nobunagas-ambition
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Pokemon Conquest strategically designed to bring in new players
Going into my interview with Pokemon Conquest director Hisashi Koinuma, the DS strategy game seemed like the most inscrutably random agglomeration of properties imaginable. I couldn't begin to imagine a reason anyone would think to merge Pokemon with Nobunaga's Ambition, a strategy game about real Japanese warlords.Koinuma cut through the confusion without trouble, in an instant. "It would be nice if players would become interested in Nobunaga's Ambition," Koinuma said in response to my question about Conquest as a Nobunaga's gateway. "But as Tecmo Koei has created a lot of simulation titles, we wanted to introduce the genre of simulation games to children. It's not so much that we want them to start playing Nobunaga's Ambition as an entry point, but just as an entry point to the genre of simulation games."Of course! It all makes perfect sense as a first strategy game to pull kids into the genre. "Especially in Japan," he continued, "the number of users of simulation games has really dropped over the years, so in order to keep people interested in that genre, we hope that kids would play this game and would take it as a suggestion of 'oh, simulation games are like this.' Then in the future they'd continue playing simulation games."Koinuma believes that the hardcore nature of strategy/simulation fans leads the games to become ever more difficult and less accessible to attempt to satisfy said fans. "At the same time, there are people who want to start trying simulation games, well, now the games on the market are a lot more difficult, so it's a lot harder to learn how simulation games. Some new users are kind of turned off by the genre because it's too difficult."%Gallery-157211%
New Pokemon Plus Nobunaga's Ambition trailer rewrites history
We don't remember Oda Nobunaga's blood-soaked conquest of Japan being quite so cute and fluffy, or having so much to do with scantily clad ninja women and so little to do with murder, but what do we know? It's not like we double majored in History and Applied Pokeology. Oh wait, we totally did.
Stare at Pokemon Plus Nobunaga's Ambition for two minutes
So ... Pokemon Plus Nobunaga's Ambition is still happening. That's pretty weird.
New Pokemon game is a Nobunaga's Ambition crossover, really
We promise we didn't photoshop this picture of a Pokemon and Nobunaga's Ambition crossover game, but only because there was no way that we would have thought to combine these two franchises, like ever. For more proof of our innocence, there is an official Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition website with a trailer for the game, apparently slated for a 2012 release on Nintendo DS in Japan. We have to admit, the trailer does a good job of making the two games look like one, with individual Pokemon seamlessly matching a few Nobunaga's Ambition characters -- however, we're not sure how many girls want to be equated with something called a "Jigglypuff."
Tecmo Koei brings strategy, kanji to iPhone
Tecmo Koei has announced a trio of new apps for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Well, not so much a trio as "two and a half" releases. The "half" is add-on content for Romance of the Three Kingdoms Touch. If you've already romanced those kingdoms as much as you possibly can, $4 will get you three new scenarios and an edit feature for officers and territories. The main game has also been updated to version 2.0. The company has also announced another strategy release for iPhone: Nobunaga's Ambition. The classic game of power struggles between Sengoku-era warlords is available now for $10. Finally, and most lovably weird of all, Tecmo Koei has released Kanji Shaker, a free app that transliterates any word into Japanese kanji, and then assigns point values to each character based on ... we don't know what, actually. It's baffling, and we can't stop "playing" it.
Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition Online driven toward PS3
Koei is apparently set to release Nobunaga's Ambition Online for PS3 next year. AndriaSang has translated a 4Gamer's report, which claims that the publisher announced an unspecified 2010 launch during a recent press conference. We've contacted Koei to find out if the ultra-hardcore strategy title will release in the US. Nobunaga's Ambition Online's fourth expansion is set for release on PS2 and Windows (PC) in March of next year. [Thanks, Peter]
VC in Brief: Nobunaga's Ambition (SNES)
Nobunaga's Ambition (Super NES, 1-8 players, 800 Wii Points)We say: Only for the diehard strategy fans This week, we've got one new game to play on the Virtual Console and, depending on the type of gamer you are, it's either going to be a real snoozer or an incredibly deep experience. If you love some strategy, then consider yourself in the latter group. If you're more of the type of person that shoots from the hip, then consider this game an overdose of Ambien. Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.
