It's no secret that we're very interested in Ecoris. With Wi-Fi compatibility included, plus the RTS theme, this game is quickly becoming the recipe for excellence. Even the game's big, spiky protagonist, Dorian, looks like the kind of main character we want in our games: completely ridiculous.
The latest Japanese commercial, which is embedded past the break, shows most of what we said. Keep in mind though that, like all Japanese commercials, the video is a bit shorter than what you're used to.
It's highly unlikely that SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive will ever make it to the states; obtaining rights for 500+ characters spanning over a dozen different series, most of which having never made it out of Japan, would be a nightmare. Still, we like to keep up to date with the SRPG on the off-chance that a North American publisher might take a risk and pick it up, much like Atlus did with Super Robot Taisen Original Generations 1 & 2 for the GBA.
Bandai Namco has updated Cross Drive's official site with a two-minute-and-a-half trailer and a new commercial, advertising its August 9th's release. If you're at all interested in the title, or if you just have a bizarre fetish for chibi mobile suits, make sure to check both of the clips out!
While we burn for new info on Archaic Sealed Heat, we'll happily take these enormous scans, even if they're mostly filled with images we've seen before. You know what else we want to hear about? Companies jockeying for the chance to localize this bad boy. Between the amazing top-screen FMVs and our love for all types of RPGs, we're going to need to see this one head outside Japan within a year of release. We're willing to wait -- but don't make us wait forever.
Hit the jump for the scans, all of which are clickable for hi-res versions. And we're not kidding when we say that the bigger versions are big.
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.
We shooed Insect Wars (Konchuu Wars) away when the game's beetle-filled screenshots first flew into our periphery, believing the bug to be an uninspired pest. "Go away," we said, "and bother us no more." In our defense, language barriers kept us from understanding what the Success Corp. title was trying to communicate with its antennae and movement patterns.
Having studied its habits, we found that the game isn't a Mushiking clone as we'd originally assumed, but a tactical RPG where you command an army of customizable, mechanized insects. Our mouths were agape, monocles falling from our faces when the truth was revealed. Below is a sampling of Insect Wars' creepy crawlers:
a rifle-mounted praying mantis with buzzsaws -- my god, buzzsaws! -- for arms
a lightning bug that terrorizes foes with its beam cannon tail
a heavily-armored, treaded snail (pictured above) which acts as a transport for other units while healing them
Not since Puzzle Quest have our loins ached for such a game. Insect Wars swarms into Japanese stores this August 2nd. Head past the post break for a minute-long trailer.
Since we talked a little about import games here this morning, showing off a trailer for a game often mentioned in the same breath as "if only" seemed appropriate for our video spotlight. If you're one of the four people around who isn't familiar with Jump Ultimate Stars, let us enlighten you. Jump Ultimate Stars is a fighting game packed with hundreds of manga characters. Yes, hundreds, from dozens of series ... and it also happens to be a great fighting game on the DS. Check out one of the trailers for the game after the jump.
The more we learn about Ecoris, the eco-centric RTS, the more we're planning to riot if the game doesn't get an English-language release. Get Atlus on the project right now!
The latest updates on Ecoris focus on the beginning of the game, and there are some new details on online play as well. As the story opens, our fruity hero, Durian (sometimes Dorian in non-Japanese articles) begins to notice that not all is well in the forest. Development and pollution are destroying the ecosystem. He's not alone in his observations; the squirrels have noticed the same thing. On their own, the forest creatures are too weak to fight back ... but if they team up, anything is possible.
Some other interesting facts about the game: apparently, there's a level-creation mode (we can only guess this comes in as you start to rebuild the forest), and once created, you can utilize those new stages in online battles. Our translation here may be a little rough, but it also seems as though Durian can either summon some sort of ancestral spirit, or take on its form, and you will need that power to pass certain sections.
Ecoris is sounding more fascinating every day. For those gamers for whom the language barrier isn't a barrier at all, this one is looking like it may just be a must-import title.
