RETAILBIZ: DEMON’S SOULS 86 MCV 11/06/10
WWW.MCVUK.COM
RELEASED: JUNE 25 FORMATS: PS3 PUBLISHER: NAMCO BANDAI DEVELOPER: .FROMSOFTWARE PRICE: £44.99 DISTRIBUTOR: ADVANTAGE CONTACT: 0121 506 9585
by Dominic Sacco
Namco Bandai has picked up the rights to publish the acclaimed RPG adventure Demon’s Souls in Europe… publisher to bring it to the UK fans.”
DEMON’S SOULS was the sleeper hit of last year – it received exceptional reviews for its blend of RPG, MMO and action elements, and smashed sales targets in North America.
Initially regarded as a niche title, only 15,000 copies were included in the US’s first October 2009 shipment, but strong reviews and a stronger fanbase soon resulted in global sales of over 250,000. Despite a hiatus of half a year, Namco Bandai is answering PS3 adventure fans’ prayers by bringing Demon’s Souls to the UK. The game is only available as a limited Black Phantom Edition in Europe, giving gamers further incentive to buy. “Due to the great success of the game in the US and Japan and the new Black Phantom Edition coming
exclusively to Europe,
we’re expecting it to perform really well at retail,” says Namco Bandai’s UK product manager Kate White. “The Black Phantom Edition comes with a strategy guide, art book and
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soundtrack, and the pre-order response from fans since the announcement was instant – even those who have already imported the US or Japanese versions.”
NO PAIN, NO GAIN Demon’s Souls is a fiendishly difficult third-person action RPG, but one aspect that resounds across all reviews is that for every low it delivers, there is an enormous high waiting to be discovered. The game rewards players for learning levels and applying correct battle techniques, and punishes them for making mistakes.
Users are free to roam the game’s world and tackle any level they wish,
Demon’s Souls has been huge in the US and Japan, so for us to publish it in the UK is an exciting step for us.
Kate White, Namco Bandai
while concentrating on improving certain skills. Players can choose from ten classes at the start of Demon’s Souls including the Temple Knight, Hunter and Magician, and are able to level up
stats from the souls of defeated enemies to create their own unique hero. If dragons, towering knights, snake- like demons and giant spiders aren’t challenging enough, the game also allows players to invade others people’s worlds online, kill them and take all of their souls. Once dead, a player cannot progress and must kill a boss to get his or her life back. Thankfully gamers can form a group of three to traverse levels, defeat bosses and other players. It’s the MMO-like features that bring
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Demon’s Souls to life, with gamers able to leave each other messages in order to aid – or trick – others. Users can also see how others died from bloodstains on the floor, which when selected, show a replay of someone else’s death. “The dark atmosphere, revolutionary online features and totally unforgiving gameplay are what makes Demon’s Souls one of the most hardcore RPG experiences on PS3,” adds White.
“This is a really important summer release for us and we’re really excited that Namco Bandai will finally be the
HEART AND SOUL Demon’s Souls achieved a multitude of positive reviews, with many publications reviewing an import copy – leading to an increased interest in the UK market. The game has an average 90 per cent on review aggregator site Metacritic, with a 10/10 from Games TM, 8/10 from PlayStation Official Magazine and 9/10 from Edge.
Namco Bandai is also supporting the action RPG with a trade and online marketing campaign in the run-up to the title’s launch.
White says: “The visuals from
Demon’s Souls are great so we’ve got some fantastic ads lined up.” “We’re also supporting the title strongly with heavy trade marketing to make sure in-store impact is as high as possible. “Demon’s Souls has been huge in the US and Japan, so for Namco Bandai to be publishing it in the UK is an exciting step for us, and it adds a fantastic new dimension to our line-up for the year.” Demon’s Souls: Black Phantom Edition will be released for PS3 on June 25th.
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