If you are a fan at all of RPG’s and you own a Wii, chances are you a pretty pumped already about the sequel to the Gamecube’s much-loved Tales of Symphonia game. Just recently at the 2008 Game Developer’s Conference, we finally got some new details to chew on.
The sequel, titled Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World will focus on a new character named Emil Castagnier. One of the managers of the game, Minako Takahashi explains that “Emil believes that his parents were killed by Lloyd Irving. It’s a significant aspect of the story that will be addressed as players make their way through the game.”
This huge detail that has been revealed is really what pushed my excitement over the edge towards this game. In the first Tales game, Lloyd (the main character) was a very brash, anxious and hot-headed character that you eventually grew to love and really feel for towards the end of the game. He would never hurt someone intentionally, though, and this is what has gotten me interested. What could Lloyd have done to be seen as a murderer in this new game? I had seen him in some teaser videos earlier in the year but I always thought he was going to be a mentor type character, teaching the new guy some tricks along the way.
Namco has been pretty tight-lipped on how the Wiimote is going to work into the game, and I’m not sure that I want to speculate. Hopefully it will mostly be for navigation because I think that brining battle-gestures into such a fast-paced battle system (which is a fully-3d plane now and you can move in all directions) would take away from what makes it so great - plus you would get really tired really quick.
You can definitely expect to see more information here when it becomes available. Let us know how you feel and what you think!
I posted a topic in the Wii forum over at NG4 about the comparisons I had read between Okami and Zelda when Okami was first released. The post was only meant to get some discussion going about some parallels between the games but the intitial response was quite heated and it rather surprised me. Because of the response it motivated me to take the discussion here as well. Okami has been wildly successful on PS2 and revered as an incredible game. Now that Okami is landing on the Wii is it fair to compare it to Zelda, if it is will it reach the legendary status of Zelda?
Over the weekend my fellow Wiitard and I were playing Smash Brothers Melee when we paused the game to answer the front door. When we returned to the game we were shocked to see that Ness was riding Pikachu…while holding a bomb. Enjoy!
I just zomged! Nintendo is partnering with Best Buy for one of the most epic displays of love that a company could have for its customers ever! There are going to be huge prizes for the top four finishers at each tournament venue. 256 people will be allowed in to compete and it is single elimination. This is going to be really interesting because the stakes are so high, yet no one has really had that much time to get used to a character or understand the nuances of the new game. I hope they hold future tournaments after people have really gotten to know the new installment so we can find the true Smash Master. All though I am up farther in the Northwest, I am seriously considering driving to San Francisco to get my Brawl on. If you can’t go and need to be comforted, just read over the Smash Brothers character list and watch some more videos. If you are going, good luck! Check out the details below.
Smash Bros Brawl Tournament Details
Where and when:
Feb. 16
Doors open at 3 p.m.
Orpheum Theater
842 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Feb. 23
Doors open at 2 p.m.
Ten15 Folsom
1015 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
March 1
Doors open at 3 p.m.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Olden Hall
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609
March 8
Doors open at 5 p.m.
Best Buy (NOHO)
622 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
“The grand prize winner will receive a crystal-coated Wii with a design from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a home theater system from Best Buy and a copy of the game. The second-place finisher will receive one Wii system and Wii Remote, one copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a $1,000 Best Buy gift card. The third-place finisher will receive a Wii and Wii Remote, a copy of the game and a $500 Best Buy gift card. The fourth-place finisher will receive a Wii, an extra Wii Remote, a copy of the game and a $250 Best Buy gift card. For more information about the tournaments, visit nintendo.com.”
So if you are a huge fan of the survival horror genre like me, the Gamecube didn’t have much to offer outside of the Resident Evil series, but this year is going to be different for the Wii. Wii owners, this is your year to kill zombies, monsters, mutated insects, and creepy Japanese ghosts. Grab a Nyko Perfect Shot and take aim.
Currently, Resident Evil 4, which made IGN’s Best of 2007, and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles are just about the only true survival horror games available on the Wii. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles could be considered more of an arcade shooter rather than a classic survival horror game even, but there are 3 specific games that you should be seriously watching for if you are a fan of this freaky genre.
