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Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition spotted in its natural habitat
Last year, we idly mused that Success Corp.'s Amazing Animals, a Wii safari game, looked kind of neat. Now, Natsume will give us a chance to experience the kind-of-neatness for ourselves! The company announced today that it has picked up North American publishing rights for the title.Confirming our previous assumption about the gameplay, Natsume explains that Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition is a wildlife photography game in an African setting. "Each day, [players will] be tasked with completing specific assignments, such as taking pictures of particular animals, groups of animals, or animals engaged in certain actions. Players will see a variety of exotic wildlife on their expedition, including gazelles, gorillas, and elephants." So basically it's Sony's Afrika, but cuter and less likely to be used as a TV demo in electronics stores. Natsume will be displaying Animal Kingdom at E3. We're so glad Natsume decided upon the Animal Kingdom name, by the way. We've never been happier with a regional name change. The title of the game in Europe is ... Safar'Wii.%Gallery-51809%
Amazon and GameFly list Raiden Fighters Aces for North America
According to listings on both Amazon and GameFly, Japanese shooter Raiden Fighters Aces may see life Stateside. Back in March, a demo for the top-down shooter landed on the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace for all of our phantom accounts to enjoy but, we didn't think the retail game would ever hit North America. The product pages, discovered by Verbal Spew, list two separate publishers: GameFly notes Valcon Games, the house that brought Daisenryaku to North America, will publish, while Amazon lists Zoo Games as the import culprit. No official word on the listings yet, but we're hopeful the shooter will eventually find its way to our Xbox 360s.
DS headed for a Tokyo Beat Down in March
Remember Success's police brawler Tokyo Doujitahatsu Terror Wo Chinatsuseyo? Atlus did! In another wonderfully surprising Success acquisition, the publisher has announced plans to release the beat-em-up in North America on March 10 under the catchy title Tokyo Beat Down. Players control an elite Tokyo police division called the Beast Cops, who rid the streets of terrorists and other criminals by beating the hell out of them. A true arcade-style brawler, the cops can "hurl enemies into each other, chain together combos, execute special moves and throws, and then let loose on your foes with an arsenal of firearms, ranging from the small to the obscenely large". We didn't think we needed any more DS games in the next couple of months, but we were SO WRONG. There is always room in our hearts, wallets, and Penguin United DS game cases for an arcade brawler. %Gallery-41390%
DS Fanboy Review: Rondo of Swords
Strategy RPGs aren't exactly rare on the DS -- some people might even argue that the genre is too plentiful on Nintendo's handheld (though this writer would beg to differ). Regardless, it's always nice to see something refreshing in an SRPG, which is why I was looking forward to playing Rondo of Swords. Having heard of its unique gameplay system, I wanted to see if this title would force me to think differently and not rely on strategies I was used to.At the same time, though, I was a bit apprehensive. While change can be a good thing if it's implemented correctly, it can often feel forced if it's not. Moreover, one reason that strategy games don't differ at their core is because the formula works. Can throwing away such tried-and-true methods really lead to an enjoyable game? Just mosey on past the break to find out!%Gallery-14108%
Windy x Windam: Fighting Game of the Unemployed Ninja
A poster on the fighting game forum Shoryuken.com found a small blurb and screens about one of the mysterious games on Success Corp.'s summer release list: Windy x Windam. The name certainly didn't provide any clues to the game's content, but it turns out that Windy x Windam is a fighting game based on ... Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. Windy x Windam is being developed by Izuna's Ninja Studio. We don't know how much experience they have with fighting games -- maybe someone from the company worked on fighting games previously. Their history as Ninja Studio seems to contain only mobile casual games, mobile SRPGs, and Izuna. Maybe it'll be a turn-based fighting game!%Gallery-21768%[Via NeoGAF]
Success reveals summer plans for Japan
Success Corp recently updated the company's summer schedule for Japan, which is full of DS games that will likely never see the light of day outside the Land of the Rising Sun. Two notable titles are based on anime licenses, specifically Yawaraka Sensha and Kuwagata Tsunami. The interesting thing about these animes is that they're Flash-based shows, which fans can watch online (here and here). According to Siliconera, these animes are rather popular in Japan, so we wouldn't be surprised to see these games pop up in the software charts come July.The rest of Success's summer line up consists of games we're not familiar with, which are called Windy Windom, Escape Johnny, and Tactical Guild (which is possibly Tactical Guide). While those of us outside Japan may not be getting any of these games, at least we have our own Success titles to look forward to.[Via Siliconera]
Drone Tactic #1: Be an awesome robot
