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Extended Wild Arms XF trailer
Here's a pretty comprehensive look at the upcoming PSP-exclusive SRPG, Wild Arms XF. This Japanese trailer clocks in at three minutes, and showcases the attractive 2D sprites the game employs. It'll be interesting to see whether or not Wild Arms XF has the stuff to compete against Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics.
Insect Wars preorder papercraft
Now that Kanji Dragon's release is behind us, it's time for us to set our sights on the next Success Corp. release that we plan to obsess over: Insect Wars (Konchuu Wars). The latest update on the tactical RPG's site shows off a papercraft model of a horned beetle -- just one of the dozens of customizable units in your army of mechanized bugs -- equipped with an intimidating cannon on its back. This will presumably be offered as a limited gift to gamers who preorder Insect Wars in Japan. Scurry past the post break for a better look at the paper replica.
E307: Front Mission DS interview and media galore
We've got a flood of Front Mission DS media for you today. In addition to the new screenshots viewable in the gallery below, there's also a minute-and-a-half-long trailer for the Square Enix SRPG past the post break. If you need more than just combat clips and menu hopping to get you going, scroll down a bit further for the original Japanese trailer.Front Mission DS finally bring the series' first entry to the states, adding touchscreen controls, multiplayer battles (local only), and several new Wanzers to the mech-based title. While this release already includes the alternative UCS storyline from the PlayStation remake, five new missions specific to the DS version have also been added.RPGamer had a chance to sit down with producer Koichiro Sakamoto to discuss the handheld port and his thoughts on bringing more Front Mission games to the DS. According to the interview, were it not for the campaigning of a particular team member, North America might not have received the game: "There was one [who] was very passionate about the game, and wanted to give players in the United States the chance to experience. He felt that Front Mission 3 and 4 proved that there is a userbase, and since the DS is currently very popular, the thinking went, 'Why not give it a try?'"%Gallery-4781%
Luminous Arc site localized along with game
Atlus played it smart, sending its press releases out before E3 officially kicks off with announcements from bigger publishers. This time tomorrow, we'll be too busy with megatons like Brain Age: With a Vengeance to even register news about Draglade's localization, a Trauma Center sequel, or, in this case, the launch of Luminous Arc's official English site. If you're curious at all about the details that separate this Marvelous-Interactive-developed title from other SRPGs -- synergy attacks, flash drives, and online battles -- definitely hit the page up. As for "extras," there isn't much there yet except for the standard wallpapers, but we're hoping for some Etrian-Odyssey-esque hilarity by the time Luminous Arc's August 14th release comes into view.
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!
X-Com: Screenshots from the Deep
We would trade our souls for a DS version of X-Com: UFO Defense, had we not already sold the bedraggled things to Milhouse at a discount price of five dollars of course, but it looks like Blue_knight's homebrew port of the tactical RPG is coming along well enough. Three cheers for hobbyist programmers!He has added a lot since we last covered the project -- tile selection, a tweaked UI, and an "entity rendering system." Though we're not sure what exactly that all means, the screenshots we grabbed and added past the post break look promising. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some souls to track down. Last we heard, Milhouse exchanged them for Alf pogs. Alf pogs! Remember Alf? He's back ... in pog form.%Gallery-4133%
Metareview: Hoshigami Remix
Hoshigami Remix may look a little bit like Final Fantasy Tactics, but apparently that's the bitter end of all similarity. The best thing we can say here is that the reviews are packed with hilarity. The bad reviews say good things, and the good reviews seem delivered with disdain. It's like everyone signed a pact to be as confusing as possible!But when it comes to the scores, we're disappointed -- a less-than-good SRPG on the DS just seems like a waste, considering the platform is so well-suited to the game type. Some of you reported difficulty finding Hoshigami Remix in stores this week -- and upon reflection, that may not be such a bad thing.RPGFan -- 70%: "I did not enjoy playing Hoshigami: Remix. I did not find it fun. I found it irritating, monotonous, and cruel. There is a dedicated fanbase for this game, however, and if you're one of them, you will love the port. Also, if you play on Easy mode, none of the enemies can use Coinfeigms making most of the game a joke. I played on Normal and found the difficulty to be very uneven. Overall, you'll need to figure out for yourself whether or not you are the type of person who would enjoy Hoshigami: Remix. Most likely, however, you're not."Games Radar -- 40%: "Almost all of these annoyances were present in the original Hoshigami, which is perhaps the most aggravating part of Remix. Despite all of the criticism levied against the original, the remake team failed to fix what needed to be repaired most. That's not to say there aren't any gameplay improvements - revival magic, once rare in the original, is available right off the bat, the stylus-controlled interface is quite intuitive, and you're allowed to save far more frequently (though there still isn't an in-battle quicksave feature). But in the end, these miniscule improvements tacked onto a broken game are like repairing a wrecked car with duct tape."1UP -- 55%: "Basically, if you approach the game the wrong way, the newly tweaked difficulty will become a moot point by the time you get halfway through the game. Unfortunately, though, concentrating early on building your magical skills (which is really the best way to go) makes the first half of the game that much easier. Too easy, really. You'll be able to perform spells that your enemies just can't handle at that point in the game, thus wiping out entire armies in the blink of an eye. With all that being said, Hoshigami Remix is a satisfying role-playing experience, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into. Hardcore players may actually lament the slight ease in difficulty and the fact that the game doesn't give them the character development freedom it really should. But as far as portable RPGs go, you could do a lot worse than Hoshigami."
