Namco Bandai will release Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World for Nintendo Wii later this year. Dawn of the New World is a direct sequel to the hit role playing game Tales of Symphonia (2004) on Nintendo GameCube.
Dawn of the New World takes place two years after the first game ended. The balance between the two worlds in the first game has gone screwy and it has resulted in disaster for the new world. Many of the characters from Tales of Symphonia will return, although Lloyd Irving is no longer the main character. The game instead introduces two brand new protagonists, 16 year old Emil Castagnier and his 15 year old tomboy partner Marta Lualdi. And believe it or not, they blame Lloyd for the sorry state of the new world and embark on a quest to find him.
While Dawn of the New World should bring some much needed role-playing action to RPG-deprived Wii owners, Tales fans should note that this game is not being made by the same team as Symphonia, but rather a small, lower budget studio. The original Symphonia team is actually working on Tales of Vesperia for Xbox 360.
Stay tuned for more details in the future.
Source
IGN
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sequel to GameCube's Hit RPG 'Tales of Symphonia' Coming Locally for Wii
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
God of War Red PSP Bundle Coming This June
Sony will release a new PSP Slim bundle this June. It sports sleek crimson red paint and God of War's main man Kratos on the battery cover (similar to Darth Vader on the Star Wars PSP Slim). The bundle will include the critically acclaimed God of War: Chains of Olympus (dropping early March, for those who you who already have PSPs), the hit comedy SuperBad on UMD, and a free download of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. The bundle will be retail for $199.99 (US).
Source
Kotaku
IGN
Official: Atlus USA Announces Persona 3: FES, Releases April 22
Atlus USA has announced that they will be releasing Persona 3: FES in North America for PlayStation 2 this April, for the suggested retail price (SRP) of $29.99 (US).
FES is a director's cut of last summer's critically acclaimed Persona 3. It spans two discs and contains the original Persona 3 with several new upgrades as well as a brand new chapter that takes place after the original game ends. The new chapter adds about 20 hours to the already massive 100+ hours game.
If you missed out on the Persona 3 the first time, you owe it to yourself to check out this director's cut. Persona 3 is one of the most engrossing and innovative Japanese RPGs released in years. Leading a cast of high schoolers, players attend school to boost academics and create social links during the day hours. But once night comes, they prepare for the Dark Hour (a hidden hour between 12AM and 1AM that only a select few can exist in). Time moves slowly during the Dark Hour and you must lead your party of high schoolers through dungeons to fight off demons called Shadows and prevent the world from collapsing into a state of chaos and annihilation. Not only can you equip your characters with weapons and armor, but you can also fight using Persona (demons manifested within the minds of each character). Personae are summoned by "shooting" one's self with a gun shaped tool called an Evoker (while characters don't usually die from summoning their Persona, it should be noted that there is plenty of violence and death in the game and it is not recommended for children or impressionable teens). The battle system is deep, innovative and, as always, requires quite a bit of strategy. Shin Megami Tensei is known for its hardcore difficulty and Persona 3 is no exception. You had better exploit your enemy's weakness and guard your own or you'll find yourself dying. A lot. And, unlike most Final Fantasy games, level grinding isn't going to help you. Your success depends on your strategies and your choice of Persona. But don't let this intimidate you, the challenge is what keeps the battles entertaining.
If you already played Persona 3, you might want to check out FES for the new content (unless of course you didn't like the original that much). Some of the new features include new S-Link events, alternate costumes, 17 new BGM tracks, a weapon synthesis system, new side-quests, new cutscenes, additional voice overs, and of course the new chapters and endings.
Unfortunately, this time around the artbook and soundtrack CD will not be included with the game. But you can't really complain when you're getting an excellent directors cut for only $30. Most directors cuts of RPGs never even get released outside of Japan (damn you, Square Enix!). So mark your calender for April 22, and don't you dare pass this up if you've never played the original release.
Persona 3 and Persona 3: FES are both rated Mature (17+) by the ESRB.
Related Links
Atlus USA
Persona 3 official website
Sources
Atlus USA
1UP.com
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
R.I.P.: HD DVD is Officially Dead, Blu Ray Wins the Format War
Toshiba corp. today announced that after nearly two years, they will be abandoning their HD DVD movie format, thus making Sony's Blu Ray format the winner in the high definition competition.
The competition was pretty close with big companies like Disney (Buena Vista, Touchstone), Sony Pictures (Columbia, Lionsgate) exclusively supporting Blu Ray while Universal, DreamWorks and Viacom (Paramount) exclusively backed HD DVD.
