[3DS] Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy confirmed for Western release

[3DS] Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy confirmed for Western release

Professor Layton's final adventure, Azran Legacy, was confirmed for Western release during the Nintendo Direct. The news will come as a relief for fans of Professor Layton in both Europe and North America, but it comes with a pinch of bad news.

A press release has confirmed that the game will release in Europe on the 8th of November both physically and digitally, but the American release date appears to be 2014 at this point. I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping that this changes, because it is quite strange that Europe has been receiving so many large Nintendo releases ahead of our American brethren recently (including Pikmin 3 and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team).

Do you think we'll get any additional doses of Layton goodness after this game?

Written by: Kyran Morrison

(This post was last modified: Today 10:23 AM by LemonManX.)

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The odds on western releases for Bravely Default, Monster Hunter 4 and more

by Kat Bailey on Jul 18th 2012 8:30PM

This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.
It's always around July or so that I'm most nervous about an RPG's potential for release in the U.S. With the overwhelming majority of Japanese-developed RPGs getting spring releases, official announcements usually don't happen until late in the fall. Until then, I'm left to stew, fingers crossed that everything will work out.

Some franchises I don't worry about. Short of some kind of catastrophic technical problem, Shin Megami Tensei is pretty much a shoe-in for release. Same goes for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy (Type-0 being an unfortunate exception). Even Ys seems like a good bet these days thanks to the ongoing support of XSEED.

If it's new, obscure, or otherwise untested in the market though, I find myself getting nervous. Even certain major franchises aren't a sure bet anymore, especially when they are PSP releases. So I watch, wait and hope for good news. Here are four RPGs I've been watching closely over the past year, and what I think the odds are they will see a release stateside.

Pandora's Tower (Wii): The concept behind Pandora's Tower is intriguing. A young girl is slowly turning into a slug monster (or something), and the only way to reverse the process is to eat beast flesh. It's a race against time though, and the required meat is in the deviously designed Pandora's Tower. Relatively light on RPG elements, Pandora's Tower's biggest strength is its puzzles, as well as the sense of desperation that comes with racing the clock.

Sadly, intriguing as Pandora's Tower sounds, it's looking more and more likely that it won't be released in the U.S. It lacks the production values and the pedigree of fellow Operation Rainfall RPGs Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story, and its grisly subject matter makes it a poor choice for the Wii. XSEED may yet throw it a life preserver – and hey, XSEED is a sucker for hard-luck cases – but the odds in favor of that happening are pretty low. The good news is that Pandora's Tower has already been localized, so if you're really intent on trying it out for yourself, you can do so without brushing up on your Japanese (or waiting for a fan translation).

Odds: Time to mod your Wii

Super Robot Taisen Original Generations 2 (PlayStation 3): I've learned to harden my heart against the possibility of a domestic Super Robot Taisen release. It's an obscure series to begin with in the west, and the licensing issues that come with putting a dozen or so anime franchises in the same game just aren't worth the hassle for a Nintendo DS or PSP game. Original Generations 2 is different though. Featuring a cast composed entirely of Namco Bandai characters, it has no licensing issues to speak of. It's also on the PS3, and as usual, it's beautiful.

This wouldn't be the first time that an Original Generations game sees an American release either. Back in 2006, Atlus localized two of the games for the Game Boy Advance, with some success. The series hasn't been back since – unless you count the flashy but ultimately mediocre spinoff Endless Frontier – but the door for a PS3 OG release is certainly open. Even if Atlus isn't interested – they currently have no plans for a western release – I've heard rumblings that Record of Agarest War publisher Aksys Games is more than willing to pick up the slack.

We're still several months out from the Japanese release of Original Generations 2, so it'll be a while before we hear anything. The prospects of a western release are looking pretty strong though – strong enough that I won't be importing a copy at launch. Like I said, fingers crossed, right?

Odds: It's okay to get your hopes up

Bravely Default Flying Fairy (Nintendo 3DS): Bravely Default has three primary things going for it: It's a Square Enix game, and Square is pretty good about international releases (usually); it's for the Nintendo 3DS, which has had quite a bit of momentum lately; and it's a very nice-looking game, enjoying good word of mouth among RPG fans.

As recently as six months ago, I was much more worried about Bravely Default's prospects. The cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3 was the nadir of a difficult launch for the 3DS, which left developers feeling understandably nervous about the system's long-term health. Given those early troubles, I feel there was every reason to be concerned about a U.S. release with a name like "Bravely Default."

Fast-forward to July, and the Nintendo 3DS is looking much healthier, as are Bravely Default's prospects for a U.S. release. That's good news for not just RPG fans, but all Nintendo 3DS owners. Bravely Default is not only beautiful – it borrows heavily from Final Fanatsy V. This is a game that I need to own.

Odds: Looking pretty good

Monster Hunter 4 (Nintendo 3DS): You may have heard of Monster Hunter. I even wrote about it last week. At this point, it's Capcom's most important franchise. Yet, I think there's reason to be at least a little doubtful about a domestic release for Monster Hunter 4. Though, like Bravely Default, its prospects have improved considerably of late.

It's been a while though. Monster Hunter's last appearance in the U.S. was the 2010 Wii release (unless you count the iOS release). Since then, the series has been missing in action, with even the high-definition update of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd for PlayStation failing to appear to this point (though that may be more Sony's doing than anything else).

