Over the last few months, Demon’s Soul’s has consistently asked-about games here on the PlayStation.Blog. That hasn’t been lost on North American publisher Atlus, who, late last week took some time to chat via the PlayStation Eye. Atlus PR Dude-and-Sometimes-Blog-Poster Aram Jabbari and Localization Guru Sammy Matsushima take on all of your Demon’s Souls questions here:
Oh, and that announcement they were teasing was this: Demon’s Souls is coming to North America on October 6.
The design of the flagship demon(with 2 inner mouths) like the queen alien is amazing…
Was that the inspiration? the animation for that is great..
who was responsible for the cgi trailers?
Thanks a lot!
Demon souls is an awesome JRPG . cant wait to get the game
dissapointed about the lack of cross-region online support. funny you mention FFXI’s global servers, as that was one of my favorite things about that game — in no other MMO can you have the experience of going to a high level city for the first time and getting to admire the high level armor the japanese players had.
in a game like demon’s souls, and a game that doesn’t have voice chat, i don’t think there’s any good reason to isolate regions.
at the very least, there could be an option to filter USA messages/stones/bloodsplats or not. oh well — it seems Atlus just wants people to double dip and stop importing. i’m now put in a tough spot — i’ve already invested many hours into the asian version, and would have recommended the game to all my friends so they could play with me. not sure if i want to start all over from scratch and spend another $60-70 when i’m sure there’ll be other games i also want to play this fall.
actually, i just realized it’s not a very tough spot for me. i’ll just keep recommending that friends import the game now. they don’t have to wait and they’d be on the same servers as me. sucks that it won’t help atlus much, but it sucks that the regions are isolated in the first place.
This game when from a must buy to a rent at best. What the point of an online game if there is no voice chat or friends invite. I was so excited when I heard this game has online co-op/ multiplayer. However, after listen to the facts that this game will not have neither voice chat or a friend invite system, I will have to skip it :(. I was really looking forward to playing this game with one of my friend because me and him play Sacred 2 every day since it came out. Japanese developers are really out of touch with what gamers want. Same think in WKC, no voice chat, but that games does have a friend invite system. Japanese developers are my favorite, but they are really pissing me off with their lack of interest in what gamers want.
You guys crush my hype of this game in a matter of seconds. :(
I just told my friend and now he is not getting. Unless you guys implement some kind of invite system and voice chat, you just lost two sales and I am sure a lot more when people find out about these missing features. Why is it that most Japanese developers are stuck in last generation mode and not switch to this current generation?
I imported this game recently and it really is a unique RPG experience.
I’m still early in the game but it punishes me as if I was a veteran lol. It is actually great though, since it’s a lot more rewarding when I finally kill the freaking boss.
It amazes me how concentrated I have to be to be able to play. It’s just unforgiving. You gotta be serious about playing or you’ll just die over and over again. It’s funny how I die at places I was able to go through with no problems if I don’t focus.
It’s a game style that reminds me of older games. Nowadays you just die, respawn at an auto-save a minute early and continue as if nothing happened.
If you guys are going to import a game to the Western market, make sure you are aware of what Western games want in term of features if a game has any form of online.
Good interview, hopefully one day Jeff you get an interview with Fumito Ueda from Team Ico. Or anyone from Team Ico for that matter, I need some Last Gaurdian info.
Wow I can’t wait for this game :D
Ready for this then God of War III!!!!!
Ha. I pre ordered this on my lunch today.
Will there be a demo for Demon’s Souls?
I’m glad Demon’s Soul is coming to the US. Thanks Atlus! :)
Oh and Atlus, a little of topic but I hope you release games for the PS3 though like SMT. Haha. I enjoy the Persona series. :P
Just wanted to add another “Great Job!” with this interview. The more I read about Demon’s Souls the more I like it. I’m also glad I help off on importing it because of the recently talked about Deluxe Edition. I’ll be reserving this bad-boy tomorrow and looking forward to another bit of Atlus Hotness before year’s end.
Now I just have to find time to play Devil Summoner 2 and I’ll be all set.
Is there any chance this is coming to Australia? or will i need to import a North American version???
