Nostalgia

[Evil Avnovice]

Press release (http://www.ignitionusa.com/press.htm). (Ignition Entertainment)

Glendale, CA – April 28, 2009 – Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a UTV Enterprise, a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, and Tecmo, in conjunction with Matrix Software and Red Entertainment, invite gamers to takeoff on a nostalgic journey through time and space with Nostalgia for Nintendo DS™ - launching September 2009. Set in an alternate-reality version of 19th-century Earth, Nostalgia casts you as Eddie, a headstrong Londoner who amasses a group of memorable companions to traverse the world in his steampunk-inspired zeppelin. As you navigate the open skies, you’ll explore mysterious foreign locales, slay all manner of fantastical enemies, complete a variety of thrilling quests, and ultimately, save the world from unfathomable evil.

Developed by Matrix Software (Dragon Quest V PS2, Final Fantasy III-IV DS), in association with Red Entertainment (Gungrave, Bonk, Thousand Arms), Nostalgia brings together a powerful think-tank of old-school Japanese RPG development talent to present a stunning new vision in gaming. Produced by Keisuke Kikuchi (Fatal Frame, Tokobot) and directed by Naoki Morita (Sakura Taisen), with art direction by Yoshiteru Tsujino (Far East of Eden), airship design by Takuhito Kusanagi (Grandia, Blue Submarine No.6, Samurai 7), and enemy design by Keita Amemiya (Iria- Zeiram the Animation, Kamen Rider), Tecmo has amassed an all-star dream team of industry veterans to forge a brand new DS adventure that hearkens back to the classic glory days of Japanese role-playing games.

According to Nostalgia producer, Keisuke Kikuchi, “I knew this game had such potential when I saw Mr. Morita’s project book. It is an adventure game set in another Earth, offering an enjoyable story that involves various different cultures in many diverse locations. The key element that brings the game together is the airship, the conveyance which fits its game system and world-view. I wanted to make this idea into a product for everyone to play.”
“We feel deeply honored for the opportunity to bring Tecmo’s esteemed Japanese Nintendo DS role-playing game “Nostalgeo no Kaze” to an entirely new audience as Nostalgia,” said Shane Bettenhausen, New Business Development Director of Ignition Entertainment. “Amid a sea of remakes and rehashes, this endearing adventure blazes its own unique path with deeply engrossing gameplay systems, but it also hearkens back to the classic RPGs of yesteryear with its unforgettable characters and universal narrative themes.”

Key Game Features:

• Ambitious, fully 3D polygonal graphical engine offers dramatic, sweeping camera angles and impressive vistas rarely seen in a DS title.
• Cohesive, anime-inspired art direction that effectively captures the game’s turn-of-the-century charm.
• Travel to incredibly unique, non-traditional RPG locales via airship including London, New York, Cairo, Africa, and Russia.
• Features two distinct combat engines: One is a brisk, turn-based close-quarters melee between your party members and monsters; while the other offers thrilling, large-scale airship battles. In addition, your battle skills are scored at the conclusion of each conflict, inspiring strategic mastery.
• Handy in-game notebook feature keeps track of people, monsters, airships and items you've run across.
• Plenty of user-defined customization, allowing the player to trick out his or her airship with various weapons, armor types, and special skill attacks. The player can also choose character-specific skills from a branching tree for a more personalized experience.
• Explore a variety of diverse, engaging dungeons that include brain bending puzzles and tricky Indiana Jones-style traps.
• Optional quest system inspires players to approach the adventure from a less linear perspective, extending the life of the gameplay experience.

For more information, visit www.nostalgiads.com

Gamekyo Media (http://www.gamekyo.com/element7258_game_wind-of-nostalgio.html)

*Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B002DC8GWW/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance)

Release date: October 27, 2009

[Widgetcraft]

52711

Do-fucking-want.

[Savok]

I hate 3D on DS but those are fairly clean looking... god, airships, I can't resist them.

Why didn't we get more Skies of Arcadia style games anyway? It was fucking amazing.

[JayVe]

This looks fantastic! RPG, handheld, Skies of Arcadia vibe...

...be still my heart!

