Dark Souls II: Retail PS3 Version Shows Radical Lighting Downgrade from Earlier Videos

One of the best areas of the footage you’ve seen so far of Dark Souls II was its lighting, but looks like something has changed, and not for the better.

[Hellsvacancy]

That totally sucks, game trailers are bs these days, you can't trust them

I'm rather disappointed

[Abriael]

It wasn't trailers, it was gameplay recorded by PlayStation access. So the game did look like that. They just removed or downgraded the effect from some reason.

[Hellsvacancy]

If this is true FromSoftware should explain themselves, first we get Watchdogs now this

I shall play it regardless, it's too good to miss, I had just hoped for a nicer looking Dark Souls game

I'm still hoping for a PS4 version

[Destrania]

It's a shame they don't have a PS4 version of this game, that would have been great. Oh well, I'm getting it on Tuesday for PS3 anyway.

[ZodTheRipper]

I always said they should've went next-gen ...imagine how awesome this would have looked on PS4. At least we'll get Deep Down, hopefully it can keep up with the Souls series :)

[vishmarx]

gameplay was always on pc.
360 version is worse then ps3 .
framerate is solid though.graphics are still a significant step up and thats all that should matter.gameplay is still great.
only thing that needs fixing is the health penalty system.you lose 5-10% max health per death
we can be stuck with 50%health for the entire plathrough if youre unlucky.since the cure for that is extremely limited and theres no farming it

[keabrown79]

@vishmarx, do we have any actually evidence of the PS3 version being better then the 360 version other then opinion?

[levian]

Man that sucks, that gameplay lighting looked freaking gorgeous. I'd love to just say I'll play it on pc, but my 6850 is starting to get a bit dated lately..

[DragonKnight]

People, don't start turning Dark Souls into another graphics warzone. No one plays Dark Souls for the graphics. Right from the beginning, starting with Demon's Souls, these games have always been about the deep gameplay and subtle lore. Who gives a damn about lighting changes? They aren't going to mean a thing when you're getting ganked by aggressive hollows.

[Hellsvacancy]

DragonKnight, why show the game looking pretty in the first place if that's not what we're getting?

What's wrong with wanting a game with awesome gameplay and great graphics

[DragonKnight]

@Hellsvacancy: They showed the game how they had it, and people's opinions got the best of them. The Souls series has never been a graphics pusher so manage your expectations better.

Like I said, you won't be caring about the lighting when you're backstabbed and killed.

[starchild]

Would people rather developers didn't show us anything while the game is in development?

Things have to be balanced and decisions have to be made. From the time development starts on a game until the time it ships there are many changes and iterations it goes through.

If in the end they had to remove or downgrade certain graphical elements in order to get adequate performance then it is for the best.

If they were to release a launch trailer for the game right before it comes out and it looks noticeably better than the actual game...THAT would be a deception. But letting us see gameplay of a game still in development that might look better or worse than the final game is completely normal and nothing to get upset about.

The Souls games are magical because of their gameplay and atmosphere and neither of those things is really reliant on the technical aspects of the graphics to any great degree.

[minimur12]

I'm just walking along the road reading this with squinted eyes, and I can see the change, holy crap.

[sprinterboy]

Most trailers say that it does not represent the final version, so it's not like they lie

[Muffins1223]

Maybe it was pc footage? They never said the footage they showed in demos and trailers was from your ps3.

[Back-to-Back]

This is what happens when you are still making 360/ps3 games when the ps4/bone are out.

Seriously this game should have a next gen port.

[sdozzo]

Can't have another Blight Town incident.

[PurpHerbison]

Yeah Blight Town was awful but the entire game suffered from FPS issues, while most minor. You can just feel the game chugging along. Going to get my copy of DkS2 sometime today. I hope that has changed.

[MysticStrummer]

We seem to be entering the era of the downgrade, which sucks.

[PurpHerbison]

If this means the game is going to play with a better FPS, then what is the issue? Souls games are infamous for terrible frame rates.

[PurpHerbison]

And the FPS problems are STILL there. :[

[Dynasty2021]

The Order and The Division will be downgraded too.

100% guarantee it.

[SilentSolid]

Gonna wait for the pc version. Might get it for console later if the framerate is decent.

[clmstr]

Alright, now I can be finally sure the PC version is definetely worth waiting.

[keabrown79]

It almost looks as if those earlier screens and videos where actually from a pc, simulating PS3 graphics by running at low or med settings.

[Sly-Lupin]

All of the console versions are PC ports. What is likely is that the original screens were from a genuine PS3 build, but that they ended up being slightly more too demanding, and were disabled to maintain a stable frame rate.

This would explain why the effects are enabled in cutscenes.

[NYC_Gamer]

E3 will be crazy this yr since developers may be scared to over promise on visuals

[GordyNYC]

Looks like someones been playing with the contrast of the images/video

[MrSwankSinatra]

honestly this is really isn't a big deal to me, because I've never played any of the souls games for graphics. if you have then your playing the wrong franchise, souls has never been about graphical intensity as has been apparent in the predecessors. do note i'm not saying it's okay for developers to bait and switch, honestly i think devs need to be called out on their bullshit like this.

[worldwidegaming]

good thing I dropped my reservation and am now waiting for the PC version.

[OmegaShen]

Don't really care, so long as every problem in the has been fix. I'm ok with this, I just wish they use wording for stats and not icrons.

[specialguest]

Just give me a steady frame rate (Blight town...sigh) and I'll be happy.

