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PlayStation Plus nabs Road Not Taken, Dragon's Crown in August
Sony has unveiled next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Road Not Taken, Crysis 3, and other featured games across its platforms in August. PlayStation 4 owners will receive Polytron's brain-bending puzzle-platformer Fez and Spry Fox's stylish roguelike Road Not Taken. PlayStation 3 subscribers get Crytek's futuristic FPS Crysis 3 and Ed Key's first-person exploration game Proteus, while PS Vita owners can look forward to Vanillaware's fantasy-themed beat-'em-up Dragon's Crown and Digital Dreams' "infographics action game" Metrico. Fez, Proteus, and Dragon's Crown are also available as Cross-Buy titles for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. All featured games will be freely downloadable for PlayStation Plus members in North America when the PlayStation Store updates next Tuesday. [Video: Sony]
Dragon's Crown, Saints Row 4 headline GameFly under-$20 sale
GameFly has launched a blowout sale on its used games catalog, dropping prices for a wide variety of previously-owned releases for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Standout multiplatform deals include Saints Row 4 for $14.99, BioShock Infinite for $9.99, and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified for $8.99. PlayStation 3 owners can pick up Vanillaware's fantasy-themed brawler Dragon's Crown and Swery65's mind-bending horror epic Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut for $19.99 apiece, while a used copy of Gears of War: Judgment for the Xbox 360 rings up at $8.99. A full list of featured games is available at CheapAssGamer. [Image: Vanillaware]
Best of the Rest: Anthony's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. DmC: Devil May Cry No game surprised me more in 2013 than DmC: Devil May Cry. That surprise has absolutely nothing to do with some diehard devotion to Capcom's internally developed quartet of games in the original series either. What surprised me was the fact that Ninja Theory finally made something that lived up to the promise of Enslaved and Heavenly Sword. Both games aimed high in trying to deliver bitchin' action and deeply human tales, but both missed the mark. In DmC, they finally nailed it. Young Dante's fight against the demons is classic coming-of-age stuff. Rushing through Limbo feels like if J.D. Salinger wrote Dead Leaves. The combat, meanwhile, felt meatier than the limp button mashing of Enslaved, but more accessible than ball busters like Devil May Cry 3.
Best of the Rest: Danny's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Dragon's Crown Dragon's Crown is the best thing to happen to the beat-'em-up genre since Castle Crashers. Taking its inspiration from Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons games, Dragon's Crown forges its own identity with satisfying combat, a lengthy quest, and a bottomless well of character customization options. The sheer amount of loot players accrue in Dragon's Crown keeps the experience fresh and compelling even after you've hacked your way through hundreds of owlbears. The game offers a broad selection of playable characters, all of which play very differently and require varying degrees of expertise to master. Online multiplayer is a joy as a result, mixing the game's varied cast for some gloriously chaotic battles. It's worth noting that Dragon's Crown has seen a number of significant improvements since its initial release, as patches have consistently addressed player feedback while adding major gameplay features. The newest patch, for instance, gives hardcore players the option of skipping the game's introductory chapters, making character leveling more efficient than ever before. Oh, and it also adds a 10,000-floor dungeon. If you love beat-'em-ups, Dragon's Crown will keep you satisfied for months.
Dragon's Crown raises level cap, adds massive, randomized dungeon
All Dragon's Crown wants for Christmas is a massive new dungeon, increased level cap and a bit more soul-crushing difficulty. Fortunately, developer Vanillaware has an in with Saint Nick. Previously, Dragon's Crown allowed players to develop their chosen brawlers to level 99. As of today, that cap has been raised to 255. To complement the extra 156 levels, Vanillaware has introduced a new Ultimate difficulty level that unlocks once players have cleared the ninth layer of the Labyrinth of Chaos. Not only is the Ultimate difficulty level intensely hard, it also offers players better rewards than lesser difficulty settings. In addition, Vanillaware has introduced a new dungeon, dubbed "The Tower of Mirages." This dungeon is only available in the Ultimate difficulty setting, and is seemingly designed to break whatever self-confidence you might have. Each time to you enter The Tower of Mirages, its levels are randomized, which is problematic given that there are "tens of thousands of levels" for you to hack and slash your way through. On a more generous note, Vanillaware has also included a few stability fixes in this new update, along with a new feature that allows anyone who has completed the Story Mode to skip right past it when creating a new alternate character.
