My meeting with D3Publisher was a bit of a trip. The first six games I saw were all licensed titles, geared toward slightly younger audiences, with varying levels of depth; at the end of that, though, I stepped into another room and saw Onechanbara, which is about as different as different can be.

The first title I saw was Ben 10: Alien Force for the Wii. Though the series is only a little over two years old (if that), it’s already evolved into its second iteration, and has become explosively popular among the younger crowd. D3Publisher has been working closely with the show’s creators to create a sort of "lost episode" story for the game, as well as a look and feel that matches the show. You can play with either button control or motion controls, which have thankfully been kept simple to preserve their accuracy; you have left/right shakes, up/down shakes, and Nunchuk shakes for your three attack styles. These three attacks can be strung together in short combo strings to deal more damage, which also has been kept fairly simple. There will also be some puzzle gameplay, as well as switching between characters to get puzzles done, something the Ben 10 universe would lend itself well to. The game overall seems well-suited for its age range, both in style and difficulty, and there’s also a completionist side to it; coming back later with new aliens lets you get to new areas and such. Ben 10: Alien Force hits the States this fall, September if I remember correctly.

Next up was a simpler DS title based on Shaun the Sheep, a popular cartoon short series from Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park. The game is definitely a simpler title, geared toward a crowd from 5 to 10 years old; basically, the gate to the sheep pen has been left open, and it’s up to Shaun to go around and find the 15 missing sheep. As you do so, you’ll need to solve some simple puzzles, collect items, and unlock minigames. The main story mode runs about 6 to 8 hours, but D3Publisher thinks that the minigames will keep the players playing for a little while.

Next up, I saw Treasure’s new DS shooter, Bangai-O Spirits. This extremely fast-paced shooter, I discovered while playing, is about 60% comprised of missiles headed your way; maybe it was the hard level I started out on, but this game does not appear to screw around. There is action, lots of missiles firing, lots of running around avoiding things while shooting. Besides the fast-paced action, though, this game features some other neat things. First off, any level can be played, and edited, at any time, with however you like; there’s no story progression, just a hundred-plus levels thrown at you to play and mess around with. Secondly, the game features a "soundload" system, as the rep told me. Basically, the game converts levels that you create into .wav files, which you can upload to your computer and the internet. In order to receive these levels, you put a headphone up to the DS’s microphone and play the sound, and the DS recreates the level for you. Very unique way of sharing levels, I think.

After that was Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, which is the new space-themed iteration of the game that will be coming to the DS; I was shown the PC build, but was told that the two builds would be essentially identical. The classic puzzle-battle element is fairly intact, though you’re using various ships and their attacks instead of spells, and the playing field has become a circle. The core game mechanics are pretty similar to what they used to be, but D3Publisher went and listened to a lot of gamer input, and polished up the game, removing many concerns in the original design. More casual players should be able to pick the game up and go, completing it in about 30 hours, while more hardcore completionists will find lots of strategy and hundreds of hours of gameplay, from what I was told.

After that, I got my hands on the Naruto titles. Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 for the Wii plays a lot like the original game did, with fairly pick-up-and-play controls, though again, concerns have been addressed. The gameplay has been made more friendly for tournament players; notably, combos will not be interrupted by obstacles or shifting screens, the rep told me. Otherwise, the game features 30 characters, 15 stages, and 480p display; sadly, no online play as of yet. I gave it a whirl, and it’s pretty fast-paced but not hard to get into at all. The other title was Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. NintendoGal readers will remember I enjoyed some aspects of the original PotN, and it seems like they’re keeping what worked before, fixing a little of what didn’t, and expounding on everything. First and foremost, there will be an original story with 30 playable characters, which you can switch in and out regularly, and the story development will be aided with short cutscenes and some two-screen artwork. The formation system from the previous game has been expanded upon, as well, with individual characters getting visibly increased stats from their positions onscreen. When traveling from area to area, there will be some side-scrolling action sequences that can net you more items. Lastly, and most importantly, you can battle others online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Look for this game this year.

Lastly, I was taken into another room for Onechanbara. For those who have never encountered the series, which is quite popular in Japan, it can be summed up as "bikini-clad schoolgirls slashing zombies in half with ninja swords"; about as different from Naruto as you could possibly get. Immediately upon entering, I encountered tall models of the two leading ladies, one a schoolgirl, one a bikini-clad cowgirl. The demo (or "peep show" as the demo called itself) consisted of a trailer of animations, featuring some shower shots and gratuitous zombie combat. Afterwards, the rep showed us a demo of him playing through a graveyard level, which consisted of him swinging the Wii Remote randomly in hopes of doing well, because all the documentation was in Japanese; he seemed to do pretty well, taking out lots of zombies and performing some combos, and occasionally taunting the zombies to make them easier to kill. Besides this information, all I could take away from the demo was the blood accumulation system. Blood can accumulate on your sword, and if it gets too bloody it’ll get stuck in zombies; a quick flick of the Wii Remote gets rid of the blood. Blood can also get on the heroine, however, and apart from obscuring what little clothing she has on (this is literally one of the reasons it happens, so you can pretend she’s nude), it sends her into a rage mode which makes her more destructive, but takes a toll on her health at the same time. D3Publisher intends to take the Japanese game, already released, and upgrade it for the American release. As soon as the English documentation arrives, more assets for Onechanbara should become available.

This covers my impressions of D3Publisher’s upcoming titles; two ends of a pretty wide spectrum both being touched upon. Look for more info on any of these games in the upcoming months.