Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2514 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,867 out of 2514
  2. Mixed: 224 out of 2514
  3. Negative: 423 out of 2514

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  1. entar256
    Sep 4, 2012
    1
    TL:DR Do not buy to PC, get it to a console. The console version must have been great, however for the PC it is a train wreck. Resolution, FPS-lock and controls this bad does not belong in a PC-game. The game felt like it really hated me and tried to make me stop playing it at every corner. Using the mouse to look around is nauseating at best as the camera is really jerky, you can forgetTL:DR Do not buy to PC, get it to a console. The console version must have been great, however for the PC it is a train wreck. Resolution, FPS-lock and controls this bad does not belong in a PC-game. The game felt like it really hated me and tried to make me stop playing it at every corner. Using the mouse to look around is nauseating at best as the camera is really jerky, you can forget any attempt at making smooth sweeping camera pans. I read a lot of review that tells of the rewarding controls and difficulty, that when you die it was because you made an error. I have yet to feel that way as the jerky controls have sent me over cliffs, made me attack twice and leaving me open to counterattacks, made me do some weird jump attack into a bunch of enemies that promptly ended my characters life. Not once I have felt that "Oh, if I used attack *A* on enemy *B* wouldnt have used attack *C* on me and I would have survived" it has been more of "A**!" or "Why the **** did he do that?!". Frankly, this is really a hardcore game now when I think about it; pattern recognition, trial and error, cheap deaths, bad controls. All in an attempt to prolong a short game, which was a common practice in the NES days, and I dont even think the game actually needs to artificially increase its length. So, if you want a hardcore NES experience today, by all means: buy Dark Souls. You will have many an hour filled with frustration and cursing. But if you rather stay sane: buy Dark Souls to a console and forget about the PC-port. Final thoughts: Graphics: artistically bland, grey and brown. Technically bad, looks blurry and messy. Controls: Keyboard and mouse: dont even try, and if you need to get a gamepad to play a PC-game its not worth your time (imagine if an FPS to a console required you to get keyboard/mouse to be able to play properly...) Gameplay: Hardcore NES experience. If that is your thing: get this game to a console. Sound: irritating, and where is the music? I really wanted this series ever since I saw Demon souls for console, and I almost got a PS3 only for this series, however after this atrocious port and blatant attempt at milking money I lost all desire to play it. I also created an account here on Metacritic only to review this "game". This review only regards the PC-port of the game, I have not played the original, but I hope/guess it is 1000% better than this... thing.… Expand
  2. victorRic
    Aug 24, 2012
    10
    Great game, not a great port but the PC community will come with mods and high res packs. its way cheaper than console, DLC comes for free, runs better and there is already a mod to fix resolution and textures day one, you can't go wrong.
  3. Azurim
    Aug 28, 2012
    1
    The game is simply not playable on the PC. 1. Did not launch. To launch had to reinstall windows live, reinstall the game, run in XP compatibility mode. Took me several hours to find out what needs to be done. 2. Outdated graphics (and I did not find a way to improve it any way through settings or by forcing)
    3. Terrible interface.
    4. Awful controls. I was unable to figure out how to use    The game is simply not playable on the PC. 1. Did not launch. To launch had to reinstall windows live, reinstall the game, run in XP compatibility mode. Took me several hours to find out what needs to be done. 2. Outdated graphics (and I did not find a way to improve it any way through settings or by forcing)
    3. Terrible interface.
    4. Awful controls. I was unable to figure out how to use spells. Still don't know how to do it. These are the cons, I can't figure out any pros. Results: was really looking forward to play, but un-installed after 15 minutes of torture. The game was actually so bad I even decided to make an account here to write about it to save some people their money. Don't buy the game on PC. If you want to play the game, get it on PS3, maybe it doesn't suck there.    … Expand
  4. macronus
    Oct 5, 2012
    0
    This game is absolutely anti-fun and terrible designed. Checkpoints 3km away from bosses/important spots, minimum information about important things making this game unplayable without reading tons of guides/watching letsplays.
  5. Khornez
    Nov 25, 2012
    2
    Im extremely disappointed to see this horrible port made with no effort that they hope we will somehow love because the original game was awesome. Crappy res, untranslated keys, horrible key mapping... but the worst is a shaky camera even when mouse sensitivity is at 1 that simply makes it unplayable without having a headache, not to mention that if you use window mode, the mouse isn'tIm extremely disappointed to see this horrible port made with no effort that they hope we will somehow love because the original game was awesome. Crappy res, untranslated keys, horrible key mapping... but the worst is a shaky camera even when mouse sensitivity is at 1 that simply makes it unplayable without having a headache, not to mention that if you use window mode, the mouse isn't immediately locked, meaning you can move it out from the window by mistake and click outside, forcing you to make weird moves with that shaky camera just to keep it in the center, as if it was made in flash or something.