NintendoWare Weekly: Paper Airplane Chase, Cocoto Platform Jumper
If you've been keeping up with what's headed to WiiWare and DSiWare, then this week's downloads will likely be of no surprise to you. These are games that we've either talked about already, or that have hit their respective platforms in regions elsewhere. So, without further ado, let's get to this week's content.%Gallery-39578%
VC Tuesday: Salamander's Firey Ambition
What a delightful variety of games on the Japanese Virtual Console this Christmas week! Compare that to the American selection, which is delightful but not at all varied. Japan has four new old games, from four different systems, in four different gameplay styles, including a shmup, a strategy game, a platformer, and a wrestling game -- and great examples of all four genres! Salamander (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Super Nobunaga no Yabou (Super Famicom, 1-8 players, 800 Wii Points) Super Wonder Boy: Monster World (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Legend Bout (PC Engine, 1-4 players, 600 Wii Points) WiiWare is also a treat this week, but one the rest of the world has already been served: LostWinds, published in Japan by Square Enix.
Koei strategy pair rated by ESRB
The ESRB has rated a pair of Koei games that aren't Dynasty Warriors for release on the Virtual Console. Both are historical strategic RPGs, though with very different settings. The first, Nobunaga's Ambition (top screens above), tasks players with conquering feudal Japan, while Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is based more on life at sea, and lets you indulge in sailing, trading, and even piracy.We assume these are the NES versions, though could be wrong -- there were versions of each on the Genesis and SNES. Considering a boxed of copy of either goes for about $20 or $25 on eBay, we could be in for a bargain when these appear.
Somebody's Ambition
There are so many Koei strategy games out there that it can be hard to keep them straight, especially when we can't read much of the text. It's even worse when there are two titles in the same series on the same system being promoted at the same time. In this case, the games actually interact with one another.The new Nobunaga no Yabou 2 (Nobunaga's Ambition 2) is a more traditional Nobunaga's Ambition game, focusing on the big (Japan-wide) picture rather than battles between individual units. It can connect to the more Advance Wars-like Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou via local wireless to unlock secret generals. While we wish either of these games would be released here, we just think it's neat to interface two different DS games to unlock stuff.%Gallery-19665%
Try and play Nobunaga's Ambition, win green tea [Update 1]
In one of the oddest gaming tie-ins we've heard of since the glorious days of Yo! Noid, Koei and Coca-Cola have announced a cross-promotion between Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou (Domination Battle of the Brains: Nobunaga's Ambition) and ... some kind of Coca-Cola-branded green tea.We've not the foggiest how the two products are related (we find it difficult to imagine Sengoku period warlords indulging in some green tea-sipping action), but the deal did give us a chance to sample the game through the promotional site that's been set up (scroll down and click on the white box to get things rolling). It looks and plays very nicely, so give it a go!Famitsu also mentions that 100 Japan-based players who try the demo will randomly be chosen to win a six-pack of Coca-Cola's green tea. Alas, it's not the most import-friendly of games, so even if we did reside in Japan, it looks like we'd be purchasing our green tea supplies like everyone else who doesn't have the knack for turn-based strategy.[Update: Corrected minor details regarding brand of green tea and prize.]%Gallery-19665%[Via Famitsu]
Nobunaga's Ambition Dominates our Brains
Look, Koei, this relationship -- you and us -- it can work. It's really quite simple. We have money. You have Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou (Domination Battle of the Brains: Nobunaga's Ambition). Announce a western localization and the twain shall meet. It's mutually beneficial, y'see.Game Watch has new shots of the turn-based strategy title, including first glimpses of the extensive multiplayer modes (you may recall that both local play and Wi-Fi Connection battles are supported), the usual line-up of terribly stern Japanese army generals from a simpler, more violent age, and lots of cryptic-looking maps we can only pretend to understand. Charge headlong into our gallery for 21 fresh screens.%Gallery-19665%
