Ni no Kuni (DS) unboxing video. If you have fifteen minutes to watch an unboxing video, this is the one to watch! The guys at RedSunGamer spend a lot of time going through the included spellbook — so much that I hear people are using this video as a limited reference for their pirated copies. Pirates are really clever, and total cocks.

If you’re not a total cock, though, you can just enjoy a detailed look at the spellbook. It’s also a really, really detailed discussion of the game as it’s being “unboxed.” And click here to see the first 15 minutes of the game, with on-the-fly translation.

Buy: Studio Ghibli films

Import: Ni no Kuni DS (December 9)

See also: More lovely Ni no Kuni media

[Via NeoGAF]

tags / jc / level-5 / ni no kuni / unboxing / ghibli

Third family-themed Ni no Kuni commercial. With just a week before this Studio Ghibli-animated RPG releases for the DS in Japan, Level-5 is pulling out the big guns to advertise the game: a little girl meowing at a cat.

Though I’m not sure what’s going on here — perhaps the girl finds some inspiration from the kitten for a spell she can cast on the touchscreen, and practices it on a foggy window? — the ad is all about selling this alluring image of how you could be spending dreary winter days inside.

Sure, you could dance in front of a screen with Microsoft’s Kinect or race hyper-realistic cars in Grand Turismo 5, but wouldn’t you lie on a fuzzy rug and play a game that looks like a Studio Ghibli film, a thick spellbook open beside you and a cute cat nearby, ready to serve as a distraction whenever you want to take a break?

Buy: Studio Ghibli films

Preorder import: Ni no Kuni DS (December 9)

See also: More lovely Ni no Kuni media

[Via Diableu]

tags / ni no kuni / level-5 / commercials / imports / ec / ghibli

Ni no Kuni’s (DS) Tokyo Game Show trailer. All the talk for this Level-5/Studio Ghibli collaboration project seems to be for its high definition PS3 edition, so here’s me remind you all that the RPG’s DS version releases first in Japan this December, and there’s a new trailer for it!

I saw indie developer Phil Fish (Fez) lamenting this morning that Studio Ghibli’s animation is being wasted on “a boring, tired turn-based JRPG affair”, which is a sentiment I’ve heard a few times before.

Would you agree? While there are plenty of boring JRPGs to go around, I think Dragon Quest IX (which Level-5 also worked on), though not the most innovative title, proved there’s still room for developers to create new and fun experiences with the old formula/template.

And what’s to stop people from criticizing any new and attractive title that emerges from the backs of other decades-old genres? (e.g. “It’s so sad that the gorgeous Machinarium is just a boring, tired point and click adventure affair”, “It’s so sad that the gorgeous Limbo is just a boring, tired puzzle platformer affair”)

[Update: JC wrote a great preview of the DS version.]

Buy: Studio Ghibli films

See also: More Ni no Kuni trailers, media

[Via DiaBleu]

tags / ni no kuni / level-5 / ghibli / imports / erics awful analogies / phil fish / ec

Gettin’ Ghibli Wit It: New Ni no Kuni DS trailer. While the PS3 is receiving its own big screen, high definition version of this Level-5/Studio Ghibli collaboration, the DS release will have a significant advantage over the home console edition: Tiny Cartridge posts.

Oh, and it also will release sooner, promising a December 9th, 2010 date for the DS, and a vague 2011 estimate for the PS3. Both of those dates are for Japan, though, and we haven’t heard anything yet about anyone bringing it to the U.S., so that schedule shouldn’t matter too much to anyone not planning to import the beautifully animated RPG.

And importing this will be more expensive than your standard game, as you’ll have to pay for the weight of the hardcover, 352-page Magic Master book bundled with each copy — a necessary reference (filled with Japanese text, naturally) for drawing runes and other elements.

You can read some impressions of the latest Ni no Kuni build demonstrated for the press, as well as see new screenshots and photos of the book  at Andriasang.

See also: Trailer for Ni no Kuni, Moose Monster battle

[Via Yoboman]

tags / ni no kuni / ghibli / level 5 / imports / ec

Ni no Kuni cutscene: summoning a new companion.

I mentioned before that one of Level-5 gimmicks for this DS game is summoning party members from your soul. With Studio Ghibli handling animation and character designs, the soldiers you conjure aren’t anything you’d expect. Instead of a knight in armor, you produce a horned orange thing with a cape. And your primary companion, a multi-colored anteater-looking creature with a lantern hanging from its nose, isn’t your garden variety RPG assistant either. This is good stuff.

See also: Trailer for Ni no Kuni, Moose Monster battle

tags / ni no kuni / ghibli / level-5 / imports / anime / ec

Ni no Kuni: The Another World Moose Monster battle.

While this looks like a traditional Japanese RPG with random battles and turn-based combat, Studio Ghibli’s monster designs are excellent, and there are a few small details worth appreciating, like the characters turning to face you while waiting for your commands.

I also like that you can position your characters in such a way that you can evade some attacks (presumably this mechanic is explored further for other combat uses):

Speaking of Level-5, remember the Premium Platinum cartridge that the company gave out at TGS, which I briefly mentioned last week? The promotional cart has three demos for upcoming games: Ni no Kuni,  Professor Layton and the Devil’s Flute, and Inazuma Eleven 2.

It also includes a secret game that unlocks after you complete all the demos. Rumor has it that the mystery title is London Life, the Professor Layton RPG! Whoa!

See also: Ni no Kuni trailer

[Via Kuraku]

tags / ni no kuni / level-5 / ghibli / imports / ec / london life

Trailer for Ni no Kuni, the Studio Ghibli-animated DS game from Level-5. The revered studio’s contributions are the main attraction, so that makes up the bulk of this TGS video, but the brief gameplay clips are also exquisite!

JC had his hands on Ni no Kuni:

“It really feels like you’re inhabiting a Ghibli movie, from the appearance of swarms of cute little spherical characters to the lush forest environments. The frequent animated cutscenes and the persistent voice acting (every line of text in the demo, whether in a cutscene or spoken in a pop-up text window) is fully voiced, which helps the cinematic feel.”

Outside of the animation, the game is a traditional JRPG with Dragon Quest-style turn-based combat, except you can project soldiers (nicknamed “Imagine”) from your soul aid you in battles. Seems like they’re just re-interpreted summons, but it’s still kind of a neat idea.

See also: Future Boy Conan, the inspiration for Lost in Shadow, Bomberman as a Castle in the Sky robot

[Via Ruliweb]

tags / ni no kuni / level-5 / ghibli / anime / tgs 2009 / tokyo game show / imports