July 29, 2009July 29, 2009

Demon’s Souls Pre-order Bonus Expands, Now Also Includes Full Soundtrack

Hey folks, AtlusA.R.A.M. here, and I’ve got some news to share regarding Demon’s Souls, the upcoming action RPG for PLAYSTATION 3.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with Demon’s Souls, getting up-to-speed should be as easy as checking out the blogs we’re featuring in the official game message boards, hitting up the game’s official website, and checking out the great PlayStation Eye chat we had with the incredibly awesome Jeff Rubenstein.

As you may already know, we’re offering fans who pre-order either version of the game (Standard or Deluxe, at participating retailers only) a full-color, 40-page art book featuring sketches, designs, and renders that wonderfully show off the game’s gritty medieval aesthetic. On its own, this is a pretty nice bonus (says the publisher offering it), considering it is being thrown in at no additional cost to the customer, but we’ve recently decided to take things a step further:

Resist, if you dare.

In addition to the art book, fans who pre-order will now ALSO receive the game’s FULL soundtrack CD. That’s right, we’re going to throw 24 tracks (about 71 minutes) of music into the pre-order bonus as well. And if you’ve ever heard the game in action, you likely know that the music is haunting, atmospheric, sweeping, and orchestral. Don’t worry, people who have already pre-ordered: the music disc is secured on the back inside cover of the art book, so you won’t miss out!

So, whether you reserve (at participating retailers) the Standard edition of the game, which would net you the game, art book, and soundtrack CD, or whether you upgrade to the Deluxe edition, which gets you the game, a 150+ page strategy guide, a collectible slip case, the game’s complete musical score, and a premium art book, you’re going to be getting a heck of a deal.

Sample from Official Demon’s Souls Strategy Guide

Of course, these extras are in addition to all the changes and enhancements coming to the North American release of the gaming, such as:

All-new North American cover art
All-new North American online servers (which ensures a level playing field for newcomers)
An improved localization, which addresses many grammar/inaccuracy issues from the overseas version

Join us, won’t you, as we venture into the Kingdom of Boletaria on October 6th, 2009. It’s going to be a tough battle to deliver the realm from evil, but hey, at least you’ll have a ton of free swag to comfort yourself if you happen to reserve your copy today.

Until next time, friends.

Comments are closed.

155 Comments

22 Author Replies

nycredude
July 29, 2009 at 11:11 am PDT

Nich,

I have been playing the import version and I have also preordered the us version. I will give my import version to my brother so he doesn’t have to buy it. Will people with the us version be able to play cooperatively with people with the asian version?
- Nich Maragos
  July 29, 2009 at 11:20 am PDT
  
  Unfortunately, no, the NA servers will be separate from the Asian servers to give US players a clean slate.
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:12 am PDT

@Aram Jabbari
I read and understand why there is not friend invite. What I do not understand is, why have online co-op if we cannot play with the people we want to? Have you ever tried playing online co-op with someone that just join your game just to screw you over? Have you ever played Fable 2 online with someone you do not know? They join your game and killed the guards, steal from shops and quit. When they leave, you have to pay all the fines. That not an enjoyable experience because you played with a complete stranger.
- Nich Maragos
  July 29, 2009 at 11:25 am PDT
  
  The amount of \”griefing\” possible in Demon\’s Souls is very low. Apart from Black Phantoms, whose entire goal is to kill you, co-op players are working with you toward a specific goal for which they get a substantial reward–and if a co-op player starts acting up, there are ways to kick them out of your game. I think once you play it, your worries about playing with jerks online will disappear.
- Aram Jabbari
  July 29, 2009 at 11:34 am PDT
  
  BlooodyCow,
  
  Hopefully we will be able to put together a video or more detailed explanation as to how the cooperative (and competitive) play works, because it is difficult to convey.
  
  When you visit someone to help them, or when you invite someone into your game to help you, they do not get free reign. They are there as your guest to help you, and to get in return a chance at reviving their body.
  
