Dark Souls II First Look Is Suitably Lethal

Cognimancer

Imperial Intelligence
Jun 13, 2012
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Dark Souls II First Look Is Suitably Lethal


These 12 minutes of gameplay footage should help you prepare to die all over again.

Dark Souls was a lot of things - deep, brutal, unforgiving - but one thing is certainly was not is predictable. Knowing that, you may find it useful to watch the first 12 minutes of Dark Souls II gameplay revealed by developer From Software. In addition to showing off a few of the improvements that have been made for the sequel, we get a glimpse at combat with some new enemies, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one taking notes: I want to know what to expect when I run into those monsters myself.

The most immediately noticeable change is that the graphics have received a tune-up. It still looks like Dark Souls for the most part, but the small changes to the lighting leave it with a more immersive look and feel. Combat hasn't changed much, but the dual-wielding looks much more fluid than the awkward system from the first game. We also see a pitch-black area where the player needs to sacrifice his offhand item to light the way with a torch, leaving him vulnerable to the monsters lurking in the darkness. These minor additions don't add much to the high-stakes trial-and-error combat system of Dark Souls, but it's just enough to keep things fresh while staying true to the feel of the original.

There's visible improvement to the enemies you'll be facing, as well. They continue to use efficient tactics to frustrate players as much as possible - we see a hulking brute of an enemy leave its back open for attack, but as the player moves behind it, the monster falls backwards and crushes the player. Your opponents will also have a greater impact on the immediate environment in the sequel, from demolishing stone pillars with their swings to breaking down doors to reach unsuspecting players. The gameplay demo doesn't show any of the game's intimidating boss fights, but you can expect those to be as challenging as ever.

The demo concludes with a series of humiliating player deaths at the hands of a variety of enemies, because it wouldn't be Dark Souls without a brutal disregard for the well-being of its characters. Dark Souls II is slated to frustrate gamers on PC, PlayStation3, and Xbox 360, though we're still in the dark as to its release date.

Source: IGN [http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/04/10/dark-souls-2-gameplay-reveal-12-minute-demo]

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BrotherRool

New member
Oct 31, 2008
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The level design in the Dark Souls games is so good, it makes me look at a lot of the more straightforward RPGs and wonder why we can't have something so amazing in those games.

(Compare this to Final Fantasy XIII:p Even XIII-2 doesn't hold a candle to it)
 

ciancon

Waiting patiently.....
Nov 27, 2009
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I saw this last night and, although I'm a little dubious about some of the changes, most of this makes me incredibly happy!
 

TilMorrow

Diabolical Party Member
Jul 7, 2010
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It's certainly looking good. Though I'm not sure how having to use a torch for dark areas is that different to when you had to use the Skull Lantern or Sunlight maggot for areas such as the Tomb of Giants in Dark Souls unless they mean that there will be increase in the number of areas that are pitch black. The new enemies look interesting also though those soldiers/knights at the start seemed to be similar to the hollows. Can't wait to try dealing with the Chariot and the ogre looking enemy. Though the amount of weapons he was pulling out without having to stop to equip them did leave me a little puzzled. Will that be an actual feature in the game or is it just for the preview build?
 

DrunkOnEstus

In the name of Harman...
May 11, 2012
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Alright, I need to get a job interviewing people. I would have talked them into letting me play it : ) This is looking damned satisfying, and the graphical upgrade is quite good.
 
Dec 14, 2009
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My body is ready...


Looks like they really improved the lighting is this game.

Also.



Love the Souls series, can't wait for this DK 2, since they it looks like not even backstabs can save you :D
 

Weaver

Overcaffeinated
Apr 28, 2008
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I just can't get over that beard having hipsterish guy. It's just so... IGN like.

captch: halp meh"

lol.
 

Evilsanta

New member
Apr 12, 2010
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....ALL OF MY WANT AND ALL OF MY MONEY! TAKE IT ALL!

Erhm...

Well damn, I am hyped and really looking forward to it. Still a little peeved that there has been no story revellings.

Is it a prequel or a sequel?

And by Gwynewere AMAZING CHEST AHEADif they pull an other Pendant I will go to FROM office in Japan and
slap someone...
 

CharrHearted

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Aug 20, 2010
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doesn't exactly look THAT enhanced, but I suppose it'll be a good game to slug my way through again like Demon and Dark souls. I wouldn't say it's an amazing game series but it does well in keeping you entertained as you get killed again and again and again and again and again-
 

Quazimofo

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Aug 30, 2010
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synobal said:
I wish we would get a good PC version of this game.
I'm sure they will at least have a better default control map this time around.

Also, I'm loving the graphical upgrades. It's easy to see the improvements, but it's not entirely different, which is a good thing. It seems less... cartoony? deliberate? technicolor? (cant think of a word, but for Dark Souls the colors looked very.. put there. Basically, not so natural when it came to the environment they were in. Hard to explain, but you can see what I mean right?)

Now it looks much more natural and I love it. Also, the animations seem a bit smoother, which is good. I really like the bits of environment we have seen so far too. After playing dark souls for long enough it starts to feel a bit old ya know? Nice to have a change of scenery.
 

Baresark

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Dec 19, 2010
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I'm very excited. We didn't see all the combat mechanics, but my biggest concern was they were going to dumb down the combat system, which is probably the best most diverse and indepth combat system any game offers, at least third person action RPG's. The hard difficulty extends from that combat system and the diversity of the enemies, not because the game is just hard or unforgiving. Know thy character and know thy enemy; victory will always be yours.
 

ChildishLegacy

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Apr 16, 2010
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synobal said:
I wish we would get a good PC version of this game.
If the interviews have been translated properly then the PC version is actually the BASE version of the game this time round and it's then being ported to consoles.

Fromsoft, just take my firstborn please.
 

Seydaman

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Nov 21, 2008
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Looks interesting, I wonder how they'll go on with the light play, torches etc. I hope they can pull it off and not make it irritating, but well.... in conclusion


YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES