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White Knight Chronicles gets town-building, Q1 release for US
White Knight Chronicles is targeting a Q1 2010 release date in the US and Europe -- over a year after its Japanese release last Christmas. The reason the game is taking so long to get to the West is because Level-5 is working on extra content, which will be included on the disc. This content will be patched in to the Japanese version for free at around the same time. Smaller features that are going to be added to the western release of the game include an autorun feature and improvements to the targeting system. The extra online missions that have been released since the Japanese launch -- roughly two a month -- will also be on the disc. Level-5 is also adding a system that was key to their Dark Cloud series, Georama, which will allow you to create your own town during the online portion of the game. Exactly how it'll work or how it will affect gameplay is unclear.Level-5 is looking in to getting Japanese voices into the western version of the game for Japanophiles, and is still "working on" voice chat, but White Knight chronicles will definitely support cross-region play for the US and Europe when it launches.
E3 has come early for White Knight Chronicles fans
Sony just can't wait any longer to show you its White Knight Chronicles E3 trailer, so instead of sitting around impatiently, twiddling thumbs, the company decided to release it today. You can find it after the break. Sure, you may have seen a lot of White Knight Chronicles trailers in your time, with some even dating back to TGS 2006, but this one is special. This one's in English.There's nothing like seeing an English trailer to make you realise that, yes, this game is coming soon. We've been after this game for so long now that we almost gave up hope, but White Knight Chronicles -- complete with online co-op and hopefully voice chat support will be with us this year. Hopefully we'll hear a more concrete release at E3 next week.
White Knight Chronicles trailer chronicles opening cinematics
Do you like your RPG trailers with an extra helping of drama and guy-trying-to-sound-like-the-movie-announcer-guy? We hope you said "yes," because the latest official video of SCEA's White Knight Chronicles is pretty bombastic. It's also just plain pretty. The footage is pieced together from in-game visuals, as we saw when playing WKC for our recent hands-on. We even battled as the giant mech White Knight itself, which looks like it could have leapt right out of RahXephon. So, after watching the trailer, what do you think -- is Level 5 doing the PS3 justice?
Joystiq hands-on: White Knight Chronicles
click to enlarge Sony and Level-5's latest role-playing collaboration, White Knight Chronicles, has been out in Japan since December, but we recently got a chance to check out a partially localized version of the game at Sony Gamers Day 2009. Starting up the demo, we were treated to an intro cinematic featuring final English voice-over. The sequence, featuring the game's hero Leonard and his party gearing up for their quest, immediately dispelled any doubt that Level 5 -- known for a typically more anime or cel-shaded art style -- could pull off an immensely detailed, more "mature" looking RPG. The cutscene also left us hopeful the voice acting we were hearing remained as solid throughout the entirety of the final game. Speaking of sound, Sony confirmed to us that it's planning to implement voice chat in the US and European versions of White Knight Chronicles, something that was painfully absent from the Japanese release. We're told it's not 100% set in stone, but the dev and localization teams "really want to make it happen." %Gallery-51356%
First White Knight Chronicles DLC to hit Jan. 15
Level-5's J-RPG White Knight Chronicles has been out in Japan for little under a month now. While some have perhaps already finished the main story, it doesn't mean that the adventure is over just yet. DLC for WKC will appear on the Japanese PS Store on January 15 (tomorrow) and will add new costumes and a whole new quest for online multiplayer.Those who own the game and plan to download the DLC will find that they'll have to meet certain in-game requirements before triggering the new mission. It'll only appear for those who have a guild rank of 7 or above, and it is recommended that players be at least level 36. We wonder how frequent Level-5 plans to release these packs, as we're certain that there will be more. Also -- since it was not mentioned in the source article -- is Level-5 charging for this content? We'll probably find that out when the update hits the store tomorrow. Anyway, hopefully we'll see this additional content come our way when the game voyages to North America.
White Knight Chronicles sells more Japanese PS3s than MGS4
The latest Japanese hardware sales figures show White Knight Chronicles' continued impact throughout the region. Numbers rose from 45,989 during WKC's launch week to 60,654 the next. A rare occurrence, as sales have tended to substantially drop the week after a big release in the past. In fact, the increase means that White Knight Chronicles has sold more PS3s during its two-week launch period than Metal Gear Solid 4.While MGS4 had higher launch week sales (75,311) it dropped considerably to only 20,336 the next week. A total of 95,647. White Knight Chronicles, on the other hand, has sold a total of 106,643 during its two week launch period, almost 11,000 more. We're intrigued to see how sales of both the game and hardware continue. White Knight Chronicles has already proven a greater success than we first suspected.
