Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Someone really wants to make sure you're not forgetting about poor little Opoona, the nunchuk-controlled RPG set for release later this month. To that end, a sudden burst of videos seems to have appeared, demonstrating everything from the battles to the futuristic world of the rotund protagonist. And frankly, we're pleased that we're getting to see so much of the title. Let's hope Opoona has a chance out of the gate this time, though with Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the horizon, we're a little worried about every other game releasing this month (and maybe next!).

Head past the break for a few more tantalizing video snippets.

We've told you pretty much all you need to know about Koei's upcoming RPG, Opoona, which will hit North American Wiis this March. Yet, if you like a good dose of visuals with your information, you might want to check out these videos.

The trailer embedded up top is an introduction to the storyline, and not unlike what we've seen before. You'll find out more about the conflict going on in a text-heavy (but interesting) opening. To see some gameplay footage (and to find out why the characters have "bonbons" on top of their heads), though, make sure to venture past the break.

If your days are spent yearning for a game in which you play a bald kid with an orange orb hovering over his head, circle March 25th on your calendar, the date Opoona, that other Wii-exclusive epic RPG, makes its stateside debut. Then you can put a happy face in that circle, draw a smaller circle above the face, and, will you look at that, you've got a picture of the game's titular hero!

After a spaceship-wreck interrupts his family vacation, Opoona finds himself stuck on Planet Landroll, forced to begin a new life in the strange world while searching for his siblings and parents. Opoona's hardships range from trying to find a job to fighting against the Dark Rogues terrorizing Landroll's people. We assume he also has to deal with the self-esteem issues that often come with balding at such a young age.

As with the entire game, combat during the turn-based battles is handled with just the Wii's nunchuck -- you can fire projectiles and direct the trajectory of your attacks with different nunchuck movements. Without having tried the single-hand controls out ourselves, we're still not sure about them yet, but it won't be long before we'll get that chance! Hit the gallery below for Opoona's packshot, artwork, and a huge pile of screensshots from the US release.


[Via press release]

It's no secret that Koei's Opoona sank in Japan. But numbers that low don't really say much about the game's quality, because nobody tried it. Perhaps a lack of marketing is more to blame than anything. In any case, we'll get our own chance to try out the Artepiazza-developed RPG when it is released stateside this spring.

The latest video to show up takes us through a simple battle. Aside from a couple of graphical flourishes (as in, monsters actually moving) and really cute narration, Opoona's combat is your basic Dragon Quest turn-based fighting. Except, appealingly, in the future. We don't actually know if Opoona's any good, but we don't want any original game to suffer the fate Opoona did the first time.

Opoona's visual style -- sci-fi spaceyness with adorable, rounded characters -- is as arresting as ever in this trailer, and the story of a child searching a space station and surrounding planet for his lost parents. Also, despite the lack of motion control, we think that one-handed Nunchuk controls are a smart design decision for an RPG. In short, we are pro-Opoona. Which is why we were quite happy to see this new trailer with some English subtitles.

But what's that at the end? "Spring 2008?" Well, the game's already out in Japan, so that means that Koei is planning to release the game outside of Japan in the spring! We question the wisdom of such a decision, since the game bombed spectacularly in its first release (really, just a breathtaking sales failure) -- but it benefits us, so we aren't going to complain too much.

Koei has opened the official website for their adorable Wii "Lifestyle RPG" Opoona, and the site is as colorful and, well, round as everything else we've seen about the Nunchuk-only game. There's not much English to be found, but the links all have English labels, allowing you to navigate with ease and find visual content.

Clicking around will get you plenty of screenshots, and the "dark rogue" link takes you to a gallery of enemy creatures. They are mostly-- that's right-- colorful and round. It's kind of a major theme in the design.