Dark Souls II Comparison Video Reveals a Graphically Gutted Console Version

Be forewarned when purchasing a retail copy of Dark Souls II. This is not the beautiful game that Bandai Namco has been hyping for the past year. All that gorgeous lighting and fantastic sense of atmosphere you’ve seen so far? You might be able to experience those on the PC version when it launches next month. For now, console gamers are turning on their home copies and finding a shocking surprise.

[wtopez]

JAYSUS CROIST!!! I hadn't seen a comparison yet. That is a massive downgrade! Ubisoft would be proud. I will definitely wait for the PC version then.

[Irishguy95]

Same, wow...

heh, at least the Ps3/X360 version have dynamic shadows. Some next gen games don't even have dynamic shadows

[Bimkoblerutso]

It's been a bittersweet experience playing through this game the last couple of days, for sure.

Having not even seen those videos since they were shown last year, I think it's very telling that I still thought the game looked and performed (aside from those couple of "trouble spots" in the first Dark Souls) significantly worse than the previous two games in the series, even without that recent frame of reference.

I will definitely be upgrading to the PC version when it comes out, if only for the performance gains. Here's hoping they throw some of that beautiful lighting back in as well.

[Alexander1Nevermind]

The PC version of Dark Souls was best by far - when modded (I had the PS3 and PC versions). Since the likelihood of the game being dropped on the PS4 is slim, I pre-ordered the PC version as well. Hoping for Mod Support on DS2.

[Deividas]

Holy sweet god...I was actually going to go buy it for the 360 tomorrow cause I really want the game and dont have the patience to wait till April....but now....with seeing this, I have zero problem waiting for the PC version. Looks Epic

[hollabox]

I feel bad, I was comparing this game to Deep Down and praising the developers for near next gen fidelity on 8-9 year hardware. Seem like a lot of this crap is happening, Sony and Ubisoft are notorious for doing this but it seem like everybody is jumping on the doctored pictures, and running software on the PC claiming its console code.

[SaturdayNightBeaver]

Comes to thought , maybe they delayed the many times better looking PC version so they can sell as much as they can on the old potatoes?

[Fireseed]

Well what do console gamers expect? I mean OF COURSE the PC version is gonna look much better... it's just the way it is.

[Kingnichendrix]

that entirely depends on the pc

[SaturdayNightBeaver]

You and me , 100 bux , it will look and play better on my Intel HD 4600 integrated GPU :P

[MidnytRain]

I love when people say this.

"It depends on the settings."

You don't say!

[Kingnichendrix]

Im not even sure what i said wrong haha, i have a powerful pc that maxes out all the games i own, but it cost me 1000 to build my friends alienware which cost 800 cant do the same thing my pc does... not everyone can max out their games and say ohhh look just because i have a pc i automatically got better graphics...

[Blastoise]

It would have to be downgraded to look like a PS1 game before I consider cancelling my pre-order lol

[joab777]

Very true...and by all accounts everyone has said it looks great for a ps3 game.

I wonder if they wait a few months and offer a gory edition for ps4...make some more money and give us a prettier version.

Either that or there is a souls game for the ps4 in the works...and this was to tide us over.

[ramiuk1]

this is for pc,xbox 360 and ps3 isnt it?
looks pretty good for xbox360 and ps3 imo.
there should be a massive difference in quality too.

was 1st one a ps3 exclusive?
never played it

[Toon_Link]

Demon soul is a sony exclusive. Dark souls is the spiritual successor to demon and was multiplatform.

[ramiuk1]

cheers toon

[GentlemenRUs]

It's such a dirty tactic...

They even charge the same price, Urgh that makes me feel even more sick.

[Tdmd]

The mother of downgrades, right there! I'm surprised no one even mentioned this on reviews so far.

[Knuckle Duster]

Played it for 2hours last night ! It has its obviouse challenges but the visualauls are Ps2'ish. Nothing to brag about! You really need to be a fan of the the game to except those visuals!! Wow

[Brazz]

what! for real, the visuals are good for 8 years old consoles... looks better than skyrim on consoles.

[Knuckle Duster]

Great point! I was being a little to critical about it!!

[Rivitur]

The point is that From software didn't say anything about the downgrade before the release they just released it. Also some of the promotional videos were advertised as running on a PS3 a month ago with the good graphics then we get this shit WTF!!!

