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Eternal Sonata PS3 gets firm date News

PlayStation 3 Wii News by Robert Purchese

13 January, 2009

Atari has whipped out the calendar and circled February dates for Eternal Sonata PS3 and Family Ski & Snowboard.

The Japanese role-playing game will be with us on 13th February, which is well over a year after the Xbox 360 release. However, developer tri-Crescendo has used the extra time productively, adding new quests, battles and even multiple endings.

Pop over to our Eternal Sonata Xbox 360 review for an idea of what to expect.

Family Ski & Snowboard - Family Ski with snowboards - arrives slightly later on 27th February following its Japanese release in November.

This sporty Wii outing uses the balance board for control in conjunction with Wiimote and nunchuk. There's also Mii avatar support and multiplayer for four people on one console.

Ellie quite liked Family Ski, if only briefly, and the promise of more content and beefier features places the sequel somewhere on our 'what else can we do with our balance board' list.

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Comments: 1-26 of 26 in total

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Widge
13/01/09 @ 13:53
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*imported it*
Crofto
13/01/09 @ 13:59
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"However, developer tri-Crescendo has used the extra time productively, adding new quests, battles and even multiple endings."

Hmmm, this could improve the game greatly over the 360 version which is notorious for its repetitive dungeon layout and re-used enemy sprites. Hopefully they've improved the God-awful side-quest involving the music score pieces too.
siro
13/01/09 @ 14:03
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Eternal Sonata is less than a tenner nowadays on 360, isn't it? I see huge sales numbers for the PS3 version (not).
Widge
13/01/09 @ 14:08
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I only played a bit of it before Valkyria Chronicles came along and I immediately hit that. The first sewers type place I went through was pretty much exclusively populated by rats, the foresty place has been populated by strange duck things and coconuts that turn massive in the shade. Its not a massively wide variety so far.

Having said that, its gorgeous to look out, stands out amongst the rather generic looking jRPGs that have been surfacing recently. The combat system is ok (which I'm glad about as the Star Ocean ones are a bit sucky imo, and while similar, this has been more fun). I like the music and the gentleness of the game too.

I don't see why this wouldn't sell alright on the PS3... unless you find it graphically a turn off and generally prefer your games to feature one lead character who is a stubbly man with an assortment of firearms.
GamesConnoisseur
13/01/09 @ 14:08
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I honestly doubt they would have radically changed the 'repetitive dungeion layout and reused enemy sprites' as put by Crofto as otherwise they could have released it as the sequel!

Sure PS3 version will have added items and quests but the central game would be the same!
Der_tolle_Emil
13/01/09 @ 14:20
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I really enjoyed Eternal Sonata. If I had a PS3 I would probably get it to play it with the added bonus content.

Also good to see Family Ski & Snowboard getting a spring release. I would have gotten Family Ski as well but since that was released sometime in summer I really wasn't in the mood for a game like it.
berelain
13/01/09 @ 14:21
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Meh, great. I was completely underwhelmed by Eternal Sonata on the 360 because, beautiful art style aside, theres just nothing to it. The story is bollocks, the cutscenes dull, the battle system overly simplistic and the overall design of the enemies and dungeons repetitive. Yes, it looks great, but that doesnt carry the game through enough. One of the most boring JRPGs I've ever played, and I'm normally a fan of the genre.
FenderMaster
13/01/09 @ 14:26
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if this was released before christmas, it would have been a definite purchase, but now i'm jobless and have yet to finish Valkyria Chronicles, Naruto: UNS or PoP, I just cant justify the purchase

+ I think I'mgetting a little old for jrpgs T_T
kissthestick
13/01/09 @ 14:33
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wheres my tales of vesperia scamco?
Collymilad
13/01/09 @ 14:35
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It wont be radically changed.

It will be the same occasionally touching and frequently boring RPG that came out last year with a few token extras added on.

