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Have brunch with a bunch of Ni No Kuni cutscenes
Red capes, regal cats and illuminating rhinoplasty. Good luck with that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch localization, Namco Bandai. (Seriously, don't screw this up!)
Namco Bandai to publish Ni no Kuni in the US and EU
During TGS, Level-5 sneaked out the news that Ni no Kuni would bring its magical, imaginary (imagical?) world to North American PS3s in early 2012. Now, in a post rounding up the Level-5 World events, the company's international office has revealed a European release as well, along with a publisher: Namco Bandai. Namco Bandai also issued its own press release today, in which VP of Marketing Carlson Choi called Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch "one of our premier titles for 2012." Hopefully that means Namco will treat it better than its own Tales series.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter review: Mystery in Misthallery
The Professor Layton series is consistent in the extreme; every game has a variation on the same plot, in a similar environment, acting as a vector for puzzles in the same style as previous games. There's definitely a formula. That formulaic nature almost forces me into reviewer cliches. "If you didn't like Professor Layton before," I might say, "there's nothing here to change your mind." "Fans of the puzzle-adventure genre will be well-served here." Even the previous Professor Layton review opened with a note about how similar these games are. But a true gentleman finds a solution to every puzzle put before him, whether it be a tangle of steel cogs or a review of a game that is almost identical to its predecessor. Luckily, I did feel that Professor Layton and the Last Specter improved on its forebears, in both perceptible and imperceptible ways. I like all the other Laytons, but I like this one just a little better. Try this puzzle and then head past the break to read more!%Gallery-136676%
Level-5's 'Vision' event, in trailers
We'll forgive you if you weren't up late this past Friday evening watching the livestream of Level-5's "Vision" event with us -- it was kind of in the middle of the night. The Japanese publisher showed off several of its upcoming titles, and revealed a few neat surprises (Ghost Watch, anyone?). Luckily for you, Level-5 has now released all the trailers from Vision and we've compiled them below the break for your viewing pleasure.
Level-5 spins off 'Layton Brothers Mystery Room' for iPhone
If you were looking forward to the DS game Mystery Room ... you're now looking forward to an iOS game, starring Professor Layton's son. Level-5 has reworked the game into a mobile Professor Layton spinoff, and announced the new game at its Level-5 Vision conference. Just as it was before the shift, Layton Brothers Mystery Room is about conducting investigations of crime scenes by tapping on areas of interest with the touch screen. It seems a lot more grounded in reality than the main Layton games -- look, there's a dead body and everything.
'Ghost Watch' unveiled at Level-5 Vision event
As terrified as we are of ghosts, we can't help but find the one in Level-5's just revealed "Yokai Watch" ("Ghost Watch") to be particularly adorable. A brief trailer of the game slash anime slash manga project rolled at the end of the Japanese publisher's "Level-5 Vision" event this evening (early afternoon in Tokyo), teasing out a game where a young boy finds a watch that allows him to see ghost, then befriends a ghost and -- of course -- partners with the apparition to -- what else -- make friends with other ghosts. A tale as old as time, we say. Level-5 isn't revealing platforms for the game or a launch window just yet, but we're just gonna go ahead and put it all out there right now: today on Jaguar. Boom.
Level-5's Time Travelers also coming to Vita and PSP
Time Travelers, the 3DS mystery adventure game from Level-5 and 428 writer Jiro Ishii, isn't just a "3DS mystery adventure game" any longer. A Famitsu leak, in advance of the Level-5 World event, reveals that Time Travelers is venturing to both the PlayStation Vita and the regular old PSP in addition to 3DS. We're hoping this announcement portends the announcement of some actual details regarding the game. We know very little, except that it's set in Tokyo 20 years in the future, and stars two people who have knowledge of the future beyond that.
No More Heroes, Seaman and Vagrant Story creators making Level-5's 'Guild 01'
Level-5 has assembled a dream team of unconventional game designers for the 3DS "variety" game Guild 01, out in Japan next year. Four creators are each designing a single game, to be collected on a single cart. From Suda 51 comes Kaiho Shojo, a touch-controlled mech shooter starring a schoolgirl who is also "president" of Japan, and operates an 11-foot-tall winged mech. This game features animation from the studio Bones, suggesting a high-budget approach to these games (which are close to being considered "minigames"). Yoot Saito, creator of SimTower, Seaman, and Odama, contributes Air Porter, a game about managing luggage at an airport. There's really no overarching theme to these things! Yasumi Matsuno, the man behind Ogre Battle, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy XII, is making a "darkness fantasy" RPG called Crimson Shroud. Matsuno is actually working full-time at Level-5 now. And, weirdest of all, comedian Yoshiyuki Hirai (from the group America Zarigani) is designing a game about running an RPG-style item shop, called Rental Bukiya de Omasse. These details originate from Famitsu leaks; we'll certainly learn more this weekend at Level-5's event.
'Level-5 World' will be streamed
Level-5 bailed on TGS this year in favor of "Level-5 World," an event devoted entirely to its own games. Luckily for those of us who were only in Tokyo for TGS (or who haven't been in Tokyo at all!), the publisher is streaming the event, including the "Level-5 Vision" press conference. The Vision conference will begin at 11:00 AM Japan time on Saturday, October 15 (10PM EDT Friday night) -- this will be when the company announces a new title and reveals other news. After that, the World event will continue for two days with stage events detailing all its games. The Ustream URL hasn't been announced yet, but we'll be sure to update when Level-5 gets around to that, so you can stay up and watch.
