14 DAY TRIAL // Bandai Namco and From Software have officially rolled out an update that allows Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition on PC to eliminate the Games for Windows Live mechanic and transfer both save games and achievements to Steam permanently.
Dark Souls appeared on PS3 and Xbox 360 a few years ago and delighted millions of role-playing game fans with its tough mechanics, its big world, and its variety of deadly monsters that demanded nothing but perfection from players.
Eventually, developer Bandai Namco brought forth a PC version of the title, named Prepare to Die edition, but it also took the unfortunate decision to use Microsoft's highly criticized Games for Windows Live system for online functionality.
This caused a huge backlash from fans, as it led to plenty of different errors and issues relating to Microsoft's service.
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition is finally getting rid of GfWL
Earlier this year, the publisher confirmed that it was going to transition from GfWL to Valve's Steamworks service, which is used with great success in a variety of titles. Now, the update is finally available for download via the Steam service, according to a post on the official forums.
Besides this great news, Bandai Namco has also set up a special service that allows those who have already played the game to transfer their save files and their achievements to the Steam services, but bear in mind that it's available only until February 16, so you might want to take advantage of it sooner rather than later.
Different procedures are required
The publisher highlights three different cases in which players might find themselves and different procedures to ensure that they transition to the Steam version of the game without any problems.
First up, if they got Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition as a retail version on a disc or as a digital version from the GfWL marketplace, they need to use the serial provided to redeem the game on Steam, launch it and connect to Games for Windows Live, and run the game for a short time. Afterwards, they need to close it, right click on the game in the Steam library, go into Properties, and check that the Beta tab is set to dsptde-2.0-.
They must then launch the game via Steam and the title will automatically look for previous save data and achievements. If they're detected, you should now be able to play the game from where you left off and with previous achievements.
The second case applies to those who got the Games for Windows Live version from Steam, as they must launch the game, connect to GfWL, run the game, close it, and then follow the same procedures from above.
The third case is a simple one, as it applies to those who get Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition after February 16, as they'll automatically receive the Steamworks versions and shouldn't do anything else.
