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Phantasy Star Zero confirmed for North America
If this rough shot of the most recent copy of Nintendo Power is to be believed, Phantasy Star Zero will hit North American shelves this fall. A reader sent the photo in to our friends at GoNintendo, and posters at NeoGAF also report the Nintendo Power cover. Word of mouth on the game has been incredibly positive, so we would be excited even if we weren't talking about Phantasy Star Zero. But we are, so that means we're over the moon. Are you as excited as we are? If not, maybe you should check out a trailer.Oh, and we should also mention that Sega just sent us a press release confirming the game will release in Europe.%Gallery-31775%Read -- GoNintendoRead -- NeoGAF
Infinite Interactive mixes it up again with Deathbringer
Well, we've seen Infinite Interactive take on the puzzle game with RPG elements, and that went okay. Time to branch out into new territory, right? That's just what they're doing with Deathbringer -- an ARPG ... uh, with puzzle elements.Listen, when the hybrid works, it works. And most RPGs have some puzzle elements somewhere, so despite the hilarity of Infinite Interactive doing the opposite of what they've done before, it's not too far off the beaten path. Of course, they could probably make a game about scooping doggy poop off the sidewalk and we'd play it. That Puzzle Quest was some fun. Hit the break to see what they have to say about their forthcoming Deathbringer, which will be released for nearly every console known to man. Think companions and co-op. Maybe they should have named it Awesomebringer..[Via NeoGAF]
At home in Monster Hunter G's Kokoto Village
Our first devent look at Monster Hunter G's Wii visuals comes from Famitsu's introduction to Kokoto Village, the main town location in the game. As for those visuals, they fall squarely into the "kinda rough" range, as we'd expect from an unaltered PS2 game.The town features a farm, which provides extra items to players willing to spend the time on upgrades and minigames. It also features various shops including weapon and armor shops. Many of the Famitsu shots show possible armor configurations, against a backdrop of the house containing the item box you can use to store those weapons and armor.
A fitting legacy for your Legacy of Ys preorder
Preorder perk ahoy! For the February 10 launch of Legacy of Ys Books I & II, Atlus will be offering jammy U.S. and Canada-based gamers a sweet preorder bonus: a limited edition soundtrack CD, featuring tracks from both Ys I and Ys II. As far as we know, this will be available at Amazon and GameStop. The revised translation for this DS remake had already roped us in, but now we're counting down the days hours minutes. As the press release we received notes, the Ys series is renowned for having wonderful music. If you're new to the series, you can head to this part of Atlus' website to listen to a few samples for yourself. %Gallery-9296%[Via press release]
Monster Hunter G is for Classic Controllers only
Just how lazy is Capcom's port of Monster Hunter G? Pretty dang lazy, according to the official website, which just opened. While the new Monster Hunter 3 tri- offers multiple control schemes that allow use of Wiimote/Nunchuk motion controls or a traditional-style Classic Controller layout (as well as multiple variations on "three" in the title), the newly-announced Wii version of the PS2/PSP Monster Hunter G only works with Classic Controllers. At least it also has four-player online play. Chances are, most people won't miss the waggle. Or they could get Monster Hunter 3 and not really miss out on anything.Speaking of Monster Hunter 3, do check out that game's website for new monster renders. %Gallery-32281%[Via NeoGAF]
Monster Hunter G coming to Wii, for some reason
Not that we're complaining! Monster Hunter 3 (tri-) will probably launch in Japan next year, but first the port-happy Capcom wants to get you in the mood/tide you over with ... more Monster Hunter! Famitsu reveals that Monster Hunter G, an extra frills edition of the first Monster Hunter game, will be coming to Japanese Wiis in the spring. The Wii version, which Famitsu says (with ridiculous specifity) is 77% complete, will allow you to choose from PS2 or PSP controls, has widescreen support, and is apparently a near-identical port. Will we see this in places that aren't Japan? We hope so! The title already came to the west (as Monster Hunter Freedom), but only on the PSP. %Gallery-32281%
Kingdom Hearts 4/2 videos
Now that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days has been slated for North America (like we ever doubted it was coming), we thought you might want to check out some gamplay videos. Oh, who are we kidding? We'd have looked at them anyway, even if the game were still only a dream in a developer's eye. Check out the weapon-swinging Disney and Square Enix action above and after the break.%Gallery-33398%
Glut of Bahamut
We just saw brand new screens from Square Enix's exciting new game, Blood of Bahamut, and now we have ... even more screens! The latest batch offers up a few more looks at an Ifrit's face (tip: it's angry), as well as peeks at the menu and combat. If we have to say they look good, then you haven't been paying attention. They look amazing. Now we need a couple of very-long trailers -- with lots of in-game footage -- to cement our desire. We have spoken, Square Enix. Make it happen, because what we've seen isn't enough. Gallery: Blood of Bahamut
