Want to know a really good way to get players of your game, even those who love it, to give it poor reviews? Announce a new version with updated graphics and features that previous customers won’t get!
Dark Souls 2 is to be re-released on April 2nd on new-gen consoles and PCs under the name Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, which will include all previous DLC content. The move seems to be console-focused, giving new-gen owners access to 2014’s game of the year (that’s right, I said it, come at me). A press release for the game says:
DARK SOULSTM II: Scholar of the First Sin will add brand new game content including an expanded story featuring additional in-game events and NPC characters along with new deadlier enemies and gameplay improvements.
It will also take advantage of the power of the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One, and DirectX11 PCs to provide enhanced graphics for those specific platforms on top of several additional exclusive enhancements.
But despite Bandai Namco’s positioning of the new version as “taking advantage of DirectX 11 PCs”, Steam users aren’t fooled. Their machine was capable of running this new version the first time they bought it, so this “paid upgrade” kind of stings. We reached out to Bandai Namco for information on whether there would be any new boss fights or areas, but none was available.
This has led more than a few people on Steam to vent their frustration through the service’s review function, and although the overall score of the game is still “Very Positive”, anyone visiting the store page would hopefully come across the many people saying they’d might as well wait until April.
It appears that the last-gen and new-gen versions won’t be compatible across save games or online matchmaking, due to them using different servers. Dark Souls 2 owners will receive some of the extra content for free as a large 1.10 update, but PC owners will still have to pay to get the performance their machine was capable of from the beginning.
So sayeth the Steam community:
From a translation of Japanese documents on NeoGaf, the following looks like the most detailed cataloging we have so far of exactly what is which version:
New Features:
– New characters and events (Included in all versions of SoFS, will be added in the 1.10 Patch for existing users)
– Story and world additions (Included in all versions of SoFS, will be added in the 1.10 Patch for existing users)
– Graphics and performance upgrades (Only included in next-gen versions of SoFS)
– Improved online multiplayer (Only included in next-gen versions of SoFS)
– Enemy and game design adjustments (Only included in next-gen versions of SoFS)
– Various balancing tweaks (Included in all versions of SoFS, will be added in the 1.10 Patch for existing users)Included DLC:
– DLC1 (Included in all versions of SoFS, not included in the 1.10 Patch)
– DLC2 (Included in all versions of SoFS, not included in the 1.10 Patch)
– DLC3 (Included in all versions of SoFS, not included in the 1.10 Patch)
So it looks like if there are extra areas and/or bosses – meaningful content, in other words – we’ll be able to play it without paying for an upgrade. We just won’t be able to play it with superior graphics and sound, or with our new-gen friends. Where’s Durante when you need him?
Comments
62 responses to “Dark Souls 2 Is Being Mass Downvoted On Steam”
So its pretty much a GOTY edition, that tons of other games have. So who the hell cares?
Everyone who owns the original game apparently.
Usually GOTY editions include the base game + all previous DLC, so they act as a catch-up for new-buyers. Sometimes there’s extra new bits but they just get thrown in a small GOTY upgrade DLC or something.
This seems much worse as it’s actually punishing PC users who bought the game and subsequent DLC already by charging them again just to run the game as well as it should be able to.
Separated original and GOTY ‘versions’ (like with exclusive patches and servers) have been a disgrace long before now. This kind of activity by devs/pubs is simply outdated and stupid for modern gaming.
