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Natural Doctrine coming to PS3, PS4, Vita in US and Europe this fall
NIS America has cleared the way for an upcoming North American and European release of Kadokawa Games' strategy role-playing game, Natural Doctrine, for the PlayStation 3, PS4, and PS Vita. Launching in Japan this week, Natural Doctrine features an in-depth battle system, offering players a number of strategic options across multiple characters in combat. The game will feature Cross-Play and Cross-Save functionality, allowing players to resume their progress across PlayStation console versions and the PS Vita. Natural Doctrine will launch at retail and digitally via the PlayStation Network this autumn. [Image: NIS America]
Examine the vast skill system found in Blackguards
Blackguards is a recently released strategy roleplaying game from Daedalic Entertainment that features an obscene level of character detail, as evidenced by this look at the game's skill trees. Functionally, assigning skills in Blackguards is pretty simple. You earn experience which gives you points that can then be assigned to various categories including weapon talents, magical aptitudes or miscellaneous abilities. That's all typical of the genre, but where Blackguards differentiates itself is in its breadth of available skills. As you can see in the above footage, the skills menu found in Blackguards is simply massive. What's more, the game doesn't confine players to pre-determined upgrade paths. Each character is able to learn any skill, so if you'd prefer your burly warrior to toss fireballs instead of swinging an axe that's entirely up to you and your available pool of Adventure Points. For more information on Blackguards, pay a visit to either Steam or the game's official website. If you like what you see, know that both the standard and deluxe editions of Blackguards are currently available from Steam at a ten percent discount.
Meet the rogue in latest Age of Wonders 3 footage
As Age of Wonders 3 is a game about leading nations into conflict, its rogues are less "deadly shadows" and more "subtle, calculating political agents." Think: Richard Nixon, only with a diabolical army of bearded succubi.
The Banner Saga marches to PC and Mac in January
Stoic Studio's strategy RPG The Banner Saga will launch on January 14, 2014. The developer announced that the game is essentially "playable from front to back," in an update on its Kickstarter page. Stoic Studios earned $723,886 on the funding platform in April 2012 to develop the full game. The Banner Saga is a hand-animated RPG inspired by Norse culture, complete with horned vikings and characters classes like archers, warriors and raiders. Stoic Studio says the game will feature a conversation system in which player's decisions will merit some form of consequence in the game's story, which is noted as more mature than the animated visuals might indicate at first glance. The developer launched a related stand-alone, free-to-play online multiplayer game on Steam called The Banner Saga: Factions in February as a means of providing backers a taste of the turn-based combat in The Banner Saga early.
Atlus teases new SRPG on Twitter, could be 'Gungnir'
There's teasing and then there's just plain teasing. Atlus is engaging in what must certainly be the much more annoying second kind by outright daring its Twitter followers to guess the company's next release, and giving them only three tidbits of information to go on. It's a strategy RPG title (good), it starts with "G," and ends with "R." Intrepid Atlus followers have two main guesses: First, a new Growlanser game, part of the tactical RPG series which Atlus has published in Japan in the past. Or (and this seems somewhat more likely) a game called Gungnir (subtitled Inferno of the Demon Lance and the War of Heroes), which Atlus published earlier this year in Japan. Most of the titles in the Dept. Heaven series have already been published in the US in some form, so it makes sense that Atlus would be publishing this one as well. Did we guess right, Atlus? Enough with the teasing!
Soldner-X dev announces PSN strategy RPG 'Rainbow Moon'
Known for developing the tongue-twistingly titled shooter Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer, SideQuest Studios is hard at work on its next IP for release on PlayStation Network. Rainbow Moon is an isometric view strategy RPG in a fantasy setting, currently scheduled to hit in Q4 2011 according to publisher eastasiasoft. Early imagery shows a vibrant hand-drawn visual style, and the game's developer is shooting (no pun intended) for a silky smooth 60 frames per second. Details released so far mention six playable characters and a roughly 25 hour adventure. Our favorite feature so far: we can actually pronounce its name.
