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. lbear
    May 27, 2016
    8
    Excelente como juego y buen Dark Souls. Seguramente sea peor en muchos aspectos al primero pero en cuanto a jugabilidad no se queda corto para nada, además cabe destacar que el port a pc es muy bueno.
  2. thereallyoldher
    Apr 27, 2016
    4
    The game is not supposed to be played with keyboard+mouse. You have to google how to play this game with keyboard and mouse and download and run some scripts before you can play this game using a regular gaming PC. I am quite sure that the people who are giving this game anything above 5 are doing so for non-PC version of this game. The least the game developers should have done is to showThe game is not supposed to be played with keyboard+mouse. You have to google how to play this game with keyboard and mouse and download and run some scripts before you can play this game using a regular gaming PC. I am quite sure that the people who are giving this game anything above 5 are doing so for non-PC version of this game. The least the game developers should have done is to show the correct key-bindings (instead of a triangle) while interacting with the environment. These are the reasons that I doubt I will ever be finishing this game.… Expand
  3. Pedobear987
    Apr 16, 2016
    8
    Me encanta que este juego me haya vuelto a recordar la época en la que los videojuegos eran difícil,
    lo recomiendo mucho si buscas un reto difícil y entretenido. Si has decidido comprarlo adelante VAS A PASAR UN MAL RATO.
  4. Nefastus
    Apr 6, 2016
    10
    Dark Souls 2 is probably one of the best games I have played in the last years. It has all the things that made Dark Souls 1 good and improved over it. It has better control mechanics, what made the character more responsive than in the first game. The areas are vast and well developed, very distinct from each other. Some might say the world isn't interconnected as in the first Dark SoulsDark Souls 2 is probably one of the best games I have played in the last years. It has all the things that made Dark Souls 1 good and improved over it. It has better control mechanics, what made the character more responsive than in the first game. The areas are vast and well developed, very distinct from each other. Some might say the world isn't interconnected as in the first Dark Souls but I rather well done and unique areas. There are a lot of bosses and sub bosses all along the game and they never get to the point of being unfair or too easy.

    The PvP in the game is great, easily the best of all soul series, including Demon's souls and Bloodborne. It is more friendly to learn and also allows you to start doing it after you are done with the game story, as you don't get locked out of invasions after a boss is dead, that was the case in the first dark souls. The mechanics are vastly improved in the pvp area as well, with more weapon options and spells and a lot of the weapons have special attacks that make them unique. It also features arenas for the players that rather avoid invading/being invaded but still want to engage in pvp.

    Its a must have game.    … Expand
  5. PutCashIn
    Mar 14, 2016
    9
    I really like this game, even on PC - it takes a lot of getting used to, the controls aren't even ported into on screen hints correctly, however the menu controls are.

    As long as you aren't playing PVP, if playing PC, leave the main attacks as double click left and right mouse buttons for two handed. Your best bet is going flame Long Sword (check online to find it), then lightening    I really like this game, even on PC - it takes a lot of getting used to, the controls aren't even ported into on screen hints correctly, however the menu controls are.

    As long as you aren't playing PVP, if playing PC, leave the main attacks as double click left and right mouse buttons for two handed. Your best bet is going flame Long Sword (check online to find it), then lightening Claymore to +10 and win buttons.

    I have tried shift + mouse button for alt attack, honestly, double click just seems easier. You will never be as good as a cheating useless console hand set player [Ghey, come play me with a KB], don't worry, not even a PS 4 can really send an email to your mum - even if you wanted it to.

    This game is gold, just really a really **** port.    … Expand
  6. Look444
    Mar 13, 2016
    6
    I can't believe this game has a better score than the first one.

    Thankfully, this one runs on 60fps and has a good optimization but that's about it. The thing that annoys me in this game is the level design. It lost that feeling of being interconnected and stopped making sense, sea level changing to wherever the player is at. They also **** the durability system. It wasn't a good way of    I can't believe this game has a better score than the first one.

    Thankfully, this one runs on 60fps and has a good optimization but that's about it. The thing that annoys me in this game is the level design. It lost that feeling of being interconnected and stopped making sense, sea level changing to wherever the player is at. They also **** the durability system. It wasn't a good way of balancing OP weapons. No, it was **** to have your weapon break in the middle of a boss fight.
    They then decided to nerf miracles to the ground. Most damaging spells disappeared and got less cast uses. Same happened to pyromancies. At least they had variety.
    But then they decided to buff the hell out of magic and dark magic, which was already OP as fk in the first one.
    I could go on forever with flaws this game has, like boring boss fights, too many useless weapons, some lame designs and dexterity being trash.
    But hey, at least the DLC's were pretty good.    … Expand
  7. JabberwocksBane
    Mar 11, 2016
    9
    PC controls are in no stretch of the word awful. They are stif and not very keen for changes.

    That's why you absolutely HAVE to play it with a controler. When you have a controler the PC version is undeniably the best one. Everything runs at smooth 60FPS and the textures looks gorgeous. I tell you buy it on steam pick up an xbox controler and you are set for one hell of a ride (or    PC controls are in no stretch of the word awful. They are stif and not very keen for changes.

    That's why you absolutely HAVE to play it with a controler. When you have a controler the PC version is undeniably the best one. Everything runs at smooth 60FPS and the textures looks gorgeous.

    I tell you buy it on steam pick up an xbox controler and you are set for one hell of a ride (or ride of hell - this is dark souls after all)    … Expand
  8. GatoVillano
    Feb 19, 2016
    1
    terrible graphics. no story. everything can kill you like you were nothing, and then you lose all your progress. Character creation is terrible. The gear looks awful. The controls are counter intuitive. There are still no way to pause the game (so if you have a life, forget this game). You cant even select the difficulty level. Give a extra super elite difficulty level for the gameterrible graphics. no story. everything can kill you like you were nothing, and then you lose all your progress. Character creation is terrible. The gear looks awful. The controls are counter intuitive. There are still no way to pause the game (so if you have a life, forget this game). You cant even select the difficulty level. Give a extra super elite difficulty level for the game fanatics to shut them up and make them feel like they were atlease half of a man playing your game in their mother's basement. And give us a casual setting for the people that come back from a hard days work and just wanna chill and relax.… Expand
  9. tsmasher1000
    Dec 16, 2015
    7
    Imagine my excitement when I heard that there was a sequel coming to the absolutely fantastic game, Dark Souls! However, I was disappointed by the game overall. To me, the graphics didn't matter so much as the gameplay. The reason why Dark Souls was such a unique and fun experience was because Dark Souls, while inflicted with terrible graphics (which is not a big deal to me), had insanelyImagine my excitement when I heard that there was a sequel coming to the absolutely fantastic game, Dark Souls! However, I was disappointed by the game overall. To me, the graphics didn't matter so much as the gameplay. The reason why Dark Souls was such a unique and fun experience was because Dark Souls, while inflicted with terrible graphics (which is not a big deal to me), had insanely good gameplay. All of the enemies felt unique, special, and had interesting designs. Going back to Dark Souls 2, this is where it ultimately fails. The enemies are usually of linear design, and do not feel unique or interesting. Most of the enemies (which are knights) play relatively similar with no interesting variances. This is also not to mention the fact that the game seems to punish you for trying and experimenting different builds and seeing how to play the game. When you are killed, you lose maximum HP, something I felt was very annoying. It felt like I was limited to what I could experiment and it was annoying because in such a difficult game where simply bad footing will kill you, you will end up losing a lot of health and would be forced to use human effigies (which was annoying after a while). Another thing that felt punishing was that when one died too many times, the enemies would just vanish as though the developers were giving you a free pass. Again, it felt punishing because it was as though the developers didn't want you to have the challenge because you couldn't do it after a certain number of times. Those features added very little to the game and were not enjoyable. Overall, Dark Souls 2 was a disappointment that could have been a better game. Though it has better graphics, it feels like a cheaper imitation of its predecessors and had the potential to be much more than that.… Expand
  10. objectivelytrue
    Dec 10, 2015
    9
    Dark Souls 2 didn't punish you for not being a friendless loser by making cooperation with a friend possible, something that the other games have a pointlessly **** attitude. It also reduced the amount of invasions in a first playthrough, which also helped to make cooperation possible as well as getting through an area and a boss in your first try instead of being interrupted by idiots.Dark Souls 2 didn't punish you for not being a friendless loser by making cooperation with a friend possible, something that the other games have a pointlessly **** attitude. It also reduced the amount of invasions in a first playthrough, which also helped to make cooperation possible as well as getting through an area and a boss in your first try instead of being interrupted by idiots. Far more content with less repetition overall than Dark Souls, the only issue with Dark Souls 2 is that the story is a blatant repeat of Dark Souls. There are more viable weapons, secret areas you won't discover on your first playthrough, changes between New Game and New Game + (Although they could've done much, much better).

    This is probably the best the Souls series will ever get, but it suffered from being a Souls game. Many people complained that it wasn't as Dark Souls even though it was better, and I think it's fairly obvious that we were just all getting bored of this formula getting churned out by From Software. Still I played this for a good 200 hours, while Bloodborne only deserved a single playthrough that I almost quit out of, and the DaSo 3 test revealed that it's just a **** rehash most people ran through to see the crappy scripted boss. The magic is definitely gone from the series now that it's Call of DarkOps: Infinite Rehash, but this was the last and best effort.    … Expand
  11. Jodle
    Dec 1, 2015
    10
    Great game 200 hours played only multiplayer is weak but everything else is amazing.
    ................. .
  12. Raptor1207
    Nov 11, 2015
    8
    It doesn't matter if it is a Console or pc game, its made for both, in my true opinion I dislike console, I think this game is very fun though, either way its fun. its an opinion of what you prefer. console or pc.
  13. perric
    Oct 21, 2015
    7
    So don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy this game, but after playing it first on ps3 and beating it, then playing and beating it on PC I have some real problems. Most of my issues are similar to everyone else's, how the whole experience just feels kinda phoned in by the team. The bizarre way the world is connected, the nonsensical story that is just weird for the sake of it instead ofSo don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy this game, but after playing it first on ps3 and beating it, then playing and beating it on PC I have some real problems. Most of my issues are similar to everyone else's, how the whole experience just feels kinda phoned in by the team. The bizarre way the world is connected, the nonsensical story that is just weird for the sake of it instead of having any actual depth, the shoddy hit detection, etc.

