Namco Bandai Games | "DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!"

Now, THIS is good news: From Software is hard at work cooking up a follow-up to its popular hardcore action/RPG/horror hybrid Dark Souls. The just announced sequel has no release date and no screen shots so far, but this is absolutely great news for those who enjoyed the last game as well as the outstanding Demon’s Souls on the PS3.

According to the press release:

“Dark Souls II retains the core essence of Dark Souls while evolving to present new twists and challenges that are sure to please longtime fans and attract new comers to the series,” says Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “FromSoftware is going to take a very dark path with Dark Souls II; players will need to look deep within themselves to see if they have the intestinal fortitude to embark on this journey.”

“This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game. We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series,” says Tomohiro Shibuya, FromSoftware Director on Dark Souls II.

“The entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey.”

Well, that sounds like a dare, a bet and a plan all rolled up into one tasty, deadly treat. If I HAD to guess about a release date, I’d probably say sometime about a year from now… but don’t hold me to that at all.

In addition to some digital releases I need to download (or already) have downloaded and started playing, a few more new retail releases have shown up, so I’ve been a bit buried in playing through some of them for reviews next week. Skylanders Giants is quite fun and yes, going to get wallets drained from all the cool figures kids will be asking parents to buy. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two I’ll be reviewing at least twice (PS3 and Wii versions). I should have asked for a Wii U version come to think of it, but I had put in a request so long ago that I wasn’t sure if Nintendo’s new console was getting one. Now, I’ll need to play it for the Gamepad functionality. Reviews on this one are embargoed for a few days, but I think I can get away with saying the game is fantastic so far.

Speaking of Wii U games, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition is the first of a few Wii U titles I have coming (my system should arrive either Saturday or Monday), so I’m thrilled to see what changes Rocksteady has made to the award-winning game. Reading the back of the case, it’s definitely going to be the most complete version of the game to date and it’s packing a ton of new content as well. And hey – Nintendo DS games are still being made, kids. Thundercats and Jewel Quest: Cradle of Egypt 2 are here and fun for the road (or at home). Oh yeah, the Lollipop Chainsaw in the pic? I finally got around to buying a copy, so I’ll get around to reviewing that one after the newer stuff. The first few stages had me in stitches, so that’s a good sign…