Responding to the widespread criticism that there just aren't enough Tales games, Namco Bandai has taken the unprecedented step of releasing two versions of Tales of Hearts that differ in only one way, which has no effect on gameplay: the cutscenes.
Tales of Hearts will sell as an "Animation Edition," with anime-style cutscenes, and a "CG Movie Edition," whose cinematics use the off-putting 3D models seen in the scan above. Realistic people with anime hair and clothes just look weird! And this December, some poor otaku is going to feel compelled to purchase both the regular and ugly editions of the game.
Nintendo is finally taking aggressive action against piracy, as the company is suing five Japanese firms over flash cart equipment. The Big N is just one of many plaintiffs in the case, though, with fifty-three others joining in to aid the fight -- just a few companies that you may have heard of, like, oh, Square Enix, Sega, Level-5, Hudson, Pokemon, Capcom, Namco Bandai, SNK Playmore, Koei, and so forth.
While details are scarce, we can imagine a lot of popular carts (like the R4), if not all carts, will be affected. Should Nintendo and friends win the suit, selling and importing such carts will be illegal, meaning that people would have to resort to the black market to get their hands on one.
We understand why Nintendo and other companies would want to fight the good fight against piracy, but we can't help but fret over the impact on our precious homebrew hobby. At any rate, we'll give you more information as this case unfolds.
Against all odds, Namco decided to release a localized version of Taiko no Tatsujin on the PS2 in 2004. We don't have solid sales data, but judging by Taiko Drum Master's quick drop in price at retail (and the fact that Guitar Hero hadn't happened yet, so music games were still for scary nerds), the American public was less than enthused with the idea of paying $60 to play a miniature Japanese drum.
According to a Cubed3 interview with Bandai Namco's Ken Nakadate, the company may just be willing to give the series another chance in the U.S. on a system that doesn't require any specialized hardware: the DS. In response to C3's inquiry about localization, Nakadate gave an answer that is one step above the normal "we haven't announced anything" response:
"We want the customers in Europe and US to enjoy the Japanese Taiko drum. The schedule for US or European releases is undecided but we would release them if we receive a lot of requests from US and European customers!"
Enjoy the Japanese Taiko drum! Enjoy it with all of your heart!
We were pretty impressed with the trailer for Dragon Ball DS at first. Not just because the game's 3D graphics are so impressive, but because we thought we were witnessing the first Dragon Ball DS media not to feature Bulma lifting her skirt.
We thought this for one minute and twenty-three seconds. We get it, Banamco! It's a famous scene from Dragon Ball, and it makes a clever use of the DS screens, and also it's good for pervs. Move on!
Speaking of moving, the game continues to look really awesome -- fast-paced and action-packed in a way that the real Zelda games never were
Fans of the Tales series, it would appear the possibility of the latest DS title, Tales of Hearts, to come to North America has become a bit more plausible. Thanks to Spencer over at Siliconera, we have word that Namco has trademarked the term for North America? Coincidence? We think not!
So, it would seem that eventually the game should be making its way to our shores. Until then, we'll just sit back, relax and wait for an official announcement.
Sometimes, DS screenshots just don't look quite right. They're often a little rough around the edges -- even with games that look fantastic in motion -- but worse, the split between the screens sometimes ends up in odd places if a developer is trying to use both screens to tell a story. That happens a lot in these Dragon Ball DS screens, sometimes to comic effect ... so often, in fact, that it seems like it was done on purpose, particularly when it results in images like the one to the right.
Check out the full set in the gallery below. They're just begging to be adapted into a game of a different sort.
The first English-language screens of Namco Bandai's National Geographic Panda have emerged from E3, as well as a North American release window of this fall. We also received a smattering of gameplay details, listed beneath the almost unforgivable title of "It's PANDA-MONIUM!"
According to these, the aim of the game is simply to rear your own Baby Panda or Giant Panda (you can tickle and play with them via the touchscreen, as you would a Nintendog), keeping them fed, clean, and happy during their time in Panda Park (which, incidentally, changes depending on whether you play at day or night).
To do this, you'll get a daily allowance which can be used for panda food or toys (such as ... gherkin-shaped see-saws?), and as you play more, further Baby Pandas will gradually begin to "move" into Panda Park, which is probably just Namco Bandai's way of avoiding the whole panda sex thing. Probably for the best.
We simply can't fault Namco Bandai's inspired decision to develop a game based on panda bears. When it comes to pandas, there is no universal divide in opinion (as there is with dogs and cats) -- everybody is a panda person. That kind of popularity can only be gained from being extremely cute and extremely rare.
Launching in Japan on July 31st, purchased copies of Panda-San Nikki (National Geographic Panda) will probably be anything but rare. That's because this game is freakin' adorable, as the latest screenshots in our gallery demonstrate. There are more pandas on see-saws, pandas trying to roll on a ball, pandas using a slide, pandas in hats -- in fact, Game Watch reckons there are over 800 animations (pandamations?) on display here. We always thought these wonderful creatures just sort of sat around, but they seem to be rather active!
XSeed is gracing us with the amazing DS game based on Game Center CX, so we thought today would be the perfect time to share a clip from the original show. We don't know if XSeed or anyone else has licensed Game Center CX for DVD or TV release yet, but in the meantime we can enjoy untranslated excerpts!
