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This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Slim pickings
If you're looking for a Nintendo Channel update akin to the onslaught of media our eyeballs were privy to last week, then think again -- Nintendo's only uploaded a handful of new videos this week. There isn't even a new Nintendo Week episode to watch! Instead, the highlight this week is an info video for Arc Rise Fantasia, the latest Marvelous RPG set to grace the Wii next month in North America. For the full list of this week's content, head past the break. %Gallery-86696%
Meet Arc Rise Fantasia's summons, voice actors
The latest media released for image epoch's WIi RPG Arc Rise Fantasia introduces "Rogress," the game's summoned creatures. They act as powerful attacks, of course, but also apparently as the source of the "Ray" energy that powers the game's cities and vehicles. The trailer above shows the game's first Rogress, Simmah, merging its power and wisdom with the protagonist. We'd like to tell you more about what happens in the game, but we're distracted by the voice acting. Much like Infinite Space, all we can say about it in this game is that it is present and audible. %Gallery-93821%
Look out! New Arc Rise Fantasia screens appear
New screens from the upcoming Ignition Entertainment published RPG Arc Rise Fantasia have emerged, featuring the game's strategic turn-based battle action. Originally announced as an XSEED published title, Arc Rise Fantasia was snatched out of XSEED's announced lineup by Ignition in late 2009. The upcoming RPG is developed by Sands of Destruction's imageepoch and is set for a summer 2010 release. %Gallery-86696%
Nintendo releases budget line in Japan based on Nintendo Channel rankings
Nintendo of Japan just launched a line of budget Wii re-releases -- something that hasn't happened out of Nintendo in a long time. The Minna no Osusume Selection (Everyone's Recommendation Selection) is a series of third-party games marked down to ¥2,800 ($30.53), and given new box art that pretty much obscures the original image, making it really difficult to tell which game it is. Since the best-selling Wii games are all still selling at full price, Nintendo determined the titles to be released in this collection in a really smart way: with user recommendations from the Nintendo Channel. Each of the games is given a "medal" rank based on the user response, with the most recommended game on the list being Chunsoft's visual novel 428. Other titles in the collection include Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia, We Ski & Snowboard, and One Piece and Dragon Ball Z games. See the full list of initial releases after the break.
Ignition now publishing Arc Rise Fantasia
Ignition Entertainment has somehow done it again: snagged a Marvelous game out of XSEED's announced lineup. Arc Rise Fantasia, which XSEED announced plans to localize in late 2008, and which was still in XSEED's slate as of E3, has been picked up by Ignition Entertainment for release in summer 2010. The turn-based RPG is developed by Sands of Destruction's imageepoch. New screens (in our gallery) accompany the announcement.When Ignition picked up another previously-announced XSEED Wii title, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, XSEED told Joystiq that Marvelous was taking proposals from publishers and made the final decision to go with Ignition well after XSEED began promoting the title. At the time, we thought that was an anomaly. %Gallery-76288%
Up close and personal with Arc Rise Fantasia
Ever since we've learned that Arc Rise Fantasia was going to break out of Japan, we've wanted to see more of the RPG, but there was a long gap and not a lot to see. Now, however, we can check out ... well, honestly, it's a bunch of poses. Sometimes the same pose against a different background. There's serious fighty business going down, though, so they're worth a look. We've gone too long without some quality time traveling the world in search of turn-based battle. Now if only we had a firm date ....%Gallery-26466%
Imageepoch maybe working on a PSP title
Imageepoch, best know in the US for the DS RPG title Luminous Arc and the upcoming Wii title Arc Rise Fantasia, is contemplating development of a game for the PSP. Ryoei Mikage, President of Imageepoch, told Siliconera that "Next year or next, next year there might be a really cool action PSP game." For those of you who have played Imageepoch's other titles, are you excited by this news?
