June 8, 2006 4:8 pm - MULTI, news
June D3 Monthly: investigation, tactics, maids with guns, mini custom robots
It's that time again. D3 Publisher have been cooking up a pretty exciting summer for Simple 2000 releases, with some neat new concepts and good-looking games on the way. Let's get started:
Simple series:
Out Now: duckroll reviewed Simple 2000 Series Vol. 99: The Genshijin over at GameBrink. Sounds like it's worth a shot (and my copy's on its way).
Out Now: The only non-PS2 game in this update, the DS version of The Kanshikikan (or The Investigator) has been released to a warm reception. Developed by D3 stalwarts Tomcat System, the original game involves CSI-style forensic investigation in an adventure-game framework and was published as part of the Simple 2000 series, and this new version has added puzzles that use the stylus to good effect. This looks like a prime candidate for US release, either by D3 America themselves or somebody like Atlus, so let's hope somebody takes a chance on it. ITmedia and GAME Watch have previews.
Update: A video of Vol. 101: The Oneechanpon (also out June 29) has been posted, and I've hosted it over at YouTube. But I have to say that I've never seen a D3 video that was quite so amateurishly done (and that's saying something). The way they've got the camera zoomed close so they can capture the characters', uh, animations, with zombies taking swipes at them all the while, is irritating to watch. And I'm not sure if the confrontation between main character Aya and D3 idol Riho Futaba is intended to be quite as hilarious as it is... Pass. Tamsoft might be cleaning up mechanics and adding characters, but they won't be making the levels any more fun to play.
Update: Not much has been said about Vol. 102: The Infantryman (out July 27, maybe?) lately, and for some reason, it's been skipped on the Simple 2000 listing page. I wonder what's up? Here's some cover art for you, in any case.
Update: The Earth Defense Force Tactics (out July 27) has been getting lots of attention lately. Rakuten posted screenshots and the cover art, the official site is up and ITmedia posted a preview. The strategy maps use an overhead 2D view, and the game resembles other hex-based military strategy games like Nectaris and Daisenryaku quite a bit. It's pretty clear that those 3D screenshots are from attack/defense sequences, and while it doesn't quite look like the EDF2 engine, it's nice that they've got the look of the game spot-on. Not much new information has been released since last time, but it's come out that the game will support 1 or 2 players (for a versus mode, maybe?) and that Sandlot seem to be codeveloping this with thinkArts. The menus look identical to those in EDF2, and it seems that Tactics will be based on the events of EDF2. It's looking to me like they're going to get this one right.
New: Vol. 104: The Let's Build a Robot! ~ Fierce Fighting! Robot Fight ~ (or The Robot wo Tsukurou ze! ~Gekitou! Robot Fight~ if you prefer moonspeak), due August 10, was announced and is already looking very interesting. ITmedia has a preview, and I've got scans of a retailer solicitation (516kb) and a Famitsu article here. Here's the publisher's line:
The main character is Ken Kusakabe and he attends a technical college with his friends. Develop, produce and assemble your own robots and customize these original robots. This is a one year story of aiming for victory at the national league in the 1 on 1 combat style robot battle tournament.• Once a week, you select parts to produce, programs to develop, repairs to be made, parts to be upgraded, and studies to take part in. Different parts will be available based on your technological level. "Table Flipping", "Soccer Ball Kick", etc. There are 60 different types of special attacks waiting to be developed!
• There are a total of 282 different robot parts. 62 body types, 61 arm types, 62 leg types, 82 head types, and 15 emblem types. Get the different parts and make your own original robot!
• Once a week, there will be a 1 on 1 combative robot battle. The performance of the various parts will be showcased in the robot's motion. Using a remote control, the robot's actions can be controlled easily!
• Save your own robot's data onto the Playstation 2 memory card and challenge your friends! Declare yourself the robot champion!!
