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DS Fanboy Review: Luminous Arc 2
There's a lot of strategy available on the DS. Whatever your strategy-flavor preference, you can get it (almost), so it takes a lot for these newer faces to stand out. If all you saw of the Luminous Arc series was the ads and the occasional screenshot, you might think the burgeoning franchise was all about boobs and butts, and while they play an important part, of course, there's a lot more to Luminous Arc than itty-bitty witch costumes. The other thing working against (or maybe for some, for) the glut of strategy-style games on the DS is the inherent sameness of titles in the genre. You've got some dudes, a grid, and a lot of battles, once the good guys run into the bad on said grid. Because of that, everything else about the game is scrutinized heavily; after we've established that combat isn't broken and the game works in a strategic sort of sense, we're left studying controls, scripting, presentation, and just plain fun factor. Luckily, Luminous Arc 2 does manage to shine in those categories. Gallery: Luminous Arc 2
Luminous Arc 2 radiates to the U.S.
Clearing up doubts on whether Image Epoch's bootytastic SRPG sequel, Luminous Arc 2: Will, would ever come stateside, Atlus has announced that it is localizing the game for this fall.Why would you want to buy a lower budget Final Fantasy Tactics Advance knock-off, especially when you could just get Song Summoner for the iPod instead, you ask? We have an easy answer for that: online multiplayer battles. Also, big butts.Luminous Arc 2 will retail for $39.99, significantly higher than most other DS titles, but each copy will come in an oversized box containing a CD with selected songs from the soundtrack. Presumably, it's the same CD that was released with the SRPG's preorders in Japan.Enjoy three video clips from the English-translated game after the break! Interestingly, the voices are still in Japanese; we wonder if Atlus will leave the Japanese audio track intact?%Gallery-15251%
Avalon Code heading west, Steal Princess, Luminous Arc staying put
Marvelous has some intriguing DS wares on the horizon, yet it looks like that's where most of it will stay -- on a horizon far, far away from the majority of us. Sob.Part of a recent financial report from the publisher contained forecasts for forthcoming releases, as spotted by a keen-eyed Siliconera commenter and posted on NeoGAF. The estimations for Avalon Code's were notable, as they included figures for the U.S. and Europe, which in turn tells us we'll be getting the diary-keepin' ARPG here in the west at some point before March 2009.Alas, we'd only just finished chest-bumping one another and shouting stuff like "HELL YEAH" when our excitement was tempered by the realization that Luminous Arc 2 and Steal Princess didn't have figures for the U.S. or Europe. This (probably) means that those games won't be localized this financial year (despite our hopes for the former). That's not to say they'll never make the trip across, of course, but for now it's one in, and two out.%Gallery-22487%%Gallery-15251%[Via NeoGAF]
More screens illuminate Luminous Arc 2
The Luminous Arc 2 love just keeps on coming. These newest screens show some Flash Drives, some basic attacks, and some character art. The Flash Drives are still a little underwhelming in the details department, but for the most part, the game looks stunning. We also like that the character pictured to the right uses a giant rolling pin as her weapon.Localization for the game is still not planned, but after news of Etrian Odyssey II coming to North America, we're confident that Atlus will come through on Luminous Arc's sequel soon -- even if it's not an in-house game.%Gallery-15251%
We're willing for localization on Luminous Arc 2: Will
There might not be any big butts in these latest Luminous Arc 2: Will screens (posted in the gallery below), but they're still worth looking at. In case you didn't notice from previous screens, the art style is similar to the first game, but with a much more attractive interface and menu system this time. Hopefully that means the developers have fixed some of the more frustrating aspects of the first game, but then again, if this doesn't end up localized, we suppose we have nothing to worry about. After spending some time with the original Luminous Arc, though, we're hoping that we do see this game on our shores eventually.But, are there already too many SRPGs bound for the DS for you to hope for localization on this one? Or, would you like to see Luminous Arc 2 reach English-speaking and other markets at some point?The official website was also updated with some wallpapers and videos, so fans of the series should head on over there and check it out. As for those of you who can read Japanese, you might be interested to know that this game is set to release on May 15th.%Gallery-15251%
Luminous Arc 2 screens: not as eye-catching as the character art
Today's update is for those of us who are more interested in the actual gameplay of Luminous Arc 2, rather than being hooked and unable to stop starin'. That's not to say that these screens don't look nice; in terms of SRPG presentation, they look great. They just lack round things in your face. The graphical style of the new game seems to be exactly like that of the last game-- isometric perspective, 2D art, dialogue accompanied by waist-up anime portraits of characters-- but that's just fine with us. Even reviewers had to shout about the graphics in the first entry. If Image Epoch revamps the control scheme, this may be quite worth looking into.
