Tales of Hearts Gets Anime & CG Editions

Namco has revealed that its upcoming Nintendo DS RPG Tales of Hearts, scheduled for Japanese release in December, will be available in two alternate editions. One version of the game will feature an opening and FMV movie scenes rendered in 2D by Production IG and character designer Inomata Mutusumi. An alternate version of the game will feature the same opening and FMV scenes rendered in 3D CG animation by Shirogumi. The gameplay content will be identical in both versions of the game. Gpara hosts comparison images of the characters in 2D and 3D. Even the game’s official website offers a choice between a CG Movie version of the site and an Anime Movie version.

This isn’t the first time that 2D and 3D have gone head-to-head in video games. Square’s 2006 PS2 game Hanjuku Eiyuu Tai 3D pit the forces of 2D sprites against armies of 3D CG monsters in a strategy warfare RPG.