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Sega's JRPG Resonance of Fate pops up on PSN
The PlayStation 3 version of Sega and developer Tri-Ace's cult hit JRPG Resonance of Fate resurfaces on the PlayStation Network this week as a downloadable title, arriving more than four years after its initial retail release. In Resonance of Fate, players control a Private Military Firm who must trek across a dystopian Earth, fulfilling client requests and outgunning monsters in uniquely cinematic combat sequences. If you haven't yet experienced Resonance of Fate, this oddball scene in particular might win you over. It's...quite a thing. Resonance of Fate is priced at $19.99. An Xbox 360 Games on Demand version is also available. [Image: Sega]
Star Ocean developers worked some magic on Final Fantasy XIII-2
Did that almost reasonable 24-month turnaround time between Final Fantasy XIII and the just-released-in-Japan Final Fantasy XIII-2 rock your understanding of reality? Who could blame you? The development time of the last "direct" sequel was also pretty short -- two years between Final Fantasy X and X-2 -- but it was five years between Final Fantasy XII and XIII. Did Square-Enix make some dark sacrifice to summon the new game so quickly? You'll probably need to talk with Tri-Ace about that. According to Tri-Ace programmer Yuichiro Kitao (courtesy of Twitter), the Star Ocean/Valkyrie Profile developer assisted with design, programming, and art on the all-too-rare Final Fantasy sequel. Animal sacrifice may have also been involved, but that's not the kind of thing you talk about on Twitter. That's okay, Square-Enix; even Santa had the elves for help with that Christmas(ish) miracle.
Tri-Ace announces a duo of projects for 3DS and PSP
After showing off a new tech demo earlier this week, Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile developer tri-Ace has announced a couple of new games, both published by Konami. Well, it's about to, but a Famitsu leak got there first. Frontier Gate for PSP combines Monster Hunter with turn-based RPG gameplay, with three-player co-op as players join a guild to explore a new area of the world. Players will choose one of 15 partner characters, with a different storyline for each. Beyond the Labyrinth for 3DS is a 3D dungeon RPG created under the leadership of Resonance of Fate director Takayuki Suguro and Elebits producer Shingo Mukaitouge. Frontier Gate is expected this year, but the release for Beyond the Labyrinth is still "TBA."
Star Ocean developer's real-time graphics demo is out of this world
This video shows off the new graphics engine created by Star Ocean dev tri-Ace to great effect. While not based on any existing game (or future title), it does feature clever cameos by a couple recognizable characters -- and looks absolutely stunning.
Amazon hopes you'll like this Star Ocean deal
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International on PS3 is discounted to $30 as Amazon's daily deal. If you already have the 360 version, but your obsessive nature compels you to get the PS3 one for its extra content, get it now! Even if you just have a PS3 and aren't crazy, it's a good time to pick it up.
Atlus bringing Radiant Historia to DS in Japan
Call it the new Xenosaga. Just as the Xenogears team left Square to create games in a suspiciously similar world for Namco, some of the tri-Ace staffers who made Radiata Stories are working on ... Radiant Historia for DS, over at Atlus. Along with original staff like artist Hiroshi Konishi, Atlus's own developers are also involved, including director Mitsuru Hirata, a veteran of the Shin Megami Tensei series. With only a Famitsu leak to go on, all we know about the game itself is that it involves time travel in some manner. If you want to find out more by playing the game, you'll have to time travel to November 4. And learn Japanese, we guess.
Swag Sunday: Resonance of Fate (360) [update]
Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner shortly. Keep an eye on your inbox, folks! There you were, lazing away a Sunday afternoon, when out of nowhere we throw you into an arena and start resonatin' stuff. Nope, it's not a dream -- it's a weird allusion to tri-Ace developed JRPG Resonance of Fate. And rather than sit here reading our weird allusions, why not spend your time actually playing the game in real life? Well you're one step closer to that possibility if you enter our contest below, wherein we'll be giving one lucky winner one copy of the game for their Xbox 360. All you have to do is tell us about something so memorable from your life that it resonated throughout your own fate. Okay, okay, that's a bit serious. It can just be something memorable from your life, as long as it's clean and, preferably, funny. Drop it into the comments below and we'll pick one of you at random this week as a winner. You've got 24 hours starting ... now! Leave a comment telling us something memorable from your life, as long as it's clean and, preferably, funny. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, because of restrictive sweepstakes laws in the province, unfortunately -- we assure you that we love the Quebecois!). Limit 1 entry per person per day. This entry period ends at 8:01PM ET on Monday, April 19. At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Resonance of Fate for Xbox 360 (ARV: $59.99). For a list of complete rules, click here. What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.
