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Blue Dragon Plus value on Amazon
Looking for roughly ten dollars worth of tactical role-playing on DS? What a coincidence! Amazon is currently offering Blue Dragon Plus for $9.98. You can add the strategy guide for just $3.42! It's the perfect time to get caught up with the adventures of Shu, Marumaro, and a bunch of giant blue monsters before the next Blue Dragon game hits DS. Also, it serves as a reminder that yes, another Blue Dragon game is hitting DS. D3 Publisher is releasing Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow at an unspecified date this spring. [Via GoNintendo]
Joyswag: Blue Dragon Plus
Update: Thanks for entering, folks! Giveaway is now closed and we've chosen our winners. Check your email!We're sitting on two copies of Blue Dragon Plus and, well, what could be better than giving them away to two lucky readers? So we're holding this here Joyswag just for you. Want your chance at being one of our two lucky winners? Well, follow the steps below: Leave a comment telling us what your favorite Hironobu Sakaguchi game is (you can see a full list here; if you've never played one of his games, then just pick one at random) You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Tuesday, March 24. We'll randomly select 2 winners at that time to each receive a copy of Blue Dragon Plus (ARV: $30) for the DS For a list of complete rules, click here Best of luck to you all and don't forget that Joystiq is giving away a DS Lite along with a Blue Dragon Plus prize pack. You can enter that giveaway and this one. Don't worry, we won't tell on you. %Gallery-15148%
Joyswag: Onyx DS Lite and Blue Dragon Plus
Update: Thanks for entering, folks! Giveaway is now closed and we've chosen a winner. Check your email!Man, our job sucks sometimes. Here we are, sitting on a brand new Onyx DS Lite, a copy of Blue Dragon Plus, a Blue Dragon card game starter pack and game mat, and one Brady Games strategy guide, and we can't even enjoy it all. No, we're not allowed to keep these things. But, where there is misery for us, there is possible pleasure for you. You can win our prize pack! All you have to do is follow the steps below and you can be the one lucky winner: Leave a comment telling us whether Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of this game) should shave his mustache or not You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Tuesday, March 24. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive a brand new Onyx DS Lite (ARV: $130), a copy of Blue Dragon Plus (ARV: $30), a Blue Dragon card game starter pack and game mat (ARV: $10), and one Brady Games strategy guide (ARV: $18) For a list of complete rules, click here We're not stopping here, as Joystiq Nintendo is also giving away two copies of Blue Dragon Plus. So, after you're done entering this giveaway, feel free to also try your luck here.
Free Blue Dragon anime appears from the shadows
Joystiq PSA: An episode of Blue Dragon anime is available as a free (and 100% legal) download.The Blue Dragon anime's pilot episode, "The Shadow Comes Forth", can be grabbed from the iTunes Store for free, through March 10. That's a savings of $1.99. We can only hope that watching an episode of Shu search for the Night Master, while attempting to prove he isn't a child, doesn't involve any form of digital disc swapping.Source - iTunes StoreSource - What They Play
Joystiq hands-on: Blue Dragon Plus (DS)
After departing from Square Enix, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi started his own studio, Mistwalker. The small company relies on contracted developers to collaborate on projects, while Mistwalker itself remains lean and back-to-basics. Its first project was Blue Dragon, which, despite being released on the Xbox 360, is also back to basics -- a linear, turn-based RPG with (admittedly high-end) Akira Toriyama character designs that recall the Dragon Quest tradition. Blue Dragon topped Japanese Xbox 360 sales charts, but still didn't necessarily achieve Dragon Quest-like success. So, along with a merchandising blitz that includes manga, anime, a card game, and toys, Mistwalker has taken Blue Dragon to a system that is much more popular in Japan, and much better suited to both the JRPG and Toriyama's cute designs: the Nintendo DS. Surprisingly, despite the move to less powerful hardware, Blue Dragon Plus is a more progressive role-playing experience than its predecessor, and offers elements of post-Dragon Quest presentation.%Gallery-15148%
Surprise? Brownie Brown considers Wii development
Brownie Brown has a history of releasing handheld games ranging from okay to good: Magical Vacation and its sequel Magical Starsign, Sword and Heroes of Mana; and, of course, their best work, done in collaboration with HAL Laboratory, Mother 3. But until now, they've only released handheld games. So in a way, it's quite a surprise to hear that, having finished up Blue Dragon Plus, they're thinking about trying their hand at a console game. Brownie Brown president Shinichi Kameoka told Siliconera that "We're optimistic about it and looking into it." But the choice of console platform is rather unsurprising. Brownie Brown is a Nintendo-owned studio, so they basically have two platforms from which to choose for any game they're going to make. Should they move into Wii development, it will be interesting to see if they start with a work-for-hire project or an original work like the Magical Vacation series.
