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Namco Bandai site shows Eternal Sonata and Beautiful Katamari coming to PS3 [Update]
[Update: The PS3 listings have been removed from both games' official pages.] Namco Bandai's official US website now shows Eternal Sonata and Beautiful Katamari coming to the PS3. Although Namco Bandai still won't come out in a press release and say it -- something they're accustomed to -- unless some web intern went on a bender, we'll take this as one-eyebrow-lift confirmation of both games for PS3. For Beautiful Katamari there has been an epic saga of what console it'll end up rolling to. First it was all the systems, then it was for a few. It was even reported that it was going to XBLA for a little bit. Currently the Xbox 360 version has a release date of Oct. 16, with the PS3 and Wii are resting up with a case of the TBD. As for Eternal Sonata on PS3, this backs up the information from April showing that the ESRB had rated Eternal Sonata for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Oddly enough, now Eternal Sonata isn't listed by the ESRB at all, even though it had Teen rating before. No word on release or official announcement for PS3, but the Xbox 360 version of Eternal Sonata is expected next week. Read – Eternal Sonata official page Read – Beautiful Katamari official page [Via PS3 Fanboy, Thanks Julius] %Gallery-2144%
New Eternal Sonata trailer showcases combat
A new trailer for Eternal Sonata has popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace. The new trailer focuses on the game's unique combat system and also gives us a glimpse of the various playable characters and enemies in the game. One of the more interesting aspects of the combat system is the interaction between light and dark. You can see this in the video when enemies move between light and dark areas of the combat field. Oftentimes this results in otherwise harmless looking enemies transforming into giant monstrosities. Overall, the combat system looks very engaging, and we're eager to take the full game for a spin. Eternal Sonata hits retail shelves on September 17th. Don't forget there is also a demo available on XBLM right now.
New Eternal Sonata details, still 360 exclusive
During an Eternal Sonata conference call last night, we managed to clarify some details on the game and even uncover some new details. First of all, we learned that the game should take about 30 hours to complete for players that wish to simply charge through. If, however, you wish to complete all the side-quests (and you won't get the full story if you don't), it will take much longer. In fact, some of the side-quests aren't even accessible on the first play-through, so players will have at least some incentive to go through the game more than once. RPG fans hoping for some downloadable goodness on par with Blue Dragon will likely be disappointed to hear that very little is planned at this point. In fact, the only DLC planned right now is actually an unlock key to listen to music from the game. What's more, this content is unlockable in the game itself, so the DLC is basically moot. On a more positive note the game will contain both English and Japanese voice tracks, so purists won't have to cover their ears.
Vampire Rain, Eternal Sonata demos on XBLM
If you couldn't bring yourself to purchase a copy of Official Xbox Magazine (or if you don't have wonderful Japanese friends), you can now finally download the Eternal Sonata demo from Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo gives players a chance to stretch their legs a bit and get used to the game's interesting, pseudo real time combat system. If you've made it this long without trying it out, you should really give it a go. Oh, there is also a Vampire Rain demo that is available everywhere except Germany, Korea, Taiwan, or the United States. We were beginning to get mighty angry about that, but then we remembered it was Vampire Rain. [Via Joystiq]
Eternal Sonata demo goes Live in U.S.
If you weren't quite l33t enough to hook it up back in May, the Eternal Sonata demo has burst forth from its shackles in Japan and has made its way to Xbox Live in Canada and the U.S. If you didn't already play through it with the help of a Japanese friend (wink) expect a really gorgeous RPG with a healthy dose of Chopin and choppin'. Strangely, the demo's information is in Japanese in the Marketplace. Hopefully this will be cleared up soon. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that we're still completely puzzled by the demo release schedule on Live. As if to illustrate our point, there's also a new Vampire Rain demo today that's "not available in Germany, Korea, Taiwan or the United States." Either someone is using a giant, whimsically-colored dartboard to make these decisions, or way too many resources are being devoted to this stuff. Since it's not rocket science to create a Live account that's supposedly from another region, the only real choice being made is which country is going to be inconvenienced. Why waste everyone's time?
Eterna Sonata trailer now on Marketplace
The Eternal Sonata trailer that was showed you from IGN is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace in HD. It weighs in at 71 MB, and gives you a better scope on the the game's world, art style and gameplay. As we said before, the game follows the final hours of composer Frederic Chopin, while in a feverish dream state. All of that to say that we still can't wait for this to hit come September, though we hope it doesn't get crushed under the weight of Halo 3's release on the 25th. Either way, if you didn't watch the embedded trailer, or thought the quality didn't give you a proper impression, check it out on XBLM.
Eternal Sonata trailer plucks heartstrings
IGN has posted a new trailer of Eternal Sonata in preparation for E3 next month. We've made it no secret that we adore the eccentric premise of the game, and this trailer only serves to cement that belief. For those of you still unfamiliar with it, the game chronicles the final hours of composer Frederic Chopin. The catch, you see, is that Chopin is asleep and the game occurs inside the fever dream world of his final hours. As you might expect, Chopin's dream world has a lot of musical ties. More than that though, the game is simply gorgeous, something like Howl's Moving Castle in video game form. The game is scheduled to hit U.S. shores in September. We can't wait.
