Japan <3s obscure RPGs. Many of these games will never make it stateside, and that's the vibe we're getting with the World Neverland collection on PSP. This compilation combines the two PS1 World Neverland RPGs.
According to IGN, "The two World Neverland games tell of the Kingdom of Olerud and the Republic of Pluto. You play as a citizen of these countries and, after joining up with a guild, experience life surrounded by AI-driven residents."
We're doubtful this'll ever make it stateside, but hardcore importers may want to check out Famitsu for more screenshots.
We love the gameplay of Tales games: the real-time battles certainly make for some intense clashes. Tales of the World looks to be just as fun as its console counterparts, but we're concerned about one thing: voice acting. The new videos posted on IGN might look good, but they certainly don't sound too pleasing. The one-liners that the characters spew every time they say an attack became tiresome even within this tiny clip. Please, Namco Bandai: let us turn off the voices, okay?
Remember the Deal of the Day we had over a week ago? We reported that the cutesy beat-em-up RPG Gurumin was available for $20. Well, it looks like that's no longer a Gamestop-specific deal: the game has officially become a budget title.
Mastiff is flooding the retail chain, alleviating previous "supply issues" the title was facing. The publisher is hoping that by lowering the price, and increasing the title's availability during Sony's aggressive PSP marketing, it will be able to gain an even larger audience for the niche title. "Between the increased availability and the economical price, RPG fans should now have no trouble getting their hands on Gurumin," said Bill Swartz, "Head Woof" (we're not kidding) of Mastiff.
PSP Fanboy previously reviewed the title, awarding it with a 7.5.
Every Saturday, PSP Fanboy will answer your burning questions. If you have a question for the team, send an e-mail to andrew @ pspfanboy.com with the subject "Ask PSP Fanboy." NOTE: We do NOT answer questions related to downloading illegal copies of games. Stop asking.
Q: Is there anything that utilizes the PSP's infrared functionality? A: There are no games that take advantage of PSP's infrared functionality. However, there are a few homebrew programs that do. For example, piKey lets you use a keyboard with your system. You can also transmit data and turn your system into a universal remote.
Q: Will there be any original JRPGs on PSP besides tactics RPGs and action RPGs? A: It's true that PSP will be receiving many tactical and action RPGs, from Wild Arms XF to Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. However, let's not forget that PSP is home to Monster Kingdom and The Legend of Heroes series. Brave Story should fit the bill nicely. Dragoneer's Aria looks pretty interesting as well. If you're interested in farming, Harvest Moon will be coming out soon as well.
Last month, we unveiled NIS and Hitmaker's newest RPG, Dragoneer's Aria. The concept art looked a bit edgier and darker than usual PSP RPG fare. While we were excited to see a RPG on our handheld take a slightly more mature approach to the genre, we're admittedly disappointed by these new screenshots of the game, provided by Degenki Online. The graphics look primitive, with blocky character models and barren environments. The game is due out soon, so it doesn't look like this game will have the chance to improve much before its release.
The Final Fantasy remakes are certainly a bizarre thing to behold. The graphics are a strange mix of new and old: redone sprites and backgrounds mix with strange particle effects gamers from the NES era dare not dream of. GameTrailers has some gameplay footage from the game, allowing you to judge whether or not this game is worth the pricey $30 entry fee when it releases later this year.
Valhalla Knights looked so promising when it was first previewed so many months ago. Looks like it'll join the ever-growing collection of RPG failures on our system. The critics, for the most part, have bashed XSEED's latest, telling you to stay far, far away from it:
1UP (35/100) likens the experience to torture: "I can't remember the last time I felt so constricted as a gamer. Sure, running around the dungeons and slashing through enemies is enjoyable enough -- and, dare I say it, even fun at times. But as soon as you attempt to play through Valhalla Knights like its an actual game, it completely falls apart. The viselike grip Valhalla Knights holds."
G4 (40/100) thinks the game is too old-school for its own good: "This is not a game for the impatient, especially since there's no in-game help system. When it comes to combat tactics or building a party, you have to learn by doing (and probably dying)."
IGN (53/100) wanted to like the game, but couldn't: "Valhalla Knights succeeded at impressing me with fun, real-time combat, completely pissing me off with drawn-out quests and eventually driving me away due to the complete lack of anything resembling story progression."
Ouch! Those are some of the harshest reviews we've read in quite some time. Valhalla Knights is now available in stores ... if you dare pick it up!
What do you think a remake of a decades-old RPG should cost? $5? $10? How about $20? Well, Square Enix has a surprise for you. The Final Fantasy remakes are heading to the US for a whopping $30 each. Final Fantasy, rated E10+, will ship to retailers on June 26, 2007. Final Fantasy II, rated T, will ship to retailers on July 24, 2007.
