Odin-Sphere
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PS2 games going digital in 'Only on PlayStation Network' campaign
As if you don't have enough games to worry about this torrential fall, Sony is adding to the downpour with its "Only on PlayStation Network" campaign. Every Tuesday this month, we'll not only be getting exclusives but a selection of "rare classic games" including God Hand, GrimGrimoire, Maximo, Odin Sphere and Ring of Red, all coming tomorrow. (We guess that since your PS3 doen't play PS2 games any more, those really are only on PSN.) Industry Gamers reports PlayStation Plus members get every title at 20 percent off during launch week and those that spend more than $60 in October on the service will get a $10 credit for November. We're unclear on what other PS2 games to expect, but here's the lineup of PSN exlusives so you can plan your buying accordingly: October 4 - Eufloria and Rochard October 11 - Sideway: New York October 13 - Sodium Collection October 18 - Okabu and RocketBirds October 25 - inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood and PixelJunk Sidescroller
Rumor: Odin Sphere and Muramasa HD remakes coming to XBLA, PSN
According to "sources in Japan" speaking with 1UP, two of Vanillaware's already gorgeous 2D titles, Muramasa: The Demon Blade (pictured) and Odin Sphere, are being remade in HD. The report also posits that the re-releases will likely arrive on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Additionally, both games are now listed by Australia's OFLC as "multiplatform," though each has only been released on a single console to date (Odin Sphere on PS2 and Muramasa on Wii). The evidence may be mounting, but we're still filing these HD ports in the rumor department for now.
Aion's release date expected for fall 2009
Localization is big, time consuming business, and NCsoft wants to make sure that they get it just right with the release of Aion: The Tower of Eternity. The US community manager, Liv, has just confirmed that NCsoft is seeking a fall 2009 launch date for the Western copy of the game that has already seen success in Korea.The game is undergoing a significant re-write of all of the narrative content instead of being simply translated and pushed out the door. What this should produce is a game without the standard awkward mistranslated phrases, incomplete sentences, and dialogue that doesn't word wrap properly.This style of localization is common amongst recent games that have crossed over into Western culture, such as the Megami Tensei Series and Odin Sphere from Atlus Games. It's more extensive and time consuming, but produces much better results in the long term.For all of the questions and insights Liv has provided to the Aion audience, check out her full letter and note from the producer at the European Aion website.
Best of the Rest: Jason's Picks of 2007
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar (PC)Stardock proved that it still had its collective finger on the pulse of the PC strategy game community in 2006 with Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, an amazing game that managed to usurp the 4X strategy crown from Master of Orion to become the genre's defining title. The studio did it again in early 2007 with the game's expansion, Dark Avatar, this time adding a much-welcome graphic makeover alongside a healthy collection of other improvements, such a improved AI and deepened customization options. Dark Avatar is the definitive 4X strategy game for the PC, and the most satisfying strategy game released in 2007.
Best of the Rest: Scott's Picks of 2007
Odin Sphere (PS2) Vanillaware's side-scrolling action RPG caught me completely off guard when it came out, but I fell instantly in love with the game's style. Practically everything about Odin Sphere is unique: the circular levels; the gigantic, beautifully-drawn sprites; the bizarre food-crafting mechanics. Toss in a healthy amount of Norse mythology, and you've got one damn fine, under-appreciated game. Here's hoping Vanillaware's upcoming Wii title is up to snuff.
Joystiq interviews Odin Sphere's Bill Alexander
Odin Sphere evokes an odd sense of unwavering tradition. Everything about it appears to be old-fashioned, meticulously crafted and heavy. It's the dusty painting hanging in a cluttered museum compared to next-gen's LCD television mounted on a pretentiously bare wall. That's the impression you're left with after first encountering Atlus' "traditional" action RPG for the PlayStation 2. But you've been fooled. When you weren't looking, the flashy television and the painting traded places.That isn't to say Odin Sphere completely reinvents the role-playing genre -- the game has its fair share of ancient artifacts, warring nations and apocalyptic scenarios -- but its delicately crafted and strikingly beautiful approach seems in sharp contrast to what has become our own modern tradition of manufactured glitz. The game shuns the third dimension, telling its tale with bold 2-D artwork and gorgeous sprites. Gone are science fiction trappings and effervescent dialogue, replaced with Shakespearean drama and criss-crossing character arcs.Giving the characters their English voices is Atlus, a publisher which has made localizing unusual Japanese games its tradition. We spoke with Odin Sphere's project lead, Bill Alexander, about the crucial translation process.%Gallery-3133%
Import game releases for the week of 03/04/07
It's a new week and another chance for me to let our readers know about the tasty import game releases of the week (tastes like ramen noodles). Every week we showcase new import games for you to play in your PSP (PSP plays imports without any modding). Let me start by saying that honestly it's a pretty light release list this week, but after last week, any game releases is a feat. No real in depth previews to do on the games this week, as it's a week of budget re-releases. If you haven't bought these games yet and are interested, this week sees "Best" versions of Princess Crown, AI Go, AI Mah-Jong, AI Shogi and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. Princess Crown is made by the same company that's making the much talked about upcoming PS2 RPG Odin Sphere, so there may be more people interested in importing it now. That's it for this week! Next week we have some actual new import games to showcase, so we'll see you then.
