Dark Souls II Billboard Points to March 2014 Release

[StewShearerOld]

Dark Souls II Billboard Points to March 2014 Release

A billboard posted at the L.A. Convention Center has shed new light on Dark Souls II's release.

There's been a bit of trepidation surrounding Dark Souls II. While many are excited for the game, remarks by Namco Bandai, hinting toward efforts at broadening the franchise's appeal to larger audiences, have <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/7340-Guns-Blazing>had some concerned the sequel won't live up to the challenging and hardcore experience that arguably helped the first game rise to its <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123255-Dark-Souls-Sells-2-3-Million-Copies>level of success. Despite claims that the sequel would be <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123231-Dark-Souls-II-Director-Confirms-Its-High-Difficulty>just as difficult as the first game, Namco Bandai's public relations direction Lee Kirton has nonetheless expressed the publisher's desire to <a href=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Namco-Dark-Souls-2-Marketed-Like-Massive-AAA-Title-55718.html>"[widen] the net a little." What's been left out of this talk is when the publisher intends to cast this net.

The answer to that question, it would seem, is March 2014. Though there has been no official confirmation or announcement from Namco Bandai, a giant billboard has appeared over the L.A. Convention Center advertising a March release for Dark Souls II. The Convention Center will, of course, be playing host to E3 2013 in only a few days time, lending further legitimacy to the billboard.

While the news is likely to be welcome for current-gen gamers anxiously awaiting the game, it could also have next-gen implications as well. With <a href=http://www.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/Xbox_One_Release_Date>Xbox One and <a href=http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/consoles/ps4-release-date-news-and-features-937822>PS4 both slated to come out before 2014, a March release for Dark Souls II could make next-gen editions of the game a possibility. While the game would still be coming out for <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121006-Dark-Souls-II-Is-Coming-to-Ruin-Your-Day>Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, shinier versions for the new consoles could be a boon as they establish user bases in the wake of their launch.

Source: <a href=http://kotaku.com/dark-souls-ii-coming-march-2014-says-e3-sign-510871604>Kotaku


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[Able Seacat]

Aw that's so far away. Looking forward to E3 this year, should be plenty o' news.

 

[StewShearerOld]

Aw that's so far away. Looking forward to E3 this year, should be plenty o' news.

On the plus side, it gives me time to finish the first game. I love it but I still haven't made it through yet.

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

I think I may be jumping ship on this one.

For starters, I haven`t finished Dark Souls. I enjoy it, but I find it too long. Demon?s Souls was shorter and I played it 3 times through.

On the other hand, "widen the net" is very worrisome.
I remember a while back, when someone from the team mentioned they considered putting an easy mode in future iterations. And IIRC, there was a Jimquisition on that being a good idea, since it would bring more people to the game, while still maintaining the (hard)core experience.
I profoundly disagreed, in this particular case.
The hard difficulty in Dark Souls is a very important part of the game design. The game is almost built around it. The grinding, the summoning, the slow healing, the combat, the stamina bar, the deaths, the autosave. The desolate setting. Everything!
The whole game design in the series is built around the idea of "Prepare to Die".

If you take that out, the game ceases to be unique. And its weaker parts start to show... It has no story (people like to search for its lore, but it definitely doesn`t have cohesive storytelling), it`s presentation/production values are subpar compared to other AAA games on the market.
In a nutshell: People will play easy mode and will come asking me "why do you like it? I don`t see what`s so special about it?". Of course they won`t see it. They won`t be playing the same game as me... So they`ll just go back to God Of War.

So yes, even if there is nothing wrong with trying to appeal to a broader audience, in the specific case of Dark Souls, it will probably kill what is special about the game.

 

[thesilentman]

Aww, I wanted to play it this year. D-:

I can wait though, if they really are making the game as good as they said they would. Now, to go on that Manus challenge in the time being...

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

On the plus side, it gives me time to finish the first game. I love it but I still haven't made it through yet.

For starters, I haven`t finished Dark Souls. I enjoy it, but I find it too long.

Those damn ninjas... I can barely see their movements...

 

[Baresark]

All well. Now I can stop caring about the game for a little while. I also think the won't release on next gen consoles. First, they specifically said they won't. Second, I don't think it would be worth their time to port it to them as I doubt the installed user base is going to be huge by that point. Third, I don't imagine those versions will be shinier than the PC version (I had to say it, it just seems so obvious). But, too bad it's so far away.

