Dark Souls 2: run for the hills, the early news reports are not pretty

Digitally Downloaded writes: "More resources means a bigger, better game. The problem is that it also means a game that needs to sell more copies to even break even. The constant pressure on a game with those kinds of sales expectations is to find ways to sell to more people. In marketing speak that typically translates into “more accessible gameplay.” To gamers that means “compromised vision for $$$s.”"

[Kamikaze135]

Having a bigger team worries me. So many ideas will clash and I can imagine a lot will change to make Dark Souls 2 appeal to more people. While I don't mind this, I hope they don't completely change Dark Souls 2 for the worse.

[Root]

Bigger team means nothing yet developers don't get that

Remember Capcom and RE6...600 people working on it and it was terrible

[isyourhouseonfire]

Eh? RE6 was the second best Resident Evil to RE5... Maybe the size of the team should've created a better game, but let's not deny how good it was. Did you even play RE6??

[Root]

@isyourhouseonfire

Are you serious...really

RE6 was terrible, the reviews speak for themselfs and the fans who have voiced out about it say enough about it aswell

You could see months away that it was going to be bad

I never bought it but I saw every trailer, read every bit of info, saw every screenshot, played the two horrible demo's....I think I did enough to make judgment. You don't need to buy a game to call it but obviously people like you new to RE will try and act like a "fan" when your not

I mean "was the second best Resident Evil to RE5"...says it all really.

RE5 was the second worst RE game out there...

[Rynocirator]

I think 4, 5, and 6 are the best resident evils...yes I played the originals when I was a kid, no I didn't like them.

[Hellsvacancy]

IsYourBrainOnFire? "RE6 was the second best Resident Evil to RE5"

Maybe your opinion, it sure as hell aint mine

[belac09]

i used to disagree, but i got so tired of RE 6 i sold it, and i never do that. it was terrible. Leons campaign was good, but thats not enough to validate calling it a good game.

[Skizelli]

4 guys made Mortal Kombat 1 and it was a smash hit. Over 50 people made Mortal Kombat 9 and it was a smash hit. The size of a development team doesn't mean anything.

[Tdmd]

"I mean 'was the second best Resident Evil to RE5'...says it all really.

RE5 was the second worst RE game out there..."

Believe me: if I could spam the agree button, I would.

[Reverent]

I think Resident Evil 1 and 4 were the best RE games. Everyone else shut up ;)

[blackbeld]

RE2 is still the best.

The thriller after 2 are all gone ;(

RE6 is more like an action game and not a thriller like it was in RE2.

[SegataShanshiro]

@isyourhouseonfire Best resident evil game? what are you, 12?

[Mounce]

@isyourhouseonfire

It's your kind of Gaming 'Preferences' that lead developers into the wrong idea that Casualizing and making things simplified and Action/COD-oriented makes them sell better and people like you eat it all up....

RE6 is the Best? I don't want to be an ass to 'Subjective preferences/opinions' But, yea....Your taste in games sucks and if it doesn't make me sound too Elitist of RE games, RE2 and 3 'are' the best. If you say otherwise, you're just....not a fan. Not a Gamer.

A Gamer, to me, would understand and prefer the classics for what they brought prefer the damnation of sequelitis made them go downhill. They would understand why the originals of most game series are usually better than the pumped-out sequels unless handled with ABSOLUTE CARE and dedication.

Resident Evil, is not one of those games that were handled with special care. Metal Gear? Yes. Devil May Cry? No (Oh hey, another Capcom franchise) Halo? Maybe. Gears? Maybe. etc etc.

[memots]

The new "it" think on n4g is to hate on re6 , what happen to hate everything that Sony touches or cod ?

[Panthers]

RE6 is the first main Resident Evil game that I have not purchased. It did the same thing that has ruined so many other franchises this gen, attempt to appeal to everyone. This has happened with so many of my favorite franchises this generation, like RE, Socom, Final Fantasy, ect.

While there have been so many fantastic games this gen, its sad that so many others have fallen.

[Reverent]

Shut up Lauren, I'll punch you in the mouth.

[FriedGoat]

Just because she makes all that money from working at home.