Don’t blame the devs – it’s the publishers. Just like your favourite artist’s “best of” album
Not quite… I think this has less to do w/ the additional content a GotY edition gets (which incidentally all existing DS2 players will still get in a patch) but more because the new version won’t be hamstrung graphics wise because BAMCO finally added in DX11 support. Which won’t be available to existing PC DS2 players
It matters because that divides the DSII online community not just by platforms but also by what time you bought the game. It’s literally the exact same game, with a few slight changes here and there and no way to connect to the other community. I find a few summon signs here and there for co-op, but the pvp aspect is virtually non existent in DS2 original that I have. I have NEVER been able to get the bell keeper invasions or blue sentinel summoning rings to successfully work for me, and I need to get ranks in those covenants to get achievements. Well the blue sentinels I could skip and get the spells I need in NG+2 (and I can’t use bonfire ascetics to get the spells), but the bell keeper covenant I absolutely need to rank in to get the last sorcery spell. Which is ***** stupid alone, but then you add people with essentially the same game and the exact same platform that are on different servers? That makes online multiplayer population ******* garbage. It’s a terrible idea to split the communities to different servers when differing platforms do that to us enough already. It is seriously like a ghost town right now on DS2 original. I have no fun with it like that.
Is there any confirmation that the current and new PC versions specifically will be using different servers for the matchmaking? Part of me says they wont be given they’re planning an update to the current version to coincide… But I can’t see anything confirming one way or the other for PC specifically.
I get that 360/PS3 wont be playing with the new PS4/Xbone copies, that makes sense… But the previous versions weren’t on PS4/Xbone so these new ones aren’t cutting into an already established player base.
It’s the same bullshit with paid map packs or such for shooters on any platform… Fantastically stupid method that fragments the potential amount of people one can actually play multiplayer with.
I hit the auto-translate button in my browser, on the Japanese press release: there’s a line at the end saying “It is not possible to online matching with the conventional model version and the new generation machine version. (PS3 and can not be matching of PS4)”. Smooth translation, I know, but it still seems pretty clear.
Here: http://www.fromsoftware.jp/pc/news/pressrelease/20141125_darksouls2_scholarofthefirstsin.html
If these guys were consistent they would be mass down voting the Half-Life series.
Not the same guys, clearly.
2014 really has been the year or moronic gamers thinking they can save the universe with a downvote (dont get me wrong I am sick of companies like Ubisoft and EA as much as the next guy), but this whole downvoting thing insults my intelligence
how is this any different than a game of the year (or enhanced) edition? I didnt see anyone complaining about the Last of Us remastered.
Idiots.
These upset steam players should (sensibly) petition to have the add-on to the original story as an extra paid DLC instead of this ridiculous downvoting crap they’ve resorted to. At least try to come to some middle ground solution before behaving like little children.
Maybe if the new release was just subtitled as an enhanced/goty/whatever edition then people would be crying less lol.
But anyways Dark souls 2 is a great game and to change your review of a proven product (which you’ve clearly enjoyed) due to a re-release is plain childish. Way to be a man-baby people.
Well the actual new story content and such is apparently going to be free in the patch the ‘old’ versions will get… So they don’t even have a right to be pissed about that.
My one and only issue is if this two versions thing is going to split the player pool for multiplayer on PC… Which seems like a stupid move if it does.
Also, all this down voting hasn’t really even put a dent in the rating Steam still gives it on the product page.
Yeah…the only meaningful thing they seem to be missing out on is the DX11 stuff. The lack of it clearly didn’t tarnish their enjoyment of the game (in the screenshot above there’s a guy that’s racked up 310 hours on it, another that’s racked up a staggering 420 hours) so I’m not sure why they would be so pissed that they’ve decided to release an enhanced version that includes it.
I suppose if I had just bought the game yesterday, I might be a bit annoyed, but these guys clearly didn’t do that.
I dunno, advertising amazing graphics pre-launch, shipping a totally shithouse version of said graphics at launch, and then promising better graphics when you buy a new version of the game a second time is pretty damn scummy to me mate.
I think people forget that the game was actually good and that the graphics didn’t stop the game from being that; good – but hey let’s complain about the graphics anyways. I’m sure they have their reasons and I’m pretty sure only PC players are this salty about the Scholar of the First Sin. I’m just glad that I can play the game on the next gen consoles and the addons to game are a plus especially since I’ve never gone online or played the DLC.
