I Stand On My Soapbox: The Aftermath – What To Do Next?

What transpired this week has been nothing short of chaotic and, personally, further enlightening of how I feel about the state of affairs regarding the gaming community and gaming journalism. As I write this, I’m still afraid of the repercussions that might be imposed on me, my staff, and everything we’ve worked on since 2011. So much so that I’m even afraid to name names. I’m not even tagging this article with the terms that it should be tagged in. Never before have I seen a single article be enough to take an entire website offline, and self-hosted no less. I expressed my concerns when this whole thing started blowing up, and that’s exactly what happened. Thankfully, the site has returned, but I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to see everything you worked on disappear because of something you said on a single article. This is the kind of thing the SOPA fiasco warned us about, where criticism and reporting, even at its most objective, would simply be wiped away because the subject(s) didn’t like what was being said.

Project X Zone Comfirmed For U.S. And European Release

The localization wave is riding high as now comes word that Project X Zone will be coming to the U.S. Developed by Namco Bandai, Project X Zone sees the universes and characters of SEGA, Namco, and Capcom clashing, wondering what the hell is going on. We’ve covered this game quite a bit here on The Wired Fish, and the collective over at 100,000 Strong To Localize Project X Zone took to Twitter to ask Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada to pitch the game to the higher ups at Namco to localize the game. Then came word that if the game did well in Japan, it’d be localized. Looks like the efforts worked as now the game will be getting released in the U.S. after all.

Project X Zone is a SRPG in the same style of Super Robot Wars and prequel Namco X Capcom. You move units across a grid and engage other units. When the attacking phase begins, the action shifts to a 2D perspective and encourages to unleash all of the special attacks at your disposal. If you want to see which characters are in the game, you can check out a previous article written here (pretty outdated) or hit up the PXZ website.

Project X Zone Coming to North America and Europe [IGN]

Tekken Producer Proposes Project X Zone Localization, Cross Your Fingers

Ever since the news of Project X Zone‘s small chance of localization caught steam, the efforts of the PXZ Localization Community have picked up. According to an FB post, the leader of the Facebook Group, Anthony, took to Twitter to ask Katsuhiro Harada, the producer of the Tekken series, what it would take to convince Namco (the game’s devs) to bring the game Westward. His response was “I think they don’t localize that. That is unpopular out of Japan.” Not a good sign, but it almost echoed the statement from that Namco rep in the previous article. However ten minutes after that, Harada came back with this tweet, “I’ll ask project marketing team. ‘Let’s localize.'” Things were starting to look up. Finally several hours later, Harada did the deed and followed up with, “I proposed localization of Project X Zone.”

This is an unprecedented move in the efforts of the PXZ Localization Community. Harada is a well respected man in the videogame business, especially in the eyes of the Tekken community (and harbinger of shuttin’ fools down). Not sure how much involvement he has in the project, but his characters are in the game. Not that his characters in the game might matter, but his position in the company might have some kind of impact. Still, there is a chance that is proposal may not be considered. But the fact that it’s even being proposed in the first place by someone in the company might give Namco enough of a hint that people outside Japan want the game as well. It could be the beginning of something big. Fingers crossed guys!

PXZ Localization Community (aka 100,000 Strong to Localize Project X Zone) [Facebook]

Project X Zone Might Get Localized If It Does Well In Japan

Project X Zone, the big crossover SRPG/Fighter between Capcom, Namco, and Sega, is close to release in Japan. Some of us at TWF want to see the game released here. However Namco never showed signs of bringing the game over to the West. That is, until now. According to 100,000 Strong To Localize Project X Zone, someone in the community was able to talk to someone from Namco Bandai (the developers of the game)  during the GameStop Expo in Texas this week, and the rep said that they’re waiting to see if the game sells well first. On their Facebook page, they say that they’re “waiting to see how PXZ sells in japan first before they start getting the license again from Sega and Capcom.” It goes on to state that if it does come over, it’ll be in late 2013/early 2014. 100,000 Strong does stress that an earlier rumor of some characters being nixed if it was localized is completely wrong.

Remember though that this is still all speculation. Even if the game sells well in Japan, there’s still the possibility of the game not making it over. But hey, at least they’re saying something and are aware now instead of staying silent like they’ve doing since the game’s reveal.

