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Dark Souls trailer hopes to lure the unwary
Look, Dark Souls is super hard. We played it, we know. You might watch this trailer, listen to its rockin' music and think, "Hey, this looks like a cool, hip new game." Now, that thought isn't wrong per se ... just make sure you're fully informed. Take a moment to slow the video down and see what you're getting into. Take the frame above, for example. You see that giant wolf? It has a giant sword in its mouth. As if a giant wolf weren't enough of a challenge, said giant wolf is also a trained swordsman. Or swordswolf. Whatever. Just look before you leap, that's all we're saying.
Dark Souls trailer takes computer-on-human violence to a new level
Man, even the trailers for Dark Souls are difficult. The latest, from Gamescom, is a veritable buffet of player death. You say dragons are too easy to slay? How about we give them a torso made of teeth? Steely-nerved readers can watch the trailer above. Find a gallery of slightly less stressful images below.%Gallery-130900%
Dark Souls screens examine the phantom menace
If you're anything like us, the thought of a red phantom invading your world in Dark Souls is a little unnerving. It was certainly disconcerting in Demon's Souls. Just knowing that at any moment, some schmuck could jump out from ... what's that behind you?!
Design a shield for Dark Souls and get into the credits
We can't tell you the number of times we turned off Demon's Souls (after dying for the 100th time), whipped our controllers across the room and wished that everyone who'd worked on the game would be tortured in the fiery pits of Satan's hell for all eternity. Now, with upcoming sequel Dark Souls, some lucky players will have the chance to sneak into the credits and join the damnation. Fans can Like the title's Facebook page and submit up to three designs for a shield to be included in the game. Ten of those finalists will win a copy of the game signed by director Hidetaka Miyazaki, but three will get the big prize: A signed, limited edition copy of the game, and a slot in the credits. To any Joystiq readers who might receive the honor: Know that we'll be wishing you be forever banished to only the very nicest chunk of brimstone that's only barely, scaldingly, fatally hot.
Dark Souls preview: Boss hog
You see that giant metal warthog up there? He's a real bastard. That son of a mother-grabber must have killed me ten times during my E3 session of Dark Souls. Foolishly, I swore to take him down, proclaiming that I wasn't leaving until the pig was dead -- shouting it really, to the Namco PR representative and anyone who would listen. Alas, it was not to be. I was foiled again and again, regardless of what weapons were equipped or what cunning strategies were applied. Finally, I decided to avoid the beast altogether, hoping to find some more material to fill this preview. My grudge against the creature still burns in my chest, but it serves to make a valuable point: This is definitely a Demon's Souls sequel, despite claims you may have heard to the contrary. %Gallery-125917%
Dark Souls arrives on Northern (American) Realms October 4
Namco Bandai has revealed exactly when it'll release Dark Souls, the next game to make you curse, cry, and glare at your cat like it's his fault you died. Yes, we know you do that. From Software's Demon's Souls follow-up will officially hit North America on October 4, and Europe on October 7. Just in time for Halloween ... to pass you by as you chip away at the super-difficult RPG, completely alone except for your cat, to whom you'll have already apologized profusely. Before that happens, watch the new trailer (after the break) together!
Dark Souls aiming for October 11 launch despite PSN problems
Well, here's another wrinkle in the PSN outage we hadn't considered. In addition to keeping developers from offering their games to PSN users, it looks like the downtime is also affecting development of online-capable titles. Specifically, Kei Horono, producer of Dark Souls, has told CVG that the outage has cause "some problems" for his project's development. Despite those issues, Horono says the team is "in contact with Sony and [is] aiming to meet a street date of October 11." His comments make it clear that the PSN outage is causing more widespread complications than many may realize. Also, it's worth pointing out that, in discussing the issue, it appears Horono may have given away the planned Dark Souls launch date, which was only recently revealed as simply "October."
Dark Souls screens show off environments, one pseudo-NSFW monster
These new screenshots of Dark Souls are all fun and moody dark games until you see "it." You'll know when you gaze upon the picture in question and its ... toothiness.
Dark Souls demo unlikely, title worked through several naming issues
Dark Souls (the closest thing to Demon's Souls 2) isn't scheduled to have a demo when it launches this year on consoles. That little nugget is just one of many found in an extensive interview 4Gamer (translated by Andriasang) had with From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is charged with directing what will likely be another impressive, masochistic gaming experience. Miyazaki noted the game is expected to last about 60 hours and will have about 100 enemy types. In contrast, he estimated Demon's Souls took about 30-40 hours and had about 30 enemies. He also mentioned that two potential names for the game were scrapped due to international concerns. The title of Dark Ring was flushed because of an association with dirty slang in England (remember Elebits?). The original title was going to be Dark Race, but that ran the risk of being interpreted as racist -- the working title was changed to Project Dark two days before the Tokyo Game Show reveal.
Dark Souls isn't a Demon's Souls sequel (but it totally is)
Now that Dark Souls has emerged from its evil, melancholy hiding place, we're starting to hear some initial details about its gameplay. GameSpot has posted an interview with Namco chief publishing producer Daisuke Uchiyama and (regular?) publishing producer Kei Hirono. First, Uchiyama made it clear that Dark Souls is not a direct sequel to Demon's Souls ... but it will share new iterations of almost all its concepts and systems. The game is being created by the same team that created Demon's Souls, and will have the same basic concept, though it will include many new features as well. Combat has been improved, allowing for a higher degree of customization. Furthermore, the new open world of Dark Souls places a larger emphasis on exploration. The unique online system will be returning, though Hirono states it has been "highly enhanced" to allow users to "share the experience and grow up together." Hopefully, this means friends will actually be able to join one another's worlds intentionally (the Demon's Souls multiplayer system essentially pairs players together randomly). Finally, rest assured that Dark Souls will be at least as difficult as its predecessor, if not even more so. Watch the interview after the break.
