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Dragon's Crown gets Vita, PS3 cross-play in Japan [Update: North America too!]
Japanese Vita and PS3 players can now buddy up in Dragon's Crown, after Vanillaware added cross-play between the two platforms. The update looks to be restricted to Japan at the mo, so we've reached out to Atlus to see if it's headed for North America. Cross-play for Dragon's Crown also came to Europe ... except it didn't, really. Just after Atlus' announcement about Japan we received a letter of apology from NIS America, the company that brought the game to PAL regions earlier this month. We'll let the letter do the talking, as written by Marketing Manager Ryan Phillips. "We wanted to let you know that there has been a printing error with the initial run of the PS Vita retail packaging for Dragon's Crown in the European/Australian regions. The back of the packaging indicates that the game supports Cross-platform Play with the PlayStation®3 console. However, this information is incorrect. The game supports cross-save functionality only. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this printing error may cause." For the record, NIS America didn't have any news to share with us about European or Australian versions getting the cross-play update. We suspect Atlus' announcement came as something of a surprise. Update: Atlus has confirmed that the update will come to North America as well, clarifying that cross-play compatibility is being added for both cooperative and competitive modes. The publisher said it is "releasing the patch very soon, it's in our offices for testing." Update 2: Sure enough, NIS America get back in touch to let us know the cross-play patch is coming to Europe "in the upcoming months."
The Guided Fate Paradox has angelic company for you, lord
The angels in the upcoming PS3 RPG The Guided Fate Paradox want you to know that they'll fight right beside you as you play as a god, guiding fates and fending off demons. They can also wear gear and be customized via the Divinigram, a grid-like board for character growth.
NIS President Niikawa considering more anime in games, more games as anime
Nippon Ichi Software President Sohei Niikawa told Joystiq his company may try to introduce more anime cut scenes to games like Disgaea, and spoke about the reverse possibility of a new Disgaea anime. Talking with us at the Tokyo Game Show, Niikawa said he's been able to build closer contacts within the anime industry in his relatively recent dual role as the president of both NIS and NIS America. "I believe that until recently NIS and NISA were completely different entities on their own," Niikawa explained. "NIS would make games, NISA would sell games. Having worked with both companies, being president for both companies, I believe that we could make a more intertwined relationship. "NISA has been doing anime before NIS, and because of that I've personally been able to meet more people working with anime, not just games. I originally met the anime industry people as the president of NIS America, but using that connection I gained by being the NISA president, I want to use that for NIS [Japan] as well."
The Witch and the Hundred Knight marches to western PS3s in 2014
NIS America will enlist western audiences to carry out an evil witch's bidding early next year, when its PS3 action-RPG The Witch and the Hundred Knight launches in North America and Europe. Players will guide the Hundred Knight through a contract with Metallia, a witch that is unable to travel beyond the borders of her poisonous swamp. The Hundred Knight is tasked with spreading destruction on her behalf while searching for and destroying pillars that were built to prevent the swamp from spreading. Players can use up to five different weapons to contribute to extensive combos. Dodging enemy attacks with the Mystical Dodge mechanic will slow down time, allowing players to punish their inaccurate foes with a few extra hits. The Witch and the Hundred Knight will also retain the Japanese version's audio tracks in addition to its English versions. You can get a glimpse of the game in this gallery of images from the Hundred Knight's Japanese release last year.
Dragon's Crown flies to Europe, Australia in October
The latest NISAmerica newsletter reveals Dragon's Crown is coming to Europe, Australia, and other PAL regions on October 11, and confirms the art book pre-order bonus is available at select retailers. The PS3 and Vita brawler is already out in North America and Japan, getting off to a storming start in the latter after shipping 300,000 copies in its first week. The game proved sovereign with our Danny, too, notching four and a half stars in his review: "Vanillaware breathes new life into a worthwhile but rarely attempted style of gameplay with Dragon's Crown, a brilliantly executed tribute to arcade gaming's past that offers up an endlessly satisfying loop of questing, looting, and character progression."
