Gyromancer is the brainchild of Square Enix and PopCap, the makers of Bejeweled, the game that kick-started our universal matching addiction. The two companies have combined to produce a beautiful puzzle-RPG that will very likely give me the arthritis in my Xbox hand(s). The best part? I’ll be suffering for a mere 1200 Microsoft points ($15 for you PC people).

Here’s a video, but be warned: if you watch this, all those holiday plans may just poof right into thin air as you find yourself racing to get your hands on this bad boy. Sometimes, downloadable games can just be a little too convenient.

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If you’ve seen the trailers before then you’re probably familiar with the graphics, but I believe this is our first glimpse at the HUD and controls of the game. Also, BIG-ASS SWORD!

I don’t know why this dude and his MegaBastard Sword only appears at the very beginning of the game – although it seemed like whoever was playing could control Sir Huge Sword here, note that the HUD is absent – but according to 1UP’s Kevin Gifford, players will be able to customize and  swing huge swords. But of course, even heroes have to start somewhere – here’s the puny little fight stick the king gives the hero as he starts on his quest:

According to the same 1UP article that I linked to above, players will be able to choose from three archetypes – the Hero, the Prince, and the Adventurer. If you like none of those three, you can make your own hero, dot by dot, and even customize its animation. Going back to the footage, here’s the world map, which is very reminiscent of Link’s Map in the first Zelda, except that this one is pseudo-3D:

All in all, the game does have a very old school feel, but the cute graphics will probably lure in kids as well. Gamersyde is have bandwidth problems so they’ve disabled embedding for now, meaning I can’t post the video here, but all you have to do is go here to watch the high quality version, and here for the low quality one. You can also download the video if you want.  The Japanese version of 3D Dot Game Heroes just dropped this week; a North American release is coming, but we don’t know when exactly.

The game uses our expectations and past experience with RPGs and throws all of that – the 8-bit graphics, character portraits in dialogues, conventional plots, grinding, item buying, dialogue etc – in fast forward, which makes sense because if you’re not going to see anything new anyway, might as well zip through to the end right? And PerLee mentions repeatedly in his preview that the game is consistently funny and self-aware, and that’s a huge plus for me. Here’s a video of the gameplay from the Japanese release of the game. The video has spoilers (especially if you can read Japanese) towards the end but it also shows the 30 second system at work pretty well so… watch at least the first 3 minutes, then stop if you want.

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As you saw in the video the 30-second time limit can be extended in exchange for money, but the whole thing was still freakin frantic. Half-Minute Hero isn’t just an RPG; The RPG part is just one of the 4 gameplay modes in the game. There’s also a shmup, a survival/king of the hill mode and even an RTS (!) mode, with each mode assigned to a stereotypical character. The hero gets the RPG mode, a princess is in the shoot ‘em up, a knight defends a mage in the king of the hill mode, and an evil boss is the character in the RTS mode. Here’s a shaky and quite awkward interview by Unit of True Game Headz with Jimmy Soga of XSEED.

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This and Persona may just be the ones that will make me use my PSP again. Hopefully the humor is really present throughout the game. You can pre-order Half-Minute Hero at Amazon for $28 (USD). Check out Destructoid for the full article for more info.

While I’m torn on the overall idea of breaking retail games up into episodic download packs –  just feels like the top of a possibly slippery slope to me — the idea of an entire portion of the game, without restrictions on saves and such, is very appealing.

No pricing available yet, other than the fact this is fully downloadable content and will not require the disc. The episodes will even work with previously available DLC packs… and the whole package debuts next month.

Also announced, to no one’s surprise, was Fable III, scheduled for release next year. Preliminary image looks nice!

[via Joystiq]

I don’t know much about this guy, other than the fact that he is ninja-silent and thoroughly bad. I do, however, know that this game cannot possibly come out soon enough. Mass Effect was an incredible experience and from everything released on this one, so far? It looks like it might really be better.

And you’d better be, too. Word is that decisions in this one might be deadly, and I’m not saying for your squadmates. I’m saying for you. Or your version of Shepard, anyway.

If you missed Thane’s debut in the trailer, you can check it out here.