Atari to bring Trusty Bell, AC6 to Europe
Our friends at Xboxygen report that Atari has signed a deal with Namco Bandai to publish both Trusty Bell -- known as Eternal Sonata in the U.S. -- and Ace Combat 6 in Europe. X3F readers will remember that Trusty Bell made a splash in the Japanese market last week, landing in the number 2 sales spot. The game tells the tale of a fantasy world -- actually the fever dream of a dying Frederic Chopin -- in dire straights, and it features many musical motifs. Ace Combat 6 is the latest entry in the long running Namco flight combat series, and is the first to appear on a non-Sony console. It's currently unknown if Atari plans to release the Ace Combat 6 flight stick controller bundle in Europe. Both games are expected to launch in Europe this fall.
Eternal Sonata Japan's 2nd best seller
Stop the presses, hold the phone, and list some clichés, because an Xbox 360 game has reached the number 2 spot on the Japanese sales charts. Yes, Eternal Sonata, known as Trusty Bell in Japan, clawed its way to the number 2 spot with 49,334 copies sold, beaten only by Practice by Observing: DS Observation Training for the DS. It is unclear how many copies sold were part of the Trusty Bell bundle we reported back in April. If you haven't been keeping track, the Xbox 360 hasn't really fared too well in Japan, so a number 2 game is a momentous occasion indeed. This becomes particularly apparent in light of the fact that Blue Dragon, developed by the creator of Final Fantasy himself, only managed to hit number 4 (though it actually sold more copies). We'll be keeping our eye out for the hardware charts to see if the Xbox 360 got a much needed boost last week as well. %Gallery-3661%
360's Eternal Sonata briefly tops Amazon Japan charts
While not a chorus of evidence that the Xbox 360 is on the way to acceptance in the Japanese market, news that the Japanese-developed RPG Trusty Bell (that's Eternal Sonata for those of us outside Japan) made it to the top spot on Amazon would seem to indicate some success for Microsoft's white box. This is reminiscent of two other highly anticipated Xbox 360 titles that managed to persuade unimpressed Japanese gamers to consider the Xbox 360: Blue Dragon and Gears of War. Though the title has since dropped from the number 1 to the number 3 place on Amazon's sales charts, we imagine the boys in Redmond are more saddened by the realization that -- at least according to the ESRB -- this erstwhile Xbox 360-exclusive is most likely going multiplatform. [Via X3F] %Gallery-2144%
Eternal Sonata No. 1 on Amazon Japan
The Xbox 360, to put it mildly, hasn't fared terribly well in Japan thus far. Routinely selling only a couple thousand units every week, the 360 needs a serious kick in the pants if Microsoft hopes to make even a modest dent in the Japanese market. For this reason, it's heartening to see an Xbox 360 game claw its way to the top of the Amazon Japan bestseller list. The game in question is the Namco Bandai RPG Eternal Sonata, known as Trusty Bell in Japan. It would seem that demand has crescendoed (get it?) before the game's launch, slated for June 14 according to Amazon Japan. Granted, Amazon is a fickle beast. The number one bestseller could change next week, tomorrow, or even in a couple of hours, but it's nice to see a 360 title beat out the PS2 and even the mighty DS. The only question now: does Eternal Sonata have the power to sell Xbox 360s in Japan? We'll know soon enough. [Thanks, alesul] %Gallery-3661%
X3F hands-on: Eternal Sonata
If you're crafty enough to find it, an Eternal Sonata demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. We downloaded the demo yesterday and took it for a spin. First thing's first, the game is very pretty. While the geometry is actually very simple, the art style and the cel shaded characters are just jaw-dropping. The animation is well done and even the voice acting is decent (the demo features full English dialogue and menus). The big question is: how does it play? Read on to find out.
Japanese Eternal Sonata demo works in U.S.
Find yourself hankering for a whimsical, musical adventure? If so, we hope you didn't delete all those incredibly legitimate foreign Xbox Live accounts from your beloved 360. You see, a demo for Trusty Bell (Eternal Sonata in the States) has landed on the Japanese Marketplace. Now, considering Microsoft's recent crackdown (no, not that Crackdown) on foreign content downloading, this shouldn't really be big news. That's all well and good, but it turns out that the demo works just fine on U.S. consoles. Even better, it features full English dialogue and menus. Why does it work? Why isn't it blocked by Microsoft's newfangled security measures? Our guess is that the security measures are mostly a one-way affair. In other words, they are for keeping U.S. content in, and not for keeping non-U.S. content out. Whatever the reason is, we suggest all of our RPG-starved readers get to downloading. Any luck downloading this for our European friends? [Via Joystiq]
'Japan-only' Eternal Sonata demo works in U.S.
