Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition – worst PC port in history?

Excuse me when I say that on this day, From Software literally shat out the game in a hilariously amateurish, depressingly optimized and downright embarrassing way for the company. One might be forgiven for thinking I’m exaggerating with those terms, seeing how this is a port of one of the greatest RPGs of this generation. Well, to be honest, it did seem that one could get over all the earlier-announced porting issues (framerate in certain areas not being fixed, not too many graphics options, no updates textures) and indulge themselves in this amazing game, however, it would be terribly wrong.

[rodiabloalmeida]

They told us it was gonna be this way since the beginning: a 1:1 console port. But I undestand the deception because, after all, it's a PC game. Could be a lot better.

[FriedGoat]

This game wasn't even coming to PC. PC users made themselves heard and FROM kindly agreed. They are a console developer. They did this as a nice gesture. Just get a damn controller play the game and stop moaning. I'm a PC gamer, but at least I can appreciate the effort.

[narrat0r]

We all appreciate the effort, as well as the fact that FROM apologized that the port will be bad. But still, this feels extremely rushed and barely up to par with what this company is capable of.
1:1 console port is not a good thing, ever.

[-Alpha]

Lucky for you there already a high resolution mod. Makes me wonder why from couldn't do it themselves butI hope you guys can look past a bad technical game and appreciate the great quality of gameplay. I mean its the opposite of pc games this gen where games look fantastic but gut the gameplay. If you've never played at all I hope you guys just get to experience it. Hopefully from makes a sequel with you guys in mind

[SilentNegotiator]

Yeah, but what they released was awful. Straight forward awful. They couldn't be asked to add a FEW settings? They didn't justify a $40 price tag; $10 cheaper for a DIRECT port does not cut it.

People didn't freaking BEG for the game. From asked, people said "sure"

I'm not going to give them $40 because they were "gracious enough to offer" the game for us TO BUY or because some modder took the 20 minutes that they didn't to add simple features. And I don't support ANY gfwl games.

[Vladplaya]

The stupidity of your comment should offend every decent PC gamer here. Just letting you know.

[Reverent]

@SilentNegotiator, you say, "From asked, people said sure".

Well, there was actually a petition from PC gamers practically demanding a PC port... Yeah, that definitely seems like a "sure" response. /s

[tee_bag242]

@ Silentnegotiator

PC fans actually really begged for this one. The petition was a game changer.

Anyway, usually the bad ports have mouse lag and thats the worst thing. If it looks like a high res console version that's all good.
This is one of those games that mouse and keyboard fans realize what a contoller is for.

[TopDudeMan]

While all these tools were complaining on forums about the controls, I plugged in my PS3 controller and happily played all the way to the end of the extra content and finally put the game down just now, very satisfied. Now, to beat it another 5 times!

[ljh217]

I'm pretty shocked at the amount of people whining and won't get off their high horses to buy a controller and settle for the same experience as the console gamer got.

People like me who bought it on console got LESS of an experience (no DLC) and paid more money, yet I would do it again in a heartbeat as it's one of the greatest games I've ever played (and I've played a lot across multiple platforms and currently have a pc capable of running all games). PC gamers have ridiculously high expectations.

[Perjoss]

at least it got a port, look what happened with red dead redemption :(

[DirtyLary]

Just another day in this era of gaming.

[Awesome_Gamer]

Hell No.

[Scarfy]

Looks like this game is already one of the most popular titles on TPB. What a shame for From.

Oh well, at least they'll make the money back from the console DLC.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

lol That would happen anyway. Like skyrim in #1 on TPB.

If a port is bad why should it be free instead of cheap?

But still I expected things to be fixed.
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

[lonesoul65]

did any of you actually buy it or are you just going on what you have read? So far it runs much better than the console version and plays great if you use a controller. Had no issues here.

[adorie]

I got it off the TPB and I'm going to buy it. After the unlocking of it's internal res. I need to spend the money to provoke more ports, and hopefully they will be better in the future and come with resolutions already unlocked.

It is what it is. The game is still good.

[Lucretia]

honestly with all tthe complaining, i wish FROm would have just said screw you PC gamers and just make Dark souls 2

[JsonHenry]

It is just shoddy work and very bad PR for this company. Which is a real shame. I had high hopes for the devs to really blow us away. But they dropped ball.

Oh well. The MOD makers will fix the problems in the long run. I am just gonna wait to pick this game up on a steam sale a little while down the road once the bugs have been worked out.

[pandehz]

@Lucretia tsk tsk

Anyways makes me proud that you used the term 'PC GAMERS' We do have an identity dont we. Pushing many things in tech and gaming n such (pride)

I just refer to you as console fanboys (just like the other consoles out there, dont matter what or which too many of em anyways)

This is a good place and article to annoy console fanboys lmfao.

[specialguest]

I'm willing to accept the fact that its a direct port, but porting over the Blight town lag is absolutely inexcusable for todays 5x more powerful PC.

[frjoethesecond]

That problem only affects AMD Radeon users.

[HaVoK308]

No kidding. They did it, because people ask for. Correction: People petitioned for it! And they said if they do it, it will be a port because they lack the technical knowledge. They would add some DLC as free and that is it. People were satisfied with that. I can understand ignorant Gamers crying and bitching. Even though those doing it probably never bought the game to begin with. But when Media Outlets do it, it becomes pathetic and extremely unprofessional. It just goes to show what a fucking joke so-called Game Journalism is.

