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Xenoblade Chronicles X slashes at Wii U in 2015 [Update: Trailer added]
Xenoblade Chronicles X, formerly known as "Project X," will arrive in 2015 for Wii U, Nintendo revealed during its E3 2014 livestream today. The Monolith Soft-developed game is a successor to Xenoblade Chronicles, the developer's 2011 Wii game. Update: Nintendo offered up a trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles X.
New trailers for Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2
We got quite a bit of 3DS news from today's Nintendo Direct, but it wasn't without a few tender morsels for Wii U owners. In addition to Little Mac appearing in Super Smash Bros, Game Boy Advance games hitting Virtual Console and the announcement of NES Remix 2, Nintendo rolled out new trailers for some of the Wii U's biggest upcoming games. Settle in and get comfy for a few minutes as you take in fresh footage of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, and Bayonetta 2.
Project X Zone gets 'Ghost' demo on eShop next week
Fanstravaganza Project X Zone already has an "Imperial" demo available for download on the 3DS eShop, but the game's official Nintendo page says there's another demo coming on July 2. The second demo is called "Ghost" and will give players a look at a completely different segment of the game. Project X Zone (pronounced "Project Cross Zone," because Japan) is a turn-based strategy RPG that mashes up characters from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega franchises. The game came out in Japan last year, and just recently arrived here in North America.
New Monolith Soft game 'X' coming to Wii U in 2014
X, a new game from Monolith Soft, is coming to Wii U in 2014. "The goal is to create a large-scale open world that players can explore seamlessly," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during the E3 Nintendo Direct stream today. Monolith Soft's previous game was Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles.
Project X Zone crosses over into the US June 25
It appears that Namco Bandai has sneakily revealed a June 25 North America launch date for its crossover game with Sega and Capcom, Project X Zone. The date comes from Namco Bandai's official site, though the publisher has yet to issue an announcement or respond to our inquiries for confirmation on the release.Project X Zone is a strategy RPG for the 3DS co-developed by Monolith Soft and Banpresto, in which over 200 well-known faces from Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom wage combat utilizing a custom "Cross Active Battle System" to chain together custom crossover combos. Project X Zone was originally announced for Japan, but Namco Bandai committed to localization for US and Europe earlier this year.%Gallery-176869%
Nintendo reveals new Monolith Soft game for Wii U, looks like Xenoblade
Nintendo has announced a new game from Monolith Soft, developer of Xenoblade Chronicles. A new trailer shows off gameplay and graphics reminiscent of Xenoblade Chronicles, complete with grand, sweeping environments and massive monsters. The game will be directed by Tetsuya Takahashi and will feature music by Hiroyuki Sawano.The game has no title at the moment, though a large red X is displayed at the end of the trailer, indicating it probably fits in the "Xeno" series in one way or another.
Xenoblade developer working on new project for Wii U
Monolith Soft, the developer behind Xenoblade Chronicles, is quietly building something for Wii U. The above screenshot was snagged during the Japanese Nintendo Direct Wii U conference, thanks to Siliconera.Monolith Soft president Tetsuya Takahashi and the Xenoblade team are creating a new IP for the Wii U, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said.
Project X Zone has more than 200 characters
The Capcom, Sega, and Namco 3DS crossover game Project X Zone will feature over 200 characters, according to a post on the game's official blog, as translated by Andriasang. This number refers to a combination of allies and enemies, and doesn't account for event scene-only characters, all of which will reportedly come from franchises spanning the three brands.Project X Zone is being developed by Nintendo-owned Monolith Soft, which created the spiritual precursor to the game for PS2, Namco X Capcom.
Xenoblade Chronicles dev Monolith Soft creating Project X Zone
Add a fourth company to the group contributing to Project X Zone – Nintendo. At least, it's a Nintendo-owned developer creating the 3DS Capcom/Namco/Sega crossover SRPG. Monolith Soft, most recently known for Xenoblade Chronicles, is developing the new game, Famitsu has revealed (via Andriasang).It makes sense given Monolith's history – it developed Namco X Capcom, a similar crossover game for PS2. What doesn't make sense, at least at face value, is a Nintendo-owned company making a game about three other companies' characters.
