068 - Dark Cloud [Prep Kit]

[GoatedQuest 068 Prep Kit]

- Dark Cloud -

Developed by Level-5

Released on May 29th, 2001 for the Sony PlayStation 2

"The epic tale of Dark Cloud will captivate gamers as they undertake the role of Toan, an innocent young hero who witnesses the horrifying destruction of his world when the evil "dark cloud" is unleashed, wreaking havoc across the land. Toan awakens only to discover that the world has been plunged into darkness; he is visited by a mysterious figure known as the Sprit Emperor, who bestows him with the power to rescue the world. As the sole witness and survivor of the turmoil, Toan must bravely embark on an epic journey to rebuild the villages in the world while rescuing townspeople, battling monsters, restoring life and faith and unlocking the secrets of the land."

- Sony Press Release

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US Box Contents

 

Manual [PDF]

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Select Pre-Release Coverage

1999 Beta Trailer

• Call It PlayStation 2 - IGN (September 10th, 1999)
• While bragging fewer games at launch than Sega, a dozen launch games is an exceptional number, especially considering the variety and quality of gamesavailable. The official Japanese launch titles are:

• Dark Cloud GameSpot Impressions (September 21st, 1999)
• Imagine the Landmake system from Legend of Mana (where you basically take little bits of land and create your own custom world), but in full 3D withmuch more ability for customization.

• Dark Cloud Beta Presentation at COMDEX 1999

• Dark Cloud Presentation at GDC 2000

• Dark Cloud Hands-On - GameSpot (December 21st, 2000)
• Sony's answer to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series is light on the adventure elements and heavy on the dungeon crawling, making it much more straightforward than the franchise it attempts to mimic.

• Dark Cloud IGN Impressions  (May 3rd, 2001)
• Dark Cloud has landed,and we have impressions and English screens of Sony's world-building RPG.

 

PSM Issue 040 (Dec 2000)

 

PlayStation Magazine 045 (June 2001)

 

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Developer Interviews

• OPM Issue #49 (October 2001) @ 7:47
• Interview with Producer Akihiro Hino & Asst. Producer Kentaro Motomura
• PS1 Pure Plus Vol 007 (December 2000) [JP]
• Translated Japanese Interview with Asst. Producer Kentaro Motomura & Machine Translated Game Description Slides

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Art & Screenshots

- Via Sony E3 2001 Press Disc

- From Dark Cloud's Official Site

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Official Advertising

• Official Site with PLAYABLE Flash Game [ARCHIVED]

Comic Book / Magazine Ad

TV Spot [via Official Site]

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Merchandise

PlayStation Underground Mail-In Trading Card Set 

Game Store Employee Promo Pin [via eBay]

Prima Official Strategy Guide

Dark Cloud Figures [via Toyfare Magazine 045, May 2001]
Never released in stores, VERY RARE

PlayStation 2 Memory Card Stickers

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Miscellaneous

Release Weekend [June 1-3, 2001]

Top Singles  -  Top Albums  -  Box Office

• Dark Cloud E3 Press Kit

• Tokyo Game Show ‘99 Footage
  
• Dark Cloud featured @ 12:38

• E3 2000 Sony Booth B-Roll
• Dark Cloud featured @ 3:54

• Satoru Iwata interviews Akihiro Hino (Level-5 CEO & Dark Cloud Creator)
  
• Great conversation here in the frst two pages about the founding of Level-5/Hino's history in the industry, even if the conversation is largely about Layton/Nintendo DS & 3DS

Unused early version of Box Art

[via TGS 2000 Press Disc]

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You're ready now, go enjoy Dark Cloud!

Please let me know in the comments if any of the links are dead, I'll try my best to update