[LAWSON72]

Once again gamers think games are downgraded because the devs feel like it. They did not falsely advertise the game because for one it was an early build and I should not have to tell any gamer what the footage always says and two they did not misconceive anyone with false hopes because that was actual gameplay footage thus downgraded not developers playing mind games.

It is like console gamers dont realize only so much can be done on 8-9 year old hardware.

I have played Darl Souls 1 (modded high res textures) on PC and Dark Souls 2 on PS3 and I thought the game looked superb for a console game. I have only played two old mans warf (it is has the obvious console drawbacks that every good looking game suffers from) and I think many areas look pretty damn good like the area around Cathedral of Blue and the new hub (cant remember name)

[Roccetarius]

Not sure which is worse. This becoming a standard in the industry, or the people defending them doing it.

[CrossingEden]

Thank you. I'm pinning all my hopes on a next gen version.

[LAWSON72]

Defending it?
Developers always label footage with early footage and may change so as I said false advertising is a load of crap. I am just being logical and telling you developers are not showing better footage to get your hopes up rather that is what the game was intended to be but hardware limitations changed that.

I much prefer a game that runs at a solid FPS rather one that jumps all over the place like Demon and Dark Souls which had pretty bad fps. Dark Souls 2 has ran pretty solid and I havr yet to experience any jumps in fps.

Is it odd to think a dev that made a new engine, which is not designed around just consoles, was not sure what they were capable of doing on consoles? Same can be said for Watch Dogs that demoed a PS4 version early.

I am sorry I defend developers I am a gamer, sue me. Should I throw accusations at them and call them out on BS and underplay everything they do.

[rdgneoz3]

"Defending it?
Developers always label footage with early footage and may change so as I said false advertising is a load of crap."

So where are the recent videos showing how it currently is? The demos they've done only showed the original version, which looked damn good for current gen. If people went by that and bought it, how do you think they'd feel? Lied to? Ripped off? At least Watch Dogs is showing how it's downgraded before it is released.

It might have been an early build they were showing off, but it's deceptive to not have shown how the game was after it went gold and had a few weeks left till it released.

p.s. Love to see you defend Colonial Marines btw...

[Hugodastrevas]

The game looks great for a game running in 8 year old hardware. So, yeah, i agree with everything you said.

[Captain Qwark 9]

i think it looks great personally. is it the best looking game ever? not even close but it looks solid for 8 year old hardware, def better than average and very good for a from software game. anyone who is a fan of this dev knows most of their games are lower budget and gameplay comes before graphics like it should and with that said, the gameplay cant be matched.

you guys ( not you the person im replying too ) can complain all you want and worry about your graphics all day, some even cancel your preodrers or purchase because its not pretty enough, ill continue to play.

in fact, i recommend you go play skyrim again, then you can see what happens when looks come before gameplay, that game is a snoozefest but hey, at least its pretty

[bleedsoe9mm]

just announce the ps4 & xb1 definitive edition already

[Hellsvacancy]

They will 6 months after release

[kingduqc]

or get the pc one, 35$ in a moth and get the best version.

[LAWSON72]

I played it smart, redbox PS3 copy til I see everything so I can not witness a spoiler, and then get PC version.

[k3x]

It was glaringly obvious that something was off about the game since the last trailer. It looked worse than Dark Souls and possibly even Demon's Souls; most importantly, it looked worse than it did in previous trailers. What about all the gaming videos? Those looked bad as well. Not just the shadow/lighting, but also the animations seemed to have undergone a massive downgrade compared to Dark Souls.

After having watched the trailer, I commented on the graphics being worse on Namco's youtube channel and even got a reply from a Namco rep basically telling me to get the fuck out and play something else if I don't like what I see. Not to mention the nasty replies I got from all the fanbois.

We could have nicer games and be offered better products if it wasn't for the fact that so many people get emotionally attached to them like stupid little kids. Just because I say the graphics are bad and need improvement doesn't mean I hate the game and want it to fail. If we had more people complaining about the graphics (it was obvious even before release that they're not even up to Dark Souls standards), From would have to improve them. They're trying to sell a product -- they should deliver what we want. It's really that simple. Instead we get drooling fanbois pouring napalm over anything even remotely critical about the game and giving From/Namco a free hand to screw us in our collective ass.