    To all those who say "buy the xbox pad": if i wanted to do that, i'd buy an Xbox and forget about PC.    … Expand
  6. pizzer123
    Mar 11, 2014
    0
    This is absolutely the worst game in existence i have no idea what kind of complete moron reviews this game and finds it "enjoyable" it is a game that aims to anger and does so again and again, if you are some kind of masochistic then this is the game for you, otherwise ignore what your friends say, ignore the reviews the only explanation i can possibly think for this horrendous game toThis is absolutely the worst game in existence i have no idea what kind of complete moron reviews this game and finds it "enjoyable" it is a game that aims to anger and does so again and again, if you are some kind of masochistic then this is the game for you, otherwise ignore what your friends say, ignore the reviews the only explanation i can possibly think for this horrendous game to get such great reviews is that this is some kind of sick internet joke.… Expand
  7. Azazaa
    Sep 20, 2014
    0
    7.3 ? Are you kidding me? Absolutely bad graphic! PC version is bad. It so bad - that mouse cursor runing over game! It so bad that i don see difference with resolution 640*480 and 2550*1440! It so bad that 4 kays not move to keabord! I see many games, ilsee thousands bad games. But this - absulutely record of bad games.
  8. Peterpantsless
    Aug 25, 2012
    10
    I'll start with the negative:

    Everyone knows that this was a bad port. The controls are terrible if you intend to use a keyboard and mouse. The camera control is pretty bad. The resolution and fps lock (resolution lock has since been fixed) are also very bad. And, worst of all- the game says "press the start button", etc. It was a very lazy port, indeed. That being said, all of that    I'll start with the negative:

    Everyone knows that this was a bad port. The controls are terrible if you intend to use a keyboard and mouse. The camera control is pretty bad. The resolution and fps lock (resolution lock has since been fixed) are also very bad. And, worst of all- the game says "press the start button", etc. It was a very lazy port, indeed.

    That being said, all of that did not stop me from enjoying the hell out of an absolutely amazing game. I sincerely hope that FromSoftware comes to their senses and develops for PC, as well as consoles for the next game in this series.

    The controls with a gamepad are absolutely fantastic and fluid.

    The art direction is great, and while some armor is way over the top, I really enjoy most of the armor design for this game as well.

    There are many different weapons, and unique weapons on top of that. They put a lot of work into the animations of this game.

    The online is simply brilliant, it is a blast to invade, help other players out, and vice versa. I can't say anything bad about this game other than the lack of effort put into the port.

    If the port was done right I would give this game a 10/10.

    With the port being the way it is, I'd give it a 8/10.

