Ninokuni (Level-5 + Studio Ghibli) PS3 JRPG

[Gilghamut]

Credit goes to Byoushinn at PSU.com forums. He says that this is not a remake or port of the DS title, but that this is being built from the ground up for the PS3.

Here's a link to a scan. ImageBam - Fast, Free Image Hosting and Photo Sharing

[Bolivar]

Wait... what does that mean exactly? Not a remake or a port... does that mean they have different stories? The DS and PS3 are so radically different I don't think you could port the code to begin with.

I'm pretty excited about this. I hear animation looks really great in High Def/On Blu Ray because a big part of HD is how many different shades of colors you can have. Not to mention if they use uncompressed audio and really fill up the Blu Ray, this could be a really incredible ghibli experience.

[Slothy]

I don't even know what to say. Hopefully this will suffice:

[NeoCracker]

I don't even know what to say. Hopefully this will suffice:

[Vyk]

I'd almost feel this way. But its odd that Ghibli would suddenly be so focused on video games. I guess this means either they've got nothing important in the works, animation wise, or they just wanted to take a break from the norm for a while. If nothing else, they'll be really pretty games. I've never played a Level 5 game. I know they're always gorgeous. But the reviews are usually pretty hit-or-miss. Hopefully this partnership is nothing but hit

[JKTrix]

Level 5's DS titles have been pretty consistently great. It's their PlayStation titles that have been 'hit or miss'. So that had me a little worried when I learned that this one had made the transition from DS to PS3.

They're having a Press Conference about the game soon (in, like an hour). Andriasang will be running a live blog of it.
Ni no Kuni Press Conference Live Blog (andriasang.com, 06.24.2010)

[Dreddz]

From the trailer it looks very similar to DQVIII. Not a bad thing at all. Level-5 have proven they can build solid RPG games (I wouldn't say they are hit and miss, they only botched WKC to be fair) and I'm sure Studio Ghibli will add their own unique flair to the game. This could be shaping up to be a something very special indeed.

Whats sucks is that the game will likely be released in 2012 in the west. Remember how long it took WKC to be released outside of japan? Yeah.....

[Gilghamut]

Here's a link to the trailer - YouTube - PS3 二ノ国 白����女王 PV

[McLovin']

It's sad to know that a lot of people would find this "too kiddy" or something. But it looks like a nostalgic game!

[Bolivar]

(I wouldn't say they are hit and miss, they only botched WKC to be fair)

And even then, it seems like people on these forums liked the game, and it did in fact get many good reviews. I think its negative image comes from being used a whipping post by a journalist culture who would like nothing more than to see JRPG's erased from the history of video games.

So I'm not entirely sure what JKTrix is going for with their Playstation games being "hit or miss," considering Dark Cloud is such a beloved series and Dragon Quest VIII came up many times in our "Game of the Decade" thread.

But its odd that Ghibli would suddenly be so focused on video games.

It is fairly strange since Miyazaki apparently does not like video games. Now whether that's merely a preference or his opinion I don't remember. But apparently also they were supposed to work on a video game back in the day and the project crashed and burned so hard that the entire studio has had a bad taste in its mouth from games ever since. However, after the good vibes from finishing Ponyo, the Level 5 deal kinda came at the right place at the right time.

Either way, I don't know why it being a weird thing could detract from just how incredibly awesome this is!

[Rase]

So I'm not entirely sure what JKTrix is going for with their Playstation games being "hit or miss," considering Dark Cloud is such a beloved series and Dragon Quest VIII came up many times in our "Game of the Decade" thread.

I can't speak for JKTrix, but I can say that the only PS2 game from Level 5 that really grabbed me was Dragon Quest VIII. The Dark Cloud games were alright, but not too fantastic in my opinion (Dreddz has a slightly different view. ) I found Rogue Galaxy to be boring, but again, just me.

It is fairly strange since Miyazaki apparently does not like video games. Now whether that's merely a preference or his opinion I don't remember. But apparently also they were supposed to work on a video game back in the day and the project crashed and burned so hard that the entire studio has had a bad taste in its mouth from games ever since.

Nausicaä in the Nick of Time by Technopolis Soft for the PC-6001 came out way back in the mid eighties. Apparently Miyazaki did not like the fact that is was a shooter because he felt it went against the peaceful message of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, and so decided to never let a video game be made for his movies again. However, since this is not based on a pre-existing property and the company is likely involving Ghibli much more in the development than Technopolis Soft involved Miyazaki, looks like we're good to go.

Also, this game is making me sad I can't afford to have all three systems. Damn you college! Hopefully I'll have a solid job and be out making money by the time this game comes out (and I'll have the DS game to keep me occupied).

[Vyk]

Hit or miss isn't really what I meant. I guess I had a brain fart. What I was referring to is that a handful of their PS2 games were considered ... I dunno, "unfinished"? I know one of the Dark Cloud games was really glitchy (probably the first one so not really a bad thing, plus it was a young PS2 game). And I'd heard similar things were what held Rogue Galaxy back, which is a game I really wanted to check out till I heard that stuff. Though honestly Dragon Quest VIII did a hit/miss, 'cause a lot of RPG fans aren't -that- into bare bones RPG + outrageous amounts of grinding. But that's just a style preference that's kinda signature for the series, so its not like anyone was caught by surprise on those scores

Regardless of any of that, I've always loved the style and ideas Level 5 comes up with. I haven't played many of their games, but I've had my eyes on them ever since True Fantasy Live Online was first announced. And with Ghibli helping with the artistic end, they can probably focus more on the innovation and gameplay end. So I'm not really worried whether the game will suck or not. Its almost guaranteed awesome

[Wolf Kanno]

This is bringing back fond memories of the original Jade Cocoon.

I'm pretty excited for both titles. Though I've never been outrageously fond of Level 5 I still feel they do a good job so there is not much to worry about.

.

[Mo-Nercy]

I'm pretty excited by this. The only other Level 5 game I've played is Dark Cloud but I really loved that game, so they've always been good in my books! The Ghibli connection pretty much guarantees that I'll be buying this game on release.