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Japandemonium R P G A M E R   -   J A P A N D E M O N I U M
To the Last Drop of My Blood
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If you look around a little, you might see a few tiny changes. This week's title is just what is playing in the background right now. I have a little picture link at the bottom of the article, for those who want to know what its like living out in the country where I live.

Dragon Quest V is still cleaning up in the Top 10. More information on its sales are included later in this week's update.

Position Title Developer Platform This Week Total
1 Dragon Quest V 224,400 1,341,400
6 Fullmetal Alchemist: Meisou no Rondo 26,200 97,500
7 Pokémon Fire Red 25,000 1,028,600

Microsoft has announced that the Japanese beta-testing period for True Fantasy Live Online has been delayed until some time this summer. The game, developed by Level 5, was supposed to be released this summer, but as reported in an earlier column, but has been delayed until the Fall. As well, Microsoft is denying that a PC version of the game is in development, reiterating that the game is an Xbox-only exclusive.

It has been reported by Dorimaga that Sega plans on announcing plans new plans for the Phantasy Star Online series in the April 23rd issue of its magazine. It is still unknown weither or not the plans involve a new game in the series, but I'll be sure to let you know once the magazine hits newstands.

A new simulation RPG is on its way to Japan. Banpresto recently announced that Summon Night: Craft Sword 2 is on schedule for release on the Game Boy Advance.

Square Enix has shipped 1.5 million copies of Dragon Quest V in Japan in the first two weeks of release, making the game the highest selling remake version in the Dragon Quest series. Square Enix also has released sales numbers of the other games.
Game Platform Release Date Sales
Dragon Quest I & II SFC 12.18.1993 1.2 million
Dragon Quest III SFC 12.06.1996 1.4 million
Dragon Quest I & II GBC 09.23.1999 730 thousand
Dragon Quest III GBC 12.08.2000 750 thousand
Dragon Quest IV PSone 11.22.2001 1.2 million

Oh by the way, if you haven't heard, and it's doubtful you haven't by now, Square Enix has announced Final Fantasy I & II are headed for the Game Boy Advance. It will be released in Japan this summer.

Konami has released a slew of new information on its upcoming Genso Suikoden IV. This time around, the story revolves around the Rune of Punishment. The run contains magic power, but takes the life away from those who use it. The story takes place 150 years before the story of the original Suikoden, on the islands south of Toran. They have also released information and artwork for ten new characters.

  • Main Character
    An orphan serving a feudal lord as a squire. He obtains the Rune of Punishment during a mission.
  • Snow Fingerfoot
    Knight of the Fingerfoot clan, who treats the main character as his brother.
  • Glen Cott
    The Commander of the Knights of the Sea. Instructor of Snow and the main character.
  • Catalina
    Chief commander of the Knights of the Sea. A calm lady who wields powerful magic.
  • Cheepuu
    A Nekobold male. A merchant who travels the world.
  • Tal
    A Knights of the Sea squire. Physically strong, but of weak mind.
  • Kenneth
    Another squire of the Knights of the Sea. An orphan like the main character, who tries to be cool and is very agile.
  • Jewel
    A female squire of the Knights of the Sea. She has interests in Snow Fingerfoot.
  • Paula
    Yet another squire of the Knights of the Sea. Paula is an elf, and she is very quiet.
  • Troy
    A just knight, who wears black.
  • Colton
    Troy's right-hand man, who treats Troy as if he were his son.
  • suiko4char1.jpg suiko4char2.jpg

    Sony has released a preview video of Xenosaga Freaks. The RealMedia file is available here on Sony's website.

    Taito has released more information and screenshots on the Magic Pengal sequel, Rakugaki Oukoku 2. You play as Pixel, Prince of the kingdom, who is on a journey around the world to collect color palettes, and then use the power of Rakugaki to defeat Beelzebub. You can use the game's drawing board to create your own characters and turn them into playable characters in the game.

    rak1.jpg rak2.jpg rak3.jpg
    rak4.jpg rak5.jpg rak6.jpg

    Homeland developer Chun Soft has released information that the GameCube game will have both single player and online multiplayer modes. The game will use the "Mass Player System" (MPS) PlayerServer technology, which will turn your GameCube into a server to allow other players to connect to you using a Peer to Peer (P2P) connection. You can also access the match server that Chun Soft will be providing to find a server to play online. The game will also feature text-chatting and message broadcasting.

    Sega AM2 plans to release the action RPG Virtua Fighter Cyber Generation: Judgment Six no Yabou for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube this July in Japan.

    Finally, to satisfy myself, Namco has released a small handful of shots from the new Tales of Phantasia OVA. Heading directly to video, the first episode will be released in Japan sometime this year. The OVA will be featuring the same assortment of characters from the original game, including Dhaos as the villain. The storyline involves multiple time periods, where different members of the party will be fighting different forms of Dhaos throughout time.

    top_ova1.jpg top_ova2.jpg top_ova3.jpg


    Commentary~

    Another week goes by. On Friday, I will be heading down to Toronto to hang out for the weekend with "tuinte: RPGamer Template Designer Extraordinaire," and Castomel, the Q&A and news guy. I will be finally buying a digital camera for the trip, so I might just post a few embarrassing photos next week!

    As for the picture I mentioned at the start, it is here. This was taken a while ago, right outside my dining room window. This is one of a number of redeeming values about living where I do. Sure, it's a 45 minute drive into town to work, but I get to see these kind of things regularly.

    ~The End~

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