SANTA CLARA, Calif., (Feb. 18, 2010) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., announced today that Dragon Ball®: Origins 2 exclusively for Nintendo DS™ will be available in North America this summer. A follow-up to the original Dragon Ball: Origins for DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2 continues the story of series hero Goku’s early years as he and his friends search the world for the seven enchanted Dragon Balls. The new action-adventure game includes an array of features including the ability to play as different characters along the way and the option to team up with a friend for co-op multiplayer challenges.
In Dragon Ball: Origins 2, players battle through the Red Ribbon Army saga covering Goku’s first encounters with the nefarious Red Ribbon Army up to the resurrection of Upa’s father, a member of the native tribe who serve as the guardians of the mystical Korin Tower. Players have the chance to play not only as Goku, but also the added variety of familiar faces he encounters as the journey progresses including Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha and more, each with their own abilities and power-ups. The whimsical and beloved graphical style of the series comes to life as animated cut-scenes unfold the story.
“What publishers have said is they’re not going to spend the resources on Wii… In my job, we compete against Microsoft and Nintendo, and we’re competing for resources. So when I walk into a publisher, I ask, ‘Where are you guys pushing your resources?’ In the past, it was ‘Look how hot the Wii is,’ or ‘Look how hot the DS is,’ and ‘We should put resources there.’ They did that and realized, ‘You know what, third-party product just doesn’t sell on that platform.’ So now they’re taking those resources, coming back to us and saying, ‘Sony we’re going to be able to provide you with that exclusive content,’ or ‘We’re going to put more engineers on it and figure out to maximize the Blu-ray and get more out of PS3.’ That’s what we’re seeing now. And I don’t even have to fight for their hearts and minds; I just show them the TRST data with regards to how many top 10 titles are third-party titles on the Wii, or how many top 10 titles are third-party titles on the DS. Not many. It’s not a hard story to sell, and they get that. Unless they’ve got a particular franchise that’s worked well on the Wii, you don’t see a lot of innovative new IP coming out on that platform.” – Rob Dyer, SCEA Senior Vice President of Publisher Relations
To be honest, Dyer is pretty correct. Looking at the last six months, only four third-party Wii and DS games have managed to reach the top 10 for NPD sales. However, a few games here and there – like Scribblenauts, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, and Just Dance – have managed to sell well. And in Japan, it’s troubling to see high-quality titles like Tales of Graces performing poorly. We’ve seen unique IPs from publishers in the past like Deadly Creatures and de Blob, but I wonder how things will change over the next few months.
Meet Ya At The Flagpole After School…
Torrance, CA (February 8, 20010) – Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, welcomes back Japan’s cute delinquent high-schoolers in two new games on Nintendo DS™: River City Soccer Hooligans and River City Super Sports Challenge.
After-school sports will never be the same.
“There is only one word to describe River City Soccer Hooligans: GOOOOAAAAAAAAAL!”, states Frank “Bo” deWindt II, Associate Producer, Aksys Games. “Soccer fused with crazy weather conditions and super-shot attacks aplenty create an amazing Kunio experience!”
Heavy Rain – 9
Star Trek Online – 6
Dante’s Inferno – 7
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll – 4
Bioshock 2 – 9
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers – 5
Vandal Hears: Flames of Judgement – 8
Darwinia+ – 7
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Call of Pripyat – 8
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Xbox Version) – 5
MAG – 6
Undead Knights – 6
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce – 5
Guitar Hero: Van Halen – 5
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom – 5
01. [PSP] God Eater – 110,000 / 506,000
02. [DS] Dragon Quest VI – 79,000 / 1,176,000
03. [WII] New Super Mario Bros. Wii – 59,000 / 3,322,000
04. [DS] The Prince of Tennis: Motto Gakuensai no Oujisama -More Sweet Edition- – 44,000 / NEW
05. [DS] Tomodachi Collection – 38,000 / 2,817,000
06. [DS] Quiz Magic Academy DS: Futatsu no Jikuu Koku – 32,000 / NEW
07. [WII] Wii Fit Plus – 29,000 / 1,639,000
08. [PS3] Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 26,000 / 98,000
09. [WII] Zangeki no Reginleiv – 22,000 / NEW
10. [PS3] Sacred 2 – 22,000 / NEW
11. [DS] Dragon Ball DS 2
12. [PS3] End of Eternity
13. [WII] Wii Sports Resort
14. [360] Sacred 2
15. [PSP] Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP the Best Reprint)
16. [DS] Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
17. [DS] Inazuma Eleven 2
18. [DS] Rupan Sansei Shijousaidai no Zunou Sen
19. [DS] New Super Mario Bros.
20. [PSP] Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
21. [DS] The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
22. [WII] Mario Kart Wii
23. [PSP] SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Portable
24. [PSP] Pop ‘n Music Portable
25. [PS3] MAG
26. [PS3] Ar tonelico III: Sekai Shuuen no Hikigane wa Shoujo no Uta ga Hajiku
27. [WII] Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
28. [PSP] Valkyria Chronicles 2: Gallia Military Academy
29. [WII] Taiko Drum Master Wii 2
30. [WII] Momotarou Dentetsu 2010 Senkoku Ishin no Hero Daisyuugou ! No Ken
“I don’t really feel like the name The Last Story really overlaps with Final Fantasy because Sakaguchi-san probably just wanted a simple straightforward title that Japanese users can pick up and understand. It’s a very Sakaguchi-san-like title.” – Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase
The Last Story has drawn comparisons to Final Fantasy, in part due to the game’s name and logo. However, it sounds like Sakaguchi isn’t really looking to rip-off Final Fantasy. After all, Mistwalker is looking to create a new type of RPG with The Last Story.
It’s been more than fourteen years since the Virtual Boy was launched, but according to GAME LABO, the device is being revived for Wii. The Japanese magazine noted in its rumors section that Virtual Boy 2 is in development for Nintendo’s console and that it will be released this year. Personally, that doesn’t seem probable, but you never know, right? GAME LABO also had a few other Nintendo-related rumors, which we’ve posted below.
* The budget-priced games from game company [S]’s [D] series releasing on 03/04 will have a brand new method of copy protection against backup devices.
* Game company [b]’s idol simulation series [i]’s latest game will be released on the Wii. It will utilize the engine from [b]’s 2008 Wii game, [H] (……)
Thanks to Robert for the news tip!
