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. Utran
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    still not able to play due to the problem of the hdmi if I had the tv and monitor connected error, and so far the company has not done anything already nearly 200 pages of complaints on steam and nothing yet. shameful
  2. JamesTheThird
    Apr 29, 2014
    0
    I'm a huge fan of RPGs, but this one is a misunderstanding. Forget about technicalities such as controls, graphics and so on. These are minor issues. The main thing is that this is 2014 and the main character is mute. Did you like brilliant dialogues in Mass Effect series or Dragon Age? Well, you won't find them here. There are no such options like choosing an answer, because theI'm a huge fan of RPGs, but this one is a misunderstanding. Forget about technicalities such as controls, graphics and so on. These are minor issues. The main thing is that this is 2014 and the main character is mute. Did you like brilliant dialogues in Mass Effect series or Dragon Age? Well, you won't find them here. There are no such options like choosing an answer, because the protagonist just doesn't speak at all! This is a total killjoy for me. R.I.P. Souls.… Expand
  3. RainbowPieFiM
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    This game don't work.
    The game crash everytime you enter, and the company dont launch a fix, 3 days after his launch.
    Thanks for stole my money!
    Ah, and the game doesn't have a pc controller instructions, is a BAD port from the console version.
    $50 for a bad port.
  4. 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
  5. Cioby
    May 4, 2014
    0
    The game is not as hard as fanboys would like you to think. It's just total crap, with "high" difficulty that "punishes" you when you die. The graphics is almost the same as the first game of the series. The sounds are crap also. You don't even have to play much to notice it, from the first interaction with the world, you can hear how **** the grass sounds like. This isn't a scary gameThe game is not as hard as fanboys would like you to think. It's just total crap, with "high" difficulty that "punishes" you when you die. The graphics is almost the same as the first game of the series. The sounds are crap also. You don't even have to play much to notice it, from the first interaction with the world, you can hear how **** the grass sounds like. This isn't a scary game either. Encounters are crap. This is a 2009 game, made for console players, those are the ones probably kissing their asses & the paid people who post "critic" reviews. The combat is slow and dull, the controls are bad considering a PC user can use a lot of keys to do whatever he wants without complaining of the assignments.
    Oh yea, let's not forget the "hentai" look that characters have, my harvester of souls, my warrior, my murderer looked like a f***** Japanese kid from FF or Lineage. I'm sure most people consider those awesome, I don't. It's not even an appropriate look for someone who is taking his victim's soul.
    My advice, if you're not a console fanboy, used to bad/old games, stay away from this game.    … Expand
  6. slauterhause
    Apr 28, 2014
    0
    I am SOOOOOO stupid for trusting the 'professional' reviews on this one, I should have looked closer at the user reviews.

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

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

    0/10 - Easily one of the worst games I've bought in recent memory.    … Expand
  7. moneer
    May 3, 2014
    0
    Crap port for PC. To open door press "Green X Button". Don't have a green, red, yellow, or blue buttons on my keyboard. Hate games that exhibit this kind of laziness. User interface is confusing and settings don't take (sometimes).
  8. Bortx
    May 3, 2014
    0
    Crap port for PC. To open door press "Green X Button". Don't have a green, red, yellow, or blue buttons on my keyboard. Hate games that exhibit this kind of laziness. User interface is confusing and settings don't take (sometimes). You have to do some mouse gymnastics to get them to take. Graphics are poor and dated. For console standards this might pass but for PC this is 5-7 year oldCrap port for PC. To open door press "Green X Button". Don't have a green, red, yellow, or blue buttons on my keyboard. Hate games that exhibit this kind of laziness. User interface is confusing and settings don't take (sometimes). You have to do some mouse gymnastics to get them to take. Graphics are poor and dated. For console standards this might pass but for PC this is 5-7 year old tech. Story is confusing and nonsensical and expect to die all the time. This game is nothing but frustration. I don't see how anyone can enjoy this unless you have hours of time to waste and like to inflict pain on yourself.… Expand
  9. Jethro177
    May 10, 2014
    0
    Just to reiterate many other peoples views, this is the worst game I've played in a long time. If you ignore the fact it looks over 10 years old the game is still terrible.
    There is no real customization over the unbearable control system, you can swap a bad key binding for a worse one, in fact no effort has been made what so ever to port this to PC, all the on screen control hints have    Just to reiterate many other peoples views, this is the worst game I've played in a long time. If you ignore the fact it looks over 10 years old the game is still terrible.
    There is no real customization over the unbearable control system, you can swap a bad key binding for a worse one, in fact no effort has been made what so ever to port this to PC, all the on screen control hints have xbox symbols.
    The voice acting is OK but the terrible graphics make it hard to watch.
    I feel lucky I had a chance to try this before buying. What a heap of s**t.    … Expand
  10. pjmeyer22
    Apr 29, 2014
    0
    When I first played Skyrim, I thought it was pretty hard. Boy was i very wrong about that. Skyrim scales to the way you play. Dark Souls is for hardcore players and masochists only. In Skyrim you can build a damn good stealth character and beat the game. If it is too difficult you can always turn it down. Hardcore is the only setting for Dark Souls 2. Another thing Dark Souls 2 does isWhen I first played Skyrim, I thought it was pretty hard. Boy was i very wrong about that. Skyrim scales to the way you play. Dark Souls is for hardcore players and masochists only. In Skyrim you can build a damn good stealth character and beat the game. If it is too difficult you can always turn it down. Hardcore is the only setting for Dark Souls 2. Another thing Dark Souls 2 does is penalize for everything. Die and you lose all of your souls. Don't die fast enough and you break your weapon. Give Dark Souls 2 a bad review. A From Software employee bad mouths you and gives Dark Souls 2 a perfect 10.