SEGA's Kingdom Conquest hits iPhone and iPod Touch
Game studios have been eying Apple's pocket prodigies as a platform for MMOs for some time now, so it's no surprise that SEGA has stepped up to deliver its own hybrid strategy/RPG MMO in hopes of gaining a foothold on this market. It's called Kingdom Conquest and should feel familiar enough to both the MMO dungeon crawling crowd and the Facebook strategy app fans. Kingdom Conquest is split into two modes that work in synergy with each other. In the kingdom building mode, players will construct a city from the ground up, form alliances with other players, build armies and wage war to control territory. This is augmented by the action mode, in which anywhere from one to four players may group to tackle dungeons, which not rewards them with not only armor and weapons but items to use in their cities. While it bills itself as a free-to-play title (and it is certainly free to download), Kingdom Conquest makes no bones about its reliance on microtransactions. Players looking to create an edge for their city and alliance can spend real money on buffs and shorter building queues to boost their progress ahead. If you want to check it out, it's one quick trip to the iTunes App store away!
Dragon Age Legends Facebook game unlocks items in Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age Legends is a Facebook-based strategy RPG launching this February. Perhaps more importantly, it's a method through which you'll be able to unlock stuff in the upcoming Dragon Age 2. Legends takes place in Kaiten, a city in the Dragon Age 2 setting of the Free Marches. Players ally themselves with a Viscount named Ravi (nephew of Khedra) in order to save Ravi's son Elton from danger and protect the Free Marches. "Alongside their Facebook friends," according to EA, "players will take on challenging quests within an engaging storyline, earning loot, sharing rewards and growing their kingdom." EA 2D general manager Mark Spenner hopes to "raise the quality bar" of Facebook games with this offering, in order to draw traditional gamers. While we don't know exactly how Legends' cooperative tactical combat works, we'll find out soon enough: EA will hold a beta for the title starting in January, with invitations distributed to lucky EA account holders who have Facebook accounts and subscriptions to the Dragon Age Newsletter -- and who sign up for the beta, of course.
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%
Valkyria Chronicles 2 review: big strategy, war and drama in a handheld package
When fans of Valkyria Chronicles on PS3 heard the series would continue on PSP, it's likely they all asked the same question: How much will the game's epic feel be watered down to fit on a handheld? Valkyria Chronicles 2 may lose some scale in the battlefield gameplay due to the technological limitations of the PSP, but it still delivers a grand sense of everything else that fans expect. This isn't Valkyria "lite," it's Valkyria "light enough to take with you." VC2's narrative doesn't realize it's supposed to be simplified for on-the-go gaming. There's a lot of story (both personal and political) going on in Valkyria Chronicles 2, as the country of Gallia deals with a bit of Nazi problem. Okay, so they aren't "Nazis" per se, but well-funded, aristocratic bigots from the south of the country set to ignite a Gallian civil war by scapegoating the minority population for the post-war economy. The Gallian militia (of which Squad 7 from the original game was a part) can't be deployed to fight fellow citizens, so members of the Lanseal Military Academy are pressed into service to defend the country. %Gallery-68217%
Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman VS some new screens
We doubt you could forget about a game called Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, but in case it's slipped your mind even for the briefest of moments, publisher NIS America has released a heroic number of screenshots of the PSP strategy RPG. In Z.H.P., players not only control the superhero Unlosing Ranger, but build a sort of "superhero town" to support, train, and build items to help fight against his rival "Dangerama" and other villains. Unlike most strategy RPGs, the hero is totally alone during battles, which means it's probably a good idea to boost his abilities in town -- or risk becoming the Losing Ranger. Z.H.P. will fight evil on PSP this October.%Gallery-100480%
Valkyria Chronicles 2 trailer sets the stage for war
Citizens of Gallia will protect their homeland from a new threat on August 31, when Valkyria Chronicles 2 for PSP hits North American analog shelves and PSN's virtual store. We'll have to wait and see how Valkyria's epic (melo)drama, first experienced in the PS3 game back in 2008, translates to a the small screen. The story trailer after the break gives a bite-size taste of what Gallia faces.
