Tales of Symphonia, originally released on the GameCube (and later the PS2 in Japan), was one of the high points in Namco Bandai’s long-running Tales JRPG series. It now seems that it may be getting an HD rerelease on PS3, according to series producer Hideo Baba. He teased the rerelease, calling it “a representation of the dreams and hopes of the fans, who have long been wanting it.” Namco Bandai has yet to officially confirm anything, but it also seems that the Wii-exclusive sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, will also be included. Considering how that title shares many assets with the first game, I wouldn’t be surprised, since it would cut down on work. It will be interesting to see how the updated games look once there’s a formal announcement! Read more…
Praise the sun! IGN has a 12-minute gameplay demo of Dark Souls II, the first footage released! Watch as director Yui Tanimura and producer Tak Miyazoe take us through various parts of the game, showing off devious traps and monsters that often attack when you’re behind them. Of course, there is lots and lots of dying. At one point, this guy? Cheers near a cliff and then gets knocked off by boars. That’s Dark Souls for you! Read more…
One Piece: Pirate Warriors may have just been a Dynasty Warriors game, but it was still pretty fun despite the dumb gameplay. A large part of that were the energetic and wacky attacks. Lo and behold, there is a trailer for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 focusing on the entire Straw Hat crew and the new moves they’ve attained during the two-year time jump that occurs in the manga’s plot. Read more…
The Naruto videogames keep coming, and while not every game leaves Japan, we tend to get most of the better ones. The latest in CyberConnect2′s Ultimate Ninja series is Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, and the graphics still look as beautiful as ever. While the gameplay of previous Ultimate Ninja Storm games has never been that special, the cel-shading is always well done. And of course, there are over 80 characters, giving it the biggest roster yet. Read more…
It was a long shot, but Namco Bandai is actually bringing Project X Zone to America. The 3DS game is a crossover between tons of game franchises from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega. Tekken, Street Fighter, .hack, Valkyria Chronicles, Mega Man X, Tales, Resident Evil, and more are represented in the strategy RPG. With that many licenses, even from only three companies, it seemed unlikely that the game would reach our shores. But hey, it’s happening! Read more…
Like most console launches, the Wii U is getting a lot of ports to fill out its launch window. A lot of these are pretty much what you’d expect, but Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition is getting some nice exclusive content to differentiate this version. Besides being able to draw on your characters with the GamePad to customize them, there are further customization options to make the Tekken characters look like Nintendo characters. That’s almost weird enough, but the extra content doesn’t end there. Read more…
I’ve been playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors, the anime-inspired spin-off of Koei and Omega Force’s long-running Dynasty Warriors series of beat ‘em up games. It has its flaws, but for a One Piece fan since Viz started running it in Shonen Jump in 2003, it’s probably the best representation of the franchise in video game form. There are bits that feel like they’re begging for downloadable content — notably an option on the main menu that brings up an empty list of additional content — and since Namco Bandai is publishing it, they of course have some add-ons to sell you. Read more…
Project X Zone (pronounced Project “Cross” Zone) is a massive crossover game being made by Namco Bandai for 3DS. While Namco has previously worked with Capcom on the crossover games Namco x Capcom, Street Fighter X Tekken, and the upcoming Tekken X Street Fighter, this is the first time that Sega is being brought into the mix. The game features characters from a long list of various game franchises, which is usually a good indication that the game would remain in Japan; for example, Namco x Capcom was never localized. However, that has the potential to change. Read more…
Namco Bandai has dissolved their Namco Tales Studio as a separate studio, but that doesn’t mean those same people aren’t working on a new Tales game! Tales of Xillia 2 is a direct sequel to the game that the rest of the world is still waiting for a translation of sometime in 2013. Xillia 2 takes place one year after the original and is being released only a year and a few months after the original game in Japan on November 1, 2012. That’s soon, and so Namco Bandai is already advertising the game. Read more…
Ever sit down to play Katamari Damacy and wonder what led the King of All Cosmos to sport those ridiculously tight pants, or chiseled abs? Why he has so many attachment issues and forces his son, the Prince, to gather everything up like a hoarder? This little montage puts it all together for us, but be forewarned, it’s collection of cut-scenes from the game We Love Katamari, and if you’re planning on playing through it someday, you might not want to spoil it for yourself. If, on the other hand, you want to laugh and cry — this one’s for you!