The critical mistake, the one they could have prevented easily, was shipping with Games For Windows Live. That is not excusable and only goes to show how out-of-touch they are with PC Gaming.

[adorie]

I'm adding to your talk bubbles. Hopefully it rises. Common sense is becoming extinct.

[pandehz]

WOW lol of course you'll get agreed with so many fanboys here.

TRUTH is if the game is badly ported it will receive bad reviews for it of course. Doesnt matter how well other things are done, if it cant be played well then it will get knocked off its high horse.

Just because From Software said its gonna be a dodgy port does not mean the reviewers should consider that and give it free points or sympathize with it.
It will be judged equally as any other game is.

When pc games go console, its reviewed for that console and vice versa.

How can a game release to the pc audience and does not fit the platform well?

How can any game for any platform for the matter?

I understand you are fan raging right now but if you are on the pc end of things and have been burnt by many ports like I have then you'll start thinking clearly.

Well anyways theres always Karma.

PC gaming wont die, instead karma will definitely affect next gen and then you'll understand what Im saying.

[solar]

dev's need to realize that consoles and PC's are completely different platforms. different animals with different expectations from different audiences. it comes down to knowing your customers. in this instance, From Software had no idea what PC gamers expect.

[Hicken]

Isn't it the other way 'round here? From told people exactly what it would be IF they made a port, and people wanted one badly enough that they signed a petition to have it made.

Now that it's EXACTLY what it was promised to be, people want to complain?

[BrutallyBlunt]

In this case they have a right to complain. This is like tranfering a DVD movie onto bluray and not being able to tell the difference because all they did was give the same transfer.

It's obvious you know little about the PC gaming market. Dark Souls is limited to 720p and the performance issues on the consoles are also on the PC. Why is that when the PC is far more than able to outperform what the consoles are capable of?

Funny how when a Playstation 3 game is outperformed by the XBOX360 version it's lazy devs yet, when a PC game doesn't perform as well as it should we shouldn't complain. Even the interface isn't suited as well as it should be for a keyboard and mouse, the gamepad is actually preferred which again shows how little effort they put into actually reaping the benefits of the PC.

You clearly have a bias in favor for Japanese developers which means you are far more likely to let things slide more.

While having a PC port is better than nothing it still leaves a bad taste in peoples mouths. You either support it in hopes more console games come to the PC platform or you don't support such a weak effort and chances are other games may not come to the PC.

[HD_GAMER1989]

I bought both Demons souls and dark souls for ps3 and i can say man i spent many hours with friends had a blast,except when i was getting owned in the place with the bell ladys and kept getting invaded by kinghts with anti magic spell and i was a magic character lol The concept of demons souls is amazing however the one problem i had with it was horrible framerate and screen tearing. for what the game is the graphics are sufficient. i figured number 2 would get better but it was worse.

On topic I think this late in console generation I bet a majority of pc gamers who pressured FROM to release a pc version had the console version but were not happy with the framrate issues,cause lets be honest anybody that games on a decent gaming pc start to hate screen tearing and framrate lag at some point or another, hence asking for a pc version. so you can understand when the pc version released with framrate issues one could be disappointed. PC was FROM's perfect chance to make the ultimate dark souls game with a buttery smooth framrate in 1080p maybe alittle AA but really dark souls isnt about graphics its about the gameplay experience.

I dont understand how you can develop for a an 360 which basically is a low budget pc then have the knowledge and skill to develop for the ps3 and somehow struggle with the pc ??? sounds like there making excuses for not putting in the effort.

[MEsoJD]

The game resolution was basically fixed the day it came out. Anyone skeptical, go to "Dark Souls internal rendering resolution fix (DSfix)" on neogaf forum, where there are native high resolution screenshots of the game. So if anyone bitches about the look, there's a very simple fix already.

Oh and the game looks a hell of alot better than the console. No bias here, I have both :3

[bubblebobble]

just shows the ps3 is on par with pc the only reason other pc games are better is because it was made for that system first ps3 have a far super processor than pc makes games designed for ps3 leaps ahead when ps4 comes out you wont be able to walk down the road for old pc gaming rig frown to the trash

[pandehz]

Ok it is official this article is being trolled by a lot of console fanboys.

What began as an insight into what makes this a trashy port is now an educational insight into the NOOB PSYCHE of console fanboys.

You know a lot about hardware it seems.

Teach me plox

[Kamikaze135]

Definitely. It's not even up to par with PC standards of 7+ years ago.

[Mounce]

7 Years ago is a bit of an exaggeration, not even Crysis was out that long ago which most PC fanboys tend to use as a benchmark for everything.

It definitely has it made for artistic style and gameplay.....only thing I'd fret for those PC folks is Blight town....if it lags as bad, or worse, I really pity them if it's not fixed, lol.

[Kamikaze135]

I'm referring to 1080p, 60fps, and the ability to fully customize your graphical settings.

[Mounce]

Well, Kamikaze, not even Darksiders has that, and I can't remember since I stopped playing Skyrim after launch, but it didn't either. Bandai is doing most of the work or all on this development and not From Software(I think?) I could EASILY be wrong with this. But either way....Bandai and From Software barely make PC games, they aren't id, they aren't Valve, not even Darksiders 2 has PC-optimized shit yet I'm still enjoying the fuck out of it :/

[STONEY4]

Darksiders didn't lock their resolution or framerate, and was well optimized. That was a more than acceptable port. This isn't.

