News

Yes, you heard correctly. The ninth entry of the fabled RPG series is going to be on the Nintendo DS. Very little concrete info has been released thus far, but we know that it's going to be called Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Stars and it's going to be co-developed by the Dragon Quest dearm team (Yuji Horii, etc.) and Level-5, virtually the same team that brought us Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2 a year ago. Horii himself stated in the press release that this DS game is "not a gaiden or side-story, but a true part of the series."

This is great news for fans of the series, who are unfortunately accustomed to long delays in between DQ titles (there were five years between the releases of DQ VI and DQ VII, followed by four years between DQ VII and DQ VIII). It is certainly unexpected for Square-Enix to put the next iteration of such a major series on a handheld system, but it might just be a testament to the overwhelming popularity and developer support of the Nintendo DS in Japan. In any case, the tentative release date for Dragon Quest IX is "mid-2007."

source: N-sider

Playstation 3, despite, shall we say, a technical fault that we should probably stand by on in the US and Europe, launched this weekend in Japan with a few scenes that may have shocked some. Reports of all 100,000 available consoles being sold on the first day have been made, though Reuters have stated a more reasonable figure of around 88,000 consoles sold, and reports of massive queues show that despite the price woes, the low availability, and the slim choice of games at the start, Sony still hasn't succeeded in losing all 100 million of its customers who bought the PS1 and PS2 despite it's best apparent efforts to do so.

The sales on the first two days have almost beaten XBox360's Japanese campaign from December 2005 to April 2006 when they sold 105,000 units in the period from December 10th to April 2nd, and around 60,000 of those in the first two days, placing Sony marginally ahead comparatively. Assuming that Sony manages to shift approximately another 50,000 units in Japan by March, they will at least be on a par with the rival that many people expect them to have to duke it out with as Wii seems set to capture the marketplace, and XBox360's year head start is almost null and void in Japan.

However, amid a launch that was better than some people seemed to anticipate, there were further setbacks, but this time, in the form of con artists (Of the swindling variety, not the sort who post fanart in Site Submissions). Reports that businessmen were paying homeless persons and poor Chinese immigrants to stand in line and purchase a console for resale at a vastly inflated price on internet auction sites have appeared in more than one major media source and a quick scan of even ebay.com will find PS3's going at no less than $1000 US and even up to $1500.

Despite the many problems, Sony can perhaps take heart from the fact there is still huge interest in upcoming games such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and of course, Final Fantasy XIII, as well as the fact that as current market leader it appears nothing short of exploding consoles would cause them a devastating loss, and with such huge prices seemingly being paid for by those with perhaps larger reserves of funds than common sense, even the hefty price tags on the console are not discouraging some people with disposable income. On the other hand, the apathy in the west seems to be growing as more and more people are discouraged by the flaws and price, and perhaps a few maybe even concerned by the organised chaos of the Japanese debut, though it remains to be seen what will occur this Friday in the United States. Even the latest setback should really be discounted as for all that is known the situation may not be as bad in the US... Or may possibly be worse to remain realistic.

The traditional Playstation strong point of backwards compatibility seems to have hit a significant snag, but it remains to be seen what effect this will have long term should the problems be repaired. It should be noted even PS2 had a small selection of games unplayable, and XBox360's backwards compatibility was reliant on emulation in many cases, a scenario apparently to be repeated with PS3 albeit on a smaller comparative scale.

All eyes now rest on the US as PS3 launches with 400,000 consoles said to be available in the States this Friday, presumably to further lines and near-riots, only to be followed on the Sunday by Wii launching, unusually in it's global debut outside it's homeland . It's clear that Nintendo, with a reported $200 million advertising war chest and the charismatic/hyperactive press conferences of Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime spearheading the attempt to win the hearts and minds of gamers young and old, have all but sewn up at least the propaganda war in the US. This weekend will be when the first blood will truly be drawn in this latest console war, and despite all we have seen so far, nothing can be predicted with any degree of accuracy, and anything could happen.

Wii will apparently gain a European foothold far in advance of PS3, launching on December the 8th in the EU (including the UK and RoI) compared to the delay to March of Europe's PS3 launch. With a rushed launch on the whole by Playstation, perhaps this is a good thing long term for European gamers as teething troubles will be rectified... and perhaps even the library of games will be greatly expanded.

Sources: BBC Launch Article, a Look at the console itself, still looking at the console, and then a look at the teething troubles, and finally the reports of foul play at the launch.

CNN: On the Launch, on the the technical troubles and the reduced sales figures.

Sony Press Release on US launch.

