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Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory sequel coming to PS4
A new entry in Compile Heart and NIS America's game industry-parodying JRPG series is coming to the PlayStation 4, Gematsu reports. Hyperdimension Neptunia VII -- that's "Vee Two" -- is a direct follow-up to last year's Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory on the PlayStation 3. Storylines in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series parody the real-world video game industry, with playable characters representing console manufacturers and publishers in an ongoing "console war." No further details regarding the upcoming sequel have been revealed beyond the subtitled video above, which manages to be both cryptic and deeply confusing. A North American release has not been announced. [Video: Compile Heart]
Vita remake of Hyperdimension Neptunia confirmed for the West
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re:Birth 1 is coming to North America and Europe thanks to Idea Factory, as the company's International branch ups its publishing drive in the West. The Japanese studio launched its California-based International branch last year with an eye to release its own games in North America and Europe, and first on the list is Vita RPG Monster Monspiece. We now know the second is Re:Birth 1, the Vita remake of PS3 game Hyperdimension Neptunia, and Idea Factory International says it's due to hit North America and Europe in the "late summer." Hyperdimension Netpunia mk2 is the next game in the "Console Wars"-parodying JRPG series, and its PS3-to-Vita remake just hit Japan last week. There's no news yet, but it now seems likely Idea Factory International will also bring it to the West at some point. [Image: Idea Factory International]
Mugen Souls Z launching May 20; limited edition detailed
Mugen Souls Z, the Compile Heart-developed Japanese RPG for PlayStation 3, will arrive in North America on May 20 and in Europe on May 23, publisher NIS America confirmed to Gematsu. A limited edition of the game is currently available for pre-order on the NIS America online store. The $70 bundle includes the PS3 game in a special edition collector's box, along with a hardcover art book, large 16"x26" poster, and Zodiac keychain. Much like the release of the original Mugen Souls, publisher NIS America opted to remove a select amount of content for the Western release of Mugen Souls Z. At the time the cut material was confirmed, NIS America noted it was due to "the sensitive nature of some content." According to a forum post regarding the Western release's edits, the snipped stuff includes a bathing mini-game. Whether or not you can battle evil as Omega Tom Hanks in this version is still unclear, but ... actually, we're thinking of a different game. [Image: NIS America]
Vita card battler Monster Monpiece hits NA, EU this spring
Japanese publisher Idea Factory International announced that its card-battling RPG Monster Monpiece is due for a digital PlayStation Vita release this spring in North America and Europe. Monster Monpiece equips players with a deck of cards that represent the physical embodiment of "Monster Girls," all of whom boast their own unique skills and abilities in battle. Players power up these characters during combat by stroking the PS Vita's screen and touching specific spots on each card in the game's "First Crush Rub" mode. Monster Monpiece earned some notoriety for its sexually suggestive character art, and its upcoming stateside release carries a Mature ESRB rating. The game still required some content trimming before it was deemed suitable for a North American release, however. While Monster Monpiece's storyline will be unaltered for its overseas launch, Idea Factory notes that several Monster Girl images will be removed from localized versions "due to the strong sexual nature of the card images." "We fully understand that there are needs and demands for the complete version of these games," the company explains. "Our intention and motivation is to offer Idea Factory titles in a form that is as close as possible to the Japanese versions. This was a tough decision, but we would greatly appreciate your understanding and support."
Super-odd RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory hooks into PSN this month
PlayStation Network claims its Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory on November 26 in North America, and November 27 in Europe. NIS America released the farcical PS3 RPG earlier this year and is now making it available via downloadable means, although the publisher didn't note a price. Victory is the third entry in the series that follows the exploits of game consoles embodied as Hyper-curvaceous women. This time around it takes players to a 1980s version of its Gamesindustri world, and it also features Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's face as a huge spaceship. No, really.
Become a J-pop idol master with 'Hyperdimension Neptunia PP,' due west next year
God Dimension Idol Neptune PP, the first Vita entry in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, is coming to the West courtesy of NIS America. Going under the working title of "Hyperdimension Neptunia PP" it'll come to North America and Europe some time in 2014. The portable game, released in Japan earlier this year, once more stars the console-like heroines but this time as J-pop idols in the making. So it's more idol sim than RPG, with players helping the ladies to sing, dance, and market themselves to victory against their rivals, MOB-48. That's an oh-so-subtle play on Japan's uber-successful AKB48 girl group, which incidentally features 88 different ladies now (shouldn't the name change?) and made a whopping $226 million in record sales last year. First Akiba, tomorrow the world!
