Dark Souls breaks down barriers with a seamless world design that encourages exploration and fosters an adaptable gameplay experience. As players encounter terrifying enemies and discover new areas, the unerring foundation of challenge and reward permeates to offer an unparalleled sense of achievement.

With death raining down all around, the shield you designed yourself could be the lucky talisman you need. Enter the design contest on Facebook today for a chance to make it happen.

It’s time to step up and show the world the what you’ve got when it comes to heraldic flair, as NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe announce the  Dark SoulsTM shield design contest, open to everyone from June 27rd to July 28th 2011 on the Dark Souls Facebook page.

Taking part couldn’t be easier. Give it your medieval best to create up to three original shield designs using any of the three blank templates provided. Next, submit your heraldic works of art, then sit back and watch the votes stack up as fans in every corner of the globe admire your handiwork and choose their favourites. The final winners will be hand-picked by the  Dark Souls development team at FromSoftware in Japan.

The three winning designs, one for each shield template, will be made available as  Dark Souls post-launch content, meaning three lucky winners will be able to stride into battle with their friends online proudly bearing the shield they designed, while every player will be able to carry the shields designed by their compatriots into battle.

How to enter:

• Become a fan on the official Dark Souls Facebook page
• Download the blank shield templates
• Create up to three original masterpieces of heraldic design
• Submit your finished designs via Facebook on or before July 13th 2011

Fans will be able to vote for their favourites on Facebook throughout the competition, with voting open until July 20th to allow last minute entries time to gather votes.

The top ten designs for each of the three shield templates as voted for by you will then go to FromSoftware for the final decision, with the winning designs being announced via Facebook on 28th July 2011.

Each of the ten winners will receive a copy of  Dark Souls  signed by game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. The final 3 winners will see their designs brought to life for all time in the  Dark Souls  universe, and will receive a signed copy of the limited edition game plus their names in the game credits, ensuring immortality no matter how many times they die while playing.

Dark Souls, spiritual successor to PS3 exclusive Demon’s Souls, also brings that game’s uniquely challenging and rewarding style of gameplay to the Xbox 360® for the first time.  Stricken by the curse of undead, gamers are abolished to the northern realms and must battle hideous demons and unimaginable monsters to collect souls and find the Eternal Flame of Life, which is losing its light, to survive and cure the curse of undead.

With tense dungeon crawling and fearsome enemy encounters, the seamlessly intertwined world of Dark Souls is full of extreme battles, rewarding challenges, nuanced weaponry and magic, and the flexibility to customize each character to suit any desired play style.  The innovative online component allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the Dark Souls community as they either help or sabotage each other on the journey through the Northern Realms to save the land from darkness.  With a massive, seamless open world design, Dark Souls encourages deep exploration and an adaptable gameplay experience.

The Dark Souls Collector’s Edition can be pre-ordered for $59.99, the same price as the standard edition, and will include a limited edition art book containing premium illustrations of characters and environments from the game, a mini-strategy guidebook, behind-the-scenes videos from the development studio detailing various stages of game concept, design and building, and the game’s soundtrack for digital download.  All of this will come packaged with the standard edition game in a custom-designed metal case.