Arc Rise Fantasia: refreshingly familiar
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have simply played too much Final Fantasy over the years, but it really seems as though Arc Rise Fantasia's is cribbed from Final Fantasy moments. There isn't an instant in this trailer that doesn't evoke some moment from Square Enix's powerhouse franchise.This doesn't mean Arc Rise Fantasia doesn't have potential on its own. We've certainly enjoyed Image Epoch's work so far, and more RPGs on the Wii means more happiness. It just looks very ... familiar, and more so every time new media is released. Anyone else hoping for a Japanese track in the English-language versions of the game? Everything just sounds so right in the footage that it's hard to imagine with less-energetic American voice actors. Gallery: Arc Rise Fantasia
Rising Star Games announces Valhalla Knights, Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia for Europe
Rising Star Games has announced European releases for another set of Marvelous Wii games shown at TGS. Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, Marvelous's RPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, the superhot sidescroller from Vanillaware, and Image Epoch's Arc Rise Fantasia are all headed to Europe sometime in 2009-2010. They're joining a pile of upcoming DS, Wii, and PSP games including Rune Factory Frontier, Avalon Code, Luminous Arc 2, and of course No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Even if nobody else released any Wii games in Europe, it would seem that Rising Star Games would have you covered! %Gallery-33431%
TGS08: Arc Rise Fantasia to make North American dreams come true
We've known about Arc Rise Fantasia for quite awhile now. Up until today, we've had to look at screens with envy, as the title was not confirmed for a North American release. Sure, we hoped it would happen, but there weren't any guarantees. That is, until now.According to the press release that just hit our inbox, fresh from TGS, the game is scheduled to release sometime in 2009. Sadly, we don't have any kind of idea as to when in 2009 we'll be able to get our hands on this game, but, hey, at least we now know it's coming.%Gallery-26466%[Via press release]
Arc Rise Fantasia and its hammerhead turtle in screens
At first, as we looked through the screenshots of Arc Rise Fantasia, we were struck by the preponderance of colorful visual effects. Almost every screen contains some kind of prismatic wake or soft, ethereal glow or magical fire or what have you. We were going to talk about how it looks like Image Epoch is enjoying working on a platform with a bit more graphical capabilities than the DS, which allows them to do this kind of stuff. But then we got to this guy here. Forget all the other stuff. This guy is the real story. Is he a hybrid battering ram/turtle?Marvelous has yet to announce any release outside Japan for this game, but TGS is around the corner, and they'll have to talk about something! This seems like exactly the kind of high-quality RPG they'll want to push worldwide.%Gallery-26466%
Nintendo conference screen mega-roundup!
Click for full-sized image Nintendo announced a lot of games last night at their Japanese conference. Many of them, like Punch-Out!! here, were brand new. Some, like Supan Smasher and Cosmic Walker, we still don't know anything about. But we've got screenshots. So many screenshots. After the break, you'll find galleries of all the new games, along with new screens of some upcoming games we've known about for a while. Of special interest to us: the previously-announced Oboro Muramasa Youtouden, coming to the US as Muramasa: The Demon Blade, because it looks super hot, Karaoke Joysound Wii, which appears to have art by Parappa creator Rodney Alan Greenblat, and Takuto of Magic (Wand of Magic), which appears to be a followup to Taito's LostMagic on the DS. %Gallery-33381%
Grab your hair gel and weapons: new Arc Rise Fantasia shots
Square Enix's Marvelous and Image Epoch's Final Fantasy XI Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King Arc Rise Fantasia is looking pretty good, despite the thin layers of cotton everything seems wrapped in. Good and more than a little bland and recycled, but so long as it plays well and has a decent story, we'll probably accept it. Considering the source, there will probably be more than a few quirks to keep us going.But seriously, we can handle the generic characters, weapons, and enemies -- we're used to that in RPGs -- but can we dispense with that very soft, very muted look for Wii games? We can do better than this.%Gallery-26466%
The first clear look at Arc Rise Fantasia
We've created a gallery featuring the first direct screens of Image Epoch's new RPG Arc Rise Fantasia. The images come from cutscenes, battle scenes, and dialogue, presenting a decently representative look at the new RPG from the creators of Luminous Arc.The creepy cutscene stills illustrate the invasion of "Contaminant Dragons" on the city of Diamant -- basically creepy monsters who fly around en masse in the dark. The player's party includes Bright, a soldier (and generic spiky-haired RPG avatar), Alse, a prince who also decides to go fight for some reason, a mysterious girl named Ryphia, and the pictured Adele, a mage-type character, seen here casting Curtsy Energy Blast. At least the bit about a poison-spreading dragon army is original!%Gallery-26466%
Up come the first shots of Arc Rise Fantasia
Now that the initial announcement for Arc Rise Fantasia has been made, a bunch of scans have surfaced showing some of the game in all its graphical glory. Suffice to say, it looks rather spectacular. Man, RPG developers for the Wii just aren't holding anything back these days -- which is a welcome change after a lengthy lack of titles. Let the creativity flow!It just wouldn't be an RPG without a bunch of spiky-haired teenage boys and some girl holding a staff -- thanks to character designer Kenichi Yoshida. The director responsible for the gorgeous locations and epic battles is Hiroyuki Kanemaru, and you can check out a couple more scans after the break. Look out for more Arc Rise Fantasia news real soon, because no RPG should be left behind.