    The first thing you learn in computer 101, is that the keyboard has 105 keys. It is unnecessary to hit Ctrl+Alt+Right mouse button. You only need the space bar for this action. Yet somehow From Software did not Know this. Even worse is they did know and did anyway. You know to make the game even harder. Thank God you can rebind the keys.

    The worst thing about Dark Souls 2 is the storytelling. Apparently everyone has to talk very, very, very, very, very slowly. They have to do it in a cryptic voice. If they have a quest they have to give you little to no information on how to complete the quest. I talked to a guy to see if he had a quest and this is what I got. BLACKSMITH: I........ need ........ to ....... open...... my....... store......... I ........ lost ....... the ......... key.
    Okay can you tell me where you lost the key. BLACKSMITH: I ......... need....... to ..... Oh my God just shut up. There is no quest log and area map. So there is no quest tracking system.After an hour of searching I found out you have to buy it from a witch living in the middle of nowhere. That will be 300 souls please. After all that and completing quest. I am pretty sure I was not rewarded for my efforts. I could not level up because I was 300 souls short. That's when uninstall became my next action.

    Overall Dark Souls 2 feels like an unfinished game. The graphics are from 2005. Which is why FPS gets 60 plus. There is no quest log and there needs to be one. It would have been helpful to have an area map, but there isn't one. It would have been nice to keep the money system and XP system separate. So you don't have to spend souls on repairing items. It would been nice to select your level of play. Wait I forgot who I was ranting to. We are From Software. We are hardcore gamer snob. We do not make games that can be enjoyed by everyone.    … Expand
  11. augh18
    Apr 27, 2014
    0
    Remember those old-school NES games that were insanely difficult, not due to design, but because they were technically broken? That's what "Dark Souls 2" is. Not only is it obviously a terrible PC port despite claims that PC was the lead platform (then why do enemies in the distance only animate at 30fps, why is the UI so obviously designed for console, why is M&K functionality stillRemember those old-school NES games that were insanely difficult, not due to design, but because they were technically broken? That's what "Dark Souls 2" is. Not only is it obviously a terrible PC port despite claims that PC was the lead platform (then why do enemies in the distance only animate at 30fps, why is the UI so obviously designed for console, why is M&K functionality still garbage?), but the game itself plays worse than a "Souls" game ever has.

    This is likely in large part due to this being the first "Souls" game that isn't made by the original "Souls" team. If you need more info on this, google it, but bottom line is "From Software" felt that the "Souls" franchise had become successful enough that the people who made it good could do... whatever they're doing now, and the next entry (Dark Souls 2) could be made by "From Software's" B-Team.

    Playing as Melee is pretty much broken this time around, as enemy tracking is impossible to outpace. In DeS/DS1, you could see them winding up for an attack and roll out of the way, but now they spin on a dime and do not stop their facing until their attack has landed. So, instead of rolling when you see the attack coming, you have to roll during the window right before the attack lands, which is much, *much* more punishing, and *far* more difficult to execute. DeS/DS1 were punishing but fair, DS2 is punishing for the sake of being punishing.

