Not the Friday Blog – Featuring Trails in the Sky
Hi everyone!
It’s Friday and that means … whoa wait a minute, what is this? It’s Thursday! That can’t be right let me just check...
Yes, the Ghostlight Friday blog has been moved to a Thursday. But don’t worry, I’ll still be bringing you all the latest news from Ghostlight, it will just be a day earlier. It does mean I’m going to have think of something new to call these blogs.
Obviously the big news from last week was the delay of Agarest: Generations of War Zero (PS3). We’re still making sure that the next date we give you will be the final release date, but we should have something for you soon. In the meantime, there’s still loads to talk about, as I’ve had two very exciting jobs since our last blog.
I’ve spent most of my week doing prep work for Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP). While on their own none of these tasks are hugely interesting - consisting mainly of checking through a few Excel sheets and burning lots of
Talking about Trails in the Sky (and that’s something I could do all day :)) it really is a game where the journey is its own reward. The ending is superb, managing to wrap up the storyline of the game while still leaving you wanting more, but undoubtedly the best thing about the game from a storyline perspective is the way it draws you in through the fantastic dialogue and brilliant characterisation. Several Trails in the Sky characters have made their way into my all-time favourite gaming characters: Estelle and Joshua Bright, Scherazard and Olivier are all particularly good fun.
It appears I did miss out one person who managed to guess Trails in the Sky so a belated ‘Well done!’ to jpgames-de from my Twitter.
Which brings me nicely on to the second exciting task I’ve been doing. I was asked earlier this week to write up an announcement for the latest game we’ve picked up. When I mentioned this in passing on Twitter it caused quite a bit of excitement as well as a few followers suggesting I was a tease or even a bit evil :).
Anyway that’s all for this week and I’ll see you next week with another <insert new name here> blog.
Ross
Comments:
Nice first thursday blog!!! Don't keep us waiting for Agarest Zero too long :) And btw your are an EVIL tease! If u don't anounce Agarest 2 i will be sad :(
@Demius Thanks. I'm hoping to have something for you on Agarest soon as for the announcement I didn't mention it on the blog but it was revealed on my twitter that it is a PSP JRPG.
So..... Innocent Sin? I mean, c'mon, come hell or high water I'm gonna get that onto my PSP even if I have to draw out every panel of the adventure as a flippy-book cartoon and wear my thumb down flicking through it in front of a camera and putting the resulting .avi file onto my PSP! Or importing it or something... but I'd rather buy it off you!
@KoolZoid You know that flip-book sounds like fun. Pass it on to me when your done :)
Well, so far I'm still working on Maya standing by the swing in the intro sequence. I figure, at this rate, it'll be somewhere around 2027 when I'll be finished. PS: Would you know where I could get hold of 16 million packets of crayons?
ooh just a thought, since you mention Scherazard - shouldn't it be Scheherazade (as in the Persian queen)? Both names seem to be written the same way in Japanese.
@Xla I've just checked since I couldn't remember the exact spelling. The Characters name in the game is the same as the one used in the blog. We're using the generally fantastic X-Seed translation so you'd have to ask them why they spelt it that way.
I just hope Agarest Zero is out a good month before Atelier Totori, which is more than on track. Also Ross if I may ask, do you plan on any more PS3 releases in the near-ish future, I just don't want a PSP... c'mon Vita!
@Pepsi_Biofusion When is Atelier Totori due out again? Although I don't know of any PS3 games we've got lined up. That doesn't necessarily mean anything as I don't always hear until a bit later on.
By the way what does everyone think of the Not Really a Friday Blog appearing on a thursday? Do you prefer this or would you like to go back to Friday?
@Ross - Atelier Totori is"fall" in America (I'm importing it like every NIS title with an LE) Rorona was September I believe in America and October here so likely the same set up... mabey a month later due to late-ish announcement.
@Ross - yeah... me again... To be honest Thursday is better for me, its a day I don't work... evidently. But I would lik a big announcement to be posted the day its confirmed e.g. if a game is announced on Tuesday, it would be good to know then :D
@Pepsi_Biofusion Then it shouldn't be a problem to get it Agarest out a month before. The general opinion on Twitter was that Thursdays are better. It also has an advantage in that comments aren't closed for 2 days about an hour after the blog goes live. I'd imagine if we have an announcement we won't necessarily wait until Thursday though.
Hey Ross Does Ghostlight have any plans to support 3ds in the future? With the price cut I'm planning to replace my broken ds with a 3DS and I'm trying to decide should I get an american or European system.
@Redlemon While we have no concrete plans at the moment we are considering at least one 3DS game but I don't know if it will go further than that. Sorry for not being more helpful.
Seems like Overclocked has a chance of being released here :)
I would be interested in Persona 2 IS but only if there is a collectors edition without australian or german symbols on the package. I refuse to buy that stuff. Even if I could support the smaller publishers with my money.. I hate that usk **** sorry :)
@Ronian I'd imagine its got a chance but no promises on that one. As for the USK logo I understand your dislike of it. I know the guy who designs our boxes hates those logos too. I'll pass your comment on.
