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The last look at Dragon's Crown before next week's launch
This is it. It's the final pre-launch trailer for Dragon's Crown, the fantastical brawler notorious for all sorts of huge reasons. Dragon's Crown will hit PS3 for $50 and Vita for $40 on August 6, along with DLC that's free for one month after release. Are you brave enough to watch one more video?
Persona 3: The Movie's dark hour approaches in Japan
Persona 3 The Movie will appear on midnight channels - or cinemas, to be specific - all across Japan starting November 23. The animated adaptation of the Atlus PS2 RPG is labelled #1: Spring of Birth, and as such is expected to be the first in a series of films, although there's been no confirmation of that. A new trailer shows the game's male protagonist - no sign of P3 Portable's leading lady - alongside the familiar SEES faces of Mitsuru, Fuka, Junpei, and Yukari among others. Tickets go on sale in Japan on August 10, while on this side of the ocean there's no news regarding possible localization. Fans shouldn't lose all hope, though, given the western arrival of anime series Persona 4: The Animation last year, a localization we feel set an appreciably high standard.
Atlus parent company selling operations, publishing plans are 'unaffected'
Atlus parent company Index is preparing to sell off its subsidiary operations after recently filing for Japan's equivalent of bankruptcy protection, Bloomberg reports. Atlus USA's day-to-day operations are, for the moment, unaffected by Index's financial woes, so those of you looking forward to Dragon's Crown or Etrian Odyssey Untold can breathe easy. "Our games are still shipping on time," Atlus PR manager John Hardin said. "Dragon's Crown will be releasing as intended on August 6." The report, translated by Mad Man's Cafe, notes that bids for Index's assets will start as soon as next week. Industry analysts expect settlements to reach a total of 15 billion yen ($149.9 million). Index will be delisted from the Japanese stock market on July 28, and operation sales will wrap up in September.
PSA: Shin Megami Tensei 4 demonizes 3DS today
Shin Megami Tensei 4 lands on 3DS today via retail and the Nintendo eShop. In case you missed our review last week, we praised the game for its attention-demanding demon fusion system, which allows players to recruit and combine demons to fight alongside their band of samurai. Shin Megami Tensei 4 is also one of the most accessible games in the complex RPG series, making it a great entry point for new players. You can read our full review right here. And don't forget: If you enjoy good RPGs and earning free eShop bucks, Nintendo has a special promotion underway. If you register both Shin Megami Tensei 4 and Fire Emblem: Awakening with Club Nintendo by August 31, you'll pick up a sweet $30 in free eShop credit.
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.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 Review: Devils in the details
The Shin Megami Tensei series of Japanese role-playing games has typically featured deep, thought provoking storylines and richly dense game mechanics that provide immensely satisfying experiences while also scaring off a lot of would-be players. The games are so cram-packed with lore and quirky gameplay that they've proven more than a little overwhelming for newcomers. The most recent installment in the series, Shin Megami Tensei 4, is easily the most accessible of the bunch, easing new players into SMT's idiosyncrasies without making the game too basic for long-time fans. The story and visuals aren't quite up to the series' typically high standards, but there's more than enough going on to hook you early and keep you playing for a long, long time. You play as a newly-christened "Samurai" – chosen guardian of the realm against demons. Along with your companions, you've been fitted with a mystical gauntlet that allows you to perform mighty feats, like using magic and summoning captured demons to fight alongside you in turn-based battle. Your training for these new responsibilities has been exactly nothing, but fortunately your gauntlet comes equipped with a helpful AI named Burroughs who's more than happy to bring you up to speed on how to perform your Samurai duties.%Gallery-193433%
Atlus parent company registers Persona 5 domain
Index Corporation, the parent company of Persona series developer Atlus, registered the domain "persona5.jp" on June 25. Before throwing your hands up in glee, take a breath and look at the big picture: Index doesn't own "persona4.jp," "persona3.jp" or other similar constructions, and snagging a domain for Persona 5 doesn't, on its own, confirm the existence of the game. Index could simply be protecting its brand against potential squatters. Or Team Persona could be close to announcing Persona 5. (OK, now throw your hands up in glee and with full acknowledgement of all the information.) In August 2012, series producer Katsura Hashino said Team Persona was working on "the next numbered Persona game," but it wasn't specified to be Persona 5. After all, a Persona 2 remake is still a numbered Persona game.
Dragon's Crown characters get color, voice, name customization
Dragon's Crown features a bevy of customization options, including changeable character names, outfits and voices, and the ability to switch control from the analog stick to the D-pad. Character names are fully editable, while their outfits feature five color palettes, and the voices can be either English or Japanese. The voice option applies to each character uniquely, and players can mix it up on the battlefield. Dragon's Crown launches on August 6 for PS3 and Vita, shipping with Voice Pack DLC that features different narrator voices for each playable character in the game – Amazon, Dwarf, Elf, Fighter, Sorceress and Wizard. The Voice Pack is free for one month, and $2 after that.%Gallery-193084%
Atlus' parent company Index files for 'civil rehabilitation'
Index Corporation, parent company of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona publisher Atlus, is petitioning for "civil rehabilitation proceedings," a form of bankruptcy protection under Japanese law. As part of its petition, as of May, the company has ¥24.5 billion ($249 million) in total liabilities. Jurists.co.jp has a pretty solid explanation of the procedure from this point forward. The company will have a supervisor appointed and a plan will be drawn up for rehabilitation of the company. After that, there is a creditors meeting and approval. Then the company is supposed to follow the plan. We've reached out to Atlus for a statement about if this will have any impact on the company's daily business or release schedule. Update: Atlus provided the following statement from President and CEO Naoto Hiraoka: "Currently, Index Digital Media, Inc. and the Atlus brand are unaffected by the Index Corporation proceedings in Japan. We're carrying on day-to-day activities, business as usual. Shin Megami Tensei IV and Dragon's Crown are still releasing on July 16 and August 6 respectively, and we're licensing and publishing third-party titles such as R.I.P.D: The Game and Daylight. We want to thank all of our fans for their outpouring of support."
