Two New World of Mana Titles Set To Hit North America
Square Enix has announced that the two latest titles in their popular World of Mana series, Heroes of Mana and Dawn of Mana will be coming to North America later this year.
Dawn of Mana will be an action RPG produced exclusively for the PS2 and will be bringing the world of Mana series into 3d for the first time. Heroes of Mana is a real time strategy game for the DS and will utilize the touch screen and the Nintendo Wi-Fi ranking system so you can see how you stack up against other players from around the world.
I really enjoyed Legend of Mana when I played it a few years back and I'm looking forward to checking out the Dawn of Mana title. Just can't get enough of that Japanese 3D RPG goodness!
For the full press release, make the jump.
HEROES PREPARE FOR THE DAWNING OF A NEW MANA
DAWN of MANA and HEROES of MANA Announced for North America
LOS ANGELES (March 26, 2007) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that DAWN of MANA™, the next installment in the esteemed WORLD of MANA™ series, will ship to retail outlets across North America on May 22, 2007. This exciting PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system exclusive is the highly anticipated follow-up to SECRET of MANA™, the timeless classic that originally mesmerized North American audiences in 1993. For a limited time, Breath of MANA™, a sampler disc that contains selections from the soundtrack originally released in Japan, will be available at Amazon.com, Game Crazy, GameStop and EB Games as a gift with the purchase of DAWN of MANA. Also scheduled to arrive in late summer 2007 is HEROES of MANA™, an exciting real-time strategy game developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS™. Both entries in the WORLD of MANA series continue the legacy of the Mana name, as they provide fresh and unique takes on the familiar universe that has captured the hearts of fans around the world.
“The two latest entries in the WORLD of MANA series push the boundaries established in past titles to provide players with a new gaming experience inside a familiar setting,” said Koichi Ishii, creator of the WORLD of MANA series. “DAWN of MANA sets itself apart from action-RPGs of the past as an action-adventure game with an emphasis on action while HEROES of MANA, a strategy RPG, introduces entirely new real-time strategy elements to the series.”
Steeped in the rich tradition of the beloved Mana franchise, DAWN of MANA fuses innovative physics-based combat, lovable characters, and a compelling narrative that reveals the stunning genesis of the Mana universe. Freed from the limitations of two-dimensional graphics, DAWN of MANA brings the world of Mana into 3D for the first time while preserving the atmosphere that fans have come to know and love. New characters and environments join familiar monsters and elemental spirits from previous Mana titles, and are fleshed out through the wonders of cutting-edge rendering techniques that encapsulate the signature beauty and subtlety of the acclaimed series. Accompanying the visuals is a soul-stirring title track from acclaimed composer and Grammy and Academy Award winner Ryuichi Sakamoto, who has composed music for many notable Hollywood productions.
Breathing new life into the vaunted Mana franchise, HEROES of MANA takes the beloved series into an entirely new dimension. Generals will plan, plot and strategize their way to victory on the battlefield. Command an army of heroes, creatures and beloved rabites with the use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen, and experience an all-new perspective on the ever-evolving battle for the Mana Tree. Skilled players can see how they rank among other players around the world through the Nintendo Wi-Fi ranking system. HEROES of MANA is being developed by BROWNIE BROWN Inc. and is currently slated for a late summer release
Fruit Brute
Posted to Video Games on 27 March 2007
· Comments (5)
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Children on Mana left a little something to be desired, but I do love the Mana games. Legend of Mana was one of my favorites on the PSX.
Watch out, Dawn of Mana is getting TERRIBLE reviews in Japan. I mean, really really bad.
*sigh* I have hopes for Dawn of Mana, but I have to be realistic still. The games haven't been all that great since Seiken Densetsu 3. Why do they keep refusing to do the fun stuff?
From what I understand the reason that they don't make the game like the first three Secret of Mana games is because even though Square holds the rights to the Mana world almost all of the original creators went on do other things so they decided to make the Mana titles a little different each time. It drove all the fans on both sides of the pacific up the wall since the definitive "Mana" games were SD 2&3.
However, I do like Legend of Mana a great deal too. I had to have help shaping the map though. :P
Dawn of Mana is a pain :(