Oh yes please GL you got to try get persona-2 for PSP i got the 1st 1 from PSN-Store, Atlus does very good weird & scary JRPG'S. :)
@Alistair I agree Atlus are awesome.
Be truthful now Ross, it wasn't just your followers on Twitter that were calling you evil, your work colleagues thought the same :D Really want to get back into Trails but with the impending release of ASZ I'm going to have to wait - though not sure how long my willpower can hold if I finish Suikoden Tierkris before then. With regards to the USK logos i've got to agree with Ronian (though it won't stop me from buying the games that's for sure). They're a major detractor, I see the awesome artwork on my Agarest LE and then that damn logo... @Pepsi_Biofusion: Good to see another Atelier fan around here - Totori looks absolutely stunning, hadn't realized they'd improved the visuals that much. Really looking forward to September now (especially with House season 7, Star Wars Blu-Ray, etc,etc)
@Belphegor86 Ok I admit it I'm evil. Are you happy now :)
If you remember I said you were a tease, if your aiming for evil then I'm afraid you've still got a fair bit of work ahead of :p
Oooh another PSP JRPG! You're making up most of my PSP library at this rate Ghostlight :D I still hope for Devil Survivor OverClocked to make it over here.
@EnigmaticHat i argee with Devil Survivor OverClocked coming over. That would make me buy a 3ds especially with the new price drop. Any word about how P3P is coming along with the digital version
@Belphegor - I thought the same thing Totori looks excellent but its sequel just came out in Japan and looks vastly superior visually and is getting glowing reviews... so Totori will be a bitter-sweet moment... mostly sweet. Anyway likewise good to see an Atelier fan and may we both enjoy Totori, until NISA undoubtedly release its sequel ( I forgot its name... M - something, Mereu maybe? )
So much to look forward to! :) I have to admit, I'm really hoping for Fate/Extra, but I'm not sure if the mysterious game has to be one that has already been released in the US this time? Hmm... P.S. I am yet another person who would love an EU release of DS Overlocked!
Any word on those Zero cards? I my Agarest Zero soon. Sob. yesterday was the release date. And I already paid.
Hey Ross, for the LE of Trails in the Sky can you guys put a nice poster ? It would be sweet. I have have the US version but not the collector. As for Persona 2 I ll buy the US version for sure, but again if you will bring us a nice collector edition I m with you like always, you are the best in Europe guys. PS: Give us a date for Agarest Zero please stop torturing us ^^
Release Date: 19 August 2011 Correct?
@Kraigos Work has started on getting the digital release ready so it shouldn't be too long now but I don' have an exact date. @Qwaser & Negi we don't have a confirmed date yet but I am pushing for one. @Seishoujyo Thanks. We're still deciding what will go in the Trails collectors edition but we'll let you know when we've decided.
@Pepsi_Biofusion: Yeah they've really raised the bar with Atelier Meruru, by far the best in game character models to date - can't wait to get my hands on that one (13 months and counting :D), and of course playable Pamela FTW! Really hoping Gust return to the Mana Khemia series next. Just realised we're already in August, there's no way I'm going to get ASZ and LoH:TitS finished in time for Totori. Ah well ASZ and LoH have to take precedence.
@Belphegor86: I never had a PS2 or PSP so I too would love to see a Mana Khemia game, or a new Ar Tonelico as I gather that AT2 was excellent... whereas Qoga would have been great, if it weren't for Star Ocean tLHI. Secretly I hope NISA bring out these games as HD remakes... but there surely far too niche. I'm actually planning to not really play Agarest Zero till next year as I have a whopping big backlog, over 60 games including PSN titles to complete... ofcourse some I won't touch, Mindjack anyone??? ... anyone? ... stupid freebies
The PS2 was a great time for JRPGs, the PS3 hasn't really managed to measure up. Don't get me wrong there has been some great stuff for the PS3, but the sheer quantity of excellent games on the PS2 can't be matched. Must admit I wasn't too impressed with the direction Gust took with Qoga, I love the visual style of AT1&2 and Mana Khemia. Unfortunately I know NIS and NISA have already elaborated on the unlikelihood of HD remakes for many of their games (I assume this will also extend to Gust and similar companies) and we can essential blame the graphic-centric people at Sony for this. My gaming backlog is a bit on the long side too (though nowhere near as obscene as my book "to read" pile) but definitely in the mood for some more SRPGs, I think ASZ should do me nicely :D
@Belphegor86 Ah yes the PS2 was fantastic for most genres. It was certainly a good place for JRPG's. This gen it's been the handhelds that have lead the way with Japanese games although despite being few in number some of the PS3 JRPG's that have made their way over here have been great.
PS2 was great (and still is - I'm not averse to playing games on it still!), although I'm sad panda about never getting Devil Summoner 2 over here in the UK...
Hi Ross, Just wondering have Ghostlight shown any interest in the latest Queens Gate game for psp?
@Barry Walsh I haven't heard it mentioned here but I'll gather some info together on it and pass it on.
