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A trio of Jeanne D'arc movies
The upcoming PSP SRPG, Jeanne D'arc looks incredible. Three new videos showcase the beautiful anime cutscenes, graphics, and accessible gameplay. It looks to have all the things that make Level-5 games so good. We're still a bit iffy on the voice acting, but color us impressed by everything else. The RPG will hit the handheld towards the end of summer, in August. Check out the two other videos, after the cut.
Level 5 answers a few easy questions on Jeanne d'Arc
SCEA recently lobbed a few softball questions for Level 5, the talented team behind Jeanne d'Arc, a title we've had our eye on for some time now. The questions ranged from asking how long the game has been in development [2 years] to describing the overall world and story behind the game. The full interview has been included for your reading pleasure, after the break. New details on the combat system are given, which imply importance on stance and character position in order to maximize combat skills. One of the combat particulars "Burning Aura," deals additional damage by trapping enemies between two playable characters whereas "Unified Guard" involves lining up your characters side by side to lessen the blow of damage from bad guys. We're already hooked, how about you? Anyone else got this one on your immediate radar? Jeanne d'Arc should be hitting stateside in August.
Jeanne D'Arc readies up for North American release
The folks over at Gamepro have an early preview of Level 5's upcoming turn-based RPG, Jeanne D'Arc. Previous information has been gathered from the original Japanese release and now, we get a taste for what to expect when the anticipated title comes stateside. The game draws obvious inspiration from true-to-life Joan of Arc and appears to be much more light-hearted with its approach to the source material. Early impressions from the Japanese release seem overall, pretty positive. This title should satisfy gamers looking to satiate their hunger for more strategic game play, and having exceptional visuals is of course, a welcome addition to any party. Jeanne D'Arc is headed for North American shores in August. Until then, enjoy the screenshots!
At last: Professor Layton coming to U.S., per EGM
Now, this is being reported as a rumor, but the mere mention of Level-5's Professor Layton trilogy gets us too excited for words. Since this game was first revealed, with its beautiful character designs and logic puzzles, we've been hoping against hope for an English translation, and Electronic Gaming Monthly intimates that it is probably going to happen. Now we're going to be chewing our nails down to nubs as we wait for some hint of confirmation. We can't help it. We're adventure junkies, and the Studio Ghibli-esque look of the Professor Layton franchise completely had us at hello. If it all works out, the good Professor may even compete with a certain Ace Attorney for a place in our hearts. And speaking of hearts -- in that same issue, there are a few other rumors worth mentioning. The first involves whispers of a remade Bonk game for both the DS and the Wii. The other is a little more cryptic: the next Kingdom Hearts will be a spin-off, and it's coming to a "hearty" console. Unless they mean "hearty" as in robust (which would probably indicate the PS3 or the 360), then this could very well refer to the DS, which certainly reaps a hearty profit every month, no matter where you are. And for good measure, it's available in pink. We'll ponder that one once we're done jumping up and down and singing the unofficial "Professor Layton is coming," song, which is really just us chanting that single phrase over and over until someone throws a paperweight at us.Luckily, we're adept at dodging.
Jeanne d'Arc comes to US this August [Update 1]
Jeanne d'Arc has easily been one of our most anticipated games for the system. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has just announced a US release date for this strategy RPG, and it's a little sooner than we thought. This August, players will be able to take on Level 5's latest SRPG, based very loosely on the story of Joan of Arc. Check out our previous coverage of the game, and don't forget to look at the beautiful new English screenshots, after the break. [Update 1: Sony has opened a sparse, but beautiful, official website for the game.]
Details on the second in Professor Layton's trilogy
Just when we thought we had settled the issue of Professor Layton and the Townlike Area of Disputed Size (aka the 'Mysterious Village'), 1UP's preview of the second installment in the trilogy raises questions about the upcoming game's translated title. Thus far we've seen it written Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, but according to 1UP, it's the 'Devil's Box.' By any name, however, the first game looks incredible, and the second may be shaping up to be even better.Some things in this second installment will be the same, such as the logic puzzles created by Akira Tago, and the Professor will again be accompanied by his assistant Luke. The story is where the second title really takes a turn. Instead of exploring -- you guessed it -- a mysterious village, the action in the second adventure revolves around a corpse, a train, and a strange box. Since the game already features a soft, retro look, mixing that with a traditional train-based murder mystery looks like a match made in heaven. Now if only we could get some localization news!
Already, screens from the Professor Layton sequel
They don't believe in wasting time over there at Level-5. The first game was just released in Japan, and not only do we have a sequel in the works for Professor Layton, but we're already seeing more images from the game. Yes, more -- we already saw a few when the sequel was announced!We expect Professor Layton and Pandora's Box to have a firm release date by next week, and to be on shelves the week after. Okay, not really, but the sarcasm may not be too far off the mark. Check out a few of the pics after the jump. They're from scans, so may not be the best quality, but certainly good enough to see that the visuals are still uniquely gorgeous.
