Dark Souls 2 Preview: Dying Over and Over Never Looked So Good

[Leahbjackson]

Dark Souls 2 Preview: Dying Over and Over Never Looked So Good

New graphics, classes, and engine are making Dark Souls 2 look far better than the original.

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[cynicalsaint1]

I wonder if they'll leave the normal character generation process intact - because it sounds like that'd be a pain in the ass if you were trying to pick a specific starting class for purposes of making a particular build - you'd have to know which answers to to get the class you wanted.

I mean I can see how that would help newer players out and all b/c DeS/DkS are both pretty vague about what the classes are and which stats are important and why. But I don't think vets are going to care for it at all.

 

[SecondPrize]

I'm experiencing a little trepidation here. In DaS your class is just your starting stats. It may have been wise to continue along the path in which you started but it wasn't forced on you, you could use any weapon or type of magic providing you got the stats for it. So with something like dual sword guy, do I have to go with him if I want two weapons? Can't I pick any class and use two weapons?

 

[88chaz88]

I'm experiencing a little trepidation here. In DaS your class is just your starting stats. It may have been wise to continue along the path in which you started but it wasn't forced on you, you could use any weapon or type of magic providing you got the stats for it. So with something like dual sword guy, do I have to go with him if I want two weapons? Can't I pick any class and use two weapons?

Similar fears surrounded Dark Souls when they announced the Pyromancer, it sounded like he was the only one who had access to pyromancy. Needless to say this wasn't the case.

I doubt they'd lock anything to a particular class. The worst you can expect is having to unlock it later but I doubt this would be the case with dual wielding. Also the reason he's called "Dual Swordsman" is probably more to do with it being an early translation than him being the only one who can dual wield.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Cannot wait for this game. As for the "Can x class do y?" comments, I haven't played much Dark Souls so far (maybe 30 hours between two characters), but the classes seemed to be nothing more than starting stats/equipment (and the thief had the master key). I've used pyromacy with my thief and I've used light armor and dexterity based weapons with my knight. There is probably just a skill you need for dual wielding efficiently (or more effectively), and the dual swordsman probably starts with that skill speced higher.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

 

[Hagi]

Very much looking forward to this game.

I'm a little confused about the article though. Dark Souls had both functional dual wielding (even shield-bashing with the heavier shields), although it was nowhere near as good as using a shield, as well as warping between bonfires. Whilst good to hear those will be back and dual wielding will be improved to be competitive with other styles they aren't new features.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

I'm experiencing a little trepidation here. In DaS your class is just your starting stats. It may have been wise to continue along the path in which you started but it wasn't forced on you, you could use any weapon or type of magic providing you got the stats for it. So with something like dual sword guy, do I have to go with him if I want two weapons? Can't I pick any class and use two weapons?

I'm a little worried about that too - but I seriously doubt they'll change the "class"/leveling system too much - I mean the core of the game is built on it. They'd have to completely rework the way using Souls to level up works and such if they wanted to have strict "Classes". Given that all that's been pretty core to the series since Demon's Souls I doubt that's going to happen.

I imagine this more for new people who get to the chargen screen and don't know what the hell they're looking at or why it matters. I mean what's the difference between a Bandit and a Wanderer? I think this is going to be more of "What kind of spells do you want to cast? Do you want to dual-wield? Do you want slow heavy weapons that hit like a truck, or a fast weapon? Ok - now here's the starting class you want" sort of thing.

 

[karloss01]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

I don't know what game you were playing but my Demon's/Dark Souls control perfectly fine. and checkpoints in Dark Souls had shortcuts that could be opened up to earlier checkpoints.

I'm experiencing a little trepidation here. In DaS your class is just your starting stats. It may have been wise to continue along the path in which you started but it wasn't forced on you, you could use any weapon or type of magic providing you got the stats for it. So with something like dual sword guy, do I have to go with him if I want two weapons? Can't I pick any class and use two weapons?

I would guess that weilding two weapons would need a higher dexterity the using a sword and shield. would be nice if you can swap your weapons round so you can fight better in closed areas like circular staircases.

 

[anonymity88]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

Am I to guess you weren't a fan?


I am very excited about DsII, more than I have been about a new game release since Arkham Asylum was released and was actually good.

 

[Stevepinto3]

The persistent bonfire warping sounds like a bad idea to me. Having it earned made it all the more satisfying knowing it meant I never had to go through Blighttown again. Then again maybe I'm just being the old man complaining about how things were in my day.

Also practical dual wielding sounds fun.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

I'm sorry you never figured out the very simple controls of Dark Souls. I suppose it being the only game on the market that punishes button mashing and poor decision making can cause that. As for cheap deaths, most enemies, encounters, and traps are actually quite predictable if you pay attention. And thirty minutes is a massive overstatement on your part.

 

[FYI I Am Some Guy]

Forty hours long? It took me 62 hours and 23 minutes to beat my first runthrough of Dark Souls. Hopefully this is an estimate for if you blaze through the game and you know what you're doing.

Who says dual wield wasn't functional in DkS? OP, that's simply wrong. Also, Green Blossoms aren't a new item either.

Well, dual-wielding wasn't very useful over having a shield in the first game, to me at least. But yeah, the article should have its facts straighter than this.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

Am I to guess you weren't a fan?


I am very excited about DsII, more than I have been about a new game release since Arkham Asylum was released and was actually good.

I am most definitely not a fan. And the sad thing is I want to be, but it seems everyone else was playing a completely different game than me.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

I'm sorry you never figured out the very simple controls of Dark Souls. I suppose it being the only game on the market that punishes button mashing and poor decision making can cause that. As for cheap deaths, most enemies, encounters, and traps are actually quite predictable if you pay attention. And thirty minutes is a massive overstatement on your part.

Misread much, fanboy?

It's not that I didn't learn the controls, it's that the game controls like shit.

If you're talking about the game on PC, then yes, it did.

Unless you used a controller that is, as consoles do. In which case the controls are absolutely fine.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

It's not that I didn't learn the controls, it's that the game controls like shit.

Interesting. For me, Dark Souls combat was so engaging and satisfying that it completely ruined Skyrim.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

It's not that I didn't learn the controls, it's that the game controls like shit.

Interesting. For me, Dark Souls combat was so engaging and satisfying that it completely ruined Skyrim.

It became the benchmark for grounded combat in fantasy games for me.

 

[Whodat]

Sounds awesome, add to that the fact that From is putting a greater emphasis on a PC version! It makes me giddy with anticipation, since I;m a huge Souls series fan.

Let's just hope that the final boss is more difficult than parry/stab over and over again.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

I wonder if it will still control like a mental patient reversing a pickup truck loaded with depleted uranium through a hedge maze on an ice rink?

Naw, it wouldn't be "hardcore enough" if it was easy to control.

I bet the cheap deaths and thirty minute intervals between checkpoints will be present and accounted for, as will the complete inability to pause.

But hey, it's all speculation at this point.

I'm sorry you never figured out the very simple controls of Dark Souls. I suppose it being the only game on the market that punishes button mashing and poor decision making can cause that. As for cheap deaths, most enemies, encounters, and traps are actually quite predictable if you pay attention. And thirty minutes is a massive overstatement on your part.

Misread much, fanboy?

It's not that I didn't learn the controls, it's that the game controls like shit.

I have no idea how you could come to that conclusion so I assumed you button mashed. It controls perfectly. Aside from the run button not being on a control stick, I have no complaints. You press a button you do a thing. Once you are done doing the thing you press a button and do something else.