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Mistwalker developing 360 MMO?
Speaking to gaming site TVG at a Paris anime event, Hironobu Sakaguchi apparently revealed that his Mistwalker Studio is currently working on an unannounced MMO title for the Xbox 360. According to Sakaguchi, the new title -- which isn't Blue Dragon 2 or Cry On -- is "50% MMO and 50% RPG." Nothing else is known about the title at this point in time. With both Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey preparing for release this year, we don't expect to hear about any new projects anytime soon. Of course, that doesn't mean we're abandoning hope that we'll hear something at E3 next week.
New Archaic Sealed Heat scan proves that we didn't just dream up the game
We knew that it would be a while after Mistwalker's late 2005 announcement before we'd see Archaic Sealed Heat's release, but with little-to-no new media on the SRPG since its unveiling and half of 2007 gone by without word on its status, it was hard to convince ourselves that the game still existed.Shonen Jump's latest issue confirms that, yes, ASH is still being worked on for a holiday 2007 release, and that the graphics look just as impressive as ever. Check past the post break for the scanned magazine page to see a sampling of the ASH's artwork, CG cutscenes, and screenshots!
Blue Dragon demo scheduled for July 20th
Can't wait until August 28th to play the Xbox 360-exclusive JPRG Blue Dragon? You could always import the Japanese release and stumble your way through three discs of inscrutable Japanese text or, if you can settle for a slightly smaller experience, just download the demo on Xbox Live Marketplace July 20th. The Japanese language Dengeki Online claims a 1.1GB demo will be released overseas (that's over here, folks) on July 20th, containing roughly 120 minutes of playtime. But you'd best make sure you download it in that 2-week window, since the demo will fly away on August 3rd. Now let's see, if we only play for about three and a quarter minutes a day, this demo should just last us until the retail release. Just ...[Via X3F]%Gallery-1935%
Blue Dragon gets dated: August 28th, 24th in Europe
We knew Microsoft's Blue Dragon -- the Japanese RPG by famed Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi -- would be barreling into American shores in August, but we didn't know the specific date. Good news for fans of the month of August then, the much anticipated RPG will get in just under the cutoff making an August 28th touchdown for $59.99.More interesting for European gamers is the August 24th European release date. Originally scheduled for September in that part of the globe, the title has managed to leapfrog the North American release date by four days; however, at £44.99, they're paying nearly $90 for the privilege. We don't think Americans mind waiting. Now, if we only knew when Mass Effect was coming out ...%Gallery-1935%Read - Japanese RPG "Blue Dragon" Lifts Its Wings and Flies To Europe
Sakaguchi gives tiny Lost Odyssey update
Details on the progress of Lost Odyssey are few and far between these days, so we'll take what we can get. According to IGN, Hironobu Sakaguchi, head of Mistwalker, has given a small update on Lost Odyssey to Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu. According to Sakaguchi, the game's background music and packaging are complete. Also, an outside development team known as Feel Plus is currently tweaking the wall system and other gameplay systems. Readers will recall that Lost Odyssey uses a system in which soldiers in the front lines must protect the vulnerable but powerful magic users in the rear. Sakaguchi notes that there will be new details revealed in the near future. IGN speculates we may hear more at E3. Considering this is one of Microsoft's biggest projects, we're inclined to agree.
Sakaguchi reveals new Lost Odyssey details
Speaking to Famitsu (translated by IGN), Hironobu Sakaguchi reveals new details of Mistwalker's current Xbox 360 project Lost Odyssey. The game is now 70% complete, and the development team has reached the "balancing and tuning" phase of production. The music (composed by RPG legend Nobuo Uematsu) is nearly done. Sakaguchi notes that the game's theme focuses on "humanity" and that the music conveys inner emotions. The camera will remain fixed in the game, though there will be cinematic rumbling and focus effects used. Finally, Sakaguchi reveals more information about Lost Odyssey's combat. Lost Odyssey will use a wall system that requires the front lines to defend those in the rear. This is crucial, as magic users cause the most damage and must be protected (this is in line with what Sakaguchi told us at GDC) Also revealed, certain items will require skills to equip and the game features a crafting system that binds magical items to weapons. More Lost Odyssey details are expected soon.
