20th Dec, 2007 Gaming is an up and down experience. Some years cram top quality titles into our every orifice until were bursting with videogame joy and have excess polygons dripping messily out of our ears, while some other years… Well, some other years are 1983. In 2007 though, weve had a very good year indeed. A scarily good year in fact. One which has provided us so much brilliance on every format that its a genuine worry that the laws of karmic balance will soon bring us a plague ... » Read More

Dec 13, 2007

Blue Dragon 2 (sort of) confirmed for '08

360 News | Blue Dragon

Dec 13, 2007 Japanese Xbox boss Takashi Sensui has said that the Xbox 360's 2008 game push "may" be spear-headed by a sequel to Mistwalker RPG Blue Dragon. In an interview with Jiji Press, the Japan home and entertainment boss said that Microsoft is aiming to double its number of Xbox 360 games in Japan to 500 next year and hinted that a sequel to the Sakaguchi RPG might be the front runner. Of course it's not the first time we've heard strong rumours of a follow up, Mistwalker boss Hironobu ... » Read More

Oct 29, 2007

Still playing Blue Dragon?

360 News | Blue Dragon

Oct 29, 2007 Microsoft sends word that a new batch of Blue Dragon download content has arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace, which should excite anyone still trawling through the Mistwalker RPG. The very reasonably priced pack (200 MS points - £1.70 or $2.50) gives you a batch of new items including The Nothing Glasses, Spring Breeze Kerchief, Devee Phonograph, Whimsical Heart, Master Thief Manual, and Shuffle Helmet. Each does something relatively exciting (in RPG terms) such as the ... » Read More

Sep 24, 2007

Blue Dragon headed to DS

360 News | Blue Dragon

Mistwalker's epic 360 RPG, Blue Dragon, is on its way to DS according to Japanese magazine, Jump. It is not yet known whether the game will be a brand new adventure or a port of the 360 version, and with the game yet to be officially confirmed, gameplay details are non-existent. If the news is indeed true, we'd say it's safe to assume it will use the touch screen functionality during battles, and with the 360 version taking on a relatively simple chibi-style anime look, the DS could probably ... » Read More

Jul 25, 2007

Xbox 360 price-cut planned for BioShock?

360 News | Blue Dragon

Next month Microsoft will cut the price of the Xbox 360 in the States by $50, in time for the release of BioShock and Blue Dragon, reports The Hollywood Reporter. According to the publication's retail source the reduction will be made on August 8, which it notes is traditionally a quiet time of the year for hardware sales. The timing of the cut is significant, notes the reporter, because it's also days before the release of EA's latest Madden, which sells like beer to college kids. Of course ... » Read More

Jun 28, 2007

Blue Dragon dated for August 28

360 News | Blue Dragon

Blue Dragon has been given a launch date of August 28 for developer Mistwalker's highly-anticipated debut RPG. Coming at you with a retail price of $60, Blue Dragon made waves in Japan thanks to it being the new child of famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, known for his work on the Final Fantasy ... » Read More

May 2, 2007

Sakaguchi lays into Kutaragi

360 News | Blue Dragon

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy creator and founder of Blue Dragon dev Mistwalker, has laid his feelings on the table regarding "Father of PlayStation" Ken Kutaragi - he says he doesn't like him. In an interview featured in EGM magazine's latest issue, Sakaguchi was asked why he had no games in development for PS3. "The machine's architecture is tricky, and I don't like Ken Kutaragi," he replied. Meanwhile Microsoft, he said, needs to sort out its marketing strategy in Japan, calling the ... » Read More

Apr 25, 2007

Mistwalker takes Blue Dragon sequel online

360 News | Blue Dragon

Mistwalker boss Hironobu Sakaguchi has told a Korean press conference that his studio is in talks with Microsoft regarding a Blue Dragon sequel for 360. Towards the end of March, Sakaguchi told us Blue Dragon "sold through more than 200,000 units in Japan and again it will continue to build momentum as we get into things like BD2 and BD3. And that's what we're hoping; to really build on the franchise. Maybe it'll take ten years (laughs)." Sakaguchi has now expressed his interest in the sequel ... » Read More

Apr 17, 2007

Blue Dragon anime heads west

360 News | Blue Dragon

If you're a bizarre anime-type, you'll be delighted to hear that San Francisco-based manga op Viz Media has acquired the rights to bring the Blue Dragon anime to North America and Europe. The license includes television, home video and non-videogame rights to the series that's just begun airing in The Land of The Rising Sun, and follows the story of young Shu who protects his land with the aid of his big navy ... » Read More

Mar 26, 2007

Long future planned for Blue Dragon

360 News | Blue Dragon

There's been talk of a sequel to Microsoft and Mistwalker's flagship Japanese RPG Blue Dragon for a while now, but series creator and RPG legend Hironobu Sakaguchi tells us his full vision for the series. "Blue Dragon has sold through more than 200,000 units in Japan and again it will continue to build momentum as we get into things like BD2 and BD3," Sakaguchi told us. "And that's what we're hoping; to really build on the franchise. Maybe it'll take ten years (laughs)." To date Blue Dragon ... » Read More

Mar 19, 2007

"Final Fantasy should come to Xbox 360," says...

