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Xbox Live deals: Ghosts, Souls and Witchers, oh my!
Microsoft is offering some tempting discounts for Xbox 360 owners this week. From now through January 27, Xbox Live is slashing prices on downloads of Dark Souls, Call of Duty: Ghosts and more. Ghosts is down to $40, while Dark Souls is only $5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an odd-yet-cheap $6.59, The Witcher 2 is a similarly oddly-priced $9.89 and, rounding out this week's smattering of deals are Tales of Vesperia and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara – both under $5. The deals are live when viewing each individual title on Xbox Live, though the Xbox Live Deal of the Week section is still showing last week's discounts – which highlight Darksiders for under $7, Darksiders 2 for under $20 and Painkiller: Hell and Damnation for $15.
Save on Tales of Vesperia and Eternal Sonata by Chopin at Amazon
If you somehow damaged your Tales of Vesperia disc, you can pick up one for $23 from Amazon as part of the retailer's Deal of the Day. Also available today: Eternal Sonata for $20, which is mostly noteworthy for its ability to qualify your Tales of Vesperia order for free shipping.
Tales of Vesperia Blu-ray unlocks additional PS3 content
Tales of Vesperia continues gracing the PS3 with more and more content. The First Strike, an animated film prequel to the game, will be available on Blu-ray in Japan and it'll unlock extra costumes for the PS3 version of the game. (Undoubtedly, this will make some Xbox 360 owners quite angry.) This isn't the first time a Blu-ray has been enhanced for the PS3. Most recently, District 9 featured a playable God of War III demo. Zombieland also includes a dynamic XMB theme. However, Tales of Vesperia seems to be charting new territory by unlocking additional game content via a Blu-ray movie. It's certainly an interesting experiment: one we'd like to see more and more movies take advantage of. See a trailer for the movie after the break. [Via Andriasang]
Tales of Vesperia voice actor says game is coming to Wii [update: Oops! He meant Tales of Graces!]
[Update: Abyssal Chronicles has updated their story, reporting that Mr. Koyama has updated his original blog post with the following clarification: "When I mentioned being on sale for the Wii, I meant Tales of Graces, and not Tales of Vesperia! I truly apologize to everyone for the misunderstanding!!!!" Well, we can see how that would be confusing. You'll find our original post below.] Lock the doors and board up the windows, folks. Considering the seismic backlash to the announcement that the (formerly) 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia would be coming to the PS3, we fear for what might happen when this story gets out. Japanese voice actor Rikiya Koyama, who provided the voice for Vesperia's pseudo-antagonist Duke, recently mentioned on his blog that, "Tales of Vesperia is coming out on one thing after another: Xbox 360, then PS3, and now upcoming, goes on sale even on the Wii." While this may deeply excite RPG-loving Wii owners, keep in mind that it's entirely possible Koyama meant to say Tales of Graces, the franchise's next installment which is, in fact, coming to the Wii. Just think about that before you start snapping the pieces of your already-snapped 360 Vesperia disc in protest. Those edges can get pretty sharp. [Via Kotaku]
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.
Tales of Vesperia costumes offered as a Tales of Graces pre-order bonus
If Xbox gamers feel betrayed enough to destroy their discs and burn magazines over the PS3 port of Tales of Vesperia, how are they going to react to news that costumes from Vesperia are also no longer exclusive, appearing in the Wii's Tales of Graces? Will they stand for this minor outrage?Given away as a download code on a pre-order bonus DVD, the costumes enable players to dress Aspel, Sophie, and Cheria as Yuri, Patty, and Rita. Look forward to some angry message board posts featuring a spurned gamer giving a ruthless thumbprint to his Xbox disc, or throwing it straight in the garbage, then pulling it out and cleaning it.[Via Andriasang]
PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia sells over 140K in one day
Walking around the streets of Akihabara, you'd be hard pressed to find a copy of Tales of Vesperia for PS3. Why? The game has sold over 140,000 units in one day, according to initial reports from Japan. Already, that's more than the first month of sales for the original Xbox 360 version, and nearly equal to the lifetime sales for that version. The promise of added content and being on a system that Japanese people actually own both contributed favorably to Namco Bandai's sales.While Namco Bandai must be pleased with the money it's raking in (from yesterday's sales, and from Microsoft), the publisher has yet to announce a US release for Vesperia PS3. We think there are a lot of new PS3 owners that would love to check out the game on Sony's console.