The Guided Fate Paradox destined to arrive in November
When The Guided Fate Paradox comes to North America on November 5, the world as we know it will surely end unless we can get hold of the Doctor! Or... perhaps the Nippon Ichi PS3 RPG is one of those not-so-universe-ending paradoxes we've heard so much about. Sci-fi tomfoolery is apt for The Guided Fate Paradox, a roguelike RPG with Disgaea-like elements, starring a high-schooler who wins godly powers in a mall lottery, and of course must use those powers to travel between worlds and shape the future - does sound a bit like Doctor Who, really. The game's release date comes courtesy of NISAmerica's site, where pre-orders for its limited edition are now available. The $75 set includes the game, 2-disc soundtrack, hardback art book, print by artist Noizi Ito, and 8 postcard-like character cards.
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness trailer promises laughter and tears
Do you have enough exclamation marks in there, Disgaea D2?! Yes, you're excited Nippon Ichi's "spiritual remake" of 2003's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is coming to PS3s in Europe on September 27, and North America on October 8, but ease up, dood!!!!!
Dragon's Crown roaring into Europe
A NIS America newsletter in the Joystiq inbox says the publisher is bringing Vanillaware co-op hack-and-slash Dragon's Crown to Europe, although no further details were noted beyond a fall release window. The Vita and PS3 game, mixing the Muramasa and Odin Sphere studio's hand-painted visuals with a diverse array of brawling heroes, comes to North America on Atlus' shoulders August 6.
Time and Eternity launch trailer has magical girls, tactical twirls
Image Epoch's anime-drenched PlayStation 3 RPG, Time and Eternity, launches today in North America, courtesy of publisher NIS America. The newly released trailer above showcases the game's combat system, which resembles a turn-based anime fight scene. Expect grunting, shouting, and combo-fueled theatrics.
Etrian Odyssey Untold presents a fresh face this fall
Etrian Odyssey remake Untold: The Millennium Girl treks onto the eShop and retail shelves in North America on October 1, mapped out at a price of $40. The 3DS dungeon-crawler adds a new story mode with voice acting and animated cutscenes, alongside a 3D version of the original DS game. To see how old and new balance out, check out our preview. Meanwhile, NIS America confirmed to us Etrian Odyssey 4 completes its journey to Europe on August 30. According to reviewer Kat Bailey, EO4 is one of the two best RPGs on the 3DS - the other being the excellent Fire Emblem: Awakening - so it should be worth the wait.
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness lights up EU in September, NA in October
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness will wing its way to PS3 in Europe on September 27, with a North American release following on October 8. The game reintroduces Laharl, Etna, and Flonne from the original Disgaea and casts them in a new adventure. During our brief look at the strategy RPG at E3, it appeared developer NIS is trying to recapture its audience by sticking very closely to Disgaea's original formula. A special edition is now available for pre-order for $84.99. It includes a collector's box, an artbook, 2-disc soundtrack CD, Etna and Flonne figurines, 5 art cards and, of course, the game. You can also order the special edition with an included strategy guide for $104.99. The standard edition is $49.99.%Gallery-179545%
Three quirky Japanese imports coming to PS Vita
PS Vita owners can look forward to a trio of new localizations bringing fresh weirdness to their handhelds. Up first is Holy Sorcery Story, a dungeon crawler and roguelike focused on curry preparation, due later this year in North America from developer Compile Heart. Aksys announced the localization during Anime Expo (via Siliconera) on Saturday, revealing Compile's game will be released here under the title Sorcery Saga: The Curse of the Great Curry God. The other two localizations are coming courtesy of NIS America, which announced early 2014 launches for Demon Gaze and DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc in both North America and Europe, Kotaku reports. Demon Gaze is a quirky RPG about Oz, a vagabond with a magical eye that can be used to capture demons. The even more bizarre DanganRonpa is about a black-and-white mystical bear named Monokuma, who traps kids in their school and won't let them leave unless they "graduate" by committing a murder. And to think, our parents complain about what their high school was like.
