Nippon Ichi has released the debut trailer for the US version of their Phantom Brave remake. The Wii port of the PS2 original has gained a new subtitle -- "We Meet Again" -- along with new characters and an additional scenario.

Phoenix Spaulding, the person responsible for translating Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) games before reaching the west, sat down with Gamasutra to shed light on what NIS America does during the localization process to get its games outside Japan. Aside from finding out who's behind the wacky item descriptions of Disgaea 2, what caught our interest the most is the possibility of Disgaea going to Nintendo platforms.

Now that NIS America is porting Disgaea on the Sony PSP as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, it seems like the company is testing new waters. When asked if there's any chance we'll see Nippon Ichi games on the Nintendo Wii or the Nintendo DS, Spaulding replied:

I don’t have any details on it, but I know back at Anime Expo, NIS Japan made a very brief mention about Disgaea on the DS. As far as I know, that’s still planned, and I know they’re at least looking at the others, like Wii, and maybe some other DS titles. I hope they do because so many of our fans, they’re all DS kids. It really just makes sense to at least try it.

While NIS Japan is sorting out plans to give Nintendo fans some love, those who haven't played the first Disgaea on the Sony PS2 should try it out. The cult hit, originally published by Atlus, didn't come in abundant supply (ask any Atlus fan how difficult it is to find its games months after release), but NIS America recently reprinted Disgaea after seeing its sequel's success.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

This is for those of you guys who love Disgaea, as well as other games from Nippon Ichi's stable. Although they don't talk about the North American PSP version of the beloved game, GameSetWatch's interview with Jack Niida and Mitsu Hiraoka of Nippon Chi Software America (NISA) talks a bit about the mother company's future game plans... and a lot about Prinny collecting.

Niida was quick to point out that, while a majority of their releases were on the PS2 and PSP, they are nonetheless committed to supporting other platforms as well: "gamers (on all platforms) can expect surprises from us." Of course, they will still work as closely with Sony, "providing great games for PS2/PS3/PSP users as well."

Wonder why GameSetWatch didn't ask about the possibilities of a PS3 game set in the Disgaea universe?

Moving on... Part of the interview was dedicated to NISA's contribution to geek love, their online store RosenQueen.com. The name's taken from an item shop in Nippon Ichi's Marl's Kingdom series, and since it doesn't "literally" carry the NIS/NISA name, it can carry both Nippon Ichi-related products and products that aren't related to NIS/NISA at all, providing a service to both the customer and other companies (double cha-ching to NISA, too).

Remember the Disgaea wish list? They carry Prinny plushies! (Dunno if the plushies carry their in-game power, though: you might want to run them past an X-ray or something, just to be sure. Kidding!)

Speaking of collectibles, in this case special editions of their games, Niida also explained the logic behind putting out a collector's edition of a game. "Judging cost effectiveness on a bonus item for video games is always a difficult task. What it comes down to is cost-benefit, customer interest, affordability, and future impact."

It also depends on the retailer's cooperation - if they're willing do devote resources to promoting these spec.-editions in stores - but Niida did say that they would "like to provide similar special editions packages." Hmm... we're wondering if there will be a special-edition North American Disgaea Portable with free Etna and/or Flonne in the pack... Who wants to start the letter-writing campaign?!

 

NIS America just made our day when they spilled the beans on Disgaea Portable's US version. Now, we'll just have to wait if Nippon Ichi would indeed fulfill our Disgaea wish list. While we wait, let's focus our attention on the other things that NIS America has in store for us.

It was way back in June when NIS' Jack Niida talked about making games for the Wii, potential downloadable titles, and sticking to 2D games. After that, we heard nothing about NIS making games for the Wii or the Nintendo DS...until now. Apparently, during the presentation of NIS' new online store, RosenQueen, a company exec hinted that NIS is moving into Wii and DS development. He said that "I've heard rumors - just rumors! - that NIS is preparing DS and Wii contracts". And if you check out RosenQueen, you would see that the company now sells Wii and DS accessories.

Hmmm. We don't know what games they are planning to make for the Wii and the DS or if they are really serious in developing for the mentioned platforms. We guess we have to hear some official word from NIS America. For now, keep checking us out for updates.

