Dark Souls preorder??

This is on the darksoulsii.com site, no official release date, but I'm thinking it has to be 2013 if there's preorder info?
http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=16k-3-dark+souls+2,28zu0

The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Same here Ashran, it's a shame they're offering preoders before we even know what will be available.

While it's definitively not set in stone game stop is usually pretty spot on with their release info and considering the next gen systems are dropping this holiday season if they're releasing dark souls II on the 360 and ps3 it would have to be released by the beginning of 2014 otherwise they're just shooting themselves down.

On a side note it's a little disappointing the rumors of DS2 being released on the next gen fell flat...

I will wait to see if it will feature native support to steam, if the answer is no so i will get the ps3 version.

The real question is, will there be a Pre-Order bonus?

Do I get a powerful sword early in the game just for Pre-Ordering?

Will that ruin the experience, allowing me to clear the beginning of the game easily and without fear of enemies?

Ashran wrote:The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Yeah.....i've never been more pissed as when I ordered the Limited Edition tin case Dark Souls, fully expecting to get an actual full-size artbook. Only to discover just before launch that the artbook was digital only. LAME.

Also have to say, Demon's Souls had a beautiful full-color user manual many pages long that helped explain the game. Dark Souls had some **** 5 page black and white thing that was all but useless.

For $60, I want a full-color booklet. For more, I want a real, full-sized artbook, dammit!

I'm slightly confused I got the Limited Edition for Dark Souls and I got a physical artbook. It wasn't some giant book like the Diablo 3 one but it was a decent size.

New systems are always buggy and glitchy so I'm actually glad they took the safer route. This just means that if they decide to port it then not only may it look better, but it's also going to be my first next retail game

Preorder bonuses are ****ing lame...and I mean that in the strictest sense...why should one person be rewarded simply because they are able to make a digital note that they want the game? I do not support preorder DLC at all and will probably NOT buy it if they do that...which they wont, Miyazaki has already shot down Item DLC. Plus it would be not wise to drop DkS 2 on next gen when most of their fan base would probably NOT have the nxtgen systems (PS3's were backordered for months when they first shipped), so give the already thriving market what they want and then slate any follow-up for next-gens.

....just my $0.02

bosslugger wrote:

Ashran wrote:The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Yeah.....i've never been more pissed as when I ordered the Limited Edition tin case Dark Souls, fully expecting to get an actual full-size artbook. Only to discover just before launch that the artbook was digital only. LAME.

Also have to say, Demon's Souls had a beautiful full-color user manual many pages long that helped explain the game. Dark Souls had some **** 5 page black and white thing that was all but useless.

For $60, I want a full-color booklet. For more, I want a real, full-sized artbook, dammit!

Because of you I pulled out the user manual to see how useless it really was. I found this:

Vagrants
If you drop a certain item or lose a large amount of Humanity, those items and Humanity move to another player's world and form vagrant enemies.

How is that useless?

Elifia wrote:

bosslugger wrote:

Ashran wrote:The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Yeah.....i've never been more pissed as when I ordered the Limited Edition tin case Dark Souls, fully expecting to get an actual full-size artbook. Only to discover just before launch that the artbook was digital only. LAME.

Also have to say, Demon's Souls had a beautiful full-color user manual many pages long that helped explain the game. Dark Souls had some **** 5 page black and white thing that was all but useless.

For $60, I want a full-color booklet. For more, I want a real, full-sized artbook, dammit!

Because of you I pulled out the user manual to see how useless it really was. I found this:

Vagrants
If you drop a certain item or lose a large amount of Humanity, those items and Humanity move to another player's world and form vagrant enemies.

How is that useless?

What he probably meant was that it was not as helpful as it could have been. I don't have it myself, but from what you gave as an excerpt, it seems to just define some enemies and their origins, which is not very helpful except from a lore perspective.

Preorder bonuses are awesome...until they become in game bonuses. I agree with alchemy, it'd be stupid to make the game easier for any reason (although the beginning of the game is supposed to be easier...they seemed to emphasize the beginning...)

alchemydesign wrote:Preorder bonuses are ****ing lame...and I mean that in the strictest sense...why should one person be rewarded simply because they are able to make a digital note that they want the game? I do not support preorder DLC at all and will probably NOT buy it if they do that...which they wont, Miyazaki has already shot down Item DLC. Plus it would be not wise to drop DkS 2 on next gen when most of their fan base would probably NOT have the nxtgen systems (PS3's were backordered for months when they first shipped), so give the already thriving market what they want and then slate any follow-up for next-gens.

....just my $0.02

PREACH

Exactly, the only good preorder bonus would be like an awesome Character Sculpt *hint hint FromSoft*

morte wrote:

Elifia wrote:

bosslugger wrote:

Ashran wrote:The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Yeah.....i've never been more pissed as when I ordered the Limited Edition tin case Dark Souls, fully expecting to get an actual full-size artbook. Only to discover just before launch that the artbook was digital only. LAME.

Also have to say, Demon's Souls had a beautiful full-color user manual many pages long that helped explain the game. Dark Souls had some **** 5 page black and white thing that was all but useless.

For $60, I want a full-color booklet. For more, I want a real, full-sized artbook, dammit!

Because of you I pulled out the user manual to see how useless it really was. I found this:

Vagrants
If you drop a certain item or lose a large amount of Humanity, those items and Humanity move to another player's world and form vagrant enemies.

How is that useless?