    Gone as well is the tactical one-on-one combat, not just because of the above, but because of the game's tendency to throw entire rooms of enemies at you at once. In DeS/DS1, you could lure enemies off large packs to make them easier to handle, or if you alerted one enemy in the room you would only pull that enemy and *maybe* whoever was nearby. In DS2, if you trigger on enemy, you trigger every enemy in the room. This makes the focus on co-op much heavier, as you're going to *need* two other people around you spamming attacks just to clear more areas.

    The vast majority of boss fights are copy-pasted from DS1, and the "new" boss fights are just bosses that look new but use mechanics that anyone who's already played DeS/DS1 will immediately recognize.

    There's also the issue of item durability. In this game, your weapons are going to degrade at a much faster rate, and the only way to restore them is to use extremely rare and highly expensive Repair powders, or resting at a bonfire. This means that, more often than not, your favorite main-hand weapon is going to be rendered unusuable before you reach the next checkpoint. There's also a bug in the game that makes it so swinging your weapon through enemies who are in the "dying" animation, or swinging your weapon and having it clip a co-op phantom, will cause it to degrade at 300% the rate as well. These two combined make for a more naggy, OCD melee-combat experience.

    This is also the first time I've played a "Souls" game and felt like it needed a map. "Demon's Souls" was split into 5 seperate worlds which made it easy to keep track of things in your head, "Dark Souls" was open world but everything fit together very cohesively so again it was easy to keep track of things. "Dark Souls 2" feels like they threw a bunch of zones together and didn't care about how they connected to each other, they just wanted them there. Navigating is an absolute chore. It's entirely possible to be exploring your first time, and find yourself stuck in areas where the only way to get out is to die by jumping into a chasm/pit, or returning to a bonfire (with a spell or item). "DeS" and "DS1" had *some* of this as well, but not nearly to the extent that "DS2" does.

    The "Souls" series is all about overcoming unpleasant surprises, but the only unpleasant surprise "Dark Souls 2" delivers is that of a mishandled entry in a beloved franchise, with the only feeling left afterwards being that of wasted time. "From Software" decided they could save money by hiring lesser talent to make a game that'd get success by brand name alone. And sales-wise, it probably worked, but from now I'm going to be far more leary when I look at the next title from "From Software".

    It's very disappointing to recognize what "From" has done here, because it means that the "Souls" franchise will never be as good as it used to. Yet for how good the last two games were, there was still a lot of room for improvement, and now we'll never know how good this series could've been. Like everything else, it comes down to the people in charge intentionally ruining something so they can increase their profit by a few percent. Once that starts, there's no going back. If they feel like they have "f u" money after just two big titles, then quality from here on out is only going to get worse for "From" titles.    … Expand
  12. kyle242gt
    Apr 28, 2014
    0
    Another zero just because of the horrible control setup. How they can call this a PC version is beyond me. Shameful. Didn't even get past the tutorial. These clowns need to know PC gamers use keyboard and mouse, not a gamepad.
  13. Piggles
    Jul 4, 2014
    0
    This is the real hardcore game that hardcore gamers play. OK. Lets actually call this what it is. Trial and Error. Apparently that's "Hardcore". Well OK.

    I'll expand: So you come to something you haven't seen before. It'll kill you. over and over again. Till you learn what to do. Like a QTE without the screen prompts. Once you know what to do for these - Then you can deal with    This is the real hardcore game that hardcore gamers play. OK. Lets actually call this what it is. Trial and Error. Apparently that's "Hardcore". Well OK.

    I'll expand: So you come to something you haven't seen before. It'll kill you. over and over again. Till you learn what to do. Like a QTE without the screen prompts. Once you know what to do for these - Then you can deal with these - no problem. And you proceed - Till you meet the next thing you don't know - and nothing you learnt from before will help - because they'll just throw a game play mechanic into the bin that you had been relying on or maybe they'll make a new mechanic you obviously don't know about that doesn't work anywhere else but you need to use now. And so on. And so on. Trial and error. The boss fights are a Joke - they are QTEs without screen prompts that last for 5 minutes - this is not an exaggeration. If you like being frustrated. . or if like doing the same thing over and over again. . step on up. I think it is actually total garbage, (game play wise).