[Nocturne147]

Sad but truth, even graphics are terrible.

[Hellsvacancy]

Go away and play Skyrim then with maxed out graphics etc *yawns* a pretty boring game with horrible gameplay, but it has impressive graphics, is that how your logic works?

[Mounce]

One word:

Skyrim.

Yes, Skyrim was still a worse bloody fucking port, the inventory was shit, the shortcut attempts at them were shit, the main menu was shit and it had the blockiest registry ever. Everything is scripted and it will look like what Oblivion is to us now, a mess.

[Nocturne147]

Im not sayin game is bad idiots, im sayin port is terrible... Not only graphics are just bad, controls too. And Skyrim Had good port, go use Mods if u dont like main menu or something else, Genius.

[MEsoJD]

hmm...

edit: damn n4g downsized it...

go here(copy paste):
http://www.thejayzone.com/p...

http://www.thejayzone.com/p...

[Mounce]

If you're so quick to say 'Use mods or something, Genius' then you can shut yer' trap and use the same logic on Dark Souls, Derp. There already apparently is a quick 30 minute mod/patch-fix unofficially that makes the game run better and such....

[iamgoatman]

Even if the modders fix the resolution and frame rate issues, this is still a no buy. Not going to support a developer because a modder helped fix a broken game.

If fixes are patched in by From Software themselves, then I may consider buying it, but not until then.

[KingOfArcadia]

Oh well, your loss chum.

[iamgoatman]

Couldn't care less really.

[DragonKnight]

if you bought Skyrim on pc you're already a hypocrite. modders fixed that game for Bethesda.

[papashango]

modders have fixed every game for Bethesda on PC. The difference is they put in the effort for the pc community to make it as good as possible.

It would be similar to Bethesda not releasing mod tools for Skyrim. Yes Skyrim would still be a good game but you think they would be remembered for that by the PC community?

[DragonKnight]

@papashango: iamgoatman said

"Not going to support a developer because a modder helped fix a broken game."

Skyrim was broken, modders fixed it, thus if he or any like him bought Skyrim and then made this statement they are hypocrites.

*EDIT* In fact, with Skyrim it's worse since Bugthesda are supposed to be PC devs.

[iamgoatman]

Hardly.

Although Skyrim is buggy, I haven't incurred a problem that REQUIRED a mod to be installed yet, and I've put around 300 hours into the game so far. I do have mods installed however that change things like night brightness, but these are completely optional and based on personal taste.

Skyrim also shipped with Bethesda's standard list of display options. Things you'd think are basic options that no PC game should lack, like resolution control, but it seems not all developers got that memo. It also came with AA and AF options, v-sync control, and various settings to change visual fidelity. Not to mention the Creation Kit that released shortly afterwards that allow most mods to made in the first place.

And you're saying I'm a hypocrite for supporting Skyrim but not a game that doesn't have ANY of those things, most of which are standard in a PC game? Give me a break. Please, point me to the mod that is required by EVERY PC user in order for it to run at the basics of what you expect from a PC game. I'll be waiting.

Btw I also find the disagrees to my original comment pretty pathetic. I say I don't want to support a developer that has put no effort into a terrible port and I get a ton of disagrees. Typical N4G BS.

[DragonKnight]

@iamgoatman: Yes, I am saying you're a hypocrite. Skyrim's known and mod fixed problems include but are not limited to: Random freezing, serious lag/framerate problems, dragon's flying backwards, the famous "Helm of Winterhold" glitch, countless broken quests. Just because YOU allegedly didn't experience any problems, doesn't mean they aren't there. And likewise, just because people with your mindset are whiners doesn't mean everyone hates Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition.

"Skyrim also shipped with Bethesda's standard list of display options. Things you'd think are basic options that no PC game should lack, like resolution control, but it seems not all developers got that memo."

Bethesda chose to offer that, but they were in no way obligated to. They gave it to you because they wanted to as a gesture, not as a necessity. This idea that all developers should include something because you'll whine without it is called baseless entitlement.

"And you're saying I'm a hypocrite for supporting Skyrim but not a game that doesn't have ANY of those things, most of which are standard in a PC game?"

Point me to where this became an OFFICIAL standard that all developers must adhere to and not an expectation thanks to the generosity of some developers that changed over time to enthusiast entitlement. If you can do that, I'll retract my statement. But since all you'll be able to do is say "it's been included in PC games since 1996" I doubt you'll come up with anything official. What happened was one developer included these options, PC gamers loved it, other developers didn't want to lose out to this developer and so they included it to make themselves popular, and over time the fans forgot that this started out as a nice thing a dev did and they changed and skewed it to "teh standerdsh" garbage.

And finally, you got disagrees because of what I said. If you can support Bugthesda releasing a game with game breaking bugs and glitches that required mods and the community to fix until they got off their lazy a**es to do it themselves, then whining about the lack of some resolution options and 60FPS in an otherwise completely playable game with no game breaking glitches makes you and those like you whining hypocrites. Sooner or later the elitist attitudes you all have will piss enough people off that they won't care if what you're saying is right or not, they'll just want you to shut up because all you do is moan and complain about the smallest goddamn things. There are BIGGER things to worry about in gaming, like increasingly draconian DRM, but you all want to sit there and b*tch about some minor fidelity issues and talking about some non-existent self-created "standard." Pretty goddamn sad.

