A few days ago, I caught myself wondering about Mistwalker — I was (and still am)a big fan of 2007’sLost Odyssey, but the company has been relatively quiet recently.ASHlooked promising, but was never released outside of Japan.Blue Dragon Plus, a DS sequel to the ok-but-not-that-greatBlue Dragon,was quietly released in FebruaryandBlue Dragon 2(Xbox 360) andBlue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu(DS) were both announced to very little fanfare.
Well, here’s an update:ASHstill hasn’t gotten a Western announcement,Blue Dragon 2doesn’t have a release date at all, andIkai no Kyojuuwill be released in Japan in October.
Speaking ofBlue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu(which translates roughly intoGreat Beast of the Underworld), there’s a rough gameplay video after the break. For the first time in the series, players won’t be controlling Shu, the hero of other games int heBlue Dragonseries. The player-character will be unnamed and fully customizable, and multiplayer options will allow you to play with up to three of your unnamed and customized friends. Apparently, adding multiplayer to Japanese DS RPGs is all the rage now.
If the video doesn’t make it obvious,Blue Dragon: Great Bestis an action-RPG — no turn-based battles, but plenty of numbers coming out of heads. The game certainly looks fast-paced and frenetic, but there might be a bit too much yelling for my tastes. I also have to wonder if it might get a little crowded with four players and their accompanying dragons all on the screen.
So, this makes four games in theBlue Dragonseries. Did the first one make a strong enough impression for any of you guys to pick this one up (if it ever makes it to the West)?
[ViaGamekyo]
