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X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Exit 2

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 25th 2009 at 7:00PM }

This week, XBLA in Brief takes a look at Exit 2. In short, it's a lot like the original Exit. In short, Exit 2 isn't especially EXciting, if you get our drift. It's not bad, per se. In fact, some people will probably love it, but we imagine a lot of gamers will be put off by its slow pacing. Check out our thoughts on the trial version in the video above.

Download the trial version of Exit 2

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This Wednesday: Exit 2 enters XBLA

by Dustin Burg { Feb 23rd 2009 at 1:47PM }

This Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade release is Taito's action platformer Exit 2, which (according to Xbox.com) was initially expected to release last week. Exit 2 will be available for purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800

($10) and comes packed with 240 stages, ten challenges and an extremely '80s-inspired neon pink logo.

Gallery: Exit 2 (XBLA)

Rumor: XBLA Exit sequel dropping Q1 2009, first screenshots surface

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 13th 2009 at 1:58PM }

North America's got something of a puzzling history concerning the sequel to the equally puzzling PSP action-platformer, Exit. While the game hit European and Japanese store shelves over two years ago, we never saw a trace of it -- until the ESRB gave an Xbox Live Aracade-bound U.S. version of the game an E rating, filling us with the hope that we'd be plotting further exoduses from perilous buildings soon enough. Sadly, Taito never confirmed the XBLA'd sequel, and news about the title has been scarce ever since.

However, TeamXbox recently produced a number of screenshots for the XBLA sequel, as well as a launch window of Q1 2009. Neither the images nor release info were given any attribution, so take them with a spoonful of trepidation. If they're legit, we fully expect Taito to crawl out of the woodwork and make the least shocking announcment since the revelation of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Gaming to Go: Exit DS

by Matthew Madeiro { Jan 12th 2009 at 12:41PM }

Sometimes the stylus is a beautiful thing. Such a tiny white stick has infinite potential for interaction, introducing new control schemes and input methods to a industry clinging dearly to its buttons. Nintendo clearly has no qualms taking a risk with its input devices, if that semi-popular magical remote thing is any indication, though its more diminutive sibling demands its own share of the limelight. When it works, it works, and the stylus becomes an indispensable part of the gameplay.

Sometimes it doesn't work as well as it could. For exhibit A we have Exit DS, a poster child for the "Buttons are Best!" camp. Call me picky, but the option to select a more traditional button control scheme is Exit's saving grace, since I don't think I would have made it very far in were I forced to wield the mighty stylus through all one hundred and fifty levels. It helps too that there's a pretty interesting game behind it all, one that's easily worth checking out if you don't mind putting up with a few control quirks. That game happens to be very well-suited for Gaming to Go, as you might have guessed. Want to hear more? Hit the A button to advance to the next screen!

NEXT >>

Gallery: Exit DS

Mr. ESC plans his exit to Europe

by David Hinkle { Oct 15th 2008 at 2:50PM }

An official website for Exit DS in Europe just launched, and its first order of business was to announce that the game is on its way to the region. When can fine European individuals such as yourself expect to get your hands on the game? This month!

A release day hasn't been finalized yet, so we're not sure as to when this month the game will release. Seeing as how this month is half over, at least you won't have to wait that long.

Gallery: Exit DS

Exit DS delayed, escapes to November

by Jason Dobson { Oct 2nd 2008 at 9:00PM }

We regret to inform you to that Mr. ESC has again ran, jumped, and slipped through the fingers of modern retail, keeping the escapologist's touchable adventures in Exit DS unrestrained, at least for a little while longer.

Not to fret, however, for while the game will miss its previous release date on October 7, publisher Square Enix seems confident that the escape artist's puzzle-adventure exploits will be on store shelves on November 4. No reason was given for the delay, though we like to think that when it comes to Mr. ESC, sometimes you just can't keep a good escapologist down.