[Gorvi]

Hmmm, that does look like it has some potential. I'll definitely keep an eye on it. :)

[Evil Avnovice]

By way of NintendoLife (http://ds.nintendolife.com/news/2009/08/nostalgia_north_american_release_date_announced), this is confirmed for an October 20, 2009 release.

[Spigot]

Oh, this looks interesting. But they can't spring any more games for this fall on me. I'm all booked up!

That said, I'm pretty much finished with new releases after September, so maybe I can sneak this in :)

[Blue]

I am absolutely buying this. It looks fantastic and I've been craving another Skies-like game forever now so this will (hopefully) fit the bill very well. Looks awesome!

[Spigot]

Yeah, the more I dig into this, the more I'm sure I'll be getting it. What is the shelf life/availability of Ignition games? I know they're relatively new and I'm all over Muramasa. I just don't want to hold off on something that looks as right up my alley as Nostalgia does if it will disappear like and old-school Atlus release... but I would like to wait a bit if I can.

[EWolfmanD]

I'm really glad this thread got bumped since I missed it before and hadn't heard about the game.

I'm also curious about Spigot's question. This fall already has more games that I want than I can buy, so my current plan is grab games that won't always be available. I definitely didn't need another game to suddenly appear that I had to have, but it does look pretty awesome.

[Blue]

Yeah, the more I dig into this, the more I'm sure I'll be getting it. What is the shelf life/availability of Ignition games? I know they're relatively new and I'm all over Muramasa. I just don't want to hold off on something that looks as right up my alley as Nostalgia does if it will disappear like and old-school Atlus release... but I would like to wait a bit if I can.

This is (obviously) more anecdotal than actual evidence, but I've found DS games have a tendency to have a much longer shelf-life than most even when it comes to finding something "obscure". I still don't have any difficulty finding Atlus games on the DS and many other titles I assume would have disappeared quite a while ago I still see on the shelf. That could be strictly where I live, of course, but I'd assume not.

I'm going to try and wait until the holidays to pick this up (or, rather, have it picked up for me) and I'm not too worried about people not being able to find it. I'd say you should be safe and wait. And if you can't find it and I manage to snag one later, can always loan you mine.

[Spigot]

I'm just a paranoid freak when it comes to some of the more underhyped titles on any system. I've been burned too many times in the past where I held off on getting a game and then could never find a copy... but you're right about DS games seeming to have a much longer shelf life than most other games.

[Ink Asylum]

Looks interesting, but I don't know if I can go back to random battles. Such a pain sometimes.

[Spigot]

Looks interesting, but I don't know if I can go back to random battles. Such a pain sometimes.But if it has random battles, it would be just like Skies of Arcadia!

Sigh.

I don't mind random battles. It's the frequency and length of them that makes or breaks that particular system. If every 2-3 feet is another random battle and they take a while to complete, I get mad. If they are nice and quick and are spaced out decently, I'm fine with them.

[Evil Avnovice]

A new trailer. (NintendoLife (http://ds.nintendolife.com/news/2009/09/nostalgia_in_the_skies_trailer_released))

xBb8nTjSuks

[Spigot]

For a game I knew NOTHING about about 2-3 weeks ago, this is something I'm absolutely salivating for. Screw MW2 and AC2. It's all about the handhelds for me this fall.

[JayVe]

Yessir, yessir. This video is JUST what the doctor ordered. DS, I love you!

[Blue]

But I want one now daddy.

[Purple Santa]

But I want one now daddy.

10/29 according to Gamefly, so you have another month to wait. I just read about this game in one of my game mags, stating it was something to keep a look out for. I threw it on my Q to check it out.

[Evil Avnovice]

Press release. (GoNintendo (http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=98985))

Today, Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, and Tecmo are proud to announce that October 27th, 2009 will be the official release date for Nostalgia on the Nintendo DS.

From the developers who brought Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV to the Nintendo DS, this new epic handheld role-playing game will capture the imaginations of gamers by immersing them into a world filled with treacherous airship battles, elusive treasure hunts, and action-packed dungeon combat.

Set in the 19th century, Nostalgia will take players on a quest through a variety of real-world locations including Tokyo, London, New York, Cairo, South Africa and Russia as players explore and discover a world yet unknown…

Mark your calendars and prepare for an epic journey as Nostalgia becomes available at retail outlets nationwide on October 27th, 2009.