    I will, however, be giving this a 10/10 anyways to combat the ridiculous 0 scores people are giving it.    … Expand
  9. RoweShamboe
    Aug 28, 2012
    0
    Completely unusable as a PC they do not even try. The tutorial is written for the Xbox controller and it took forever to find out how to bring up the Menu (it is End not Esc). Do not buy, more frustration than fun.
  10. murut87
    Aug 25, 2012
    7
    It means to be playable using Controller,if playing Keyboard Controller,its freaking impossible.Worst Console Port Ever,with Lack of Tweaks,Capped FPS and Frustratingly Hard-To Play this game.But the game core is good on every possible so,i don`t recommend this game if you wanna play using Keyboard+Mouse because its all messed up....I really wanted to play this game because it looks fun toIt means to be playable using Controller,if playing Keyboard Controller,its freaking impossible.Worst Console Port Ever,with Lack of Tweaks,Capped FPS and Frustratingly Hard-To Play this game.But the game core is good on every possible so,i don`t recommend this game if you wanna play using Keyboard+Mouse because its all messed up....I really wanted to play this game because it looks fun to play even through its Difficulty was way impossible...… Expand
  11. bigbradford
    Sep 7, 2012
    1
    This game is **** garbage. The controls are awful and the camera is all over the place, very frustrating to play on a KB & mouse. Namco should be ashamed of themselves for this horrible "port" I should of just bought the xbox 360 version.
  12. Romars2021
    Aug 26, 2012
    9
    As expected, pc boys can't handle a real game. But if you're the exception, come on and earn your stripes. The best action rpg, possibly ever with the enphasis on 'action'. RPG fans may want to stay clear too, as it's really more of a hardcore action game than your typical rpg.
  13. GAAAAAAAAABE
    Aug 25, 2012
    10
    Great game, knew it would be a bad port from the start since From can't do PC. And GFWL doesn't bother me since all you need to do is sign in. All the bad reviews are stupid entitled PC gamers.
  14. Serious00
    Aug 26, 2012
    0
    This review is about the port, not the game itself. This game is genuinely inferior on PC. If you want to play this game, buy it used for a few bucks and play it on your console. The developer should *not* be compensated for doing D grade porting. If you're interested in the special PC content, wait a few months for a new console edition to come out with that said content. You've been warned.
  15. StavrosDim
    Aug 26, 2012
    5
    I got this game because of all this hype I heard from its fans,that it's a super-duper game that is very challenging and rewarding. Unfortunately I can't say I like it.
    It suffers from frame rate issues in AMD graphics cards too much. I have an AMD HD 6850 Vapor X edition that allows me to play Crysis and Battlefield 3 at Ultra,yet I get frame drops lower than 30fps with this game which    I got this game because of all this hype I heard from its fans,that it's a super-duper game that is very challenging and rewarding. Unfortunately I can't say I like it.
    It suffers from frame rate issues in AMD graphics cards too much. I have an AMD HD 6850 Vapor X edition that allows me to play Crysis and Battlefield 3 at Ultra,yet I get frame drops lower than 30fps with this game which is rediculous. I have a better frame rate playing Metro 2033 at High settings with DX11 on,than in this,which is crazy.
