Project X Zone Revealed As Joint Sega-Namco-Capcom Strategy RPG for 3DS

A look at the character you can expect in Namco+Capcom+Sega's 3DS Project X Zone strategy RPG

A while back, a joint-project rocked the videogame world, when it was revealed that Namco, Capcom and Sega were working on an exclusive 3DS title! As the line-up of developers is unlike any collaboration ever seen before, players were suitably excited.

However, there had previously been a somewhat similar game called Namco x Capcom (pronounced Namco Cross Capcom) which was a strategy RPG for the PlayStation 2 that mixed odd characters from the many popular series of both publishers. Sadly, that game was so obscure that it never recieved a Western localization (yet).

Now what many players feared has come to pass. It turns out that “Project X Zone” (final name apparently), the joint project between Sega, Capcom and Namco, is INDEED a spiritual sequel of sorts to the Japan-only “Namco x Capcom”. And like that game, this one too is a Strategy RPG ala Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics. Sadly, this means that we MAY never see Project X Zone released in the West. Although since it is a 3DS game, and Nintendo is trying its damndest to get as many 3DS titles released as possible, and given that this game comes in the wake of the localization of extremely Japanese titles like Tatsunoko vs Capcom and Pokemon Conquest, games never-before expected to come stateside, then one can hope that we’ll also get this new game regardless of how niche it is.

Project X Zone includes many obscure characters that American gamers are most-likely not familiar with, which is one of the problems with localizing a game like this. Although an argument can be made that Western gamers are more familiar with Japanese characters than ever before thanks to the popularity of Japanese anime and manga worldwide and the fans that live and breath it, and many who import or play online versions of Japanese games.

The game takes characters from each publisher’s stable, and pairs them together, and each will be able to perform signature moves native to that character and his partner. The lineup of characters hailing from Capcom is quite fantastic indeed, but the rest are pretty crap… you have to wonder if they do localize if, if they’d replace some of the characters with ones more familiar to US audiences. Btw the fact that Sonic and Tails are both missing from Sega’s lineup is criminal… although this is only an initial list, so they may be in the game yet.

Confirmed characters so far include:

Capcom
Ryu & Ken (Street Fighter), X and Zero (Mega Man), Demitri (Darkstalkers), Dante (Devil May Cry), Chris and Jill (Resident Evil)

Sega
Shinguji Sakura and Ogami Ichiro (Sakura Wars), Pai and Akira (Virtua Fighter), Kurt and Riela (Valkyria Chronicles), Ulala (Space Channel 5) and Touma (Shining Force EXA)

Namco Bandai
Sanger Somvold (Super Robot Wars), Jin and Ling Xiaoyu (Tekken), Kos-Mos and T-elos (Xenosaga), Yurie and Estel (Tales of Vesperia), Kaito and Black Rose (.hack)

Gameplay footage of the title will be released later this month, and the developers promise there are more characters than what they’ve so far revealed. The game will be released later this year in Japan. Naturally, no word on a Western release as of yet.

A large image of all the characters in Project X Zone for 3DS.