180°

Five RPGs for 2013: Ni no Kuni and the Ghosts of Dragon Quest VIII

1UP - Level-5's collaboration with Studio Ghibli gets one last shot at real success.

MaideninBlack4124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

I hope this sells well in the states and in Europe. Level-5 deserves the success.

Blastoise4124d ago

Two disagree's? Da fuq?

Why would anyone want this game to not sell well? It looks like a quality game. It look's like a traditional JRPG, and I haven't played a good one of them since the PS2.

paydayp4124d ago

if u have a Xbox i would say u need to try lost odyssey.
i tought it was a great jrpg loved the stories in that game and it has the traditional set up off a jrpg.

if i had the money i would buy a ps3 just for ni no kuni alone i love studio ghibli and i loved the level 5 games on the ps 2.
ni no kuni looks great.

damn it i need to rob a bank

dmonee4124d ago

Word up to that! I've been waiting for games like this since the PS3 and the Xbox 360 launched, years ago. Now they are coming and gamers are flicking their fingers up at them... WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Wigriff4124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

If you haven't figured it out yet, there is a vocal minority on this site which is comprised of imbeciles. They don't contribute; they just whine, bitch, moan, complain, and apparently hate everything concerning video games – regardless of being present on a video game site.

Additionally, if you are looking for a good, traditional JRPG from this console generation, check this out:

http://jcwigriff.com/2012/0...

paydayp is also correct in mentioning Lost Odyssey, although I honestly liked Blue Dragon way more.

paydayp4124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

@wigriff played blue dragon also but i disagree with it being the better one.
but that´s a my opinion.
i liked the story way better with lost odyssey.
gameplay is maybe better in blue dragon.
cant make a definitive decision on that.
they were both good but i can see one picking blue dragon over lost odyssey.
but personally i liked the feel of greatness of the combination of the short stories of the lead character past, the story of the world and the story of your party members. with the classic turn based gameplay it feeled so great to me.
thats why i prefer the one over the other but i would want to miss out on either of them.

i would be glad with a sequel of one of them but i dont even know of mistwalker is still in business havent heard anything from them in a while.
i actaully thought they had a contract for 3 games with microsoft if im correct.
so who knows someday we get a sequel i hope so

**edit**

just found out they made the last story for the wii.
that is also a well recieved game.
sadly i dont have a wii but its good to hear they still in business

PS. marumaru is the best character i loved him in blue dragon

Wigriff4124d ago

paydayp: It definitely comes down to personal preference. Most people would say that they preferred Lost Odyssey. I was born in '82, so I grew up on classic Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest) games, and Blue Dragon definitely resonated with that part of me, so I think I am naturally more partial to games with that sort of aesthetic and feel. Lost Odyssey was more akin to the PSX/PS2 era Final Fantasy games.

I haven't played The Last Story either. I have a Wii, but I have a serious backlog of games as it is. I will eventually get to it.

Did it ever occur to you that, when broken down into its most simple elements, Blue Dragon's story is basically about a decrepit old man who terrorizes villages, and seeks out young children to make them swallow his balls? Yeah... sit on that one for awhile. :)

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4124d ago
ronin4life4124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

Especially if said sucess leads to more of their great games coming over...
Hard to believe someone could disagree with that.

Relientk774124d ago

^ I agree with all 3 of you

portal_24124d ago

I'm surprised nobody has snapped up Level-5 - they are a quality Japanese developer.

kevnb4124d ago

but are they actually for sale? Some companies would rather just stay independent.

ronin4life4124d ago

They don't need to be bought. Their Nintendo partnerships helped propell them into great sucess... they are doing better than ever on their own now. Better than some bigger devs are in fact...

Baka-akaB4124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

it's not a surprise , they wanted their independance .

And going exclusive with Sony or Nintendo (or even microsoft , even if unlikely after their failed mmo project) would kill their benefits

portal_24124d ago

Sorry I should have been clearer - I meant publisher-wise (although they also self publish). I would hate to see a company like this wiped off the face of the earth due to economic issues. However, you are all correct.

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Ranma14124d ago

I honestly think this game has huge potential to sell if they just advertise it right.

Studio Ghibli is popular in the states. So they should use the Ghibli name to advertise it.

So much advertising potential as well, lets hope they dont waste it

DA_SHREDDER4124d ago

Don't forget about Dragon Quest X, star Online, and monster hunter on the WiiU

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4124d ago
Relientk774124d ago (Edited 4124d ago )

This is the first game of 2013 I am buying. Glad to see a fantastic JRPG incoming, cant wait it looks awesome

kevnb4124d ago

Ni no Kuni looks awesome, lets hope some of the magic from dragon quest viii caries over.

jc485734124d ago

To the person who just mentioned Lost Odyssey.

I bought an xbox just for that game (well, now I have a little less than 20 games), so I really don't see why people wouldn't do the same for Ni no Kuni.

silkrevolver4124d ago

The main reason I would see, is that it's so late in the lifecycle.

If Uncharted, Metal Gear, and Little Big Planet didn't convince them, even a great game like Ni No Kuni might not either.