    Its controls are broken,and I'm not talking about the console button prompts or the mouse support.
    I play it with Xbox360 controller,and I can't say it controls well. Often the actions have latency so I might press the button to attack but my character will stay staring at the enemy for many moments,and when he will finally decide to attack it will be too late because the enemy will already have gone to another direction,have approached me,and attacks me the moment the attack animation is finally initiated.
    The game's lock-on system is broken. It rarely locks the enemy you want,because if there are many enemies on the screen it locks on random target,so there might be an enemy standing 1 foot away from you and another one 100 feet away,and the game lock to the enemy 100 foot away while the enemy 1 foot away slashes me in pieces. If you already have locked on the wrong enemy and you press the lock button again,sometimes the lock turns completely off and other times it locks on the other enemy,so you can never know what will happen,and once I got killed because I wanted to lock a different enemy and instead the lock function was turned off meaning my character also stopped backpedaling and instead turned his back to the enemy,and other times I wanted to stop having the lock function on 'on', so I can sprint away from an enemy I couldn't block with my shield,but instead the game locked to another enemy and I died again.
    In this game you are not fighting the monsters,which are not really that big deal,but you are fighting the controls.
    These broken controls make playing the game more like a chore and less like entertainment.
    I wouldn't have a problem with a game that would offer pure genuine and fair challenge,but this is beyond rediculous,getting killed because the game's mechanics sometimes work and some don't isn't exactly fair or intriguing. It's so bad I don't know if I will ever finish it. I will give it one more try,but I'm not sure.    … Expand
  16. Hyperwolf
    Aug 27, 2012
    10
    This is an amazing game let down by reviewers wanting things the company never promised. Basically don't buy this game unless you have an Xbox 360 controller or will buy one to play the game. Use Durante's great fix to allow the graphics to run at 1080p and super sample and with any decent graphics card you are going to love this game. It's brutally hard, and very beautiful. The manual isThis is an amazing game let down by reviewers wanting things the company never promised. Basically don't buy this game unless you have an Xbox 360 controller or will buy one to play the game. Use Durante's great fix to allow the graphics to run at 1080p and super sample and with any decent graphics card you are going to love this game. It's brutally hard, and very beautiful. The manual is not great and you'll undoubtedly get a little frustrated at first, but great things await anyone with a modicum of intelligence and a desire to play a unique and challenging RPG.… Expand
  17. refdxf
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    THE CONTROLS ARE SPOT ON. ANYONE WHO COMPLAINS ABOUT CONTROLS IS JUST A NOOB. The game is excellent. I use a Razr Onga which is extremely good. Being able to play Dark Souls anywhere I go on my laptop is something I have been waiting eagerly for ever since I heard about the release.
  18. mikeblackney
    Aug 26, 2012
    10
    The new content is fantastic. Dark Souls was wonderful before now, and now it's mind-blowing.