[via 100,000 Strong To Localize PXZ]

Tron Bonne, Lady, And More Join The Fray In Project X Zone

Confirming the scans that popped up some weeks ago, Tron Bonne has joined the Project X Zone cast of characters. Alongside her is a Servbot (a separate character). She’ll be without her fighting game staple Gustaff and fight on-foot (but will bring her MvC moves with her). Still on the Capcom side there’s Lady from Devil May Cry 3. On the Sega side is Bahn from the cage bashing fighting game Fighting Vipers. Finally on the Namco side, Lindow bumps up the Gods Eater crew to three. And the main characters from prequel Namco X Capcom, Reiji and Xiaomu, will represent Namco.

Character art after the break.

Project X Zone website

New Project X Zone Scans Show Tron Bonne In Action

Well well well, looks like we have a couple of Bonnes in the audience. Scans from a magazine (probably Famitsu) featuring Project X Zone have show screenshots of characters not officially revealed yet. Reiji and Xiaomu, the main original characters from Namco X Capcom, are present in the game. Tron Bonne from the legendary Mega Man Legends series is also here as well. So far it’s not known if they’ll be playable or be used for something else. It’s painfully ironic how she’s in this game, a 3DS game mind you, and last year the game she was supposed to appear in got canceled, which was also a 3DS game. Hope maybe?

You can see the scans after the break.

Characters Confirmed So Far For Project X Zone

It’s a little tough keeping up with some of the news for Project X Zone since it pops up randomly at times. I’ve missed out on certain character reveals due to working on other parts of the site. But to make up for it, I’ll be recapping all the characters revealed so far for Project X Zone. It might be a little tough to remember who’s in the game, which company they represent, and what game they originally came from. So you can use this article to reference some basic info on each character. Remember that this is not the final character roster and is certain to grow as time move along. And there might not be anymore characters revealed until after the game is played.

New Fan Campaign Started To Localize Project X Zone

I’ve covered quite a bit regarding Project X Zone. With every article I’ve written about the game, in the back of my mind there’s always that looming fear that the game won’t be released here. It’s even more nerve wracking given the fact that its prequel, Namco X Capcom for the PS2, never got released outside of Japan. So the chances of the game coming out in the U.S. and Europe are slim. You might think, “Oh no biggie, I’ll just import it.” Unfortunately Nintendo region-locked the 3DS, so the only way you can play the game is to import the game AND and Japanese 3DS (which ain’t cheap). Hackers have yet to really crack open the 3DS (only going as far as enabling flash carts that play original DS games). So the only hope there is to play the game is to localize it.

So in light of all this, a fan campaign has started to convince the powers that be at Namco, Capcom, and SEGA to release the game worldwide. The campaign is called Project X Zone Localization Community, or 100,000 Strong to Localize Project X Zone (a nod to the MML3 campaign). Their goal is to get 100,000 Likes to show collab trio that there is demand for the game outside of Japan and that it should be released. So far since starting the campaign on April 15 and as of this writing, they’ve reached 744 Likes. Might be small, but the public told that to the Mega Man Legends 3 campaign, and look what happened. Same goes for Operation Rainfall and hey, I’m playing Xenoblade right now! I’ve gone ahead and liked it, and if you want to see Project X Zone released, you should join in too. Spread the word!

PXZ Localization Community Facebook Page

[via AlphaOmegaSin]

Monolithsoft developing Project X Zone, Die Hard Arcade Represented (Along With Others)

Shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering that Monolithsoft, the developers of Xenoblade, were also the developers of Namco X Capcom. Famitsu also divulged some info on some of the battle systems in place for Project X Zone. Like its predecessor, battles are a mix of Strategy RPG and action. You move units around on a grid and engage enemies. Here, the battles then switch to a 2D perspective where you use the control pad and “A” Button to execute moves. You’re encouraged to use different abilities and use them all in one shot. You build up a meter at the bottom to unleash special moves. It’s shared amongst all party members, so use it wisely.