[AsimLeonheart]

I agree with you. Actually I think bigger teams ruin a game. Smaller developer teams are more focused, dedicated and ambitious. These days I appreciate Indie games like Limbo and Journey more than the mainstream games because they do not try to appeal to the masses and bring something unique. Gaming industry has become too big for its own good. Publishers have become extremely greedy (CAPCOM comes to mind) and developers have become slaves of management instead of being creators. Every game eventually loses its way and becomes casualized just to make more money. For example, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Resident Evil, Dead Space and several others. It is all the fault of greedy publishing corporations that we do not get unique and creative new IPs any more. The best days of gaming were during the 90s and early 2000s when industry was small and ran on passion and ambition instead of money. We got so many new IPs and games in those days and I really miss those days, especially the 90s.

[sikbeta]

We can always have Demons Soul 2, right guys? guys...!?

XP

Not complains until I see the final product, even then, after some patches as well, going by the development of the PC version hehe...

[ozzywazzy]

Silent Hill, gimme more Silent Hill.

[DigitalAnalog]

Congratulations, you have entered the realm of "next-gen" development. Remember how people used to scoff that game budgets would drop. Sadly, they neglect the fact that higher tech would require MORE manpower to pull that off. Dark Souls wasn't even using the state-of-the-art tech, and if the sequel's release is to be in the same ballpark adjusted to inflation just imagine how horrendous the next GTA/Halo/Uncharted or other AAA budgets would be in the future.

[Ippiki Okami]

....No, In the case of Dark Souls 2 the reason they are getting a bigger budget is so they can go all out in graphics, advertising/marketing in a vain effort to "wow" the masses into buying the game.

High costs come from investing in new engines on new games and last I checked Dark Souls 2 uses an engine made for a 6/7 generation ps3/xbox game rather than the 1st generation engine they used for demon's souls or 3rd/4th generation title dark souls. So the cost should be no higher than a Bayonetta 2 on a wii u for example.

[Kamikaze135]

No, this is how things have always been. We still and always will have small development teams that try to appeal to a smaller audience, yet make enough money to profit from.

[showtimefolks]

i think they should have a normal mode for new comers and keep the game as is difficulty wise for returning fans. bigger team could also mean a more polished game .

[ThanatosDMC]

Dark Souls wasnt polished? How so?

Btw, the default difficulty on Dark Souls was normal.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Once again consoles create something good then destroy it for mass market. RE style..

At least we still have ghost recon, RE and splinter cell right?

[BinaryMind]

Yeah, lets make a hardcore game appeal to more people. That totally worked for Ninja Gaiden 3....

[Slapshot82]

Exactly my thoughts on this.

[NovusTerminus]

Near as I can tell, they want a clearer story (fine) and an easy start up which, if I am reading correctly, means they want a easy and good tutorial... At least I HOPE thats what they mean. If that is the case, the game should not change to much aside from a cakewalk opening...

Time will tell...

[Irishguy95]

That is what they are saying and it is also what they mean.

Whether or not it is PR Bull**** is another story. However alot of people took "More accessible" in a horrible way because they don't understand nor have they actually read what the 'new direction' is.

With the info we have right now, there is 3 possiblie worrysome ****

*New director/s
*Bigger team
*Focus on Graphics

Lets hope the new directors don't **** up, lets hope the Bigger team doesn't become to hard to manage and disjointed(look what happened to Rising when Kojima left it to new peeps, they had to either scrap it or bring in a different dev to scrounge up what was left of the mess)
Lets hope focus on graphics and 'cool looking' doesing take a focus off the core gameplay and what Dark souls is all about.

Lets hope Pr is not just BSing us anyway. If we are to take them at their word, Dark souls 2 should be fine.

The more accessible stuff should not worry anyone, they are not dumbing down the game or anything, or so they say. They simply stated "Bigger more explained tutorial on the gameplay mechanics" and "Explained Covenant system"

I'm glad for the covenant thing because I simply did not bother with them in Dark souls. Maybe I should go back and try them. However, one major Plus of the info is that servers like Demons souls had are back for this one. They were much better than whatever dark souls did.

[fartdude420]

You're allowed swear, I promise we won't tell on you.

