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Report: Dragon Quest 7 remake on 3DS coming to Japan in February
Square Enix is porting PSOne RPG Dragon Quest 7 (known as Dragon Warrior 7 here in the states) to the 3DS, it would seem. According to a scan from Japanese mag Jump, the planned port is slated to launch on 3DS sometime in February of next year, Tiny Cartridge reports.Right now that's all we've got to go on. The article mentions no new additions or features in the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest 7. We've followed up with Square Enix for comment and will update accordingly.
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm Generations revealed
Look, we'll admit it: we're spectators when it comes to this Naruto thing. Honestly, it feels like the world is playing a joke on us. Is Naruto a guy? A mythical dragon god beast king? A lunch special at the take-out place around the corner?Jokes aside, another entry in the long-running video game series has been revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine (via Siliconera). No consoles have been mentioned yet, but the premise seems simple enough: more fighters, both young and Shippuden versions; more unnecessarily lengthy pre-fight dialog; more of the Naruto timeline to play through. It's the Dragon Ball Z formula in full effect, we assume.But, hey, if you're trying to make sense of this all, relax -- we know a guy.[Note: Image taken from Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2.]
Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy coming to PSP next year
Square Enix just revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump (via Siliconera) that a sequel to Dissidia: Final Fantasy will arrive on Japanese PSPs sometime in 2011. Titled "Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy," the new fighter was created specifically as a challenge to website copy editors. Outside of FFIV's Kain and FFXIII's Lightning, no other playable characters have been confirmed. We get the feeling you'll see an expanded roster of fan-favorite brawlers at next week's Tokyo Game Show.
Final Fantasy XIII character progression system explained
Though the effeminate hairstyles have managed to stay in tact as the Final Fantasy franchise has evolved, one element seems to change from game to game: The character progression system. From Materia to Guardian Forces to the Sphere Grid and plain ol' leveling up, the series has introduced some novel forms of strengthening your characters. It sounds like Final Fantasy XIII will be no different -- according to the latest issue of Shonen Jump, the RPG introduces a new progression system called "Crystalium." Andriasang laid out the gist of how the system operates -- instead of gaining experience from battles, players earn "Crystal Points," which they can then spend on new abilities and stat boosts which are arranged on a circular chart. As you progress down one of the chart's specialization trees, you unlock stronger abilities; Fire leads to Fira, and so on. Sounds a lot like the aforementioned Sphere Grid -- but we suppose we'll have to wait until we get our hands on the game before we can make a more insightful assessment.
Taito's Wii LostMagic followup arrives in Japan May 21
We last heard about Takt of Magic (and first heard about Takt of Magic) when Nintendo slipped the game into its Japanese media conference lineup video. The latest Shonen Jump, as reproduced by Siliconera, finally brings another mention of the Taito-developed action RPG, revealing a Japanese release date of May 21, along with a few screens and a bit of character art. The exact relationship between this game and the DS's LostMagic is unclear -- it could be a sequel or a "spiritual sequel." The new game, which stars new characters Charlotte and Orville, uses a gimmick similar to LostMagic's touchscreen spell input: spells are done by drawing runes onscreen with the Wiimote pointer. We'll have to wait until Nintendo says anything at all about this game to find out more.%Gallery-33436%
Dragonball Z HD refresh sees details, trailer pop up ahead of April 5 launch
The 100 episode limited edition high definition reintroduction of DragonBall Z has a name: DragonBall Kai, and a fresh HD trailer, embedded and lovingly fansubbed after the jump. More details have come out about the series since it was revealed, with the backers still emphasizing "no cropping" of original scenes, renewed opening and closing music plus re-recorded background songs. Just 24 more days to go.
