps, there's not much of a problem. On the PC however, where frame rates can vary immensely and you have a massive problem. Especially in PVP. It means the way spell effects, melee moves etc work depend on how fast your PC is. Appalling.

    Also: the game world is trash. Unlike the original dark souls none of it fits together, you can't see most areas from most others, even when you clearly should have. They even have the inside of a volcano you go upwards to get to from a tower above which is open sky! So many rough edges I can only think they rushed things and needed more time to finish but instead decided to release what they had.

    So, it isn't just a poor port but the whole game smacks of a quick cash in too.

    Also: They have now removed VAC secured multi-player support so good luck tackling cheaters.    … Expand
  7. Fuz
    Apr 28, 2014
    3
    They did it again, and it's even more inexcusable this time.
    Mouse controls are terrible, redefining keyboard is messy and incredible chore, even more so because they didn't even bother to change the keys showed up in the interface, so you'll still see "A", "B", "Y" instead of the keys you're actually using.
    Terrible, terrible, terrible port.
  8. proutek
    Sep 1, 2014
    0
    Game is hard. That's ok and I have not problem with that. But if I die constantly due poor controls and have to press zillion buttons for just simple jump attack then there is seriosly something wrong with developers.
  9. Lamps
    May 18, 2014
    2
    I was fooled by the excellent reviews this game recieved. It is not an excellent game, especially on PC. I am literally going to say the same thing that everyone else who gave this game a bad review said. I only made it to the first town outside of the tutorial.

    At first, you cant play the game because you will literally need to establish your own key binds for keyboard/mouse. All of    I was fooled by the excellent reviews this game recieved. It is not an excellent game, especially on PC. I am literally going to say the same thing that everyone else who gave this game a bad review said. I only made it to the first town outside of the tutorial.

    At first, you cant play the game because you will literally need to establish your own key binds for keyboard/mouse. All of the tutorial messages display the XBox controls, so you dont learn any keys from the tutorial. It took me 1 hour and some internet research to rebind the keys. That is because you have no way of knowing that Shift+Left click is the equivilant to XBox 'A', so no matter how many times you rebind your keys the settings wont save until you look up on the internet how to hit 'A'.

    There is no explanation of whats going on at all. There are creatures in the tutorial I was unable to beat, even after looking up online how to beat them. There is no quest log or map, so you had better remember what you were supposed to be doing. If you talk to a person, they dont necessairly give you any info until you stand there and talk to them over and over and over... If they had something important to say why wouldnt they just say it?

    Having the XP and money system the same is garbage, on my first, second and third attempt at a new game I didnt even understand that I had been forfeiting all of my characters experience by dying after I had allready died.

    I can see that the game has merrit, but I genuinly did not enjoy the game and I really tried to give it a chance. I am a huge RPG fan, and I dont mind being thrown directly into harms way, but you shouldnt need to research walkthroughs and wiki's just to understand whats going on.

    Also, I laughed at someone elses review on here, I was still unable to light my torch even after looking up how to do it - didnt care to figure out what the PC equivilany to the XBox 'Y' was.

    Try this game before you buy it, or you may be sorely disappointed.    … Expand
  10. aliwake
    Apr 29, 2014
    2
    DS2 is RPG game but this game is not very hard.but most people say this game is very hard Rather this game is Slag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Do not waste your money for this game.because dark souls 2 is the most bad console port game Ever.
    The only good thing is playing music.In some areas it is!!!!!!!!!! I can not stand that the game would be completely empty. Detailed level the    DS2 is RPG game but this game is not very hard.but most people say this game is very hard Rather this game is Slag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Do not waste your money for this game.because dark souls 2 is the most bad console port game Ever.
    The only good thing is playing music.In some areas it is!!!!!!!!!!
    I can not stand that the game would be completely empty. Detailed level the playing Disaster All times playing video games on the shoulders of graphic art spread.People who say that this game is only for certain people are completely wrong.This game is not only a map, not a mission to be spun like crazy on the environment that you are looking for a monster first half with a shot to the back. Skyrim does not even have the game in terms of graphics is more like Dragon Age.
    I'm glad we enter the next generation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  11. adff500
    Apr 27, 2014
    4
    1. AMD graphics card owners (7870,7970....) prepare yourself as you pay to become betatester.
    2. When you finaly run the game,you will see tutorial and interface with xbox controller prompts. (press LS and A....)
    3.Graphics are average at best.
    4. No LAN support.
    5. Wait for sale or bargain bin with patches included.
  12. ConorHat
    Apr 28, 2014
    3
    I can't connect online for some reason, thousands of others reporting the same on the forums for a few days straight, no fixes. I prefer to use the keyboard and mouse to play the game, but the interface keeps telling me to use Xbox buttons? Right away the level design and the pointed lack of atmospheric graphics, I immediately regretted my decision of buying this game. Such a lazy PC portI can't connect online for some reason, thousands of others reporting the same on the forums for a few days straight, no fixes. I prefer to use the keyboard and mouse to play the game, but the interface keeps telling me to use Xbox buttons? Right away the level design and the pointed lack of atmospheric graphics, I immediately regretted my decision of buying this game. Such a lazy PC port to an otherwise mediocre game.… Expand
  13. expellite
    May 10, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Worst RPG of my life, definitely. Maybe this title has impressed Kevin VanOrd, but I hate it. The most important thing that pains me is that there's no friend or companion and there are some silly cat-like merchants! I didn't like the concept of the game. Enemies walk like zombies and in the first look you think you're playing Resident Evil. The is difficult insanely, and it's not a merit. You will die and die and die til you drive crazy and for what? You die for nothing cuz this game doesn't deserved to be played hours and hours. Gameplay is not that good. Voice acting is terrible and there's no lipsync in game (except cutscenes which are terrible too). At least Skyrim (The Great RPG) with that buggy visuals looked great and entertaining but this one ... I don't know what to say. To be frank the game didn't make me pleased. I felt all alone in its dark world. Enemies don't look alive, they're like puppeteers. Boss fights are insanely hard and you'll die before than it has withdrawn its weapon. Every critic pans Bound by Flame but I found it far better than this Sick Souls. Don't squander your time. Play Child of Light for a second time instead of this. I can't believe I bought this game.… Expand
  14. macishiryu
    May 16, 2014
    0
    I played for over 70 hours because I was on vacation, but were the most wasted hours in my games. The game has no natural difficulty, but it's programmed to annoy you. The jump system is ridiculous (and you need it), the enemie blows cross the walls, their arrows are guided like a rocket, some enemies seem to have unlimited stamina. The game forces you to take full rounds by scenariosI played for over 70 hours because I was on vacation, but were the most wasted hours in my games. The game has no natural difficulty, but it's programmed to annoy you. The jump system is ridiculous (and you need it), the enemie blows cross the walls, their arrows are guided like a rocket, some enemies seem to have unlimited stamina. The game forces you to take full rounds by scenarios because the character does not climb one rung at 10 cm. Anyway, there are so many absurdities that people confuse with difficulty. But it is not. It is an artificial difficulty, programmed to kill you compulsively, with a annoying and unfair manner. Technically, same the others. Almost no music, no character voice and personality, minimum story, outdate graphics, and believe: NO HDMI/TV SUPPORT!!!… Expand
  15. DelMann2
    May 21, 2014
    4
    I finished DS1, game was fun, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Not this time. There are quite a lot of bugs, game got "cheaper" - 360 dodge hits, through wall hits. You can't fight in tight spaces with certain weapons and the game is a piece of cake with spells. (from what I've seen and heard)