    This game looks lovely - aesthetically - the terrain graphics are rubbish though - but the characters are gorgeous. I love the Lore. it is better than Game of Thrones. The move set for the weapons is awesome. But. . That's about it. And that's actually a lot of really great stuff in there. i'd loved for them to have played Mount and Blade - and then they'd really know how to actually make a decent "Hardcore" game. In parts this is actually a plat-former. . . I mean - really. . . Hard jumps - you start from the camp-fire if you die - you need to do these one after another and you die if you miss one. Good luck!

    You will get invaded and die instantly to cheat-engine / twinks. Nothing from DS1 was improved here. If you waste a single soul on something you don't need then you will be sub-optimal in PvP against normal opponents - and you will die because of it - skill has nothing to do with it. In DS1 if you were hitting someone and doing no damage - or they could one shot right through your Havel's shield - you'd think they were cheating. Not in DS2. Like I say - you build PvP or you don't. And if you haven't because you were just playing the game. . . . Then you will be invaded and you will die. (VAC isn't fixed yet and personally I think it won't be now. . . And people who didn't want banned for cheating before. . . well - they've been playing for almost three months now without VAC - 4 by the end of July - and they don't give two hoots about a ban now because they won't even still be playing in another month regardless - so yeah - cheat engine is coming back big style. Twinks with gear passed down to circumvent the Soul Memory mechanic is a big deal)    … Expand
  14. farshal
    Apr 25, 2014
    0
    Game is fine, no word for it. But PC release ? Absolutely garbage. "Stop Working" problems , HDMI - DVI problems , multi monitor problems , standart scaling problems ... etc.

    They say "this time Pc version will be good version for this game" ... They did not keep promises.

    On steam community page , people want a refund ... pathetic !
  15. FPAwpers
    Apr 25, 2014
    0
    This game might be good, might be. But I can't to play past the first 20 minutes? Why? Because the controls are **** unplayable on keyboard and mouse. I refuse to buy extra hardware i.e. a gamepad because a company is inept at providing a decent service and lied saying that it could. otherwise I wouldn't have bought this piece of **** in the first place.
  16. Brutusbf
    Apr 27, 2014
    0
    Worst game i ever bought, they said it would work with keyboard + mouse but that's far from being true. They didn't even take the time to change the menus to show which keyboard button is bound to whatever (you still see Xbox buttons). I consider this game a scam. Very lazy console port. Avoid this game until it's fixed.
  17. Bittersweet
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    Dont bother buying this broken piece of garbage, from software should be ashamed... With tens of trials I only managed To play just once... That just Sad for a game that was supposed to go out later than the console version to tune It better...
  18. Gorshum
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I imagine this would be a really fun game if it worked. I trust in their ability to make a fun game. The problem is that for many people the game does not work at all. When you try to start the game it pops up as a white screen then crashes within 10 seconds. So far the only workarounds have come from the community and even then they don't always work. Considering they supposedly 'built itI imagine this would be a really fun game if it worked. I trust in their ability to make a fun game. The problem is that for many people the game does not work at all. When you try to start the game it pops up as a white screen then crashes within 10 seconds. So far the only workarounds have come from the community and even then they don't always work. Considering they supposedly 'built it for the pc first' this kind of thing is really unacceptable. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to play the game we payed for. We didn't pay $50 so we could troubleshoot/beta test their game. We payed for a product and we currently have no access to it despite it being released. If you're thinking of buying this game for PC, don't. Wait for them to fix whatever they screwed up. There is no point in buying it now unless you want to play 'Waiting Simulator: Broken Edition'.… Expand
  19. deszka42