Sakaguchi interview reveals new details on Lost Odyssey
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Mistwalker founder Hironobu Sakaguchi said that their latest project, the Xbox 360 RPG Lost Odyssey, is 70% complete and that they are currently working on tuning, balancing the gameplay and reducing load times. According to Sakaguchi, in a translated transcription provided to IGN by Microsoft, the game will use a fixed camera but will incorporate cinematic techniques such as "camera vibration and focus effects" to provide realism. In terms of content, Sakaguchi said the primary theme is "humanity." The music, by Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger) is reportedly a big change in style from his previous work on Blue Dragon. Also discussed is the battle system, which IGN described as a wall system that will "require players to ensure that the front guards protect the rear," that enemies will also "use these formations" and that there are plans to incorporate "analog trigger system for physical attacks" to breach the walls. The description is rather ambiguous and confusing; we've contacted Microsoft for a copy of the translated interview.
Sakaguchi disses Wii, says Xbox 360 has better games
For those who thought that Hironobu Sakaguchi might come back to the loving bosom of Nintendo after his upcoming project with Microsoft might need to take a seat, as the man who was made famous after creating the Final Fantasy franchise has commented that he isn't all that interested in the Wii. Why isn't he interested in the system with the groundbreaking controls and mainstream accessibility? Turns out, he thinks the Xbox 360 has far better games than the competition.Sakaguchi claimed "The system is intriguing, but right now, I have no plans on making a game for the Wii." He also commented on the Japanese market's complete apathy towards Microsoft's console. stating that there "are a lot of excellent games on the 360, far better games than what's on the Wii or PS3. But not a lot of people in Japan have a clear idea what games like Gears of War are all about." Maybe they don't get it because buckets of blood and the violence of extracting them from your virtual enemies isn't all that important to them? Maybe, just maybe, the Japanese enjoy, dare we say, fun games?[Via Codename Revolution]
Blue Dragon sequel may go online
The sequel to the Xbox 360 Japanese RPG Blue Dragon may include online play. Speaking to Japanese website Gpara.com (translated by Eurogamer), Mistwalker producer Hironobu Sakaguchi said that they are in talks with Microsoft about developing a sequel and that, "specifics aren't finalised, but there's a possibility that it will be produced as an online title."To what extent Sakaguchi is considering integrating online play is unknown; it could be anywhere from online trading to a full-blown MMO. It is pretty much assured Microsoft, with a minimal-at-best library of RPGs for the Xbox 360, will greenlight a sequel to the one title that has so far proven to be successful in Japan.Blue Dragon will be arriving in North America August 15 and Europe in September.%Gallery-1935%
Sakaguchi praises Xbox, unimpressed with PS3
Speaking with GameSpot during GDC, Final Fantasy creator and head of Mistwalker Studio, Hironobu Sakaguchi, had some interesting things to say about his recent projects, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, as well as a few choice thoughts on Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and game development in general. One nice bit of info: There will be a playable demo of Blue Dragon available on Marketplace before the game ships in August (Sakaguchi hopes for a June or July release for the demo).
Fancast Xtra -- Q&A with Hironobu Sakaguchi
During our preview of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey on Tuesday, we were lucky enough to score a little question and answer time with RPG luminary, Hironobu Sakaguchi (and his translator). We learned a few things about Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and the differences between them. We learned about the downloadable content in store for Blue Dragon, too. We also got to ask him about what its like to have his own company now (Mistwalker), what's next after Lost Odyssey, the 360's performance in Japan, and Sakaguchi-san's love for Gears of War. We captured all the audio and now present it for download on MP3 (Fancast subscribers will get it automatically). As an added bonus, we also threw in a bit of the music from Lost Odyssey. Download and enjoy.
GDC 07: Sakaguchi part 2: Lost Odyssey
After getting a first hand look at Blue Dragon, we were informed that we'd also get the first look at the US version of Lost Odyssey. As we've noted, Lost Odyssey will launch worldwide this holiday. We were treated to a brief video of the game in action. The section we saw was still a work in progress and some glitches were evident, but it showed promise. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any gameplay; Sakaguchi told us we'd have to come to Japan for that.
