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Tales of Symphonia Chronicles dated for North America
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles hits North America the same week as Europe, with the high-def RPG collection confirmed to arrive here on February 25. The news comes shortly after the reveal of the Euro date, which is February 28. Chronicles contains PS3 remasters of GameCube and PS2 game Tales of Symphonia, and its Wii sequel Dawn of the New World. It's a bundle that'll have Tales fans fidgeting for the next few months, but even if it's not your thing you can still bop to the very boppable remastered music in this new trailer.
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles orchestrates EU arrival in February
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, the PS3 HD bundle of Tales of Symphonia and Dawn of the New World, is coming to Europe and Australasia on February 28. The remastered RPG collection remains registered to arrive in North America sometime in "early 2014." Namco Bandai also announced today the bundle's collector's edition is headed for Europe and Australasia, limited to 10,000 copies across both regions. It includes five Chibi Kyun Chara figures, a paperback novel chronicling (ho ho hoooo) the events between Symphonia and sequel Dawn of the New World, a soundtrack, and "special collector's packaging." The same collector's edition was announced for North America earlier this month, limited to 15,000 copies across the region and priced $100.
Tekken Card Tournament surpasses 5 million downloads
Tekken Card Tournament, Namco Bandai's free-to-play mobile/browser card battling thing, has been downloaded more than five million times, the pub/dev announced today. Namco Bandai didn't specify exactly how those downloads break down on a per-device basis, nor was any mention made of how many of your Earth dollars the game has amassed since its release last April. To put that milestone into perspective, Tekken Card Tournament broke one million downloads just four days after its release. At any rate, Namco Bandai is celebrating its accomplishment by applying a 40-percent discount to digital booster packs until 1 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, October 16 – assuming your pathetic excuse for a planet manages to survive that long. This is Parphalatoz the Abhorrent, wishing you a happy Canadian Thanksgiving and a terrible blight upon your cretinous species.
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles gets adorable limited edition
Namco Bandai has revealed a "limited collector's edition" is in the works for Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, launching exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in 2014. Chronicles celebrates the tenth anniversary of the series, packing two HD-enhanced titles in the box: 2003's GameCube-exclusive Tales of Symphonia and its Wii-exclusive follow-up Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World from 2008. The $100 edition of Chronicles features five Chibi Kyun Chara figurines from Tales of Symphonia , a multi-disc soundtrack, specialized packaging and a paperback novel that dives into the events between both games. Namco Bandai says the set will be limited to 15,000 copies.
First Tales of Xillia 2 trailer catches up with Ludger and Elle
Namco Bandai has revealed the first trailer for Tales of Xillia 2, the next in its longstanding RPG franchise series. Taking place one year after the events of the PS3-exclusive Tales of Xillia, which first launched in Japan in 2011 and later in Europe and North America this year, the adventure will follow the mysterious hero Ludger Will Kresnik and the traveling child Elle Mel Marta. "When a shadowy organization attacks them, Ludger awaken powers linked to a mysterious pocket watch he entrusted Elle with," Namco Bandai revealed in a press release featuring the first trailer. Tales of Xillia will continue its PS3 exclusivity when the direct sequel launches for the platform sometime in 2014.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure may drop microtransactions in the West
Developer CyberConnect2 has been forced to reconsider its international release of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle after Japanese fans expressed dismay at their version's microtransaction scheme. Similar to many free to play mobile titles, the Campaign mode in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle equips players with a stock of 10 batteries. These batteries are exhausted each time you enter a fight. They will replenish over time, or players can opt to purchase DLC items for real cash to instantly rejuvenate their battery supply. Player reactions to this plan have been largely negative, even after the developer reduced the time necessary to refill a single battery by 75 percent. As a result of this backlash, the international version of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is being reworked, with "lots of adjustments and improvements" promised by producer Noriaki Niino. Neither CyberConnect2 nor Namco Bandai has officially stated that the microtransaction scheme will be stripped from the game, but as Siliconera points out, the developers are currently rethinking this section of the game and are hoping to reward players who supported the original microtransaction scheme, "perhaps by offering something that might have been a paid item for free." JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is currently scheduled for release in North America and Europe at some point in 2014.
Enslaved undertakes Odyssey to the PC later this month
Namco Bandai is bringing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West to PC for the first time, releasing a new "premium edition" of the game later this month. A representative for the publisher told Polygon the re-release is also coming to PS3. It's unclear what makes this edition of Ninja Theory's fantasy adventure a premium one, although we'd wager it features the Pigsy's Perfect 10 DLC. We're also unsure if it's coming via retail and/or downloadable channels, although the game appeared in Steam's database earlier this year. We've reached out to Namco for more info. It has to be said, it's somewhat surprising to see Enslaved get a re-release three years on. Despite being a hit with critics including many of the Joystiq staff, it didn't set the world alight with its sales, shifting 450,000 copies in three months after a rather lo-fi promotional campaign. In that regard, maybe a sudden re-release isn't that much of a surprise.