Professor Layton will rock your socks
Now we feel justified for all those times we were jumping up and down over new details on Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town (that may be a Village). Chris Kohler had nothing but love for this import over at Game|Life; he's praised everything from the animation to the story to the game's logic puzzles. We're expecting his homage to the box art any moment now. If you want a sense of the level of challenge in Professor Layton, Kohler's put up the text of a few of the logic puzzlers that pepper the game, as well as one of the trailers. We've added it here as well, just in case you missed it the first time around. Check it out after the jump, and we're sure you'll join us in keeping our fingers crossed for an English translation.
Already, a second round with Professor Layton
It looks like we were totally justified in going nuts for Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village. The game is barely out of the gate in Japan and Level-5 has already announced a second installment in what will apparently be a trilogy. The upcoming sequel, tentatively titled Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, will feature a train -- and that's all we know. If it's anything like what we've seen from the first game, it will be a beautiful, Miyazaki-inspired train rendered in muted colors, and it will probably make us drool.Right now, all we want for Christmas is an English translation ... or intensive Japanese lessons. We need this game!
Japan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive
You heard it, folks: at Square-Enix's annual Jump Festa event, they let the bomb drop: the next entry in the venerable Dragon's Quest series, entitled Dragon's Quest IX: Defender of the Stars (another silly "DS" subtitle) will be coming exclusively to everyone's favorite little handheld. This is huge news: this franchise is second only to perhaps Final Fantasy in Japan, and still one of the most respected names in gaming worldwide. Having the title being developed exclusively on a Nintendo system is a clear show of faith from SE (they're also releasing a Final Fantasy XII sequel, Revenant Wings, sometime next year), and hopefully, even more Wii and DS support will follow.Development of the game is being passed over to Level 5 (also working on White Knight Story for the PS3), and it'll feature a four-player co-op mode as well. Of course, there's no definite release date, but the team mentioned that they'd like to have it out sometime in 2007.Let this news wash over your Tuesday, and make it full of glee and joy. Bring on DQIXDS![Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and GoNintendo for the pic!]
Scanning Professor Layton
We've seen a flood of scans and screenshots and other media from Level 5's upcoming Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village, but there's a common theme in what we see: it's all the same. We want more! The latest Famitsu and Nintendo Dream scans reveal a few more details (likely more for those lucky enough to be able to translate the Japanese); of particular note are the gameplay screens that give us a look at how it all fits together.As adventure games go, this seems to have a lot of potential, though much will depend on the story, since it seems so driven by the tale. It's nice to see a few more pictures of characters as well, though unfortunately, the two scans feature a lot of the same images.
New Jeanne d'Arc trailer showcases gameplay
This new Jeanne d'Arc trailer shows a few of the game's 150 characters, some more awesome cut scenes and some mouth-watering grid-based combat action, which the first trailer lacked. If you've been stuck underneath a rock the past few months and don't know much about Jeanne d'Arc, the game takes place in a fictional world based on the true story of Joan of Arc. It will feature 40 to 50 stages and should take anywhere from seven to 25 hours to complete. The game should ship Nov. 20 in Japan and is currently not scheduled for a US release.
A deeper look at Professor Layton
Another video (complete with crowd noise) from Nintendo World, and this time it's for our latest obsession, Professor Layton and the Unknown and Sorta Mysterious Town-like Place That We've Seen Called Many Different Things*. Uh, pretty sure that's a working title.So, the truth -- this video is, frankly, a little long. And devoid of sound, part of it is a little repetitive. However, it seems worth a watch since it reveals an interesting cast of characters, as well as some hints of the gameplay. And that's worth sitting through a little of the back-and-forth, though for a minute there, it looked like the sequel: Professor Layton and This Really Angry Woman. It's also somewhat impressive to see such a long clip of storyline, though the whole foreign language thing makes sad pandas of us all. Oh well. This forthcoming adventure/puzzle hybrid has us intrigued. Check out the video after the cut.*No, really, it's Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village. Probably.
A chat with the real prof. behind Professor Layton
Recently, some folks at Famitsu sat down with Professor Akira Tago, the puzzle-creator working on the upcoming Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (aka "that game that is either in a town or a village or your backyard, we're not sure"). Akihiro Hino, president of developer Level 5, joined in as well to discuss the game. The interview opens with a recap of the two's first meeting, a story which boasts more than a little "awww" factor. Hino grew up a fan of Tago's puzzle books and they stayed with him over the years, until he got the idea of incorporating the puzzles into a game. Tago lived up to the legend in Hino's mind by performing a magic trick at their first meeting, and after that, it was just a matter of laying the game's foundation. The popularity of brain-training titles served as a guiding star to the pair, but they wanted to make sure there was an engaging story interlaced with the puzzles. Interestingly, working with the DS presented a challenge to the team. While it seems like a no-brainer when it comes to puzzle games, the stylus actually presented something of an obstacle, forcing them to rethink certain aspects of the game. We're glad they got that worked out![Via GoNintendo]
Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village trailer
Just yesterday, we reported on the upcoming Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (though yesterday, silly us, we thought it was a town), and lo, a trailer has materialized. How convenient! And is it ever eye-poppingly beautiful. Level 5 seems to really have a potential gold mine on their hands with this one. Check out the trailer embedded after the jump -- we promise it will not disappoint! The Japanese website is also open, and after you wipe away the drool that's sure to dribble a little while you're watching the trailer, you'll want to stop by.
