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Dragon's Crown spells out the Wizard
If you've been wondering what Draco Malfoy's been up to since his Hogwarts days, Dragon's Crown has the answer. He's grown his hair out and broadened his repertoire in the upcoming PS3/Vita beat-em-up, but he's clearly gone overboard on the bleach.
Dragon's Crown trailers speak English, not that it matters
These new trailers for Dragon's Crown's Fighter and Sorceress classes are in English, which is a change from the predominantly Japanese footage we've seen so far, but honestly trailers for this game could be in Esperanto and you'd still be able to get the gist of what's going down: Skeleton murder.
The spoils of Atlus RPGs
In his weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games. In recent years, Atlus' string of portable-bound RPG remakes has done an excellent job of showing off the developer's history with video games before the breakout success of Persona. Yes, if you're the type of person inclined to read a column dedicated to Japanese RPGs, you might be thinking, "Breakout success? But I've loved Atlus for years!" If that's true, then you probably remember an ugly past, making mandatory reservations thanks to the tiny quantities of Atlus games that once trickled into your local Gamestop – if they did at all – and the wallet-destroying eBay markups greeting those who didn't go to Herculean lengths just to buy a retail product. As a result of the developer's growing fame, we're now seeing the release of games we only dreamed about playing in the 90s, and Atlus has tried their best to replicate the experiences we would have had back then – for better or worse.%Gallery-185385%
Dragon's Crown strings along the Elf
The fourth character trailer for Dragon's Crown showcases the Elf, who looks to have a dynamite range(r) of moves, able to gracefully string together mid-air attacks with kicks, fireballs, and flurries of arrows. Also, was that Medusa with laser eyes?
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.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 trailer runs toward the light
In Shin Megami Tensei 4, the choices you make not only affect you, but those around you. Also, the protagonist is apparently really into cardio.
Dragon's Crown arrives on Vita and PS3 August 6
Vanillaware's pseudo-retro side-scrolling hack and/or slash game Dragon's Crown will launch for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, August 6, at $39.99 and $49.99 respectively, publisher Atlus has announced. Can you imagine getting a new crown put in for $50? You'd figure dragon dentistry would be a lot more expensive than that, what with the size and plentiful nature of their teeth.... Get it? Because it's a Dragon's Crown, like one you get when ... You know what? Fine. Be that way about our dentistry jokes. Here's some screenshots of various things getting hacked/slashed/exploded.%Gallery-186614%
God Mode out now on Steam and XBLA, coming to PSN April 23 [Update]
Old School Games' third-person shooter God Mode is now available on Steam and XBLA for $9.99 and 800 MSP, respectively. The arcade-styled action game will mosey on over to PSN on June 23.God Mode has players fighting "demonic hordes" using a variety of weapons to get through the depths of hell. It features four-player online and LAN co-op as well as over 40 "Tests of Faith" and eight difficulty modifiers that bring variety to the game's five different stages.Update: The game will come to PSN on April 23, not June 23.
Dragon's Crown introduces the Dwarf
Having previously showcased the Fighter and the Sorceress, Vanillaware beat-em-up Dragon's Crown moves onto another player class: the Dwarf. While he's not infirm in the slightest, the sudden gymnastics halfway through does remind us of that bit from Attack of the Clones.
Persona 4 Arena limited edition strikes victory pose in Europe
Persona 4 Arena will finally launch in Europe on May 10, and today a limited edition has been revealed, available exclusively through the Zen Store. £59.99 will reserve a limited edition bundle, which includes a tote bag, jigsaw puzzle, soundtrack, badge set, digital artwork, key ring and a copy of the game.It's been a difficult trek to Europe for Persona 4 Arena, which was originally slated to launch on the continent last August, only to be pushed back out of 2012 entirely. Importing was out of the question for some Europeans, thanks to the decision to region-lock the PS3 version. All Persona 4 Arena pre-orders will net the same soundtrack and "digital fan" artwork included in the limited edition set.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 hits North America July 16, EU arrival confirmed
Shin Megami Tensei 4 is coming to North America on July 16, and the game is confirmed to be coming to Europe too, although there's no release date for the region yet.Following on from the announcement in this morning's Nintendo Direct, Nintendo of America revealed each copy in the first shipment of the Atlus JRPG will be a Limited Edition Box Set. Included in the box set are the 176-page Strategy & Design Book, which features the starter guide and a range of artwork, a soundtrack that covers the breadth of the SMT series, and a slipcase with key art by Atlus graphic artist Masayuki Doi.
