It's been a while, but here is a lovely little scan dump from the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, featuring three upcoming RPGs for Nintendo systems, including a first look at screens from Mistwalker's latest, The Last Story.
The Last Story Nintendo Wii Mistwalker, Nintendo 2010 (Japan)
Ninokuni Nintendo DS Level 5, Studio Ghibli Autumn 2010 (Japan)
Xenoblade Nintendo Wii Monolith, Nintendo June 10, 2010 (Japan)
Yeah, looks like its almost time to invest in a Japanese Wii.
Dark Cloud? Nah. Rogue Galaxy. Psh. Sony's new favourite proprietary JRPG is Shiro Kishi Monogatari (White Knight Chronicles). How do we know that? Because Sony just went on record to officially announce the game's sequel, before the first one hits international shores.
Titled Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Hikari to Yami no Kakusei (White Knight Chronicles: Awakening of Light and Darkness), the sequel will also be developed by Level 5, but no further details on the title have been revealed yet.
Since I haven't played the first one yet, I have a hard time getting excited for a sequel, but I think that Sony is trying to keep their positive momentum they have going right now. Can't really blame them for that.
More details on Shiro Kishi Monogatari 2 as they are revealed.
Seems like we're talking a lot about heavily delayed games this week (I'm sure Final Fantasy Versus XIII is bound to show up somewhere this week too :P). Be that as it may, Square Enix dropped off a lengthy video for Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito.
This isn't just some trailer, however. It's something closer to a moving instruction booklet. Actually, maybe an infomercial is a better comparison? Either way, in case you are dying to play this game so badly that your head might explode, the following 7+ minutes of explanatory gameplay should either soothe that ache, or drive you to insanity. I can't guarantee either.
With how many years this game has been pushing back release dates, I'm sure Square Enix is really scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to come up with stuff to put in trailers. And this is where we are. Instructions on how to play a game that doesn't have a release date. Incredible.
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito will be available for Nintendo DS sometime before 2057 (I think) in Japan. Though some claim that we'll see it this year, I don't want to give you any false hope.
E3, for all intents and purposes, starts Monday morning with Microsoft's press conference. But everyone's all excited this week, showing off new stuff, releasing info and trailers, the whole bit. Who are we to stop them?
So if you just can't wait until all the new stuff, here are a bunch of new trailers for a bunch of upcoming games. Hopefully all of this is just a shadow of things to come, as I certainly hope we don't spend next week just talking about these trailers...
Alpha Protocol PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Obsidian, Sega Q3 2009 (North America)
Dragon Age: Origins PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 BioWare, EA October 20, 2009 (North America)
Mass Effect 2 Xbox 360, PC BioWare, EA TBA
White Knight Chronicles PlayStation 3 Level 5, Sony TBA
None of the above are very long or show off much in terms of gameplay, and are clearly 100% focused on hype. That said, anyone have a favourite? :P
Square Enix has just dropped word that their newest entry into the enormous-in-Japan franchise, Dragon Quest IX, has indeed been delayed again. If you are surprised by this, I would like to be the one to inform you that the word "gullible" is not in the dictionary. I'm serious, go look it up.
Anyhow, originally slated for release next month in Japan, Square Enix has pushed the title back to summer 2009 citing quality control issues with the title.
Dragon Quest IX, the second joint DQ title between Square Enix and Level 5, was initially announced for release in 2007, but has since gone on to be delayed and delayed again. This latest delay has been a major factor in the RPG supergiant slashing its financial forecast for the year ending March 31, 2009 by a hefty 62.5%. Ouch.
This has to be the most delayed game in history. I'm terribly sorry if you were hoping to get your hands on it next month. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it will actually make its new August release date.
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito will be available on Nintendo DS (supposedly) on August 7, 2009 in Japan.
In another round of Not News, Level 5 President Akihiro Hino told GameTrailers that the company's latest cooperative project with Sony, Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishie no Kodou, will likely see North American shores.
Well, his actual quote is, "Yes, it should be (localized for North America), but the launch date has not been determined yet."
...