I wouldn't fret too much though. Sure, it's been two years since its last release, but Monster Hunter has managed to retain a dedicated, if somewhat niche, following in the U.S. The fact that Monster Hunter 4 is a true sequel, combined with its appearance on a new platform that's experiencing healthy growth, ought to push it over the top.

Odds: Still probably going to happen ... I think

Even if none of the four titles listed above end up making it out, it's been a good year for RPG fans. Tales of Graces, Xenoblade Chronicles and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy are on store shelves, with Persona 4: The Golden and The Last Story still to come. Ni No Kuni, Fire Emblem, and Tales of Xillia, meanwhile, are all confirmed for 2013 – a pretty good crop by any measure. As usual, as much as I worry about the future, there's plenty of reason to be grateful for the present.

Kat Bailey is a freelance writer based out of San Francisco, California. Her work has been featured on multiple outlets, including GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, gamesTM, and GameSpot. You can follow her on Twitter at @the_katbot.

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REVIEW – Dillon’s Rolling Western (VCR #3)

Game – Dillon’s Rolling Western
Version – Nintendo 3DS
ESRB Rating: ‘E10+’ – Everyone 10 and up
Obtained – Courtesy of Nintendo of America

Do you need another recommendation for a virtual title?  Here is very solid action/tower defense game that is fun to play and puts a spin on tower defense games.  This game features an armadillo Ranger whose duty is to defend villages from series of attacks from rock-like creatures called Grocks, and has plenty of action/adventure along with strategy in a tower defense.  Dillon must prevent the Grocks from reaching the village by setting up weapons in the towers and fighting off Grocks that make it past the towers.  Dillon’s Rolling Western is another one of many virtual gems in the eShop.  The game came out on February 22nd and game is currently available for $9.99 in the eShop.

Gameplay

The gameplay is unique within the tower defense genre, since Dillon is able to go exploring before the attacks begin, and he even adventures out while the Grocks are attacking.  It begins with Dillon arriving at a village who has been under frequent nightly attacks from the Grocks.  Dillon gets a full day to explore and quickly become familiar with map (shown on the touch screen) and can collect Scrogs, or scruffle hogs which are the livestock of each village.  He can also find ruins, go into mines, build new towers (pre-set locations), repair towers, or equip certain towers with weapons.  When the sun is setting, Dillon gets a warning that the Grocks will be attacking, and after a short while the village gate will close.  At nightfall, the Grocks come out of their dens to attack the village since they pray on the scrogs for food.  Each level has 3 nights of attacks before Dillon goes off to save another village.

While Dillon gets the day to explore the map, he can complete 3 side quests varying from collecting different items, finding a hidden item, defeating a specific number of Grocks, or even having the tower defeating a specific number of Grocks.  Dillon receives payments for doing these and also helps him meet the number of star badges to complete each level.

Controls

Dillon’s Rolling Western only utilizes the touch screen as the main source of control.  The only other control is the circle pad which is used to guide Dillon in the direction needed or to move him around.  All of the menus use a tap to select that option (circle pad to select first) and all of the attacks are done with the stylus.  The player simply clicks on the screen then holds and drags towards the edge of the touch screen.  The further dragged, the faster (and more powerful) the attack will become.  If the player is collecting gems, weaker attacks will gather more gems/stones to collect.  At a full charge, the blow will hit neighboring enemies in addition to the one attacked.  The direction of attack is also counted to which edge you are holding the stylus at.  If you start in the middle and go left, Dillon will attack to the right.  This can be used with diagonal attacks.  When attacking, the player can also tap the screen to do claw attacks while Dillon is finishing the roll attack, this allows for combos to be dealt between enemies for a quicker victory.

Game modes

There is only the main story mode for Dillon when using the main menu.  There is an item list so the player can see all of the different items collected.  There are 95 unique items that can be collected from the different maps that Dillon visits.  When on the map screen, Dillon can replay any level and enter in the village with any amount up to a pre-set max.  This allows the player to concentrate on getting the star badges since early defenses can be set up quickly and additional defenses can be setup with the items/money acquired during his exploration.

Visuals/3D Graphics

The visuals are nicely done in a western setting with plenty of sand, mountains, roads and each element looks nicely done.  3D is not required to be played with, but adds a nice pop out to get a clearer image of what is around Dillon when used.  It felt that the sand, wind and items ran over would almost try to pop out at you!  A lot of the map features like Grocks and the towers look very nicely done.  The rock structures, mines, and the sky are very basic and probably could have been more unique and detailed.

Music/Sounds

The music and sounds are all western themed…. What else were you expecting?  Seriously though, the music is simple, but also very enjoyable to listen to.  The sounds fit with the western theme and add that element where the player feels like they are in a western.  The characters don’t offer any voices which would have made the game a little more enjoyable and not have to click through the text boxes.  It would have benefited the change between day and night and help make the villagers more memorable.

Concluding Overall Impressions

Overall, the game is very enjoyable.  With playing the level with three different phases before moving to a different level, it helps keep the game fresh.  The graphics and sound help make the game immersive and players can easily get lost into trying to find each and every item, mine, ancient ruins, and scrog.  The gameplay stays fresh as Dillon is constantly moving around whether he is exploring or the map or defending the village.  The western theme is not done often and was nice to fit for this tower defense game.  I would recommend this game to any tower defense game fans, or those eager to see what the genre is like.

My score:

4.5 out of 5

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