We're not terribly fond of insects in the real world, and we think we've been able to figure out why -- normal insects are not giant fighting robots that we can pilot. We wouldn't roll the window down to let one of those out. We can always escape into the world of Drone Tactics, where insects can awesomely shoot bullets at us instead of just being annoying.New screens, which we've collected in a jar with airholes cut out of the lid our gallery, show off some of these cool insecto-bots and also their disappointingly non-insectile and non-robotic human pilots. Although nonchalantly playing violin as you engage in a robot battle is pretty cool, we must admit -- for a hu-man.%Gallery-14982%[Via press release]
Raiden Fighters Aces demo hits Japan
In actuality, the headline above should read "Raiden Fighter Aces demo hits any Xbox 360 with a Japanese Xbox Live account." Unfortunately, that headline lacks pizazz, and we're all about pizazz around here. At any rate, the point is that there's a Raiden Fighters Aces demo up on Xbox Live Marketplace for those keen on finding it. The demo gives players a crack at all three Raiden titles in the compilation (Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters II, and Raiden Fighters Jet). It also settles the question of whether the title is a retail title or an XBLA release (hint: it's retail). Now we have a new question: will gamers be willing to shell out retail price for a compilation of ten-year-old arcade games. Hopefully Raiden Fighters Aces will debut at a budget price.
Case solved! Success Corp.'s detective games revealed
Spencer at Siliconera recently donned his deerstalker and set about discovering the real identity of those mysterious detective games from Success Corp. that left us confounded last month. And no, they don't involve Scooby Doo (some would say that's a good thing).Instead, the two have been outed as Yajuukeiji: Tokyo Doujitahatsu Terror Wo Chinatsuseyo and Otoshi Kenji: Keiji-San, Watashi ga Yarimashita, both of which we are immensely looking forward to typing out again. Yajuukeiji: Tokyo Doujitah The former is about terrorism in Tokyo, and apparently focuses on action, while the latter is an adventure title.So there we go: two more detective games to add to this burgeoning genre. And to think they'd have got away with it, if it weren't for those pesky kids! Okay, that's probably quite enough Scooby Doo references for this week. Both of these hit Japan on May 15th, which is when we'll start to bleat for localized versions.
Atlus announces Rondo of Swords
Yesterday we found out from Nintendo that Rondo of Swords would be released for the DS in April, leaving us intrigued. Some of us at DS Fanboy (correctly) guessed that it was a localization of Success Corp's Ituwari no Rondo, but that's about it.Atlus cured our curiosity today, though, by providing a press release about the game. Besides copying and pasting the Wikipedia definition of "rondo" for us (gee, thanks, Atlus!), the publisher announced that the SRPG would be coming to the DS on April 15th. The press release also mentioned quite a few times that the game is "epic," making us wonder if we should have read it out loud with epic voices. Other than that, most of the information about the game can be found at the game's official website here.For all our snark, we're really looking forward to this game. The combat mechanic makes use of the touch screen, and the idea of a long, challenging game is especially compelling. Unfortunately, we won't find out until April if the game can deliver on its epic promises.%Gallery-14108%[Via press release]
Joshikousei Nigeru!'s final boxart not so wacky
Remember that bizarre boxart we cracked jokes about for Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen, the budget survival horror-themed puzzler from Success? That cover turned out to be just a placeholder, and the finalized design has been put up at Joshikousei Nigeru!'s recently launched teaser site. The new art seems more appropriate to the game's schoolgirls-in-distress cast, but it's not nearly as memorable as the ghoul lunging for some off-camera cheeseburger (viewable past the break). We're actually kind of bummed that Success opted to not use that silly image. We were planning on turning the bogeyman's open-mouthed expression into the next Jam Sessions dude, photoshopping him into article images at every opportunity.%Gallery-10383%
Wacky survival horror puzzle game has wacky boxart
Set for a Japanese release this coming January 24th under Success' budget line of games, SuperLite 2500, Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen tasks you with fighting off ghosts and escaping a haunted schoolhouse via Bejeweled-style puzzles. Think Puzzle Quest, except the fantasy and RPG elements have been replaced with creepy dead children.Joshikousei Nigeru! will sell for 2,625 yen (approximately $23.60), which is about how much Success paid whoever decided to use that photo for its packaging art. The pictured ghoul looks less like a menacing spirit than some dude about to eat a cheeseburger. Match three jewels to save your cheeseburger from the wraith! As you can see in the gallery we've put together, there's a lot of fantastic promotional artwork for this game; why weren't any of those images used instead?%Gallery-10383%[Via Ruliweb]
Insect Wars preorder papercraft
Now that Kanji Dragon's release is behind us, it's time for us to set our sights on the next Success Corp. release that we plan to obsess over: Insect Wars (Konchuu Wars). The latest update on the tactical RPG's site shows off a papercraft model of a horned beetle -- just one of the dozens of customizable units in your army of mechanized bugs -- equipped with an intimidating cannon on its back. This will presumably be offered as a limited gift to gamers who preorder Insect Wars in Japan. Scurry past the post break for a better look at the paper replica.
