Although this game was one of the first role playing games to be released on the original Playstation in Japan, it would end up being the one of the last RPGs on the original PS1 in America. Arc the lad spawned several sequels and an anime series. Ironically, even though it was Sony Computer Entertainment themselves who owned the franchise, the ‘anti-2-d’ stance of its American branch was the main factor that prevented this game’s release. Working Designs (best known for its U.S.releases of Lunar) even attempted to score the U.S. publishing rights to the three games, but they were denied by Sony. However, things turned around thanks to new management at Sony and the success of other RPGs, most notable Final Fantasy VII and VIII. After several months of delays, Working Designs finally gave us the chance to play this classic. Not only that, we got all three PS1 games to boot. Arc the Lad Collection carried a $75 price tag, but being able to play this classic RPG series made the hefty price worth it.

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It’s over! The last of our three-part coverage of TGS 2007!

In this final installment, we cover:

Microsoft’s Booth
The Retro Video Game Awards
Pixel Junk Racers
…and our final thoughts about TGS

YouTube

Video Netcast
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Famicom Dojo – TGS 2007 Special – Part 3

Show notes after the jump:

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As seen on Anime News Network, Leonardo DiCaprio has been announced to produce Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira manga into two live-action films; one set for a 2009 release, and another that has yet to have it’s release date projected.

“Each film will cover three volumes of the renowned science-fiction manga about a governmental genetic project and a teenager’s attempt to save a fellow biker gang member.

The manga set in Neo-Tokyo, a city rebuilt after being destroyed in a mysterious explosion. Otomo directed his own animated film adaptation that premiered on July 16, 1988 — the same day that the story has the fictional Tokyo being destroyed. The first live-action film is scheduled for release in the summer of 2009 and will move the story’s setting to “‘New Manhattan,’ a city rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years ago.” “

So, it looks like not only will we be getting DiCaprio as a producer, they’re also going to try and adapt the original plot and premise to suit American ideals. Because that’ll go over well with fans of the anime movie and manga, I’m sure.

Warner Brothers originally had rights to the movie, until Executive Vice-President Greg Silverman (300, Batman Begins) had to re-acquire them from Kodansha after a large bidding war ensued. Ruairi Robinson will be making his feature directorial debut with this project, and Gary Whitta (Book of Eli) is taking the reigns of script-writing. Nothing has been mentioned about casting as of yet. Looks like we’ll all have to keep our eyes on this one, though I wouldn’t hold out much hope.

A while ago I featured Taito Legends 2, this game’s console counterpart. For those of you looking for classic action on the go, you can’t go wrong here. It features a smaller selection of games than Taito Legends 2, mostly covering the late 70s to the late 80s. You’ll find classics such as Space Invaders and Rastan along with more obscure games such as Cameltry and Legend of Kage. Similar to Namco Museum for PSP, this disc contains remixed versions of 5 of the games, complete with remade sound and graphics. If you’ve got Taito Legends 2, then you’ve seen most of these games before, but the 5 remixed games, as well as the ability to have these games in your pocket make up for it.

This past week, I featured Twisted Metal Head On: Extra Twisted Edition, so it’s only fair that I feature another car combat game. This game was even developed by SingleTrac, the team behind Sony’s car combat series. Due to creative differences with Sony, SingleTrac briefly split with them, developing this game for GT interactive. When this game was created, the car combat genre was full of copy cats. Many of them weren’t very good. Some of the more notable failures included a WWE car combat spinoff and a Star Wars title that forced players to stop and refuel every few seconds. It’s only fitting that one of the few good games in the genre was created by the developers who innovated it.
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Before God of War, Jak and Daxter, Resistance, Ratchet and Clank, or Sly Cooper, Twisted Metal was the big Playstation franchise. The second game in the series was regarded as one of the best games on the original Playstation. TM3 and 4 weren’t nearly as well received. Twisted Metal Black on the PS2 abandoned the series’s light hearted tone in favor of a darker atmosphere, with the weirdos of previous installments replaced with crazed lunatic serial killers. Fans loved it, and there would even be an online version released a short while later. When the Playstation Portable was released, Twisted Metal Head On was a launch title for the system. Rather than expanding upon TMB’s dark theme, it instead decided to revive the light-hearted atmosphere of Twisted Metal 2, focusing on its best features. In fact, its storyline removed Twisted Metal 3 and 4 from the series canon and regulated Black as being a dream inside Sweet Tooth’s head. Now for the benefit for those who refuse to buy a PSP, Twisted Metal Head On cones to Playstation 2 with a few new features.
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Although it’s all but unknown over here, Hirohiko Araki’s manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has enjoyed a sizable following in its native Japan. A bizarre mash up of vampires, martial artists, fortune tellers, superheroes, and gangsters, Jojo is a story about the trials and tribulations of the Joestar family. A major focus of the series are the stands, psychic entities which grant their users powers. Much of the series has been inspired by music, as it features several characters who have been named after songs, rappers, and rock bands. The series has been divided into 6 arcs, each taking place in a different time period and centered around a different main character. Capcom produced a series of games based on the third story arc, in which Jotaro Joestar, his grandfather, and their allies travel to Egypt to defeat a vampire in order to save Jotaro’s mother from her own stand (don’t ask). Although they are fighting games, they are as far removed from Street Fighter as they get. The first game, Jojo’s Venture, was released in the arcades in 1998 and was bought to the PS1 and Dreamcast with exclusive features. In typical Capcom fashion, Jojo’s Venture received a championship edition-style update complete with new characters and features known as Heritage for the Future. A third game was released in Japan for the PS2, but never made it over here.
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A while ago EA announced a partnership with legendary director Steven Spielberg to produce new video games, many of us shuddered to think of the Atari 2600 version of E.T.

What actually happened is a puzzle game for Wii that I can only think to describe as “Combat Jenga.” Looks fun, though I don’t think I can decipher the rules or gameplay from this trailer.