MS Reveals Japan Xbox Library
- June 23, 2003 11:53 AM PST
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Magatama and a mess of U.S. titles lead the pack.
At a conference held in Tokyo today, Microsoft unveiled its first-party release lineup for the Xbox in Japan, revealing their plans for the rest of the year and offering a little more information on the locally-developed titles they have in the works.The current Japan release list looks something like this. Nearly all of these titles are Xbox Live compatible, so you're likely to see a small influx of Japanese gamers online later this year.
- Amped 2 (2004)
- Brute Force (fall 2003)
- Fable (2004)
- Grabbed by the Ghoulies (2004)
- Halo 2 (2004)
- Kameo (2004)
- Midtown Madness 3 (August 7)
- Magatama (2003)
- Moto GP 2 (July 17)
- Project Gotham Racing 2 (winter)
- True Fantasy Live Online (2003)
Of the games on the list, the only one Microsoft had any really new info on was Magatama, a new project under internal development at the company's Tokyo offices. Although the game still isn't in a playable state, MS was kind enough to release some new screenshots, and so far it seems promising enough. Set in medieval Japan, Magatama stars a swordsman who must slice and dice his way through a series of dangerous missions. The emphasis here is on fast action and excitement?most moves can be done with a single button, and you can execute combo moves with Orochi, a dragonlike companion who follows you around during most levels. Although Magatama's historically accurate on the surface, the feel's more Asian than purely Japanese, so a U.S. release for this title doesn't seem out of the question in the future.
Unfortunately, Microsoft rep Masahiro Koide had little information on the company's other Japanese flagship title?no new info on True Fantasy was presented, and there's still no official release date or public beta test announcement for gamers to work with. Japan's Xbox audience isn't completely out of the loop, though?Koide told them today that MS will have the newest version of Halo 2 ("something greater than what was at E3," as he put it) running at the Tokyo Game Show this September.
