Bandai / Bluefin / Namco Preview

Hey O&G fans, last week we were invited to preview Bandai / Bluefin / Namco’s product preview. Unfortunately Toy Fair 2022 in person event was cancelled due to covid concerns. Thanks to the Reps at all the companies for giving us a great show that you can check out the video below.

We will be posting more info in all products featured in this video.

By Sean Tucker

Video: Bandai/Blufin

Tales of Zestiria Anime Announced

The recent Tales of Festival 2015 event has announced that an anime is in the works for Bandai Namco RPG Tales of Zestiria in honor of the franchise’s 20th anniversary, sure to be a perfect compliment to the newly revealed Tales of Berseria.

The 20th anniversary teaser trailer courtesy of its official website:

導師の旅路は、ゼスティリアを超える―― 「テイルズ オブ」シリーズ　20周年記念TVアニメーション　2016年放送開始！ 制作：ufotable TVアニメティザーサイト　http://20th-anime.tales-ch.jp/

Tales Of Xillia Review

Tales Of Xillia was released two years ago in Japan. Thanks to popular 
demand the game has made its way over to the United States. Was this next installment in the Tales series worth the wait? 

Story – The story takes place in a world called Rieze Maxia a world where humans are able to manifest the power of spirits and mana into a power source called the Spyrix. Due to the power and technology the Spyrix possess it drains the mana and kills the spirits. The great Spirit Maxwell that isolated this type of power source ages ago, returns in human as Milla Maxwell to put a stop to a new weapon called “The Lance Of Kresnik.” 

Unlike many other Tales games Xillia is told through the perspective of two characters Jude and Milla. The games core story is unchanged but how the story is viewed is depending on which character you choose. This makes the storytelling a little more personal for each character as you see certain cutscenes and certain side quest will be only exclusive to that character. The story is not the best out of the Tales franchise but it’s one of the most addictive ones to playthrough. The characters of Jude and Milla work well for this universe, Milla being a spirit and human form trying to save the world and coming to terms what it means to be human, and Jude being a young man trying to find his identity and place into the world. Playing these two characters and watching them learn and grow from each other is a pleasure. However this wouldn’t be an RPG game without the supporting cast and Xillia has some pretty outstanding supporting cast. The supporting cast member that stands out the most is Alvin played by Matt Mercer. Alvin is a character that we have seen before in movies, anime and other forms of entertainment. However in Xillia he is the most unpredictable mercenary and character. His motives are unknown, he lives by his own rules and while playing the game you question whether he can be trusted or not. While playing this game I can tell you that I love this feeling on whether I can trust certain characters or not. Overall Xillia delivers the goods and a little more and if you want the full course meal you have to play it twice. 

Gameplay – Xillia doesn’t stray away too far from the usual formula of hack and slash and magic artes. However Xillia takes what we are used too and expands onto it. Xillia uses a link system between two characters out of the four on the field. This link system adds strategic elements during battle. For example if Jude and Milla are link together one will find a weak spot on the enemy. Alvin will break the enemies barriers and etc. Depending on which character you will link with will depend on what give advantage you get on the enemy. Different characters work better or worst with an certain enemy type. Another great addition to the link system is the double team moves. When you are prompted or if your battle meter rises to the top. You can perform devastating double team attack with the character you are link with. The moves can be a single strike or a continuous hit if you press your buttons quick enough. The double team moves are essential during boss battles as the battles range from medium to very hard. The battles sometimes can be frustrating as the enemies will be able to cast multiple arts back to back which leaves an unfair advantage. That is on the only complaint about the battle system I had with the game. Overall the battle system is solid and the link system is a great addition. 

The link system is not the only new addition to the Tales franchise. Xillia uses a different way to level up characters and have them learn they skills. Xillia introduces a system known as the Lilium Orb fans of Final Fantasy XIII will be familiar with this grid system. The Lilium Orb is a grid where you spend the points you earned after you level up to upgrade your strength, hp, tp, learn new attacks and many more. It’s a more strategic way to level up your characters as you will have to decide which abilities or attributes work best for your character. The Lilium Orb is a welcome addition to the franchise and I hope to see it in future installments of Tales games. Finally the game brings one more upgrade feature to the table. Xillia requires you to upgrade shops in order to get better supplies and weapons. This will be a hit or miss with some fans as you will usually sacrifice items picked up from battles or spend  money you earned from battles to upgrade them. The more you upgrade the shops the better materials, weapons and armor your characters will have. It’s another great element to the game that brings the already great upgrade system into much more depth.

Graphics – Xillia was released two years ago in Japan. The graphics by today’s standards will appear to be a little dated. However Tales Of Xillia looks great minus a few flaws of textures and some background hiccups the graphics hold up well. Even though the graphics aren't outstanding as Tales Of Vesperia or Graces it does hold up pretty well.

Sound – Xillia music is wonderful. Gone are the usually midi sounds that the franchise is known and in is the orchestrated compositions that is music to your ears. The voice acting is also well done. The show stealer is Matt Mercer (Leon from Resident Evil 6) his performance makes you wish that Alvin was the main character in the game.