Rumor: Microsoft exclusivity deals funding PS3 development in Japan
What do Vampire Rain, Tales of Vesperia, Lost Planet, Eternal Sonata and Enchanted Arms all have in common? Aside from being developed in Japan, every one of them landed on the Xbox 360 "exclusively" first, only getting ported (sometimes with additional content) to the PlayStation 3 a year or so later. One Japanese developer claims the exclusivity agreements are being used in lieu of financial help from Sony for game development -- essentially saying that Japanese developers are using Microsoft's capital to develop temporarily exclusive 360 games with the intention of inexpensively porting the games to PS3 later on. "It was easier developing for the Xbox 360 ... if you sign an exclusive contract with Microsoft (you won't release it on other hardware for a year or similar), they will give you a lot of cash for development," read a Japanese developer's post (the original post has since been removed), translated by Sankaku Complex (site NSFW). "As a result, first you develop for the Xbox, reducing development costs. But the Xbox version won't sell [in Japan]. So they port it to the PS3 ... it's cheaper as you already have the game done." Though they didn't work on it, the developer claims to have seen this policy in practice with Tales of Vesperia. As Kotaku points out, it's quite possible that the dev did see such a practice on Vampire Rain, a game the mystery developer says they worked on.
Tales of Vesperia demo next week, trailer teases new stuff
If you've already played Tales of Vesperia, don't be surprised by how unrecognizable this new trailer is. Namco Bandai isn't holding back on the PS3 version of the RPG, adding tons of new content, from new playable characters, new dungeons, to new fully voiced cutscenes, like the ones you see above.Japanese gamers will be able to test the PS3 version of Tales when a free downloadable demo releases next week, July 13th. If you make a Japanese PSN account of your own, you'll be able to try it -- just make sure you know Japanese first, okay?We contacted Namco Bandai Games America about its plans for a US release and were simply told, "We have not announced Tales of Vesperia (PS3) for the North American region at this time. Therefore, we can not comment on additional content for the PS3 version of the game in Japan." Shucks.[Via Kotaku]
Famitsu unveils Tales of Vesperia PS3 bonus content
That guy in the picture? He's saying "damn, I wish I'd waited and bought the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia, instead of the 360 version." That's because he's just read the latest Famitsu and found out about all the cool extras that will be included with the game when it hits the PS3 later this year. This includes new Giganto Monsters and new areas of the world for them to inhabit, such as additional dungeon and desert environments. Those who pre-order in Japan will also receive a redemption code for downloadable costumes from another game in the series, Tales of the Abyss. Not only that, but people who buy both Vesperia and the upcoming PSP Tales of VS will get even more goodies, as each game will include a password which will activate new content in the other. [Via Andriasang.com]
Tales trailers: Vesperia on PS3, VS on PSP
As long as you promise not to break or burn anything, we'll allow you to view these video clips of Tales of Vesperia PS3 and the PSP-exclusive Tales of VS. Above, you'll find a Japanese trailer for Vesperia. It features the all-new pirate character, Patty. After the break is a trailer for Tales of VS, which is very much like Dissidia: Final Fantasy in the sense that both are cameo-based fighters. VS gathers 35 characters from across the Tales series. Popular personalities such as Yuri, Luke, Richter and Shing are all confirmed. Also, you may have noticed that the trailer was entirely done in English. What could that mean, if anything? Tales of Vesperia and Tales of VS are scheduled for Japanese releases in autumn and summer 2009, respectively.
Japanese gamer breaks disc, burns magazine article over Vesperia PS3 port
Perhaps "Tales of Rage" is a more suitable title for Tales of Vesperia on PS3, as fan reaction to the enhanced port hasn't gone over well. Fans of the series in Japan are livid at the announcement, seeing as many of these gamers bought systems just to play the formerly 360-exclusive game. In one case, a fan was so angry he snapped his game disc in half (... subconsciously telling himself he has a reason to pick it up again) and burned the PS3 announcement article.While we feel sorry for such angered gamers, we do believe they should have known better. After all, the game was previously teased to appear on PS3 by Namco Bandai itself. Just couldn't wait, huh? No wonder they say patience is a virtue.[Via Kotaku]
Tales of Vesperia movie confirmed, prequel to the game
Oh, Namco Bandai, you sneaky sneaky publisher. You hold an entire press conference in Tokyo and wait all the way until the very end to sneak in an official confirmation of the Tales of Vesperia movie, titled "Tales of Vesperia: First Strike." Oh, and what's that? It's a prequel to the game featuring "Yuri and Flynn's days together among the Zaphian Knights?" We're sorry, you're just going to have to do better than that. Oooh, you say it's being developed by I.G. Productions, the company that worked on previous film adaptations of various Tales games in the past? Keep talking. Seasoned animator Kanta Kamei, known not only for his work on Tales of Legendia but also as the visual supervisor for the animated segment in "Kill Bill Vol. 1" is directing it, eh? Well that certainly helps.When "First Strike" releases in Japan "sometime later this year," it'd better be good! We'll let you off the hook this time -- but only this time.[Via 1UP]
Tales of Vesperia coming to PS3, Tales of VS for PSP
