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Why Robin Makes Batman Better With the ESRB and Namco Bandai Games all but confirming a PLAYSTATION 3 release for Eternal Sonata—also known as Trusty Bell in other parts of the world—it comes as little surprise today that Famitsu has confirmed the RPG for a PS3 release. Yes, holy crap, I know. Didn’t see this one coming did you? The latest issue of the news breaking mag has screens of the PS3 version of the game, scheduled for a 2008 release.
Hopefully, this news doesn’t come as too much of a shock for Namco Bandai themselves who were “not aware” of the PS3 version of the game just a few months ago and that portable defibrillators are on hand at the publisher’s HQ.
Eternal Sonata also on PlayStation 3 [Jeux-France]
Some of our more eagle-eyed web surfing readers spotted on the official Namco Bandai Games web site “TBD” release dates for PLAYSTATION 3 versions of both Eternal Sonata and Beautiful Katamari. The latter also included hints about the rumoured Wii SKU. Both titles are currently only confirmed for the Xbox 360. Not long after the stories on each title were posted, Namco Bandai hive workers pulled the listings for the non-Microsoft consoles, leaving only the Xbox 360 release dates up.
Clerical error or something far more sinister?! It’s hard to think “sinister” when one is discussing an RPG occurring in the mind of a dying Polish composer or rolling things up with a katamari, so we’ll remain simply sceptical of the listings. Maybe we will know more after our trip to Tokyo next week.
Thanks to our tipsters for the heads up.
Oh Bandai Namco. You’re such fibbers! It was only a month ago that you were saying you were “not aware” of a PS3 version of Eternal Sonata. Not aware? Someone is, because the game’s official listing on the company’s site now has it listed as a PlayStation 3 game. No release date, but it’s right there under “platforms”. PlayStation 3. Could be a typo, but then, we’re only a week and a bit away from TGS. Could also be announced there. Eternal Sonata [Bandai Namco, thanks Ryan!]
Best part of Japan’s Eternal Sonata Xbox 360 bundle? It has an Eternal Sonata alarm clock. But! The alarm clock has no batteries. So spend a couple hundred bucks, but don’t get free batteries for your free alarm clock. That’s kinda odd, wouldn’t you say?
Namco Bandai is really going above and beyond to promote the upcoming 360 RPG Eternal Sonata, launching what is probably the most extensive community site for a single player RPG I have ever seen. At Endless Nocturne, fans of Eternal Sonata can create a profile and then participate in quizzes, submit (clean) fan art, chat on the forums or enter any number of quizzes, earning community rank and special points called Notes along the way. The Notes can then be exchanged for prizes in the site’s shop, ranging anywhere from signed posters to Japanese OST CDs to a Zune or iPod Shuffle. On top of all of that, the site is being kept updated with all the latest news on the game, so it really is your one-stop Eternal Sonata community resource site. Check it out at EndlessNocturne.com, or hit the jump for more information.
Tri-Crescendo, the Japanese developer behind Eternal Sonata, wanted to make the game an Xbox 360 title from the get-go. While the studio had previously worked on GameCube title Baten Kaitos, the Wii was not the platform of choice. According to game site Siliconera, the controller and the graphics made bringing Eternal Sonata to the Xbox 360 a no-brainer. What about a PS3 version? Publisher Bandai Namco told Siliconera that it was “not aware” of a PS3 version at the moment. How could it not be aware of that? It’s friggin’ Bandai Namco! The Japanese box for Eternal Sonata (AKA Trusty Bell) doesn’t have an “ONLY ON XBOX 360″ stamp on it. Thus, the game should be treated as such. Eternal Localiser Talks [Siliconera]
Keen to try out Chopin’s dream-sim Eternal Sonata? Otherwise, and better known, as Trusty Bell? There’s a demo up now on Xbox Live, so you can get a taste of just what it’s like to spend some time inside the mind of a dying Polish composer. Who’s dreaming of fairies. I’d tell you what it’s like, but the demo’s available in the US & Canada only, so I wouldn’t know.
Why Chopin? Why? I mean, really. Why? GameSpot gets to the bottom of that and other burning issues in a short interview with the game’s director, Hiroya Hatsushiba. The game is set in composer Frederic Chopin’s subconscious as he lays on his death bed. Let’s go back to my initial questions. Hatsushiba answers: People who play games and people who love classical music are not necessarily sharing [the]same type of interests. Most people in Japan know the name of Chopin; however, most of the people who know of Chopin think he is just some kind of a great music composer without knowing any more about him. Most of them have heard Chopin’s music but not a lot could put his name to it immediately. By creating a colourful fantasy world in Chopin’s dream, I was hoping that people would get into this game easily and also come to know how great Chopin’s music is.
And believe that Chopin could dish out some wicked chain attacks. When a game is as fun as Eternal Sonata who needs historical accuracy? Eternal Sonata Interview [GameSpot]
