Recession? What recession? If you’re looking for ways to stimulate the economy, there are three new ways to do it. Square Enix is shipping Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume for the Nintendo DS with a MSRP of $39.99. Konami is bringing Suikoden Teirkreis to the DS for $34.99, and XSEED is giving people a reason to actually turn on their Wii by releasing Rune Factory Frontier for $49.99.
In today’s update: Blue Dragon: Behemoth of the Otherworld, Disgaea DS, Dragon Quest IX, Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope, and Suikoden Tierkreis.
Nintendo announced its North American Q1 lineup today and a couple of titles may be of interest to RPG fans. Pokémon Platinum for the Nintendo DS has been officially dated for March 22. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, also for the Nintendo DS, was confirmed for February 16.
The press release also listed third party games. For the Nintendo Wii, players can expect Little King’s Story on February 17 and Rune Factory: Frontier in March. The DS can look forward to Legacy of Ys: Books I & II on February 10, and Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and Suikoden Tierkreis in the first quarter.
Suikoden fans should get out their calendars now because Suikoden: Tierkreis for the Nintendo DS is officially headed to North America this coming March. Along with news of the release window came some details regarding the game’s plot. The story is set in the “Million World universe.” During the course of the story, players will find themselves traveling to parallel worlds and encountering a wide variety of characters and cultures.
Tierkreis also makes unique use of Wi-Fi. Players can send their characters on quests via Wi-Fi, which will be completed by other Wi-Fi users. Upon completion of the quest the player’s party will return with new items and abilities. Tierkreis features animated cutscenes and voiceovers, and, of course, will center around finding the 108 Stars of Destiny.
In a press release Tuesday, Konami announced that the latest installment in their Suikoden RPG series, the DS-bound Suikoden Tierkreis, will be localized for a North American release. Plot details have been sparse thus far, with suggestions of parallel worlds being involved somehow. Reportedly, the story begins with all but three of the Stars of Destiny dying in battle, and the survivors are tasked with “resurrecting” the others to take on the One King. Konami also indicated that Tierkreis will make use of the online capabilities of the DS, allowing players to send some of their characters on quests that others can complete. No US release date has been posted.
Konami has announced in the latest issue of Famitsu that the next Suikoden will be heading to the Nintendo DS. It has also dished out a few plot and character details.
Genso Suikoden Tierkreis begins with a momentous battle between the 108 Stars of Destiny and a (as of yet unnamed) foe, who brings them to their knees, leaving only four remaining Stars. Players will take on the role of a young lad from the village of Shitoro, whose job is to fight off monsters and bandits. Not much is known about how the young hero becomes involved with the 108 Stars, though, as always, players will get to hunt for them. Parties will consist of four characters. Character classes will have a key role in battle as those of the same type will be able to combine their attacks for special magical or weapons-based combos.
The game is reported as being 50% complete. As of yet, there’s no word on a release date or a North American release.