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999: The Novel on iOS coming to North America March 17
Publisher Aksys Games has announced the iOS-specific, interactive comic version of 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is coming to North America on March 17 for $4.99. 999: The Novel is based on the 2010 DS game also known as Zero Escape, focusing on the game's narrative by removing DS version's puzzles and instead offering players a choose-you-own-adventure story experience. The iOS app first launched in Japan last summer. 999: The Novel from writer Kotaro Uchikoshi promises to take readers on "a suspense-filled journey full of danger, terrifying choices and unexpected twists toward a variety of endings that may or may not see them coming out alive on the other side." A direct sequel, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, launched on DS and Vita in North America in late 2012. [Image: Aksys Games]
Zero Escape series stalled, director cites low sales
ChunSoft's Zero Escape franchise is currently in limbo, as series director Kotaro Uchikoshi revealed this week that his team was unsuccessful in securing a budget for a proposed third entry in the series, due to a lack of sales. Though previous series entries Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward were well-received overseas, Uchikoshi notes that neither game was much of a success in Japan, leading to disinterest in a sequel among managerial staff. Despite the recent setback, however, Uchikoshi maintains that Zero Escape 3 "will definitely be released somehow, someday!" Fans of the series responded to the news with an outpouring of support via Twitter. Uchikoshi currently seeks funding for the project from a third-party investor. "If there is an great investor who thinks 'Virtue is its own reward', I wish him/her to send me a message," Uchikoshi stated. "If you know such a wonderful person, please induce him/her to cooperate." [Image: Aksys/ChunSoft]
Virtue's Last Reward merch sales going towards Sandy relief efforts
As the Eastern Seaboard tries to recover from the devastation left in Hurricane Sandy's wake, it's encouraging to see Aksys Games doing its bit to help. The publisher is selling a limited supply of the Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward watches originally bundled with pre-orders, with all proceeds going to American Red Cross' Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.The watches are based on the ones characters wear in the 3DS and Vita sequel to 999. Each watch is going for $20, and there's a one-per-customer limit. You can purchase them through Aksys Games' online store.
Virtue rewarded: Zero Escape demo out for Vita
A demo for Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is now available for the PlayStation Vita. If you don't recall, Virtue's Last Reward is the sequel to 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, which was released on the DS in 2010. The game is a visual novel with some point-and-click puzzle elements, all revolving around a sinister game of death (is there any other kind?).You can grab the demo now on PSN.
There's 'Zero Escape' for 999 fans on 3DS and Vita
Aksys Games and Chunsoft are springing a deathtrap on us all, with another really cool in-game watch to look at. The game we know as "Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die", a semi-sequel to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, is officially coming to North America ("by year's end") as Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward.The adventure game will be sold on both 3DS and Vita (and both digitally and retail on Vita) and will feature extensive voice acting. You'll be able to play in both English and Japanese, so you can practice your Japanese reading while you try to save a group of strangers from a nefarious game of death.
'Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die' has 999 connections
We can't say for sure if the new 3DS/PlayStation Vita game from the 999 team is meant to be a true sequel to 999 but, as you'll see in this trailer, "Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die" (as it's being unofficially translated online) is definitely related. The "Nonary Game" and its associated watches -- each one bearing a number that is assigned to one of the unwitting participants -- return, in a new blue "Ambidex Edition." Even Zero, the mysterious, masked perpetrator of 999's deathtrap, appears in the trailer. New additions include 3D (meaning polygonal) character designs in-game, instead of only hand-drawn character portraits. This group of dupes is made up of all new people, as well. There's also some kind of creepy rabbit.
999 team back with new Vita, 3DS title
The team behind 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is reuniting for another "extreme escape" game. Andriasang reports, via information in Famitsu, that the new game for Vita and 3DS will be called Gyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shiboudes in Japanese -- Gyokugen Dasshutsu translates to "Extreme Escape." 999 was called Gyokugen Dasshutsu: Ku Jikan, Ku Nin, Kyu no Tobira in Japan, meaning the game may not be a direct sequel, but could take place in the 999 universe. The new game will recruit 999's director and character designer to take on another sinister scenario. Initial details should be available shortly, but we'll have to wait a little longer before international plans blow out. Coincidentally, 999 is on sale today through Amazon. It's a trap! [Thanks, Aaron.]