Opening FFTA2's Sealed Grimoire
Jeux France has the goods on the races (as well as new images and scans) in the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire: Human, Viera, Moogle, Bangaa, and Nu Moh. Sound familiar? They should, if you played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Hey, it's a sequel -- did you expect other furry animal-based races?We know some of you are looking forward to the title (and others, not so much), and though the details are starting to shape up, we're as yet undecided on how we feel about this game. In the end, since it's Final Fantasy, and we're shameless addicts, we'll probably give it a go, despite the question of Tactics vs. Tactics Advance being just as polarizing, if not more so, than the idea of Tingle starring in his own games.
A trio of Jeanne D'arc movies
The upcoming PSP SRPG, Jeanne D'arc looks incredible. Three new videos showcase the beautiful anime cutscenes, graphics, and accessible gameplay. It looks to have all the things that make Level-5 games so good. We're still a bit iffy on the voice acting, but color us impressed by everything else. The RPG will hit the handheld towards the end of summer, in August. Check out the two other videos, after the cut.
New Wild Arms XF screenshots
We tried thinking up a more original headline than this. Seriously. However, there isn't much to note in this new batch of screenshots from the upcoming Wild Arms XF. It looks juts like every other anime-inspired SRPG out there, with some simple, but attractive 2D graphics, and a genre-standard HUD. Maybe a few of our more Japanese-inclined readers can decipher a few new details from the newly updated website.%Gallery-3795%
Spotlight on Luminous Arc
GameSpot recently spent some quality time with Luminous Arc, the strategy RPG Atlus is bringing to the US in August, and things are looking good. Of course, all we really need to know is that Luminous Arc offers online battles -- a feature missing in other popular DS strategy games -- and even if it were low quality, we'd probably be lining up to give it a go. Character, story, gameplay? That's just gravy. Give us our WiFi battles!Luckily for us, Luminous Arc seems to have it all: an interesting story, both new and familiar SRPG mechanics, and a choice between stylus-based controls and traditional controls. The only issue the folks at GameSpot could find to really pick on -- in this early preview, at least -- is that players can't rotate the camera, which can occasionally lead to some targeting issues. The build available to them didn't seem to have finished voice acting, either, which we assume means that the game will in fact be dubbed. But let's not be picky here. Because it's Atlus, the localization will be effective, and we'll get right into managing everyone's relationships. We're just glad to hear that we'll probably have fun while doing so. %Gallery-3274%
Front Mission 1st coming to the US?
We were convinced that Square Enix would never bring Front Mission 1st stateside, leaving us to languish with only fantasy-based SRPGs for the duration of our handheld's life. Front Mission's "marketing blog" says that won't be the case, and if we're to believe the sweet whispers they've murmured into our ears when the lights are out and everyone's asleep, the localization process is already well underway.The team hasn't show much beyond a single English-translated screenshot from one of the futuristic mecha game's cutscenes, but we expect to be hit with more media once the North American version is officially announced. As of now, the only bit of information we've heard is that the US title won't be suffixed with the 1st numbering, shortening it down to just Front Mission.[Via NeoGAF]
Summon Night coming to DS
Banpresto's Summon Night series of RPG's finally made it to the U.S. last year on the Game Boy Advance. Fans of the GBA action-RPG's will be happy to know that Summon Night is getting a new entry on the DS: Summon Night: Twin Age. The original Summon Night games were strategy RPG's similar to Tactics Ogre, but this, like the GBA games, is more action-oriented. It stars two plucky youths named Aldo and Leeha who want to become great summoners-- you know, standard RPG stuff. They want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To find gems is their real test-- to use them to summon monsters is their cause.Twin Age will be released in Japan in August. No word on if Atlus will pick it up for localization.%Gallery-3357%
Wakfu DS: Less MMORPG, more SRPG
Ankama Games would probably be the last developer you'd expect to be working on a DS project, having released only Flash-based MMORPGs in the past. The French studio's success with Dofus, an addictive, 2D MMORPG that brought in over three million players, however, has afforded the company opportunities for merchandising, a spin-off "arena" game, and a DS supplement for its next PC title, Wakfu (not to be confused with the awful fighting game, Shaq Fu).While Wakfu DS won't have the MMO features that its PC counterpart boasts, Ankama Games promises to give the handheld title its own identity as an SRPG. If the tactical, single-player adventure turns out to be too lonely for you, there will also be a multiplayer mode that allows you to play with three other local friends. With two different carts planned -- Light and Darkness -- that might be the only way to explore some of the version-exclusive dungeons.Like Pogo Island, Wakfu DS will come with some creative connectivity, allowing you to transfer rare items that you've acquired in the portable game to your Wakfu MMORPG account. Now that's slick! Check past the post break for the PC game's trailer.
