BANDAI NAMCO EntertainmentDark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - PlayStation 4

I grew up in a small suburb in Michigan. I spent my youth there. I knew all the streets, could get around easily on a bike. I was familiar with the couple restaurants and shops in the town. I left and eventually my parents moved out of the town. There wasn’t any reason to go back, and for years I didn’t. Over the past year I’ve gone back a couple times to try out a new restaurant that opened, visit a friend coming back into the area who was staying with his parents for a week, or walk along the river that runs through the town. The big things are largely the same. The roads aren’t going to change. There aren’t suddenly going to be highrises in a small Midwestern suburb. But the little stuff is different. A lot of the shops have changed. Small, mom and pop restaurants have been replaced by high end dining and breweries as the area has become wealthier. I don’t know the people when I’m walking the street. An old factory was turned into a small shopping center that wasn’t very appealing as I walked through. Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin has a similar feel of the place I’m from but not the place I’m at. The gameplay is the same, the world is the same, but a lot of the small stuff has changed.First off, for people who haven’t played the Souls games before here is a basic breakdown of what to expect. You are unnamed, unheralded pseudo-hero who finds themself thrust into a kingdom beset by the undead, more or less. The plot is pretty thin, though the world is fleshed out by item descriptions and snippets of dialogue with NPC’s. By the end of the game there isn’t really much of a guiding force and you go forward because that’s the instinctual thing to do. I refer to is as a directionless stumble toward a vague end goal, but really it pans out better than it sounds. You find or purchase armor, weapons and spells (there are four types of spells: spells, miracles, pyromancies and hexes) which all have various offensive, defensive and support uses that you can upgrade to customize your character. You gather souls from defeated enemies that are used as currency and to level up your character. Specific to Dark Souls II the world is a large sprawling map with diverse areas and a central hub town of Majula where friendly NPC’s reside and you can seek refuge. As you explore areas you light bonfires to allow for quick travel. Gameplay is where the series really shines. Combat is challenging and forces you to learn through trial and error. You do end up dying a decent amount while learning (though not as much as they advertise once you know the game) and when you do all your unspent souls remain as a bloodstain where you died. You must retrieve them or lose them forever if you die again before retrieving them. There is an online component where you can see messages from other players, see how they died, help or be helped through a coop system and invade/be invaded through the games PVP system. This doesn’t do justice to a series as large and as involved as the Souls series, but it’s the nickel tour.I’ve played a lot of the Souls series from the early days of Demon’s Souls to the recent Bloodborne. Enough that it’s one of the two series my wife can identify just by seeing it (the other being MLB the Show which is pretty easy to identify if you know baseball). The usual trappings are still there. Nothing about the actual architecture of the game has changed. What has changed is a lot of the superficial elements. Superficial may be too negative of a word here. Enemy placements are different, items appear in different locations. Enemies normally encountered later in the game pop up earlier. It’s a little bit surreal at first. I didn’t realize how much I had engrained the game into my memory. I would approach an area and be waylayed by an enemy in an area that used to be clear, or go into an area ready to maneuver around an enemy I expected and find nothing. Some weapons and equipment will pop up in different areas. I was able to find my Faraam armor exactly where I did in the original Dark Souls 2, but it took a really long time to figure out where my beloved Heide Lance was hiding.The big addition to Dark Souls II, also in line with other HD remakes, is the DLC. I’ll be upfront in saying this. I didn’t like the DLC when it came out on the PS3. I didn’t like the DLC for the original Dark Souls. DLC for the Souls series reviews out well because it’s meaty and offers a new experience, but I just don’t like it. It feels out of place when I play it. It never seems to flow quite right with the rest of the game. It still doesn’t. It feels too much like a puzzle where a lot of the challenge is simply figuring out where you are and how to get where you want to go. I play the game to fight my way to the goal, not wander around trying to figure out where I am and how I even got there. The most extreme example of the DLC being a maze more than anything is a large area in the Crown of the Ivory King where constant blasts of snow blind you except for a few feet ahead and you are attacked by what appeared to be infinitely spawning magical reindeer that attack you. Few landmarks mean just skirting the edge of the map slowly trying to find the boss area. To me the best part of the DLC is the Grand Cathedral in the Crown of the Ivory King because it's such a good way to farm lots of souls very quickly helping others as a white phantom. But, I didn’t buy Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin for the DLC. I had already played. I knew I didn’t care for it. I bought the game for the main game. If you liked the DLC before, you’ll like it now. If you didn’t like it before, you’ll feel