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Naruto: Clash of the sequel
Tomy continues to dish out Naruto games faster than you can blink, this time promising a Clash of Ninja Revolution sequel for the Wii. Although the odds of a sequel were likely, news of the game was recently confirmed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump. Developer 8ing promises that the fighting game will have even more characters than before, including Choji and Kiba. Is there anyone else that you Naruto fans are hoping will make an appearance?Shonen Jump also reports that there will be destructible and explosive objects added in to make the fights more interesting, as seen in Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX2. Furthermore, the westernized version will have exclusive story elements and environments not seen in the Japanese game.The only other news we have on Clash 2 for now is that it will support multiple control schemes, including the GameCube and Classic controllers.[Via Siliconera]
Wii Fanswag: Win a copy of Dragon Quest Swords
We've been sitting on this copy of Square Enix's Dragon Quest Swords (retails for $50) for a little longer than we would've liked, but we're now ready to gift it to one lucky reader. As with the majority of our giveaways, there are some rules that must be followed. First of all, you must be 18 years of age or older to enter, as well as a current resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). Sorry, no getting around these two. Also, in order to enter, you only need leave a comment telling us what your favorite Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior) game is. And you may only leave one comment per day, or else you'll be disqualified from the giveaway. We'll be ending the contest on Sunday, March 16th at 11:59PM Eastern. All comments after that time will be disqualified and we'll announce the winner (chosen via random drawing) on Monday. For a full and very complete list of rules, click here. %Gallery-3929%
Wii Fanboy Review: Dragon Quest Swords
In a lot of ways, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is a lot like the Wii itself. It appeals to a new kind of gamer by making sacrifices for the greater good, and introduces them to a genre they might not have known of or cared enough about in the past. However, in making these sacrifices, Dragon Quest Swords ultimately fails as a RPG. But that's not the end of the world, necessarily, because this is a title to ease gamers into the genre, ignoring the best features and aspects of modern RPG titles and replacing them with simple gameplay and an overall easily accessible package. But longtime fans of the Dragon Quest (previously Dragon Warrior) franchise will find that this game is a lackluster spin-off. Most folks will tell you that a RPG ultimately needs two things: a good story and an engaging battle system. This game, sadly, falls flat on both accounts. %Gallery-3929%
Wii releases for the week of February 18th
It looks like Balloon Pop got pushed back a week, meaning that it did not release last week, but is hitting retail shelves this week. We're sure that's not the game you are all dying to play, however. No, we look at this list of releases and know only one experience can satisfy your lust for a worthwhile gaming experience: Pimp My Ride. That's right, if you've got the disease, then Xzibit and his car-modifying friends are the doctors, ready to force a bottle of antibiotics down the throat of your craptastic car. Oh, and some Square Enix game is coming out, too. Apparently, it's like some kind of spin-off from one of their huge franchises or something. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors Pimp My Ride Balloon Pop MX vs. ATV Untamed Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection %Gallery-3929%
Dragon Quest Swords release date pushed up
Square-Enix fans (in North America, at least) will be happy to know that the release date for Dragon Quest Swords has been bumped up, perhaps to put a little more space between itself and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That's right, this isn't news about a delay -- the game will actually be coming out earlier than it was originally planned for. The initial release date for the spin-off was February 26th. The game was only pushed up one week, but still, we like the sound of February 19th a lot better. Does that make any of you Dragon Quest lovers breathe easier? Or, is it still a little too close for comfort (and possibly too hard on your wallets) to, you know, the release of that other game? [Via press release] %Gallery-3929%
We almost forgot what Dragon Quest Swords looked like [update]
Seriously, we're looking forward to the title and all, but it's been so long. The game released in Japan months ago, yet the rest of us are left sitting and waiting for Square Enix's Dragon Quest spin-off. Now, with just about a month until it releases here in the states, it would appear the first ad for the game has found its way onto the internet. Sadly, we're not sure if this is the first of many or the entirety of Square Enix's television marketing campaign. Update: Reader strongbad80 writes in to inform us that this is a video to be played inside game stores such as Gamestop and not a television ad.
