Link: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176038
The above is a ranking. Capcom's new game involves being a ranker. Otherwise, no relation. Sorry for the confusion.
Capcom announced Last Ranker this week, a wholly new game in development for the PSP. The RPG stars Zig, a young man who's left his nomadic people in order to join the nation's military commission and become its top-ranked fighter. He's joined by Ren, former nobility of a now-lost kingdom who's trying to restore her name and dominion, and his former friend Faz takes a rival role in the game's plot.
Last Ranker is immediately noteworthy for the people working on it. The game is produced by Minae Matsukawa (Ace Attorney series) and directed by Kazuya Niinou, the creator of Etrian Odyssey and 7th Dragon. Development is being handled by imageepoch (Niinou's outfit), with character design by Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Breath of Fire series), music by Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts series), and a story by Kazushige Nojima, who worked on both Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII.
"This project first began with discussion between Capcom and imageepoch about making an RPG," Matsukawa told Famitsu magazine this week. "From our perspective, this is the first RPG Capcom's made in a while, so we wanted to try something new with a new set of people. That's how myself and Niinou formed a partnership. We talked with imageepoch about how we needed people who could create a new brand, so we went around convincing -- almost forcing, really -- the current staff to join us."
The way director Niinou put it to Famitsu, the story gets much of its inspiration from the fighting, friendships and rivalries you often see in kid-oriented Japanese manga. "The world is a bit unique," he said, "in that most of the population is composed of fighters. They're registered with the war commission and get assigned a ranking which is displayed above their heads in the game. The idea is to defeat your opponents and work your way toward the #1 rank. Along the way you encounter assorted drama involving the winners and losers, the pressure you feel as you reach the top ranks, and the true meaning behind your victories. It's not just about winning all the time; as you fight, you learn about the world and the conflicts between its people."
Last Ranker's battle system is Niinou's personal take on the traditional RPG turn-based jobbie, with some real-time aspects thrown in for variety. "It's not the type where you choose commands," Niinou said. "There's a realtime aspect to it, where you push a button and the character moves and attacks. It's an RPG, though, so it's not an action-based system where you're directly dodging the enemy and attacking. We retain the core of turn-based battle while letting you decide when to attack and defend." Niinou also said that Zig will generally fight alone, and you'll have a main weapon (usually your sword) and a freely-selectable sub weapon available at all time.
The game is currently pegged at 40 percent complete and is due out next year in Japan. No US release has been announced yet.
* We dont know anything about this game except this small piece of info but im pumped just for the fact that Tatsuya Yoshikawa the official artist of BoF is the Art directer, his art in BoF was amazing i'll get some to show