Steam and XBLA activate God Mode April 19
Hell-bound shooter God Mode will emerge from the underworld on April 19, Atlus has announced. The Steam version is available for pre-order now, and Major Nelson has confirmed that the XBLA version will launch on the same day.We've contacted Atlus regarding the release date of the PSN version%Gallery-185105%
Dragon's Crown trailer shows the Fighter mauling blighters
Vanillaware scrolling beat-em-up Dragon's Crown features six classes, and this video shows off the Fighter one. It doesn't matter the voiceover is Japanese, because the game's hand-animated art speaks for itself. Dragon's Crown scorches PS3 and Vita this summer.
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.
Dragon's Crown trailer adds English text to the art you know
The English version of the newest Dragon's Crown trailer adds a little bit of context to the storyline – mostly "you're going into a labyrinth." It doesn't really need all that much context anyway.
Devil Survivor Overclocked EU busted, Ghostlight working on it
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked on 3DS has a few game-breaking issues buried within its European version, which launched on March 29, developer Ghostlight announced."The game will hang/freeze if you summon a demon during battle or if an auction house seller lies about the stats," Ghostlight wrote on its blog. "These problems mean that currently you will experience difficulties that may prevent you from completing the game. Currently we are doing everything we can to fix these problems as quickly as possible so that you will be able to enjoy DSO in full."Ghostlight is working with publisher Atlus and Nintendo on getting a patch out. Devil Survivor Overclocked was originally scheduled to launch in the EU on April 5, but was pushed up to March 29. The US and Japanese versions of Devil Survivor Overclocked hit in fall 2011.
Demon's Souls pounces on PlayStation Plus today
The malignant majesty of Demon's Souls becomes free to North American PlayStation Plus members in today's PSN update. The servers for the From Software game are staying online for the foreseeable future, so there's no reason to pass on a PS3 game we described as a "leather-clad mistress" in our 2009 review - unless, perhaps... you're scared?Less sadistic Plus entries coming this month include Zombie Tycoon 2, which heads to PS3 and Vita via PSN on April 30, Malicious and Labyrinth Legends for PS3, and PSP game Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for Vita. There are no PS Plus ETAs for those last three.As ever, new stuff coming in pushes old stuff back out. If you want to grab Spec Ops: The Line from PS Plus, today's your last chance to do so. Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition dragon punches out on April 9, while Anomaly: Warzone Earth flees on April 16.Finally, today's PSN update brings discounts to The Walking Dead, Rainbow Moon, and the Söldner-X series, including the first season of Telltale's zombified adventure for $14.99, a price that drops to $10.49 with Plus. For all those deals, check out the PlayStation Blog.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 chooses 3DS this summer
Atlus' Megami Tensei meta-series (or MegaTen) will receive its first core entry in almost ten years with Shin Megami Tensei 4, an upcoming 3DS RPG slated to launch in the summer.Shin Megami Tensei 4 is "the first true successor to 2004's Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne," and promises game-changing decisions and branching storylines. "Decisions players make throughout the course of the story will have lasting repercussions, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance," Atlus says.Shin Megami Tensei 4 will lean on the series' iconic demon-collecting mechanics, enabling players to recruit and fuse together over 400 different demons for battle. The Press Turn battle system will also make a return, encouraging combatants to coordinate attacks in the correct order to exploit enemy weaknesses.The system has been used in other Shin Megami Tensei games, though it was originally introduced back in 2003 with Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne on the PlayStation 2.
Zeno Clash 2 takes a swing at Steam on April 30
Zeno Clash 2, the sequel to Ace Team's bizarre blend of fantasy and pugilism, is ready to launch on April 30 for $20 through Steam. PSN and Xbox Live Arcade versions are also on the way, but Atlus has not confirmed their release dates.Following the launch of the original Zeno Clash in 2009, Ace Team began work on the sequel and launched the Xbox Live Arcade port the following year. Zeno Clash 2 picks up where the first game left off, adding a co-op campaign for paired-up punchers. It's currently up for pre-order at 10 percent off on Steam.%Gallery-184534%
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers conjures new screens
After more than 15 years, the North American localization of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is nearly here, albeit in 3DS remake form. Here are some new screens to tide you over until April 16. %Gallery-184388%