DQ Swords slashes wallets in February
Word hits that North American gamers can get their Dragon Quest fix come February 26th, when Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors releases to hungry fans. And, Dragon Quest fans are their own kind of breed of hungry fans, eagerly clawing and destroying anything in their path to that game. We suggest you stay locked indoors when that day comes. For any of you who might have forgotten exactly what the game is like, check out some videos and screens for the game. And, care to comment on whether you're looking forward to this or not? Are you hoping for a more traditional Dragon Quest game on the Wii sometime in the future?
Dragon Quest Swords unsheathed Feb. 26
And be sure to have your brain thank us for the last-minute headline edit which saw the removal "unshwiithed." It's best we use a concise sentence to inform you that Dragon Quest Swords is, in fact, a Wii game due for release in North America on February 26th, 2008. Oh, and there's a subtitle too: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. Where most games would settle for just a masked queen or a tower of mirrors, Square Enix goes the extra mile and gives you both for the price of one game. Watch out, Orange Box! As for the game itself, the press release dutifully reminds us that it's essentially a foray into first-person fencing, placing "a mighty blade, protective shield and special attacks all in the palm of your hand." We're not sure how much of a chance you stand with such teeny tiny weaponry, but hardened Dragon Quest fans should do alright.
Getting your sword dirty in Dragon Quest Swords
Siliconera has gotten their hands on a Japanese copy of Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. In taking the game for a spin, they carefully document the beginning portions of the game and let us all know what to expect from the upcoming Square Enix title. First, navigation sounds like it will be a pain. Unlike most 3D titles, you will not have analog control over your character, instead requiring you to move as if you're "walking around in Resident Evil 1." Ouch, that's not very good. Also, when navigating the enemy-infested areas, the game goes semi on-rails. There's two strikes. Battling seems to add lots of flavor, though. In describing the many formations of enemies and their own distinctive attacks, as well as the art of blocking, we've found the thing that offsets the lack of navigational freedom, in our eyes. Seriously, it could probably get repetitive after a bit (we're just speculating here, having never played the game), but overall it looks to be very fun. See also: Massive amount of Dragon Quest Swords videos
New Dragon Quest Swords footage is looking ace
The Wii exclusive Dragon Quest Swords was released in Japan this week and GameVideos has begun to slash and waggle their way through the first Square-Enix title for Nintendo's console. It's come a long way since its original debut and is looking quite nice by any standards. A knack for pleasant art will do that for you. Using the Wii remote as a sword and a shield, Swords appears to play like an intensely updated Crossed Swords -- a true, unsung classic of the Neo-Geo. IGN was the last outlet to go in-depth with the title, should you wish to learn more. [Update - What? No nunchuk shield? Weak.]
Massive Dragon Quest video update
We may have had screens to drool over recently, but we'll always take video over screens any day of the week. And it's video overload at the Japanese site for Dragon Quest Swords as the site houses not one, or two videos, but an incredible nine different snippets from the game. So, without further ado, let's check out the videos: Video - Encountering and fighting the enemy Video - Taking a stroll Video - Selecting enemies Video - Character assistance Video - Narration Video - NPC interaction Video - Navigating a river Video - Activating sword powers Video - Monsters montage [Via Codename Revolution]
Gossipy Dragon Quest Swords screens
The latest batch of screens of Square Enix's rail-RPG Dragon Quest Swords focuses entirely on everyone's favorite part of any RPG: talking to townspeople. We don't know about you, but we were afraid the game would be all about swordfighting! Sometimes we rush through the tedious boss fights and story progression so we can get back to town and hear the single, repeated piece of information from every citizen. We just want to hear all about their lives. It reinvigorates us for more hours of grinding right outside of town!