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    The game is a fantastic port, let's start with the worst and advance to the less interesting problems:
    -the game refuses to start up (crashes with white screen) for TONS of people
    -even when it starts the new game loading screen freezes -game freezes when intro needs to be playing -people who got banned in other games received a ban for dark souls 2 (absolutely unheard of) -the    The game is a fantastic port, let's start with the worst and advance to the less interesting problems:
    -the game refuses to start up (crashes with white screen) for TONS of people
    -even when it starts the new game loading screen freezes
    -game freezes when intro needs to be playing
    -people who got banned in other games received a ban for dark souls 2 (absolutely unheard of)
    -the controllers connected to pc refuse to work
    -the keyboard+mouse controlls refuse to work
    -the keyboard controlls are **** even when they work: holding shift prevents you from clicking etc...    … Expand
  20. Pablo_Dourado
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I am here to represent the over 1k players from steam who is not getting any help from developers of the game, we get a random bug that dont let us play the game, we are trying to get attention over our problem for more then 50 hours since the release and nothing at all, we decided to yell our voice to another sites, we are making a critic not about the game itself because we cant EVEN logI am here to represent the over 1k players from steam who is not getting any help from developers of the game, we get a random bug that dont let us play the game, we are trying to get attention over our problem for more then 50 hours since the release and nothing at all, we decided to yell our voice to another sites, we are making a critic not about the game itself because we cant EVEN log in, we are here to tell how disappointing is the support from the developers.
    We paid for that we deserve the same thing as others, but seens the primary atribute to play the game is have the luck to get a copy without any bug, i will never spend my money on products of your company again!    … Expand
  21. Quariq
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I picked up the first Dark Souls on Steam and liked it, the only problem i had with the game was the controls for PC. Now with the release of Dark Souls 2 we were promised a more polished PC version with better graphics and - here is the big one - working controls. So did they deliver? Short answer NO , Long answer NO. Default controls are near unplayable , controller buttons everywhere "I picked up the first Dark Souls on Steam and liked it, the only problem i had with the game was the controls for PC. Now with the release of Dark Souls 2 we were promised a more polished PC version with better graphics and - here is the big one - working controls. So did they deliver? Short answer NO , Long answer NO. Default controls are near unplayable , controller buttons everywhere " press A to this , press B to that" . But dont worry , just rebind your keys , right?? NO. Trying to rebind the keys is painfull at best and once you are done you are left with a half decent experience. I loved the first Dark Souls and plot/gameplay wise Dark Souls 2 looks promising. But as a PC gamer i feel cheated and lied to when it is blatantly obvious that no extra effort was put into making this a positive experience for PC gamers.… Expand
  22. DefiantMaledict
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    Dark Souls 2 is all about challenge, they said. Well, the only challenge this game is posing now is how to make it work properly. PC will be lead platform, they said.
  23. aberjams
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    The game will not load on my pc, and a lot of other peoples at that. There is no Tech support to call, there is no disclaimer that it may not work, and there is no refund. Its a very shameful process. That I wish I was not a part of.
    If you are buying this game, you are gambling with your money.
    It may not work, and there is nothing you can do about it.
  24. sodapopcan
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    they don't even put the pc controls on the menus. and even if they did i cant even start the game to see the change because of the crashing. this was a bad buy.
  25. Zhael
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I was so excited to play DS2 this morning but found myself shouting at the screen in under 5 mins.