Resonance of Fate launches March 16 (yes, one week after Final Fantasy XIII)
We've already pointed out a handful of times that there are just a few too many JRPGs boldly standing up against Final Fantasy XIII's near-guaranteed dominance in terms of sales. It seems that at least one of those is moving out of its previously believed same-day release date with FFXIII, with Sega telling us in a press release yesterday afternoon that the it's "happy to announce that Resonance of Fate, the next RPG coming from tri-Ace, will be launching in North America on March 16" on both Xbox 360 and PS3. Clearly Sega is counting on die-hard FF fans to rush through the big release in under 168 hours, just in time for its bullet-riddled affair. We'll certainly see how it all shakes out in a few months when the sales numbers arrive, but we're betting the ground will be littered with chocobo feathers when it does. %Gallery-63415%
Resonance of Fate destined for European launch on March 26
JRPG Resonance of Fate, known by the equally ridiculous name of End of Eternity in Japan, will make its way to Europe on March 26, according to a Sega fact sheet. The title debuted to respectable numbers in Japan last month and currently has no official release date in the States, but GameStop seems to think it's March 9 -- yeah, that Final Fantasy XIII March 9. Now, go ahead and watch that four-minute opener to the game again. %Gallery-83379%
Fall through the four minute opening to Resonance of Fate
For what it's worth, every bit of Resonance of Fate we've seen so far looks mighty enticing. From gorgeous screenshots, to long dramatic CG trailers, to those full of bullets (and even some gameplay), Tri-Ace's upcoming RPG certainly gives us the impression it'll be a blast to play -- heck, we even enjoyed our first hands-on with the game back at TGS 2009. All that said, even in light of the four-minute-long opening we've dropped above (from the Japanese Xbox 360 version, titled End of Eternity), we're about as worried as can be for any game set to release alongside Final Fantasy XIII. Will the intensity of the opening scene's suicide jump entice you enough to snag a copy over the much ballyhoo'd Square Enix release? We're not quite sure, but it certainly got our zipper-clad boots all in a tussy. %Gallery-83379%
Sega offers up a mess of new Resonance of Fate screens
We'll be frank -- there are quite a few JRPGs heading to consoles in the next few months. From Last Rebellion to White Knight Chronicles to Final Fantasy XIII, it's kinda hard to get excited for yet another in Resonance of Fate. That being said, the game's screens and video have thus far been unbelievably impressive (with the new gallery below serving to further that point), and our last hands-on with game was fairly positive. We'll do our best to remember all of that when the game releases on the same day as FFXIII. Seriously. %Gallery-83379%
Resonance of Fate demo available on Xbox Live and PSN in Japan
Interested in Resonance of Fate but afraid of being burned by another tri-Ace RPG? If you have access to a Japanese PlayStation Network account or (less likely) a Japanese Xbox 360, you can sample the game today. Sega released a demo of the gunplay RPG in Japan, with a tutorial that Siliconera reports is easy enough to follow along with even in Japanese. We were able to suss out the mechanics during TGS with little issue, but we doubt the downloadable demo includes a Sega rep, as our TGS demo did. What won't be easy to follow along with is the story and dialogue -- but referring once again to Star Ocean 4, maybe that's not the worst thing.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International trailer boldly goes into Trek territory
Square Enix went for a Star Trek vibe with the latest English trailer for Star Ocean: The Last Hope International. If Star Trek was made in Japan and starred a bunch of angsty, futuristic, computer-generated teenagers instead of B-movie actors, and if it was a video game, it would probably look a lot like this. At least the part of the trailer before the sword fights and the demonstrations of language options. However, while Star Trek benefited from a vocal fan base that saved the original show from cancellation, people who have put time into Star Ocean: The Last Hope are more likely to warn than evangelize.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International trailer isn't terribly international
This trailer for Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, the new PS3 version of the once Xbox 360-exclusive RPG, starts off by introducing a bunch of characters. It's like the trailer is showing off that all these anime stereotypes and more can be yours if you just play the game. And then there's some fighting. If you like the Japanese voice work you hear in this trailer (that is, if you don't mind not being able to understand it), remember that the International release will feature both English and Japanese voice tracks, in addition to several subtitle languages. It'll be out February 9, just before the spring 2010 release of an actually new tri-Ace RPG. [Via Famitsu]
