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Muramasa Rebirth's third piece of DLC dated for Western ninjas
Muramasa Rebirth fans nearly have a fresh excuse to rack up more combos, as the game's third piece of DLC will land in North America on July 15, with a European arrival following on July 16. Siliconera reports that both dates for "A Spirited Seven Nights' Haunting" were announced by publisher Aksys at this week's Anime Expo. Seven Nights' Haunting will focus on Arashimaru, the black-haired ninja in the above trailer sporting red athletic tape and a kusarigama, which is basically a sickle on a chain. Aside from firecracker-like projectiles and kunai, Siliconera notes that Arashimaru can also summon a white serpent called Shirohebi, which appears to be the beast seen at 1:08 in the trailer. While a price for Seven Nights' Haunting wasn't mentioned, Rebirth's previous pieces of DLC were $4.99 each, so that at least gives us a sense of what to expect. One last chapter should follow Seven Nights' Haunting, as Rebirth's announced DLC is all involved in a four-part "Genroku Legends" set of episodes. [Image: Marvelous]
Europeans get their own transforming weapon for Final Fantasy XIII-2 pre-order
What is it with Square Enix and transforming weaponry? Gun swords and bow swords and now a spear sword? What's next, a gun that shoots swords? Actually, that doesn't sound half bad, but we digress. Not to be mistaken with GameStop's PowerUp Rewards member-exclusive transforming Genji Bow, the above weapon will be available to those who pre-order Final Fantasy XIII-2 from select European retailers, Square Enix reveals. It's the Muramasa, a combination dual-blade and spear weapon for Noel that increases chain bonuses in battle.
Nintendo releases budget line in Japan based on Nintendo Channel rankings
Nintendo of Japan just launched a line of budget Wii re-releases -- something that hasn't happened out of Nintendo in a long time. The Minna no Osusume Selection (Everyone's Recommendation Selection) is a series of third-party games marked down to ¥2,800 ($30.53), and given new box art that pretty much obscures the original image, making it really difficult to tell which game it is. Since the best-selling Wii games are all still selling at full price, Nintendo determined the titles to be released in this collection in a really smart way: with user recommendations from the Nintendo Channel. Each of the games is given a "medal" rank based on the user response, with the most recommended game on the list being Chunsoft's visual novel 428. Other titles in the collection include Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia, We Ski & Snowboard, and One Piece and Dragon Ball Z games. See the full list of initial releases after the break.
Marvelous lost money on most of its Wii releases
Pretty much everyone can guess why No More Heroes is being released again -- Marvelous needs money. During a Q&A presentation (PDF link, Japanese) about its fiscal Q2 2010 earnings, Marvelous boldly revealed that three out of its four 2009 Wii releases lost money, though it didn't say which was the winner. Muramasa sold 47,000 units in Japan, the company said, not specifying American sales. Arc Rise Fantasia, which will be published Stateside by Ignition, sold 45,000 copies. Little King's Story sold 26,000 copies in Japan, 37,000 copies in North America, and 67,000 in Europe. Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, which came out in September in North America, sold just 16,000 copies (Japanese sales, which started in October, are not mentioned). Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility on Wii somehow sold 57,000 units in 2009 despite being a 2007 release in Japan, a 2008 release in America, and not out until October in Europe and Australia. Because of lower development costs, Marvelous said, PSP software was more successful, with four out of five releases making money on similar sales numbers. Half-Minute Hero was Marvelous's overall best-performing title, at 70,000 copies sold. [Via Siliconera]
Muramasa publisher: UK retailers avoiding original IP
Rising Star Games, the European publishing partner of Marvelous Entertainment, is speaking out against UK retailers declining to stock Muramasa: The Demon Blade, which comes out November 13th in the region. COO Martin DeFries told MCV in an open letter, "Here in the UK, the game will not be available to buy in the majority of games retail outlets." He claims that the issue is not with the game itself, but retailers' over-reliance on safer, existing intellectual property. "If it is not first-party, a sequel or supported by a multi-million pound advertising spend, they are just not interested." Defries lamented that Muramasa could find its way into stores -- when it's traded in. Defries pondered in his letter whether the seemingly growing emphasis on franchises represents a "dumbing-down of the medium" that results in consumers having "little or no exposure to a rich and different gaming experience." Of course, retailers (and publishers) have preferred the sure thing for as long as there have been sequels, but actually not being able to market your game, especially one as interesting as Muramasa, seems especially frustrating.
