Dark Souls II
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| Names | DARK SOULS II ~ ダークソウル II |
| Release Date | USA: 03/11/2014 EU: 14/03/2014 ASIA: 13/03/2014 PC: 25/04/2014 |
| Genre | Action, Role-Playing |
| Price | 59.99 USD 7,800 Yen Collector's edition: 120 USD 12,000 Yen |
| Rating | Teen |
| Platform/s | PC - Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10 |
| Online | PlayStation Network & Xbox LIVE |
| Mode/s | Singe-Player, Multiplayer |
| Developer | From Software |
| Publisher | From Software (Japan) & Namco Bandai Games (Int'l) |
| Director | Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura |
Dark Souls II is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Dark Souls, an action RPG by FromSoftware. The original game's appeal lay with its renowned difficulty and trial-and-error approach, one that Dark Souls II promises to sustain. Dark Souls II was first announced on December 8, 2012 and officially released March 11, 2014. This release date may vary a few days depending on the region. Since its release, a trilogy of DLC content has followed the base game, adding more content and playability to Dark Souls II.
Explore the vast open world and encounter the dark creatures that may lurk in each of the Locations. Face challenges and hazards wherever you go. Overcome these areas in either single player or multiplayer to reap great rewards and only get stronger. Players are encouraged to customize their builds for each combat encounter, improving their weapons and skills as they are encountered. Gain new Weapons and Armor and learn different types of Magic to overcome the challenges ahead.
Dark Souls II Features
- Go Beyond Death: dare yourself to engage against intense gameplay in a vast world powered by an all-new engine that leaps graphics, sound & FX forward like never before
- A labyrinth of monsters & bosses: immerse yourself into mind-bending environments filled with new twisted monsters and deadly bosses that could only come from the imagination of FROM SOFTWARE
- Sensory assault: a wide range of threats will prey on human senses & phobias - auditory hallucinations, vertigo, acrophobia, etc
- Deeper and darker: more intricate customization options provide weapons and armor tailoring to player style
- Evolved multiplayer: updated multiplayer system enables improved online interaction to bring forward cooperative & competitive play
- Refined gameplay: DARK SOULS™ II features fluid motion-capture animations, an upgraded combat system, a vastly expanded suite of characters, deeper customization options, new weapons, armor abilities, and a balanced player progression system
Dark Souls II Overview
Dark Souls II is the second installment in the Dark Souls series, and brought another action role-playing game by FromSoftware. They continue to craft challenging experiences and combat encounters for new and old players to enjoy throughout the a large gated open world. Players are encouraged to learn each enemy moveset and eventually how to counter them in order to move on and progress through the game.
In Dark Souls II, players will be assume a character that bears a curse who starts the hazardous adventure towards the Kingdom of Drangleic and is tasked by Emerald Herald to obtain four Great Souls from Old ones spread throughout the different locations, eventually uncovering the origins of the curse and the history of the land. The goal is to cut down great Bosses and enemies, upgrade your character and complete the task at hand to reveal the rest of the story of Dark Souls II by speaking to different characters throughout the game.
About Dark Souls II
- Dark Souls II was announced on December 8th on the Spike TV Video Game Awards.
- The series' creator, From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki, served only as a supervisor on the sequel, while the game was actually co-directed by From's Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura.
- Shibuya's comments about the game don't shed a whole lot of light on the sequel, other than to indicate that the new title will be faithful to the older ones but also introduce new things (as expected, of course). "This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game. We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series...the entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey."
- According to the game's publisher, the new game "will feature a new hero, a new storyline, and an unfamiliar world for players to survive in while delivering its signature brand of unrelenting punishment that players hunger for." It seems that multiplayer is going to be tweaked as well. Demon's Souls and Dark Souls had an unusual multiplayer system that allowed users to do everything from leaving quest hints for each other to invading each other's games.
- So what to make of this bit from the press release about Dark Souls II? "Players seeking to share their experience will discover a revamped server-based multiplayer mode that will put a distinct Dark Souls II twist on the concept of playing with others."
- The game's publisher, Namco, promised a game full of "unrelenting challenge."
- Collector's edition and black armor edition (aka pre-order edition) have been announced. Black Armour edition contains metal case and soundtrack. Collector's edition contains black armor edition, 30 cm/12" warrior knight figurine, art book and authentic cloth game map.
Dark Souls II All DLC and Editions
The Dark Souls II DLCs were released as a trilogy that was released one after the other with about a month apart. Players were able to purchase these DLC packs individually or as a bundle. Those who purchased the Season Pass had access to all three DLC packs as they were released. Purchasing the remastered release, Scholar of the First Sin also gave players access to all three DLC packs.
