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DS Fanboy Review: Rondo of Swords

Posted May 2nd 2008 1:30PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Reviews

Strategy RPGs aren't exactly rare on the DS -- some people might even argue that the genre is too plentiful on Nintendo's handheld (though this writer would beg to differ). Regardless, it's always nice to see something refreshing in an SRPG, which is why I was looking forward to playing Rondo of Swords. Having heard of its unique gameplay system, I wanted to see if this title would force me to think differently and not rely on strategies I was used to.

At the same time, though, I was a bit apprehensive. While change can be a good thing if it's implemented correctly, it can often feel forced if it's not. Moreover, one reason that strategy games don't differ at their core is because the formula works. Can throwing away such tried-and-true methods really lead to an enjoyable game? Just mosey on past the break to find out!

Gallery: Rondo of Swords (Atlus)

Continue reading DS Fanboy Review: Rondo of Swords

Windy x Windam: Fighting Game of the Unemployed Ninja

Posted Apr 29th 2008 2:15PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Screens, Imports

A poster on the fighting game forum Shoryuken.com found a small blurb and screens about one of the mysterious games on Success Corp.'s summer release list: Windy x Windam. The name certainly didn't provide any clues to the game's content, but it turns out that Windy x Windam is a fighting game based on ... Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja.

Windy x Windam is being developed by Izuna's Ninja Studio. We don't know how much experience they have with fighting games -- maybe someone from the company worked on fighting games previously. Their history as Ninja Studio seems to contain only mobile casual games, mobile SRPGs, and Izuna. Maybe it'll be a turn-based fighting game!

Gallery: Windy x Windam

[Via NeoGAF]

Success reveals summer plans for Japan

Posted Apr 3rd 2008 10:31PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Success Corp recently updated the company's summer schedule for Japan, which is full of DS games that will likely never see the light of day outside the Land of the Rising Sun. Two notable titles are based on anime licenses, specifically Yawaraka Sensha and Kuwagata Tsunami. The interesting thing about these animes is that they're Flash-based shows, which fans can watch online (here and here). According to Siliconera, these animes are rather popular in Japan, so we wouldn't be surprised to see these games pop up in the software charts come July.

The rest of Success's summer line up consists of games we're not familiar with, which are called Windy Windom, Escape Johnny, and Tactical Guild (which is possibly Tactical Guide). While those of us outside Japan may not be getting any of these games, at least we have our own Success titles to look forward to.

[Via Siliconera]

Drone Tactic #1: Be an awesome robot

Posted Apr 3rd 2008 2:15PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Screens

We're not terribly fond of insects in the real world, and we think we've been able to figure out why -- normal insects are not giant fighting robots that we can pilot. We wouldn't roll the window down to let one of those out. We can always escape into the world of Drone Tactics, where insects can awesomely shoot bullets at us instead of just being annoying.

New screens, which we've collected in a jar with airholes cut out of the lid our gallery, show off some of these cool insecto-bots and also their disappointingly non-insectile and non-robotic human pilots. Although nonchalantly playing violin as you engage in a robot battle is pretty cool, we must admit -- for a hu-man.

Gallery: Drone Tactics

[Via press release]

Case solved! Success Corp.'s detective games revealed

Posted Feb 25th 2008 6:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News, Imports

Spencer at Siliconera recently donned his deerstalker and set about discovering the real identity of those mysterious detective games from Success Corp. that left us confounded last month. And no, they don't involve Scooby Doo (some would say that's a good thing).

Instead, the two have been outed as Yajuukeiji: Tokyo Doujitahatsu Terror Wo Chinatsuseyo and Otoshi Kenji: Keiji-San, Watashi ga Yarimashita, both of which we are immensely looking forward to typing out again. Yajuukeiji: Tokyo Doujitah The former is about terrorism in Tokyo, and apparently focuses on action, while the latter is an adventure title.

So there we go: two more detective games to add to this burgeoning genre. And to think they'd have got away with it, if it weren't for those pesky kids! Okay, that's probably quite enough Scooby Doo references for this week. Both of these hit Japan on May 15th, which is when we'll start to bleat for localized versions.

Atlus announces Rondo of Swords

Posted Jan 17th 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Yesterday we found out from Nintendo that Rondo of Swords would be released for the DS in April, leaving us intrigued. Some of us at DS Fanboy (correctly) guessed that it was a localization of Success Corp's Ituwari no Rondo, but that's about it.

Atlus cured our curiosity today, though, by providing a press release about the game. Besides copying and pasting the Wikipedia definition of "rondo" for us (gee, thanks, Atlus!), the publisher announced that the SRPG would be coming to the DS on April 15th. The press release also mentioned quite a few times that the game is "epic," making us wonder if we should have read it out loud with epic voices. Other than that, most of the information about the game can be found at the game's official website here.

For all our snark, we're really looking forward to this game. The combat mechanic makes use of the touch screen, and the idea of a long, challenging game is especially compelling. Unfortunately, we won't find out until April if the game can deliver on its epic promises.

Gallery: Rondo of Swords (Atlus)

[Via press release]

Joshikousei Nigeru!'s final boxart not so wacky

Posted Nov 30th 2007 1:10PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Imports

Remember that bizarre boxart we cracked jokes about for Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen, the budget survival horror-themed puzzler from Success? That cover turned out to be just a placeholder, and the finalized design has been put up at Joshikousei Nigeru!'s recently launched teaser site. The new art seems more appropriate to the game's schoolgirls-in-distress cast, but it's not nearly as memorable as the ghoul lunging for some off-camera cheeseburger (viewable past the break).

We're actually kind of bummed that Success opted to not use that silly image. We were planning on turning the bogeyman's open-mouthed expression into the next Jam Sessions dude, photoshopping him into article images at every opportunity.

Gallery: Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen

Continue reading Joshikousei Nigeru!'s final boxart not so wacky

Wacky survival horror puzzle game has wacky boxart

Posted Nov 15th 2007 7:40PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Fan stuff, Screens, Imports

Set for a Japanese release this coming January 24th under Success' budget line of games, SuperLite 2500, Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen tasks you with fighting off ghosts and escaping a haunted schoolhouse via Bejeweled-style puzzles. Think Puzzle Quest, except the fantasy and RPG elements have been replaced with creepy dead children.

Joshikousei Nigeru! will sell for 2,625 yen (approximately $23.60), which is about how much Success paid whoever decided to use that photo for its packaging art. The pictured ghoul looks less like a menacing spirit than some dude about to eat a cheeseburger. Match three jewels to save your cheeseburger from the wraith! As you can see in the gallery we've put together, there's a lot of fantastic promotional artwork for this game; why weren't any of those images used instead?

Gallery: Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen

[Via Ruliweb]

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