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TGS07: No More Heroes says yes to more videos
Now that we know that one of our favorite games has a publisher outside of Japan, we undertook the watching of the latest footage from TGS with a particular zeal. While neither offers sound, we do get a glimpse of the controls and a long, lovely look at the game in motion, which puts all the short clips offered by the official site to shame. Before, we were excited; now a new word will have to be created to communicate the passion with which we approach tSuda 51's offbeat No More Heroes. If anyone has any linguistic suggestions, please let us know. In the meantime, hit up the videos after the break.
Official Project O site tells the King's story
Publisher Marvelous Interactive has finally replaced its King Story (or Project O, if you prefer its "working title") teaser page with a more substantial site, and, joy of all joys, there's an English version!Along with listing King Story as a cross between a role-playing game and a "simulated life game," the new hub has information on a few of the characters and creatures that populate the village. The UMAs, Unidentified Mysterious Animals, are particularly interesting -- miniature humanoids with a featureless turnips for heads, mushrooms bearing the faces of old men, and spicy dragons!We also love the story: "In a small village, there was this little timid young boy named Corobo. He was often lonely and too shy to make friends. Until one day when he received a mysterious Crown. This Crown had a mysterious power. The power 'to charm people and make them follow any orders ... '"Any orders, you say? We can already imagine ourselves smiling cruelly, watching our minions toil under a terrible sun to erect a monument immortalizing our rule. An advisor pleads, "Your highness, this cannot go on! They'll revolt if you continue to push them like this."We answer, "Obviously, you've no idea what power this Crown holds over them. Lest they wish their women and children sold to the Spore slavers, they'll break their backs completing the obelisk." The advisor opens his mouth to object, but finds that he's suddenly paralyzed, frozen in place by an unseen force. He screams silently, a sentient statue, unable to live or die for an eternity.
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.
Travis vs. Holly: new No More Heroes images
Considering that Holly Summers is ranked several slots higher than our antihero, Travis Touchdown, it's probably no surprise that she's kicking his ass in these screenshots. But just because it isn't surprising doesn't mean it's not cool. We've put the latest shots in a gallery for your viewing pleasure, because we figure that, just like us, you can't get enough of No More Heroes. %Gallery-4611%
No More Heroes site updates
The No More Heroes site continues to leak bits and pieces of information -- just enough to keep us drooling -- and this latest update covers some of the ground already tread by this morning's video. Our hero Travis and his beam katana are the center of the new information, which is all about combat and the tools of the assassination trade. The beam katana can be used to deflect bullets (where've we seen that before?), but it's not a never-ending source of bloody awesome; like any gadget, it can run out of juice. Luckily, there are battery packs scattered around, but in the event you can't find one and find yourself in need of a good cutting edge, you can always get your waggle-charge on. Charging the katana is as simple as jerking the Wiimote up and down. The updates also show off something we've already seen -- Travis's penchant for wrestling moves -- and a shot of a fight brought to a grappling standstill. The image isn't terribly clear, but it seems that with a turn of the Wii remote, it's possible to break free and beat your opponent down. We couldn't possibly want this game more, but at this point, all we really want is to find out just what's up with the tiger indicator on the upper part of the screen. In videos, it can be seen wiggling around, and in these screens, it looks like he takes a little tiger-journey across the top of the image, but for what reason? We can wait for the game, but we must know the secret of the tiger! Perhaps he's like a pet, feeding on the blood of your enemies. It's either that, or he's linked to all the tiger rugs we keep seeing in the game.
Get peaceful with Harvest Moon
Okay, maybe everybody's going a little overboard with the chibi look. Sure, we understand that this is Harvest Moon and there's no reason for them to change anything, but after seeing the new trailer and screens, we started to realize that everything looks pretty familiar. Where have we seen this style before ....Harvest Moon: Tree of Peace aside, since it gets a pass, do you think it's possible that after all these other tiny-people-games come out, we might have a short break from childlike characters? Don't get us wrong. We love their big heads like ice cream and think they're just as cute as can be. It's just everywhere. But don't let us distract you from what's important -- like the trailer after the jump and the fresh new gallery. %Gallery-3745%
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.
Rune Factory 2 screens burst into light
We don't even have the first Rune Factory yet, and already there are screenshots from the sequel. This is getting entirely too common with games we're interested in, like Professor Layton and his Many Mysterious Venues. Rune Factory 2, like its predecessor, is a spin-off from the Harvest Moon series. There's some debate as to whether or not we even need the first title, but we're willing to give it a spin when it finally comes out. In the meantime, we'll check out these shots from the sequel
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.
Rune Factory opening movie
Fighting, farming, and ... uh. Young love. Yeah. Sounds like the makings of an epic!While this may not be the best of all movies on YouTube (it's a little on the jiggly side), it's still a love peek into the new Rune Factory releasing in Japan this week.
Final Fantasy III & Rune Factory go head-to-head in Japan
On August 24, Final Fantasy III and Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari (Harvest Moon spinoff) will be released in Japan fo DS. While FFIII certainly has the brand edge, both titles look to boost the DS's credibility as a viable RPG platform. Famitsu recently published its reviews for the two games, suggesting that FFIII is slightly superior: Final Fantasy III (Square Enix): 9/8/9/8 - 34/40* Rune Factory (Marvelous Interactive): 8/9/7/9 - 33/40 Keep in mind that, back in March, Children of Mana scored even higher than FFIII, earning a 36/40, and will be released in the US on October 30. FFIII will land stateside in November (hopefully). Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari has not been confirmed for release outside of Japan, but Harvest Moon DS is scheduled for September 12. *C3 News notes that Famitsu's score for the original FFIII (NES) was 35/40.
First look at Wii's Harvest Moon
Despite the game's announcement during E3, fans of the down-on-the-farm series Harvest Moon have been left twisting in the wind when it comes to the franchise's emergence on the Wii. How will the control scheme change? What'll the story be? How will it look? Is the title really Harvest Moon Heroes or was that a misprint at E3? The latest issue of Famitsu has some answers, and several sites are sporting scans and translated info. Word is that now instead of hitting a few buttons to lift that barge or tote that bale, Wii's farming sim will be based on realistic motions. Need to water your plants? Now you get to do just that, by tipping the Wiimote downward to simulate the action. Sounds kinda like work to us, but we'll keep an open mind for now ....[Thanks, saigon!]