- Crown of the Sunken King DLC- July 22, 2014
- Crown of the Old Iron King DLC - August 26, 2014
- Crown of the Ivory King DLC - September 30, 2014
- Scholar of the First Sin Edition - April 1, 2015
Dark Souls II System Requirements
Minimum Specs |
Recommended Specs |
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| OS: | Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 | Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 |
| Processor: | AMD® Phenom II™ X2 555 3.2Ghz or Intel® Pentium Core ™ 2 Duo E8500 3.17Ghz | Intel® CoreTM i3 2100 3.10GHz or AMD® A8 3870K 3.0GHz |
| Memory: | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics: | NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600GT, ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 750 or ATI Radeon™ HD 6870 or higher |
| DirectX: | Version 9.0c | Version 9.0c |
| Network | Broadband Internet connection | Broadband Internet connection |
| Storage Space: | 12 GB available space | 15 GB available space |
| Sound Card: | DirectX 9 sound device | DirectX 9 sound device |
| Additional Notes | Controller support: Microsoft Xbox 360® Controller for Windows® (or equivalent) recommended | Controller support: Microsoft Xbox 360® Controller for Windows® (or equivalent) recommended |
Dark Souls II Concepts
DSII Developmental Concepts
- The game is not a direct sequel to Dark Souls.
- As the game's protagonist, the players will embark on a journey to remove from themselves the affliction of a curse.
- Bonfires and covenants return, as do gestures.
- The difficulty level will remain, with the focus staying on learning from death to overcome challenges. The variety in ways to die has been prioritized but the focus is still on fairness.
- Story will be presented in the same fashion as Demon's and Dark, unobtrusive and discoverable by players who wish to dig deeper.
- Confusion over the usage of the word "accessible" has been clarified. What From means to do is streamline the tediousness by trimming the fat. There will be less backtracking and excessive traveling. Not being able to warp until later in the first game was a specific example cited.
- While characters will not be able to be carried over from Dark Souls into the sequel, the directors mentioned some content will carry over although it is not entirely clear what or how.
- Next gen was discussed and rumored still but the director has said it will be current gen to deliver the game to fans sooner.
- A new graphics engine was created to address frame-rate issues and give the development team an extra tool in creating atmosphere. PC will run at 60 fps and Console versions will run at 30 fps.
- Online interaction will be server based to facilitate unique experiences. It is unclear as of yet if they will be region based or not.
- Environment traversal will encourage the player to go deeper into areas in darkness. A torch system has been implemented to provide light during these portions.
- Mist will perform the same gateway function that fog walls performed in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.
- The goal is to get the players to feel the emotional fright of areas and to also have enemies elicit emotions in the players.
- Key Mouths that trigger in game events are also a new addition.
- Gameplay videos showed players using items and firing an arrow while walking.
- Enemies were shown with the ability to backdrop and throw their weapon at players.
- The player character was able to cycle through three pieces of equipment in each hand, and his roll speed seemed to be determined by which weapons he had equipped, rather than his total equipment burden. This is a peculiar departure from the first two Souls games, wherein all equipped items counted toward your roll speed. It is also entirely possible that the roll speed of the character is based upon the over-all weight of equipment visible on the player. This would mean that if equipment is in a slot but not in the main hand it may not count towards the player's total weight.
- Healing gems that regenerate health slowly are a new feature and will drop from enemies. It is unclear how common they will be. From the various gameplay demos and the network test, lifegems seem to be very common drops, though it is possible that this was only to make the demos and beta easier.
- Dual wield class will have a power stance initiated instead of two handing a weapon.
- Backstabs return although the animation seems to have changed. Remains to be seen how it affects other weapons.
- Kick has been replaced with a shoulder shunt.
- From has said starting classes have changed. The game will monitor your stat allocation and suggest a class based on your trajectory.
DSII General Concepts
- The game revolves around the mark of the curse and it's role in the cycle of life.
- The game world of medieval fantasy
- Exploration of the world will be vital and, thanks to a seamless map, accessible by simply walking.
- No maps in hand, the player will have to rely on descriptions and observation.
- The game will feature complex environments, with tricks, traps and significant height differences.
- Bonfires scattered throughout the world will serve as starting points/checkpoints and as oases for recovery. The player will be able to rest by the bonfire to replenish health, Estus Flask and spells.
- Human Effigy is another new concept, it is used to revive from Undead to Human, and to strengthen Bonfires, keeping invaders away temporarily. A Human player can summon Undead players, but will also be open to invasions. Though, if Undead, and depending on how strong the curse is, an invasion is more likely, so there's a focus in staying alive, human, and engaging with others in jolly co-operation!
- The game will feature different motions and traits for weapons, as well as a great variety of magic and items, encouraging the player to find their own and unique playstyle.
- The motion will affect the speed and rest of each blow, based on parameters such as the player's strength and ability.
- Tactics such as bypass armor should also be parameter-dependent.
- The expected playtime is similar to Dark Souls.
- Takes place in the fictional land of Drangleic.
Notable differences on NG+
- Sin now carries over to NG+ and further on.
- A NG+ now contains many enemies that don't appear in NG, as well a series of NPC Red Phantoms who will invade the player from the first areas.
Dark Souls II Image Gallery
Anonymous
- Anonymous
"The series' creator, From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki, served only as a supervisor on the sequel, while the game was actually co-directed by From's Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura."
So that's why this is the best souls, because Mr. Copypasta wasn't in charge.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
It was my first souls game and i enjoyed it, just as the rest of from's soulslikes.
It's either your favourite or least favourite Souls game. There is no inbetween
- Anonymous
Underrated masterpiece.
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