Xseed Games wants YOU to jump feet first onto the Ys I & II Chronicles bandwagon, so they've gone and done a great bit of pre-order coolness with GamrStop locations across the US. Slap down a deposit on the upcoming PSP game, follow the instructions below the jump and BOOM! Your choice of one of three excellent items will wing itself your way courtesy of Xseed! And yup, I get to post that hilarious Hair Metal trailer again, to boot!
Get that wallet out NOW and support Xseed!
Ys I & II Chronicles is coming on February 15, 2011, but Xseed Games wants you to start the party NOW. Dig the rockin’ trailer above and pre-order the limited edition “Hair Metal Pack” and get your head-bangin’ on while those classic game tunes (you may or may not remember depending on your age) are wailing away. Awe-some! Yup, Xseed is adding a CD soundtrack packed full of classic Ys tunes to the RETAIL version of the game ONLY. Oh, SNAP. Take that, digital downloads! Go Xseed!! (and nope, I’m not being sarcastic… some things are just better in a big ol’ box and CD case).
As I keep saying, this is the best year ever for the PSP and Xseed Games has contributed a number of great RPGs to the handheld's growing library of strong 2010 (and beyond) titles. Hot on the heels of the fantastic Ys Seven and set for release later this year is Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which will also get a Limited Edition box set that comes with some cool stuff. Read on for more info and hey, join the Ys Facebook page if you haven't already!
Developer: Gravity Co./GungHo Works
Publisher: Xseed Games
# of Players: 1 (1 – 3 Wi-Fi)
Rating: E10+
Score: B
Squeezing a MMORPG down onto a handheld system is a pretty dangerous thing to do when you think about it. For starters, if the game is too condensed from the original PC iteration, longtime fans will want the scalps of the programmers and publishers for ruining their favorite game. On the other hand, if the game goes completely away from what’s expected and tries to innovate too much, unless it does everything new right, it may alienate fans while it tries to please new players. Gravity and GungHo Works have managed to make Ragnarok DS an excellent example of bringing old and new elements together in a supremely addictive dungeon crawler geared towards new and old fans of their online classic. The game pulls you into its world with a nice combination of action and humor, plenty of quests to keep you busy and a fun, challenging multiplayer tower that allows up to three players to explore and battle monsters via Wi-Fi.
Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi
Developer: Media Vision
Publisher: Xseed Games
# of Players: 1
Rating: E (Everyone)
Score: A
Thanks to the very wise folks at Xseed, Media Vision’s RIZ-ZOAWD has finally come to the US retitled The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road and it’s one truly gorgeous JRPG both genre and Oz fans will love. The game balances classic turn-based combat with a great, innovative stylus centered control scheme that’s sure to be copied in the future by other developers. Nearly everything about the game is grand and feels just right. What’s here is basic enough for entry level players, yet the level of challenge in some spots can make the game tricky enough for RPG veterans to appreciate. This revision of the classic Oz tale doesn’t overstay its welcome either, as the adventure clocks in at a decent enough length and has a nicely done ending that resonates long after you’ve watched the end credits.
Xseed Games is at it again, folks. They’ve got a lot of nerve, ONLY letting us in on the cool official Half-Minute Hero web site on such short notice before its October 13 release date! Hmph… it’s as if they think their newest game is supposed to be some sort of riff on classic RPGs with rapid-fire 30-second battles and oodles of ridiculously addictive fun in single and multiplayer modes or something AND with a killer metal soundtrack to boot. Geez… darn publishers and their half-baked ideas!
Of course, I’m kidding about hating on Xseed, kids – go get a copy of HMH the half-minute it comes out, or you’ll be sorry! Oh… and get a copy of Ju-on: The Grudge as well – it’ll scare your Wii right off of its stand and right under the couch (along with you and the family pet)!
Time to get a little bit more frightened if you’re a Wii owner… Xseed Games has announced that Ju-on: The Grudge will ship on October 13, 2009. The feelplus-developed interactive “Haunted House Simulator” looks to scare up sales with its unique use of the Wii remote, genuinely scary moments aplenty and most importantly, creative input from Ju-on creator, Takashi Shimizu.
Don’t expect any big guns, fast-paced action or room sized bosses to do battle against here – the game is a pure test of nerves and what could be called a “true” survival horror experience, as your sole goal in each scenario is to make it to the end of the stage alive. Trust me, folks… it’s harder than you think, especially if you’re scared of the dark, objects moving just out of your vision, strange sounds emanating from your Wii Remote and pure, “jump-out” scares when you least expect it…
A tiny bit of the press release remains to let you know what you’re about to experience… two surviving game images merely hint at the horror to come…
Xseed Games loves you, y’know – they just released the second of two demos for their upcoming PSP exclusive, Half-Minute Hero through the PlayStation Network Store and it’s a doooooozy. Fun and ridiculously funny, but it’s short and really cool to the point that you’ll break a nail or something after playing it so much. Xseed is of course, hugely unapologetic about your busted fingernail and has released the following statement:
We are excited to release the second of two downloadable demos for our upcoming hi-speed RPG, Half-Minute Hero. This demo will feature Evil Lord Mode, a real-time strategy game where players will take control of the powerful, and obnoxiously gorgeous, Evil Lord.
In this mode players must summon monsters to fight enemies.
Summon monsters are divided into three types: Brutes, Nimbles and Shooters. Enemies are also divided up into the same categories. Each type of monster or enemy has advantages/disadvantages towards another type of monster or enemy. Figuring out the best strategy to use against each type is the tricky part. When the time limit reaches zero, the reign of evil is over.
See? Totally unapologetic! Anyway, go download the demo and try the game out – keep the Band-Aids handy just in case your nails are weak (more calcium and natural gelatin in your diet helps, as well). Half-Minute Hero will be released in October 2009 at retailers across North America.
Well, it took a little while, but given that Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is shipping next week, the timing is actually perfect. I initially thought this would be a simple Q & A session with an Xseed employee or two, but thanks to Xseed’s Jimmy (“New Daddy!“) Soga and busy-bee PR guy extreme Scott Fry, the Q’s got sent out to Japan where I’ve the pleasure of noting that they were answered by Kiyoji Tomita, Section Chief at KUROGANE (the Osaka-based team assisting K2 with the development and localization process). How’s that for service?
Anyway, here we go – enjoy!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 