News: Open the 'Gates of Hell' soon

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." Well, unless you count that growling demon from Hell.

Electronic Arts announced yesterday that the playable demo for Dante's Inferno will become available on the Playstation Network on Dec. 10 and on Xbox Live on Dec. 24.

The "Gates of Hell" demo will allow players to traverse the first level of Visceral Games' homage to Dante Aligheri to confront Death, himself.

“The world of Alighieri’s Dante’s Inferno is such a rich, detailed, and often alarming universe, that all of us at Visceral Games put our hearts, and dare I say souls, into creating something truly intense and exciting,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “We hope gamers enjoy this tease of hell, and come away from the experience lusting for more."

Dante's Inferno will put players in the role of a crusader who returns home to FLorence to find his love, Beatrice, murdered. With her soul dragged to the Inferno by Lucifer, Dante confronts Death and then tears his way through the Nine Circles of Hell.

Dante's Inferno will launch stateside on Feb. 9 and Europe on Feb. 12.