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Eternal Sonata PS3 Version, Extras Confirmed
Just last week the unique RPG Eternal Sonata was confirmed for a PlayStation 3 launch. IGN is now reporting that even though PS3 roleplaying fans will have to wait until next year for the game, they're going to get numerous extras as a consolation prize. "New events are being added, to help give players a deeper understanding of the storyline. The game will also feature new playable characters. Crescendo and Serenade, who played a major role in the 360 version's storyline but were not playable, will now be able to take part in battle. Crescendo makes use of a mace and shield. Serenade is all about her heart-shaped staff ... Bandai Namco is also working a costume system that will allow you to freely change your characters' costumes. Accompanying this is an increase in costume variations."
I played the demo of Sonata when it dropped to X-Box Live Marketplace and was just blown away by the music. The big sell point on the game for me however was a little feature tucked away in the settings menus that allowed you to assign other controllers to the other party members for combat, making the game coop. So once I get off work I will swing by my local game shop, grab a copy and then invite a couple friends over to play through it. Congrats to the PS3 for getting this title added to their library but I am really surprised that the Wii doesn't have it.
"To face death, that's nothing much. But to feel really stupid when you die, well, that would be insufferable."
The PS3 version is shipping with extra content because Sony won't allow them to ship otherwise. Games that ship simultaneously are given more leeway; but if the 360 version ships first, the game must contain features that set the ps3 version apart. It doesn't take much thought to see why this is a very smart tactic. I don't know of any examples of PS3 SKUs shipping first off the top of my head, but you'll see Microsoft doing the same thing.
If a game fits on DVD, you can be sure that a game + 5% added assets can also be made to fit on DVD. And note that amount of content/gameplay != amount of assets; if I add a ton of new content, it may reuse lots of existing assets (as in the case of making a character playable). If I had to guess, the bulk of new assets will be new audio.
... in the 360's Japanese coffin. Don't get me wrong, I love my 360, but clearly MS needed something big to bring some attention to itself in the Japanese marketplace. Eternal Sonata is a solid game (based on the demo I played), and certainly would've sold a few boxes in Japan. But losing this exclusive is just one more nail in the already-shut coffin that is the Xbox in Japan...