360: The New RPG King?
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The Playstation 2 was famous because it had an extensive library of Japanese and Western RPGs. Sadly the same can't be said for the Playstation 3, which has been on the market ever since November, 2006. After almost two years, the Playstation 3 has very little to offer the role playing enthusiasts. Somebody over at Sony headquarters certainly has dropped the ball, when it comes to development and securing of RPG exclusives.
Microsoft on the other hand seems to be the opposite. It appears that Microsoft is fighting tooth and nail to offer gamers a diverse selection of RPGs which vary in both western and eastern themes. Ironically, it would seem that the positions have been reversed. The 360 now has the bigger RPG library than the Playstation 3. Below, we take a look at a few exclusives RPG titles for both the 360 and PS3 for 2008.
Fable 2 (360):
Fable 2 is the true sequel to the wildly successful original that sold more than 3 million copies, offering even more choices and building on the core gameplay theme of Fable, where a player's every decision continually defines whom they become. Fable 2 is an action role-playing game that truly allows players to live the life they choose in an unimaginably open world environment.
Set 500 years after the original, "Fable 2" will provide gamers with an epic story and innovative real-time gameplay, including a massive amount of freedom and choice to explore a vast collection of dungeons, catacombs and caves in the world of Albion
Infinite Undiscovery (360):
Infinite Undiscovery is an epic RPG created by tri-Ace, developer of the big hit series, Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile, and Microsoft Game Studios. Over 10 years of ideas from Yoshiharu Gotanda, the producer of Infinite Undiscovery and president of tri-Ace, will become a reality on Xbox 360.
Various situations unfold in a world that changes in real time, with players’ choices leading to “unknown discoveries.” The advanced technology of tri-Ace combined with the next generation power of Xbox 360 offers an ultimate fantasy world overflowing with realism, allowing players to experience true role playing within a grand story. A Square-Enix/Tri-Ace exclusive released on the Xbox 360?
Tales of Vesperia (360):
The 360 debut of the Tales series follows the quest of a knight named Yuri as he investigates a mysterious ancient technology. The Tales series has been a Playstation series all the way up to the release of the Playtation 3. Who dropped the ball on this one?The Last Remnant (360):
Long ago, the world was filled with Remnants, mysterious artifacts from an ancient civilization. But as time passed, the powers of the Remnants began to shift the world's balance. As the rift widened between those who ruled and those who were ruled over, a new era dawned: one of countless frays brought upon the world by those enslaved by their own lust for power.
Imagine a vast, war-torn battlefield, scarred by years of conflict. Countless enemies surround the player, who is backed up by his own army. Threatened by numerous foes and saved in the nick of time by allies, players will feel the true tension of a soldier on the battlefield. In THE LAST REMNANT, as many as seventy units will duke it out at once in fierce yet beautiful battles. Backed by the visual power of next-gen hardware, the unique play style and battle system will challenge and invigorate players like never before. I know this is a timed exclusive but what gives? A Square-Enix title coming out on the 360 first. Who knows when or if it will show up on the Playstation 3...in 6 months...maybe a year. So it is exclusive to the Xbox 360 for 2008. Where was Sony at for negotiation over this title?
Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope (360):
Fans of the RPGs from Square Enix may have assumed PS3 was the safe bet this generation of consoles. However, during a press conference in Japan today, the famed RPG maker announced its plans to support Xbox 360 with the exclusive Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope.The Star Ocean series has always been on Playstation platforms. Somebody definitely dropped the ball on this one.
Disgaea 3 (PS3):
Disgaea 3 is a sequel to Disgaea, a hardcore, turn based, strategy RPG popular on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. In Disgaea, character units have a limit to their movement and attack ranges, based on level and weapons equipped. There are other special game factors that let you take advantage of the 3D battle map, many of which are unique to Disgaea.
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3):
Valkyria Chronicles is set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of 1930s, Europe divided in two and ruled by the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading a small neutral country called Gallia, which is situated in the middle of the two great empires. The game follows a hero named Welkin and his fellow soldiers of the Federation’s 7th Platoon that are fighting against the Empire, who is intent on unifying the continent under its power.
Eternal Sonata (PS3):
On his deathbed, Chopin, the famous composer, drifts between this life and the next. In his dreams, happenstance encounters with a young girl facing a terrible destiny and the boy who will fight to save her, leads to Chopin's discovery of the light that shines in each of us in this enduring tale of good and evil, love and betrayal.
This title was released on Xbox 360 last year. It was finally announced for the PS3 but only for release in Japan. Nice way to let your fan base down Sony. With the game already translated would it have realy been so hard to release it outside of Japan? This was definitely a huge letdown.That about sums it up. I don't know what is going on up in the headquarters on Sony these days. I was under the impression that Sony got rid of Phil Harrison because of his lack of assistance towards third party developers, but it appears that Kazuo Hirai isn't much better. I have enjoyed many A grade quality RPGs on both the PS2 and also the PS1. However, after almost two years the RPG selection on PS3 is looking pretty slim.White Knight Story and Final Fantasy 13 will both be great for sure, but when they will be released is still up in the air. My guess is sometime in late 2009. I guess the wait is on.I have been a dedicated Playstation fan for many years. It is just kind of disheartening that most of my RPG play time is spent on the Xbox 360. New IPs like Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon were great and both released in the second year of the 360's life cycle.Another point of interest is that two Square-Enix titles (The Last Remnant, and Infinite Undiscovery) are both being released on the 360 before even one Square-Enix title is close to release on the PS3. I know these titles take years to develop so obviously the deals were cut long ago. My question is where was Sony at while Microsoft was in negotiations for these titles? Come on Sony, I know you can do better for your fans.