One of the most anticipated Playstation 3 games won’t arrive until 2010. White Knight Chronicles has been delayed until the first quarter of next year.
The much anticipated Playstation 3 game was a long time coming. White Knight Chronicles debuted in September of 2006 during the Tokyo Game Show. Although the trailer was done completely with CG, many were impressed with the game’s prospect due to the impressive visuals and seamless gameplay.
However, White Knight Chronicles would disappear from the radar after its debut. Unfortunately for Sony, this was a common occurrence for Playstation 3 games. Having to learn new hardware in addition to developing for high-definition resolutions caused unexpected lengthy development times. Thus, games that were built from scratch on the Playstation 3 took longer than usual.
To further compound the problem, the Playstation 3 was severely lacking in RPGs. The once popular genre has fallen by the wayside due in large part to companies not willing to invest projects on the low selling video game system. Sony needed White Knight Chronicles to lead the way so that third-party companies will follow in their lead.
After years of anticipation, White Knight Chronicles was finally released in late 2008 in Japan. Despite some low review scores, the Playstation 3 exclusive game was an instant hit with the Japanese fans. In addition to an epic story mode, players can also jump online and battle alongside with friends. White Knight Chronicles ended up being one of the best selling Playstation 3 games in Japan.
Sony Computer Entertainment America usually balks at localizing Japanese RPGs to the North American markets and, instead, lets third-party companies publish their games. This is especially true with the later titles in the Wild Arms series. The lone exception to this case is RPGs developed Level-5. The Japanese development company has proven throughout the years to deliver one hit after another. As a result, Sony Computer Entertainment America is holding on to the publishing rights for White Knight Chronicles.
The upcoming Playstation 3 game will include several enhancements and extras from the Japanese version due to the long gap between releases. Extra patches and content (such as the town building element) that came after the Japanese launch of White Knight Chronicles will be included on the disc in the North American release. Not to mention that it will also include improved combat and exploration elements. Finally, Level-5 might include voice chat and Japanese voices in the North American version.
So while White Knight Chronicles may be delayed into next year, the new content and improvements will be worth the wait.
