Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon COMING TO NORTH AMERICA

[EXStrike]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/987/987312p1.html

Earlier this year, Namco Bandai shipped the acclaimed adventure game Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon in Japan and American players eagerly awaited news of a local release, which sadly never came. When contacted, Namco Bandai representatives explained that the company had no plans to publish the title, set to the backdrop of an atmospheric post-apocalyptic world, in the U.S.

Thankfully, though, Xseed Games does. IGN is able to exclusively reveal to its readers today that Xseed has secured the North American publishing rights to Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. The tri-Crescendo-developed project will ship stateside for Wii this winter, according to the company. "We are ecstatic to be able to finally confirm Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon for gamers in North America," said Jun Iwasaki, president of Xseed Games. "We have received countless requests from eager gamers pleading with us to publish this title, and it gives us great joy to be able to give the public what they want while being able to work on such a great game."

:whee: :whee: :whee: :whee: :whee: :whee: :whee:

[MCalvert1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4xanQhHw6g

MjC

[Cao Cao]

Someone translated and subbed the Japanese launch trailer a while back, just in case anyone wants an idea of what this game is about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7HFO37RtwI

[JEKKI]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/sambao/fap.gif

[vherub]

very cool

[databuild]

Someone translated and subbed the Japanese launch trailer a while back, just in case anyone wants an idea of what this game is about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7HFO37RtwI

Hope the localization team doesn't remove the Japanese voicework or at least leaves it as an option.

Edit: The IGN article has a quote about the English voiceovers and a possibility that the original voices will be left intact.

[KingBroly]

If the dubbing/translation is good, I'll get it. If they don't have a good dub, hopefully they have the Japanese audio track.

[ChibiJosh]

yayayayayayay!

[Kaoz]

I never paid much attention to this game because I figured we would never get it. Looks awesome.

[FallMoon]

I hate those anime graphics. UGH.

[hero101]

yahoo. I want this.

[ratzombie]

Great news. I didn't think this game would ever be released here, I cannot wait.

[DuelLadyS]

Damn. Freaking. Sweet.

No amount of "Wii sucks" ranting from the BF will stop me from getting one now, this is the clincher.

Now, first things first- I need a new big-ass surge protector...

[ChibiJosh]

Now, first things first- I need a new big-ass surge protector...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JE9LD4/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

[winterice]

Anyone know how well reviewed it was in Japan? Last time I heard about this game was when it was first revealed.

[crystalklear64]

Looks good.

[Vinny]

Damn, that's pretty impressive.

[pete5883]

Anyone know how well reviewed it was in Japan? Last time I heard about this game was when it was first revealed.
Import impressions on GameFAQs weren't all that positive.

[Ryukahn]

So does anyone else go to the Japanese site and leave it open so you can listen to the music? 8-)

[hero101]

Goodie. It is coming out here.

[ChibiJosh]

Goodie. It is coming out here.
Where have you been?

[utopianmachine]

Import impressions on GameFAQs weren't all that positive.

If I recall what I heard, this sort of title is more familiar to Japanese audiences, as it attempts to create an experience more than an absolute storyline. It seems a moving journey, but actual gameplay is limited.

[hero101]

Where have you been?
Obviously, I was hiding in a cave. I was planning to jump Strell take away his lobsters. 8-)

[Ryukahn]

Obviously, I was hiding in a cave. I was planning to jump Strell take away his lobsters. 8-)

You posted back in may being excited lol.

[crystalklear64]

Just remembered this game so lets give it a bump. IGN says release is US: February 16, 2010.

Looking forward to it.

It has a "new" name too now: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of The Moon

So now we're dreaming.

[crystalklear64]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxOmCouPONw

[hero101]

Goodie...I'm going to play this a bit when I get back from the Navy.

['Cube Daddy]

Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.

[vherub]

I think onsale got pushed back to March

[Cao Cao]

Here's the launch trailer, and Xseed's "gone gold" PR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENhS2lhNk-c

Torrance, Calif., (March 2, 2010) – XSEED Games announced today that FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON has gone gold, and will be shipping across North America on March 16th. Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games and tri-Crescendo, FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON will be available in North America on March 16th, exclusively for Wii™ at the suggested retail price of $49.99. More information can be found at the newly launched website at www.fragiledreamswii.com

“This is one title that we felt strongly about bringing over from Japan,” stated Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. “It is our pleasure to be able to share such a unique and beautiful Japanese experience with the North American gamers.”

