Lots of Last Story Details

As per request, here is my translation of the recently updated The Last Story official Japanese website.

Characters

Elza
After having lost all living relatives when he was young, Elza became a wandering mercenary, continually fighting wherever he goes. However, he grows tired of constant fighting just to survive, and dreams of one day becoming a knight. During his first assignment after arriving at Ruli Island, he encounters a strange phenomenon.


Kanan
The heroine of this story. (that is literally all it says)

Quark
The leader of the band of mercenaries Elza belongs to, not only has Quark’s skill on the battlefield helped earn his companions’ devoted trust, but also his skillful single-handed negotiations with various employers.
Quark met Elza at a young age, and has been with him ever since as an older brother figure.

Seiren
A female warrior who fights with a double sword style, Seiren is the ‘mood-maker’ of the mercenary band Elza belongs to. Though a hearty heavy-drinker with a foul mouth, she also shows a side of deep caring for her companions.
Seiren is a commander who enjoys battle, and stands firm to take the brunt of it without looking back at the dangers.
NOTE: According to official battle screens, her name is Romanized as ‘Seiren’ rather than the previously interpreted ‘Saylen.’ Too bad, I think ‘Saylen’ is a more feminine Romanization. :(


Yuris
A mage with a perfect command of fire, Yuris may be the youngest member of the mercenary band, but he is highly competent.
A man of few words, and rather unsociable, Yuris put himself into the mercenary business as simply a way to survive.
Yuris is a young man without a single relative; his father disappeared when he was very young, and his mother passed away shortly thereafter.

NOTE: According to official screens, the other two playable characters are named Manamia (the girl with the short dark hair) and Jackal (the larger blonde man).

World of The Last Story

The Setting: Ruli Island
The Last Story takes place on a peninsula known as Ruli Island. Located in the middle of the continent’s only inlet, Ruli Island prospers due to its abundant resources and strong economy, despite the empire proper being undermined by constant turmoil and devastation.

The Bustling Ruli City
Ruli City, located in the heart of Ruli Island, becomes a base of operations for Elza and his friends. In addition to main streets and plazas, the city is characterized by a huge complicated maze of small backstreets.

The Mercenaries who have come to Ruli Island
The mercenaries, among which is Elza, the story’s protagonist, arrive at the thriving Ruli Island, leaving the desolate empire behind them, in search of new work.

The Mercenaries who dream of Knighthood
The mercenary band Elza belongs to accepts various job requests from employers, such as monster suppression. Since mercenaries mainly receive jobs of a violent nature, people tend to keep their distance from them. On the other hand, the knights who serve the Empire have a high rank in society, lead stable lives, and are respected by the people. Elza and his friends, while working as mercenaries, dream of succeeding to knighthood someday.

The Mysterious Power that Dwells within Elza
During the mercenary group’s excursion to some caverns on their first assignment after arriving at Ruli Island, an incident occurs that leaves Elza with a mysterious power.
What could this power truly be? And what fate awaits Elza and his companions?

Control the State of Battle with ‘Gathering’
As a result of the incident in the caverns, Elza gains the ability to use a special power called ‘Gathering.’ Gathering allows Elza to forcefully change his enemies’ focus, creating advantageous situations for his companions.
Upon using Gathering, Elza’s right hand emits a blue light.

Pointer
During battles in The Last Story, special ‘lines’ can be seen between allies and enemies. These lines show who the enemies are targeting, and are known as ‘Pointers.’ Being able to tell who is being targeted from where can allow you to progress battles in advantageous ways.

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

[The Last Story Official Website]

The Last Story Official Site Opens, Tons of Info Revealed

Nintendo and Mistwalker have ripped down the 'please be patient' curtain off the official website for their upcoming action-RPG collaboration, The Last Story.

The updated website features new screens, game and story details, as well as juicier descriptions for the playable characters revealed so far (Elza, Kanan, Quark, Saylen, and Yuris).

