Not one, but two amazing RPG announcements have been made for the DS this morning. First up, a timeless masterpiece of epic proportions -- second, a brand-new addition to the acclaimed Tales series. We could go on about what we prefer, but it really doesn't matter. Life is good.

Tales of Hearts has been scanned from Shonen Jump and shipped over the intertrons for your viewing enjoyment. The image is skint on details, but two characters make an apperance in anime and real ... human form. The release is scheduled near the end of the year -- just hope it makes it to America, unlike another awesome game.

I saw about this, this morning, but saw no concrete looking evidence. All that is left now is a PSP Tales of game and it is a whole this generation set, heh. Perhaps the real looking characters are from the cut scenes, maybe.

They've already announced Radiant Mythology 2 for the PSP. Unless you meant an "original" Tales game, but still...That would fill the quota of a Tales game being released on just about every "new" console. =).

Yes, that was what I ment. I have no idea what Radiant Mythology is, though...

At a promotional event in Japan for all things Tales, a number of guest speakers showcased plenty of new ideas and media for the groin-grabbingly popular RPG franchise. Some footage from the upcoming Tales of Hearts was featured along with running commentary, but our general stupidness prevents any translation. However, you can still see the game in action, as the charming little sprite characters duke it out in a beautifully detailed world.

This is self-inflicted pain. If you allow yourself to get excited over each superb entry in the Tales series, you'll wind up cold and alone. There's nothing more depressing than a neglected RPG.

New Information has also emerged on the recently revealed Tales of Heart for the Nintendo DS. Players will be given the choice of viewing Cut-scenes in 2D Anime Art, or CG Animation. It is rumoured that Production I.G, the same company assisting with Wario Land for Wii, will be handling the Anime side of things.

It is unclear whether this subsequent choice would require two versions of the game for retail, or if Namco-Bandai will squeeze it all on one DS Cart.

UPDATE: A new and improved trailer...
TRAILER

Whilst I have absolutely nothing against the visual style of the actual game footage (actually find it quite appealing - especially for a handheld) I am not impressed with the CG cut scenes in the least. I have always been a fan of the anime sequences in this series and it was one of the reasons I picked up ToS in the first place - I'm just praying that this is not a sign of things to come.

According to a Famitsu interview, producer Hideo Baba says that “Hearts” was chosen for the title because of its themes of interpersonal connections that go beyond communication and stretch more deeply into feeling and emotion. It also ties in the courage he feels the characters show and his own personal desire to commemorate the past…in whatever way. The much-discussed switches from traditional sprites in the regular game to realistic models in the videos represents his wanting to express both the old and the new in the same game.

here's to hoping. This looks like a really fun game, and I'm prett ybig on those kinds of games XD

V-Jump magazine in Japan recently revealed two new characters for the upcoming DS RPG Tales of Hearts.

The male, Hisui Hearts (brother of the protagonist Kohak Hearts), and appears to use a crossbow-like weapon. The female in the scan was revealed to be named Ines Lorenz (on the left), who appears to wield a sword in the game. Other than names, their roles in the game are unknown.

Tales of Hearts will be released on the DS in Japan in Winter of this year, with no confirmed release for any other region.

August 26, 2008 - Following up on yesterday's story about Namco's plans for two versions of Tales of Hearts, a few new details on the game have come our way through the game's official site.

The site introduces a couple of new characters who join previously announced Shing Meteorite and Kohaku Hearts as protagonists. First up is Koahku's older brother, Hisui. Voiced (in the Japanese version) by Masaya Matsukaze, the 18-year-old Hisui is strongly protective of his sister. Also introduced at the site is Innes Lorenz. Voiced by Shizuka Ito, Innes runs her own delivery shop and is tougher than she appears (but apparently not tough enough to tell the truth about her weight).


Also introduced at the site is the game's battle system. As previously announced, Hearts makes use of the Combination Aerial LMBS system, and advanced version of the Aerial LMBS battle system from Tales of Destiny. The "combination" part of the system comes from a new combination gauge. When this gauge fills up, you can select to perform combination attacks with party members who aren't on the battle field. Candidates for your combo pairings appear on the touch screen, and are accessible with a simple tap.


Joining the combination gauge is the emotion gauge. This gauge appears to control how many consecutive moves you can make. It depletes as you make attacks, and recovers automatically when you're resting. When the gauge is full, you can make more moves but have weaker defense. On the flip side, when the gauge is low, you can't attack as much, but your defense rises. The official site also mentions that the gauge is influenced by character relationships, although it doesn't get into specifics.


You can see the new characters and gameplay systems for yourself at the Tales of Hearts official site. As we noted yesterday, to access the site's content, you'll have to first make your choice of CG or anime character designs.


Tales of Hearts is set for a December release in Japan.