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[sca2511]

been wanting to experience both.

 

[vireland]

Sexy~ You should release it this tuesday!

I would like to say that's happening, and your enthusiam's great, but Oct/Nov is more likely for Vanguard Bandits.

It was a difficult re-license and will cost more as a result - probably $8.99 or so. We're trying to do something fan-centric to ease the sting of that, but it was that or no deal, so we did it so it's there for the fans that want it.

Once I have rock solid details on it, I'll post them.

 

[vireland]

Holy shit, finally some games on the PSn that dind't got an official PAL release in their time. I always thought that PSN should be a chance to see those titles.

Curiosly enough, we got the Arc The Lad anime and not the games. lol

It should be easy to do this, but it's NOT. The whole process is way more difficult than it should be.

That said, almost two years of working on these plans should bear even more Monkeypaw/Gaijinworks fruit soon, with some fan pleasing titles here and in the EU if all continues on track.

 

[TheSeks]

It should be easy to do this, but it's NOT. The whole process is way more difficult than it should be.

That said, almost two years of working on these plans should bear even more Monkeypaw/Gaijinworks fruit soon, with some fan pleasing titles here and in the EU if all continues on track.

So, Arc and the like have been selling well? I only bought Cho Anaki from the "import" section of the PSN store as a curiosity but haven't looked too deeply into the Monkey Paw catalog so I'm surprised if that's doing well beyond a niche status.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I need to give Alundra a try.

 

[DonMigs85]

I need to give Alundra a try.

It's HARD, but fun. Remember to save often!

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I would like to say that's happening, and your enthusiam's great, but Oct/Nov is more likely for Vanguard Bandits.

It was a difficult re-license and will cost more as a result - probably $8.99 or so. We're trying to do something fan-centric to ease the sting of that, but it was that or no deal, so we did it so it's there for the fans that want it.

Once I have rock solid details on it, I'll post them.

Cool, that's not to far so that would be sweet to get it between oct/nov. I was afraid you weren't doing anymore since the threads have been dead for a while with no news.

 

[vireland]

So, Arc and the like have been selling well? I only bought Cho Anaki from the "import" section of the PSN store as a curiosity but haven't looked too deeply into the Monkey Paw catalog so I'm surprised if that's doing well beyond a niche status.

Well, it's not making anyone rich, that's for sure. It's more of a fanservice issue for me, and my plan is that by building the goodwill with fans and license holders with these "building block" releases, it will make it easier to do new titles in the future where the bar for profitablity is even higher. So far it seems to be moving that direction. The more fan supported purchases we get in the import store of the Gaijinworks and Monkeypaw releases, the better it is for us in getting more and newer stuff for other PSN platforms.

 

[Acquiescence]

I've still got my original copy of Alundra, so it's difficult to get excited about this, but I'm glad for everyone new to the game who'll be able to discover now what an underrated gem it is. Be warned though - it's hard as nails and has some surprisingly depressing twists and turns in its story. Bad shit goes down...often.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I've still got my original copy of Alundra, so it's difficult to get excited about this, but I'm glad for everyone new to the game who'll be able to discover now what an underrated gem it is. Be warned though - it's hard as nails and has some surprisingly depressing twists and turns in its story. Bad shit goes down...often.

I have 3 copies! No excuses!

 

[V_Ben]

Vic, what you're doing for the fans here is incredible. Really excellent stuff. Thank you.

 

[kyubajin]

About time... I made a NA account and purchased PSN credit cards just to get the amazing PSOne classics we don't have in the travesty we call PAL PSN. Alundra of course was my 1st purchase Never heard of the other game, will look into it.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

About time... I made a NA account and purchased PSN credit cards just to get the amazing PSOne classics we don't have in the travesty we call PAL PSN. Alundra of course was my 1st purchase Never heard of the other game, will look into it.

Arc the Lad games are pretty fun games.

 

[0 HP]

I really miss WD.

