The official website of the Nintendo DS title Blue Dragon Plus from game developers Mistwalker and Brownie Brown Inc. is now up. This newest game in the Blue Dragon series was announced recently in Shonen Jump so details about Blue Dragon Plus are still scarce. Check out the full article to read up on what we do know about the game.

 

Want another dose of the upcoming RPG-slash-RTS video game for the Nintendo DS? You're in luck, we've got another batch of screenshots from Square Enix and Brownie Brown's Heroes of Mana.

And it looks like the heroes are ready for battle. In this batch of screenshots, we see some characters in Heroes of Mana, who are either for or against main hero Roget: the masked and buxom General Baxilios, Gemiere, Gauser, Yurchael (the archer), and D'Kelli. We also see battle scenes, unit creation, a couple of concept art, and some stills from the game's cinematics.

Anyway, check them out and see if you like it. We should be seeing Heroes of Mana on the shelves in a couple of days (North American release date is August 14, and Europe will get it on September 14) so you better watch out. In the meantime, feel free to ogle the screenshots.

More screenshots right after the jump!

Heroes of Mana is edging ever closer to North America. Its release is so near that now that you can probably smell that fresh morning scent of the Mana Tree already. So, to prepare ourselves for the next adventure in the Seiken Densetsu universe, here's a bit of preview for the game.

It takes us for a spin of what to expect in this tactical strategy RPG title. From a retrospective look of the Square Enix franchise's previous installments, spin-offs, and remakes, this preview also runs through the various features and and story elements of Heroes of Mana.

Before getting Brownie Brown's game, make sure you keep tabs on how to work the battle system as well - it is the first RTS game in the Mana franchise, after all:

A few months back, we reported that the real-time strategy RPG title Heroes of Mana was coming to North America. Well, Europe and other PAL territories need not feel left out anymore as the Square Enix and Brownie Brown DS video game has announced that Heroes of Mana will be coming there as well.

In Heroes of Mana, players are put in the boots of Roget, a Peddan soldier. Roget gets caught up with a conspiracy spun by his own superiors against him and the crew of their aircraft. What's a guy to do? Well, as you may have guessed, you have to lead your party to uncover the scheme and saved the world of Mana.

What else can we expect from the title? Here are the additional features:

• Real-time strategy that makes full use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen – the intuitive control scheme allows players to lead armies, build bases and vanquish their foes entirely through the use of the Nintendo DS stylus
• Intense head-to-head multiplayer allows friends to challenge each other via DS Wireless Communications
• Command heroes and monsters alike from the Mana series and lead them to victory on the battlefield
• The signature Mana art style comes to life in a fantastic blend of 2D and 3D environments
• Kingdom Hearts series composer Yoko Shimomura delivers a stirring soundtrack that captures the essence of the World of Mana series

Square Enix's president and CEO, John Yamamoto is very enthusiastic about Heroes of Mana coming to Europe and PAL territories:

We’re very excited to be bringing Heroes of Mana to Europe. The MANA series has long been adored by fans around the world. Heroes of Mana offers a fantastically fresh new approach, with the addition of real-time strategy that makes battles even more thrilling than before.

Anyway, along with the announcement came a batch of English screenshots so you may want to check them out as well. Europe and PAL territories can expect Heroes of Mana on the shelves by autumn.

Check out more Heroes of Mana screenshots after the jump!

In recent news, Square Enix, Inc. has just announced the North American release of Dawn of Mana for the Playstation 2 and Heroes of Mana for the Nintendo DS. Both games are set in the world of Mana, a land which has captivated American audiences since 1993.

Dawn of Mana for the PS2 is the sequel to Secret of Mana which was released in North America last 1993 on the Super Nintendo. The newest iteration of the game is now in 3D. They have also added new characters and environments while retaining some of the old favorites. If you do decide to pick up the game, they are giving away Breath of Mana. It's essentially a sampler disc that contains parts of the soundtrack which will be available at Amazon.com, Game Crazy, GameStop, and EB Games for every purchase of Dawn of Mana. The game is slated for release on May 22 this year.

