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Here is the newest Fragile video, which like all the others, makes me want to cry a little.  There are a few exciting firsts in the video, mostly getting to hear different character’s voice actors.  We are able to hear Psy’s voice, Kurou’s voice and even the PF’s voice which is female.  As I mentioned earlier, I imagined the PF sounding like C-3PO – I was way off.

I also noticed a lot of wildlife in the video like a bunch of cats and a dog.  The cats seem to be helping Seto find Ren in some way, as they appear in larger numbers once he finds her in the caged area.  I think this is a cool way to provide guidance in a world where there aren’t many humans.  I like the idea of following around ghosts and cats.

When it comes to a translation, most of what is said is kind of random and disjointed.  The main idea is that Seto is searching for Ren and all the support characters seem aware of this.  When Psy asks him why he wants to find her, Seto says he just wants to be with someone and tell her his story.  Psy then asks what he’ll do when he meets Ren, who admits he doesn’t know, but there are already too many lonely people in the world.

Kurou seems amused by Seto’s quest and expresses his disgust with humans.  I wonder if Kurou doesn’t realize that he is a human, or if he is actually a ghost.  The latter may explain his cat-like eyes, a feature most humans sadly lack.

I also managed to find a few videos of actual Fragile gameplay.  They are all rather short, but show some of the ways that Seto can interact with his surroundings.  I noticed that it is possible to crouch, switch to first person mode and examine objects.  Certain objects will have a green glow around them.  This means that they can be acquired or will trigger an event.  To view the rest of the videos go here.

I am impressed by how smooth the player’s control of Seto appears.  I like how it’s possible to have him walk one direction, while shining his flashlight in another.  My only concern is that battles may be a little too hack and slash, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Related Entries:
All Kotowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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Fragile’s Japanese release is about a month away, so Bandai-Namco has released this commercial to generate some hype.  The girl in the video seems to be hanging out with her friends, having a good time.  She suddenly thinks to herself ”I am with everyone, but why am I all alone?”  This is a reference to the game’s first trailer way back when.  The song in the background is by Teshima Aoi and is included in the OST which comes with the game in Japan.  Soon I will begin a mad search for the OST for download.

In addition to the CM, some more information about Seto’s gear has been revealed.  This time it’s about the different flashlights he can wield.  I didn’t even realize there were more than 1, but there are actually 3.  The following screens are of the 3 different flashlights all being shown on the same spot:

Standard FL	High-Performance FL	Mysterious FL

As you can see, the standard flashlight provides the weakest amount of light and will probably be an initial equipment.  The high-performance flashlight on the other hand, is extremely bright.  With it, Seto will be able to spot ghosts and demons sooner, and the light will weaken enemies a bit.

When it comes to the mysterious flashlight, it has no affect on enemies, but it does have one special purpose:

The caption on the wall reads “It seemed like we were saved“

Certain walls and other areas have hidden messages that only the mysterious flashlight can reveal.  What could be the benefits of reading these messages…

Some info on conversing with the ever comedic P.F (personal frame) has been explained as well.  At any time while exploring, by standing the Wii remote vertically, the P.F will make some random humorous commentary:

For some reason I imagine the P.F’s voice sounding like C-3PO.  If the Wii wasn’t region protected, I think I would seriously consider ordering myself a copy and camping out in front of Foxes’ Wii.  I guess I will just have to hold my breath until Bandai-Namco (hopefully) announces a NA release.

Related Entries:
All Kotowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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Bandai-Namco revealed a bit more info concerning their upcoming Wii title Fragile: Goodbye Ruins of the Moon, and has released the game’s cover art, which I love.  You can view it by clicking the banner above.  Here’s hoping the North American cover art won’t be unnecessarily altered…  If you want to see the art without the logo you can find that here. 

In addition to the cover art, a new character profile has been released to the public:

In addition to the news of Sin, we now have a few screenshots of some cut scenes from the game.  They reveal a mysterious young girl who appears to be (like many others) a phantom or ghost.  She meets Seto, and appears friendly.  She may even be giving him something in the screenshot on the right, but I obviously can’t confirm this.