    Game **** runs AMAZINGLY good though and looks great. Shame they never fixed the durability bug    … Expand
  14. Tgc
    Oct 19, 2015
    0
    This game on PC is completely unplayable. Huge input lag, displaying console gamepad keys everywhere even I've setup game with mouse keyboard, random crashes and other **** game experience. Last time this bad conversion from a console I've seen in 90s. Maybe it's better on console, but on PC I definitely don't recommend it.
  15. geschaftsreise
    Oct 11, 2015
    10
    Subtle, nuanced world with challenging gameplay; this game would be a perfect 12/10 if the PC controls had been mapped a bit better by default.

    Why I love this game: - No babysitting: the plot doesn't hold your hand and neither do the enemies. There are plot points that only occurred to me after 100 hours of playing, and only then after being curious about why something happened one    Subtle, nuanced world with challenging gameplay; this game would be a perfect 12/10 if the PC controls had been mapped a bit better by default.

    Why I love this game:
    - No babysitting: the plot doesn't hold your hand and neither do the enemies. There are plot points that only occurred to me after 100 hours of playing, and only then after being curious about why something happened one way rather than another. It's up to you to figure out what's going on around you or not. "You will wander this land and not even know why, Hahahahahah..."
    - Mastery vs Grinding: Ever played WoW? This is not that. You can grind to level up all you want and still get ganked by a low level enemy. Learn how to parry and backstab. Study your opponent and use his movements against him. A good player with a starting weapon and low level can trash a character who has a million souls with well-conceived strategies.This game is a victory over stupidification.
    - Rich, subtle and textured world. There is a feel to dark souls that arises from the underlying premise. It permeates the air and gave me a fear that either I was being helplessly drawn down into quicksand or worse that I'd already been swallowed and was slowly winding my way to inevitable destruction...

    Cons:
    PC controls: Way better than Dark Souls I, but the tutorials were all given in controller buttons so I had to look up all of the controls on the internet. Also I had to remap keys to be able to jump attack and guard break effectively. Those are really critical moves so it's unfortunate that I had to spend time looking up how to figure that out. I assume DSIII they'll finally have figured all of that out...

    Room for improvement:
    I really wish that the characters had more tying them together. There's this dark deep thread holding everything together but I wish that choices you make can affect the wider world in subtle but poignant and crucial ways rather than just with individuals who you encounter. If done correctly (to my taste) this would ideally mirror the subtle and nuanced but understated threads of lore hidden in plain sight without really shoving all of it in your face and really give a more coherent sense of the world...    … Expand
  16. Keenanz
    Oct 3, 2015
    10
    I never felt so good after i finished a game.
    This game is hard but in fair way, some enemy A.I is designed to give you surprise when you fulfilled a certain condition, exploration is both dangerous and rewarding, Combat and animation is also smoother than the previous game. Tons of great content, almost every single weapon in this game(which is a LOT) has their own unique purposes in PVP    I never felt so good after i finished a game.
    This game is hard but in fair way, some enemy A.I is designed to give you surprise when you fulfilled a certain condition, exploration is both dangerous and rewarding, Combat and animation is also smoother than the previous game. Tons of great content, almost every single weapon in this game(which is a LOT) has their own unique purposes in PVP or PVE, there is a lot of armor set you can found in this game and you can mix and match between armor piece for desirable look or stats. Dark souls 2 is how a video game should be.    … Expand
  17. NotPaidToWrite
    Jul 31, 2015
    3
    Two names: Ancient dragon and King Vendrick.
    You don't know them now, but you will know them once you play.
    Have fun holding onto a leg for a full thirty minutes with these two just to win. The pvp is broken. That's something you'll run into a lot of people saying. That's something you'll run into in game too regardless of what you do. I could go on with it and how it is, but if    Two names: Ancient dragon and King Vendrick.
    You don't know them now, but you will know them once you play.

    Have fun holding onto a leg for a full thirty minutes with these two just to win.

    The pvp is broken.
    That's something you'll run into a lot of people saying. That's something you'll run into in game too regardless of what you do. I could go on with it and how it is, but if googling ""dark souls 2 broken pvp builds"" in hopes of finding character builds to get better acquainted with pvp ---to only get results of people complaining about pvp with satire 'mlg' videos won't convince you that pvp is a joke, then I certainly won't convince you, so go ahead. Have fun getting hit from a sword being swung 20 yards away as the person suddenly teleports behind you with the power of raw unfiltered lag.

    Hackers are a big deal. Hackers can **** with your game. Hackers can also ban you from playing. So that's a fun possibility.

    Summoning others for co-op can be a pain. Some people think it's either soul memory or soul level that scales with who you can summon. You won't really know without looking it up and taking an opinion; and that's most of Dark Souls 2. A few areas you'll just get invaded over and over and killed by someone who desperately needs a new router or better connection. So good luck getting someone to fight that ancient dragon with you without getting killed before you reach it.

    Some enemies are just flat out annoying. I get it that the developers want the game to be harder than the first dark souls but it doesn't suit the system. If you ever played the first dark souls, then imagine what it would be like if a humanoid enemy locked onto you and just kept swinging a club every second non stop while running at you; just no breaks on its train. After a swing will be another within a second flat. Or imagine white knights that swing in a 360 angle every second with a large hit radius as if they had unlimited stamina.

    There's difficulty and then there's annoying. They can be beaten. Everything can. But I rather do something else than spend hours of gathering and looking up info on the internet, making a build, and going through hours of item hunting and researching just to beat a boss, while getting attacked by unbeatable lag players and hackers, just to continue on with the rest of the game's content. Taking the time to build a house for someone without getting paid will feel more worth it.    … Expand
  18. Valaridan
    Jul 17, 2015
    10
    Player reviews doesnt matter anyway critic reviews matters only and all of them are positive just like this game this game doesnt deserve less than 10 great story great gameplay I love everything about this game
  19. AiurDJS
    Jul 5, 2015
    0
    Overrated trash game. Never buy this crap on PC, it's a waste of money. With graphics from 1989, no storyline, **** controls on M+K, the only thing going for it is the atmosphere because of decent ambient sounds and music (except for the footsteps sound, it's terrible). Characters look like pieces of wood on the ultra settings. Clunky character movement is praised to be the best combatOverrated trash game. Never buy this crap on PC, it's a waste of money. With graphics from 1989, no storyline, **** controls on M+K, the only thing going for it is the atmosphere because of decent ambient sounds and music (except for the footsteps sound, it's terrible). Characters look like pieces of wood on the ultra settings. Clunky character movement is praised to be the best combat system ever because it's just simple. All you do is use strong attack, weak attack and roll around. If you want a good game just buy The Witcher 3, not this ****… Expand
  20. Centrey
    Jul 3, 2015
    8
    I, personally, had no issue with the game on PC nor did I have issue with the game on ps3 - This review on is based solely off of the quality of the game, not the PC port. Dark Souls 2 is often slated for not being 'what the promised' and not being as good as Dark Souls 1, I agree with this. They dumbed down certain features and reduced the quality of the game of PC, and the PvE in theI, personally, had no issue with the game on PC nor did I have issue with the game on ps3 - This review on is based solely off of the quality of the game, not the PC port. Dark Souls 2 is often slated for not being 'what the promised' and not being as good as Dark Souls 1, I agree with this. They dumbed down certain features and reduced the quality of the game of PC, and the PvE in the game (the story line included) was not anywhere near the same level as Dark Souls 1. However, what kept me playing this game for 700 hours+ was instead the PvP. A drastic improvement over Dark Souls 1, with better connectivity, quicker weapons and what I felt was a higher skill cap, due to the new parrying/backstab system. I am aware that there are some that think Dark Souls 1 PvP was superior, but for me, Dark Souls 2 really fixed the issues of Dark Souls 1 PvP.… Expand
  21. Darth_Arrow
    Jun 20, 2015
    9
    Like many people, i loved the original Dark Souls. The second is at least is good as the first. Sure, it doesn't attain the level of world design the first one boasted, but the combat made up for it. From did a much better job porting this to PC. I don't care that much about the graphics being downgraded. The only real gripe i can have is that the boss battles are not as satisfying as theLike many people, i loved the original Dark Souls. The second is at least is good as the first. Sure, it doesn't attain the level of world design the first one boasted, but the combat made up for it. From did a much better job porting this to PC. I don't care that much about the graphics being downgraded. The only real gripe i can have is that the boss battles are not as satisfying as the original. Fingers crossed for DS3 bring the best of the previous souls game; marrying the new combat with the old world design and boss fights. A solid 9 in my book.… Expand
  22. L_Coops
    Jun 2, 2015
    6
    I'll keep this short. Dark Souls 2 is clearly a lazy port to PC - from the horrible UI, the clumsy controls, the seriously outdated graphics and the fact that the tooltips tell you to press buttons on your xbox 360 controller to perform an action. If that last bit of information doesn't tip you off to this being a LAZY port then I don't know what will.

    Despite that, the game does still    I'll keep this short. Dark Souls 2 is clearly a lazy port to PC - from the horrible UI, the clumsy controls, the seriously outdated graphics and the fact that the tooltips tell you to press buttons on your xbox 360 controller to perform an action. If that last bit of information doesn't tip you off to this being a LAZY port then I don't know what will.

    Despite that, the game does still have a certain charm. The fact that it is so difficult for a newcomer gives it a certain mystery. You can't help but want to explore the world because getting anywhere feels like an accomplishment.

    Do yourself a favor and grab a controller of some sort if you are going to play Dark Souls 2 on the PC because the controls are terrible using keyboard and mouse.    … Expand
  23. toomany
    Apr 30, 2015
    0
    Perhaps the laziest port to PC I have ever seen. This game is not playable with a mouse and keyboard. I do not care about the rich story or dense lore if I am unable to move through the game without hitting alt-shift-leftmouse while hitting ctrl-scroll key at the same time. It may play well in a console, or with a game pad, but all the introductory directions ask for gamepad input whichPerhaps the laziest port to PC I have ever seen. This game is not playable with a mouse and keyboard. I do not care about the rich story or dense lore if I am unable to move through the game without hitting alt-shift-leftmouse while hitting ctrl-scroll key at the same time. It may play well in a console, or with a game pad, but all the introductory directions ask for gamepad input which can be done with Vulcan neck pinch contortions on the keyboard. Fourty minutes of frustration, and now it is in the trash.… Expand
  24. superflou
    Apr 24, 2015
    9
    Great game. But probably not as great as I expected after the best game ever a.k.a Dark souls 1. Dark souls 2 is still a very good game, with a lot of improvement, but the level design is not as great as it was in DS1.
  25. Mattacus
    Apr 3, 2015
    5
    Want a pithy summary? How about "phoned in"? Or maybe "sloppy hitboxes"? No, no, no, I got it: "unfair." Aye, that's the one. I can get past the **** appearance. Not only does it not look as good as advertised, it doesn't even look as good as the first one (forget the **** textures and lifeless environments, but who thought green zombies was a good idea?). But I can let all that go if theWant a pithy summary? How about "phoned in"? Or maybe "sloppy hitboxes"? No, no, no, I got it: "unfair." Aye, that's the one. I can get past the **** appearance. Not only does it not look as good as advertised, it doesn't even look as good as the first one (forget the **** textures and lifeless environments, but who thought green zombies was a good idea?). But I can let all that go if the game is good.

    But it isn't. It tries. It has the basic appearance of Dark Souls but not the...soul. When you are behind (and several in-game feet away from) a forward-thrusting spear-wielder, you shouldn't be taking damage. And it's **** like that, dying when your character is in an apparently safe space, that turns this from an educational exercise in patience, tactics, and the adrenaline rush of long-sought success -- into a cheap-ass dice roll, more akin to angry birds than either Souls game.    … Expand
  26. Smilingcookie
    Apr 1, 2015
    9
    WARNING: I feel this one was really designed for a 360 controller, but since it's primarily a combat game, that doesn't bother me. The port is a lot better than the first Dark Souls, which you had to mod even for the resolution. If you have a controller this one plays perfectly!

    Great setting and atmosphere! The graphics are nothing special from a technical point of view, but the art    WARNING: I feel this one was really designed for a 360 controller, but since it's primarily a combat game, that doesn't bother me. The port is a lot better than the first Dark Souls, which you had to mod even for the resolution. If you have a controller this one plays perfectly!

    Great setting and atmosphere! The graphics are nothing special from a technical point of view, but the art design is incredible. Everything just looks so cool ... On top of that it has the best melee combat system in any PC game. Nothing more to say about that.

    Multiplayer aspects are really well done. I was at first opposed to playing online, but found that it actually improved my enjoyment of the game. The interactions with other players stay very well balanced with the single player content. There are in game ways to increase/decrease multiplayer activity. Once you finished the game, the multiplayer aspect helps to keep it interesting!

    For me this is my game of the year 2014.    … Expand
  27. Calriel
    Mar 27, 2015
    0
    Absolutely steer clear of this game if you're a true PC Gamer like myself. Do NOT fall for reviews on Gamespot or even my beloved PCGamer.

    This game is really a console game. You get constant messages with "press this console button" and it is up to you to delve into huge lists of incomprehensible key bindings to try and figure out which button they meant, what it is on your PC and then    Absolutely steer clear of this game if you're a true PC Gamer like myself. Do NOT fall for reviews on Gamespot or even my beloved PCGamer.

    This game is really a console game. You get constant messages with "press this console button" and it is up to you to delve into huge lists of incomprehensible key bindings to try and figure out which button they meant, what it is on your PC and then it ends up not doing what you think it is supposed to do.

    If you are looking forward to click "control + mousewheel", then "shift + double click right mouse button" and still not getting it, or painfully trying to re-do an entire list of dozens and dozens of key bindings, this is your game.

    The fact that the graphics are not at all what you'd hope for such a recent game.... that the controls, inventory system and menu options so cumbersome... and that the voice acting is poor and the script inane at best, make it that it is a struggle to even get through one hour of this nightmarish endeavour.

    Avoid like plague. And I don't say that often. But seriously. No.    … Expand
  28. Robpants
    Mar 26, 2015
    6
    Comparing to the previous Dark Souls and Demon's Souls games, there are improvements and downgrades. Dark Souls II fixes some often annoying aspects of the other games, while removing large chunks of enjoyability and cohesion.

    To begin, the environment and atmosphere of the game is virtually gone. In Dark Souls, the game truly makes you feel as if you are alone in this undead journey,    Comparing to the previous Dark Souls and Demon's Souls games, there are improvements and downgrades. Dark Souls II fixes some often annoying aspects of the other games, while removing large chunks of enjoyability and cohesion.

    To begin, the environment and atmosphere of the game is virtually gone. In Dark Souls, the game truly makes you feel as if you are alone in this undead journey, which is a good feeling. It matches the game's atmosphere. Dark Souls II somehow has removed that dark and lonely atmosphere and in it's place is a bland, unenthusiastic attempt to appeal to more audiences. It feels more like any other game off the shelf, which is not what you expect from a Dark Souls game.

    Some would say the graphics in DS2 were updated from DS, and in some cases that is true. But for the most part the difference is negligible for a game that came out 3 years later. And going back to the atmosphere, the graphics style of DS2 is just boring, almost cartoon-ish in a game that is supposed to make you feel alone and undead.

    The game play mechanics have been revised in many ways from previous games. The jump command is now more easily attainable, combat has been refined, somewhat. But as many other reviewers have noted, the combat feels unfair. In previous games, the combat was difficult, but fair and so rewarding when you overcome an obstacle. In DS2, the enemies seem designed to do nothing but infuriate the player. Enemies will rotate incredibly to strike you with a slow attack that you should have easily dodged. Often you will be faced with waves of annoying enemies in place of a few well designed, challenging enemies.

    Level design is nicely varied, moving from poisonous ravines to molten strongholds and everywhere in between. However as others have pointed out, some of the level connections don't quite make sense.

    The story can be tough to follow at times, and is no where near as engaging as DS and Demon's Souls.

    Overall Dark Souls II brings some innovation to the party, but falls short on nearly everything else. It's the kind of game that you play if you enjoy the classic RPG experiences of leveling up, finding and equipping interesting gear, and fighting with powerful weapons and spells. But all of that alone does not make a good game.    … Expand
  29. sclark13
    Mar 25, 2015
    0
    I've always been a supporter of From Software. I bought Demon's Souls when it released in Korea because I wasn't sure they would release it in the states. When it did release in the states, I bought it again for my friend who loved playing it at my house. When Dark Souls came out, I bought it for the PS3 and played through most of it, and when they released a really bad port of it on PC II've always been a supporter of From Software. I bought Demon's Souls when it released in Korea because I wasn't sure they would release it in the states. When it did release in the states, I bought it again for my friend who loved playing it at my house. When Dark Souls came out, I bought it for the PS3 and played through most of it, and when they released a really bad port of it on PC I bought it again just to have it on a preferred platform. I bought Dark Souls II for PC on pre-order partly because of the atmosphere that was advertised, but when it actually released I found it was a gimped version with barely any dynamic lighting, no SSAO, and low-res textures. I even paid full price for DLC in-spite of my anti-DLC stance, just to show them there is a market for their games. Finally the developers are putting out a version of Dark Souls II that promises to fix and optimize these issues, but instead of giving me that "fixed" version as a free patch, they are telling me and all the other players who have supported them that they want another $30 or more for that privilege.

    They are charging current PC users to unlock the improved performance that we were promised when we first bought the game.    … Expand
  30. Nus
    Mar 24, 2015
    0
    Awful game.
    Demons Souls and the first Dark Souls and Bloodborne is much better than this. Don't bother with this,
    This is the worst Souls game and nothing can fix that.
  31. Klewer
    Mar 21, 2015
    10
    For me this is simply a brilliant game. While the original was amazing it did have a few port issues which are much improved in this.

    Such a great challenge throughout which makes this so rewarding when completed. Definitely a must play.
  32. kingzardoz
    Mar 17, 2015
    5
    Only reason I'm writing this review is because Bloodborne is coming out and I was thinking about how bad Dark Souls 2 was, hoping that Bloodborne is better. I preordered this game on steam and didn't have all the PC problems people were talking about but still never finished the game because I got so bored. I played Demon Souls and Dark Souls and it becomes very obvious after an hour inOnly reason I'm writing this review is because Bloodborne is coming out and I was thinking about how bad Dark Souls 2 was, hoping that Bloodborne is better. I preordered this game on steam and didn't have all the PC problems people were talking about but still never finished the game because I got so bored. I played Demon Souls and Dark Souls and it becomes very obvious after an hour in this game that it was made by the B-team. The world and enemies are so boring, I can't think of one interesting or memorable location or enemy. A good game director will have an idea or be inspired to make something, From's B-team were just on auto-pilot, recycling content and pumping out a product with zero soul. The Demon and Dark Souls environments and enemies would tell an unspoken story, you would get a sense of history and purpose from the world and its inhabitants, Dark Souls II lacks any of that depth. Hopefully Bloodborne brings the Miyazaki brand back up to the standards everybody expects.… Expand
  33. dialacton
    Feb 15, 2015
    8
    Seems this is one of those games people either love or hate.
    Well, I for one enjoyed it immensely.
    Best with a controller I guess, but there you go.
    Giving it an 8.
  34. BrilloMcSporran
    Feb 12, 2015
    9
    Might have come from the consoles, but this was in my opinion one of the better games I've played recently.
    Sure it's had some problems, but they've been sorted out by and large.
  35. Not_Casual
    Feb 9, 2015
    0
    Since from software is shafting the pc users by not giving us a free upgrade to the scholar of the first sin, I am changing this rating to 0 for deceptive marketing.
  36. dlopatnikov
    Feb 8, 2015
    7
    Demon's souls was better. Dark souls was better. But somehow everyone thinks this game is the real deal. I don't know. I don't like the direction the series is going. But who am I to judge.
  37. cylentstorm
    Jan 16, 2015
    7
    Well, if you're familiar with From Software or the at least the first Dark Souls, this is more of the same, but in a slightly more polished package.

