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3DS soccer RPGs Inazuma Eleven GO: Shadow, Light reach Europe in June
European 3DS owners hoping soccer was less of a sport and more of a histrionic anime drama will be pleased to hear that two entries in the Inazuma Eleven roleplaying game franchise have just received the greenlight for release later this year. According to a tweet from the UK branch of Nintendo, Inazuma Eleven GO: Shadow and Inazuma Eleven GO: Light will reach the 3DS in Europe on June 13. Despite the naming scheme, Inazuma Eleven GO: Shadow and Light tell the same story with minor differences, much in the same way that Pokemon X is complementary to Pokemon Y. Both Inazuma Eleven GO games center on the trials and tribulations of a fictional soccer team populated by typical anime tropes, and both feature the immediately recognizable artwork of Dragonball creator Akira Toriyama. While Japan received the two Inazuma Eleven GO games in 2011, there's no word on either game reaching North American retail shelves. This isn't terribly surprising in light of America's apathy toward soccer, but is disappointing given the recent 3DS eShop release of Inazuma Eleven. [Image: Nintendo]
Three Inazuma Eleven episodes available for free on 3DS eShop
Need to know a little more about soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven beyond its surprise reveal-and-release for North America in this week's Nintendo Direct? The first three episodes of the Inazuma Eleven anime are viewable for free on the 3DS eShop. You can find them in the Videos section of Inazuma Eleven's game listing. Each episode runs just under 23 minutes, offering a glimpse at goalkeeper Mark Evans' efforts to develop a soccer club for his school. In the initial episodes, Mark meets Axel Blaze, a student specializing in playing soccer's forward position. Axel's skills inspire Mark's ragtag soccer club to train seriously and strive to be better soccer players. In the game itself, players recruit teammates from over 1,000 different candidates and direct the team through matches using the 3DS touchscreen. If the anime episodes win you over, Inazuma Eleven is available for $19.99 on the 3DS eShop. [Image: Level-5]
Soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven launching on 3DS eShop today
Inazuma Eleven will launch today on the 3DS eShop for $19.99, Nintendo announced during its Nintendo Direct livestream. The eShop-exclusive has players directing players on a soccer field with tactical RPG elements. The game appeared and then disappeared from Nintendo's North American release calendar in January. [Image: Level-5]
Inazuma Eleven disappears from North American release calendar
As quietly as it appeared, Nintendo's listing for an upcoming North American Inazuma Eleven release has vanished. We first reported on this mystery game earlier this week. At the time Nintendo's latest release calendar listed a 3DS game titled simply "Inazuma Eleven" with a "Q1 2014" release window. This was exciting, given that this would be the first time the series had appeared in North America. That said, the listing seemed odd. Nintendo's only official mention of the game was in that calendar, and our attempts to reach the company for more information were met with silence. Now the listing has disappeared. No reason is given for the disappearance and once again Nintendo seems unable or unwilling to comment on the situation. However, Nintendo has released new Inazuma Eleven footage. The clip you see above is an English-language trailer for the upcoming European release of Inazuma Eleven 3: Team Ogre Attacks. With that game scheduled to debut in February it seems likely that the now-missing North American calendar entry was erroneously referring to Inazuma Eleven 3: Team Ogre Attacks, though our attempts to reach Nintendo for either a confirmation or denial of this theory have so far been unsuccessful.
Inazuma Eleven quietly joins North American release calendar
North American soccer fans may finally have an opportunity to enjoy Japan's fan-favorite, anime-styled Inazuma Eleven, assuming a new listing on Nintendo's upcoming release calendar is to be trusted. Inazuma Eleven, for those not in the know, is a series of roleplaying games developed by Level-5, the same studio responsible for the Professor Layton series as well as Dragon Quest 8 and its sequel. In short, this is a group that knows how to craft good RPGs, and despite the dissonance created by the phrase "soccer roleplaying game," the Inazuma Eleven series has proven a fan-favorite since its debut. The franchise has even spawned a successful manga adaptation though, like the games, those comics have never appeared in North America. With that in mind, if you visit Nintendo's most recent release calendar, you'll find an unexpected listing entitled "Inazuma Eleven" for the 3DS handheld scheduled for North American release in the first quarter of 2014. That should be happy news, but as Tiny Cartridge states, "everything about this is weird." Despite indications that the game should appear in the very near future, Nintendo has yet to make any announcement regarding the series; that calendar listing is the only word we've seen of this mystery game. Furthermore, the listing makes no mention of which of the Inazuma Eleven entries the calendar might be referring to. It seems most likely that the game in question would be Inazuma Eleven 3 as that game was released in Europe in September, though there's nothing to guarantee this supposition. We've attempted to contact Nintendo, first to see if this listing is an error, and if not, to ask which game is planned for imminent North American release. We've yet to receive a response.