Why Xenoblade Chronicles represents the past, present, and future of Japanese gaming
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. If you want to know where Xenoblade Chronicles came from, you need only look toward two sources. There's Monster Hunter, which is the inspiration for seemingly every modern JRPG from Dragon Quest IX to more blatant knockoffs like God Eater. And there are MMORPGs, which have come to exercise a great deal of influence over Japanese gaming culture as a whole.Xenoblade Chronicles, and Monster Hunter too, are like this for a reason. Work and school start early and end late in Japan, and any time at home is usually either devoted to the family, or sleeping. Many gamers have migrated to manga cafes, which have been dominated by MMORPGs like Lineage for about a decade now. MMOs have in turn influenced loot-centric cooperative handheld games like Monster Hunter, which serve as the other alternative for busy students and salarymen.This trend presents a dilemma for Japanese developers. Japan simply can't get enough Monster Hunter and its ilk, which is all the more reason for developers to keep cranking them out. Global audiences, however, have been slow to embrace co-op RPGs. That's where Xenoblade Chronicles comes in – an RPG with all the trappings of an MMO or a Monster Hunter, but wrapped in a traditional, single-player JRPG.%Gallery-152491%
Xenoblade Chronicles available on GameFly
Xenoblade Chronicles is available for rent on Gamefly, a reader informs Joystiq. We checked and, sure enough, it's there. "But it's supposed to be exclusive to the Nintendo Store and GameStop!" you say. To that ... well, we don't really have a snappy retort because we're just as flummoxed as everyone else. Whatever the cause, it seems being able to rent the game has created an exception.Regardless, if you don't feel like paying a premium to try out the excellent RPG, and you happen to have a GameFly account, give it a rent. As of this writing, Xenoblade Chronicles is listed as "available now."[Thanks, Matthew!]
Xenoblade Chronicles review: A cut above
I'll confess, I wasn't terribly excited for Xenoblade Chronicles at first. My experience with other "Xeno" titles (Xenogears, Xenosaga) could perhaps best be described as contemptuous. To me, those titles paraded the worst elements of Japanese role-playing games in front of a spotlight, gleefully showcasing the genre's biggest flaws to the world for excruciatingly painful stretches. Going into the nitty-gritty of why I find those games awful is another article entirely, but suffice it to say that another Xeno-game wasn't exactly high on my want-to-play list -- until I started hearing nothing but praise for Xenoblade from like-minded JRPG genre fans. Imagine my surprise at popping the disc into my Wii to discover a game nothing like Xenos past -- a game that, instead of stubbornly shoving the worst parts of JRPGs in your face, makes substantial advancements to the genre.%Gallery-152491%
Xenoblade Chronicles director naturally influenced by Western design; details changes for NA/EU version
Xenoblade Chronicles executive director Tetsuya Takahashi should probably have a lot to say given his latest project's tumultuous journey to worldwide launch, but his extremely concise interview answers to us indicate otherwise. When we asked Takahashi how Xenoblade Chronicles' development scaled comparatively with past projects, he simply told us, "There's no doubt that the scale of this project was large compared to past projects." O ... okay then!He got a bit more verbose on other subjects, however. How different is the NA/EU version of Xenoblade Chronicles from the original Japanese release last year, for instance? "We made some minor bug adjustments and revised some of the written content for localization. There were also some places where we made minor adjustments to the game balance, but none of the changes resulted in significant differences from the original (Japanese) version," Takahashi said. Takahashi also spoke to his approach to development of modern RPGs. "I like Western game design a lot, so there were places where I referred to it without thinking about it." But that's not to say Xenoblade Chronicles is a product of a Japanese dev looking solely at Western design philosophy. "Xenoblade is not just influenced by Western game design; it has also undeniably inherited the DNA of Japanese RPGs." Find out for yourself just how that plays out when Xenoblade Chronicles arrives on US retail shelves tomorrow.
Xenoblade Chronicles arrives on April 6 wrapped in this gorgeous box art
According to Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime himself, Xenoblade Chronicles will finally arrive in North America on April 6. Wait, but didn't that game already come out, like, two other times? Yes, friend, it totally did. First, in Japan on June 10, 2010 as just "Xenoblade," then in Europe once more on August 19, 2011 with its current name. The April 6, 2012 North American launch will mark its third such launch. But hey, check out that incredible box art!The game's tumultuous journey from Japanese exclusivity to worldwide release has been a point of contention for classic console JRPG fans. After a group formed online named "Operation Rainfall," various loud messages were voiced to Nintendo about a trio of JRPGs that were at the time unannounced for North America (The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Pandora's Tower). All three titles have since been announced for release (or released) in other regions, though Pandora's Tower is still not planned for a US release.Of course, you could've been playing Xenoblade Chronicles all along by using our handy guide to making the EU version work on your North American Wii. But then you already knew that, right?
New Xenoblade Chronicles trailer shows off combat and menus
Xenoblade Chronicles is still on track for its April 2012 release in North America, proving that there's nothing in this world that you can't do. This latest trailer from Nintendo and Monolith Soft shows off the game's combat, crafting and weapons systems, as well as some very large robot swords.