    If you're thinking about diving in for the first time, allow me to suggest trying before buying, because this is most definitely a niche game. The Dark Souls games are both praised and cursed because of their brutal and unforgiving level of    Well, if you're familiar with From Software or the at least the first Dark Souls, this is more of the same, but in a slightly more polished package.

    If you're thinking about diving in for the first time, allow me to suggest trying before buying, because this is most definitely a niche game. The Dark Souls games are both praised and cursed because of their brutal and unforgiving level of difficulty. Basically, any enemy that you face poses a deadly threat, especially for low-level characters and inexperienced players. They are definitely unique among action RPGs for that, if nothing else. The settings and overall style are interesting despite borrowing heavily from typical dark fantasy lore. The controls and combat mechanics are stiff but predictable, and actually deep and nuanced if you take the time to feel them out. Music is sparse, yet atmospheric, sound effects are solid, visuals are stylized and moody, but nothing spectacular. Menus are clunky at best, and do little to help ease one into the complicated systems that govern character development and outfitting. The game world holds many secrets but suffers from the same linear trappings as most action/adventure titles. The "multiplayer" component is...one of the many reasons that I recommend a trial run before you commit.

    Simply put: if punishing challenge and archaic game design aren't an issue for you, then Dark Souls II could be a good way to help satisfy the masochist in you.    … Expand
  38. animalwedding
    Jan 13, 2015
    9
    The worst entry in the Souls series is still leagues better than anything else I played in 2014. Where Dark Souls II lacks in atmosphere and intrigue, it makes up for with fluid controls and cheeky level design. I highly recommend a PS3 controller, but an XBox 360 controller will do in a pinch.
  39. doomraven0
    Jan 3, 2015
    10
    After playing the painful, ugly port of Dark Souls 1, I was worried about 2. However, every single nitpick I had with the first game's gameplay/systems and its PC port, especially the too dark, too muddy graphics has been addressed in the sequel. This game has put a bug in my brain in the best way possible. It has me addicted like Metroid/Bioshock/Resident Evil 4 and the satisfaction ofAfter playing the painful, ugly port of Dark Souls 1, I was worried about 2. However, every single nitpick I had with the first game's gameplay/systems and its PC port, especially the too dark, too muddy graphics has been addressed in the sequel. This game has put a bug in my brain in the best way possible. It has me addicted like Metroid/Bioshock/Resident Evil 4 and the satisfaction of designing new characters and finding new secrets and paths is very high. More so than DS1, I feel like when I die it was my fault thanks to the smoother combat for all types. It seems like the "cheap" kills from the first have been toned down in favor of higher skill combat (for instance, smaller parry windows, different sorcery timing and stamina use, and more difficult backstabs), which is an improvement. All in all, that sense of exploration and discovery combined with excellent risk/reward gameplay and combat is what makes the "Souls" games such a hit and this game has that in spades while also retaining the challenge of the series (difficulty-wise, all 3 "Souls" games feel roughly equal to me, but 2 was the first time I've died mostly in combat rather than environmental issues). I still don't give a crap about the world or characters-except Gavlan and Melentia- but when the gameplay, graphics, and loot are this good, it matters little to me. Enjoy!

    Note: Love all the cry babies giving this poor reviews for the PC port because they want to play everything with a keyboard and mouse. That's great, go play a dang FPS or MMO but you are truly an idiot to be expecting precision controls in a third person game on KB+M. I'm sure these same people pirate enough games to save the money and get an X1 controller which works perfectly.    … Expand
  40. twistedreal
    Dec 30, 2014
    8
    If it wasn't for the first Dark Souls this game would have received a 10/10 from me. Yes, this game was meant to be played with a gamepad, without it you will have a bad time.

    Graphics, controls, and combat is fun! Most enemies are tougher than the first game since they seem to lock on to the player better. It's not as easy to run behind them and expect free hits. Bosses though were a    If it wasn't for the first Dark Souls this game would have received a 10/10 from me. Yes, this game was meant to be played with a gamepad, without it you will have a bad time.

    Graphics, controls, and combat is fun! Most enemies are tougher than the first game since they seem to lock on to the player better. It's not as easy to run behind them and expect free hits. Bosses though were a bit of a letdown. I don't think there were any bosses that gave me much of a challenge. Many of the bosses I killed on my first encounter. One feature that I really liked were the areas that players could invade you in to stop you from reaching your goal!

    I knocked one point off the score because I felt that warping between bonfires was a lousy and lazy mechanic. I would have loved another world that was more connected like the first dark souls. I knocked another point off because the world wasn't very "dark" and there were zero NPC's that I remember.    … Expand
  41. optimus111
    Dec 28, 2014
    0
    TERRIBLE! Never even got a chance to play. The mouse and keyboard controls are broken. Publisher actually RECOMMENDS you play with an x-box controller ... ON A PC!
  42. truefreestyle
    Dec 28, 2014
    8
    While I frustratingly enjoyed the original Dark Souls. The second installment was in some ways more enjoyable and other ways not. The first pulled me into the gripping environmental storytelling and in-depth lore. On the other hand the original suffered from poor level design and a variety of badly executed controls / mechanics. While all of that is fixed in Dark Souls II, it takes severalWhile I frustratingly enjoyed the original Dark Souls. The second installment was in some ways more enjoyable and other ways not. The first pulled me into the gripping environmental storytelling and in-depth lore. On the other hand the original suffered from poor level design and a variety of badly executed controls / mechanics. While all of that is fixed in Dark Souls II, it takes several steps back in environmental storytelling, campaign that is far too long, and has a very small cast of interesting characters. This game is good though, just was primarily disappointed in the story elements that made the original Dark Souls so intriguing.… Expand
  43. 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
  44. 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
  45. 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
  46. jdelazzerm
    Oct 29, 2014
    8
    This game has extremely vague objectives, ridiculous difficulty, wonky hit detection, almost no exposition and frame rate issues (on 360 as far as i know). That being said it is by far the most satisfying game i have ever played, the deepest game i have ever played and probably the hardest.
  47. RingK
    Oct 28, 2014
    9
    Easier than its predecessor, less epic (bosses are not that awesome compared to the first dark souls), but they improved the combat system and the multiplayer part, one of the ebst game i ever played.
  48. xcolxmustardx
    Oct 27, 2014
    6
    Very disappointing. Gameplay is the same as the original Dark Souls, with small changes that don't really work to well. Infinite Life-gems make it so you don't have to conserve your healing potions at all. The PVP systems are poorly thought out and much more of a grind than they were in the original, which makes it way less enjoyable. (especially the Brotherhood of Blood.) They decidedVery disappointing. Gameplay is the same as the original Dark Souls, with small changes that don't really work to well. Infinite Life-gems make it so you don't have to conserve your healing potions at all. The PVP systems are poorly thought out and much more of a grind than they were in the original, which makes it way less enjoyable. (especially the Brotherhood of Blood.) They decided to sacrifice the story in this game for lore which makes it extremely boring and uninvolved. The world design (While beautiful) is poorly thought out, and doesn't intersect and build on itself the way the original Dark Souls did... (I'm looking at you "Shrine of Winter") I wasn't blown away by the difficulty, or by the puzzles, or challenging level designs the way I was with DKS1, (Sen's Fortress, Lost Izalith, Tomb of Giants, The Abyss, New Londo Ruins) and i found it annoying that the game decided to offer several different paths of travel, instead of guiding me to the areas that it wanted (In the early game) based on difficulty.
    Deciding to have someone else direct this game seriously hurt it's quality.
    I'm going back to the Undead Parish.    … Expand
  49. sergioauf
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    amazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazingamazing… Expand
  50. gannicus
    Oct 22, 2014
    10
    this game is a true test for the serious gamers... Its not casual in any sense of the word.. you will feel tortured and punished but successful completion will give you a sense of pride. The game is meant to be played with a controller and the standard graphics leave something to be desired but with the Gedosato mod downsampling from 4K it looks amazing... Seriously impressed
  51. Deroni76
    Oct 21, 2014
    10
    Gift this game to someone you hate, they'll probably kill themselves after having played 10 minutes of this, without you having to do anything with it. 10/10
  52. Ateb
    Oct 20, 2014
    10
    Great game!
    Finally a game for adults, and geeks. You need to know the mechanics before it become fun!

