Even with all the controversy that has followed Dante’s Inferno, I have to admit that I am still intrigued by the title.  That said, I am on the fence on whether the game is a purchase or a rental, and now players will get a chance to see if the game is to their liking with a demo next month.

For those that own a PS3 or an Xbox 360, a Dante’s Inferno demo will give gamers a taste of the Divine Comedy in December.  The demo will include the first full level entitled, “Gates of Hell” and it should give people the final verdict on whether they need to order this game.  For those that are looking at the PSP version of the game, you will just have to play it by ear, as no demo is planned at this time for Dante’s Inferno.

Check the jump for the full press release from Visceral Games and Electronic Arts.

Visceral Games Invites Players to Tear Open the ‘Gates of Hell’ with Dante’s Inferno Demo

Experience One of the Most Anticipated Games of 2010… in 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov 10, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Spend the holidays in hell! Visceral Games(TM), the award-winning developers behind the critically-acclaimed Dead Space(TM) franchise and a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced a demo for Dante’s Inferno(TM). Coming this December, the ‘Gates of Hell’ demo includes the entire opening level and gives gamers a taste of Visceral Games’ blockbuster adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy.

The ‘Gates of Hell’ demo will introduce players to the game’s hero, epic story and intense action gameplay, tracing Dante’s battles from the surface all the way to the Gates of Hell. Players will experience fast-paced hack-n-slash combat as they fend off waves of enemies before taking on the ultimate battle against Death. After defeating this boss, Dante will be armed with Death’s scythe, a powerful holy cross, and will be ready to tear open the Gates of Hell. The demo also features two stunning cinematic movies made by Blur, the award-winning visual effects, animation and design studio.

“Our main goal from the start of this project has been to create a journey that will make gamers truly feel like they are going through hell,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “The demo will give everyone some insight into how we are treating the story and a taste of the gameplay. And with nine more circles of hell to explore once the game comes out in February, we are literally just scratching the surface.”

EA’s Dante’s Inferno is an epic descent through Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. At a blazing-fast 60 frames per second, each circle features unique environments, all new creatures, terrifying demons, story elements and are scored distinctly to set a tone that fits each circle of sinners.

Gamers will get to go to hell in North America beginning February 9, 2010 and in Europe on February 12, 2010 for the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation(R) Portable (PSP(R)). The Gates of Hell demo will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Dante’s Inferno has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information on Dante’s Inferno, please follow the Dante’s Inferno team at Visceral Games on Twitter at www.twitter.com/danteteam and visit the game’s official web site at www.dantesinferno.com where the team explores a new circle of hell, with new content and updates on the ninth day of every month.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA(TM), EA SPORTS(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, Visceral Games, Dead Space and Dante’s Inferno are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.