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Arland Atelier Trilogy hits European PS3s in March
If you cleared Tales of Xillia 2 months ago and need another JRPG grind to tide you over until Persona 5, consider what you may have missed in years past – NIS America has announced plans to release The Arland Atelier Trilogy in Europe on March 6, 2015, with the trilogy bundling a compilation of adventures from developer Gust that debuted on the PS3 between 2010 to 2012. The single-disc, yet-to-be-priced collection will include Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland and Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, which share an overarching timeline and cast members. We've reached out to NIS America to ask whether The Arland Atelier Trilogy will also eventually reach North America and will update this post accordingly. [Image: NIS America]
Atelier dev Gust merges with Koei Tecmo on Oct. 1
Come October 1, Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland developer Gust Co. will officially merge with parent company Koei Tecmo. Though far from a household name in the West, Gust has developed a loyal niche following by offering classically-styled roleplaying games that blatantly pander to time-honored anime tropes. What Gust's games lack in Shakespearian dialogue, they more than make up for in moon-eyed magical girls and solid roleplaying game fundamentals. According to Koei Tecmo (via Gematsu translation), Gust will continue to operate as normal, developing new entries in the Atelier and Ar Tonelico series' as well as new properties, only it will do so under a new name: Gust Nagano Development Group. Koei Tecmo believes this new arrangement will allow Gust to operate more efficiently than it has been under the studio's previous publishing agreement. [Image: Koei Tecmo]
Alchemy RPG Atelier Ayesha Plus heads to Vita in March for Japan
Atelier Ayesha Plus is on its way to Vita, due out on March 27 in Japan for 5,800 yen. Plus will include the downloadable content from the PS3 version of Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, plus a hard mode and balance tweaks, Gematsu reports. A limited edition will come with a mini crystal paperweight, or if you don't use paper anymore, an excessively heavy mini crystal. There's no word on a North American release just yet, but two previous Vita Atelier games have made the journey westward on Vita: Atelier Totori and Atelier Meruru.
Tecmo Koei reports increased revenue in fiscal 2012, Ninja Gaiden 3 ships 630K
Tecmo Koei's revenues for the fiscal year, ended March 31, were 35.5 billion yen ($443.8 million), up 10.7 percent year over year. The company reported strong sales of its games from the last year, including Samurai Warriors 3 Empires, Winning Post 7 2012, and games it co-developed for other publishers, including One Piece Pirate Musou and Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition.Specifically, Tecmo said it shipped 630,000 copies of Ninja Gaiden 3 worldwide. In addition, Tecmo reported that it completed acquisition of Gust in December, a developer that should expand its mobile and online business. The company also plans to grow its revenues in this fiscal year by releasing launch games for unspecified hardware (likely the Wii U if it's something launching this year).
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland transmutes NA and EU in May
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, part three of Gust's Atelier trilogy, is currently being localized for western audiences and prepped for launch by NIS in North America and Europe this May. NIS also published the first and second entries in the series, Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland and Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland. As the artful trailer above explains, Atelier Meruru concerns the adventures of Princess Meruru and her quest to become an alchemist while simultaneously growing her kingdom of Arls to its full potential. "Development" is a primary aspect of the gameplay, with story progression changing based on how the player decides to expand and improve the kingdom. Personally, we had no idea that becoming a master alchemist involved so much sweeping.%Gallery-144698%
Tecmo purchasing Atelier developer Gust
In a move that we're almost certain won't add a third name to its post-merger designation, Tecmo Koei is acquiring Gust Corporation, developer of the Atelier and Ar Tonelico RPG series. Tecmo is purchasing all 495 shares of the developer for ¥22 billion ($28.3 million). We're surprised at that price for the tiny Gust, and we're surprised that Tecmo had that kicking around. According to Andriasang's translation, Tecmo Koei sees the Atelier series as a popular IP, and hopes to leverage it in multiple fields. We're guessing it means more mobile games -- at least until Tecmo recoups some of that 22 billion yen.
So, uh, what's an 'Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel' anyway?