  There is context and meaning to their being there with you, and they have absolutely no incentive to do anything harmful in your game (nor can they, really). The game is built so that they are overwhelmingly incentivized to be valuable assistance for you (or you for someone else, should you be the one offering help).
  
  Hopefully you can see the game in person before you commit and get a feel for it yourself. Trust us, there\’s a reason it\’s not designed like other games, and once you experience it, you\’ll be opened up to a whole new way of thinking about how online play can enhance and enrich singleplayer RPGs.
TRIX_BOL
July 29, 2009 at 11:12 am PDT

Any differences on how Demon’s Soul AI gameplay goes beyond other Action RGP titles?
Anubis80
July 29, 2009 at 11:13 am PDT

@51 BloodyCow

Thats what I am saying too. It happened to me in a few games too like RE5 and Sacred 2.
MeltTech
July 29, 2009 at 11:14 am PDT

This game would be awesome if the Demon’s Soul didn’t already kill my PS3. To think that I had one of the elite launch 60gb that wasn’t going to die? Sony consumer services said in that the 2 mins that it was on, IT OVERHEATED?

I don’t have $150 laying around to get a refurb and they can’t guarantee I’d get mine back.

OH THIS BLOWS!

Sorry I won’t be picking this game up now :-(
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:15 am PDT

@47 bdavid81
I disagree. Hardcore gamers are worst than children. Some of them join your game just to screw you up.
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:18 am PDT

@53 Anubis80
In Sacred 2, I made my co-op game open so people that want the 4 player trophy or to play the game on the hardest difficulty can get those trophies. When they join my game, they would go around and start accepting all the quests and quit. Next time you know, I have a bunch of animals and people following me on the hardest difficulty. I stop playing Sacred 2 that day because it was going to take too much time to finish all those quest without failing any of them.
thegamer154
July 29, 2009 at 11:19 am PDT

Thanks a lot!
CinderShadow
July 29, 2009 at 11:21 am PDT

European Gamer Disappointed to be Left in the Dark.
Anubis80
July 29, 2009 at 11:22 am PDT

@56 BloodyCow

I have set it up to private/invite only now but at first I didnt. So I know what you mean when you get some retards to join you and then screw you over like that. This is why I will most likely pass this game up. I dont need or want to deal with that.
- Nich Maragos
  July 29, 2009 at 11:29 am PDT
  
  I\’d also like to point out that co-op players can\’t join your game at random–there\’s no \”public\” option where anyone can waltz in.
  
  When someone wants to play co-op, they have to first drop a Soul Sign, which indicates to other nearby players that they\’re available. Those players can check the Soul Sign to see that player\’s rating before allowing him into their game, and at the end of a session, you can leave your own rating for the people you played co-op with. There are a lot of safeguards in place to prevent that kind of griefing, which is what makes the system work so well.
reson8er
July 29, 2009 at 11:22 am PDT

Looking awesome!

Leave it to Atlus to meet and then exceed my expectations for Atlus Spoils!

A nice way to package a great game (from what I hear).

Day 1 buy, keep up the great work!
Crimsondramon
July 29, 2009 at 11:25 am PDT

Thanks for the reply Nich ^_^ I would consider getting the US version for the goodies and to play with my friends (with some co-ordination and blue-eye stones of course!)
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:26 am PDT

@Anubis80
I only made my online co-op open once just so people can join and get those two trophies. Now it is almost impossible for me to complete all those quest without having a few of those animals or people die that are following me. That why I stop playing Sacred 2 and sold the game because some idiots that was a level 77 ruin the game for me. I was at level 86 when I first started on the hardest difficulty.
d10sfan
July 29, 2009 at 11:27 am PDT

Imported the game and its great. Lot of fun, wish that we could play with the people that bought it in US though.
Neil
July 29, 2009 at 11:28 am PDT

This is one of the very few games I’ve ever pre-ordered so far in advance. Thanks for the bonus. Atlus spoils.