Nobunaga's Ambition exceeds that of its rivals
Our recommendation of Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou (Domination Battle of the Brains: Nobunaga's Ambition) as an alternative to Advance Wars is looking safer by the day, with Koei revealing to Impress Watch that the game would support certain modes that not even Intelligent Systems' title featured.In particular, the multiplayer seems to have had considerable attention lavished upon it. Not only is there wireless DS-to-DS play and the ability to play others with a single card, but there's also Wi-Fi Connection battles for -- get this -- up to four players. Which is precisely what Advance Wars: Days of Ruin needed, if you ask us.Aside from this super-happy news, Impress Watch profiled the eight daimyo (warlords from Japan's feudal period) that will appear in the title, all of whom are historically accurate figures (with probably-not-historically accurate special abilities). Apparently, players will have the option of fighting actual battles that took place. Oh yes, and there are screens. Lots of lovely new screens. Many of which contain this strange device. What is it? No idea. First one to tell us gets our everlasting admiration.%Gallery-19665%
Koei really needs to localize Nobunaga's Ambition
We've got fingers, toes, and pretty much everything else crossed for an English language version of Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou (Domination Battle of the Brains: Nobunaga's Ambition).It's not that we're massively enamored by the Dynasty Warriors-style art or anything (we're really not, actually), but any game which lets us indulge in long, beard-stroking periods of deliberation while mentally picturing ourselves as great military daimyo commanding vast armies in feudal Japan will be lapped up around these parts. Oh yeah, and some of us could really do with being weaned off of other strategy titles.Going by the latest screens, we're confident that this will boast a lovely, hard-centered strategic core for us to sink our teeth into and generally obsess about, so let's see it in the west, Koei!%Gallery-19665%
Nobunaga's Ambition is to provide you screenshots
It's a shame that of Koei's many DS strategy titles, the only one to make it stateside so far has been Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle, a poorly executed action spin-off of the revered Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. We would love to see more games like this in US stores, especially Sega's Sangokushi Taisen. Kunitori Zunou Battle Nobunaga no Yabou (Domination Battle of the Brains: Nobunaga's Ambition), Koei's newest turn-based strategy title, will likely never see a release here, either.As with other titles in the Nobunaga's Ambition series, players command armies and manage their territory's expansion to unify a feudal Japan in this DS title. Warlords and military forces are represented as chess-like pieces on a game board. Players have the option of playing both computer warlords and their friends, online and locally. Hit the gallery below for more screenshots or head over to the official Japanese site for some in-game video. %Gallery-19665%[Via Inside Games]
Koei's Ambition: to sell a Wii game
Koei tried porting one of their most venerable franchises to the Wii, in the form of Sangokushi XI (Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI) with Power-Up Kit. By most publishers' standards, it bombed, selling about 6,000 copies. But how much could those ultra-hardcore strategy games really be expected to sell? Apparently, not that much. Maybe the development costs are low enough that Koei can recoup their expenses just by selling to a small audience.In any case, ported strategy games are cheaper to develop than original RPGs, and sell about the same. Because of that, we can kind of understand why Koei's putting another of their classic strategy series on the Wii. Well, that and the fact that pointer control is a natural for this kind of menu-driven game. Nobunaga's Ambition with Power-Up Kit offers the same kind of thrills that Romance of the Three Kingdoms did: lots of map screens and numbers representing historical battles. Famitsu's got a bunch of screens of the game, which is due out in March, both alone and in a bundle with Romance.As long as they keep putting out art like this that we can then post, Koei is free to do whatever they want on the Wii.