As you know, our primary goal here at Joystiq is to provide you with a thorough, clear, and contextualized picture of video game news. It's with that in mind that we asked NIS America to explain the ... somewhat bizarre name of its forthcoming RPG, Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. We've been ribbing the game's title internally for some time now. And hey, can you blame us? It's nigh indecipherable! A NIS representative described the title as a "jumble of seemingly random letters," so we're not exactly alone in this. Anyway, NIS America reps kindly provided us with the breakdown of name that you see below, presented unedited: "Break down for Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel: 'Qoga' means "finale" or 'termination.' 'Knell' is like a chime that signals the passing of someone or something. 'Ar Ciel' is a name of a world. 'Ar Tonelico' is an artificial world tree (Yggdrasill). We wanted to use 'Knell' to indicate that this is the finale of the series because 'chime the signals the passing of something' is [the] perfect way of expressing the finale of [the] Ar Tonelico series." Still confused? We were too. Thankfully, NIS reps escalated their efforts several steps further, offering a detailed explanation -- as well as a bit of sympathy to confused readers -- directly from script writer Steven Carlton. "Many people may look at the title Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel and wonder what that jumble of seemingly random letters means," Carlton told us. "There are a few key terms from the game in the title, mainly Ar Tonelico and Ar Ciel."%Gallery-114535%
Ar Tonelico Qoga trailer is full of angsty teenagers
If Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel's suggestive moaning and nudity stuff hasn't weirded you out enough, know that it offers the power of song, love and lots of teenagers being all sad and stuff, too.
ESRB reveals Ar Tonelico Qoga's 'suggestive moans and comments'
The third (and supposedly final) Ar Tonelico game, Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel, will arrive on PS3 in March. The ESRB's content description for Gust's RPG gives us a bit of a preview of what to expect: shame, mostly. "Some power moves cause female characters' clothes to vanish in layers," the ratings board says. "The characters are often depicted holding (covering) their breasts, wearing only underwear, or standing behind strips of light that obscure their genitals." Other described scenes feature "male characters [encouraging] a woman to strip" and a scene in which a male character removes a magical crystal from a female, accompanied by what the ESRB calls "suggestive moans and comments." How suggestive? "Aoto's putting his hand inside Soma," for example, and "Fumble around every inch inside of her . . . you will find what you're looking for . . . !" Though you might have already guessed, Ar Tonelico Qoga is rated M for eMbarrassing Mature.%Gallery-114535%
NIS picks up console-wars RPG 'Hyperdimension Neptunia' for PS3
We thought Idea Factory's bizarre strategy RPG Hyper Dimension Neptune was too, well, bizarre to localize, given that it's about game consoles (in the form of girls) fighting against the scourge of piracy. We should have remembered that NIS America is on call to localize weird strategy games that probably have no business in America. NIS is localizing the PS3 game as Hyperdimension Neptunia, in which you take the role of the title console/goddess in order to save the land of Gameindustri from the evil Arfoire, using summon spells based on other games. Unlike the dead Sega console for which it's named, Neptunia has a release window: spring 2011.%Gallery-106204%
Atelier Rorona screenshots from NIS's alchemy shop
The many new Atelier Rorona screenshots in our gallery seem to encapsulate the whole of the experience: battling in the field, creating new items and materials in your alchemy shop, and being somewhat embarrassed repeatedly in conversations.%Gallery-98323%
Atelier Rorona gets alchemical on PS3 this September
After next week's crossover RPG Trinity Universe, you'll have to wait until September for your next serving of anime-style, cute role-playing from NIS America.
Trinity Universe coming to US and Europe this June
Did Resonance of Fate and Final Fantasy XIII whet your appetite for JRPGs? NIS America plans to release Trinity Universe this June, just in time for gamers looking for a new adventure. Developed cooperatively by Idea Factory, Nippon Ichi and Gust, Trinity Universe is a crossover RPG similar to Cross Edge, combining the worlds of the Disgaea and Atelier franchises. Unlike NIS America's previous efforts, though, this game will be in full 3D. Trinity Universe is undoubtedly the best looking game to come from NIS America, but it's still likely to struggle in a competitive sales market. Still, hardcore JRPG fans are used to PS2-style sprite graphics from NIS, so the publisher's next offering could be a pleasant surprise. %Gallery-88922%
Ar Tonelico III trailer overwhelms with epicness
The first two Ar Tonelico games on PlayStation 2 barely took advantage of the power offered by the platform. However, Gust is making the jump to 3D for its upcoming Ar Tonelico III for PS3. This new full-length trailer is surprisingly ambitious, showcasing some stunning Gankutsuou-esque anime cutscenes and some epic 3D landscapes. Sure, these graphics are nowhere near the level of Final Fantasy XIII, but it's a dramatic departure for a series that has looked like high-res GBA games thus far.Ar Tonelico III is rushing towards an early 2010 release in Japan, but no US release has been announced yet. We're pretty certain this will be picked up, though -- adding to PS3's JRPG wealth for the upcoming year. To see how far the franchise has come, see a trailer for the first game after the break.