You know it's the truth.
Aretak
13/01/09 @ 15:01
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Eternal Sonata is one of the best games released thusfar this generation. I've completed it twice on the 360, but I'll still be buying the PS3 version to play through it again.
boabg
13/01/09 @ 15:19
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I thought Eternal Sonata was a rather excellent little game. I'll probably buy this version if the extras are substantial enough and it's cheap enough.
Widge
13/01/09 @ 15:33
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The game is extended by about a quarter I seem to remember reading on IGN.
farticusmaximus
13/01/09 @ 15:38
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Eternal Sonata was a pretty but ultimately soulless and vapid game, and should fit in quite nicely with the PS3's catalogue.

It had none of the interesting elements that make the good JRPG's great. Item crafting, hidden quests, collectables, etc. Also it was too linear and the combat/stats was all far too shallow.

Looks great in stills though, and that's what counts, eh?

boabg
13/01/09 @ 15:55
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From my booze riddled haze I call my memory even I can remember at least some secondary/hidden quests.
Irien
13/01/09 @ 15:58
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I played Eternal Sonata on 360 in co-op mode, sharing chars with GF on second controller. She'd never played a JRPG before and absolutely adored the game, despite it being one of the more surreal examples. Co-op gameplay in RPGs is definately something more devs should consider...

Curious about the multiple endings, because the original was just plain wierd. The "typical medival fantasy" part of the story just kinda stopped after a random boss battle, and then the game shifted to a complete separate "end section" for the Chopin story. The whole thing seemed rather nonsensical, although the GF didn't seem to notice! Would be interested to hear what they've added to flesh this out.
Cappy
13/01/09 @ 16:10
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If only somebody could wave a magic wand and turn it into Valkyria Chronicles 2. I'd settle for an expansion pack with just a few missions even.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 13/01/09 @ 16:10
spookyzombie
13/01/09 @ 16:22
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Will ES have trophies I wonder?
Der_tolle_Emil
13/01/09 @ 16:29
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Of course Eternal Sonata was like a 'JRPG lite' but that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it. It was a nice distraction and it wouldn't matter if I would only have half an hour to play it. I really like RPGs but sometimes the amount of time they require put me off a bit. The quite linear style of ES made it easy to just pick it up and play for a while.
tomkuryakin
13/01/09 @ 16:29
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Opinion on Eternal Sonata seems evenly spilt. I always thought it looked interesting, indeed I considered buying a 360 to play it and Lost Odyssey.

Dear Sony, how about a bundle with Eternal Sonata, Valkyria Chronicles and an extra DS3 controller? Make it £250 and I would be extra tempted. Added value and money off, you see?
Widge
13/01/09 @ 17:01
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No trophies on my copy

EDIT:

I didn't know it was co-op. Hell if they made it real time as opposed to turn based, this could have been the new Secret Of Mana!
Edited 1 times, most recently on 13/01/09 @ 17:02
Cappy
13/01/09 @ 17:24
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All games certified this year have to include trophies so the Euro version might get them.

I bet the game was put through certification last year then sat on to avoid putting in the extra work though.
michaelius
13/01/09 @ 17:37
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They better make it half price from start. There's no way I'm paying 40 pounds for it.
Gaol
13/01/09 @ 17:57
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Imported it, about 25 hours in. Very nice rpg but they have upped the 'difficulty' on PS3. As difficulty in JRPG terms simply means time spent grinding, it does mean I am getting a bit bored towards the end. There's also a few additional dungeons and characters, which again = grinding.

It was probably a better length before.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 14/01/09 @ 00:52
Slipstream
13/01/09 @ 20:51
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There are also 2 Additional playable characters aswell. One of them I REALLY wanted to be playable on the 360 version but he never was.
His character design alone tempts me to this version >.
farticusmaximus
14/01/09 @ 10:52
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@Der_tolle_Emil

Although I got bored of ES toward the end I have to agree. It was JRPG-Lite, but the linear levels, easy combat and practical irrelevant of special attacks or itemisation made it an easy game to pick up every now and then, instead of the close stat/ability watching of more in-depth JRPG's.

Even though I never completed it I still enjoyed what I played of it.

Comments: 1-26 of 26 in total

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