[Via press release]

Taito producers talk Exit DS, The Legend of Kage 2

by JC Fletcher { Aug 29th 2008 at 12:00PM }

We spent most of this year enthralled by the prospect of Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS. Now that they've shipped, we've transferred our Taito game anticipation to the two upcoming games The Legend of Kage 2 and Exit DS.

Jeremy Parish interviewed the producers of each game, learning interesting factoids about both. For example, Lancarse, part ofthe Etrian Odyssey development team, is responsible for Kage 2. And for the first time that we've seen, a Taito developer acknowledges the NES Demon Sword as a Kage series game -- before dismissing it. We had been wondering about that! And despite being a Taito side-view game with a lot of elevators (and, yes, some action), Exit was not inspired by Elevator Action.

Gallery: The Legend of Kage 2

Gallery: Exit DS

Source - Kage 2
Source - Exit DS

E308: Square Enix's E3 lineup in (a few) pictures

by JC Fletcher { Jul 10th 2008 at 8:45AM }

Following the announcement of the titles on display at this year's E3, Square Enix released one screenshot of each of the new games. Above, you'll see the single, very blown-up image of Chrono Trigger DS. After the break, new screen of Final Fantasy IV, Exit DS, The Legend of Kage 2, and Dragon Quest IV.

The Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV screens definitely feature the English versions of the game, but with the other three, it's kind of hard to tell for various reasons! The Chrono Trigger image has no text, so it sort of doesn't matter if the screen has been localized or not. Exit has English text, but it's the same English text found in the Japanese game. And Kage has both Japanese and English elements in its interface. If we hadn't just been told these games were coming out over here, we wouldn't be sure if these games were coming out over here.

Continued →

Square Enix E3 lineup loaded with sequels, remakes

by Jason Dobson { Jul 9th 2008 at 12:00PM }

With 2008's edition of E3 just days away, the role-playing steam engine that is Square Enix has revealed what titles that it will spring on press types as they shuffle past. Of the eleven titles on display, the company's lineup this year is noticeably remake and sequel heavy, with over half of the games representing a return to the well for another drink. Boasting "simultaneous global releases for several platforms," the company has also re-confirmed dates for much of its lineup as well, with the following games also noted as being playable during the show:

Chrono Trigger (DS; Holiday 2008)
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS; September 16)
Final Fantasy IV (DS; July 22)
Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360; September 2)
Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes (iPod; Now Available)

In addition, the remainder listed below will be shown in non-playable form:

The Last Remnant (Xbox 360, PS3; Winter for Xbox 360, TBA for PS3)
Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP; October 21)
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP; January 6)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360; 2009)
Exit DS (DS; October 7)
The Legend of Kage 2 (DS; October 7)

And coming soon to a grocery store near you, Star Ocean: Whole Wheat Clusters.

E308: Square Enix confirms North American release of Exit, Legend of Kage 2

by JC Fletcher { Jul 9th 2008 at 11:45AM }

Square Enix has announced its E3 lineup, and it features two ... not surprises, exactly, but games whose releases have so far been unconfirmed. We're very happy to see two more games from Taito's DS lineup, Exit DS and The Legend of Kage 2, planned for U.S. release. Maybe Arkanoid and Space Invaders Extreme are doing okay at retail!

Like the previous pair, Exit DS and Kage 2 are shipping simultaneously, on October 7. While Arkanoid and Space Invaders were both based on moving left to right and destroying columns of enemies on the top screen, Exit DS and Kage 2 are both side-scrolling platform action games. It's like these pairs were planned from the start! But where does that leave poor Pet Shop Monogatari?

On the non-Taito side, Square Enix will show off Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest IV, and Chrono Trigger.

Gallery: Exit DS

Gallery: The Legend of Kage 2

Exit DS escapes Japan, according to ESRB

by JC Fletcher { Jun 27th 2008 at 11:00AM }

We're happy to report that despite their efforts to stop unannounced games from showing up, the ESRB is still a source of news. The latest update reveals that, as seen on Gamefly's "Coming Soon" page, Taito's Exit DS is being planned for release in the U.S. Like Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS, Exit will be published by Taito's parent company, Square Enix.

