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Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky lands on Steam, out today
If you're unfamiliar with Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, that may be because Nihon Falcom's acclaimed PSP JRPG only headed West towards the end of the system's life cycle. The good news is there's now a new way of playing it, with the trilogy's first chapter coming to Steam later today, courtesy of XSEED. XSEED is also bringing follow-up Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter to North America on PSP and Steam, but that's gonna take a bit more time to arrive. According to the publisher, the best fans should hope for is "the end of the year." As for Trails in the Sky, its regular Steam price is $20 but there's a 15 percent first-week sale if you fancy dipping in early. For more on why it's worth a look, read this. [Thanks, Jason K!] [Image: XSEED]
Legend of Heroes series heading to smartphones
Good news: the best Japanese role-playing game you've never played is coming to smartphones, in English no less! Previously available only on the PSP, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky – along with other games in the Legend of Heroes Series – is being ported to smartphones in both Japan and North America by Aeria Games, reports Siliconera. Presumably, the deal covers iPhone and Android devices. Siliconera adds that the ports will be optimized for mobile devices, and will take advantage of online and social features. We've contacted XSEED, which published Trails in the Sky in North America, to find out whether or not it is involved with the smartphone publishing deal.
The best JRPG you haven't played yet
This is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change that. Every good game has moments of euphoria, those revelatory points in an interactive adventure when we realize just how much fun we're having. They're different for everyone – some of us might be enamored by a combat system or nutty plot twist while others might find themselves romantically attracted to a main character's hair spikes – but everybody feels them. These moments are usually short and ephemeral, showing up every once in a while just to remind us that we're enjoying ourselves. As a general rule, the more time we spend thinking "Wow, this is great," the better the game. When something really blows us away, we're aware of it the whole time. Few JRPGs blow me away nowadays. For a while, I figured this was because I am cranky and cynical. Maybe this genre just isn't for me anymore, I thought to myself. Maybe I'll never enjoy Japanese role-playing games as much as I did when I was growing up. Maybe I'll never reignite that bliss I felt when I first delved into games like Suikoden and Xenogears. Maybe I'm too old. Then I played The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.%Gallery-119078%
Trails in the Sky finally flies to Europe on Nov. 4
Though Trails in the Sky has already been out in North America for long enough to be the subject of an Amazon Lightning Deal, European PSP owners are still waiting for this branch of Falcom's complicated family tree (unless they imported it). The wait is almost over: Ghostlight announced today that it will release Trails in the Sky in collector's edition format on November 4. The CE will include a soundtrack disc, along with a lovely turn-based role-playing game.
Amazon lightning deals on Trails in the Sky, Marvel vs. Capcom, and more
If you hurry, you have a shot at getting the Limited Edition of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for $28. That's the current Lightning Deal on Amazon, and it'll be followed by more game deals throughout the day -- find the descriptions after the break. If urgency isn't your thing, you can pick up the Deal of the Day any old time today. There is a slight penalty for your choice of lower-stress shopping, and it's that the Deal of the Day is Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky out Oct. 4 in UK
Persona 2: Innocent Sin and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky are both dropping in the UK on Oct. 4, at £39.99 for each collector's edition. The Innocent Sin collector's edition includes a fancy UMD box, soundtrack, art cards, box-art poster and, with an order from Ghostlight, an Innocent Sin t-shirt, "Size L". The Trails in the Sky collector's edition also features a fancy box, art cards and soundtrack, with a poster sent sepately and "NOT FOLDED!!" for Ghostlight pre-orders. A collector's edition double pack comprises the collector's editions from both games, with the large t-shirt and UNFOLDED poster included, for £69.98.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky flying high after shipping 200,000 units
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was first released on PSP for Japan in October 2006, and for North America in March of this year, and has since steadily soared to 200,000 units shipped. Trails in the Sky began with a humble shipment of only 30,000, solidifying the game's status as an unexpected hit. Not to be outdone, the upcoming sequel, titled Trails of Blue, has passed 200,000 pre-orders in advance of its September release in Japan.
Amazon springs a round of game Lightning Deals on us
Surprise! Amazon just announced a bunch of video game Lightning Deals. We suppose they wouldn't be Lightning Deals if we could prepare for them. Find hints for all of them right here. If you're in the mood for a PSP role-playing game, get your wallet out post haste, because the first offer, at 1PM EST, is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Specifically, it's the Limited Edition version for $27.99.
Falcom announces NGP launch RPG, Trails in the Sky sequel
Nihon Falcom, creator of the Ys and Dragon Slayer series, has ardently supported the PSP with games, and will continue this trend into the next generation. According to an interview with Dengeki PlayStation magazine summarized by Andriasang, Falcom is developing a new role-playing game for the NGP, for release in that system's launch window. Dengeki also announced a sequel to Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, a game that happens to be coming out on PSP in North America. The sequel's name translates to Legend of Heroes: Trails of Blue. If you'd like to read more -- a lot more -- about that series, we can help with that. [Image: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky]
XSEED explains The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky's family history
click to embiggen A few weeks ago, we asked NIS America to explain the semi-inscrutable title of Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. Having had our minds expanded by that new knowledge, we then went looking for more games with absolutely crucial information you (and we) might not know. And that's The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Unbeknownst to most gamers, the PSP RPG is part of a very long, very populous series -- one with dozens of games, spinoffs, and even spinoff series. In fact, it's distantly related to the NES's Faxanadu and Legacy of the Wizard. In response to our query, Tom Lipschultz, localization specialist for publisher XSEED, dropped an unprecedented amount of RPG history on us. If you'd like to know more about Trails in the Sky's lineage than you thought possible, read on.%Gallery-119078%
