Dark souls 2 is announced and will be on PC.

[hector530]

here's some more about DS2, it looks like it wont be a 2013 release

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/12/17/dark-souls-2-may-not-be-out-before-2014

[Rennn]

here's some more about DS2, it looks like it wont be a 2013 release

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/12/17/dark-souls-2-may-not-be-out-before-2014

 

I think that's good, actually. There's more time to play Dark Souls, and they can spend more time making a larger, more unique game. If they pushed out a sequel less than two years after Dark Souls and the PC port, my guess would be that we'd see a lot of recycled resources and minimal improvements, especially on the PC side of things.

 

And I'm glad to hear that their plan to make the game more accessible won't be affecting the whole game, but merely the first several hours.

[Aegrus]

here's some more about DS2, it looks like it wont be a 2013 release

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/12/17/dark-souls-2-may-not-be-out-before-2014

 

. . . :biggrin: BRILLIANT! This is the best news I've heard all month, because it means that From can make a better game, and it means that it will almost certainly be on next-gen consoles. (Which, given that the pc port is unlikely to be very good, means that pc graphics and optimization will be better.) Next-gen consoles (and, probably Dark Souls 2, by extension) take advantage of quad-core, 64 bit cpu's and more RAM, which should improve performance, given that Fromsoft loves throwing effects onto cpu's. (I maintain that this is a holdover from early in the lives of current-gen consoles, when Fromsoft was exclusive to the 6-cored ps3. Given that my pc has a 6 core cpu, I want From to add support for as many cores as possible.)

 

Also, that trailer was astoundingly awesome. Even though it's cinematic and not in-game, I'm glad to see that their art direction and desire for realism haven't been compromised. I thought the character was a little top-heavy at first, but then I realized that that was most likely just his fluffy fur mantel. His sword is accurately sized, and the female character is *gasp* wearing realistic, non-ridiculous clothing. I didn't know it was possible for a JRPG to give a female gear that didn't show off tons of cleavage, at the very least.

 

The music just keeps getting better and better, and I love that it actually got lower and sadder when the dragon entered the fight, instead of loud and fast, as it would have in 99% of other games. It makes the encounter feel much more serious and realistic. The dragon is a powerful monster to be feared, not just a speed bump for the hero to slay in a flashy way. The hero dieing is also the perfect way to end that particular encounter.

 

The art direction for setting seems to be even better than Dark Souls and Demon's Souls. The demonic wastelands look threatening and dark without being so over-the-top that they start to seem silly. Most rpgs have some sort of demonic lava-ruin, but Dark Souls 2's seems really inspired, not just thrown in. The sunlit city in the distance reminds me of Anor Londo, which is a fantastic idea for a setting. Even the flowering forest, which would be stupid and overly-pretty in most games, looks odd and foreboding, like there are dark secrets hidden behind the petals. It's scenic, but the tension is maintained. I'm sure the haunting music and twisting roots everywhere go a long way towards creating that feeling.

 

Some people have issued complaints about the story, but I prefer it this way. I always thought that, though Dark Souls had a very good subtle story, more character depth and a slightly more cinematic approach without sacrificing character control or choice could really jack the emotional value up to 11. I hope they don't go as "Okay, this is a plot moment, now we're talking about our objectives and feelingd" as Dragon Age, but at the same time, I hope they provide a little more personal incentive for emotion and sacrifice. Hopefully they keep it subtle and implied, but rely on characters a bit more and item descriptions a bit less.

 

Who would have thought that a Japanese company could make better western action rpg's than. . .pretty much any western company?

 

I am now going on media blackout from this game. I'm not looking at hints, screenshots, reviews--nothing. I am cutting myself off from it completely, and it will be a day-1 buy, no matter what anyone says about it. Steam, Origin, GFWL, bad port, whatever-- I am buying this game regardless.

 

I once made the mistake of listening to other people's opinions of a franchise that I loved, and look what happened there. As a big fan of Dragon Age; Origins, I put off buying Dragon Age 2 for more than two years because of how much other people trashed it. They really convinced me that the game was a failure. I, like an idiot, actually bashed it on youtube videos without playing it. When I finally caved and bought it after it had dropped to $20, it became my favorite game--replacing Origins, which was my previous favorite. It's still tied with Dark Souls for that title, in fact. I almost didn't buy my favorite game because of other peoples' opinions. . .

 

I won't be making that mistake again. Dark Souls 2=day one buy. Even if other people hate it, my opinion (as in the case of Dragon Age 2) might be vastly different, and I'll need to play it for myself to find out.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Aegrus

[Rennn]

This is my #1 expected game for the next two years. They'd really have to mess something up to make me dislike it, because I'd probably even love a Dark Souls or Demon's Souls clone all over again if it released on the PC.