14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most important categories of gaming news today is "developers revamping older titles." Gamers just love hearing about their old arcade, NES, SNES and Genesis titles getting a face lift and that's why Interchannel-Holon has announced plans to do a makeover of Ys I and Ys II for Nintendo's handheld, the DS. Features worth mentioning include multiplayer and a boss fight mode.
The Ys series is one of the most beloved RPG franchises of all time and tells the story of the adventures of the red-headed hero, Adol Christin. In Ys: The Ark of Napishtim for the PlayStation 2, Adol embarks on his greatest adventure as he explores a solitary tropical island in the great vortex of Canaan. Adol battles with three magical swords imbued with elemental powers to uncover the secrets that lie in Canaan's mysterious whirlpools. The game's grand view of the world, distinct storytelling, exciting plot twists and unique characters have set a benchmark as far as the RPG genre goes.
Now, according to 1UP.com, the remake of the Ys series will include "new character animations, such as Adol swinging a sword instead of bumping into enemies", as well as new enemies and maps. According to the same website, the action (the 'game field') will be dealt with on the handheld's top screen, while the bottom screen will be showing the player stats table.
Other features, which 1UP has confirmed for the two DS remakes include a multiplayer game mode and a boss fight mode, while "up to four players can compete over wireless (connection), defeating as many enemies as possible and gathering the orbs they leave behind." There will be extras to gather as well. Among those, there's a "jukebox." It is said to "allow players to listen to their favorite tunes" within the game.
However, according to 1UP, the two popular RPG remakes, expected sometime during Spring 2008 in Japan, "will not be bundled together." They will be sold as separate/standalone games, going for 5040 yen each. That's around 44 US dollars.