Original Shining Force now available on App Store
Sega hasn't found a whole lot of luck porting its classic titles to the iPhone and iPod Touch, largely due to the twitchy nature of games like Sonic the Hedgehog and the totally non-twitchy nature of the devices' virtual controllers. However, that might not be too huge a problem for the latest Genesis game on the App Store: the classic strategy-RPG Shining Force. The game is currently available on the App Store in North America for $2.99, and doesn't require any split-second spin dashes or evasive maneuvers, meaning you might be able to play it on a glassy, buttonless surface. That's as good a selling point as any, we suppose. Download: Shining Force for iPhone and iPod Touch ($2.99)
Tactics Ogre being remade for PSP by original staff
Square Enix is remaking the original Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, for PSP, under the (non-Queen lyric!) title Tactics Ogre: Wheel of Fortune. According to Siliconera's summary of the Famitsu article announcing it, it's more than a simple port, with many of the original Quest staff returning to work on it -- including director Yasumi Matsuno, who basically disappeared after leaving Final Fantasy XII's development, only to show up as a writer for MadWorld in 2009. Akihiko Yoshida, most recently behind the character designs forFinal Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, is doing new design work for Tactics Ogre, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata are once again providing the soundtrack. The game is being expanded and redesigned, with new characters, storyline elements, and upgrades to the battle system. The ten-on-ten battles can now support up to 12 party members against 18 enemies. Siliconera notes that the English title "Wheel of Fortune" was trademarked in Japan, suggesting plans for an international release.
Disgaea Infinite trailer makes as much sense as the other Disgaea games
That Disgaea Infinite trailer that snuck out in Japanese a little while back has now been officially released and translated into almost-English and, while it's a little harsh to call the series "the ultimate grind-fest" (unless fans want to wear that title as a badge of honor), this weird little adaptation that turns the strategy RPG into a "visual novel" adventure game still looks interesting. Last we heard, this one was due out for the PSP in May, but this trailer actually says June of 2010. We checked in with NIS America, and they informed us that the game is due out on June 8th of this year. Look for it as a downloadable title on PSN then.
PSN Thursday: All systems are PSP Go for a massive update
If a PSN Update could be a classified as a zombie invasion, consider this humble paragraph the red door keeping the horde at bay. Once you click past the break, be prepared for an update the likes of which you've never seen. It's big, it's scary and it's going to eat your brains ... in a good way. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
NIS America to fix Disgaea 2 save error with free DLC
"If you save now, your save data will be saved in the state in which you cannot use the DLC." This error message has been scaring off players that picked up Disgaea 2 for PSP. However, NIS America admits that this error message is unwarranted, and "the message will appear regardless of whether or not the current saved data contains DLC." Players are encouraged to simply ignore the error. "Our investigation has revealed that this message will not harm your game play experience with Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days or any future Downloadable Content offerings." There will be a fix to this error, but it won't be available until late November. According to NIS, the company plans on making the first DLC for Disgaea 2 -- Sapphire from Disgaea 3 -- free for all users due to the "distress and confusion" caused by the error. Until then, players will have to continue their journey through the game, ignoring the save error along the way. [Via Kotaku]
NIS classics hit PSN in October, price cut in half
NIS America's library of PSP games is about to go digital. Games like Disgaea, Prinny: Can I Be the Hero?, Blade Dancer and more are being transformed into downloadable games, available from the PlayStation Store. Unlike many other UMD archive games on the PSN, NIS America will be offering a special discount on these downloadables: 50% off. The promotion isn't set to begin until October 1st, when the PSP Go launches. The sale will last for one week, allowing PSP owners new and old to pick up some NIS games for $12.99 and less.
Disgaea 3 trophy patch hitting on July 16
Trophy patches are continuing to trickle out (except, no, not for that game, sorry) and the latest title to receive an update is NIS' Disgaea 3. You should be seeing this patch hit in the US on July 16 at 1AM PST. The patch will add over fifty trophies to the game, but there's a downside. Installing this patch will render your previous game saves unusable. You'll have to start from scratch. Considering the game came out last August, chances are you've probably put a few hours in. If you don't want that time wasted, don't install the patch. There's no word on a European release for the patch, but we're looking into it. [Thanks, nikku]
Toro and Kuro join Disgaea 2 as DLC
American audiences will be able to enjoy the PSP enhanced version of Disgaea 2 later this year. However, gamers in Japan are already getting ready for some free (and paid) DLC content for the game. As usual, Nippon Ichi is preparing post-release DLC. The most surprising addition to Disgaea 2 comes through a collaboration with Sony: Mainichi Issho's Toro and Kuro can both be added to the game. The two Sony mascots are relatively unknown here in the States, but the felines are quite beloved by players on the other side of the pond. The two cats will be ready to hand special items to players, so keep an eye out for them! It would be nice if NIS America decided to include this DLC content as part of the retail release in the States. However, considering the DLC for Disgaea 3, that's unlikely. To see the other DLC characters, visit PSPHyper.