Executive Producer Shinji Hashimoto states in the latest press release: "It is amazing to see how far Final Fantasy has come in the past twenty years, and we cannot wait to continue bringing fans more Final Fantasy titles in the next 20 years." Of course, if Square Enix continues to price games this way, gamers may not be able to afford their games. Remember the original Final Fantasy I & II collection on Game Boy Advance? Each individual UMD costs the same as that cartridge from years ago. This really is a shame, Square.
Many Tales fans are excited about Tales of the World. Being able to play with fan-favorite characters from previous iterations of the series is certainly enticing--but, getting them to stay in your party is another challenge in and of itself. 1UP recently previewed the game, and found that the game is a little bit more forgiving than the typical hardcore dungeon-crawl RPG. For example, "you won't lose your loot if you're defeated -- though you may lose your clout within the city."
It appears your fame, and your overall battle quality, will determine your ability to have returning Tales characters join your team permanently. "Most of the time, these 'guest' characters will be available to you for their associated quest, but you can also try to get them to join you permanently. Whether they do or not depends on their overall opinion of you, which is determined by a variety of factors that are so far unclear. We imagine you may not need to do much besides playing skillfully and avoiding death when they're with you on a quest."
If you play like a second-class warrior, you'll end up with second-class partners: generic heroes that must be paid to follow you around. Like in real life, it appears you'll have to earn friendship through charisma ... or money. See a video of the game, after the cut.
Namco Bandai just sent us some screenshots of Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, reminding us that this action RPG is only a few months away. Fans will love seeing their favorite Tales stars return in this fan service-filled title. In addition, the US release will feature slight gameplay tweaks from the original.
Check past the cut to see ten more screenshots from the English build of the game.
Jeanne d'Arc has easily been one of our most anticipated games for the system. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has just announced a US release date for this strategy RPG, and it's a little sooner than we thought. This August, players will be able to take on Level 5's latest SRPG, based very loosely on the story of Joan of Arc.
Check out our previous coverage of the game, and don't forget to look at the beautiful new English screenshots, after the break. [Update 1: Sony has opened a sparse, but beautiful, official website for the game.]
Posted Mar 21st 2007 4:20PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
PSP is no stranger to the RPG genre. XSEED, publisher of the upcoming Valhalla Knights, is preparing two more adventures for PSP gamers to conquer:
Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground has you creating dungeons, floor by floor, in order to capture an elusive beast, the legendary Wandering Demon. By improving the layout of your dungeon, you'll be able to lure in more exotic creatures, and fight them in real time using a variety of weapons, magics, and summoning creatures. You'll also be able to trade dungeons with a friend, when this game comes out in July.
Brave Story: New Traveler is a new PSP-exclusive RPG from Game Republic (creators of Genji). You play as an eleven year old boy (pictured) whose life is changed forever when his friend Miki falls ill from a mysterious disease. He must enter the world of Vision to find the Goddess of Fortune to make his wishes come true. This RPG doesn't have a release date yet, but is expected to come out Q3.
Check after the cut to see more pictures of Dungeon Maker in action.
We've complained about our lack of Tales of the World a lot on the Fanboy. Well, it looks like Namco Bandai is finally listening and giving English-speaking gamers what we want: a localized version of Tales of the World. This PSP-exclusive RPG is a fan-service feast for Tales fans, featuring characters from previous Tales games, such as Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss.
In an interview with IGN, Namco Bandai revealed that "players will be able to use Grade Points they have earned in battle to purchase special items or equipment ... the US version of Tales of the World will be slightly more tuned than the overseas version."
While that's certainly good news, we can only hope for more in the future: "Although I do not have details as to whether other PSP Tales titles will be reaching the shores of the US at this point, I can say that such possibilities do indeed exist." Tales of the World will hit American shores later this year.
Like Disgaea, Riviera is a 2D sprite-based RPG that hardcore gamers seem to be entranced by. However, unlike NIS's darling, Riviera is actually finding a US release. It'll arrive in June, featuring new event scenes, a CD-quality soundtrack and a dual-language track for voice acting (wow!). That's something the GBA version never could've handled. Heck, even the DS wouldn't be able to do that.
Is it just me or does this narrator have something caught in his throat? He sounds like he's trying to hard to do the deep, intimidating announcer voice. C'mon, XSEED: there's no need to fool around like that! The trailer does a good job of selling itself! What do you think fanboys? Are you getting excited? We'll find out for sure when the game comes out on April 17th.
Valhalla Knights looked so promising when it was first previewed so many months ago. Looks like it'll join the ever-growing collection of RPG failures on our system. The critics, for the most part, have bashed XSEED's latest, telling you to stay far, far away from it:
PSP is no stranger to the RPG genre. XSEED, publisher of the upcoming Valhalla Knights, is preparing two more adventures for PSP gamers to conquer:
Like Disgaea, Riviera is a 2D sprite-based RPG that hardcore gamers seem to be entranced by. However, unlike NIS's darling, Riviera is actually finding a US release. It'll arrive in June, featuring new event scenes, a CD-quality soundtrack and a dual-language track for voice acting (wow!). That's something the GBA version never could've handled. Heck, even the DS wouldn't be able to do that.
