The Last Story: Great Game, But That Deluxe Packaging Is A Pain

So, the copy of The Last Story I recently ordered finally arrived today and while I’m pleased as punch about this (the game is running in the background as I type this post), whomever designed the outer sleeve for the otherwise wonderful game packaging needs a spanking or something. The “book” design of the slipcase that protects the game and lovely art book gets an “A” overall, but after than, it’s a bit goofy.

I understand that yes, the “book” should open like a book, but that outer cover protective flap thing? Er, what the what are gamers supposed to DO with it once they open the package? It’s not going to fit inside the box, the two front flaps on the blasted thing stick up like gull-wing doors on a DeLorean and storing it like a book on a bookshelf is a bit of a lame idea (especially if you don’t have a proper bookshelf or like me, your bookshelf is packed to the gills with other games). Hmmm… maybe I should design a case for the case? Eh, not enough time, nor enough patience to fiddle with constructing something like that. Oh well – off to see if this Story is as great as it looks. I like Mistwalker’s games, so I intend to be suitably impressed when it’s necessary.  Back in a bit…

The Last Story To Be Told On A Wii Near You Next Month

August 14, 2012, to be more precise. And yes, there’s a gorgeous 44-page art book included in all first edition copies of the game. if you get that pre-order in, you get a nice bonus in the form of a 7-track music CD. All for a mere $49.99. The nice thing is this isn’t a GameStop exclusive, so Amazon, Newegg, GameStop and other online or offline shops should be well stocked (well, for a Wii game, that is). Xseed isn’t yet selling this in their small online store just yet, but I’m hoping they decide to stock a few copies, as that’s where I’d prefer to spend my money – give it right to the publisher and cut out the middleman entirely.  Eh, I’ll bug them later about it and see what the deal is on why they’re not carrying the game.

The Last Story English Dub Trailer: Hope, Indeed For UK Gamers, But…

…Of course, there’s ZERO official word from Nintendo about a US release for what SHOULD be one of the best and final RPGs released for the Wii. Granted, Nintendo wants to rush the Wii U out at the end of this year, so they’d probably want to pretend this game doesn’t exist or even better, that the fans that have set up online petitions will quietly go away after achieving a bit of victory with Xenoblade making the trip stateside. It’s pretty obvious to me that money is the main issue at the end of the day, especially given Nintendo’s huge losses over the last year. They simply don’t want to spend too much on localizing and producing a game they see as a niche title that even at most, wouldn’t sell more than a few thousand copies to the most die-hard Wii RPG fan.

Of course, this just means that more folks will end up modding their Wiis and going the import route (thus making Nintendo’s UK branch some extra scratch in the process). But perhaps we’ll see a miracle of sorts and Nintendo will wise up and release TLS as a Wii U launch window game just to make RPG fans happier that they would be with a flashier-looking less RPG-like experience. We. Shall. See…

(thanks to YouTuber NintenDaanNC for the trailer)