    So give it a try and don't get up before you've slain your first boss! which is a awesome feeling!
    After you defeated the single player game, jump in to multiplayer! Best multiplayer game I know!
  53. Celtish
    Oct 18, 2014
    10
    Took some getting used to after investing over 400 hours into the first dark souls, but well worth the effort.
    Rewarding as every and incredibly interesting if you take the time to delve into the deep mysterious lore of the world.
    A very enjoyable, yet tense experience. It definitely doesn't fall short in the difficulty department, it's visually stunning (Although some of the sights are    Took some getting used to after investing over 400 hours into the first dark souls, but well worth the effort.
    Rewarding as every and incredibly interesting if you take the time to delve into the deep mysterious lore of the world.
    A very enjoyable, yet tense experience. It definitely doesn't fall short in the difficulty department, it's visually stunning (Although some of the sights are little more than an illusion), the AI is as good as it needs to be, given the genre and the type of enemies.
    The boss fights leave little to be desired and the gameplay is fluid and responsive.    … Expand
  54. StaticSpine
    Oct 18, 2014
    10
    Spent tons of hours here after Dark Souls and Demon's Souls. The mechanics seems more polished this time, though the atmosphere is not that gloomy as it was in previous games. Won't make a lengthy review, I just say this: a solid entry in the series, very fun to play and worth your money/time.
  55. alexil
    Oct 17, 2014
    10
    Though PC controls part is problematic, I like this game very much. This is not exactly my type of game, but I gave it a try and I'm not disappointed. It has exact amount of challenge that I needed. Victories are greately satisfying. Tremendous replayability level. This game has a soul. Great game.
  56. BrutalBran95
    Oct 16, 2014
    0
    console port what else can I say anything thats a console port is flat out awful and doesnt get anything more then 0 from me its just a money grab and a screw you pc gamers im glad i didnt pay for this if you get what I mean even with a controller it doesnt fix its many problems which has already been said no point repeating
  57. Belydrith
    Oct 14, 2014
    8
    Generally speaking a decent sequel, but there's just too many unfulfilled promises made for this game.
    The graphics & lighting are not too bad, but definitely not what we were shown.
    The torch mechanics got pretty much removed completely due to the missing lighting. Then there's problems in comparasion with the original Dark Souls: - Combat mechanics changed, some weapon classes are    Generally speaking a decent sequel, but there's just too many unfulfilled promises made for this game.
    The graphics & lighting are not too bad, but definitely not what we were shown.
    The torch mechanics got pretty much removed completely due to the missing lighting.

    Then there's problems in comparasion with the original Dark Souls:
    - Combat mechanics changed, some weapon classes are now utterly useless (Scythe, ...)
    - Agility & invulnerability frames are a plague.
    - Bad level & world design.
    - Alot of recycling of enemies. Too many "guys with big swords".
    - Bonfire travel mechanic due to bad world design.
    - Somewhat boring bosses. At least 20 of those 35ish bosses are really simple and often even recycled as well.
    - And the list goes on..

    But especially to people that've never played the first game this will be a great game, for all others probably slightly less.    … Expand
  58. 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
  59. 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
  60. DRITZZ_ZARCON
    Oct 5, 2014
    9
    Seeing so many bad reviews I had to re-address the situation for what is an incredible game. I played the first Dark Souls on the Xbox and thus moving onto DS2 on the PC the graphics were much more polished and fluid, a BIG difference. Game play is hard but definitely rewarding, and love the way you can multiplayer the bosses etc.

    One of the best games I've played ever, that says a lot    Seeing so many bad reviews I had to re-address the situation for what is an incredible game. I played the first Dark Souls on the Xbox and thus moving onto DS2 on the PC the graphics were much more polished and fluid, a BIG difference. Game play is hard but definitely rewarding, and love the way you can multiplayer the bosses etc.

    One of the best games I've played ever, that says a lot considering I've been playing games across multiple formats for many a year.Loved it!

    I play with the xbox 360 controller which is fine, and anyone playing with a keyboard and mouse should go out and but a xbox adapter and a 360 controller as so many games now support this    … Expand
  61. 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
  62. 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.
  63. paul_
    Sep 26, 2014
    9
    Great game! But not without fails. Controls are awful, graphics are not so good at all but overall strong 9 from me. If you fan of hardcore RPG + hack and slash - grab it !
  64. LuckyJord
    Sep 23, 2014
    9
    Now I'm just gonna go ahead and say I have the game for both console and PC and let me just say that the game is phenomenal, it is a truly amazing game, sure there are a lot of bad things about the game as well as there are good things but let me lay it down like this.

    The Pros are as follows; 1.Co-op - Haters come at me but co-op is amazing and especially fulfilling in this game, sure    Now I'm just gonna go ahead and say I have the game for both console and PC and let me just say that the game is phenomenal, it is a truly amazing game, sure there are a lot of bad things about the game as well as there are good things but let me lay it down like this.

    The Pros are as follows;
    1.Co-op - Haters come at me but co-op is amazing and especially fulfilling in this game, sure it's less hardcore to go in with a friend but at least in this DS2 they improve the functionality of co-op by adding the name engraved ring (It allows you to pick a specific server to make co-oping with friends easier). Now say you are struggling and being destroyed by a boss that you just cant seem to get past and you're close to giving up, boom you can summon other players from their worlds and they can help you, sometimes teaching you new secrets as well such as hidden walls and other things throughout the area before the boss.
    2.The Story - Now don't you dare tell me that there is no story because there is, it's difficult to find the story because there is no narrator feeding you the story like other typical games, items tell you snippets of the lore behind characters or places, the story itself is really interesting and very in depth, although there are some unexplained things but the story is something unique in itself, if you want to know the lore without the hassle, look up a Youtuber called epicnamebro, he'll tell you all you need to know.
    3.The PVP - Yes there are hackers, yes there are people who troll and do cheap tactics, but that doesn't matter, you can knock hackers into lava or into an abyss or do other kinds of things to get rid of them or simply overcome the cheap or troll with sheer skill which makes it that much more satisfying. The PVP is fun, seeing other peoples characters with different cool armour combinations or weapon setups is genuinely interesting and you can do some really cool setups to stand out. There are certain areas that are intended for PVP like the Door of Pharros which is a labyrinth where you force other players to invade you and you can set traps using lockstones to make it harder but I won't tell you how to exactly do that.
    4.Combat - Now there are different styles to combat such as dual wielding and power stancing which make dull weapons like daggers much more interesting with extra move sets, but that's best left for another time. There is a huge combat variation, you could be a defensive turtle who likes to cast pyromancies while wielding a giant club bearing heavy armour, you could be a hexer who also uses sorceries, miracles and pyromancies which would make you a true spell user and give you huge variety in spells. Or you could be a deadly assassin type character with high Dexterity and a fully upgraded dagger to critical hit your opponent to death, the choice is up to you.

    There is more but I am limited with space so I'll move on to the cons

    The Cons are as follows;
    1.Graphics - Now before anyone slaps me in the face saying the graphics are decent or they aren't an issue I fully understand that, I mean I play the game on Xbox so lets be real here, the game does have a lot of textures that are just copy+pasted on walls or on ceilings or even on the floor but the games graphic beauty comes from the bosses, the equipment and the cloth textures (which aren't the best but I like them), but I think it might be an aesthetic thing since Demon Souls and Dark Souls pretty much look the same.
    2.Network - The networks suck lets face it, people have issues all the time with trying to play with other players or disconnecting during fights and things like that. If your connection is good however then you shouldn't have any lag issues unless the other guy is from Japan of course or if they have bad internet, at least it's an improvement on Dark Souls.
    3.Difficulty - No I am not complaining about how the game is too hard or anything like that, I am complaining about how the game is too easy...at least on the first playthrough, granted that the game gets harder but because of a bunch of babies who complained about Dark Souls 1 being too hard, From Software decided to dumb it down a lot to make the game more accessible for the casual gamers, some bosses were genuinely difficult (Smelter Demon took me at least 6 tries before getting it right) but some were a joke like that Jabba the Hutt looking thing in Harvest Valley.
    Music - There is barely any music in the game bar some boss music and that honestly disappoints me, I know it's not been a staple of the series but something for the sake of ambience would be nice. Just a personal little gripe though.

    This is gaming from a GENUINE gamer who actually bought the game 2 days after release and has played it thoroughly and will be buying the DLC later this week. Also to the people who gave this a low rating, stop being a fricking moron and buy a gamepad for the game, it's obvious that it's going to be stupidly difficult on keyboard. Amateurs.    … Expand
  65. adyry
    Sep 22, 2014
    10
    Despite 1000 programs needed for it to run in a cool and proper way (GeDoSaTo for letterbox fix, RadeonPro for 30fps lock (weapon durability fix, essential for brittle lances, which would break twice faster on 60 fps), x360ce for xbox controller emulation (that's 3, but it's still a lot)) this game is one of the best games I've played so far, and I've played a lot. Albeit, I could see someDespite 1000 programs needed for it to run in a cool and proper way (GeDoSaTo for letterbox fix, RadeonPro for 30fps lock (weapon durability fix, essential for brittle lances, which would break twice faster on 60 fps), x360ce for xbox controller emulation (that's 3, but it's still a lot)) this game is one of the best games I've played so far, and I've played a lot. Albeit, I could see some major improvements in NG+ (as your character from NG just PWNS almost everything in NG+) there's also nothing new and motivating to go beyond NG+, as even NG+ develops almost nothing new in comparison to NG. Items should scale with lvl as in borderlands. Game have its mood, and sound accompanying "you died" message will remain in your brain for long time. ;) Still, the game gets too easy as you pass ~60% mark, especially if you know what items you should look for and when you know which bosses you should beat twice in order to get pro eq. This knowledge requirement will also throw you for hours into dark souls wikis, in order to know which item is the best, and which is not.… Expand
  66. Raven25
    Sep 20, 2014
    10
    I am an RPG fan. This is by FAR the best RPG that I have ever played. I will never pick up Diablo, Skyrim, Neverwinter or any other simplistic hack 'n' slash again. This game is not for the faint hearted. It is HARD but very gratifying when you win.
  67. metalic-surface
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    incredible, awesome and a lot of great words about this shinny game. DS2 changed my game vision to another direction. Now the most games aren't interesting, so easy, so stupid by design. DS it's unique world

    don't read this negative **** DS2 is awesome
  68. Squeze
    Sep 18, 2014
    7
    I had great expectations on this game so I might be a little upset when writing this.
    Basically this game is the same as Dark Souls II, but someway worse.
    Why? It's a lot easier!! 1) Since the very beginning you can travel around bonfires you discovered and this is a MASSIVE help as I find myself dying a lot on the first one especially when travelling to reach a safe bonfire and spend    I had great expectations on this game so I might be a little upset when writing this.
    Basically this game is the same as Dark Souls II, but someway worse.
    Why? It's a lot easier!!
    1) Since the very beginning you can travel around bonfires you discovered and this is a MASSIVE help as I find myself dying a lot on the first one especially when travelling to reach a safe bonfire and spend my souls.
    2) You will farm thousands of items to heal you, I finished the game with more than 50 healing items that really makes the estus flask not that vital anymore.
    3) There are 30+ bosses but 80% of them are so easy that you can beat em by yourself without any help! Probably if you are good some of them wont even hit you once.
    Is true, you can choose the champions path and do all by yourself and solve part of this problem, but still some bosses are almost silly (and I played without any magic or fire stuff and without following any guide)

    Pvp is decent but finite to few areas, and what is really lacking is the old style random invasion by random guy that wants to steal your souls, I played almost 50 hrs in this game and I have not been invaded once!! Not a single time!!.