PlayStation Plus serves up free Borderlands 2, cheap Spelunky this week
Sony announced that this week's PlayStation Plus update will give subscribers access to a free downloadable copy of 2K's Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3, among other member-exclusive perks. Starting tomorrow, Plus subscribers can also pick up a variety of PSN games for cheap, as part of the PlayStation Store's ongoing Holiday Sale. Featured games include Capcom's arcade brawler compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, classic tag-team fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Mossmouth's tough-as-nails roguelike platformer Spelunky, all of which are available for $3.75 each for Plus members. This week's sale also spotlights retail releases like Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown ($26.99), Namco Bandai's One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 ($12.50), and Crystal Dynamics' DLC-bundled Tomb Raider ($13.49).
Dragon's Crown ships more than 800,000 copies
Atlus has shipped more than 800,000 copies of Dragon's Crown since the game's launch in August, Games Industry reports. Dragon's Crown is the 2D RPG and beat 'em up from Vanillaware, and our review touches on possible reasons for its success. For one, "combat in Dragon's Crown is fluid, satisfying and intense, and represents a major, necessary evolution of the style introduced in Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons series." Atlus also announced today that it's moved 700,000 copies of Persona 4: Golden worldwide since that game's launch in 2012.
Atlus summons Black Friday discounts on Vita, 3DS, PS3 games
Though not a retailer in the traditional sense, Atlus couldn't help but be caught up in the festive spirit of Black Friday and has slashed prices on nearly its entire catalog of games. Notable highlights include PlayStation 2 cult hit Odin Sphere for $5, Demon's Souls for $13.49 and Persona 4 Arena for $15 (or $23 if you opt for the game's Ultimate Edition which includes all of its DLC additions). If you're looking for a more recent release, Atlus has also discounted both PS3 and Vita versions of Dragon's Crown (each is now priced at $30), while also reducing the price of Shin Megami Tensei 4 from $50 to $30. As far as caveats, they're generally positive this time around. Most importantly, you should get a jump on these prices, as this sale is already going on. Atlus planned the sale to kick off on November 26 and it will run through December 3. What's more, you won't need to brave rabid crowds of human detritus to score these cheap games. All of the discounts Atlus has prepared for its especially lengthy Black Friday celebration are available either online or in retail stores. Now, when Turkey Claus comes gobbling down your chimney, you can wave off his gifts and instead devour his plump, succulent body in front of friends, family and a Dallas Cowboys game, just as Abraham Lincoln intended.
Dragon's Crown cross-play patch comes to Europe
The global tour of Dragon's Crown cross-play culminates in Europe, after NIS America announced the patch enabling play between PS3 and Vita adventurers is live across the region. The fear was the patch would take a while longer; NIS America originally said it was "due in the coming months." Thankfully, it's only taken weeks, so Euro-friends can hack-and-slash all manner of beautifully drawn monsters in cross-platform contentment. Vanillaware's gorgeous brawler was a critical hit with us, and perhaps slightly more importantly for publisher Atlus a commercial success in Japan, where it shipped 300,000 copies in its first week.
PSA: Dragon's Crown cross-play update now on PS3, PS Vita
The cross-play update for Dragon's Crown is live. If you purchased Dragon's Crown on either PS3 or PS Vita, you'll find you can now install the update and play on the other system at no extra cost. Dragon's Crown is a 2D beat-em-up developed by Japanese outfit Vanillaware, the same studio who brought us Muramasa Rebirth. In our review, we said it just might be Vanillaware's best game to date – and "if you're committed to leveling up all six playable classes, you'll be playing Dragon's Crown for a long time to come."
Dragon's Crown gets Vita, PS3 cross-play in Japan [Update: North America too!]
Japanese Vita and PS3 players can now buddy up in Dragon's Crown, after Vanillaware added cross-play between the two platforms. The update looks to be restricted to Japan at the mo, so we've reached out to Atlus to see if it's headed for North America. Cross-play for Dragon's Crown also came to Europe ... except it didn't, really. Just after Atlus' announcement about Japan we received a letter of apology from NIS America, the company that brought the game to PAL regions earlier this month. We'll let the letter do the talking, as written by Marketing Manager Ryan Phillips. "We wanted to let you know that there has been a printing error with the initial run of the PS Vita retail packaging for Dragon's Crown in the European/Australian regions. The back of the packaging indicates that the game supports Cross-platform Play with the PlayStation®3 console. However, this information is incorrect. The game supports cross-save functionality only. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this printing error may cause." For the record, NIS America didn't have any news to share with us about European or Australian versions getting the cross-play update. We suspect Atlus' announcement came as something of a surprise. Update: Atlus has confirmed that the update will come to North America as well, clarifying that cross-play compatibility is being added for both cooperative and competitive modes. The publisher said it is "releasing the patch very soon, it's in our offices for testing." Update 2: Sure enough, NIS America get back in touch to let us know the cross-play patch is coming to Europe "in the upcoming months."