Sakaguchi would 'love to make a Wii game'
During an interview with IGN about Blue Dragon Plus, Sakaguchi spoke about a variety of subjects, including bringing his RPG to the Wii, as well as his thoughts on the system overall. "I think the Wii is a wonderful system," he said. "It's very unique, starting with its iconic controllers." When asked about making a game for Wii, he said that Mistwalker has "no plans at the moment," but he "would love to make a Wii game in the future." We hear you. "Dude, go for it," you say. "Please make it?" you ask. "Love that mustache!" you exclaim. He's a talented guy. We totally get it.But, what's stopping Mistwalker from undertaking a Wii project? His company has already worked with Nintendo in bringing multiple titles to the DS, so why not make the leap to Wii? Personally, we'd appreciate the injection of JRPG goodness that he'd bring to the Wii. Let's hope he gets around to it sooner rather than later.
DS Daily: Holiday rush, continued
Elebits. Moon. Big Bang Mini. Retro Game Challenge. Personal Trainer: Math (like it or not, it's a first-party release, and thus high-profile-ish!). The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity. Legacy of Ys. My World, My Way. Magician's Quest. Fire Emblem. Dragon Quest V. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Avalon Code. Blue Dragon Plus. We just went through Gamestop.com and culled genuinely interesting games coming out in January or February in North America. The list above represents a hasty gathering of quality games coming out in just these two months. Isn't the schedule supposed to slow down after the holidays? We kind of don't have a real direction for today's discussion topic, only general marveling about the next two months on DS. Even if some of this stuff gets delayed, the DS still has a lineup in January or February to rival or beat most fall/holiday lineups. Who plans to buy more in these two months than they did in late 2008? Who else is really, really overwhelmed?
Blue Dragon Plus: epic battles, small screens
Mistwalker's Blue Dragon Plus bears the distinctive stamp of Akira Toriyama, and at every moment, the game is colorful, even a little cartoony, with bright colors and rubbery characters. Don't mistake that for a lack of epic badassery, however, because these last two trailers for the RPG have been full of one of our favorite things: fighting. Also fire and explosions. Good stuff. Let's just hope we see a better box.
New trailer, website bring Blue Dragon Plus out of the shadows
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/New_trailer_website_bring_Blue_Dragon_Plus_out_of_the_shadow'; Mistwalker's Blue Dragon Plus, the DS follow-up to the game for the Xbox 360, has been out for some time in Japan, so we haven't seen much over the past several months. Now that the North American and European releases are approaching, however, the game is starting to pop up again. Along with this video -- which does an admirable job of capturing an epic feel -- the English-language website is up and is stuffed full of content you can actually read. That's always helpful!Blue Dragon Plus is slated for March 2009 in both Europe and North America.%Gallery-15148%
A bombastic trailer for Blue Dragon Plus
With this new trailer for Blue Dragon Plus, Ignition Entertainment seems to be honoring Blue Dragon and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi the best way they know how: by releasing a trailer loaded with explosive, colorful CG, and not one second of gameplay. It does its job well, portraying the game as totally serious business.The trailer originates from the new Blue Dragon Plus website, which currently doesn't have much else on it aside from a story synopsis and a few character profiles. Ignition promises more content in "late November." We can't wait to see more of this game, even though we've been waiting on Blue Dragon for quite some time already.%Gallery-15148%
Blue Dragon Plus flaps our way next March
Only the twin juggernauts of Wii Fit and Rhythm Tengoku Gold could prevent Blue Dragon Plus from seizing top spot in the latest Japanese charts. Ignition Entertainment will be hoping for similar results when it publishes the big-haired, monster-summoning JRPG to not-Japan, and today it announced a North American and European release date of March 2009, falling in line with its promise of a release this fiscal year. That's still quite a wait (you could say it will drag on, if you were a blogger looking for a lame joke to brighten up a dry story), though should nicely pad out a traditionally quiet time of the year.%Gallery-15148%
Blue Dragon Plus website adds a new trailer
