Another of the three Wii-exclusive RPGs Nintendo of America showed no interest in bringing to North America now has a release date in Europe. The Last Story will be available on February 24, 2012.
A European release for the game had been confirmed months ago, so the only news here is the exact release date. This is important even to those in North America, and not just because it means an English version will be available for import.
Along with Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora's Tower, Nintendo of America initially expressed no interest in bringing the trio of RPGs to North America. (Their absence during E3 spoke volumes.) This was upsetting both because of the overall lack of hardcore games on tap for the system and because Xenoblade and The Last Story were scheduled to be released in Europe in English.
Despite an impressive fan campaign designed to change the company's mind, Nintendo said it had no plans to bring the games here before then claiming it would keep an eye on the two titles' sales performance in Europe. Sure enough, following Xenoblade's August release, Nintendo announced last week it would bring the game to North America in 2012, albeit as a GameStop and Nintendo.com exclusive.
The Last Story remains, well, a different story. With the European release date now set, Nintendo will get the chance to evaluate its performance, too. But if Nintendo waits the same length of time to bring the game here as it is with Xenoblade, we're looking at a release of The Last Story in North America around October 2012, nearly two full years after it came out in Japan. That would also potentially place it after or near the release of the Wii U, set for a launch at some point in 2012. (For what it's worth, that system is backwards compatible with Wii controllers and games.)
Things are still quiet on the Pandora's Tower front. Nintendo of Europe previously confirmed it would be coming to the region in 2012.
The Last Story was developed by Mistwalker, the company headed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. It's an RPG-focused developer, having previously released the likes of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. When the game was reviewed by Famitsu at the beginning of the year, it received a high score -- 38 points (of 40) -- and was praised for its strategic gameplay. It features online multiplayer where you can face off against other players or team up together.
Besides how well it ends up selling in Europe, a strong sales performance by Xenoblade Chronicles in the U.S. would likely go a long way in convincing Nintendo of America that bringing The Last Story here is a wise investment. Should Xenoblade be a flop, the chances of North Americans ever seeing The Last Story on store shelves would be hurt greatly.
0 comments :
Post a Comment