Oh stop it with this nonsense. I don’t care if the gameplay is the best I’ve ever played, the point is, many people were excited for the interesting graphics, partially sold on it, and when the game came out they didn’t get it. And now they’re being charged a premium for something that was a feature to them, which they didn’t get and were expecting.
It does not matter if YOU don’t care about graphics because some people do. I’m sick of hearing “oh who cares about the graphics the game is great”. Nobody sane hates games because they have bad graphics, they’re disappointed because a game they already love is of a lesser quality. It’s a simplified, stupid retort that I’m fed up with.
I agree with you there but I just think the downvoting thing is moronic and that more sensible and meaningful action can be taken as a community – particularly the PC players in regards to this. As I suggested, a reach out to the dev/publisher to have it as an upgrade or something at the price of like paid DLC that includes all the bonus content exclusive to the Scholar of the First Sin for the PC.
I think complaining about people taking their only avenue to express a warning about which version of a game you should buy is moronic. These gamers aren’t shareholders, they aren’t in charge of whether a game gets onto Steam, they have one legitimate means of warning people against buying the outdated, inferior version, and they’re making use of it.
Complaining about consumers warning other consumers about purchasing decisions seems like a pretty moronic thing to do. The number of people who delve deep into forums to discover problems is nowhere near as high as the group who’re going to see a big red mark on the review score on the front page. And that’s important.
No, this is a very useful, important review warning to anyone thinking about buying Dark Souls 2 on PC. “Don’t buy the shithouse hamstrung version, buy the new and improved version that actually uses the PC’s capabilities.”
Seems like something actually useful for new buyers to know who don’t have the Internet plugged perpetually into their brains. There’s not exactly any other way of warning people not to buy this version, is there?
Poor scores hurt more than petitions – sadly, it’s the only to make a company take notice. Also, Namco.
I would have no issue with what they did except they made it so that people on PC with the new version could not co-op or pvp with people online with the older version, making the online population divided and ruining the multiplayer aspect to the game which is my favorite part of the game in the dark souls series. It is like a ghost town. I hardly ever get invaded. I can find a few summon signs but not much. I’ve NEVER been able to get the blue sentinel ring to successfully summon me, or get the blue eye orb to successfully invade. And that sucks because I really like the concept of that covenant. If people owning the exact same platform and essentially the same game (with a few minor tweaks) could at least play on the same damn server, then I would have zero problems with this.
“Save your money for the re-jigged version – don’t buy this one.”
How is that an insult?
Not really sure how else you think people should protest, really.
You use the voice you have, not the one you wish you had.
Yeah apparently nobody is allowed to complain or have a negative opinion. It will get criticized no matter how you do it. I think giving something a negative rating because you are unhappy with changes to the game sounds reasonable to me. It’s not like people are going out blowing up buildings. I also think those people don’t realize what these changes have done to the server populations. That’s the biggest issue I have. 2 people with the exact same computer who own different versions of essentially the same game can’t even play online together. That’s garbage and deserving of a bad rating. I can speak from experience when I say it’s made the multiplayer aspect virtually non-existent for DS2 original.
There are several differences from the Last of Us: Remastered & Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin (PC), most of which revolving around the fact that TLoU: Remastered was released on a new console.
The Last of Us-The Last of Us: Remastered:
-TLoU is a PS3 exclusive & TLoU: Remastered is a PS4 exclusive.
-TLoU remastered didn’t divide the multiplayer community, (even if it did, only slightly and it’s mostly a single player game anyways)
-Given how Microsoft shot themselves in the foot at the launch of the Xbox One a lot of people went from xbox360 to PS4, myself included. Now former xbox players have access to a game that they really wish they could play before but couldn’t.
-The performance improvements that TLoU:Remastered offered weren’t possible on the PS3.
Dark Souls 2 (PC):
-Same platform, & DX11 was available before original release.
