Dark Souls II Image
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91

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews What's this?

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7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3117 Ratings

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  • Summary: Dark Souls II brings the franchise’s renowned difficulty & gripping gameplay innovations to both single and multiplayer experiences.
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Dark Souls II - TGS 2013 Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Apr 27, 2014
    100
    You'll get everything the fantastic console version had: a feeling of insecurity, respect for the apparently insurmountable, an unparalleled combat system. A nigh on perfect game.
  2. Apr 24, 2014
    98
    The PC version of Dark Souls II is the definitive one to own. It’s a good step up in the graphics and performance departments, annoying load times are drastically reduced, and players can even opt to play with the mouse and keyboard if they so desire. It shows that From Software spent a considerable amount of time attempting to come up with controls that would feel natural on the PC.
  3. Apr 25, 2014
    95
    Dark Souls II keep marking his very own label that players love. If you're a fan of the series, you’ve got a new journey to play and replay until the world fall back into darkness.
  4. Apr 24, 2014
    90
    Dark Souls 2 for the PC is a far cleaner port attempt than the first Dark Souls port.
  5. May 7, 2014
    90
    Dark Souls II, as its blessing and its curse, is not another Dark Souls. It is, however, more Dark Souls - and it makes good on its hallowed name.
  6. 90
    Dark Souls 2 offers glimpses of hope and illumination, but they always feel just out of reach. Scratching just below the surface to take on the challenges Dark Souls 2 has for you is where this game's appeal lies. The game will not be for everyone, but for those willing to tackle this game, it is a rewarding experience.
  7. Apr 24, 2014
    80
    This game is art in the good and bad sense of the word. It represents some of the best things that video games have to offer: at its most immersive, it offers a beautifully and thoughtfully rendered world to be explored that reveals itself not just through what is seen on the screen, but through the brutal and challenging experiences the player guides the in-game avatar through. The negative part of that is that the story of the game and the motivations and reasoning behind what is happening are obscure and unclear. A lot of the onus is on the player to piece things together. This is a kind of experience that is not necessarily designed to appeal to a broad swath of people, but its pitch perfect execution and strict adherence to its draconian design principles earn it a place in the pantheon of great games.