 

[Erttheking]

I think I may be jumping ship on this one.

For starters, I haven`t finished Dark Souls. I enjoy it, but I find it too long. Demon?s Souls was shorter and I played it 3 times through.

On the other hand, "widen the net" is very worrisome.
I remember a while back, when someone from the team mentioned they considered putting an easy mode in future iterations. And IIRC, there was a Jimquisition on that being a good idea, since it would bring more people to the game, while still maintaining the (hard)core experience.
I profoundly disagreed, in this particular case.
The hard difficulty in Dark Souls is a very important part of the game design. The game is almost built around it. The grinding, the summoning, the slow healing, the combat, the stamina bar, the deaths, the autosave. The desolate setting. Everything!
The whole game design in the series is built around the idea of "Prepare to Die".

If you take that out, the game ceases to be unique. And its weaker parts start to show... It has no story (people like to search for its lore, but it definitely doesn`t have cohesive storytelling), it`s presentation/production values are subpar compared to other AAA games on the market.
In a nutshell: People will play easy mode and will come asking me "why do you like it? I don`t see what`s so special about it?". Of course they won`t see it. They won`t be playing the same game as me... So they`ll just go back to God Of War.

So yes, even if there is nothing wrong with trying to appeal to a broader audience, in the specific case of Dark Souls, it will probably kill what is special about the game.

You know, I used to be on the same side of the argument as you when it comes to that but...you do know that no one will force you to play the easy mode right? I mean, that's like me saying I enjoy Metro Last Light for it's difficulty and someone else saying he thought it was easy, because he only played on easy mode. People aren't so stupid that they'll buy a hard game, play on the lowest difficulty, and act surprised when they have little difficulty. When that happens to me, I exit out of the game and up the difficulty.

 

[Canadish]

You know, I used to be on the same side of the argument as you when it comes to that but...you do know that no one will force you to play the easy mode right? I mean, that's like me saying I enjoy Metro Last Light for it's difficulty and someone else saying he thought it was easy, because he only played on easy mode. People aren't so stupid that they'll buy a hard game, play on the lowest difficulty, and act surprised when they have little difficulty. When that happens to me, I exit out of the game and up the difficulty.

I hate to say it again, but Dark Souls isn't like most games when it comes to difficulty.

The the lay out, level design and enemy placement are all very well thought out and what gives the game it's difficulty. They can't just adjust the numbers like you could with Dragon Age or Final Fantasy. That takes a huge chunk of development time balancing that out right, and adding another difficulty level would require a huge amount of effort, time and resources from the developers already very limited pool.

A great deal of the challenge isn't even just the enemies, it's perception, identifying a pattern and spotting traps and ambushes before they happen.

You can't just slap an Easy Mode onto it.

 

[Yopaz]

You know, I used to be on the same side of the argument as you when it comes to that but...you do know that no one will force you to play the easy mode right? I mean, that's like me saying I enjoy Metro Last Light for it's difficulty and someone else saying he thought it was easy, because he only played on easy mode. People aren't so stupid that they'll buy a hard game, play on the lowest difficulty, and act surprised when they have little difficulty. When that happens to me, I exit out of the game and up the difficulty.

Seriously, don't even go down that road. Saying an easy mode wouldn't be the death of the game is blasphemy around here.

"No-one is forcing you to play easy mode"? Logical, but logic never matters. What people fear isn't an easy mode, but rather a poorly designed easy mode. Until we realize that the argument is futile. I agree with you though, an easy mode wouldn't hurt the game at all.

 

[bug_of_war]

So yes, even if there is nothing wrong with trying to appeal to a broader audience, in the specific case of Dark Souls, it will probably kill what is special about the game.

A difficulty level does not make a game special or unique. I've never played Dark Souls, and I have no intention on playing the second, but all this whiny "PLEBS ARE GOING TO PLAY MY SPECIAL GAME" type talk is really not that good for the argument that the average gamer is in their 30s. Look, if you want a hard game, play it on hard, if others don't then who cares, it's like me saying, "Everyone is not as awesome as I am unless they beat *insert game and it's hardest difficulty level here*". No one cares if you beat COD on Veteran, no one cares if you beat Mass Effect on Insanity, and no one cares that you play Dark Souls due to it's difficulty.

