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Dark Souls Cleared To Haunt Store Shelves In October

Ben-Dutka 25 Comments

It's the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls ; how can you not be excited?

Today, Namco Bandai Games America Inc. has announced that Dark Souls "has been approved for production" for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. We assume that's their way of saying the highly anticipated title has gone gold.

It'll arrive as scheduled on October 4 in North America and three days later in Europe. From Software's challenging RPG tasks players with battling "hideous demons and unimaginable monsters," all in the ultimate quest to find the Eternal Flame of Life, which is failing. If it goes out, the undead will rule uncontested for eternity. Here's a brief summary from the press release:

"With tense dungeon crawling and fearsome enemy encounters, the seamlessly intertwined world of Dark Souls is full of extreme battles, rewarding challenges, nuanced weaponry and magic, and the flexibility to customize each character to suit any desired play style. The innovative online component allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the Dark Souls community as they either help or sabotage each other on the journey through the Northern Realms to save the land from darkness. With a massive, seamless open world design, Dark Souls encourages deep exploration and an adaptable gameplay experience."

If you're enthusiastic about this one, you might want to spring for the Collector's Edition…we won't have to twist your leg, either, 'cuz it costs the same as the standard edition ($59.99). To get it, you just have to pre-order. It includes a limited edition art book, a mini-strategy guide, the original game soundtrack, and behind-the-scenes videos.

Related Game(s): Dark Souls

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Dark Souls Secures October 4 Date

Ben-Dutka 25 Comments

Well, it's official: the successor to Demon's Souls has a solidified release date.

Namco Bandai has revealed that Dark Souls will arrive for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 4 in North America (European gamers can nab it on the 7th). From Software's new action/RPG is the follow-up to one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the generation, and let's not forget that you can pre-order the Collector's Edition for for the same price as the standard edition. Said Carlson Choi, vice president of marketing for Namco Bandai Games America:

"With Dark Souls, we’re able to bring the uniquely challenging and rewarding style of gameplay popularized by FROMSOFTWARE back to the PlayStation®3, as well as to the Xbox 360® platform for the first time. With its massive, seamless open world design, deep exploration, tense dungeon crawling, extreme battles, and an innovative online component that allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the community, Dark Souls provides a gameplay experience unlike any other."

Well, Dark Souls now shares a release date with Twisted Metal . …besides both being very dark, we can't think of two games that are further apart. So that means you have to get both, obviously. 😉

Related Game(s): Dark Souls

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Dark Souls Tortures You In October

Ben-Dutka 34 Comments

Oh, it'll be torturous. But for some, that's just the kind of hardcore entertainment they crave.

Dark Souls , the spiritual successor to the fantastic yet wicked challenging Demon's Souls , will be even harder…in fact, it'll be the "most difficult game possible." . If you're up for the challenge, put a big ol' circle around the entire month of October (just 'cuz we're not sure of the exact date yet). Namco has confirmed release estimates for Dark Souls in Japan, Europe and the US: the Japanese will see it in September and European/US gamers will get it the month after. October is typically a huge month, jam packed with tons of new titles, but we can pretty much guarantee that not a one will be anything like From Software's new offering. Demon's Souls was completely original and we expect nothing less from the follow-up effort.

If the first made you throw the controller out the window, don't bother. But if you loved every second of that Demon's Souls challenge, Dark Souls will be yours. Right?

Related Game(s): Dark Souls

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Dark Souls Lands September 30 Release Date?

Ben-Dutka 16 Comments

Oh come on, we need something more accurate than "late 2011." That just isn't good enough for the hardcore Demon's Souls fans!

Atlus has attached that rather vague "late 2011" launch date to Dark Souls , the spiritual successor to one of the best PlayStation 3 exclusive titles. But as a reader pointed out to us, GameFly has given the game an exact release date: September 30, 2011. Maybe the service knows something retailers don't, as Amazon and GameStop still have the placeholder date of December 31, 2011. Obviously, GameFly's date isn't the be-all, end-all and it's hardly a confirmation, but it's still encouraging. September 30 might not be a bad date; it would be available just before the typical October/November crunch, and right in between great titles like Resistance 3 (September 6), Batman: Arkham City (October 18), and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (November 1).

At any rate, whenever it arrives, we're willing to bet that RPG fans everywhere will be paying attention.

Related Game(s): Dark Souls

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