Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi leaving SEGA along with Daisuke Sato
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News | 0 comments
Two senior members of SEGA are leaving the company – Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato. The development studio behind the Yakuza series, Ryu Ga Gotoku, announced the departure of Nagoshi and Sato in a statement about the company’s future.
Toshihiro Nagoshi is the creator of the Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball series, and in the company’s statement they say that there was a time where “‘Ryu Ga Gotoku’ was basically synonymous with ‘Toshihiro Nagoshi.'” However, Nagoshi is moving on and leaving not only his development studio but also SEGA in general. The reason for his departure is not given in the press release, nor is what he will do next, but he isn’t the only one leaving the company.
Daisuke Sato, a senior producer and designer (also the Executive Manager of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD), is leaving the company with Nagoshi. He also did not list a reason for leaving, but he has served as head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for over 9 years. He says that he is confident that the studio will thrive without him, and that he is grateful to the fans that supported him and their games for so long.
Check out the company’s full statement here as well as extended comments by Daisuke Sato and Toshihiro Nagoshi.
More: SEGA, Super Monkey Ball, Toshihiro Nagoshi
Composer for the Dragon Quest series Koichi Sugiyama has passed away
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News | 0 comments
The composer for the Dragon Quest series, Koichi Sugiyama, has passed away at the age of 90. Square Enix Japan has put out a statement about the composer’s passing on their official Dragon Quest website and listed his cause of death as septic shock. He passed on September 30, 2021.
Koichi Sugiyama has created music for the Dragon Quest series since its inception and is listed as contributing to over 500 songs for the game series over the years. Square Enix says in their statement that his last task before his death was composing the score for the upcoming 12th mainline game in the series, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate. What progress he made on this task was not listed in the statement.
Finally, in their statement Square Enix thanks him for his contributions to the Dragon Quest series and says that the music will be a part of his legacy. Comments by his collaborators, such as Yuji Horii (principle game designer and scenario writer for Dragon Quest) and Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragon Ball), can be seen on his obituary page and a memorial is being planned by Square Enix, scheduled to take place in Sugiyama at some point in the future.
More: Dragon Quest, Koichi Sugiyama, Square Enix
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Nendoroid up for pre-order
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming | 0 comments
A new addition to the Good Smile Nendoroid line is now available for pre-order. This is the Princess Sakuna Nendoroid based on the character from Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.
This figurine is available for pre-order until October 20, 2021 and it is expected to ship in July 2022. It will be $68.99 and it features a couple of swappable face plates (for a standard and smiling expression), as well as a ton of interchangeable tools from the game for Sakuna to hold.
The full details of this figurine are included below as well as some pictures of it. It can be pre-ordered at this link.
The next song on Pokemon 25: The Album has been released, “Take It Home” by Mabel
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, Videos | 0 comments
The next song featured on Pokemon 25: The Album has been released on YouTube and music streaming services. This song is “Take it Home” by Mabel and while it has no music video, there is a link to listen to the song below.
Pokemon 25: The Album releases with all of its songs on October 16, 2021.
More: Pokemon 25: The Album
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii hints at plans to remake Dragon Quest I & II in HD-2D
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News, Videos | 0 comments
During the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary stream, series creator Yuji Horii announced that Dragon Quest III is being remade in HD-2D. He explained that this was due to the popularity of the game. However, it seems that Horii’s plans go past just a Dragon Quest III remake and on to also remaking the first and second games in the HD-2D style.
He started talking about this during the 35th anniversary live stream after announcing the Dragon Quest III Remake and saying that “Maybe afterwards, we maybe make [Dragon Quest] 1 and 2.” He continued by saying “So, we’re thinking maybe 3 we can start, and then maybe 1 and 2 there would be some kind of unexpected surprise.”
Eventually, the other presenter flat-out asked if Horii was planning on remaking the first 2 games in HD-2D as well, and he answered with “Well, we want too.”