Exit DS is a new version of Taito's popular PSP/Xbox puzzle platformer Exit, which involves maneuvering a character named Mr. ESC out of buildings, and rescuing other inhabitants while doing so. The DS version adds optional, potentially weird, stylus controls.

Gallery: Exit DS

Gamefly lists Exit, Legend of Kage 2 for U.S. release

by JC Fletcher { May 8th 2008 at 1:30PM }

It looks like Square Enix has deigned to release two more of Taito's DS games! Either that or another publisher noticed how awesome Taito's DS lineup is and decided to take a piece. Gamefly's "Coming Soon" list now lists both Exit DS and The Legend of Kage 2 for release on September 30. What an excellent day that will be for people who like to play games about running from the left to the right.

We couldn't be more thrilled, unless this were a 100% official confirmation that we could be sure wouldn't turn out to be a crushing disappointment. We really want to play Kage 2, and we want to help boost the Taito U.S. guy's self-esteem.

Read: The Legend of Kage 2
Read: Exit

Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 1/21-1/27

by Candace Savino { Feb 1st 2008 at 3:00PM }

We apologize for being late with Japan's sales figures from last week, but when we saw the Wii overtake the DS, we needed a minute to recover. Our beloved handheld was pushed out of the top spot in Japan? If you need to see it to believe it:

Wii: 79,000
DS: 74,000
PSP: 61,000
PS3: 29,000
PS2: 11,000
Xbox 360: 4,200

That's right, folks. According to Famitsu's numbers, the DS was dethroned last week by Nintendo's other system, the Wii. We crosschecked the numbers with Media Create's figures just to be sure, which (to our relief) had the DS ahead by a smidge. Since both numbers are equally credible (we use Famitsu numbers because they come out first), we were glad to see that the Wii didn't triumph as a clear winner. Still, we came to realize something -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl just came out in Japan. Once the sales numbers for the game hit the charts (next week), the Wii will probably blow the DS (and every other system) out of the water.

The DS also slacked slightly in software (compared to previous weeks). While games for the handheld still littered the charts, they didn't dominate over other titles as much as usual. Doraemon Baseball (which we haven't heard much of since its debut) did jump up into the number eight spot, though, while Final Fantasy IV fell out of the top twenty completely. Also, Exit DS came out in Japan last week, starting its run with only 5,500 sales.

Check after the break to see the rest of the software sales for the week of 1/21.

Continued →

Get into Exit DS with this Flash demo

by JC Fletcher { Jan 21st 2008 at 10:30AM }

Taito has finally uploaded the Flash demo for Exit DS, and we aren't sure if it was actually the best thing to do. We can only hope that the real stylus controls work better than the mouse controls in this simulated version. To move Mr. ESC around in this demo, you click on him and then drag in the direction you'd like him to move, or tap him and tap a destination. To interact with an item or the environment, you click on Mr. ESC and then the item. That part took us a while to figure out, causing our hapless Mr. ESC to make multiple attempts to extinguish a fire bodily.

Rather than making the game's operation either fresh or simple, as the best new control schemes do, this wacky scheme obfuscates what would be some simple movement, and makes tedious chores out of just about every motion. Of course, the DS version also has the option to play with a normal control scheme, so you should look not only at the controls, but also at the demo as a whole when deciding whether to grab Exit DS or to run away. We think the puzzle-adventure gameplay manages to shine through the mess.

[Via GoNintendo]

Mr. ESC is a lifesaver, knows his way around a building

by David Hinkle { Jan 3rd 2008 at 8:00PM }

We've made our interest in a certain game involving rescuing certain individualities from certain doom in certain dangerous situations well-known (certainly!). With each new piece of media that comes, whether it be screens or video, like in this latest trailer, our desire grows. It was given great marks on the PSP and folks seemed to dig it on XBLA, so we're excited to see how the game will fare on the DS and how the different control schemes will handle.