The Last Story

[BRP]

The official site is up

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/


http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201..._story_update/

The setting for The Last Story is an island known as Ruli Island. It's located in the continent's only known harbor and unlike the mainland is abundant in resources and prospers economically.

The special ability Elza gains in the cave is known as "Gathering." Using this, Elza can draw the attention of enemies, creating an advantageous situation for his party members. When using Gathering, a blue light is emitted from Elza's right hand.

Screenshots here show an ally beginning the process of casting a spell. The spell will go off once the counter above the spell caster, shown in orange, reaches 0. However, as soon as the spell casting process begins, enemies immediately turn their attention on the spell caster.

To allow the spell to successfully be cast, Elza uses Gathering to draw enemy attention. The enemies gather around Elza. The spell caster's count reaches zero, and the spell is cast.

In The Last Story's battle system, you can see a line drawn between the enemy and allied characters. This line, known as a "Pointer," indicates who the enemy is targeting. Because you can figure out who's aiming at who, you can use the Pointer to your advantage in battle.

[Skai]

The music on the main page sounds so familiar... Can't seem to put my finger on it.

[KuroTsuki]

Final Fantasy X, maybe? That's sort of what it sounds like to me.

Anyways, looking good so far. I really like the character design especially.

[Tobi]

Last week's Nintendo Conference event saw The Last Story get a
final release date of January 27. But that's not all. Nintendo also
gave the game its playable debut, allowing attendees to sample the
latest title from Mistwalker and the first game to be directed by
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi since Final Fantasy IV.

Gpara posted impressions of its play test. Most of the battle
system details were previously known, but it's good to hear that
they actually exist in a playable form.

The demo had players control main character Elza and advance into
a cave while defeating enemy monsters. This was apparently a
section of the prologue, and accompanying Elza was Yuris, a magic
user.

Controls, through the Wiimote and Nunchuck combo, had the
Nunchuck stick used for Elza's movement. If an enemy is in the
direction of Elza's movement, Elza will automatically draw his
currently equipped sword and begin attacking automatically. You can
press A to do an evade move. "C" makes Elza use his special
"Gathering" ability, which makes a blue light emerge from his
righthand and causes all enemies to gather around him.

The presence of Yuris made the Gathering skill a must for the
demo. Yuris can take many tens of seconds to cast his powerful
magic spell. However, if struck by an enemy during this time, he'll
fail to cast the magic. By having Elza use Gathering, you can draw
the enemies away from Yuris, giving him the required charge time.

Elza is also equipped with a bow gun. This can be used to take out
objects from afar. For example, you can hide behind a wall or
position yourself behind enemies to attack from safety. The demo
sequence had some enemies who were capable of using heal spells,
so taking these out first via the bow gun was a must.

Unfortunately, Gpara didn't mention if the bow gun's targeting
makes use of Wiimote aiming.

The dungeon also demonstrated a second area of magic use. Outside
of defeating enemies, Yuris' magic can be used to destroy pillars,
bridges, and other background objects. The collapsing objects will kill
enemies that happen to be below them.

As the demo progressed, Elza and Yuris met up with two additional
allied mercenaries, Seiren and Quark. The enemies got tougher, and
eventually the Gpara reporter found himself in a battle with a
massive boss. This boss was capable of performing continuous wide
ranging close range attacks (does that make sense?), making the
evade move a handy feature -- evade an attack, then have Elza
attack for himself. The boss was also surrounded by standard
enemies, so Gathering was also essential. The demo came to an end
following the boss fight.

Gpara's impression after its brief play test was that the game has
a fast, invigorating feel, as Elza's automatic attacks emerge
quickly, allowing you take out enemies in succession by simple holding
the analogue stick down in the direction you want to move. The site
also felt the importance of the Gathering spell.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...battle_sample/

[Atreides]

I am happy about this but semi-depressed that we still haven't heard more news about when Xenoblade is getting localized.

