Dark Souls II: Edge Magazine Analysis

So far, FromSoftware has been very tight lipped about the content in Dark Souls II. Very little information has been directly released. Even the Dark Souls 2 homepage has nothing but a single cinematic trailer. Most information that has been gathered so far consists mainly of hints and suggestions dropped during interviews, or conferences. Some other details have been confirmed by FromSoftware as a means of keeping fans interested and preventing the spread of completely wrong theories.

One detail that has been confirmed so far is that the control scheme will be the same as it was in the original Dark Souls. The unique control layout may be a bit out of place if used for other games, but the combat system in Dark Souls probably would not be as flexible without it. It can be assumed that since the controls will be the same, the majority of gameplay will be as well. Expect lots of parrying, backstabbing, kicking, and lunging.

Another subject that has been a bit less clear is that there may actually be a difficulty select of some form. Tomohiro Shibuya, co-director for Dark Souls II, has commented on various occasions that he "wants to make the game more accessible" (Barne). This would be a departure from the tone of both Dark Souls and its predecessor Demon Souls. Both previous games used its difficulty barrier as a selling point. Dark Souls’ catchphrase was, “Prepare to die.” 

As it stands right now, Dark Souls II looks like it intends to keep the majority of gameplay fairly similar to that of Dark Souls, but there may be some significant changes that could possibly leave the final result with a very different feel. Whether or not that is a good thing has yet to be seen, but hopefully some more solid information will be released in the near future.

Author: Sean Johnson
Sean's Blogs: Games You Never Played

Sources:

Barne, Adam. (2013). Dark Souls 2: Everything We Know So Far. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1729804/dark_souls_2_everything_we_know_so_far.html. [Last Accessed April 2, 2013].

(2013). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.darksoulsii.com/. [Last Accessed April 2, 2013].

Dark Souls II: New Director

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, will no longer be directing Dark Souls 2 but rather be the producer and be looking over it. He will have his perspective say over the development  but he will no be directing it. “I will not be involved in the actual development of Dark Souls II”(Edge), “I want to clarify that I will be a supervisor, not the actual director or producer” (Edge). This is a huge announcement for fans of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls; he knows that this has cause controversy.

     The second item that Miyazaki claims to have looked after is the transition from a peer-to-peer online system to server-based network play, which promises a markedly improved online experience. “It was a company decision,” clarifies Namco Bandai producer Takeshi Miyazoe. “Miyazaki worked on Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, but for the IP to evolve and provide a new experience within the Dark Souls world the new wind from directors Shibuya and Tanimura is key to providing players with a brand new Dark Souls experience" (Edge). In order to maintain the expectations and satisfaction and the rewards that players experience, this was the right time to bring in the new characteristics and tastes of the directors for this series to continue on evolving" (Staff).

Sources:
Edge, Staff. Hidetaka Miyazaki on stepping away from Dark Souls II and the future of the series [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.edge-online.com/features/dark-souls-ii-co-director-tomohiro-shibuya-on-accessibility-and-taking-control-of-the-series/ [Last Accessed April 3, 2013].

Staff, Edge. Dark Souls II: Shibuya on the gameworld, awkwardness and accessibility [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.edge-online.com/features/hidetaka-miyazaki-on-stepping-away-from-dark-souls-ii-and-the-future-of-the-series/ [Last Accessed April 3, 2013].

Dark Souls II: Best NPC Character

On February 12th on the Dark Souls Facebook page,  From Software posted this question; "Who is your favorite NPC (non-playable character) in dark souls?" (Dark Souls) Out of the 100 entries posted the top six are graphed below:
The votes were posted in a month period and the overall numbers were Solaire Of Astora 45%, Artorias the Abyswalker 22%, Siegmeyer of Catarina 12%, Great Grey Wolf Sif 10%, Iron Tarkus 4% and the fans have spoken and have even included Dark Souls Lore You-tuber EpicNameBro 7% . The  total vote count was 5,449 and in the end Solaire Of Astora was the most picked. Comments ranged from the little and most known characters; everyone had there own personal favorites and comments such as "Sif!!!!" (Michael), "Solaire who else? Praise the sun!" (Dominic) and "ENB" (David). This was great feedback as From Software can take this information and focus on creating more characters who will have similar characteristics and connection as these NPC's that had great deal of connection towards the players. The next post will focus more on game play and known and confirmed mechanics; Dark Souls II is still in development and I await new information over the game.



Sources:
Dark Souls. In Facebook [Official page]. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.facebook.com/darksouls

Dark Souls II: New Tag Line

On February 7th on the Dark Souls Facebook page; From Software posted this question "Community Poll: Which tag-line would you select for Dark Souls II? (Dark Souls). The information can be seen in the graph below:

Overall the totals votes counted was 13,018; out of that number these were the percentages at the end: 46% Sacrifice Everything, 46% Transcend Death, 3% Go Beyond Death, 3% Into The Beyond and 2% Survive Death. As of right now Sacrifice Everything is in the lead with only 26 votes. They have not confirmed that this poll will be the final tag line for the game but just that they wanted feed back from the community.

Here is some of the feedback received from the poll : We can find many opinions and ideas that the fans had  for example; "The real dark souls begins here"(Sean), "The tagline should find a graceful way to address the idea of a squeal about a game tackling an after-death struggle. These are good, but they don't quite hit home." (Jonathon). Some had strong opinions on the topic sch as "The word transcend sounds to peaceful for the Dark Souls series." (Austin). The tag line made from both a developers and fans perspective and the fans involvement in choosing it was a good move by From Software.

Sources:
Dark Souls. In Facebook [Official page]. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.facebook.com/darksouls

Dark Souls Rekindled (Dark Souls II)

Four months ago at the Spikes Video Game Awards, Dark Souls II was announced (Gifford). It is the sequel to Dark Souls. I plan on informing you the viewers of the games development and information released to the public. I plan on finding out what is in store for the fans and new comers to the series.

Online we can find announcement statements and most importantly the Edge magazine interview which gave important information on style, design and concept (Valay). Many interviews can also be found such as the Gaming Everything interview that revealed that the game will have a different directer (Totilo). Many bloggers interpret their own beliefs  but as a serious and professional blog I will rely on official statements and facts. An example of personal interpretation is the topic of a difficulty setting that might be added. I have been a fan since the release of Demon Souls in 2009. I have knowledge of the company, directors and the games themselves. I plan on gathering information and separating it from rumors, speculation and truth.

Dark Souls II is under development and I will follow its progress. I will be analyzing and evaluating information released. I await the games release and can't wait to share the information that will be release prior to that day.

Sources:
Gifford, Kevin. Dark Souls 2 developer:If dark Souls was set in the North Pole, this one would be in the South Pole. [ONLINE] Available at: 
http://www.polygon.com/2012/12/19/3783452/dark-souls-2-staff-discuss-the-vga-trailer-and-what-having-real[Last Accessed March 20, 2013].

Valay. Dark Souls II Details from Edge. [ONLINE] Available at: 
http://gamingeverything.com/35586/first-dark-souls-ii-details-from-edge/[Last Accessed March 20, 2013].

Totilo, Stephen. Dark Souls II Introduces a New World, New Multiplayer and a New Game Director. [ONLINE] Available at: 
http://kotaku.com/5966805/dark-souls-ii-introduces-a-new-hero-a-new-world-new-multiplayer-and-a-new-game-director[Last Accessed March 20, 2013].