Even though the release list for this week is painfully long (for our wallets, at least), we can't help but feel that something is missing ... Nevermind. When you see this week's releases you'll have no trouble putting the week-long delay of LittleBigPlanet at the back of your mind. There are literally too many to choose from -- and this is just one week's worth of games. Here's the full release list:
Release dates are constantly subject to change, so be sure to check with your local store if you're uncertain. Also, feel free to import your games from other regions -- your PS3 loves exotic food. But keep in mind that DLC always needs to be purchased from the corresponding region. So if you have a US copy of Rock Band 2 you're going to be buying your tracks from the US PSN Store.
It isn't too long until PS3 owners can get their hands on Trusty BellEternal Sonata. We're hoping that the PS3 version, which includes a significant number of extras over the 360 original, will do exactly one thing: explain what the heck a Trusty Bell is. The original game had absolutely no bells at all -- that's pretty untrustworthy to us.
Posted Oct 6th 2008 2:00PM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
Looks like Eternal Sonata is finally headed Europe's way this upcoming February, one year and four months after the release of the Xbox 360 version of the title. No exact date was announced, but we'll let you know as soon as that information becomes available.
Namco Bandai promises more than just a straight port of the game: players who are willing give this title a chance will be treated to exclusive quests, multiple endings, new playable characters Crescendo and Serenade, new costumes and additional tunes from famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Still on the fence about this JRPG? Check out our hands-on impressions with the demo here. Are these new extras enticing enough for you to purchase a port of a game that's more than a year old?
We've got 25 brand new screenshots of the English, PS3 version of Eternal Sonata. Most of the new images in our gallery below are pics of the pseudo real-time battle system in action. If you're interest in hearing more about that, check out our short hands-on with the Japanese demo; otherwise, hit up our gallery. The game will be out on October 21.
Eternal Sonata will be out in North America in a little over three weeks from now. Those of you who've held out getting the original title on the 360 are probably looking forward to that Oct. 21 date, but how does playing the game right now on your PS3 sound? Sounds good, doesn't it? Well you can download a newly released demo off the Japanese PS Store if you wish and see how things look on the PS3. While you wait for your 600MB download to finish, why not have a short read of our demo impressions to help get you through it?
Anyway, if you've been interested in this title, you might have played it on a friend's 360 or perhaps tried out the XBL demo previously. If you've played it before, you'll notice right away that the game on PS3 looks exactly the same as the original. In other words, it still looks incredibly beautiful with its rich colors and crisp, sharp graphics. Also, if you've already tried out the 360 demo, you'll notice that this new Japanese one is practically a carbon copy -- it follows Allegretto, Polka and Beat on a trip through Tenuto Village and the Heaven's Mirror Forest. So if you've tried it out before, then there's nothing new here for you -- unless you want to make comparisons between versions. For those who've never played Eternal Sonata, you should definitely make some time to try this demo out and continue reading after the break.
Eternal Sonata brought the charming sound of Chopin onto the Xbox 360 late last year; meanwhile on the other side of the console pond, PS3 owners waited with the utmost patience, just waiting for the title to cross over -- which it did. Then came the waiting for an official date, which will officially be over once you finish reading the next sentence ... or the headline.
The game will be out this October 21. That's four days shy of being exactly 13 months apart from the original release on 360. We're seeing shades of 2K's BioShock here, given the whole year difference. In any case, PS3 owners who so dearly wish to muck up the deceased composer's life can do so next month.
Posted Jul 15th 2008 1:10PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Namco Bandai finally fessed up to the existence of an English language version of Eternal Sonata at E3 this year. The upcoming PS3 version will add tons of new features over the Xbox 360 original, such as new cutscenes and characters. Playable characters include Serenade and Crescendo, and players can now customize the look of members of their party with a variety of new outfits. There are also new dungeons and different endings.
Players can expect Eternal Sonata on their PS3s this Fall.
It was a sad day indeed when the rumor that Eternal Sonata might not see the light of day outside of Japan. Thankfully, that rumor may be just another one to stick on the "Not Gonna Happen" pile, as the game has been spotted on the official UK DualShock 3 compatibility list. The list itself was updated on July 8th, only two days ago, along with a whole host of games including some which are due to come out in the next year or so, such as Edge Of Twilight and Brutal Legend.
Does this mean it's headed West at some point in the future? Our guess is yes, which really makes our day (as if the iPhone launch wasn't enough). Hopefully an official announcement will be made by Namco Bandai soon. Wait, what's that just around the corner? E3? Fingers crossed.