slightly better about it. I will say this, having the DLC from the get go is more enjoyable than getting to it on New Game ++++. I still don’t love it, but I don’t feel like “what’s the point?” If you’ve never played the DLC before, well, you can’t knock free content. I realize it’s not “free” since you’re buying the game, but it’s extra content in a game that’s already huge. There are also a few other minor additions to the coop and PVP system. You can now have three summoned phantoms to aid you instead of the limit of two previously. There are also more NPC phantoms that can be summoned to aid you, which is nice if you have a spotty internet connection or there's no one to help you. I've gone into boss battles with 3 NPC companions before, and they can be better than human players. There are also more NPC invasions. Nothing Earth shaking, but they're nice additions that will improve the game for people playing offline for the most part and when there aren't really any human players around to help. They also make the world feel more alive. The series, by its nature, is pretty desolate, so having the additional NPC characters is welcome.The game follows the normal Souls series trend of the graphics are decent. They’re much improved from the PS3 version, but they don’t quite look PS4 good. I would say the graphics of Dark Souls II on the PS4 would be on par with what a good looking game would have been on the PS3. One thing I did notice that I appreciated was less stuttering. When too much was going on with the PS3 version I would notice stuttering. Roll through a large number of barrels and suddenly the framerate plummeted. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it was noticeable. I haven’t noticed it at all so far on the PS4. The voice acting is, once again, very solid though there isn’t exactly a lot of dialogue. Sound effects still sound good and have a nice weight to them.The bottom line really comes down to this. Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin is an HD remake that follows in the mold of other HD remakes. But it’s an HD remake of one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. There are some small additions to go along with the DLC, but it’s like going back to your hometown after you’ve been gone for a long time. It will change, but the base is still the same. If you want Dark Souls II all bundled up, with improved graphics and a renewed multiplayer community, you can’t go wrong. You know what to expect, it’s an HD remake. It’s safe. If you are content continuing to play on the PS3 your money is spent better elsewhere. If you didn’t like Dark Souls II or don’t really care for the Souls series in general you’re definitely better off not buying the game. If you’re new to the series, I highly recommend buying the game since you’re missing out on an awesome action RPG experience. If you’re a veteran or an avoider, you’re going to get what you would expect. It doesn’t come down to an easier decision than that.

Dark Souls II is the sequel to Dark Souls, which is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls. Both of the aforementioned games were masterpieces in my opinion, so I had high expectations for Dark Souls II. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met when Dark Souls II was first released. What exactly were my expectations? I wanted a game that is challenging but fair, a beautiful world that you can explore freely (more or less), and a story line that makes one yearn for more. The original release of Dark Souls II was certainly not a bad game, but it felt hollow (pun intended) compared to the original Dark Souls. There were a lot of issues that made the "game feel "cheap" compared to the original. Fortunately, this updated version while still technically the same game is VASTLY improved!SINGLE-PLAYER EXPERIENCE############################Let me say that Dark Souls II has an amazing player-versus-player options. There are lots of "covenants" you can join to invade other players, or help other players. The reason I prefer to play offline is because I enjoy being immersed in the world all to my own. I do not want to deal with real players (although again, I have nothing against those that love it). I like the story (Dark Souls has a deep story, even if it is told via minimalism) and find fighting other players a bit dull to be honest. This of course also means that in a "tough" fight you can not summon others to help you. Also, when you are traversing places such as the Black Gulch all by yourself, it really is beautifully unnerving!NOTE: This is review is mostly spoiler free! I do talk a little bit about some of the differences between Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin and it's predecessor below. If you played the game for a few hours, chances are these will not be spoilers at all.CHALLENGING===========If there is one thing Dark Souls [NB: when I just say Dark Souls I really mean all three games in the series] is known for, it's the challenge. This challenge, is what makes the game. Sure, the game is aurally and visually beautiful, but a major reason for this is the difficulty. For example, as you try to progress through the game, you come across a number of monsters that quickly attack and make short work of you. Eventually, you figure out how to deal with them, only to be sniped by an archer. Then, you try again and once you get past the archer you find there are even more enemies and they make short work of you! By your sixth try (or more) you finally defeat them, and then you realize just how beautiful are the ancient ruins around you! While Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin is very challenging, it is also fair. If an enemy looks like it can kill you in one or two