 

[vireland]

About time... I made a NA account and purchased PSN credit cards just to get the amazing PSOne classics we don't have in the travesty we call PAL PSN. Alundra of course was my 1st purchase Never heard of the other game, will look into it.

By my perspective, Arc II is the star of the show, but Arc I is a necessary "prequel" because you need to unlock on character and import them into Arc II to unlock a pretty huge chunk of Arc II and one of its best sub-stories. Taken as a whole the I, II, III progression is pretty satisfying. Series went off the rails after that, IMO.

 

[Famassu]

I think we still have a physical copy of Alundra laying around somewhere at my parents place and I've got the Arc the Lad Collection in my collection, but I'll definitely support these efforts, especially if it helps in bringing Lunar 2: Eternal Blue over here (or even in NA).

 

[toythatkills]

By my perspective, Arc II is the star of the show, but Arc I is a necessary "prequel" because you need to unlock on character and import them into Arc II to unlock a pretty huge chunk of Arc II and one of its best sub-stories. Taken as a whole the I, II, III progression is pretty satisfying. Series went off the rails after that, IMO.

Twilight of the Spirits is one of my favourite PS2 RPGs :lol

 

[jyx]

I look foward to play theese classics on my shiny Vita some time next year!

 

[kyubajin]

By my perspective, Arc II is the star of the show, but Arc I is a necessary "prequel" because you need to unlock on character and import them into Arc II to unlock a pretty huge chunk of Arc II and one of its best sub-stories. Taken as a whole the I, II, III progression is pretty satisfying. Series went off the rails after that, IMO.

Thanks for the insight, I'll be sure to get try the series in chronological order then.

 

[kyubajin]

Double post due to iPad dumbness... sorry.

 

[0 HP]

Vic do you pick the games MonkeyPaw puts out? This is the first I've heard of it

 

[TheSeks]

Thanks for the insight, I'll be sure to get try the series in chronological order then.

Thankfully, Arc 1 is about ~10-12 hours. It's a REALLY SHORT J/SRPG. But it's good. I need to sit down and play Arc 2/3 esp. given I bought them, but I've busy going through P2:IS and Breath of Fire 4 right now.

 

[Dark Schala]

About time... I made a NA account and purchased PSN credit cards just to get the amazing PSOne classics we don't have in the travesty we call PAL PSN. Alundra of course was my 1st purchase Never heard of the other game, will look into it.

I know I'm a little late, but...

The Arc games got me into SRPGs, and the narrative progression from Arc I, II and III is really well-done. I would advise at least getting Arc I and II just because those two are tightly linked together (ie: Arc I is a prequel to Arc II and you can unlock a subquest in Arc II should you do a sidequest in Arc I; also, your characters' levels carry over from the previous game should you load the save into Arc II).

Arc II is probably one of my favourites games ever, though. I have never played the Japanese original, but the English dialogue is really good and kept me hooked. You may have seen the Arc the Lad anime (which is based off of Arc II), but the game's narrative is quite different and does not fixate itself on four characters like the anime did (Arc, Kukuru, Elc, Lieza). Every character has a story to share and a role to play, even if it's small. Also, Choko is the best. And there is so much shit to do in Arc II. Lots of sidequests, monster collecting and growth, guild jobs, side dungeons, leveling up characters, etc. It just feels like that game never stops until you decide to make it stop (by finishing off the final boss).

The music is pretty great (a lot of the music between Arc I and Arc II are shared):
Theme of Arc the Lad
Battle 2 (Arc the Lad, but exists in Arc II as well)
Seiyra
Battle 8
Battle 9
West Aldia
Battle 2 (Arc II boss theme)
Elc
Battle with the Four Generals
Last Battle (Arc II Final Boss theme)
Battle 6 (Arc II)
Toyoke Village
Battle 8 (Arc II)

So if you do want to try the Arc games out, I suggest getting Arc I and Arc II (and if you can only get one, Arc II). Arc I is pretty short, even if you do the side stuff like the Arena, the Forest Spirit quest and the huge dungeon, so you can launch yourself into Arc II relatively quickly.