So, uh, Shiro Kishi Monogatari will eventually make it's way to North America. Thanks for clearing that up, Captain Obvious.
Sony (or any other company) has yet to formally announce plans to bring the PS3 title to any region besides Japan at the moment, but c'mon, I don't think anyone doubted that the game would get localized. Hino failed to mention the one detail that would actually make this newsworthy: when? It's a mystery...
Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishie no Kodou is already available on PlayStation 3 in Japan. We'll keep you posted when a real North American release date is announced.
Today's dragon + DS theme is brought to a conclusion with the latest trailer for Square Enix's upcoming Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito. The trailer features a lot of Dragon Questing just how it was meant to be: looking outdated.
Take a look.
Despite the awful graphics, the game looks like it might have an interesting story behind it. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito will be available on Nintedo DS on March 23, 2009 in Japan.
Level 5 and Sony's long-in-development Shiro Kishi Monogatari is just over a week away in Japan. Some of you might be importing it. If so, you might like to meet a few characters that you will be interacting with (that is, if you are playing the story mode, and not the weird-ass MMO mode).
Famitsu.com detailed them, and I have my own translations below:
Eldore An old warrior who gives guidance to Lenard and his friends, Eldore appears to have lived a life full of ups and downs, and is skilled not only in swordplay, but also in magic. Though he typically keeps to himself, he occassionally shows sharp discernment that belies a deep, inner strength. Both his background and his goal in his journey remain a mystery.
Sylance The commanding officer of the Barandole Royal Knights, Sylance was joined the knights when he was very young due to a certain incident. He is known to fly off the handle, losing sight of everything around him should the King or Queen be threatened in any way. He also harbors a deep hatred for the Principality of Forlia, an established enemy of the Queen.
Salbane The Prime Minister of Barandole, Salbane acts as the King's advisor regarding both internal politics as well as foreign affairs. His is very knowledgeable in ancient history and was a driving force in promoting the research of the Knight excavated 17 years earlier. He puts much of his efforts towards the revival of the country, and it is he who orders Lenard (as the one contracted with the Knight) to rescue Princess Shizuna.
As usual, note that my translations may differ from the official ones.
Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishe no Kodou will be available for PlayStation 3 on December 25, 2008 in Japan. There is currently no confirmation of a North American or European release.
Nintendo and Square Enix held a little press conference last night to talk about the biggest JRPG franchise in Japan: Dragon Quest.
While the series remains relatively niche abroad, Dragon Quest is more or less the definitive RPG for Japan. Probably 90% of the entire country has bought and played at least one Dragon Quest game, and I'd be very surprised to meet anyone under the age of 80 who hasn't heard of it. Scratch that. Make it 90.
So, Dragon Quest IX. It's been a while coming (understatement alert!), but Square Enix finally got around to throwing down a solid release date: March 28, 2009. As an interesting aside, you'll note if you look on a calendar that March 28, 2009 is a Saturday. Most - nay, nearly all - games come out on Thursdays in Japan. Dragon Quest is special. Why? Because if it was on a weekday, most of the country's workforce would skip the office that day to pick up their copy. I'm not even slightly joking.
However, the Dragon Quest fun doesn't stop there. During the event, series creator Yuuji Horii slipped up to proclaim the following:
"...Well, it might be time to start polishing up the concept for the next new thing. Since this one (referring to DQIX) was on a portable, the next one on something like the Wii would be nice... Wait, am I allowed to say that?"
Horii continued that the now enigmatic Dragon Quest X is indeed in development, but said that any further details are "a secret."
While not a 100% 'DQX on Wii' confirmation, its about as close as you can get.
(Quotes taken from the Famitsu report and translated from the original Japanese by yours truly.)
So that's a bit of megaton - for Japan at least. What are your thoughts on the matter?
UPDATE: Here, have a trailer for Dragon Quest IX. You may think you've seen this one before, but it's totally different because it has the new release date written at the end. Like I said: Totally different.
Whoa, that's some great alliteration going on there in the title. That wasn't even on purpose, man!