Insect Wars is the bee's knees
We shooed Insect Wars (Konchuu Wars) away when the game's beetle-filled screenshots first flew into our periphery, believing the bug to be an uninspired pest. "Go away," we said, "and bother us no more." In our defense, language barriers kept us from understanding what the Success Corp. title was trying to communicate with its antennae and movement patterns. Having studied its habits, we found that the game isn't a Mushiking clone as we'd originally assumed, but a tactical RPG where you command an army of customizable, mechanized insects. Our mouths were agape, monocles falling from our faces when the truth was revealed. Below is a sampling of Insect Wars' creepy crawlers: a rifle-mounted praying mantis with buzzsaws -- my god, buzzsaws! -- for arms a lightning bug that terrorizes foes with its beam cannon tail a heavily-armored, treaded snail (pictured above) which acts as a transport for other units while healing them Not since Puzzle Quest have our loins ached for such a game. Insect Wars swarms into Japanese stores this August 2nd. Head past the post break for a minute-long trailer.
Kanji Dragon blows through Akihabara
Sunday came and went, taking with it our hopes of ever meeting Kanji Dragon's martial artist. The kung-fu character posed for a few shots at Success Corp's Akihabara event over the weekend, hyping the kanji-training action title. Just looking at the photos and all the fun we missed out on feels like getting crane-kicked right in the heart.Though we didn't get to attend the soiree, it certainly wasn't from lack of trying. We stuffed our Pokemon backpacks with dozens of DS and GBA games, our favorite G.I. Joes, and a plastic baggie loaded with Pringles (these were crushed into little flaky bits before we even zipped our Squirtle bags shut) before heading out to hitchhike a ride to Japan, but we didn't even make it past two blocks before the police picked us up and drove us home. Our parents were pissed. Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon DVDs containing all of the game's promotional videos, including an unreleased action clip, were passed out to attendees. Peek past the post break for another exciting image from the event and a look at the multicolored shirts that were given to those who preordered the title. You might also see us hugging our knees in the corner, sniffling and trying to pretend like we just didn't spend all afternoon crying.
Kanji Dragon scheduled to kick Akihabara's ass
We're well aware that the gaming press couldn't care less about Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon; interest for a kanji-training beat 'em up is niche at best, and to be honest, this whole kung fu theatre advertising push is a bit silly. But are we going to let that stop us from inundating you with every single scrap of Kanji Dragon news that we come across? Of course not!Success Corp. will be celebrating the educational brawler's June 7th release with a special event this Sunday at Akihabara's Sofmap amusement complex. Attendees will be able to play the game and will even receive a limited edition T-shirt if they pre-order a copy. The title's fumbling mascot will also be making an appearance, handing out Kanji Dragon Director's Cut DVDs. Make sure to check past the post break for a larger version of the disc's explosive cover.To say we're disheartened by the fact that we won't be able to attend is an understatement. We wept bitter tears as we read the press release's jumbled Google translation, yelling out in grief when we learned that we'd miss out on free souvenirs. Rod Stewart poignantly sang "So Far Away" as a montage of us drowning our sorrows with too many drinks and loose women played right before fading to black.