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[via Joystiq]

Tingle, a spin-off from The Legend of Zelda series, first appeared in Majora’s Mask for the Nintendo 64. A new Japanese website has turned up, advertising what is likely a new Tingle game, though the details are almost nonexistent (and also, in Japanese). The site does feature a date, however: June 18. It seems likely an announcement will be forthcoming soon.

Tingle’s last outing was never cleared for U.S. release (though it appeared in Europe) and is a cult favorite simply due to the oddity of the character and his game. Can’t wait to see what he might do next!

[Tingle website via Joystiq Nintendo]

GemVenture has character classes, spells, and gem matching–everything you need to fight an epic battle. You’ve also got to have an NES emulator, of course, and a lot of time on your hands. I just did a little test play and lost an hour of my life.I could stack up gems all day long.

[GemVenture via TinyCartridge]

Looks like we’ve got a solid formula here: the cocky guy and the steadfast, settled companion. Expect hijinks to ensue (and flying, did I mention flying?). To get a glimpse of the brewing mystery yourself, check out the video.

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The Crystal Bearers was first announced four years (!) ago and was long rumored to be canceled. With the little we’ve heard, I’m always happy to see something new, even if it’s not really new.

[via Joystiq]

Square Enix site members are invited to apply for a chance to check out Blood of Bahamut in mid-May at the Square Enix headquarters in Tokyo, which means there will be loads of impressions available on the Internet the day after.

If you’re concerned about Square Enix doing something new, take heart; it’s not that different. This game will be full of espers you know (and maybe love). This is just taking some of the familiar imagery in a new collection. As for newness… well, considering Square Enix’s last new project was the fantastic The World Ends With You–also a DS title–frankly, I wish they’d stick to new projects for a while!

[Square Enix member site via Siliconera]

The DSiWare title, called Phantasy Star Zero Mini (no, really), is apparently some sort of companion to Phantasy Star Zero for the DS itself, though just what kind of companion, there’s no telling. However, there is this: when it drops, the RPG will support four-player wireless co-op and a visual chat feature, and all for only 200 Nintendo points.

Of course, there’s no word yet on an English-language version. The game comes out this month in Japan, and I can only hope Sega might see the potential for sales (only 200 points!) outside their home turf.

[via WiiWare World]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has a rocky history. The Wii game was first announced almost four years ago and in that time, we’ve seen only a few images and tiny scraps of footage. It was obvious that this was something different, however; a bigger, grander Final Fantasy with more action, more camp, and more fun–not that the series has ever lacked for fun.

But the game disappeared, and we didn’t hear anything new. Rumors of cancellation plagued the project until finally it was announced that a trailer would be packaged with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, and that time is now.

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The Crystal Bearers is Final Fantasy amplified, even down to the giant versions of familiar enemies. The music is as good as ever, and memorable, but everything about this trailer, including that music, is touched with a sense of pure, silly fun. The Crystal Bearers looks like a grand and epic adventure, deserving of the Final Fantasy brand, but it’s a whole new take on the series.

[via GoNintendo]

The Dragon Quest Slime Speaker Stand is useful–it holds your DS and includes a speaker–but mostly, it’s just a giant slime, designed for the person who really loves them some Dragon Quest. Usefulness only goes so far when you’re talking about dropping ¥4725 (appx. $51 USD) on a cool accessory that makes your portable gaming system somewhat less portable.

The stand will be available from Hori, along with these clear cases designed for the new DSi.

[Gigazine via NeoGAF]

It seems that piggy banks that double as tiny gaming machines are quite the happening trend in Japan these days. These simpler banks offer a variety of money-saving experience for the gamer who doesn’t need much razzle-dazzle. The Jinsei Ginko, shown above, is like a Tamagotchi or other virtual pet: you “feed” your tiny stickman your cold, hard cash. The more he “eats,” the more he succeeds. When your little guy gets enough money, he’s rewarded with a sweet crib and a loving sticklady. If only real life were so simple.

If the idea of a virtual pet makes you want to bury your money in the backyard instead, you could try Bankquest, a simple RPG, or Ikemen Bank, a heart-shaped bank with a dating sim.

Of course, in order to actually use these banks, you’ll probably need to convert all your money to yen. At least that will make you less likely to spend it… unless you happen to be in Japan.

[Wired via Kotaku]