Xenoblade Chronicles arrives in the US in 'April 2012' [update]
After this morning's accidental retail reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles coming to North America, Nintendo has made the game's launch official, pinning an "April 2012" release date to the much hyped Wii RPG. Nintendo teased the reveal earlier today with a new gallery of Xenoblade artwork that mysteriously popped up on Facebook, though at the time there was no news attached to said tease. Despite Nintendo not giving a date to the game, this morning's image indicated an April 3 launch. GameStop's website, however, reflects an April 2 date, post-official announce. We're just gonna go with "early April" for now. So, after this, now all the Operation Rainfall folks need to do is get those other two Wii RPGs to come out in the US, and we'll be all set! We'll get right back to helping with that just as soon as we get through Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles. In, like, 120 hours, give or take. Update: According to the official PR that Nintendo of America just sent out, the game will be sold exclusively through GameStop retail outlets and Nintendo.com's website for $49.99.
Xenoblade Chronicles headed to North America on April 3, 2012 [update: it's true!]
Update: Nintendo of America has since confirmed that the game is in fact coming to North America in April 2012, though the company did not give out a specific launch date. Despite Nintendo's many attempts to dissuade your unshakeable confidence that, yes, eventually, Xenoblade Chronicles would arrive on North American Nintendo Wiis, it seems strong will may pay off. An image posted on gaming forum Neogaf shows what appears to be a listing from GameStop's internal point of sale system with an April 3, 2012 launch date attached. Strangely -- and further confirming the listing's legitimacy -- is a little note next to the listing which says it'll be, "GS [GameStop] Exclusive." Could the game be arriving only at GameStop locations in North America and eschewing other retailers? Is this just a retailer-specific version? It's unfortunately unclear. More bizarrely, Nintendo's Facebook account seems to be hinting at a forthcoming announcement, with the sudden addition of new artwork from the game. Much ballyhoo was made earlier this year by Wii-owning RPG enthusiasts when Nintendo of America initially indicated the title wouldn't be released in North America, eventually inciting a series of events ("Project Rainfall") meant to get NoA's attention about the outcry. The other two games that fans requested from Nintendo in that campaign, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, remain without launch windows in North America. We've contacted Nintendo and GameStop for comment, but expect we won't hear anything until one of the two decides to make this listing more official. [Image credit: Neogaf]
How to play Xenoblade Chronicles if you live in America
We American RPG fans can do nothing but grit our teeth this week as we watch Europeans tear open their brand new copies of Xenoblade Chronicles, which Nintendo released for Wii in PAL territories today. The Japanese role-playing game has received impressive critical acclaim in the European press, garnering a solid 91 on Metacritic. This should be fantastic for everyone involved -- except Nintendo won't bring it to America. Despite outcries from both fans and media -- and the Wii's dismal software lineup for 2011 -- Nintendo of America has remained stubborn, insisting that it has "no plans" to release Xenoblade in the United States. The same goes for The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, two other hardcore Wii titles that have both been lined up for Europe. By the way, we reached out to Nintendo of America once more, who had no comment as of publishing time. Xenoblade, developed by the minds at Monolith Soft (also responsible for Xenogears and the Xenosaga trilogy), may join the ranks of Mother 3, The Last Window and Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland as a game that Nintendo refuses to bring here no matter what anyone says. But don't worry, Yanks. There are other options out there. Since the game is available in English, all you have to do is get your hands on a European copy. Problem is, Nintendo region-locked the Wii. If you have an American Wii, you can only use it to play American games -- until you hack it. It should be noted (and we can't stress this enough) that you should not use your hacked Wii to illegally download or pirate games. That said, we want everyone to be able to play fantastic games like Xenoblade, no matter where they live. So here's how you can import European Wii games and play them on your American Wii.
Reggie: NOA 'watching' Xenoblade performance in Europe
Nintendo of America, the last we heard, had "no plans" to localize Xenoblade or any of the other titles for which "Operation Rainfall" is campaigning. But plans, or lack thereof, can always change in the face of enough money. NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime told IGN that the company would be paying attention to next week's European launch of Xenoblade Chronicles. "We will be watching very closely what happens in Europe," he said. "Certainly if there are business opportunities and positive consumer uptake from some of those titles, that will be great data for us to consider as we look at what to do with these titles." That's certainly not a confirmation of a North American release, but neither is it the sort of stubborn denial we've come to expect regarding these games. So that's something. If you want the opportunity to buy a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles, go buy a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles ... from Europe!
Xenoblade Chronicles' European release bumped up to Aug. 19
Nintendo of Europe is taking full advantage of the goodwill it's earning with the localization of Xenoblade Chronicles. Nintendo has bumped up the European release date for Monolith Soft's Wii RPG from September 2 to August 19. It will still be available in either a standard edition or a special edition with a red Classic Controller Pro. In addition, the pre-order-exclusive special edition bundle will come with three posters. Nintendo of America's last word to date on the matter was that there were "no plans" for Xenoblade or the two other games on which the "Operation Rainfall" campaign is focused.
