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Sequel to 'Final Fantasy' creator's free-to-play game launches today
Final Fantasy creator Hironubu Sakaguchi has had some good success with his action-RPG-puzzle mobile game, Terra Battle. The free-to-play sequel — Terra Battle 2 — is out on both iOS and Android, but if you want to play it, you'll need to wait until 11:00 PM PT on September 20th, according to the in-game message you'll get when launching the app.
Mistwalker's Sakaguchi to discuss new project next Spring
We've got a double dose of disappointment in Mistwalker news for you today, folks. Not only is Hironobu Sakaguchi's most recent blog post completely devoid of any Lego building advice, but it also appears that the game he's been working on -- a game said to be nearly done -- won't be announced until "around Spring next year." According to a translation by Siliconera, the Final Fantasy veteran apologized for his lack of communication on the title and the further delay in any real information. Unfortunately, it seems we still have a bit longer before that Lego Lost Odyssey announcement finally occurs. On second thought ... we can actually wait on that news. [Via Siliconera]
Sakaguchi would 'love to make a Wii game'
During an interview with IGN about Blue Dragon Plus, Sakaguchi spoke about a variety of subjects, including bringing his RPG to the Wii, as well as his thoughts on the system overall. "I think the Wii is a wonderful system," he said. "It's very unique, starting with its iconic controllers." When asked about making a game for Wii, he said that Mistwalker has "no plans at the moment," but he "would love to make a Wii game in the future." We hear you. "Dude, go for it," you say. "Please make it?" you ask. "Love that mustache!" you exclaim. He's a talented guy. We totally get it.But, what's stopping Mistwalker from undertaking a Wii project? His company has already worked with Nintendo in bringing multiple titles to the DS, so why not make the leap to Wii? Personally, we'd appreciate the injection of JRPG goodness that he'd bring to the Wii. Let's hope he gets around to it sooner rather than later.
Blue Dragon: Blurry Beasts of the Underworld
We first discovered Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld last month, and now these rather blurry scans from Famitsu have appeared on the interblag. It's difficult to glean much new information from these dim images -- indeed, the original Shonen Jump scans were much clearer -- but Gamekyo whipped out its magnifying glass and located one crucial nugget of information: a Japanese release date of March.Obviously, whether we even get this Blue Dragon game in the west could depend on whether anybody buys Blue Dragon Plus, so prep your wallets for February 24!
Mistwalker and Namco team up for new Blue Dragon game
According to the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine in Japan, the DS is set to receive a second Blue Dragon game, which can best be translated as Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld. Unlike Blue Dragon Plus, this new collaboration between Namco and Mistwalker will be a real-time RPG with full 3D graphics, as opposed to the strategic affair Plus is. Instead of focusing on the main characters from the Blue Dragon franchise, you'll instead control a nameless protagonist. Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld is currently slated for release sometime next year.Source - Siliconera translationSource - Scan from Shonen Jump
E308: DS Fanboy hands-on with Away: Shuffle Dungeon
When I arrived at Majesco's booth on the now very diminished E3 show floor, I saw their offerings and immediately leaped toward Away: Shuffle Dungeon. The demo build only had one dungeon available, as well as the world hub and a boss fight.%Gallery-20078%
Blue Dragon, Away: Shuffle Dungeon confirmed for U.S.
As if our recent poll regarding Blue Dragon Plus and Away: Shuffle Dungeon hadn't already put you on the spot enough, now you'll have to choose one for really reals. AQ Interactive's latest financial report confirms that both will hit North America in this fiscal year, and also mentioned a localized version of the Korg DS-10 (which we already knew about).Incidentally, there's a further four third-party portable games being brought over by Xseed, and Siliconera reckons that those could include Flower, Sun and Rain, Lux Pain, and Dungeon Maker DS. As European versions of the first two have both been rumored, we'd tend to agree!