    Get a gamepad, yes. Get a resolution patch. Then dim the lights and prepare yourself for one of the most engrossing and rewarding experiences you will have in your life. Dark Souls.
  19. l3wdandcr3wd
    Aug 25, 2012
    10
    Definitely worth buying if you haven't played it yet. I would recommended getting a a gamepad and using montioninjoy. I emulated one of my ps3 controllers as an xbox controller and it is working flawlessly. I also downloaded a resolution fix to enhance the graphics, still haven't encountered any problems from that. I am using an nvidia card, I heard ATI cards are having some issuesDefinitely worth buying if you haven't played it yet. I would recommended getting a a gamepad and using montioninjoy. I emulated one of my ps3 controllers as an xbox controller and it is working flawlessly. I also downloaded a resolution fix to enhance the graphics, still haven't encountered any problems from that. I am using an nvidia card, I heard ATI cards are having some issues with the game. Money well spent 10/10 for me.… Expand
  20. AthanasiosT
    Mar 9, 2013
    1
    I really really tried to play this one. but when I play a PC game, I want to be able to play it as it's meant for PC. Meaning that this is a really bad console conversion. Mouse and keyboard have just decorative roles, even though I downloaded two extra moddings (1 for game and 1 for mouse controls). Framerate is awful and if you insist on using mouse control, the frames just hop like aI really really tried to play this one. but when I play a PC game, I want to be able to play it as it's meant for PC. Meaning that this is a really bad console conversion. Mouse and keyboard have just decorative roles, even though I downloaded two extra moddings (1 for game and 1 for mouse controls). Framerate is awful and if you insist on using mouse control, the frames just hop like a frog. Too bad, because the game seemed very-very good....… Expand
  21. SpaceyCasey
    Oct 11, 2012
    10
    Dark Souls is a completly unique experience. Instead of repeating old tired RPG concepts, it is a totally new kind of experience. Improving on the ideas of Demons Souls, this game adds great new elements like a seamless world. This game gets a 10/10 for creating a unique experience while most games today are repeated versions of old ideas. Whether you love it or hate it, you are reallyDark Souls is a completly unique experience. Instead of repeating old tired RPG concepts, it is a totally new kind of experience. Improving on the ideas of Demons Souls, this game adds great new elements like a seamless world. This game gets a 10/10 for creating a unique experience while most games today are repeated versions of old ideas. Whether you love it or hate it, you are really missing out if you dont give it a try. The PC version is a straight port with a whole new content - enough to be considerd a full expansion. Like any expansion, 90% of the game content is just a repeat of the orginal - this is not a new game. The graphics are very good, but no different than the PS3 version. This game is simply a port for PC plus an expansion. it dosen't need to be more. Personally I have played both and had a great time repeating the adventure again, this time playing the game with a different style and greatly enjoying the additional content.… Expand
  22. GeorgeA
    Oct 6, 2012
    6
    Played for several hours and I can't see the big deal. This game is painfully mediocre and bad port doesn't really have to do with that. After several community fixes and patches, Dark Souls is more or less playable on PC with mouse and keyboard. But the real problem lies within the core design of the game. First, there is no story, just lore. Some may say, that it allows you to make upPlayed for several hours and I can't see the big deal. This game is painfully mediocre and bad port doesn't really have to do with that. After several community fixes and patches, Dark Souls is more or less playable on PC with mouse and keyboard. But the real problem lies within the core design of the game. First, there is no story, just lore. Some may say, that it allows you to make up your own story or something like that, but it seems nothing more than an attempt to hide developers' laziness. The sound design is great, though and music is all right, but the voice acting is uninspired. Graphically it won't blow you away, but unless you are one of these "no DirectX 11, no tessellation, this game sucks!"-type, there's nothing terrible about how the game looks thanks to great architecture and visual design, as long as you have the resolution fix. As for, the gameplay, I have mixed feelings . The fighting itself is reasonably hard and dynamic, forcing the player to constantly be on guard and pay attention to every small detail in order to beat incredibly overpowered enemies. The role-playing elements, though scarce, are flexible enough to allow you to create your own character. There are 10 classes and pretty big selection of weapons and armor. All of these positive elements are ruined by two huge flaws, which for some reason are considered as "hardcore". The first one are the checkpoints. When you die (and you will a lot, even if you are the most skilled gamer out there), you are taken to a checkpoint, you lose all of your souls (XP) and you"ll have to travel to the place you died to retrieve them. The distance may be pretty long and it will feel like waste of time. Was adding manual save function after you have beaten your enemies (and deactivating it while you are fighting) really that hard? The second and by far the greatest flaw is the enemy respawn. Not only they respawn after you die, the SAME enemies respawn at the SAME place the game designers have put them and you have to fight them again. This becomes incredibly frustrating and repetitive. Even if you don't die, you HAVE to visit the bonfires (checkpoints) if you want to upgrade your stats with souls and guess what? The enemies respawn again! This sucks all the fun from the intuitive but, ultimately, unoriginal fight system and makes this game more like a chore to play. Again, was putting random respawn that hard? Also, the absence of the world map (not mini-map, by the way) makes it hard to navigate and you'll probably need a guide in order to find out which hub is connected to which. I don't mind not having a mini-map, but in my opinion a game should have at least some navigational mechanic. The supposed open-world design is fake, as in Dark Souls there are nothing more than linear hubs connected with even more linear paths , in Kingdoms of Amalur fashion. Final slap in the face are lack of ANY facial animations. This is unforgivable for a 2011 triple-A third-person action game title. In all, the game is better than recent Bioware and Bethesda garbage, but the design flaws basically kill it. I'll give it a try some other time later, but doubt I'll like it. Rent it before buying.… Expand
  23. Andrew_Paterson
    May 18, 2013
    2
    Sometimes I wonder why I haven't learned to read meta critic user reviews BEFORE buying a game.