    Unbalance and glitches are the main issues at the moment - and of course - if you are a determined    I finished DS1, game was fun, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Not this time. There are quite a lot of bugs, game got "cheaper" - 360 dodge hits, through wall hits. You can't fight in tight spaces with certain weapons and the game is a piece of cake with spells. (from what I've seen and heard)

    Unbalance and glitches are the main issues at the moment - and of course - if you are a determined keyboard user, you might have a bit of problems.

    Few patches down the line and the game could be on a pedestal again, but it simply doesn't have the feel like the previous game had. I don't believe I will ever enjoy it as much as its predecessor.    … Expand
  16. MadJaples
    May 7, 2014
    4
    What do you mean it's only worth FOUR!? HEATHEN!!

    Well it's only worth four, simply because these bastard devs keep producing (and I *do* notice it is distinctly from the Japanese end of the market and it's **** annoying as HELL) these games that look so damn good, sound great, have godawful long FMV sequences so it's as good as renting a friggin movie, only to discover....the controls    What do you mean it's only worth FOUR!? HEATHEN!!

    Well it's only worth four, simply because these bastard devs keep producing (and I *do* notice it is distinctly from the Japanese end of the market and it's **** annoying as HELL) these games that look so damn good, sound great, have godawful long FMV sequences so it's as good as renting a friggin movie, only to discover....the controls on the keyboard **** really.
    No really they are, and worse still, when you pull up the controls list, it's all displayed in the most un-user friendly manner possible, with a mixture of colour co-ordinated key press on gamepad you don't have, with letter press on keyboard you DO have, and that simply has to be probably THE most annoying thing about **** ports. And that's why it's a **** port.
    If you have a controller, all power to you, because you'll probably actually be used to twiddling yer thumbs on two sticks and pressing all of 8 or 9 buttons on a controller, but once again, this friggin annoying annoyance destroys any credibility of those who produce these games without much in the way of thought as to what sort of people are going to play their game. This is not a singular issue, it is becoming far too commonplace now, and it has to stop.

    It's people that produce games like these that are probably some of the reason people choose to obtain their games illegally instead of paying for them!

    "THINK! MCFLY! THINK!"    … Expand
  17. dsheik
    Apr 28, 2014
    1
    I really wanted this game to work. I went and purchased a controller specifically for this game. Dont bother if you plan on playing it on a PC. Maybe its great on a console but its not playable on PC. Ill check back to see if updates are made, but for now its unplayable.
  18. D347H
    May 15, 2014
    0
    I tried so hard to actually play this game. I got pretty far, but what bugs me in this game is the poor graphics, the lack of fighting controls, the slow movement of fighting. The game play is like trying to teach a down syndrome math. I wish this had a negative score rating, because this game would be the top -100. If you have a hard time sleeping, play this game, it will put you right toI tried so hard to actually play this game. I got pretty far, but what bugs me in this game is the poor graphics, the lack of fighting controls, the slow movement of fighting. The game play is like trying to teach a down syndrome math. I wish this had a negative score rating, because this game would be the top -100. If you have a hard time sleeping, play this game, it will put you right to sleep very quick. I gave it a zero mainly because it helped me sleep.… Expand
  19. aj587
    Apr 28, 2014
    0
    This is, by far, the worst game I have ever played. Even on max settings, the game looks like it was made on the GameCube. The grass looks like it's from Nintendo 64. Hell, some of the grass is so flat that it looks like it was a cropped, low-resolution Google Images picture. Almost every texture has really weird blur and your screen "dims" every 3-5 seconds. The shadows appear andThis is, by far, the worst game I have ever played. Even on max settings, the game looks like it was made on the GameCube. The grass looks like it's from Nintendo 64. Hell, some of the grass is so flat that it looks like it was a cropped, low-resolution Google Images picture. Almost every texture has really weird blur and your screen "dims" every 3-5 seconds. The shadows appear and disappear randomly in caves. Character creation is limited. The controls are for an Xbox 360 controller, my controls are all messed up even for my Logitech controller. Mouse and Keyboard, lol... The camera movement is awkward.

    I see why they used those crappy movie trailers. This game is a joke. First, it was not being able to launch and now all of this.    … Expand
  20. Denistzur
    Jul 30, 2014
    3
    This game is the most ANNOYING RPG game i ever played (and i'm a huge fan of Skyrim and WoW) Where in those games things went smooth and reasonable, here everything is crappy, EVERYTHING : respawn mechanics are bad, key binding are just terrible and after 3 days i sent a mail asking to money refound: i'm done with this crap
  21. deltaop007
    Aug 22, 2014
    0
    One of the worst ports in recent history, it even leaves the abysmal Watch Dogs behind. First of all the key bindings are all locked to the 360 controller. I had to mash every single key to open the door before those old ladies cut scene. Secondly, the game crashes inexplicably at various points. I have the machine to run it at the highest settings without a hitch yet it is agonizinglyOne of the worst ports in recent history, it even leaves the abysmal Watch Dogs behind. First of all the key bindings are all locked to the 360 controller. I had to mash every single key to open the door before those old ladies cut scene. Secondly, the game crashes inexplicably at various points. I have the machine to run it at the highest settings without a hitch yet it is agonizingly programmed for failure. I gave up on this game after around 40 minutes. Believe me, this game is crap.… Expand
  22. Makaveli
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I bought Dark Souls 2 for PS3 on release. I also bought it on PC because I heard that it was suppose to be even better than the console version... What a waste of money on buying this mess of a port... It hurts me to say anything against FROMSOFTWARE as they are my favorite dev but I can't let this slide..

    I have a pretty powerful gaming PC so how come I can't play Dark Souls 2... I    I bought Dark Souls 2 for PS3 on release. I also bought it on PC because I heard that it was suppose to be even better than the console version... What a waste of money on buying this mess of a port... It hurts me to say anything against FROMSOFTWARE as they are my favorite dev but I can't let this slide..