There is a ton of content there for any interested.

My previous Last Story translation apparently rubbed some people the wrong way, so I hesitate to jump right into translating all of it right away. (It is a lot of work, and I'm not interested in just being trolled over it.) Since I am looking forward to the game, however, I would be happy to translate it if there is interest. Otherwise, I have been told that Google can provide you with the exact same translation. (I couldn't confirm this, but the friendly troll was quite adamant.) ;)

Either way, The Last Story is definitely looking cool, and provides a strong argument for me finally picking up a Wii this year.

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

[The Last Story Official Site]

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.

The Last Story might be Sakaguchi's last story

After a 3 month long development stint in Japan, Final Fantasy creator and Mistwalker boss Hironobu Sakaguchi has returned to his home in Hawaii for a brief week for personal reasons.

In his Mistwalker blog, Sakaguchi comments on his team's commitment to The Last Story, stating that they are all pouring 120% into the project, which he says may be his last.

From his blog (translated by yours truly for your English reading pleasure):
"While I'm completely pouring everything I have into this one title, the feeling that this might be my last game is strong. So I am working towards the project's completion so that I have no regrets, but more than that, while having fun."

While it saddens me to think The Last Story may be Sakaguchi's last game, it is shaping up to be a great-looking title, and I think most would agree that Sakaguchi has more than made his mark upon the game industry.

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

[Mistwalker]

The Last Story gets its First Trailer

Mistwalker and Nintendo's second joint project, The Last Story, is currently in development for release this year on the Wii. Up until now, the project has been kept under fairly tight wraps, with mostly only concept art and design elements revealed by the developer in a series of blog posts, and the odd Famitsu article dropping a handful of screens and gameplay details.

This morning, though, Nintendo released a full-fledged trailer to the masses, showing off the cast, demonstrating the action-RPGing elements, and even dropping some story elements into the mix.



Being a Wii title, the visuals are predictably sub-par compared with even Mistwalker's previous console offering (Lost Odyssey), but it looks like they've done a lot with the tech they have, and the battle system is certainly Mistwalker's most ambitious project to date.

While this trailer didn't exactly grab me in the way I hoped it would, the title seems like a solid entry into the 7th generation JRPG library, and definitely a game to keep on the radar.

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

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]

Take Your First Look at The Last Story's Main Characters

Nintendo and Mistwalker have been keeping info on their upcoming joint Wii RPG, The Last Story, to a small but steady drip. From the island the game takes place on to how the soldiers dress, every week another drop is delivered.

This week we are finally given a decent look at the hero and heroine of Sakaguchi's latest. Though we still have no names or colours with which to identify them, we are told that the two are separated by a wall. Not necessarily a physical wall, but something that keeps the two apart in someway due to their individual roles and positions in society.

We are told that though the game focuses on the hero's Story, each person he comes in contact with necessarily has his or her own Story with which the hero may be able to touch.

I fell in love with RPGs due to their storytelling, and while a good battle system and nice graphics always enhance any experience, this sort of commitment to storytelling is why I love Sakaguchi's work so much. The Last Story definitely has my attention.

Though that hero guy could use a shirt.

[The Last Story Official Site]

Nintendo Announces The Last Story

Well, Mistwalker promised their new big RPG would finally be announced this year, and here it is, much sooner than I anticipated.

The revolutionary action-RPG that Sakaguchi has been talking about on his blog consistently for the last year or so has finally been revealed to be a project for Nintendo. Titled The Last Story, the game is currently planned for an unspecific release on the Wii sometime this year in Japan.

Like Xenoblade, The Last Story has no real media or details worth speaking of at the moment, other than a teaser site up on the official Nintendo site. And, like Xenoblade, the game's site features little beyond a logo and some background music - though both are admittedly very nice.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this announcement. On one hand, I couldn't be more pleased to see that the game is a console title instead of a handheld one. On the other, I bought my 360 partially to play Mistwalker's first two games, and still prefer to play my 360. I also don't particularly love motion controls (which every Wii game has the possibility of possessing). Further, I am actually quite surprised to see Nintendo funding a Mistwalker game after the dreadfully disappointing sales of Archaic Sealed Heat.