Blue Dragon Plus is only a few months away (if you happen to live in Japan). It's not too much of a stretch to expect a delay in North America, despite the vague "fiscal year" confirmations we've been hearing about. The artwork of Akira Toriyama must be acknowledged on a tiny screen real soon, or RPG fans are going to start dishing out angry mob justice.The "promise" we experienced with the Blue Dragon Plus website has been somewhat fulfilled, after being updated with a new Japanese trailer. While this isn't especially handy for English speakers, it does run for over three minutes, giving fans a good deal of gameplay footage, CG cutscenes and character art. We've managed to circumvent the awkward media player on the website and rustle up the trailer in all of its YouTube glory, so check it out and get your Blue Dragon nerve twitching.%Gallery-15148%[Via videogaming247]
Blue Dragon Plus in Japan this September with uninspiring box
This comes as little surprise, since AQ Interactive announced that Blue Dragon Plus would release in the U.S. by the end of the fiscal year, but we're still glad to see a firm Japanese release date for Mistwalker/feelplus's strategy-RPG sequel. It's scheduled to be out September 4, for 5,229 yen ($50).We're slightly less enthused by what AQ Interactive decided to do with the box. It's less "grand adventure" (which is the feeling that most Blue Dragon artwork evokes for us) and more "horrific See 'N Say." The giant, blue, snake-tailed, winged horse says "Neigh! See you in your nightmares!"%Gallery-15148%
Blue Dragon, Away: Shuffle Dungeon confirmed for U.S.
As if our recent poll regarding Blue Dragon Plus and Away: Shuffle Dungeon hadn't already put you on the spot enough, now you'll have to choose one for really reals. AQ Interactive's latest financial report confirms that both will hit North America in this fiscal year, and also mentioned a localized version of the Korg DS-10 (which we already knew about).Incidentally, there's a further four third-party portable games being brought over by Xseed, and Siliconera reckons that those could include Flower, Sun and Rain, Lux Pain, and Dungeon Maker DS. As European versions of the first two have both been rumored, we'd tend to agree!
DS Daily: Looking forward to it
With all of the impending games to hit the DS, which excite you the most? We don't have to tell you how pumped we are for Super Dodgeball Brawlers and the games coming from Mistwalker, but what about you all? What titles on the radar have you all giddy and feeling funny in the pants? Space Invaders Extreme? Edgeworth's game?
DS Fanboy poll: Away vs. Blue Dragon Plus
A struggle has begun in the Nintendo Fanboy offices. We have divided the dungeon we reside in, one half of the staff staking claim to their side, while the remainder of us blog from within the sanctuary of our side. The argument that has split us so? What looks more interesting: Away: Shuffle Dungeon or Blue Dragon Plus?The conflict has grown so large that it has spilled out onto the site proper, where we hope you, fine reader, can help us resolve it. We've put up a poll (placed past the break to keep the front page tidy and so those who hate polls and having their voices heard won't be bothered with it), so cast your vote and be heard. Help us stop before we sacrifice Chris to our god, Sakaguchi-san.
Checking out the new shadows in Blue Dragon Plus
When we told you about a couple of new characters making their way into Blue Dragon Plus, we never got a glimpse at what role they would in the game proper. Would they be NPCs? Or would they help us in battle?Well, they're playable characters with their own shadows, as the official site for the game reveals. The "robots" we thought would play a big role in the game turn out to be just one robot, in fact, with its own shadow also.Both of these new characters' shadows can be found in our gallery below, so be sure to hit it up.%Gallery-15148%[Via Siliconera]
Customizable robots put the 'plus' in Blue Dragon Plus
Famitsu has a write up today on Blue Dragon Plus. Mostly, it just looks at some returning characters in the DS spin-off, confirming that they will be in the DS game with their same shadows intact. It's also confirmed that the game's leveling system is identical to that of the Xbox 360 title, however Blue Dragon Plus does have at least one new thing hidden up its sleeve.Apparently, the game will feature a kind of robot buddy. By discovering various circuits out in the field, you can augment this little guy and give him new abilities. This will allow your robot buddy to mature, however further details are not available.Also, keep in mind that this information comes from machine translation, so we could be off by a little.%Gallery-15148%
Get a face full of these fresh Blue Dragon Plus screens
For those of you who have had a keen eye fixed on Sakaguchi's upcoming DS spin-off Blue Dragon Plus (see: pretty much the entire DSF staff) will like to know that our gallery below has been updated with some new screens. Combing over them, we find ourselves floored yet again at how crisp and wonderful the game's sprites look.Who else is excited for this game?%Gallery-15148%