Oh yeah, and there was news about Earth Seeker in Famitsu relatively recently, but that's still JP only for now too

[Insanecyclone]

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...battle_sample/

Last week's Nintendo Conference event saw The Last Story get a final release date of January 27. But that's not all. Nintendo also gave the game its playable debut, allowing attendees to sample the latest title from Mistwalker and the first game to be directed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi since Final Fantasy IV.

Gpara posted impressions of its play test. Most of the battle system details were previously known (see this story for a summary), but it's good to hear that they actually exist in a playable form.

The demo had players control main character Elza and advance into a cave while defeating enemy monsters. This was apparently a section of the prologue, and accompanying Elza was Yuris, a magic user.

Controls, through the Wiimote and Nunchuck combo, had the Nunchuck stick used for Elza's movement. If an enemy is in the direction of Elza's movement, Elza will automatically draw his currently equipped sword and begin attacking automatically. You can press A to do an evade move. "C" makes Elza use his special "Gathering" ability, which makes a blue light emerge from his righthand and causes all enemies to gather around him.

The presence of Yuris made the Gathering skill a must for the demo. Yuris can take many tens of seconds to cast his powerful magic spell. However, if struck by an enemy during this time, he'll fail to cast the magic. By having Elza use Gathering, you can draw the enemies away from Yuris, giving him the required charge time.

Elza is also equipped with a bow gun. This can be used to take out objects from afar. For example, you can hide behind a wall or position yourself behind enemies to attack from safety. The demo sequence had some enemies who were capable of using heal spells, so taking these out first via the bow gun was a must.

Unfortunately, Gpara didn't mention if the bow gun's targeting makes use of Wiimote aiming.

The dungeon also demonstrated a second area of magic use. Outside of defeating enemies, Yuris' magic can be used to destroy pillars, bridges, and other background objects. The collapsing objects will kill enemies that happen to be below them.

As the demo progressed, Elza and Yuris met up with two additional allied mercenaries, Seiren and Quark. The enemies got tougher, and eventually the Gpara reporter found himself in a battle with a massive boss. This boss was capable of performing continuous wide ranging close range attacks (does that make sense?), making the evade move a handy feature -- evade an attack, then have Elza attack for himself. The boss was also surrounded by standard enemies, so Gathering was also essential. The demo came to an end following the boss fight.

Gpara's impression after its brief play test was that the game has a fast, invigorating feel, as Elza's automatic attacks emerge quickly, allowing you take out enemies in succession by simple holding the analogue stick down in the direction you want to move. The site also felt the importance of the Gathering spell.

[KuroTsuki]

I think that's the same thing Tobi posted lol.

[Tobi]

There's one tiny bit I forgot to mention in my summary of the
latest Iwata Asks column for The Last Story. In the column,
character designer and concept artist Kimihiko Fujisaka reveals
that you can change your characters' clothing.

While not getting too specific on the types of clothing that will be
on offer, Fujisaka said that using this feature, you'll be able to view
the game's major scenes with your characters wearing some
pretty unbelievable outfits.

This is one particular feature that Fujisaka apparently wasn't too
happy with at first. He felt troubled when director Hironobu
Sakaguchi first set the goal of allowing character clothing to be
changeable. The reason is that he initially designed the clothing to
match the characters. In retrospect, though, he seems to be happy
with the feature.

Sakaguchi described the process of making the various clothing
parts that players can mix and match as being somewhat like a
puzzle.

This discussion of clothing came as part of a greater discussion of
how The Last Story gives players a large amount of freedom. This
is reflected in game's event camera system -- or lack thereof, as
the game does not actually force your sights on major happenings.

Also, there's a new and long article here, with I -think- 2 videos, since there's 2 unusual big blank spaces, posting on my phone atm, so I have no clue.

Link to new big article: http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...ry_iwata_asks/

[Corrderio]

Nope, no videos, just screenshots.

[Tobi]

We haven't heard too much about The Last Story's magic system.
This week's Jump has just a few preliminary details on how the
game handles this particular area of battle.