Anyways, via the latest issue of Jump, Square Enix has shown off a few saucy new characters for the upcoming (in Japan) Dragon Quest IX, along with some details on a few different classes that will be available for your character.
The lovely ladies presented in this scan (Roxanne, Rikka, and Ruida) are important supporting characters. In particular, Ruida (the girl in the red corset) is the owner of a bar, and will be integral in introducing you to other characters who can join up with you. (Roxanne and Rikka's roles are still a little ambiguous).
The classes revealed are (from left to right, top to bottom) mage, fighter, bandit (or theif, whichever you prefer), martial artist, and monk.
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito will be available for Nintendo DS in Japan next March. No word on a North American or European release at this time.
I have to be honest, I'm worried about Level 5's Shiro Kishi Monogatari. I really liked Level 5's PS2 RPGs, and though Shiro Kishi has abandoned the cell-shaded anime look in favor of something... weirder, I still figured that the gameplay would pull this title through.
But then TGS came along and all these details on MMO-like functionality. Now, even trailers and commercials for the game present it as two different things. On the one hand, a traditional looking linear action-RPG, and on the other, a kind of psuedo MMO.
Below are two trailers. One epic, one... awkward (and super long).
Story Trailer
Online Trailer
Seriously, if I wanted to play an MMO, I'd play an MMO. I really don't need a game that attempts both. Gah! I'm having terrible Phantasy Star Universe flashbacks! x_X
Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishie no Kodou will be available on PlayStation 3 in Japan on December 25, 2008. Still no word on a North American or European release.
I know, you love to start your week off with a little bit of Japanese TV. But not too much. Maybe just a few seconds, y'know, to get things flowing. Don't worry, we've got you covered with 3 different Japanese RPG commercials, each a quick 15 seconds long.
What's that, you say? You're a hopeless fanboy and you won't even watch commercials for games on other consoles? No need to worry, as there is a commercial for each of the current consoles. Just skip those other commercials for those consoles that you hate, and pretend that we're catering only to you!
The Last Remnant (Xbox 360)
Rune Factory Frontier (Nintendo Wii)
Shiro Kishi Monogatari (PlayStation 3)
Sure, none of these commercials are particularly newsworthy, but that's why we're a blog! ;)
As you are likely already aware, Level 5 and Sony's upcoming (in Japan anyway) Shiro Kishi Monogatari will feature a character creation feature, which will allow you to make a character that looks more or less just how you would like to go adventuring with.
The latest issue of Famitsu shows off characters from the game that have absolutely nothing to do with that character creation feature.
The article also covers a few of the monsters you'll be facing off against, as well as some details regarding item creation and accessories that change how your characters look (similar to Lost Odyssey and Tales of Vesperia).
Check out the scans below:
Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishie no Kodou (White Knight Story: Pulse of Antiquity) will be available on PlayStation 3 in Japan on December 25, 2008. There is currently no word on a North American or European release.
Scans open for translation request in the comments.
Maybe you watched the elusive leaked shaky cam trailer of the upcoming Dragon Quest IX and wondered if there was more to life than just shaky cam. Well, there is.
I don't know how this trailer came to fruition, as last I heard, this trailer is supposed to be for event attendees only. Either way though, someone has somehow posted a pretty-decent-quality version of the aforementioned DQIX trailer. I don't know if it's officially up, but being a lowly blogger, I don't really care.
Watch away and flip off The Man while you're at it.
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito will be released on Nintendo DS in Japan sometime next March. There is currently no word on a North American or European release.
Also, I can't read Chinese. So I really can't tell you what is written in this scan. I'm sorry.
However, the scan clearly shows off the Black Knight (who I think is pretty safe to assume is the antagonist of the game), as well as several in-game shots.
White Knight Story is set to release this Christmas in Japan on PlayStation 3. There is currently no word on North American or European release.
I will take translation requests if I can find (or if someone can tell me where to find) some Japanese scans.
Here is a scan for Dragon Quest IX from the latest issue of Shounen Jump.
Honestly, the Jump scans are always a little underwhelming for me. They mostly just do pictures with almost no content, and I'm afraid that this scan is no exception.