For more information you can also visit the official Nostalgia website or follow the game on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nostalgiaDS and/or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nostalgia/86920918692.

[Spigot]

Woo! Enough time for me to make a serious dent in the games I'm working on but not so far away as to make me yearn for its release.

I can't wait to play the game. It looks like such a great mix of everything I'm a sucker for.

[Evil Avnovice]

Nostalgia comes with an exclusive Amazon pre-order bonus. I couldn't find any larger images of this.

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx230/Avnovice/Video%20Game%20Pre%20Order%20Bonuses/nostalgia-hqp-7575__SL75_V232520515.jpg

Pre-order "Nostalgia" and receive a digital comic book. The comic book is the final volume in a series of 4. Redemption instructions will be emailed within 10 business days of the release date of the game. Must be sold and shipped by Amazon.com to be eligible.

[Spigot]

Eh, I was looking at the other digital comics they put out and wasn't blown away by the quality.

[JayVe]

Nostalgia comes with an exclusive Amazon pre-order bonus. I couldn't find any larger images of this.

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx230/Avnovice/Video%20Game%20Pre%20Order%20Bonuses/nostalgia-hqp-7575__SL75_V232520515.jpg

What are you talking about? That is ACTUAL SIZE! There are no larger images!

[Evil Avnovice]

New trailer: (GoNintendo (http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=99965))

AE_QK5Ptx4k

[Widgetcraft]

Did anyone get around to buying this? If so, how is it?

[Nameless]

Yeah, I'm interested too. I've been playing Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Skies and am looking for more old-school RPG that is not Lost Odyssey. A game named Nostalgia seemed like a good bet. :p

Anyone have some impressions?

[Blue]

I'm about ten hours in and really enjoying it so far. While this is certainly an "old-school" RPG with the usual trappings, the window dressing is certainly different which is a great change of pace. My biggest complaint is the difficult level of the game which is, so far, non existent. I definitely don't want to get myself handed to myself in any way shape or form but if I'm fighting a boss I at least want to know I'm fighting a boss. I literally have yet to die in the game and I'm beating bosses in just a handful of rounds and I've done little to no grinding.

Throughout the game you can take on optional quests from the Adventurer's Association (or some such) which I usually do just following the storyline "quest" so maybe had I not gone and done those I would be less leveled and the game would be a little more difficult, but I'm not sure. I'm really enjoying the story, however, and while the writing is "meh" the writing in most RPGs is "meh" so it's not a deal breaker in any way and the story is pretty cute/fun anyhow.

So, for me, it's a great game but I feel like I'm on autopilot most of the time when fighting so that's my only real complaint and it's not even that large of a complaint. Some times it's nice to just play the game and enjoy the story and not worry about the extra bits. I'm definitely glad I ended up snagging this.

[Nameless]

Hmm, I might still check this out when I get my DS back, but the bit about the difficulty level is worrying me. I'm really getting tired of too-easy RPGs, but maybe that's just because I'm playing Shadow Hearts right now and it's a fairly difficult game.

Anyway, you're still at the beginning, right? Plenty of time for it to get murderously difficult. :D

[Blue]

Hmm, I might still check this out when I get my DS back, but the bit about the difficulty level is worrying me. I'm really getting tired of too-easy RPGs, but maybe that's just because I'm playing Shadow Hearts right now and it's a fairly difficult game.

Anyway, you're still at the beginning, right? Plenty of time for it to get murderously difficult. :D

That's true, the difficulty level could ramp up something fierce the later I go. I'm hoping I'm still "close" to the beginning being about 11 hours in now though I'm not sure how far to gauge myself. I'm on the 7th or 8th dungeon and I've done about 6 side-quests so I don't know what that calculates out to.

And if you're wanting a tough RPG, I'd hold out. It's a great game, but it's certainly not hard in any way but that doesn't/shouldn't diminish the quality of the game. Nostalgia is heaps of fun and certainly hitting all of the right notes with me, I just wish it was slightly more challenging but, like you said, it very well could end up as such. After arguing with Persona 3, this is a good change of pace for me :).

[Spigot]

I'll echo Blue's sentiments. I don't mind that it's a bit on the easy side because it is just so fun and full of old-school charm. If you liked 8- and 16- bit RPGs and miss all of the airship rides of yore, Nostalgia is the game for you.