 

[Cezar Virtosu]

So yes, even if there is nothing wrong with trying to appeal to a broader audience, in the specific case of Dark Souls, it will probably kill what is special about the game.

A difficulty level does not make a game special or unique. I've never played Dark Souls, and I have no intention on playing the second, but all this whiny "PLEBS ARE GOING TO PLAY MY SPECIAL GAME" type talk is really not that good for the argument that the average gamer is in their 30s. Look, if you want a hard game, play it on hard, if others don't then who cares, it's like me saying, "Everyone is not as awesome as I am unless they beat *insert game and it's hardest difficulty level here*". No one cares if you beat COD on Veteran, no one cares if you beat Mass Effect on Insanity, and no one cares that you play Dark Souls due to it's difficulty.

Sir. You are confused. And ignorant. Allow me to dispel your confusion and illuminate you.

Dark Souls is not a difficult game, it is a game that punishes you for your mistakes. Far more than any other game on the market. Once you learn the ropes you can BREEZE through the game, BREEZE through even at NG++++++. Mastering the game gives you that particular feel of awesomeness, this feel more or less absent from the other titles of this generation.

Now, people CARE when someone in their community manages to platinum this, or finish I title. You know, because we are a community. We share, we discuss, we whine. Obviously not you, no, not your condescending self.

 

[hazabaza1]

I don't even know why I go into Dark Souls discussions any more because fuck me there's so many people who completely miss the point.

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

I think they CAN make it easier, if they put enough thought and work on it. Heck, Mega Man 10 has an easy mode (and Mega Man always is a very thoughtfully crafted hard experience).
They can do it. But it would be a terrible idea...
What makes Dark Souls unique is the fact that it is hard. It was designed, from the ground up, to be hard and challenging.

Has anyone ever wondered, if you take that out, what`s left? Dragon`s Dogma (never played, so I`m guessing here)? Diablo 3? Poor man`s Skyrim? Gritty Zelda? Another hack and slash?
If the game ceases to be challenging, even if it can perfectly works as a game, what would make it worth playing?

I wasn`t saying people would just put it on easy and then complain that the game was easy. I said that they would put it on easy and, after one hour, start wondering why they are playing it instead of something else. Because there is nothing special about it, so it can`t compete with other better realized games.

An very extreme example, but let`s say that they decided to give an option in the next GTA where you don`t drive cars. Instead, you free run and climb buildings. You know what you get? A crippled Assassin`s Creed, or Infamous.
Hard difficulty is for Dark Souls what driving cars is for GTA; shooting is for Halo; jumping is for Mario; stealth is for Metal Gear... You CAN take it out. You just won`t end up with the same game...

A hard game can be made easier to accommodate players with less time available. No problem with that. Unless it was a game designed so that its difficulty is the single most important part of the experience.

 

[bug_of_war]

Sir. You are confused. And ignorant. Allow me to dispel your confusion and illuminate you.

Dark Souls is not a difficult game, it is a game that punishes you for your mistakes. Far more than any other game on the market. Once you learn the ropes you can BREEZE through the game, BREEZE through even at NG++++++. Mastering the game gives you that particular feel of awesomeness, this feel more or less absent from the other titles of this generation.

Now, people CARE when someone in their community manages to platinum this, or finish I title. You know, because we are a community. We share, we discuss, we whine. Obviously not you, no, not your condescending self.

So if it's not difficult, then why is it a bad thing that an easier difficulty is being added? If all it takes is learning not to make mistakes, then why is it bad that there is a difficulty that will help those whom are not as quick thinking be able to share in the experience? After all, like you pointed out this is a community, and the community enjoys discussing the game in question, so why is it that people want to keep the community tight knit? What's wrong with allowing new people into a community where in which discussions can be had on experiences? If you've platinum the game, then why are you worried about people whom are worse than you having a go? If you've finished the game, why not share your experience/knowledge with those whom have yet to do so, or are stuck on a section?

I'm not ignorant, the Dark Souls community is exclusive, and that is not a community that I strive to fit in to.

