Skip to main content

Ryu vs. Space Channel 5: Project X Zone for Nintendo 3DS gets an unlikely US release

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bringing video games from Japan to the United States has never been an easy process. Even at the apex of the Nintendo DS’ popularity at the end of last decade, when publishers like Atlus were localizing niche titles like Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: The Endless Frontier, just because a game existed in Japan didn’t mean it would be translated for the US and Europe. Plenty of excellent games like 7th Dragon, an RPG by the creator of Phantasy Star, have languished in the language they were written in rather than get the worldwide exposure they deserve.

Project X Zone for Nintendo 3DS looked like it would be one of those games when it released in fall 2012. Not only was it a Japanese strategy RPG, but it’s also a crossover between Namco, Capcom, and Sega, making it a niche title that’s also a licensing nightmare for IP holders. Project X Zone is beating the odds, though. Namco Bandai announced the game for a worldwide release on Monday.

Project X Zone is the first title to ever combine such a large cast of characters from a varied list of game franchises into one grand adventure,” said Namco’s VP of marketing Carlson Choi. His enthusiasm for the game is appreciated, since it means that Namco Bandai has decided that there’s enough of an audience for the game outside Japan to justify its release.

Zone isn’t technically the first game to feature this sort of massive IP crossover, though. It’s not even the first in the series. Namco and Capcom have collaborated on a number of the X (which stands for cross) games, including last year’s Street Fighter X Tekken. Project X Zone’s progenitor, though, was an excellent PlayStation 2 RPG called Namco X Capcom, that pitted characters as disparate as Klonoa and Morrigan against each other. The only RPG in the series to make it to the US before now was Cross Edge, a PS3 exclusive that featured characters from Darkstalkers and more obscure RPGs like Disgaea and Maha Khemia.

Project X Zone features characters from franchises both popular and deeply obscure. Ryu from Street Fighter appearing alongside Ulala from Sega’s Space Channel 5? Strange, but fantastic.

Editors' Recommendations

Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
Mecha Break’s robot customization shakes up the battle royale formula
Mecha Break robot head with glowing blue eyes

Mecha Break isn't the kind of multiplayer game you can master right away.

You might equip a lance that you barely know how to use because it seemed like a good idea, and spend the rest of a round attempting to bash yourself into enemies to help your teammates. It incorporates action that's more similar to that of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon than it is to the shooter-focused gameplay in Gundam Evolution, Bandai Namco's multiplayer mecha shooter that shut down last year. Overwatch does come to mind, but in a way where mechs are still the focus rather than the pilots within them.

Read more
Visions of Mana paints a promising picture of the RPG series’ return
Red-haired girl with horns and dragon wing in Visions of Mana

The vibrant settings and character designs in Visions of Mana instantly alerted me that I'd be knee-deep into fantasy, riding on the back of a giant black wolf into the grassy plains of Fallow Steppe. A lush landscape welcomed me as I chatted with my teammates on top of my mount and tussled with little woodland monsters.

I had this experience at this year's PAX East, where I went hands-on with a demo of the upcoming RPG. I never played previous Mana games, but I have enough experience with RPGs and real-time combat to name it one of the most gorgeous, action-packed games I played at the show. The shiny open-world and slick combat I experienced point to a strong comeback for the Mana series coming later this summer.

Read more
Sega lays off 240 workers and sells Company of Heroes 3 studio
sega lets relic entertainment go independent company of heroes 3 girl

Sega Europe is going through some major restructuring, and as a result, it is laying off about 240 developers and letting Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment spin off as an independent company.

Although Sega's Japanese developers are known for their platformers, action games, and RPGs, its European output is more strategy game-focused. A key component of that was Relic Entertainment, which has made games like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, Age of Empires IV, and Company of Heroes 3 over the past decade. With the help of investment company Emona Capital, Relic is buying itself back from Sega and going independent for an undisclosed amount. Relic addressed going independent on X (formerly Twitter) with a message.

Read more