There is a little bit of information about character creation, party formation, and the battle system, so I will accept translation requests below in the comments.
Dragon Quest IX is expected to release in Japan sometime next March for Nintendo DS. There is currently no word on when it will be available in North America or Europe.
So I assume you've seen the Ninokuni trailer? Well, Level 5 wants to remind you that they are also working on 2 PSP RPGs, and they have brand new trailers to prove it.
First up, the decidedly creepy Ushiro.
Despite the extremely dirty ghost-stalker feeling I get from this trailer, the game actually looks kind of interesting. I don't know how well it would go over in North America, so unless someone subtle picks it up, I wouldn't count on it coming over here...
Next, Danboru Senki (Cardboard Tactics).
This one looks far inferior to Ushiro, in my opinion, but is clearly going after the Pokemon-esque collection/battle fanatics in Japan, while simultaneously tapping into the Gundam-esque hobby model enthusiast demographic. Likely a recipe for success in the land of the rising sun, I'm not sure it would be as enthusiastically received over here.
Both games are slated for release on PSP sometime in 2009.
With the press-only days of TGS now but a distant memory, the time has come to turn our eyes towards the prediction list to try and sort out which are right and which are total bullocks.
Which brings us to Sony and Level 5's Shiro Kishi Monogatari (White Knight Story). Though Sony had a special gameplay conference where they let some old guy play it in front of everyone and talked about how awesome it is, no one (and I mean no one) else gets to play it. Also, no mention of a release date outside of Japan.
I guess that prediction is a big fat failure.
Also, why in hell is Demon's Souls playable when the demo looks half-finished, but Shiro Kishi Monogatari, a game only 2 months from release, isn't? Sony reps were "no comment" on the lack of White Knight playability.
Look at this! A Ninokuni: The Another World trailer! Watch it below!
My impressions of the game have gotten much more favorable after watching this trailer. I was all, "Wow, that's pretty impressive! Are those really DS graphics?" (Be careful, I'm sure they're not nearly as cool once they are a miniature handheld screen, but let me have my moment.)
This trailer also confirms (if you watch it all the way to the end) that the game will indeed be on something besides the DS. But just what that something is, we have no idea. I'm willing to bet it's whatever system the Inazuma Eleven remake is for. Commence breath-holding if you like.
Some new multiplayer and online details about Sony and Level 5's upcoming Shiro Kishi Monogatari (White Knight Story) have surfaced via the latest issue of Famitsu.
The story mode is reportedly over 100 hours long (holy crap!), and can be played with friends. Up to 16 friends, in fact, can gather in one game. These characters are reportedly to be the customizable characters, as opposed to the game's actual story characters.
It is also being reported that up to four people can join up online and go questing. This system will also let you swap items. There is currently no word on exactly what kind of effect this has on the game's story (if any).
White Knight Story is set to release this Christmas in Japan, with no release date confirmed for North America or Europe.
Check out the impossible to read scan below. (Thanks Gamekyo)
Dark Cloud? Nah. Rogue Galaxy. Psh. Sony's new favourite proprietary JRPG is Shiro Kishi Monogatari (White Knight Chronicles). How do we know that? Because Sony just went on record to officially announce the game's sequel, before the first one hits international shores.
Square Enix has just dropped word that their newest entry into the enormous-in-Japan franchise, Dragon Quest IX, has indeed been delayed again. If you are surprised by this, I would like to be the one to inform you that the word "gullible" is not in the dictionary. I'm serious, go look it up.
In another round of Not News, Level 5 President Akihiro Hino told GameTrailers that the company's latest cooperative project with Sony, Shiro Kishi Monogatari: Inishie no Kodou, will likely see North American shores.
Eldore
Sylance
Salbane
Nintendo and Square Enix held a little press conference last night to talk about the biggest JRPG franchise in Japan: Dragon Quest.
Here is a scan for Dragon Quest IX from the latest issue of Shounen Jump.
With the press-only days of TGS now but a distant memory, the time has come to turn our eyes towards the prediction list to try and sort out which are right and which are total bullocks.