 

[Cezar Virtosu]

So if it's not difficult, then why is it a bad thing that an easier difficulty is being added? If all it takes is learning not to make mistakes, then why is it bad that there is a difficulty that will help those whom are not as quick thinking be able to share in the experience? After all, like you pointed out this is a community, and the community enjoys discussing the game in question, so why is it that people want to keep the community tight knit? What's wrong with allowing new people into a community where in which discussions can be had on experiences? If you've platinum the game, then why are you worried about people whom are worse than you having a go? If you've finished the game, why not share your experience/knowledge with those whom have yet to do so, or are stuck on a section?

I'm not ignorant, the Dark Souls community is exclusive, and that is not a community that I strive to fit in to.

Difficulty is not the issue. Making the game more easy would dent the game's virtues. All that Dark Souls is trying to do is to teach you a method. You need to develop a method if you wish to advance. If you dull its edges then discovering and mastering this method becomes less and less relevant in the favor of error and trial.

THat is why it is ESSENTIAL that Dark Souls remains an unforgiving experience, that punishes you when you make mistakes, or when you gamble too much. People who didn't make the cut, so to speak, ***** and whine. Because nowadays everyone is entitled to everything, that each experience should be tailored to their tastes. Most of the games nowdaays do that. Go and play those. Dark Souls is one of the last games with certain verticality in design, a spine if you will. You either learn how to climb the wall, or watch the others climb it.

 

[bug_of_war]

Difficulty is not the issue. Making the game more easy would dent the game's virtues. All that Dark Souls is trying to do is to teach you a method. You need to develop a method if you wish to advance. If you dull its edges then discovering and mastering this method becomes less and less relevant in the favor of error and trial.

THat is why it is ESSENTIAL that Dark Souls remains an unforgiving experience, that punishes you when you make mistakes, or when you gamble too much. People who didn't make the cut, so to speak, ***** and whine. Because nowadays everyone is entitled to everything, that each experience should be tailored to their tastes. Most of the games nowdaays do that. Go and play those. Dark Souls is one of the last games with certain verticality in design, a spine if you will. You either learn how to climb the wall, or watch the others climb it.

Read what you wrote, "Difficulty is not the issue. Making the game more easy would dent the game's virtues" obviously difficulty is the issue. Trial and error is how a lot of people learn successful methods, so you're basically saying it's not fair that some people can learn the methods quicker now that there will be an easier mode of difficulty...that just sounds like the worst excuse ever for hiding that you don't want regular gamers or just casual gamers joining your community. The game still has the hard mode, so you can still experience the game in it's "difficult" mode, henceforth the game still holds onto it's virtues for being a hard game.

People who didn't make the cut, so to speak, ***** and whine. Because nowadays everyone is entitled to everything, that each experience should be tailored to their tastes. Most of the games nowdaays do that. Go and play those

So being exclusive is okay in this community? Dark Souls is a video game, and video games, as you pointed out before, spawn communities. So why, WHY ON EARTH would you want to keep a community excluded from other people whom genuinely want to play the game, but can't because they lack the skills. You say you want to have a community, but you refuse to allow the community to grow, that is not a good thing, and you're being an excluding dick by whinging about how Dark Souls 2 having an easy mode will be a detriment.

You either climb the wall, watch people climb the wall, get a ladder, walk around the wall, destroy the wall. If you specialise, you die. A good community does not exclude people. It's generally considered that people in the gaming community want to be seen as good community right?

Also, if you want a tough game, Predator Concrete Jungle on normal difficulty.

 

[Weaver]

Not even off the first page and we're into the difficulty discussion x_x

Anyways,I'm just worried Namco is putting too much money behind marketing this time and thus the game will fail to achieve sales numbers and they'll kill the franchise.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Not even off the first page and we're into the difficulty discussion x_x

Anyways,I'm just worried Namco is putting too much money behind marketing this time and thus the game will fail to achieve sales numbers and they'll kill the franchise.

You're also forgetting what you just typed was also on a few pages on the last few DS2 threads but yeah I agree the difficulty discussion is getting out of hand here already.

I've always found the needing to defend a difficulty as completely pointless because this is a video game that's about entertainment, if you want a challenge go find a massive jungle and see how long you can last in the wild seeing as how that's far more challenging than 2 video games.

I'd ask others to let it go but that's not going to happen now is it?, they say ignorance is bliss and yet the ones calling the ignorant card seem to be ignorant themselves.