When you cast magic, a circle appears on the ground at the magic's
point of impact. This circle is called the Magic Circle and can be used
in various ways to your advantage. Jump lists two methods of use.

Main character Elza has a wind-based technique which can be used
to make the Magic Circle spread out and strike enemies. Depending
on the elemental properties of the magic, this will cause different
effects on the enemy. The magazine shows enemies being put to
sleep as they're struck by the advancing magic wave.

You can also use the Magic Circle to infuse your weapons with
elemental properties. If someone enters a circle, his weapons will
temporarily gain the elemental properties of the magic that caused
the circle.

While magic can be used as a powerful attack technique, we've
previously seen some of ifts disadvantages. It takes time for magic
to be cast, leaving the caster open to enemy attack. One of the
first gameplay systems announced for The Last Story was the
"Gathering" system, through which Elza can turn enemy attention
towards him, giving the caster time to charge up the spell.

With this Jump reveal out of the way, we'll hopefully get specifics
on the Magic Circle system some time this week.

Spoiler: show

http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...22129_view.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...22130_view.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...22131_view.jpg

[Tobi]

New trailer, but it's about the story, no gameplay in it

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...y_2nd_trailer/

[Tobi]

First play reports for The Last Story coming out of the Nintendo
Conference last month suggested that the Mistwalker RPG would
have an MMORPGish feel to its combat system. That is, you just
concentrate on moving main character Elza around, and when you
get close to an enemy, he'll automatically take care of the actual
attacking.

It turns out that there's quite a bit more to combat than just this.
Famitsu has a closer look this week.

During combat, you have exclusive direct control over Elza, moving
him via the analogue stick. As reported from the Nintendo
Conference, when you approach an enemy, you can tilt the stick in
the enemy's direction to make Elza automatically begin attacking
using his standard attack. You'll have to guard and evade using
manual button presses.

If this auto attack thing isn't for you, you'll be pleased to hear that
the game also has a manual mode. Switch the game to manual mode,
and you'll be able to do attacks via button presses. The magazine did
not provide further specifics.

While I wrote "during combat" above, there actually isn't a real
"during combat" part of the game. As you move about the fields of
play, you automatically switch to combat when you approach an
enemy. There's no battle screen or transition to a battle system.

Famitsu also has a full report on the battle system as a whole,
covering many of the systems we've heard about in the past, along
with some of the new ones that were summed up from Jump last
week, and even adding a few unannounced bits and pieces.

As previously detailed, one of the big battle system components is
"Gathering." Elza has access to this special power, which you'll use
to draw enemy attention away from other party members.

Previously, it was announced that you'd use this skill to allow your
spell casters time to cast their spells. But Elza also has access to a
couple of special abilities while in a Gathering state.

Gathering Burst
When in Gathering mode, if Elza blocks an incoming enemy attack,
he'll undergo a "Burst Up." If you've built up enough power through
Burst Ups, Elza will unleash the Gathering Burst attack when he
comes out of Gathering mode. This damages enemies and may also
reduce their speed.

Cure
When in Gathering mode, if Elza can recover fallen allies by touching
them. The fallen party member will come back to life, with some
temporary ability boosts.

While The Last Story's combat system is largely real time, you can
actually freeze time and enter into "Command Mode." In this mode,
you can take some time to get a grasp of the battle situation, and
can also issue specific commands to allies, telling them what magic
to use and where to move.

Screenshots show Elza ordering heroine Kanan to cast one of Holy,
Return or Heal magics. Below the magic selection menu, the game
provides descriptions of what each spell does:

Holy
An attack magic that's based off light. When spread, increases
party member defense strength.

Heal
Recovery magic. When spread, recovers party member HP and
status abnormalities.

Return
Warp to a nearby "Heal Circle." (The magazine doesn't say what
exactly a "Heal Circle" is.)

