Ar Tonelico II Trailer Now with 100% More English

NIS America has just released an official English trailer for the upcoming Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica, which, thanks to the modern conveniences of streaming video, is watchable below.

(As a small warning, the trailer features some mild sexual themes that the more prudish may find offensive. In other words, don't watch it while your boss is looking over your shoulder.)



Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica will be available on PlayStation 2 in North America on January 20, 2009.

NIS Makes Ar Tonelico II Release Date Official

Remember this banner? Well it looks like it was right on the money, and NIS America has come out and made the January 20, 2009 release date for Ar Tonelico II official.

Pre-orders from RosenQueen will net you the game's premium package which comes with a limited print box, an artbook from the character designer, Nagi, and a select soundtrack by Gust's sound team (Ken Nakagawa, Daisuke Achiwa, and Akira Tsuchiya) and Akiko Shikata.

It should also be noted that this puts AT2's release on the same day as the PSP port of Mana Khemia. Good news if you want to buy 2 games at once, but perhaps a head-scratcher if you like to spread out your purchases.

Ah, I wish it was January 20th today. :(

Ar Tonelico II Release Date?

While checking out a site I regularly visit, I saw something that I don't normally see - a banner ad for Ar Tonelico II (posted above). Cool sauce.

However, what makes this ad sighting newsworthy is that it lists a date: January 20, 2009. Sound like a good date to you? Hey, at this point, if NIS is putting dates on banner ads, that's good enough for me.

Since NIS has yet to release an "official" statement regarding Ar Tonelico II's release, good journalism requires that I label this story as a rumor. But it's a pretty damn convincing rumor.

Ar Tonelico II Pushed Back to 2009

What is this, release delay day?

NIS America has unfortunately pushed the release of their highly anticipated Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica back to January 2009. Originally slated for mid December 2008, this is unfortunate news for those looking forward to return to the world of Ar Tonelico this Christmas.

With all of the games coming out in October/November/December, my wallet certainly doesn't mind the extension, but my order for this game was made together with Persona 4 from RosenQueen, meaning I won't get either game until January.

Guess I'm off to try and cancel P4 from RosenQueen and pick it up from Amazon...

We'll let you know when a final release has been solidified.

NIS America gives you Ar Tonelico II for Christmas

So, you thought Square Enix giving you Chrono Trigger for your DS, and Atlus giving you Persona 4 for your PS2 were pretty good Christmas presents, right? Well, NIS America is getting in on the festivities and offering JRPG fans yet another game for their holiday playtime: Ar Tonelico II.

Yes, the game hinted at by RPGFan, and heavily rumored by RPGLand has indeed come to fruition. This announcement has been a while coming, and I know that a lot of Gust fans (myself included) have started to get worried that it wouldn't happen.

But via OPM this month, At Tonelico II has been confirmed for North American release this December, courtesy of NIS America. There is currently no press release from NIS, but we expect to see one by the end of the week.

Having loved the first Ar Tonelico to death, I'm very excited get my hands on the sequel. I don't know, there's just something I find very charming about Gust's titles, and Ar Tonelico definitely takes the good things that Gust has done with the Atelier series and applied it in a way that is both familiar and completely new at the same time.

So, anyone else as stoked for this game as I am?

NIS has a Secret...

RPGamer's Run to the Sun feature has always seemed to me like the biggest waste of one of the best ideas ever. In theory, hitting up all of the major RPG publishers in the bay area with questions and comments from real news-hungry RPG lovers personally seems like it would be the kind of exclusive that almost ANY publication would love to get their hands on. In practice, however, the outcome is decidedly boring. Few, if any company's PR staff are allowed to tell more than what they are already telling the press, and even when the RPGamer staff do get exclusive looks at upcoming and unannounced games, they are often asked not to talk about them until the formal press release.

That being said (and it is completely my own opinion), every now and then some really juicy tidbits squeeze through.

In their visit with NIS America, RPGamer was told not only about the upcoming Disgaea 3 and Disgaea DS (which really aren't news), but were given a confirmation of the DS Rhapsody port for North America, hints about the company's work with Gust titles Ar Tonelico II and Mana Khemia 2, and the date of a new announcement from NIS on June 6 (this Friday)!

Yes, in the above run-on sentance, one game was announced, two hinted, and a teaser... um, teased.

You can read the whole interview here.

Personally, I'm thinking that announcement is Ar Tonelico II, but I've been wrong about these things before. What do you think?