    Would I recommend it? Yes, still it's a very good game with a unique dark atmosphere and still is harder than most of the games around, but the first was better.

    Pros
    + Larger map and more areas
    + Nice atmosphere as usual
    + Many bosses
    Cons
    -...but most of them quite weak
    -Basically easier than dark souls I and the difficulty is the SOUL of this game :)

    77/100    … Expand
  69. Ireland914
    Sep 18, 2014
    9
    Never have I been so close to ragequitting/uninstalling a game only to end up enjoying every second of it. Steep learning curve and a throwback to when games were actually challenging and didn't hold your hand all the way through. Intense atmosphere and thrilling gameplay. So many various routes to take to play through and a very rewarding sense of accomplishment every time you make itNever have I been so close to ragequitting/uninstalling a game only to end up enjoying every second of it. Steep learning curve and a throwback to when games were actually challenging and didn't hold your hand all the way through. Intense atmosphere and thrilling gameplay. So many various routes to take to play through and a very rewarding sense of accomplishment every time you make it past that seemingly undefeatable boss. Runs flawlessly on PC at the time of my purchase. Not a scrappy co sole port like some user's have suggested. An Xbox controller recommended for the best experience.… Expand
  70. destructive41
    Sep 17, 2014
    10
    I think DARK SOULS II is indeed the best RPG game I´ve ever played, there are so many games like that, but nothing compares. Thanks for bringing back this incredible simulation of death!
  71. Asgrimr
    Sep 16, 2014
    8
    Firstly, this is not a game for people who desire entertainment from a mainstream source. Dark Souls II is a punishing game, that rewards your mistimed slash with a huge loss of health. Every single hit counts in Dark Souls 2, and every mistake will prove to be hugely fatal.

    The combat is not entirely fun, per se, but relies more on timing than anything. Deciding to parry or block would    Firstly, this is not a game for people who desire entertainment from a mainstream source. Dark Souls II is a punishing game, that rewards your mistimed slash with a huge loss of health. Every single hit counts in Dark Souls 2, and every mistake will prove to be hugely fatal.

    The combat is not entirely fun, per se, but relies more on timing than anything. Deciding to parry or block would signify a change in pacing. There is no certain path to choose in DS II, and it definitely does not hold your hand through the beginning, and the control scheme for people using keyboards may find it difficult to adjust. To say the least, there is a steep learning curve. The story, is somewhat original and is interesting, but it's not given to the player in a cohesive way that RPGs are meant to give. Nevertheless, the game is addicting, and will attract hardcore gamers from all genres. I would recommend this game to hardcore RPG fans, as well as people who would want a challenge.    … Expand
  72. MajorMartyn
    Sep 13, 2014
    9
    In all honesty, dark souls 2 has some issues. From bizarre scaling to the broken co-op. But really, this game wasn't made to be played with friends. The atmosphere is phenomenal. The overall quality of gameplay and replayability I would rate among some of the best I have ever played. I get frustrated and say I will never play again. However, something draws me back in and I continue. HereIn all honesty, dark souls 2 has some issues. From bizarre scaling to the broken co-op. But really, this game wasn't made to be played with friends. The atmosphere is phenomenal. The overall quality of gameplay and replayability I would rate among some of the best I have ever played. I get frustrated and say I will never play again. However, something draws me back in and I continue. Here on my main in NG5 I'm missing out on a lot of co-op. This game has something most games are missing these days, challenge. It is a shining example of how just the right amount of difficulty can make a game accessible, without making it impossible or unfair. I have 100's of hours in Dark Souls 2 and plan on a few hundred more. Fantastic game.… Expand
  73. pattyT
    Sep 13, 2014
    9
    The first game was GREAT and this game improves/fixes many of the issues with the first game. PvP is more balanced than ever before after a few patches. I would give the game a 10 if it weren't for the Soul Memory mechanic used for matchmaking. It doesn't destroy the game, but it does eliminate the idea of creating a "build" when there is no reason to not level up to max and become aThe first game was GREAT and this game improves/fixes many of the issues with the first game. PvP is more balanced than ever before after a few patches. I would give the game a 10 if it weren't for the Soul Memory mechanic used for matchmaking. It doesn't destroy the game, but it does eliminate the idea of creating a "build" when there is no reason to not level up to max and become a jack of all trades.

    The PvE part of the game is excellent and I highly recommenced getting the DLC... it actually gets better with each new part added!    … Expand
  74. Spyros_spy
    Sep 13, 2014
    9
    The game is a masterpiece for the hardcore gamers! Normally the first game of the series is the best and the rest go down the hill but this one I pre-ordered and loved it. I played it with an Xbox controller and was just fine. Can't say anything about the story, since it's Dark Souls, you don't know what to do or where to go!
  75. Llaerrick
    Sep 12, 2014
    6
    post-patches, it's a decent enough game but still doesn't feel as substantial or fulfilling as DS1. for hardcore keyboard users, again the control scheme leaves a lot to be desired. it can still be good fun and the combat can be really challenging (yes, you will die a lot). unfortunately, something still feels missing (not enough soul) in DS2: having chalked up more than 700 hours on DS1,post-patches, it's a decent enough game but still doesn't feel as substantial or fulfilling as DS1. for hardcore keyboard users, again the control scheme leaves a lot to be desired. it can still be good fun and the combat can be really challenging (yes, you will die a lot). unfortunately, something still feels missing (not enough soul) in DS2: having chalked up more than 700 hours on DS1, i find myself beating the game after less than 30 hours and having less desire for further play-throughs (whereas in DS1 i replayed the game so many times with so many different builds)… Expand
  76. Stormy_alpha
    Sep 12, 2014
    8
    I like Dark Souls II, and although the game doesn't surpass the original, it is certanly a worthy sucessor. The only things i find missing or at fault with this game are the bad pc port, the overly bright scenario (on a side note, it is kind of ridiculous how the protagonist seems to shine in the dark) and the somewhat ridiculous weapons it sometimes presents (although this problem is notI like Dark Souls II, and although the game doesn't surpass the original, it is certanly a worthy sucessor. The only things i find missing or at fault with this game are the bad pc port, the overly bright scenario (on a side note, it is kind of ridiculous how the protagonist seems to shine in the dark) and the somewhat ridiculous weapons it sometimes presents (although this problem is not relly uncommon or unnexpected from an RPG).
    Asside from that i really had fun while playing it, it was a chalenging experience with some good memories to take from it, and the first time i remember having to struggle to defeat a boss in a long time (since Dark Souls a least).
    I recomend it    … Expand
  77. coldasStone
    Sep 9, 2014
    10
    Very GOOD! i like Dark Souls Difficulty
    so i hope more hard difficulty to melee Character on next Dark Souls III or somthing
    just one problem is online Hack users.
  78. Wishdokkta
    Sep 7, 2014
    3
    An excellent concept, pretty well drawn but with a couple of major flaws.

    1. It is a console port. Sadly, the PC version has been lazily coded, all of the console buttons remain almost essential in order to enjoy the experience, mouse and keyboard are next to useless. A real disapointment leaving me thinking the PC version was a pure "cash-in" on the part of the developers. 2. You    An excellent concept, pretty well drawn but with a couple of major flaws.

    1. It is a console port. Sadly, the PC version has been lazily coded, all of the console buttons remain almost essential in order to enjoy the experience, mouse and keyboard are next to useless. A real disapointment leaving me thinking the PC version was a pure "cash-in" on the part of the developers.

    2. You will receive next to no help. You are on your own with this - there is virtually no tutorial and no intuitive help at all. Oh there are some guides in game on what to press but...you guessed it....they are all console buttons.

    Overall, a game that is undoubtedly great on PS3/Xbox, but PC gamers should avoid it. Extremely over-rated.    … Expand
  79. goodgoy
    Sep 6, 2014
    4
    At the time of writing, Metacritic ranks Dark Souls II as one of the top 100 PC games ever released, with a critical reception comparable to that received by landmarks such as Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, and the original Deus Ex. However, unlike the aforementioned masterpieces, and contrary to what this game's advocates would have you believe, this is a game which is certainlyAt the time of writing, Metacritic ranks Dark Souls II as one of the top 100 PC games ever released, with a critical reception comparable to that received by landmarks such as Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, and the original Deus Ex. However, unlike the aforementioned masterpieces, and contrary to what this game's advocates would have you believe, this is a game which is certainly unworthy of its hype. Discounting the issues resulting from what is essentially a quick and dirty console port (which are detailed extensively in many other reviews), the game soon reveals its many lacklustre gameplay aspects.

    This series' main claim to fame is its relentless difficulty; however, Dark Souls II seldom presents any challenge containing what could be regarded as "legitimate" difficultly. That is to say, all that is needed to overcome any given enemy is to exploit its very predictable AI; to learn its attack pattern, and by extension, learn when to move, when to dodge, when to block, when to attack, etc. and repeat until said enemy is defeated. The only other difficulty comes from plain unfairness in the NPCs' advantages over the player; enemies are able to attack the player through walls and through other enemies with no consequence, have infinite ammunition, often have an extremely disproportionate amount of health and/or damage potential, and so forth.