Arc III is pretty good also, but I strongly prefer Arc I and II. If anyone needs some Arc III impressions, I'll post them.

lol, I'll never forget when I saved up my allowance and did extra chores around the house just to get the Arc the Lad Collection at the beginning of my summer vacation. Awesome box, great omake stuff, a great collection of games... one of the best summer vacations ever. It's definitely one of my prized possessions in my game collection.

I thought the original trilogy was better than Twilight of the Spirits and End of Darkness as well. Twilight of the Spirits is good and the music is fantastic, but I generally prefer the original PS1 collection to the PS2 titles.

 

[B.K.]

I would like to say that's happening, and your enthusiam's great, but Oct/Nov is more likely for Vanguard Bandits.

I'd glad to hear Vanguard Bandits is coming. I've been wanting to get a copy of it for a long time, but can't really afford the $60+ on Ebay. I wish I never sold my old copy. You wouldn't happen to have an extra copy of the strategy guide laying around that you're willing to sell, would you?

 

[vireland]

Vic do you pick the games MonkeyPaw puts out? This is the first I've heard of it

We're working together on a number of fronts.

 

[SabinFigaro]

I've still got my PSone copy of Vanguard Bandits. I always thought it was a fun, but relatively shallow SRPG. Granted, the translation kicks it up a few notches, so it's all good in the end.

Great to hear that more WD classics are on their way.

 

[vireland]

I'd glad to hear Vanguard Bandits is coming. I've been wanting to get a copy of it for a long time, but can't really afford the $60+ on Ebay. I wish I never sold my old copy. You wouldn't happen to have an extra copy of the strategy guide laying around that you're willing to sell, would you?

If you're in the continental US, I have a really old and ratty copy I'll *give* you if you promise not to sue for whatever infectious disease it's harboring. I think it was a game support one that was stuffed away in a dark corner of the WD warehouse from when we shut the office down. It's in pretty rough shape, but all there. PM me your address if you dare.

 

[vireland]

I've still got my PSone copy of Vanguard Bandits. I always thought it was a fun, but relatively shallow SRPG. Granted, the translation kicks it up a few notches, so it's all good in the end.

Great to hear that more WD classics are on their way.

It's also substantially different from the Japanese Epica Stella. We added troop support that wasn't present in the Japanese release. Really upped the tactical strategy of taking down opponents and made it a little more fun as a result.

 

[kyubajin]

I know I'm a little late, but...

The Arc games got me into SRPGs, and the narrative progression from Arc I, II and III is really well-done. I would advise at least getting Arc I and II just because those two are tightly linked together (ie: Arc I is a prequel to Arc II and you can unlock a subquest in Arc II should you do a sidequest in Arc I; also, your characters' levels carry over from the previous game should you load the save into Arc II).

Arc II is probably one of my favourites games ever, though. I have never played the Japanese original, but the English dialogue is really good and kept me hooked. You may have seen the Arc the Lad anime (which is based off of Arc II), but the game's narrative is quite different and does not fixate itself on four characters like the anime did (Arc, Kukuru, Elc, Lieza). Every character has a story to share and a role to play, even if it's small. Also, Choko is the best. And there is so much shit to do in Arc II. Lots of sidequests, monster collecting and growth, guild jobs, side dungeons, leveling up characters, etc. It just feels like that game never stops until you decide to make it stop (by finishing off the final boss).

