Meet Some Friendly Faces from The Last Story

The latest issue of Jump has revealed three new friendly characters from Mistwalker and Nintendo's upcoming action-RPG, The Last Story. Since I'm very excited to play The Last Story, I have taken the liberty of translating their (very short) character descriptions.

Quark
Leader of the mercenary band, Quark met Elza at a young age, and works with him as an older brother figure.

Saylen
The mood-maker of the mercenary band, Saylen has a foul mouth, but also possesses a kind and considerate side towards her companions.

Yuris
Though the youngest mercenary in the group, Yuris is a solitary young mage possessing outstanding battle abilities.

Besides Yuris, I think the characters designs for The Last Story are quite cool-looking, and the screens continue to be impressive for a Wii title. Definitely looking forward to this one.

The Last Story will be available for Nintendo Wii sometime this year in Japan.

Namco Bandai Announces 3 Tales of Titles

Namco Bandai is finally showing the PlayStation brand some love with the next three Tales of titles announced for Sony's machines.

The first announced title - and the one with the most information - is an enhanced PS3 port of the previously Wii-exclusive Tales of Graces. Planned for release late this year, the newly dubbed Tales of Graces F will follow the story of the young noble Asbel Lant as he tries to become strong enough to protect those close to him.

So far, we know the updated port will feature a graphical enhancement, new additional Mystic Artes, and the game's heroine, Sophie, will be gettting an updated character design. I expect there will be more additions revealed in the coming months.

Tales of Graces F will be available for PlayStation 3 in Japan sometime this Winter.

The second confirmed title is Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 for PSP, which apparently will feature over 80 Tales of cameo characters. Woo.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 will be available for PSP sometime next year in Japan.

Finally, the megaton announcement was that the next mothership Tales of title will be debuting on the PlayStation 3.

There is no further info on this title - not even a name yet - but if the single image released by Jump (top of the article) is any indicator, the title looks to have a more mature feel about it than previous entries in the series.

Overall, I am sort of dumbfounded by these announcements. After all the resentment from the last timed exclusive Tales of title, I had thought Namco would have learned its lesson, but apparently not. Initial adopters of Tales of Graces will not be pleased.

As for the unnamed PS3 Tales of game, I imagine it will eventually find its way to other consoles. I mean, ToG just got the same shaft ToV did. This looks to be a continuing trend.

And I can add another reason to why I hate this console generation. Thanks, Namdai.

[Gamekyo]
[Andria Sang]

The Last Story's Heroes Get Names

While Monolith's Xenoblade has been getting a torrent of media attention, Nintendo's other Wii RPG project (and arguably way more intriguing game), The Last Story, has been only dripping small droplets of information here and there.

Finally, however, thanks to a scan from a recent issue of V Jump, The Last Story's hero and heroine have been named, along with some incredibly brief character descriptions, translated for your convenience below:

Elza
A mercenary that has come to Ruli Island, Elza longs to become a knight of position and influence.

Kanan
The heroine of the story, clad in a white dress, a certain sense of nobility drifts from her.

Yeah, pretty short. But there you go.

The Last Story will be available for Nintendo Wii sometime this year in Japan.

Nintendo-Flavoured Scan Dump

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.

[All Games Beta]

Namco Bandai Announces Solarobo

What is this I don't even

CyberConnect2, the developers behind the quirky .hack series have again teamed up with Namco Bandai for a new DS action-RPG called Solarobo: Sorekara CODA e (And from There Towards CODA), which appears to be a game about furries vs. robots.

I'm going to just stop there and put $5 on the table that says this won't see a North American release. Call it a hunch.

The game follows a 17 year old dog boy named Red Savarin, who lives with his young sister and gets by as a Hunter. His adventure apparently begins when he enounters a robot named DAHAK-AZ103.

Okay, I'll give you that dog people living on floating islands with robots is certainly more original than some JRPGs lately, but I just can't imagine who thinks this sounded like a good idea. No wonder I've been having a hard time wanting to write about RPGs lately.



Solarobo is due for Nintendo DS in Japan sometime this year.

Xenoblade First Look

Famitsu has recently pulled back the curtain on Monolith and Nintendo's upcoming Wii RPG, Xenoblade to give us a taste of what's to come. The taste is not a big taste, but it is enough to possibly wet your appetite.

The article focuses on an interview with one of Monolith's bigwigs, Tetsuya Takahashi, who answers questions and expands on the game's world, its gameplay, and content. The article is unfortunately too blurry to make a full translation viable, but it is notable that the game will apparently use a real-time battle system. Expect more coverage as information becomes available.

UPDATE: Nice scans GET! Translation requests now accepted.





Xenoblade will be available for Nintendo Wii sometime this Spring in Japan.

[Gamekyo]
[Wiiz]
[Puissance-Nintendo]

Ninety-Nine Nights II Scan has Playable Characters in it

It's been a while since I've posted some scans (mostly because I haven't been able to find them online much anymore), but I recently ran across some N3II scans, so here they are!

The scans cover several gameplay points, including character specific abilities and learnable skills, as well as different types of soldiers that can be added to your army. However, the main topic of interest in the scans is the characters.

Three of the game's main characters are shown, one of which is confirmed to be playable: Zaji the dark elf, who fights alongside the game's hero, Glen, and is also the elven queen Sephia's cousin. Additionally, Lyn, the little girl from the TGS trailer has been revealed to be a survivor from the destroyed village of Tramont, saved by Glen and Zaji. Finally, apparently one of the game's antagonists, Galdo is a grand sorcerer who has shown great talent in leading troops, and fights on the side of the Army of Night.



Ninety-Nine Nights II still has yet to receive a solid release date, but is still planned for a 'Spring 2010' release in Japan and North America for Xbox 360.