    By resetting enemy spawns and returning the player to the start of an area upon death, the game could appear "hardcore" to a gamer growing up playing games with checkpoints and regenerating health, but this does not add any inherent difficulty to the actual gameplay; it only serves to increase the gameplay time without increasing progression, and thus increase tediousness and frustration. Neither of the two aforementioned elements (predictable AI, often with an unfair advantage over the player, and a reset of progress after failure) are anything new; countless arcade games did the same thing more than 20 years ago. So why has this game attained such an astounding level of critical and commercial success? It certainly can't be from the sub-par visual quality, bland art direction, directionless, pseudo-nonlinear environment, or the brain-dead friendly NPCs.

    The answer is that, prior to the Souls series, console gaming had not seen a critically acclaimed revival of such arcade mechanics, in the skin of a AAA RPG (published by Namco Bandai), in a significant amount of time. In the age of hand-holding and blinking arrows, a game like Dark Souls II is seen as revelatory. Critical acclaim begets hype, and hype begets popularity. And of course, the average "real gamer" is unwilling to call out this game's vapidness in fear of others insinuating that they found the game too difficult, calling their legitimacy as a "real gamer" into question. And so the resounding opinion is that of how glorious the emperor's new clothes are. However, those either secure in their own gaming ability or just not stupid enough to care about such trivialities, and old enough to have owned an SNES, will see games such as this for what they are.    … Expand
  80. Geekcrux
    Sep 5, 2014
    3
    My friend constantly raved about how this game was so great because it is challenging. I agree that it was very challenging at time. What the developers of this game forgot to put in this game was fun.

    I beat the game (minus the ancient dragon) and other than a sense of achievement in over coming the challenge, it was not fun. I do not feel relaxed. If anything the more I played this    My friend constantly raved about how this game was so great because it is challenging. I agree that it was very challenging at time. What the developers of this game forgot to put in this game was fun.

    I beat the game (minus the ancient dragon) and other than a sense of achievement in over coming the challenge, it was not fun. I do not feel relaxed. If anything the more I played this game the more despair and stress I developed. When it was over I was happy. Not happy because the game fulfilled me but happy that I can uninstall it and never play this game again.    … Expand
  81. deathschemist
    Sep 4, 2014
    9
    this game is truely exquisite, one of my favourites of this generation. However its predecessor was superior in almost every way. this has a lot of fake difficulty and the enemy designs, while servicable, are uninspired compared to dark souls 1

    don't get me wrong, i'd rather be playing dark souls 2 than most other games from the last 5 years, but dark souls 1 is just far superior
  82. 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.
  83. kyle9275
    Sep 1, 2014
    8
    After many hours and multiple playthroughs I can honestly say this game is great. It is as difficult as you could expect from a Souls game and the port is leaps and bounds ahead of the first installment on PC. I thoroughly enjoyed playing as various types of characters, and although some styles of play may not suit my fancy as much as others, each is rewarding in their own way. Game PlayAfter many hours and multiple playthroughs I can honestly say this game is great. It is as difficult as you could expect from a Souls game and the port is leaps and bounds ahead of the first installment on PC. I thoroughly enjoyed playing as various types of characters, and although some styles of play may not suit my fancy as much as others, each is rewarding in their own way. Game Play gets a solid 10/10

    My problems start arising with the poor graphics. This game, when I first looked at the trailers, promised next gen graphics with advanced lighting and particles, and improved resolutions. While we got the resolutions or the most part, lighting, particles, and textures are overall bland and leave the world much less beautiful than it could potentially be. The physics are good but sometimes the controls can lag or overcompensate leaving you wondering, "how did that even happen?". Overall, Graphics and Physics gets a decent 6.5/10. They simply aren't up to snuff when you look at modern games, considering the age.

    Sounds. Sounds in this game I find to be acceptable. if you're using surround sound or simulated surround headphones the sounds can be very informative and be the difference between life or death in an instant. Overall I have no major qualms with the sounds as they are generally good and the soundtrack lends itself to the overall atmosphere of the game quite effectively. Sounds get a 9/10

    The last thing I want to mention is the multiplayer system of this game. While it is at times easy to find people to play with, it is very sporadic. Usually help can be found in front of boss fog or at the beginning of difficult areas, which is fine, and also optional for those who don't want to play with any help. Invasions are the same as the first installment, sometimes rather annoying and unfair. Its never fun being stalked by the same lvl 200 player over and over again when you're just trying to reach the next boss room in an area at lvl 45. But invasions, like helpful multiplayer, is part of how the Souls multiplayer system works, and they are acceptable. The major flaw of multiplayer that has plagued Souls games is the lack of ability to find your friends, in specific, in game. While Souls games are supposed to feel rather lonely, if multiplayer is an option, why not be able to play with friends? It just doesn't make sense and is quite an irritant. Hopefully a mod similar to the first Dark Souls will come out to enable friend to friend play. Multiplayer gets a satisfactory 7/10.

    so 10 + 6.5 + 9 + 7/40 = 8.125 ~= 8/10

    Overall, a great game and well worth the money I spent to buy it on release, despite the pet peeves and lack-luster graphics. As with any game of this size, it is not without its' glitches, but it is an amazing game and well worth the purchase.    … Expand
  84. derpyyy
    Aug 27, 2014
    9
    Using mouse and keyboard here and have over 300 hours logged into the game.

    I have bound all attack buttons to keyboard keys and use "glovepie" to emulate keyboard button presses with mouse button presses (other programs which do that work as well and there are a few guides on that bu i personally just happen to have used glovepie before) Only bad thing about the game are the    Using mouse and keyboard here and have over 300 hours logged into the game.

    I have bound all attack buttons to keyboard keys and use "glovepie" to emulate keyboard button presses with mouse button presses (other programs which do that work as well and there are a few guides on that bu i personally just happen to have used glovepie before)

    Only bad thing about the game are the occasional laggers (no servers! P2P multiplayer) hackers/cheaters (even on steam) in multiplayer. If Fromsoft could fix their multiplayer in some way so that lag and cheating is no longer an issue it would get a perfect score.    … Expand
  85. johnykorry
    Aug 27, 2014
    9
    Love dark souls 2. If you are into melee fighting you must buy it. Great bosses, great mechanics, nice armors, pvp is interesting. and beautiful dark locations. Lots of replay ability.
  86. llamayarmybar
    Aug 26, 2014
    6
    Unbelievable. I'm fifteen minutes in and just had to put down the controller. What is this supposed to be? Dark Souls had a specific flow to it, it had a way of pointing you in the direction you needed to go, but here? The first area of the game before you even REACH the main hub is so poorly laid out that I got lost near the introduction of the game. The controls and gameplay areUnbelievable. I'm fifteen minutes in and just had to put down the controller. What is this supposed to be? Dark Souls had a specific flow to it, it had a way of pointing you in the direction you needed to go, but here? The first area of the game before you even REACH the main hub is so poorly laid out that I got lost near the introduction of the game. The controls and gameplay are more or less intact, but their is some kind of a clunky nature to it now that just doesn't feel right. The visuals are atrocious as well and it was hard to take it all in. In the PC release it seems this time they fixed half of what they forget to even add in the last Dark Souls game, but visually it fairs far worse. I think this Dark Souls fad is finally dying out. I remember having very mixed feelings after finishing the first game, but with Dark Souls 2 for me at least their is just no motivation to play these types of games any longer.… Expand
  87. sonarctica
    Aug 26, 2014
    6
    After revisiting this game and putting around 150 hours into this (I know how the **** did I manage to waste my life with this game) including both DLC's.

    I gotta say, go play Dark Souls 1. This game is just **** broken, half-arsed level design, non-memorable bosses (they are absolutely garbage). You shouldn't even consider PvP, it is filled with hackers and people who use tools to    After revisiting this game and putting around 150 hours into this (I know how the **** did I manage to waste my life with this game) including both DLC's.

    I gotta say, go play Dark Souls 1. This game is just **** broken, half-arsed level design, non-memorable bosses (they are absolutely garbage). You shouldn't even consider PvP, it is filled with hackers and people who use tools to modify their stats and give themselves late game items even when they are low lvl. If you do manage to get someone who isn't hacking, the combat is very unbalanced as well as the fact that the lag is unbearable even though you have a good connection, they don't even need to be famous lag-switchers for this to happen (backstabbing from the front, instantly killed without knowing what hit you).

    I've played both DLC's they've pulled out of their asses so far, first one Crown of The Sunken King wasn't very good, bosses and enemies were just unoriginal and boring. Second DLC Crown of the Old Iron King, I played it a few hours so far and I got to say... it's been painfully crap, not because it was hard, because it was way too easy. Their idea of making the difficulty harder was by adding just more enemies to gank you, even then it wasn't exactly hard.    … Expand
  88. Alsmir
    Aug 25, 2014
    7
    Short version: decent, fun game, has a lot to offer but it also has some major flaws.

    I haven't really spend that much time with DS 1, since I got quite disappointed that RPG elements were marginal and it was mostly action game. I've got convinced by one of my friends to try out DS 2. He claimed that DS 2 got vastly improved compared to DS 1 and I should give it a shot. This time I was    Short version: decent, fun game, has a lot to offer but it also has some major flaws.

    I haven't really spend that much time with DS 1, since I got quite disappointed that RPG elements were marginal and it was mostly action game.
    I've got convinced by one of my friends to try out DS 2. He claimed that DS 2 got vastly improved compared to DS 1 and I should give it a shot. This time I was well aware that I'm going after action title and my expectations were lowered so in theory nothing should go wrong.

    Unfortunately the beginnings were far from great. Any PC user that tried playing DS knows how badly ported it was. I honestly couldn't believe that in that area not much have changed. You don't need mouse fix anymore and the game is playable on keyboard+mouse combo, BUT you better think about binding your regular and strong attacks to keys. Some special attacks (guard break, jumping attack) just refuse to work if you use LMB/RMB + forward. They do work for forward + (insert some binding, like "R" key).

    Rough start, eh? All the in-game cues point you to controller bindings, so you better get ready to memorize what binding is "X", "Y", "RT" etc.
    On top of that tutorial once again only covers most basic elements of the game. If you want to learn anything more complex - get ready to spend hours reading guides and DS 2 wiki.

