Not News: Tales of Character Ranking 2008

Those of you who voted (or are interested) in the Tales of Character Ranking that went on recently may be interested to see the results of the poll which were announced at this weekend's JumpFesta in Japan.

As a slight spoiler, the previous year's king has indeed been dethroned. Check below to see where your favorite character falls on the Top 50:

50. Sheena Fujibayashi (ToS)
49. Suzu Fujibayashi (ToP)
48. Mieu (ToA)
47. Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (ToA)
46. Chester Burklight (ToP)
45. Karol Capel (ToV)
44. Barbatos Geotia (ToD2)
43. Daos (ToP)
42. Ruca Milda (ToI)
41. Mao (ToR)
40. Senel Coolidge (ToL)
39. Jay (ToL)
38. Keele Zeibel (ToE)
37. Richter Abend (ToS2)
36. Kyle Dunamis (ToD2)
35. Arche Klein (ToP)
34. Genis Sage (ToS)
33. Farah Oersted (ToE)
32. Anise Tatlin (ToA)
31. Kanonno Earhart (ToW:RM2)
30. Flynn Scifo (ToV)
29. Celsius (N/A)
28. Ion (ToA)
27. Judith (ToV)
26. Chloe Valens (ToL)
25. Veigue Lungberg (ToR)
24. Shing Meteoryte (ToH)
23. Cless Alvein (ToP)
22. Presea Combatir (ToS)
21. Marta Lualdi (ToS2)
20. Judas (ToD2)
19. Mighty Kongman (Bruiser Khang) (ToD)
18. Sparda Belforma (ToI)
17. Estellise Sidos Heurassein (ToV)
16. Ridd (Reid) Hershel (ToE)
15. Colette Brunel (ToS)
14. Stan (Stahn) Aileron (ToD)
13. Asch (ToA)
12. Tear Grants (ToA)
11. Rita Mordio (ToV)
10. Emil Castagnier (ToS2)
09. Raven (ToV)
08. Zelos Wilder (ToS)
07. Kratos Aurion (ToS)
06. Guy Cecil (ToA)
05. Jade Curtiss (ToA)
04. Lloyd Irving (ToS)
03. Luke fon Fabre (ToA)
02. Leon Magus (ToD)
01. Yuri Lowell (ToV)

So there you have it: the 50 most popular Tales of characters. Personally, I'm surprised to see ToA's Luke rank so high on the list (Tear was much cooler). I was very pleasantly surprised to see all the ToV cast ranked so high, and Yuri even managed to knock Leon out of the way to take the number 1 spot! Judith (my vote) came in 27th, which I suppose isn't bad.

Where was your favorite character ranked?

Final Fantasy XIII Gameplay Shown, You're Not Allowed to Watch

At JumpFesta this weekend in Japan, Square Enix reportedly showed off that ever-elusive Final Fantasy XIII gameplay in their closed megatheater. Though I suppose it was rather sporting of them to actually show it like they promised, the fact that only a handful of people got to see it is... well, actually, it's about what I've come to expect regarding Final Fantasy XIII. Sadly.

So while you don't get to actually witness this spectacle, Jump released some more scans of the upcoming demo, which I suppose will have to suffice for the time being.



The new scans don't reveal anything particularly new, though the girl revealed in the previous scan has been given an official romanized name, Oerba Dia Vanille. So there that is.

Additionally, it has been officially revealed that the game will indeed be making a return to a form of the classic ATB system, though enemies will initially appear onscreen. Touching them or attacking them with your sword will initiate a battle sequence. The new battle system also reportedly allows for party members to attack successively or combine attacks for a much more "free" experience. I suppose we'll need to see it in action to fully understand what that means.

There is still no firm release date on either side of the Pacific for Final Fantasy XIII at this point.

Atlus Announces The Dark Spire

Or maybe "confirms" The Dark Spire might be a better headline, considering we all caught wind of this a little while back through the ESRB.