DS overrun by Lovable Zombies in Japan
Chunsoft's latest DS game is a departure from both of the things the developer is known for (sound novels and Mystery Dungeon games). Zombie Daisuki ("I Love Zombie," or as Siliconera translates it, "Lovable Zombie") is an action-strategy game in which players use the stylus to circle groups of adorable rotting humans and direct them toward the malevolent humans who have made them this way. Your zombies will attack enemies on sight. It sounds kind of like a Pikmin or Little King's Story-style experience, except with minions that can be distracted by both raw meat and cute animals. In addition to this zombie-wrangling gameplay, there's a multiplayer "deadsal" ("dead" plus "futsal") game and a boss rush mode for up to four players -- no doubt inspired by Monster Hunter. Chunsoft will unleash the zombie love plague on Japan in January.
Aksys localizing '999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors' adventure game [Update: it's official!]
Those of you with a penchant for reading a lot of text in your DS games (or, to put it another way, those of you into adventure games) have something new to look forward to: Chunsoft's Extreme Escape: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, a graphical text adventure released in Japan last December, appears to be receiving an English localization. Siliconera first spotted a listing for the game on Gamefly and has now posted English screenshots of the interactive novel/room escape game. It appears that publisher Aksys plans to call the game 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors. 999 is a graphical text adventure with a sort of Saw-like premise. Nine people are trapped on a cruise ship and somehow wired to explode. A sadistic mastermind requires them to work together (but only in groups of up to five people) in order to open the nine doors that correspond to the nine passengers and escape from the rooms in which they're held. We're contacting Aksys to find out more details about when the game will escape to retail. Update: There's now a big 999 image at the top of Aksys's site. In case you didn't believe before, the localization is now confirmed! We've also put the press release after the break.
Shiren the Wanderer: a primer
While previous Shiren the Wanderer video releases from Atlus have focused on the story, this walkthrough spends more time discussing the basic gameplay of the roguelike -- perfect for those of you who have no idea what we're talking about when we refer to Shiren as a "roguelike" game. Atlus project lead Scott Strichart also introduces the new difficulty settings -- easy mode allows you to keep your items and levels after dying! -- and the methods of control for AI partners, ranging from fully automated to fully player-controlled. Atlus calls this video a "walkthrough," but it's really more of an overview. In any case, might as well start studying up now in preparation for the February 9 release.
Puppets promote Shiren the Wanderer 4 in Japan
Shiren the Wanderer 3 hits North America on February 9, but Chunsoft and publisher Spike are already preparing to release Shiren the Wanderer 4 in Japan. There, the roguelike dungeon crawler is a big enough deal to warrant television advertising! And that's a good thing, because these TV ads for Shiren 4 (after the break) are absolutely wonderful, featuring puppets(!) of Shiren, Koppa, and monsters in the new tropical island setting. Of course, if you were to go into this game based on the sunny commercials, you might be a bit surprised when you're murdered repeatedly by monsters, losing all items and progress each time. We hope someone gets the idea to sell Shiren puppets. [Via GoNintendo]
The key to Shiren the Wanderer's story
A beautiful, atmospheric trailer (after the break) introduces us to the story of the new Shiren the Wanderer ... such as it is. Basically, Shiren's master, knowing that Shiren likes dungeons, gives him the key to the Karakuri Mansion, which is a big dungeon. There's more, like a cursed princess and some time travel stuff, but the essence is that Shiren goes into another dungeon. It's rather lucky for us that Shiren's wanderings are so often directed toward dungeons and dungeon-type environments. Atlus also highlights Shiren's pal Koppa in the trailer, allowing us to hope that the company will choose to bundle the game with Sega's Koppa Wiimote stand. %Gallery-78562%
Shiren the Wanderer turns up in February minus online features
Atlus announced a North American localization of Sega and Chunsoft's Shiren the Wanderer at E3, and hasn't said much about it until now. The company just dated the game for February 9 and released a bunch of screens & art for the punishing roguelike, along with a bit of sad news regarding the online connectivity. "Despite our best efforts, the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer online features," Atlus's Aram Jabbari said in the announcement. "However, the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc." Jabbari said that Atlus felt compelled to alert fans because "the absence of these features may influence some fans' decision to purchase the game." The most identifiable feature of any Shiren game -- repeated, unavoidable death -- should remain intact. %Gallery-78562%
Explore the latest Pokemon Mystery Dungeon this October