But, hey, I'm still excited to see what it's all about, and I'm quite impressed with Nintendo of Japan's efforts to put more RPGs on their console.

As a bit of bad news, however, Nintendo's most recent finacial report only lists The Last Story for Japanese release, and is completely absent on North America and Europe's release forecast. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it would have been more reassuring to know The Last Story won't meet the same Japan-only fate that ASH met.

Thoughts?

[The Last Story Official Japanese Site]

Old News: Mistwalker's Next Big Thing in 2010, also iPhone

If you are anything like me, you've been waiting on your hands for the next big thing from Mistwalker since 2007's highly awesome Lost Odyssey. Sure, there have been some decent DS games from them, but nothing that has sufficiently satiated my need for more epic awesomeness.

Followers of Sakaguchi's blog will know that the studio is indeed in the thick of a new, large scale "blockbuster" project, and that they had planned to unveil it last year. Obviously that didn't happen, but Sakaguchi has declared in his blog that 2010 is the year of his new blockbuster.

From previous blogposts, we know the game is an action-RPG, and will combine high quality visuals and integrated FMV, likely pointing to a console release. We still haven't been told who is doing the development (programming, etc.), who their publisher is, or even what platform it will be on yet.

Previous evidence suggests that Microsoft, AQ Interactive, or even Namco Bandai are possible publishers, and if the title is indeed a console game, Xbox 360 is my first guess, but this generation has taught me that anything is possible.

Since the game is confirmed to be an action-RPG, I have trouble believing it will be a Blue Dragon or Lost Odyssey sequel, but again, I suppose anything is possible.

Speculation aside, I suppose we can do nothing but wait and hope at the moment, but the sliver of hope that the game will make it out this year is reassuring if nothing else.

Incidently, Sakaguchi also said that he is working on an iPhone game, which is also scheduled for this year.

[Mistwalker]

Star Ocean 4 Beats Blue Dragon in Japan

For a long time, Microsoft and Mistwalker's first collaborative RPG, Blue Dragon, has reigned as king of the hill for the Japanese Xbox 360. It was turn-based, cute, had Akira Toriyama designed characters, and was full of poo. How do you hope to top that?

Well, Square Enix and tri-Ace's sci-fi action-RPG, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, has gone ahead and done just that, breaking past Blue Dragon's sales and barrelling headlong into the most popular 360 game in the country.

Interestingly enough, the top 6 Xbox 360 games in Japan all happen to be JRPGs:
1. Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - tri-Ace, Square Enix
2. Blue Dragon - Mistwalker, Artoon, Microsoft
3. Tales of Vesperia - Namco Bandai
4. The Last Remnant - Square Enix
5. Infinite Undiscovery - tri-Ace, Microsoft, Square Enix
6. Lost Odyssey - Mistwalker, feelplus, Microsoft

Will upcoming titles like Magna Carta II and End of Eternity rank in? Will a new game arise to challenge SO4's newly acquired title? I guess we'll find out.

[XNEWS]

What is Mistwalker's Next Game Like?

If you're like me, you've been waiting on your hands for something - anything - to confirm Mistwalker's next console RPG since the untimely death of Cry On.

Well, you and I may be in luck, as Sakaguchi has spilled a few of the beans on his latest title via the official Mistwalker blog.

According to the Gooch, the team is putting a lot of effort into seamless integration throughout the game, and mixing CG scenes in with the gameplay. The game apparently takes an RPG-style approach to character building and battle tactics. He also mentions some "interesting" behaviors that occur based on the situation, but said that he couldn't talk about anything further.

However, he reports that the game is far enough along in development that it will be announced and shown sometime this year.