Like you didn't see this one coming. Namco Bandai has finally announced a PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia. The game's exclusivity to Xbox 360 was always questioned, especially after a few noteworthy slip-ups on Namco Bandai's part. Like Eternal Sonata before it, the upcoming PS3 version of Vesperia will be enhanced over the original. Details are scarce for now, but the game will feature at least one new character. Japan will receive the enhanced port later this year.In addition to Vesperia, the Japanese magazine debuted another Tales game for the PlayStation systems. Tales of VS, a PSP-exclusive that looks to be Namco Bandai's attempt at a Dissidia clone. The screens showcase characters from a number of Tales games brawling in a 3D environment, and indicate that VS looks to outdo Square Enix's fighter by offering support for up to four characters. As long as games like VS continue to be announced, it looks as though PSP is going to have another monster year in Japan.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Tales of Vesperia heads to Europe this June
Gamers in PAL territories will finally be able to play Tales of Vesperia when it releases this June. The Namco Bandai RPG is the best-selling Xbox 360 game of 2008 ... in Japan. Nearly a year since its original release in Japan and America, our friends across the Atlantic can finally join in.Regarded as the best Tales game ever by many, Vesperia transports players into the world of Terca Lumireis, a world where the people are no longer comfortable with the powerful imperial regime. The main character, Yuri, may look like a chick, but those that bear with the game will find him to be one of the most likable RPG characters in recent memory.%Gallery-17071%
Xbox 360 outsells PS3 in Japan for fourth time, Four Horsemen draw closer
The Xbox 360 has only outsold the PlayStation 3 several times before, so we're reticent to bring the Four Horsemen out of their winter hibernation. However, if Japanese hardware sales tracker Media Create is to be believed, the 360 not only outsold the PS3 in Japan last week, it handily trounced all competition, with sales just over 25,000 units (compared to nearly 17,000 units for Wii and just over 16,000 for PS3). Considering Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released this past week and is outselling every game on the chart by a margin of at least 3:1 (162,232 units, folks -- in one week!), we're taking a stab in the dark here and saying 360 sales had something to do with that. After all, the last few times we put out a call to the horsemen, two other JRPG titles were to blame: Infinite Undiscovery and Tales of Vesperia. Can you remember the other game that put 360 on top in Japan for a week? Hint: It involves fire and liberation and ... fighter jets. Give up? Too bad! We're still not telling!
Tales of Vesperia to become anime movie
1UP took note of a tiny blurb in Japanese magazine Kinema Jumpo, which indicates that Namco Bandai is preparing a Tales of Vesperia movie. The animated film will allegedly be the first in the series to hit the the big screen. Tales of Phantasia, Eternia, Symphonia and Aneurismia (not real) have all received linear animated media releases, but not in theaters. The Japanese version will feature voice talent from the game, but there's no word if the same is planned for an international version. 1UP speculates that the film could be used to cross-promote a PS3 version of Vesperia. We don't know about that, but Namco Bandai did eventually take its Xbox 360 exclusive, Eternal Sonata, to the PS3.
Famitsu: Only one Xbox 360 game made Japan's Top 100 in sales
According to a Japan sales chart compiled by Famitsu, only one Xbox 360 game carried enough weight to be named a top seller in 2008, out of 100 titles. Capturing the 82nd slot was Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia, a real-time role-playing game and latest entry from the famed fourteen-year-old franchise, apparently only selling 161,070 units since it released in early August. As expected, Nintendo topped the list with 47 DS titles and 15 Wii titles in the region. One out of 100? We guess that is what you'd call progress. Right? Then again, no. No, it isn't.[via Kotaku]
Microsoft pushing for 1 million 360s in Japan
With Japanese Xbox 360 sales recently reinvigorated, even outselling the Wii -- or coming damned close, depending on who you believe -- Microsoft is keen to keep up the momentum. Speaking to Edge, Xbox Japan head Takashi Sensui noted the sales boost, saying "[Microsoft needs] to make the strengthening of our RPG lineup a priority." In addition Sensui said that Microsoft is working to keep 360 supplies up in the region, no doubt referring to Japan's retailers exhausting the country's entire supply of 360 consoles following the debut of Tales of Vesperia. The next goal for Microsoft is to break the 1 million unit mark, a goal it's close to reaching with recent sales estimates hovering at nearly 720,000. Sensui is hopeful about the 360's prospects, saying "we believe that Japanese consumers will see what we have to offer and agree that is is the best option available."With some big name RPGs on the way -- such as Star Ocean: The Last Hope (above) -- and the Tokyo Game Show taking place next month, we're sure we'll be getting an earful of Microsoft's strategy for Japan in the coming weeks.
Infinite Undiscovery, price cut help Xbox 360 outsell Wii in Japan
It wasn't so frightening when the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for a week back when Tales of Vesperia came out, but now that it's sold more than the Wii during the week ending Sept. 14 ... well, now we're stricken with panic. According to Enterbrain, the Xbox 360 sold 28,861 units during the week, while the Wii sold 27,057 (the PS3 managed 8,050).Xbox 360 sales were more than likely spurred by the one-two punch of a Japanese price cut and the release of console-exclusive Infinite Undiscovery, which sold 86,708 units in its first week. MCV points out that the 360 has now sold 717,275 units in Japan -- the very foundations of our world would be shaken if it actually went on to sell a million units.%Gallery-23402%