The title says it all. In a press release issued yesterday, Capcom announced that Clover Studios, makers of Okami, God Hand, and the Viewtiful Joe series of games, will no longer be operational as of March of next year. In their statement, Capcom praises Clover Studios for achieving their goal of creating original and entertaining video games, but also states that it will serve Capcom better to use Clover Studio's funding and resources as part of the greater Capcom group and not as an independently-operating subsidiary. In a nutshell, Capcom loves Clover's games, but would rather absorb them back into Capcom and not have them spend so much money. It should be noted that the official dissolution of the development studio isn't official until March of next year, giving Clover time to still release any current unannounced projects that are under wraps.

Personally, this news saddens me. Viewtiful Joe and Okami are two of the most fun, original, and beautiful action games of this generation, and I have high hopes for God Hand. Hopefully, Capcom can still make good use of the enormous talent within Clover Studios after its disbanding, and we can see more great games in the tradition of Okami and Viewtiful Joe in the future.

Source: Capcom's Official Press release, found via digg.com

Square-Enix recently revealed their new DS title: It's a Wonderful World. It's being designed by Tetsuya Nomura, the mastermind of Kingdom Hearts and the chief designer of FF XIII: Versus of the Fabula Nova Crystalis project. It's a Wonderful World is set in modern Tokyo and stars two unassuming teenagers who are forced into a game run by demons threatening to permanently erase the duo if they don't succeed in the game.

On top of that, players can use the DS's two screens to simultaneously control both characters, who both possess psychic powers. In fact, the duo must read the minds of NPCs in order to obtain hints and clues as to what to do next in their deadly game.

Right now we know that It's a Wonderful World is scheduled for a 2007 release in Japan, with no word on a North American or European release at this time. Thanks to RPGamer for the news.

source: rpgamer.com

Through chat and the process of shoddily translating moonspeak, we've discovered some things about the game, and the rest we can leave ourselves to speculate about.

New confirmed espers: Gilgamesh and Leviathan.

Extra dungeon: Supposedly you'll navigate it with a three party setup similar to Kefka's tower.

Bestiary and Music player: Confirmed, but who didn't see that coming?

Enchanced Graphics: Confirmed, but again, who didn't see that coming.

Now this is just speculation, but, we think they've also indicated there will be a new element, but there's no actual statement of what it is. It's probable that the element is Water, to go with Leviathan, and it seems likely to me that Bismark will gain Water, Maduin will gain Water 2 or Watera, and Leviathan with teach Water, Water 2, and Water 3. As for Gilgamesh, I really can't even guess. There also seem to be indications of a Monster or Boss Rush mode.

So let's make like schoolgirls and gush and gush and gush about our favorite game.

Source: Jap Site

Lately Namco has been digging far into its latest Tales game, the very first handheld edition (of a nonspinoff) slated for a Nintendo DS launch, and has successfully managed to uncover some new "dirt" - details, that is. Granted there have been only two or three relevant blurbs in regards to new information since Namco's original announcement of the title back in December, but with its October 26th launch date inching toward Japan ever closer, and in a hurry, any news is good news.

The formerly divulged story of Tales of the Tempest begins with fifteen-year-old Caius and his childhood pal Rudia (previously known as "Lupia") setting out together on a perilous quest to locate Caius' biological parents after narrowly escaping a murderous attack on their hometown. The culprit, a monster with the unfortunate name of Spot, ravages the village of Alleula one day while in seach of a mysterious crystal. When the startling truth involving Caius' adoptive father - a respected man who's discovered to be a highly-feared werewolf - gets thrown into the mix, a chain of disasterous events unfolds.

Just like in past entries to Namco's flagship RPG, the battles in Tempest will be based upon a real-time system that relies on quick, action-packed single and unlockable combo attacks executed via a number of unique button combinations. Although the game's combat aspects are said to be greatly influenced by those of the GameCube's Tales of Symphonia, the enemy encounters in Tempest, like in the former Tales sagas, will remain entirely random.

No word has been given on whether or not Tempest will utilize the DS's Wi-Fi Connection for Internet play, but Namco has reported that the system's Wireless Play mode will present multiplayer missions for either two or up to four players to take on. In this mode, each player will gain experience, items and money as they level up, battle and destroy the many vicious creatures lying in wait. Money and items collected therein will then be graciously carried over to the main game.

For the time being, there continues to be no word on a domestic Tales of the Tempest release for North America or Europe.

Opening and gameplay screens demonstrating Wireless Play mode

Tales of the Tempest official Japanese site