@ross publishing queens gate would be awesome hope you guys will consider it.
To be fair last generation I had a Gamecube, which had 3 notable JRPGs, 2 of them being Pokemon, so the PS3 is a god-send. I have also been dissapointed with the lack of diversity and quality this generation, not a single game since Zelda Twilight would I class as "Amazing" whereas I had 8 Gamecube games I would. That said Atelier Totori, Binary Domain, Tales of Graces f, Final fantasy xiii-2 and especially Sonic Generations look very promising and also the Vita will open up new promises. I do love the PS3 in all, but honestly, I regard the Gamecube as better in every respect even without JRPGs, however the day I see a PS3 game as well polished as F-Zero GX, Metroid Prime, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Fire Emblem, Zelda Twilight etc is the day I retract that statement. Plus I'm sure the Vita, especially with Ghostlights support, will be a JRPG haven... rant over :P
Queen's gate / queen's blade serie would be great if it could make it to europe yet i fear it will never make it, it's a bit too "echi" to even make it to the us market, making it a risky decision for a translation, not to mention the 1st has an anime serie that might already been licenced and the 2nd has multiple guest characters who are copyrighted by different companies in europe... The busou shinki serie has far more chance to make it here, and yet there is nearly none it will ever make it sadly... it might be better for ghostlight to focus on rpg already translated in english / on their way to be until they have enough cash flow to be able to try their luck on games not yet on the us market and try to sell them their to us publisher next, i think... you didn't forget fate/extra right? :)
@Ross an afterthought, with p3p, agarest 0, legend of heroes and maybe even more release this year, maybe you should consider adding a forum to ghostlight website, i don't think i would lose if i bet you have way more people visiting this year :)
@Charon Funnily enough we've just been discussing having a forum. No decision has been reached yet but I'll keep you posted.
@Ross: Yeah my PSP is seeing a lot more use nowadays, I originally only bought it to play Tales of Eternia and something else I forget. With Gust/NIS/!F/etc finally fully supporting the PS3 things are definitely improving. Though I have to admit one of the best RPGs this gen has been Lost Odyssey for the 360, fantastic game. @Pepsi Gonna have to dispute that 3 notable JRPG remakes. 1)Tales of Symphonia 2)Baten Kaitos 3)Skies of Arcadia (a remake of a dreamcast game I know but it had a lot of added features) 4)Fire Emblem PoR. 5) FE: RD. I put up a valiant effort, and these games were why I was able to remain a delusional Nintendo fanboy for as long as I did (until the discovery of Tales of the Abyss on PS2) but unfortunately the GC just didn't have the 3rd party backing it needed
@Ross is persona 3 portable still coming for psn like do we have a date for it kinda tored off waiting for that game i'm afraid that when you release it i lose interest
@dgnfly P3P for PSN is currently in submission with Sony so we should have a date very, very soon.
@Belphegor - Sorry I never considered Fire Emblem a JRPG as such, and forgot about Skies, so I take that back, 5 notable JRPGs only 2 of which easily obtainable... Fire Emblem cost me 60 pound used in 2007, Skies cost more whenever I looked... 90 pound I'm not made of money, surely its cheaper now.
Namco Bandai just announced a game called Heroes Fantasia and at the minute there is nothing on a potential EU release...looks good. Its like Valkyrie Profile but with tons of Anime characters.
@Barry Walsh I saw that one on Silcon Era. Looks very cool and I'm passing the details on.
Looks like my guess was right, I read into the situation very closely though and got hints! I would like to thank Ghostlight for licensing Trails in the Sky, I'm wating for your release rather than importing, undecided about PSN or UMD but the CE is tempting. I know you didn't get Catherine but what are the chances of Persona 2?
@Richie Persona 2 hey. Hmmmmmmm I wonder.
@Pepsi: Yeah it's very debatable whether FE classes as a JRPG or not, though they were both great games that I thought deserved a mention (though they ruined the conversation feature in the sequel). Had FE:PoR on preorder so didn't have any problems getting hold of it - but yeah £60 used ouch! I didn't even have to pay that to get a mint copy of the original Suikoden for PS1 (NTSC version). Funny story about Skies, took me weeks to find a good used copy on eBay for £36 back in 2007. Two weeks after completing the game a batch of brand new ones showed up on Play.com for £27 @Barry Walsh Heroes Fantasia does look pretty sweet - but I imagine it would be a licensing nightmare
@Ross - You old tease... so it is Persona 2 then?!? ...or are you going to flex you're evil muscles? @Belphegor - To be honest Fire Emblem was the last Cube game I bought and I just ordered a PS3 so I didn't give it the attention it deserved... I also wish my freeloader was intact so I could play the first... and F Zero GX again, I prefer Arcade racers and Sonic games to JRPGs... oh the blasphemy, I just hope SEGA port their Dreamcast JRPGs to PSN... I somewhat doubt Fire Emblem will make its way to PS3... but Sonic did make his way to the Cube.
@Pepsi_Biofusion :) No Comment