The "spread" thing mentioned in the descriptions concerns the Magic
Circle system that was detailed earlier this week. When a party
member casts magic, the magic leaves a "Magic Circle" mark at the
point of impact. Elza can use wind magic on the Magic Circle to
spread its effects outward. The article earlier in the week
mentioned that you can spread the magic circle from an ice-based
magic to cause enemies to slip and fall over. Now we know of two
additional examples.

Once you've selected a spell for your party member to use, you can
also specify its precise position. When selecting a target, the
camera shifts above the action, allowing you to see enemy and ally
positions.

The Command Mode method of input can also be used on Elza himself.
Screenshots show Elza with these three options in his palette:

Power Hit
Temporarily raises Elza's attack strength.

Wind
This can be used to attack enemies, and is also the spell that Elza
uses to spread the Magic Circle effects.

Return
The same as Kanan's Return option -- it warps Elza to a nearby
"Heal Circle."

The magazine suggests bringing up Command Mode for Elza when
you find yourself surrounded by enemies or in any state where it's
difficult to control the action in real time.

You don't have unlimited use of Command Mode. Once you've used
Command Mode, you have to wait a bit before you can use it again.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...battle_system/

Spoiler: show

http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422127.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422136.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422129.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422130.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422133.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422135.jpg
http://www.andriasang.com/blog/2010/...2132422132.jpg

[Tobi]

Rumor for now I guess

It appears that the upcoming issue of Jump reveals online play for
The Last Story. Players will apparently be able to face off
cooperatively against monsters and also battle amongst
themselves.

The magazine also introduces a new character named General
Trista. There's also mention of some character customization
components. Changing your equipment will result in visual changes to
your character (this was announced in a past Iwata Asks column, I
believe). Also, you'll be able to use "paint" to change the color of
your armor and other items.

I'm not sure if the source for this report is trustworthy, so you
may want to hold off on the celebrations until confirmation.

[Tobi]

Confirmed!

Nintendo and Mistwalker have been keeping one major part of The
Last Story a secret all this time. This week's Jump reveals that the
upcoming Wii RPG has a six player Online component.

Using the game's "Raid Lobby," players can access a six player
cooperative and competitive play mode. The competitive play has
players selecting their favorite character and facing off on the
battle field. The cooperative play has all players team up to take on
a powerful monster.

As usual for a Jump reveal, the details only go surface deep. We can
probably expect more details to surface through Famitsu and the
official site next week or the week after.

Jump also details an area that was mentioned in a previous Iwata
Asks column. You can play dress up with your characters. Change
your equipment and weapon, and you'll see visual changes to your
character. You can also use a "paint" item to color your armor as
you please.

Finally, some new story details. Jump introduces General Trista, a
knight who was once the highest ranking officer in the imperial
army. He's currently traveling the world, apparently in search of
the connection between war and the devastation of the imperial
main land.

Is Trista a friend or foe? The artwork shown in Jump makes him
look like a pleasant guy. Jump says Trista plays a major role in the
story, so expect to hear more about in in future updates.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201..._story_online/

[Tobi]

New detailed article with a lot of info on it, mostly about customization, how online works. and the town/city

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201..._story_update/

[Doombear]

Getting more excited for this. Seems like a mix of Monster Hunter and Lost Planet 2 style coop online. If it works, I am all for it.

[Tobi]

Link to live presentation from today for anyone that's interested: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-la...y-presentation

Has a lot of gameplay footage in it as well.

Huge article with nice bit of info and a lot of pics: http://www.siliconera.com/2010/12/26...customization/



http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...ory_underwear/

[Kylewhataru]

They should make stuff like this on PS3.. I want a decent JRPG without horrible graphics.

[Tobi]

[Doombear]

Nintendo has explained its decision to only release promising Wii Japanese role-playing game The Last Story in Japan.

[snip]

...

"We've got so much on our plate at the moment. The most important one is in the first quarter this year. Kirby's Epic Yarn is the most important title. We've got some great product coming out.

Fuck you Nintendo.