**EDIT** iamgoatman below: Being a whiner doesn't make you a gamer or a responsible consumer. Are you going to complain to Ford because their cars don't have the same performance as the Ferrari you're used to after all, there is a "standard" right? That's how ridiculous you sound.

Speaking of sound, your example is sad. Sound is necessary to the basic function of games. 60FPS and variable resolution options aren't. It's just pissy PC gamers complaining about the fact that the game doesn't look how THEY want it to instead of how it was made. It's like going to the Louvre and saying the Mona Lisa is crap because you don't get to see it in a different kind of paint or a bigger frame.

[user7792788]

From Said way back when they announced it that they didn't know much about the PC platform and instead of trying to "fix" the game they would devote all there time into making new content and hope that modders would fix the game

I have the platinum on PS3, this game is one of my favorite games this gen and it should not be missed

[OMEGAZONE]

Do PC gamers ever stop complaining?

[narrat0r]

We really want something to be in a game what has been a standard since 1996.

[Bladesfist]

A modder implemented the feature in 23 mins. That shows more than just laziness. It shows they do not care. Forgive me for not supporting incompetence.

[AKS]

They aren't a PC developer. They are porting the game to PC because PC gamers requested it. This wasn't something that was ever a ground up PC game. It was console-only all along until PC gamers gave them feedback that they want to be able to play it on PC.

Did you act this way when Everyday Shooter was ported to the PC? Should Everyday Shooter have came standard with the most advanced graphics features?

I have a 2600K/ GTX 670 4GB setup and do most of my gaming on PC currently, but I can't help but feel a bit sickened by much of what I'm seeing from the PC ultra-elitists in this thread.

[papashango]

a modder is not a pc developer also it's a fan of a game that wants to make his experence as good as possible.

[DragonKnight]

@narrat0r and other PC fans with his mentality: Who decided that it was a standard?

A standard is an agreed upon rule or convention by an authority or a majority. It isn't an unspoken rule, it is a clearly stated rule that all or most agree upon. Your post is now going to be fixed to reflect the actual PC gamer attitude.

"We really want something to be in a game that we have expected since a developer implemented it in their game in 1996."

Truth is, something that a developer CHOOSES to provide is NOT a standard, it's a gift. If all PC developers decided right now to NOT offer variable resolution and a minimum 60FPS, you PC gamers would have simultaneous aneurysms.

[Bloodraid]

@Bladesfist Except that modder said he'd spent well over a week to fix and test it. He just released the patch after the game was officially released.

[iamgoatman]

@DragonKnight

Your attitude is pathetic, and not of a gamer or any responsible consumer. You're a sheep. You think that standards suddenly have no meaning because 1 lazy developer chooses to not adhere by them.

"Who decided that it was a standard?"

You said it yourself right there "an agreed upon rule or convention by an authority or a majority." and in this case the majority are the PC developers that have chosen to implement these features pretty much since the birth of PC gaming.

If a developer released a game that had no sound, would you say the same thing? That sound is a "gift" and not everyone has to implement it? Because that would be ridiculous.

Just because something can be removed from a product doesn't stop it from being a standard. That's complete and utter nonsense.

@AKS below

Wanting something as simple as resolution control and an uncapped frame rate is "elitist" now? Good god!

[TheDivine]

Thats the thing, there is no "standard" on pc. You think that becuase YOU have a 500 dollar card dev's HAVE to take advantage of it. Pc is make it work for the majority of people. Make it run on as low as spec as possible so you get more sales (see blizzard). Just because a couple dev's use benchmrks to sell a game doesnt mean you should expect it. You are lucky you even get to play this amazing game. You guys asked and begged and From being the great dev's they are did it for you. They even threw in new content us console folk who made DS and DkS a success havent played yet and at a cheaper price. Buy a controller and enjoy it instead of whining that it would be more crisp at 1200p or smoother at 90fps. You got the definitive version. DkS' isnt about graphics its about atmosphere and challenge. Your doing it wrong.

Edit: Right now im playing The Last Story on wii on a hdtv and im enjoying it more than any game ive played since Dark Souls. Its amazing and compared to 360/ps3/pc games its dated but its still beautiful in its art style and the gameplay is amazing. If you guys shut up long enough to acually play the game you will be hooked. Unless some gamers only do care for graphics. If so why are you playing Dark Souls?

[AKS]

Don't assume that this is the norm for PC gamers. I'm primarily a PC gamer, and you won't see me acting this way. To the contrary, in this thread and multiple Crysis threads I've confronted PC elitists about this type of thing.

[kingduqc]

1:1 port to pc, who does that beside someone with brain damage?

[Yodagamer]

A company going broke

[jjb1981]

Nobody was sorry for the warcraft 2 port...

[sedx]

This game was meant for consoles only just like how some pc games are meant pc only.

[Allsystemgamer]

All they had to do was put SOME effort into the port. The fact that a modder fixed the resolution thing in 23 minutes shows it. I did buy the game out of respect for from and the petition working.

But the issues are bad. The framerate drops shouldn't be occurring at all. The resolution Makes it blurry as hell and I've had some crashes even. It's pretty bad. I'm still having fun but i mean it's THAT bad.