    The graphics are awful - games released 3 years ago look better. The sound is awful - walk through long grass and it sounds as if you're rattling through your cutlery drawer. But worse of all; the controls are awful. On screen hints tell you to press the green 'A' or the blue 'X'.    I was so excited to play DS2 this morning but found myself shouting at the screen in under 5 mins.

    The graphics are awful - games released 3 years ago look better.

    The sound is awful - walk through long grass and it sounds as if you're rattling through your cutlery drawer.

    But worse of all; the controls are awful. On screen hints tell you to press the green 'A' or the blue 'X'. Want to go up a ladder? In every other PC game you walk in to a ladder and start to climb. In DS2 it's ctrl-left click. Why would they make it so awkward? I tried to swap weapons and ended up consuming a good portion of the healing stones.

    Another bad part worth mentioning is the combat. It's .... awful. You can lock your target by pressing the middle mouse button, but it doesn't really make much difference. I created a cleric and armed myself with a great big metal mace and picked a fight with a little old lady cooking a meal (I'm very brave, I know). She beat me to death with her ladle. Not once but many times. So many times in fact I had to roll a new character to get past the point.

    In short this is not worth buying on the PC. For the consoles maybe, but not the PC.    … Expand
  26. Merdique
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    This is one of the worst PC ports I have seen in years. The game can be somewhat configured to use a keyboard and mouse, but the interface does not acknowledge this (which generates a lot of confusion while playing). Many of the bound combinations are geared to console playing. Just terrible. Got sick of playing it after a few hours. Save your money. Wish I had...
  27. 1993Gamer
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    I'm amazed how can such a bad port receive so good reviews.
    I can't even play the first 15 minutes of the game with mouse+keyboard, the game does not respond correctly to any of my controls inputs, is this a bad joke?
    Wortst pile of garbage I bought this year yet. If you value your money stay away.
  28. DSfan2874
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    Do not trust any reviews with a 10/10 score. Look at the steam community forum page and you'll see that over 2500 people can't even launch the game they paid for. And there is no ETA for any fix at all. If you feel like playing the lottery to know if you can even launch the game, then by all means, go ahead and spend that hard earned 50$ in cash.
  29. sheva7
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    This game is so ****ing hard that i cant even launch it. I guess they deliver the difficulty they promised. Yeah, the 0 goes to the company, not to the game.
  30. ctrlaltwalsh
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    Game Remains Unplayable, Crashes when starting up. Game developers and publishers need to realise they cannot release a product which simply does not work, this is not a problem specific to my (Frankly Standard) computer configuration.
  31. gregorybaxter
    Apr 26, 2014
    0
    After working for 40 hours to get this game to launch, the few minutes I played were terrible. Even as the game feels like a PC port, it doesn't even feel like they tried. Sure, the game looks better than the first one, but I wouldn't care if it looked terrible. The gameplay is what matters and that's what they completely broke. BESIDES not being able to even launch the game. GG.
  32. redtwister
    Apr 27, 2014
    0
    Broken and awkward! I can't jump, among other things that don't work right. The controls are terrible. I actually am contemplating asking Steam for a refund it is so bad. Betas of other games are better than this "finished" product.
  33. aj587
    Apr 28, 2014
    0
    This is, by far, the worst game I have ever played. Even on max settings, the game looks like it was made on the GameCube. The grass looks like it's from Nintendo 64. Hell, some of the grass is so flat that it looks like it was a cropped, low-resolution Google Images picture. Almost every texture has really weird blur and your screen "dims" every 3-5 seconds. The shadows appear andThis is, by far, the worst game I have ever played. Even on max settings, the game looks like it was made on the GameCube. The grass looks like it's from Nintendo 64. Hell, some of the grass is so flat that it looks like it was a cropped, low-resolution Google Images picture. Almost every texture has really weird blur and your screen "dims" every 3-5 seconds. The shadows appear and disappear randomly in caves. Character creation is limited. The controls are for an Xbox 360 controller, my controls are all messed up even for my Logitech controller. Mouse and Keyboard, lol... The camera movement is awkward.

    I see why they used those crappy movie trailers. This game is a joke. First, it was not being able to launch and now all of this.    … Expand
  34. tritium_3
    Apr 30, 2014
    0
    Did the critics actually play the released PC game? or did they get some other version? because if they actually played the PC released game on steam, and still think the graphcis are "rich", then they are clearly delusional. Huge graphical downgrade. game looks nothing like the e3 footage. Game was clearly rushed and not tested. GUI is clunky, controls are trash, gameplay is choppy,Did the critics actually play the released PC game? or did they get some other version? because if they actually played the PC released game on steam, and still think the graphcis are "rich", then they are clearly delusional. Huge graphical downgrade. game looks nothing like the e3 footage. Game was clearly rushed and not tested. GUI is clunky, controls are trash, gameplay is choppy, graphics are unbearable. Hey from software, THIS IS 2014, why does your game look like its from 2005? Completely unacceptable to have a game that is 10x worse graphics than its previous game released in 2010. what the **** were the developers doing? why release a game this horrible? dark souls 1 was a masterpiece, Dark souls 2 is a get rich quick scheme from FROM software to take advantage of the tremendous legacy of Darksouls and the dedicated fan base. they completely disappointed me, and many other people with releasing this pile of ****. Critics are either bribed from the software companies, or they clearly havent played the Steam released version of the game at all.

    DO NOT BUY FOR PC.    … Expand
  35. panoszafas
    May 1, 2014
    0
    Those who play this as their first souls game....It's fun
    But compared to the previous two games this is just a cheap,uninspired imitation...end of story.
    Really surprised that so few people are saying this....It's soooooo obvious if you are a hardcore fan of the series. Looks like some completely different team tried to copy dark souls and demon souls without really understanding what    Those who play this as their first souls game....It's fun
    But compared to the previous two games this is just a cheap,uninspired imitation...end of story.
    Really surprised that so few people are saying this....It's soooooo obvious if you are a hardcore fan of the series.
    Looks like some completely different team tried to copy dark souls and demon souls without really understanding what made those games different and interesting.Huge dissapointment    … Expand
  36. PixelCheese
    May 2, 2014
    0
    Lies, lies everywhere. this was gonna be a good port they said.... what a load of crap. Dont believe those critics that score this game 10/10. You've got to be blind to score this game 10/10 or time traveled from 1990s.
  37. TBAAGamer
    May 2, 2014
    0
    This gaem is to hard.
    It's really, really hard, I can't enjoy a game this hard
    this is liek, japan levels of hard.
    Nope, this gaem is to hard, it's bad because it's hard.
  38. Sunrunner37
    May 3, 2014
    0
    This game was so horrible that it made me create a meta critic account to share.

