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Tales of Graces not coming to Wii outside of Japan
It already seems miraculous that Western gamers will get to play Tales of Graces F through an official Namco Bandai localization. We suppose there's only so much we can reasonably expect. Not among the things we can expect: a localized release of the original Wii version of Tales of Graces. During this weekend's Japan Expo, Namco Tales Studio director Makoto Yoshizumi told Kingdom of Tales that "there will be no Wii release." The explanation he gives sounds kind of odd, for a game originally released on Wii: "We wish to deliver the best and most complete experience for US and European fans, therefore we're localizing Tales of Graces f. The game on the PS3 version is on a blu-ray disc. It would be next to impossible to condense all the game's data on a Wii disc, so unfortunately, there will be no Wii release." The statement isn't entirely unfounded: the PS3 version includes a new playable chapter not found in the Wii original, with a voice-acted script reportedly 3/4 the length of the original game's. The desire for the "best and most complete experience" likely refers to that extra content, thus explaining why the original Wii version is being skipped.
Namco Bandai considering Tales of Vesperia sequel
During an event celebrating the recent theatrical release of Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike in Japan, Namco Bandai's Makoto Yoshizumi said there is a strong internal desire to develop a sequel to Xbox 360 and PlayStation Tales of Vesperia. According to Yoshizumi, staff have questioned whether a Vesperia 2 is in the publishers future, leaving him to jokingly respond, "Don't talk like a fan!" "We're thinking about it," he told press during the creator discussion in Japan's Shinjuku district. According to the panel, Vesperia's story is far from over as Namco Bandai is already brainstorming ideas if the opportunity for a new film in the series arises. "I don't know when it will happen, but we'd like to show [these things] in video form," Namco Bandai's general manager told those in attendance. Hopefully Namco Bandai will release a potential sequel for all platforms simultaneously, otherwise we may have a repeat situation of angry Japanese gamers on our hands.