Along with this news, more characters have been revealed for Project X Zone. First on the Capcom side, Morrigan has been added to the Darkstalkers team. Chun-Li joins Ryu and Ken for the Street Fighter team. On The SEGA side, Erika and Gemini join the Sakura Wars team. This makes it the biggest team so far. And holy crap, is that John McClane from Die Hard Arcade!? Well kinda. In Japan (where it was made and first came out), it was called Dynamite Deka, and the guy was named Bruno. You can read up on that here. Finally on the Namco Bandai side, the Valkyrie from The Adventures of the Valkyrie joins alone. And finally Haken and Kaguya from Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endeless Frontier join the fray.

Project X Zone is slated for release on the 3DS some time this year. Character art after the break.

Monolith Software Confirmed as Project X Zone’s Developer [Andriasang, via Gamezone]

Project X Zone Official Website

Resonance of Fate, Dead Rising, And God Eater Characters Join Project X Zone

I gotta keep up with these website updates! About two weeks ago Namco, SEGA, and Capcom revealed more characters for their collaboration Project X Zone. On the Capcom side, we have Frank West representing Dead Rising. Hsien-Ko joins the already revealed Donovan from Darkstalkers. On the SEGA side, Zephyr and Leanne from Resonance of Fate join the fray. Quietly added was Riela Marceris from Valkyria Chronicles III. And finally on the Namco Bandai side we have Alisa and Soma from God Eater. You can see their character art after the break.

Announcements From Nintendo Direct: Kirby 25th, Project X Zone Trailer, Animal Crossing, And More!

Okay then, the Nintendo Direct broadcast has ended. Quite a few announcements were made, most of which were for the 3DS. Hit the jump to see the news. I’m gonna break them up in segments.

Project X Zone Site Updated, Has Music, Hints At Resonance of Fate and Viewtiful Joe

Last week Capcom, Namco, and Sega revealed Project X Zone, the sequel to Namco X Capcom that now adds Sega into the mix. I briefly mentioned in the reveal article that the site was still barren, only showing just the logo. Well, the site got a rather significant update. The first thing you’ll notice is the music. I will say it sounds pretty cool. Doesn’t sound tied to any one company; could be the theme song for the game, like for the intro. Then you’ll see a panorama behind the logo. Almost immediately you’ll notice Les Chattes Noires, which was a location in Sega’s Resonance of Fate. Looking in the background, that large tower looks suspiciously like the Tower of Basel from Resonance of Fate as well. If you look below it Les Chattes Noire, you’ll see a place called MovieLand, which was the world Joe would go to become Viewtiful Joe in Capcom’s… err, Viewtiful Jow. There are a few more things that might suggest something, particularly that ornate area to the far left, or the three movie posters above MovieLand

Looking at how these locales are arranged, maybe this is how the player will interact with the different game worlds, like Kingdom Hearts and the Disney Worlds, or like Smash Bros Brawl and those world orbs Tabuu seizes. Or maybe their worlds have clashed and are being melded into one. And so, the plot thickens…

Project X Zone Offiicial Website

Project X Zone Characters and Screenshots.

Not too long after the reveal, Famitsu released character art and screenshots for Capcom/Namco/Sega collaboration Project X Zone. The game is a strategy RPG much like its predecessor, Namco X Capcom. That character roster might seem paltry now, but of Namco X Capcom is anything to go by, this is is going to grow by a huge margin. So far not exact date is set, but the trio’s aiming for a late 2012 release. Characters and art after the jump.

Capcom + Namco + Sega Collab Revealed As Project X Zone

I’m normally the center of my Capcom hate on this site. March was not a good month for Capcom at all, and boy howdy was it a PR nightmare for the company. But today, I’ll hold back my hatred for reasons you’ll see in a moment. Remember that teaser image that popped up last week that showed color bars depicted the colors of the characters (that Japanese gamers sorta solved)? Well, Capcom, Namco and Sega have revealed the game and it will be known as Project X Zone. Instead of a fighting game, it’s a strategy RPG. If your memory called back to Namco X Capcom right there, then you’ll be pleased to hear that this is the sequel. Not much else is known, but the trio did reveal which character would be in the game so far. And there’s one character I’m sure many Mega Man fans will be pleased to see in the roster. Check it out after the break.