But everything started going downhill for HD DVD last month, starting with Time Warner (Warner Bros, Turner)'s decision to exclusively back Blu Ray. Soon after, other major companies and retail chains such as New Line, HBO, Walmart, Best Buy, Netflix, EMI, ADV and National Geographic went Blu Ray exclusive.
For more details, see Toshiba's press release as well as PC World's Blu Ray VS HD DVD timeline.
Sources:
Toshiba.co.jp (news)
PC World (additional info)
1UP.com Message Boards (image)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Rumor: Atlus USA to Announce 'Persona 3: FES' A Week From Now
A countdown clock has been posted on Atlus USA's official website and it has got fans speculating. The most likely speculation is that Atlus will announce the North American release of FES, the long awaited expansion pack to last summer's blockbuster RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 for the PS2.
Already available in Japan, FES adds 20+ hours of new content to the epic game which already contains 100+ hours of gameplay and awesome anime cutscenes.
Expect more details when (if) Persona 3: FES is announced next week.
Related Links:
Atlus USA
Persona 3 offical website
Source:
1UP.com Message Boards
Video Games - US Release List for the Week of 2/17/2008
I personally am looking forward to buying Apollo Justice this week.
[All release dates are subject to change]
Video Game Releases of the Week
- 2/18 - Dungeon Explorer: Warrior of the Ancient Arts - PSP / Konami / Teen
- 2/18 - FIFA Street 3 - PS3, 360, DS / Electronic Arts / Everyone
- 2/19 - Dynasty Warriors 6 - PS3 / KOEI / Teen
- 2/19 - The Club - PS3 / Sega / Mature
- 2/19 - Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - DS / Capcom / Teen
- 2/26 - Patapon - PSP / Sony / Everyone
- 3/4 - God of War: Chains of Olympus - PSP / Sony / Mature
- 3/9 - Super Smash Bros Brawl - Wii / Nintendo / Teen
- 3/25 - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - PSP / Square Enix / Teen
Anime & Manga - US Release List for the Week of 2/17/2008
Not many releases this week...
[All release dates are subject to change]
Anime DVDs for 2/19/08
- Moonlight Mile vol 1: One Small Step
- Tokyo Majin vol 2: Dark Arts: Predestined Power
- Tokyo Majin vol 2: Dark Arts: Predestined Power + Art Box
- Welcome To The N.H.K. vol 3: 3rd Conspiracy
*Anime Books include manga/graphic novels, novels, art books, ani-manga, ect.
- Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service manga vol. 6
- 2/29 - Mushishi manga vol. 3
- 3/4 - Black Cat manga vol. 13
- 3/4 - Blood+ DVD vol. 01
- 3/4 - Nana manga vol. 9
- 3/4 - Negima! manga vol. 17
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii) One Million Copies Sold In Just 11 Days
Nintendo's killer ap for the Wii hasn't even been released outside of Japan yet but that hasn't stopped it from reaching the one million copies sold milestone. Super Smash Bros Brawl reached the one million mark after only eleven days, setting a new sales record for the mega-popular Wii console.
Super Smash Bros Brawl features a large selection of Nintendo characters from many different Nintendo games. Players choose their favorite characters and then battle it out in the game's many single player and multiplayer modes. Previous games in the series are Super Smash Bros Melee (best selling GameCube game of all time) and Super Smash Bros (Nintendo 64). Some features new to Brawl include Assist Trophies (which grant a player the ability to call on a computer controlled character for assistance), Final Smashes (limited use attacks that deal massive damage on your opponents), new characters such as Sega's iconic Sonic the Hedgehog and Konami's Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series, new stages, a far more epic Adventure Mode and online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Super Smash Bros Brawl will be released in North America in March.
Related Links:
Smash Bros official website
Sources:
1UP.com
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) Goes Gold
The highly anticipated PlayStation Portable game God of War: Chains of Olympus has gone gold, developer Ready At Dawn has reported. For those not in the know, "gold" means that a game has finished development and is entering the production stages.
God of War: Chains of Olympus is the first game in the best-selling series to appear on the PSP. Previous games include God of War (PS2), God of War 2 (PS2) and God of War: Betrayal (Mobile). Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the first God of War, but will feature a lot of the same gameplay mechanics as the original as well as a few of the things introduced in God of War 2. The game's developer Ready At Dawn also created Daxter, the fantastic Jak & Daxter spin-off for PSP, and they are porting Capcom's PS2 masterpiece Okami to the Nintendo Wii.