    I have a pretty powerful gaming PC so how come I can't play Dark Souls 2... I tried to start the game and I got this white screen... I retried.white screen... FINALLY, I got the game to "work" I get all the way to Majula and right when I sat at the bonfire the game crashed... I tried again...... got a white screen AGAIN.... This game is a POS and was suppose to be better than the console version.. I can see that the graphics are a little better but the controls are ASS on PC... Fromsoftware you lied to us and said that it will be possible to play your game with mouse and keyboard.... OK fine... But most of us are not psychic and know what keys are used for what because you use a xbox controller as a guide.. This game was suppose to be optimized for KB&M.. it's not...

    The console version is the better version albeit the graphics are not as good atleast you can PLAY THE GAME.... I know a lot of people will say " they will patch it".... well the game should be finished before release. I like to relax and play a game every now and then, so why the F do I have to F around with stuff just so I can play 5 mins? We pay 60 bucks for a game that is broken? This is not ok and I do not pay money to be a beta tester, you want me to test your game you give me money because the stress I went through trying to start this game and figure out how to control it is work... Fromsoftware... Stick to console games because you suck at PC and that hurts me to say it but ti's true.. I don't want you to become like most other devs and rush though things just for a quick buck... If you want to play this game, play it on PS3 or 360 don't play this garbage on PC......

    Very good game on consoles I must say...    … Expand
  23. duffeknol
    May 17, 2014
    0
    Screw this game. I'm dying not because it's hard, but because of terrible controls.
    Oh wow you want to just edge a little to the left? Let's fall off this cliff.
    Also it's never a good sign when you have to spend the first 20 minutes of the game actually configuring your controls. I think 'jump' was something like shift+click+click mousewheel. The hell is this, a flight sim?
    0/10. Unplayable.
  24. lozzer22
    Apr 27, 2014
    3
    The hitboxes are completely screwed, meaning any feeling of accomplishment from skilfully dodging an enemy is quickly lost as they somehow hit you from meters to the side. The controls of your character are also very unresponsive, after attacking you'll have to hit the button five or so times and wait for the animation of your character taking a quick break mid-combat to finish before youThe hitboxes are completely screwed, meaning any feeling of accomplishment from skilfully dodging an enemy is quickly lost as they somehow hit you from meters to the side. The controls of your character are also very unresponsive, after attacking you'll have to hit the button five or so times and wait for the animation of your character taking a quick break mid-combat to finish before you can roll out of the way. For a game that required skill and precision timing this just isn't good enough.… Expand
  25. bjaz
    Nov 15, 2014
    3
    Understanding the story is most tough job while playing this game
    Will enjoy the game first time,but after sometime players will get board & go to sleep
    Also This game is not well optimized for pc but console
    It's a REAL disappointment for a RPG game
  26. badjim
    Apr 27, 2014
    1
    I think the fact that the game "Goat Simulator" has a higher user score (much higher in fact) pretty much says it all. Dark Souls II is certainly the worst game release of 2014 so far. The graphics are bad - really quite bad, the character design would have been fresh 20 years ago, and the controls feel like you are operating a marionette while wearing boxing gloves. The designers of thisI think the fact that the game "Goat Simulator" has a higher user score (much higher in fact) pretty much says it all. Dark Souls II is certainly the worst game release of 2014 so far. The graphics are bad - really quite bad, the character design would have been fresh 20 years ago, and the controls feel like you are operating a marionette while wearing boxing gloves. The designers of this game have taken a great concept and have failed absolutely in the execution. I can't blame it all on the port of this game (as bad as it is); mechanically, this game is obnoxious. Here we have yet another fine example of an industry that has too many wins in marketing and too many losses in actual game making.… Expand
  27. ozorxoron
    Apr 29, 2014
    1
    Such an unworthy sequel, worse in every possible way than the first game. One person leaves the development team and the whole thing falls to ruin. Good job, Fromsoft.
  28. ehmkec
    Apr 27, 2014
    1
    I read a review of DSII before I bought the game. I specifically paid attention to the mouse/keyboard references from the reviewer. He said they were much improved over the original. I am really disappointed. I am 65 and I love playing PC games. I have 177 Steam games. But my hands and a controller do not get along very well. I always play with M/K or I have pain. And man, what aI read a review of DSII before I bought the game. I specifically paid attention to the mouse/keyboard references from the reviewer. He said they were much improved over the original. I am really disappointed. I am 65 and I love playing PC games. I have 177 Steam games. But my hands and a controller do not get along very well. I always play with M/K or I have pain. And man, what a pain this game is. I even tried it with a controller and it takes 3 controller actions to jump. !!3!!! Lazy porting.… Expand
  29. iansarmy1
    Jul 8, 2014
    3
    Bare bones fantasy role playing/fighting game, with ugly graphics and no story or characters worth mentioning. Some people like it purely for the very challenging combat and character creation elements, but there is absolutely nothing else going on in this game to make me want to come back to it after dying a few times. Most negative reviews focus on the poor quality of the work done toBare bones fantasy role playing/fighting game, with ugly graphics and no story or characters worth mentioning. Some people like it purely for the very challenging combat and character creation elements, but there is absolutely nothing else going on in this game to make me want to come back to it after dying a few times. Most negative reviews focus on the poor quality of the work done to optimize this game for the PC, but its not worth buying on any system unless you just want to grind through some gratuitous fantasy combat.… Expand
  30. jafarx
    Jun 3, 2014
    0
    bad game no fun at all. i play 1 hour and take it back to store. this game just no fun you cant do anything in it without falling victim to cheating bs
  31. toddzy
    Nov 26, 2014
    0
    This is ported to the PC. I found it impossible to learn as I played because the on-screen tips (that tell you which keys to press) were applicable to the console it was meant for. While I could look up the key bindings in the menu, the game doesn't pause and the key bindings were bizarre e.g. Left Alt + Left Shift + C, instead of just a single letter. I've never felt so confused playing aThis is ported to the PC. I found it impossible to learn as I played because the on-screen tips (that tell you which keys to press) were applicable to the console it was meant for. While I could look up the key bindings in the menu, the game doesn't pause and the key bindings were bizarre e.g. Left Alt + Left Shift + C, instead of just a single letter. I've never felt so confused playing a game. I tried getting used to it and adapting for 30mins, then I gave up. Waste of money. Very disheartening. 0… Expand
  32. waltari
    Oct 5, 2014
    0
    Poor port of a game that has nothing to offer except the usual "being undead" thing story cliché.
    First thing that scared me was the x-box bar and interaction panel with A, X, Y, B and such stuff, so i was like, well nothing it perfect, lets go further.
    After spending about 45mins in settings trying to tweak the game so its graphics doesnt look like 2004 i gave up on that. Well some    Poor port of a game that has nothing to offer except the usual "being undead" thing story cliché.
    First thing that scared me was the x-box bar and interaction panel with A, X, Y, B and such stuff, so i was like, well nothing it perfect, lets go further.
    After spending about 45mins in settings trying to tweak the game so its graphics doesnt look like 2004 i gave up on that.
    Well some games dont need the pimp graphics since they have good story and are well playable, isnt it? Not in this case. Even after remaping the keyboard controls from scratch, i was basically unable to control even the basic movements like jumping, dashing, weapon switching. After first 2 hours of the game i was so desperate that i called a friend of mine and borrowed x-box 360 controller.
    Now i was actually able to play.
    To play the most boring RPG i ever bought, literaly.
    So this game is basically something that doesnt offer anything new. All one gets is a usual, unplayable w/o console controller, RPG parody that looks like ass even on max details with story soo boring that you'll fall asleep after like 4 hours of playing if you somehow manage to survive that long.    … Expand
  33. Malathion
    May 17, 2014
    1
    I've never played a Souls game before, but I like challenges so I tried this .... thing:

    Graphics: are an absolute catastrophy. As others have pointed out here, it's about worthy of 2010. And yes, I did max out the settings. Gameplay: This game was never designed to be played on a PC. All the key-bindings, the menus structure and their behaviour, the HUD layout, everything is about    I've never played a Souls game before, but I like challenges so I tried this .... thing:

    Graphics: are an absolute catastrophy. As others have pointed out here, it's about worthy of 2010. And yes, I did max out the settings.

    Gameplay: This game was never designed to be played on a PC. All the key-bindings, the menus structure and their behaviour, the HUD layout, everything is about as bad as it can get. The mouse is laggy, controllers aren't recognized, it crashes A LOT. Nothing in this gameplay is intuitive. Maybe they developed the port using just a gamepad.

    Audio: I think they just bought "Disney's best of' sound effect 1994"

    Story: Seems to be pretty cool, but it's impossible to enjoy considering all the gameplay faults and the weak graphics. This is where I give one point to the game.

    Pro-Reviewers: Were all invited by Namco to spend some luxurious holidays on some exotic island.

    Time to delete this "thing"...because it's not a game.    … Expand
  34. JetLagg
    Oct 4, 2014
    1
    There's not much to say that the other PC gamers haven't already said. The port is unbelievably bad. 2 second delays for mouse attacks, tutorials that give you the console controller instructions rather than the keyboard and mouse. It took me two hours just to get the game functional. Long story short, don't buy this for the PC.

    The atmosphere and visuals are awesome. The challenge    There's not much to say that the other PC gamers haven't already said. The port is unbelievably bad. 2 second delays for mouse attacks, tutorials that give you the console controller instructions rather than the keyboard and mouse. It took me two hours just to get the game functional. Long story short, don't buy this for the PC.

    The atmosphere and visuals are awesome. The challenge really makes the scope of the game seem incredible. In that sense, I'd compare it to Zelda II (one of my favorite games of all time). However, Zelda II is the far superior game. While I can appreciate a challenge, far too often this game felt more tedious than challenging.    … Expand
  35. Squerol
    Aug 24, 2014
    0
    Most dissapointing game ever made, quality loss like in Gothic 3 vs Gothic 1/2... Bad game mechanics, combat is godly awful (unintuitive, slow and buggy), bad level design and world, bad game background (where the atmosphere and characters gone?), general world, art, bosses and enemies design (its like From Software didnt make that game, which is some true), bad composed music (that bad,Most dissapointing game ever made, quality loss like in Gothic 3 vs Gothic 1/2... Bad game mechanics, combat is godly awful (unintuitive, slow and buggy), bad level design and world, bad game background (where the atmosphere and characters gone?), general world, art, bosses and enemies design (its like From Software didnt make that game, which is some true), bad composed music (that bad, that I even dont remember any track), broken PvP and overall, game is made just for "commercial". And about difficulty... It cant be hard not because "its hard", but because the game mechanics are broken... Not like intuitive first DS. I dont reccommend playing this, fans of Dark Souls 1 cause You will just destroy and erase that game from Your memories... 0/10, developers didnt putted any effort here...… Expand
  36. bmairlot
    Aug 24, 2014
    0
    This game is real crap and junk ! I should have read these reviews before wasting money. It is simply unplayable. Graphisms are ugly, key bindings are nonsense for PC, ... What a disappointment.
  37. Jethro177
    May 10, 2014
    0
    Just to reiterate many other peoples views, this is the worst game I've played in a long time. If you ignore the fact it looks over 10 years old the game is still terrible.
    There is no real customization over the unbearable control system, you can swap a bad key binding for a worse one, in fact no effort has been made what so ever to port this to PC, all the on screen control hints have    Just to reiterate many other peoples views, this is the worst game I've played in a long time. If you ignore the fact it looks over 10 years old the game is still terrible.
    There is no real customization over the unbearable control system, you can swap a bad key binding for a worse one, in fact no effort has been made what so ever to port this to PC, all the on screen control hints have xbox symbols.
    The voice acting is OK but the terrible graphics make it hard to watch.
    I feel lucky I had a chance to try this before buying. What a heap of s**t.    … Expand
  38. KoosKing
    Apr 27, 2014
    1
    Terrible port is terrible and doesn't even run. Do not waste your money on this until after it's been patched. Seriously, don't do it - even if you think that maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones. Don't do it. It's not worth your money.
  39. CharcoalBurst
    May 11, 2014
    3
    This game has great reviews, it's the hype of the moment. It has ugly graphics for a 2014 PC game. Even Bound By Flame that just came out and is developped by a small studio looks way better. We won't even talk about the interface that is ugly as well. The physics engine is a disaster like the other game I mentioned and brings us back to Morrowind. It just doesn't feel right, polished.This game has great reviews, it's the hype of the moment. It has ugly graphics for a 2014 PC game. Even Bound By Flame that just came out and is developped by a small studio looks way better. We won't even talk about the interface that is ugly as well. The physics engine is a disaster like the other game I mentioned and brings us back to Morrowind. It just doesn't feel right, polished. Looks like the only good thing this game has is its high difficulty, allowing it to last for hours and hours. Pretty sure that you'll die a ton of times due to the horrible physics of the game and not to the monsters' skills.