As someone who imported the game the excuse for having US only servers and saying they didn’t want “uber” stong people in the game killing everybody is just ridiculous. In order to co-op or do PVP there is a 10 level diffrence between the players.
They just want people to double dip and buy the game again plain and simple. It’s not wrong for their own profits, but its doing the wrong thing by the community.
@ BloodyCow
You can still chat in the XMB while you’re playing the game. With the new firmware, you don’t have to finish a message either when you hit the PS button. You can go right back to it whenever you want. Difficult during battle, but you can still set-up pre-battle stuff. I find it hard to believe that you’re not buying a game simply because of voice chat. It’s not “what Western gamers want”. I hate hearing idiot kids screaming in their mics all the time because they don’t know how to turn them off… or shut up. Give it a chance, and I’m sure you’ll still enjoy it. And oh yeah, no invite is icky.
Man, I’m too late, nobody ever reads the second and third page comments.
BTW Jeff, good snap on that guy who was looking at your crotch during the interview. :)
awesome stuff i found out while playing Demon’s Souls:
1. you can play as a BLue Phantom to assist players.
2. you can be in someone else’s world and plan ahead and ambush them to take away their souls
3. or you can be the enemy boss and kill the player. so cool. you can be a gigantic thing. XD
Lol, whats the address? I’d be more than happy to send you guys a new $30 Camera for all the great products you’ve provided us. SMT Nocturne, Persona, Publishing Disgaea…
Here’s hoping Persona 5 drops on the PS3 w/in the next couple years… ;-)
I’m kinda on the fence here. I really wish you guys at Atlus would have announced this sooner. I ordered it [import] at release because I knew Sony wasn’t going to be localizing it for us in the US. Now I have a copy here I’ve barely even touched because I’ve been soo busy w/ other games and now [old news by now, lol] you guys are bringing it stateside… I’m really tempted though. That LE/SE looks Great! As always Atlus comes through with the SPOILS! ;-) I’ll probably break down just because Atlus is so AWESOME and I enjoy supporting you guys. Keep it up. ;-)
@118 Livebetes
You mean text chat? That the worst feature on the PSN. 30 character limit? What the hell am I going to type in a 30 character limit that is going to be useful to my co-op partner?
Kids screaming? That why their is a mute option. Used it sometimes it helps a lot.
Lack of voice chat and not invite is why I decide to skip this game :(
If a game has co-op online, then there need to be voice chat and the ability to invite your friends. Hell even terrible games that has online co-op have friend invite and voice chat. I do not want to play co-op with noobs that do not know what they are doing or don’t know the meaning of teamwork. I have a really good friend that I play co-op with and if we are unable to play together, then what the point of buying this game?
@18 Livebetes
There excuse for no voice chat was because they do not want to put too much data at once on the servers. However, they stated that the North American servers will be different from the Japan/Asian severs so the Asian/Japanese version cannot play with the North American version. If they are willing to shell out money to buy new servers and set up different servers for different version of the game, why can’t they add voice chat and a invite system. Until/if they add those feature, then I will purchase this game.
And to top it off, they do not even have local co-op. Who the hell are you suppose to play with your friends if their is no local co-op or an invite system to invite your friends into your game?
@18 Livebetes
The person who decide on lack of voice chat and co-op invite issues needs to be slap in face until he/she realizing how stupid that decision was. Most developers got this idea already. If you are going to implement online co-op in a game, made sure there is voice chat and a way to invite your friends into your game.
OMG, I like this game so much! I really wan’t it. I would probably buy the ‘stop importing it’ edition If it comes out in Holland/The Netherlands.
@ Jeff, Do you have any idea when it comes out in the EU?
Hi Jeff and Atlus guys,
good job on the interview and the game will be mine on day one. Hopefully, the blog can do many more of these kind of interview in the future since none of the developers need to travel, or Jeff himself won’t have to travel….cost and time efficient.
I can’t wait for Demon’s Souls. Finally a good RPG in 2009 (no offense to Valkyria Chronicles or Disgaea 3).
Jeff your lavelier microphone sounds amazing. Why doesn’t Sony release one. I’d use it for vid chats/games.
I needa buy the eye. And I’ll definitely be pre-ordering the special edition of this game. Can’t wait. One of my top wants at the end of this year, including Uncharted 2, MAG, Fallout GOTY, FF XIII if it comes out, and then an assortment of PSP games.