[Purple Santa]

Hmm, I might still check this out when I get my DS back, but the bit about the difficulty level is worrying me. I'm really getting tired of too-easy RPGs, but maybe that's just because I'm playing Shadow Hearts right now and it's a fairly difficult game.


I should feel massive guilt I started Shadow Hearts but once again my gaming ADD led me astray. Might be time to put that disc back in...
I'll echo Blue's sentiments. I don't mind that it's a bit on the easy side because it is just so fun and full of old-school charm. If you liked 8- and 16- bit RPGs and miss all of the airship rides of yore, Nostalgia is the game for you.
I do miss airships...I want to play that game! Damn you Persona and my need to finish you first.

[Xerxes]

Reminds me... Need to finish up Crimson Gem Saga.

[Mike Kelehan]

Without challenge, turn-based battles are just work.

[Nameless]

I should feel massive guilt I started Shadow Hearts but once again my gaming ADD led me astray. Might be time to put that disc back in...

Do it! Those Magimel brothers won't find gay porn themselves! :D

As for Nostalgia, I might pick it up, after all, DS games are at a much more affordable price range for me right now. Still, it is a crazy season for gaming.

[Mike Kelehan]

Do it! Those Magimel brothers won't find gay porn themselves! :D

http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215509088_i9tZJ-L-2.jpg

[Purple Santa]

Do it! Those Magimel brothers won't find gay porn themselves! :D

As for Nostalgia, I might pick it up, after all, DS games are at a much more affordable price range for me right now. Still, it is a crazy season for gaming.

Gay porn? No more motivation is needed. Shadow Hearts is being played :eek:

I started playing Nostalgia. Blue and Spigot nailed it. I hope it sells because it's one hell of a charming game...

[Xerxes]

Whoa, I think Fry's had this for 19.99 last Friday. I might go pick it up after reading some impressions.

[Blue]

I just finished up the main story over the weekend and played a bit of the bonus quests. With the Adventure Association, you can only reach Rank C by the end of the game proper so if you want to reach Rank S you have to do all of the additional stuff thereafter. I'm on the last Rank A mission now and it's the first time in the game I've had to do any grinding whatsoever and that's just to make it through the first floor of this new dungeon. The mobs are killing some of my people in one hit.

Not sure how long I'll stick with the bonus stuff as I've read it doesn't really add much of anything save for lengthening game time, but it's still a good game regardless which is why I'm still playing it I suppose.

Definitely worth 20 bucks though if you're still on the fence about getting it.

[rein]

I'm still stuck. I can't remember where I left off. The only hint I'm really getting is coming from Dorris?? (the women in Beatrice's house in London). She tells me she hopes I find the ring or she will be in trouble. I've gone back a couple of times but it's starting to frustrate me that I can't move forward.

[Spigot]

I'm still stuck. I can't remember where I left off. The only hint I'm really getting is coming from Dorris?? (the women in Beatrice's house in London). She tells me she hopes I find the ring or she will be in trouble. I've gone back a couple of times but it's starting to frustrate me that I can't move forward.Did you talk to your party members? They tend to be rather helpful when it comes to that kind of thing.

[rein]

Did you talk to your party members? They tend to be rather helpful when it comes to that kind of thing.No! I didn't realize they would give me hints when I am lost. I feel kind of dumb now. Or I will, when I get home and confirm this nugget of wisdom. :)

*edit -Thanks Spigot! Want to know the worst part of all of this? I used "Y" to talk to my party once early in the game and completely forgot it was there. It's like it was erased from my mind. :o

[Xerxes]

Shipping and Tax probably kills it for some...
http://www.frys.com/product/5963834?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[Spigot]

No! I didn't realize they would give me hints when I am lost. I feel kind of dumb now. Or I will, when I get home and confirm this nugget of wisdom. :)

*edit -Thanks Spigot! Want to know the worst part of all of this? I used "Y" to talk to my party once early in the game and completely forgot it was there. It's like it was erased from my mind. :oI live to serve. I totally forgot about the ability to talk to your party members near the beginning but after I came back to the game after a few days away, I remembered that little tidbit and it really helped.