If you're looking for a matte black look for your DS, look no further. Replacement cases are way better than DIY solutions, at least in this instance. This sleek aluminum shell is, frankly, pretty hot, especially with all that white peeking through. And hey -- just in case you harbored a secret desire to replace your soccer ball with a DS Lite one afternoon, this may be just the thing you need. Because it's metal.
The black aluminum shell sells for ¥2,520, or a little more than $20.
Long hailed as one of the GBA's best puzzle titles, Kururin Paradise never landed on North American shores, preferring instead to limit its release to Japan. Play-Asia has taken pity on our Kururin-less souls, listing the 8ing-developed game at a dicount price of $9.90! This deal lasts until next Tuesday, so you'll have more than enough time to collect change on the sidewalk for this purchase. Pilot your spinning craft past the post break for a video preview of this simple-but-addictive game!
We love region-free consoles! Not only does it allow us to play games that never get released in the US, but it also gives us freedom to choose the cheapest version of worldwide-release games. Renchi.com has marked down a load of DS games, and there's plenty of stuff for US gamers to enjoy.
First, the Japanese versions of US games. You can get Yoshi Touch & Go (Catch! Touch! Yoshi!), Mega Man ZX (Rockman ZX), Star Fox Command, the just-released Honeycomb Beat, and a few others for $10. If you want a uniquely Japanese experience, there's a bunch of stuff including Mawasunda!!, a lot of miscellaneous non-games and puzzle games (including an amusing-looking coloring game), and a nice selection of D3's Simple Series stuff. Stock is rapidly diminishing, so go browse right now.
Famitsu revealed today that a full English translation will be included with the Japanese release of Gyakuten Saiban 3, stamping out any language barriers that might've prevented trans-Pacific gamers from picking up the adventure title early. This Best Price! edition (2980 yen; approximately $25) comes to Japan this August 23rd, a full month before North America's September 25th release! Check past the post break for Capcom's trailer, if you missed it the first time.
Do we need an excuse to put up videos from Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2? Well, it's Friday, and that means videos, which obviously means there's a need for Ouendan footage. Also, we really dig that title.
We don't do a lot of importing around here, but exceptions may have to be made in this case. Check after the jump to see why we're loving Ouendan almost as much as our favorite Ace Attorney.
Hey, you guys like rhythm games, right? Maybe just a little? They seem to be kinda popular. Just a guess. Game|Life's Chris Kohler got his hands on the latest non-Ouendan rhythm game to hit Japan, Nodame Cantabile, and served up some melodic stylings on the manga-based title.
Unfortunately, it seems Nodame's classical music studies can't quite compare to some of the other rhythm games, but there's some good news to balance the bad. Nodame Cantabile seems somewhat import-friendly -- from the sound of it, you can skip a lot of the dialogue and just run around and hit the performance spots instead. Better still? The price is dropping like a rock, so it may be cheaper to import when compared to certain other hot Japanese titles. The interface changes up some of what we've learned to expect with Ouendan and Elite Beat Agents as well; rather than hitting fixed points, the input circles move, which adds a little more challenge to the mix, but not enough to make it a stand-out. Still, with the possibility of budget prices, this one may be a nice choice for fans of the manga or the rhythm game explosion.
Among its other many virtues, Ouendan owed a lot of its overseas hype and success to its undaunting language barrier. Despite the menus and manga panels being filled with Japanese text, importers were able to follow the rhythm title's illustrated screwball plots and quickly pick up its self-explanatory controls. Ouendan's recently-released sequel, Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, likewise requires little-to-no familiarity with the Japanese language in order to enjoy the game.
Even with these assurances though, there are still many import-shy gamers who hide behind their mothers' skirts at the sight of kanji characters. Fortunately for them, the Platformers has translated Ouendan 2's menu selections, providing a visual guide with an overlay of English text. Most of the buttons and icons are obvious, but having a quick reference like this would be useful for first-time importers. Now there's no excuse for avoiding the cheer squad!