Atleast modders are fixing it. But I can understand why people are refusing to buy it. Same reason why many ps3 people won't buy another Bethesda title.

[frjoethesecond]

If a PC dev like bethesda can make a game as buggy as fallout 3 then these non-pc devs should be cut some slack.

[YoungPlex]

Doesn't matter, the online community already unlocked the resolution, in less than 26 minutes the code was already cracked! I know it's not our job to do these types of things but that's whats so great about PC; is that either A. the developer starts patching it right away, or B. the online community starts fixing it, modding it, and turning it into a masterpiece.

I agree that Fromsoftware should've handed it to an experience western PC developer in handling the porting process, but at the same time I do understand that Fromsoftware never had to bring the title over in the first place and spend extra resources in doing so.

All in all, I think that PC players will ultimately end up with a masterpiece once modders start cracking the codes and making different mods and such, similarly to Skyrim and their mods...

[TheTwelve]

Just wondering...when a game is bad, it is "shat out". However, from where comes a game when it is good? --- 12

[KeiKei]

this game is about gameplay not graphics

[nofallouthero]

ill just buy it when its 15 dollars on a steam sale

[Bladesfist]

It took a single modder 23 mins to do what this company could not do and for that they will not get my purchase.

[dennett316]

No it didn't, it took him a week of testing and fiddling, he just released it quickly after release.

[Bladesfist]

no he said he spent the week creating the tools to hack into Dark Souls and only 23 mins to fix it.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012...

"I did not do the entire work for this in 23 minutes. I developed an interception dll framework during this week to prepare for the job. I did the actual work to make the game render at higher res in that amount of time though — based on the framework — and spent a few more hours testing and adding the config file."

Obviously the company who makes dark souls would have direct access to these dll files and not need to hack there way in...

[thebudgetgamer]

Wine more please.

[Swiggins]

*pours you a glass of wine*

...Oh I'm sorry...did you mean WHINE?!

[thebudgetgamer]

I meant more wine please, I'm a terrible alcoholic.

[MattyG]

Would you like some cheese with that sir?

[Treian]

Voicing a FACT is NOT whining. Learn your facts.

[thebudgetgamer]

Simmer down.

What eva I'll do what I want.

[Treian]

stop trolling...

[KittyEmperor]

God do you people ever stop complaining. I mean seriously you all complain and go make a petition because you want the game and then the game comes out and you start complaining because it's not up to your usually standard. Is there anything else you would like to complain about while we are on the subject. Is the game to hard? To dark? File size to big? Seriously why can't you shut up and enjoy the game. I mean I already have the platinum on my PS3 and yet I still went and bought it for my PC just so I could play the new content.

[Kirnisorey]

I completely agree. This game is so sub standard because there isn't that many capital letters in the name.

[taquito]

The PC version of Dark Souls is at least, at least 3X better than the console, framerate is steady and CONSTANT even on weak-mid gpus, the resolution can actually be bumped up to 4K (3840×2160 )(roughly 9X the resolution of the muddy console version) and then down-sampled to 1080p (which is still 3X the console res)

here's the fix;

http://blog.metaclassofnil....

The ghosting/blur is gone, it cointains DLC for free that console owners who already paid $65 have to cough up $15 more for ($80) and pc gamers get it ALL for $32 on greenman gaming right now with 20% off voucher, and its the steam version.

The Multiplayer is FAR better on pc, better network, the controls are butter smooth with a 360 controller, the draw distance is greatly increased, the load times are INSTANT

The difference between the pc version and the console versions is the difference between launch 360 games and regular xbox games of the same title, it is nearly generational.

now this is not the greatest port ever, and it took a modder by the name of Durante (you rock dude!) to make it truly shine, but you haters are KIDDING yourselfs if you think the pc version doesnt DESTROY the cnsole version.

if the console version was a 9/10 (which it was, i loved it the first time), the pc version is a 9.7/10

and this was without the dev even trying, you should see skyrim in 1600p, 16x AA, it makes skyrim on console look like a ps2 game

[Kirnisorey]

Maybe us console gamers should just keep our games off the pc.

[beerkeg]

I didn't realise that it was the console gamers that made the games.

[Kirnisorey]

Your right but it was our support in signing the petition that got the Pc the game

[Psychotica]

I wonder the port was so difficult, aren't most if not all games created on a PC?

[Bloodraid]

Consoles are incredibly easy to develop for compared to PCs.

The underlying hardware is fundamentally identical for every instance of a particular console. This eliminates the need for things like dynamic memory management, and graphics options. There's also things like anti-cheat that are pretty much pointless on consoles, as they're closed systems, making them impractical to hack or mod.

[josephayal]

Maybe is crap but the graphics are way superior

[Reverent]

The graphics are literally 100% identical.

[Psychotica]

Not with the DSFix mod that is out there now..

[Omnislash]

The PC elitists have a stupid sense of entitlement. They're like the super sweet 16 girls of the gaming community. You guys asked for a PC port you got it, shut up and play it. You don't deserve better.

[taquito]

people forget so easily how AWFUL it looks on console;

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/m...

thats a 720p image of the game on ps3

here it is on pc with the resoluion fix and all the tasty things that come with pc;

http://www.abload.de/img/13...

the difference is almost ps3 to ps2

PC AND DARKS SOULS WIN!!

