Dante’s Inferno: The Game: The Book

Not sure whether this makes me happy, sad or violently ill, but Electronic Arts and Del Rey Books plan to release a re-skinned version of Dante’s Inferno, the classic literary work, coinciding with the video game of the same name. It’s part one of The Divine Comedy, just as you remember it, but with a bad-ass version of Dante on the cover, wielding a huge scythe. Indeed, there’s something odd about seeing that imagery juxtaposed against “Translated By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.” I wonder if he’d approve.

In any case, the book includes a 16-page color insert showcasing the transition of the book’s imagery into video game art, and an introduction from the game’s executive producer, Jonathan Knight, who talks about, erm, “adapting” the book’s journey through Hell into a hack-and-slash video game. “The game is a celebration of Dante, and we hope gamers will be encouraged to go beyond the game and explore the classic text that has inspired us so deeply,” Knight said in a statement. Dante’s Inferno, the game, will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PSP on February 9. The paperback is due out on January 19, and there’s always the library if you can’t wait that long. [via Destructoid]