Surprise, surprise -- a Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 has been announced in Japan. We were pleasantly surprised to see in this week's issue of Shonen Jump details on another Radiant Mythology game. Details are scarce at this point, but like the previous Tales of the World games, it is a crossover title with characters from different Tales games. The character count is reportedly over 50, more than double the less than 20 characters of the first game. Even the formerly exclusive Xbox 360 character Yuri Lowell from Tales of Vesperia is in it. Take a look at the other characters in the scan over at PSPHyper. The first Radiant Mythology title was released in the US, so we are hoping this sequel does the same. Stay tuned for more info!
Games in the Tales franchise are about a dime a dozen anymore, but did you know back in the day they sold incredibly poorly and were incredibly niche? I know that, because since the very first Tales title hit US shores, I was hooked and looked forward to every sequel, until they started to seemingly grow on trees. The latest title to make its way to our PSP is Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology and we've got quite a few things to say about this game: how does it stack up against the other titles, what does it bring new to the table, and most importantly, does it suck? This review hopes to cover all these bases and more.
The new E3 is just around the corner, and that means that publishers are sending out lists of their E3 slate. Such is the case with Namco Bandai. On the PSP front, we can look forward to seeing the fan favorite RPG Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, the tennis champ Smash Court Tennis 3, and of course the knuckle headed ninja in Naruto: Ultimate Heroes. There may of course be a few surprises, or behind closed doors presentations, but those three games are certainly heavy hitters. Which of these titles are you most looking forward to seeing more on at E3?
Namco's upcoming fanservice-filled RPG Tales of the World is hitting PSPs soon, and Gametrailers has posted a new montage video, featuring the anime intro and various battles to be found in the game. It looks sharp, as expected, but we're wondering: where's our j-poppin' intro? We're hoping it's not axed for the US version.
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.
Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.)
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?
Namco Bandai continues teasing us with new screens from Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. These screens showcase some popular guest stars from previous Tales games, and also the new character creation mode. We also received a video that raised some concerns: it sounded like the original voice actors from the previous Tales games are not being used. Check out the rest of the screens, and a new video, after the break.
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.
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.
All Tales games seem to come with catchy J-Pop songs and anime intros. The PSP-exclusive Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology is no different. This potpourri of fan-favorite Tales characters features "Hikari to Kage" (Light and Shadow) sung by Kana Uemura.
It would be awesome if we could get an English translated version of this game. Considering the fairly large Tales fanbase in the States, I won't be surprised if Namco announces a release date one of these days.
Tales of the World isn't the only Tales game heading to Japan. Bandai-Namco is adding yet another excellent Tales game to the PSP library, which continues to expand, much to the anguish of American PSP owners. Jeux France has tons of new screenshots of Tales of Destiny 2, a port of the popular PlayStation 2 RPG. Unlike Tales of the World, this game features some old school 2D graphics. However, with large, eye-catching sprites, and some cool battle animations, ToD 2 will most likely look quite stunning on the portable screen. Expect it to hit Japan in 2007, and potentially never come out in the US. Boo.
Here are two of Sony's arguably biggest products hitting the PSP this year. First, you see the amazing Tales of the World commercial. It's only 15 second long, and shows mostly anime sequences. But what I see here is good.
Next, you see an insanely long demonstration of Chotto Shot, the PSP camera software suite. Like Hikaru Utada, it's very Japanesey, featuring a cute Japanese couple getting all lovey dovey over the device. Who knows? Maybe with Chotto Shot, you too can score yourself a Japanese girl or boyfriend!
The great thing about Japanese gaming magazines is that they feature bold text everywhere, making everything seem even more exciting than it should be. Tales of the World will be striking Japan soon, and I can't contain my excitement. Check out the magazine scan above, and some of the screenshots after the cut to see the game's awesome graphics and potentially kick-butt combat. While other Japanese RPGs like Gurumin and Valhalla Knights are coming to the US, this impressive looking game doesn't have a planned US release yet. Why?!
Wow, Japan gets the best bundles. On December 21st (one day before the Metal Gear Solid bundle comes out), the Japanese will be able to pick up a Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology bundle, which includes the game, a blue PSP, a limited edition pouch, and more for 28,000 yen ($237).
Considering how Tales of the World is essentially fan service, in game form (it features characters from various Tales games), this package will no doubt destroy all of Japan, and give the PSP the attention it so rightfully deserves. Importers may want to get their wallets ready for this one.
