If an "easy mode" is implemented, the storyline presentation had better amped up to the max.  What made dark souls so intriguing was the consistent sense of peril and isolation that threatened to consume your character.  Tone down the difficulty and you'll just be a guy running around a pretty landscape with a sword and a virtual lack of story or enthusiasm.  Really, without the constant trepidation brought on by wandering this world that tries to kill you at every turn, there is no real sense of immersion because the storyline is so sparse.  What reason would anyone play this?  There are far better RPG's out there in terms of storyline, presentation, combat, and overall experience.  The only thing that truly makes dark souls unique is mystery and awe brought on by the "survival horror" ambiance created by the difficulty.

It's sad that we're in a day and age where a game like Dark Souls is considered "too difficult" for most gamers. Dark Souls isn't a hard game for the most part. It just expects you to not play like a dimwitted meat head and think about what you're doing, rather than mindlessly charge forward. But I suppose that's asking too much of the lowest common denominator in gaming these days.

I think it would ruin the purpose of the game.

Oh, and a second point of contention: I worked my ass off earning all the achievements for this game. Please refrain from cheapening my toil and trouble by allowing someone with half the desire to accomplish my goals without my ambition.

Most games that offer many difficulties have enemy ballancing issues.  Like in Skyrim, if you ramped up the difficulty to make the dragons a challenge, then the bears can one-hit kill you out of nowhere.  Dark Souls was good because it was challenging and fair, never felt cheated.

For accessibility, I'm all for it. As long as I have my Very Very Very Hard mode, of course.  

The beauty of having different difficulty levels is you get to choose which one you want to play on. All the people complaining can keep playing on the normal modes, the added easy mode would help bring more people to the game. Everyone is so elitist when it comes to games like this, why can't people be more open to change and willing to share with others who may not be as into things as them?

I figured this news would get a lot of passionate responses. How does the addition of an easy mode, despite the ability to play at the notoriously difficult level, actually affect the players experience? Is it a question of exclusivity? A sense of pride in completing the game at the only default level? How will Dark Souls be any different from most games that already offer different challenge modes? I'm sure there are hardcore players out there that pride themselves on completing every game they play at the most difficult level. I would also question if those experience were lessened by the option of an easy mode.

Most people who love Dark Souls will probably be pretty opposed to this. I am. Though, as long as the standard DS difficulty/experience we are accustomed to returns as the Normal difficulty, I can't be too upset.

It's not THAT difficult. It's just not a, "hold left trigger while running forward and shoot everything to win," game. Nor is it a, "mash on the X button 3,000 times while leveling up every five minutes to win," game. Dark Souls is more like the dream game from 'Enders Game.' Some thought required.

the one think i don't like on this game : is if you kill a monster and you die he will come back it's not good... so long life to trainers makers on PC...

I'm glad a easy mode might be established in this game but must we call this mode "easy" or "casual"? Those are kinda demeaning titles for a gamer.

I love Dark Souls because its difficult. If people are going to whine about it, they can go play something easier.

These games are really hard, but I think an easy mode is nice as an option.

Sometimes I just want to play a game, life is hard enough without having to be frustrated at this. Demon's Souls was perfect in terms of Difficulty.

Have an easy mode, sure. If I can argue that Nintendo should have the option to turn off 'treat me like a kid' mode then I can support this. But only if there is a default difficulty on par with Demon's/Dark Souls. Both games aren't even that hard if you're careful and pay attention. The above-average difficulty is one of the things that makes those games great.

Dark Souls is, for the most part, only hard if you rush and make careless mistakes... mistakes we have all made our fair share of. But, in all honesty, Dark Souls is the most rewarding game that I have ever played, due mostly to the feeling I get after I beat a boss or a particularly difficult area; this feeling is what makes Dark Souls stand above other, easier RPGs (IMO). Basically,  I don't mind an easy setting as long as the original difficulty remains for the hardcore players.

I say no easy mode. I grew up playing games like kings quest and the first nintendo. I would get stuck for days on a kings quest/space quest/police quest puzzle and feel so good when I figured it out. Just like in dark souls, I never felt so happy to ring a bell in my life! Remeber when you had to learn how to get through a level and practice like mega man 1,2 etc. or when you wandered around in zelda 1 to figure out where to go? Didn't zelda 1 have a death counter? For the first time I felt accomplishment in a game this generation (dark souls). Games now days seem to hand everything to you on a platter (at least the ones I have played). I mean, skyward sword had a bouncy thing that gave you tips via video. This game isn't that hard, it just does not spoon feed you through with movie cut scences and hints galore. Don't mess with it. A little work, frustration, and brain power can be fun in a game.

Having an "Easy" mode, just means more people will get to explore and love the game, than be brutally frustrated after trying it on "Normal".