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News - NIS America reveals their 2007 launch lineup; hands-on impressions, screens, and videos within

Posted by Justin Fassino at 04:55:56 AM EST on 3.30.2007.

Nippon Ichi is dead set on the fact that the PS2 isn't dead yet. To prove that, they have announced their 2007 game lineup to the cheers of RPG fans everywhere. In addition to two brand new PS2 titles, NIS also has a couple of PSP games in the works, one of which is a portable version of the game that made them a hit with American audiences.

To start with, the PS2 will be receiving the latest and greatest from Vanillaware, the developers of the upcoming Odin Sphere. It will be called GrimGrimoire, a 2D, side-scrolling real-time strategy game with a penchant for fantasy and gorgeous artwork. NIS is billing the game as a Disney-esque fairytale, which is fitting given that each new stage in the game is presented as a chapter in the overall plot. Some wicked character designs complement the familiar RTS gameplay in what is shaping up to be a very interesting title. You can read our hands-on preview of the game here. Also check out the official trailer (right-click, save as please) and a ton of screens below.




The other PS2 game coming to North America is a strategy RPG from the makers of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness called Soul Nomad & The World Eaters. Ever wish you could play a villain in one of NIS' cutesy games? Now you can. You'll be able to steal from innocents, attack towns, build your army of characters, level up 1,000 times in an instant, and take down huge baddies known as World Eaters. The gameplay will be a mix of different styles; like most SRPGs, your characters fight on a grid that represents terrain and area. The twist comes when two characters come in proximity to one another: the characters themselves represent squads of various types of units. In battle, the game switches to an Advance Wars or Ogre Battle-styled auto-battle in which both forces clash against each other from their half of the screen. As the player, you can set your unit strategies and attack options to perform various special moves and combos.

You can figure on a lot of over the top action, but the story and plot will be a lot more "mature and epic" than Disgaea, according to the developers. The trailer could have fooled us. Below are some art stills and screenshots from the game. Soul Nomad will hit the PS2 later this year.




On the PSP side of things, the mysterious Dragoneer's Aria is finally made official. The game is still early in development, but we do have some character art and a teaser video of the action (once again right-click and save as, please). The development is being handled by Hitmaker, the same studio that created Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light. The few details that were shared include the ability to summon monsters you've defeated in battle, and a focus on customization.





Finally, an NIS story wouldn't be complete without more Disgaea. Luckily, if you haven't had enough, you'll soon be seeing a lot more on the PSP. Disgaea Portable will be a port of the first title in the series, albeit with some key additions, like an ad hoc multiplayer mode in which players can battle one another. Also included will be an all-new "Etna story mode." At the beginning of the first game, players might remember Etna trying to awaken Laharl by some very violent means. What would have happened if Laharl hadn't woke up when he did, and Etna had killed him? Well, you'll get a chance to find out when Disgaea Portable drops in a couple months, as it will also sport a brand new single-player campaign in which Etna is your main character.





We also got a chance to sit down with Sohei Niikawa, the managing director at NIS Japan, to talk about Soul Nomad and GrimGrimoire.

(Please note that the following interviews were done with the aid of a translator)

GAF: Real-time strategy games as a genre in Japan, how popular are they?

We made GrimGrimoire so it's like an RTS for beginners, so we can start the genre, make it more popular in Japan.

GAF: Do you think it will do well?

We know that at first it probably won't do as well because it's such a minor genre, but we hope that the story will do well so people will get into it.

GAF: We know that in the U.S. there's an emphasis on the next generation, so what's the challenge, say, in releasing PS2 games so late in the life-cycle?

We think that until the end of 2007, PS2 games will still sell, but starting in 2008, we think of going on to the next generation. [We're already in development] on the [PS3].

GAF: How do you think fans of Disgaea will enjoy Soul Nomad?

We know that people have their own likes and dislikes, and even if the Disgaea fans don't take the game in hand, we're not ashamed of the game because it's made well.

GAF: So how does the battle system in Soul Nomad work? I notice in the video that it's grid-based, but then in battle you've got two opposing sides going against each other.

FIrst of all, as for the battle system, we wanted to make it different from Disgaea in that in Disgaea, each character had a level, so if that character had a high level, it would get stronger. In this game, we wanted to make teams more important, so each squad has multiple people in it and those are what fight.



In addition, GAF also had the chance to talk with Yukihiko Hojo and Hiroyuki Maruhama, the head honchos at Hitmaker, about Dragoneer's Aria.

GAF: So there's an emphasis on customization for Dragoneer's Aria? How exactly will that be implemented in the game?

During the game, there are a couple of key items, for instance the bangle, necklace, sword or weapon, and then the way it works for instance is that in battle you can find a dropped item, and you can actually synthesize them together and then create items. At the same time, in multiplayer mode there are items you can't get in the main game that you can carry over and make into customized items.

GAF: Is the multiplayer mode competitive?

It's multiplayer, but it's not versus. It's more of a co-op to work together and defeat [enemies].

GAF: What's the focus of the success for this game, with the worldwide release and such?

What essentially happened was Nippon Ichi Software, NIS America and Hitmaker got together and they were actually kind of joking around saying, "Let's make not a number one game in Japan, but a number one game in the world!" and they were kind of laughing and joking, and it actually became the start of this project.

GAF: What kind of RPG is Dragoneer's Aria? Is it more traditional?

Dragoneer's Aria is a traditional style RPG but it also combines an element of strategy. For instance, in battle you use skills and then by using different kinds of skills you'll unleash and unlock new features of the game, like new attack skills and battle systems. So it's not just traditional style, it has a customizable strategy element combined with it.

GAF: How did you feel about the American release of Blade Dancer?

It was a wonderful thing [for us] because it was a title to release not just in Japan, but to the world, and we actually had the opportunity to do so, so it was a great thing for us.

GAF: What do you hope or think players will enjoy the most about Dragoneer's Aria?

Obviously the game mechanics will be a lot of fun, but one thing we emphasize is the story. And that's going to be the biggest strength, where it's not going to be just a reagular RPG type story, but something more interesting and intriguing, so we're hoping gamers enjoy that.

GAF: Any thoughts on the next Hitmaker game coming to a different system, maybe, or not a handheld?

Yes, there's a big chance. We're seriously looking into internet games, so that might be something completely new and challenging.

--

A Hitmaker MMO? A PS3 grid-based strategy RPG? Some major rumor-mongering by NIS themselves about future Wii games? Some interesting developments for the future to be sure, but all in all, the NIS America lineup for this calendar cycle is looking pretty strong. We'll have reviews for at least one of the announced titles later this year, so stay stuck to GAF.

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