[DragonKnight]

@IrishGuy: More facts than that. Fact #4: Shibuya wants the game to be more direct and straightforward which is in stark contrast to the theme of the Souls series. He also wants it to be more accessible which, history proves, has rarely ever meant a good thing for the quality of a franchise.

Fact #5: Combat is going to be changed. Shibuya made it a point to mention his experience with action games so we know that something is going to happen with the combat. Could be a small change, could be a big one, but it is definitely enough to be concerned about.

[Alos88]

I imagine it'll have an easy beginning, and then a massive difficulty spike to make it as difficult as a Souls game should be.

[stubbed_out]

I'm with LordMe....I've loved both games so far, when they mentioned accessibility I didn't imagine difficulty is what they had in mind...I think (hope) they're talking about storyline, item mechanics like upgrading etc.

Like I said, loved both games so far...however, by the time I got to the end I had absolutely no idea what was happening...just enjoyed the ride.

[WiigotU]

So if this game pulls a bayonetta sales wise it'll end up on the wii u with tacked on touchscreen controlls and be labled the definitive version.

[Darrius Cole]

Why did you have to mention Bayonetta, the platinum standard of how bad marketing and product placement can ruin a video game franchise? Now I'm depressed.

[TopDudeMan]

Dunno why everyone is having a cow. It'll be fine.

[CommonSense]

Having never played Dark Souls, i realize i am demonstrating my ignorance; but isn't dark souls already a sequel to demon souls?

EDIT: N/M, i see. "Spiritual successor"

[Conan-O-Brady]

OMG...Paid dlc item storage...WTF?

A framework where players are able to directly interact with each other.

A more understandable story also more accessible and action oriented game-play.....

It's not looking good if you were a fan of the originals....LOL

[easthastings]

Paid dlc comment is actually false from what I have gathered. I am reserving judgement on this game until I see more official developments in mechanic specifics and perhaps a showcase detailing changes with gameplay. Hope for the best with this game since I still have faith in From, one of the few developers I hold in high regard.

http://www.gamepur.com/news...

[pandehz]

As long as its not turned into an fps lmfao

[Angrymorgan]

No, it won't be an fps, but you get weapon perks and emblems when you prestige /s

[ashcroft]

Prestige? really? This isn't COD

Level up is a better word for it. Damn casuals and their Crap On Dykes

[Angrymorgan]

Oh....it's not?
My bad, I really thought it was cod.

Good job you were there to let us all know
:-/

[ThanatosDMC]

HAHAHHA! Bubbles for you.

[Cam977]

I hope this doesn't get casualised!

[CLOUD1983]

he.. no matter how positive some ppl want to stay & spout nonsense like "don't rush let's w8 & see!" I already know where this headed, prepare for the next FF,RE,DMC,NG sell-out, oh the hardcore fans who made this game what it is today r going to be very angry when they see what FROMSOFTWARE plan to do with DaS2.

One more gr8 franchise going under trying to appeal to the huge mindless casual audience out there, R.I.P. DeS/DaS it was nice while it lasted.

[RuperttheBear]

Let's bash it before we have gave it a chance. Yeah, what a great idea.

[Conan-O-Brady]

I know right....We should be silent and let the dev's and the publisher take the game in what ever direction they want...after all they know exactly what us gamers want, right?

I've already pre-ordered my copy....cause I know it's gonna be teh tits.....lol

[RuperttheBear]

You're putting words in my mouth. I'm saying we should give them a chance, we should reserve judgement until we have seen what they have in store for us. We have seen very little, and yet most are happy to condemn it.

No need to be condescending. I'm a big fan of the games, but I tend to be optimistic until there is real reason to be concerned about something. As it is, it's early days.

[Conan-O-Brady]

@RuperttheBear
"I tend to be optimistic until there is real reason to be concerned about something. As it is, it's early days."

So how long should we wait to voice concern? Maybe when a beta is released or a demo, maybe some alpha game-play videos. The earlier our concerns are heard by the publishers or dev's the more likely they are to address them.

[RuperttheBear]

'So how long should we wait to voice concern?'

Until they are actually a fair way through making it perhaps? Or is that too much to ask?

It is still in the early stages of development, you have noticed that haven't you?