Level-5: Layton series sells 15 million, Ni No Kuni 1.4 million
Level-5 sales numbers suggest there's a big pile of cashola sitting beneath that big top hat of Layton's. The Japanese studio shifted 15 million units of the prof's puzzler series alone, along with 1.4 million PS3 and Japan-only DS copies of the glorious Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. As Siliconera reports, company CEO Akihiro Hino revealed the figures at a press conference yesterday, and that the company's success is not limited to those franchises. Soccer RPG series Inazuma Eleven scores 6.5 million sales, while the dream-team-developed Guild games on 3DS, including Crimson Shroud, Liberation Maiden, and Attack of the Friday Monsters, are up to 400,000 downloads combined. At the same conference Level-5 announced Layton 7, a new spinoff for the prof's series that's coming to iOS Android, and 3DS. Layton 7 is the series' second game on mobiles, the first being whodunit Layton Brothers: Mystery Room, unearthing a million downloads.
Sega sues Level-5, charges patent infringement in Inazuma Eleven
Level-5, perhaps best known in the western world as the publisher of the Professor Layton games, has a popular soccer series in Japan called Inazuma Eleven, and Sega doesn't like it. Sega is suing Level-5, alleging patent infringement on a mechanic in Nintendo DS versions of Inazuma Eleven that allows players to move characters with their fingers or a stylus, Kotaku reports.Sega's endgame is to halt the sale of all eight Inazuma Eleven games and to get ¥900 million ($11 million) in damages from Level-5. The case heard opening statements on December 7, and Level-5 plans to fight the charges."We are preparing our rebuttal and do not have any comments to make at this time," Level-5 says.
Level-5's 'Vision' event, in trailers
We'll forgive you if you weren't up late this past Friday evening watching the livestream of Level-5's "Vision" event with us -- it was kind of in the middle of the night. The Japanese publisher showed off several of its upcoming titles, and revealed a few neat surprises (Ghost Watch, anyone?). Luckily for you, Level-5 has now released all the trailers from Vision and we've compiled them below the break for your viewing pleasure.
Level-5 CEO hints at North American releases for Ni no Kuni, Inazuma Eleven
Level-5 fans have a lot to look forward to. Akihiro Hino, president of Level-5, confirmed to Nintendo Power that some of its original non-Layton games would be coming Stateside, specifically Inazuma Eleven and Ni no Kuni: The Another World. It appears the company is already making good on its promise to promote its "overseas business." The soccer-themed Inazuma Eleven franchise has been a surprise hit in Japan, having already spawned two sequels on the DS (with a new console version in the works). And while Ni no Kuni isn't a proven franchise yet, it has already generated quite a bit of buzz -- particularly the graphically-intense PS3 version. Although Hino doesn't offer specifics about a release date for either project, he does say that "I don't think it will that be long before you're able to play these games." Unfortunately, we don't think he means they'll be here "tomorrow." The full interview with Akihiro Hino can be found in Nintendo Power #157, available now. [Thanks, Paul!]
Level-5 CEO tweets hints about console Inazuma Eleven game
We currently know very little about Level-5's console-based spinoff of the DS soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven. In fact, here's what we know about it: It might be called Inazuma Eleven Break That's actually pretty much it. We don't even know which console or consoles it's being considered for, though the fact that it's based on a kid-friendly series suggests the Wii. As does the content of a tweet sent by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino (translated by Andriasang): "Meeting for the console version of Inazuma Eleven. Different from the DS version's RPG type, this has, maybe, the feeling of sports fighting. Perhaps those who like Smash Bros. will enjoy it." A sporty riff on Smash Bros. from one of the world's premiere RPG developers. How fascinating!
Inazuma Eleven 3 kicks off this summer
A western release of Inazuma Eleven remains a distant and unclear goal, but Level-5 is already up to a third game in the popular soccer RPG in Japan. Having just announced Inazuma Eleven 3: Challenge of the World!!, Level-5 has yet to offer many details about the plot or gameplay changes. What is known is that the game contains a "Super Link" feature that allows players to import characters from Inazuma Eleven 2. We hope, then, that Inazuma Eleven 2 comes out in the West before Inazuma Eleven 3 (which is out this summer in Japan), and we hope that all of these things happen in our lifetimes. [Via Famitsu]
Level-5 opens new Tokyo office for 'overseas business'
Professor Layton, White Knight Chronicles, and Dragon Quest IX developer Level-5 is expanding from its Fukuoka, Japan base, founding a new office in Tokyo focused on its ROID mobile gaming platform, overseas business, and "new enterprises." The move could portend worldwide release of the developer's mobile games, or even expansion of its publishing business. In Japan, Level-5 publishes the Layton series, Inazuma Eleven, and other titles independently. If a localized Inazuma Eleven is indeed on the way, Level-5 could be looking to start up its publishing business outside of Japan with that title. Or, less spectacularly, we suppose the new office could be tasked with localization of games and dealing with Western publishers. [Via Siliconera]
Trademark suggests Inazuma Eleven headed to US
Level-5's fab football RPG franchise, Inazuma Eleven, could be headed to the United States if a recent trademark is any indication. According to Siliconera, the US trademark crucially covers "video game discs," along with arcade machines and, er, cellphone straps. There's no telling if Level-5 will move beyond a mere trademark and carry out its goal of bringing the game to America, nor is there telling which of the Inazuma Eleven games are under consideration (none of the cellphone strap blogs have to worry about this stuff). We'd normally be inclined to share some of our own long-winded theories, but the last thing you need is for us bore you with our ceaseless puntification. Alright, that was bad. But you know that we're complete soccers for p -- [AUTHOR DELETED]
Level-5 releases first Inazuma Eleven Break screens, still refuses to reveal platform
Professor Layton/Dragon Quest IX developers Level-5 held their "Level-5 Vision 2008" event this week, revealing new games for PSP, DS, and mobile phones, as well as the previously announced Inazuma Eleven Break, a spinoff of their DS soccer-RPG series. For some reason, they didn't specify what platform Inazuma Eleven Break was to be released on. We find this odd -- and we're continuing to write here about this unknown-platform game -- because these screens look very Wii-like. It could be a very cheap 360/PS3 game, maybe, or a really nice-looking PS2 game. Maybe it is Wii, but they don't want to go into details yet, because they want to spring a "Surprise! It's WiiWare!" on us. In any case, we shouldn't expect news on Inazuma Eleven Break's platform until 2009, according to Level-5.
