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Official Hudson Press Release
Hudson releases its first game for the Xbox360

With an all-new story, the origin of the Tengai Makyo series is given new life!

Tengai Makyo ZIRIA: Tales from Distant Jipang

Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Hidetoshi Endo) is pleased to announce the release of the new Role Playing Game (RPG), "Tengai Makyo ZIRIA: Tales from Distant Jipang, Hudson’s first installment for Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan’s (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO and Corporate Vice President: Darren Huston) next-generation video game platform, Xbox360, on Thursday, March 23, 2006. The price is 6,800 yen (7,140 yen including tax).

The Tengai Makyo series, known as Far East of Eden in English, is Hudson's largest RPG franchise, already boasting over two million units in sales. The first title created for the series, Tengai Makyo ZIRIA, originally released in 1989 for the Turbo Grafx CDROM, has been reinvented for the Xbox 360 .

The story has undergone a complete makeover, and newly animated movies take full advantage of the Xbox360’s capabilities. Topped off with a fresh battle system, the result is the birth of a brand-new Tengai Makyo world.

New story and animated movies give a fresh new appeal to Tengai Makyo!
In order to satisfy fans looking for a revival of the Turbo Grafx CDROM version of Tengai Makyo ZIRIA, Hudson returned to the origin of the series and recreated it for the Xbox360 . The original version was the world's first large-scale RPG to appear on CD-ROM; this breakthrough, along with a theme song composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, brought a great deal of attention to the title.

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s theme song remains in the remake, while new depth has been added to the gameplay, and the story has been completely rewritten. Torajiro Tsujino, an artist whose animation has been indispensable to the Tengai Makyo series, has once again illustrated all of the major characters for this project. These elements, along with breathtaking animated movies, bring vibrant new flavors to this incredible story.

Enormous summoned beasts and a new battle system increase combat tension
The new battle system enables players to enjoy dynamic battles on a vast field. Multiple characters can fight together using Combination Techniques, and the main characters can now summon large, powerful beasts. For instance, Ziria, the protagonist and hero of the Toad Clan, can summon a giant toad to wipe out droves of enemies with crushing attacks and techniques. Tsunade of the Slug Clan can summon a towering slug, while Orochimaru of the Snake Clan can call upon an enormous white snake. Moreover, Elements must be skillfully utilized in battle.

Each character possesses a Natural Element (physical, fire, water, ice, thunder, or wind) and a Spiritual Element (such as light or darkness). With toads dominant against slugs, slugs dominant against snakes, and snakes dominant against toads, a three-way cycle is created. Careful consideration must be made regarding the relationship between summoned beasts and Elements in order for the player to succeed in combat.

Lively characters and a fantastic story
Long ago, a beautiful nation known as Jipang existed in the far east. The recurring chaotic and destructive actions of Masakado nearly led to its ruin, but three heroes of the Fire race emerged to defeat and seal him in the land of Edo. The game takes place hundreds of years later, when the Daimon Cult invades Jipang in a vile scheme to resurrect Masakado. Ziria, a native of Tsukuba Mountain and Hero of fire member from the Toad Clan, bands together with Tsunade of the Slug Clan - a female Hero of Fire and possessor of immense strength, and Orochimaru, hero of the Snake Clan – who is secretly disguised as a traveling performer. Together, they attempt to put a stop to the Daimon Cult’s evil scheme.

Tengai Makyo ZIRIA: Tales from Distant Jipang
Product Outline Release Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Price: 6,800 yen (7,140 yen including tax)
Platform: Xbox360
Genre: RPG

Copyright: ©1989,2005 HUDSON SOFT ©1989,2005 5RED *Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Logo, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Logo, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. *The screenshots shown here are from the development phase. Actual game screens may vary.

For Reference
About the Tengai Makyo Series

Designed and produced by Ouji Hiroi, the Tengai Makyo series was launched in 1989 with the release of Tengai Makyo ZIRIA for Turbo Grafx CDROM , the world’s first major RPG to appear on CD-ROM.

At a time when most thought the CD-ROM was poorly suited for games, Tengai Makyo ZIRIA integrated features that couldn’t be put on other media, including sprawling maps, animation, real-voice narration, and CD-quality music. With a score from Ryuichi Sakamoto and an all-star cast of narrators, this groundbreaking title revolutionized the role-playing genre.

Set in the fictional Japanese world of Jipang, the game brought adventure, romance, comedy, and drama together in a single epic storyline. In addition to the main role-playing titles, the series came to include fighting games, featuring characters from the RPGs. The main RPG series was conceived in three parts with the most recent addition, Tengai Makyo III: Namida, released for the PlayStation2 in April of 2005, and Tengai Makyo II: Manji-Maru re-released for the Nintendo DS on March 9, 2006.

Copyright: ©1989,2005 HUDSON SOFT