Replay Value - Tales of Xillia offers tons of replay value from sidequest to another go a round seeing the game from the perspective of the character that you didn’t choose. The game will take you up to 30 hours without sidequest and with sidequest and hidden bosses maybe 20 more. This is an RPG that will occupy your time for a while.

Final Grade 8.5/B+: Tales Of Xillia does a lot right and brings new elements to the franchise. The story is solid with some compelling characters and a really great theme which I won’t spoil for you. The gameplay is great as it’s ever been and the addition of the Lilium Orb and upgrade shops is a welcome addition. This is an RPG that you must pick up and experience for yourself. 

Project X Zone Spotlight

Project X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS is what you get when developers play nice. A mega crossover

with characters from Capcom Sega and Namco all  in one game. Originally planed for Japanese  release only Project X Zone is making its way to America. This jammed packed RPG – fighter is filled with a ton of iconic characters from Mega Man, .//Hack, Tekken, Space Channel 5 and even classic Dante from Devil May Cry. The release Date is 6/25/2013 so be out on the look out for this title.

Ni No Kuni: The Wrath Of The White Witch Review

When I heard that a new anime style RPG was on the way I was excited. When I heard that Studio Ghilbi, Namco and Level 5 was apart of this project I immediately said give me the game! Now Ni No Kuni: The White Witch is finally here, but is this the game the Otakus have been waiting for? Does it do well to please the RPG crowd and the gamers in general?

Story - The story of Ni no Kuni revolves around thirteen-year-old Oliver, a resident of Motorville, whose mother, Allie,... ... (no spoilers) after rescuing him from drowning. A doll, given to Oliver by his mother, is brought to life from his tears and reveals itself to be a male fairy named Drippy who gives Oliver a book that allows him to use the power of magic and enter the world of "Ni no Kuni," a reality parallel to his own.

That is the story synopsis and what a story Ni no Kuni is. If this was just an anime movie released by Studio Ghibli and had Disney to distribute it this would be Oscar worthy. Ni no Kuni story is phenomenal and a great way to kick off the RPG's for 2013. This is a fun, emotional, lighthearted and touching story. Oliver is a wonderful, likable protagonist and you will feel really invested in his journey. When his mother sacrifices herself for him, you will really feel for Oliver and want to play the whole game through to see how the story plays out. As great of a character Oliver is, his supporting cast is a blast to see. His sidekick Drippy is a great mentor when it comes to Oliver's quest and is used well for the comedy relief throughout the story. I won't go into more details for the sake of spoilers, just know that this is truly an experience.

Gameplay - The gameplay is a mix of RPG style mechanics. It has a little bit of turn based which you will be able to control your character freely during battle. The battles you control Oliver who attacks are based on melee, defend and magic since he's a wizard. He also has the aid of of his friends called Familiars. These are creatures that are created from Oliver's pure heart. They each  have they own attacks, require upgrades and need to be taken care of. You can control Oliver or the Familiars at any time. However the Familiars have a time limit which they will then need to be given a break to regain they stamina  This gives a great element of strategy and you will have to be careful how they are used, because if they get harmed, so does Oliver.  The element of Familiars is very well welcomed, you will be spending a lot of time trying to match what upgrade, weapon, accessory and food that your Familiar would like. The side missions are not the typical tedious side missions that you see in JRPG. Even though you run the typical get this item, bounty hunter an enemy the side missions you want to do because you would care for everyone in this story. Even if it's a cat person looking for her red earrings, or a bird man looking for you take an enemy out, because the world is so likable and characters you care for you might do every side mission big or small and they give some pretty good rewards. 

Graphics - Stunning does not describe Ni No Kuni. This game is truly amazing to see, from the worlds, towns and character designs you can really see the influence Studio Ghibli had in this game. Level 5 did a amazing job capturing the anime spirit and otakus will be proud of this game. It gives you such an nostalgia feeling of the old days of Studio Ghilbi and it truly has this magic feel to it. 

Sound - The cast both English and Japanese does a stellar job. The voice acting is top notch. The music is composed by Studio Ghilbi's go to guy Joe Hisashi and it's such a delight. The tone of themes range from emotional, happy and sometimes dark. The uses of strings and his signature piano is a welcome addition and brings the world truly to life.

Replay Value - There is tons to do in this game, the side missions will keep you busy and there is even stuff to do once the main story is finish. Getting a platinum trophy will take a very long time. It will take 40 hours to beat the main story and about more to get a full completion.

Final Grade A+/9.5/10 - Ni No Kuni: The Wrath Of The White Witch has brought JRPG's back! Dare we call this game a classic but it's the only way to describe it. This is an anime game you must buy, this is an experience from the story, the characters, the music and the presentations. The gameplay is solid, addictive and challenging. The only complaint would be the camera sometimes is too far out when traveling through the lands. This is something you must play.