    There is a 150 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content.    … Expand
  40. giacomobertoni
    Jun 3, 2014
    0
    this game is not made to be difficult. just made to make ppl deal with an oldgame style bugged game. its just bugs on bugs and u just have to deal with them to like the game.. we are not talking about difficulty.. seriously the saga and the story are great.. the gameplay tho is really trashy bugs everywhere no translations on some points and glitches to be done in order to get an easy waythis game is not made to be difficult. just made to make ppl deal with an oldgame style bugged game. its just bugs on bugs and u just have to deal with them to like the game.. we are not talking about difficulty.. seriously the saga and the story are great.. the gameplay tho is really trashy bugs everywhere no translations on some points and glitches to be done in order to get an easy way out.. GG this came is really bad imo :S… Expand
  41. Marc269
    May 21, 2014
    2
    what a rip-off. i have never felt so cheated by professional opinion. metascore of 91? close to skyrim?
    next time i will check the user score before buying. the graphics are 2005, the handling via mouse and keyboard feels like solving rubik's cube on a bull ride. maybe a good buy for frenetic fans.
  42. JamesTheThird
    Apr 29, 2014
    0
    I'm a huge fan of RPGs, but this one is a misunderstanding. Forget about technicalities such as controls, graphics and so on. These are minor issues. The main thing is that this is 2014 and the main character is mute. Did you like brilliant dialogues in Mass Effect series or Dragon Age? Well, you won't find them here. There are no such options like choosing an answer, because theI'm a huge fan of RPGs, but this one is a misunderstanding. Forget about technicalities such as controls, graphics and so on. These are minor issues. The main thing is that this is 2014 and the main character is mute. Did you like brilliant dialogues in Mass Effect series or Dragon Age? Well, you won't find them here. There are no such options like choosing an answer, because the protagonist just doesn't speak at all! This is a total killjoy for me. R.I.P. Souls.… Expand
  43. Laloiken
    Apr 27, 2014
    1
    Извините, но это просто не уважение к пользователям.
    Выпустили игру под PC, но управление не додумались нормально сделать.
    Примеры: 1) При запуске игры, предлагают нажать на какую-то неведомую кнопку старт. Спасибо, хоть, что можно нажать esc, enter или ЛКМ. http://itmages.ru/image/view/1637245/1e728a7b 2) Выбор настроек происходит при помощи клавиш "A" и "B" нажимаю на них и ни    Извините, но это просто не уважение к пользователям.
    Выпустили игру под PC, но управление не додумались нормально сделать.
    Примеры:
    1) При запуске игры, предлагают нажать на какую-то неведомую кнопку старт. Спасибо, хоть, что можно нажать esc, enter или ЛКМ.
    http://itmages.ru/image/view/1637245/1e728a7b
    2) Выбор настроек происходит при помощи клавиш "A" и "B" нажимаю на них и ни черта. Какого хрена спрашивается? Спасибо, что хоть ESC и Enter работают.
    http://itmages.ru/image/view/1637249/6905f13e
    3) Что бы выполнить в игре жесты нужно нажимать "A","B","Y" или "X", которые, опять, не работают
    http://itmages.ru/image/view/1637254/8103a2dd
    4) При нажатии на esc навигацию по меню предлагают делать при помощи хоткеев LB и RB. Кто-нить может ткнуть пальцем, где на клаве находятся эти клавиши? Я в упор их не вижу.
    http://itmages.ru/image/view/1637258/db8f87f8
    5) Если там можно еще хоть мышкой елозить, хотя напрашивается вопрос, нафига тогда было делать хоткеи для навигации, но вот когда подходишь к дому и тебя просят нажать на "А", а она нихрена не работает. Вот тут уж извините. Я всю клавиатуру поперетыкал, что бы открыть чертову дверь, но так и не смог.
    Не знаю как Вы, но меня такое отношение бесит. И если после игры в ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥у, я бы купил бы ее, то теперь точно нет.
    Игра для меня ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥о, хотя может там и супер-пупер эпичный сюжет.    … Expand
  44. Cioby
    May 4, 2014
    0
    The game is not as hard as fanboys would like you to think. It's just total crap, with "high" difficulty that "punishes" you when you die. The graphics is almost the same as the first game of the series. The sounds are crap also. You don't even have to play much to notice it, from the first interaction with the world, you can hear how **** the grass sounds like. This isn't a scary gameThe game is not as hard as fanboys would like you to think. It's just total crap, with "high" difficulty that "punishes" you when you die. The graphics is almost the same as the first game of the series. The sounds are crap also. You don't even have to play much to notice it, from the first interaction with the world, you can hear how **** the grass sounds like. This isn't a scary game either. Encounters are crap. This is a 2009 game, made for console players, those are the ones probably kissing their asses & the paid people who post "critic" reviews. The combat is slow and dull, the controls are bad considering a PC user can use a lot of keys to do whatever he wants without complaining of the assignments.
    Oh yea, let's not forget the "hentai" look that characters have, my harvester of souls, my warrior, my murderer looked like a f***** Japanese kid from FF or Lineage. I'm sure most people consider those awesome, I don't. It's not even an appropriate look for someone who is taking his victim's soul.
    My advice, if you're not a console fanboy, used to bad/old games, stay away from this game.    … Expand
  45. Ivan665
    Jul 26, 2014
    0
    The PC port of Dark Souls II is just bad. The interface and controls are not prone to any customisation, and the interface is unintuitive. This is not and RPG game!!! Period. There are 28 GREAT RPGs released in the last 15 years, not counting any expansions and the MMOs, if you want an RPG, play some of those. This game doesnt have the essentials like a map, journal, party, real towns withThe PC port of Dark Souls II is just bad. The interface and controls are not prone to any customisation, and the interface is unintuitive. This is not and RPG game!!! Period. There are 28 GREAT RPGs released in the last 15 years, not counting any expansions and the MMOs, if you want an RPG, play some of those. This game doesnt have the essentials like a map, journal, party, real towns with merchants and quests. The item pool is really small. A couple of NPCs here and there and thats pretty much it - a big effing desert with lots of textures and little substance!!! This game is unengaging. The story is bland. The world is dead, theres nothing to do really, except exploring boring levels that look spectacular from afar, battling patches of tough enemies here and there, and killing bosses. Thats the whoe game - adventure with action and RPG elements. Theres more action than RPG. The game is not hard!!! Its simple. Mechanics are simple and easily abusable. The challenge comes from that, that there is very little info in the game on mechanics, no real map, no journal, lore or quests, and the player needs to figure what to do on his own, which is not going to happen because he has internet. Its just stupid to think otherwise because we are not living in 1998. Once you learn the drill, you are guaranteed success. All the challenges that the supposed "pros" are blabbermouthing about boil down to this - slow down your pace, dodge and have patience!!! You will see some people talk about depth and nonsense like that, when the game is really just mutilating the player of a map and a journal, to distract him from its simple mechanics, boring world devoid of meaning and towns, lack of content, items, and poor story. And the game is truly ugly, it looks like a late PS2 game, art direction should go back to graffiti sketching.… Expand
  46. soulhunter
    May 27, 2014
    1
    game looks promising but the control is crappy. why dont they design it for pc user? just like a bad copy paste work from console. its a waste of money
  47. Amiga1200
    Nov 6, 2014
    3
    I tried to play this game on PC but was unable to do so. First of all there is an issue of resolution that I do not have while playing any other game. To make the game resolution acceptable I had to zoom the screen with my monitor settings because the game did not allow me to do so. So I spent about 30 minutes adjusting the screen. Then came the graphics which looked like it was made 5I tried to play this game on PC but was unable to do so. First of all there is an issue of resolution that I do not have while playing any other game. To make the game resolution acceptable I had to zoom the screen with my monitor settings because the game did not allow me to do so. So I spent about 30 minutes adjusting the screen. Then came the graphics which looked like it was made 5 years ago. But the hell with it - let's see the actual gameplay. Well ... and it came to controlling the hero. I really tried to play this game but the control system felt utterly choppy and tiresome. If the difficulty of the game is determined by simply bad control system then I am out. I also tried to play FIFA 2013 on PC and I also dropped this **** out for the same reason.