Degenki Online's yearly Start/End-of-the-year-feature is out again, and RPGfan has a nice collection of comments from Japanese developers about what they have in store for gamers on 2007.

Kenji Matsuhara, director of Koei's online business wants to capitalize on the PS3's CELL processor. Given the amount of commentary we've been reading from the more vocal of developers on how hard it is to program for the CELL, this is definitely good news. It's nice to hear that some people are thinking of the CELL as an opportunity and a challenge instead of a roadblock that prevents 100% usage of the PS3's potential.

Hiroshi Matsuyama,  president of CyberConnect 2, the guys who are responsible for the .hack RPG games emphasized the different functions and opportunities offered by each of the three systems. He also confirms that they've begun working with the new hardware.

Tako Miyoshi of Phantasy Star fame thinks that the Wii as a whole has a lot to offer. Yuuji Naka thinks that it's the new input devices (the SIXAXIS and the Wiimote) that will dictate the future.

Nippon Ichi's Souhei Shinkawa is a bit more pragmatic. He points that due to a shrinking market and declining sales figures of high profile games, the key to survival in the coming year is to create games that truly take advantage of the capabilities of the console that it is made for.

In contrast to Shinkawa's console-oriented stance, Makoto Yoshidzumi, producer of the Tales of series says that, traditionally, the Tales series wasn't really about the latest technology or really good graphics, but was about using existing methods and technology to deliver to players stories that they can enjoy. However, the producer does say that he feels that the time has come for the entire concept behind the Tales series to be re-built.

Atushi Taniguchi of From Soft promises that they will have a new DS game of an existing franchise soon that will feature multiplayer support. He says that they will make an announcement about it soon.

Level 5 president Akihiko Hino says that they had no problem adapting to the new systems. Currently Level 5 is working on several titles for the DS and Shirokishi Monogatari (White Knight Story), the PlayStation 3.

Mmm. White Knight... Can't wait.

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese developer and publisher of game software titles such as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, talked about considering new titles for the Wii, the potential of RPGs on Wii, sticking to 2D games and more. Jack Niida, Nippon Ichi Marketing Coordinator, was game enough to share his thoughts about the said topics.

Aside from committing on making games for the Wii, they are also looking forward to developing and publishing games for the DS, 360, and other handheld consoles. When asked if as of the moment, they are now developing games for the Wii, Mr. Niida said that "we are not developing a title for the Nintendo Wii, since we have another title that has been under works for a while. We simply do not have the man power yet to carry out multiple projects at the same time. Therefore, if we were to release a Wii title, it will be in the future."

Since Nippon is known for sticking to the traditionally, anime-inspired, 2D games, they were asked if they are willing to step on to the new territory of 3D gaming. The reply? "From my impressions from what I (he) hear (from the Nippon developers), they don't seem to mind it (3D) too much; they still feel that 2D is well and alive. It's just that they might change the expressions a little different according to the next-generations consoles, but the 2D will definitely be there." In other words, they are sticking to what they have gone used to- 2D games.

On the RPG portion of the discussion, Mr. Niida was asked if he thinks the Wii's controller is not suitable for RPG games, to answer that, he said "I personally think it will benefit the genre...There's a lot more opportunities in what you can do, and especially the motion sensor, I think it's a unique feature that we might be able to incorporate into a strategy RPG--the way you move your characters or the way you control them. Certainly I think its expanding what we can do, and not limiting it...And Wii's unique controller layout will help us bring new light to the RPG genre. In regards to new functions of the controller for RPGs, let's just say it is still a secret."

Mr. Niida also talked about the possibility of offering downloadable content, "this is perhaps one of the most exciting marketing strategies for small companies like us. We will definitely be exploring this option with enthusiasm. Please look forward to what we will have to offer in the near future. I promise we will not disappoint you."

As of now, their development efforts are focused on another Nintendo creation, the DS. But basing from Niida's statements, it won't be long till they shift their attention to the Wii. Although they are sticking to 2D gaming, we won't be surprised if they will come up with 3D games in the future, because there's nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, but one should also keep up with the times.