[Captain Qwark 9]

nah man, i think its just the majority of peeps, myself included, dont care that much. its not like its hideous, much of it looks really great and the art style is fantastic. personally i think it looks better than demon or dark from what i played so far

plus, im just not much of a whiner. if i dont like something i just simply dont play it rather than complain

[LAWSON72]

It is not an opinion to think DkS2 looks better than its predecessors because it does. Art style or not the game is technically and graphically superior to both.

[k3x]

@Captain Qwark 9

The people who don't care aren't the problem. It's the fanbois and the apologists like LAWSON72 here who care so much about some company's product that they start sounding like they were part of its marketing team, flooding every corner of the internet with their inane drivel.

Releasing a game that looks much worse than it did in the early trailers is not in any way misleading to LAWSON72 or any of his semi-literate, mouth-breathing ilk. He knows that in order for a newly released game to function on 8-9 year old hardware it HAS to look worse than its predecessors -- there's just no other way. But that's not all. Wait a little longer and he'll actually develop the nerve to tell you that even though the game had the entire lighting system present in the two previous games scrapped, it not only doesn't look worse -- it, in fact, looks even better!

That is the problem. Get yourself enough people like him hooked on your game and you don't even need a marketing team anymore, they'll do it all for free and even thank you for the opportunity of helping you sell your product, no matter how flawed.

[LAWSON72]

@k3x
I am not praising the game for no reasons. The game looks better whether the lighting is worse or not. I wont lie though I would love telling everyone for free to get Dark Souls and give it a chance, same goes for the predecessors. It is an incredible experience that every gamer should try at least twice

The early footage I have seen did not make me go "OMG them visuals are amazing cant wait to play it for them next gen graphics" (which is actually the case for Watch Dogs), probably no one else has either. The visuals are great and this is coming from someone who only played Dark Souls 1 with texture mods. The best part is the game runs very smooth compared to DkS and DeS then again this must be nonsensical drivel.

The game is great and to give it crap for downscaled visuals on old ass consoles is just BS. Clearly they had big intentions with the new engine but just like many new games hardware limitations got in the way. The game looked like that on an E3 demo so it is not like they wasted time making completely different textures to give the wrong impressions. Should they remake early trailers to shut people like you up?

I tell you what if you can prove the newest trailer, https://www.youtube.com/wat...
does not compare to the actual game we will call it a marketing scam okay? That footage looks just like the game however I have yet to see many of those areas. IMO this footage is far from impressive as far as next gen/PC is concerned and should not leave some remarkable impression graphically.

[k3x]

The trailer you linked to clearly shows both, the new and the old lighting system. The actual game looks nothing like it does in (parts of) that trailer, which does make it a marketing scam. A perfectly acceptable one at that, sadly, thanks to people like you who'll argue that making the game look better in gameplay trailers by using different builds than it actually does is a-ok (see Spurg's comment below). Seeing as you couldn't even notice that, it seems you're not just metaphorically blind, and shows the true validity of your opinions about anything graphic related in this or any other Souls game.

[Spurg]

look guys...if your gonna impress people you would want to show the best build you have....not the crap ones.
Sometimes you have to use these tactic to get peoples attention and to get press. We live in a industry where there is a lot of competition.

If they are too honest and say that the console build looks worst....people would take it as a huge negative...especially on N4G. If you want to impress a girl would you wear your worst clothes???

[Hugodastrevas]

Everyone was happy with Dark Souls 2 and then after this they make a fuss about the game not looking as good? It's 8 year old hardware everyone! What were all of you expecting, 1080p at 60fps? Specially with the new graphical engine, light effects and havok clothing. Let's be real.

[Tdmd]

One quick glimpse trough the ps3 library will tell you that an 8 years old hardware can still have great looking games. I don't have a problem with DaS2 graphics - at all, but this excuse is beyond ridiculous.

[Knuckle Duster]

I'm really hoping Deep Down turns this genre on its head!

[Veneno]

Oh it will. With microtransactions.

[theDECAY]

I don't think Deep Down can be stronger that the Souls serious. It doesn't even have an official name for souls sake. "Deep Down" is such a horrible unofficial title.

[Kivespussi]

It was a dirty trick but there's so much worse devs out there so I can forgive FROM for this one. PS3 version it is for me and if they'll ever announce a next gen version I'm going to get that too.