    * Graphics - mediocre at best * User interface - HORRIBLE... tooltips for consoles everywhere and it took be 10 minutes just to figure out how to save the video settings. * Movement/Keybindings - Terrible... no thought into porting to the PC. You can't execute all actions flawlessly with the mouse and    This game was so horrible that it made me create a meta critic account to share.

    * Graphics - mediocre at best
    * User interface - HORRIBLE... tooltips for consoles everywhere and it took be 10 minutes just to figure out how to save the video settings.
    * Movement/Keybindings - Terrible... no thought into porting to the PC. You can't execute all actions flawlessly with the mouse and keyboard. The camera was clearly not meant for the keyboard as it gave me slight motion sickness(something I've never had a PC game do.)

    Worst console port I've ever seen... don't waste your money.    … Expand
  39. mattyo620
    May 3, 2014
    0
    Ridiculously bad hit detection, no way play with friends (white soap stone + name engraved ring is a JOKE), random pauses and glitchy attacks/blocks/movement. Terrible controls (you have to press space+shift+middle mouse to jump WTF?). The game suffers from consolitis (TERRIBLE porting on this game) no time was spent polishing this into a PC game. Dont waste your time and money.
  40. BrecMadak
    May 4, 2014
    0
    Do you wanna witness how we were lied with your own eyes, then check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOmWf4oSav8
    This is the biggest scam in pc world gaming of our time, you fooled millions but not me 'Fom Software' ! No buck from me !!
  41. avil172
    May 5, 2014
    0
    terrible like the first one, ...except for the good weapons and armors....user score is the real score and thats a little overrated because the critic reviews affected this one.........problems could be minor, but lets not ignore the crap combat.....and dodging 4 times to attack one time is called a challenge?? thats skyrim a.k.a dark souls 1 crap!
  42. HunterKiller945
    May 8, 2014
    0
    this game is a slap in the face of pc gamers! they didn't even replace the button icons with keys! and the landscape graphics look really bad. 2004 bad.

    this port is just lazy! i don't recommend this game be bought on pc at all.
  43. D347H
    May 15, 2014
    0
    I tried so hard to actually play this game. I got pretty far, but what bugs me in this game is the poor graphics, the lack of fighting controls, the slow movement of fighting. The game play is like trying to teach a down syndrome math. I wish this had a negative score rating, because this game would be the top -100. If you have a hard time sleeping, play this game, it will put you right toI tried so hard to actually play this game. I got pretty far, but what bugs me in this game is the poor graphics, the lack of fighting controls, the slow movement of fighting. The game play is like trying to teach a down syndrome math. I wish this had a negative score rating, because this game would be the top -100. If you have a hard time sleeping, play this game, it will put you right to sleep very quick. I gave it a zero mainly because it helped me sleep.… Expand
  44. Tassadaritze
    May 27, 2014
    0
    Who thought it was a good idea to change dodging to this piece of crap? Dodging is no longer rewarded if you can time it well, all that matters is that you get out of the range of the attack. No timing needed.
  45. giacomobertoni
    Jun 3, 2014
    0
    this game is not made to be difficult. just made to make ppl deal with an oldgame style bugged game. its just bugs on bugs and u just have to deal with them to like the game.. we are not talking about difficulty.. seriously the saga and the story are great.. the gameplay tho is really trashy bugs everywhere no translations on some points and glitches to be done in order to get an easy waythis game is not made to be difficult. just made to make ppl deal with an oldgame style bugged game. its just bugs on bugs and u just have to deal with them to like the game.. we are not talking about difficulty.. seriously the saga and the story are great.. the gameplay tho is really trashy bugs everywhere no translations on some points and glitches to be done in order to get an easy way out.. GG this came is really bad imo :S… Expand
  46. jafarx
    Jun 3, 2014
    0
    bad game no fun at all. i play 1 hour and take it back to store. this game just no fun you cant do anything in it without falling victim to cheating bs
  47. Cyliann
    Jun 15, 2014
    0
    A gem of a game. Dark Souls has the most deepest and mysterious story&plot that exists, far exceeding ones told in books by having so much needing to be borderline decrypted by devouted fans of the title while also accompanied by the most extreme difficulty I have ever seen in video-games. Yes, far much more harder than Ninja Gaiden.

