Dark Souls II

Dark Souls II is a fantasy action-RPG game developed by From Software and is a follow up to Dark Souls. It was announced on December 7, 2012. The game has been published for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC by Namco Bandai Games. Dark Souls II was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 11, 2014 in North America;  was released on March 13th in Japan and Australia; and March 14th in Europe. The PC version was released on April 24th, 2014.

Plot
The story of Dark Souls II is not directly connected to Dark Souls, though they are set in the same world.

The game takes place in Drangleic, a once prosperous land under the rule of King Vendrick, which has fallen to ruin throughout the ages with the raging war between humans and giants, the sudden disappearance of the King, and a newfound abysmal plague. Like many others, the protagonist has come to the crumbling kingdom in search of a cure for their crippling affliction, the curse of the Undead.

Gameplay
Similar to the previous title, players customize the gender and physical features of their character in addition to choosing a starting class, which determine the stats and equipment that the player begins with, and a starting gift. From a third-person perspective, players explore a continuous, open world that is roughly the same size as the original game, but with more freedom in how the player can progress. Akin to the notorious difficulty of its predecessor, players are confronted by a persistently hostile environment with unrelenting enemies and bosses – death is a central theme. As enemies are defeated, souls are accumulated, acting as both a form of currency and means to increase attributes. Unlike the first game, however, the player can have a voice chat with other players in their world.

Special Editions
Pre-ordering Dark Souls II through either Gamestop or Amazon will allow the choice of two special editions:
 * Black Armor Edition. This special edition includes a metal case, the soundtrack from the game, and early access to the following weapons and shields:
 * Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma
 * Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield
 * Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield
 * Transgressor's Staff and Transgressor's Leather Shield
 * Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield


 * Collector's Edition. This special edition includes a 12-inch warrior knight figurine that is in the full Faraam Set, art book, cloth map of the game area, plus the Black Armor Edition of the game. However, in some regions, this edition may have pre-sold out.

The Lost Crowns
The Lost Crowns is a three part DLC for Dark Souls II announced on June 4th, 2014. They are to be released episodically for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. A season pass will offer all three episodes for $25. Each episode can be bought seperately for $9.99.
 * Crown of the Sunken King - July 22, 2014
 * Crown of the Old Iron King - August 26, 2014
 * Crown of the Ivory King - September 30, 2014

Scholar of the First Sin
Recently, FromSoftware anounced Scholar of the First Sin, which is a total revamp of the game for XboxOne, PS4 and PC and also a free patch update for current owers of the game which will also contain the same characteristics.

Official announcement from Bandai Namco's Tumblr account:

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will be launching in the Americas on April 7, 2015 on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC/Steam (DirectX 9/DirectX11)!

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will include the three previously released DLC packs  - Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the Ivory King - along with additional features.

All versions of the game will include the following features (Existing Dark Souls II owners will receive a patch to implement these elements): Xbox One, PS4, and DirectX 11 versions of the game will include the following features (in addition to those listed above):
 * Additional NPCs added for an enhanced story experience.
 * Parameter adjustments for improved game balance.
 * Augmented item descriptions.
 * Improved online matchmaking functionality.
 * Additional upgrades to graphics, sound, performance.
 * Increase in maximum online players in single session (6 total).