-Unnecessarily dividing the multiplayer community
-Dark Souls 2 PC players were unpleasantly surprised to find that the graphics that were delivered were very noticeably worse than what was advertised. Come April, graphics similar to what was originally advertised will finally be available, but we are required to buy the game again?
-The new version was announced less than a month after the release of the Ivory King DLC. (Current players find out that they now own a more expensive but inferior product.)
Most GOTY games just catch up new players to the current state of the game by including the game and all of its DLC, but current DS (PC) players in many ways are getting left behind with the new release. Add all this with the horrible port they released for Dark Souls 1 on PC and Bandai Namco is starting to make treating their PC community poorly a pattern.
As for the practice of downvoting Dark Souls on steam, this serves 2 purposes.
1) It gets the message to Bandai Namco.
2) It educates buyers of recent events and saves them from potential buyers remorse.
For these reasons DS (PC) players are justifiably disappointed and downvoting Dark Souls on Steam (so long as the actual review content is accurate) is a very appropriate response.
P.S. blake, DS fans down voting the game would have to be connected to you in some way for it to insult your intelligence. Kudos for being rude, dramatic, and misusing a phrase.
Have these people never seen GOTY/Complete/etc editions?
Yes. And most of any respectable GOTY version of a game is completely the same base game with the same availability of patches and multiplayer, and simply with all the dlc bonus extras that people could already buy packed in.
Not catering to the original first time buyers and keeping the content playing field even is such old-fashioned thinking and smacks of greedy money-grubbing and a total snub to the early buyers. It may have been less avoidable back when you couldn’t just update games over the Internet, but now there’s no excuse.
Steam users already paid the cheaper price anyway. If you have played it for more than 10 hours. You’ve got your moneys worth. Stop bitchen, and support the games you love. You might even get a ds 3. Hopefully.
How much is a money’s worth?
Depends on the effort that you make to acquire the equivalent amount of money. Depends on the amount of entertainment value that you get out of said money. Depends on your values. Depends entirely on the individual.
Played 310 hours.
‘do not buy this game’.
Get real you entitled twat! The internet didn’t get all uppity when a new version of TLoU was announced, this kind of thing happens all the time.
Uhh yes they did. Many people thought that it was lame for their PS3 swansong game to be succeeded so quickly and felt like some spilt-milk in moneys worth. Others were kind of annoyed that the latest in fun games for their new PS4 was a last-gen spit’n’polish.
Well its sound advice to be honest. Why would you want to buy Dark Souls 2 when a better one is coming out soon.
Suddenly it makes a LOT MORE SENSE as to why DSFIX was blacklisted ‘accidentally’…
DSFix applied to the first Dark Souls game, not DS2.
😉
Considering DSfix is primarily associated with fixing the first game more than anything… Not really.
Dark Souls 2 out of the box wasn’t even close to the mess that 1 was on PC.
But hey, go ahead and run with that conspiracy theory.
Of course! *adjusts tinfoil* It’s absolutely! Remove DSFix… redo Dark Souls 2… reenable dsfix to get good will… it all makes sense!!!
It’s the chemtrails you see! And the bad vaccinations! And the lizard people! They’re all in on it!
Unless you’re one of them… HANDS OFF MY TINFOIL YOU LIZARD BASTARD!
Don’t forget the fluoride in the drinking water…
NOW YOU GET IT!!!!!! It’s a conspiracy damn it! A CONSPIRACY!
just a general response to everyone posting above me re: goty editions, etc… etc…
you are forgetting that DS II on PC was supposed to have been released with HQ textures, lighting effects, etc, features that will be available in the new version, until it was gimped by From at the last second before it was released…
it was essentially gimped to bring it in line with last gen consoles….
tthe description from the steam preorder for DS2 was also changed, and the screenshots were also downgraded… cant find the kotaku posts for that though…
so yeah when a game you are buying is intentionally gimped and then fixed asking you to buy it all over again, people are going to be pissed…
dont make comparisons with TLOU either, as it was a graphical overhaul for the new gen consoles, with features that werent possible previously due to hardware limitations…
more kotaku articles:
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/03/yes-dark-souls-ii-looks-different-than-it-did-last-year/
and more…
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dark-souls-2-screenshots-with-higher-quality-graphics-removed-from-steam-store-page/1100-6418649/
That’s actually a pretty good point I hadn’t considered myself.