    Dark Souls is probably an awesome game provided you're not playing the shoddy PC port. But I'm getting ahead of myself and before I start ranting about how terrible the game-play is I must walk you through the issues in trying to get to game-play. Firstly there was the wait for the Steam key    Sometimes I wonder why I haven't learned to read meta critic user reviews BEFORE buying a game.

    Dark Souls is probably an awesome game provided you're not playing the shoddy PC port. But I'm getting ahead of myself and before I start ranting about how terrible the game-play is I must walk you through the issues in trying to get to game-play. Firstly there was the wait for the Steam key it took about a week to acquire which is long in the digital age but livable. Then I had endless issues with Windows Live. I have windows live installed and working for other games but for Dark Souls it crashed and/or battled to sign in. Sadly you need Windows Live to save. I sorted Windows Live out and finally got into the game. Or thought I had: I got bogged down in the awful, awful character creation interface and then got stuck watching a long unskippable cinematic followed immediately by another long unskippable cinematic.

    I finally get to play but have very little good will left after the preceding mess. And then I discover that the controls are broken. A keyboard and mouse are not recommend and can't be used anyway as the mouse sensitivity on it's lowest setting will see a tiny bump swing the character through ninety degrees. An XBox controller (which is recommended) doesn't work because the button configurations are mangled and can't be re-configured. A genuine XBox controller on a genuine windows operating system (Win 7) and somehow the Dark Souls developers got the button mappings wrong.

    This game is broken.

    I finally quit in frustration. Or tried to. Because the controls are mangled there was no way to get back to a menu to save and quit; I had kill the process instead. Now every time I launch the game it chastises me for not closing it correctly.

    After installing various fan patches I got the game to a playable (and decently looking) state and unfortunately discovered that after all the effort I'd gone through the game play is terrible.

    The premise is that Dark Souls is unforgiving and will kill you again and again until you play cautiously which is awesome. I've been looking for a challenging game for years.

    The reality is the game killed me again and again as the camera seldom points anywhere useful and I stepped off ledges I couldn't see. Or the character locks onto an enemy far behind him and stops me from blocking an enemy immediately in-front. A stabbed in the back instant kill.

    Absolutely nothing about Dark Souls is good or even working.    … Expand
  24. Stefarooh
    Sep 25, 2012
    9
    I understand all the criticism surrounding the game and by no means should they be overlooked. Yes playing this game straight out the box without the resolution fix and a 360 controller you are setting yourself up for one major disappointment. My advice, if you don't already own a controller, is to purchase one before playing or avoid the game entirely and save yourself the frustrationI understand all the criticism surrounding the game and by no means should they be overlooked. Yes playing this game straight out the box without the resolution fix and a 360 controller you are setting yourself up for one major disappointment. My advice, if you don't already own a controller, is to purchase one before playing or avoid the game entirely and save yourself the frustration (although I still don't understand PC gamers reluctance to adopt controllers...I play certain games with a keyboard and mouse and most others with my controllers and I still get the same enjoyable gaming experience with raising my blood pressure levels screaming about silly things as using a controller on a PC). But as for Dark Souls PC - with the resolution fix and my wireless controller and Dark Souls plugged into my HDTV, the game looks phenomenal. I played Demon Soul's on PS3 and this looks infinitely better. I am having a blast with the game. Easily one of 2012 best if you can get past the stumbling blocks… Expand
  25. Stevo5000X
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    This is a great game, I've never enjoyed a game as much as this one. This is a must buy who enjoys a hardcore game. This game is so much more enjoyable with the new fix.
  26. Antiks
    Jan 7, 2013
    2
    Terrible port. Controls can't be reset and the mouse and keyboard stuff is just broken. Do not buy this game if you don't own and xbox 360 controller for your pc. Also you need to make several community fixes to the game to get it looking decent and running decent. Would not recommend anyone purchase this game for PC. Buyer beware.
  27. howlhaku
    May 3, 2014
    0
    This game, just like the first, is broken. They pretend it's 'hard' but it's just an excuse for a lack of testing and play balance. The save points are sparse and the game play is tedious. Tbh I could forgive most of this if the graphics were at least decent but jeebuz they are terrible. Unless you are a cutter I would avoid this like the plague.
  28. mberserk
    May 12, 2014
    0
    This game doesn't works properly. Crash on start screen. I bought it on Steam. I've played with Windows 8. But Windows 8.1, crashes, crashes and more crashes. Tried several workaraounds but no sucess.
  29. jimbobslimbob
    Dec 10, 2014
    3
    Meh.