PS3 JRPG Mugen Souls Z headed west next year, minus bathing minigame
NIS America announced that it will produce a localized version of the Japanese PlayStation 3 RPG Mugen Souls Z in North America and Europe next year. Developed by Hyperdimension Neptunia creator Compile Heart, Mugen Souls Z is a customization-focused role-playing game featuring unique dialogue-based battle mechanics. The series' previous entry, Mugen Souls, hit store shelves in North America and Europe last year. Mugen Souls Z will premiere at retail and as a PlayStation Network digital download in 2014. As was the case with the original Mugen Souls, NIS America revealed that it will cut a limited amount of material from Mugen Souls Z's western release, due to "the sensitive nature of some content." NIS explains the nature of these edits in this forum post, noting that a risque bathing minigame and its associated imagery will not be featured in the game's western release.
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 spawns Vita remake
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, a PlayStation 3 Japanese role playing game developed by Compile Heart and Idea Factory, is making the leap to Sony's Vita handheld as Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 1. Though this should be welcome news to fans of the original game, Dengeki Online offers no further information on Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 1, nor any word on when it might make its Vita debut. For that matter, it remains unknown whether Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 1 will receive an English-language translation, though the series' cult popularity in America (and especially Europe) makes this a likely outcome.
Neptunia series explodes on Vita
Compile Heart's weird Neptunia series of RPGs starring game consoles that happen to also be young anime girls, is branching off from its PS3 home to Vita. Hyperdimension Idol Neptune PP is even weirder than its base material, as it takes the setting of "Gamindustri" and puts an idol simulation in it. As producer, you put together a team of four CPUs (game console girls), build up their stats in an adventure mode, and train them as a performing group. Announced over the weekend, Hyper Goddess Faith Noire: Extreme God Black Heart, a spinoff starring the PS3-inspired Noire character, as she appears in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. At the same Dengeki magazine event, Compile Heart teased a game called Neptunia "Re;Birth 1" for Vita. No information was provided, but that sounds like it could be a portable release of the original game.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory processes slight delay to March 21
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory hits North America slightly later than expected, shifting the numbers of its original March 12 release date into a new one of March 21. That means the screwball PS3 JRPG releases on a Thursday, which seems appropriately odd.Europeans waiting for their dose of consoles embodied as voluptuous ladies can enjoy getting a game first for once, with the region's March 15 release date unaffected... unless they live in the UK, in which case they'll still get it last of all on March 22 - typical.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory lands in N. America Mar. 12, 2013, Europe Mar. 15
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory and its consoles personified as busty women are coming to North America on March 12, 2013. The third game in the oddball RPG series is also coming to Europe on March 15, matching the target date NIS America told us earlier this year. That bodes well for Persona 4 Golden hitting its European target date of February 22.NIS also released the above trailer, which showcases the game's CPU ladies to a backdrop of very chirpy J-pop. It also reveals that the game features a 'transforming robot,' one that looks like a chibi version of something you'd see on Power Rangers. %Gallery-173209%
PSA: Purported new Inafune RPG is just Neptunia
Last week, a report from business journal Bloomberg featured an interview with Mega Man creator/ex-Capcom creative lead Keiji Inafune, covering a variety of topics. As has become par for the course since Inafune left the Japanese publishing giant, he spoke to the divide between creative and management in game development, and how he believes it can be amended. He also spoke to the challenges he faced at his old employer, echoing sentiments from earlier this month. And while all of that is certainly interesting, one particular line in the piece stood out to our news-hungry eyes: "Inafune said he plans to release a social game title for Japanese market as early as this month, and a role-playing title for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 in August." We knew about the social game, but a role-playing game for PS3, you say? As it turns out, the game in question isn't one that Inafune's studio, Comcept, is developing, but rather a game that Inafune himself is starring in. You guessed it: Hyperdimension Neptunia mk-II. You know, the game where Inafune's a weapon? That game. We reached out to the folks at Bloomberg, who clarified that, yes, the game in question isn't an unannounced PlayStation 3 RPG, as much as it is an already announced, Compile Heart-developed Japan-only RPG with Inafune as a laser-vomiting special weapon. On the one hand, we're a bit disappointed that Inafune's not crafting a secret PS3 RPG, but on the other hand we got to use that amazing header image again. You win some, you lose some.
