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Tales of Hearts R coming West, stealing your heart winter 2014
Vita-owning JRPG fans, no need to eat your heart out: Namco's Tales of Hearts R is coming to the West this winter. The game, which is a remake of Tales of Hearts for the Nintendo DS featuring new content, was originally released in Japan in March of last year. Tales series producer Hideo Baba announced the news in a special video, where he was surrounded by Tales series merchandise. Just in case you weren't sure who he was or what you were watching. This is particularly good news for fans of the series, since Baba said last year that at the time, there were no plans to bring any of the Tales games for Vita to the West. While Baba himself offered no other details on the game in the video announcement, Gematsu reports that Tales of Hearts R will be a GameStop exclusive in North America, though players will also be able to download it through the PSN. Only half a year before those of us on western shores get to tell some Tales on the Vita - be still our beating Hearts. R. [Image: Namco]
'Tales of Zestiria' trademark filed in Europe
Namco Bandai has made discovering what the next Tales game will be a bit of a puzzle, but a European trademark for "Tales of Zestiria," which comes darn close to the "Tales of Zestoria" spotted last month, might shed some light on the situation. Or spur speculation. Either one, really. You can check out the trademark yourself by visiting the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market's website and searching "Tales of Zestiria." Siliconera spotted the filing, which is attributed to Namco Bandai, and is currently listed as "under examination." While many trademarks never amount to anything and there are plenty of "Tales of" trademarks, the fact that Namco has filed for a trademark in the European market that nearly matches one filed in Japan is reason to pause, and continue to tell these tales of trademarks.
'Tales of' trademark registration by Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai must be having a giggle by this point, as the publisher has registered several more trademarks for "Tales of" games that make us question the very fabric of reality. Siliconera has translated a report by Hachima Kiko, which found trademarks for Tales of Memories, Tales of Favorite and... Tales of Bibliotheca (stop it!). This follows other recent Tales of Trademarks, which include (deep breath): Tales of Zestoria, Tales of Creales, Tales of Catastora, Tales of Link (good luck getting that past Nintendo's lawyers), Tales of Jin and Tales of Ansis. As Siliconera points out, not all these trademarks will turn into games, but it is fun telling these tales of Tales of Trademark Registration.
Tales Studio being fully absorbed by Namco Bandai
Tales of Absorption? Tales of Dissolution? Namco Bandai announced this morning that it plans to absorb the Namco Tales Studio, producers of the company's successful Tales series, on January 1, 2012. No reason was given for the move. The Tales Studio is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai formed in 1986 as Wolf Team, changing its name in 2003 when Namco became the majority shareholder. It has since been the lead studio of the publisher's flagship RPG series. It's not like Namco Bandai is planning to get out of the Tales business, since the publisher just raised its financial forecast based on the success of Tales of Xillia.
Namco Bandai teases new 'Tales of' title
Tales of Xillia and its Ayumi Hamasaki theme song has only been available in Japan for a few days, but that won't stop Namco Bandai from diverting money attention away from its new release and onto an even newer, less available and yet more mysterious entry in the Tales series by way of countdown website. Since the website is registered to a .co.jp address, we figure the reveal will most likely be a new entry in the series, rather than a US release for Xillia or other stateside news. Also, the big sparkly glowing "New Tales of" is kind of a dead giveaway.
Tales of Graces F 'coming soon to North America'
Namco Bandai is doing what many fans thought would be impossible: It's localizing another Tales game. A teaser site reveals that Tales of Graces F is "coming soon to North America," even though everyone pretty much figured that out already. No other details have been revealed, like why, when and Wii? (The original Tales of Graces was a Wii release in Japan.) Although we eagerly await more information, this confirmation should be good enough for most Tales fans. Well, except the really angry ones who don't have a PS3.