We're of the opinion that you don't need to understand Japanese to enjoy the clip seen here from episode 33, in which the "Kacho," Shinya Arino, is presented with a Game Gear game (Ganbare Gorby, or, roughly, "Go Gorby" or "Do Your Best Gorby") starring a cute chibi version of Mikhail Gorbachev.
The recent press event for the Tales series gave us a brief glimpse at the world within Tales of Hearts, the latest lamentable stunner from Namco Bandai. Stunner because it looks gorgeous, lamentable because the chances of gamers seeing it in North America are slim to none. Regardless, the full TOH trailer has been commandeered in the video above, so hit play and enjoy the fruits of an unattainable RPG.
The environments themselves look stunning (especially the CG), but the characters are still colorful little sprites. One can argue the power of sprites in almost any game, and they certainly command some charm in Tale of Hearts. Is the contrast between 3D levels and 2D characters too off-putting? Not really -- but let us know if your eyes start bleeding.
At a promotional event in Japan for all things Tales, a number of guest speakers showcased plenty of new ideas and media for the groin-grabbingly popular RPG franchise. Some footage from the upcoming Tales of Hearts was featured along with running commentary, but our general stupidness prevents any translation. However, you can still see the game in action, as the charming little sprite characters duke it out in a beautifully detailed world.
This is self-inflicted pain. If you allow yourself to get excited over each superb entry in the Tales series, you'll wind up cold and alone. There's nothing more depressing than a neglected RPG.
Scavenging for screens of rare and awesome DS games in the making is a tedious yet rewarding task. Oftentimes one will be granted a tiny sample of media from an upcoming RPG, while sometimes being rewarded with decent scans from the best game ever. What's the second-best game ever? Tales of Hearts, that's what -- and we have a couple of new screens that fit right around the middle size-wise.
Along with the rather colorful display right here, you can check out another dialogue shot after the jump. The Japanese has us scratching our heads stupidly, but the game itself looks good. Tales of Hearts is scheduled for a Q4 2008 release date in Japan, and we want it. In the meantime, check out the empty, pretty official site.
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like Dragon Ball DS game, and they're GONK-heavy. It seems that every time Goku strikes an enemy, a GONK sound effect appears. Is that just one GONK per combo, or does each hit meet with its own GONK?
Dragon Ball DS has two GONKing combat modes: hand-to-hand, in which Goku can carry out five-hit combos and activate the Kamehameha wave by rubbing the screen with the stylus; and staff, in which Goku can manage multiple enemies with his magical extending staff. Both combat modes are controlled with the stylus.
We already showed you a snippet of the Shonen Jump scans for Tales of Hearts, but Gamekyo recently added more, this time showing off some enticing (albeit tiny) screens.
Like some of you, we're trying not to put our hearts into Tales of Hearts, just because we don't want them broken if the game doesn't get localized. Normally we're localization optimists, but after Namco Bandai decided to work on the Wii's Tales of Symphonia as well as the 360's Tales of Vesperia, but not the DS's Tales of Innocence, we've been a little bitter. We won't even mention our still stinging wounds over Tales of the Tempest, even if it wasn't too well recieved -- except that we just did. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: if any system deserves catering to niche audiences, it's the DS.
Rant aside, enjoy the lovely screens! We'll just be out back, crying softly to ourselves.
We're no strangers to scrawling information across our arms and concealing it beneath our sleeves before taking an exam -- it's precisely this kind of devilish act that got us through most of school. Yet thanks to its intensive use of Japanese, Bokura no Terebi Game Kentei (Our TV Game Exams) left us stumped -- at least until Spencer of Siliconera sneaked into the headmaster's Namco Bandai's office and grabbed some of the "answers" to the title's numerous tests.
In his time with the microgame compilation, Spencer passed exams by hitting a home run in Family Stadium, collecting 13 balloons in Mappy, getting a ship captured and then recovering it in Galaga, and digging to the bottom of the stage in Dig Dug. Head past the break to read more of Bokura no Terebi Game Kentei's challenges, but don't even think about telling teacher we told you.
Sometimes, DS screenshots just don't look quite right. They're often a little rough around the edges -- even with games that look fantastic in motion -- but worse, the split between the screens sometimes ends up in odd places if a developer is trying to use both screens to tell a story. That happens a lot in these Dragon Ball DS screens, sometimes to comic effect ... so often, in fact, that it seems like it was done on purpose, particularly when it results in images like the one to the right.
The first English-language screens of Namco Bandai's National Geographic Panda have emerged from E3, as well as a North American release window of this fall. We also received a smattering of gameplay details, listed beneath the almost unforgivable title of "It's PANDA-MONIUM!"
Scavenging for screens of rare and awesome DS games in the making is a tedious yet rewarding task. Oftentimes one will be granted a tiny sample of media from an upcoming RPG, while sometimes being rewarded with decent scans from the best game ever. What's the second-best game ever? Tales of Hearts, that's what -- and we have a couple of new screens that fit right around the middle size-wise.
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like Dragon Ball DS game, and they're GONK-heavy. It seems that every time Goku strikes an enemy, a GONK sound effect appears. Is that just one GONK per combo, or does each hit meet with its own GONK? 
We're no strangers to scrawling information across our arms and concealing it beneath our sleeves before taking an exam -- it's precisely this kind of devilish act that got us through most of school. Yet thanks to its intensive use of Japanese, Bokura no Terebi Game Kentei (Our TV Game Exams) left us stumped -- at least until Spencer of Siliconera sneaked into the headmaster's Namco Bandai's office and grabbed some of the "answers" to the title's numerous tests.