Still not fussed, I got plenty of value from the current version… And might still buy the proverbial ‘goty’ version if the price is right.
I understand re-releases, I really do. Only for crossing console generations however. For PC, unless the game is very old and is completely re-done, it should just be patched I to the current version. Making people buy it again? Cash cow approach much??
Well the thing is it has been done plenty of times before on PC titles… Deus Ex Human Revolution’s “Director’s Cut”, and the more recent Metro 2033 & Last Light re-releases.
Very rarely has their been a reaction like this to it though… Though the Deus Ex one did kick up a bit of fuss, it was nothing like this if I recall.
Pretty sure they gave discounts to owners of the original games on Steam also, so if the same is applied with this new version of DS2 I think it’ll take a lot of the sting out of it.
Previous owners of Deus Ex could upgrade to the new version for $5, which seemed like a reasonable price at the time
Metro is pretty annoying but at least it’s almost an entire new game. Didn’t hear people praising it either. Deus Ex Dir Cut was literally the base game with all patches and dlc; original owners who bought the dlc had no disadvantage.
and they re-did all the mechanics for the boss fights, so they we’re pants on head stupid.
Zetrox2k is spot on, this isn’t a game of the year edition this is basically telling the PC community who had to put up with how awful the original DS1 was until it was fixed independently that they can pull switch sell BS.
This is almost as bad as day 1 DLC.
This is how I felt when they said they were not going to add the upgrades of Tomb Raider 2013 to PC like they did for the PS4 re-release.
Why did no one kick down their doors? Though I totally am in agreement with why people are upset about DS2 getting a massive update to make it likely look like it was supposed to aka the pre-release footage.
Not having it available is shitty enough, but making it available and then asking for full price all over again is pretty terrible.
If they did the whole Deus Ex:HR thing and charged $5 or even $10 for an upgrade, I’d pay happily. Or if someone has only the base game, charge for the DLC pack plus $5.
This is basically paying for a game twice so you can have the basic functionality patches that should be part of the initial price tag. The PC version was really fucked up at launch.
I actually said that to a friend when it happened. I reckon they will do the same as Deus Ex but they never did. I would of paid the $10 the instant it came up too.
Such a shame and it is even the same company to boot. I wonder (int he case of DSII) if Namco Bandai will change how they are doing this.
Maybe you need the full new version of DS2 but heavily reduced in price even though it is a whole new game not a patch?
This is just so that they can have DSII in the 2015 GOTY things. Even though neither the original version nor this upcoming version deserve that award anyway…
re-releases arent eligible for a goty
Imagine buying the game now or sometime nearer to the release date of the new version without knowing about the new version coming out. They’re just trying to save people the confusion and frustration of buying a version that looks worse.
Also since when did GOTY editions include better graphics?
The main problem I have with this is that it came out this year and feels like a real kick in the nuts for supporting them. For Consoles I can understand as its last gen can’t handle the upgrade and it is necessary to upgrade. PC, release it as an update, or even an optional update. Or even a big discount. SOMETHING.
Too late, purchased months ago.
If the new (non-dlc pack) story / weapons / areas / npcs from this new version are being patched into the original game then personally I don’t have much issue with it.
Let me tell you – the second this was announced I traded my 360 copy (had only progressed to no mans wharf and on the other end of the map the Pursuer was kicking my arse – plus I’m still deeply hooked on DS1!) and am happily counting down the days till the Xbone release. For PC players though this sucks – there should be a $10 upgrade program.
But let me stress happy for this remaster because it ensures DS multiplayer for years to come!
