Retroview - Knights in the Nightmare (DS)

Official Site: http://www.atlus.com/knights/
Source: Youtube Channel AtlusUSA

I had finally finished playing Knights in the Nightmare sometime last year.  I played it off and on for three years and finally completed it.  Sting Entertainment is known for making very unique games with all the mechanics and gameplay a bit more different from its usual genre and familiarity.  Before Knights in the Nightmare, I have tried Riviera: The Promised Land and Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone.  One resembles a turn-based RPG while the other was like a Tactics-RPG.  Knights in the Nightmare, on the other hand, is a little harder to describe.  It looks like a Tactics game, with Action-RPG elements, and some bullet-hell.  The player takes the role of a wisp which can command soldiers throughout each map.  The game is seemingly complicated where the tutorial takes up to 2-3 hours to complete; however, the actual game isn't too bad at all.  The player commands each soldier in real-time to attack enemies throughout each map while collecting items, dodging enemy bullets, and switching between LAW/CHAOS phases.  Overall, the graphics were beautiful and highly detailed, the music was pretty good, and the gameplay was between fun/satisfying and a little repetitive/boring.  The story is just as convoluted as the game's mechanics.  I commend Sting Entertainment for always innovating gaming genres and having a lot of content in their games, but it often times scare off most gamers with its overwhelming presence.  With such ambitious design choices for Knights in the Nightmare, I've always wondered what Sting Entertainment was going to do next.  They have made 3 new PSP games since then (not counting ports of their previous games) and so I guess they've been keeping busy.  If you want complex and innovative RPGs, look for games developed by Sting Entertainment.  I heard Baroque is an innovative Action-RPG, Rogue-like that some people liked.  Many others didn't like it because of how unforgiving or confusing the game was.  Guess I should check out more of their games too.

NewNews - Project X Zone NA launch will get extra stuff

Official Japanese Site: http://pxz.channel.or.jp/
Source: Youtube Channel NintendoWorldReport

3DS Tactics collaboration Project X Zone involving a collaboration between 3 major game companies has a surprise for gamers in North America.  Joystiq just shared that nice tidbit about the launch copies of Project X Zone in NA.  Along with the $40 game, those who purchase the game at launch will get a mini-artbook, a poster, and a music CD.  I'm hoping it's the full soundtrack, but I've bought 2 games with soundtracks with them in the past and they turned out to be special tracks.  It's great and all, but it'd also be nice to have the full soundtrack of a game to listen to.  With so many distinguishable characters and series in this one game, it's sure to be filled with lots of memorable themes from their respective games.

Also, Project X Zone has an official launch date now: June 25, 2013.  I think it's one of the few games I'm buying on day one this year.

Source:
-Joystiq - Project X Zone launch copies come with extra stuff

NewNews - Project x Zone coming to North America

Official Japanese Site: http://pxz.channel.or.jp/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment

After months of hearing "Japan exclusive" and "no plans of Western release" we finally get an announcement from Namco Bandai yesterday that they are, in fact, bringing Project x Zone to North America.  This made me so happy and excited I wanted to burst into tears but held it in so I could finish reading the rest of the details.  The estimated release date at the moment is summer of this year 2013.  I hope that means the first day of summer in June so we don't have to wait too long.  Seriously, there weren't that many games to really look forward to this year.  But then games like Pandora's Tower and now Project x Zone gets the okay to bring over to America suddenly changes my perspective on the games coming out this year!  For those unfamiliar with the game, Project x Zone is a Strategy-RPG with grid based movements like a Tactics game and 2D-combo based Action combat featuring over 200 characters across 29 different games from Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega.  This is one game I'm willing to pay full price on the first day to get.  This seems like a better year for Japanese developed games with titles like Phantasy Star Online 2, Bayonetta 2, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Dark Souls 2, Final Fantasy XIII - Lightning Returns, Pandora's Tower and this game coming out this year.

Source:
-Crunchroll - "Project X Zone" and More Announced for North America

GameLight - Project X Zone

Official Japanese Site: http://pxz.channel.or.jp/
Source: Youtube Channel nbgi

Seven years ago, a game called Namco x Capcom for the Playstation 2 was released that featured a bunch of characters from a lot of games; however, the game was never released in North America.  Looks like that game has a continuation on the Nintendo 3DS with one of the largest collaborations seen in the industry (other than Super Smash Bros. Brawl).  Project X Zone is a Action-Tactics game exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS that will feature over 200 characters across 29 different games.  Characters from fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter to Action games like Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Resident Evil to RPGs such as the Tales series, .Hack Sign, and Resonance of Fate will be joining the large cast to do some crazy combo attacks.  I'm not exactly sure what the game's about, but just looking at the gameplay has me immensely excited for this game.  The game is set to launch in Japan on October 11, 2012 exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.  I really hope North America will get to see this game sometime in the near future.

Source:
-Joystiq: New Project X Zone trailer is 16 minutes of crazy crossovers

GameLight - Pokémon Plus Nobunaga's Ambition

Official JP Site: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/ranse/
Wikia Page: http://koei.wikia.com/wiki/Pokémon_Plus_Nobunaga_no_Yabou

Source: Youtube Channel ThePokemonCompanyCH

A new Pokémon game is coming out (at least in Japan)!  But it's not what most are expecting.  Nintendo has teamed up with historical war game developer Koei in creating Pokémon plus Nobunaga's Ambition, a Tactical Strategy RPG for the Nintendo DS.  When I saw the video on Kotaku, I was excited.  "Whoa, Sengoku era warlords fighting with Pokémon?  Awesome!"  The article shared on Kotaku was written by Brian Ashcraft (I go to Kotaku specifically to read stuff he writes) and he explained his reaction of watching the trailer with his 8-year old child.  They were both perplexed and confused with why they would do such a cross over.  This is not surprising as it's a strange mash-up.  I told my father, once an avid player of Nobunaga's Ambition back in the NES days, about the cross over and he thought it was absolutely absurd.  "It's just too strange."

Just some background on what Nobunaga's Ambition is about: It's part of a long series of historical strategy games developed by Koei based on Japan's Sengoku Period (1467–1573) where many feudal warlords seeked to conquer and unify Japan.  Among those leaders was a man named Nobunaga Oda who held one of the largest armies and was a forced to be reckoned with.  Games based off that time period are numerous and should be familiar in one name or another.  Some of these games, aside from Nobunaga's Ambition, that is based off the history or references historical figures are: Sengoku Basara (known as Devil Kings in the Western market) (Capcom), Onimusha (Capcom), Samurai Warriors (Koei), Kessen 3 (Koei), Shogun: Total War (Electronic Arts, Sega), Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (Microsoft Game Studios), etc.

I'm guessing that the team behind the Pokémon franchise wants to try something new and grab a new audience, specifically those who are interested in historical Japan/the matured audience exposed to the history.  In all honesty, I'm really sick of the same Pokémon games that have been spewing out over and over.  So whenever Nintendo decides to develop or have another company develop a new type of game like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon Pinball, or Pokémon Rumble, I get excited and am willing to try it out.  With a crazy mix between Pokémon and Samurai fighting, I say "why not?"  I'm hoping that it gets brought over to the Western market, though I'm not sure how well it would sell.

Source:
-Kotaku: Watching the New Pokémon Trailer with an 8-Year-Old