SlasherJPC comments about the downgraded graphics in Dark Souls 2: "Even then, there have been plenty of discussions, even before the official reviews have come out, about how the retail version of Dark Souls 2 looks worse than the network test a couple of months ago. And compared to the gameplay videos by the publishers themselves, the graphics, specifically the lighting effects, look noticeably downgraded, going with canned shadows, rather than the beautiful real-time lighting shown in the gameplay videos released from the publisher themselves. SlasherJPC discusses this same issue, and sheds light on just how much difference the graphical changes are, and his overall thoughts about developers pulling these bait and switch tactics."

Bandai Namco has released its latest financial report, revealing that the Dark Souls series has reached around 40 million units combined.

As difficult and frustrating as it is, people should consider reliving the Dark Souls 2 experience, especially because of what's coming to the game.
Many of those who hate Dark Souls II hate it because it's not Dark Souls. The same people love Dark Souls III because it isn't Dark Souls II.
And so many of the issues at the centre of common complaints about DS2 are present in DS3 and sometimes even DS1. The hatred and bile spewed over this perfectly decent game is ludicrous.
You can also play it in VR flawlessly on PC & controller with the LukeRoss mod so… another reason to jump back in with extra immersion.
The controls felt very clunky to me, I tried playing it after beating Darksouls 3 and it didn’t feel fluid, obviously the hit detection is less superior for been an older game.

The Smelter Demon is a bombastic boss design that bolsters Dark Souls 2's roster with an experience that updates an older fight's form to function.
Man, I dunno about that. In fact, most boss fights in Dark Souls 2 were forgettable.
Bet they showed PC or next gen console footage, it's going to land on the PS4/XB1 at some point
Still annoys me, i'm not going to miss out though