Square Enix Formally Announces Estopolis

Teased last week, Square Enix, via the recent issue of Weekly Famitsu, has broken word on the revival of the Estopolis/Lufia series. Currently titled The Land Cursed by the Gods: Estopolis, the game is being handled by developer Neverland, who are most recently notable for their Rune Factory titles for Marvelous.

As previously feared, the game is indeed a DS remake utilizing God-awful DS 3D, though it is a remake of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, rather than the original Lufia. Despite being a remake, however, Estopolis is receiving a fairly extreme make-over, making the jump from traditional turn-based battles to action-based role-playing. Additionally, the character designs have all been revamped. For instance, the slicked-back hair and traditional armour of the game's lead, Maxim, has been ditched for a modern spikey mop and a leather jacket. Changes in the other characters are similarly notable.

Besides the character and battle system changes, it seems that the gameplay will also be changing to involve more action-oriented puzzles and interactive dungeons.

The basic plot appears to remain the same at this point, with Maxim and his friends eventually standing up to face the threat of the Sinistrals. However, how close Neverland will stick to the original's script is difficult to determine at the moment.

Finally, Estopolis will also feature some 3D cell-shaded FMVs, which look extremely nice, and make the terrible DS graphics all the more noticeable. It's too bad the developers chose not to use a console and make all the graphics look like that.




While I suppose its nice to see the Lufia series return after all this time, I am never pleased about handheld titles taking preference over consoles.

What about you? Are you excited to see Lufia II remade as a modern action-RPG on the DS? Were you expecting/hoping for something else?

Estopolis will be available for Nintendo DS on February 25, 2010 in Japan.

Namco Bandai Announces Ar Tonelico III

The economy may be down, but Gust is keeping themselves busy as ever. The little RPG developer has come forward with news that they will again be teaming up with Namco Bandai to create the third entry into the dating sim-meets-JRPG series, Ar Tonelico.

Ar Tonelico III brings the Reyvateils and the end of the world stuff into the 3D realm on the PlayStation 3, running on what looks like the same engine as Atelier Rorona (Gust's entry into true 3D graphics).

The scan that has sufaced is too taxing to read all the way through, so I'll hold off on a full translation until something clearer shows up. However, I can tell you that the hero's name is Aoto. Surely he will end up involved in some world-threatening plot that somehow involves Reyvateils, but this remains speculation until I read everything fully. ;)

As usual, the hero will be accompanied by two main Reyvateil heroines. This time around the Asian-looking heroine is Finnel, while the blonde is named Saki (sort of opposite naming conventions, apparently). Though not yet confirmed, it is likely that neither of these girls is of legal age.

One interesting difference in this title (picked up from skimming a few sections), is that it seems that the girls may have multiple personalities, which actually change their appearance.

The game is currently announced for PlayStation 3, but given Namco Bandai's frustrating tendancy to re-release their RPGs on the other console with new content, a 360 port is not unthinkable.

Ar Tonelico III will be available on PlayStation 3 on January 28, 2010 in Japan.

Enterbrain Announces RPG Tsukuru DS

If you love making your own 2D RPGs, then you have no doubt heard of (if not owned) RPG Tsukuru (called RPG Maker here in North America). There have been dozens of iterations of these basic (but surprisingly versatile) RPG engines, and even one that allows you to make games for Xbox Live!

That's all well and good, you say, but what about making RPGs on the go? Sometimes I just want to make an epic tale of good vs. evil during my daily commute. What then? you demand. Well Enterbrain has heard your cries, and has answered with RPG Tsukuru DS.

As its name implies, RMDS is for the Nintendo DS, and will be completely portable with touch screen functionality. Hawt.

Currently, it is unknown if RMDS will have any connectivity with the PC to share or distribute games, but for some, joy is found in the development, and not necessarily in the distribution.

RPG Tsukuru DS is tentatively planned for a Japanese release of January 28, 2010 on Nintendo DS.

Atlus Announces Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

As many of you already know, Famitsu has indeed cut the waiting game short on Atlus' recent teaser site, revealing Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for Nintendo DS.

Strange Journey sees a formal return to the main Shin Megami Tensei series, and returns series veteran Kazuma Kaneko to a central role in the game's development.

Strange Journey takes place on Earth around the time when the human population on the planet has exceed 7 billion. A mysterious dark matter appears on the planet's South Pole. A subspace that continues to expand, reducing all it contacts to their basic particles, this phenomenon has been labeled the Schwartzverse by the United Nations.

In hopes of ultimately stopping the expanding Schwartzverse, the UN creates the Schwartzverse Research Squad, which is to obtain as much data on the phenomenon as possible, and ultimately find a way to eliminate it.

SMT: Strange Journey returns the series' 3D dungeons and demon conversation. Series staple demon fusion will also be returning.



Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey will be available for Nintendo DS on October 8, 2009 in Japan.

This is sort of a bittersweet announcement. On one hand, I'm glad that Atlus has returned to the main series, and the game certainly looks interesting, but on the other hand, I'm disappointed that the game will be another handheld title. 7th gen has brought a lot of disappointment in that regard, and this announcement just proves the console gamers are in for a lot more heartache.

Scans open for translation requests.

Atlus Announces Hexyz Force

The second game coming from the new Sting/Atlus merger is an original IP called Hexys Force. A turn-based anime-style RPG, Hexyz Force doesn't appear break any new ground in the RPG genre, but does look attractive. I'll keep my fingers crossed for at least a good story.

Anyways, the scans are rather difficult to see clearly, so I don't have any real details for the game (besides what I told you above). I like the artist that is in charge of the character designs (you may remember him from recent DS Summon Night games), so I have to say that the game is at least visually appealing.

Hexys Force will be available in Japan on November 12, 2009 on PSP.