Luminous Arc 2 loves big butts and it cannot lie
Perhaps to counter Luminous Arc's mediocre review scores and lacking sales, character designer Kaito Shibano has shifted the sequel's art direction away from the ample bustlines of the original game, instead drawing our eyes to the only thing boys dream about more than online-enabled SRPGs: callipygian women. The above image, minus the Sir Mixalotism we've added (of which we have many we're waiting to share with you), greeted us upon our arrival at the official Japanese site that publisher Marvelous Interactive set up yesterday. There's not much available in the way of new media, but the character section is sure to eventually include a better look at the witch antagonists's cheekier outfits. Of course, while we're on the subject, we have to ask: Are you a Luminous Arc kind of guy, or do you consider Luminous Arc 2 Will more of a priority?[Via GBA Temp]
Metareview: Luminous Arc
Apparently, this is the week when reviews for strategy titles are all over the place. First we saw this with Square Enix's Heroes of Mana, and Luminous Arc from Atlus is following in the same pattern, with scores from the eighties down into the fifties. Overall, it sounds rather like Luminous Arc can be compared to a delicious piece of candy -- it's alright for the moment it lasts, but after it's gone, it's imminently forgettable and easily replaced. GameBrink - 84%: "Presentation wise, I think it's fair to say the graphics are wonderfully drawn from the beautiful opening animation to the story backgrounds and characters ... but it lacks a bit in terms of gameplay content. There are few sub-event battles and you don't really have much freedom to explore on the world map. Not to mention its slightly cumbersome interface and menus need some reworking too. If you don't mind all that however, it's still a fairly fun and enjoyable SRPG to play."GamePro - 60%: "Where Luminous Arc succeeds is in its presentation: the game is beautifully drawn with attractive character designs, boasts a solid sound track and, surprisingly enough, features an adept voice-acting cast. What it doesn't do so well, however, is in the story line, which is bland and underwhelming while the character development is weak and lacking."1UP - 55%: "The greatest weakness in Luminous Arc's interface is the one thing that should differentiate it from FFT: touch-screen support. During battles, you're using the stylus to choose menu items, direct commands, back out of the menu, tap a square, confirm the command, and so on. In practice, it's far worse -- especially when tapping a square doesn't register or selects an adjacent one because it's obscured. But -- but! -- you are allowed to use the D-pad and buttons for a much smoother experience...as soon as you manually switch to them."%Gallery-3274%
DS releases for the week of August 13th
U.S. gamers have a lot to be thankful for this week when it comes to DS titles! Whether you're dying to try some paper football, or you prefer something a little more involved, there's something on the table this week for almost any taste. Now the only problem is scraping up the cash to catch 'em all. Heroes of Mana High School Musical: Makin' the Cut Luminous Arc Madden NFL 08 Operation: Vietnam Rune Factory: Fantasy Harvest Moon
Promotional Consideration: The Buxom Witch Trial [update 1]
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Grabbing someone's attention while simultaneously providing useful information about a game can be a difficult task, especially when you only have a fraction of screen space to do so. This week, we'll be chewing over several banner advertisements for Luminous Arc, tallying their strengths and, more often than not, shortcomings. Join us past the break for more site ads from both ourselves and Atlus.
Luminous Arc site localized along with game
Atlus played it smart, sending its press releases out before E3 officially kicks off with announcements from bigger publishers. This time tomorrow, we'll be too busy with megatons like Brain Age: With a Vengeance to even register news about Draglade's localization, a Trauma Center sequel, or, in this case, the launch of Luminous Arc's official English site. If you're curious at all about the details that separate this Marvelous-Interactive-developed title from other SRPGs -- synergy attacks, flash drives, and online battles -- definitely hit the page up. As for "extras," there isn't much there yet except for the standard wallpapers, but we're hoping for some Etrian-Odyssey-esque hilarity by the time Luminous Arc's August 14th release comes into view.