See all 36 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Jun 2, 2014
    10
    As usual one of the best games out there, as it was Dark Souls 1. I cannot understand all those neg. reviews.. This is a hardcore game not anAs usual one of the best games out there, as it was Dark Souls 1. I cannot understand all those neg. reviews.. This is a hardcore game not an action kiddy "I cannot die" game.
    For me Dark Souls 1 was more difficult. DS2 has some good tweaks, but i dont like the fast travelling system in Dark Souls 2.. It takes u away a lot of flair of the game...
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  2. Apr 29, 2014
    10
    I would give this a 9.8 this game dark souls 2 is a true dark souls game, I started with demon souls though that is the hardest one so far II would give this a 9.8 this game dark souls 2 is a true dark souls game, I started with demon souls though that is the hardest one so far I am glad they made it a little more easier For the first playthrough it is a hard game even so, and if you want to make it even harder you can put a specific item at a bonfire and it will re spawn all the enemy npc in the area, if you killed their respawns 10 times. The bosses also come back after using that item so if you wanted to trade your boss soul for one of the 3 choices you have to get a spear or shield or bow you can do that as well. The Pc graphics are much better than the console version, After the tutorial you will see this excellent artistic area, the water is just drop down jaw dropping and the wind that moves the grass is even a better site, a lot of the levels have fantastic graphic quality. Even at 1600x900 it looks amazing, I can't say it has better graphics than crysis but it has better art. So I plugged it in my TV that is 1920x1080 and it looked even better, resolution changes everything. But then I heard about a tool called Gedosatotool it is a mod that is in alpha stage and it basically means that you can down sample and it is most compatible with dark souls 2 so far it did not crash my game. I set it to 3840x2160 and changed the Anti alaising to ultra and started the game. And boy does it now look better than ever it looks like the game play trailers that were out before down sampling really helps the game look 5 times better than what it is. This game is truly optimized for low end- high end gaming machines a mid end can run this game max settings 60 frames no problem. I am using a old processor back from 2007 called the Intel core 2 Q6600 quad core at 2.4ghz and a gtx 550ti graphics card and 4.5gb ram and the game runs 60 fps with the down sampling enabled. The controls are much better on keyboard and mouse than the previous dark souls game, you are allowed to change keybindings ect. You can also plug in a controller of your choice. I have plugged in my Ds4 playstation 4 controller and it worked like a blast I also downloaded the playstation controller texture pack mod so it replaces the xbox controllers buttons with playstation buttons. The gameplay is really remarkable, one little tiny mistake can get you killed, even against weaker opponents that seem harmless can sneak up to your back and kill you with one back stab, You have to be aware of your surroundings, otherwise you will die a lot. The boss fights are incredible, they are such a challenge especially when you have to fight through tough opponents to reach the fog boss area gate, where no bonfire will be present so if you die you will have to plow through them again and waste healing potions ect. But thanks to there limited re spawn once you go through it about 10 times they will stop spawning. The bosses fight very aggressively you will die a few times before learning there moves and predicting on what they will do next, one of the hardest bosses I though was hard to learn was the looking glass boss I do not look at tutorials and I ended up die about 20 times before being able to predict all his moves and finally kill it. The bosses are very smart and some of the tougher bosses will not allow you to summon npc phantoms which is awesome because I never use phantoms anyways or player help. the souls you gather from bosses can be than traded for their swords, shield, spears, bows ect... which all each have their own special attack that the boss used in the fight against you. The atmosphere of the game is amazing you will hear singing from npcs, awesome voice acting, Excellent music when your fighting bosses that are just epic. You will hear every sword swing that hits a rock or deflects off of a shield in its own way. You also get to level up your character according to how you want to play if you want to be a mage you specifically put most of your souls towards that or, range or melee you do the same to them. This game is truly a souls game that will last 60-100 hours through the first play through and after you beat the game you will get to play it again with all your gear ect.. and start all over with even more of a challenge and after that their is a another NG++ Which is even more difficult hard. Expand
  3. Apr 28, 2014
    10
    UPDATE: The other review was negative,because the game didn't work.
    Finally the game it's working,(after the update) and All I can say,it's
    UPDATE: The other review was negative,because the game didn't work.
    Finally the game it's working,(after the update) and All I can say,it's awesome,beautiful,incredible and more hard than before.
    The multiplayer finally get fixed,now the connection it's super-fast and really good,good job from software.
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  4. Oct 21, 2022
    8
    Dessa vez vou passar esse pano e não vou falar dos bugs e do quanto isso te broxa de jogar
    o que eu posso falar de obra, que está longe de
    Dessa vez vou passar esse pano e não vou falar dos bugs e do quanto isso te broxa de jogar
    o que eu posso falar de obra, que está longe de ser uma obra prima? Dark Souls 2 é uma tentativa de souls borne que deixa qualquer um triste só de jogar. Falam que o jogo é ruim por bugs e por simplesmente não funcionar, mas vai muito além. Jogar o Dark Souls 1 todo empolgado com a história cativante e cheia de easter eggs, os Nps que você cria vínculo, a trilha sonora maravilhosa é uma experiência, sem dúvidas, marcante. Já em Dark Souls 2 a história é um pouco diferente. O jogo apresenta mecânicas ruins, dialogos longos e 'bocejantes' e além disso para esquivar você tem que subir uns 40 níveis em duas skills, ou seja não importa o quanto você esteja empolgado pra jogar logo na primeira esquiva que você der, o jogo vai expulsar e te chamar de horrível. Esse é o jogo mais expulsa player que eu já vi. Tudo aqui tem muito potencial, mas é horrivelmente executado, principalmente na dificuldade, onde ao invés de colocar novas mecânicas ou inimigos mais elaborados, eles apertam num mob saem dando ctrl+c ctrl+v pelo mapa, o que faz você demorar até 6 minutos para ir num boss. Fazendo as contas se você perder 5 vezes num boss, o que é número razoável, você perdeu 30 minutos nessa fase. E que boss fight ein? cada boss é mais fácil que o outro, seja bosses que tem pouquíssimo life ou que só tem 2 padrões de ataques, simplesmente chato. O jogo também tem pouca variedade de armas. Pode até ter muitas armas, mas tem delas fazem a mesma coisa, só mudando o modelo. Em Dark Souls 2 tem muitos defeitos, poderia ficar falando o dia todo sobre eles, mas até que o menu é bem feitinho :/

    mas vamos para os principais destaques

    3 pontos bons:

    1. Npcs e A MULHER DA MINHA VIDA
    2. menu
    3. gráficos

    3 pontos ruins:
    1. bugs
    2. defesa e esquiva
    3. construção de build

    SPOILER

    Sobre a história do jogo, acho um desrespeito o que fizeram nele, simplesmente pegaram a história do jogo e mudaram o rótulo. No Ds1, os npcs ficam te falando o quanto o Lorde Gwyn é forte e poderoso e pra encontra-lo você iria precisar ir até um castelo do tamanho da sua mãe aquela gostosa. E adivinha? a mesma coisa em Ds2. A diferença e que não teve uma boss fight com ele, o que só piora, porque a boss fight em Ds2 é uma bosta que eu passo muito pano, porque eu gostei. Mas seloko, a boss fight é tipo "mata esses dois otário ae, depois luta com um monstro aleatório que mal foi citado" ele, que tem as mecânicas mais fáceis do jogo, o que é bem comum em ds2
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  5. Apr 29, 2014
    6
    All in all Darksouls II feels like a heartfelt but misguided homage to the series, rather than an entry in it. It is an enjoyable game withAll in all Darksouls II feels like a heartfelt but misguided homage to the series, rather than an entry in it. It is an enjoyable game with glaring flaws in its design philosophies and polish. The developers have made the fatal error of confusing obtuse and irrational mechanics for challenge and the result is a game that is difficult in all the wrong ways. These flaws keep it from greatness, but the source material the game is built from is simply too good for it to be crap. I will elaborate below, but if you are the type to be insulted by the notion of a controller being used to play a PC game…well I think you might do yourself a favour and just avoid this game for now…

