Trailer Catch-Up Round 289

There are six new trailers below. You should watch them if you like watching RPG trailers.

Divinity II: Ego Draconis
PC, Xbox 360
Larian Studios, dtp Entertainment
TBA 2009 (North America & Europe)





Magna Carta II
Xbox 360
Softmax, Banpresto (Namco Bandai)
August 6, 2009 (Japan), Fall 2009 (North America)





Ragnarok Online DS
Nintendo DS
GungHo, XSEED
Winter 2009 (North America)



Ys 7
PSP
Falcom
September 17, 2009 (Japan)

Ys 7, I & II Chronicles Confirmed as PSP Titles

So Falcom sort of announced Ys 7 and Ys I & II Chronicles a little while ago. They didn't mention a specific platform for either title, but based on the company's previous work, I assumed that they would be PC titles.

However, it appears to be not so, as Falcom just announced today that both titles are actually slated for release on PSP this year.

Ys I & II Chronicles has been confirmed to be an enhanced port of Ys I-II Kanzenban (Perfect Edition) that was released for PC back in 2001. The PSP port will feature updated graphics and remixed music among other updates. It is scheduled for release this July in Japan.

Ys 7 (alternately spelled Ys Seven) is the latest entry into the series' main installations, and is a direct sequel to the 2003 PC game Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim (which was ported to PlayStation 2 in 2005 and PSP in 2006 by Konami). It is slated for a September release in Japan.

This is somewhat surprising to me. Ys I & II Chronicles isn't really shocking as its a remake of a remake of a remake, and such games often find their way to handhelds (Falcom's own Brandish remake is a prime example of this). However, Ys 7 skipping the PC to head straight to PSP is a first for the company.

I know the Ys series doesn't have much presence in the West, but are there any Falcom fans out there a little surprised (or happy or furious or whatever) by this news?

Falcom (Sort of) Announces Ys 7, Ys I&II Chronicles

This last Saturday, PC action-RPG developer Falcom held a little party in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan called "Ys Falcom Fair." There was merch, live music, and Falcom fans. But perhaps more interesting to you was the sort-of-announcement of two new titles in Falcom's flagship RPG series, Ys.

The announced titles were Ys I&II Chronicles (which seems to be yet another port/remake of the games that put the developer on the map), and Ys 7, which is thought to be the latest entry into the series.

These announcements are very vague, and we know almost nothing besides the titles, as the games are only mentioned on flyers that party-goers were able to receive. However, we do know that Ys I&II Chronicles is slated for release this summer, and Ys 7 for sometime this fall.

No other real information was provided, and we aren't even completely sure of the plaforms for these games. That being said, considering this is Falcom we're talking about, I'd say there's is a 99% chance that they are all PC games.

Brandish Gets a Long, Explanatory Trailer

If you wanted to know just how everything is going to go down in Falcom's upcoming PSP remake, Brandish: The Dark Remnant, you can simply watch this trailer. It's a little on the long side, but gives you the entire run-down on the game.

Take a look below.



Certainly if you are a fan of dungeons, and crawling of said dungeons, Brandish is a title to keep an eye on. If not, well, you're probably not reading this sentence anyway.

Brandish: The Dark Remnant will be available for PSP on March 19, 2009 in Japan.

Ys I + II Delayed, Bonus Soundtrack Now Included

Atlus just dropped word last night that their upcoming DS title Legacy of Ys: Books I + II will be delayed by two weeks.

The game will still make a February release, but has been put off for two weeks in order to polish the title up a little more, according to Atlus. To make up for the delay, however, Atlus has announced that every launch copy of the game will now be packaged in a limited boxset and feature the bonus soundtrack, which was originally intended as a pre-order only item.

Originally intended for launch on February 10, 2009, Legacy of Ys: Books I + II will now be available on Nintendo DS on February 24, 2009 in North America.

Brandish Trailer for your Friday

Slow news week is slow. But hey, for all those who saw the Brandish PSP remake announcement and thought, "damn, I wish there was a trailer for that," you just got your wish.

Check it out through the magic of the internet below:



Brandish: The Dark Remnant will be available for PSP in Japan on March 19, 2009.

Brandish Remake Headed to PSP

The hardest of the hardcore among you may remember a SNES RPG called Brandish released in North America back in 1995 courtesy of Koei. To be honest, even though I knew my fair share of obscure RPGs even back then (7th Saga, Paladin's Quest, or Lagoon ring bells to anyone?), this is one that I had never heard of until today.

Originally developed for the PC-9801 waaay back in the day by Falcom, the SNES remake is apparently the most well-known, seeing release outside of Japan in North America, and receiving 3 more sequels in Japan.

Well, you know Falcom. They just can't let anything die, and Brandish is no exception, as Falcom has announced via Dengeki that the game is going to be completely remade using 3D on the PSP, and will see Japanese release early next year (run-on sentence alert!).

Brandish will be available on PSP in Japan on March 19, 2009. No word on a North American release at the moment.

Here are some screens:



All this PSP talk sort of makes you wish publishers gave a damn about it over in North America, huh? Actually, no, I take that back. I don't want to have to buy any more handhelds. Ever.

Zwei!! gets a PSP Release Date, Trailer

The PSP port of Falcom's PC action-RPG has finally received an official release date, December 11, 2008, just a few months after its sequel has already hit the PC.

As with the majority of Falcom's titles, Zwei!! is an action-RPG very reminiscent of a simpler time of RPGs, utilizing super deformed character design, and simple game mechanics. It follows the story of a young genius mage named Pipilo and her friend Pokkle, who dreams of following in the footsteps of the legendary holy knight.

The PC version has been available since 2001, but also received a PS2 port in 2004 courtesy of Taito. The upcoming PSP port will apparently be published by Falcom themselves. For those who can remember that far back, Zwei II was released on PC last month in Japan.

In order to let you know that this game is still cool, Falcom has released a new trailer for the upcoming port, which you can watch below courtest of Gamekyo.



Zwei!! will be available on PSP on December 11, 2008, with no word of a North American or European release.

Atlus Bringing Ys I + II to North America? UPDATE

According to a GameStop/EBGames listing, Atlus will be localizing Falcom's DS Ys remakes and combining them into one game, titled (according to the listing) Legacy of Ys: Books I & II.

For those out of the Ys loop, these action-RPGs have been Nihon Falcom's flagship series since 1987, traditionally developed for personal computers, but eventually finding their way to consoles. Ys I and II were remade (for like the 20th time) for the Nintendo DS by Interchannel-Holon (it is unclear how much input Falcom had on the projects other than licensing) earlier this year in Japan.

Since GameStop is the only source listing this release at the moment, and with no current official word from Atlus themselves, we need to lable this one as a rumor. We will keep you updated.

UPDATE: Wow, that was quick. Atlus has officially announced the title in question and set it for release on February 10, 2009. Both games (Ys and Ys II) will be available on a single cart, as opposed to the Japanese collector's bundle which featured a box that contained the two separately. You can check out their official site for the games (which includes a teaser trailer) here.