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles spawns lengthy animated trailer
Hopefully you enjoy animated cutscenes, as the latest trailer for Namco Bandai's Tales of Symphonia Chronicles largely ignores gameplay footage in favor of over three and a half minutes of wide-eyed anime tropes delivering exposition like a busted sprinkler.
Ace Combat: Infinity gearing up for worldwide beta
Ace Combat: Infinity will enter a worldwide beta prior to launching on PlayStation 3, but Namco Bandai isn't ready to share details just yet. "So, we did announce that we're going to do a beta," Brand Manager Kazutoki Kono told me, "But even announcing here today that we're doing a beta was decided the day before." The beta seems likely to launch fairly soon, given the game proper is due on PlayStation Network later this year. Namco Bandai will use the beta to gain standard feedback like how the game systems work and how the servers hold up with traffic, but Kono admitted "one of the core reasons" was to address fans' concerns about Infinity's free-to-play model. I asked Kono what Infinity being free-to-play meant for the series going forward. "Rather than the position of Ace Combat: Infinity within the IP strategy in general," Kono told me, "what's important for us is the goal for Ace Combat: Infinity. By having it free-to-play we want to have as many people actually get their hands on the game for the first time. For instance, they know about Ace Combat in general and want to try out, but they didn't want to spend the actual pricing - you know, it's not cheap! In that case, by being free-to-play, maybe it will be open to more people and maybe it will enlarge the fanbase. That was the target of Ace Combat: Infinity."
You beta be ready for Dark Souls 2
I ignored how the dual swordsman flummoxed Richard at E3, and the Namco rep's advice to wield a torch through the opening area: I was going to kick ass with two swords in Dark Souls 2. Ten minutes in to the beta preview, I'd died five times. As others around me progressed through the gloomy cavern and unlit fort, my attempt to blitz the dark had left my hero in dire straits. Developer From Software's tweaks in Dark Souls 2 are designed to further punish dying and being undead: consecutive deaths whittle down max health when you're not human - mine was at around 60 percent at this point - oh, and you can be invaded even when you're undead now. An invasion was the only thing missing from my Dark Souls 2 debut. When I relived my woes with director Yui Tanimura after, he laughed with a big, maybe pitying smile, joking I'd "unfortunately" played the dual swordsman wrongly. As ever with Dark Souls, the joke was on me.
C'mon, ride the ghost train in this Pac-Man CE DX+ launch trailer
This week's launch of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ brings plenty of DLC in tow, extending Pac-Man's ghost-munching reign of terror in a new series of levels based on classic Namco arcade games like Dig Dug and Rally X. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is up for purchase on Steam. This week's batch of new DLC is also available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Championship Edition DX.
Dark Souls 2 retains Havok physics
Dark Souls 2 uses the Havok Physics engine, like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1 did before it. A Namco Bandai representative confirmed to Joystiq Dark Souls 2 features the much-used engine, the news coming as game director Yui Tanimura said he'd focus on next-gen physics were he to make another Dark Souls game for the PS4 or Xbox One. Dark Souls 2 incorporates Havok physics with a new graphics engine, the latter revealed late last year. At E3, Tanimura told Polygon the new graphics engine means players can "dive in and immerse themselves within the actual gameplay and feel as if they are actually part of the game itself." That said, Tanimura told us last week he feels graphics are at a "maximum level" on consoles, and that he would pay more attention to physics were he to make another Dark Souls on next-gen hardware. "In order to implement a physics engine, we'd need more machine power and more CPU power," Tanimura told Joystiq through a translator last week. "That can only become possible if we were to create a game for the, for example, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. So that's something [I'd] personally be paying attention to if [I was] to create another [Dark Souls] title for the PS4 or Xbox One." In the nearer future, Dark Souls 2 is on the way to Xbox 360 and PS3, consigning us all to our many, many deaths on March 11, 2014 in North America, and March 14 in Europe.
Miku, meat and merch: Tokyo Game Show 2013 shopping area extravaganza
The Tokyo Game Show's shopping area is a dangerous place. It's full of adorable, super awesome merchandise from the likes of Sega, Capcom and Namco Bandai – which is good – but the majority of that stuff is way expensive, which is bad. What's worse, the swag-lust induced by simply being in the area is compounded with a terrible sense of urgency; the knowledge that most of this merchandise isn't readily available elsewhere, and this might be your only chance to snag it. We barely managed to escape with our lives, but you can live vicariously through the terror of our wallets. Join us for a quick look at what our children will someday inherit instead of money or land.