Dragon's Crown flies to Europe, Australia in October
The latest NISAmerica newsletter reveals Dragon's Crown is coming to Europe, Australia, and other PAL regions on October 11, and confirms the art book pre-order bonus is available at select retailers. The PS3 and Vita brawler is already out in North America and Japan, getting off to a storming start in the latter after shipping 300,000 copies in its first week. The game proved sovereign with our Danny, too, notching four and a half stars in his review: "Vanillaware breathes new life into a worthwhile but rarely attempted style of gameplay with Dragon's Crown, a brilliantly executed tribute to arcade gaming's past that offers up an endlessly satisfying loop of questing, looting, and character progression."
PSN Tuesday: Tales of Xillia, Dragon's Crown, ibb & obb
This week's PSN content jamboree is headlined by a pair of Japanese games: the beautiful beat-em-up Dragon's Crown from Vanillaware and Namco's surprisingly charming JRPG, Tales of Xillia. Rounding out this week's high-profile games is ibb & obb, the long-awaited co-op puzzler with an emphasis on gravity from Sparpweed Games. PlayStation Plus members can snag a free copy of Hitman: Absolution, which kicks off a solid month of free content on PS Plus. Subscriber discounts extend to the Rayman series today, Escapevektor, Superfrog and more – the full list of content can be seen over on the PlayStation Blog.
Dragon's Crown ships 300K across first week in Japan
Dragon's Crown scaled to heights of 300,000 shipments in its first week at retail, a welcome boost for publisher Atlus amid the financial struggles of its parent company. Those figures are restricted to Japanese shipments (including download purchases), and could rise dramatically after Tuesday, August 6, when the PS3 and Vita brawler will be available in North America. At the very least the game proved more than popular with our Danny, who deemed Dragon's Crown to be developer Vanillaware's best effort yet. "While it scales back the complexity that defined Princess Crown and Odin Sphere," said Danny in his four-and-half-stars review, "its focus on deep, varied fighting mechanics make it one of the best beat-em-ups released for any platform in recent years." As for Atlus, it'll wait to see how the situation with parent company Index shakes out. Index is expected to sell its subsidiary options after effectively filing for bankruptcy protection. Atlus has reassured fans that its games, including Dragon's Crown, are "shipping on time."
Dragon's Crown review: King of brawlers
Beat-'em-ups have been through a bit of a rough patch lately. The arcade-style brawler suffered a decline that coincided with the downfall of arcades themselves, and aside from standout efforts like Castle Crashers and Double Dragon Neon, little has been done in recent years to progress or revitalize the genre. Vanillaware breathes new life into a worthwhile but rarely attempted style of gameplay with Dragon's Crown, a brilliantly executed tribute to arcade gaming's past that offers up an endlessly satisfying loop of questing, looting, and character progression. In comparison to its Vanillaware-developed predecessors Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Dragon's Crown forgoes in-depth RPG elements in favor of traditional beat-em-up gameplay. Combat in Dragon's Crown is fluid, satisfying, and intense, and represents a major, necessary evolution of the style introduced in Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons series.%Gallery-194927%
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?
Dragon's Crown roaring into Europe
A NIS America newsletter in the Joystiq inbox says the publisher is bringing Vanillaware co-op hack-and-slash Dragon's Crown to Europe, although no further details were noted beyond a fall release window. The Vita and PS3 game, mixing the Muramasa and Odin Sphere studio's hand-painted visuals with a diverse array of brawling heroes, comes to North America on Atlus' shoulders August 6.
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%
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.
Dragon's Crown narration DLC pipes up Aug. 6, free for a month
When Dragon's Crown launches on August 6, some DLC will let you swap out the stock narration for a mouthpiece centered on one of the game's classes: Amazon, Dwarf, Elf, Fighter, Sorceress, and Wizard. The DLC will be a free download at first and cost $1.99 after the first month. Dragon's Crown is a side-scrolling action game that sports multiplayer elements and a controversial art style. It's currently in development at Vanillaware for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
