We don't always report on GameStop ship dates (you should see the pile of Halo 3 release date tips we get on a regular basis) but this one is special. According to GameStop's Blue Dragon entry, the game is set to hit the US on June 5, 2007. This meshes well with a recent Game Informer cover story claiming that the game would hit this summer (Game Informer, incidentally, is owned by GameStop).
We know that the Japanese version of the game received some decent reviews, but Joystiq sheds what little light it can on the US localized version. Essentially, the game will remain the same apart from translated text and re-dubbed English voices (which can blessedly be replaced with the original Japanese voices if desired). Some of the songs will be re-dubbed in English as well (that should be interesting). Joystiq also notes that episodic content may be available for download after the game is released.
It's no secret that Japan dislikes the Xbox 360, to them it smells of moldy bread covered with motor oil. But with the release of Blue Dragon Microsoft hoped to spur sales, and it actually looks like it helped. IGN reports that Japanese publisher Enterbrain released Japan's sales figures for December 2006 and the 360 has sold in record numbers for the month. Don't get your hopes up though, the install base for Japan is a measly 290,467 units compared to the Wii (just released a month ago) which has moved 989,118 units. Sad, isn't it? But the ray of hope is that 99,798 Xbox 360s were sold in December alone. Yes, that's the "glass is half full" take on the whole situation. Maybe they can start giving away Xbox 360s with the purchase of Blue Dragon ... it's just a thought.
Over at Xboxyde BlimBlim was feeling a little bored today and started exploring Blue Dragon to document his favorite locations. For those of us who haven't yet got hands-on time with the game, these screen grabs are a great way to see not only the art style, but the different locations in the game. These shots are beautiful, unique, and show off what Blue Dragon is really all about. Even the chef's nose makes us smile with excitement ... it's so round and pudgy. Make the jump for more screen grabs and wish you too could play Blue Dragon.
2006 was a great year for the Xbox 360. We saw tons of great games -- Oblivion, Gears of War, and Dead Rising just to name a few -- Xbox Live Arcade showed signs of maturity, Xbox Live grew by leaps and bounds, and overall 360 sales are closing in on the 10 million mark. Yes, it was a good time to be a gamer if you had a 360. What about the future? What does 2007 hold for the Xbox 360? Read on and join the discussion.
While the above headline is both dramatic and true, it's also not quite as grand as it sounds. The Xbox 360 managed to sell 35,343 units last week. Not exactly a staggering number compared to, say, the DS Lite (310,000 units), but it still marks a drastic increase for our favorite console, which sold just over 4,000 units the week before. Savvy readers would probably guess that Blue Dragon had a big influence on this increase, and such readers would be right. Blue Dragon managed to land in the number 4 spot in software sales, as Joystiq reports the game sold a whopping 80,348 copies. Seeing a sharp increase in both hardware and software sales is definitely a good thing for Microsoft in Japan, but the battle is far from over. If they want 360s to keep moving, Microsoft will have to prove the console's worth by giving Japanese gamers the games they want, and that means more than Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon 2.
CVG, a professional website mysteriously lacking a favicon, has posted an English review of Blue Dragon. In short, the game is good, and the review contains nothing but praise. Seriously, not one flaw is listed. Frankly, it's hard to trust reviews that are entirely positive, but it still likely means good news for RPG fans. Overall, the review states that the game just feels incredibly polished, that it "reeks of class." The graphics are clean, the battle system doesn't get old, and there is plenty to do. We won't be seeing Blue Dragon stateside until next year, but it looks like the wait may be worth it after all. Hit the read link for the full review.
Has anyone else out there actually played the game?
Websites (including us) have been spouting Blue Dragon's significance for ages now -- just look at all these stories -- and it's finally time for the game to put up or shut up. The game released today -- both individually and in a spiffy bundle -- and Joystiq reports that it already looks to become the most popular 360 game in Japan by far. Of course, that's not really saying much, though it is important to note that the game is also driving hardware sales. If Microsoft has any hope in the Land of the Rising Sun, it rests in the arms (wings?) of Blue Dragon. After all, if the RPG dream team of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Akira Toriyama, and Nobuo Uematsu aren't enough to entice the Japanese, there just isn't much more that Microsoft can do. Hit the read link for more pictures.
We've asked this question before, but do you think Microsoft needs Japan in order to win the new-gen console war?
Yes, we know. You've already seen the Blue Dragonbox. Why show us again, you say. Dear friends, that was merely a box. Now this, this is a bundle, and as bundles go, the Japanese Blue Dragon bundle is a monster. The bundle comes packed with goodies, first of which is of course Blue Dragon itself. Also included in the box: a 360 Core system, a 2007 Blue Dragon calendar (though 2007 is actually the year of the pig), a Blue Dragon faceplate, and five (!) figurines representing each character from the game. It's a little odd that the bundle includes no way of saving your game (kind of an important feature in RPGs), but then we expect Microsoft is hoping to make few bucks on hard drives and memory cards. Some of you may have heard that Blue Dragon received an impressive 37/40 from Famitsu, Japan's biggest gaming mag, so it will be interesting to see how this bundle fares at retail. Oh, and lest we forget, it should be available in Japan today. Head over to 1UP for more pictures.
