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For several months now, Western fans of the notorious and quirky Mother/EarthBound series of RPGs have been anxiously awaiting a diffinitive answer to one very agonizing question: Will Nintendo of America finally deliver the third installment to the franchise - only recently launched in Japan this past April - to North American GameBoy Advances? As far as localization is concerned, the official word suggests we shouldn't hold our breath.

Although lacking in great detail, NoA's localization manager Nate Bihldorff, as reported in an interview by Planet GameCube, explains what could perhaps be considered the nearest thing to a true conclusion: "I'm not working on Mother 3. I don't have all the writers under me, so there may be other people in discussions going on with it, but I wouldn't look forward to it in the immediate future, no. Sorry, I know! There's a big Mother fanbase, there is." Bihldorff further advises, "At least everyone can go back and play Melee to get your Ness on."

Certainly this all comes as little surprise to those familiar with Nintendo's track record attributed to handling the Mother series; even the GBA re-release of Mother and Mother 2 (EarthBound) was denied the slightest prospect toward a domestic launch. So does this mean we'll never again see a legally distributed Mother RPG within this hemisphere? If Nintendo of America, like Nate Bihldorff, has begun to contemplate the true depth of the game's fanbase, then the chances otherwise may in fact rise to more realistic proportions.

Source: EuroGamer

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

The title pretty much explains it. Square-Enix announced a December 21st, 2006 release date for Seiken Densetsu 4: Dawn of Mana for the PS2 at the recent Tokyo Game Show. Dawn of Mana and its recent DS companion Children of Mana mark the first new entries to this legendary series since Legend of Mana for the PS1, released in 2000 (this is not counting Sword of Mana, which is a recent a remake of the first game in the series).

Of course, we don't know when Dawn of Mana will see an NTSC or European release. Final Fantasy XII is being released in the US seven months after its Japanese counterpart, but it took Square-Enix close to a year to release the English version Dragon Quest VIII after its Japanese predecessor. We can only wait and pray.

Source: RPGFan

As many of us are aware, Square-Enix last week announced a Final Fantasy XII-based spinoff aimed for the Nintendo DS; news of this separate side-story that's soon to be unleashed into the franchise of games that were once purely independant of one another has already left most fans either beaming with joyous anticipation or fliching in agony. With this weekend's Tokyo Game Show steadily approaching, Square-Enix has taken it as their cue to unload a bit more information regarding their latest duel screen RPG.

Known as Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, the game features a plot - one heavy on air pirates - that, according to developers, "does not tie with or take place before the stories of Final Fantasy XII..." The appearance of the characters Vaan and Penelo from the original title has already been confirmed; aside from being co-leads, the presentation and exploration of their relationship has been looked upon as an allegedly impossible aspect for inclusion in Final Fantasy XII, thereby warranting the exchange's involvement in an alternate game. If that wasn't enough, Japanese reports have implied that Revenant Wings is actually nothing more than just the beginning of the couples' adventure, indicating an even larger expansion to the so-called Final Fantasy XII series.

Much like the battle menus in the currently unreleased Final Fantasy III DS, Revenant Wings will make use of the handheld's touch screen capabilities by relying on the bottom screen for battle. Specifics on exactly what this entails have not been covered. With airship travel an obvious requirement, Square-Enix seems to have hatched a plan to stuff as many of the flying, boatlike vehicles as they possibly can into the tiny cartridges: Not only is any and every airship in Final Fantasy XII all but guaranteed to have its spot in Revenant Wings, but the game itself will feature its own personal throng of the crafts as well.

Motomu Toriyama, who's past (and present) work consists of Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XIII, has taken the director's seat for Revenant Wings. The character designs, each of which possesses a slightly younger mien than those in Final Fantasy XII, are the creations of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance's Ryuma Itou, and the soundtrack will be constructed from music by composers Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics) and Kenichirou Fukui (Einhander and Front Mission 5). Finally, Revenant Wings is produced by Yasuhito Watanabe (Drakengard), Eisuke Yokoyama (Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King) and executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles).

Latest Scan

Sources:
Square Insider
GAF

What with the Tokyo Game Show only a few meager days away, it's no surprise that several new game titles, all ripe for media discussion, seem to be rolling out of the floodgates left and right as of late. Among them is yet another chapter in Square-Enix's long-running Mana series - having recently recovered from somewhat of a hiatus - for the Nintendo DS, entitled Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana.

Unlike the past installments of Kouichi Ishii's popular RPG franchise, Heroes of Mana is set to feature a battle system composed of the role-playing genre's traditional elements along with new real-time strategy. Placed in the shoes of a young Pedan Kingdom soldier named Roger, players will experience an implemented gameplay method similar to Square's own Bahamut Lagoon, including an airship that serves as a mobile base and monsters that can be summoned to assist the characters during battle.

No info concerning a launch date for Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana has come into sight, but this weekend's TGS may prove to provide us with many more in-depth details. Until then, North American gamers in particular can take solace in the fact that the October 30th release date for Children of Mana - and its more classical gameplay - is not too far off.

In the meantime, why not pop on over to GamesAreFun.com and check out some juicy new scans á la Seiken Densetsu 4: Dawn of Mana, the RPG Square-Enix has allegedly declared to be the developer's last major game for the PlayStation 2.

Source: EuroGamer

With more and more previously existing role-playing games undergoing the portable treatment nowadays, it's not too astonishing to find Disgaea series developer Nippon Ichi Software making it's fervor to remake the PlayStation 2 strategy RPG, Makai Senki Disgaea (Disgaea: Hour of Darkness), for release on the PlayStation Portable crystal clear. The company has planned to launch the handheld RPG into the palms of Japanese gamers on the 30th of November - naturally, in two separate forms: A first print limited edition priced at around 6,800 yen (roughly $58.42 US), and the standard version available for 4,800 yen ($41.24 US). As is typical this early on, no scheduled domestic launch has yet been spoken of.

Apart from the sparsely decorated Makai Senki Disgaea Portable teaser site, very little in the way of enlightenment on the highly acclaimed title's PSP incarnation has been revealed. Fortunately, the game's fully functioning official website, as well as its included illustrative content, is expected to appear online August 30th.

Source: RPGFan