arpg
Latest
Rumor: Dungeon Maker coming to DS?
If you're not familiar with Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground, a PSP title that XSeed brought to the US just last month, we won't blame you. The ARPG's release received very little press and most reviewers met the game with average to above-average scores. Among their criticisms were the lack of a proper XP/leveling system, limited character customization outside of equipment upgrades, and unimaginative combat.So why were our arms thrown into the air in victory, fists clutched as if to suggest hardships we've endured throughout this journey, after hearing from the Famitsu-scanning newshounds at NeoGAF that a DS port might be on the way? We've had hungry eyes for the dungeon making portion of the game for some time now, but we've refrained from mentioning it lest those other fanboys hold that knowledge over our heads. Dungeon Maker's gimmick -- build your lair, piece by piece, to attract monsters for you to slay -- is like a tractor beam aimed straight at our hearts. Hack and slash your way past the post break for Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground's PSP trailer.
Square Enix release dates: RoF due next spring?!
Square Enix spent the morning revealing its lineup of "fresh new faces and timeless classics" that the company plans to exhibit this week at E3, attaching US release dates to its upcoming titles: Heroes of Mana - August 14 Front Mission - October 23 Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker - November 6 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - November 20 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - Spring 2008 We're jumping on our beds with glee over the fact that we'll be receiving Front Mission so early after the localization was announced, but several disappointing details failed to escape our attention -- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Grimoire, It's a Wonderful World, FFIV DS, and Dragon Quest IX's absence; and Ring of Fates' distant date. The multiplayer ARPG and its DS Lite bundle are scheduled to hit Japan this August 23rd. [Via NeoGAF]
New Ring of Fates video: Jumpin' Yuke Flash
Square Enix is keeping up its media push for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates with yet another video, adding onto its bombardment of scans and screenshots to draw in anyone who hasn't already decided to pick up the game's special-edition DS Lite bundle. This week's clip features Alhanarlem, one of the main characters from the ARPG's spellcasting tribe of Yukes, leaping from platform to platform in what looks like a competitive minigame in which players race through a stage to find a hidden blue switch. Power-ups are scattered around the field, but their effects aren't revealed until they're grabbed. Vault past the post break for the embedded movie.
New Ring of Fates video: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
We've been clamoring for a proper follow-up to the Seiken Densetsu series for over a decade now, and by the looks of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates videos we've seen so far, we might finally be getting one. The first Crystal Chronicles entry on the GameCube was by no means disappointing, at least in our opinion, but hardware and link cable requirements made getting a group together much harder than we would've liked. Its handheld sequel seems free of those problems without losing that multiplayer ARPG's cooperative fun. Square Enix's latest Ring of Fates clip demonstrates the teamwork involved in getting through the game's dungeon puzzles. Carrying around a huge block of wood can be difficult if someone isn't knocking back the enemies coming at you! Bring your crew past the post break for the short movie.
Phantom Hourglass site opens, new videos inside
With less than two weeks before its Japanese release, Nintendo has opened the official website for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Treasures hidden within include several new videos that show off basic gameplay and Link's touchscreen control. To promote laziness (and so you don't have to sludge through squiggly Japanese menu screens) we've embedded the videos below. For an extra dose of Zelda fun, try playing all three at the same time![Via DS Fanboy]%Gallery-2856%
Phantom Hourglass site opens with new videos
With less than two weeks to go before The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass' June 23rd release in Japan, Nintendo has launched an official site for the ARPG with several new videos. The clips mimic the commercials that've been advertising the handheld adventure in Japan, showing off Link's new touchscreen movement and controls. We know that you hate to pay long-distance fees for visiting sites outside of the country, so we went ahead and embedded the movies after the post break. Really, there's no need to thank us -- let's just say you owe us one. %Gallery-3279%
Extended Ring of Fates trailer
If previous Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates clips have left you wanting, look no further than the multiplayer ARPG's latest trailer from last week's Square Enix party. The four-minute video has everything you could ever ask for -- story cutscenes, cooperative puzzles, touchscreen elements, topless Selkies, hectic combat, boss fights, peanut butter jelly, and a baseball bat. Carry your bucket past the post break for the movie, but don't expect to get much use out of it.
Summon Night coming to DS
Banpresto's Summon Night series of RPG's finally made it to the U.S. last year on the Game Boy Advance. Fans of the GBA action-RPG's will be happy to know that Summon Night is getting a new entry on the DS: Summon Night: Twin Age. The original Summon Night games were strategy RPG's similar to Tactics Ogre, but this, like the GBA games, is more action-oriented. It stars two plucky youths named Aldo and Leeha who want to become great summoners-- you know, standard RPG stuff. They want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To find gems is their real test-- to use them to summon monsters is their cause.Twin Age will be released in Japan in August. No word on if Atlus will pick it up for localization.%Gallery-3357%
New FF:CC video like a date without the goodnight kiss
Square-Enix has posted another cutscene from its action-RPG title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. The short clip doesn't have any of the voice acting that was featured in the introduction movie, but we do get to see some interaction between Cherinka, one of the game's two Clavat heroes, and Alhanarlem, a spellcasting Yuke.The 3D looks great, but we were hoping for more of the lively combat and cooperative gameplay that was in the original trailer and screenshots. Even if you can understand the Japanese dialogue, the only action you'll see in this clip is a platonic hug exchanged between the two characters. Check past the break for video of the awkward moment.
Metareview: Lunar Knights
We've approached Lunar Knights with enthusiastic abandon because, from the beginning, it's looked good enough to warrant screaming fanboyism. Everything looked good. Everything looked right. But there's always a chance that the best-looking games can turn out to be not at all what's expected, so we awaited reviews of Lunar Knights with bated breath. From the looks of things, however, there's nothing to worry about. 1UP -- 90%: "Lunar Knights ... is refined and improved over that of the GBA games. Elements that didn't work, such as the solar sensor, have been abandoned; the annoying coffin-dragging sections have been traded for fast-paced space shooter sequences. Meanwhile, character-building features have been expanded; the graphics have been improved, with full-motion anime clips sprinkled throughout the entirety of the quest; the music is superb."GameBrink -- 88%: "... a fun little ARPG presented in pretty much the same fashion as the previous GBA games but, with the introduction of the new weather and team system, the game has added depth to it. Excluding the side quests, the main scenario should give you several hours of fun!"Keep an eye out; we'll update later in the week as more reviews come in.