So, while these remakes are not official, it seems pretty likely that the Dragon Quest team has plans to bring the first 2 games to HD-2D after Dragon Quest III. This whole exchange was translated by an official translator on the live stream, so if you’d like to take a look at the original clip, check it out below (starts at 50:00)!
Famitsu posts Japanese hardware and software sales for fiscal year 2020, Nintendo dominates the market
Posted on 3 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News, Switch | 0 comments
The sales numbers are out for both video game software and hardware in Japan for fiscal year 2020, which would be from March 30, 2020 to March 28, 2021. Famitsu released in its column the top 20 software sales for this time period and the sales records for all the systems on the market. It is notable that of the top 20 software bestsellers, 17 of them were Switch releases.
More: Famitsu, Japanese sales
Tales of series to hold a 25th anniversary live stream event
Posted on 4 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News | 0 comments
Bandai Namco has announced that they plan to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tales of series with a live broadcast. This broadcast will air on a date TBD, and it will feature producers from the Tales of games to talk about experiences while developing the games, as well as addressing fans’ surveys and questions. The survey for this event can be found here.
It is unclear at this time exactly what announcements will be made regarding upcoming or current Tales of games, but Gematsu reports that the newest information on mobile games, events, and anniversary goods will be shared. It’s possible that Tales of games for the Switch will be discussed, but it is not guaranteed.
Make sure to check back for updates on this Tales of 25th anniversary live stream, as the date should be revealed soon.
More: Bandai Namco, Tales of
Moster Hunter Rise gets a double pack in Japan, including a digital and physical version of the game
Posted on 4 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, Switch | 0 comments
It seems that Japan is getting another exclusive edition of Monster Hunter Rise for the Switch. This special game package, which roughly translates to “Hunting friend double pack,” features two copies of the game (one digital and one physical) as well as some downloadable content. All of this comes in a sleek box for 15,254 yen or around $145.
It seems the extra content has raised the price, as this double pack is $25 more than what two versions of the game would cost. Roughly translated, what this digital content includes is:
- Recovery medicine Great x 80
- Sweetbread trap x 10,
- Demon dust x 20
- Hardened dust x 20
- Life dust x 20
- Armor ball x 30
- “Item pack” useful for cooperative play and hunting
Whether or not this is worth it is up to Japanese consumers, as it seems unlikely that this edition will come to the West. It’s specifically marketed towards Switch owners who want to play the game with a friend, so it’s possible that the online play is pretty extensive in the game.
We’ll just have to see when Monster Hunter Rise launches on March 26, 2021.
More: Capcom, Monster Hunter Rise
Full Koei Tecmo Channel Lineup at TGS 2020 revealed
Posted on 4 years ago by Bryce(@brodee922) in General Gaming, News | 0 comments
Koei Tecmo’s full channel presentation slated for TGS 2020 has been revealed in a graphic on their official website. There are quite a few Switch games on this list, including Angelique Luminarise and Monster Rancher 1 & 2.
The full list is included below, courtesy of Gematsu, and the graphic on their website (with a rough translation) has also been added as well. Koei Tecmo’s presentation at TGS 2020 is planned to run from September 23 to 27 with the Koei Tecmo Channel taking place on September 26.
Update: The following information comes from a press release on 4Gamer, translated by 黒凧 BlackKite (@bk2128) on Twitter. The mystery game in Koei Tecmo’s lineup appears to be from the Midas brand, who are known for their mobile games.
So, it means it is a good chance that the mystery announcement will be a mobile game.
More: Koei Tecmo, Tokyo Game Show 2020
Square Enix – TGS lineup and schedule announced
Posted on 4 years ago by Elias in General Gaming, Switch | 0 comments
Square Enix has released their featured games along with a schedule for Tokyo Game Show 2020. TGS 2020 will be online this year, and runs September 24 to 27. Square Enix will be seeing a large amount of features this year, including several mobile titles and a heck of a lot of Dragon Quest. Switch titles like Collection of Saga: Final Fantasy Legend, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, and other Japan exclusive games will see the spotlight. Check out the full lineup and schedule below, as rounded up by Gematsu after the break:
