One of the main reasons I got myself a DS is the rich selection of unique role-playing games like Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey series. Its map-making feature and challenging gameplay are something I am really looking forward to. With only two months to go before its Japanese release (I will wait for the yet-to-be-announced US version though), let’s see what’s new in the third game of the series, Sekaiju no Meikyuu III: Seikai no Raihousha (my rough translation: Etrian Odyssey III: Visitors From Star Ocean). This article is based on all the Weekly Famitsu reports so far, including comments from the developers.

If you’re like me, new to the Etrian Odyssey series, the game lets you form a party of five members, march deep into dungeons which you create (using a Paint-like interface with icons for various tools) as you move forward. Leveling up, something we’ll spend plenty of our time in the game, will have different effects depending on your job class, which make it important to set-up your party accordingly. It also worth mentioning that the previous games have been hard and this don’t seem to be any different.

Read the rest of this entry »

With its colorful characters and Yarikomi elements (that allows fans to delve deeper into the game), Luminous Arc 3: Eyes is looks like something that strategy fans like me would love to play. The latest Weekly Famitsu report shares some storyline, new characters, game flow and also a special unlockable animation. The game will be released on December 10th in Japan.

Story

After losing his best friend to a witch when both of them are still kids, Refi realized he can use magics and decided to improve his skills in a magic school to look for ways to defeat the witches. He will meet plenty of colorful characters in the college and becomes a member of the Magus group to battle witches. An epic story is waiting for us according to Famitsu.

Read the rest of this entry »

Never play Luminous Arc before and eager to check this out really. Marvelous launched the official website for the third game in the series Luminous Arc 3: Eyes today, check out the PV above or click here for some new screens. The game is coming out early December in Japan.

Square Enix’s attempt to recreate the feel of a classic RPG looks to have gone the right direction with the soon to be released Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden. The fourth Weekly Famitsu report on the game focus on the locations that our heroes will be visiting throughout the game. Looks amazing and this is a sure buy for me.

Level-5’s highly anticipated RPG Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryokusha is coming out in two versions, Fire and Blizzard, this October. A recent report in Famitsu point out the four main differences of the two and it looks like it’s going to be a tough choice to make for fans of the series. But as you may find out below, it could also be down to which girl you want to go out with…

Read the rest of this entry »

The latest report on Level-5’s Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryokusha tell us more about the story, new characters and also the multiplayer modes.

The Story So Far

Face with the sudden threats of Alien Academy, Mamoru Endo and his teammates take the Inazuma Caravan to search the entire nation for the best talents for his team. After a match with Gemini Storm, a team from Alien Academy, director Toko suddenly removes Shuya Goenji from the first team. The move shaken the team’s confidence and in order to find his replacement, Endo and company goes to Hokkaido to find Shiro Fubuki.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pretty excited with this. Supervised by Yuji Horii himself, Dragon Quest Wars is a board game being developed by Intelligent System. Four monsters from each teams will battle it out on maps with grids on them. There are only six types of monsters and the equal amount of maps to choose from but as mentioned in my previous report, this seems like a simple looking but deep strategy game that can be quite addictive. The game will be out sometime this month in Japan and costs 500 DSi Points. More screens after the jump (click on the images for larger view).

Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t pay much attention to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days before, partly due to me not having a DS when the game was announced and as a result, didn’t follow any news about it at all. But thanks to it being heavily promoted in the recent issues of Weekly Famitsu, it kind of grow on me. The fact that it has been confirmed for a September release in US only raises my interest even further. Here’s the last interview the mag did for the game with director Tetsuya Nomura and assistant director Tomohiro Hasegawa (published in issue 6/5) where the duo highlights some of the cool stuff of the game.

According to Hasegawa, he always wanted Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to be played in short chunks of time where players can slowly accumulate their game time. It’s also one of the main idea behind the title, where “Days” refer to the story progressing day by day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sega is introducing a new feature into Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer’s battle system called “Rongeki Battle” in which players will be presented with a question once a certain condition has been met. Your answer will apparently has a “big impact” on the outcome of the battle. There are also info on Ishida being playable in the scan (click for full view). Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer will be out in Japan on August 6th, it’s $48.90 at Play-Asia.

After months of silence, Level-5 is finally ready to tell us more about Ninokuni, the lead title for the company’s 10th anniversary’s celebration this year. A recent Weekly Famitsu article, of which this report is based on, says this is a “Dream RPG” and it surely looks like one. Read on if you want to know about what has been revealed so far.

What is Ninokuni?

Armed with a magic book (which will be bundled together with the game), players venture between real and alternate worlds, making spells, create potion and solve puzzles to help 13 years old Oliver revives his mother, who died suddenly in the real world. The two worlds move in parallel, which mean life goes on in another world if you decide to switch to a different world.

Read the rest of this entry »