Tales of the Abyss 3DS is finally out in Japan. It won’t set the world on fire since it’s a pretty basic port, though it’s a good addition to the lineup of games available for the system. Plus, both North American and European fans will be able to play it.
The term “video game” has been around for a few decades. But Metal Gear director Hideo Kojima believes that the word will vanish sooner rather than later. Kojima made that prediction based on his belief that games, movies, and music will all blend together into one industry.
Kojima discussed that topic and how the gaming industry has changed while he’s been involved with it in issue 268 of Nintendo Power:
“In this day and age, the video game business is a major entertainment industry that surpasses movies in terms of revenue. But when I started out, it was a completely different story. Back then, the game industry was a place for people with broken dreams to gather because they couldn’t land the jobs that they really wanted. Today, the industry has matured into a wonderful place where some of the most talented people in their field can take advantage of cutting-edge technology and world-class budgets to thrill and awe the entire world.
“In the near future I believe we’ll see the term ‘video game’ itself vanish as our industry evolves and eventually absorbs the movie and music industry to create a larger, all-encompassing form of digital entertainment.”
Yes, Nintendo’s initial response about possibly bringing Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower to North America was lame. It was short and uninformative. Although they promised an update in the near future, it was not at all worth the wait.
This response, too, is useless and basically confirms what most Nintendo fans have feared: Nintendo of America is not bringing any of these desired titles stateside. Looks like Operation Rainfall is going to have a long, tough battle ahead of them…
28th June 2011 – In preparation for the launch of the new epic RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii in Europe on 2nd September 2011, Nintendo has created an exclusive pre-order bundle for Xenoblade Chronicles. The bundle will consist of the critically acclaimed game along with a red Classic Controller Pro and features a reversible cover including the alternative cover artwork chosen by fans in our recent online poll. Fans will also receive three exclusive posters electronically signed by the founder of Monolith Software, Tetsuya Takahashi.*
Xenoblade Chronicles takes you to the stunning lands of Bionis and Mechonis. The landscapes are vast, offering over 100 hours of immersive gameplay. Whatever you see in the distance can be reached, giving you real freedom to explore and plot your way around quests. Combat is in real time and you are free to roam the seamless universe without having to endure random encounters, making Xenoblade Chronicles a real departure from traditional RPGs.
Although Heroes of Ruin was fully playable at E3, n-Space and Square Enix have yet to publish a single second of footage. I found that to be rather odd, since I thought that we’d at least see a full-blown trailer before the trade shown ended. Fortunately, those who are interested in the game won’t have to wait much longer to see some in-game action.
According to Square Enix’s Mike Oldman, a trailer is on the way. Oldman told fans on the site’s official forums that “We’re working on a trailer right now. Expect to see some gameplay very soon guys.” He also added on Twitter earlier today, “So I watched a cut of our gameplay trailer for #HeroesOfRuin today. Not long to wait now guys. It’s looking pretty sweeeet.”
