Update: September 12, 2008
«©NCSX» Luffy leads the Straw Hat Pirates on another adventure where the motley crew of brigands explore new islands and exotic locales for treasure. Perhaps they'll finally locate the treasure of One Piece. The game takes place after the skeletal musician named Brook joins the Straw Hats so he's in the game.
Similar to Bandai's One Piece Unlimited Adventure from 2007, the Nunchuk and Wii Remote are used in conjunction with each other to maneuver the pirates and use tools that are found throughout the islands. Tools that are on hand are shown on the lower-right corner of the screen which may be used at will. Fishing poles, pickaxes, nets, and more are manipulated by waving the Wii Remote to and fro.
Game Features
» Animal costumes for all of the cast members
» New enemies including Gecko Moria and the zombies of Thriller Bark
» Meet a new character named Gabriel who looks like Samba (de Amigo)
» Luffy and crew have access to new powers and abilities
» Set traps to capture wildlife, insects, and fish
» Updated battle system for fluid fighting action that lights up the screen
The full name of this game is One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 - Nami ni Yureru Hihou.
View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Wii games will not boot on USA or European Wii consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Japanese Wii game discs. A Freeloader is required.
NCS Game Notes
» Start a "New Game" and the intro shows the Jolly Roger caught in a storm with lightning crashing and sideways rain pelting the ship. The crew is topside and facing the elements with nonchalance. Usopp's at the navigation wheel and throttles the boosters to reach a teleportation sphere that brings them to serene waters and blue skies.
» Prior to being teleported, Luffy climbed one of the ship's masts and blew up his arm to help the Jolly Roger's cause. After the teleportation, he's lofted midair and caught by the sphere. Inside, he's asked a question and listens to commentary from a disembodied voice. In the next scene, Luffy wakes up in blackness but encounters a creature named Gabriel who bites and hangs onto his hand. The green sphere gives him a scroll and sends him back to the general vicinity of the Jolly Roger. Back at the ship, an island has risen out of the ocean and Luffy eventually plammets back while holding onto a meteorite and sinks into the ocean. All around the Jolly Roger, four other islands rise from the ocean and the crew has to do a bit of island-hopping-exploration.
» On the first island, the crew splits up into two teams of four to explore the territory. Luffy recovers from his fall and spies his crew on the beach below. Control is handed over at this point.
» The analog stick on the nunchuk is used for movement while the "A" button on the Wii Remote makes Luffy throw a punch. The "B" button is for jumping. To access a map of the island, press the "+" button and a map screen will open up which shows Luffy's current location as well as the immediate area that he's already traveled in the early going.
» Move forward and turn to the right. A battle will open up where Luffy faces off against creatures that sort of look like budget and raggedy versions of Domokun sans the charm. Actually, they look more like mobile dung but they're easy to beat with a few punches. A new move is taught during the encounter: pressing the "A" and "B" button together makes Luffy perform a forward roll. Pressing "A" twice in quick succession will make Luffy throw a punch followed by a spinning kick. Later, the dung creatures morph into normal Marines.
» After Luffy's short episode is concluded, the game shifts and gives you control over Roronoah Zoro. He's standing near a cliff when you take over so turn around and head downwards where more dung creatures and Marines are battled. Zoro's a powerful character and his swords make short work of adversaries.
» The production values are high and the quality of the new One Piece adventure shines. The game looks great, the voices sound great, and the controls are easy to handle.
» In the "Now Loading" screen, the Jolly Roger rocks and rolls atop a patch of ocean on the lower left corner of the screen.
» Franky wears a thong. A blue thong. That's roughly the width of dental floss.
» Additional game notes will be updated shortly.
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