The music is pretty great (a lot of the music between Arc I and Arc II are shared):
Theme of Arc the Lad
Battle 2 (Arc the Lad, but exists in Arc II as well)
Seiyra
Battle 8
Battle 9
West Aldia
Battle 2 (Arc II boss theme)
Elc
Battle with the Four Generals
Last Battle (Arc II Final Boss theme)
Battle 6 (Arc II)
Toyoke Village
Battle 8 (Arc II)

So if you do want to try the Arc games out, I suggest getting Arc I and Arc II (and if you can only get one, Arc II). Arc I is pretty short, even if you do the side stuff like the Arena, the Forest Spirit quest and the huge dungeon, so you can launch yourself into Arc II relatively quickly.

Arc III is pretty good also, but I strongly prefer Arc I and II. If anyone needs some Arc III impressions, I'll post them.

lol, I'll never forget when I saved up my allowance and did extra chores around the house just to get the Arc the Lad Collection at the beginning of my summer vacation. Awesome box, great omake stuff, a great collection of games... one of the best summer vacations ever. It's definitely one of my prized possessions in my game collection.

I thought the original trilogy was better than Twilight of the Spirits and End of Darkness as well. Twilight of the Spirits is good and the music is fantastic, but I generally prefer the original PS1 collection to the PS2 titles.

Wow, thanks a lot for the effort you put into this post and for sharing your story. I'll be sure to pick up the first one asap!

 

[Shane86]

Been waiting for Alundra to appear on the EU store, shouldn't have taken a year

 

[mrkapawutzis]

I hope Vanguard Bandits comes to PSN. It will give me an excuse to break out the awesome hardcover strategy guide that you guys put out back in the day.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Well, it's not making anyone rich, that's for sure. It's more of a fanservice issue for me, and my plan is that by building the goodwill with fans and license holders with these "building block" releases, it will make it easier to do new titles in the future where the bar for profitablity is even higher. So far it seems to be moving that direction. The more fan supported purchases we get in the import store of the Gaijinworks and Monkeypaw releases, the better it is for us in getting more and newer stuff for other PSN platforms.

Is the Gaijinworks logo on the PSN releases? I've yet to actually see it get any use.


And if anything, I'd love to see you guys get dibs on Growlanser, but I suppose that's over Atlus USA's dead bodies.

 

[vireland]

Is the Gaijinworks logo on the PSN releases? I've yet to actually see it get any use.

Not for any of the PSOne releases, those are/will be Monkeypaw.

And if anything, I'd love to see you guys get dibs on Growlanser, but I suppose that's over Atlus USA's dead bodies.

Boy, one can dream about 1 and 4 in English, huh? I'd love nothing more, but Langrisser is more likely than Growlanser at this point. Atlus isn't interested in being shown up again even if the fans are the ones paying the price.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I would happily take Langrisser as a close second.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Was langrisser localized to NA before? I don't remember that game.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Langrisser 1 was; sort of. The Genesis version, as 'Warsong'. That's all we ever got.

It's also the best version, IMO. I didn't like how the remakes looked.

The Genesis version had so many troops in play at once. Insanity.

 

[ArachosiA 78]

cool...I never played Alundra, but I'm a pretty big Zelda fan...so will be picking it up for sure.

 

[Diomedeskun]

I replayed Alundra about two years ago, and it held up even better than I expected. I remember loving the game, and I remembered the challenge that the puzzles posed, puzzles which were more difficult, yet more logical than the average Zelda, but the game really stood out now as the path a successor to Link to the Past might have taken if the series had stayed 2D and yet evolved instead in story, atmosphere, and puzzle design.

I love that many of the puzzles are based on riddles, so you have a context to the puzzle, instead of just flipping random switches or pushing rocks.

The music is phenomenal, thrilling, adventurous, ominous, and exuberant.

What really amazed me, though, were the lush, vibrant 2D graphics. At the time, I guess I just expected pretty 2D games, and I was more impressed with the 3D graphics in Zelda and other N64 games. Now, I see one of the best looking 2D games of all time, with a rich overworld, gorgeous animations, and great character design.

This game is a must buy for everyone. It is challenging, but it is also amazingly rewarding and has not only withstood the test of time, but shines even more brightly today.