First Dark Souls trailer and screens are appropriately dark [update: now with release date]
The lid has officially been blown off of Dark Souls, with developer From Software releasing a dark, moody flood of media. First and foremost is the reveal trailer, which should comfort fans hoping that the multiplatform game would look an awful lot like its predecessor Demon's Souls (a PS3 exclusive) -- it does! (Oh, and don't tell the new Xbox players -- they have no idea what they're in for!) The trailer is replete with gloomy environments, armor-clad knights, terrifying monsters and oppressive music. Sharp-eyed observers will also notice what appear to be player spirit forms, another Demon's Souls staple. The first Dark Souls screenshots and concept art are equally grim, including even more gloomy environments and this ... thing. Check out the screens in the gallery below and find the trailer and concept after the break. Update: At a press event in San Francisco today, Namco Bandai announced that Dark Souls would launch worldwide on PS3 and Xbox 360 this holiday (2011). %Gallery-115583%
Demon's Souls successor now called 'Dark Souls' [update]
Project Dark, the multiplatform RPG from the Demon's Souls team revealed at last year's Tokyo Game Show, has received a new name: Dark Souls. The latest Famitsu magazine provided new details about the RPG, which Siliconera translated and summarized. From Software is planning to make Dark Souls as difficult as its predecessor, and similar in style. Players still create their own characters, though there are no longer different job classes. There are tweaks to the world design, as well: the world is no longer divided into levels, instead being one large area. Other players will be able to inhabit that world in some way, in both cooperative and competitive play. According to Siliconera, you'll be able to feel the "gentle presence" of other players through interactions like notes left for other players at the place of death. Update: 1UP notes that Dark Souls will be published not only in North America, but also in Europe by Namco Bandai Games.
Project Dark trailer is dark, Demon's Souls-esque
There's still a lot of unanswered questions about Project Dark, the next title from the Demon's Souls team at From Software, but chief amongst them is the simple query: Is this a Demon's Souls sequel? While we still don't have a clear answer on that front, the below cam-captured teaser provides some evidence that it's at least cut from the same, blood-stained cloth. Project Dark is a PS3-exclusive in Japan, while Namco Bandai's English website lists an Xbox 360 version as well. [Thanks, thepapercut]
Project Dark apparently headed to PS3 and Xbox 360
Demon's Souls fans, masochistic lot that they are, had cause for celebration when From Software revealed that the game's development team had started on a new PS3 title, Project Dark. Now, it looks like jealous Xbox 360 players might have their own excuse to party. On the English version of the Project Dark website, the Xbox 360 is listed as a platform alongside the PS3, and its logo is featured at the bottom of the page. The logo and listing are absent from the Japanese version of the site, though it's possible From is skipping a Japanese Xbox 360 release due to the console's relative unpopularity in the region. If Project Dark does hit Xbox 360, the denizens of Xbox Live are likely in for a devilishly difficult treat. [Thanks Copland!]
Project Dark is the next PS3 game from the Demon's Souls team
From Software has been very, very busy lately. To complement the announcement of the Kinect-exclusive Steel Batallion sequel is the reveal of the PS3-exclusive Project Dark. Coming in 2011, it's from the team responsible for Demon's Souls. While very few details were made available, it appears to have some kind of cooperative element. It's also probably really difficult.
T-Mobile's Project Dark: $99.99 unlimited on Even More, $79.99 on Even More Plus?
The details of T-Mobile's mysterious Project Dark definitely seem to be congealing around retooled handset billing and a set of new plans, and it looks like TmoNews might have the first word here on the all-important subject of plan pricing. Even More Plus, which would be contract-free and offer new handset FlexPay over four installments, is apparently tracking for a $79.99 all-you-can-eat package, $69.99 with 1,000 voice minutes, or $49.99 with unlimited voice and no data. Even More meanwhile, which basically amounts to new contract plan branding with traditional hardware subsidies, will come in at $99.99 for unlimited everything (mirroring Sprint's pricing) or $59.99 for unlimited voice alone. It seems strange that the contract pricing is higher than the prepaid, especially since Even More Plus apparently won't offer any hardware subsidies whatsoever, but we're sure we're going to find out how this all shakes out soon enough. Follow the break for another shot of the pricing grids.
T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments?
Still no confirmation on any all-you-can-eat data plans, but Boy Genius Report has some convincing screens that seem to reveal some other precepts of T-Mobile's enigmatic (and purportedly company-saving) Project Dark. Two new plans have emerged, Even More and Even More Plus. The former is the traditional two-year contract, along with options to do data only and get a subsidized phone. Even More Plus doesn't require a contract, going month-to-monthly instead, and subsequently the phone is full price. However, what's gonna be interesting to see is the FlexPay option, which allows you to pay for a device in monthly installments instead of upfront, a plan we've seen before in markets like Germany and Japan. In the example above, a $400 G1 on the non-contractual Even More Plus plan is divvied out to an initial $170 payment and 19 subsequent installments of $12.10, or $33.33 over three months after the related upfront cost. It's no game-changer on its own, but it's certainly an intriguing prospect that's gonna make some (initially) cash-strapped individuals very happy to be able to walk out with a decent Android device. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Achtung, T-Mobile: if Project Dark is $50 unlimited, you're in trouble
Put yourself in T-Mobile USA's shoes for a moment: rumor has it that the guys who pay the bills aren't happy. History, happenstance, and the realities of electromagnetics have left you with an oddball 3G frequency that literally no other carrier in the world uses (at least, not for HSPA). Larger competitors don't take you as seriously as you'd like, and you don't have smaller ones -- they're all regionals who don't play in the same space you do. So what's your next move?
