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Joystiq impressions: Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
Five months ago we asked NIS America why its forthcoming turn-based strategy game, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, would make the next-gen leap to the PS3."It's simply because PS2 lacks the processing power and memory capacity to support Disgaea 3," commented marketing coordinator Jack Niida at the time, a response we didn't buy entirely back then and after pouring over the game in recent days we're even less convinced. Not that the game isn't fun. The fact that this article is being penned at 4am after 9 hours spent playing and losing track of time should be a testament to Disgaea 3's addictive nature, a trait that the series has had in spades since its freshman effort. Gallery: Disgaea 3 (PS3)
Mana-Khemia promo trailer reveals classic JRPG action
Coming in October, NIS America's upcoming release of Mana-Khemia looks to bring some very standard JRPG fare to the PSP. It's been a while since a traditional RPG has arrived on PSP, especially so shortly after a Japanese release. We're keeping an eye out on this one, if only because there are so few games to actually look out for in the immediate future.[Via PSPHyper]
PS2 getting sexier with Ar tonelico 2 this December
Last year's Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia was one of the strangest titles we'd ever played from NIS America, and coming from a company that let us possess watering cans in Phantom Brave and do turn-based strategy as a side-scroller in GrimGrimoire, that's saying something. Offering equal parts role-playing and old school adventure, it was the included dating sim-style mechanics and the game's near-constant stream of sexual innuendo that gave Ar tonelico its unique, acquired tasted.NIS America now drops word that it plans to release the sequel this December for the PS2. According to the publisher, this time around Ar tonelico 2 will challenge players by having them manage relationships between the game's sultry mechanical dolls known as Reyvateils, adding that "if their emotions are more closely synced, the stronger the magic becomes." We knew there was a reason to keep the PS2 around...magic lesbian robots.[Thanks, Dennis]%Gallery-28943%
Get a glimpse of Disgaea DS
Both veteran Disgaea fans and new fans who want to experience the series for the first time are getting ready for the release of Disgaea DS. The strategizing won't begin until September 23rd, but until then, it's a good idea for us to know exactly what we're getting into by observing some gameplay action. We think that the presentation is pretty nice on the DS, and although the graphics may have toned down in the translation, the visuals aren't wanting for anything. As for the gameplay, Disgaea virgins will notice from the videos that while the grid-based style is familiar, the actual execution differs from many other strategy games. Come September, we're ready to sacrifice hundreds of hours of our lives playing this title. Are you with us? More battle footage lies after the break!
E308: Infected with Puchi Puchi Virus
Puchi Puchi Virus seems to have been hit with a delay. The wacky puzzler, initially set for -- hey, this week -- and later moved to next week, has been bumped to November, according to the information released with the latest set of E3 media. If true, that's a shame, as we've been looking forward to killing viruses in a (probably) easier, more laid-back, and certainly wackier fashion than we're used to in medical settings. Let's hope the new date just happens to be a typo -- we're ready to start connecting some viral dots!%Gallery-27958%[Via press release]
Nintendo Power DS mockup just a NIS advertising 'edit'
Remember the crazy ad in Nintendo Power (pictured above) that "hinted" at a DS redesign? (You should; we only posted about it two days ago, silly rabbits.) It turns out that the poor Photoshop job is nothing to speculate about, as NIS America only "placed screenshots on a DS backing to emphasize the platform, and edited them for effect." Now, we never took Marketing 101, but that seems like somewhat misleading advertising to us.NIS America's marketing guru Nao Zook apologized for any confusion that the picture may have caused, stating that there is no widescreen DS in the works (to her or the company's knowledge). So, you can rest assured (or at least hold your breath until E3) that you won't have to pony up the cash for yet another DS. Gallery: Nintendo DS mockups Gallery: Disgaea
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.
Rhapsody: A Stack of Screens
Nippon Ichi seems determined to show us as much of Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure while it still can. Impress Watch now has an update of 69 screens (some of which we have seen previously, but plenty of which are new) and pieces of character art, which follows other screenshot-heavy previews here and here. At this rate, recreating a flip book of the entire game by the time it hits Japan in August might not be out of the question.Actually ... holy crap, that's a great idea. While we head out to the store for scissors and glue sticks, check out the latest avalanche of images at the "Source" link below.