    If companies can't port games from consoles to PC then they should not see it for full price. Do not try to sell garbage or unfinished products to customers. I do not understand the positive comments on this piece of crap - I really can't. There are some many games that are not buggy and have acceptable flowing control system. Why support this unfinished crap ?

    The game challenge is based on choppy and broken control system - that's the was I see it.    … Expand
  48. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    2
    Well, to get this out of the way first, the port is good. it is playable, but you need a controller. This game is hell with keyboard and mouse. But i won't focus on that, because the main game is trash anyway. Just know that i have played it properly with a gamepad, and my criticism is not about the port.

    If you try to be objective for a moment, and look at this as a piece of software,    Well, to get this out of the way first, the port is good. it is playable, but you need a controller. This game is hell with keyboard and mouse. But i won't focus on that, because the main game is trash anyway. Just know that i have played it properly with a gamepad, and my criticism is not about the port.

    If you try to be objective for a moment, and look at this as a piece of software, comparing it with the competition, you can't help but wonder how can this compare to other AAA games of its era. Graphics are bad, animations and hitboxes are archaic, controls are literally trash. Sound is nothing special, music, what is music? Dialogs are few. The character system is bad and not explained, you can't design a good character without a guide. Enemy AI is non-existant, enemies just stand on their place and just hit you with swords/arrows/whatever. They are just hit point sponges. There are bugs. This game could have been created with 4-5 interns at best. This is no AAA.

    Then we have the supposed "difficulty". Make no mistake, this game is not difficult, it is cheap. Let no blinded fanboy and "hardcore gamer" tell you otherwise. There is nothing difficult with Dark Souls. If it had a proper save system and allowed proper difficulty settings (easy/medium/hard), it would have been much, much easier than other games, because there is literally no enemy AI on this game. If you play Skyrim on the hardest setting, enemies can become HP sponges too, and hit you harder. Same thing, on a far better video game.

    You don't have to be a good gamer to complete this game. I am all for a challenge, but i am 33 years old, and my time is limited. I don't have the time to die 500x times, lose all progress and have to travel all the way again, or grind endlessly in order to beat a boss. That sh1t should have died in the 80s/90s. This is not difficulty, this is tedium. Difficulty is trying to beat a hard AI in chess. Having to grind to win a boss or die repeatedly to learn its patterns, is just a way to waste hours of your life for no reason. It is just BAD DESIGN. A proper human being, that means not a basement dweller, has no time for this sh1t.

    Last but not least, there is no reward for suffering to complete this game. The story is trash, the lore is trash. You have nothing to gain by completing this, other than "bragging rights". For me, if anyone, and i mean, anyone, comes to me and tells me that "he is a hardcore gamer because he wasted hours of his life dying cheap deaths in order to finish a non AAA console port", it is a litmus test for being an idiot. "sure bra, you completed this abomination, what a life accomplishment you made!" All the while normal people play real games to relax for fun. They accomplish things were it really matters, in real life, not in a trashy video game made to torment them and waste their time. Time is precious and short on this planet.

    I can't explain the high scores of this game by reviewers. Typically, the metacritic scores it has achieved are reserved for classics and masterpieces, and this trash is not. Also, typically, Japanese games have become garbage in the PS3 generation and afterwards. Repetitive trash with low production values. From software was a small japanese developer never known for any good game prior to this. So how come they made it? I believe it is a combination of "marketing" (read:bribes), younger gamers' inexperience and vanity, and Stockholm syndrome. Sony and Japanese gamers/media, have every reason to attempt to push this cheap trash as a "masterpiece" in order to make a comeback in the industry. They don't have the budgets/expertise to compete with western AAA, with a few exceptions, so they get "creative" promoting obsolete design as a virtue. Professional reviewers don't want to score it lower to not be called "n00bs" and told to "git gud". They typically never finish their games, they almost always play on easy, but somehow they adore Dark Souls... Yeah right... Kids with no accomplishments in their real life, are eager to show off by finishing this turd, and then go online and tell everyone and their dog about it. And they call anyone who won't suffer this garbage "a casual". Most of those kids have completed this game by sheer repetition and grinding, or with guides and cheats. Yet they want to keep the appearence of having fun with it, because admitting this is trash, will make them having to admit they wasted their time and what they accomplished is nothing special. Or maybe they are kids, so they don't value their time. Probably the reason for the whole popularity.

    I have even seen a best game ever list on us gamer, putting Dark Souls on No1 spot. That is after the release of Witcher 3... Calling it a master piece and work of genius. My God, the emperor has no clothes. Are these clowns getting paid to write this?

    Waste no time with this series of games. Next time someone calls you a "casual" for it, just laugh at his face. This fad will be over soon.    … Expand
  49. Cyliann
    Jun 15, 2014
    0
    A gem of a game. Dark Souls has the most deepest and mysterious story&plot that exists, far exceeding ones told in books by having so much needing to be borderline decrypted by devouted fans of the title while also accompanied by the most extreme difficulty I have ever seen in video-games. Yes, far much more harder than Ninja Gaiden.

    But is it the right kind of hard? Unfortunately for    A gem of a game. Dark Souls has the most deepest and mysterious story&plot that exists, far exceeding ones told in books by having so much needing to be borderline decrypted by devouted fans of the title while also accompanied by the most extreme difficulty I have ever seen in video-games. Yes, far much more harder than Ninja Gaiden.

    But is it the right kind of hard? Unfortunately for many, many cases, It's not. The game either insists on changing the most basic rules one can get accustomed to with random elements (For example, certain foes will stagger, stopping whatever they're doing when they get hit can vary If you get in a critical/weak hit or If they skip into an animation lock, gaining immunity to stun) and when It's not throwing odd-balls, It is instead introducing you to the horrible physics. Got close to a corner with your characters foot? Have fun sliding down a pit at the speed of light. Nudged an oddly-shaped rock? Have fun warping around wildly and uncontrollably as you're trying to fight monsters. Playing the game with the mandatory FPSfix? Have fun falling through the ground whenever going down ladders or evidently getting your account banned by GFWL for daring to play the game at an acceptable 60 FPS.

    And when It's not fundamental engine problems, It's instead the basis of the design decisions on how they decided to make cladding yourself in any kind of remotely heavy & sturdy armor turn insanely useless real fast by utterly dropping the ball when balancing the three character factors which are Offense, Defense and Mobility. You can completely drop Offense and Mobility in favor of defense (AKA taking less damage) by cladding yourself in the most heaviest, upgraded protective gear available in the entire game... And you will still have situations where monsters will utterly slam you for 1500-2000 damage instantly (75-90% hp). Especially If they are using magic, leaving the only reliable way to take any significant reduced damage in shields... Which anyone can wear given that they have enough strength.