Heroes of Mana for the DS is like FF Tactics in the sense that players have to plan, plot, and strategize to win. The game will make ample use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen to give out orders. More competitive players can view their ranking compared to other players around the world through the Nintendo Wi-Fi ranking system. The game is being developed by BROWNIE BROWN Inc. and is currently slated for a late summer release.

Both games will have fans of the Mana series jumping with glee. Until it's released though, we can't say if this game will be as good as the original.

 

Square Enix has just released new images and info on their upcoming Brownie Brown-developed RPG, Heroes of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana) via the much-celebrated Japanese magazine, Famitsu.

As we've mentioned before, Heroes of Mana is set 19 years before Seiken Densetsu 3, and will have players take on the role of Roger, an intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan who pilots a military airship used to send out monsters. No word if the game will ever make it to U.S. shores, but like that's gonna stop us from importing, right? And as usual, we're gonna need your help deciphering these ones guys. We don't have a Jap-speaking (or reading) fellow with us, so uhh..*ehem*...translation help will be much appreciated.

Heroes of Mana is slated for a Japanese release on March 8.

   

While scouring the internet for goodies on the upcoming SRP (strategy role playing, and not suggested retail price fellas) DS gameHeroes of Mana, we stumbled upon this trailer of the Japanese version straight from the recently held Jump Festa Event.

As you know, Heroes of Mana is currently in development over at Brownie Brown's labs and players will get to take on the role of Roger, an intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan who pilots a military airship used to send out monsters. However, you'll also get to create monsters of your own by collecting the materials needed. Pedan's diplomacy will be put to good use here since you'll be going against someone who intends on gathering the same materials you're after.

The trailer gives us insights on gameplay, weapons, the characters we'll encounter, and the enemies we'll be facing against once we get our hands on the game. So while we wait for the announcement of the release date, have an ogle-fest with this trailer, why don'tcha?

Seiken Densetsu fans now have a lot to look forward to as another title from the Mana universe makes its way to the DS. Heroes of Mana for the Nintendo DS is a project that Square Enix is currently working on, alongside the development studio Brownie Brown. The game trailer has been shown over at the Square Enix booth at the recent Tokyo Game Show.

Featuring the "intelligent and diplomatic youth from Pedan" Roger, our main character is known to pilot a military airship that can be used to deploy monsters, which you yourself can create by collecting the necessary ingredients. However, conflicts arise whenever you encounter someone else who is also collecting the same materials for their own menagerie. As far as the trailer goes, the game also possesses a moving score which  we're looking forward to hearing more of. However, there is still no word regarding this game's release date.

Falling into the RTSRPG genre that other titles such as Disgaea and Makai Kingdom belong to, this installment to the Seiken Densetsu series promises to be yet another addictive treat.

Square Enix has teamed up with Nintendo-funded development studio Brownie Brown to develop Heroes of Mana, the real-time SRPG (strategy role playing game) for the DS.

Although the said studio is relatively new (they opened in Tokyo on June 2000), they have been working with Nintendo platforms for a very long time, including the old-school GameBoy and Super Nintendo. Their previous works include Magical Vacation, which was released in 2001 for the GBA, Legend of Mana, and Sword of Mana (an enhanced remake of Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, known as Final Fantasy Adventure in North America).

Brownie Brown has also released a title for the Nintendo GameCube, named Gofuku, which was scheduled for release in 2005 and was announced alongside Magical Vacation: When the Five Stars Align. However, since there have been no news about the game since its release, some are saying that Gofuku has either been cancelled or is being developed for Nintendo's next-gen Wii console. As of now, this remains as mere speculation, so we'll have to wait for more info to confirm this. Meanwhile, enjoy the screens we have for you below:

    

While the Magical Vacation series has yet to hit the North American shores, the next game in the series, Magical Vacation: 5-tsu no Hoshi Ganarabutoki, will be hitting the Nintendo DS in Japan on June 22nd and The Magic Box has gotten their hands on some new screens. The game is being developed by Brownie Brown and should also be released before the end of the year in North America as just Magical Vacation. The game has you adventuring through outer space to rescue your teacher and classmates while exploring strange planets. The game is controlled fully by the stylus, and features up to 6 players via WiFi. Go ahead and check out the screenshots by clicking on the thumbnails below.