The North American release has been confirmed as containing the original Japanese voices in addition to the newly recorded English voice-overs, as well as a newly created Extras option that becomes available once the game has been cleared. This new mode allows players to revisit key event movies from the game in the movie gallery, view concept art, and watch the original Japanese trailers. FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON will also feature a dual-sided box front, with the original Japanese box front on the reverse side. A special pre-order bonus, The MOONLIGHT TRACKS soundtrack, will be available exclusively at GameStop and EB Games together with the retail release of the game, but only while supplies last.

Finally, as the PR says, there's a soundtrack pre-order bonus available at GameStop:
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75588

[Rig]

I've had a preorder in since the famous ECA days...

Reviews I have seen have been very "meh" (people that imported the JPN version). I'm a little wary now. I'll wait for reviews before I decide to keep my preorder or drop it.

[bluedotlounge]

Got XSEED's OK to publish my review early.

http://www.examiner.com/x-13269-Gaming-Lifestyle-Examiner~y2010m3d15-Fragile-Dreams-Farewell-Ruins-of-the-Moon-review

[Nirron]

Thanks for that review. I'm trying to get as much spoiler-free information about the game, as I'm really contemplating getting it (darn them for releasing God of War III, Resonance of Fate, Fragile, and Infinite Space all on the SAME DAY) but I've been wary because of comments that the combat system was somewhat cumbersome and clumsy.

I'm also wondering if the price won't drop in a month or two, which is another reason I'm tempted to hold off.

[utopianmachine]

Added this one to my Goozex wishlist to get someday.

[EXStrike]

My copy shipped yesterday and should be here tomorrow from Amazon :D

Though, I wish the soundtrack wasn't Gamestop-only..

[ceck3969]

Mine is on its way as well, looking forward to this and Metro 2033 way more than GOW3 or FFXIII.

[ChibiJosh]

Mine should arrive today from Amazon.

[Rig]

I actually caved and canceled my preorder the other day. I don't see this one staying at full price long.

Plus, that gives me time to see if the reviews are good/great. I don't want to spend my (very few) gaming hours on a "meh" game these days.

[arcane93]

Has anyone else who pre-ordered from the Gamestop website had it "backordered"? When I checked my order status earlier this morning to see if they'd shipped yet, they were listing the soundtrack disc as backordered, but not the game itself. Now, they're listing both that way. I placed my order well over a month ago too.

Also, according to the store locator, there isn't a Gamestop store within 100 miles of me (and I'm in the DC area, so there are a lot of stores within 100 miles) that has it in stock.

Very strange. All I can say is that I'd better get my soundtrack disc, as that was the only reason that I did the order through Gamestop . . .

[Nirron]

I received a text message from GS saying that my Fragile pre-order (forgot I even had it pre-ordered there) would be available Tuesday PM. I'm guessing that means the shipment arrives sometime this evening. Guess I'll go check at around 5 just for fun. I'm fairly certain my pre-order was the only one in the damn city.

Edit: Of course, in typical fashion, it didn't come with my soundtrack CD. They had the game in the area they keep pre-orders and took it out, but there was no soundtrack to go with it. I know with stuff like the Bayonetta posters they had limited quantities, but mine was the only pre-order for Fragile. It wasn't like they had given away the copies they had. Yet another mark for GS promising a pre-order bonus and failing to deliver.

[Kaoz]

IGN review is up 6.7 Overall (http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1078205p1.html)


Fragile Dreams is a great example of a spectacular concept whose execution could have used a little more thought and time. I love the premise, the setting, some of the characters, and the production values. The story is engrossing. Exploring the lush, beautiful environments in search of clues is fun. The flashlight controls and effects are really impressive. Even combat, in dire need of a lock-on, is functional. It really does have a lot going for it, and you'll see that reflected in the scores below. And yet, some of the design decisions and gameplay conventions are exceedingly tired and frustrating. The unnecessary, uninspired fetch quests, blatant backtracking and awkward item management system distract and subtract in a big way from what is otherwise a quality experience. If you fancy yourself an addict for Japanese adventure games, you will want to experience Fragile Dreams. But with some glaring issues that really overshadow the gameplay experience, there's just no way I can glowingly recommend the title, as much as I had hoped I could.


