rune-factory
Latest
Harvest Rune Factory 4 in Europe, Australia next week
Dedicated Rune Factory 4 fans living in Europe and Australia, your patience will soon be rewarded: XSEED and Marvelous Europe will release the 3DS JRPG in both territories on December 11 for £24.99 (€29.99 or $49.95 AUD), according to a related press release. Rune Factory 4 was released in North America on October 1, 2013, but Marvelous Europe eventually called off its regional release, explaining that it was "not possible to do" at that time. The cancellation followed RF4 developer Neverland's filing for bankruptcy and closure within two months of the game's US release. Hope for a European release was revived in October 2014 however, when Vice President of XSEED Ken Berry confirmed the publisher's work to secure a European launch for RF4. To those that have waited this long for RF4: Enjoy the feast. [Image: XSEED]
Rune Factory devs reveal 3DS simulation-RPG, Forbidden Magna
Marvelous AQL's next project is a Nintendo 3DS simulation-RPG developed by veteran Rune Factory series staff, Japanese publication Famitsu announced today. Kinki no Maguna (Forbidden Magna) was previously teased in a countdown site culminating in today's Famitsu reveal. Few specifics regarding the project have been announced, though more details will be revealed when the official site opens on February 17. The announcement follows up on the recent closure of Rune Factory series developer Neverland. The studio filed for bankruptcy late last year, citing "changes in the business environment" for its financial troubles. [Image: Marvelous AQL]
XSEED restocking copies of Rune Factory 4 for North America
If you've recently had some difficulty tracking down the part dungeon raider, part agricultural simulator Rune Factory 4, publisher XSEED Entertainment has some good news for you: The shortage is temporary. A post on XSEED's Facebook page explains that RF4 is selling "well beyond our expectations, so we're working as quickly as possible to restock physical copies." The post also thanks fans for making the game a "major success." While waiting on a restock might be annoying, at least North American fans were spared from getting their hopes up for nothing. In Europe, Rune Factory 4 was planned to be published by MarvelousAQL, but the release was canceled in January. At the time, Marvelous stated that securing RF4's release for Europe was "not possible to do."
Rune Factory, Lufia developer Neverland Co. to file for bankruptcy
Rune Factory and Lufia series developer Neverland Co. has ceased operations and will file for bankruptcy soon, the studio revealed on its website. Siliconera reports that Neverland's statement cites recent "changes in the business environment" as one of the studio's difficulties. Attempts to secure funding for Neverland's future development have been unsuccessful. The news follows a statement in August from Yoshifumi Hashimoto, a producer with Rune Factory 4's publisher, Marvelous AQL. Weeks after its release, Hashimoto stated that RF4 had performed well enough to "greenlight a sequel." Hashimoto also posted on Marvelous AQL's blog for RF4 after Neverland announced its closure, teasing that while the publisher's next title will "remain a secret," the staff members are doing well.
Rune Factory 3 sprouts on DS
The Rune Factory series is showing that it is still, at heart, part of the Harvest Moon franchise -- mostly by having lots of sequels. The latest issue of Famitsu reveals another, Rune Factory 3 for DS. This is actually the fourth Rune Factory, counting Frontier on Wii.In addition to his duties as a farmer, new protagonist Maisu, who features a character design right out of Tetsuya Nomura's sketchbook, can transform into monsters, gaining different abilities in battle and interacting differently with other characters out of battle.According to IGN's translation, the game now features "active seeds" that grow into plants that can be used in battle! Most exciting farming game ever.
