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Class of Heroes 2G gets PS3/Vita dual-screen play in the US
For those that missed Class of Heroes 2 last year -- which is understandable, since it was a PSP game released in 2013 -- it was a particularly thorny dungeon crawler in the Etrian Odyssey mold made by Acquire. Class of Heroes 2G is a PlayStation 3 remake of that game, adding new art, dungeons, and characters on top of the original weird story of demons and adventurers attending a magic school. 2G was originally released in Japan back in 2010 so it's strange enough that GaijinWorks is bringing it to the US now, and stranger still that it comes with brand new features. This trailer demonstrates how players can use their PSP or PS Vita as a second screen for character maintenance and dungeon maps via he portables' Remote Play feature. For an exploration-centric RPG, better access to maps is always welcome. GaijinWorks and publisher MonkeyPaw will release Class of Heroes 2G will be available on PSN "soon." It also may get an extremely limited print run depending on the results of an upcoming poll on GaijinWorks' website. [Images: GaijinWorks]
Class of Heroes 2G coming to PlayStation 3 in 2014
Niche-focused publisher MonkeyPaw and indie localization team GaijinWorks have teamed up to produce an English-language version of Acquire's PlayStation 3 dungeon-crawling RPG Class of Heroes 2G in 2014. The two studios previously partnered for this year's PSP release of Class of Heroes 2, which premiered as a PlayStation Network download before UMD copies shipped out to pre-order buyers in October. Class of Heroes 2 writer and producer Victor Ireland announced that the upcoming PS3 release will feature dual-screen play, allowing players to access in-game maps and stats via a connected PlayStation Vita or PSP. No word has been issued regarding whether Class of Heroes 2G will premiere as a digital or physical release, but MonkeyPaw notes that further details will revealed "after the New Year."
Class of Heroes 2 ships to UMD buyers, Gaijinworks hints at future PSP releases
After months of delays stemming from licensing issues and last-minute bug fixes, the PSP UMD version of MonkeyPaw's Class of Heroes 2 began shipping out this week to buyers who pre-purchased the game earlier this year. Previously the subject of a failed Kickstarter campaign, Class of Heroes 2 was later released as a physical and digital combo pack via online pre-order. The Acquire-developed first-person dungeon crawler, which features a localization by Working Designs veteran Victor Ireland and his studio Gaijinworks, premiered as a downloadable PlayStation Network game in June. The UMD version of Class of Heroes 2 was delayed while Gaijinworks sorted out licensing issues relating to its opening theme song, which the studio has since replaced with an English-language track. An updated version of Class of Heroes 2, which fixes a widely reported alchemy recipe bug, among other gameplay tweaks, will hit the PlayStation Network on October 15. Gaijinworks' Ireland recently hinted at plans to "squeeze out at least 3-4 more PSP RPG titles (and offer them as physical+digital sets) before we're done with the platform," though specific titles have not been announced. The studio will gauge interest in a Class of Heroes 3 release starting in January.
Class of Heroes 2 available on PSN June 4
Class of Heroes 2, MonkeyPaw's PSP game from 2009, is finally coming to North America on June 4. PSN users can snag the fully localized JRPG dungeon crawler – which is playable on both PSP and PS Vita – for $25 from the PSN store. The effort to localize Class of Heroes 2 began in 2012 with a Kickstarter campaign seeking $500,000 in funding. Ultimately, only $96,951 was raised, though MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner wasn't too down in a follow-up interview with Joystiq. Greiner said that even though the Kickstarter campaign failed, "we were able to educate people about the game and its features. That will help immensely when we release the digital version."
Class of Heroes 2 physical/digital combo pack now up for preorder
Gaijinworks is gearing up to launch a localized version of Acquire's PSP dungeon-crawling RPG Class of Heroes 2, and has opened preorders for a physical UMD edition that also includes a downloadable copy of the game.For $36.99, buyers will receive a digital voucher for Class of Heroes 2 once it hits the PlayStation Network next month. A boxed physical version will be shipped to preorder customers an estimated 4-8 weeks after preorders close on May 8th.Published in partnership with MonkeyPaw Games, Class of Heroes 2 is a first-person, Wizardry-like dungeon crawler with a focus on character customization. A Kickstarter project for a proposed deluxe edition didn't reach its funding goal, but a limited physical release entered production after meeting with a positive fan response."[Class of Heroes 2 is] not out of QA yet, but I'd imagine it should be up on PSN about the 3rd week in May, and the physical a few weeks after that," Gaijinworks founder Victor Ireland notes. "The QA is really just a formality because all that changed was a couple lines of text cleaned up and the opening removed until the rights situation is cleared."Class of Heroes 2 was originally released in Japan in 2009. Since then, a number of sequel titles have debuted for platforms including the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS. To date, only the first PSP entry in the series has seen a North American release.