Spotlight on Luminous Arc
GameSpot recently spent some quality time with Luminous Arc, the strategy RPG Atlus is bringing to the US in August, and things are looking good. Of course, all we really need to know is that Luminous Arc offers online battles -- a feature missing in other popular DS strategy games -- and even if it were low quality, we'd probably be lining up to give it a go. Character, story, gameplay? That's just gravy. Give us our WiFi battles!Luckily for us, Luminous Arc seems to have it all: an interesting story, both new and familiar SRPG mechanics, and a choice between stylus-based controls and traditional controls. The only issue the folks at GameSpot could find to really pick on -- in this early preview, at least -- is that players can't rotate the camera, which can occasionally lead to some targeting issues. The build available to them didn't seem to have finished voice acting, either, which we assume means that the game will in fact be dubbed. But let's not be picky here. Because it's Atlus, the localization will be effective, and we'll get right into managing everyone's relationships. We're just glad to hear that we'll probably have fun while doing so. %Gallery-3274%
Luminous Arc from every angle
The combination of Marvelous Interactive and Atlus USA usually equals something unique, if nothing else. Luminous Arc, the new strategy RPG set to debut outside Japan this year, also seems to have undergone the in-depth localization that marks out so many of the titles Atlus publishes for Western gamers.In a recent fan-based interview with the Atlus team at Siliconera, Luminous Arc was compared with the classic Final Fantasy Tactics. Atlus Editor Clayton Chan, who worked on both titles, said that they gameplay in Final Fantasy Tactics definitely wins, but the characters in Luminous Arc are hard to beat. That's high praise, considering not many games can stand next to FFT. See for yourself, at least when it comes to screens, after the jump.
Atlus brings Luminous Arc stateside
While the Game Boy Advance was home to a wealth of strategy RPG titles, the Nintendo DS' selection of SRPGs has been poor in comparison. For a handheld with unique features that seem to be made for the genre, games like Fire Emblem and Rebelstar Tactical Assault have been sparse on the portable. Atlus USA must have sensed this injustice, announcing plans to publish Luminous Arc, a Japanese SRPG, for the North American market. Luminous Arc pits the forces of the righteous Garden Children against an army of Witches intent on warring with God. With features like item-crafting, online battles, and touchscreen support, the game definitely pushes portable SRPGs in the right direction. Import impressions have been positive, but we will wait until Luminous Arc's US release before we judge it against GBA classics like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis.
Luminous Arc website gets updated
The website for the upcoming Luminous Arc, from Marvelous Interactive, recently received a major update. This update, which adds a ton of characters, including bios and in-game screenshots of these characters, dumps a mound of juicy content onto our eyeballs. The site also explains the game's battle and inventory systems, however once again our inability to speak and read ancient Japanese script prevents us from commenting further.Are we the only ones who are interested in this game? With its Wi-Fi Connect compatibility, it has to be on many of you fine readers' radars. What do you say?
Lush new Luminous Arc screens
We hate to torture everyone, but these new Luminous Arc screens are so pretty that it seemed best that we all sigh together and rise up as one, railing for a release outside Japan for this upcoming strategy RPG. But we may be speaking too soon; Image Epoch, the team behind Luminous Arc, is untested -- to date, they've only contracted for other companies, so we can only guess at the quality of the game. The screenshots, at least, look good enough to eat. Check 'em out after the jump, but beware some slight watermarking.
A bounty of DS scans
Gotta love those fans who are so dedicated when it comes to sharing their pretty-shinies with the rest of us. These Famitsu scans of Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book surfaced at NeoGAF amidst a bevy of other drool-worthy images. Luminous Arc and Ninja Ja Ja Maru-kun: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword are also featured, along with Chocobo, at Go Nintendo. The original post boasts some peeks at Harvest Moon and Gundam titles as well. Surely there's something to rev every motor there![Thanks, creamsugar!]