Seen@Namco Bandai HQ: Harada and Hoshino's business tactics
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada (right) and SoulCalibur series producer Masaaki Hoshino (left) were both heavily armed during our group interview session at Namco Bandai HQ this week. While neither of them explicitly said so, we figure it had something to do with fighting game rival and Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle coming to NA, EU in 2014
Hyper-stylized, multi-generational 3D manga fighter Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle will bring equestrian combat and psychically-summoned spirits to North America and Europe sometime in 2014, Namco Bandai announced at its pre-TGS showcase earlier this week. The PlayStation 3-exclusive fighter was released in Japan near the end of last month and has "reached 500,000 sales," according to producer Noriaki Niino (left). When it does finally launch in western territories, the localized version of All Star Battle will be on par with the Japanese version's character balance: "We are still making character adjustments – even in the Japanese version – based on the feedback that we're getting from fans," CyberConnect2 president and CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama (right) told us, when asked about the potential for future balance updates. "All of that feedback will be implemented in the overseas [version]."
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z delivers day one bonuses in early 2014
Originally announced way back in June, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z will bring big hair and even bigger bosses to saiya-jin worldwide in early 2014, producer Kunio Hashimoto revealed during a pre-TGS showcase at Namco Bandai HQ in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The game's pre-order bonuses and a special Day One edition were also unveiled at the event. Folks that purchase the Day One edition will receive a code to download a special Naruto Uzumaki costume for Goku, which not only gives him a totally sweet headband, but also changes his run and attack animations to mirror those of Naruto Shippuden's titular character. Meanwhile, pre-orders placed at participating retailers include one of two bonus characters: Super Vegito or Super Saiyan Bardock. Battle of Z is slated to launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Vita, although the Vita version will only be available through PSN in North America. Additionally, Vita fighters will have to make due with one voice-over language or the other – English in North America and Japanese in Europe – whereas both options are available on the console versions.
Tekken Revolution downloaded 2 million times, franchise to-date units crest 42 million
The Tekken franchise ain't doin' so bad for itself, according to a few humblebrags dropped by series producer Katsuhiro Harada during our recent visit to Namco Bandai HQ. "In three months we've achieved two million downloads," Harada said of Namco Bandai's free-to-play, PlayStation 3-exclusive spinoff Tekken Revolution. "The Tekken franchise," he added, "has told 42.5 million copies worldwide to date – making it the top in the genre – and 20 million of those or more have come from Europe." Harada also pointed out that "most of the user audience" for Tekken Revolution exists in the United States, with the Japanese audience "a close second," and that these results are "different from the traditional numbers" typically seen with packaged Tekken releases.
SoulCalibur: Lost Swords coming winter 2013 with Sophitia in tow
Namco Bandai's new free-to-play, single-player tale of souls/swords SoulCalibur: Lost Swords is expected to launch on the PlayStation Network sometime this winter, the company announced at a private pre-TGS event earlier this week. The game also marks classic Athenian warrior Sophitia's return to the stage of history, after being killed off between SoulCaliburs 4 and 5. So far, Mitsurugi and Siegfried are the only other confirmed characters, but we figure that won't be the case for long. Producer Masaaki Hoshino could not speak to how exactly the game will be monetized, though he was able to clarify that Lost Swords runs on "the next iteration" of the SoulCalibur 5 engine. "The game system itself is quite different, it's been more streamlined and simplified so that people can more easily perform flashy, over-the-top maneuvers," Hoshino told us through a translator.
Dark Souls 2 director Tanimura on next-gen physics, covenants, familiar faces
Dark Souls 2 director Yui Tanimura would look to focus on physics rather than graphics for a next-gen Souls game, should that ever happen. Speaking to Joystiq at publisher Namco Bandai's Tokyo headquarters, Tanimura talked about potentially implementing a next-gen physics engine for a purely hypothetical Dark Souls game on Xbox One or PlayStation 4. "In terms of graphics, all the consoles have already reached the maximum level. From [my] point of view, there's not that [much] difference among the consoles when it comes to graphics," Tanimura told us, when asked about what he'd want to do with a next-gen Dark Souls that wasn't Dark Souls 2 (the available translator referred to Tanimura in the third-person during our interview). Tanimura would want to pay more attention to the physics engine: "In order to implement a physics engine, we'd need more machine power and more CPU power. That can only become possible if we were to create a game for the, for example, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. So that's something [I'd] personally be paying attention to if [I was] to create another [Dark Souls] title for the PS4 or Xbox One."
Dark Souls 2 confirms the date of your demise
Dark Souls 2 is scheduling your death for March 11, 2014 in North America, March 14 in Europe, and March 13 in Japan. Those dates apply to PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, while PC players must wait until "shortly thereafter," according to Namco Bandai. A spokesperson told us the extra time will allow the game to "fully capture all the necessary specs" for the PC audience. Namco also unveiled the sadistic sequel's Collector Edition (see below), should you choose to spend lavishly on your demise. Along with the game disc, the CE bundles in a 12 inch figurine, the soundtrack, an art book and a cloth map. If you'd just prefer to pre-order, you still get the bonus of a tin case housing the game along with the soundtrack. The news comes ahead of the Dark Souls 2 beta, launching on October 12. We took the beta for an early spin at Namco's Tokyo headquarters – more on that later this week – and we also chatted with director Yui Tanimura about all things Souls, including what developer From Software hopes to learn from the Dark Souls 2 beta, and how the franchise could benefit from next-gen tech.