The creatures of Blood of Bahamut
The official Blood of Bahamut site has updated with another character profile, this time covering one of the game's giants, a horned, fire-breathing colossus known as an Ifrit. Ifrits will join Gigants in (a) being very big and (b) looking totally badass.As with other creatures in Blood of Bahamut, you'll have to break down an Ifrit's armor, and then locate and attack the weak point. You may even find a friend or two on the backs of these monsters (remember you also reside on the back of a Gigant): friends such as Kamo, who wields a meaty axe. Random, non-essential trivia: Ifrits have appeared in other games before, including the first Devil May Cry, and even Sonic and The Secret Rings! Most famously of all, they make appearances in the Final Fantasy series.But enough of our factoids: hit up the gallery for nine new shots! They be stunning.%Gallery-36800%[Via Siliconera]
FFCC Echoes of Time in Europe this spring, English screens now!
The North American release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time will be echoed in Europe, according to a Square Enix press release. There's no solid date beyond "spring," but the press release specifically mentions both the DS and Wii versions of the game.The cross-platform RPG features both online and local wireless multiplayer, through which up to four DSes can play together with one hosting, or one DS can host three DS players. The European release features English, Spanish, French, and German language modes, with multiplayer across languages also supported. To aid in communication, Echoes has a selection of fixed macros as well as user-customizable ones.Check our gallery for the first English screens (of the DS version, mostly)! Gallery: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Capcom denies Monster Hunter 3 non-exclusivity rumors
Monster Hunter 3, Capcom's Japan-ruling RPG, has had a rocky history since it was first announced. Initially, it was slated for the PS3, but late last year, the game defected to the Wii -- and was reportedly going to be exclusive to Nintendo's console. In the last couple of days, however, rumors have been swirling that Monster Hunter 3 (tri-) may head beyond the Wii and into the realm of the PSP, which hosted the last title in the franchise.Just a few hours ago, however, Capcom updated the game's official site, denying the rumors, though all they're saying is that they haven't said anything. That doesn't mean they can't say anything in the future! Gallery: Monster Hunter 3
Echoes of Time gets spring release in North America
Square Enix has announced plans to release Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in North America next spring. The cross-platform ARPG will let players of the DS and Wii editions fight, level up, and build junk together, regardless of which console they're playing on. Both versions will come out on the same day, because that's kind of the point. Worryingly, GameStop has the Wii game priced at $10 more than its DS cousin -- in Japan, both cost the same.Lumping DS and Wii players together means both games are pretty much identical (minus some on-screen furniture), but also allows us to pass the DS gallery off as a Wii gallery. Handy! [Via press release]
Avalon Code all dressed up for your viewing pleasure
Matrix Software's intriguing Avalon Code may be in limbo at the moment -- already out in Japan, and not scheduled for release in English until next year -- but that doesn't mean we're not keeping an eye on the ARPG. You may not be wielding your own special book for a while yet, but you can certainly watch someone else do it. In Japanese. And admire their elaborate costumes while you're at it. Gallery: Avalon Code
A new Legacy of Ys translation
Atlus may have just given us another reason to buy the DS Legacy of Ys Books I & II instead of (or in addition to) just dropping $8 for the Virtual Console version: for the first time since that release, the games will have a new official translation. Given that Atlus does better localizations than most companies now, they are almost guaranteed to do a better job than circa-1990 NEC.In a press release, project lead Sam Mullen said "We're not taking this lightly, but we also see this as an opportunity to give the game a 21st-century localization, a new script to match the game's remade features."We rather like the idea of carefully-considered text in the classic action RPG! Wander into our gallery for new screens of this new-ish game.%Gallery-9296%
Final Fantasy Crafting Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Thanks to the return of the item crafting system from previous Crystal Chronicles, you'll have plenty of cool junk to show off to your friends in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. You'll be able to buy power-boosting jewels from shops and add them to slots in your weapons, permanently changing the weapon into a more powerful one. You can also have your own custom armor and other items made out of materials found while adventuring.Since the game seems to change your character model to reflect your equipment, that means that you can customize your appearance, and look as good as it is possible to look in a DS game played on your TV.