Returning to simpler days with Disgaea D2
Nearly ten years ago, a quirky little game called Disgaea: Hour of Darkness put developer Nippon Ichi on the map for lovers of Japanese RPGs – the ones from America, anyway. This quirky strategy RPG combined Final Fantasy Tactics with a Tim Burton-inspired aesthetic, and just as the genre seemed to be fading from relevance. Nippon Ichi capitalized on the success of Disgaea by opening up an American branch months later, and continued to iterate on their particular brand of complex and bizarre mechanics. For some (like myself), Nippon Ichi's prolific nature soon became a case of diminishing returns, and their audience gradually checked out from the company's regular forays into strategy RPG territory. Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness for PlayStation 3 stands as the developers' attempt to recapture that magic of 2003 with a spirtual remake of the game that made them, and by all accounts looks to be treading some very safe waters. This might not be a bad thing, though; just as the New Super Mario Bros. series added a fresh coat of paint to old-school action, Disgaea D2 has the same intent. The latest installment to the series acts as a direct sequel to the first game, complete with the same mechanics and characters, but with an entirely new story. %Gallery-179545%
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers possesses Europe September 13
NIS America is bringing the updated 3DS version of Atlus' classic 1997 Sega Saturn RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers to Europe this fall on Friday, September 13. The game's labyrinthine dungeons and too-cute-for-their-own-good demonfolk were already released stateside last month and in Japan last August. We had our souls hacked once, it was this whole big mess – had to cancel all our karma cards, get new Spiritual Security Numbers from the Spiritual Security Administration; it was awful. Nowadays, we keep our souls locked in a safe at the bottom of a well filled with concrete and ghosts.
Time and Eternity trailer features two souls in one-on-one battles
Here's a better feel for how battles work in the upcoming Time and Eternity, thankfully without that voiceover. In the Imageepoch PS3 RPG you control two souls trapped in one magical princess body, trying to escape the cycle of a recurring wedding day. Like most weddings, then.
New Time and Eternity screens are getting married
NIS America's PS3 role-playing game Time and Eternity got some flashy new screens, which show main characters Toki and an unnamed knight from the kingdom of Kamza getting married. What the screens don't show is the interruption of the wedding by a band of assassins, setting the stage for the rest of the adventure. Don't you just hate when that happens? The game features turn-based battles that offer players the chance to control their characters to dodge attacks. Also, players can switch Toki's personality to her more aggressive counterpart, Towa, throughout the game. This knight probably should have known about that before tying the knot. Time and Eternity is coming to PS3 this summer. %Gallery-187562%
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers cracks Europe this fall
NIS America is bringing Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers to Europe this fall, hot on the heels of the 3DS game finally being localized in North America. The Atlus dungeon crawler, originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1997, will in turn reach Europe for the first time in around a few months time.NIS America also confirmed to us a concrete European release date for Imageepoch PS3 RPG Time and Eternity: June 28. That matches up with what Amazon's been listing for the region, not for the first time for a NIS America game. With that in mind, don't be surprised if Time and Eternity's "summer" window for North America gets upgraded to July 16.
Etrian Odyssey 4 delays European trek to the summer
It'll take Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan a bit longer than expected to reach Europe, after NIS America pushed back its release window to this summer. It was expected this spring, but with the season dwindling fast, the Atlus-developed RPG won't hit European retailers or the 3DS eShop until summertime. NIS America says a demo which includes two dungeons is coming to the eShop beforehand, which to us sounds like the same demo North America received.Etrian Odyssey's return to Europe - the first game released on the continent but the second and third ones did not - marks, according to JRPG guru Kat Bailey, the series finally becoming recommendable to mainstream players; Etrian Odyssey 4 hauled a sweet four stars in our review.
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.
NIS America bringing Disgaea D2, The Guided Fate Paradox, and Time and Eternity west
NIS America's lineup of RPGs for this year includes the required Disgaea game, and a couple of surprises.This year's Disgaea is Disgaea Dimension 2: A Brighter Darkness for PS3 sees the return of Laharl, Etna, and Flonne from the first Disgaea, and adds a "master/pupil" system to the insane tactical strategy gameplay to help you transfer skills and boost stats. It's due this fall in North America and Europe.The Guided Fate Paradox is a PS3 roguelike developed by NIS's Disgaea team. NIS bills it as "the spiritual successor to ZHP Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman" for PSP, which suggests Disgaea-esque humor and a lot of customization. It's out this fall.Time and Eternity for PS3 was published in Japan as Toki to Towa by Namco Bandai. It's a role-playing game by Imageepoch with a weird 2D/3D hybrid style, in which hand drawn anime-style characters move around in 3D backgrounds (see what that looks like after the break). It stars a time-traveling princess who can switch personalities to her alter ego Towa. NIS will release it both retail and digitally this summer.%Gallery-179545%