    And even then, specializing seriously in shields is impossible since they do the minimal amount of damage possible in the game while still taking a good 30-90% chunk from magic. So what's the best mean of defense you ask? Rolling. Yup. And the lighter you are, the better your rolls are. Which means the one with the most mobility is the one with the best defense in Dark Souls. It's a disgusting, inexusable design neglect and the developers have at the very least admitted to this being the case since they are completely changing it in the upcoming Dark Souls 2.

    The best advice I can give you is to buy this to a console (although the game also lags on there in form of bad optimization) or mod the hell out of it on the PC and get into it with little of the form of expecting genuine, good difficulty.    … Expand
  50. Sjalka
    May 13, 2014
    3
    3/10 - but in that case i do not claim to be very objective at all, because i knew from the start that this was not "my kind of game"

    so why did i test it? - well to see what all the hype is about. - but more to the point... presentation is a mixed bag. setting and atmosphere is decent, graphical fidelity is average but does look outdated in parts. the player character model is    3/10 - but in that case i do not claim to be very objective at all, because i knew from the start that this was not "my kind of game"

    so why did i test it? - well to see what all the hype is about. - but more to the point...

    presentation is a mixed bag. setting and atmosphere is decent, graphical fidelity is average but does look outdated in parts. the player character model is horribly aweful despite plenty customization options. however enemy models range from average to excellent.

    the idea and difficulty is nothing that really influenced my rating, because i reckon people only pick that title up when they expect a gruesomely hard game and would be disappointed if it did not deliver that nearly frustrating degree of difficulty.

    what i did not like ( PC version )

    - a horrible UI - character management is aweful. UI and management is geared towards consoles and there has not been a single efford ( or so it seems ) to streamline it for PC

    - bad controls - and by that i mean controlling the character felt unintuitive. for a game that punishes every mistake you make, i d expect having a character that reacted instantly to any player input.

    - bad camera ( sometimes ) - again, for a game where precission and timing is vital, i felt like i d need a much better overview of the situation.

    so i cannot subscribe to the mantra "hard but fair" - because it was ( for me ) riddled with controlling and UI problems. i am quite certain that players who play on consoles or are used to a controller ( i am not, i never got the hang of it, i use mouse+keyboard ) have a greatly different experience.

    i can see the great potential of challenge and achievement there though, but it is not for everyone, that is for certain.

    postscript:

    if they fixed the UI for PC keyboard players to actually do the PC justice, it would be a 5/10 - if the controls and reaction time was improved, certainly a 8/10 - even for a more casual gamer.    … Expand
  51. EmpireNO
    Sep 28, 2014
    4
    I was a huge fan of Demon's Souls, I even loved Dark Souls despite the abysmal port. Now several years later I had higher hopes for DS2, it is better but these guys really don't know anything about PC and how a game should work on PC. My niggles are too many with this game.
  52. sliderh2o
    May 28, 2014
    4
    I normally go with the critic ratings when it comes to reviews. That was a mistake bigtime ! The players have it right on this game! 9.2 critics rating is completely wrong. This game looks pretty, but if it's game play you like this isn't your cup of tea. You know why this game is hard? Because the controls are a joke, that's how they made it hard. I don't mind hard, if the controls wereI normally go with the critic ratings when it comes to reviews. That was a mistake bigtime ! The players have it right on this game! 9.2 critics rating is completely wrong. This game looks pretty, but if it's game play you like this isn't your cup of tea. You know why this game is hard? Because the controls are a joke, that's how they made it hard. I don't mind hard, if the controls were responsive but there not. I give this game a 4 because it is pretty, but shame on the critics for getting this one wrong! I wasted $50 listening to them, should have listened to the players.… Expand
  53. Praesi
    Oct 14, 2014
    3
    PS "Gamer" who gave the PC Version a 10 are pathetic.
    Dont trust any Score above 5.
    The PC Version of this Game is a horrible Mess. Ugly Grafics, pathetic Controlls. On top, FROM Software showed us "Ingame Footage" that doesn´t exist, the Final Version dont look even close to that. FROM are Liars, nothing else. Every PC Gamer with Demands should make a huge bow around this technical    PS "Gamer" who gave the PC Version a 10 are pathetic.
    Dont trust any Score above 5.

    The PC Version of this Game is a horrible Mess. Ugly Grafics, pathetic Controlls. On top, FROM Software showed us "Ingame Footage" that doesn´t exist, the Final Version dont look even close to that. FROM are Liars, nothing else. Every PC Gamer with Demands should make a huge bow around this technical nightmare.    … Expand
  54. Damazig
    May 15, 2014
    3
    Again, same crappy port, and the game itself isn't my style, why?:

    -Same boring encounters -Confusing / boring story/ bad voice acting. Dark Souls 2 does not even try to do a decent job in telling you any kind of a decent story, nor does it have character interaction and the Voice Acting is a lot worse than anything out there recently. -Repetitive gameplay - Dark Souls gameplay is    Again, same crappy port, and the game itself isn't my style, why?:

    -Same boring encounters

    -Confusing / boring story/ bad voice acting. Dark Souls 2 does not even try to do a decent job in telling you any kind of a decent story, nor does it have character interaction and the Voice Acting is a lot worse than anything out there recently.

    -Repetitive gameplay - Dark Souls gameplay is punishing, repetitive and mainly about timing with the use of the action bar.

    -We all know how crappy Dark Souls 2 graphics are, and how EVERYONE complained about being missled with demos and graphical FX which never entered the game.    … Expand
  55. MageValerie
    Jun 8, 2014
    2
    This game is literally unplayable on PC. I wish I could actually review it based on I don't know, playing the game? The controls are a nightmare to figure out, and barely work once they do. I've experienced freezing and crashing beyond any other game I've ever played. How about next time a game doesn't work for PC, DON'T RELEASE IT ON PC. Serious waste of money.
  56. Windolicker
    Apr 21, 2020
    3
    I tried to love this game. I just can't. It also really drives me crazy that there are fanboys who get so bent out of shape if anypne doesn't like this game. Look at every other From Software game.....there is something missing in DS2. I think there is credibility to the "B team" speculation. I have a huge ptoblem with the lore in this game; put of everything I think that is my biggestI tried to love this game. I just can't. It also really drives me crazy that there are fanboys who get so bent out of shape if anypne doesn't like this game. Look at every other From Software game.....there is something missing in DS2. I think there is credibility to the "B team" speculation. I have a huge ptoblem with the lore in this game; put of everything I think that is my biggest problem. I fell in love with the characters from DS1 and all of the lore. DS2 just throws it out and keeps the same framework. I don't even consider this installment to be canonical. DS3 is the true sequel and the only reason it included a few things from DS2 was probably due to the fact that it wpuld be a hive controversy to not include anything from it. Everything about this game seems uninspired. Whereas DS3 and DS1 are masterpieces. Wtf happened?!… Expand
  57. Wiebe
    Feb 27, 2020
    4
    Not a pc game, don't play it if you are a pc gamer, if you like consoles this might be for you, it just wasn't for me
  58. vova22379
    Jul 27, 2023
    2
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  59. davitolucena
    Jul 7, 2023
    3
    Não gostei gastei dinheiro atua mim a rependo muito por isso pena que o meu dinheiro não volta espero um dia poder voltar para esse jogo
  60. PunchBunnie
    Feb 17, 2023
    0
    absolutely awful, didn't even end up finishing this game and hands down the worst game in the souls series, and maybe worst game i've ever played
  61. TheAlgerian
    Oct 27, 2022
    3
    I love Souls games
    I love them not because they're hard, but because they're genuinely good games, the challenge is just a really good bonus.
    Dark Souls 2, though, isn't a good game, it's just hard. Other than that it does literally everything wrong. Graphics, gameplay, story, game design, writing, animations, physics, hitboxes, sound, I could go on. Literally    I love Souls games
    I love them not because they're hard, but because they're genuinely good games, the challenge is just a really good bonus.

