Wednesday, October 10, 2012

FYI: the PSP's still got a pulse

You could have knocked me over with a feather after I read on Friday that the folks at UFO Interactive are preparing to bring Elminage Original, a dungeon-crawling PSP title made by a company I've never before heard of (Starfish), stateside sometime in 2013.

Here is a gameplay video of the Japanese version of Elminage Original, which apparently will be a PSN-only release in North America:



Whether or not I end up buying a copy of this interesting (and, admittedly, kind of fugly) looking game--which is said to be "Wizardry hard" and allows players to customize character icons by loading images from a memory card--next year will depend entirely on how much it costs, so here's hoping the powers that be at UFO Interactive attach a reasonable price tag to it.

(Via siliconera.com)

11 comments:

Chalgyr said...

Looks kind of cool. You know, I still use my PSP a fair amount, but I live my RPG genre, and the PSP has been home to a LOT of really good RPG games over the last several years, imo. I've been fiddling with Lunar on it lately.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, "kind of cool" is how I'd describe it, too, Chalgyr. Definitely a bit "rough" as well, but still cool. Anyway, you're right that the PSP has been home to a lot of great RPGs -- and other genres, too, if you ask me. A really nice portable. Too bad it wasn't properly supported in the west :(

Viewtiful_Justin said...

That's ugly as sin, but I love a good dungeon exploration session!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ha ha! I can't help but agree with you, Justin. Still, it appeals to me for some reason. Of course, some folks surely would say I have a high tolerance for bad graphics :P

warp said...

Looks like a bit like Strange Journey. I can't imagine it's anywhere near as good, though.

I'm still getting a lot of use out of my PSP lately playing Gugnir, which came out earlier this year. Definitely not a fugly game; in fact it's one of the prettiest strategy RPG's I've seen on any system.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, warp! Oh, yes, it's definitely the same kind of game as Strange Journey. Also, you're more than likely right that this game isn't anywhere near as good as that one. Still, that doesn't mean this one will be bad!

As for Gungnir: That game is on my 'to buy' list, for sure. Not sure when I'll pick it up, but I hope to eventually. Anyway, yes, it's definitely a looker, in my opinion!

Bryan Ochalla said...

BTW, for one more reason to look forward to the NA release of this game, click on the following link and then scroll down to the last image.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=43037401&postcount=110

Fake edit: Glass slippers with roses on them! :)

Retr0gamer said...

I'd buy it for the music alone. It looks very like Wizardry and I really enjoyed the last Wizardry game on the PS3.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ah, yes, the music is nice, isn't it? Also, I have to say that I really like the art of the enemies. The backdrops are rough, but not the enemies!

It'll be interesting to hear how this compares to the PS3 game, BTW. I really love the look of that one, but of course I can't play it because I don't have a PS3 (yet). Oh, well!

Retr0gamer said...

If I was to go back to the PS3 game I'd probably think it's way too simplistic now because I started Etrian Odyssey and it's totally spoiled me on dungeon crawlers. This will have to come close to Etrian Odyssey for me to take an interest in it.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hoo boy, you may not end up with an interest in this game then, Retrogamer. Not that I know this for sure, but based on what I've read of this game and of this series, I don't think it quite compares to Etrian Odyssey in many areas. I may be wrong, though, so don't buy or not buy this based on what I'm saying, OK?

I'm probably going to check it out regardless -- as long as it doesn't cost too much -- as I think it looks pretty interesting and I can always use another portable dungeon-crawler, RPG, etc.