herakles-no-eikou
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Animated Intro of Herakles
Herakles no Eikou (Glory of Herakles/Hercules) comes out in Japan on the 22nd, and Nintendo and Paon are taking the traditional RPG-promotion tactic of displaying some gorgeous cinematics. We tend to enjoy the anime-style promo scenes more than the high-res CG stuff that Square Enix tends to use, so we were very pleased to watch the animated half of this trailer, which we suspect is the opening scene of the game. It's enjoyable both on its own and as a look at a parallel universe in which Greek mythology developed in Japan.Though it's an obvious step down in visual fidelity from the high-quality animation, the gameplay footage that follows looks pretty spectacular as well, and enough of the feeling carries over from the intro to temporarily convince us that RPGs can be exciting. We'd love for this to be the first Herakles no Eikou game to escape Japan.
Caught on video: Glory of Heracles is an RPG
In case you weren't one hundred percent convinced that Paon's Herakles no Eikou: Tamashii no Shoumei was an RPG, despite the amnesiac hero and the fact that it's an RPG series, the two videos of the game's battles, posted on the official website, should convince you that they are about as RP as a G can be.Seriously: the camera swirls around as a hero summons meteors from the sky, which then drop on a group of wolf monsters who stand still in a rectangular formation as they are hit. That is textbook. Paon's choice of platform also makes its influence felt, as this attack is powered up by sliding icons into areas of the touchscreen.[Via NeoGAF]
VC Tuesday: Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
No joke titles, no casual Cho Aniki references, no making fun of the slow release schedule, or any of the usual stuff we do in these -- today is too important, too auspicious an occasion for us to ruin by being jackasses. As of today, Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, the PC Engine Super CD-Rom Castlevania game, which is the narrative predecessor to Symphony of the Night and also the last traditional Castlevania game, is now available on the Virtual Console in Japan.Get here soon, please. Herakles no Eikou IV (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Phelios (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine Super CD-Rom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Metal Slug (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Glorious Website of Herakles
The official website for Paon's refresh of the Herakles no Eikou (Glory of Heracles) series has opened up, offering a few tiny new screens and character art. The storyline has been revealed to involve that old RPG standard, the teenage hero who washes up with amnesia and then goes on a quest to regain his memories. The twist is that he treks to Olympus instead of a generic fantasy setting, and that it's possible that he is Herakles himself. He is joined by a girl named Locos and a traveler named Shukion who has his own reasons for joining the party.Okay, it's your basic RPG stuff -- the mysterious hero and the mysterious anti-hero. But it looks great, has a unique setting, and is being backed by Nintendo. Plus, stylus control seems to be optional! [Via Inside-Games]
Obscure Nintendo RPG reborn as another obscure RPG
A few screenshots of Nintendo's Eternal Chronicle sneaked into the release list from Nintendo of Japan's October conference, and then it was never heard from again. The RPG has resurfaced now, as a sequel to a franchise that was never released over here: Herakles no Eikou (Glory of Heracles). With original publisher Data East dead, the rights to the Greek-mythology RPG series have been grabbed up by Paon, developers of Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast on Wii.The conversion is the second step in a minor resurgence for the franchise -- Herakles no Eikou IV for the Super Famicom was announced for Virtual Console release this month.
