My visit, on the other hand, could have been. I stayed up far too late on Saturday night, so come Sunday morning I was a bit sleepy. I still managed to hold my own through several fights, however, despite Atlus' Aram continuous hints that the game was going to kick my ass. The game is basically a3D hack and slash deal, though combat is a bit more intricate than you'd normally find in an action RPG, and the whole thing seems to be geared towards the masochistic sort of player that really enjoys a challenge.

The coolest feature of Demon Souls that I didn't sleep through was the fact that once you die, someone else playing the game online can resurrect you to fight by their side as their own personal minion. As I watched Aram play, half-dozing (so sorry!), a player came up and summoned him back to life in order to face a particularly difficult boss. Players can also leave little messages for other players, such as "This boss is a real jerk". Players reading the message can then vote for it, with votes conferring certain benefits to the player who originally wrote the message. You can still play the game offline, but why would you want to?

As I said, my demo was a bit brief. Aram was telling me about the way the game changes based on your actions and how well you fight, but my need for sleep took over, and soon he was ushering me out to my car with the hopes that I didn't pass out on the way to the airport.

I did leave with the impression that Demon Souls was a game I really wanted to play once it hits in October, and that Atlus has really comfy chairs in its meeting room.

I'm curious to see why Atlus decided to announce the release date for Demon Souls on the Fourth of July, rather than waiting two more days when everyone was back in the office. I am imagining a dramatic series of events involving a speeding bus that cannot go below 55 miles per hour or it will explode, or a bearded man in a darkened room, stroking a Persian cat as he lifts a phone receiver to his face and mutters, "issue the release" in a sinister British accent. Either way, Demon Souls is coming out on October 6th.

The game will run you $59.99, but for $10 you can score the deluxe edition, which comes with a 150-page strategy guide not available anywhere else, along with a special cover to house the game / guide combo. On top of that, fans who preorder either version will get a Demon Souls art book, which GameStop will be out of when you go to pick it up. This always happens.

It's an interesting addition to the Atlus Spoils program, but I'm used to said program adding extra swag for free. This is more of a strategy guide bundle than it is a special edition, isn't it?

Note that the artwork above is subject to change.