Also, will we have the option to play this game in Japanese with English subtitles?
- Nich Maragos
  July 29, 2009 at 11:33 am PDT
  
  No Japanese voice acting was ever recorded for this game, not even in the Japanese release. The high-quality English voices in Demon\’s Souls are the original actors.
ADR143
July 29, 2009 at 11:28 am PDT

dam good bonuses
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:30 am PDT

@Nich Maragos
sorry Nich Maragos, but I already learned my lesson from playing Fable 2 (Xbox 360) and Sacred 2 (PS3). Playing co-op with stranger will ruin your experience of a game and might undone 100’s of hours of game-play time because they are idiots. I have nothing against you guys, but I do not understand why have online co-op if you are not allow to invite your friends.
- Aram Jabbari
  July 29, 2009 at 11:40 am PDT
  
  BlooodyCow,
  
  Sorry for all the trouble you\’ve had in other games. Again, hopefully we can better and more concisely explain for you the ways in which the game has failsafes in place to prevent the fact that you don\’t know the people coming to your assistance from ruining the experience.
  
  Thanks for being so curious about the game and asking so many questions!
Anubis80
July 29, 2009 at 11:32 am PDT

Well thanks Nich and Atram. That explains a ton more about the online to me and makes me want to check it out. But unfortunately I cant get the better package deals there since my PS3 crashed and I have to some how come up with $150 to repair it. But thanks again for explaining it.
jdizzle84
July 29, 2009 at 11:33 am PDT

Just wanted to commend Atlus and Aram for being so responsive to gamers on this blog. This is how all publishers should be if they decide to blog about their game here.

Goes without saying, I’m super hyped about this game and already have it preordered from Amazon! Great to hear that I’ll be getting a few new extras. Atlus is #1!
Kenshin71
July 29, 2009 at 11:34 am PDT

Regarding online with friends, it is possible. You just have to do a bit of co-ordinating via XMB messaging ie. be in the same place at the same time and around the same level. Also one of you has to be revived and the other in soul form. You then summon your friend into your game and then go off and fight together.

It’s tricky to do though and you can only play together through a level if the boss hasn’t been defeated.
ghamdikh1
July 29, 2009 at 11:34 am PDT

AGAIN

@Aram Jabbari OR Nich Maragos

1-is there any plans for Atlus to bring there ps1 games to PSN?

2-is there any plans for Atlus to bring there PSP games to PSN?
Direxnipe
July 29, 2009 at 11:35 am PDT

@Anubis80
one thing you might like to know is that the player who joins you cannot hurt you (black phantoms can but thats a different story). if the player dies he just dissapears, it doesn’t affect you. so its almost impossible for the other player to mess you up. at the very worst he could just not do anything.
TheInfectedBy590
July 29, 2009 at 11:36 am PDT

“I listed the participating retailers so far a few replies up, but the release date is October 6th. (Of this year.)”

Thnx for the reply! :) But isn’t there like a huge gaming drought in August and September? And Uncharted 2 is coming out a week after Demon’s Souls Oct 6 date, wouldn’t it be better to release this game(if it is already completed) ahead of time like they did with inFamous? (Please? :D)
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:37 am PDT

@Nich Maragos
Sorry, but a rating system will fail 50% of the time. Have you ever played NBA 2K7 online? My rating in that game was 2 out of 5 because I would win 8 out of 10 times by a 15+ points. While playing, I never shake my controller to distract them while they are shooting free throws or run up the score when I know the game is over when I am up 15 with 2 minutes left. I usually just like the 24 shot clock expire and turn the ball over. I never quit because I was getting my ass kick.
In demon souls, I can see the same thing happening. People are going to get jealous if you join their game and kill the boss when they want too. They can easily kick you out and give you a bad rating.
CRONIC_GAMER
July 29, 2009 at 11:37 am PDT

This is the first time i’ve seen art from the game this looks interesting is it online is there a campagn how many hours can we expect it to be . Sorry I’m carrying on so many questions. This game looks great……. To say the least.!!!!!!
mafia28
July 29, 2009 at 11:37 am PDT

WOOOOOOOOO!!!! Thanks atlus you guys kickass

One lil question off topic, is persona psp gonna be on the psn store for those who will be getting a psp go?
LokeSTL
July 29, 2009 at 11:41 am PDT

@Aram

Does Atlus currently have any other PS3 RPGs in the works for us in the US?
jBat17
July 29, 2009 at 11:42 am PDT

for all the complaining about co-op (or pvp), just sign out of psn or turn off your ps3’s internet connection when playing this game and you should be fine.

but yeah, it would be a cool feature is you can invite your friend.
Gorvi
July 29, 2009 at 11:42 am PDT

I’m not sure I’ve seen this addressed anywhere, but will there be voice chat when you join another player’s game?
- Aram Jabbari
  July 29, 2009 at 11:53 am PDT
  
  The game does not have voice chat functionality, although there is an emote system that will let you indicate things on a very basic level to your fellow adventurers.
Neil
July 29, 2009 at 11:44 am PDT

Who’s publishing the strategy guide? Will it be sold separately as well?
- Aram Jabbari
  July 29, 2009 at 11:55 am PDT
  
  The strategy guide is ONLY available as part of the Deluxe Edition and will not be sold separately. We\’ll have more news about who we\’ve partnered with for the strategy guide at a later date.
  
  Thanks!
BlooodyCow
July 29, 2009 at 11:50 am PDT

@ Nich Maragos & Aram Jabbari
Sorry that I may have sound like an ass or a cry baby, but experience from other games online co-op greatly influence my view on other online co-op games. This game was number 3 on my must have game this year behind Uncharted 2 and inFamous, but after reading that I cannot invite my friend or lack of voice chat in this game, I lost all interest in this game. I know there is text chat, but in the middle of battle, I do not want to stop and risk being killed just to message the person playing with me on what our plan is going to be or if I or he should use a certain spell while the other attack. Me and my best friend was greatly interest in this game because we both love JRPG and loved that fact that we both can play a JRPG in co-op. But after finding out that there is not buddy invite, we both lost interest in this game. If you guys ever release a patch for include voice chat and a friend invite system, then I would buy this game in a heart beat.
Voozi
July 29, 2009 at 11:51 am PDT

Preordered the Deluxe from Amazon. I assume they’ll be getting the soundtrack as well because they’re also offering the art book for preorder?

Thanks for expanding on the preorder bonuses. I sure love more free stuff =D

Oh and while ATLUS is here on the Blog…I’ll make the next off topic thing short and sweet.

+1 voice for Shin Megami Tensei Persona 5 for PS3 please =] (Or any other type of SMT, or even SMT 4! lol)

Thanks again ATLUS for your support of PS3. Can’t wait to see what you bring in the future.
Dragonzblaze
July 29, 2009 at 11:54 am PDT

going to preorder deluxe edition ASAP im looking 4 a challenge and this game looks very challenging cant wait 2 play it thanks atlus for localizing and extra goodies u guys rock
Kenshin71
July 29, 2009 at 11:55 am PDT

Must say it’s a shame the servers will be region locked. I thought this kind of thing disappeared in 2006. It’s 2009, people play online with people all over the world and have people on their PSN friend’s list from many countries, other regions. I have friends from the US, Europe, Japan, Australia, everywhere. The online co-op is restricted to players around the same level so I can’t see why it would be a problem to have global servers.
DMPrince
July 29, 2009 at 11:56 am PDT

is Best Buy one of the retailers? if not. contact them!!
Mounce-
July 29, 2009 at 11:57 am PDT

Think there’s a chance that even MORE things could be added to those who Pre-order, or decide to get the Deluxe edition? Without sounding greedy? Haha XD Maybe a badass poster for peoples’ rooms! That’d be an AWESOME idea.

I loved the cover art for the previous versions of the game of the knight on the ground against the wall, I think that or something similar would be an awesome piece to add to a fans’ collection, so whenever they play the game at night, or try to go to sleep, they can look at it grimly and its haunting nature while playing the game Wouldn’t you?