Nintendo unleashes full Q1 schedule
Nintendo's carrier pigeon just landed on our windowsill with a complete list of Wii releases for Q1 2009. We do actually know most of these dates already (so yeah, maybe the mushroom cloud is a bit excessive), but there's still the occasional scrap of new news buried within.Those Tenchu and Little King's Story dates are fresh to us, and there's also confirmation of the first Play on Wii "New Play Control" games, Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis. For the record, "New Play Control" is a bit of a rubbish name for the series. In our humble opinion, obviously.Make the jump for the full line-up, and remember you can click on a game's name to bring up screens (where available)!%Gallery-22964%
E308: DS Fanboy explores the lands of Rune Factory 2
When hitting up Natsume's meeting room at E3, I kept catching myself wishing I wasn't alone. In fact, I wished that one specific person was with me, because all of these games that the company had on display were based on franchises I, frankly, didn't have the most experience with. That's not to say I went in biased, just that I prefer to be as well-informed as possible going in.Imagine my surprise when I played Rune Factory 2 and it was like Harvest Moon had a baby with Secret of Mana.%Gallery-25983%
E308: Rune Factory Frontier even dazzles us in motion
After seeing this new Rune Factory Frontier video (not to mention the new screens in our gallery below), we can't help but crow on again about how wonderful this game looks. We haven't learned many new facts about the game at E3 -- at least, not yet. We did find out, though, that the little fairy-like creatures hanging around in certain screens are actually spirits. As more spirits gather, you might run into larger and rarer creatures. While we know Frontier won't be a sandbox style game, the video makes it look like there will be a lot of exploring to do. This could become a pain in a Rune Factory game (having to plant certain crops in a certain dungeon because of its season, and then constantly having to run around and take care of those crops), we love the idea of having a big area to feel out. We really can't wait for this one -- 2009 won't come fast enough.Check out the screens in the gallery if you'd like, but make sure to click on the "High Res" button to get a feel for their full beauty.%Gallery-27732%
E308: Marvelous and XSEED's lineup is full of charm
We've been nothing but impressed by how drop-dead gorgeous Rune Factory Frontier looks, so we're more than happy to know that good old Marvelous will be showing the game at next week's E3 conference. Hopefully we'll find out whether the game is as pretty in motion as it is in screens, and more importantly, if the gameplay matches up to its lovely graphics. The other game that we're eager to learn more about is Little King's Story, which corners the "looks fun and adorable" market. This life sim meets real-time strategy meets adventure game had our hearts ever since we saw this charming trailer. We'll finally be able to get our hands on it when the title releases here this winter, but until then, a taste at E3 will do us some good. %Gallery-24969% [Via press release]
North America harvests Rune Factory 2 this fall
In the best DS news we'll hear all day (depending on which DS Fanboy staff member you ask), Natsume announced that they're bringing Rune Factory 2 to North America this fall. While we predicted localization would happen eventually, it was always a matter of when, so we're glad to see it being taken care of. Considering that the first game in the series took a year to find its way over here, a nine-month delay (Japan got the game last January) doesn't seem too bad at all.While we initially thought this sequel would be too similar to the original Rune Factory, the premise adds some freshness into the RPG-Harvest Moon formula. In Rune Factory 2, you not only play as the main character, Kyle, but later you take over as his child. The game therefore spans two generations, providing us with double the fun.If you share our excitement, make sure to check out the first English screens in our gallery below.%Gallery-25983%[Via press release]
Games to help curb your addictions
The "self-help" era is upon us, even finding its way into the video game industry as of late. Aside from the obvious fitness awareness game on Nintendo's other system (we mean Wii Fit, of course), there have been quite a few attempts to help gamers improve their lifestyles and habits. Take, for example, the upcoming My Weight Loss Coach and Ubisoft's "Easyway" title to help people quit smoking.Our favorite approach so far, though, was when DS Fanboy reader Dan used Pokémon to quit smoking. If there's anything we've learned from Dan's inspiring story, it's that the best way to curb an addiction is to replace it with another. We then decided that we wanted to help more of our fine readers that are suffering from such torments day in and day out. Pokémon may cure smoking, but what about other plaguing ailments? We're happy to say that after months of testing on monkeys and small children, we've finally come up with a few perfect video game cures.So, look no further than Dr. DS Fanboy, and check out our ultimate self-help guide to find the fixes for your addictions. Master that addiction!
Rune Factory screens continue to impress
More beautiful Rune Factory Frontier screens have surfaced, and we're still pining over this lovely-looking game. Between the farming, monster slaying and collecting, flying whales, and glowing creatures, we're pretty much in awe of this RPG-meets-farming-sim hybrid. Granted, not everyone who played the first title in the series for the Nintendo DS appreciated the gameplay, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Just by sticking to those basic tenets and adding visuals like these, we doubt we'll be disappointed. If Marvelous adds some extra goodies as well, that would just be icing on this agricultural cake.You only have to check past the break to see the rest of the pretties.
Rune Factory Frontier produces screens, website
Harvest Moon fans (like us) are probably drooling at the thought of Rune Factory: Frontier, which is releasing in Japan sometime this year (and not in other territories until forever, we'd guess). Yet by now, you should be used to the "look but don't touch" mantra, with all the screens we show you week after week.As far as Rune Factory: Frontier goes, being restricted to looking is especially painful because the screens are nothing short of lovely. We only wish that Marvelous was quicker with the whole localization thing.In other news, the game's official website is open for business. Since the site isn't offering anything tangible at the moment, though, you can just click past the break to see the rest of the pretties.
