News has been flowing in about the Inazuma Eleven video game series. The compilation of the first three games in the series will be made – called Legend of Mamoru Endo – as well as a European release of the first Wii game in the series, Inazuma Eleven Strikers.
Inazuma Eleven is a series of role-playing sports video games developed by Level-5, also known as the creators of the Professor Layton series and the upcoming RPG Fantasy Life. The first three games (Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven 2, and Inazuma Eleven 3) told the story of goalkeeper Mamoru Endo (also known as Mark Evans in the European release), the titular character of the compilation, as he gets a team together at his school. The compilation is expected to have some connective elements to the next title in the series, Inazuma Eleven Go 2: Chrono Stone.
Strikers is the fourth game in the Inazuma Eleven series and the first appearing on the Wii. Strikers deals with player management with less RPG elements compared to other games in the series. It also allows multiplayer, with the second player acting as a manager or coach.
Given the series’ history with localization, our European friends should expect the compilation, as well as other games after Strikers, to be released about a year after the Japanese release. No Inazuma Eleven game has been released in North America.
Inazuma Eleven 1, 2, 3 Legend of Mamoru Endo is expected to release in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on November 15th. Inazuma Eleven Strikers releases in Europe for the Wii on September 28th.
Check out the trailer for Inazuma Eleven Strikers: