Trusty media for Trusty Bell
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jun 22nd 2006 at 3:15PM }
Xboxyde has posted several screenshots of Namco Bandai's upcoming game Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream. Yes, that Chopin. The game stars the tuberculous pianist and his friends Polka and Allegretto. Together, the group traverses a land where fatally ill people are given super powers. That's right, super powers.
I guess any RPG for 360 is better than nothing, right?
[Via 360Era]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ice Raider @ Jun 22nd 2006 3:38PM
Wow this is a new low.
jc @ Jun 22nd 2006 4:00PM
I like the idea of somthing different... unfortunately, I don't have much faith in Namco Banda.
"any RPG for 360 is better than nothing, right?" umm, what is Oblivion if it is not RPG.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_roleplaying_game
Mark Felps @ Jun 22nd 2006 6:54PM
I love it when the same media mavens gripe and complain about how all games are the same and the industry is moribund, and then crap on anything different.
Want to know the problem with the videogame industry? It's you, my friend.
Richard Mitchell @ Jun 22nd 2006 9:02PM
First, I'm flattered you consider me a maven. I've been doing this for about a week.
Second, when I crap on something, you'll know it. If you don't think the premise of this game is just a little on the "whacky" side, you're clearly missing the point.
I never expressed an opinion of like or dislike. I just said it's a weird premise. It *is* a weird premise, and I'm guessing it's supposed to be.
Personally, I think it could be really fun. And, as I said, *any* RPG on the 360 is a welcome sight. Oblivion is great and all, but I can still count all of the RPGs on the 360 with one finger.
Still, next time Namco releases a game about a dead composer adventuring in a magical land with his imaginary friends, I'll be sure and take it more seriously.
zenprism @ Jun 22nd 2006 9:04PM
Ok, so I wasn't that crazy about the game's description. Then I checked out the screens, and now I want this game. Bad.
Love the look. The classical theme fits after seeing the screens and characters. 360 needs more Japanese RPG's like this.
I'd buy it if Namco brings it over here.
Mark Felps @ Jun 23rd 2006 7:33AM
No, what you said was that it was "better than nothing", which is certainly expressing an opinion regarding perceived quality.
As for "whackiness", it's not so much that it's wacky as that it's different from what you're used to. That's the problem. Any time a developer steps a little outside the box of "they killed my people, I'm the chosen one, this time it's personal", games get described as wacky or unusual.
All this, mind you, about a game you haven't played.
EdwardA @ Jun 23rd 2006 9:59AM
Hey, bring it. I love games that twist history. I'll buy this.
Richard Mitchell @ Jun 23rd 2006 10:23AM
Clearly we won't agree on this, but I would like to say that wacky is not a derogatory term. The Wizard of Oz is wacky, Alice in Wonderland is wacky. That doesn't mean they're not wonderful stories. It's not wrong to acknowledge something unusual and lighthearted for what it is. Are you honestly telling me that this storyline isn't unusual? Not even a little bit? If you can honestly tell me that you didn't chuckle or roll your eyes when you read the concept, then I will concede everything. You win.
And yes, it hasn't come out. So all we have to work with is the description we're given, right? And, had I outright praised the game, it would have been praise for something I haven't played. It goes both ways. "Better than nothing" might have been a little snarky, but that's just how I roll, as they say.
Mark Felps @ Jun 23rd 2006 10:36AM
I genuninely didn't roll my eyes, chuckle, or snicker. Maybe I raised an eyebrow, but more at the daring of the developers to create a game so far outside the norm. That willingness also got me interested in the game. I can think of several other games that were viewed as wacky and strange that turned out to be brilliant, with Katamari Damacy leaping most immediately to mind.
I think a closer comparison can be made with the PS2 RPG series Shadow Hearts Covenant, which was originally described to me as a game where you search for gay porn to buy dresses for your magic doll. It was also one of the most interesting RPGs released for the PS2, largely eschewing the anemic storylines one finds in the typical Square-Enix products.
I've always found that one of the biggest problems of the XBox line was a lack of games that didn't fit the standard mold. Largely that's because of market share. If you have a 100 million buyers, you can manage to stay alive selling to smaller markets. But it's that kind of diversity that is the only real strength of the PS family, and the primary weakness of the XBox and XBox360.
So, when I hear that a company is doing some unusual on the 360, something that doesn't fit the steroetype of racer/shooter/sports game, it cheers me that maybe this generation at microsoft won't be exclusively about making the middle-class 18-24 demographic happy, that maybe MS and their developers are serious about expanding the market. To do that, you have to be willing to try something new, even if it raises a few eyebrows.
Honestly, if you'd never played a Nintendo game in your life, and someone told you about a game that featured an Italian plumber who could throw fireballs, eat magic mushrooms, and had a buddy who swallowed people whole and then spit them out as eggs, it would be hard to believe they were describing one of the most sucessful video game series in history.
I wouldn't suggest that you praise a game you haven't played. I think what I'm looking for is the benefit of the doubt. A willingness to keep an open mind when something strange comes to town. It's the stuff outside the norm that hides the gold, after all.
Richard Mitchell @ Jun 23rd 2006 11:01AM
Hear, hear!
I gotta say Mark, I agree with you 100%. It hurt to see all the original games just flying past the Xbox and landing on the PS2. Hopefully we'll see a change in this generation. Games like Trusty Bell could very well lead the charge. Maybe I'll tune down the snarkiness when talking about original ideas. But I still don't have to like sports games...
And, as a side note, I always wondered how the hell anybody came up with Super Mario :)
Mark Felps @ Jun 23rd 2006 11:20AM
Magic mushrooms, natch.
epobirs @ Jun 24th 2006 9:36PM
I think you mean tubercular to decribe someone suffuring from tuberculosis.
I really like this project so far. It's good to see developers exploring new ground for a tried and true genre that has become trying by being true to worn out storylines and cliches.
I agree that this has some commonality with the Shadow Hearts series which has avoided being the same old thing with closer to modern settings and drawing on historical figures.
As for whackiness, whacky is good. What do two of the most successful RPGs of all time, the Kingdom Hearts series, have going for them if not whackiness? Who would ever have thought you could take just about every animated Disney character and myriad teen-age version of Square's more memorable characters, throw them all on the same stage, and have it work?
Japanese games are always going to be in limited supply on the Xbox 360. If it's a choice between something conventional that could just be a port or an original product that is truly original as well as unique to the 360, I'll take the latter every time.