'The earlier our concerns are heard by the publishers or dev's the more likely they are to address them. '

You sound like a bit of a whiner tbh. The game is in early development and you are acting as if it's your God given right to dictate to them how to make a game.

Like I said, give them a chance.

Gamers today are so self entitled.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@Conan-O-Brady you make it sound as though you have some "right" as to what direction this game goes. I am hearing the same non-sense I heard with the end of Mass Effect 3 and gamer's clamoring how they were owed something. Misplaced entitlement...its becoming more and more prevalent in gaming.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

WOW... talk about friggin jumping to conclusions. ZERO facts...all speculation. BRAVO...you have written one steaming pile of an article.

Please show us the facts that lead you to this stupid conclusion: "To gamers that means compromised vision for $$$s." Back up your BS please... Kojima has had buckets of Money for Metal Gear and his crazy story line / vision has never waivered... the latest MGS games are considered as good as ever and they haven't been comprimised by the increased budgets, etc...

[Conan-O-Brady]

Kojima is very hands on in the production of the metal gear games, konami realizes his importance to the series....all indications are that Miyazaki has been asked to step aside and will remain involved in name only....Can you imagine how different the MG franchise would be today if Kojima had been pushed away from it after just 2 games....

[OC_MurphysLaw]

The fact is there is a rush to judgement on this game with out any FACTS. It is pure speculation/fear from the author nothing else.

[Menchi]

He actually backs up most of his conclusions with facts...

For the one you pointed out, he stated the FACT, that Dark Souls 2 has a higher budget. Now, to meet that higher budget, they're going to have to make the game appeal to more people... There's not really any other way to do that, other than making it more accesible.

Making Dark Souls more accesible, if they do it how everyone fears, will indeed, be a comprimise, for the sake of increased sales.

As for Kojima? He owns his own studio, within Konami, he has enough clout as a dev, to do as he wishes with his work. From Software, however, do not have that clout. They are a small studio, currently pandering to the desires of a very big publisher, who desires their investment returned to them, by any means neccesary, even if that means alienating the original fanbase.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@Menchi he has three facts stated: new director, the budget and a quote from the developer...from which he draws conclusions that are not proven and are derived out of fear.

Having more budget does not equate to a compromised game. I am sorry there is no factual evidence to back that up.

Making a game more accessible does not compromise a game. That is just a bs leap of or better put lack of faith. Accessible can take the form of many things..better story, dialogue, UI... there are many ways to make a game more accessible and none of that equates to "comprimised".

And a new director could mean the game actually gets even better...totally hard to say at this point.

[DragonKnight]

Dlacy13g: You understand don't you that one of those directors said things like "I want to make the game more straightforward, direct, and accessible" which in stark contrast to the theme of the Souls series. He also mentioned his experience with action games, meaning he has ideas on changing the combat for Dark Souls 2. Those are FACTS that should be a concern for fans of the series.

[Flipgeneral]

@DragonKnight

http://www.shacknews.com/ar...

He may simply be referring to the system mechanics, and maybe some of the story elements. Although the hand holding tutorial part does irk me a tad.

Honestly, I appreciate the mysterious and vague lore of the Souls' series, but some clarity on the world may help to enrich the lore.

Who knows? All I know is I'm going to wait for reviews (user and critics) and voice my opinion with my wallet

[clarkdef]

But... The games are not actually hard? They are good, but not hard, medium difficulty more like

[Kos-Mos]

Wow everyone, we got a hardcore man over here! Come and see for yourselves. He`s using a kratos avatar as well. Come and see everyone!

[clarkdef]

Haha, I even got to the last boss without leveling up.

[crazysammy]

DOOOOOOM. Good god it spreads like a virus. Console to console now to individual games. Wow people are really dumb. This shouldn't surprise me though as yesterday I watched someone trip over a wet floor sign.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I wish they had just kept things small and made Demon's Souls 2. There was still more story to tell with the broken Archstone or maybe even a prequel as Boletaria was being invaded. But of course, there's the whole money and multiplatform thing.

[maniacmayhem]

The only thing that worries me is the new director being on the game. We all saw what happened with Ninja Gaiden and the RE series.

But I am still hopeful and really looking forward to this game.

