Πέρασε ολόκληρη E3 και ο γραφών την άφησε ασχολίαστη τόσο καιρό. Δυστυχώς δεν έχουμε και τόσα πολλά νέα για το χώρο των ανατολικών παιχνιδιών ρόλων, παρόλα αυτά τις τελευταίες μέρες ειπώθηκαν αρκετά ωραία πράγματα, που αξίζει να σημειωθούν. Ας ρίξουμε μία ματιά σε όλα όσα έγιναν αυτές τις μέρες.

Dragon Quest Wii: Sells 200,000 on Day One in Japan!

Dragon Quest Swords on Wii went on sale in Japan yesterday and early reports state that the game has already sold 200,000 in just one day, with an expected first week shipment of 350,000 units. Can it surpass the 500,000 units the original TV plug-in game sold?

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Golden Sun Rising on DS?

Joystiq are reporting that a pre-E3 show was held by Nintendo, wherein they showed off a bundle of titles that were early on in development and not due to appear at the main show. While as of yet we can’t tell how much was at this gathering, apparently one such game shown was an all-new entry into the Golden Sun series on Nintendo DS – Golden Sun: The Solar Soothsayer.

Not too many details are known, but players will seemingly be controlling Felix in a direct continuation of the Game Boy Advance iterations, with touch screen controls not dissimilar to Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Animal Crossing: Wild World/Pokemon Ranger. Psynergy attacks will also be controlled via the touch screen, and graphically it is said to have a pseudo-3D look that is close to the GBA games but with enhancements. It is also reported by MaxConsole that the story is of huge importance to the developers, leading them to write it and the script before other development began.

While you wait for more news along with us, here are a couple of photos that a gobo_4227 caught on a mobile phone, courtesy of Joystiq. Click to enlarge.

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Fire Emblem Goddess of Dawn US date and E3 trailer

Nintendo has revealed that Forever Blue is coming to the US on 29th October as ‘Endless Ocean’, with Battalion Wars 2 on the same day, DK Barrel Blast is due on 8th October and Fire Emblem on 5th November.

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Front Mission Japanese Trailer

Dragon Quest Swords gameplay video

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Final Fantasy Tactics Preview

Final Fantasy Tactics, it is certainly one of the largest spin-off of the series éponyme but it is well also the first title which set up the bases of the universe of Ivalice, therefore before Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy XII, and it is especially one of most important Tactical-RPG having been born, if it is not the best, even if some prefer to him a good large Tactics ogre or Bahamut Lagoone, but this is another history. At all events, the advertisement of its exit in Pal territory for October 2007 cannot that to fill with enthusiasm the people of the ‘rest of the world’ since like Valkyrie Profiles: Lenneth, our interested party never condescended to reach us at the time of PSone, Squaresoft having probably considered to be the market not carrying enough, in spite of the undeniable success of Final Fantasy VII. Like what, it is enough to be so much is not very patient.

The war, it is ugly

If Final Fantasy Tactics Advance could as much disappoint the purists, it is well because of its simplistic scenario to possible with protagonists without real character as we could see it in the first episodes of the central series. Because yes, difficult to be satisfied with something of basic when we had lived such an adventure with Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Lion. This one puts in scene a world in fall which, after appalling a fifty year old war, sees its larger knights putting of with dimensions their old glories to survive as mercenaries or simple robbers. But worse, death close to king Atkasha and the battle for the throne between the duke Larg and prince Goltana end up setting up the largest civil war that Ivalice knew. A scenario which evolves/moves at a constant speed progressively with the missions for an avalanche of bounces and a panel of very rich characters, of which famous Ramza Beoulve and Delita Hyral, unforgettable quite simply, will be you to hold the high dragee until the appropriations of end. Matsuno thus reaches here the top of the paving stone in term of history and background, very far in front of Final Fantasy XII thus, at the point to have evil to believe that the title in the beginning left almost ten years ago! History to enrich a little more all that, the developers included some kinematics with the crayonné aspect (à.la.mode) of the most beautiful effect and in perfect adequacy with the general design of the play.

Have experience?

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War is thus as its name indicates it Tactical-RPG, which means in short one can exclude from office enigmas, keeps and others stroll in the plains to eliminate from the cattle in random combat. Here, only a chart of Ivalice constitutes the central point of your advance and will move there you your species of pawn of box out of box, each one of them being progressively released projection of the scenario, and all symbolizing a specific place, that it is a city to restore you or make your provisions, a passage which will advance a little the history or a simple plain of transition. Like any play of the kind, the engagements will absorb the major part of the adventure without forcing the player with a too boring tutorial, considering the title is satisfied to use bases established well on the matter. It is possible besides to turn the camera under four axes to be sure there to see sufficiently clearly and not to be made attack by surprised by an enemy judiciously placed behind a rock. Very simple to access thus, it is enough to place its small group of characters on a chart and to make them evolve/move where one wishes it according to their number of steps available per turn, the goal being to overcome the enemies by attacking them either of face (arms simple), or of enough far (magics or arc for example). The enemy will make in the same way once as each one of your characters will have carried out his action, and so on until one of the two teams is disseminated.