<3 Gosh I love Sony’s work sometimes.
Just want to say something about playing coop, as someone who imported the game :
you can play with your friends, it’s just something that you need to manage a bit more by yourself.
Playing coop is a simple thing to do… drop a special stone on the ground and blue writting will shine and display a phantom of you, so that people can summon you to help them. Just talk to your friend… tell him that you’ll leave the stone at a specific emplacement so that only him can summon you and then you’re good to go.
The new in-game keyboard chat helps A LOT to communicate in this game too.
Great Interview.
I love the idea of “Eye to Eye” conversation. I hope there is more on the future.
Well done folks, great Q & A’s.
I’m getting this game and I can’t wait to get this one. But that was a great interview as well.
Wow every time i see something on this game it floods me with anticipation…do want you know. Hey Jeff, I nkow you should be full but please if you get the chance add me in PSN, it would be cool to have you there. My PSN is the same as my pen name right there. Take care!
Is this Limited Edition and the pre-order bonus going to be available in Canada?
Jeff… sorry for the late post hope you manage to read it.
So, 2 things:
1 – Demon Souls is looking so good, graphically, that it is just not fair comparing it just to Oblivion. I hope the game sells great.
2 – The stream in this particular interview wasn’t the best but still using the PSEye is the best idea ever. Keep the interviews coming.
Great work Blog Team!
For the folks whining about co-op not having voice chat, and not having an invite system…. this isn’t an online centric game. The co-op stuff is in there to help people beat boss characters and such. You will maybe have someone helping you out for a maximum of 15 minutes if you played through an entire section up to the boss, and once you beat that boss, the person you’ve summoned goes back to their world. Most of the time the person you summon is with you for maybe 2-5 minutes if you just summon them before the boss fight.
The co-op is a crutch to be used to get past sections of the game that you can’t beat. Having no voice chat preserves the sense of isolation in this game. It isn’t meant to be a social experience. Missing out on this game because you think someone ‘half-assed’ the online component is to miss one of the most unique games I’ve ever played.
To me the game is better experience playing solo. You feel like you’ve really accomplished something when you beat a boss by yourself.
This game really is great but after this interview I have a new question, I imported a copy and have put about 130 hours into a charactor (on third playthrough now) and what I want to know is whether I will be moved over to the US servers when they open or will I be stuck on the Asian servers? I was planning on buying a LE copy anyway and would I still be able to use my current saves or would there be a region issue?
Thanks in advanced, this is a great game and I have really enjoyed the challenge.
man this game is a must buy i’m still playing killzone2 will this take me away for kz2 only time will tell!
A couple quick questions: Is possible to trade items with people if they join to do a m ission. If so, will there a cap on items, as in, will there be anything stopping me getting or giving a lower level high level items/weapons?
also, the “Eye to Eye” thing someone mentioned earlier is a really great idea, in fact I am using that term to mention this interview.
This Game look great IDK about been the game so hard and to bad u can’t play wiht Friend’s
I was really sad to hear that data transfer was not going to be available, but I was really happy to hear that it was finally being brought over…
Finally my friends would be able to enjoy the game I’ve been enjoying since April.
Man oh man! The more I read/hear about this game, the higher it is climbing on my wishlist :) Looks great! I can’t wait to try it out at release!
for me its a very bad decision that voice chat is not avaliable.
would be great to speak with my friends while fighting against a monster.
i hope it will be a feature in the us-version.
otherwise i have to think of buying the game.
I have to repeat what some Demon’s souls player had said so far. It’s actually more of a solo experience. Its not like phantasy star and you won’t team up for very long anyway.
Even if it’s online you should think about it as a single player game. DS uses the online functions in a rather new way that impressess me. Sometimes less is more.
I read the most in this thread and I have seen a lot of DS owners, but not one of them (as far as I can see) has complained about missing voice or invite features. So all you complainers, think about it, there may be reason ;)
There is a great mood in the game that is found in games as ICO or shadow of the colossus. Voice chat would ruin it for me.
Too bad with seperate servers. We asian importers in EU would like to challenge our friends in US, but not so much that I would import in once again.