Mark March 4th on your calenders, because that is when God of War: Chains of Olympus is expected to hit stores nationwide. A PS2 version is also rumored for later this year, though there hasn't been any official confirmation.
Sources:
Ready At Dawn
1UP.com
Monday, February 11, 2008
MOO-YAH! Harvest Moon & Lords of Thunder Now Available On Wii Virtual Console!
Well, its Monday and that can only mean one thing... No, it is not time to start singing Manic Monday. No, its not crazy hat or silly tie day either. Here at The Super Awesome Nerd Blog, Mondays signify something a little bit more interesting: Virtual Console Day! Every Monday Nintendo adds at least one new classic game to the growing list of already available games for the Virtual Console (a built-in emulator for playing classic games on your Wii). Virtual Console games can be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shopping Channel on the Wii console's start-up screen. Now for today's new releases...
Harvest Moon
800 Points / SNES
The game that started it all. The original Harvest Moon for Super Nintendo (SNES) paved the way for the billions of sequels and spin-offs that were released on just about every console and handheld out there. The premise is simple, you live on a farm where everyday you tend to your crops and animals to make a living and woo the neighborhood women. Many of the series' staple features weren't added until later, but this version should at least please nostalgic gamers and amuse series veterans who never played the original.
Lords of Thunder
800 Points / Turbo Grafx CD
Lords of Thunder is a cult hit, considered by some to be the best side-scrolling 2D shooter on Turbo Grafx. Set in a fantasy world with a heavy metal theme, gamers will take on dragons and other beasts while dodging enemy fire and attacks.
Sources:
1UP.com
PcEngineFX.com
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Video Games - US Release List for the Week of 2/10/2008
All release dates are subject to change. Dates listed are ship dates. HDW (Hardware) refers to a new system release.
Video Game Releases of the Week
- 2/11 - Professor Layton & The Curious Village - DS / Nintendo / Everyone
- 2/11 - Nintendo DS Lite Cobalt/Black Mario Bundle - HDW / Nintendo / Everyone
- 2/12 - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - 360 / Ubisoft / Mature
- 2/12 - Lost Odyssey - 360 / Microsoft / Teen
- 2/12 - Wipeout Pulse - PSP / Sony / Everyone 10+
- 2/12 - Conflict: Denied Ops - PS3, 360 / Eidos / Mature
- 2/12 - Dungeon Explorer - DS / Konami / Everyone 10+
- 2/26 - Patapon - PSP / Sony / Everyone
- 3/4 - God of War: Chains of Olympus - PSP / Sony / Mature
- 3/9 - Super Smash Bros Brawl - Wii / Nintendo / Teen
- 3/25 - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - PSP / Square Enix / Teen
Anime & Manga - US Release List for the Week of 2/10/2008
Starting as of now, I will post the weekly release dates for upcoming video games, movies, anime and manga. Release Lists will typically be posted on Sundays. Please note that these are US release dates and that the release dates for other regions will likely differ. Also keep in mind that release dates are not guaranteed and are subject to change. Some retailers may not receive products until a few days after they are released depending on the area and shipping method.
Anime DVDs for 2/12/08
- Kanon [remake] vol. 2
- Kanon [remake] vol. 2 + Artbox
- Kurau (Phantom Memory) vol. 6: To Split Infinity
- Mar vol. 5
- Project Blue Earth SOS vol. 1: Invasion!
- Samurai Deeper Kyo Complete Collection DVD Set + GameBoy Advance game
- Shuffle! vol. 01
- Super Robot Red Baron DVD Set
Anime Books* for 2/12/08
*Anime Books include manga/graphic novels, novels, art books, ani-manga, ect.
- Air Gear manga vol. 7
- Camera, Camera, Camera manga vol. 2
- Enchanter manga vol. 7
- Dirty Pair Strikes Again novel
- Oh My Goddess! manga vol. 8 (2nd Edition)
- Path of the Assassin manga vol. 9
- Princess At Midnight manga
- My Dearest Devil Princess manga vol. 2
- Street Fighter III: Ryu Final manga vol. 2
- 2/19 - Welcome to the N.H.K. DVD vol. 03
- 2/29 - Mushishi manga vol. 3
- 3/4 - Black Cat manga vol. 13
- 3/4 - Blood+ DVD vol. 01
- 3/4 - Nana manga vol. 9
- 3/4 - Negima! manga vol. 17
Thursday, February 7, 2008
New Street Fighter IV Pics!