[Menchi]

Where on earth did you drag that bullshot of PS3 from? That is -not- what it looks like, at all.

[taquito]

its from ign,1280x720, thats what it looks like dude, i own it on ps3, it looks bloody awful, ps2 era on console

on pc it looks awesome!

is it anything like the witcher 2/bf3/hard reset

no

the title of this article should be

"Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition – worst PC port in history? Still immensely better than the console version. Perfect framerate, 4k resolution with mods. CRAPS all over ps3/360 version."

[dennett316]

@taquito, you VASTLY overestimate what the PS2 was capable of.

[Reverent]

That's funny because I'm playing it RIGHT now on PS3 and it looks completely identical to your second image.

Did you take the first image off of a tiny SD tv?

Such a horrible attempt at trolling.

[ninjahunter]

Eh, Why bother doing something you cant be proud of.

[MattyG]

Because the whole PC community b****ed and moaned until they caved and ported it. That's why.

[ninjahunter]

Not really, They said if they got enough requests that they would consider a port, These "Beggers" said, ok, that would be cool, i would buy. ANd here we are.

You dont see PC gamers flooding the forums with pleas of mercy from the developers. Its rather the opposite. Its more of a "do a good job and dont waste our money"

[beerkeg]

@MattyG

Hey wait up, I'm part of this 'PC community' and I didn't bitch and moan, I didn't sign a petition and I didn't ask for Dark Souls to come to pc.

You should think before you tar a group of people with your brush.

It's incredible to me that you think this represents everyone that games on pc. Do you know how many pc gamers there actually are?

[Megaton]

Stupid PC gamers with their standards. Demanding that games be playable and not terrible ports. What entitled whiners. I mean clearly the devs know that nobody ever has any reason to go beyond 720p and 30 FPS. Thankfully, they also forced the glorious GFWL that PC gamers champion as their online service of choice. It's clear that some people just don't understand that these innovative features set Dark Souls apart from the other 99% of inferior PC games with graphics options. We should be praising From Software for putting back up the walls that previous developers foolishly knocked down.

Am I doing it right?

[Menchi]

Oh, yes, because it's "unplayable" because of poor graphics and mild framerate problems...

Guess what, the console version had the same issues. Guess what, it was still easily one of the best games released in the last 5 years, on ANY system.

Damn, you act like From are some big prolific dev that will set a precedent for the industry. Heads up! They aren't.

[Imalwaysright]

LMAO graphics options is what makes PC exclusives great? Cant stop laughing!! Dark Souls shits from a great height on 95% of PC exclusives with oh so super duper graphics options released in the last 10 years. Crysis, your PC elitists champion, is an absolute horrid game compared to DS.

Dark Souls is one of the best games ever made and if that isnt reason enough for you PC elitists to buy it then you do deserve to keep on playing subpar games with pretty graphics.

[Megaton]

Graphics options are the standard inclusion for PC games, not what makes them great. It's not all about graphical fidelity. Since there's so much hardware variety, it's also about turning the options down on a machine with an inferior GPU so the game will run well.

Frankly, that's more of a response than your keyboard diarrhea deserves.

[Imalwaysright]

Dont try to pull the whool over my eyes. I clearly got from your comment that your main issue was the game not going "beyond 720p and 30 FPS" and its very clear from other PC elitists that commented here that it is exactly their reason to not buy the game.

Dark Souls doesnt need to go "beyond 720p and 30 FPS" to be a great game. A game that is indeed much better than graphic powerhouses like crysis or metro 2033 but you PC elitists are ok playing subpar games with great graphics but arent able to play a great game with ok graphics.

I can understand not wanting to use GFWL but dismissing a great game because of technical aspects that in no way shape or form affect the fun you'll have playing it is just ridiculous.

As for your half-baked excuse the game isnt too demanding and every PC respectable gamer should at the very least check the minimun system requirements before buying it.

[Menchi]

Makes me sick to be a PC Gamer with the pathetic sense of entitlement. What on earth did you expect? They developed the game FOR consoles, not for PC, so they're not going to make it better.

They're console devs through and through, and not exactly technically brilliant ones. But Demon and Dark Souls were never about graphics, frame rate or what have you, they're about the GAMEPLAY something that is becoming completely wasted on PC gamers these days...

Really, grow the hell up.

[Megaton]

Sorry if PC gamers preferring good gameplay AND graphics offends you. I fail to see how holding a developer to the standards that all PC devs hold themselves to is "entitlement". From Software isn't giving away this game for free, you know. People still have to pay for it.

I've seen the 30 FPS lock before, most notably in Rockstar's infamously bad ports, but I can't remember ever seeing a 720p lock. Only really old games from before HD ubiquity have low res locks. At least PC gamers were able to take a 23-minute break from being "entitled" to fix the game themselves.

[Menchi]

The problem is, it isn't a graphical powerhouse of a game, nor has it EVER been. It wasn't a good looking game on consoles, and it shouldn't be any different for the PC.

I agree it's a bad port, but, what on earth did you expect from a dev that has literally zero experience on PC, and had trouble making the bloody game run in the first place?

From aren't technical devs, they made an AMAZING GAME they didn't do a PC Benchmark title, nor a console benchmark title, and if PC gamers would actually just stop worrying about technical aspects for once, they'd probably find the game is pretty damn enjoyable.