I find it interesting to see how Bandai-Namco, a Japanese company, produces a game taking place after the end of the world, versus Bethesda’s Fallout 3 which features similar themes.  When I saw this girl I was reminded of a trip I took in Fallout 3 to an abandoned elementary school.  At one point between blowing the heads off Raiders I noticed the floor was littered with tiny skeletons, obviously belonging to children. 

While I found this disturbing, giving a face to the dead makes it more personal, which I feel pulls the player in emotionally.  Fallout 3 seems cold and distant about the end of days, where Fragile’s quiet sadness seems to provide more powerful storytelling.  It’s like comparing an action movie to a Yasujiro Ozu film.

Related Entries:
All Kotowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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The end of the world sure looks bittersweet in this newest CP for Fragile: Goodbye Ruins of the Moon.  As I was watching the video, it dawned on me that I recognized the singer of the cripplingly sad song–it is Teshima Aoi. 

The song which made me first know about Teshima was Teru no Uta (テルーの唄), or Therru’s Song from Studio Ghibli’s animated film Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea).  Here is the song that made my Japanese teacher cry when he heard it on the radio while driving to work, along with some scenes from Gedo Senki.  Brace yourself. 

Real men cry too… Real men cry too… 

Teshima Aoi performed live at Bandai-Namco’s Fragile booth on the last day of Tokyo Game Show 2008.  So far she sings two songs for the game, the opening theme entitled Light (光), and the ending theme entitled Moon’s Warmth (月のぬくもり).  I am not sure which song appears on the video, but I am guessing it is Light.  You can check out Teshima’s main website here.

This video is the longest yet when it comes to Fragile.  It appears some force tries to come between Seto and Ren being together.  I think there were about 3 scenes where they were seperated by a fence or something…

I was glad the video showed some of the support characters and even gave them a chance to talk!  I think Psy (the floating girl) may be my favorite character.  I love her character design and the way she talks.  I wish I had a ghost friend!

Related Entries:
All Kotowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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I may not have been one of the lucky individuals who attended this year’s TGS, but thanks to the echo chamber that is the internet, I got all the info I wanted.  This year’s event was filled with hands-on previews, free merchandise, and some surprises as well.

Bandai-Namco’s booth featured a playable demo for their upcoming Wii title, Fragile.  One lucky individual at Dengeki managed to play it despite high demand, and low supply.  The reviewer discussed the controls of the game a bit.  The Wiimote acts as Seto’s flashlight, and the joystick on the nunchuck is used to move him.

The reviewer wanted to take his time and explore every bit of the ruins in the playable demo.  Sadly, a bathroom break made that impossible.  He described the game’s dark atmosphere as both intriguing and frightening.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Marvelous Entertainment had set up a booth to show off their newest Wii title in the works, Oboromuramasa.  The Wii is looking pretty damn good these days… I really need to pick one of them up…

It was possible for visitors of the booth to play a hands-on demo of Oboromuramasa, and some received the omamori cell phone cleaner pictured above.  Obviously this is for the purpose of making me extremely jealous and eager to get the hell out of this country which is slowly sinking into oblivion.  I am bad at staying on topic today…

A while back Chunsoft and Sega announced that a sequel to Furai No Shiren DS is on the way, entitled Furai No Shiren DS 2: The Desert’s Magic Castle.  Naturally I was excited since I receive some strange pleasure from rogue-like games.  Well, at TGS, it was announced that the infamous enka singer Jero, will be singing the theme song for the game.

The theme song’s name translates to “trial”, or “test”. After the announcement, Jero performed the song live for all in attendance.  What a combination; enka, a musical style adored by elderly Japanese women, and rogue-like games, adored by the most hardcore video game nerds alive.  I foresee great things…

The game which is my most recent obsession, 7th Dragon also had a good sized booth which attracted its share of spectators.

Visitors to the booth could play a hands-on demo, and received these stickers which feature chibi-fied versions of the various jobclasses in the game.

The event will continue for two more days, allowing individuals not affiliated with the press or major video game companies inside.  Take that E3.  Jerks.

Related Entries:
7th Dragon: That’s a Lot of Dragons
Oboromuramasa At Tokyo Game Show 2008
All Korowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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