Nintendophiles 06.05.08

Posted by Theo Fraser on 06.05.2008

Featuring the latest on a Baten Kaitos DS outing, a true Nintendo classic comes to the Virtual Console, the system bundle for Guitar Hero: On Tour is revealed, the Wii gets a third-party exclusive title, and a look at the stunning Final Fantasy IV DS trailer. Don’t miss any of that inside this week’s edition of Nintendophiles!




Hello and welcome to another instalment of Nintendophiles! Apologies for the delay in getting the column up this week; after being so excited last week to finish my first year at Uni, it was sprung upon me that I had to attend a special training day, and didn't have access to my computer. Anyway, it's all good now, so let's get on with the usual proceedings.




Is Baten Kaitos DS still on the cards?
Credit: Cubed3




A Baten Kaitos title for the DS has been rumored for literally years, first appearing on release lists right back in the DS' infancy. Rumors were re-awakened this past week, when Baten Kaitos DS briefly appeared once again on Bandai Namco's Japanese release list, before being hastily taken down again. A simple mishap? Quite possibly. But bear in mind that developer Monolith Soft (famed for the Xenosaga series and of course the original two Baten Kaitos titles) has just put Soma Bringer to bed and is placing the finishing touches to Disaster: Day of Crisis, which would free them up for BK if they really are heading in that direction.

Back in 2006, president of Monolith, Hirohide Sugiura, commented that the future of Baten Kaitos DS lay in the hands of publisher Bandai Namco, who then went on to say that all work on the project had been stopped. Could it have started up again? Fans are likely clamouring to get their hands on another BK title, especially as many missed out on the sequel due to it being one of the very last Gamecube games ever made (never even making it across to British shores). Why it would come to the DS is beyond me, however, as it's surely a much better fit on the Wii as a full-blown RPG. Not that I'm complaining; the DS is severely lacking in strong RPGs, so an entry like this would really boost the handheld's catalogue in that department. This is all likely to stay firmly in the rumor category for now; your best bet is to wait until the release of Disaster: Day of Crisis, and then see what Monolith have planned next.




You wanted it, you got it: Super Mario RPG finally headed to Virtual Console
Credit: CVG

To say that I am over the moon about this would be the biggest understatement of the decade. Nintendo of Japan confirmed a couple of days ago that Super Mario RPG will be coming to the Japanese Virtual Console at some point this month, which is as good a confirmation as you'll find that it'll be out here sooner or later too. This is an especially big deal for European fans, as the game was never released in PAL territories, so this will be their first taste Mario's RPG roots. I've played the first few levels on a crappy SNES emulator, but it doesn't rival the real thing, so I'm ecstatic that I'll finally get a chance to play it properly, after all of these years.





In a nice little ‘tying up loose ends' type of thing, I had a special look at Super Mario RPG in my debut Nintendophiles column as part of my 'Viable Candidates for the Virtual Console' feature. Clearly, Nintendo officials heeded my cries, so naturally I can claim full credit for being the one responsible for this happening.

Super Mario RPG will cost 900 Wii points when it launches on Japanese Virtual Consoles later this month (an increase of 100 Wii points over the usual SNES title pricing, but forgivable considering the fact that it's SUPER FRICKIN' MARIO RPG!!). Let's hope we don't have a big wait for it to arrive on Western Wiis.




Tenchu IV: Wii exclusive?
Credit: Famitsu

Japanese gaming mag Famitsu is reporting that Tenchu IV is headed to Nintendo's home console, and not only that, it is likely that the game will be a Wii exclusive! Excellent news if that part is true, as the Wii rarely assures exclusivity rights to big third party titles such as this.

Recently, the Tenchi series has hit a bit of a rough patch, with Tenchu Z stinking up Xbox 360s across the nation, and Tenchu: Dark Secret not faring much better on the DS. However, this time around, developer Acquire are handling the proceedings; the team responsible for the original titles, thus one can assume it will be of the same high standard as the PS1 games were.

According to the report, the game is scheduled to hit Japanese store shelves on October 23rd, which would indicate that development is fairly well along the way. Expect to see more detailed information and early impressions soon.




Guitar Hero: On Tour DS system bundle revealed
Credit: IGN, Toys R Us

Activision have teamed up with Nintendo for the upcoming nationwide release of Guitar Hero: On Tour on June 22nd, producing a special bundle deal to package the game in with a Nintendo DS system (for the three people left in the world that don't own one).Thanks to Toys R Us, we can see the packaging for the bundle, and it all looks pretty snazzy.



So as you can see, you'll be getting the brand new silver-and-black DS Lite, with the Guitar Hero logo adorning the front (although it is as of yet unknown if this is an attachable decal or if it is a part of the design). Alongside this, you'll receive the game along with the Guitar Grip and a pick stylus to strum across the touch pad. How much will this all set you back? It all comes for the reasonable sum of $179.99, which works out as $129.99 for the handheld itself and $49.99 for the game.

It's a sensible move, as Guitar Hero is a new franchise to the DS, and there may very well be a few fans of the series who have previously never given the DS a look who would be tempted to now. It might have been nice to pack in a few more little extras, as all you're really getting is a fancily-designed DS and a copy of the game. Still, a new bundle can't do any damage, and I fully expect DS sales to pick up once again when this title goes on sale in a few weeks.




Final Fantasy IV English trailer

I've been anticipating the English translation of Final Fantasy IV on the DS for quite some time now, and the wait is finally almost over, as the title will be shipping across the United States in late July. After keeping quiet on the FFIV front for a while, Square Enix have started the game's Western marketing campaign, releasing the first official trailer with English voice-acting, and as you'll see, it's impressive stuff. Fans have probably seen the Japanese version of the game, but its fun to find out exactly what's being said. I'm particularly impressed that the tone of the voices seems to have been kept intact, despite the obvious difference between Japanese and English. Japanese voice-acting in RPGs is generally of a very high standard, which makes it particularly painful when the English translation is unbearable to listen to. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a prime example; the whiny drone of the kids' voices almost gave me a brain haemorrhage, whereas they sounded perfectly acceptable in the Japanese version. Thankfully, it appears that the US localization team concentrated on this area in FFIV and we're treated to some strong voice-acting, in keeping with the high production values that makes this stand out from the current crop of DS hits.







The 411 Games Crew

Mark Salmela's B3yond the Report.

Vincent Chiucchi's The Select and Start News Report.

Chris Evans' The PC Centric Extravaganza.

Tommy Coloma's Negative Edge News Report.

Chris Scott's The Red Snifit

And check out Mark Salmela's look at Metal Gear Solid 3 in B3yond the Special, as we count down the days to Solid Snake's final outing on June 12th.


I'm going to go and celebrate my freedom from work with a session on Mario Kart Wii, followed by a bit of Ring of Honor (currently watching Eye of the Storm and good Lord was Kevin Steen absolutely awesome that night?!). No, I'm not a total recluse; I'm going for a big piss-up tomorrow night, so I thought I'd take it easy tonight and ‘chillax'. I'll be back in 6 days in my regular Wednesday slot (hopefully no more surprise training sessions are sprung upon me!), so I'll see you then. Thanks for reading!

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