It's out, and we don't have it. It kinda hurts. Some bloggers seem to have gotten their hands on a copy, so we know it's possible that one of our faithful readers has Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2! We need to live vicariously through you, hypothetical reader! We need your impressions!
Those of you who don't have it or just don't have it yet: do you have one on the way? Do you consider this the biggest game release of the year? Or are you holding out for a US release? Or an Elite Beat Agents 2: Beat Harder? Personally, we'll take any and all iNiS music releases and will be importing Ouendan 2 as soon as finances allow.
It's no secret that we're very interested in Ecoris. With Wi-Fi compatibility included, plus the RTS theme, this game is quickly becoming the recipe for excellence. Even the game's big, spiky protagonist, Dorian, looks like the kind of main character we want in our games: completely ridiculous.
It's highly unlikely that SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive will ever make it to the states; obtaining rights for 500+ characters spanning over a dozen different series, most of which having never made it out of Japan, would be a nightmare. Still, we like to keep up to date with the SRPG on the off-chance that a North American publisher might take a risk and pick it up, much like Atlus did with Super Robot Taisen Original Generations 1 & 2 for the GBA.
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.
We shooed Insect Wars (Konchuu Wars) away when the game's beetle-filled screenshots first flew into our periphery, believing the bug to be an uninspired pest. "Go away," we said, "and bother us no more." In our defense, language barriers kept us from understanding what the Success Corp. title was trying to communicate with its antennae and movement patterns.
Since we talked a little about import games here this morning, showing off a trailer for a game often mentioned in the same breath as "if only" seemed appropriate for our video spotlight. If you're one of the four people around who isn't familiar with Jump Ultimate Stars, let us enlighten you. Jump Ultimate Stars is a fighting game packed with hundreds of manga characters. Yes, hundreds, from dozens of series ... and it also happens to be a great fighting game on the DS. Check out one of the trailers for the game after the jump.
Long hailed as one of the GBA's best puzzle titles, Kururin Paradise never landed on North American shores, preferring instead to limit its release to Japan. Play-Asia has taken pity on our Kururin-less souls, listing the 8ing-developed game at a dicount price of $9.90! This deal lasts until next Tuesday, so you'll have more than enough time to collect change on the sidewalk for this purchase. Pilot your spinning craft past the post break for a video preview of this simple-but-addictive game!
We love region-free consoles! Not only does it allow us to play games that never get released in the US, but it also gives us freedom to choose the cheapest version of worldwide-release games. Renchi.com has marked down a load of DS games, and there's plenty of stuff for US gamers to enjoy.
If the DS remake of Gyakuten Saiban 3, or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations as it's known in the states, can't come soon enough for you, a recent break in the case could spell an earlier court date for importers.
Do we need an excuse to put up videos from Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2? Well, it's Friday, and that means videos, which obviously means there's a need for Ouendan footage. Also, we really dig that title.
Hey, you guys like rhythm games, right? Maybe just a little? They seem to be kinda popular. Just a guess. Game|Life's Chris Kohler got his hands on the latest non-Ouendan rhythm game to hit Japan, Nodame Cantabile, and served up some melodic stylings on the manga-based title.
Among its other many virtues, Ouendan owed a lot of its overseas hype and success to its undaunting language barrier. Despite the menus and manga panels being filled with Japanese text, importers were able to follow the rhythm title's illustrated screwball plots and quickly pick up its self-explanatory controls. Ouendan's recently-released sequel, Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, likewise requires little-to-no familiarity with the Japanese language in order to enjoy the game.
It's out, and we don't have it. It kinda hurts. Some bloggers seem to have gotten their hands on a copy, so we know it's possible that one of our faithful readers has Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2! We need to live vicariously through you, hypothetical reader! We need your impressions!