Dragonball Z refreshed & renewed in HD for 20th Anniversary
Avoiding the obvious solution of gravity training, the original Dragonball Z TV series is getting remastered for HD, in honor of its 20th anniversary. According to this Shonen Jump scan, the reworked episodes will begin airing in Japan April 5, with footage extended (we're hoping that doesn't mean stretched, it doesn't seem like it) for 16x9 displays, with remastered sound effects and, where available, re-dubbed vocals by the original cast. The remastered edition will only consist of 100 episodes or so, but we're sure DBZ fans are already preparing to import this one on Blu-ray.[Via OKP]
Japan now to have two WiiWare manga services
Sunsoft's WiiWare manga viewer, through which users can download manga for a fee, is a great idea. At least, Shonen Jump seems to think so. At their Jump Festa event, the publication offered demos of a WiiWare service called Mangaon, branded with the name of Jump's online manga site Jumpland.Posters indicate that the service, also available on DSi, will have some kind of "game" element -- a 3D world with original characters to interact with. This could be the navigation system for the manga. The real draw here is Jump's stable of manga: One Piece and Dragon Ball were on display in the demo. Surprisingly, the web version of Jumpland actually includes a site for English-language manga, and, of course, Shonen Jump is outrageously popular in the West, so it's not entirely unbelievable for Jump to consider bringing this service over.
Shonen Jump spills Blood of Bahamut details
Square Enix launched one of its beloved countdown sites recently, but was beaten to its own reveal by Shonen Jump magazine. The mystery game, as seen in this blurry screenshot, is Blood of Bahamut, an action RPG with four-player local co-op play and 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. Oh, and it looks a bit like Shadow of the Colossus, though that's more of an observation than a criticism. We're not going to sling mud at any game that is inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, because Shadow of the Colossus is freakin' brilliant.Anyhow, Shadow, sorry, Blood of Bahamut will feature two protagonists, Ibuki and Yui, who live in a city constructed on the back of a giant. On paper, that sounds great -- they'd get lovely views and lots of fresh air, for example -- but their giant keeps getting attacked by other hefty enemies, who they have to ward off. And to think the agent said such good things about the neighbors.Ruliweb has the full scans, but we also recommend feasting your eyes on this exceptional concept art.[Via Final Fantasy Union; Thanks, Darryl!]
New Final Fantasy lets DS and Wii gamers play at the same time
Fans of Square Enix and their Final Fantasy line of games are in for a treat. The company revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine that it's developing a new installment in its Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series of games. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a game that will release on the DS and Wii on January 29th. Also, it will allow DS gamers and Wii gamers to play together online. How neat is that?Nothing in the way of exact functionality is explained, other than the prospect of transferring your Mii from the Wii version of the game to the DS title (and the previously mentioned co-op). We'll provide more information as it's made available.
Square Enix reveals new Final Fantasy for Wii
The latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine in Japan details a new game from Square Enix in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles franchise, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. Other than having a ridiculously long name, the title will allow DS and Wii gamers to play alongside each other at the same time online. It will even allow you to transfer your Mii from the Wii version of the game to the DS version!The game has a release date of January 29th listed and when more info is made available, we'll update you all. Who's excited for some more Final Fantasy on Wii?[Via Final Fantasy Union]
Final Fantasy XIII and Versus screenshots in Shonen Jump
Japanese manga weekly Shonen Jump has some new screenshots of both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII for us to check out. Unfortunately, the screenshots are tiny but it does show the new locale of a crystallized lake. We also see Lighting, her blonde male companion and the girl with pigtails appear together in a screenshot for the very first time. Not much in terms of information here either, other than what we already know from DKΣ3713. Check out the scans here. PS3Hyper speculates the next issue of gaming bible Famitsu will reveal more about these Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII titles, so stay tuned. [Via PS3Hyper]
Tiny screens from Tales of Hearts get our blood pumping
We already showed you a snippet of the Shonen Jump scans for Tales of Hearts, but Gamekyo recently added more, this time showing off some enticing (albeit tiny) screens. Like some of you, we're trying not to put our hearts into Tales of Hearts, just because we don't want them broken if the game doesn't get localized. Normally we're localization optimists, but after Namco Bandai decided to work on the Wii's Tales of Symphonia as well as the 360's Tales of Vesperia, but not the DS's Tales of Innocence, we've been a little bitter. We won't even mention our still stinging wounds over Tales of the Tempest, even if it wasn't too well recieved -- except that we just did. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: if any system deserves catering to niche audiences, it's the DS.Rant aside, enjoy the lovely screens! We'll just be out back, crying softly to ourselves.