The Dark Spire, known as Genmu no Tou to Tsurugi no Okite (lit. The Tower of Ethereal Mist and the Law of the Sword), is a dungeon crawler RPG developed by Success and released in Japan this last May. The gameplay is heavily reminscent of old first-person PC dungeon crawlers of yesteryear, and sports a visual style hailing back to 90s horror comics.

The game retains classic elements of the genre like stat rolling, alignment setting, and so forth, and is sure to hit a nostalgia nerve for fans of the now (mostly) dead genre.

Those interested can check out Atlus' official English site for the game here, or Success' Japanese site here.

The Dark Spire will be released on Nintendo DS on March 10, 2009 in North America.

Do we have any old school dungeon crawlers out there?

Devil Survivor Trailer has Visuals, Text, and Other Stuff

Erm... I can't think of a good headline for this article.

Atlus just released a new trailer for their upcoming DS SRPG, Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor. Watch it.



I kinda dig the theme song they have for this one. Kinda edgy for an SRPG, don't you think? Still not 100% sold on a MegaTen SRPG, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor will be available on Nintendo DS on January 15, 2009 in Japan. No word on a North American or European release yet.

Some Kind of Unofficial Announcements from NIS America

In a recent interview with RPGamer, some of the staff of NIS America have gone on record with some sort-of-announcements that, while aren't binding on NIS' part, should give you a fairly good idea of what to expect from the company in the coming year.

First item of interest is that the previously announced Hit Maker DS title, A Witch's Tale, has been pushed back due to development issues. Though no new date has been solidified, NIS mentioned that the game would probably be pushed back to sometime next autumn, possibly as late as Halloween. Part of the reason for the delay was Hit Maker's decision to change the title from an action-RPG to a traditional (presumably turn-based) one.

Next, PS3 NIS fans should be happy to hear that the abominable crossover title, X-Edge (pronouced "Cross Edge," for whatever reason) will indeed be seeing North American shores courtesty of NIS. Though they couldn't officially confirm the title's release, they basically said to expect it next March.

NIS also "hinted" that both Mana Khemia 2 and a game from the Japan-only Sakura Taisen series would be heading to North American PS2s sometime in 2009, though no details or dates were given.

It was also mentioned that future game development from Nippon Ichi (Japan) would continue to focus on the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii as Japan remains their largest market. No real surprises there.

My own reaction to this news is varied. I'm happy (if unsurprised) that Mana Khemia 2 will be making the jump, and cautiously interested in the Sakura Taisen title. I had almost totally forgotten about A Witch's Tale since its announcement, so I guess it will be interesting to see how that title shapes up. X-Edge... well, I think you know how I feel about X-Edge.

As a disclaimer, this isn't my story. All of the glory for this belongs to RPGamer, and I encourage all hardcore NIS fans to go read the real interview for yourselves.

Star Ocean 4 North American Boxart is More Likeable

Well, I suppose it all depends on your taste, but I feel that the recently revealed North American boxart for Square Enix and tri-Ace's Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope is preferable to its Japanese counterpart. I dare say it even borders on "pretty damn awesome."

Also, you may be interested to know that the new trailer revealed yesterday is also available for download via the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace. I watched it again this morning on my HDTV and though the mouth movements still kinda bug me, everything else looks absolutely incredible.

Can I get a 'DO WANT'?

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope will be available on Xbox 360 on February 19, 2009 in Japan, and on March 3, 2009 in North America.

...Damn it, why can't it be February NOW?

Fable II DLC Delayed

In news that could potentially ruin your Christmas, word has come down from Microsoft that the Fable II expansion, Knothole Island, will be delayed from its original mid-December release to a late-January one.

Microsoft has claimed the reason for the delay is related to technical problems, though no specifics have been given yet.

Having recently finish Fable II myself, I have to say that I need a break from Fable to play some other games, so the delay really doesn't bother me, but I'm sure there are some who are devastated by this.

What are your thoughts?