The recent issue of Weekly Famitsu (issue 4/24, the issue before last) has a massive 11-page feature on original IPs (the mag call them “rookie titles”) and lots of long-in-development titles are suddenly in the spotlight. Readers were asked to vote for their most anticipated new IPs in a survey and here are the Top 10 and comments from the developers.

1. Ninokuni (DS, Level-5, TBA 2009, 600 votes)

Level-5’s first title for their 10th anniversary is a collaboration with Studio Ghibli. You’re a 13-year-old boy traveling between reality and Ninokuni (direct translation: the second country) looking for your mum. Studio Ghibli is responsible for the animation while the studio’s famous composer Joe Hisaishi take care of the music. The game will also come with a book called “Magic Master” that mimic the magic book found in the game. Players will need to refer to the book throughout the game in order to learn spells, combine items, check map, identify enemy’s weakness and get to know more about the story. Level-5’s boss Akihiro Hino says the game is about human relationship and there will be follow-up reports soon.

2. Bayonetta (PS3/360, Sega, Fall 2009, 380 votes)

Bayonetta is an action adventure game with great focus on stylish moves and it’s set for this fall in Japan. Producer Yusuke Hashimoto says the game is 50% done and more reports are coming up. On the different difficulty settings, director Hideki Kamiya says in the easy setting, even his mum can beat the game. Hashimoto adds that the hardest setting will be a challenge to the most experience action gamers but the fundamental ideas behind these settings is to give players as much fun as possible.

3. Ni-oH (PS3, Koei, TBA, 343 votes)

Only things we know about Ni-oH is it’s an action game set in feudal Japan. The protagonist has a Japanese father and foreign mother. Kou Shibusawa, Koei’s co-founder, is the producer for this. I like how Famitsu ask Koei about this game: “Let’s be frank, what is the development status?” and the answer from the PR is pretty standard but sounds promising: “We’re working very hard to make this a title that everyone will feel happy about”.

4. Blood of Bahamut (DS, Square Enix, TBA, 294 votes)

I have to admit I was a little disappointed with Blood of Bahamut after seeing its early screens, but the latest screens are really nice and I like the setting a lot. The game follows the story of seven warriors and their giant enemies, which players can defeat by targeting attacks on their weak spots. The game also features multiplayer co-op and weapon making. Director Toriyama Motomu says the game is mission-based and players can customize their characters and make weapons in the “Base Menu”. These missions can be 5 minutes long or up to 30 minutes for the tougher ones. Also a “secret system” that can extend the replay values of the game is being teased. He stress that the game is good for both single and multiplayer and it’s currently in the final balancing stage. A release date will be revealed soon.

5. Project O (aka Ousama Monogatari) (Wii, Marvelous, TBA, 223 votes)

Corobo is a little boy who found a mysterious crown that gives him the power to order people to do things, build a country and expand it by invading other countries. Yoshiro Kimura, the producer, says the most interesting point of the game is defeating the kings of the other kingdoms and save the princess in the prison. Although the game looks cute thanks to its art style, Kimura says it’s actually has a very cruel mechanic where players sent their own people, who they can assign a job to, to fight for them. The game has been released in Europe and the Japanese version is currently 95% done.

6. X-Blades (PS3/360, Gaijin, Apr 30, 136 votes)

Poor reviews in the West doesn’t stop gamers in Japan from voting for X-Blades as their 6th most wanted game. Famous Japanese voice actress Rie Kugimiya will be the voice behind the main character, Ayumi. The PR says the developers, Russia-based Gaijin Entertainment, make the game with “I love Japan” in mind.

7. Infinite Space (DS, Sega, Jun 11, 116 votes)

Platinum Games and nude maker’s RPG set in space lets players build their own fleet of spaceships and fight against enemies in the expansive environment. Producer Atsuhi Inaba says Infinite Space is 98% done and it will be the largest scale DS game yet with over 200 characters and 100 types of spaceships to customize. A lot of considerations were taken to make sure the game is portable friendly, like the chapter-based story and the ability to play and quit anytime.

8. Yuusha 30 (PSP, Marvelous, May 30, 97 votes)

Yuusha 30 is a game of four different modes, you’ll start with a side-scroller, shooting, strategy and action. Their common mechanic is the 30 seconds time limit, which make for some really frantic gameplay. Producer Kenichiro Takagi says development is now at the final stage and his team is working as if there is only 10 seconds left. They also work hard to make sure the game is high quality and has plenty of contents.

9. Dream C Club (360, D3 Publisher, Summer, 72 votes)

Dream C Club lets you drink and chat with hostesses in a bar and the condition is, you must work hard to earn money to support your night life. You will be given a year to have a girl friend. A representative from Dream X Create, the developers behind the game, says it’s 78% done and want players to play the game with “pure heart”. Famitsu asks if the game is “extremely adventurous”, to which the rep laugh and say normal customers will want some “extreme adventure” on top of “normal adventure”…

10. Tom Clancy’s HAWX (PS3/360, Ubisoft, Apr 23, 71 votes)

Looks like the Voice Command and the use of satellite images in Tom Clancy’s HAWX attracted quite a bit of gamers in Japan.

Noteworthy New IPs

Besides the Top 10, Weekly Famitsu also recommends eight other games as the new IPs to watch. Marvelous gathers a strong team for it’s fantasy RPG Arcrise Fantasia (Wii, Jun 4). Another Wii game that has a credible staffs is Jaleco’s Ougon no Kizuna (Wii, May 28) which has Final Fantasy XII scenario writer Miwa Shoda in the team. Level-5’s two other 10th anniversary titles, Ushiro and Danboru Senki are in as well, more details on Hino’s comments here.

RPG is still popular among the readers as Mass Effect (360, May 21) and Acquire’s Dam-Dam both listed. The later is particularly interesting with the concept of using dam as the core mechanic of a strategy game. Sega’s rhythm game based on the massively popular Vocaloid series, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, looks great and will surely be a hit in the sales charts. Finally, the only sports game in the list is Now Production’s baseball sim that put players in the shoe of a coach, Kodawari Saihai Simulation: Ocha no Ma Pro Yakyuu DS.

Posted in News on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 at 12:50 am |
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