Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin screenshots and new info

TeKPhaN

TeKPhaN

I deal in absolutes
Sep 11, 2013
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Bandai Namco has released a new set of screenshots from Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.

The upcoming release will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and includes the original game with updated graphics and performance, all three ‘Lost Crowns’ expansions, new enemy placement, an increase in online players, and additional gameplay enhancements, as well as the following new content:

Brand New NPC

  • The Scholar of the First Sin character appears throughout the game and will reveal a new path through the Dark Souls II universe. What will this mysterious new character reveal to players?
Expanded Item Descriptions

  • Many items contain expanded descriptions to help deepen the lore in the Dark Souls II universe.
New Items

  • Players will gain access to a new item: the Agape Ring. When players equip the new Agape Ring, souls collected from kills during online play will be absorbed by the ring rather than the player. This allows players to control their online matchmaking experience by limiting their total souls collected.
Online Matching Improvements

  • The bonfire warp selection screen will now highlight the top three areas where players will have the best chance to connect with other players online.
  • White phantoms will remain in other players’ worlds for longer periods of time. Also, white phantoms will no longer return to their world if time runs out during a boss battle.
  • Other improvements to the matchmaking system will help players connect and enjoy Dark Souls II online.
New Enemy Behavior

  • The Imitation spell now affects normal enemies.
Covenant of Champions

  • Choosing to enter the Covenant of Champions will now allow enemies to continue to respawn after being defeated.
A free patch set for launch on February 5 will add the above content to the existing PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Dark Souls II.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is due out on April 7, 2015 in North America and April 3 in Europe.

My 2014 GOTY own it on the PC and plan on double dipping to play with my console breatherin.


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Dark Soul 2 looks like a direct port. I do not see any form of meaningful enhancement in visuals. Then again, Dark soul 2 wasn't a pretty game even by last gen standard. I am sure its a good game though.
 
The patch is a nice bonus for those without next gen consoles. I still need to play through 2 of the 3 DLCs.
 
Hopefully with next gen platforms, they can fix a few things. This video points out a lot of that:

 
Visually it looks like the PC version. I was hoping it might be a step up from that. Still, it is a fantastic game and I have no issue double dipping.
 
Man the visuals are rough in that game. They really need to hire a lighting designer. Everything just kind blends into a muddy mess. I always think of that Berserk game on the Dreamcast when I see Dark Souls. Has that same approach to art direction.
 
menace-uk- said:
Visually it looks like the PC version. I was hoping it might be a step up from that. Still, it is a fantastic game and I have no issue double dipping.
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Visually, the PC version is identical to the console versions. What I want is the original graphics they demoed and advertised.

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Frozpot said:
I can't believe a game that has reached this stature has such a weak engine under it. They should really put it on the Cry Engine or UE4.
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Moving engines is no small piece of work. Having Ryse style graphics with dark Souls would be awesome though.
 
D-V-ANT said:
Moving engines is no small piece of work. Having Ryse style graphics with dark Souls would be awesome though.
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No doubt, but they need a new one for the new gen, and it would be a good time to realize they don't quite have the highest level chops. It can't cost more than writing a new engine. Unfortunately Bloodbourne looks to continue this trend.
 
Frozpot said:
No doubt, but they need a new one for the new gen, and it would be a good time to realize they don't quite have the highest level chops. It can't cost more than writing a new engine. Unfortunately Bloodbourne looks to continue this trend.
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It would be interesting to hear some explanation from them on why they choose to continue this way.
Still I can't wait for this. It was one of the games I bought a ps4 for.
 
This one of those games that I would play if I won the lottery and could retire or could go back in time to college/high school.

Otherwise, I just don't have the time or patience for it:sad: Would love to try it one day though.
 
This is why I can't trust IGN's impression's on Bloodborne. At least for the Visuals, but it makes me feel like they are over-inflating because it's the "hardcore" gamer's darling.



This is gorgeous? All the little graphical touches? Ack!

I'm sure the game is great for those that like the franchise, but this kind of un-objective slobbering is ridiculous. That looks pretty bad. Especially for a re-release( and I hear the PC Version looks like this too).

I'm sure it's nice an sharp though, lol.
 
Frozpot said:
This is why I can't trust IGN's impression's on Bloodborne. At least for the Visuals, but it makes me feel like they are over-inflating because it's the "hardcore" gamer's darling.


This is gorgeous? All the little graphical touches? Ack!

I'm sure the game is great for those that like the franchise, but this kind of un-objective slobbering is ridiculous. That looks pretty bad. Especially for a re-release( and I hear the PC Version looks like this too).

I'm sure it's nice an sharp though, lol.
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It does look noticeably better based on that video so I don't why that would be bad for a rerelease.
 
yankeessuck said:
It does look noticeably better based on that video so I don't why that would be bad for a rerelease.
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It's more the over-reaction to it that I find irritating. I don't really expect great visuals from From, lol.
 
Frozpot said:
It's more the over-reaction to it that I find irritating. I don't really expect great visuals from From, lol.
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I didn't think it was as over the top as you make it out to be. I agree that the Souls aren't the best looking games though.
 
Shouldn't they be adding in the torch mechanic by now? I mean, they took it out because of last gen hardware. Now, here we are with a next gen version of pretty much the same thing with a higher contrast light added to make it look a little less bland. Other than that, I'm not seeing any differences. I have the pc version.

If the free update is out today, I'll see if it looks any different.
 
I found this video on NeoGAF, it's from an event:



I never bought it for 360, cause i was busy with my backlog on 360 before the X1 released in my country. Now is my chance and i think i will grab it. I read that enemies will now follow you through fog gates too...which...i am not sure is a good thing to be honest. And a new NPC invader ready to f*** your s*** up. :(
 
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