    I own demon's souls (PS3) and darks souls 1 (PC, modded to glory). I beat both several times, I dance with wolves! Sif, I really wish there had been another way buddy, better you than me though :( And fundamentally this is a very interesting game in what it tries to accomplish as a sequel instead of a spiritual successor. The goal here is the tried and true sequel creed of “bigger, badder, more badass”, From Software has been explicit about this from the get-go but the usual hype train might have been boarded by some unfortunates swept up by said hype. Any souls game will rip you to shreds if you expect a mainstream action game, be prepared to die. Many, many, many times.

    The main problem with Dark Souls II is ironically that it has accomplished what it set out to do. But in the wrong ways more often than not. The new design team I fear, has misunderstood the proverbial 'Soul' of the Souls series. It is not in fact about difficulty but about the ambiance and immersion provided by a cruel and merciless world. What drives the Souls games is that the brutal difficulty is a cog in the wheel of a machine that spins out a tale summed up as follows: This world hates you, everything in this world hates you and wants to kill you. You are no more important than everything that hates you, and die just as easily as the animate things that hate you. Hate is the single most important part here, you hate the bosses and want to laugh over their dissolving corpses after countless violent deaths at their hands or more grotesque appendages. This is the source of the emotional payoff that has made the souls game's such instant smash hits. You felt things when playing these games, had emotional investment in your own stories. The lore was interesting but the anaemic plot was best ignored in favour of weaving your own tale.

    The thing is that, as I said before, Dark Souls II just doesn't "get it." Yes it is an enjoyable and punishing action RPG. But the punishment comes from poorly conceived and/or implemented sources.
    -weapons degrade very rapidly and repairs are frustrated by the rarity of materials that require them. In a similar vein, you lose maximum health upon every death and the rare item that restores your health is too rare for a game in which you are supposed to die countless times. The logic of having to face a monster you couldn’t beat with an ever diminishing chance of success upon successive tries is just baffling. Monsters killed you in previous Souls because you were not good enough, now it might just be that you don’t have the HP to survive any of their auto aim attacks.
    -enemies are on turn tables until they strike. I can deal with this mechanically since perfectly timed dodges are one of the mainstays of my beloved monster hunter series. But it just ruins the immersion for a giant armoured tortoise knight to just rotate whilst tracking my character. All the while looking frozen in its striking pose until it suddenly attacks the second I stop my futile strafing.
    - you cannot aim properly with magic unless you lock on, and your mobility in crippled to fatal levels when you do. There is a reason most playthroughs involve a shield people.
    - Drangleic is not a country but a series of independent zones. The variety on offer is actually very pleasant but geographically it just makes no sense...AT ALL. Again, an immersion killer.
    My biggest problem with Dark Souls II is how it handled its core promise of Darkness and the influence this would have had on enemy encounters. The now infamous PS3 demo was a harrowing and thrilling exercise in one on one combat where you had to make the choice of being able to reliably see your aggressor or reliably defend against his crushing blows. Apparently the lighting combined with the particle effects were too taxing for the primary systems (PS3 and Xbox). It was too late at that point, the promise had been made and release was looming. I think they went the mob route to try and create a new source of tension. Fact is, the Soul's games are one on one games, you're too clunky and easily tired (stamina mechanics) to deal with a zerg rush of enemies.
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  6. Apr 26, 2014
    3
    This game seems like it has a lot of promise but the developers literally did nothing to make this PC playable. They don't give you theThis game seems like it has a lot of promise but the developers literally did nothing to make this PC playable. They don't give you the functionality of binding whatever keys you want to on your keyboard. For instance, to use an item I cant just change it to a key. They have an array of choices I can change too, none are what I wanted of course. They are all ctr+Left click, alt +Left click, shift + left click... Why wouldn't you just make it completely customizable to place whatever key you want, that is rule 101 for PC. This is apparently meant for a control on PC, which is just stupid, but as someone who doesn't have one I don't want to go spend money to play a game after I already spent $50 bucks for the game itself!!!

    The weird console controller layout of the controls for PC makes the actual game barely playable. It doesn't seem that hard yet, the biggest struggle I find is the fact that the controls are impossible to navigate when reacting to enemies. The main reason I die is because I can't control the character enough to react to the game itself which is the worst problem you can have for a game. Another obvious flaw is the fact that when your going through tutorial area in the beginning all of the helpful signs are still in console controls! So you can't even translate to what in the world I'm suppose to do on PC to get that to happen. They even have the menus in the game still on console controls. Obvious this game is not meant for PC yet... Nothing is hard its just lack of responsiveness and control for the user....
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  7. 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
    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
    Expand

See all 567 User Reviews

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