What he probably meant was that it was not as helpful as it could have been. I don't have it myself, but from what you gave as an excerpt, it seems to just define some enemies and their origins, which is not very helpful except from a lore perspective.

Well, it gives a pretty detailed description of how death, hollowing and online stuff works (including spirits of other people, their bloodstains, getting extra flasks due to their kindling, etc), it teaches you about various functions of bonfires and it teaches the controls. Any more than that would kinda ruin the point of Dark Souls in my opinion.

Elifia wrote:

morte wrote:

Elifia wrote:

bosslugger wrote:

Ashran wrote:The only reason i havent preordered it yet is that i want the damn ultimate dying improved edition.

Yeah.....i've never been more pissed as when I ordered the Limited Edition tin case Dark Souls, fully expecting to get an actual full-size artbook. Only to discover just before launch that the artbook was digital only. LAME.

Also have to say, Demon's Souls had a beautiful full-color user manual many pages long that helped explain the game. Dark Souls had some **** 5 page black and white thing that was all but useless.

For $60, I want a full-color booklet. For more, I want a real, full-sized artbook, dammit!

Because of you I pulled out the user manual to see how useless it really was. I found this:

Vagrants
If you drop a certain item or lose a large amount of Humanity, those items and Humanity move to another player's world and form vagrant enemies.

How is that useless?

What he probably meant was that it was not as helpful as it could have been. I don't have it myself, but from what you gave as an excerpt, it seems to just define some enemies and their origins, which is not very helpful except from a lore perspective.

Well, it gives a pretty detailed description of how death, hollowing and online stuff works (including spirits of other people, their bloodstains, getting extra flasks due to their kindling, etc), it teaches you about various functions of bonfires and it teaches the controls. Any more than that would kinda ruin the point of Dark Souls in my opinion.

It doesn't really. I just looked again, and there's a page about controls, a page about character creation, a page about bonfires/death/humanity, and on the last page are a few sentences about things like bloodstains and vagrants. It doesn't really cover in any detail what the game is about or how everything works.

For example, covenants. Everyone has ***** to high heaven about how busted the covenant system was. Why not put that in the booklet and explain it? The producers of DkSII have said they want to make that clearer, the booklet was the perfect opportunity.

It just feels cheap to me, especially after Demon's Souls. I referred to that booklet many times when a symbol popped up on my screen I didn't recognize.

Yes, there's some merit to letting the community work that stuff out for themselves, but Demon's Souls guide did a very good job explaining most things thoroughly, and yet, the forums were still flooded with dialog about what the game meant and how things worked (ie Mephistopheles, Satsuki, etc).

So yeah, if you got some really nice artwork or collectible quality stuff in a collector's edition, that would be worth paying for. What Dark Souls gave us? No.

You know...you could just press Select/Back on the menu screen and it tells you what things are. Lol.

I'm hoping the Preordering does the exact same thing it did last time...bump you up to the Limited Edition with the sweet steel-book.

I also hope that the rumor of a special edition with a chess board holds water...I will literally sell blood for that.

Yeah I would totally get back into chess if that was in the special edition.

alchemydesign wrote:Preorder bonuses are ****ing lame...and I mean that in the strictest sense...why should one person be rewarded simply because they are able to make a digital note that they want the game? I do not support preorder DLC at all and will probably NOT buy it if they do that...which they wont, Miyazaki has already shot down Item DLC. Plus it would be not wise to drop DkS 2 on next gen when most of their fan base would probably NOT have the nxtgen systems (PS3's were backordered for months when they first shipped), so give the already thriving market what they want and then slate any follow-up for next-gens.

....just my $0.02

I agree sadly the majority of preoder and even general dlc on the market are disappointing at best (especially on consoles), however I doubt any souls game would have in game content bonuses as it would go against the entire theme of the games. Miyazaki was against the idea of afterthought dlc namely because it was clear Dark Souls had been pushed through production with a number of great elements not making the chopping block. Thankfully Yui Tanimura seems like he'll continue the legacy and not follow the current trends.

The DS2 factsheet that was released mentions "more intricate customization options provide weapons and armor tailoring to player style." http://www.gamesthirst.com/2013/04/12/dark-souls-ii-fact-sheet/
Now this is likely referring to a revamped upgrade system with not only weapon but armor paths however I can't help be reminded of when ENB talked about how dark souls could benefit from purely aesthetic dlc. I would love to see pre order and dlc of purely cosmetic content like shading or minor additions to weapons and armors. The balder cape and Ornstien's tassel come to mind along with the popular changes pc players made like black orntein armor or black warrior set. These sort of dlc that wouldn't directly effect gameplay would offer players who want to support From additional content without giving advantages of causing another abyss sorcery fiasco.

As far as the consoles it's released on your completely right, when they first leaked DS2 I was fully expecting From to take their sweet time making it and at the earliest be released late 2014 after the consoles had begun to establish themselves. The fact gamestop is saying a new years release is hopefully reflecting the fact that From could put far more resources into DS2 and hopefully not a sign of bandai pushing another release.

I'm hoping that for the pre-order it'll be like a giant statue or something that I can sit on my desk and look at wondering when it's going to come find me and kill me for all my souls. Or maybe like a map poster so you can see the entire world on your wall. If it's ingame it better be as useless as the pendent and serve only to say "Hey I got this copy from gamestop and I pre-ordered." lol But seriously decent sized statue so I can spend the entire time looking for this thing.

I just hope they make a good special edition. I have the limited Dark Souls edition and the artbook is cool but i expected more.