Though, if I didn't already have a PS3, I would totally buy it for Ni No Kuni.
haha

jc485734124d ago

yea, there are other games worth considering as well.

doogiebear4124d ago

-_- Sick of waiting for Persona 5

130°

Where the Heck is Ni No Kuni 3, Mun?

Matt from We Game Daily writes: "Cross Worlds isn’t going away. It’s making a small fortune, particularly in Asian markets, so there’s no reason for Level-5 to pull the plug. That said, there’s no real reason why a full PC/console sequel can’t be developed alongside efforts to support Cross Worlds."

Read Full Story >>
wegamedaily.com
Relientk7798d ago

While Ni no Kuni 3 would be cool, if it was like the first game, where is Dark Cloud 3 and Rogue Galaxy 2?

phoenixwing98d ago

I thought the dev recently went mobile and Japan only. They shut down their American offices. So don't expect anything for consoles

shinoff218398d ago (Edited 98d ago )

I swear they just announced a few new games.

https://www.nintendolife.co...

phoenixwing98d ago

I stand corrected then. Never heard about these games and also i just remember ni no kuni online being mobile only.

Michiel198997d ago

they said a loooooong time ago that Level 5 was working on a new installment but there has been no news since afaik. I just hope that they take more inspiration from 1 than 2, especially when it comes to the story.

thorstein97d ago

Ni No Kuni Cross Worlds is the mobile game you're thinking of.

It looks amazing but I don't like to play mobile games.

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-Foxtrot97d ago

Yeah the sequel was okay but had nothing on the first game, especially the battle system.

The story just didn't have that charm and even the twist at the end of the game wasn't really anything cool like Wrath of the White Witch.

Also the fact there was like ZERO mention of Oliver or his adventures in the game, no references, nothing was such weird. It's set a hundred or so years after but still, I'd have expected to seen some throw backs. I think we just got like a temple with his statue in it or something.

goldwyncq97d ago

If you want more Oliver, just watch the movie.

shinoff218398d ago

Fking word. I've been hoping for this for quite some time.

melons97d ago

The premium games didn't sell amazingly, right?

shinoff218397d ago

Not to sure. They should of though. They were pretty good. I like both.

Michiel198997d ago

yeah, especially outside of japan. They should have released on pc at the same time as the ps3 version or a short time after.

Inverno97d ago

They should've worked with Ghibli to put out a proper movie. Should've also made a Pokemon-esque spin-off rather than make Yokai Watch. If they do make a third game they gotta work with Ghibli!

200°

Remembering the Best JRPGs on the PS3

Get ready to embark on a journey filled with monsters, magic, and overpowered haircuts, because this list features the best JRPGs on the PS3.

Read Full Story >>
altarofgaming.com
shinoff2183260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

There wasn't that many. Thanks to the west's criticism. It was definitely lacking compared to every other ps system. Dont get me wrong there were a few good ones i know that.

jznrpg260d ago

Nier, Valkyrie Chronciles, Tales games , Ni No Kuni, Resonance of Fate, FF13’s, Ys8 just a few off the top of my head and there were a lot more.

CrimsonWing69260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

Not nearly to the degree of PS1 and PS2.

@shinoff2183 makes a good point that around the PS3/Xbox 360 gen is when the genre wasn’t as prevalent and began to shy away from turn-based. There’s some standouts for sure, but look at the PS1 and PS2 JRPG library and then compare that to the PS3 and PS4’s.

Theres definitely a decline in a selection of titles. Even worse was the quality seemed to take a massive hit as well. I think Lost Odyssey was a huge standout for that gen when you look at production values, then you look at something like Fairy Fencer on the PS3 and it’s kind of depressing.

But by that generation there was a shift from western developed games overtaking Japanese developed games. Back from the NES to PS2 Japanese games were the cream of the crop… I don’t know what happened but like midway into the PS3/360 life-time they became less so.

shinoff2183260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

Compared to the ps1 ps2 and he'll even ps4 ps3 doesn't hold a candle to either imo. It's also when turn based damn near disappeared. Again thanks to the west's criticism

Crimson I'd put money on the west being at fault, guys like Phil phish, and numerous others at that time were attacking jrpg and Japanese games in general pretty hard.

Ni no kuni was probably my fav jrpg back then , and the blue dragon

GameBoyColor260d ago

Tales got kinda lucky here. When they took a chance and finally brought tales of graces f over west it sold like 250k lmao a lot of jrpgs did 500k or below. Disgaea was worse i think. Bamco decided to keep bringing more games over though.

Tapani260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II were the best RPGs on PS3 made by Japanese developers. Everything else just fell short always. Ni No Kuni was a full package, an okayish game as well. Nier and Drakengard III had superb writing, setting and voice acting, however, the performance was a real drag on the gameplay. Traditional RPG-wise I'd actually say 360 had better JRPGs, and think that Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon were the best traditional JRPGs of the era. PS3 Valkyria Chronicles was okay, but it is closer to an SRPG.