Rhapsody: A Musical Minigame
NIS is including extra stuff with the DS version of Rhapsody, in addition to the inevitable Etna/Prinny cameos that will ensure that PS2-era NIS nerds will desire this PS1-era NIS remake. Cornet's trumpet-playing has been expanded into a minigame in which Cornet plays trumpet in the town square to earn Imotium chips from the townspeople. This takes the form of a minigame in which you blow into the microphone in time with an onscreen indicator.Other new stuff includes a "Kansatsu Notes" feature, in which not only does the game provide a database of information about its characters and monsters, but the main characters offer commentary as well. Dengeki has posted tons of screens of these modes and other parts of Rhapsody.
Don't expect Spectral Force Genesis from NIS America
During his interview with NIS America president Haru Akenaga, Spencer Yip made a point to inquire about the company's plans for many specific games, including those from companies with whom NIS has worked in the past. Spectral Force Genesis, the new SRPG from Idea Factory, came up. With unexpected candor, Akenaga confirmed that a localization of that or any Idea Factory title was unlikely:"We have a relationship with them, but unfortunately our mission is to release quality titles. Their titles are good, but not good as we expected. That's our reason. They always ask us to localize their titles, but at this moment we answer with 'we're sorry'."Atlus, Mastiff, O3 (who did the amazing localization of Idea Factory's Chaos Wars) and other small publishers are still a possibility, but NIS definitely doesn't have interest in working with the company. Which is good, because that particular bridge is pretty well toasted.
A Witch's Tale casts a spell on us
NIS America's workload for the rest of 2008 is greater than we initially thought. Not only are there localizations of Disgaea and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure to take care of, but the company is developing an entirely new ARPG, A Witch's Tale.Due in October, the game tells the story of a tribe of witches who lived beneath the world's surface, practicing rune magic. One day, they set out to invade the surface world, but are stopped by a mysterious figure by the name of Alice, who seals the witches underground again with their own magic. The trailer above is the only media of the title released thus far, and features no gameplay sections (though Siliconera reveals that players must draw runes on the touchscreen to attack enemies), but we like what we're seeing so far: there's a fairly charming gothic fairytale vibe to proceedings.
Music to our ears: NIS America announces Rhapsody
In an interview with RPGamer, NIS America's Jack Niida bluntly confirmed a U.S. release of the remake of Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. RPGamer asked him if the game was coming out, and he said "Rhapsody ~A Musical Adventure~ is coming to the Nintendo DS here in North America." This is the only time in history that just asking about an unannounced game resulted in a definitive answer. There's no date yet, but the Japanese version isn't out until August, so we'd expect the holidays at the earliest. Localization and voice recording take time (unless they're using the existing English script), and getting Disgaea DS out will probably take priority for NIS. We'll find out more about the company's plans on the 6th, when NIS will hold a press event. Niida promises "surprise announcements," which could be anything from Jigsaw World (fairly likely) to The Combini (pretty much no chance) to non-DS stuff.[Via NeoGAF]
The Combini: a very important training program
The Combini is really a smart series for Nippon Ichi to put on the DS: what was once called a "video game" can now be presented as "management training" and sold to very serious people who don't want to waste their valuable train time with anything that's not going to give them a business edge. It's not a game, no! It's training. For business. Also it looks like it would be cheap to make.New elements in The Combini on the DS include a "president's office," from which you can get in-game help from your secretary and look at graphs on your PC. As you acquire wealth, you can upgrade your office. Other than that, The Combini is all about opening up stores in strategic locations near popular buildings, in one city at a time, hiring staff and placing products. You'll create direct-mail ads and commercials and track other developing buildings around the city. Oh, and of course you'll build "business power."