Pokémon addicts starting to get antsy about when they'll be able to satisfy their pathological need to purchase new Pokémon games just need to hold out for a few more months. Nintendo has announced an October 12 release date for the latest in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, Explorers of Sky, in North America. Explorers of Sky is an updated version of Explorers of Time and Darkness, with new starter critters and new "Special Episode" missions that reveal more about the Pokémon characters in the game. Explorers of Sky also includes new wireless features, including the ability to share a "demo dungeon" and trade items locally. %Gallery-68990%
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon for WiiWare: first trailer and details
Surprise! The WiiWare Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, first revealed in a McDonalds-distribted flyer, are real, and are headed for Japan on August 4. Players will be able to share save data throughout all three games, so they can level up a persistent team.The three games (Advance! Fire Adventure Team, Go! Storm Adventure Team, and Aim! Light Adventure Team!) each feature a different set of starting Pokemans. And in this game, your team can cooperate even more than in other Pokemon games, by piling up and attacking enemies simultaneously. The WiiWare game also features the "rescue" ability found in recent Shiren the Wanderer games, in which friends can revive your team over the Wi-Fi Connection.After the break, we've embedded a trailer that details these features -- and shows off the adorable little Pokemon.[Thanks, Alilatias]
Hands-on: Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)
We read Atlus's late night press release announcing plans to localize Sega's Shiren the Wanderer 3 with utter shock. We had long since resigned ourselves to never seeing the console 3D version of Chunsoft's roguelike, and we were afraid that we had merely dreamed that Atlus had picked it up with plans to release it in 2010. But, sure enough, the game was available for play in Atlus's booth, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to check it out. Full disclosure: we didn't die in our play session, which should give fans of Shiren on the DS a rough idea of how long we were able to play.
The few new features in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky
The official site for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky now features new screenshots and info for Chunsoft's latest roguelike, which is a slightly updated version of Explorers of Time/Darkness. It's the Mystery Dungeon equivalent of Pokémon Platinum, basically -- same game, with a few new Pokemans and new quests. Thanks to the Pokemaniacs at serebii.net who immediately got to translatin', we can all read about the added content.The critters featured in Platinum will show up in Explorers of the Sky, including Shaymin and the new, wormy Origin Forme of Giratina. At least two new sidequests will be available, which help fill in the game's story. "Genius Igglybuff" stars the leader of the Wigglytuff Guild (in his past as an Igglybuff, and man is this getting weird to write) on an adventure with a Smoochum, a Wooper, and a Budew; "In the Dark Future" follows the game's ending, which means that we probably shouldn't talk too much about it, in the interest of keeping spoilers locked safely away in a Pokéball.%Gallery-42308%[Via Serebii]
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explore Clearer Screens
Nintendo has started distributing media for Chunsoft's Pokémon Mystery Dungeon threequel, Explorers of the Sky, starting with clearer versions of the screens that debuted in those CoroCoro scans.To the amazement of nobody, it looks exactly the same as the first two. This was as inevitable as the game itself existing, but hey, you know you'll still be buying it once the localized version is announced. And at least now we get a less blurry look at some of the new starter monsters, such as Riolu and Vulpix. Hit up our gallery for the rest.%Gallery-42308%
Pokemon to Explore the Sky in new Mystery Dungeon
The latest edition of CoroCoro is off the presses, and look: new Pokémans!Okay, well maybe "new" is stretching it. The game you see above is Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky, a sequel to last year's respectable Explorers of Time/Explorers of Darkness duo. The screens in the scans posted by Gamekyo are teensy, so we're not sure you'll get much out of those, but there is confirmation on the five starter Pokémon: Vulpix, Riolu, Eevee, Shinx, and Phanpy.CoroCoro states that Japan will get its hands on the Chunsoft-developed roguelike this spring. While we cross everything for a 2009 release in the west, hit up Gamekyo for the full scans, including some cute Pokémon art.
For Famitsu, 428 equals 40
The Famitsu 40/40 has lost some of its lustre in recent times. Since 1998, the magazine has awarded nine perfect scores, but three have come in 2008, including one for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.However, even we found the latest game to receive the honor surprising. 428: The World Doesn't Change Even So is a "visual novel," a graphical text adventure from roguelike kings Chunsoft that keeps player interaction to a minimum. In other words, it's very unlike any other game to receive a flawless Famitsu grade. In fact, it's unlike most other games, period.We haven't posted a great deal about 428. That's not because we don't find it interesting -- we definitely do. It's because, as Alisha has noted, a game of its ilk is almost entirely impenetrable to our western eyes. Suffice to say, it has now been instantly promoted from "intriguing curio" to "must-own import." Not that a release outside Japan will ever happen.%Gallery-27138%