First image of Chrono Trigger DS revealed
So, apparently the game isn't getting a visual overhaul in the slightest, as, should our memory serve us correct, the images in the scan to the right look exactly like the original SNES title. Hey, we're not complaining! Who has any right to complain about Chrono Trigger getting re-released for the DS? Nobody, that's who!Seriously, we're so stoked for this game, we doubt any other happening could ever rival it. Actually, if Abraham Lincoln and George Washington rose out of their graves to take part in a zombie steel-cage match, it would probably rival Chrono Trigger. But, Chrono would still win. See how crazy this game is making us?
Chrono Trigger DS: For real!
According to Wii Everyday, this suspiciously tiny snippet of a page from Shonen Jump was posted on 2ch. It very clearly features the original Chrono Trigger logo and a note that it's coming in 2008 from Square Enix. We'd be more likely to believe that this is a joke from some jerk 2cher than real evidence that the Square supergroup's RPG is being remade for a DS release this year.That is, we'd be more likely to believe it was a joke if not for this. Seriously, click that link. You will say "wow." Now all we need to know is if this is a port, a remake, a sequel, or a card-based spinoff![Thanks, Jason!]
Naruto: Clash of the sequel
Tomy continues to dish out Naruto games faster than you can blink, this time promising a Clash of Ninja Revolution sequel for the Wii. Although the odds of a sequel were likely, news of the game was recently confirmed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump. Developer 8ing promises that the fighting game will have even more characters than before, including Choji and Kiba. Is there anyone else that you Naruto fans are hoping will make an appearance?Shonen Jump also reports that there will be destructible and explosive objects added in to make the fights more interesting, as seen in Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX2. Furthermore, the westernized version will have exclusive story elements and environments not seen in the Japanese game.The only other news we have on Clash 2 for now is that it will support multiple control schemes, including the GameCube and Classic controllers.[Via Siliconera]
Jump Ultimate Stars translation project forked, anxious gamers hoping to spoon with new lead
Localizing Jump Ultimate Stars, the acclaimed 2D fighter featuring hundreds of Shonen Jump characters, would be a licensing nightmare for any US publisher, so don't expect an official announcement for a US release any time soon. We've rested our hopes of ever playing the game in English on the fan-lead translation project instead.But with over eleven months passed since the effort began, we've yet to see any public patches, and many are starting to worry that the project has stalled, doomed to sit around incomplete while interest dwindles. Deufeufeu, the same ROM hacker leading the FFTA2 translation team, has stepped in to kick the effort back into gear, forking the project and bringing some much-needed organization to the process.Having already created a "working patch system," extracted all the game's text, and readied other elements important to the game's translation -- all within a week -- Deufeufeu promises to deliver a patch this weekend, with regular stable and unstable releases to follow. Bring your koma deck past the break for more Jump Ultimate Stars screenshots sprinkled with English text.
Two PlayStation ports summoned to the DS
Further emphasizing the DS's status as the system that companies want to rerelease their old RPGs on, the latest issue of Shonen Jump revealed today that Summon Night 1 and 2, both originally PlayStation titles, are headed for the DS. We haven't been able to glean much information from the Japanese magazine's photographed page yet, but it looks like the two SRPGs will be released separately and not as a collection, the first one slated for Spring 2008, its sequel planned for Summer.Though the GBA and DS received several Summon Night side-story ARPGs, the first two of which were eventually brought to the US by Atlus, this will be the first time that entries from the main series see a handheld port. Neither Summon Night 1 or 2 ever made it stateside -- this seems like an excellent opportunity for a North American publisher to finally localize the games![Via Ruliweb]
Friday Video: Fast as lightning
Since we talked a little about import games here this morning, showing off a trailer for a game often mentioned in the same breath as "if only" seemed appropriate for our video spotlight. If you're one of the four people around who isn't familiar with Jump Ultimate Stars, let us enlighten you. Jump Ultimate Stars is a fighting game packed with hundreds of manga characters. Yes, hundreds, from dozens of series ... and it also happens to be a great fighting game on the DS. Check out one of the trailers for the game after the jump.