360 News | Blue Dragon

After leaving the company to bring his RPG duo Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey to Xbox 360, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi says that Square Enix should bring Final Fantasy to Microsoft's console. The Mistwalker boss told GameSpot: "I feel that the Final Fantasy series should come to Xbox 360 as well. This is wise. It makes so much sense to me... it has so much potential in North America and in Europe. So there's a great chance for the series to succeed on 360 as well." Continuing the ... » Read More

Mar 19, 2007

Mistwalker: Blue Dragon demo 'maybe June/July'

360 News | Blue Dragon

Mistwalker's Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon has been a big hit in Japan and we get to dive into its full delights this August. However, we could well be getting to dip a toe a couple of months earlier, Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi telling GameSpot in a recent interview that the studio is making a playable Blue Dragon demo "maybe for June or July" release on Xbox Live Marketplace. As we reported earlier, there will also be downloadable content pumped out over a five to six month period following ... » Read More

Jan 24, 2007

Blue Dragon blowout

360 News | Blue Dragon

Last Friday we put up a preview of Blue Dragon - make sure you check it out if you missed it. It's the hottest RPG for the 360 so far this year, a tale of adventure that blends the classic styling of pre-Final Fantasy VII role playing greats, with top-notch animation and art direction. We dig ... » Read More

Dec 8, 2006

New Blue Dragon media sizzles with power

360 News | Blue Dragon

The eagerly-anticipated role player Blue Dragon came out in Japan this week. We've scored our copy, but we're so busy over here that we've only been able to plow through the first few moments of this epic adventure. That didn't stop us from putting up some new screens and video for you, though. Ready to check it out? Just pick a screenshot below and you'll catch a glimpse of the game's beginnings. Click the Movies tab above and check out the one dated "12-08-06" if you want to see the game in ... » Read More

Dec 8, 2006

Blue Dragon launches in Japan

360 News | Blue Dragon

A "launch party" was held at Yodobashi Camera Akiba (one of the biggest retail stores in Tokyo), where Japanese gamers waited to be the first to get their hands on the latest RPG from Hironobu Sakaguchi. To help ring in the occasion, top model Yoko Horiuchi was on-hand, showing her support as she is an avid fan of Akira Toriyama, the renowned artist behind the game (although she admits that she's never actually played the ... » Read More

Dec 4, 2006

Fresh look at Blue Dragon

360 News | Blue Dragon

This is a big week for Microsoft in Japan as Thursday sees the release of Blue Dragon, its Japanese-developed RPG that's specifically aimed at tempting Japanese gamers towards the Xbox 360. Take a look at the new screens by hitting the Images tab and the game's intro on the Movies tab above, titled "Blue Dragon - playable opening 12-04-06." The original Xbox didn't perform that well in the Japanese market and many experts put this down to the lack of traditional RPGs available for the console, ... » Read More

Oct 30, 2006

Blue Dragon fired up footage

360 News | Blue Dragon

Apart from staggering under the hefty title of the "game that is going to save 360 in Japan," Blue Dragon is also a rather stunning-looking RPG, as this clip of the combat system in action demonstrates. Created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the mind behind the first editions of the Final Fantasy series, the game harnesses the same traditional elements of orthodox turn-based encounters, random battle and wailing guitar solos, while also adding next-gen graphics and spectacular effects. Sounds good, ... » Read More

May 11, 2006

E3 06: Blue Dragon first look

360 News | Blue Dragon

By now everyone's tired of hearing about the uphill battle the Xbox 360 has in Japan. But the upshot of it is the amazing games Microsoft is creating to try and lure Japanese gamers into the fold - after all, what's good for them is good for us too. Blue Dragon is the first to come from Mistwalker, a studio formed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original creator of Final ... » Read More

May 10, 2006

Blue Dragon steps out of the shadows

360 News | Blue Dragon

Wednesday 10 May 2006 Microsoft has announced that Blue Dragon, a new role-playing game from Hironobu Sakaguchi - the creator of the Final Fantasy games - is currently in development for Xbox 360. Co-developed by Sakaguchi's Mistwalker studio and design company Artoon Co, Blue Dragon follows the fortunes of a young boy called Shu and his friends as they try to save their world which is under threat from an "antiquated race of people". While a bunch of kids doesn't seem like the most likely ... » Read More

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