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11 minutes of SRW OG Endless Frontier's elaborate battle animations
As shallow as it might seem, these battle animations are the only reason why we bother watching these SRW OG Endless Frontier clips, or any video for the Super Robot Wars series, for that matter. It's like loading up a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 combo video to watch an intricate series of strikes pile up with no sign of ending anytime soon.So, here we have eleven minutes of precisely that -- floating HP-damage counts, KOS-MOS's poorly secured top, and team attacks acrobatically combining martial arts and heavy weaponry. What else were you expecting? SRW OG Endless Frontier ships out to stores in Japan this May 29th.%Gallery-14186%[Via Nicovideo]
Heavy mechs and heaving chests: SRW OG Endless Frontier commercial
Though we still have two months before Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier ships to stores in Japan, Banpresto already has a commercial for the Monolith-Soft RPG at its official site. The 15-second spot has everything you'd expect from a Super Robot Wars title -- ornate mechas swinging swords and firing giant canons at each other.Oh, and at some point, KOS-MOS's (Xenosaga) top spills open, exposing her cleavage for no discernible reason. Perhaps it's a special attack? Does it consume SP? We might just have to wait until May 29th comes around to find out!%Gallery-14186%
Super Robot Wars Famitsu scans show KOS-MOS inclusion
While much of what is available at JeuxFrance is already available in our gallery below, they do have something new to bring to the table regarding Infinite Frontier Super Robot Wars OG Saga (original ... gangsta?). You see, one of the main characters from the popular RPG franchise Xenosaga has made her way into Monolith Soft's game. It's none other than KOS-MOS.As a person who only played some of the first Xenosaga, this blogger doesn't know what kind of signature attacks or abilities to expect in the new game from KOS-MOS, but understands full well the power of cross-promotion. Whatever helps them push units, right? Well, we know some of you out there enjoyed the incredibly long Xenosaga games, so if that's you, tell us what you think and head past the break for the Famitsu scans.%Gallery-14186%
Xenosaga anime coming to US
Our memories of playing Xenosaga was that it was one-third video game and two-thirds cinematic movie -- we didn't mind the lengthy cutscenes, but they were quite noticeable compared to other titles. The philosophically-minded RPG was unsurprisingly turned into an anime in 2005, and now ADV Film has announced (via IGN) that it is finally bringing the twelve-episode series to the US later this year.The series will be split into three DVDs, presumably four episodes apiece, with the first one coming out September 11. No special features or other information is available at the time. Xenosaga: The Animation was produced by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball series).
Monolith Soft now part of Nintendo's monolith
All those Wii and DS profits must have been burning a hole in Nintendo's pocket, because they went developer shopping and picked up Monolith Soft. We guess they really liked that one screenshot of Disaster: Day of Crisis.Monolith Soft is responsible for the reviled Xenosaga series (the Japanese limited edition release of Xenosaga II included the unfortunate figurine seen here, nicknamed MOK-KOS), the crossover strategy game Namco X Capcom, and, in conjunction with Tri-Crescendo, the two Baten Kaitos games. Maybe now we'll get that pseudo-religious science-fiction Kirby RPG we've all been waiting for!
Nintendo buys Xenosaga dev Monolith Soft
Japanese development studio Monolith Soft has been purchased by Nintendo from Namco Bandai, according to a press release (PDF file) from credible Japanese news source Nikkei translated by gaming site The Platformers. Our team of translators have discerned from the release that Nintendo now owns 80% of the company's stock, while Namco Bandai still retain 16% of their original 96% holdings in the developer, whose total worth is approximately 75 million yen.The studio, formed in 1999 by former Square employee Hirohide Sugiura, is responsible for the Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos series. The company is also reportedly developing Disaster: Day of Crisis, a Wii title that hasn't been seen since its appearance at E3 2006.We've contacted Nintendo further details. For the console maker, this gives them an experienced second party RPG developer. We'll keep you updated as this story progresses.[Thanks for the translation help, Patrick and Andrew]
Sample some of Monster Kingdom's impressive soundtrack
Did you read my hands-on of Atlus' upcoming PSP-exclusive RPG, Monster kingdom: Jewel Summoner? The game has some serious talent behind it, especially in the music department. The RPG features works from celebrated composers, listed below: Shinji Hosoe (Ridge Racer series) Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII) Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenosaga) Kenji Ito (Sword of Mana) Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II) Masaharu Iwata (Final Fantasy Tactics) Tsukasa Masuko (Shin Megami Tensei series) Yasuyuki Suzuki (Doshin the Giant) Ayako Saso (Phantom Kingdom) Takahiro Ogata (Shin Megami Tensei NINE) The soundtrack to the game features 44 tracks from these famous composers, and samples can be heard on Atlus' newly opened official website for the game. The game hits stores on February 13th. Expect a full review closer to that date.
Best of the rest: Ludwig's picks
Sam & Max Episode 1 : Culture Shock (PC)I never thought I'd actually be grateful to LucasArts for assassinating their sequel to Sam & Max: Freelance Police. Now residing in the capable hands of Telltale Games, the series is setting the standard for episodic content and adventure gaming. Complete failure to laugh at Culture Shock's absolutely brilliant writing, memorable characters and off-the-wall puzzles indicates one of two things: either you're a robot, or you've recently discovered a dead kitten in your lap. (See also: My reviews of Culture Shock and Situation: Comedy.)
