Preview/Gallery Update: Dark Souls

Posted on July 17, 2011 by geelw

FromSoftware’s nightmarish, brutal (and beautiful) RPG gets better and better looking each time I see it. At the Namco Bandai event last week, I also got to see see a hilarious speed run through the demo that made a formerly torturous hour-long plus replay after replay session under normal hands get us to a pretty spectacular (and scary) boss battle in around two and a half minutes or so. The Namco Bandai rep doing the run had gotten so good at the demo that he decided to show off part of the build that few game journalists had actually made it to after multiple attempts.

While sitting there with our jaws on the floor or cracking up at the pack of death-dealing creatures running after the poor armored Templar type on screen, I had the immediate thought that Xbox 360 owners who didn’t play Demon’s Souls on the PS3 are in for a big, bad surprise. Dark Souls is looking to be beyond hard for newbies and trying to play it like any other game where you’re guided through missions will probably lead to a few smashed controllers and complaints that the game isn’t at all fair. Well… it’s not supposed to be. When your official website is called PREPARE TO DIE, er… what sort of game were you expecting to play?

Dark Souls will be in stores in October for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It’s going to get ugly online and off – but you’ll love every minute of it.. unless you’re not prepared to die (and a LOT at that).

Dark Souls Design A Shield Contest Could Get YOU In The Game…

Posted on June 30, 2011 by geelw

Got talent? Want to see YOUR artwork in glorious 3D in one of this year's most anticipated releases by one of the world's best game developers AND have millions of gamers guarding their fleshy bits with your custom gear? Well, then… get on over to the Dark Souls Facebook page, LIKE it and sign up for this awesome contest. Full press release below the jump. Now, if I only had enough time to design a killer shield of my own…Read more »

E3 2011: Dark Souls Producer Interview

Posted on June 10, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/WiszXe635TQ?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

OK, I lied (well, not really) – I’m actually waiting for a call before my travel plans, so I figured I’d post a few more things I liked. Here’s a peek at Dark Souls, thanks to Namco Bandai’s crack interview team. This one is going to be big, that’s for sure and finally, Xbox 360 owners can see what PS3 users who snapped up Demon’s Souls have been raving about.

Dark Souls Collector’s Edition Makes Me Do A Double Take

Posted on June 4, 2011 by geelw

…along with a half-assed backflip (I’m SO out of shape). In case you didn’t hear the news, both the standard and “limited” editions of the game are the SAME price. Interesting, considering the trend of charging MORE for that extra stuff by most other publishers. I hope this is the beginning of a new deal for gamers, particularly in an economy that’s still quite lousy for many.

Here’s a quick clip from the press release:

The Dark Souls Collector’s Edition can be pre-ordered for $59.99, the same price as the standard edition while supplies last, and will include a limited edition art book containing premium illustrations of characters and environments from the game, a mini-strategy guidebook, behind-the-scenes videos from the development studio detailing various stages of game concept, design and building, and the game’s soundtrack for digital download. All of this will come packaged with the standard edition game in a custom-designed metal case.

In the words of the great philosophers: They got my money already. Of course, you might want to stock up on foam bricks to throw at the TV, a few boxes of Kleenex for those crying jags and a pillow to bite down on hard when the game kicks your butt all over the room, but that’s all optional.

Dark Souls E3 Trailer: Lovely, Deadly And I Want Two Copies Of The Game…

Posted on June 3, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/9IbPrk-yuts?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

I absolutely LOVED Demon’s Souls, as it was the culmination of what I feel FromSoftware wanted to do with its mighty King’s Field and Shadow Tower games back on the original PlayStation and PS2. This not so-sequel is improved in every way, looks grim, terrifying and is pure hard-core, old-school eat your powdered bones with blood fantastic from what I’m hearing. I expect death to stalk my every step and I’ll love every minute of it (when I’m not threatening my PS3… AND Xbox 360, as I fully intend to play this through on both consoles. The art direction here is phenomenal, that music is depressingly perfect and overall, i can see this as a Game of the Year contender in my book. Now, about that OTOGI reboot, From…

Namco Bandai’s Big Game Announcements Continue (Ridge Racer Fans Burning Out On Forums Worldwide…)

Posted on February 6, 2011 by geelw

This weeks winner and new champion of cool game announcements (at least for a day or so more), Namco Bandai, continues to shake things up with even more new (and slightly surprising) game announcements. In addition to the one-two punch of Dark Souls and Armored Core V, expect to see Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions on the 3DS, two all-new separate titles on one 3DS cart. The company is also set to produce a totally new current-gen Ridge Racer that’s already been a huge source of controversy amongst some hardcore fans of the franchise. (More on that in a separate posting).