According to the ITmedia article, there are four different segments of gameflow: adventure, simulation, robot-construction, and battle. The adventure segments involve story and event scenes, with characters interacting with each other. The simulation segments have the player assigning four different characters - each with different strengths - to tasks like robot part production, program development, repair, and research, on a weekly schedule. In robot-construction mode, the the parts that have been developed are used to build and customize robots to meet the challenges brought by different opponents. Story sequences and battle also occur on a weekly basis, and as an opponent's vital information can be seen before a battle starts, last-minute tweaks can be made to better target weaknesses and so on.
It's got a very clean look to it, and the characters, robots, and backgrounds all look like they came out of a full-priced game. The robots have a very plausible look too them, too: you can see screws and exposed metal and hinges and the widened soles of the feet that small robots like these would require for balance. Surprisingly, HuneX (D3's gal-game go-to studio) is developing this, which means it's most definitely full of cute girls, though that studio's record has been spotty when it comes to fun games. Will it be fun? balanced? We'll see. But the robot-development looks addictive, the battles might be fun, and the game certainly looks promising. By the way, here's the cover art.
New: Vol. 105: The Maid Uniform & Machine Gun (due August 10) was announced recently, and it looks surprisingly good (ITmedia). It's being developed by Rideon, the same tiny developer that worked on the Gunslinger Girl games for PS2, which featured young girls in shooting-action situations, much like what we see here. MU&MG's main character is a robotic maid named Mahoro Yuuki, who goes back in time to chase down and stop an evil android and save her creator. There are minigames between missions, because you shouldn't forget that you're a maid, where you do maid duties and get points for additional weapons and costumes. There are normal action stages, plus special stages where you do things like escort and protect your master, snipe from afar, and chase bad guys in vehicles. There are shooting and movement combos, and a sword you can use. The genre is "maid stylish action."
The look of the game, with its cartoonish characters, environments, and robots, kind of reminds me of the Mega Man Legends / Tron Bonne series, and the character designs are very high-quality compared to what I'm used to expecting out of D3 releases. It's pretty clear that D3 have tapped Rideon for a specific talent to use toward an interesting concept here, which is a combination that's made for some of D3's best games to date, and so I'm betting this one will be worthwhile. I find the main character very appealing, and that's not just because I like maid outfits (I think). "Girls with guns" is a means of exploitation that's been dragged through the mud for decades, but there's something classy and cute about the way it's pulled off here that makes me want to forgive any conventions it might be playing on. Oh, and here's a (very large - 466kb) scan from a retailer solicitation about the game.
New: And finally, Play-Asia have a listing up for The Fire's Fighting Banchou (sic), or more clearly, The Fire Chief (maybe). What is it? Nobody knows yet. Tune in next time.
Full-price:
New: Right on the heels of my Metropolismania review, GAME Watch have put up a preview of its sequel, Machi-ing ("Matching") Maker 2 (out on July 13 and published by D3). They've completely changed the look of the characters, opting for a more illustration-like, celshaded quality that's much improved over the first game's polygons. There's a lot more detail this time, and the buildings and landscapes seem to be slightly celshaded to match the characters now. And there's a much better sense of scale and realism, too, in contrast with the first game's mostly-the-same-size, blocky buildings and common patches of unused space. The licensed shops and businesses added in Machi-ing Maker++ are present here as well.
According to the article, this time the main character can be chosen from among several different characters (both children and adults), and the character's face and hairstyle can be customized. There are said to be many new changes to help make the game more user-friendly, but the article's not really clear on what these might include, aside from possibly better camera controls. The interface is more graphically-oriented than the previous game's counts and percentages, and it seems that the first game's popularity meter is now a measure of how dissatisfied the residents are, instead. Judging by one of the screens showing an option to end the level, it seems that the game still proceeds on a level-to-level basis. If the developers have added wrinkles to the gameplay like the first game's thieves and cults that depend on the player's skill at urban planning rather than arbitrary scripting, then this could end up quite a bit nicer. We'll see, though. I have little hope for this getting a US release, given the first game's limited release and Natsume's relaxed schedule, but again...we'll see.
You and duck's ongoing obsession with D3... yeesh. I do have to admit though, The Maid Uniform & Machine Gun seems interesting. Still, I'll wait for your reviews before jumping on board. Keep up the good work.