[OSIRUSSS]

This is gonna be Starhawk all over again. The hardcore players are gonna murder the newbs the newbs are gonna be scared to go human which takes away a part of the game. The community will dissolve by the time DLC is released few will buy it. As a hardcore dark/demon soul player I can't wait to go on newb hunting expeditions. My advice to the players new to the series you better summon help...and lots of it. If world tendencies come back I bet it will stay dark. Until Christmas lol.

[metalgod88]

You know what would be really awesome right now? If Shibuya elaborated a bit on what he meant by "more accessible." That would clear up one of the biggest questions we have.

[Optical_Matrix]

Stay strong comrades. In the hope that these worrying details are a mere insignificance so that we can take up arms in jolly co-operation when Dark Souls II is released upon the market.

[NastyLeftHook0]

i hardly buy much games, but these ones are worth 60 bones.

[DarthJay]

I understand a lot of people get their rocks off with the fact that this game is so hard, and that is fine and more power to you. I just don't understand why people wouldn't want it to be "accessible." If they have a game mode that caters to the fans that have made the game the smash hit it has been, shouldn't that be all that matters? Would it really bother you how other people play the game?

I will never understand that aspect of many gamers. Let's take Dark or Demon Souls and have everything be exactly the same as it is. Would it really be the end of the world if there was an easier difficulty ahead of what already existed so that people that want to play the game their own way can have that opportunity? Doesn't a successful game dictate more support?

I'm just talking out loud here. I guess if it were a game I loved, I'd want as many people to be able to play it as possible. But maybe that's just me...

[NastyLeftHook0]

i agree, i like the way dark/demons souls is but if they added in an easy mode it would be fine by me. i think people are afraid they will mess the game up if they simply added the option to do so. (which does not make any sense what so ever.

[Nevers]

More accessible? Fine!!! I've logged almost a thousand hours in DkS and a few hundred in DeS. I want FromSoft to be successful, more people to play(get over their fear of failure), and more Souls games in the future.

Sure put an easy mode in the next Souls game...

*BUT*
- don't let "easy mode playthroughs" get PvP/MP. The idea that someone could potentially get the best weapons for PvP through an easy/quick path doesn't sit well with me. Slap em' with a "You beat easy mode trophy/achievement" called "I'm a delicate flower" or something as well. It shouldn't be just as rewarding to take the easy path as the hard one.

[metalgod88]

That's what I would be worried about as well with an "easy" mode. If they can achieve everything that players on the normal difficulty can, and can compete with them in pvp, then it's totally unfair to the normal difficulty players. And if they force an easy mode on all players, then the hardcore players aren't going to enjoy the game at all.

If by easy, the devs mean to give less options in the beginning in terms of where the player can go, that's fine, but please don't force a difficulty on us like Diablo III did.

[DragonKnight]

Yes it would matter. There are enough games that hold people's hands these days. So many in fact that that has become the driving force of game development next to graphics. Adding an easy mode is detrimental to the very core of the "Prepare to Die" mantra of the Souls series. Easy mode turns it into a generic 3rd person fantasy action RPG. May as well just go play Skyrim.

[Nevers]

Know what I'd love? FromSoft to give the option of Easy or Normal but make them the exact same thing. After the pendant, I wouldn't put it past em'.

And Dk, I completely agree that the sissyfication of the generations and placating to lazyness is definitely something that matters.

[TemplarDante]

There is an ancient chinese proverb that says.. Make Dark Souls 2 like Dark Souls 1, leave the casuals with their Angry Birds.

[Xof]

Look, I get that we all thought Mass Effect 3 was going to be awesome, and it ended up being terrible.

I get that we all expected Assassins Creed 3 to be better than it was.

I'm -glad- that recent events have taught some gamers not to buy into the hype.

But reviling a game before its even released, before seeing ANY gameplay footage, or even any in-game footage, or knowing any details about it period is just doing the same stupid ****ing thing at the other end of the spectrum.

[silkrevolver]

I'd be fine with optional difficulty.

Everyone wins.