White Knight Chronicles debuts with impressive first week sales
The official sales figures for White Knight Chronicles' Japanese debut are finally out. Media Create shows that the game sold just under 207,000 units during the week of December 22nd to the 28th. Bearing in mind that White Knight Chronicles is a new IP and that this figure accounts for only three days of sales, we're impressed. To put it into perspective, White Knight Chronicles now has the third best opening week PS3 sales ranking for the region, after MGS4 (476K) and Devil May Cry 4 (212K). Both of which are long-running and very popular franchises.White Knight Chronicles also had an impact on PS3 hardware sales, keeping the upward momentum going by increasing sales from 39,136 units the previous week to 45,989 units. This is the highest number of units sold in a single week since Metal Gear Solid 4 was released in June (which shifted 75,311 units). We're intrigued to see how both the game and the PS3 itself continue to sell in the following weeks.
Level-5: White Knight Chronicles riding into North America
Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has confirmed that the PS3's White Knight Chronicles is coming to North America, though no release window has been announced. This should come as good news to JRPG fans, especially those who like having "Chronicles" in their titles.In an interview with GameTrailers, Hino also dances around the issue of the game's online features and whether cross-region play will be possible. Check out the full interview after the break.%Gallery-34149%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Level-5 says White Knight Chronicles coming to North America, online region locking not decided yet
Yes, White Knight Chronicles is coming to North America; Akihiro Hino, the CEO and president of Level-5, says so himself. In an interview with GameTrailers, Hino reaffirmed that Level-5 plans to bring the game over to North America, but he did not disclose when it would be coming.Furthermore, when pressed for the possibility of North American gamers playing alongside Japanese gamers in WKC's online components, Hino neither denied nor confirmed the cross-region play with a "hasn't been decided yet" response. This sort of wording leads to speculation that such a feature might be in the works and will be implemented if Level-5 works out all the kinks. It would be great if they do. To see the full video interview, just have a look past the break.
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of December 21st
Merry Christmas, Japan! While the Western world grows fat on its own laziness (not to mention a massive amount of Christmas food) Japanese game stores remain open to sell five new great PS3 games. What's that strange smell, you ask? That's our pure, unadulterated jealousy. We really want to play White Knight Chronicles. Here's the release list:US GamesNo new releasesEU GamesNo new releasesAsian Games Alone In The Dark Bioshock Far Cry 2 Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution White Knight Chronicles In case you're wondering, your PS3 is region free. So, yes, you can import White Knight Chronicles if you so wish. We're not sure if it's the sort of game that will get downloadable content, but if it does you'll have to get it from the Japanese PSN Store. Tempting though, isn't it?
White Knight Chronicles receives a 29/40 from Famitsu
Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has reviewed the upcoming Level-5 RPG White Knight Chronicles and they weren't too impressed it, giving the PS3 exclusive a score of 29/40 (7,8,7,7). The reviewers didn't care for a number of elements in the game, such as the in-game menus, battle controls, chatting (apparently it was difficult to chat while moving around) and overly simplistic battle system. However, they did praise the game's customizable combos, epic battles and gorgeous looking world. Finally, the game length is said to clock in at about 30 hours.This doesn't bode well for White Knight Chronicles -- but do keep in mind that Famitsu has had rather strange opinions in the past -- they gave the universally panned Haze a 34/40 (9,8,9,8).[Via PS3Hyper]
White Knight Chronicles prequel manga goes live
Level-5's first big PS3 RPG, White Knight Chronicles, is hitting Japan very soon. In order to get the populace ready for this epic adventure, the official Japanese site now features a beautifully illustrated prequel manga. Simply click on "Special" at the top of the site to get a peek at the first issue. Sure, it's in Japanese, but for fans that are eagerly awaiting this game, this is a nice way of seeing the expansive world of WKC.
White Knight Chronicles vids: online play and TGS 08 trailer
The last time we did a story on White Knight Chronicles, we were bringing you a 14-minute look at Level-5's studio and the online components of the game. It was an interesting look, having the developers show everyone around, but now it' time for a new trailer (and even more footage of online play).The trailer posted above is the same one that was played at the Tokyo Game Show last month. A lot of it includes spliced up imagery from the first trailer the year, before but it's got a few new things in there. The vid posted after the break shows us a little bit about how the "live party" online portion of the game works. Get into that if you want to know more.