Unfortunatetly, exactly what the game is, it's title, and even target platform are still being kept under wraps, but since Mistwalker expects the announcement this year, it's a good idea to keep an eye on E3 and TGS.

Any speculations?

[Mistwalker]

Here is New Concept Art Not from a Mistwalker Project

Take a good look at this picture. I don't think I'm way off base when I say, "this is pretty damn awesome!"

This concept piece was done by Kimihiko Fujisaka (the artist behind Panzer Dragoon, Drakengard, and the recently cancelled Cry On) for Mistwalker, and was recently put up on Mistwalker's official page.

Fujisaka, in a blog entry on the site, states that he is hard at work on the new Mistwalker project (that Sakaguchi mentioned back in December when Cry On's cancellation was announced), but that this particular piece is not for that project.

He goes on to lament the cancellation of Cry On, but assure us that he is going to put everything he has into this currently unnamed project.

So, hold on a minute here. There is a really cool piece of concept art released here, put up on Mistwalker's official site, and you want me to believe that it has nothing to do with Mistwalker's games?

Fine. If that's the way you want to play it.

However, let me just say that I thought it was interesting that the only colour in this piece (besides black and white) is blue. Strikingly so, in fact. I think it's also worth mentioning that this peice has a rather prominant dragon in it.

Just saying.

Blurry Ikai no Kyojuu Scans are Blurry

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has given us some new info on Mistwalker and Namco Bandai's upcoming DS 'casual MMO', Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu (Behemoth of the Underwold), including new shadows, new armor, and some details on the multiplayer combat.

Though the scans are mostly too blurry to be properly read, the photos are generally visible, so I'll just leave these here for you to look at. Hopefully some legible scans will surface before the end of the week.



Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu will be available on Nintendo DS sometime this March in Japan.

Cry On Canceled, Mistwalker Working on the Next Big Thing

In some very sad news, AQ Interactive officially announced on Christmas that their previously announced Xbox 360 action-RPG project, Cry On, has been canceled due to financial restraints.

Announced in December of 2005 (3 years ago), Cry On was a joint project between Mistwalker (Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey) and Cavia (Drakengard, Bullet Witch). The game's focus was to be on a young girl named Sally who carried a small golem doll named Bogle, which would grow to enormous size when Sally was in danger. The name 'Cry On' was chosen as the game was said to focus on tears - both of joy and sadness - and, like Lost Odyssey, was to deal with human emotion.

AQ Interactive has been posting in the red for most of 2008, a phenomenon that they attribute mostly to lackluster sales of Blue Dragon Plus and the PS3 port of Vampire Rain. After a business evaluation by a contracted company, it was determined that several of their financially risky titles would be canceled in favor of more marketable games such as KORG DS-10.

(I know this may sound ridiculous, but I swear I'm not making this up. I've been reading their financial press releases for the last 6 months in hopes of hearing news of Cry On.)

In the official Mistwalker blog, Sakaguchi expresses his regret that Cry On was canceled, but has said there was nothing he could do. He has, however, mentioned that he is working on his next "big" project, though said that he isn't allowed to go into any details, and can't even reveal what console the new project is in development for. According to Sakaguchi, this new project is now over half completed, so we hope to hear more about it sometime this year.

Sorry this isn't a very nice announcement at Christmas, but I don't work at AQ.

I was personally devestated when I first heard this news. Cry On was a title I had been looking forward to since its announcement, and easily looked like the most promising title from Mistwalker. Please take a moment to mourn the death of what looked to be a very promising RPG.

A Blue Little Window for the New Blue Dragon DS Trailer

Namco Bandai has released a new trailer for their upcoming Blue Dragon DS project with Mistwalker, Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu. The trailer shows off some of the basic character creation as well as an introduction to the game's story.

Take a look.



Ugh, those DS graphics never fail to underwhelm me.

Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu will be available on Nintendo DS sometime next year in Japan.

