Square-Enix Creates Chocobo Portal Site...More Games To Follow?

Square-Enix has just opened up a portal site for all things chocobo. Currently only a bare-bones website, it hosts two separate sections: "Game" and "History." The History page has a listing of all past Chocobo games, such as the Nintendo DS title (known outside of Japan as Final Fantasy: Chocobo Fables), as well as older Mysterious Dungeon games on the original PlayStation.

The "Game" section takes you to the official site of the upcoming Wii game, Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Labyrinth of Forgetting. The page features only two sections so far (Story and Specs), and everything else displays a "Coming Soon" animation.

Opening up a portal site for chocobo games? That only means one thing - more and more chocobo games to milk, err, follow. Keep an eye on this site!

Bio Hazard: Umbrella Chronicles Dated/Priced for Japan

Capcom's second Bio Hazard entry on the Wii, known outside of Japan as Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles has now been dated and priced for Japan, according to +D Games. The first game to use Nintendo's Zapper peripheral, Umbrella Chronicles will be shooting into stores across Japan November 15th. Priced at 7340 Yen, it suggests that the title will ship with the Zapper peripheral, but this is not confirmed yet.

Umbrella Chronicles has been the recipient of mixed vibes from different gamers. It is an on-rails shooter, featuring scenes and characters from the Resident Evil series, and ever since the Gun Survivor series by Capcom, gamers have been wary of on-rails shooters.

We'll see how the title is received once it hits Japan. A release date outside of Japan has not been announced so far, but we shouldn't have to wait long.

Koei Unveils New Trailer for Dynasty Warriors Katana

Just moments ago on Koei's official site for Sengoku Musou Katana, the slash-tastic Wii game based on the Dynasty Warriors franchise, a new trailer was uploaded.

The promotional video shows a lot of gameplay, including rifle-targeting and horse-riding, apart from the Wii remote-controlled swordplay. Upon close inspection of the trailer, it seems the levels have mission-based structures to them, such as "Defeat 100 soldiers within 3 minutes," and "Beat the race on horseback," etc. Also, the game uses a targetting-system for your sword attacks, to create chains of attacks.

All in all, Koei's Wii entry into the franchise, set to be released in Japan September 20th, looks like a lot of mindless button-slashing (err, is that the new-gen version of button-mashing?), and though they've milked the franchise for years, it still manages to find an audience.

Check out the trailer on the official site by clicking on the "PV" button on the front page.

Opoona To Be In Orbit Awhile Longer

Koei's Opoona, a quirky space-themed RPG that had been picked up by the blogosphere, had seemed to disappear from the consciousness of savvy gamers, possibly remembered as "that nunchuk role-playing game." It had been announced fairly soon after the Wii launch, and garnered some attention from blogs, with loads of screens and a few videos. And then...nothing was heard.

We now know why - Koei has said in a statement via +D Games, "We apologise to those people looking forward to the game, as well as to those involved. However, we have reached a conclusion that the development needed a little while longer to polish up and reach a level that would be more rewarding to gamers."

So there you have it - it's been delayed. Initially scheduled to be released September 27th in Japan, it now has a date of November 1st. Hey, that's not too bad, right? Gamers with import-friendly Wiis will have to wait a little longer to get their mitts on this whimsical, if not downright weird, game.

E3 Hyperlinks

Many things to report from E3.

Microsoft was first up with the press conferences. It had a solid showing of upcoming games, such as Lost Odyssey and many US/European games, as well as a surprise sneak preview of Resident Evil 5, slated for a 2008 release.

Nintendo had a less stellar conference, mostly repeating their mantra of expanded gaming. It did, however, show off a solid build of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which showed great promise of its first person controls. Nintendo also showed off a teaser for Mario Kart Wii, with full online multiplayer, and a showed off two new controller peripherals, the Zapper (used for games such as Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles) and the steering wheel shell. Most interesting was the announcement of Wii Fit which should be a huge hit for Nintendo, much like its other non-games.

Sony had a mostly Western-games-focused showing, but did present the PSP redesign, as well as more Home announcements. It was also the scene of the new Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer, still insisting that it is (for now) a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Overall, it was a solid E3, focused this time 'round on software, since all the systems were now released. Despite the chaos of the new E3, it mostly went smoothly. Check out some of the links below for an in-depth look at new games and announcements.

Super Mario Galaxy Hands-On @ IGN
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Hands-On @ IGN
RE: Umbrella Chronicles Hands-On @ Wired
Zack and Wiki Hands-On @ Wired
Mario and Sonic at the Olympics @ IGN
Wii Fit Announced
PSP Redesign Hands-On

Dragon Quest Creator Discusses DQ Swords

Discussing at length his Wii project, Yuji Horii has written up an entry in Wii.com's "Creator's Voice." Posted a few days ago on the Japanese website, Horii goes through the development cycle of Dragon Quest Swords from its humble beginnings after seeing the Wii's development kits, receiving the support from Nintendo on how to manage the finer points of motion control, to fine tuning the gameplay to enable players of all skill levels to enjoy the game.

Noteworthy snippets of information found within the essay are that segments of town exploration are not on rails like the battlefield. These areas are controlled using the d-pad of the Wii remote. Horii always wanted the freedom of movement during town sequences, and had thoughts on using the analog control of the nunchuk. But seeing as though that may hinder the motion controls of sword swings, he decided on a "Simple Is Best" control scheme of just the Wii remote.

Also, players will find a feature called the "Pointer Lock," in which one can lock-on to an enemy using the A button, and proceed to slash the Wii remote to attack the monster. This was to counteract erroneous motion controls by having the player learn where to lock-on to before attacking the enemy. According to Horii, gamers will find through practice that the motion control will become second nature without the Pointer Lock.

DQ Swords looks like a game that could appeal to a wide range of players, with its engaging play style and Dragon Quest pedigree. Unfortunately, a date has not yet been set for release overseas, but here's hoping for that to change soon.

Go check the site for some new bite-sized gameplay videos, which are linked in blue text throughout the essay.