2015 is shaping up nicely, as far as the gaming industry is concerned, especially the console segment of it. With the likes of Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 now making their way successfully into all markets across the world, more and more developers are getting into the act. They're adopting the power that's on offer from the newest generation of consoles.
While 2014 has seen an ample number of titles being released for both the consoles, most noise has been made by the exclusives released in coherence with their respective consoles. And the way the business in moving, we don't see the flow of more such exclusives stopping anytime soon.
Heading deeper into the year, there are a few exclusives that we are looking ahead to before the year ends. And needless to say, there are titles such as The Order: 1886 to keep us on the edge of the seat. However, our focuses are fixed on the upcoming The Phantom Dust, which is being re-made as an exclusive for the Xbox One.
The upcoming JRPG was initially made available to the world back in 2004. The action-strategy title was developed and published by Microsoft Game Studios and produced and directed by Yukio Futatsugi for the Xbox console. Fast forward to 2015, however, TPD is set to harness the power inside the Xbox One.
But what else do we know about the game, apart from the fact that it will be an Xbox One exclusive, and that it might or might not be released in 2015? Here's a look at all the details that have been brought to light so far for The Phantom Dust.
No Solid Detail Before Mid-2015
To start on a rather disappointed tone, those of you who are looking to get more out of the game, in terms of details, are set for a bit of bad news. Not long ago, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, stated fans could only expect details about the game in 2015. And accordingly, it wasn't a part of last September's Tokyo Game Show, and neither Gamescom. However, with 2015 already here, we can be hopeful that few details will soon surface for the game. And although we know a few details about the in-game campaign mode, we aren't really expecting more details before mid-2015.
30 Hour-Long Campaign
Talking about the game's single player campaign mode, it was only recently revealed that The Phantom Dust will offer a 30 hour-long campaign. The latest remake of 2005's card-strategy game is "about a 30 hour JRPG," Microsoft Studios' creative director Ken Lobb recently revealed. Apart from that, he also confirmed that he wants to make sure the campaign does enough justice to the re-telling of the story. And all that while improving the original game's story in the process. But more on this will surely unfurl as we go into the year.
Re-Imagining, Not Reboot
If you are of the opinion that the new Phantom Dust is set to arrive with a different story line and then some, you are thoroughly wrong. And, in all likelihood, you are massively confused between a reboot and re-imagining. The new Phantom Dust might be under development with the power of the Xbox One to harness, but it still will come with the same story from 2004. In fact, it will retain the same characters and setting from the first release. If you are, indeed, expecting changes, expect some major fixes to the gameplay segment of it, apart from it being graphically rich.
Hitting the Home Run.. Second Time Around
When The Phantom Dust hit the store shelves in 2004, not many people knew about it, or the fact that something like it existed, rest the ones who are really addicted to anything that spells RPG. Microsoft had a few ambitions when the game first came around, and some of it did involve churning out some financial numbers out of it. But that never happened. However, with the upcoming re-imagining of the game, we surely expect fortunes to change for Microsoft and hope that the game will reach out to more audience in due time. After all, Spencer, himself, has described the game as "magical."
A Trump Card Against Sony PlayStation 4?
If you follow up on the console wars closely, you will notice that Sony's PlayStation 4 is somewhat edging the competition via the kind of exclusives it has. In fact, the number of exclusives is even greater than that of the Xbox One. But if The Phantom Dust is indeed to make the new Xbox console a better buying prospect than the PS4, it might only be for people who actually enjoy indulging in card-based games. However, if Microsoft is really trying to make something out of this new re-imagining of the 2004 classic, it could go ahead by introducing a favourable pricing model for the game. Something similar to the Killer Instinct should do the trick.
More Accessible Gameplay
It's you, the fans, who made The Phantom Dust re-imagining possible in the first place. In fact, if previous reports are to be believed, it was some tweet from a fan to Phil Spencer that set the development wheel for The Phantom Dust into motion. Not much is known about the gameplay for the title, although it has been said that it will be more accessible to the fans compared to the last time. "We want to make the game approachable. It's a hardcore game, but we still want to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as we can, while on the same time keeping the depth," said Microsoft's Avi Ben-Menahem.
More details on The Phantom Dust might be incoming shortly. Stay tuned for more updates!