GDC 07: Lost Odyssey 2007 worldwide launch
We mentioned it briefly in "Sakaguchi part one," but we felt it worthwhile to post separately as well, so here it is: Hironobu Sakaguchi announced today that Lost Odyssey will launch simultaneously worldwide this holiday. That's right, a game that most of us weren't expecting until 2008 will be spinning in our Xboxen before Christmas. Once we shake off the head asploding nightmare that is liveblogging, we'll post our impressions of Lost Odyssey in "Sakaguchi part two."
Blue Dragon in US this August, Lost Odyssey worldwide by X-mas
1UP recently scored some face time with Mistwalker head Hironobu Sakaguchi, squeezing some vague release dates outta the man who's brave enough paid enough to develop rpgs for Xbox 360. Word is, Lost Odyssey will launch simultaneously in Japan and the US 'round Christmas time (mid- to late-December) worldwide 'round the holidays, a favorable deviation from the release strategy currently being employed for Odyssey's cutesy predecessor Blue Dragon. While Blue Dragon was released in Japan last December, US audiences are still waiting -- and according to Sakaguchi's estimates, they'll be waiting till August. But Lost Odyssey is apparently being developed with an eye toward Western aesthetics; even the lip-syncing will match English voice actors (the Japanese version will be dubbed). As for Europe, well, we didn't forget about y'all, but Sakaguchi must have. No word on when Mistwalker's rpgs will go PAL. Update: Blue Dragon's European release is scheduled for September. The original Japanese voice tracks will be available in the US release (unconfirmed for PAL version). Sakaguchi has also revealed plans for an unspecified pre-order bonus (more Zippos?). %Gallery-1935% %Gallery-1932%
Blue Dragon busts into Japanese sales charts
The first thing you should do when this sort of thing happens is somehow confirm that you're still in the same dimension you were in moments before. Examine newspapers, have a look in the mirror and make doubly sure that nobody is sporting an angry orangutan for a head. With that out of the way, you can return to the matter at hand -- there's an Xbox 360 game sitting in the fourth position of the weekly Japanese software sales chart. With a healthy 80,348 copies sold, it would appear that Microsoft's Blue Dragon is at least making some strides in the publisher's continuing battle against apathy in Japan.Examining the other bits of the chart on GamesAreFun, it's easy to imagine some of the cheaper headlines that could have been used for this post. "Blue Dragon crushes Zelda in Japanese sales!" While Blue Dragon enters the chart in fourth place, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has since slid down to 17th in its second week. Post-launch Wii shortages could be to blame, as Wario Ware: Smooth Moves also fails to make it past the 23rd spot. The fact that Tales of Destiny and Final Fantasy VI Advance wind up below Blue Dragon, however, could be seen as more reassuring. Ah, but what about "Blue Dragon defeated by Pokemon?" In its tenth week, Pokemon Diamond occupies the third slot, with second and first place going to Sega's Yakuza 2 and Gundam SEED: Federation vs ZAFT II respectively. The install bases of the PS2 and DS make those games particularly tough opponents, so to snag fourth spot seems like a solid accomplishment. Keep an eye out for the infamous Japanese hardware sales later today to see how effective Blue Dragon is at shifting consoles.
Japanese Blue Dragon bundles sell out?
According to YouNEWB.com (we've never heard of them either) a Japanese blog is claiming that Japanese retailer , eDigi, has sold every single Blue Dragon pre-order bundle. What's more, they were reportedly sold out within five minutes. The article doesn't have a lot of specifics. For example, we don't know how many units the retailer had to sell. It could be five or fifty for all we know. So, the info is a little tenuous but good news for Microsoft if true. Would any of our Japanese savvy readers like to take a stab at translating the blog?[Via YouNEWB]
Microsoft's Japan-only Blue Dragon bundle [update 1]
If you're wondering why us round-eyes ain't gonna see a price break on the Xbox 360 this holiday, Japan might have something to do with it. See, Microsoft has put together this sweet, Japan-only Blue Dragon bundle that probably ain't gonna do much to enhance the company's bottom line (read: it's likely subsidized), but will (they hope) juice the 360's pitiable sales in that country. For just ¥29,800 (approximately $252 at the time of this writing), Japanese gamers will walk off with a basic Xbox 360, the Blue Dragon game itself, a limited-edition faceplate (aren't they all?), and five Blue Dragon figurines, according to the fine folks over at Siliconera. We've inserted images of the goods after the break. [Update 1: Post comments have been locked as the bulk of comments posted were off-topic.]