Let's say, just for kicks, that you were the type that really wanted to play the demo for the upcoming RPG Eternal Sonata. Let's say, again, that you hear that the demo was now on Xbox Live, but it was only for gamers in Japan. Now you have, well, let's call him a Japanese friend that will let you use his Xbox Live account for things like this, only you heard that scam arrangement wouldn't work anymore. Well, call your "friend" and get his permission: U.S. gamers have been playing the thing all morning. What's more? The demo offers full English menus and dialog. Far be it from us to look a gift demo in the mouth, but isn't this the sort of thing that was supposed to not happen anymore? Was there some part of "you will find that these new security measures will only allow you to purchase and download content that is licensed in the country where you are located" that we misunderstood? Again, we're not complaining, we're all about one planet united under games. We're just curious what changed along the way.
1UP previews Eternal Sonata
1UP has posted a video discussion about Eternal Sonata, the upcoming RPG from Namco Bandai. Not too many new details are revealed, though we do learn a few things about the game's plot and a few tidbits about the combat engine. The plot revolves around a group of young heroes trying to put a stop to the machinations of one Count Waltz (waltz, get it?). The local forest is being destroyed by a mining operation digging for mineral powder. It seems that this powder is a miracle cure, similar to a floral powder already in use. However, Waltz has decreed that mineral powder shall be exempt from taxation, effectively killing the market for floral powder. The catch is that mineral powder actually makes people dangerously psychotic. Naturally, our heroes are out to get to the bottom of things.
Eternal Sonata trailer to please... if it really goes to PS3
We here at PS3 Fanboy remain cautiously optimistic about the ESRB website's listing of Eternal Sonata as both a 360 and PS3 title -- timed exclusive or simultaneous release, we don't care. Since the Sony consoles are stereotypically dubbed the role-playing, platformer, action, sports, strategy, experimental genre, whatever system (hmm, something seems off), this game would make a great addition to what's historically helped Sony succeed. Check out the trailer -- it's not entirely new, but a few gameplay snippets are more recent. Anyone speak Japanese and care to translate? In any case, the game looks great. Super smooth. Let's keep our fingers crossed. [via Joystiq]
Today's most on-tempo video: Eternal Sonata trailer
The RPG all the cool kids are talking about, Eternal Sonata, has a new Japanese trailer that's our pick for tonight's video. Called Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream in its home country, the video doesn't show too much more than we've seen, especially for those of us who don't understand Japanese. Still, the possibly multiplatform game should sound sweet to its fans. See the video after the break, or visit GameTrailers for the HD version. %Gallery-2144%
PlayStation 3 snags Eternal Sonata
Here's a complete change of what Sony and the PlayStation 3 are used to! A previously announced XBox 360 exclusive meant to boost sales in the land of the rising sun (and some gamers in other areas) has decided to go multi-platform. We're not here to gloat about it, because that'd make no sense. It's happened to us, so we should just go on with the day. The game we've gotten a hold of is Eternal Sonata, one of the anticipated role-playing titles that might have made the 360 appealing to Japanese gamers. This is coming directly from the oft-dependable ESRB ratings website, where the title is listed as both a 360 and PS3 game. Does Microsoft have a timed exclusive, or will it be released simultaneously on both consoles? It probably won't boost PS3 sales that greatly (the 360 is still a cheaper alternative) in Japan or otherwise, but if Sony can grab as many third-party titles as multiplatform as possible, the prospect of so many fantastic games to come in the future may just sway some consumers to buy the PS3... if they're relatively close to the edge on the decision. Now we can all enjoy the very pretty looking Eternal Sonata! Probably.
ESRB lists Eternal Sonata on Xbox 360 ... and PlayStation 3
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/ESRB_lists_Eternal_Sonata_on_PlayStation_3_in_addition_to_Xbox_360'; It's not just PS3 to 360. It looks like this whole exclusivity thing can go the other way, too. The ESRB, always good for spoiling a future press release, lists the heretofore Xbox 360-exclusive action-RPG Eternal Sonata as both an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title. If the ESRB's listing is accurate, it's unknown if Eternal Sonata would be released on the PlayStation 3 in Japan, where it's cited as a particularly strong Xbox 360 offering for the market. The title is scheduled for a June 2007 Japanese release under the title Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream and a 2007 North American release. We've asked Namco to comment on the ESRB listing. %Gallery-2144% [Thanks, NewbieZilla]
360 bundle rings a (Trusty) Bell in Japan
As a rule, if you want to sell consoles in Japan, you'd better have some good RPGs available. Microsoft knows this, and is doing everything in its power to secure some decent Japanese titles for it's uphill battle in the Land of the Rising Sun. Late last year, Microsoft released a Blue Dragon bundle, which quickly sold out and gave the Xbox 360 a hearty but brief boost. Microsoft looks to repeat that success by bundling the 360 with the upcoming RPG from Namco and tri-Crescendo, Trusty Bell (known as Eternal Sonata in the west). X3F readers will recall that Eternal Sonata left Joystiq with a good impression in March. The bundle will include an Xbox 360 core system, Trusty Bell, and a special soundtrack DVD. The bundle's price has not yet been set. Of course, you can tack on the price of a memory card or hard drive to the bundle's price, as players won't be able to save their progress otherwise. While Trusty Bell isn't likely to have the same impact as Blue Dragon, it is expected that the RPG will generate a small amount of "buzz" for the console. The new bundle will be available on June 14th in Japan. [Via Xbox-Scene]