DS Fanboy poll: Away vs. Blue Dragon Plus
A struggle has begun in the Nintendo Fanboy offices. We have divided the dungeon we reside in, one half of the staff staking claim to their side, while the remainder of us blog from within the sanctuary of our side. The argument that has split us so? What looks more interesting: Away: Shuffle Dungeon or Blue Dragon Plus?The conflict has grown so large that it has spilled out onto the site proper, where we hope you, fine reader, can help us resolve it. We've put up a poll (placed past the break to keep the front page tidy and so those who hate polls and having their voices heard won't be bothered with it), so cast your vote and be heard. Help us stop before we sacrifice Chris to our god, Sakaguchi-san.
Checking out the new shadows in Blue Dragon Plus
When we told you about a couple of new characters making their way into Blue Dragon Plus, we never got a glimpse at what role they would in the game proper. Would they be NPCs? Or would they help us in battle?Well, they're playable characters with their own shadows, as the official site for the game reveals. The "robots" we thought would play a big role in the game turn out to be just one robot, in fact, with its own shadow also.Both of these new characters' shadows can be found in our gallery below, so be sure to hit it up.%Gallery-15148%[Via Siliconera]
Get a face full of these fresh Blue Dragon Plus screens
For those of you who have had a keen eye fixed on Sakaguchi's upcoming DS spin-off Blue Dragon Plus (see: pretty much the entire DSF staff) will like to know that our gallery below has been updated with some new screens. Combing over them, we find ourselves floored yet again at how crisp and wonderful the game's sprites look.Who else is excited for this game?%Gallery-15148%
Develop Magazine: Iwata is a 'Game Changer'
Develop magazine's "Game Changers" is a list of 25 gaming industry luminaries who are "reshaping the games development business as we know it." At the top of the list: the lovable Satoru Iwata. The Nintendo president was cited as an influential figure due to his instrumentality in the creation of the DS and Wii, which have then led to a massive influx of new console gamers.Other notable Nintendo-related names on the list include: Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi, who is creating more titles simultaneously in less time than he ever did at Square, by combining a core creative team with outsourced technical development; and Majesco's Jesse Sutton, who has turned a failing major publisher around with a casual-inclusive, Nintendo-friendly lineup.
Blue Dragon DS delayed indefinitely
French gaming site Jeux-France is reporting that the Nintendo DS adaptation of Mistwalker's Blue Dragon has been delayed without a future release window. The title was planned for a March release, although given its original September revelation, we thought the date was a bit suspect.Despite the indefinite loss of a portable Blue Dragon, fans of Hironobu Sakaguchi's work can look forward to other DS releases from the studio, including ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat (already out in Japan) and Away: Shuffle Dungeon. [Via DS Fanboy]
Famitsu treats us to more Blue Dragon
Click image to enlarge The latest issue of Famitsu didn't only have some interesting stuff regarding Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, but also a spread on Mistwalker's upcoming DS entry Blue Dragon Plus. And, as intrigued as we were when it was initially thought to be a card-based game, we're now even more interested in what the game will bring to the DS. Sakaguchi never disappoints, after all.
DS Daily: Heroes
No, we're not talking about the heroes you might be thinking of. We're talking about the heroes behind the heroes. The names and faces that make our games come alive. The visionaries, if you will.Yesterday's unveiling of a release date and the official website for Flower, Sun and Rain inspired a chat amongst the staff about the game's creator, Goichi Suda. You see, around these parts, we simply can't get enough of Suda's work: the wildly imaginative concepts, that inimitable visual style. Hand on heart, Suda's mere involvement in a project means a sale to this blogger is more than likely. We only wish others felt the same way.But what about you, reader? Is there a particular development guru you look up to? Are you more about Sakaguchi or Shiggy, Molyneux or Mizuguchi? And do you ever purchase a game solely because they played a part in its creation?
