Ladies and Gentlemen. EA has brought us a DLC to their most recent action title, Dante’s Inferno; and it will only have been 2 months after its rlease!

“I am Lucia of Syracuse, patron saint of the blind – persecuted by my pagan suitor, eyes plucked from my head, my body tortured and defiled… Yet I have seen the glory in Paradise. I will be your protector, Dante, as you seek to find light out of your dark past. And I will prepare you for the challenge ahead. These are the Trials of Saint Lucia.”

From the sound of it, seems like the expansion pack will feature a series of challenges, perhaps objective based stages through which Dante will have to make his way through, of course, with the help of St. Lucia.

This isn’t just another regular expansion pack with more levels to play. This DLC will feature online co-op gameplay featuring Dante and St. Lucia, as well as a full-featured combat editor allowing players to not only create their very own challenge, but also upload and share with others. Check out the fact sheet below:

• St. Lucia – A New Playable Character – Play as the beautiful and deadly St. Lucia of Syracuse; this battle-ready angel can fly and wields all new moves and combos.
• Online Co-Operative Play – Choose Dante or St. Lucia and play co-operatively online; combine battle tactics with other players to defeat online Trials and earn a ranking on the Inferno leaderboards.
• Create Combat Trials – Create your own Trials with a full-featured combat editor, pick from new locations, create waves featuring new and existing Dante’s Inferno enemies, tune and script them, add traps, obstacles & aid… then upload and share your creations online.
• Challenge Yourself & Other Players– Download and play other players’ Trials or try your hand at beating EA’s increasingly dangerous single and two-player Trials for medals, leaderboard scores, and achievements/trophies.
• Rate Trials – Provide a 1 to 5 star rating for Trials that you play. The online community will help the best Trials rise to the top!
• Rank on the Worldwide Leaderboards – Compare your worldwide standings as Player and/or Creator.

The Trials of Lucia DLC will be available worldwide on April 29th, 2010 for $9.99/ 800 MS Points.

So EA has definitely shown its commitment and support for its upcoming title, Dante’s Inferno by decidign to put a 30-second commercial during Super Bowl. This will be EA’s first commercial ever during Super Bowl, and will be reaching an estimated 100 million viewers, primarily in the 18-34 year-old male demographic. The ad, titled “Hell Awaits”, will premiere during the foruth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV on CBS on Sunday, February 7, 2010, followed closely by its launch date of February 9th.

This is definitely exciting. One of the most famous TV commercials, and indeed an epic moment in television history was a Super Bowl commercial for the Mac called “1984″, directed by Ridley Scott. Granted, it may not be as epic as 1984, this will definitely be an interesting commercial to look out for, especially for the gaming industry.

In addition to this, EA has implemented a number of advertising techniques. If you’re into adverstisement, the followign list may be intersting. If not, you can stop here, but definitely check out the commercial!

• ‘Go to Hell’ Facebook App – With over 4.5 million active users, this free app takes the poem’s nine circles of hell and brings them into everyday life. With the click of a button, anyone can send a friend foe, place, product or brand to one of the nine circles of hell. Angry at your mom for grounding you? Send her to ‘Treachery’. Mad at your ex- for cheating? Send them to ‘Lust’.
• Special Edition Book – EA is releasing a special edition of Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” in partnership with Random House and Del Rey Books. The book features an introduction written by the EA executive producer Jonathan Knight, and a 16-page, full-color art insert showcasing the evolution of characters and environments from the classic poem to the video game.
• Animated DVD Feature – EA is releasing a full-length animated feature developed in partnership with Starz Media, Film Roman, and Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie features six unique art styles created by five of the best animation studios in the business (DVD/Blu-Ray)
• Comic Book – An exclusive six-issue comic miniseries created by DC Comics/WildStorm Productions features the highly stylized artwork of Diego Latorre and written by esteemed comic book writer Christo Gage.
• Collectible Action Figure – A collectible figurine of the hero Dante created by NECAis available as a pre-order bonus at select retailers* and for sale beginning 2/9/10.
• Dante’s Nine Circles Hit the Blogosphere – Beginning in June 2009 at E3, EA brought the game’s nine circles of hell to bloggers, one month at a time. “Limbo” was illustrated with a mock protest. “Greed” was illustrated by bloggers being asked to cash a check for $200. “Heresy” was demonstrated through a fictitious game called “Mass We Pray”. Each stunt set fans buzzing about the core themes of ‘The Divine Comedy’ and Dante’s Inferno, the game.
• Hidden Messages – Dante’s Inferno online advertising will contain hidden source code and ASCII art, further bringing to life the world of Dante’s Inferno and the hell that lies beneath.

EA and Del Rey books teamed up to create a special edition of the classic and epic poem by Dante Alighieri. This trade-paperback edition will include an introduction written by the game’s Executive Producer, Jonathan Knight, as well as a 16-page, full-color art insert mapping out the evolution of characters and environments from the literary classic to the game.

This is really really cool. Being a literature major and a avid video game fan, I am excited to see these two worlds meet. Though I haven’t read Dante’s Divine Comedy, (My concentration was in Asian Literature) the idea that this piece of classic literature is being introduced to a new audience, sparking interests, is awesome. Video games are truly a new form of medium of expression, and I hope that this can be another strong step towards the realization of the diversity of content and ways video games can be applied.

I’m sure all you PS3 owners out there are aware that a demo of Dante’s Inferno is available now through the PSN. In addition to that, EA announced yesterday that they will be releasing a PS3 exclusive version of Dante’s Inferno called Dante’s Inferno “Divine Edition.”

So what does it include? Along with the actual game itself, it will include developer commentaries, a Wayne Barlowe digital ar book, the soundtrack to the game and a digital version of the complete Longfellow translation of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno (!) all for the price of $59.99! I’d say that’s a pretty sweet deal.

I actually got a chance to play Dante’s Inferno back in September at PAX. First impression: I like. The game feels a lot like God of War. Monsters spew blood as you hack and slash your way with your scythe and of course, the occasional QTEs (Quick Time Events). But the looks is obviously much more polished and the tone of the game is much much darker. I’m definitely looking forward to it. There was one thing that did make me wonder a little. I couldnt’ quite figure out where Dante Alighieri’s epic poem Inferno played into the story… but I’m sure EA’s got it all figured out. Right?

For Xbox 360 owners, the demo will be available on Thursday, December 24. Check it out!