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

I got a question for you Mr. Ireland. Since you're doing stuff for the fans, will we ever see your spaz labeled games?

And are you still selling stuff from your closet? I've seen you sell stuff from your closet for two years or so. How big is your closet exactly?

 

[vireland]

I got a question for you Mr. Ireland. Since you're doing stuff for the fans, will we ever see your spaz labeled games?

Most of those were Taito games, and Square has no interest in licensing, so those shooters are dead for the US PSN, unfortunately. Tecnosoft went out of business, but there's still a chance of Thunderforce V, it's just a rights issue. My top priority is getting most/all the RPGs out first, then work down to the rest, but there has been preliminary licensing work on almost all the WD PS titles.

And are you still selling stuff from your closet? I've seen you sell stuff from your closet for two years or so. How big is your closet exactly?

I haven't ebayed anything for a year or more. I've just been too busy. There's more I could sell, but my time's too tight these days. Sometimes I'll hand some stuff off for my son's Amazon seller account, but that's about it.

 

[ULTROS!]

What RPGs have you got in mind that might see a future release besides Vanguard Bandits, Vic?

 

[panty]

Alundra is awesome. This is awesome.

Will buy.

 

[DJ Crimson]

Yea

 

[Augemitbutter]

it's sad that we never got a proper Langrisser collection. i played some of those games on my saturn back in the day. so many years later and we still have no official translation. it's time for a revival!

 

[Aru]

It's HARD, but fun. Remember to save often!

A great way to kill difficulty is to get the King's sword. Bosses will die like regular enemies with that weapon :lol
I regret doing so, though.

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

Most of those were Taito games, and Square has no interest in licensing, so those shooters are dead for the US PSN, unfortunately. Tecnosoft went out of business, but there's still a chance of Thunderforce V, it's just a rights issue. My top priority is getting most/all the RPGs out first, then work down to the rest, but there has been preliminary licensing work on almost all the WD PS titles.



I haven't ebayed anything for a year or more. I've just been too busy. There's more I could sell, but my time's too tight these days. Sometimes I'll hand some stuff off for my son's Amazon seller account, but that's about it.

Since you said your interest is in getting out all the RPGS first, does this mean we will get GOOD Lunar? Lunar on GBA and PSP just didn't feel the same without your outlandish and oftentimes amusing writing.

I haven't checked your ebay auctions in a long time, but I remember you were auctioning off almost every one of the rpgs your company made back in the day and offering your signature to them. Most of the stuff was new too. I oftentimes wondered if you kept 90% of all copies and were just going to list them on ebay after time has passed since I've very rarely seen most of your games for sale when they were new. I think i was the only one that preordered the Lunar games at Babbages

Though I feel a bit different about the lunar games then when I was a teenager. Those were the only rpgs I can honestly replay now along with simpler ones without the convoluted plots.

 

[vireland]

What RPGs have you got in mind that might see a future release besides Vanguard Bandits, Vic?

Well, the list is getting short as we get more out, isn't it?

 

[vireland]

I haven't checked your ebay auctions in a long time, but I remember you were auctioning off almost every one of the rpgs your company made back in the day and offering your signature to them. Most of the stuff was new too.

I used to keep a couple cases of every game we did, starting sometime in the SEGA CD era, but as we did more and more games, after 15 years+ I just had a LOT of duplicate games. It was kind of OCD and I did the auctions to thin that out to a more reasonable level. I do wish I had made more of the Elemental Gearbolt Assassin cases and kept a case or two of THOSE, though. One is not enough...

 

[lastendconductor]

Alundra is at least as good as Zelda (IMO better) and anyone who has not played it should feel very very bad.

 

[Coxy]

Alundra is at least as good as Zelda (IMO better) and anyone who has not played it should feel very very bad.

Yeah it's a great game, some amazingly clever level design in there

Spoiler

the twins, multiple personality girl and Maia ones spring to mind

. amazing music too