Number 1: Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark should be thanked for starting the Survival Horror Genre. It first came onto the scene back in 1992 for DOS. Since it’s first release there have been three additional installments. The first game has been hailed as the best, but the newest release coming up is definitely going to give the first generation a run for its money. The delivery of the story to the gamer sounds awesome. The game will be played out in 30 minute or so episodes, and each time the player comes back to the game it will do a run down of what happened in the last episode so you don’t have to sit and scratch you head for 15 minutes before you remember what you were doing. The immersion into the game is going to be great, and since the game is heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft you might want to play with the lights on. Check out the seriously good trailer below.
Number 2: Fatal Frame 4, a.k.a Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
The original game in the series was very unique and very creepy. Fatal Frame was first released on the PS2. I remember the first time I played it. My friend and I turned off the lights, turned up the volume and then realized that the only thing we were armed with was a camera. Talk about nerve racking. Not many survival horror games have been able to create a helpless, frantic mood like the Fatal Frame series. Armed with only a camera, the main character explores a haunted mansion in search of her missing brother. The camera serves as a way to trap the evils in the mansion on it’s film. The game offered a nice change for the survival horror genre. Rather than blasting your way through monsters with an endless amount of weaponry, you explored a haunted mansion always feeling vulnerable and somewhat helpless. Not much is known yet about the Fatal Frame 4 storyline, but rumors state that it could be linked to the story from Fatal Frame 2. The game producer Keisuke Kikuchi stated that there will be twice as many game characters in the game world at the same time compared to the earlier titles. Currently, there is no set release date. :(
Number 3: Obscure: The Aftermath
This game is the sequel to the game ObsCure, released in the U.S. in 2005. The storyline from the first game follows a group of teenagers as they search for their missing friend in their school. As they become locked in their school overnight, unexplainable things begin to happen. Infected students, monsters and conspiracy plague the schools hallways. The series is known for it’s unique co-op feature which “The Aftermath” will implement as well. The sequel follows the characters as they go to college. Players will choose one main character and one AI sidekick from 6 total playable characters. Each character has his/her own unique abilities and also has the option to combine certain weapons and objects. With this co-op feature a second player can jump into the horror at any time and take control of the side-kick character. With plenty of weapons and a dynamic character system, this game is sure to provide a deep experience, hopefully not too demented. This game is set to release March 25, 2008, and the current MSRP price is only $29.99, sweetness.
So there you have it. A look at three survival horror games making there way to the Wii this year. In the meantime check out Resident Evil 4 if you haven’t already. Arguably the best game released for the Gamecube, RE 4 kicks so much ass. Now on the Wii you can play with pointer control that works really well. Umbrella Chronicles offers an intense, thrilling experience as well and covers a lot of the RE storyline before unseen. Sega is also releasing a two in one package of House of the Dead 2 and 3 for the Wii, set to release March 18 for only $29.99. While your waiting, get your freak on now and kill some zombies. To order or pre-order any of these games now, click the links below!
Number 0: Oh, and don’t get this game, you might die…lolz @ :20
Some box art images have surfaced for Mario Kart Wii, but we are skeptical. Here is the suspected box art:
Although it looks really cool, this image has been around for a while:
Now do a quick image search for “Wii Wheel” and on the first result page you have this:
So with some clever photoshopping, you can make that box art easy. It is really cool looking box art, and I would be glad if it was, but it looks to be photoshopped (I still could be wrong though :P)
Also, there has been some murmurs that you will be able to use your Miis in game. This could be pretty cool, especially if you were able to attribute stats and what not to each driver. Here is a screen I came across, but I won’t claim this as true yet, but it is fun to speculate!
If you are a fan at all of RPG’s and you own a Wii, chances are you a pretty pumped already about the sequel to the Gamecube’s much-loved Tales of Symphonia game. Just recently at the 2008 Game Developer’s Conference, we finally got some new details to chew on.
and take aim.