Gust brings Ar Tonelico III to PlayStation 3
JRPG developer Gust is working on yet another addition to its Ar Tonelico series, exclusively for the PS3. Like its predecessors, Ar Tonelico III will explore a new music-based battle system, with players able to create custom songs and change background music, according to Siliconera. The initial teaser trailer doesn't reveal much -- beyond showing off some of the characters, it reveals a surprisingly early 2010 Japanese release for the game.Gust's previous PS3 game, Atelier Rorona, was in full 3D, and we're hoping Ar Tonelico III will follow suit. NIS America has localized both PS2 Ar Tonelico games in the past, so it's likely the third game will also find its way to the publisher next year.%Gallery-75678%
Mana-Khemia set for release in January
Mana-Khemia: Student Alliance is a port of the PS2 game released earlier this year, but there are so many differences between the two. The PSP version substitutes regular multiplayer with adhoc multiplayer, and it also includes a "Jump Start" install feature on your memory stick for quicker load times. Couple that with new bosses and a widescreen presentation, the PSP version sounds worlds better than its PS2 counterpart. It sounds like if you waited for the PSP version, you've gotten the better end of the deal. That deal comes to fruition in two months time, January 2009. In the meantime, check out that box art above.[via press release]
Characters galore appear in this Cross Edge trailer
It's time to get your translating hats on, everyone. A Japanese trailer for Cross Edge has hit the airwaves and we have no idea what it's saying. We see a ton of cast members, from Darkstalkers, Disgaea, the Atelier series (including Mana Khemia) as well as Ar Tonelico, doling out some voice-acting skills and massive damage. We're not quite sure what the game is about or how all these characters end up fighting alongside the main characters of the game, but the battles seem frenetic and entertaining. We're itching to see more because 2D is far from dead. [Via Siliconera]
Cross Edge promotional art reveals more characters
Some promotional art for the PlayStation 3 game Cross Edge has been located -- it's blurry, but we're not picky. This cross-over game features characters from multiple franchises including Darkstalkers and various Nippon Ichi and Gust properties. Compile Heart has slapped up a bunch of characters on said promotional art, but we can't identify them all. SiliconEra has an updated roster from what they could identify, but it's far from complete. If you can name any of the characters on there they haven't, you'll not only get huge props, but a freshly-baked bundle of e-cookies will be shipped to your e-stomach.
Funcom apologizes for involuntary breast reductions
We'll have to be completely honest with you; ever since Jorgen Tharaldsen's famous proclamation,"You'll see titties," the topic of Age of Conan and its famously epic mammaries is one that comes up rather frequently around the Massively offices. What can we say, we're admirers of the female form... also, we like boob jokes. In any case, we were rather distressed to hear of some Age of Conan players complaining that their in-game counterparts were lacking a certain lactoid luster.It might seem like a frivolous complaint, but from the images provided by a forum user named Gust, it's become evident that the change in chesticle size is actually significant. And Funcom is taking the complaint seriously, saying in part, "Funcom can confirm that some of the female models in the game have had the size of their breasts changed. This is due to an unintended change in data that was introduced in an earlier patch, data which controls the so-called morph values associated with character models and the size of their respective body parts. We are working on a fix for this and your breasts should be back to normal soon." It's sporting of them admit their mistake, and hopefully they'll have it fixed as quickly as many of the other bugs they've had since launch.[Via Kotaku]
First Mana Khemia Portable screens
So a couple days ago we heard about Mana Khemia getting ported to the PSP. Today, take a look at some screenshots from the game courtesy of Jeux France. Judging from the screens, Mana Khemia looks like it's getting that nice widescreen presentation the PSP is so well known for. Couple that with the new bosses and a co-op multi-player mode, and then perhaps picking up the soon-to-release PS2 version might not sound so great. Then again, waiting for an English PSP version is going to be quite gamble. Let's see, option one: get the game at the end of the month for PS2, or option two: wait for an English PSP version that might never exist. Hmm, it seems we've reached an impasse.