Import Kururin Paradise for only $10
Long hailed as one of the GBA's best puzzle titles, Kururin Paradise never landed on North American shores, preferring instead to limit its release to Japan. Play-Asia has taken pity on our Kururin-less souls, listing the 8ing-developed game at a dicount price of $9.90! This deal lasts until next Tuesday, so you'll have more than enough time to collect change on the sidewalk for this purchase. Pilot your spinning craft past the post break for a video preview of this simple-but-addictive game!
Japanese Dragon Quest Swords boxart
When anything at all happens related to a Dragon Quest game, we pay attention. Therefore, we felt that the newly-released Japanese boxart for Dragon Quest Swords was worth posting. Take an early look at something that's going to be in pretty much every Japanese home after July 12th! The boxart looks pretty nice, actually. We appreciate it when publishers put actual hand-drawn art on the cover instead of action poses of the main character's 3D model. Especially when it's Akira Toriyama art, which we continue to like despite Dragon Ball Z.
New scan shows some of Dragon Quest Swords' swords
Some gameplay details about Dragon Quest Swords have trickled out in the form of this Jump magazine scan and the accompanying NeoGAF thread. It seems that you'll be able to upgrade your sword during your adventure, which in itself is not a surprise, given the title of the game (it's not Dragon Quest Sword, after all). The swords themselves are cool enough to be noteworthy, as is the method of upgrading. You collect elements on your journey (the fire/ice sense of "elements" more than the molybdenum sense) and take those to a blacksmith to have swords forged. Those swords, then, naturally, have elemental attacks. Also, you gain the ability to have a freaking cool-looking sword. We've posted the scan after the break.
Naruto game announced ... but which one?
You might have to take some notes on this one, because it's a little complicated, especially since the games involved have very long, very similar names. Tomy and D3 Publisher have announced a new Naruto game called Naruto: Clash of Ninja MVZ, to be released on the Wii in the US with exclusive new content.However, exactly which Naruto game it is is somewhat of a mystery. The unruly (but perspicacious) NeoGAF horde thinks that it's not the Wii Naruto (Naruto Shippuden Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX) that just came out in Japan, but rather a port of the Gamecube Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 with some new characters, minigames, and, we would assume, new controls. But Gamespot is reporting that we're getting a version of EX with the animations and characters changed to reflect where the US localization of the anime is in the Naruto storyline. We don't exactly know what's going on. There will be a Naruto game of some kind on the Wii this fall, and the rest is obscured by ninja trickery, deployed in a successful attempt to confuse and disorient us.
New screens from Dragon Quest Swords
While what we really want are closer impressions of the intriguing character designs, we'll take whatever screenshots we can get from Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, because we eat RPGs like sweet, sweet candy. Behind the jump, we have loads of screens for you -- check 'em out! As an aside ... wtf, isn't that bridge in Lufaise Meadows? It looks like a place we may have lain, all corpsified and angry.
Dragon Quest Swords trailer revealed
Over at Square-Enix's Japanese site, we find the main page for Dragon Quest: Swords. And by going through that, one may stumble upon a newly-released trailer for the game. In the trailer, we receive a short intro speech followed by some artwork of the game's characters being shown and, well ... we don't want to ruin the whole thing for you, so we suggest you go check it out. [Thanks creamsugar!]
Screenshot explosion: Dragon Quest Swords
A whole slew of new screens for Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors have surfaced over at French gaming site Jeux-France. The images, which showcase in-battle scenes and cutscene dialogue, present a new light on the game, showing us some more of enemies we'll no doubt encounter, as well as presenting the overall experience in a much more favorable light. Of course, now that we've received some new images, it'll be that much longer before we get any more, so be sure to give these a thorough look.
Dragon Quest Swords boss fight
Coming from Nintendo World 2006, the embedded video of a boss fight with a rather angry knight has us thinking Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors might not be that bad. Sure, we thought it was a bit gimmicky and the novelty would run out rather quickly when first presented with the idea, however seeing it in action has made us rethink our previous assumptions. How about you?
