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.
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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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