Ryu Ga Gotoku games were also solid, they were still finding their footing and breaking new ground with new cities and formats.

PS3 was the era that almost made me quit gaming and I started playing on PC because I could not find good performance nor games on the system. PS4 got me back into it, and now PS5 is a mix in and between, I just play my PS4 library on the PS5 and rest on PC, just like during the PS3 era. The only new exclusive Sony JRPG is pretty much FFXVI and it is so streamlined and simplified from the normal RPG experience that I can't fit it into the genre anymore. Dragon Quest XII hopefully remedies all of this, but it is just one game.

These new games will all be on PC (while it does take 2-3 years to wait, and 6-12 months from launch to have them patched + fixed by modders) and they perform better on it. The only point in owning a PS5 is to play games a couple of years earlier, but for a hard-working family man like me, the quality of the experience is more important than playing it as soon as possible. And I can't do modern games at 30fps 720p after playing 120fps at 4K. For older games, that's okay.

PSX and PS2 though, those were the days...Still have a massive collections of classic RPGs in CD and DVD format and a phat PS3 to play them!

FinalFantasyFanatic260d ago

It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games, shooters dominating that gen, the racism from western game journalists (it was bad, between G4, Phill Fish, and a slew of others), and the higher development costs...

It really made me miss the PS1/PS2 days of JRPGs, even the quality of half of those games during the 7th gen weren't as good. The 360 tried, but Microsoft's consoles weren't popular in Japan and no body in the West bought a Xbox for JRPGs (despite Xbox having Vesperia, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey).

on_line_forever260d ago

" It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games "

This is when everything fall down and games looks not fun to play anymore except for few games like demon and dark souls for example

-Foxtrot260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

Nah. It's a bad trilogy of games

The only reason XIII-2 stands out is because XIII was so bad

When the bar is so low, anything after feels better.

goldwyncq260d ago

The monster catching mechanic was nice.

Eonjay260d ago

Don't understand the hate for it at all. Seems forced.

shinoff2183260d ago

Watching the credits roll on ff16 now it is good but , I'd really like to re try ff13 least it's turn based and would fill that gap for me.

FinalFantasyFanatic260d ago

They got better after the first one in the trilogy, not outstanding game though.

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CS7260d ago

Honestly, I played FFXIII a few years after release and maybe because it was after the hype cycle and I knew the flaws of the game, it actually became my favorite FF after VII.

I took off the mini map and never used auto battle and the stuff that mattered to me in an FF was just so well done.

The art and graphics were insane at the time
The music is still special
The story still lingers in memory more than a decade later
The RPG systems were decent

I never really got the hate for it, still have a soft spot for that game inside me.

goldwyncq260d ago

Still better than XV and XVI.

Yui_Suzumiya260d ago

Drakengard 3 goes for a small fortune nowadays

Knightofelemia260d ago (Edited 260d ago )

Only gripe I have with Ar Tonelico 3 is that Saki is annoying as hell whether English or in Japanese. Then Saki's English voice actor became Ionasal on Ar Nosurge she was a little annoying but not as bad. Johnny Young Bosch voicing Tatsumi I thought he did a great job. And Akiko Shikata with her vocals and the music from the games just went hand and hand.

DarkZane260d ago

I wish Ar No Surge and Ar Tonelico 3 would be remastered on PS4/PS5.

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280°

Top 10 Rarest PS3 Games That Are Worth a Fortune

Twinfinite: "During the PS3’s tenure, plenty of huge games launched, but the interesting thing is, many of the system’s rarer titles are largely not amazing games. Sure, there are one or two exceptions to that rule (I’m looking at you Ni No Kuni!), but many of the more desirable and valuable games in the PS3’s library are usually rare for a reason."

Read Full Story >>
twinfinite.net
ModsDoBetter283d ago

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Sold my Painkiller for around £3 years ago and my Asuras Wrath for even less. Managed to pick up Lollipop Chainsaw and Splatterhouse again but they cost me a fair bit more than I initially paid on release when I first bought them.

Wish I bought Godzilla, the number of times I saw it in the game store for the price of a coffee and didn't bother.

Knushwood Butt282d ago

Never knew Last Guy had a physical release.

gold_drake282d ago (Edited 282d ago )

i own nba, lolipop and nino kuni. never heard of the rest tbf xD surprised they are worth that much, for what they actually are.

roadkillers282d ago

Getting a valuable game is all luck.. I had three of these. Africa is one that people might have seen coming, but otherslike Ni No Kuni wouldn't have been.

My most valuable game I remember owning was Conkers Bad Fur Day. When the game was being re-released on Xbox (remake/ upgrade if you will), the price dropped dramatically. Once the game released and the changes were seen, the value went back up. Then it was released on Rare Replay and value dropped again. 2020 hit and all collectables shot up along with Conker. Before stopping around $110 which it currently is.

Games change all the time because their digital media that can be reproduced even in weird contract bindings (GoldenEye as an example). One day it can be worth $300 and the next $150. The shrink wrapped items in mint condition cannot be reproduced.. but that takes strength to spend, not open, and hope its worth something.

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