I’ve already Pre-ordered the game, since maybe around, July 10th? I am just begging that PS3 Slim comes out before its release! So I can have a PS3 to actually play it on….
KamikazeBingo
July 29, 2009 at 12:06 pm PDT

I was wondering, since the Asian saves won’t be compatible with the US version, if the trophy list will also be separate from the Asian one?

Would I be able to gain a brand new batch of trophies, or would whatever I grab on the US version simply add up on the ones I got on the Asian version?

I ask because there are a few games where if someone was to play both the Import and Local versions, they would have two separate trophy lists on their account.

Thanks!
- Aram Jabbari
  July 29, 2009 at 12:12 pm PDT
  
  The North American version will have a separate trophy list, although each of the specific trophies will mirror those from the Asian/Japanese releases of the game.
  
  So, to answer your question, you WILL be able to gain a brand new batch of trophies. :)
  
  I hope that answers your question.
iExile
July 29, 2009 at 12:06 pm PDT

Pre-ordered and paid in full since weeks ago. Demon’s Souls and Uncharted 2 in the same month? I’ll be in gaming heaven.
Direxnipe
July 29, 2009 at 12:12 pm PDT

@BlooodyCow
did you see my comment? its #72. it might make you feel a little better about the game.
Zezzler
July 29, 2009 at 12:13 pm PDT

Does Atlus have any other ps3 RPGs in the works at the moment? i really love all of them and hope to see some SMT games on a ps3 one day.
sam_i_jam
July 29, 2009 at 12:14 pm PDT

My interest is definitely there for this title.

Looking forward to the hands-on impressions from various media outlets.

Aram, great job on handling the questions and comments posed on this forum.

Jabbari. Is that Persian?
KamikazeBingo
July 29, 2009 at 12:21 pm PDT

Yes! Brand new batch of trophies for me it is then, I’m gonna go ahead and order the Deluxe Edition. It’s my Game of the Year so far, so I think Atlus definitely deserves my support by not only releasing it here, but also adding tons of bonuses for us.

By the way, for those complaining about region-locked servers, you really need to understand the co-op before complaining about something like this. It’s really not a loss at all, in fact, if it makes the online experience smoother we’re all better off for it.
mixedkidbx
July 29, 2009 at 12:22 pm PDT

hey more free stuff is always a bonus in my eyes.
Kane22_
July 29, 2009 at 12:25 pm PDT

My biggest problem i see in DS is no voice communication i really talking to friends or anyone i’m playing with. having co-op with no voice communication is a really big blow but i’m still getting the game. atlus i hope u know what u guys r doing cause this will definitely turn heads the other way.
Jer1ch0
July 29, 2009 at 12:35 pm PDT

I agree with a lot of the comments on confusion over the multiplayer. It seems a lot like the Mercenaries 2 multiplayer where people could simply hop in and assist you in missions. A narrated video showing it in action would probably explain a lot and would be appreciated!
Jon_Mclane
July 29, 2009 at 12:42 pm PDT

I’m having such a hard time deciding what to get between this uncharted 2 or Ninja Gaiden 2. I’ll probably end up getting this one just cause I’m so desperate for a ps3 RPG, although I still haven’t beaten persona 3 or devil survivor.
stennex
July 29, 2009 at 1:06 pm PDT

This is da [DELETED]. can’t wait to try of this RPG.
shadowkiller11
July 29, 2009 at 1:08 pm PDT

God damn it, i want this game in the UK oh well looks like an import will do then.
Gvghf
July 29, 2009 at 1:16 pm PDT

Hey Nich, quick question.

Will there be PlayStation Home support like in the Japanese Home where there would be a few Demon Souls Costumes for sale?

The feedback (at least from what I gathered) for the Armor over in the NA PlayStation Home has been great and a lot would want to purchase the Armor over here.

Thanks if you answer.
TerryVSL
July 29, 2009 at 1:25 pm PDT

Oct. 6?

That is only one week before Uncharted 2 launches? That’s going to hurt sales of this amazing game.

Move the release day up. This game doesn’t need a repeat of the Japanese launch fiasco where a massive underestimate of demand really hurt sales.