Monolith Soft's X

Wind Waker HD looks hot and all, but we need to talk about this new Wii U project from the developer behind cult RPG Xenoblade Chronicles. Shit looks ridic.

Watch the trailer past the break -- it starts off looking like a predictable Xenoblade follow-up with Monster Hunter elements, but then people start hopping into mechas that transform into futuristic cycles and slice up giant dino dudes. And we haven't even mentioned the music yet, child. We haven't even mentioned the music.

BUY Xenoblade Chronicles

♫ I wanna be neeeeext to you right now ♫

I can't stop listening to "#X", the new opening song for Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. This version is a little longer than the one in the trailer we posted when Atlus announced a U.S. release for next spring, but the song is still way too short at a minute and a half.

BUY Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Devil Survivor games

X-Scape is X-Returns in Japan

Keeping up its tradition of renaming all of Q-Games' DSiWare releases for different regions (e.g. Digidrive and Intersect, Trajectile and Reflect Missile, Starship Defense and Starship Patrol), Nintendo retitled X-Scape -- 3D Space Tank in Europe -- as X-Returns for Japan.

It's a title that makes sense for a couple reasons

Anyway, I'm using this non-news as a jumping off point for two other X-Scape things I want to talk about.

For my first point, someone claims to have found Totaka's Song in the game! This is especially notable because the original X was the first game ever composed by Nintendo veteran Kazumi Totaka and also the first published game to feature Totaka's Song. Details on the discovery:

As for the second item I wanted to discuss: not enough people are playing X-Scape! It's a shame that most gamers are overlooking the title -- likely because it's DSiWare only -- as it's received nothing but positive reviews:

It's sad how many great DSiWare games go ignored.

Buy: Nintendo DSi XL (Burgundy and Bronze), Standard Nintendo DSi (White, Pink, Black and Blue)

See also: Dylan Cuthbert talks X-Scape

[Via X-Returns Japanese site]

If you'd like to read about the lovely-looking X-Scape, or Q-Games, or other things with single consonants followed by hyphens and five additional letters, check out my Joystiq interview with Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert and Kazushi Maeta, and NCL's Kazuyuki Gofuku.

And yes, I totally asked whether or not "Totaka's Song" would be in the game -- to which Gofuku said "I think it will live up to players' expectations." WINK WINK WINK.

Buy: Nintendo DSi XL (Burgundy and Bronze), Standard Nintendo DSi (White, Pink, Black and Blue)

See also: Is 3D Space Tank a follow-up to X?

Is 3D Space Tank a follow-up to X?

Some time in the coming weeks, Q-Games will put out the third game from its DSiWare space trilogy, 3D Space Tank, probably showing up in Europe first. Nintendo and Q-Games haven't disclosed much about the game beyond what you can surmise from its title, but GamerBytes notes this will likely release as X-Scape when in the U.S.

When Nintendo listed X-Scape in its early 2010 line-up a few months ago, I presumed the game was based on the defunct R&B group. Boing Boing's Brandon Boyer, however, is a much wiser man than I and pointed out to me that this new DSiWare title could be a follow-up to another Q-Games-related release, X for Game Boy.

Since X shipped only in Japan, I'll kick some (Wikipedia-stolen) knowledge for you about its significance:

You can learn even more about X and Star Fox's history in this illuminating video interview between Points (R.I.P.) and Dylan Cuthbert. Watch it; it's really neat:

How awesome is it that Q-Games and Nintendo are (possibly) resurrecting an 18-year-old property that neither have revisited since the Game Boy game, other than a musical nod in Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

I doubt this DSiWare game will enjoy the same team of legends that worked on X -- Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto, and reknown composers Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka and Kazumi Totaka -- but it's rad that X-Scape is hitting Europe and the U.S. instead of staying in Japan like X.

Now, if only someone would promote Q-Games's DSiWare titles so other people besides some tiny DS site and a few of its readers will realize how cool this is.

Import: Japanese Nintendo DSi XL/LL (Natural White, Dark Brown, Wine Red) & Standard DSi (White, Black, Pink, Red, Lime Green, Metallic Blue)

Buy: U.S. Nintendo DSi (White, Pink, Black and Blue)

See also: DSiWare news out the god damn yin-yang, Overlooked Games Of 2009: Anything on WiiWare and DSiWare

[Image via MiracleNoMori]