NIS picks up console-wars RPG 'Hyperdimension Neptunia' for PS3
We thought Idea Factory's bizarre strategy RPG Hyper Dimension Neptune was too, well, bizarre to localize, given that it's about game consoles (in the form of girls) fighting against the scourge of piracy. We should have remembered that NIS America is on call to localize weird strategy games that probably have no business in America. NIS is localizing the PS3 game as Hyperdimension Neptunia, in which you take the role of the title console/goddess in order to save the land of Gameindustri from the evil Arfoire, using summon spells based on other games. Unlike the dead Sega console for which it's named, Neptunia has a release window: spring 2011.%Gallery-106204%
Hyper Dimension Game Neptune: An RPG on consoles, starring consoles
Hyper Dimension Game Neptune, a new PS3 RPG revealed in Famitsu magazine, puts players in the role of a personified video game console in the fight against piracy. Neptune is a fictional video game console turned into a girl, on a quest to defeat the "Goddess Majicon" -- "Majicon" being the Japanese term for DS flash carts like the R4. The concept calls to mind not only the "Console-tan" or "OS-tan" meme, in which computer operating systems and video game consoles are drawn as anime-style girls, but also Sega's utterly bizarre Dreamcast game Segagaga, in which Sega characters live and work at Sega -- a game that ends with a battle against flying Sega consoles. It's worth noting that "Neptune" was also the name of a proposed Genesis/32X console.
2D PS3 RPG crosses over to Xbox 360
If you're a fan of dated, obscure 2D JRPGs, then you'll be glad to know that the former PS3-exclusive Cross Edge is getting an Xbox 360 port. The original game featured a mish-mash of characters from Darkstalkers, Disgaea, Ar Tonelico and more. The novelty of seeing characters from a variety of series (all owned by different companies) couldn't offset its PS1-quality production values and repetitive gameplay, though, with Cross Edge currently holding a Metacritic score of 47.Regardless, developer Compile Heart is working on a version just for Xbox 360 called Cross Edge Dash. Just like the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia, this late port will feature a number of enhancements, such as new events and a Colosseum mode. The game will be available in Japan this October, with a US release unannounced.
Confirmed: Cross Edge coming in March 09
Speaking to RPGamer, an NIS America representative confirmed the rumors that the ensemble RPG Cross Edge will be headed for the US. That's great news for traditional JRPG fans everywhere -- the Compile Heart title features characters from the companies Capcom, Namco-Bandai, Gust, Idea Factory and Nippon Ichi. Mark your calendar, kids -- the game will be released in March 2009. To learn more, check out our coverage of the PS3 exclusive here. [Thanks, Marcus N.!]
Rumor: Cross Edge headed Stateside
Unfortunately, ensemble titles involving characters from multiple Japanese companies traditionally failed to get released in the US due to licensing issues (think Namco x Capcom and Jump Super Stars). So most of us pretty much thought Cross Edge was going to suffer the same fate; afterall, it features characters from IPs such as Darkstalkers, Disgaea, Ar Tonelico to name a few. Luckily, Siliconera is reporting that "trusted source" has informed them that a company "we know very well" will be releasing the title stateside. We are crossing our fingers and toes hoping this is true, and it will certainly help quench the thirst of PS3 owners for JPRGs. Check out the known roster of the game after the jump, again courtesy of Siliconera.
Characters galore appear in this Cross Edge trailer
It's time to get your translating hats on, everyone. A Japanese trailer for Cross Edge has hit the airwaves and we have no idea what it's saying. We see a ton of cast members, from Darkstalkers, Disgaea, the Atelier series (including Mana Khemia) as well as Ar Tonelico, doling out some voice-acting skills and massive damage. We're not quite sure what the game is about or how all these characters end up fighting alongside the main characters of the game, but the battles seem frenetic and entertaining. We're itching to see more because 2D is far from dead. [Via Siliconera]
More classic-style dungeon wandering: Elminage DS REMIX
The popularity of Etrian Odyssey, based on an absolutely dusty style of role-playing game, and the proliferation of other hardcore, gameplay-focused RPGs (like roguelikes) make the DS the go-to platform for punishing dungeon crawls. The suitability of the DS for this style of game has even attracted dungeon games from other platforms, as is the case with Starfish's Elminage DS REMIX. Elminage DS REMIX, based on a PlayStation 2 game, runs a party of six adventurers, in professions chosen from a list of sixteen, through fifteen dungeons (plus a bonus dungeon). Our gallery features six screens, and more are available at Famitsu. Do not dare enter the dungeon gallery unless you have an affinity for van-worthy 2D fantasy art.%Gallery-28177%[Via Famitsu]
Cross Edge promotional art reveals more characters
Some promotional art for the PlayStation 3 game Cross Edge has been located -- it's blurry, but we're not picky. This cross-over game features characters from multiple franchises including Darkstalkers and various Nippon Ichi and Gust properties. Compile Heart has slapped up a bunch of characters on said promotional art, but we can't identify them all. SiliconEra has an updated roster from what they could identify, but it's far from complete. If you can name any of the characters on there they haven't, you'll not only get huge props, but a freshly-baked bundle of e-cookies will be shipped to your e-stomach.