Factor in some Runes on the Wii
An announcement for all those interested in putting some hours in down at the nearest factory or processing facility -- you can now work with runes. Marvelous Entertainment made the announcement for Rune Factory: Frontier in the latest Famitsu, and that's factoriffic. We unearthed some scans, which we have here for you today. Well, not here. Up there ... and here.The series had a good showing on the DS, so it's time for the bigger console brother to take a shot at harvesting some quality gameplay. Rune Factory: Frontier also looks set to feature Raguna from the first title, as he goes about his day farming, looking for buxom beauties and occasionally roughing up a baddie or two. The game is scheduled for a 2008 release date in Japan, but hopefully it won't take long to make the international rounds.
Rising Star picks up Rune Factory for Europe
Chalk this one up in the "better late than never" category, Europe. Rising Star, niche game publisher extraordinaire, will be bringing Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon to the continent in September, only a year after the game came out in North America and two years after it first released in Japan. In case you're confused, yes, we mean the first Rune Factory, not the hopefully-soon-to-be-localized sequel.Still, for what it's worth, this blogger thoroughly enjoyed the game. Are any of you European Harvest Moon fans excited about this news, or has that ship sailed long ago?[Via press release]
DS Daily: Battle of the boxes
It's been a while since we've done one of our wacky "versus" topics for daily discussion, and when we saw these two boxes posted over at GoNintendo, they just seemed too perfect to resist. They have some similarities and yet are pretty distinct. Which would be more likely to catch your eye? Is that also the game you think you would prefer?
DS Daily: Harvest Moon
If you're in the northern half of the world, did you notice that harvest moon last night? Wednesday the 26th marked the full moon nearest to the autumn equinox, and of course, it made us think of the franchise of the same name. What, you expected us not to make the connection with games? We're serious fans here. Geez.But are you? Of Harvest Moon, that is, and Rune Factory, as well. How do you feel about the franchise? We've noticed that it's usually one of those 100% things: people either love it or avoid it like the plague. How about you?
Rune Factory - fight for your right to harvest [update 1]
Even though the sequel to Rune Factory: a Fantasy Harvest Moon is starting to get attention, don't forget that the original is due for its North American release over the next few weeks.IGN recently put up some screens, videos and an interview with the game's U.S. product manager. The video shows off the game's new direction: combat. It all looks pretty straightforward, but that energy you spend fighting is going to have to come from somewhere - the crops you produce. We're undecided as to whether this is really going to work, surely the peaceful gameplay is what gives Harvest Moon its unique feel?Aside from the combat, it looks like all the series' traditional elements are in place: tending crops, making friends and wooing the girl of your dreams by presenting her with vegetables. If only real life were so simple.Cooking and forging will be handled via the touch screen, along with inventory management. You'll also be able to trade items and screenshots over wi-fi, perhaps landing a husband or wife in the process. The accompanying video gives a July release date for Rune Factory.[Update: fixed grammatical error]
Rune Factory 2 screens burst into light
We don't even have the first Rune Factory yet, and already there are screenshots from the sequel. This is getting entirely too common with games we're interested in, like Professor Layton and his Many Mysterious Venues. Rune Factory 2, like its predecessor, is a spin-off from the Harvest Moon series. There's some debate as to whether or not we even need the first title, but we're willing to give it a spin when it finally comes out. In the meantime, we'll check out these shots from the sequel
Japanese software sales, August 21 - August 27: OMG edition
Commentary will follow after you regain control of your jaw. Software - This Week | Total Sales 1.) Final Fantasy III (NDS, Square Enix) - 503,051 | NEW 2.) New Super Mario Bros. (NDS, Nintendo) - 65,556 | 2,901,264 3.) Rune Factory (NDS, Marvelous Interactive) - 42,210 | NEW 4.) Brain Training 2 (NDS, Nintendo) - 41,784 | 3,073,195 5.) Cooking Navi (NDS, Nintendo) - 37,326 | 384,045 6.) Tamagotchi 2 (NDS, Bandai Namco) - 30,504 | 430,934 7.) Mario Basketball 3-on-3 (NDS, Square Enix) - 30,355 | 233,762 8.) Animal Crossing Wild World (NDS, Nintendo) - 30,023 | 3,149,130 9.) Brain Training (NDS, Nintendo) - 22,866 | 2,736,150 10.) English Training (NDS, Nintendo) - 17,465 | 1,401,669 That's right. Every single game in the top ten is on the Nintendo DS. I mean, we knew this thing rocked faces in Japan, but this is ridiculous. Leading the pack is the sold-more-units-than-pancakes-at-IHOP Final Fantasy III, selling over half a million in a few days. Rune Factory, another newcomer, is doing well at spot number 3, and the rest are familiar faces. We truly believe that if the political party of Nintendo were to run for office in Japan, they would win in a landslide victory. [Thanks, DownloadingData!]