Luminous Arc from every angle
The combination of Marvelous Interactive and Atlus USA usually equals something unique, if nothing else. Luminous Arc, the new strategy RPG set to debut outside Japan this year, also seems to have undergone the in-depth localization that marks out so many of the titles Atlus publishes for Western gamers.In a recent fan-based interview with the Atlus team at Siliconera, Luminous Arc was compared with the classic Final Fantasy Tactics. Atlus Editor Clayton Chan, who worked on both titles, said that they gameplay in Final Fantasy Tactics definitely wins, but the characters in Luminous Arc are hard to beat. That's high praise, considering not many games can stand next to FFT. See for yourself, at least when it comes to screens, after the jump.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 trailer revealed
After teasing us with screenshots and magazine scans of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 for weeks, Square Enix has finally given us a video preview of the upcoming SRPG. The trailer clocks in at just under three minutes, cycling through story cutscenes, reworked map mechanics, and new special attacks. Jump past the post break for the clip, and let us know what you think!
More details on Wild Arms XF
The official Japanese Wild Arms XF website has opened, although it doesn't provide too much information. IGN, however, has uncovered a treasure trove of new details on the upcoming PSP-exclusive SRPG: "Set once again in the land of Falgaia, Wild Arms XF tells the story of Clarisa, a knight in the army of the peaceful kingdom of Elecius. The story begins when the queen is killed in what appears to be more than just an accident." "During battle, you move the members of your party in turn with the enemies." "By connecting your PSP to your PS2 via USB, you'll unlock six secret bosses in Wild Arms 5. XF sees more benefit, as you get better items and rewards and even get to see some special events." As PSP Fanboy reader trystero said: "Handhelds and SRPGs go together like glue and ... well, more glue." Hopefully, Wild Arms XF will prove to be a worthwhile addition to the PSP library.[Thanks, Thien!]
Wild Arms XF revealed to be new SRPG
Finally! Concrete details about Wild Arms are slowly coming out of Japan. Gamers have been waiting for even the tiniest morsel of information since the game was first announced last September. New scans from Famitsu, available at Jeux-France, showcase a new look for the game, as it treads into strategy RPG territory. While fans are always welcome a new Wild Arms, some are disappointed the game is straying from its roots. With Jeanne d'Arc and Final Fantasy Tactics also coming on PSP, some are wondering if another high-profile SRPG is really all that necessary on our handheld.Regardless, the game certainly looks pretty. It appears the title will also have connectivity with Wild Arms 5 on PS2, so true fans of the series will want to pick up both. We hope to unearth more details and screenshots in the coming weeks.
Jeanne d'Arc comes to US this August [Update 1]
Jeanne d'Arc has easily been one of our most anticipated games for the system. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has just announced a US release date for this strategy RPG, and it's a little sooner than we thought. This August, players will be able to take on Level 5's latest SRPG, based very loosely on the story of Joan of Arc. Check out our previous coverage of the game, and don't forget to look at the beautiful new English screenshots, after the break. [Update 1: Sony has opened a sparse, but beautiful, official website for the game.]
Front Mission 1st promotional trailer
Preparing for Front Mission 1st's March 22nd release in Japan, Square Enix has released a two-minute promotional video for the futuristic SRPG. The trailer features a touchscreen demonstration and several dozen gameplay clips bookended with two gorgeous FMV scenes.Players will command an army of customizable mechas, directing their turn-based skirmishes over a 21st century battlefield. While Front Mission 1st will be a remake of the identically-titled 2003 Playstation game (already an enhanced port of the first 1995 SNES original), this first entry to the Front Mission series has never seen an official North American release. Most of the screenshots at the Front Mission 1st site indicate that essential menus will be in English, but the Japanese-heavy dialogue and plot text is still a high barrier for possible importers. [Via NeoGAF]