Japan to be ecstatic for Rhapsody this summer
For our very lucky brothers and sisters living in Japan, this one's for you. Dated for this August is the release of Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Nippon Ichi's SRPG. This has little weight with those of us living outside of the country, who're forced to wait until SRPGs are localized. We know, it's just horrible.Spencer over at Siliconera is of the mind that the title could wash up on North American shores come the end of the year, however. So for those of you looking to throw down in a very careful and meticulously plotted manner, cross your fingers. You just might get your wish.[Via Siliconera]
NIS offers contest to win a game and viral candy
While that may sound disgusting, it's not. In fact, we find this Puchi Puchi Virus candy to be almost as appetizing as the budget priced game due out this summer. Now, though, there's a chance for you to get your hands on both the delicious snack and the game it's themed after. In order to promote their upcoming game, NIS is having two contests, in which the prize is a Puchi Puchi Anti-Virus kit. The kit include anti-virus pills (aka candy), information about Puchi Puchi Virus, and the game itself. The deadline for both contests is May 20th. For one, you must draw your own version of an infected person, name it, and send in the artwork. For the other, you must come up with your own "wacky" virus, name it, and write about what it does.If you're interested in entering, just click the "read" link below for more information. Gallery: Puchi Puchi Virus [Via GamerTell]
When puzzles attack: Jigsaw Battle World
Puzzle Quest may have made crazy genre-combining games popular, but we have no qualms when other titles follow suit. Take, for example, Jigsaw Battle World. Fusing jigsaw puzzles with action gameplay, this combination of styles sounds incredibly addicting. It's been a long time since we've obsessed over a jigsaw, but those things are like crack once you start them; there's really no stopping until you finish.This time, there's even more of an incentive to get your jig on, since there's a story included that involves overthrowing Satan. So, where exactly does the "action" element come in, then? Basically, you race against your opponents to complete puzzles. You can also attack your opponents, though (and vice versa), and by correctly putting pieces in place you gain stronger attacks.The game is being developed by Nippon Ichi, makers of such gems like Disgaea. There will even been a Disgaea character, Etna, featured in it. Also, since NIS is furiously localizing games for us English-speakers, there's a chance this one might show up in North America eventually.If you're curious about this crazy hybrid, you can check out some screenage after the break.
Disgaea gets boxart, limited multiplayer
With the Disgaea franchises finally hitting the DS, we were wondering how the look of the new game would compare to other entries in the series. We solved that mystery. Now, we're solving another mystery, courtesy of the information available from Siliconera pertaining to the boxart for the Japanese release of the game.That is nowhere near the only item of note, however. Aside from the boxart, Siliconera managed to confirm that multiplayer functionality will be making its way into the DS game (along with the other confirmed extras). The only feature known as of right now is the ability to go 1-on-1 over wireless and the odds of Wi-Fi implementation making its way into the title are slim at best. Sad, but hey, at least there's some multiplayer.%Gallery-17933%
A class in Puchi Puchi Virology
We've been interested in Puchi Puchi Virus for about a year because of its art, but throughout that whole year we've failed to learn one important piece of information about the game: how to play the game. It's something with, like, triangles and stuff, right? GamesRadar has posted a preview of the game that covers, in detail, this vital aspect of the game (the entire game). Basically, you tap three same-colored virii to create a triangle around them. Clicking any of the corners of this triangle causes it, and any virii inside the triangle, to disappear. If a virus stays onscreen too long, it turns to stone and can't be used to form a triangle.It's nice to know that there's an interesting puzzle game to go along with the silly pop-culture references.
Our fate is in the hands of ... Cluck Norris?
And yes, we mean Cluck and not Chuck. (An easy way to tell the difference between them is Cluck's sweet Fu Manchu moustache.)Puchi Puchi Virus, which is set for a May release, is a quirky puzzle game that we were surprised to see localized. We've already deduced that it's one of the five games NIS was referring to earlier, but we didn't expect to see a video so quickly.This "trailer" doesn't really show us what to expect from the game -- only that it's going to be ridiculous. Whether you find yourself looking forward to it or not probably depends on how much silly you like on your DS.Fortunately, for many of us at DS Fanboy, that quota is hardly ever met.
NIS: five DS games planned, Disgaea amongst them?
Nippon Ichi Software has announced it is working on five games for the DS, and has already begun to tease us with incredibly vague details. All we know for now is that there'll be an action game, a management sim, a puzzle game (Puchi Puchi Virus? We suspect so), an RPG, and a tactical RPG.Of the five, that last one caused much excitement in these parts, because it increases our chances of seeing some Disgaea goodness on our favorite handheld. We seem to recall NIS raising the possibility of a Disgaea port on the DS in the past!