[Salooh]

I'm playing it on the ps3 and i didn't see it as bad as the video shows it. Maybe it's just me enjoying the game. This game was never about graphics , PC will always get better versions of multiplatforms but this game graphics isn't something important in the first place. Even pc doesn't look impressive. If pc have a better AI then that's something to talk about in this game..

[Captain Qwark 9]

i didnt think so either. got about 4 hours in and i think it looks really good personally. this video isnt right

[Rivitur]

That false advertising and the fact that gaming journalist aren't exposing this like that colonial marines footage is baffling.

[theDECAY]

It's a little surprising that more haven't said anything. Comparing it to Colonial Marines is a bit of a stretch because that game was just bad. Dark Souls II is a really solid game so far. It runs better than the original, and takes everything and just makes it a little better.

[Vanfernal]

I got the PS3 version even though I have a gaming pc just because of the horrible experience I had playing the Pc version of Dark Souls. DS1 on PS3 to me was oneiofthe defining experiences of this gen. All of that got ruined when I playedon oPc and had to deal with invincible hackers, helping ghosts with ridiculously op gear that one shotted bosses, and having people give me maxed out gear as if they were passing out candy. It's true that DS2 is not the prettiest game out there, but this is one time where I will go with a downgraded version just to be able to enjoy the awesome console DS community.

[assdan]

I saw a video that was incredibly low quality that told me nothing. I played the beta, and had no problems with it. The game has a 92 on metacritc. This article is a waste of my time.

[Hugodastrevas]

This is what happens when a niche-exclusive game tries to be multiplat and appeal to other people. People just don't understand what the Souls series is even about.Let me break it down to you all:

Aliens colonial marines->Developers lied about everything, the gameplay in the trailer wasn't even in the final product, the graphics were horrible (even on Pc)and the a.i. was shit, therefore aliens colonial marines =/= Dark Souls 2.

Ubisoft's games-> hyped beyond recognition in graphics not gameplay to bring in a new generation of consoles (both the old and current gen.), also they are a huge company of developer (unlike FromSoftware). Therefore Ubisoft =/= Fromsoftware.

Go play Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 and think about something: They were all in the same generation! An 8+ year old generation!

P.S. In a few months Pc people will find something else to complain about even though they only got the last one because of a petition and they sell even less than PS3/Xbox360. (bring on the disagrees)

[Agrim]

Still getting it nonetheless. I prefer playing this on console and later on PC than playing Titanfall in the meantime. I just find modern shooters boring and repetitive. Unless they had rideable cows, that would be awesome.

[Grave]

I still bought Dark Souls II on PS3 and PC. I know that technically the PC version will be superior and it will be my main platform for the game, but I have much love for the last 7 years on PS3 with the Souls series.
I remember playing Demon's Souls and thinking the graphics were so excellent. Then after 200+ hours of playing Dark Souls on PC at 5760 x 1080 I went back to play Demon's Souls and it didn't look half as good as I remember, lol. But ya know what, I'd still play Demon's Souls for another 1000+ hours and not even care.

[Father__Merrin]

Merrin wants to know are the visuals below dark souls? as dark souls looked pretty good on ps360

[ELpork]

Wait, WAIT! you mean the PC version will look... Better?... WHAT KIND OF TOPSY TURVY WORLD IS THIS!?

[Grave]

haha indeed. Either way keep calm and Praise the Sun!

\ [+] /

[Tdmd]

@ELpork
Not at all. But you'd already know this should you had actually read the article before commenting on it:

"Just to clarify, this is not a comparison video between the PlayStation 3 and PC version. This compares a previous PlayStation 3 version with the retail version that was just released. The build I played at TGS 2013 looks totally different, and it more closely resembled the footage found in this PlayStation Access video."

[ELpork]

"previous PS3 version"?... There was another release of this DS2?

Anything pre-release should be looked at as just that, a pre-release version, probably running on a PC if it's being shown off. Now if you excuse me I'm going to go back to my cynicism cave.

[Mister_G]

I'm currently playing the PS3 version and I have no complaints about the visuals.

Having said that, I hope there'll be an upgrade option to PS4 with the ability to transfer game save data.

\ [┬] /

[Duxer]

Played it yesterday on PS3.It looks amazing, the atmosphere, the lighting effects etc. Of course, it doesn't run in 1080p at 60 fps, but it's still an amazing looking game. It's like comparing movies based on which one has better CGI. It's silly,people. :)