Code of Princess producer likes PS4, Xbox One for a sequel
Atlus' 3DS brawler Code of Princess sold "beyond" expectations in the US and producer Yasuo Nakajima thinks the PS4 and Xbox One would be great fits for a sequel. "Kinu-san already has ideas about Code of Princess 2 in mind already," Nakajima told Siliconera. "If Code of Princess 2 goes into development maybe it will be for consoles like PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. I want to develop a sequel to Code of Princess for core gamers like fans that are anticipating Dragon's Crown now." A sequel, as of now, has not formally entered development. Code of Princess was developed by Agatsuma Entertainment in collaboration with Bones animation studio. It's a hack-and-slash brawler made available as a physical cartridge release last October, followed by an eShop launch in January of this year. The game launched in Europe back in March, available exclusively as an eShop download.
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl is a friendlier remake
After a rocky and disappointing first year, the 3DS has transformed into a juggernaut of Japanese RPGs, with developer Atlus leading the charge. This year alone, the company will have four first-person RPGs to its name: Etrian Odyssey IV, Soul Hackers, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and the upcoming Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl – not bad for such a relatively niche product. The only issue comes from the fact that this particular subgenre rarely offers the accessibility of your typical Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, though Atlus hopes to remedy this issue when The Millenium Girl launches this fall.%Gallery-191075%
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl maps out 3DS this fall
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl will bring dungeon-crawling anime cartography to the 3DS sometime this fall, Atlus announced this morning. When it launches, this semi-remake of the original Etrian Odyssey will be available in both physical and digital flavors, the later provided through the 3DS eShop. The game's Story mode, which features voice acting and animated cutscenes created by the folks who handled those duties for Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4 Arena, is a first for the franchise. Likewise, the new "Grimoire Stone" system forgoes class skill limitations found in previous entries by allowing players to assign skills and create hybridized characters themselves. Meanwhile, Classic mode is an updated, 3D version of the original Etrian Odyssey, enhanced with the Grimoire Stone system and made flexible by three new difficulty modes: Picnic, Standard and Expert.%Gallery-191075%
Dragon's Crown Wizard and Amazon trailers feature thunderbolts, lightning
In this latest batch of trailers for Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown, available on PlayStation 3 and Vita August 6, the Wizard and Amazon hero classes show off their respective skeleton-vanquishing abilities, which involve a respectable amount of elemental magic and drill kicks, also respectively.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 helps series newcomers with free DLC
Atlus is preparing a volley of free downloadable incentives for early adopters of upcoming 3DS exclusive Shin Megami Tensei 4. The Platinum Surcoat will not only bestow a sense of elegance and self-esteem on your samurai, but early-game stats bonuses designed to aid players who are new to the series. The DLC also includes three different hairstyles and, finally, a map pack with an exclusive collectible demon and enemies that will generate extra experience. The hairstyles will be free permanently, but both the armor and map pack will revert to $1 and $2 respectively, a month after Shin Megami Tensei 4 launches on July 16. All pre-orders will net a collectible box set version of the game, which includes a custom case, starter guide and art book, and the obligatory soundtrack.
Zeno Clash 2 punches XBLA next week
Father-Mother lovers rejoice, Zeno Clash 2 is finally first-person punching its way to Xbox Live Arcade next week. After being available on PC since late April, the game will arrive on Microsoft's download platform on June 12, smack in the middle of E3. We won't be playing Zeno Clash 2, but we'll still be first-person shoving our way through crowds to bring you the latest news.
New Dragon's Crown trailers continue to wreck beasts
These latest Dragon's Crown trailers showcase the various ways in which the Dwarf and Elf characters are equipped to burn pig-men and mess up skeleton junk like nobody's business.
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.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 trailer is definitely going to be a samurai
We've seen plenty of Shin Megami Tensei 4 in Japanese, so here's a better, albeit brief look at how the upcoming 3DS RPG looks and sounds in English. North America passed the rite to receive the Atlus game on July 16, while Europe is still waiting in the wings with a summer release window.
Dragon's Crown introduces the Amazon
Atlus released the sixth character trailer for Dragon's Crown today, and it features the Amazon - remember when you saw that word and thought of female warriors rather than online deals? What this Amazon lacks in outerwear (or anywear), she makes up for with brute strength.
Dragon's Crown pre-orders get this art book
Folks who pre-order Vanillaware and Atlus' forthcoming 2D hack-and-slash game, Dragon's Crown, will also receive a 64-page limited edition art book for their troubles. The paperback tome includes character and environmental artwork by Dragon's Crown designer/artist/Vanillaware president George Kamitani, in addition to pieces by other Japanese video game artists, such as Capcom alumnus Kinu Nishimura and Akira Yasuda. Atlus has also revealed the game's North American box art, which does a good job of obfuscating the art design's more controversial aspects. Dragon's Crown will drop for PlayStation 3 and Vita August 6, at $49.99 and $39.99 respectively.%Gallery-187956%
