Just before the console release of Namco Bandai and FromSoftware’s anticipated game Dark Souls II, they have finally announced the most asked question, the release date of the PC version. Dark Souls II will be out on the PC on April 25th this year, a full month and a bit after the console release, which comes out today in North America.
Here is their statement on the PC release:
DARK SOULS II for PC and Steam is coming on 25th April 2014!
PC & STEAM version will benefit from PC capabilities with increased texture resolution and an enhanced frame rate option. On top of that, FromSoftware have been working to perfectly adapt the game for a mouse & keyboard combo.
As for console, and while supplies last, fans pre-ordering the game will receive the Black Armour Edition – containing an Exclusive Metal Case, the Original Game Soundtrack and an early access to the Black Armour Weapon Set – or if pre-ordered on STEAM® fans will get bonuses – digital soundtrack and the early access to the Black Armour Weapon Set, the Official Dark Souls™ II Artbook in PDF format and The complete Dark Souls™ II Digital Comic Book (written by Rob Williams and Andi Ewington with art provided by Simon Coleby) as digital extras for a complete immersion in the universe of DARK SOULS™ II.
DARK SOULS II will be launching Across Americas on March 11th and across Europe and Australasia on March 14th on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game will then be available on PC and Steam on 25th April 2014.
The PC release will be on Steam only, and will be using Steamworks to manage online connectivity. The original Dark Souls utilised Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live, effectively a port of the Xbox 360 version after high fan demand for a PC port of the game. FromSoftware has also announced that they will be working hard on the PC version of the game, and making it the definitive version of the game. The quality of the PC port, disregarding the dreaded port of the original, is yet to be seen. Hopefully, the extra month is enough to polish the game for the PC market.
Namco Bandai has also released the minimum and recommended system requirements for Dark Souls II:
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8
- Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555 3.2Ghz or Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo E8500 3.17Ghz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT, ATI RadeonHD 5870
- Hard Drive: 8 GB available space
- Sound Card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c or higher
- Network: Internet connection required for online play and product activation
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 SP1
- Processor: Intel CoreTM i3 2100 3.10GHz or AMD A8 3870K 3.0GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 or higher, ATI Radeon HD 6870 or higher
- Hard Drive: 8 GB available space
- Sound Card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c or higher
- Network: Internet connection required for online play and product Activation
With the announcement of the PC release date, a bunch of new images were also released for the game.
In addition to this, Namco Bandai Games has also released two new videos: the launch trailer for the console versions of the game and a video showing a hint of the game’s prologue video.
Dark Souls II the sequel to the 2011 surprise hit Dark Souls, developed by From Software. The Japanese developer are also known for the Kings Field, Armored Core and Tenchu series across multiple platforms. In 2009 they produced Demon’s Souls for the PlayStation 3 which was published by Namco Bandai internationally(From approached Sony to publish the game but refused due to the game’s high difficulty). It gained high praise and a cult following and became famous for its notoriously hard difficulty yet still remained rewarding and satisfying. From Software then released their spiritual successor Dark Souls in 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC port in 2012 due to popular demand. The game once again received high praise for the same reasons and Dark Souls II is looking like it will do the same.
Dark Souls II is currently out on console in North America today. The game will be out on the 13th in Japan and the 14th in Europe, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC version is coming out on Steam on April 25th, and the game will have a standard, Black Armor, and Collector’s Edition for pre-order.
Here is the game’s Steam page.
Source Article and Images – Dark Souls Facebook Page
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