Topic: NIS America Announces Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for Wii

[Flames_of_chaos]

NIS will be bringing Sega's strategy RPG game to North America.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18393

 Recently, NIS America announced that they are localizing a game in Sega's popular Japan-only series Sakura Wars. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love features a unique battle system where bi-pedal mech suits with the ability to transform into jets battle on both the ground and in the air.    

The game features eight different chapters with each chapter lasting around four or five hours. The game features seven playable character, six fully animated endings, bonuses, and an additional story to complete following the main game.     Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love will be released in Fall 2009.    

SAKURA WARS ANNOUNCED FOR NORTH AMERICA AT LAST    

May 7, 2009    

Santa Ana, Calif. (May 7, 2009) – After years of anticipation by hardcore gamers around the world, “Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love” will finally be released in North America this fall.    

Sakura Wars is a Strategy RPG that features a unique sim-based story system. An in-depth storyline exists, much like in any other RPG; however, the playerÂ’s destiny in the game is not predetermined. Character interaction plays a major role, and your responses to the various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome.    

The battle system is divided into two main parts; ground combat and air combat. Ground combat takes place using two-legged mechanized suits, which transform into jet fighters to take the fight to the sky. Every mech unit in the game can transform from battle mech mode to jet fighter mode during combat. Once transformed, weapons and movement methods will change as well. For example, the heroÂ’s ground mode utilizes a sword as his main weapon, but in jet mode he will use long-range missiles.    

KEY FEATURES    

  - 8 chapters in total, each with 4-5 hours of gameplay.    

- A total of 7 characters to control.    

- 6 different fully animated endings.    

- Bonus features and story after beating the game.    

INFORMATION    

RELEASE DATE: Fall 2009    

PLATFORM: PlayStation® 2, Nintendo Wii™    

GENRE: SRPG    

PLAYER(S): 1    

ESRB: RP    

PUBLISHER: NIS America    

DEVELOPER: Idea Factory

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

I can't believe Sakura Wars is finally coming to the United States. I remember that during the Saturn and Dreamcast years that the Sakura Wars was arguably Sega's most popular franchise in Japan. If this game does well maybe the remake of the first game in the series (that came out on PS2 in Japan back in 2003) will find its way to the Wii.

[Enner]

Talk about coming out of the blue. A popular Japanese video game series that I thought would never cross the pond does. Lets hope more strange and exciting things happen this year.

[broodwars]

This sounds exciting and all, but does anyone know if this game was actually any good when it came out way back when in Japan?

[Flames_of_chaos]

Yup, after I finished the article I read that there is also a deep dating sim portion. Supposedly this game will be the 5th game in the series that came out in 2004 or 2005. I think the only reason NIS America is crediting Idea Factory is because they are supposedly programming the Wii port as the game was made by Sega and Red Entertainment

[TJ Spyke]

Is this just a re-release of the 2005 PS2 game "Sakura Taisen V ~Saraba, Itoshiki Hito yo~"? Sounds like it based on the fact that its translated name is "Sakura Wars V: Farewell, My Love". Wouldn't be the first time, all those crappy Data Design Interactive games (like "Ninjabread Man" and "Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing") were re-released as Wii games several years after their PS2 versions.

[KDR_11k]

AFAIK this is getting released for the PS2 in the west as well. Yeah, so it's a late port and all that but it's the first time the series has come to the west and I don't think many of us really care that we could have played the game 4 years ago in a language we can't even remotely comprehend.

[TJ Spyke]

I'm not complaining or anything, I am just curious if it is the same game or if it's a new game with a similar name.

[NWR_pap64]

AFAIK this is getting released for the PS2 in the west as well. Yeah, so it's a late port and all that but it's the first time the series has come to the west and I don't think many of us really care that we could have played the game 4 years ago in a language we can't even remotely comprehend.

In other words, this is a port fans actually welcome since its of a game that never got released outside of Japan :p .

[Flames_of_chaos]

I think this is the same game but nothing is confirmed yet. I have a feeling this game will bomb hard unfortunately, then again none of NIS America's games sell very well in the first place.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Famitsu revealed the Top 50 most wanted sequels in the Weekly Famitsu magazine, voted by its readers in Japan. Here are the top 20 games.

   1. Sakura Taisen (Sega) - 267 votes
   2. Shenmue (Sega) - 249 votes
   3. Okami (Capcom) - 204 votes
   4. Gotchaforce (Capcom) - 189 votes
   5. Xenogears (Square Enix) - 185 votes
   6. Breath of Fire (Capcom) - 180 votes
   7. Rockman Dash [Mega Man Legends] (Capcom) - 176 votes
   8. Ogre Battle (Square Enix) - 174
   9. Chikyuu Boueigun [Earth Defence Force] (D3 Publisher) - 162 votes
  10. Kowloon's Gate (Sony Music Entertainment) - 151 votes
  11. Shinobido (Spike) - 141 votes
  12. Demon's Souls (SCEJ) - 123 votes
  13. Rockman X [Mega Man X] (Capcom) - 110 votese
  14. Chrono (Square Enix) - 107 votes
  15. Zone of the Enders (Konami) - 94 votes
  16. Mother (Nintendo) - 92 votes
  17. Romancing SaGa (Square Enix) - 90 votes
  18. Senjou no Valkyria [Valkyria Chronicles] (Sega) - 87 votes
  19. Justice Gakuen [Rival Schools] (Capcom) - 82 votes
  20. Medarot (Imagineer) - 81 votes

[NWR_insanolord]

I'm taking that list as Sega implying that if this game does well we might get some kind of Shenmue, which means it has my full support.

[NovaQ]

So long, my love for Wii...

[KDR_11k]

Famitsu revealed the Top 50 most wanted sequels in the Weekly Famitsu magazine, voted by its readers in Japan. Here are the top 20 games.

   4. Gotchaforce (Capcom) - 189 votes
   9. Chikyuu Boueigun [Earth Defence Force] (D3 Publisher) - 162 votes

Yeah, definitely...

[TJ Spyke]

Earth Defense Force is possible, the Xbox 360 one sold pretty well.

[Louieturkey]

I will buy this game.  This makes me super happy.  I always loved all the anime that has been released and just couldn't understand why they refused to bring the games here.  I will show NIS that they made the right choice here with my wallet and I'm gonna try to get my friends to buy it as well.

[broodwars]

Famitsu revealed the Top 50 most wanted sequels in the Weekly Famitsu magazine, voted by its readers in Japan. Here are the top 20 games.

   8. Ogre Battle (Square Enix) - 174
  14. Chrono (Square Enix) - 107 votes
  16. Mother (Nintendo) - 92 votes
  18. Senjou no Valkyria [Valkyria Chronicles] (Sega) - 87 votes

Wow, I had no idea that Ogre Battle was that popular in Japan.  I agree wholeheartedly with these 4 games.  I'm just amazed that Chrono is as far down that list as it is.

[Enner]

With the mixed reception I hear for Chrono Cross, I imagine that some fans are a bit wary of another sequel.

[broodwars]

With the mixed reception I hear for Chrono Cross, I imagine that some fans are a bit wary of another sequel.

It's actually a good game (I just played it for the first time about a year ago), just a really bad sequel to Chrono Trigger with a very bizarre story and poorly fleshed-out world. Music kicked ass, though...though I thought that Trigger had more memorable themes.