[Qrphe]

Are we really discussing the graphics of a Souls game? Anyone out there was expecting something technically spectacular?

[HighResHero]

Exactly.

[LAWSON72]

Well I honestly expected Crysis 3 visuals, even on PS3/360. I am extremely disappointed.

[DeadMansHand]

No. However, when Chevy releases pictures of the new Camero and it looks newer and sleeker than previous models people get excited for it. Then, when you go to pick up your new car that you've been waiting months for and find it looks just like last year's model you have a right to be disappointed. Sure, it's still a new car but why would Chevy show a model that looks different than the actual finished product? It's dumb.

[Grave]

PS3 version is my tutorial while I wait for the superior version on PC. You haven't even played Dark Souls until you've seen it running high res on 3 monitors.

http://cloud-2.steampowered...

http://cloud-4.steampowered...

http://cloud-2.steampowered...

[Asuka]

that looks beautiful. wish i have two extra monitors. I did enjoy this though with all the mods and fixes. can be a pretty game with everything turned on

[Back-to-Back]

wow lucky you. Looks sweet!!

[Summons75]

So you're going to play the Lead version for the best gameplay experience than ditch it for slightly better graphics....eh to each his own I suppose, though I can never understand how people can put graphics over gameplay

[wtopez]

PC has double the framerate, which means that PC is will offer the best gameplay.

[Grave]

@Summons

Don't really know what you mean by that. I mostly will be using a PS3 or PS4 controller so the gameplay remains unchanged. But, like topez said, you also get way better performance. I should've added the 60FPS mod that DSFix added. It really is a brand new game once you double the frame rate.
Also, with Nexus Mods the graphics, textures, and UI will only get better. The PC community really does some great work on getting the most out of games. What they did with Dark Souls was pretty amazing.

[spartan_dx]

Howd you get it to run on 3 monitors?!

[Grave]

I use DSFix and Widescreen Fixer. Took a little bit, but wasn't too hard once I figured it out.

[CrashJones]

Nice pics Grave!

I don't have a PC to run it like that. I do have a PS4, and it's my thinking that when they put out DLC(and they will), next gen will get a "Prepare to Die Again" version or something.

The game + DLC

So, I will enjoy(that word doesn't really cover it actaully) the hell outta my PS3 version anyway...until perhaps then.

I may get a new PC in 2015 anyway, and if this hasn't happened, then I'll get it for PC.

Less then 40 hours now until it can be downloaded from PSN!!! :D

[CrashJones]

ps... I really dig the one of the knight on the bridge.

I dig it Grave!

[GamingTruth]

superior version doesnt exist for a platform that the game wasnt originally made for

[Grave]

I have hundreds of hours on both versions and I love them both, but for me the best version is the one that's on 3 monitors and 60 FPS.

Diablo III would be a good counter for your argument. The console version of that is, again for me, the much better version. I'll be getting that again on PS4 fo sho!

[LAWSON72]

I love how you all think they remove/downgrade visuals just because they want to. Clearly it is done for good reasons. I would much prefer a little worse lighting rather than unsteady FPS. Same goes for Watch Dogs if it was downgraded it was for a good reason not because they want to tone the graphics down because they felt like it.

I could see that team meeting.
"ALright guys the graphics are good, too good. Lets change that we dont need people playing good looking games."

[seanpitt23]

The devs said the main priority was to make the graphics better than its predecessor but looking at these videos I cannot see any difference from the first game.

I will be buying this game because I loved the first one.

[TristanPR77]

Resolution doesn't matter, graphics doesn't matter, is just about the Gameplay.

Isn't that the Xbots motto?

[No_Limit]

Yup...you are right because the only ones complaining here are Ps3 owners...who o n the xbox side is complaining in this Ps3 article?

[sdozzo]

I'm doing pc this time around. No tricks.

[Mister_G]

Getting it regardless. I loved Demons and Dark Souls, played them for months; hopefully DS2 will be just as enjoyable.

[Oh_Yeah]

How do you guys not realize what they show you in the trailers is usually the pc version? The ps3 version didn't get no downgrade, it was always going to look like that.

[Kildres]

http://www.thepetitionsite....

Just Saying...

[Kildres]

this is a petition to bring the game to next gen as well.

[GentlemenRUs]

Gimping, It's a BS practice really.

[zyphee]

Im tired of these mother******in downgrades in this mother******in industry

[kingduqc]

It might be the pc version guys, we all know it will look better so what they shown probably was the better version.

[nerdman67]

What about the 360 version? Am I going to have to wait for the PC version?

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Here we go again -_-

[CrashJones]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

"Here we go Again" ^^^ that's a vid made by my band and I. That's the original version. We re-did it when we went in studio.

We made an album after which came out this past December. It's a free listen here...

http://crashjonesband.com/

[Kinger8938]

Weird, the live streams on twitch look like the better of these comparisons on this article but its all hard to tell

[Braid]

I'm beginning to see a pattern in the industry.

> release bullshots
> publish a downgraded copy
> await for backlash
> say you're sorry if misunderstood, talk about some technical mumbo jumbo
> rinse and repeat

[josephayal]

I Cant wait for the Radical Lighting collector edition

[allgamespc2012]

i woudlnt count it out yet, that could be how the PC version looks. we shall see

[feraldrgn]

I wonder how it's going to look when we're wandering down dark tunnels with the torch in hand (the big feature of DS2).

[Saleem101]

I'll pass and wait for ps4 version...