It -is- a console game, through and through, developed by console devs, through and through. The problem? PC Gamers are pretty much bad mouthing the game to hell and back, not because of its gameplay merits, but the technical problems, which it ALREADY had on consoles.

Nothing wrong with wanting both good graphics and good gameplay, but, again, Dark Souls NEVER had good graphics, and PC Gamers were fools to expect, and pretty much demand, any different.

[Megaton]

I don't see anyone rioting over this game not being a new benchmark. Nobody was expecting that. People were simply expecting the game to be a normal PC release with the typical graphics options and uncapped FPS included in 99.99% of all PC games. Par. The bare minimum.

[frjoethesecond]

I honestly think from should give the PC community the finger after this. I'm a PC gamer too and am outraged at how from are being treated. It's their first attempt and they didn't have to do it. People need to show some appreciation.

[Machine1981]

I havent played the pc version yet but i can definitely tell everyone that this is NOT the worst pc port in history. obviously the author of this article has never played gta iv, gta san andreas, gta vice city, bioshock 2, and to list a few i havent played personally resident evil 4, and saints row 2. its a sad day when some wanna-be journalist has to pick apart a nearly console exclusive developers attempt at a pc port that the community begged for just to get a few hits on thier sub wal-mart quality website that no one ever really visits except for instances like this where they think they can cause some controversy.

[maelstromb]

Exactly. It definitely cannot be the worst. Capcom's Dead Rising 2 holds that honor as it was downright abysmal in every single aspect. Now, I have not yet played the PC version of DS yet, but I can't imagine it's as bad as Dead Rising 2.

[LoaMcLoa]

I've played for about an hour and I don't see the big deal...

It looks just as good, even slightly better, as the PS3-version.
Why should PC gamers have so much better than console gamers?

You wanted your game, here it is, with FREE DLC!

[flyingmunky]

It's also 20 bucks cheaper than what I paid at release!

[Machine1981]

id also like to add that parts of the pc community are hardcore enough to crack this bitch wide open and start making user generated optimizations, hi-res texture packs, and all sorts of goodies for this game if the demand is great enough... which it obviously is since us so called "pc elitist" are half the reason why its here in the first place. low budget console gamers only know thier tiny little gaming world where they get stuck with shitty games and cant do anything about it, but alot of pc gamers have been there before and we know where the deeper gaming experience resides. with enough driving force the pc modding community can turn a mundane glitchfest of a game into something worth investing time and fun into.

[ninjahunter]

PC gamers expect PC quality games and console gamers expect console quality games. Im sure console gamers would shed tears of blood if crytek released crysis on console but the 360 and PS3 had the same graphics as the wii version because the developers didnt want to make seperate versions.

[ZoyosJD]

I own a PS3 and PC, but that doesn't stop me from still playing NES and indie games. If a game has good gameplay, an enjoyable comunnity, or is a unique experience that I find worthwhile I will play it on whichever system I have regardless of graphics.

[dkgshiz]

Purchased it today on Steam...its quite awful for a port. Framerate issues all over the place. Would not recommend buying. Get the console versions if anything until its fixed.

[Machine1981]

sounds like it's time for an upgrade dkgshiz. ive watched numerous people stream dark souls on twitch.tv (which might i add is more taxing on hardware) at excellent frame rates. spreading negative feedback to the community because of your hardware shortcomings is not adviseable.

id have to agree with ninjahunter. the console gamers have it easy since money hoarding developers/publishers cater to them first using the pc as a developement tool to make flashy, gutless games with difficulty designed so a retarded rhesus monkey could beat it.

[belac09]

stuck up pc users, just play the game its amazing!

[Run_bare]

Maybe they should buy either PS3 or Xbox 360.

[maelstromb]

Have both and haven't touched either to play a game in nearly 6 months, except to stream Netflix or watch movies/tv shows. PC is and has been my primary platform for years now. I have nothing against consoles either as I grew up playing nothing but - all the way back to the Atari, Commodore 64 and Sega MS.. it's just that if I can play the game on PC, I do. And if it means waiting another 6 months to a year for a port, I will.

And not to make this a discussion about PC vs Console, but functionality, capability and performance on the PC platform are the three main factors that have kept me hooked (and of course modding is included within those categories). There are still aspects I love about the console experience as well, but they are quickly becoming moot, or already have. And those three main aspects I mentioned about PC, are surely here to stay for good b/c people increasingly want to break away from the claustrophobic-like environments of end-to-end interfaces. Hence why iOS and Android have become so popular in such a short amount of time.

[Run_bare]

I don't disagree with you, but the fact still remains. It's the same thing with console gamers with Skyrim (especially on PS3), something got to give.

[HeartDisease]

"a modder fixxed it in 23 minutes"
yeah modders are not teenagers in basements killing spare time. they are mostly highly skilled individuals that understand programming. apparently from software should have hired some more people with pc experience but for whatever reason they did not. i have no idea about the gaming scene for pc in japan. all i can say is that i have never played a japanese pc game, EVER. consoles rule the game scene there it seems. perhaps good help is hard to find?

i wish they never ported it cause the crybabay pc crowd was waiting to destroy anything less than a top tier pc port.

hope the 100k that signed the petition BUY the game and do not pirate it. support from software and this port. you asked for it. they made it and admitted their shortcommings before launch. do not use the shitty port excuse as a reason to pirate.

