Press Release: Namco Hometek Inc. Announces Xenosaga™ Der Wille zur Macht Release Date For North America
From Videogame Morgue File
Namco Hometek Inc. Announces Xenosaga™ Der Wille zur Macht Release Date For North America[edit]
Namco Combines an Immersive Story, Stimulating Cinematics, and Outstanding Battle Action to Redefine the "Role Playing-Adventure" Genre with the Long Awaited Xenosaga™ Der Wille zur Macht
San Jose, Calif., December 13, 2002 - Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the highly anticipated role playing-adventure game, Xenosaga™ EPISODE I, Der Wille zur Macht is scheduled for a North American release date of February 25th, 2003 - and will be exclusively available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Featuring over 80 hours of game play, Xenosaga™ combines stimulating graphics, a seamless storyline and exquisite music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra to deliver a truly cinematic, sensory-absorbing gaming experience. "The beautiful graphics and immersive story of Xenosaga™ will certainly appeal to both traditional RPG fans and casual gamers who are interested in experiencing an amazing science-fiction and space-themed adventure," said Stacey Hirata, Namco director of marketing. Developed by Monolith Software, Xenosaga™ was initially launched in Japan where it was greeted with extraordinary fanfare and praise as it topped the charts as one of the best selling games in its genre. While many fans believe a direct correlation exists between Xenosaga™ and the preceding Xenogears, vice chairman of the board of directors at Monolith Soft and director of the project, Tetsuya Takahashi hinted at a possible lineage between the two games in a recent interview (www.everythingxenosaga.com), "...It's [Xenosaga] a small part of a very long, epic story which takes place over thousands of years, and since it's the beginning of the story, it's been subtitled "Episode I", said Takahashi. Requiring two years of initial development, the title has taken over one year to Localize for a North American audience and now includes full English voice overs and text. Xenosaga™ combines the best and most anticipated elements of the Role Playing genre with complex character development, an innovative battle system and boundless exploration opportunities in a fully rendered 3D environment. "Anticipation for this title has been tremendous and we are proud to deliver an exceptionable product featuring extraordinary characters, fascinating environments and truly unique game experience," said Hirata Namco director of marketing. The official Xenosaga website at www.xenosaga.com will be launched December 20, 2002 and has plans to include trailers from the game, screenshots, hints and an interactive discussion board. About Namco Hometek Inc. Namco Hometek Inc. is the U.S. consumer division of Namco Limited, a Tokyo-based world leader in the high-tech entertainment industry. Committed to providing the ultimate entertainment experience, Namco uses cutting-edge technology and advanced electronics to take their theme parks, arcades, and home video games far beyond traditional entertainment.
