In a move sure to please members of Operation Rainfall, the second of three elusive Wii JRPGs will make its way across the ocean.
Is it more accurate to say that The Last Story will be coming across the Pacific or the Atlantic this year? While the critically praised game did indeed originate in Japan, a localized version will be hitting store shelves in Europe in a mere two days. Either way, the JRPG will hit North American shores before the end of 2012, courtesy of Nintendo of America and quirky publisher Xseed Games. It’s hard to say whether this release has anything to do with the members of activist group Operation Rainfall, but it does mean that they have only one RPG to go in their quest to get Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower released in the Western hemisphere.
The news came from none other than Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America. During an episode of Nintendo Direct, an occasional video series in which Fils-Aime discusses Nintendo’s latest offerings, he “saved the best for last – The Last Story, to be specific.” While the announcement takes up only about thirty seconds, Fils-Aime minces no words: “If you follow RPGs, you know that this is one of the greatest.” He reminds viewers of the title’s pedigree as the brainchild of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and promises that it will hit American soil before the year is out.
The decision to bring The Last Story stateside may have had as much to do with Xseed as with Nintendo itself. The publishing company has taken up the cause of localizing many other offbeat JRPGs, such as Shadow Hearts: From the New World on PS2 and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony on PSP. The vocal members of Operation Rainfall may also have swayed Nintendo of America, but Fils-Aime did not mention them specifically.
With Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story bound for North America, Operation Rainfall has one job left: get Pandora’s Tower localized to complete the trifecta. If nothing else, it certainly sounds like an item collection quest worthy of any JRPG.
Source: Nintendo Direct
