Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story find common ground in two major areas: they are both traditional, Japanese role-playing games and, as of a year ago today, they weren’t planned to ever arrive on American shores. An internet campaign, fronted by fans outraged at the lack of a planned western release for either game, sparked up and gradually shred Nintendo’s resistance to publishing the highly requested Wii game outside of Japan. In a press release sent out today, Nintendo confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles would receive its long-awaited American launch on April 6, and, in the same statement, announced that a western release of The Last Story would follow close behind.

The announcement that these two fan-favorites will at long last be arriving stateside gives hope that the Nintendo Wii’s lineup for 2012 won’t be as desolate as analysts had first projected. After all, this fills the desperate need of the Big N’s favorite son to have a library ripe with role-playing experiences.

[Nintendo]