Namco Bandai teaser site suggests Tales of Graces F localization [update]
Yesterday, Namco Bandai posted a link on Facebook to a series of glyphs on its company site. It turned out each glyph represented a letter, and with the puzzle solved a new site was spelled out: ATaleOfTwoRichards.com. And that site has brought us the blurred image seen above, which bears a notable resemblance to the logo (posted after the break) for Tales of Graces F, the PS3 port of Tales of Graces that was released in Japan in early December. Additionally, the "Richard" in the URL could be a reference to the character of the same name, who appears both as a child and an adult in the game (which could sort of be considered "two Richards"). Even more conclusive evidence that Namco is doing the impossible and actually localizing a Tales game can be found after the break, in the form of the less blurred image that was initially posted on the teaser site, according to NeoGAF poster miladesn. Update: Namco has refreshed ATaleofTwoRichards.com with an even blurrier image and the date "2.2.2011" (February 2). Update [2/2/11, 3:20PM ET]: Namco has updated the teaser site with -- if you can believe it -- the blurriest image yet. Additionally, the teased date of "2.2.2011" has been removed. So now what? Update [2/2/11, 4:30PM ET]: Well, hey now!
Tales of Xillia announced by Namco Bandai
The mysterious PS3 Tales of title has now been formally announced by Namco Bandai as Tales of Xillia ... because apparently the existing Tales of titles weren't ridiculous enough. So is that pronounced "Sillia," "Shillia," "Chillia" or "Ex-illia?" Andriasang reports the game will be launch sometime in 2011 on PS3 under the direction of Anana Inoki (Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World) and Naoto Miyadera (Tales of Symphonia and Of The Abyss). It will also be backed by a theme song from Ayumi Hamasaki. No word yet on an international release.
New 'Tales of' game formally announced, first concept art revealed
Namco Bandai has officially acknowledged the existence of a leaked Tales of title. Andriasang reports series producer Hideo Baba confirmed at a press conference that there is a new entry coming to PS3, but that it's currently nameless -- shooting down rumor that it'll be called "Tales of Unitia." There is currently no release window for the game, but some concept art was shown (pictured). Additionally, the company verified the port Tales of Graces F for the PS3 this winter, which will include an "after-story" that wasn't in the original Wii game. A Namco Bandai representative informed Joystiq that the publisher currently has no plans to release "Tales of Graces (PS3)" in North America.
Tales of Graces coming to PS3, new Tales game revealed
Tales of Graces and a new, currently unnamed Tales of title are on the way to PlayStation 3, according to info leaked from Japanese mag Jump (translated by Andriasang). Tales of Graces F will be the second entry in Namco Bandai's popular RPG series to ditch platform exclusivity before undergoing enhancement for PS3. The formerly Wii-exclusive title will get a facelift and some added features before it debuts in Japan this winter (possibly to the sound of snapping game discs). Namco has also revealed plans to release Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 on PSP sometime in 2011. We'll let you know as soon as the publisher shares its plans for North America and Europe. Update: Namco currently has no plans to release "Tales of Graces (PS3)" in North America.
New Tales of Graces trailer features cute characters, a lonely world
If you've been keeping score at home you'd know we are pretty excited for Tales of Graces and its spider-legged tanks. Like recent entries in the famed Tales of franchise, the upcoming Wii-exclusive JRPG showcases a simple and colorful art style, but based on the game's second trailer we can't help but notice the world looks suspiciously barren. Could the limited NPCs be a story element? Perhaps the spider-legged tanks are to blame! Our actual guess? Everyone in the world is away to training camp, preparing for the upcoming brawl that is Tales of VS. Check out the full trailer for Tales of Graces after the break.[Via GoNintendo]
New Tales of VS characters revealed, bonus DVD for Japanese pre-orders
In the latest issue of Famitsu, Namco Bandai revealed nine more characters for its Tales of based fighting game, Tales of VS, via 1UP. The PSP-exclusive title will feature a roster of characters comprised completely of Tales of alumni across all 13 games in the series. Since announcing the title last month, Namco Bandai has revealed 20 of its 35 characters.Tales of VS is slated to hit Japanese stores on June 6; no North American release plans have been announced at this time. Japanese gamers who pre-order the title (beginning May 21) will receive a special edition DVD with content from the game's voice cast.A listing of all currently revealed characters is available after the break.
Rumor: Three more 'Tales of' games trademarked in Japan
Namco Bandai has trademarked three more Tales of titles in Japan -- to go along with the other three rumored titles from earlier this month -- according to Siliconera. Utilizing the insane power of Dr. Frankenstein, Namco Bandai is said to have concocted the following titles for the long running series: Tales of Blessia Tales of Startear Tales of Floria (Look ma! A real word!) Tales of SomeoneNeedsSpellCheckia While it isn't out of the realm of possibility that Namco Bandai plans to release six Tales of titles, we'd just guess the mass trademarking was done to snag the names before someone else could. After all, made up words -- much like fossil fuels -- are one of the world's most sought after resources.