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

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

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

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

    The best advice I can give you is to buy this to a console (although the game also lags on there in form of bad optimization) or mod the hell out of it on the PC and get into it with little of the form of expecting genuine, good difficulty.    … Expand
  48. Docteur
    Jun 22, 2014
    0
    A 0 might seem peculiar to players who encountered the rare, rare case where the game works fine. But let's say it does;
    stop selling us products you made for consoles.
    You have to make something for PC players that is not only porting the game, but adapting the gameplay! Why is there on earth XBox360 buttons prompts in the menu!? "Press B to open"? Who are you kidding? I'd really    A 0 might seem peculiar to players who encountered the rare, rare case where the game works fine. But let's say it does;
    stop selling us products you made for consoles.
    You have to make something for PC players that is not only porting the game, but adapting the gameplay!
    Why is there on earth XBox360 buttons prompts in the menu!? "Press B to open"? Who are you kidding?

    I'd really like if you could provide us the same experience as everyone else; you know, since we're paying, too.

    This is a broken game in all its glory, with so many flaws I wonder how the pro reviewer played.    … Expand
  49. 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
  50. 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
  51. 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.
  52. 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.
  53. 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
  54. 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
  55. 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!
  56. 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.
  57. 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
  58. 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
  59. 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.
  60. nikolche
    Oct 6, 2016
    0
    If falling into pits all the time makes the game hard then sure, it is extremely hard. Seems like the main focus of the game is to piss you off. Like playing super Mario on the Nintendo. Could have been much better.
  61. WilliamWesker
    Aug 2, 2019
    0
    DS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of aDS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of a half a decade before the 2014, because of the difference with regard to the quality of textures between the two, something that it is really pathetic & embarrassing for the DS 2 piece of work. It allows the player to warp between Bonfires from the beginning, which literally murder in cold blood a great deal of immersion & exploration in it. The enemies are very badly misplaced in the levels. The animation of the sequences in the attacks are just terrible with respect to the lack of inmercion that it causes, to a player. Its system focuses on punishing the player when the same dies, at resurrect it with less life, instead of encouraging it to self-overcome, which is one of the main philosophies of the DARK SOULS series, Hidetaka Miyazaki himself confirmed that philosophy for the series. The writing level of the game is very poor. The NPCs are extremely depressing, & constantly encourage the player to surrender during the dialogues, instead of encouraging the player not to become Hollow, as they generally should with indifference responses like on DS 3 & ESPECIALLY in DS 1!… Expand
  62. sabaothkelly
    Jul 30, 2020
    0
    Dark Souls 1? Masterpiece.
    Light Souls 2? What a PIECE of TVRD, ¡seriously!? There are too many enemies and bosses doing s**t that is just just random, absurd or jank. Honestly, it's just barely above "Lords of the Fallen" trash mechanics.
    Dark Souls 3? Amazing.
    Sekiro? Very Good.
  63. StevenTieson
    Jul 9, 2020
    0
    The game is hard for the sake of it.
    Not actually that fun
    The story is poorly told
    The graphics are quite average
    I really do not see what the hype is all about
    Go play Devil May Cry or Dante's Inferno. Way better games
  64. cat15
    Jul 6, 2021
    0
    This game has the worst hitbix in the franchise, just play dark souls 1 or 3 instead
  65. darksoulskorean
    Feb 6, 2022
    0
    This game is not bad. It has its own pros and cons. But this is by no means worthy of such a high score. Higher than DS1 and DS3? Come on, critics. You guys are suck and just spoiled it. Now no one will pay any attention to what you flirt with.
  66. Shadowxxx
    Jun 14, 2022
    0
    Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash Trash
  67. PunchBunnie
    Feb 17, 2023
    0
    absolutely awful, didn't even end up finishing this game and hands down the worst game in the souls series, and maybe worst game i've ever played
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews

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