Wii Fit step, step, steps its way atop Japanese charts
Brawn has finally triumphed over its nerdy nemesis brain, with Nintendo's balancercise board bullying Professor Layton away from the top spot in the Japanese software sales chart. In its second week, Wii Fit sold 150,000 units at retail, making for a grand total of approximately 411,000. Less easy to calculate: the amount of damage Japanese exergamers have incurred while knocking things over in their teeny tiny apartments. Another notable entry in last week's chart is Hironobu Sakaguchi's post-Final Fantasy Xbox 360 epic, Lost Odyssey. It debuted in seventh position with 55,000, a number pointed out by Gamasutra to be over 25,000 less than Blue Dragon's opening week last year. Though the JRPG still fared much better than most Xbox 360 games (what with it actually breaking into the top ten), even Assassin's Creed managed a modest 41,000 units during its first week.
DS Daily: We're soooo pumped for Blue Dragon
Having several friends who're all kinds of knee-deep in the Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon, we found that we too wanted to get our role-play on and started it up. We didn't get far, but the 2 hours or so of the game got us pumped. We genuinely felt that this game could be excellent beyond all comprehension.And now it's coming to the DS?! Holy hand grenade, we can't wait for it, even if it's a card-based game. How about you, folks? Are you as excited as we are? Or, could you care less?
Lost Odyssey delayed to 2008 in US
Lorne Lanning! If you're reading this, be sure to note our continued frustration at typing "Oddysee" instead of "Odyssey" every single time we discuss Hironobu Sakaguchi's upcoming Xbox 360 RPG. The cumulative seconds wasted in correcting every article must surely extend beyond 2008 by now -- much like the English version of Lost Oddysee Odyssey. Confound it! In Microsoft's pre-TGS conference held in Japan, Mr. Final Fantasy announced that his Unreal-powered tale of turn-based timelessness would be radically altering the meaning of "simultaneous worldwide release" to be more along the lines of "out in Japan on December 6th, then in North America in February 2008." Judging by the release schedule adopted by Mist Walker's most recent RPG, Blue Dragon, a European date for this Odyssey should be found on the same calendar page.
Archaic Rounded-Up Heat
We've experienced a minor explosion of information regarding Mistwalker's Archaic Sealed Heat from different sources around the Internet. We're glad, because, as much as we enjoy staring at scans, we don't know much at all about the game.First, Siliconera has outlined the battle system, meaning that we finally have some information about how to play Archaic Sealed Heat. It uses a grid-based strategy-RPG system, combined with traditional Final Fantasy-style turn-based combat, combined strategic party movements with the JRPG fighting we've all grown to love.Bilingual Gamer has also dropped some more real information on us, in the form of a translation of the Story and Character sections of Nintendo's official ASH site. "The cheering turned to screams, and the beast's unearthly sounds echoed throughout the land. A castle shattered and destroyed by flames, the noblemen of the House preparing for their deaths, and voices overshadowed by the fire." Now that's how you start an RPG. And, in case you don't trust an ASH post without scans, Jeux-France has posted a few scans loaded with screenshots. We feel so much more caught up now! Okay, back to waiting for the game.
Blue Dragon demo out on Xbox Live
One secret that Microsoft left out of the press conference: a demo for Mistwalker's Blue Dragon is now available on Xbox Live. The enthusiastic description for the 1.1GB download reads as follows: "The Blue Dragon Demo is available! Play the grand adventure in two dungeons filled with Mecha Robos and Ancient Monsters!" Enjoy.
Rumor: Sakaguchi working on Xbox 360 MMO
Mistwalker founder Hironobu Sakaguchi has revealed that he is working on a new Xbox 360 title that is "50% MMO and 50% RPG," according to Total Video Games. Speaking at an anime event in Paris, France, Sakaguchi reportedly said that the project is not previously-announced titles Blue Dragon sequel or Cry On. (Though there has been talk about Blue Dragon 2 going online.)The announcement has not been confirmed and we have no other details, so consider this a rumor for now. Should the news end up being true, we just hope the 50% MMO and 50% RPG comment doesn't equate to twice the level grinding and only half the story of most genre-oriented games.