Not original forcing, the software is caught up with by the many possibilities offered in its gameplay. Very quickly, the system of job will open its doors to you and the unit takes another dimension then so much the choices will be difficult: warrior, robber, archer, white magus, black magus, invoquor, ninja, etc. On the whole, more than one score which will not dépayseront the fans of Final Fantasy V who will find the major part here of it, just like besides the system for the multi-classes. Indeed, once a job covered and after some engagements, you will gain in more of your experiment of the special points to learn from the exclusive techniques of which some (with you to choose!) will be reusable if you decide to change job once again. One finds oneself then with a ninja which can use techniques of invocation or a red magus which will combine its capacities with striking with naked hand of a warrior monk. Enormous possibilities, one loses oneself there a little at the beginning, but also of many reflexions to constitute the ultimate team and not to find themselves in very great position of weakness. Because, an obsession for some, like Fire Emblem, your characters will be able to die definitively if you do not take guard there! Very frustrating, especially if this one underwent an important drive as a preliminary.

There are still many things to say on Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War, and it is there that one sees the great plays. Equipped with a fabulous design, an environment except standards and one phenomenal lifespan where lassitude pains to show sign of life, it makes without question left most awaited the plays machine on our territory. Remain to know if few remaining no-claims bonus like the presence of Balthier (Final Fantasy XII) or the multijouor will make to replonger the fans and if Enix Public garden tends to improve many times of loadings… But, obviously, the principal interrogation remains the same one as that of Valkyrie Profiles: Lenneth before its exit: translated or not? As one knows the destiny of this last, despair tends to settle but never knows one…

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Dragon Quest IX changed due to fans’ complaints

People didn’t want the change. When you’ve sold over 40 million copies, you’ve got to listen to your fans.

Από ότι φαίνεται, όλες οι υποθέσεις που έκανα, όταν βγήκε η ανακοίνωση της αλλαγής του παιχνιδιού στο αρχικό του στυλ, ήταν κάτι παραπάνω από βάσιμες .Πηγή

Lost Odyssey E3 trailer

Square Enix Talks Front Mission

Square Enix’s Koichiro Sakamoto, producer of Front Mission DS, due for release in the US on 23rd October, recently spoke out about the first ever official release of the game in the West. There were many topics covered, but some of the main ones are detailed below:

* Multiplayer Wi-Fi: This was originally meant to be included, but even though the team wanted to keep it in, it would have been too difficult to rebalance the game due to the amount of customisation involved in the main game. Sakamoto-san said he did not want the game’s original balance to be forcibly changed just for the sake of adding in the feature;

* Microphone Support: He states that he never considered the idea of using the microphone, but looking back it seems like an interesting idea;

* Additional Content: Sakamoto-san explained that there have been various different versions of Front Mission over the years, with the original SNES game only having a single storyline focusing on the OCU (the Oceanic Community Union, which includes Australia, Japan, southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands), whilst the PlayStation remake included a different story that focused on the side of the UCS (the North American and South American united countries). This new DS update includes both of these stories, plus an additional five missions that can be played at any time after the third chapter. On top of this, there is also a guest character from Front Mission 5;

* More Front Mission on DS: When asked about his experience working with the DS and the possibility of more Front Mission games coming in the future, he stated it was certainly lots of fun to work with the handheld as it is definitely very compatible with the Strategy RPG genre. Most importantly, he mentioned that if there are future opportunities he would really like to do more, with the team particularly interested in porting other Front Mission games to DS. However, it all comes down to budget…so whilst there are no concrete plans at the moment, it is certainly not being ruled out.

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Jeanne D’ Arc news

SCEA was displaying a near-final version of the Level 5-developed Strategy RPG Jeanne D’Arc at their Barker Hanger booth at E3 2007. The demo features a battle, the Burning of Domrémy, where Jeanne learns of her ability to transform into a powerful, armored warrior. Jeanne D’Arc, based on the fifteenth-century French maiden known most well in western culture as Joan of Arc, features fully 3D environments which can be rotated every which way, as well as cel-shaded characters in these environments.