Gaijinworks gauging interest in UMD Class of Heroes 2
Gaijinworks and MonkeyPaw Games didn't make their Kickstarter goal for Class of Heroes 2, but that's not stopping them from forging ahead with plans for a UMD release of the PSP role-playing game.Now, Gaijinworks is gauging interest in a physical PSP release. "If we can pre-sell at least 2,500 copies of a Physical PSP version with a color manual, UMD with color disc label, and a digital download code," the company explains, "we can do a physical+digital combo version for $34.99, shipped to you."If that sounds appealing, you can sign up on the Gaijinworks site. It's not a pre-order yet, just a poll to determine how many people would pre-order. So if you sign up, you're somewhat on the honor system regarding your intent to purchase later, when the order links go up.Regardless of what happens with the physical version, a PSN version has been rated by the ESRB and will be released for $25. European ratings are in progress. To find out if any version of Class of Heroes 2 interests you, check out the videos of the newly localized game above and after the break. Gaijinworks warns that the last video, of a "battle event," is "spoilerish" about events in the first game.[Thanks, Merrick]
MonkeyPaw on the educational upside of Class of Heroes 2 Kickstarter
MonkeyPaw Games recently experimented with Kickstarter for a physical deluxe edition of the PSP game, Class of Heroes 2. The funding drive ended with $96,951 raised of the company's $500,000 goal."Our Kickstarter for Class of Heroes 2 didn't reach our funding bar but I think it was a great experience," MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner told Joystiq, during an interview about the announcement of Tomba! for PSN. "Class of Heroes isn't a well-known brand but we were able to educate people about the game and its features. That will help immensely when we release the digital version."The drive may not have worked out to get Class of Heroes 2 onto UMD, but it served in an educational capacity about more than just Class of Heroes, Greiner suggested. "This drive was the first time a console game had been pushed on Kickstarter so that also entailed teaching people why we needed $500K. Not a small sum but not really that much when you consider this was a physical, deluxe boxed version of a console game."
Study this Class of Heroes 2 trailer
You may want to support the continued localization and promotion of the JRPG genre in America – the overarching goal of the MonkeyPaw Games/Gaijinworks Kickstarter – but at the same time, you may not know a whole lot about the specific game being Kickstarted, Class of Heroes 2 for PSP.The publishers have sought to provide that missing information, releasing a new trailer for the school-themed dungeon crawler. You'll see plenty of gameplay footage, along with character art for all the different in-game races – all of whom are teenagers in school uniforms.
MonkeyPaw and Gaijinworks Kickstart a Class of Heroes 2 localization
MonkeyPaw Games and GaijinWorks, two companies dedicated to bringing classic Japanese games to the west, are testing the utility of Kickstarter for localization of Japanese games, with the most random test subject imaginable.Class of Heroes 2 is a sequel to a PSP dungeon crawler released here by Atlus in 2009. Like the original, it's a game about first-person, turn-based dungeon battling. The two companies plan to release it digitally -- but also, for supporters, in a crazy physical limited edition that promises to outpace any of the giant boxes sold by Ireland's former company, Working Designs.Bonuses in this Deluxe Pack include a custom box, a soundtrack, and other secret items that are still being prototyped. In addition to this, Kickstarter rewards include lapel pins, posters, plushes, pocket watches, and music boxes. Higher-level backers get things like trips to LA to go to E3 and meet with the team, and in-game credits in the placement of their choice.The Kickstarter is designed not to sell the game, but to fund both the digital and physical releases. "Our Kickstarter project is designed to allow fans that plan to download it digitally to support the game now," the companies explain, "helping it reach the funding threshold and expand the scope and depth of localization for BOTH the digital and physical releases." If successful, the companies hope to localize other Class of Heroes releases as well. "So if you're along for the whole ride, you'll eventually have a line of awesome Class of Heroes games on your shelf."