Interested to see what other reviews say, as I don't really like IGN

Gameinformer gave it a 6/10

[Ryukahn]

The IGN review seems to be a really good review. If you don't mind the negatives that he found annoying, then the game is for you and you should enjoy it a lot.

[ChibiJosh]

I've managed to play this for a few hours so far (trying to finish up Star Ocean 2 before I jump into it completely). The only real annoying thing that I've encountered so far is I apparently don't have depth perception when it comes to combat.

[arcane93]

I'm confused by the IGN reviewer's definition of "fetch quests" -- what he describes sounds like it's actually part of the story. Maybe like parts of the story put in as filler, but parts of the story nonetheless.

What I think of when I hear the words "fetch quest" are things like Star Ocean: The Last Hope's "Grooming is Essential" quest (yes, that's actually the name of it) -- where some random woman asks you to get her a comb (of all things), and to do so you have to go all the way across the planet back to your ship, figure out how to synthesize one on the item synthesis system, and then deliver it all the way back in return for . . . well, I don't actually know what, because I said "that's fucking ridiculous" when I saw it and didn't bother. Probably some lame item or a little bit of money -- definitely nothing essential to the actual game (as I was able to complete the game with no problem without doing it). Sure, let me drop everything and fetch you a comb, it's not like my character's busy trying to save the universe or anything . . .

As long as this game doesn't expect me to do stupid shit like that, I'm fine.

[Snake2715]

wish more people left impressions

[ChibiJosh]

It's a fun game, but I don't really think it's worth the full price. Wait for $20 or $30 because it's only 12-15 hours long.

[Cheska19]

Appearantly no store but Gamestop has it, other than online website.

[arcane93]

wish more people left impressions

Sorry, still playing it . . .

I've enjoyed it a good bit, actually, up to the part that I've (temporarily) stopped at. The section in the amusement park is annoying and way too drawn out. I had to take a break from it because I was getting irritated with that.

It's worth noting that it's not really an RPG (I think most of the bad reviews have come from people having the wrong expectations for it), it's an adventure game. You do have hit points and leveling, but the overall character and item stats are limited. The combat is fairly secondary to the exploring. I don't really get the complaints about the combat -- it's simplistic, but I've had no difficulty controlling it. Likewise, all of the quests have tied pretty directly into the plot -- I still, after actually playing it, don't get what that one reviewer was complaining about with the "fetch" quests. Yes, there is some back-tracking from time to time, but it fits in with the story.

I think the genre issue also explains all of the complaints about the length -- it's funny that most people don't balk at buying an action game with 6-8 hours of play in it, but are complaining about 12-15 in this. Again, yeah, if you're expecting a JRPG, it's short, but it's also not a JRPG, so there you go.

The game has a very slow, calm pace to it for the most part -- that's the biggest place where I can see a lot of gamers having problems with it. You're not going to see a lot of fast action, big explosions, etc. If you can't handle just slowing down and exploring, this game is probably not for you.

The artwork is beautiful, but I really wish it were on an HD system so that it could be more detailed. Likewise, unfortunately very little (only the essential parts) of the environment are interactive. Why can't my character pick up that guitar off of that shelf and play with it or use it for something? What's in those boxes? Why can't I just climb over that thing blocking my path? All of these, I have the feeling, are limitations of the system that it's on. I really don't mean to Wii-bash here, but I really wish the game had been done on the 360 or PS3 so that more detail could have been put into it.

The biggest thing that I don't like about the game, actually, is that most of the "enemies" are animals. While the game comes up with some strange explanation about them actually being "malevolent spirits" or some such, in practice you're going to spend a lot of your combat time hitting dogs and pigeons. I can get past it, but it still doesn't really sit well with me.

So there are my impressions so far. Overall, I think it's worth getting if it looks like the kind of thing that will appeal to you, though I'd probably hold out for the $20-30 range (on the other hand, I wouldn't try to hold out for less, since I'm guessing this is probably going to have a somewhat limited run).

[Cheska19]

Very nice mini review so far arcane!! Thank you :)
I'm on the fence about picking it up right now, I want to play the game and I'd like to hold out for a price cut, but the limited availability worries me that by doing that I'll end up missing out on a copy.

[Spacepest]

Thanks for the review Arcane!

I'm also sitting out on this one until it hits the $20 range.

[Snake2715]

sweet most adventures get bad reviews, especially on mainstream systems that are not the PC.