Joyswag: Muramasa prize pack [update]
Update: Contest is closed! Keep an eye on your email to see if you won! Thanks for playing!If you didn't take our word on how awesome this game is, then here's your chance to check it out first-hand. One lucky reader will not only receive a copy of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but we've also got a small collection of poster art for the game. It's a one-two punch of free gaming goodness. Best of luck! Leave a comment telling us which of the game's main characters you prefer: Kisuke or Momohime You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 3:00PM ET on Thursday, October 1 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Muramasa: The Demon Blade ($50 ARV) and a collection of art cells ($15 ARV) For a list of complete rules, click here
Review: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
I was honestly a bit worried about being able to review Muramasa: The Demon Blade objectively, because this game was, from the outset, completely up my alley. Making a fully 2D sidescrolling action game with lots of combo-based swordfighting and a Japanese mythological setting is like titling the game JC Will Buy This, as there is no component of that game description for which I am not a sucker. What keeps me honest? Professionalism the other side of that coin -- if the game worked I may be more likely than most to love it, sure, but if there was anything wrong with it, my disappointment would come out pretty harshly. Luckily, I don't have to worry about my personal biases getting in the way, as I'm quite certain this is a great action game. %Gallery-33431%
Check out more of Muramasa's lovely gameplay in this new trailer
Muramasa: The Demon Blade's US release is so anticipated around Joystiq HQ, our staff can constantly be spotted exchanging fist-pumps whenever it's mentioned. Today, a new gameplay trailer has found its way online, showcasing more of the game's beautiful action. Hopefully, when it hits stores Stateside on September 8, it will live up to our lofty expectations. If not, the only arm movement we'll be making is when we throw elbows during our daily "abuse the intern" training exercises.
Video: The pretty, violent locations of Muramasa
Ignition has released a new video of Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The video highlights the game's locations, all set in beautiful feudal Japanese backdrops. Of course, the problem with beautiful feudal Japanese backdrops is they're always being ransacked by ninjas, demons and evil snow witches. You're just walking along, admiring the cherry blossoms, and then it's like, bam: Snow witch. Happens every time. Watch the trailer and see for yourself. Muramasa hits shelves next month.
New trailer looks at Muramasa's Momohime, release set for Sept. 8
Some new Muramasa: The Demon Blade media has been released. This time around, it focuses on Momohime, one of the game's main characters. She's "a princess possessed by a dark spirit and on a quest to recover the cursed demon swords," and each blade she collects gives her different abilities. But none of that matters, really. What does matter is that she can slice and dice baddies with the best of them and, as we've come to expect from Muramasa, she looks great doing it. Watch the new trailer above and then soak up some new screens and artwork below.One more thing, we can finally pin a date on Muramasa. Expect it to hit North American shelves September 8.%Gallery-70004%
Ignition opens sharp Muramasa: The Demon Blade site
Ignition opened the official North American Muramasa: The Demon Blade website today, confrming two important facts for us: Ignition is still planning to release the game this year (we need constant reassurance that not every game is being pushed to 2010) The art is still bangin'. In fact, the website allows you to take some of that art for your very own in the form of desktop wallpapers. You can also check out screenshots, video, and character profiles while you're there, and offer Ignition your own Muramasa art in a fan art contest.
New Muramasa: The Demon Blade trailer is all about the blading
The latest trailer for Muramasa: The Demon Blade is designed to show off the high-flying, combo-ridden swordplay found in Vanillaware's action game. Your sword is in motion at almost all times during this game, as you float around, juggling enemy after enemy. It is a little bit overwhelming at first, in a Marvel vs. Capcom sort of way.But then, when you get the hang of it, grimacing wheels, single-file lines of monks, gigantic samurai, and even transparent horses won't be able to stop you. At least, we think. We didn't really graduate past the "panicked button-mashing" technique at E3.%Gallery-33431%
Marvelous looking into HD ports of Wii games
"Wii has no hardcore games" is about as old, lame and untrue as "the PS3 has no games," and "Xbox 360 has only shooters." Real gamers know that each of the platforms has its gems -- but not everyone can afford all three gaming consoles.Marvelous may be expanding its portfolio to include more non-Nintendo systems. Already, the publisher is working on a PS3 and Xbox 360 game, Rainy Woods; however, according to a report by Siliconera, the publisher may look into porting some of its diverse Wii lineup onto the HD systems. Games like No More Heroes and the upcoming Muramasa would certainly appeal to the hardcore PlayStation and Xbox crowds. In fact, Suda 51's most recent comments suggest an HD future for his franchise. With just a little bit of polish, those two could easily transform from good-looking Wii games into gorgeous PS3 and 360 titles.[Thanks, tmacairjordan87!]
