The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave (eShop)

[Dcubed]

Denpa Ningen (Now known as The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave) is getting released in the US on September 27! (no word on an EU release yet...)

 

http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Dw7BnMf9gQ03whlp0eS0yUmAhJTYcPP8

 

 

 

 

 

For those who've forgotten, it's an RPG (made by Genius Sonority of Pokemon Colloseum/XD fame) where you collect strange Denpa Men to go with you on Dragon Quest style RPG adventures.

 

Should be a demo coming as well if the old Siliconera story (that was taken down, seemingly because they broke some sort of embargo) is anything to go by.

[Grazza]

Oh yes!! Really wanted this.

[skyluigi]

Ha! This game looks pretty funny; I hope there'll be a European release date soon.

[-Dem0-]

The NA price has gone up.

 

I initially thought that this was going to be set a high price thanks to what the game packs, but we'll see.

[Ike]

 

o.O. Scary.

[Dcubed]

o.O. Scary.

 

No kidding! That's some serious nightmare fuel there!!!

 

Kids will never want to leave their house again

[Fused King]

Even though that's some seriously fucked up shit, it's better than a grown-up cathing midgets or children.

[Rummy]

I didn't know anything about this until yesterday(kept seeing it mentioned on here) - I totally want it.

[Grazza]

Many of us are hoping (or perhaps it's just me!) that this is a spiritual sequel to Dragon Quest IX, albeit mixed with some odd character designs, admittedly. The dungeon style, at least, looks very reminiscent of DQIX's Grottoes. Either way, I'm getting it as soon as it's released, and I also believe Denpa Men 2 exists in Japan.

 

(I want another Dragon Quest so much! )

[Ike]

Did Genius Sonority have any involvement in DQIX? Didn't think they had but this is a blatant copy of DQIX. (Not really complaining, it's almost like DQIX mixed with Tingle, lol).

[Grazza]

The only information I can find is that Denpa Men is directed by (former?) Dragon Quest programmer Manabu Yamana, who directed Dragon Quest VII. Whether he had any involvement in IX I can't find any evidence for.

 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/genius_sonoritys_denpa_ningen_no_rpg_heading_to_the_west

 

Genuinely didn't notice the Tingle similarity! But yeah, an army of Tingles.

[Dcubed]

The game is coming out this year over here!

 

 

The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave for the Nintendo 3DS is officially announced for Europe! They'll be coming to Europe later this year.

[Tamazoid]

Did Genius Sonority have any involvement in DQIX? Didn't think they had but this is a blatant copy of DQIX. (Not really complaining, it's almost like DQIX mixed with Tingle, lol).

 

I seem to remember that Level 5 did the majority of the work on DQ IX but then for some reason it was finished internally by Square Enix. Manabu Yamana is the founder and president of Genius Sonority, who was one of the key member of Heartbeat, the studio who developed DQ VI,VII and the remake of IV on the PS1.

[-Dem0-]

Manabu Yamana (Genius Sonority president):

"Yes, we are releasing Denpa Men 2 on the Japanese eShop, and next we intend to do localization aimed at overseas markets."

[Mandalore]

The whole concept of this game sounds really cool. Might look a bit silly wondering around in public looking for new unique wifi zones though.

[-Dem0-]

Anyone gave the demo a spin yet?

I finished downloading it and will try it out when I come back later today.

[Tamazoid]

Yeah I had a go at the demo. I enjoyed it, seems like a great RPG to have on the go. I think I'll buy it when they release it on the e-shop along with Crimson Shroud.

[Grazza]

I didn't try the demo because I don't really have time for it at the moment and, also, this is one game I'm sure I want to experience. I don't know if the demo lets you catch your own Denpa Men, but it'd be a shame to find a really good one and then have to start again when you get the full game! Nah, I hate to be unappreciative of a demo, but I'm 100% sure I want to buy this. I probably won't even be ready to play it on Thursday but I'm going to buy it then just to support them.

[Rummy]

Demo?! Will check that out! Is there a slated date for release yet, I'm most likely to pick up anyway too.

 

EDIT:Wait, thursday?! So soon? Wow, right under my radar. Lack of Wii U being made up for with Tingle Rupeeland coming, Sticker Star...and then this! Anyone know price?

[Grazza]

EDIT:Wait, thursday?! So soon? Wow, right under my radar. Lack of Wii U being made up for with Tingle Rupeeland coming, Sticker Star...and then this! Anyone know price?

 

I think it's about £7.19. When you hover over it on eShop it tells you, but I forget the exact amount.

[M_rock]

The demo is great, this is such an original concept, and the game in total is so cute!

Also you can convert the save data from your demo to save data for the full game, so you won't lose any data or dempamen you caught.

[Rummy]

Ah, I was just coming to say the same! Yeah had a little lookie at the demo, seems cool(though possibly hard, had to run from some stuff in the first dungeon!). Think I'll try the demo a bit more and then get it when I'm through with Sticker Star, or possibly just on release and save it.

[Ike]

Haven't gotten round to play the demo for the same reasons as @Grazza. Was going to wait until Thursday but since the save transfers I'll check it out.

[Grazza]

Well, I finished Etrian Odyssey and finally got round to trying out Denpa Men. I think this is the first game I've felt bad about ignoring!

 

The first thing that surprised me is that you actually do have to turn your Wifi on when you search for the Denpa Men. I assumed it was just a gimmick, but no, you really do need to detect radio waves! I can't say I'm a fan of this bit, as they're a bit irritating to catch and it's annoying waiting for the colour you want. The ones with antennae on their head are the best, as that represents a skill, but the colour of their clothes determines their elemental resistance. Although I can't find much information, it seems the amount of light reaching your 3DS has an effect on which Denpa Men are available...

 

But onto the game itself. Not surprisingly, it's a neat little RPG that is reminiscent of Dragon Quest IX's Grottoes. Clothing has been simplified into various all-in-one suits (onesies?!!) and weapons are entirely via the Denpa Men's antennae, but there are a wide range of accessories to equip. Not that they're affordable at first - money is very tight.

 

Using the Auto Battle doesn't feel like cheating, as there are so few options - Skill, Attack or Item are the only three I can remember offhand. Like DQ IX, Agility matters - Denpa Men of similar speed will combo their normal attacks, although unlike DQ IX it doesn't seem to stack.

 

All in all, it's a nice little RPG with several nods and winks to Dragon Quest.

[Grazza]

I've just had one of the funniest gaming experiences ever.

 

Firstly, I should say I was getting frustrated with the type of Denpa Men available. Despite what I thought, it seems they are not influenced by light or colour. No, Denpa Men really do live on the radio waves! This is OK when you first get the game, but after you've collected a few in your own house, the only ones that become available after that wear black clothes (which have no resistance) and have no antennae.

 

So, in search of new Denpa Men I took my 3DS round the neighbourhood, and there were many. Striped ones, glowing ones... I must have looked quite a sight! If you try this, please be extra careful and only look for them when you're standing still, as I stumbled a few times. It would be so easy to trip and drop your 3DS).

 

Anyway, I now have lots more Denpa Men. The only problem is that they are too difficult to catch when you're also concentrating on your footing. I do not like Augmented Reality in general. The fact they reside on radio waves is a clever idea, but I think it would be better handled by StreetPass, ie. you tour your neighbourhood, pause every so often, then check which Denpa Men you "caught" when you get home.

 

Either way, I'm looking forward to getting back to it now!