[Cheska19]

Hope I don't regret purchasing the game, I couldn't pass it up once it showed up in my Gold Box for $44 with free 2 day shipping. And I have a feeling it will be a hard game to find in the future.

[Licasguy]

My daughter (9 years old), and I just finished the game, and all I can honestly say is, incredible.. I have NO regrets what so ever, for paying full price for this game, and despite the small things, like depth perception, and some combat control issues (A little difficult at times, but NEVER to the point, that she and I were in any trouble), the game did not disappoint one bit.. The game itself, is honestly more of what the Wii, and honestly other systems need more of. We wrapped it up in about 13 1/2 hours or so, and truly I don't feel cheated at all.

The scenery, was amazing graphically, and honestly pulled us further within.. The use of the Wiimote was, great as well, especially hearing things around you, before you see them, and more so, being able to communicate as well. If you played already you know what I mean, for those who haven't, you'll see.

Yes, a bit cryptic, but I do not want to ruin anything for anyone.

My opinion, I know this is CAG, and cheap is the key, but you will not go wrong for snagging this at full price. Also add the amazing OST if Gamestop still has it, is a bonus win. If you can't do that, Itunes has the OST as well, for 11.99, for 30 tracks, and a digital book as well.

Anyways, I hope to see more opinions of this great game, and can't wait to see if we get any other titles like this, state side.

[arcane93]

If you can't do that, Itunes has the OST as well, for 11.99, for 30 tracks, and a digital book as well.

Are you serious? Ok, now that shit pisses me off. First, I was told that I was getting a soundtrack disc with my preorder, not a fucking excerpt. Secondly, I don't want that iTunes lossy digital shit, I want a CD. Grrr . . .

(For those who don't know, the CD that came with it was 12 tracks, not 30, and it was just in a cardboard sleeve, no book.)

Oh well, they screwed themselves. I've got 12 of the 30 tracks, and there's no way in hell I'm paying another $11.99 for the remaining ones (especially not from fucking iTunes).

[Nirron]

Are you serious? Ok, now that shit pisses me off. First, I was told that I was getting a soundtrack disc with my preorder, not a fucking excerpt. Secondly, I don't want that iTunes lossy digital shit, I want a CD. Grrr . . .

(For those who don't know, the CD that came with it was 12 tracks, not 30, and it was just in a cardboard sleeve, no book.)

Oh well, they screwed themselves. I've got 12 of the 30 tracks, and there's no way in hell I'm paying another $11.99 for the remaining ones (especially not from fucking iTunes).

Be glad you got the CD :-P Some of us weren't as lucky, walking into GS and having the employees shrug and tell you it apparently didn't ship. It does suck somewhat, as I've listened to some of the tracks via some YouTube stuff, and the music is fantastic.

[arcane93]

Be glad you got the CD :-P Some of us weren't as lucky, walking into GS and having the employees shrug and tell you it apparently didn't ship. It does suck somewhat, as I've listened to some of the tracks via some YouTube stuff, and the music is fantastic.

Heh, that's why I never order things with pre-order bonuses from a GameStop store. I've heard far too many stories just like that. On the other hand, I've never had a problem with getting a bonus from a web order that they mail to me.

[Cheska19]

I managed to snag a copy of the OST from a gamestop that had an extra copy. I do feel like it was dumb to only include 12 tracks on it, especially when itunes has all 30. Very disappointing but I can't complain too much since I got it for free.

[arcane93]

Very disappointing but I can't complain too much since I got it for free.

Eh, the thing is, though, I don't consider it "free" because I probably wouldn't have bought this game at launch without it, I would have waited for an opportunity to get it on sale. So really, I paid the difference between the launch price and the later sale price for the soundtrack disc. And yeah, I get to play the game sooner this way, but it's not like I'm hurting for stuff to play.

Meh, whatever . . . I'm just going to assume that the CD picks out the best of the tracks and skips the filler.

[Snake2715]

Just got done with this, not too bad overall.

[crystalklear64]

Finally getting around to playing this inbetween bouts of monster hunter tri. I really really love the atmosphere. The combat is simplistic and really, it feels unnecessary, though maybe it'll change later on. I would love to just explore the world and hear all the memories of people while searching for the girl/unraveling the story. The combat just gets in the way of all that, but I guess they felt they had to have it in there. The crazy chicken dude also seems very out of place in a deserted world and feel like one of those they put in there as a safety precaution of having the world seem too empty or something.