New Muramasa trailer makes with the slicing and dicing
There's no better way to fully appreciate the wonderful artistic style and furious action of Muramasa: The Demon Blade than to see it in motion. And, thankfully, that's just what we got for you right now. Above, you'll find a near-minute of fabulous Muramasa gameplay footage for your eyes to drool over, and if you're wondering what all of the fuss is about, you really should be keeping up.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa: the GameStop preorder bonus
Click to Marvelous-sizeWe didn't dare think it could happen, but when we saw the pre-order bonus for Japanese copies of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, we secretly wished for Ignition (well, XSEED at the time) to bring something half as awesome to us here. The bonus is a five-foot-long scroll featuring a series of amazing pieces of character art from the game.GameStop has just revealed the North American pre-order bonus, and it's exactly that! We couldn't be more thrilled. Well, we could be more thrilled if two things happened: We confirmed that the back of the scroll had the same enemy and stage artwork as the Japanese version We found out that GameStop's September 1 release date (a Tuesday!) was the real release date for the game. We've contacted Ignition about those two points. In the meantime, we can all enjoy the prospect of getting a really nice-looking free thing by buying another thing.%Gallery-33431%
Interview: Vanillaware's Jouji Kamitani on Muramasa
Jouji "George" Kamitani is the person most responsible for Vanillaware's signature look. Not only is he the company's president and director of its games, he's also in charge of the art. We were able to pull him away briefly from his busy day of signing Muramasa posters at Ignition's E3 booth to speak about action games on the Wii, selling a very Japanese game in America, and why we won't see the quirky DS title Kumatanchi in North America anytime soon. As a bonus, we were treated to an enthusiastic live demonstration of Kamitani's dream Wii minigame.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa rights picked up by Ignition, due in September
We love it when the wheels of progress turn quickly, but this is a bit much. Just a day after we learned that publisher XSEED had dropped the rights to Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Vanillaware's followup to the PS2's Odin Sphere, we hear from Ignition that it will be scooping the game up for a North American release on Wii in September.Jeez, Ignition, you didn't even give us time to mount an elaborate, multi-pronged effort to take to the streets to save Murasama. Now what the hell are we going to do with all this poster board and puffy paint?%Gallery-33431%
XSEED no longer publishing Muramasa
You should probably sit down, we have some bad news. According to NintendoEverything, XSEED has decided it will not publish the Wii exclusive Muramasa: The Demon Blade in North America. Muramasa: The Demon Blade -- which recently landed on store shelves in Japan -- is the new action role-playing title from Japanese developer Vanillaware, makers of the cult-hit Odin Sphere on PlayStation 2.Muramasa was originally planned for release in North America as part of its US publishing agreement with Marvelous Entertainment US. According to NintendoEverything, XSEED states it still believes in the game and "will look forward to seeing it release in North America" -- as long as it isn't released by them, apparently. If you thought the wait was going to be long before... grab a Snickers bar, kids.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa: The Demon Blade will accommodate action and RPG fans
According to (our iffy translation of) Famitsu, Muramasa: The Demon Blade will be playable in two different modes: "Musou" and "Shura." Musou mode may be best-suited for fans of previous Vanillaware action-RPGs like Odin Sphere: it focuses on character leveling rather than action. Shura mode is all action, with less emphasis on strategy. We don't know how the modes differ mechanically, but it may be as simple as easier enemies in one mode and fewer character customization options in the other.Along with this news, Marvelous released new screens of Muramasa. As usual, yum. Muramasa comes out April 9 in Japan, which is not fair at all. It's out in Europe in spring of 2010, and in North America sometime this year. But probably not next month.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa: The Demon Blade cuts down Japan this April
Word on the street is that the highly stylish and, well, one of our most-watched games, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, will hit Japanese retail in April of this year. We've got no firm date yet, however an April release in Japan means that we could be seeing it localized in North America this holiday season. It is coming to Europe in November, after all (not taking into account summer placeholders).It's a long wait, but one we'll gladly suffer for what we're sure is going to be a wonderful game.%Gallery-33431%