Love White Knight Chronicles? Here's 14 minutes of it
Way back last month at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony's booth had a small closed theater for White Knight Chronicles. After watching an all-Japanese interview and a brief trailer, closed theater-goers received a little card which gives access to a special video made available starting today. While all of you couldn't grab a card and consequently are not able to see this new video, we've done the work for you and are hosting the special treat for you to watch right here. White Knight Chronicles fans (especially the ones who can understand Japanese) will surely be interested in seeing this 14-minute long look into the making of the game. The first five minutes takes us on a guided tour through Level-5's posh Fukuoka studio. CEO and president of Level-5, Akihiro Hino, then takes us through eight minutes of the battle system, fending off overgrown monsters and transforming into the White Knight himself. The last minute includes some footage seen from the TGS trailer. So watch it right now! WNC is out in Japan on Christmas Day, December 25.
TGS 08: White Knight Chronicles impressions
Click to enlarge White Knight Chronicles has changed a lot since we played it at Tokyo Game Show last year. Our conclusion at the time was that the game would be a gorgeous JRPG with an intriguing, customizable battle system; an exciting prospect for RPG-starved PS3 owners to be sure. However, after today's White Knight Chronicles presentation, we're sure the game has the potential to be much more than that.A Level-5 employee introduced us to the game's story: It follows a boy and his search for a kidnapped princess slash love interest after discovering a conveniently hidden set of magic armor ... a tad clichéd (even by Japanese standards). In order to demonstrate the game's sense of enormity and scale we were shown a few concept pieces for the game. While rolling plains and towering castles are par for the course when it comes to JRPGs, it's been a while since we've seen an entire town straddled atop an enormous creature.We covered the battle system quite extensively at TGS last year. We took the opportunity to space out a little while the developers explained how to link character abilities together into combos, using the palette menu and how Leonard can transform into the eponymous White Knight. Not that we were bored -- the battle system was the only thing that really set White Knight Chronicles apart. Until it was revealed that the game would have a four-player online mode, that is. Gallery: White Knight Chronicles TGS 2008
White Knight Story will feature online co-op mode
Japanese gaming magazine Dengeki PlayStation reveals in its latest issue an online co-op mode for the Level-5 RPG White Knight Story. This online mode is independent of the story mode, but will feature characters from the single-player mode. Here is how it works: a lobby will accommodate 16 players, who will then be separated into groups of up to four in order to tackle quests and challenges. This mode will also give players a way to chat with one another. White Knight Story will be playable at TGS, so we'll let you know our thoughts on the game when we get some hands-on time with it. [Via PS3Hyper]
Famitsu: White Knight Story coming to Japan on Christmas day
According to this Famitsu scan, the PS3 exclusive White Knight Story will be released on Japan on December 25th. The four-page story features an interview with producer Akihiro Hino. A subtitle has been unveiled, which translates to Ancient Beat. Aino tells us development is nearing the end but not completed. The producer claims this is the most epic title he has worked on and mentions an aspect of the game that is only possible on the PS3. Unfortunately, no word yet on a release date outside of Japan. [Via PS3Hyper -- thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
White Knight Story Japanese release date still unannounced
Oops! Looks like we were a bit too eager to report on White Knight Story's release date. Yesterday we stated that the latest issue of Famitsu pegged the PS3 exclusive RPG's Japanese release date as December 11th. A flip through the actual magazine doesn't reveal the same date; in fact, the date is still unannounced.Fear not though, with the teaser message that appeared on the official website, we should have a lot more information on White Knight Story soon -- hopefully during Tokyo Game Show. Stay tuned! [Thanks, Jake C.!]
White Knight Story release still unknown [update]
Update: Ack! It seems the release date is still unconfirmed. Why are you doing this to us, Sony? Why?Is this what the "day of awakening" was hinting at? Just a couple of days after we got that promise of new info from Sony, we hear that Famitsu has nailed down a date for White Knight Chronicles (that's White Knight Story to you and me): December 11. Now, does that mean that you'll be getting your hands on this terrifically sexy PS3 RPG anytime soon? Well, no, not necessarily. But it's certainly not bad news if you've been salivating since our 2007 hands-on with the game.[Thanks, erico316]
'Days of awakening' coming soon to White Knight Story
Some have been complaining lately that the PS3 is lacking in JRPGs, but most people forget that White Knight Story was mentioned in a Sony presentation as a game that will launch this fiscal year ending in April 2009. All we have from the PS3-exclusive Level-5 RPG thus far has been infrequent updates of screenshots and concept illustrations. But a tease on the official websites at Sony Japan and Level-5 tells us that's all about to change: "The days of wakening are coming soon." (translation courtesy of PS3Hyper) Speculation range from an announcement at Tokyo Game Show or some information in an upcoming issue of Famitsu. Stay tuned![Via PS3Hyper]