The first game to bite the DVD format bullet and come on three (yes count 'em, three) DVDs is none other than Blue Dragon. IGN has pictures of the packaging in all its three disc glory. Amazingly enough, all the discs fit in one normal sized DVD case. Microsoft is also throwing a launch party in Japan and beaming a countdown to launch clock on the side of an abandoned building. But back to the goods. Three discs could be seen as the negative effects of not including an HD player into the 360 ... but I'm the optimistic type and say three discs is extremely bad ass. You could use the extra discs as ninja stars! Anyway, I'm putting my yearly blogging salary ($4.65) on Halo 3 coming out on seven discs ... any takers?
We missed the Blue Dragon update last week, so this week we have two new videos for you. The first -- embedded above -- is Blue Dragon's playable opening sequence. It's very serene and poetic in that Howl's Moving Castle sort of way, though we're not sure how much we like the robotic voice that announces what you're doing. Hearing the digital female voice say "item" as you pick something up sort of pulls you out of the narrative. Still, the game is gorgeous. The second video -- embedded after the break -- showcases a shooting sequence, which takes place in (what else?) an airship. The shooting sequence is in real time, which might allay some of the fears of RPG fans that are more accustomed to KOTOR. Watch both videos and tell us what you think . (As always, high definition versions are available at the official Blue Dragon site.)
Posted Dec 3rd 2006 10:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Microsoft's Japanese baby Blue Dragon has released some very artistic shots of their Japanese comic (manga) art. If the image above hasn't caught your attention, head over to Xboxygen to get some more scans of this very sexy upcoming comic. Fanboys, I know I've asked this before, but I feel the urge to ask you again. Any non-Japense hardcore RPG players looking forward to Blue Dragon next year?
Blue Dragon, Microsoft's great white blue hope in Japan, isn't even available yet, and rumors are already flying about Blue Dragon 2: the Dragoning*. According to Strategyinformer.com, Famitsu is reporting that Mistwalker is already in production on Blue Dragon 2. It's a well-known fact that Microsoft is pinning all its hopes on Blue Dragon to lift limp 360 sales in Japan. If a sequel is already in development, they must be very confident that it will do just that. Then again, the article doesn't actually mention what platform the game would appear on, so it's possible that Blue Dragon's developer, Mistwalker, is planning to take the game multi-platform. Whatever MS and Mistwalker have up their sleeves, we'll wait to see how good the first Blue Dragon is before we start clamoring for a sequel.
Posted Nov 19th 2006 7:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Over at Xboxygen you can check out some new Blue Dragon scans. Of course it's in Japanese and of course there isn't the littlest hint to what the heck the article is about, but there are some nice screenshots and beautiful artwork on the pages. Heck, it's Blue Dragon just enjoy the pretty pictures already.
The official Blue Dragon website has been updated yet again with a new video (and new screenshots, too). The video features some of the game's non player characters (NPCs) that the player can interact with. They range from weird looking Snifit doppelgangers to minotaurs. Our favorite in the video is what appears to be a living mural on a wall. Check out the video after the break. Oh, and be warned, the music is ... different.
It's windy and cold outside Fanboy Towers today, and we're betting it's a cold day in Hell, too. First, EA's Superman Returns demo is actually good, and now an Xbox 360 game is in the top 5 on Famitsu's most wanted list. Blue Dragon has landed in 3rd place on the recent poll, outdoing both Metal Gear Solid 4 and the beloved Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. We've blogged (probably too much) about Blue Dragon's importance before, but it now stands at an all time high. With the Playstation 3 launched (and sold out) and the Wii as well, Microsoft has their work cut out for them if they want to make a dent in the Land of the Rising Sun. Ironically, this is also their biggest opportunity. With the PS3 sold out, Microsoft has a big chance to take money away from those who were unable to get a PS3 (hell, with PS3 money you could buy the Blue Dragon bundle and have enough yen left for a sushi dinner).
Still, one game may help Microsoft gain a foothold, but it is not enough to sustain interest. If they don't keep rolling out the Japanese flavored content, Japan could quickly drop the 360. As our sister site, Joystiq, points out, the Japanese are not shy about buying a system for one game and then selling it. Then again, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 has managed to crack the number 15 spot. Maybe that will be enough to hold Japan until Lost Odyssey.
We don't always report on GameStop ship dates (you should see the pile of Halo 3 release date tips we get on a regular basis) but this one is special. According to GameStop's Blue Dragon entry, the game is set to hit the US on June 5, 2007. This meshes well with a recent Game Informer cover story claiming that the game would hit this summer (Game Informer, incidentally, is owned by GameStop).
It's no secret that Japan dislikes the Xbox 360, to them it smells of moldy bread covered with motor oil. But with the release of Blue Dragon Microsoft hoped to spur sales, and it actually looks like it helped. IGN reports that Japanese publisher Enterbrain released Japan's sales figures for December 2006 and the 360 has sold in record numbers for the month. Don't get your hopes up though, the install base for Japan is a measly 290,467 units compared to the Wii (just released a month ago) which has moved 989,118 units. Sad, isn't it? But the ray of hope is that 99,798 Xbox 360s were sold in December alone. Yes, that's the "glass is half full" take on the whole situation. Maybe they can start giving away Xbox 360s with the purchase of Blue Dragon ... it's just a thought.
While the above headline is both dramatic and true, it's also not quite as grand as it sounds. The Xbox 360 managed to sell 35,343 units last week. Not exactly a staggering number compared to, say, the DS Lite (310,000 units), but it still marks a drastic increase for our favorite console, which sold just over 4,000 units the week before. Savvy readers would probably guess that 