[ziggurcat]

the whole "more accessible" thing kind of frightens me a little bit since it seemingly means easier difficulty, but i think if by "more accessible" they mean they just explain more of what's going on, i'm fine with that - although, one of the things i love about the souls series thus far is the fact that it doesn't hold your hand, and you have to do a lot of the figuring out on your own.

i just hope that they stay true to the brutal, unforgiving difficulty that the series has offered so far.

[hano]

just fishing for hits

there is no way from st or namco will make the game casual or easy...

They know the franchise only sells because it catered to a hardcore fanbase.

I wouldn't mind if the story made sense and wasn't so cryptic though.

[Aghashie]

Caution flag raised since I knew it was not the same director. No longer a day one purchase. I am gonna wait for reviews and user opinion, then maybe I'll rent it. If good enough I'll buy it.

As a fan I hope the best for Dark Soul 2, I hope we are all wrong about the negative hype flowing on the networks. I really want to play and enjoy the game, but I am not going to surrender my hard earned money to a bad game, even if that game is a Souls game. Let's wait and see.

I think this is the perfect timing for Sony to announce they are working on Demons Souls 2. That would really put some pressure on FromSoftware to release a true sequel. Also... a Demons Souls 2 would be awesome news for the series fans. Count me in if that ever happens.

[McLuvn]

No worries, just happy there will be a 3rd in the series.
Too early to talk doom, wait and see.
Souls series is hack and slash done right. Let's hope that doesn't change.

[Marlone44]

I completely agree with the people that said that RE6 is horrible, personally i feel Capcom drop the ball since RE4 but a lot of the real fans could argue any RE after part 3 is terrible. We the fans of the RE franchise deserve better then 20 foot tall infected orgs or what every it is that some how made it into the game(instead of real zombies). I'm disgusted. seriously 20 feet tall orgs where do the fit in to the story line, omg i know its a game but for real the RE franchise as a bad identity crisis. Thank God for the walking dead.

[NSchneider]

At this point I refuse to be either excited or concerned until I see something substantial from From Software. A larger team to build a more realized world sounds alright to me. Although as someone who is slowly pushing through Dark Souls for the first time these past two weeks, I am concerned what that exactly means in terms of storytelling.

During my first 30 hours I was wishing there was a story, in the last 30 hours I'm enjoying creating the story of Jack the Wanderer. Yeah I get little bits and pieces, but yelling "Punished!" after defeating someone I invaded in the Blades Of Darkmoon Covenant is extremely satisfying. Seeing how the NPC's tie together in understated ways is an awesome experience.

But again until I see something from From Software I will withhold any preconceived notions. This is a good case of both developers and game writers needing to wait to talk without anything to show for it.

[JonnyBigBoss]

The writing in this article is atrocious.

[47]

Oh look, a new sequel coming out and already the whiney little brat brigade is out in full force. Jeez gamers are a whiney lot. Calm the f**k down. The next Dark Souls game will be fine. All you morons will run out and snag a copy regardless. If you like it, you'll keep your mouth shut while you grind away and if ya hate it, you'll be back here to whine about how the devs are screwing up "great" games by making bad sequels. Then this whole annoying saga will begin anew.

[NiceGuy192]

How about waiting until we actually we know something about the game before dooming it? "More approachable" can mean many things. I wouldn't mind them simplifying a few annoyances, such as the covenant system, stats and perhaps even the story (without removing the mysterious atmosphere). There's so many little things they can fix without actually changing the difficulty or atmosphere of the game.

[sdozzo]

The game will be great. They are professionals and have already put out two awesome games of the same kind.

Articles like this are attention grabs... mission accomplished.

[Dms2012]

Then make an accessible version and a not so accessible version, problem solved.

[EdgarNygma]

Look I suck a games and to be honest midway through Darksouls the difficulty is rather normal. The challenging part is learning how the game works and the ways you have to approach enemies.

After the basics are mastered you still have to keep on your toes but the game is far from mindnumbingly hard like some try to claim. The problem is that most games these days are really easy and forgiving, making the game seem harder than it is.

When the game becomes more streamlined a lot of challenge and sense of satisfaction will go with it. People will either stay away from it because the first one was considered hard and true fans will think the new one is easy or the casual audience will eat up the new game and the game will further fall from its original design.

Is this good for sales, yes if it works. Is it good for gaming as an art form and a unique media, I dont think so.