Ni no Kuni's 'Magic Master' goes digital on PlayStation 3
Level-5 must have come under the impression that some people might not want an enormous book to accompany the upcoming PlayStation 3 version of Ni no Kuni. A new trailer reveals that the game's "Magic Master" will go digital on Sony's home console. You'll likely recall that when Ni no Kuni: The Jet Black Sorcerer launched for the Nintendo DS in Japan, it came packed with the 358-page behemoth to accompany your journey. Instead, the "Magic Master" will be reproduced digitally for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, giving players access to its data at the touch of a button. Oh, you'd rather have two ridiculously cute characters from the upcoming game explain all of this to you? That option is also available to you, albeit in Japanese, just above.
Trademark suggests Ni no Kuni PS3 to be called 'Wrath of the White Witch'
We don't necessarily need more evidence than an official announcement, but we feel reassured to see steps being taken toward a localization of Ni no Kuni on PS3. And now any plans to extort Level-5 by sniping the trademark of its game have been foiled. Last week, Level-5 filed a US trademark for "Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch." The Japanese title of the PS3 game translates to "The Queen of Sacred White Ash." The trademark more closely resembles the PS3 game than the DS game, "The Jet-Black Mage." Ni no Kuni is due for release in North America in "early 2012."
Ni no Kuni (PS3) preview: In the Pig City
Not that I expected it to, but a year after my first demo, I'm delighted to report that Ni no Kuni still looks completely gorgeous. The graphics don't seem incredibly impressive from a technical perspective -- they're actually pretty simple -- but effective use of cel-shading and good old-fashioned art design have combined to convincingly deliver the experience of wandering around in a Studio Ghibli world.
A brief look into Professor Layton's London Life
If Nintendo released Professor Layton's London Life as a standalone DS game, we'd be totally into it. As this trailer shows, the Brownie Brown-developed RPG offers an alternate take on the Layton world, with sprite-based characters, a top-down, explorable London, and a purported 100 hours of gameplay. We're glad Nintendo didn't find out we felt that way, because London Life is totally thrown in as a bonus with Professor Layton and the Last Specter. We ... hope Nintendo's already printed the carts, now that we've said that.
We don't object to this Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright trailer one bit
Sure, it's all in Japanese. And sure, we're not really sure what's going on as a result, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the latest trailer for Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright on Nintendo 3DS. No plans exist for a US release yet, but Level 5 gives us hope with its recent news about Ni no Kuni. Layton next, please!
Seen@TGS: Not Level-5
Level-5 normally has one of the biggest and most populous booths at the Tokyo Game Show, but the publisher skipped out on the event this year in favor of just throwing its own deal next month. It was even bold enough to advertise its new Level-5 World convention on a pillar by the entrance to the Makuhari Messe. TGS organizers probably didn't see it as a slight, however -- Level-5 did pay for booth space ... where it set out tables and chairs for use as a business meeting area by TGS visitors. We're sure that even though they weren't able to play a variety of Level-5 games (Ni no Kuni PS3 was at the Sony booth, at least), attendees thought highly of the company after enjoying the life-saving chairs it provided.
PS3's Ni no Kuni coming to North America early next year
During a Sony Computer Entertainment Asia press conference adjacent to TGS, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino announced some very welcome news: the beautiful Studio Ghibli and Level-5 crossover for PS3, Ni no Kuni, will be released in North America. And now we know what Level-5 International America has been up to. The game is due in early 2012, so that studio must have been busy translating the adventures of Oliver and the lantern-nosed Shizuku in the magical, probably imaginary world of Ni no Kuni.
Take that! First Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright screens released
Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright is 3D, new screens reveal. And not just in the "stereoscopic visuals" meaning of the term -- of course, it is that kind of 3D, being a 3DS game. The character art is composed not of flat drawings, but of 3D models, much like Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. Famitsu details the premise of the game: both characters find themselves in "Labyrinth City," home of an unfortunate series of "witch trials" that Phoenix Wright works to put an end to. Naturally, this city has an unorthodox legal system, with "mob juries" overriding the rules of court. It's due in Japan next year, but there's some faint hope for a western release -- GameStop UK has a placeholder pre-order page for the game. [Thanks, Jeff.]
Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call spooks Europe on Nov. 25
Professor Layton and the Last Specter, arriving October 17 in North America, will hit European shores on November 25 -- with a slight name alteration, as Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call. Less a tweak and more a reduction in the European version is the absence of Professor Layton's London Life RPG. It was developed by Brownie Brown, who you may know as the developers of Mother 3 (another game that you might not have gotten to play). So, who wants to start looking for the best import deals?
Dragon Quest 10 has been in development for over six years now
Back in April, Square Enix announced that Dragon Quest 10 was "almost done," and then last week, we finally heard about the game itself, due out next year in Japan, via a reveal announcement. But if you thought that was fast, not so -- apparently the title's been worked on for over six years already. That makes the whole venture a little more interesting. Today, console MMOs and persistent Internet connections are fairly prevalent, but six years ago, that obviously wasn't the case. And this also means that DQ10 ran alongside development of Dragon Quest 9, with Level 5 and Square Enix presumably working on the portable title and the online game at the same time. We'll have to see how the final game turns out -- fans are skeptical, to say the least, of turning the series into an MMO. But at least we know the game wasn't thrown together overnight.
White Knight Chronicles 2 concept art is full of spiders, skeletons
As far as western RPGs go, spiders and skeletons are pretty standard, run of the mill fare. JRPGs are usually a bit more creative, however, so it stands to reason that White Knight Chronicles 2's creepy-crawlies look a bit more horrendous and surreal.