Namco Bandai Annouces Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu

Blue Dragon is an IP that tends to get around. A lot. Having multiple anime, manga, and merch adaptations (some only barely related to the original game), Blue Dragon's limited appeal in North America leaves it unfazed in its home country.

Well, don't think the games have bowed out, as Namco Bandai has announced in the recent issue of Jump that they will be publishing and co-developing the third game in the Blue Dragon series.

Currently named Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu (lit. Giant Beast of the Underworld), the game is bringing Hironobu Sakaguchi (the series' creator) and Akira Toriyama (character designer) back to the series, with Namdai's own Hideo Baba (of the company's Tales of department) onboard.

Ikai no Kyojuu will be tackling an action-RPG take on the world of Blue Dragon, and will be (finally) bringing equippable weapons to the table.

Series staple characters Shu, Jiro, and Kluke have all been confirmed to be making a return, but the hero of the story will actually be a character of your own making. Additionally, your Shadow will also be unique to you, though exactly how this works has not been made clear.

While this all sounds like a step in the right direction for the series (though I could live without character customization), I admit that I'm disappointed to see it on DS, and in ugly DS 3D no less. (Sigh)

However, what really makes this interesting is the fact that its a Mistwalker + Namco Bandai collaboration working on a Microsoft IP. Will we see more Mistwalker + Namdai? Could (and I hesitate to speculate on this) former AQ + Mistwalker projects be transferred to Namdai? I don't know, but it's fun to think about.

Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu is slated for Nintendo DS sometime next year in Japan. No release date has been mentioned for North America or Europe.

Thoughts?

New Blue Dragon Plus Trailer Remains Epic

Ignition has released a second trailer for the upcoming DS RTS-RPG Blue Dragon Plus, and it retains that "edge of your seat" feel that they were going for last time, but actually tosses in some gameplay just for good measure. Make sure you're sitting down for this.



I'm impressed that Ignition is putting so much oomph into promoting Blue Dragon Plus. They are certainly outdoing the nearly non-existant advertising campaign that AQ Interactive backed in Japan.

My biggest problem is that though I like Blue Dragon, I still don't like RTS. Hmm, troubling.

Blue Dragon Plus will be available on Nintendo DS in North America next February. It is already available in Japan.

Blue Dragon Plus English Trailer is Maybe TOO Epic

I liked the original Blue Dragon. It was no second coming of RPGs, but it was rather charming and had it's definite high points.

Mistwalker and AQ Interactive struck out to create Blue Dragon Plus, an RTS-RPG hybrid for the Nintendo DS that attempted to capitalize on the series by expanding on the plot of the origin, in a small, handheld-sized serving.

The 2nd of 3 Mistwalker DS games, Blue Dragon Plus has already been confirmed for North American and European release courtesy of Ignition Entertainment, and they have just released a new trailer for it (below):


As a heads-up, this trailer inevitably spoils the end of the original Blue Dragon, so those who have yet to finish it may want to skip this trailer.

I must say, the trailer is quite cool, and even on the epic side of things. However, as with most DS trailers, it shows no gameplay, and is perhaps a bit misleading in that the gameplay looks nothing like the vid. Tsk tsk.

Blue Dragon Plus will be available on Nintendo DS in North America sometime next March, with a European date likely close.

AWAY Delayed, Shuffling Must Wait 'til December

Any of you who went out to your local video game retailer (or online store) last week hoping to snag a copy of Mistwalker and Artoon's latest RPG, AWAY: Shuffle Dungeon, might have met with discouragement.

In news that came way too late, Majesco has delayed the North American release of the game by over a month, pushing it back to December 02, 2008. The reasons for the delay are unknown at this time, but apparently some people have already got their hands on it as it apparently shipped to some select retailers.

I totally spaced this whole thing until late last week since I've already been playing the Japanese version, but the announcement is still disappointing.

Anyone sad to wait another month for the game? Or have some of you been able to find a copy?