    This time I just got over it and started enjoying the game. The game can be challenging and bring a lot of fun. I'm enjoyin it but I want to mention some of the issues I've had with this game so far. Don't get me wrong: I'm not trying to discourage players from buying it, but rather warn them what problems they might encounter. If those problems won't bother them then by all means get the game and enjoy it.

    Lets get to the issues that piss me off the most:
    1. PvP
    I love PvP, but to be precise, balanced and fair PvP. DS 2 has a potential to offer that if lag could be fixed or matchmaker reworked.
    But what if you're not in the mood for PvP? What if you're a complete newbie that just wants to complete PvE content?
    Suck it. No other way of avoiding PvP unless you go offline and give up your ability to summon players for co-op. In your first playthrough you will get clubbed over and over again by players with PvP focused characters. Expect to get invaded in the middle of a fight, when you're low on hp and/or spell uses just to be 1 hit and loose humanity. Expect to get invaded by more than one player if you visit ceratain areas.

    Matchmaker itself is designed in a way that will mostly punish new players. Your power level is decided by how many souls have you spent so far. Basically if you buy a new spell/armor/weapon just to test it, even if it turns out that it sucks and you'll never use it again, game decides that your character just got stronger.
    PvPers that only get the essential items for their build will get even more advantage over you.

    Anyway, you just have to live with it, so what else might ruin your day? Lets see:

    - Level design. I've never encountered in any other game so many moments where I felt the game developers added some elements just to troll me. I get it - you need to be carefull all the time to survive, but a sudden hole filled with poison, all the lava pits, cliffs etc. Too many times I had to discover that blocking some attack will still knock me back far enough to fall into water and die. And of course there's also a lovely bridge with a hole in the middle of it and all those ledges where you are almost sure that you can make the jump only to die.

    Moreover I fell like most of the areas are quite boring and there are hardly any memorable boss fights but that's just my opinion.

    Another issue I've discovered when I decided to play evenly on two characters: pure caster and pure melee. Well, the balance sucks, sucks really bad. There are maybe a couple of areas where I was feeling more comfortable on my melee character rather than on my caster. It gets even more obvious if you use co-op for fighting bosses. On a caster you just stand back and nuke with hard hitting spells, while melee blocks, dodges, rolls only to get 2s window for hitting the enemy and repeat.
    Face it, in PvE caster has easier life.

    Oh, the story is almost non-existant, but I really don't mind it.

    To be honest, I've expected more. We deserve the proper support for mouse+keyboard and some aspects of the game require serious polishing. On the other hand, if you can live with all the problems I mentioned above, you're up for a great experience and many, many hours of fun.    … Expand
  89. 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.
  90. 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
  91. 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
  92. LazyHero
    Aug 22, 2014
    10
    Really liked the game, the difficulty is present, but it is always in abundance, and if you lose everything, it is not particularly difficult to return to the state of readiness, the story is quite extensive, there are certainly problems with the fact that I got used to easy games, hard to get used to the fact that skipped beats can be lethal, even when you're in heavy armor and all pastReally liked the game, the difficulty is present, but it is always in abundance, and if you lose everything, it is not particularly difficult to return to the state of readiness, the story is quite extensive, there are certainly problems with the fact that I got used to easy games, hard to get used to the fact that skipped beats can be lethal, even when you're in heavy armor and all past shocks could.… Expand
  93. JLK88
    Aug 21, 2014
    10
    Dark Souls II has a fantastic visual art style with great atmosphere. The graphics have a unique touch that was familiar in Dark Souls 1. Music and sounds are spot on. The gameplay stays true to the first Dark Souls while optimizing it further. There needs to be more games like this.
  94. Immorta
    Aug 14, 2014
    10
    Game is amazing and works great on PC.. People are mad because they suck at the game.

    I will admit after stomping Dark Souls one completely (using a controller.. DS 1 was a HORRIBLE console port) this game does feel a little easier to play. That is a problem with making the games so similar. Veterans are really good and new players will flounder. That aside, PC controls are great and    Game is amazing and works great on PC.. People are mad because they suck at the game.

    I will admit after stomping Dark Souls one completely (using a controller.. DS 1 was a HORRIBLE console port) this game does feel a little easier to play. That is a problem with making the games so similar. Veterans are really good and new players will flounder.

    That aside, PC controls are great and the game is extremely fun, maybe not as good as Dark Souls 1 in level design and feeling.. but pretty damn close.

    Still gotta give it a 10.    … Expand
  95. Nevextra
    Aug 13, 2014
    3
    This feels cheap giving this game a bad score for the very reason the first was so famous but i can't in good conscience praise this game the developers forgot how to make a good game the first game used difficulty as a means of immersion part of the story and it lore was so thick you needed an axe to cut through it and understand it all, but this is just not in the same ball park ofThis feels cheap giving this game a bad score for the very reason the first was so famous but i can't in good conscience praise this game the developers forgot how to make a good game the first game used difficulty as a means of immersion part of the story and it lore was so thick you needed an axe to cut through it and understand it all, but this is just not in the same ball park of quality the difficulty is there for its own sake imposing and obnoxious the game them in a blindingly dumb move it is also not there as enemies with stop spawn after an allotted amount of deaths making it impossible to farm items, armour or weapons off enemies on any meaningful way the bosses are not memorable in the slightest and the weapon movesets for certain weapons are just weird, but all that that aside the worst sin the game commits the nerfing of rolling you know the action you use to evade attacks and necessary for two hand weapon well instead of defined tiers and set invincibility frame between them your invincibility frame are tied to multiples stats killing the feasibility of two hand builds. The job endurance of dark souls 1 has been spread across two stat making it harder to make melee builds. The number of groups in the game has been increased no doubt to serve the difficulty of the game. The covenants are inferior also multiple covenants are complete busted because the developers didn't add items for support the covenants in dark souls 1 all covenants required the player to offer items to rank up and ALL items could be farmed in dark souls 1 unlike this game and its broken farming and if that wasn't bad enough some covenants mandate pvp interaction to rank up, in dark souls 1 the online was there to support the singleplayer and the atmosphere the game wanted in this game the multiplayer is left to fend of itself and the controls aren't meant for pvp you can take a dune buggy to a race track but don't expect to beat a track car.
    I could go on and on listing all my problems with the game and all the things that make it inferior to dark souls 1 are all to serve a difficulty the game undermine with its own mechanics.

    So in summary:
    Unnecessary difficulty (that game breaks itself)
    Broken farming (leads to pseudo RPG limbo)
    Broken covenants (lack of permanent item make this rare)
    Weird weapons movesets (personally issue (sue me))
    Clunky leveling stats (makes unduly hard to level efficiently)    … Expand
  96. aad
    Aug 13, 2014
    9
    What an amazing game.

    The satisfaction that comes from beating a boss solo after failing again and again, and again, and again. There is no feeling like this in any other game. Because you know that each time you died you got a little better. And even though the bosses seemed at first impossible, they were in their own way still fair. This one of the best combat action game I've ever    What an amazing game.

    The satisfaction that comes from beating a boss solo after failing again and again, and again, and again. There is no feeling like this in any other game. Because you know that each time you died you got a little better. And even though the bosses seemed at first impossible, they were in their own way still fair.

    This one of the best combat action game I've ever played. The fact it's also a role-playing game that makes you invest a part of yourself takes it to another level.

    I didn't give it a perfect 10 because of the online pvp issues. Hackers are abundant and I don't like that pvp is sometimes forced. I enjoy pvp but I did not enjoy some of the mechanics that promoted ganking like the bell tower or certain areas of the game.

    Still a classic, and could very well be one of the best series of all time.    … Expand
  97. Dzoki
    Aug 13, 2014
    10
    I like this rpg so much. From start it take you on battlefield, you need to survive, equip, loot and even dont died. Sooo like.. From 1, second version looks more advanced and pretty, graphic isnt best, but who cares about graphic ? For me its black horse for 2014, even DLC content looks nice for that money. So guys buy it, buy milk, cacao go to pc and start the best rpg journey right now ;)
  98. Ravvy
    Aug 11, 2014
    6
    This Game does not focus on any of the things which made Dark Souls great. The background story is lame, the NPC's have no own characteristics and the level design is just bad. The whole game feels from the beginning like it's all about the player instead of the world and other the characters. Because of logically impossible maps, bad boss design and artificial difficulty created byThis Game does not focus on any of the things which made Dark Souls great. The background story is lame, the NPC's have no own characteristics and the level design is just bad. The whole game feels from the beginning like it's all about the player instead of the world and other the characters. Because of logically impossible maps, bad boss design and artificial difficulty created by spamming great ammounts of enemies on the player even in boss fights not much is left from the epicness Hidetaka Miyazaki gave us in the first game.
    One good thing about this game is the better working multiplayer but everything else except some small changes is a huge downgrade to previous Souls Games.

    Fromsoftware Team B! If anyone of you is reading this, I just wanna tell you you are doing things wrong.    … Expand
  99. anggadaz
    Aug 8, 2014
    8
    Dark souls 2 is great game. This game has great graphic. The game is game is so real, if you stabbed by enemy you die. Not like other game use hit point until you die.
  100. Khyrian
    Jul 30, 2014
    0
    I can't fathom the number of tens that this game has garnered on PC. Even after patches, it's unplayable without a 360 controller, and with one, the control system is still bizarre and laggy. The graphics are state of the art for something that hit the market in the mid 90s, the sound is laughably bad, and the writing is up to the par that one would see in a remedial grade 8 English class.I can't fathom the number of tens that this game has garnered on PC. Even after patches, it's unplayable without a 360 controller, and with one, the control system is still bizarre and laggy. The graphics are state of the art for something that hit the market in the mid 90s, the sound is laughably bad, and the writing is up to the par that one would see in a remedial grade 8 English class. It's been said that one needs to sink at least one gameplay into the title before discovering the depth of challenge, fun and novelty; there's a term for that: horrendous game design. I can understand a rating over five for those who find this to be their cup of tea, but those who are giving perfect scores need to invest in a head check.… 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.
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