I’d have to say FromSoft’s mechs and art direction in this franchise are some of the best I’ve seen in games and thanks to the endless customization options over the years in the AC series, everyone else who’s tricked out a custom mech can probably agree. Anyway, screens are going up this weekend, as I’m poring over them the same way I did the Dark Souls shots. This one’s going to be a killer of a game, that’s for sure…
Another day, another shot of PlatnumGames spectacular-looking multiplayer online fighter. Every new image and trailer I see gets me all the more thrilled. I STILL want my single-player mode, though… (he typed, fingers crossed). New screens going up this weekend once I have a bit more time (he said, trying to finish a few reviews with fingers crossed)…
Um…. Hmmmmm. ONE of these promo images from WBIE I got this week scares the hell out of me and one doesn’t. I’ll leave you to decide which one. Let’s hope I’m all wrong for being a bit jittery… Maybe it’s all that caffeine or lack of sleep (one leads to another and next thing you know… you’re all wacky about the littlest things)…
He’s big, bad and can beat down tall buildings in a single bound. Probably not, but I wouldn’t want to try and stop him, that’s for sure… Here’s the third character profile video for PlatinumGames’ upcoming online brawler. While I’m loving all these movies and I think the game looks amazing… I really STILL want a single-player offline mode (whine, complain, nag, nag nag…). Anyone one else think a fighting game like this could use one?
Here you go – complete with an all-new graphics engine, stereoscopic 3D support and that always controversial English dub. Not to mention the dozens of hours of hack & slash gameplay, too many playable characters to keep track of and plenty of real estate to romp around in. An acquired taste for sure – but hell, sometimes that sort of consistency can be a good thing.
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.
POW! PlatinumGames is pretty much making an instant smash with their upcoming online multiplayer fighter for Sega and these two character profiles show off the highly stylized brawlers and a lot of gorgeous animation in a few brief seconds of in-progress gameplay. I still very much want an offline single player story mode, but we'll see what happens as the game progresses. If there's a company that follows its own drummer, it's Platinum, so I'm not holding out hope for a solo mode…
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…
“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.
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.
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