Dark Souls II is the sequel to Dark Souls, which is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls. Both of the aforementioned games were masterpieces in my opinion, so I had high expectations for Dark Souls II. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met when Dark Souls II was first released. What exactly were my expectations? I wanted a game that is challenging but fair, a beautiful world that you can explore freely (more or less), and a story line that makes one yearn for more. The original release of Dark Souls II was certainly not a bad game, but it felt hollow (pun intended) compared to the original Dark Souls. There were a lot of issues that made the "game feel "cheap" compared to the original. Fortunately, this updated version while still technically the same game is VASTLY improved!
SINGLE-PLAYER EXPERIENCE
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Let me say that Dark Souls II has an amazing player-versus-player options. There are lots of "covenants" you can join to invade other players, or help other players. The reason I prefer to play offline is because I enjoy being immersed in the world all to my own. I do not want to deal with real players (although again, I have nothing against those that love it). I like the story (Dark Souls has a deep story, even if it is told via minimalism) and find fighting other players a bit dull to be honest. This of course also means that in a "tough" fight you can not summon others to help you. Also, when you are traversing places such as the Black Gulch all by yourself, it really is beautifully unnerving!
NOTE: This is review is mostly spoiler free! I do talk a little bit about some of the differences between Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin and it's predecessor below. If you played the game for a few hours, chances are these will not be spoilers at all.
CHALLENGING
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If there is one thing Dark Souls [NB: when I just say Dark Souls I really mean all three games in the series] is known for, it's the challenge. This challenge, is what makes the game. Sure, the game is aurally and visually beautiful, but a major reason for this is the difficulty. For example, as you try to progress through the game, you come across a number of monsters that quickly attack and make short work of you. Eventually, you figure out how to deal with them, only to be sniped by an archer. Then, you try again and once you get past the archer you find there are even more enemies and they make short work of you! By your sixth try (or more) you finally defeat them, and then you realize just how beautiful are the ancient ruins around you! While Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin is very challenging, it is also fair. If an enemy looks like it can kill you in one or two hits, it can. Also, there really are no "simple" enemies. If you let your guard down and become shall we say a bit "overconfident", you may very well find yourself defeated by "weak" foes despite the fact that they are not nearly as difficult as more heavily armored enemies. The original release of Dark Souls II was unfortunately not what it should have been. In this updated version, there are different enemies placements, entirely new enemies, more invaders to fight (non-players), and of course the downloadable content opens up huge new areas (more on that below)! In short, THIS is the version I hoped to play when Dark Souls II was first released!
Downloadable Content
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The new areas of the game are not only "large" areas to explore, they are arguably the most visually stunning areas of the game! They really are beautiful. Also, they are extremely well designed and are not just "go to area A, defeat boss, go to area B" -there are secrets to find. As an example, in one of the new areas there are pillars that move up and down. So it really is three-dimensional exploring rather than just a linear progression for each area. I loved the Artorias of the Abyss expansion for the original Dark Souls. However, hands-down the downloadable content in Dark Souls II is far better. Although fighting Artorias was one of the most rewarding fights in ALL the Souls games, just in terms of exploration and enjoyment the three new areas in Dark Souls II are far larger in scope and the exploration is a joy. Also, they are all very diverse, and quite easy to access. And of course, the areas present new challenges to the player!
Scholar of the First Sin Upgrades
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The main draw here is of course the downloadable content as described above. However, there have been so many tweaks from the original release, that this feels like a new game! First off, the PS4 version has had a graphics upgrade. The original PS3 release did NOT look as good as the original Dark Souls! In general, sequels look better even if they are not overall better games, but in this case the original Dark Souls II release looked washed-out. Fortunately, that has been corrected with the PS4 version. Secondly, there are more enemies, enemies in different locations, MORE summons (which are extremely helpful especially when fighting certain bosses that otherwise feel cheap), and more non-player invasions (red phantoms)! In terms of summons, if you really want to beat every single boss solo, you can do that. However, I feel that the added summons (and invasions) are very well done and make what are arguably frustrating boss fights far better (although still not easy). There are of course new weapons to find, new armor, more dialogue from non-playing characters (NPCs), and it really feels like this is finally the complete version!
PRO
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++Beautiful game both aurally and visually. The atmosphere is so vivid, at times it may just be tangible!
++Very difficult, but fair game. This is the most challenging of the three games in the series thus far.
++The DLC is amazing! It is all on disc, nothing to download! You will love it.
++Load Times: there are load times? You will hardly notice.
++Expect to spend lots of time on this game! This will be a long, beautiful, and challenging game!
++ADDICTIVE: this game should have a warning label.
CON
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--NO manual! I know many games are doing it, but it would be nice to have a printed manual. Still, this is just a minor detraction.
--MUSIC: Dark Souls II "Majula" theme is gorgeous! However, compared to the original Dark Souls, or even Demon's Souls, most of the music is forgettable. Now while the game sounds great with all the sound effects and it has good music including a few wonderful pieces, overall it's not in the same league as the first two games.
--So Many Humanoids: The original Dark Souls has very different enemies with unique looks and attacks. Dark Souls II certainly has some amazing boss fights and some freaky enemies. However, in large part you will be fighting human-like undeads, human-like (but larger) sentinels, human-like but huge bosses, etc. More diversity would have been nice. However, this does not "ruin" the game by any stretch of the imagination.
--Torches: I love the sense of being alone in a dark, dreary, dangerous place with only a sword in one hand and a torch in the other! Unfortunately, most of the game is much "brighter" than I would like, and in fact, many places already have lit torches for whatever reason. This is just a minor point, but I feel much more could have been done with torches.
--Farming Issues: Overall I'm not a big fan of having to "farm" enemies for items. However, I found myself wanting to upgrade my equipment but I had no titanate chunks. On the other hand I had SIX titanate slabs! Titanate slabs are supposed to be super-ubber rare (they are used to upgrade gear from +9 to +10), and yet I had SIX of them and NO titanate chunks. This is a bit broken.
--ADDICTIVE! I realize I also have this under "pro", and the truth is it is a double-edged sword! It is SO addictive, you may let things slide that you should not!
BOTTOM LINES: A perfect game? Certainly not. As good as the first Dark Souls? Again, I have to say no. However, THIS upgraded "Scholar of the First Edition" is *close* to the greatness of the first Dark Souls game and it is a VAST improvement over the original Dark Souls II release. Also, this can now be found for $30 or less! At this price, I can easily recommend it to everyone. Here's wishing everyone happy gaming and let us hope that Dark Souls 3 will be a masterpiece!
My Score for the original release of Dark Souls II: 80/100
Final Score for Scholar of the First Sin: 90/100 (as you can tell, the upgraded version is VASTLY better)
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From the manufacturer
Dark Souls II
Scholar of the First Sin
Prepare to Die again in the complete Dark Souls II experience with Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin. Hallmark challenge & reward await you with augmentations, additions and enhancements fueled by the passion and talent of famed Japanese studio FromSoftware.
- Includes all 3 DLC pack contents: Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, Crown of the Ivory King.
- Additional NPCs added for enhanced story experience and to assist guiding players through levels.
- Upgrades to graphics, sound, and performance.
- Higher graphics, textures and lighting effects.
- Increase in maximum online players.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015
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