Resonance of Fate destined for Japan on January 28
Resonance of Fate was given a North American release window of spring 2010 way back in May, leaving the question of its Japanese release (as End of Eternity) unanswered -- until just now. Sega previously launched a cute "count-up" site to reveal the date, which has finally arrived at January 28, 2010*. The official game site now shows this information, as well.Earlier this month, producer Mitsuhiro ShimanoIn told Joystiq that, with Resonance of Fate development on schedule, Sega had the freedom to set the Japanese release date "when it's going to be the best time to fully reach the potential." Apparently, the best time is ... a month after Final Fantasy XIII?*Note: At the time of this posting, our browser still shows that several hours remain, suggesting that the counter is based on one's local time zone.[Via Andriasang]
Interview: tri-Ace and Sega on Resonance of Fate
Immediately after I got my first chance to play Resonance of Fate, with my ears still ringing from virtual gunfire, I met with director Takayuki Suguro (tri-Ace) and producer Mitsuhiro Shimano (Sega) to discuss the futuristic title. In our brief chat, the developers talked about the unique setting, the guns, and the difficulties of making both a multiplatform game and a game designed for a worldwide audience. And if you ever wondered what tri-Ace does to unwind after a hard day at the RPG mines, that happens to come up too. %Gallery-63415%
TGS 2009: Resonance of Fate trailer, now with 100% fewer bullets
The first TGS trailer for Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity in Japan) had us very excited due to its unique John Woo-inspired bullet-riddled action. However, the second (and presumably last) trailer for the game from the game show goes back to traditional JRPG form by focusing exclusively on the game's heavy-handed story.While there's chance for greatness in tri-Ace's upcoming story, we can't say that's what's keeping us interested in the game. For once, could it be that a JRPG is keeping our attention more for its gameplay than its pre-rendered cutscenes?
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Resonance of Fate
The stylish Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity, as it's known in Japan) blends a semi-turn-based, conventional RPG battle system with a high-speed action game -- with guns. Guns fall into three categories: machine guns, handguns, and grenades. (Machine gun–class weapons do "scratch damage," which depletes an enemy's life, but leaves the possibility for it to regenerate over time.) I got to check out the TGS demo before interviewing its developers, giving me this opportunity to tell you about it. More importantly, though, the experience gave me something to talk to the developers about (more on that later), and in turn I avoided a very awkward social interaction. %Gallery-63415%
Resonance of Fate sends us to bullet hell in TGS trailer
Sega has seemingly forgotten that Tokyo Game Show hasn't started yet, by releasing a brand new trailer for its upcoming Resonance of Fate (aka End of Eternity in Japan). Tri-Ace is breaking the JRPG norm by creating a trailer that isn't entirely comprised of CG cutscenes. There is a lot of gameplay footage here -- and as noted earlier, it's bizarre.Resonance of Fate creates a rather distinct look for itself by giving its main characters guns, and moves that would make Chow Yun-Fat jealous. It's entirely over-the-top, and gives the game an original feel missing from tri-Ace's previous works. It'll be interesting to see if Japanese gamers will pry themselves away from Final Fantasy XIII long enough to give this game a fair shake.[Via Sega Nerds]
Impressions: Resonance of Fate
You won't see enormous breasts in this game, we were told by a Sega producer, as he started playing through an untranslated Resonance of Fate. While this is rarely used as a selling point (especially in games), he wanted to emphasize the gritty "realistic" look of tri-Ace's upcoming RPG. Gone are the over-the-top wacky hairdos, cute talking mascots, giant swords and neon-colored hover-vehicles that seem to permeate nearly every Square Enix JRPG. Instead, this fantasy world is meant to resemble our own. Granted, the people of Bazel, the fictional world in which Resonance of Fate takes place, still have perfect hair and outfits from the trendier shops of Shibuya. It may still not jive with the American sensibilities of "reality," but it's certainly a far cry from tri-Ace's other current-gen efforts, Star Ocean and Infinite Undiscovery. Resonance of Fate is being billed as a significant departure for tri-Ace. Its first non-Square Enix-published game comes with a brand new graphics engine, and a few new ideas to boot. The word "cliché" was uttered more than once during the presentation -- to describe exactly what the team is trying to avoid. Considering the studio's track record, we obviously had our doubts. %Gallery-63415%
