Along with its new office and site, Level-5’s International America branch set up a Facebook page, where it just posted an poll gauging excitement for its games still unreleased in the West. The survey doesn’t explicitly ask fans to choose what games they want to see localized, but I’m sure it’s something the publisher will take into consideration for those kind of decisions.
Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney has the most votes so far, though i don’t think there’s any doubt we will see a North American release. Ni no Kuni has a decent amount of votes, too, but for the wrong PlayStation 3 version.
If you want to see the portable version of Level-5’s JRPG collab with Studio Ghibli translated to English, hit up the poll and cast your vote! Some support for Inazuma Eleven, Fantasy Life, and Time Travelers would also be nice.
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.
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?
Level-5 plays up Ni no Kuni’s pack-in book in its new commercials. It’s fascinating to see the game’s requisite tome pitched as something that brings people together, instead of the price-raising novelty/anti-piracy measure everyone else considers it.
Here’s another spot featuring the same holiday scene (how perfect would it be to play Ni no Kuni during the Christmas break or snow days, a mug of hot chocolate nearby?):
You can watch one more commercial, which features more Studio Ghibli animation instead of the mushy family stuff, by clicking this bit of underlined white text.
More than two years since Level-5’se soccer/RPG series debuted in Japan, Nintendo has announced plans to publish the first Inazuma Eleven game in Europe on January 28. It makes sense considering the franchise’s anime tie-in has been playing in that region for several months now — the U.K. won’t get the title until the anime begins airing there.
This is no guarantee the game will make it to the States, as the sport isn’t popular here, and it’s not like the translated versions of Last Window or the Tingle RPGs ever crossed the pond either. But hey, at least there will be an English edition somewhere out there, and those willing to pay import prices will be able to play it in North America.
In other Level-5 news, shots of Ni no Kuni’s DS box and bundled book on display at stores, after the break!:
InazumaEleven and Ni no Kuni “Professional Touch Pens” by Media Factory. With Ni no Kuni’s 12/9 release approaching, the tie-in merch is starting to appear! These ¥567 ($6.82) pens feature retractable stylus points for some reason, but don’t have real ballpoint pens. That’s probably for the best — I know someone’s going to scribble gameplay notes in that gorgeous Ni no Kuni spellbook, but I don’t want to think about it.
Ni no Kuni (DS)’s full boxart, sent out along with other assets from the Level-5 Vision Conference. Level-5 has room to put this big artwork on its box because the game is packed with a giant spellbook.
Siliconera has some new images of the book, in addition to a few screens. Additionally, in case you missed it, I hurriedly snapped some pictures of the book at TGS while also trying to play the game. It’s really, really ornate and beautiful. The whole pack will be out in Japan December 9.
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”)
Ni no Kuni amigurumi: Shuzuku, the tear fairy that accompanies you in the upcoming Level-5/Studio Ghibli RPG, crocheted by Suravi (click for a larger image).
The game isn’t releasing in Japan for DS until this December (and for PS3 some time next year), but people are already making crafts based on its characters!
Level-5 can’t wait for the holidays to release Ni no Kuni either, as it’s already started putting out commercials in Japan. Check out these two spots it’s airing:
The first ad says, “This winter’s ultimate fantasy, from a dream staff,” while the second commercial boldly states, “The game you’re all looking forward to, Ni no Kuni, is the first game to come with a book of magic. We’ve been receiving a rush of inquiries, so you should quickly pre-order,” according to Andriasang.
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.
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.
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!