Rumor: Three new 'Tales of' games trademarked
NeoGAF poster Stormbringer notes that three new "Tales of" titles have been trademarked in Japan. As we all know by now: as long as the Bonnie and Clyde team of I and A work with "Tales of" gang, no half-mutilated word is safe from becoming part of the title in the JRPG series. The alleged newcomers: Tales of Floweria Tales of Gracia Tales of Unitia Tales of Makeitstopia Meanwhile, we're going to start an underground railroad for words that actually end with i and a. We fear for their safety in this inhospitable land. Seek refuge: cornucopia, utopia, fuchsia, echolalia ... echolalia.[Via Go Nintendo]
PS3 Tales game appears, then disappears, on Namco site
The official Japanese portal for the Tales series of games was recently updated with the newly announced DS and PSP Tales games. The site allows navigation by platform, and for a brief moment, PS3 was an available option. Since then, the site has been updated and PS3 can no longer be seen.This isn't the first time Namco Bandai has teased (accidentally, or not) a PS3 Tales game. Recently, Famitsu has reported that PS3 will receive some kind of Tales game. But will it be a port of the currently 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia game ... or will it be something different altogether?[Thanks, Cagalli! Via PS3Forums]
Tales of Vesperia demo lands on Far East Marketplace
Role-playing fans heed our words! A demo for Tales of Vesperia, the upcoming role-playing game from Namco Bandai, dropped on the Xbox Live Marketplace in Asia and India early this morning. Weighing in at a slim 278 MB, the demo marks the debut of the long standing Tales of series on a Western-made platform. With the full version due later this summer demo for Tales of Vesperia lets gamers sample the action as the warrior Yuri; as he and a group of other whimsically cell-shaded characters navigate Ehmead Hill and battle it out with various creatures in the franchise's popular real-time combat engine. No word on a North American release for the demo but considering the demo is completely in English (including all spoken dialogue) it may find its way Stateside soon.
Tales of Vesperia scans from Famitsu
The upcoming, Xbox 360 exclusive, Tales of Vesperia has had a standard position in Japan's popular gaming publication Famitsu since it was first announced. Gamersyde offered up scans of this week's issue that details the beautiful visuals of the next step in the popular role-playing game franchise. As we reported last month, Tales of Vesperia is currently slated for release exclusively on the Xbox 360 but could eventually see life on the PlayStation 3. The game is set for release in 2009 in both 2008 in Japan and is rumored to hit sometime in 2009 Stateside, details of a European release have yet to be released but gamers should expect a release sometime in 2009 as well.Update: Namco Bandai is confirming the title is scheduled for a 2008 release in Japan.
Eat this! You never had a chance against my swords!
We love the gameplay of Tales games: the real-time battles certainly make for some intense clashes. Tales of the World looks to be just as fun as its console counterparts, but we're concerned about one thing: voice acting. The new videos posted on IGN might look good, but they certainly don't sound too pleasing. The one-liners that the characters spew every time they say an attack became tiresome even within this tiny clip. Please, Namco Bandai: let us turn off the voices, okay?
Tales of the World coming to America
We've complained about our lack of Tales of the World a lot on the Fanboy. Well, it looks like Namco Bandai is finally listening and giving English-speaking gamers what we want: a localized version of Tales of the World. This PSP-exclusive RPG is a fan-service feast for Tales fans, featuring characters from previous Tales games, such as Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss.In an interview with IGN, Namco Bandai revealed that "players will be able to use Grade Points they have earned in battle to purchase special items or equipment ... the US version of Tales of the World will be slightly more tuned than the overseas version."While that's certainly good news, we can only hope for more in the future: "Although I do not have details as to whether other PSP Tales titles will be reaching the shores of the US at this point, I can say that such possibilities do indeed exist." Tales of the World will hit American shores later this year.See also:Pictures, Anime Intro, Video
Tales of Destiny 2 to have extra content
Game Watch has reported that the PSP version of Tales of Destiny 2 (due out February in Japan) will have several differences from its previous release. The biggest addition is the three new characters, but the game will also have an illustration gallery and a new anime opening movie. These additions are all great, but only make it more difficult to take if the game never comes out in English. While you wait to find out if it does come out here though, you can check out our previous Tales coverage.
