dark souls
Latest
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.
Ban-kai!: Sega to bring Bleach DS sequel stateside
Likely surprising no one considering the popularity of the Bleach manga/anime series, Sega announced its plans to publish Bleach: Dark Souls (or Bleach DS: 2nd Kokui Hirameku Requiem, as it's known in Japan), the follow-up to Bleach: The Blade of Fate, this summer in North America.The Treasure-developed 2D fighter features a number of improvements on the original: an exclusive storyline that takes place in between the series's first and second season 44 playable characters (The Blade of Fate has 26) 30 new Power-up Cards and Power Crystals Bleach encyclopedia containing "fun and interesting facts about the entire Bleach universe" All that comes on top of the game's four-player online battles and multi-plane stages. Hit the gallery below for English-translated screenshots from Dark Souls, or check past the break for a two-minute trailer from the Japanese release.%Gallery-17918%