Posted Jun 26th 2008 5:30PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
The PS3 version of Trusty Bell (also known as Eternal Sonata in the States) is hitting Japan on September 18th, more than a year after its original release on Xbox 360. Sales of the 360 original were respectable, but it's clear that the PS3 version will attract a largest audience, especially in the RPG-hungry Japanese territory.
To make up for the long delay, new content will be exclusive to the PS3 release. New event scenes, which flesh out the story, will be thrown on the Blu-ray disc. A new quest will be added, and unlike the original release of the game, there will be multiple endings. This new "director's cut" should alleviate some of the biggest complaints about the original. Joystiq's Alexander Sliwinski had this to say about the ending of the original Eternal Sonata: "It was like the team gave up, knew they still had to pack in a 40 hour experience and just rushed through the rest. And unless you're a pretentious philosophy major, the ending makes no kinds of sense."
While the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata is confirmed for release this year, the fate of a potential US release has been undetermined.
Speaking with Videogaming247, the US branch of Namco Bandai said that the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata will most likely not be released outside Japan. "I can't speak for any other territories, but I believe Eternal Sonata is only announced for the PS3 in Japan right now," said the Namco rep. "We have no plans to release the game on the PS3 in the US at this moment."
We haven't heard much about the RPG and Xbox 360 timed exclusive since the announcement of a PS3 port last year. We guess this explains why.
Posted May 14th 2008 1:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
The internet excitedly responded to Namco Bandai's recent presentation to the press, which showed Tales of Vesperia as both an Xbox 360 and PS3 game. The long-running RPG series has a strong fan following, but Microsoft secured exclusivity for the game. Since then, Namco Bandai has revised its presentation, removing mention of a PS3 version, apologizing for the confusion.
Also unseen on this revised release schedule is the previously announced PS3 version of Eternal Sonata, another Xbox 360-exclusive RPG. Considering Microsoft's subpar performance in the Japanese region, it surprises us to see Namco Bandai stick with that platform exclusively, especially for a genre that's so popular in Japan. We're pretty certain that we'll see more of Tales of Vesperia and Eternal Sonata on PS3, once Microsoft's moneyhats wear off.
Namco Bandai is bringing its JRPG, Eternal Sonata to the PS3 next year. Originally an Xbox 360 exclusive, the PS3 version adds a number of enhancements to the experience, with new characters and a fleshed out storyline. (Those that played the 360 original knows that the story needed to be slightly more developed.) Hopefully, by releasing on the PS3, Eternal Sonata will actually ... y'know, get played by an audience that actually appreciates this genre.
Even though the game has been out on the 360 for a while, it didn't make too big of a splash. Seems it's the wrong type of game for the console or something. It's a shame, since it's a very gorgeous title as shown in these screenshots. Cel shading is generally a difficult look to pull off, ranging from stuff like Jet Grind Radio to Wild ARMs 3 and pulled off fairly well in Rogue Galaxy.
This game trumps them all, thanks to the latest in gaming technology. Of course, gameplay is important too and two of the aforementioned games had oodles of that. Guess which one didn't? Hint: just take a "wild" guess. Hopefully a 360 owner who's played this game will speak up and let us know how the title played!
While the 360 crowd has gotten to enjoy more JRPG titles than the PS3 this past year, we'll be grabbing one of their exclusives, Eternal Sonata, come early 2008. Instead of just porting over the skin and bones of the original version, the PS3 version will include a number of extras to enhance our cel-shaded experience.
Bonus content! The very phrase is exciting, but then often times the "bonus" will be an unlockable soundtrack feature, a piece of artwork, or something incredibly lame, unlike all those old Working Designs collections. Those were great. Anyway, Eternal Sonata pulls out some worthwhile content, like making previously nonplayable characters Serenade and Prince Crescendo totally playable. There will also be added story sequences, probably for these characters. Sounds like a winner for the PS3's RPG library.
Now that we know Eternal Sonata is definitely being released on the PS3, we've learned even more good news regarding Bandai Namco's newest RPG - the PS3 version will receive bonus content not found on the Xbox 360's.
According to IGN, the PS3's Eternal Sonata will feature new events to flesh out the game's storyline, Crescendo and Serenade will be playable characters and you'll even be able to change your character's outfits.
Although Eternal Sonata was released today on the Xbox 360, PS3 owners have to wait until next year, but, hey, it could be well worth the wait.
