Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls 2 port for the PC was set for an April 25th release date globally. Unfortunately, it seems the game’s launch has been delayed by a week, at least for the UK. According to Namco Bandai, this delay should be limited to the UK alone: “This is only affecting the UK on the boxed release of the game”. However, this doesn’t add up with various retailers and digital vendors, who are stating otherwise, highlighting that the delay will in fact affect the release on Steam too.
Apparently, the main reason behind the delay is a problem with the box manufacturing process in the UK. These hiccups should however not interfere with the digital version of the game, at least according to Namco Bandai officials. It’s quite possible the developers need a little bit more time to polish all aspects of the PC version of Dark Souls 2. This time around, the PC port seems to be a successful one. Dark Souls’ initial PC port was terrible, and provided a frustrating experience that couldn’t really be enjoyed. Dark Souls is known for its difficulty, and when the controller is an enemy in itself and the game looks terrible, you can’t really enjoy it. No worries this time around though. Dark Souls 2 works well on the PC this time around, and while there are still Xbox-like control key prompts, it’s actually perfectly playable with a keyboard and mouse.
As for visuals, Dark Souls 2 actually looks better on the PC than on consoles, and multiple resolutions are now supported. That’s not to say that the console versions of Dark Souls 2 were ugly. The game has been available for awhile now on consoles, and so far it has gathered mostly good or great reviews. From a first look, the PC version seems to be the best out of the bunch though, so the extra week of waiting, as unpleasant as it may be, will be worth the wait. Those with a Dark Souls 2 PC pre-order a physical copy will be getting the good-looking steelbook case in its Black Armour edition.
Dark Souls 2’s PC version finally truly opens up the series to desktop users, a series that was more or less exclusive to Xbox 360 and PS3 owners. How long non-UK residents will have to wait for the game is yet unknown, as the statements online contradict themselves. A global delay is possible, but if Namco Bandai is indeed only having issues with the UK box manufacturing process, everyone else should theoretically be able to pick up Dark Souls 2 in time, on the 25th of this month. Excited to try it out?