The battle system itself is fairly straightforward, with grid based combat similar to what players are used to in Final Fantasy Tactics or Front Mission titles. Whenever players attack a target, the target is also able to counter-attack, similar to combat in the Fire Emblem series. Most notable is the fact that Jeanne has the ability to transform during battle for a number of turns, giving her an incredibly heightened power level, as well as the ability to attack again if she slays her target.

Between battles, there are anime FMV sequences that show off key story points, though it wasn’t clear exactly how common they were based on SCEA’s demo. Level 5’s cel shaded touch wasn’t quite as obvious here as it was on titles like Rogue Galaxy and Dark Cloud 2, but it looks as if Jeanne D’Arc is shaping up to be a fantastic addition to the PSP’s library. SCEA will publish the title this coming August.

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Namco’s RPGs hit E3

While Namco Bandai Games America didn’t make any massive announcements at this year’s E3 Expo, they were showing off many of this fall’s upcoming RPGs, from .hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption, to their upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive, Eternal Sonata. While there weren’t any new RPGs announced, we were happy to sit down and play around with five of Namco Bandai’s latest titles.

Most notable was the final iteration in CyberConnect 2’s .hack//G.U. series, vol. 3//Redemption. Wrapping up the cycle of games, Redemption returns with the Random Area Words gamers saw in the previous titles. With two new cities, many more AI NPCs to interact with, as well as an expanded e-mail, forum, and news system, Redemption is slated to be much more engrossing than either of the first two .hack//G.U. titles. Redemption also features twenty-two party members while questing, almost double from the previous title. Haseo also gains new weapons and a new form in the last third of his story. He now has the ability to wield gunblades, giving him a long range attack, and has a new form called the Xth form.

Haseo can use these new abilities in the two new dungeon typed added specifically for Redemption. For those who are looking to get more bang for their buck, on the other hand, the Forest of Pain will fill that role. After players complete the main story, this 100-level dungeon will open up, and is much more difficult than any dungeon in the .hack series, living up to its name. .hack//G.U. vol.3//Redemption is slated for release in September.

Namco Bandai’s other big RPG is their Xbox 360 blockbuster Eternal Sonata. While editor Dennis Rubinshteyn delved a little deeper into the title last month, we had a new chance to play around with a near-final version of the battle system, which is a hybrid real-time/turn-based system. Players are limited by time, but are able to select their targets without starting their turn timer. Players will chain together attacks to create more powerful special moves, and if a player reaches twenty-four consecutive attacks in their Echo Meter, they’re able to create a Harmony Chain, a string of up to six special attacks to annihilate an enemy. One of the unique things about the free-roaming battle maps is that enemies will shift and change based on whether or not they’re in the dark or the light. Not only that, but the player’s special abilities will shift depending on whether or not they find themselves shrouded in shadow.

For a more in-depth look into Eternal Sonata, check out Dennis’ preview of the game, and watch for its release exclusively on the Xbox 360 in September.

Namco Bandai’s next two titles aren’t exactly targeted toward hardcore RPG fans, but are viewed, rather, as introductions to the genre. Both Digimon World Data Squad for the PS2 and the two versions of the DS Digimon World, Dawn and Dusk, were being shown off. Digimon World Data Squad shadows the upcoming anime series of the same name, allowing players to command their favorite Digimon, as well as digivolve them into different creatures. The Galaxy Evolution screen looks much like a star chart and is far from linear, so it�s not as if there will always be one Digimon that is directly superior to another. Most interesting is the fact that the battle system doesn�t simply list commands that a Digimon can take. The Digimon will have preferences on which moves it wants, and will display what it wants to do on a hex grid covering the screen. The more a particular command appears, the more the Digimon wants to use it, and the more powerful the move will be.

Digimon World: Dawn and Digimon World: Dusk follow Team Dawn and Team Dusk, respectively, as they battle each other over a misunderstanding, thinking the other team has stolen something precious to both. With almost five hundred Digimon available, as well as a battle system that prizes positioning as well as strategy, Digimon World: Dawn and Dusk should satiate DS gamers�Eneeds this fall.

Last, but certainly not least, Namco Bandai Games America was showing off Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology for the PSP. Slated for release in a few short weeks, Radiant Mythology follows a character created by the player, fully customizable. Featuring a free-roaming battle system, somewhat similar to the one seen in Tales of the Abyss for the PS2, players will encounter characters not only unique to Radiant Mythology, but from other Tales of… games as well. Players will join a guild run by Kratos from Tales of Symphonia, although Namco Bandai wouldn’t let us progress very far beyond the beginning of the game to see any characters beyond Raine from Symphonia and Luke from Abyss. If PSP gamers are looking for something to satiate their Tales of… needs, they should definitely check out Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology.

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