    I don't understand the hype around this one. It's really nothing special. Couple this with the god-damn awful PC port that it is, it's enough to safely put me off from playing this anymore.I found the game to be significantly lacking in all areas. Sure, it's hard, but that is really all it's got going for it.

    Jimbo Rating: 3/10
  30. shingouki
    Aug 24, 2012
    10
    For all the users that are complaining about Keyboard and Mouse not working ideally for this game, let me lay this on you for a second, because this is how you guys sound:

    You have a box of nails you want to hammer into the wall. (Dark Souls) You have measuring tape. It has a flat side. (Keyboard) You don't have a hammer. (Gamepad) Instead of going out and buying a hammer to hammer in    For all the users that are complaining about Keyboard and Mouse not working ideally for this game, let me lay this on you for a second, because this is how you guys sound:

    You have a box of nails you want to hammer into the wall. (Dark Souls) You have measuring tape. It has a flat side. (Keyboard)
    You don't have a hammer. (Gamepad)
    Instead of going out and buying a hammer to hammer in the nails, you start hammering nails with THE MEASURING TAPE.
    You then start complaining "Holy crap these nails suck. They don't work well with the measuring tape. This is so difficult!"
    "Screw nails! Nails are terrible! I'm gonna write a review about how bad these nails are because they dont get hit into the wall well with my MEASURING TAPE."

    The reasons you guys don't have hammers, is probably because you're either broke, or you're lazy, or you have some personal vendetta towards hammers. BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NAILS. It's not the nails' fault you are too lazy, broke, or have developed some deep racism towards hammers. That's on you! The nail is made for hammers! Hammer it in with a hammer and stop complaining!

    So really you guys giving it a 0 for not playing perfectly with keyboard is really unfair. I can give maybe half a point for it not matching up with the keyboard controls and using xbox icons, but that's about it really. It's made to be played with a gamepad. So play it with one, and stop giving this game a low score because of your own personal issues with gamepads.

    ----------------------------

    Dark Souls is a console port. From Software said that. They made it very clear when the game was coming out. "This is mostly a console port. No surprises!" That means the game is structured from the bottom up in a console fashion. Why would it be so different from what was promised? So that means, you run it with a console controller, it plays at a console resolution with a console speed, with hopefully better console performance. That's what was promised, and that's what From Software delivered. I personally don't see anything wrong with that. PC Fans requested a game that was console exclusive and got it on their platform. It works! It's non buggy! It looks like the console version! It's just as great as it originally was (Fantastic and amazing game!) What else is there to say? It's a great game. I love it. The graphics are amazing, the frame rate is BETTER than console. The story is incredible, the gameplay is on point and very responsive. The game isn't choppy or has hiccups, or anything like that. Game plays smooth like butter at 30 FPS. Honestly, it plays better than most PC games I've messed with lately with twice the frame rate.

    Plus Durante modded it recently to increase the resolution past the initial renderer limit, so that's just the icing on the cake. This is a great game and I'm glad this game is finally on PC!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2012
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    72
    The irony is that the PC version could have been much better than the PS3/360 ones, with higher resolutions to make the textures look better, a cornucopia of mods and/or an active (in theory at least) community. But FROM ruined it all (with the assistance of Games for Windows Live). It’s a shame really, if we at least had just a decent port (or a better infrastructure for a less appalling multiplayer mode), Dark Souls could have been one of the best RPG for the PC. [November 2012]
  2. GameFocus
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Not often do you see a game that is equally rewarding as it is frustrating; and it's not because the game is unfair.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 29, 2012
    80
    Dark Souls returns the hardcore elements back to action RPGs – heavy focus on uncompromising fight mechanics and absolute freedom in hero profiling. The price of this game is not for everyone. [Oct 2012]
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