Professor Layton and Mysterious Town
RPG developer Level 5 is working on an intriguing new title that will hit Japan in February -- Professor Layton and Mysterious Town, a puzzle game. Puzzle game on the DS, you say? That's nothing new. Well, perhaps not, but what's different here (besides the style) is that they game is being co-developed by Akira Tago, the Chiba University professor behind a series of logic puzzle books. It'll be interesting to see what sort of impact that has not only on the puzzles themselves, but on the story. We're obviously big fans of game developers in general (it kinda goes with the fanboy-ism), but it's always nice to see other creative minds working in conjunction with game devs.
We need a little more White Knight Story in our lives...
It's been a little while since we've heard about Level 5's White Knight Story, arguably one of the coolest games shown at TGS, less arguably and more accepted as the most badass RPG shown at TGS. Akihiro Hino, producer of White Knight Story, sat down for a quickie with IGN recently. There, some interesting pieces of information were revealed... mostly resulting in mad respect points.First off, they expect to have a full RPG experience -- we mean a 50-60 hour gameplay time, which no next-gen game has even come close to attaining. This means the game will take its time in development. That's a situation Hino had to fight for. Initially, there was some pressure by Sony to try to get the game out in time for the PS3's launch window. That would have cut the story, thereby the whole experience, short. Respect for taking the time to make a good game, Level 5. Respect. We'll see this game in 2007, hopefully.
White Knight Story website up and jogging briskly
It's not quite "running" yet, since there is only a neat backdrop, lots of Japanese, and six works of art (two game screens, four concept arts), but Level 5 has still given us a White Knight Story website. The two screens are both of the hero -- as a gorgeous CG-anime manboy, and then as the giant knight of white, in a classic Power Rangers megazord (right? It's been like... 10 years since I've seen that show) stance. What's amazing, though, is the concept art. It's something to frame and put on your wall. Just look at the above screen. It's a giant turtle. With a town on it. Look, look at the ship docked above its head. We can only imagine what that'll look like in the final game. A beautiful castle is also depicted, as is... an outfitted fellow doing some sky-driving? Finally, a castle hallway. After that, the website tells you to Go Home. Enjoy!
More White Knight Story info
Did Enchanted Arms not deliver on the "next-gen RPG" front? Are you looking for something that is promising to blow you away? White Knight Story is starting to shape into that game we RPG freaks will count the days to. Perhaps it's IGN delivering a rosy, flattering preview, but even if so, the meaning behind the words remains the same -- this game is next-gen. All. The. Way.Let's start off with a favorite quote from IGN's article. "With Level 5's animation system, swords realistically strike other swords and shields, rather than cutting right through characters. If a character blocks an incoming attack, you'll see his shield go up and physically block the sword. The collision is perfect. In White Knight Story, two characters sparring really look like they're sparring." No more magical sword-passing-through-enemy stuff! If the collision really is perfect (especially on the finished product) then that is quite an astonishing feat.There's some more blah-blah-blah about the visuals and trust us, we bet they're damn gorgeous too, but until we get to see some screens for ourselves, we'll not hype up the graphics just yet. Check out what else IGN had to say and let's get a "oooooh yeeeeeah" if you're looking forward to what may be the first true next-gen RPG experience. Oh, and no, I didn't draw the image. I suck at drawing.
White Knight Story for PS3 sounds huge -- literally
Imagine a giant turtle carrying an entire town on its back. No, this isn't a rip from Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels (the giant turtle carried the whole world, if memory recalls correctly), this is an example the scale being delivered in Level 5's new RPG, White Knight Story. You'll remember that Level 5 was in charge of Dragon Quest VIII and the soon-to-be-stateside-after-a-ton-of-delays Rogue Galaxy, so you've got to expect quality from these guys.WKS is the tale of a boy who can transform into a 7 meter tall knight thanks to an ancient artifact. Enough of that! Let's get technical. This game is about scale. Texture limitations prevented a title of such, er, magnitude to come into existence on previous consoles. Now, however, we can show such small details on large objects that it's entirely possible! In fact, Level 5 has to make its own capture studio for this game since it is using an incredibly complex animation blending studio.The battles themselves stray from the typical JRPG and almost sound like a single-player MMO experience, with a palette of skills to set up for each character. You can only control one character in battle at a time like in the ill-received Magna Carta and use only the skills you've equipped. It sounds further along in development than expected and we'll get more details as it's unveiled over the next couple of days. Awesome!