hits, it can. Also, there really are no "simple" enemies. If you let your guard down and become shall we say a bit "overconfident", you may very well find yourself defeated by "weak" foes despite the fact that they are not nearly as difficult as more heavily armored enemies. The original release of Dark Souls II was unfortunately not what it should have been. In this updated version, there are different enemies placements, entirely new enemies, more invaders to fight (non-players), and of course the downloadable content opens up huge new areas (more on that below)! In short, THIS is the version I hoped to play when Dark Souls II was first released!Downloadable Content================The new areas of the game are not only "large" areas to explore, they are arguably the most visually stunning areas of the game! They really are beautiful. Also, they are extremely well designed and are not just "go to area A, defeat boss, go to area B" -there are secrets to find. As an example, in one of the new areas there are pillars that move up and down. So it really is three-dimensional exploring rather than just a linear progression for each area. I loved the Artorias of the Abyss expansion for the original Dark Souls. However, hands-down the downloadable content in Dark Souls II is far better. Although fighting Artorias was one of the most rewarding fights in ALL the Souls games, just in terms of exploration and enjoyment the three new areas in Dark Souls II are far larger in scope and the exploration is a joy. Also, they are all very diverse, and quite easy to access. And of course, the areas present new challenges to the player!Scholar of the First Sin Upgrades========================The main draw here is of course the downloadable content as described above. However, there have been so many tweaks from the original release, that this feels like a new game! First off, the PS4 version has had a graphics upgrade. The original PS3 release did NOT look as good as the original Dark Souls! In general, sequels look better even if they are not overall better games, but in this case the original Dark Souls II release looked washed-out. Fortunately, that has been corrected with the PS4 version. Secondly, there are more enemies, enemies in different locations, MORE summons (which are extremely helpful especially when fighting certain bosses that otherwise feel cheap), and more non-player invasions (red phantoms)! In terms of summons, if you really want to beat every single boss solo, you can do that. However, I feel that the added summons (and invasions) are very well done and make what are arguably frustrating boss fights far better (although still not easy). There are of course new weapons to find, new armor, more dialogue from non-playing characters (NPCs), and it really feels like this is finally the complete version!PRO========++Beautiful game both aurally and visually. The atmosphere is so vivid, at times it may just be tangible!++Very difficult, but fair game. This is the most challenging of the three games in the series thus far.++The DLC is amazing! It is all on disc, nothing to download! You will love it.++Load Times: there are load times? You will hardly notice.++Expect to spend lots of time on this game! This will be a long, beautiful, and challenging game!++ADDICTIVE: this game should have a warning label.CON========--NO manual! I know many games are doing it, but it would be nice to have a printed manual. Still, this is just a minor detraction.--MUSIC: Dark Souls II "Majula" theme is gorgeous! However, compared to the original Dark Souls, or even Demon's Souls, most of the music is forgettable. Now while the game sounds great with all the sound effects and it has good music including a few wonderful pieces, overall it's not in the same league as the first two games.--So Many Humanoids: The original Dark Souls has very different enemies with unique looks and attacks. Dark Souls II certainly has some amazing boss fights and some freaky enemies. However, in large part you will be fighting human-like undeads, human-like (but larger) sentinels, human-like but huge bosses, etc. More diversity would have been nice. However, this does not "ruin" the game by any stretch of the imagination.--Torches: I love the sense of being alone in a dark, dreary, dangerous place with only a sword in one hand and a torch in the other! Unfortunately, most of the game is much "brighter" than I would like, and in fact, many places already have lit torches for whatever reason. This is just a minor point, but I feel much more could have been done with torches.--Farming Issues: Overall I'm not a big fan of having to "farm" enemies for items. However, I found myself wanting to upgrade my equipment but I had no titanate chunks. On the other hand I had SIX titanate slabs! Titanate slabs are supposed to be super-ubber rare (they are used to upgrade gear from +9 to +10), and yet I had SIX of them and NO titanate chunks. This is a bit broken.--ADDICTIVE! I realize I also have this under "pro", and the truth is it is a double-edged sword! It is SO addictive, you may let things slide that you should not!BOTTOM LINES: A perfect game? Certainly not. As good as the first Dark Souls? Again, I have to say no. However, THIS upgraded "Scholar of the First Edition" is *close* to the greatness of the first Dark Souls game and it is a VAST improvement over the original Dark Souls II release. Also, this can now be found for $30 or less! At this price, I can easily recommend it to everyone. Here's wishing everyone happy gaming and let us hope that Dark Souls 3 will be a masterpiece!My Score for the original release of Dark Souls II: 80/100Final Score for Scholar of the First Sin: 90/100 (as you can tell, the upgraded version is VASTLY better)