    Dark Souls 2, though, isn't a good game, it's just hard.
    Other than that it does literally everything wrong.

    Graphics, gameplay, story, game design, writing, animations, physics, hitboxes, sound, I could go on.

    Literally E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G about this game feels like a poorly thrown together fan made game.    … Expand
  62. redglyph
    Jan 30, 2021
    2
    This game is a failed console port, for which the controls haven't been completely translated yet, resulting in confusing and awkward handling. The graphics are outdated and very average, even on top hardware, in revenge the framerate is quite good. The world is lacking details, feels really empty, and is reminiscent of mid-90's games when 3D RPG's were first appearing. The story andThis game is a failed console port, for which the controls haven't been completely translated yet, resulting in confusing and awkward handling. The graphics are outdated and very average, even on top hardware, in revenge the framerate is quite good. The world is lacking details, feels really empty, and is reminiscent of mid-90's games when 3D RPG's were first appearing. The story and dialogs are a bit boring to be frank, and despite my keeping an open mind, playing Dark Souls II felt more like a torture than having any sort of fun. Finally, there is no technical support whatsoever, no matter how "as soon as possible" they promise to reply, I couldn't get any help in 3 weeks' time regarding the broken controls and some serious bugs, that's even worse than ASUS or Samsung which are significant references in the matter.… Expand
  63. StevenTieson
    Jul 9, 2020
    0
    The game is hard for the sake of it.
    Not actually that fun
    The story is poorly told
    The graphics are quite average
    I really do not see what the hype is all about
    Go play Devil May Cry or Dante's Inferno. Way better games
  64. Game_Seeker
    Jun 9, 2021
    4
    While I did play DARK SOULS 1 (never played DEMON'S SOULS though since I don't have a console and never will) it did keep me occupied for a while although I must admit that gameplay-wise I did not care for it all that much. While I did enjoy the game's dark atmosphere (I love dark fantasy, the only way to go, f*** hobbits and elves) and the cryptic story (that was brilliant) the gameWhile I did play DARK SOULS 1 (never played DEMON'S SOULS though since I don't have a console and never will) it did keep me occupied for a while although I must admit that gameplay-wise I did not care for it all that much. While I did enjoy the game's dark atmosphere (I love dark fantasy, the only way to go, f*** hobbits and elves) and the cryptic story (that was brilliant) the game design was rather poor: focusing on over-the-top bosses with an insane health pool while you go down in 2 - 3 hits is not really my idea of fun, even more so when the combat isn't even tactical but simple memorizing attack patterns of your foes while rolling away in the right moment (in full plate armor!). There is zero depth to that system. The level design, while being intelligently designed (I've never seen levels brought together in a realistic way like this) however places your respawn point in New York, while the boss room is in LA and you have to fight your way through trash mob after trash mob to get there. This is just pi$$ poor design.
    DARK SOULS II comes along and takes a humongous sh!+ into bed. Gone is the dark atmosphere. Gone is the superb level design. Some (moron) at FromSoft must have said: "let's have more bosses!" so you get more than 30 bosses (the original had about 20). There's 3 in one level, almost door to door, which are reskins of a boss from DARK SOULS 1. Get used to it, you'll se more of that.
    To add insult to injury, each time you die you lose a chunk of your maximum hit points, kind of saying to newcomers: "hey you're struggling? Well f*** you!" Yeah, you "git gud nazis can f*** right off. This isn't good game design, this is sh!++y game design.
    The level design is as bland as can be, no more inter-connected world, it seems all the creative heads of FromSoft (not many there to begin with) were on vacation.
    DARK SOULS II is a very poor sequel. All the things that made the first game stand out are gone now. Technically it's been polished up a bit but still looks outdated. Controls with mouse & keyboard (git over it guys, controllers SUCK, they should not exist) are close to useless (was a problem with the original game, too), the camera is terrible. Enemy design is lacking, too, nowhere near as good as in the first game. All in all DARK SOULS II is an underwhelming sequel that does everything worse than the original and nothing better. It should never have been made. DARK SOULS fans will probably disagree and dislike this, but you guys probably didn't read this far anyway.    … Expand
  65. darksoulskorean
    Feb 6, 2022
    0
    This game is not bad. It has its own pros and cons. But this is by no means worthy of such a high score. Higher than DS1 and DS3? Come on, critics. You guys are suck and just spoiled it. Now no one will pay any attention to what you flirt with.
  66. Shadowxxx
    Jun 14, 2022
    0
    Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash
  67. ManHoof
    Jul 29, 2023
    4
    It's the only game in the Souls series I don't want to return to.
    The plot and voice acting are as good as always. The atmosphere is also good. There are small gameplay details that are very interesting. Unfortunately, there are more cons. The color palette is unpleasant to the eye (except of course Majula). The musical themes are definitely not something special in this part. Most of the    It's the only game in the Souls series I don't want to return to.
    The plot and voice acting are as good as always. The atmosphere is also good. There are small gameplay details that are very interesting. Unfortunately, there are more cons. The color palette is unpleasant to the eye (except of course Majula). The musical themes are definitely not something special in this part. Most of the bosses are just garbage. The combat system is worse than even the first part.
    I rate it without DLC.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
12
#12 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2014
    95
    This game’s playability puts to shame everything that’s been released for the new generation of consoles. [06/2014, p.54]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 6, 2014
    90
    The definitive Dark Souls II experience, the latest entry to The Souls series shines on the PC. [June 2014, p.50]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Jun 5, 2014
    80
    If you’re a fan of hardcore games, try Dark Souls 2. It is not as memorable as its predecessor, and yet it is still a phenomenal experience.
    Read full review
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