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We Built This City on Project O (artwork)
Not all of you shared our excitement when we posted Project O's trailer two weeks ago, many questioning our declaration of the game as a "must buy." We considered sassing back with our usual acerbic wit, riposting, "Yeah, well your mother is a 'must buy.'" Oh, how it would have burned. We eventually decided against attacking our readers, opting instead to chip away at your defenses with as many updates on the RPG/sim as we can muster.Jeux-France posted new artwork of Project O's buildings and characters that strengthen analogies between the game and a Pikmin-styled RTS. Some of the structures are predictable, like the smithy and archery hut, while others, such as the mustachioed and heavy-eyebrowed fish restaurant shown above, are a bit more eccentric.We've got more images past the post break which you can preview while you try desperately in vain to shake the musical stylings of Starship out of your head. Consider that last link our weekend gift to you. You know, to make up for that whole your-mother-being-a-must-buy burn.
Project O trailer better than our wildest dreams
We've had some pretty messed up dreams in our time -- like that one where we drove through the mall in a robot octopus to pick up girls, beckoning eight of them at a time with our come-hither, mechanical arms -- so it's no small feat exceeding our sleeping imaginations. This trailer for King Story (Project O) does just that, however, seducing us in just its first fifteen seconds with an arrangement of Maurice Ravel's "Boléro."The three-minute English trailer goes over a lot of what was already revealed in yesterday's site update, but the accompanying cartoon has more charm to it than a box of leprechaun cereal. In-game clips show off your cheering villagers, town building and maintenance, and even some combat with a spicy dragon! If this RPG/sim wasn't a "must buy" for you before, it should be now.
Official Project O site tells the King's story
Publisher Marvelous Interactive has finally replaced its King Story (or Project O, if you prefer its "working title") teaser page with a more substantial site, and, joy of all joys, there's an English version!Along with listing King Story as a cross between a role-playing game and a "simulated life game," the new hub has information on a few of the characters and creatures that populate the village. The UMAs, Unidentified Mysterious Animals, are particularly interesting -- miniature humanoids with a featureless turnips for heads, mushrooms bearing the faces of old men, and spicy dragons!We also love the story: "In a small village, there was this little timid young boy named Corobo. He was often lonely and too shy to make friends. Until one day when he received a mysterious Crown. This Crown had a mysterious power. The power 'to charm people and make them follow any orders ... '"Any orders, you say? We can already imagine ourselves smiling cruelly, watching our minions toil under a terrible sun to erect a monument immortalizing our rule. An advisor pleads, "Your highness, this cannot go on! They'll revolt if you continue to push them like this."We answer, "Obviously, you've no idea what power this Crown holds over them. Lest they wish their women and children sold to the Spore slavers, they'll break their backs completing the obelisk." The advisor opens his mouth to object, but finds that he's suddenly paralyzed, frozen in place by an unseen force. He screams silently, a sentient statue, unable to live or die for an eternity.
Project O still rolling slowly along
It's been so long since we heard anything about the fantastic Project O that as soon as new information popped up on IGN, we gobbled it like a tasty bar of chocolate. The best part? There's more information to come at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We are now officially counting down the days. For those who need a refresher, Project O is a large-scale simulation game with elements reminiscent of Harvest Moon, but from the sound of this latest interview from Famitsu, it seems this title will have some significantly darker themes, despite the cheerful anime-inspired look. Each individual NPC in Project O is set to have their own unique attitudes and memories, of both good and bad events in their lives. In fact, one of the examples given in the interview is of the darker sort, but definitely intriguing -- an NPC will be affected while traveling a route he once walked often with a girlfriend who died. How sad! And yet, that tiny, humane detail makes us rabid for this game. How will all of this affect your actions as the main character in the game? Will you even be a main character? So much remains shrouded in mystery, but we'll be watching this one anxiously for new developments.
Project O teaser site launches
Marvelous Interactive, Townfactory, and CING recently announced that they had joined their development forces in hopes of producing a new game for the Wii titled Project O. Not much else was revealed except for a vague release date of sometime in 2008, but hearing that Hotel Dusk: Room 215 developers CING are involved was enough to hold our interest. We didn't have to wait long for more hints on what the game could be, as Marvelous Interactive has already uploaded a Project O teaser site for our analysis. The concept art shows what looks like resource gathering, structure building, multiple units engaged in combat, and an overhead shot. Could this mystery title be an RTS game? We will keep you informed as more news develops![Via Jeux-France]
Hotel Dusk developer working with others on new game
Cing, who developed the recently-released Hotel Dusk: Room 215, along with Interactive Marvelous and Townfactory, are all coming together like Voltron to complete a title on the Wii. As of now, the only information we have on the title is it is being called Project O and will be available to Japanese gamers sometime in 2008. Still, even with the lack of information, a trio of developers coming together like this is news in and of itself.[via Go Nintendo]