[jimmywolf]

so because people complain no one should have it? an you feel it fine they went cheap an did quick port with little effort, since they wanted quick investment versus return. i was never interested in the game but i hate poor ports, sleeping dogs is how too make a good pc game mit not be perfect, but it show effort which people should support. you know the old saying money talks

[finite]

TBH its seems a small minority of gamers are complaining and the game most likely sold in the 1000s so who cares really its a good game and modders have made the game better for themselves and the community of PC gamers that wish for the game to look a little bit better.

[domino5343]

Enjoy the game jeez. PC Fans wanted it and you got it.

[yewles1]

Called it, I knew they would expose themselves to be ungrateful the moment the GFWL debacle hit, and NOW we're finding out who the worst of the worst really are...

[PCE]

So what, at least it is available on PC. Stop bitching. It's just a game.

[StrikerZ3ro112]

Back in January - "Waaaaaaaa From Software you suck! why isn't this game on the PC? WE WANT PC DARK SOULS, NO MATTER WHAT!"

Game Released in July - "Waaaaa From Software you suck! this game is obviously not optimized for the pc, even though it was known that it was going to be a borderline direct port, you cut the price 20$ and you added new content at launch. You should be ashamed!!!"

WTF is wrong with you people???

[dennett316]

It's August dude.

[yeahokchief]

I told you a lot of shithead, parasite PC gamers were only signing a petition to pirate this game.

They were all "OH PLEASE PLEASE put your game on PC" and then the second you release it they turn on you.

Called it.

Edit: Seems a lot of us saw this coming. PC gamers are what they are. Dickless parasites. They're worse than the reviewers who take money and favors for their reviews.

[SnakeCQC]

go fuck youself i bought it on steam so did many others

[reznik_zerosum]

as a pc port 3/10 as a game 9/10 easy.such a incredible game...
gameplay,combat,art-des ign/style,world,enemies,
everything about this game is so well done,all flaws for pc version are fixable no need to cry about that.

[chak_]

agree with title.

I5 2500k @ 4.2ghz / 8gb / 7970 3gb

between 30 and .... 12 fps. Most of the time 20/15. Unplayable.

It goes without saying I asked for a refund.

[CosmicTraveler]

I bet if FROM saw this thread they will never release another souls game on PC, no matter the amount of people who petition for it.

They kindly ported a game that they never planned for PC, and then ya'll spit in their faces

[jimmywolf]

they ported the game not for fans but money nothing wrong with loving the game but don't illusion yourself thinking they went out their way spread the love of gaming

[CosmicTraveler]

"they ported the game not for fans..."...WHAT?! It was ported only because FANS begged for it on PC. If they wanted the extra cash they would have gave it a $60 price tag just like any other brand new game, then released the DLC for another $15.

If they wanted the PC gamers $$$(from the very begging) they would have released it right along side with the console versions

[SnakeCQC]

it was 30 pounds on steam and had the controller support which was important still it still is a descent game even if it doesnt look as good as it could've

[Series_IIa]

They should take a note from CD Projekt's books. They actually put effort into porting the console version of Witcher 2.

This is just a case of noticing people wanted it for the PC, put in minimal effort for maximum cash in.

I notice all of the console guys moaning about people being unappreciated, but how about we go take a look at Skyrim articles about the PS3 version and check the comments out there, because according to you, Bethesda did you a favour bringing Skyim to the PS3, you should appreciate that and not moan about it.

[CosmicTraveler]

How did they bring it to PS3? Skyrim launched on PS3/360/PC on the same day...

They were going to make a console version either way.

[CrustifiedDibbs]

console gamers are allowed to complain about bad ports and argue about graphics, but if pc gamers do it, they are entitled elitists... thats they way the n4g sheep operate.

[seanpitt23]

The developers said it would be exactly the same as the ps3 version so I don't know why everybody is surprised and mad.

[Kin23g]

Damn, I was waiting for the PC port since it's console release. -_-

[Brownghost]

First time the ported to pc, they never really had
the experience

[stuntman_mike]

I think FROM put this game out there so that modders would make this game better.

[TABSF]

To be honest resolution options have always been standard

Not everyone has a 1280 by 720 monitors, in fact the game runs at 1024 by 720 meaning that it will be stretched on higher resolution monitors. The game would look awful.

With this hack in place people can run their native resolution whether its 720p, 900p, 1050p, 1080p, 1200p, 1440p or 1600p without the game being distorted.

Also I'm used to playing most of my games at 120Hz/120fps and 60Hz/60fps when I play a game at 60Hz/30fps it feels like its lagging really badly.

One of my friends did not believe me (he's now a PC gamer) but when he goes back to Red Dead Redemption on PS3 it feels like its lagging 24/7 because he's so used to 60Hz/60fps

[123_level_123]

Reading the post that was left I just had to register and reply. First off each console and the pc it self has different ways to handle graphics and what not. If you take a console company that creates games for console and ask them to create a game for the pc they would be almost clueless as to what to do. This is because they are a console company that creates games for the console and not for the pc. If you understand programming you would understand that the console handles its own graphics differently then that of a pc. A pc game needs many many things to be coded just to run the game. I think they did a great deal to make this game and I for one think they did a great job as well. Sure it has its problems and what not but at least they tried and that is really what counts. The company could have just said naw we not making this as a pc game. They listened to the people and they tried to make the people happy and ya that is what counts.