Level-5 details Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven DS sequels
As if two new PSP games and an impressive collaboration with the famed animators at Studio Ghibli wasn't enough for one day, Level-5 has also dropped some additional details on sequels to two of their biggest DS titles: Professor Layton and Inazuma ElevenThe third Professor Layton offering is the only one of these five Level-5 games not being released in 2009; instead, it's set for a November 27th release in Japan. The soccer-themed Inazuma Eleven will return in 2009 with Inazuma Eleven 2, packing a new storyline, more characters, and a new team made up of space invaders! Level-5 will be "formally unveiling" all five titles later this week in Tokyo; we'll try to wrastle all of 'em up at TGS next month.
Level-5 has big plans for DS, enlists aid of Studio Ghibli
Good news, fan of all things DS. The handheld is getting some more love from Level-5, in the form of more games. Level-5 pres and all around handsome dude, Akihiro Hino, has made public his company's intent to rock the DS right out of your hands. How? Well, first is a proposed partnership with Studio Ghibli, the folks behind awesome animated films like Spirited Away.
Inazuma Eleven on TV tells you to buy, buy, buy!
It's true -- Inazuma Eleven looks great, and each piece of media has been drooled upon by RPG, anime and even general soccer fans alike. With the imminent Japanese release on August 22nd, Level-5 has begun advertising on television, and this commercial is a perfect place for gamers in the dark about Inazuma to take a first look and become ultra-interested.Inazuma Eleven is incredibly original, featuring real-time strategy gameplay on the field, as players draw on the touch screen to direct positions of team members. Hopefully the gameplay is easy enough to understand for keen importers, because the chances of localization are not that great. Well, anything less than 100 percent won't be good enough!
Fresh Inazuma Eleven scans take to the field
The latest issue of CoroCoro Comic has taken a long, hard look at Level-5's forthcoming soccer RPG, Inazuma Eleven. Mostly this involves displaying large quantities of the title's pretty fantastic character art (there's a definite Layton feel to it), but there are a number of screenshots dotted about the pages.These show off several aspects of the title, from your common or garden dialog screens to shots of the matches that take place (and in which players control the movement of players by drawing on the touchscreen). Combining soccer with a real-time SRPG is fascinating to us, not to mention ridiculously original -- the closest comparison we can think of is International Superstar Soccer 2000 for the Nintendo 64, which included RPG-lite elements in its single-player mode, but nothing quite as in-depth as Inazuma Eleven.Anyway, we digress: Jeux France was kind enough to pop CoroCoro in the scanner and show us the entire preview, so hit the "Source" link below for the full skinny.
Inazuma Eleven headed to consoles, Wii likely
Level-5 is sinking big money into their DS soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven, seemingly expecting a massive return. The company held a press conference in Tokyo to outline the "Cross-Media Project," which is a somewhat nicer way of describing "milking the new franchise." In addition to the planned manga and anime series, Level-5 president Akihiro Hino revealed an upcoming Inazuma Eleven card game, to be released concurrently with the DS game on August 22. Along with all this stuff, Level-5 announced a second game, Inazuma Eleven Break, for consoles. No specific console or date was announced, but it's not hard to guess which home console Level-5 would choose for a mass-market children's game. They'd choose the one with a mass market.
Inazuma Eleven media explosion
Level 5's Inazuma Eleven looks utterly fantastic. Combining a sports title with RPG themes, that alone was enough to sell us on the game. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that Level-5 is developing it. Looks like Japan will find out how awesome Inazuma Eleven is this August.For those of you who're as intrigued by this title as we are, know there is some new media around the net. First up, Game Watch has some lovely screens for you to check out. After that, get some full-motion excitement from the extended trailer up at GameSpot Japan. After that, we'd suggest changing your pants. We had to.Read - Inazuma Eleven trailer at GameSpot JapanRead - Inazuma Eleven screens at Game Watch
