RPGs of the Week: No Xenoblade for You! Edition

With less than a week before the E3 press conferences kick off, there's not much hitting shelves - especially not RPGs. But, for the import savvy, there may be something worth checking out...

Here are the RPGs hitting shelves this week (June 7 - 11, 2010):

North America
(none)

Japan
Fort Zombie – Kerberos, Cyberfront – PC
Xenoblade – Monolith, Nintendo – Nintendo Wii

Europe
(none)

Japan gets the indie zombie fighting RPG, Fort Zombie, alongside Monolith's latest swing at the Xeno- series with Xenoblade.

Unfortunately, North America and Europe are down for the count this week. :(

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.

RPGs of the Week: Against Protocol Edition

Sorry for my lengthy absence. Work has been pretty hellishly busy lately, and it doesn't appear to be getting better any time soon. :(

On the plus side, there really hasn't been much notable RPG news over the last couple of weeks (at least, I haven't thought so), but with E3 just around the corner, it's time to get back into the swing of things.

Anyway, check out all the new RPGs that are hitting shelves this first week of June (May 31 - June 5, 2010):

North America
Alpha Protocol – Obsidian, Sega – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Hexyz Force – Sting, Atlus – PSP

Japan
Growlanser (The Best) – Career Soft, Atlus – PSP
Persona (The Best) – Atlus – PSP
Tales of Vesperia (Platinum Collection) – Namco Bandai – Xbox 360

Europe
The Witcher Enhanced Edition (Platinum) – CD Projekt Red Studio, Atari – PC

While European gamers had their hands on Sega's Alpha Protocol last week, its just hitting shelves in North America this week. As a troubling aside, it seems to be receiving a fairly negative response from a lot of critics, and while I'm not in disagreement with them, I find it strange that everything most sites have disapproved of in AP are many of the same gripes I had with 2008's Fallout 3. Strange.

Anyways, Sting and Atlus' Hexyz Force is out this week for PSP as well in North America, while yet another reprint of The Witcher is gracing European PCs.

Meanwhile, Japan gets a few budget reprints of the Persona and Growlanser PSP remakes, and of the brilliant Tales of Vesperia.

Anything looking good to you this week?

RPGs of the Week: Cubism Edition

It feels like there isn't much going on in the RPG world lately, and this week's new releases sort of reflect that. Regardless, here is what is coming out this week (May 10 - 15, 2010):

North America
3D Dot Game Heroes – Silicon Studio, Atlus – PlayStation 3

Japan
(none)

Europe
3D Dot Game Heroes – Silicon Studio, SouthPeak – PlayStation 3

FromSoftware's 8-bit-meets-Lego action RPG, 3D Dot Game Heroes is hitting North American and European PS3s this week, with really nothing else to speak of.]

Worth it?

RPGs of the Week: Undeserving Edition

Another week, some more RPGs.

...Well, not many this week, actually. But here's what's hitting shelves during the week of May 3 - 8, 2010

North America
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 – Acquire, NIS America – PSP

Japan
(none)

Europe
Final Fantasy – Square Enix - WVC
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 – Acquire, NIS Europe – PSP

Acquire's Yuush no Kuse ni Namaiki da or2 is really the only title out this week, renamed to the more pronounceable but equally excessive What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 courtesy of NIS.

Europe also gets a chance to buy the original Final Fantasy for the umpteenth time, this time on the Wii Virtual Console. Yay?

Japan gets no RPG love this week.

Worth it?

Old News: Record of Agarest War Zero Xbox 360 Port Confirmed

In further evidence of the extinction of 3rd party exclusives, Compile Heart's prequel to the steamy SRPG that could, Agarest Senki Zero, has been confirmed to be getting an enhanced Xbox 360 port sometime this year.

Agarest Senki - recently released in North America as Record of Agarest War - is a typical Japanese SRPG with a twist: the girl that the player chooses to romantically pursue will change the next generation's hero.

Zero returns to this system - which they call 'Soul Breed' - as well as introduce new functionality to the game, including interactive costume changing, and changes to girls' appearances as their feelings for the hero grow.

The Xbox 360 port will reportedly have new costumes and costume changing modes, new CG scenes, and a gallery mode for different event scenes.

Agarest Senki Zero: Dawn of War will be available for Xbox 360 on July 29, 2010 in Japan.

[Famitsu]

Old News: Kadokawa Announces Metal Max 3

In a blast from the past that few will appreciate, Kadokawa has announced that it will be resurrecting the Metal Max series on the DS with Metal Max 3.

If Metal Max is a series that seems unfamiliar to you, don't feel bad, as Metal Max 1 and 2 were released on the Super Famicom in Japan over 17 years ago, and never saw the light of day on Western shores. The closest we ever got was the poorly-received spin-off, Metal Saga on PlayStation 2.

The rebirth of the series, developed in tandem with RPGMaker developer Enterbrain, will bring players back to the near-future post-apocalyptic Earth in the role of a hunter who can embark on a variety of quests in the vast wastelands.

Metal Max 3 is scheduled for release on Nintendo DS in Japan on July 29, 2010.

[Metal Max Official Site]