Watch a few Adventures of Kai and Zero
It strikes us as pretty remarkable that Konami can make a game that looks nothing like Elebits, takes place in completely different settings, and even uses a controller very different from the one that pretty much defined the first game, and still make a game that is identifiably Elebits. Really, aside from the fact that you tap stuff instead of pointing at it and clicking to move it, and that you have an Omega Elebit pal instead of a vacuum gun thing, you're still walking around, scouring the environment for lil' critters, in order to unlock additional areas. Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero sort of disproves that the first game was nothing but a Wiimote showcase.%Gallery-26907%
Gorgeous Phantasy Star Zero animated short, less gorgeous theme song
We were about to praise this animated promotional video for Sega's Phantasy Star Zero. The look, the design of the environments, and the atmospheric music scream "Phantasy Star Online." The storyline does a beautiful job of presenting a civilization of technologically advanced pioneers. And just the very existence of an animated short like this suggests an admirable budget for the DS edition of the online action-RPG. It seemed like Sega was really going to do right by PSO fans.And then the theme song, "Makenai Kokoro" (Undefeated Heart), started. It's neither as sweeping as the PSO opening theme, "The Whole New World," nor as goofily enjoyable as Phantasy Star Universe's disco-style theme "Save This World". But we're nitpicking. The theme can certainly be endured long enough to see the lovely gameplay footage in the last half of the video.%Gallery-31775%
First screens and video from Blood of Bahamut
After that glorious concept art revealed for Blood of Bahamut, we've been hungry for more of Square Enix's latest, and since the website has updated, we're happy as pigs in piggy poop. Not only do we have the first two non-scanned shots of the game in our gallery below, and the first trailer after the break, but the official website has more action shots, as well as a beautiful downloadable wallpaper that features the aforementioned concept art. If Square Enix is trying to whip us into a froth for this one, well, it's working. Not that they have to do much to get us going. %Gallery-36800%
Shonen Jump spills Blood of Bahamut details
Square Enix launched one of its beloved countdown sites recently, but was beaten to its own reveal by Shonen Jump magazine. The mystery game, as seen in this blurry screenshot, is Blood of Bahamut, an action RPG with four-player local co-op play and 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. Oh, and it looks a bit like Shadow of the Colossus, though that's more of an observation than a criticism. We're not going to sling mud at any game that is inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, because Shadow of the Colossus is freakin' brilliant.Anyhow, Shadow, sorry, Blood of Bahamut will feature two protagonists, Ibuki and Yui, who live in a city constructed on the back of a giant. On paper, that sounds great -- they'd get lovely views and lots of fresh air, for example -- but their giant keeps getting attacked by other hefty enemies, who they have to ward off. And to think the agent said such good things about the neighbors.Ruliweb has the full scans, but we also recommend feasting your eyes on this exceptional concept art.[Via Final Fantasy Union; Thanks, Darryl!]
Connect and play anytime, anywhere with FFCC Echoes of Time
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time has received a lot of attention for its bizarre cross-platform release: the same game will come out on the same day on both the DS and the Wii, and it will look the same. So, yes, by virtue of looking good for a DS game, it will be a not-that-great-looking Wii game. But the point is that it can be played anywhere. And that's what this trailer gets across: any combination of DS players and Wii players, in any location with Internet access, can play Echoes of Time together. If you feel like blowing a bunch of money, you can play it on both systems.