New screen shots and artwork from Capcom's fourth installment in the Street Fighter franchise have been revealed. These screens originally hail from Japanese video game news source Famitsu, but have quickly spread across the internet. There's a lot more where these came from.
Street Fighter IV is the first true new entry in the series in years (not including spin-offs, ports, remakes and rehashes), and the makers are trying hard to recreate what gamers loved about SFII while also making it appeal to those who may have never played Street Fighter before but have played modern fighting games.
Sources:
eNe3.com (images)
Electronic Gaming Monthly (game info)
Indie RPG "Project Exile" Coming Soon to Nintendo DS
Signature Devices, Inc. and Graffiti Entertainment, LLC have announced that they will publish indie game maker Studio Ashcroft's role-playing game (RPG) Project Exile for Nintendo DS in North America during the first quarter of 2008 .
Studio Ashcroft began developing Project Exile about four years ago for the Game Boy Advance. Production was later moved to the Nintendo DS. Project Exile is inspired by old-school Japanese RPGs, particularly Square Enix's classic Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
Excerpt from the official press release:
"Project Exile is a fantastic Japanese style RPG. With over 50 hours of fun game play and stunning graphics, RPG fans will really enjoy this game. We are very excited to add this RPG to our growing list of published products," said Kenneth Hurley, CEO of both Signature Devices and Graffiti Entertainment.
Related Links:
Signature Devices
Graffiti Entertainment
Sources:
1UP.com Message Boards
Yahoo! Biz
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Learn English and Kill Zombies at the Same Time - Sega Announces English of the Dead for Nintendo DS!
Sega has announced a new spin-off to their popular zombie-slaying arcade series House of the Dead for Nintendo DS in Japan.
English of the Dead will teach Japanese gamers how to write and pronounce the english equivalent of Japanese words. A word will appear on the DS's top screen in Japanese and gamers will be required to write the english translation of the word on the DS's bottom touch screen with their stylus before a zombie or other monster gets close enough to attack the player. When a zombie is defeated they will yell out the english word as they die. Charming, no?
This quirky game is set to release in Japan sometime this spring. A North American version has not been announced and it is unlikely that one ever will be, although I think it would be awesome if they released an english version that taught western gamers Japanese. Sega released a similar spin-off in the late '90s for Dreamcast and PC that helped improve typing skills called Typing of the Dead. Typing of the Dead actually got an American release so maybe there is hope for English of the Dead?
Source:
1UP.com
The Sky is Falling - Mass Effect DLC in March!
Mass Effect developer Bioware announced today that new downloadable content (DLC) will be released on March 10th for their critically acclaimed Xbox 360 RPG.
The DLC pack will be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 MS Points (about $5 USD) and is titled Bring Down the Sky. According to Bioware, the new content includes an uncharted world with a new alien race called Bartarians, about an hour and a half of additional gameplay that expands the game's storyline and a new Achievement worth 50 Gamerscore points. Additional DLC is also planned for Mass Effect further down the road.
Gamers have been anxious for new content after completing Mass Effect, so this news is likely to make their day. And at just $5, its a bargain.
Related Links:
Bioware
Sources:
Kotaku.com
Bioware.com
Devil May Cry 4 Now Available for PS3 and Xbox 360
DMC4 is a 3rd person action adventure game starring series newcomer Nero, though the series' popular anti-hero Dante is also in the game and has some playable parts. Like the previous entries, players will take on demonic enemies by chaining together vicious sword attacks and gunshot blasts. There is also a bit of exploration and puzzle solving to be had although it should be noted that this is a linear game and exploration will have its limits. Nero and Dante play differently and have unique abilities to keep the gameplay from feeling too repetitive.
The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game are for the most part identical although the PS3 version has a brief installation period the first time you play which reportedly will eliminate loading screens for a more seamless experience. A PC version will be released later in the year.
The game is also available in a limited collector's edition set that includes a tin case with protective sleeve, bonus DVD with a "making-of" feature and the volume one DVD of the DMC anime series, dubbed in english by ADV. Consumers who pre-ordered the collector's edition from GameStop or EB Games also received a hardcover book containing artwork from the game.
Devil May Cry 4 is rated Mature (ages 17+) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for Blood, Language, Sexual Themes and Violence.
Related Links:
Capcom US
1UP.com DMC4 Review
ESRB
Sources:
1Up.com - various details and product information obtained from 1UP's editorial content as well as their message boards. Images also from 1Up.