Microsoft TGS briefing video now available
If there is one completely memorable moment for us in the Microsoft TGS press briefing, it was seeing DOAX2 announced as a "sports" title. That ... is hilarious. Xbox.com has posted two videos of the Microsoft TGS briefing. One is the entire briefing, full of Japanese goodness, and the other is only Peter Moore's remarks. The whole conference clocks in at just under an hour. There are no trailers or anything we typically associate with press briefings so, if you don't speak Japanese, we'd suggest you stick with the Peter More video.The conference does a good job of emphasizing all things Japanese -- complete with Peter Moore humbling himself to Pac-Man creator, Toru Iwatani. Of course, Blue Dragon gets its fair share -- Sakaguchi-san talks it up for quite a while near the end. Perhaps the most bizarre bit is Microsoft's marketing slogan for Japan: "Do! Do! Do!" Let's hope that didn't come from the same marketing team that did all those "playtests" of the original Xbox control.We'll go ahead and say that things look better than they have in the past for MS in Japan. As usual, it's the games stupid, and Microsoft showed up with more actual Japanese titles than ever before. Will it help? Who knows, but they're definitely heading in the right direction.[Via Major Nelson]360 at the Tokyo Game Show:Today's Marketplace content, 9/21DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty BellSee Blue Dragon gameplay (finally)
TGS: See Blue Dragon gameplay (finally) [update 2]
Xboxyde has scored actual in game footage of the would be killer app for Microsoft in Japan, Blue Dragon. Split into two parts, the video shows off the game's graphics and combat system. For the RPG buffs out there, it's worth noting that battles are not random and that enemies can be seen before the player decides to engage them (or not). Beyond that, the game is very nice to look at. We know that a lot of readers will disagree on this point, but these graphics are solid and polished beyond belief. The gameplay, on the other hand, looks fairly standard. There are big chests with items in them, turn-based battles, summoning techniques, and a boss battle (complete with craptastic rawk music). Granted, the quality of the video makes it difficult to pick apart the intricacies of the combat, but it all looks pretty traditional. Then again, it also looks an awful lot like Dragon Quest -- a game so popular in Japan it's practically a national holiday when a new sequel is released. Will bundling Blue Dragon with a core system be enough to entice Japanese buyers? Only time will tell.Update: It looks like Xboxyde's servers are getting beaten up by the demand for this video. See the embedded YouTube video after the break.Update 2: Fixed some weird formatting.
TGS: Blue Dragon hits Japan this holiday
Microsoft's expects their arrangement with legendary game designer, and father of the massively popular Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi to earn them a considerable amount of sales in Japan. Sakaguchi's new studio, Mistwalker, is working on two RPGs exclusively for the Xbox 360: Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Microsoft announced today that Blue Dragon will lead the console's Japanese push this holiday, along with over 110 other games. Microsoft was unable to confirm what percentage of those titles are digitally distributed Xbox Live Arcade games versus retail DVD-based games, though the North American numbers are about 110 DVD-based, 50 XBLA.As a sign of the strategic importance of the title, they'll begin bundling Blue Dragon with the recently revealed Core version of the console, creating an intoxicatingly affordable package. Like the HD-DVD announcement, there is no release date for regions outside Japan. Blue Dragon will be playable for the first time at TGS, so we'll be sure to get our hands all over it. Microsoft's TGS press briefing:HD-DVD add-on hits Japan Nov. 17th for ¥19,800Xbox 360 to add 1080p support, PS3 to lose bullet point