What a constructive idea, warning possible new players to have a bit of patience to benefit from the newer version, while at the same time poking Namco-Bandai in the eye. Win-win I’d say.
I get the whole remaking old classics to make them feel “new” (MGS, Wind Waker, Kingdom Hearts etc), and I even get remaking modern games fairly modern games to make them pretty, (Metro series).
From what I’ve understood, however, the DSII re-release seems to be denying content to people who’ve already bought the game, rather than giving people the option to buy a shiny version of their own choice? Please correct me if I’m wrong, I’m still not exactly sure what is getting patched into DX9 and what we’ll be missing out on with DX11.
If it’s just a graphical update, I’d miss, I don’t really mind that, but if it’s actual game content (let’s call it DLC 4), then I’d be annoyed.
If you trust the NeoGAF post, the only additional, non-graphical, content not being in the previous version or released DLC are “enemy and game design adjustments”. Since everything else is in a patch, I assume this isn’t out for the original because it couldn’t be added – i.e. the code is so bad it had to be redone (I assume, that’s the usual story :p). So it doesn’t sound like you’re missing much.
This is a useful protest, and I’m glad they’re doing it. With the Steam Christmas sale there’s a very real risk I’d have bought the current hamstrung version of DS2 instead of waiting.
the thing that annoys me about this is my pc can rundark souls 2 at a 4k resolution using GeDoSaTo at 60fps and has been able to since dark souls 2 came out. i pre ordered it and paid £45 i got screwed by them releasing it with downgraded graphics to what they promised i then got the season pass when it came out for £25 so i have spent £70 on one game. so what there telling me now is i have to buy a game i already own again just to get the update to DX11 are you messing with me here. its not hard to convert a game to DX 11 so just give it us for free and stop being idiots about you already gave us downgraded graphics then promised once you owe us. i would even pay £10 for it as a DLC but if you think i am gonna buy a game at full price that i already own again for upgrades that might not look any different to my modded dark souls 2 i already own you can go away. i will just not purchase it because at the end of the day i already own a copy of the game i am not gonna spend another £45 on another version of the same f game. i love dark souls 2 i really do but i am not gonna let a company try and screw me over.
Not really surprised. Bandai Namco love churning out utter crap for a few $. Just look at the horrendous back catalogue of anime tie-ins.
I for one do not care. I’ve always wanted to support Fromsoft as much as possible, ever since I first bought Demon’s Souls Hong Kong edition (thinking that it would NEVER see the shores of the United States). Years later, I have played hundreds of hours of Dark Souls and hundreds of hours of Dark Souls 2.
I’ve purchased a 2nd PS3 and a second Demon’s Souls HK edition to co-op with roommate. I’ve purchased numerous copies of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 for friends to co-op with them. Another version with new content and upgrade? Yes, Praise the mother******* sun. \ ‘ ‘ /
(I’ll get a PS4 for Bloodborne eventually.)
The biggest issue I have is the inability to play online with people who own the previous version if you own the new version or vice versa. Dividing the online population by not just platform but what time you happened to buy the game is just stupid. It’s like a ghost town now for online play on the original. If I could play online with the newer gen population, I would have no issues or complaints. And since you mentioned it, would you mind buying me a new computer to meet the system requirements to play the newer version? And also buy me the newer version too while you are at it? I’m hoping the online multiplayer population in the newer version is better than this horse crap. I spent an hour straight before spamming the blue eye orbs and never once got it to work on this game. If they would just let us share the same server, this wouldn’t be an issue. I will praise the sun all day for a week straight if you gave me an upgrade.
LOL @ PC MUSTARD COMMUNITY
IF Namco didn’t release DX11 update, they would be all like, “Petition to release DX11 patch on PC”
Namco releases the patch “hurrr, duuuuur, i won’t pay twice aoiuhfsfh;askfd”
Who asks you to pay twice, you don’t have to