In other 3DS news, the oddly (yet precisely) titled DualPenSports looks to train players in dual stylus wielding in a series of mini-games and sports-based challenges that offer, according to the press release, “a stimulating mental workout and improved hand eye coordination”. Sound like a mix of the DS games Brain Training, Left Brain/Right Brain and one of the company’s Active Life titles on the Wii, so it should be fun for all.

Namco Bandai has also acquired the rights to publish Power Rangers titles in North America for consoles and handhelds, which means we’ll be seeing those characters start popping up on a regular basis in a bunch of slickly produced Power Rangers Samurai games. Given Bandai’s long pedigree of generally high quality Mobile Suit Gundam, Naruto, InuYasha and many more franchise titles geared toward younger gamers, I’d say the Power Rangers are in pretty good hands.

Speaking of Gundam… two words: Omega Force. Two more words: Tecmo Koei. Yup, that means we’ll also be seeing Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 (Gundam Musou 3) hit the PS3 and Xbox 360. While some folks hate the Musou franchise for its seemingly simple hack & slash combat, I’m a longtime fan and happy about this news. I’ll be running updated info, trailers and screens on these new games as they come in.

Gallery: Dark Souls (Featuring the Scariest Sewer Rat In Gaming)

Posted on February 3, 2011 by geelw

Although I've known this since the days of King's Field and the first Armored Core on the original PlayStation, FromSoftware is quite the powerhouse studio, developing a wide variety of games across many different genres for nearly every major game console since 1994. The upcoming hardcore Action/RPG Dark Souls is looking to be their best work to date, as you'll see in this stunning collection of production art and screen shots. After poring over these screens and art for a few hours, I'd bet real money that Namco Bandai pretty much has an instant Game of the Year contender that's probably going to crush the souls of some players expecting every game to come with a gentle learning curve as standard issue. If Demon's Souls was any indication, I'm betting the new game will be even more unforgiving.

Dark Souls Trailer is 3:05 Of "I Want This… NOW" Brilliance

Posted on February 2, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/lc8fsve6u8M?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Man, this year is totally NUTS (nuts, I say!) in terms of killer games releases. Between Dark Souls, Skyrim, Hunted, the Divnity II remix, all the PSP RPGs from Xseed and other companies and a ton of other stuff in all sorts of genres that I want to play until my eyeballs fall out, I’m not only going to need a damn time machine, but an army of clones and a bunch of HDTV’s and game consoles here. Anyone want to lend me a few million dollars? I’ll pay you back, eventually…

Namco Bandai To Publish Dark Souls, Armored Core V (The Plot Thickens…)

Posted on February 2, 2011 by geelw

“FromSoftware has an excellent pedigree of producing remarkable fan-favorite games that have made a huge impact and invigorated their respective categories,” said Kenji Hisatsune president and CEO, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “The two upcoming games will exemplify this heritage while yet again introducing exciting new ways for gamers to experience these genres.”

“Combining the development power of FromSoftware with NAMCO BANDAI Games’ global publishing expertise will greatly benefit our upcoming projects,” said Eiichi Nakajima, studio head, FromSoftware, Inc. “We look forward to a successful partnership and delivering new revolutionary titles for gamers around the world.”

In the words of the great philosophers: Oh hell, yes.

Project Dark Isn’t Demon’s Souls II, Set for PS3, Xbox 360 (Atlus Not Included…)

Posted on February 2, 2011 by geelw

I figured as much, but waiting for confirmation before rambling on and over-speculating is usually a really good idea. From Software has indeed been toiling away on a follow up to Demon’s Souls, the huge hit for the developer that featured some truly hardcore difficulty as well as an innovative online mode. According to Japanese games magazine Famitsu, the upcoming RPG Dark Souls (formerly Project Dark) is NOT a direct sequel to Demon’s Souls, but explores and expands upon the gameplay found in the first game. Dark Souls will feature a larger, seamless game world with “more complex geometry”, a deeper character creation feature and what’s looking like enhancements to the online play.

Shockingly (well, for some folks), Atlus won’t be localizing or publishing the new game in North America (or anywhere else for that matter). Namco Bandai has the US and European publishing rights, which may mean we’ll see the game on a press tour at some point here in NYC. Additionally, the game will be 360-bound in North America/Europe and a PS3 exclusive in Japan (which is sort of a big “ouch!” to the much smaller Japanese 360 user base). I’d say they could use the instant worldwide sales Dark Souls will no doubt bring them, as a few of their releases from last year didn’t do too well critically. No release date has been announced, but the game is expected to launch before the end of this year.

More info on this as it comes in… stay tuned.