Blue Dragon- New Xbox 360 RPG announced

[Kevin Grey]

A recent Japanese magazine has just posted the first details on a console RPG from Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi's first Xbox 360 RPG.  No screenshots or much information yet but the significant news is that it will feature character designs from famed artist Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger).  

Scan can be found here (all in Japanese but it does show off some of Toriyama's character designs):

http://nanashi.ath.cx/up/src/up2710.jpg

[TheMissingLink]

Well, that's nice...already addressing the lack of Xbox rpgs by giving us one for the 360 - that's good news.

[Fellow]

Umm, yeah...

[EddieA]

I wonder if they game will be cel-shaded - I'm not sure how well Toriyama's designs would translate to regular 3D graphics.  I've been pretty disappointed with the rumored XBox 360 hardware so far (lack of built-in hardrive), but it looks like the games will make up for it.

There's a very small amount of information at RPGamer.

[Kevin Grey]

I wonder if they game will be cel-shaded - I'm not sure how well Toriyama's designs would translate to regular 3D graphics.  

That would be a natural fit.  With Toriyama being such a big draw the best way to get those designs across would certainly be going with an animated look.  The videos of Dragon Quest 8 seem to indicate that Level 5 was able to do it to remarkable effect.

[Kevin Grey]

Game Videos has some nice gameplay footage of this from TGS.  Looks very, very nice.  Release date is December 7th in Japan.  Here's hoping for a quick localization. 

[depward]

Looks very good!  Also, would recommend others to watch the Trusty Bell vid too - love the concept of the game and look of it.

[Kevin Grey]

Yeah, that Trusty Bell video is hot stuff.  Is that from any of the Tales staff?  The gameplay (and some of the art design) reminded me a lot of those games. 

[EddieA]

Trusty Bell is from tri-Crescendo, who had a hand in Baten Kaitos, Star Ocean 3, and Radiata Stories (which Trusty Bell reminds me of).  I think they mostly just did sound work for those games, but it looks like they're developing TB on their own.

Also, there are some very nice looking Blue Dragon shots here.

[Dante Rising]

I think one or both of these games will come to the PS3 eventually. Enchant Arms was published by MS in Japan so I assumed the PS3 would never see the game. Well, once Ubisoft acquired it for the United States they slapped the "only on xbox360" label onto the package and then prompttly announced a PS3 version. I have a feeling these games will follow suit. It would be a stupid move by Microsoft, but I don't think it is an impossibility.


Anyway, I'm pleased to see that the Xbox 360 is becoming the home of some wonderful RPGs:

Oblivion
Enchant Arms
Lost Odyssey
Mass Effect
Blue Dragon

[Kevin Grey]

MS is funding Blue Dragon so I think that pretty much destorys any chances of a port.  Trust Bell maybe. 

[Dante Rising]

MS is funding Blue Dragon so I think that pretty much destoys any chances of a port.  Trust Bell maybe.

Interesting. I didn't know that. Is Lost Odyssey the same?

[Kevin Grey]

Yep- to my knowledge MS if funding all of the announced Mistwalker games, except maybe their DS game (not sure about that one). 

[EddieA]

There's also an amazing (and rather violent) video of Lost Odyssey at Gamevideos. 

[metallicorphan]

I think one or both of these games will come to the PS3 eventually. Enchant Arms was published by MS in Japan so I assumed the PS3 would never see the game. Well, once Ubisoft acquired it for the United States they slapped the "only on xbox360" label onto the package and then prompttly announced a PS3 version. I have a feeling these games will follow suit. It would be a stupid move by Microsoft, but I don't think it is an impossibility.


Anyway, I'm pleased to see that the Xbox 360 is becoming the home of some wonderful RPGs:

Oblivion
Enchant Arms
Lost Odyssey
Mass Effect
Blue Dragon

isnt too human also an RPG?.....or is it another FPS?...maybe just because it is a trilogy of games i am thinking...'story',LOL....and if i think 'story' then i often think RPG

[EddieA]

Too Human is a third-person action game.

[metallicorphan]

Too Human is a third-person action game.

like KOTOR maybe?(i hope)

[Kevin Grey]

Too Human is a third-person action game.

like KOTOR maybe?(i hope)

No, more like God of War. 

[CeeKay]

When I first started watching the video I thought 'cool!  It looks like Dark Cloud!'.  Next, the monster dropped in and I thought 'sweet!  combat like Dark Cloud!'.  The kid ran up to the monster, and then..... then..<sob> IT BECAME TURN BASED!!!! 

At that point I closed the tab that had the video running.

[Kevin Grey]

When I first started watching the video I thought 'cool!  It looks like Dark Cloud!'.  Next, the monster dropped in and I thought 'sweet!  combat like Dark Cloud!'.  The kid ran up to the monster, and then..... then..<sob> IT BECAME TURN BASED!!!! 

At that point I closed the tab that had the video running.

FWIW, Dark Cloud developer Level 5 just announced a new PS3 RPG titled White Knight yesterday.  Don't know much else about it (like the combat system) though.  Hopefully we'll get some more details during TGS. 

[Arkon]

Video is very good looking, extremely excited for this game.

[EddieA]

Some good news on the US release front - Sakaguchi said in an interview that Mistwalker is planning on a simultaneous worldwide release for Lost Odyssey, which I think would be a first for a Japanese RPG.  Also, this quote from Phil Harrison of Sony on RPGFan - "Asked about which games he would personally recommend, Harrison mentioned Insomniac's shooter Resistance: Fall of Man and Level 5's Shiro Kishi Monogatari [White Knight Story]. He described the latter as a game that will receive a lot of attention not only in Japan, but worldwide."