Compared to Xbox or PS3 versions...

[Seneca Raine]

I've bought and played this on both consoles, and now that I'm focused largely on PC, and because I'm apparently just a DkS addict, I'm considering picking it up on PC. So....

How is it? Do the Mods increase the playability much? I've glanced at a few and it seems like even though the game itself is a lazy port, the mods update it pretty well. Do they play well together though?

Is cheating out of control? It would help if you've played on Consoles to compare, as I've run into cheating there, but am a bit afraid of the frequency increasing (and have heard about new cheats as well).

There's a 90% chance I'll just end up buying it anyhow, unless they announce they're releasing the sequel tomorrow lol--but at least I may have a better idea of what I'm getting myself into.

[voiddp]

Graphics is better (with DSFix)
Multilayer is way worse, much slower and rare connections because of - only p2p with no servers, and ♥♥♥♥♥♥ GFWL.
Cheaters is not really a problem, seen them 3-4 times for 350+ hours. Just let the DSfix backup your save and restore it when hacker curse\eghead\kill all of your npc... whatever...

[Raigavin]

Dark Souls on Xbox or PS3, runs at 1024x720 resolution.

But on a PC with the DSfix mod, you can play at any resolution (I personally play at 2560x1440 resolution).

Following are my favorite mods, which increase games visuals:
- High-Res UI and Subtitle fonts -> http://darksouls.nexusmods.com/mods/21/? (Highly recommended)
- Lowest Common Denominator HD Textures -> http://darksouls.nexusmods.com/mods/268/?
- Improved Normal Arrows -> http://darksouls.nexusmods.com/mods/197/?
- Dark Souls SweetFX HDR -> http://darksouls.nexusmods.com/mods/289/? (makes the game look good)

[y tho]

Multiplayer needs some work arounds with port forwarding and the like, but works just as well as consoles in duel areas and the forest. Dscfix is wonderful for instant action if you find people you like/join a fightclub, etc.

Cheating is not dissimilar in frequency from the console versions, lesser than consoles, actually these days. I rarely see hackers, used to see a lot more.. It fluctuates, sometimes I never see any, sometimes I encounter multiple in a row. They don't make up the majority of the active invadable playerbase in any way, shape or form.

Frame-rate, resolution, fidelity and playability on the PVE side are all immensely improved - it's the best version of the game in that regard easily, it's just got GFWL and its ♥♥♥♥♥♥ networking you have to do a bit of fighting with gfwl to get the pvp side up to par with the consoles. once you do the networking fixes it's not noticeably better or worse on activity than the consoles for pvp.