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Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love coming to Wii, PS2
Nippon Ichi is finally bringing the Sakura Wars series to the US. The cult anime series will be hitting US audiences as a SRPG destined for Wii and PS2. So Long, My Love promises a unique battle system divided into two parts: ground combat and air combat. In the Sakura Wars universe, it appears mechs don't just fight on the ground. No, they transform into jets that fight in the sky as well! Players will have to keep sharp as they battle enemies on these two vastly different fronts.Developed by Idea Factory, Sakura Wars is scheduled for a US release this Fall.
PSP Fanboy review: Neverland Card Battles
Neverland Card Battles merges the strategy-RPG genre with the core gameplay mechanics of a trading card game. It's a card game first, an SRPG second, and this is clearly evident after having played and finished the title this past week. We know that a good number of our readers have read our preview from last month and have kept interest in the title. With the game releasing today, we know you all want to know: what's the final verdict? Read on after the break to find out.%Gallery-29219%
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Neverland Card Battles
It is refreshing to see a game like Neverland Card Battles hitting the PSP. It's a title that blends together two very distinct strategy genres: tradable card games and strategy RPGs. It may sound a tad strange at first, having these two gameplay aspects merging as one, but that's what we're here for. We're here to help explain to you just how exactly that experience plays out and what it was like going through it all. Was it any fun? You'll find out soon enough.Having played the title just this afternoon, I immediately went through the very first level to get a quick grasp of the story and basic play mechanics. The game plays out on an S-RPG type of battle grid with the enemy card wielder on one side and the hero Galahad on the other. The objective of all Neverland battles is to obviously defeat your opponent, and to do so you'll have a 30-card deck at your disposal. At the beginning of each battle you'll have a full hand of five cards (see where the TCG is starting to kick in?), and to use these cards you'll have to draw mana. Drawing mana is done by increasing one's "territory" on the battle grid. As you move your character (and later on summoned creatures) across the playing field, they'll turn each square they touch into your team's color -- this represents your territory. Each square equals one mana and dictates your overall summoning strength, so it's crucial to take command over the battlefield in order to win. %Gallery-29219%
Characters galore appear in this Cross Edge trailer
It's time to get your translating hats on, everyone. A Japanese trailer for Cross Edge has hit the airwaves and we have no idea what it's saying. We see a ton of cast members, from Darkstalkers, Disgaea, the Atelier series (including Mana Khemia) as well as Ar Tonelico, doling out some voice-acting skills and massive damage. We're not quite sure what the game is about or how all these characters end up fighting alongside the main characters of the game, but the battles seem frenetic and entertaining. We're itching to see more because 2D is far from dead. [Via Siliconera]
Spectral Force Genesis hits Japan tomorrow, box art unveiled
And this little game that nobody loved -- turned out to be totally awesome. As the Japanese release date draws closer (like, tomorrow) we've stumbled upon some new screens and the final box art for the mucho-grando strategy RPG, Spectral Force Genesis.The crafty importers among you should be looking out for these shady characters when ordering the next shipment from Japan. You'll be a bit lost if you can't read Japanese, and the ultra-eccentric anime art style isn't going to attract anyone who isn't an established fan. Only the powers of the English language and North America can do that, and at this stage it's somewhat unlikely. Two new screens follow after the break, so order this bad boy if you just know it's a winner.
Spectral Force Genesis is a force to be reckoned with
Since localization can be a cruel, unsatisfying mistress, most of us haven't gotten a taste of the Spectral Force series. That will all change when Spectral Force 3 comes out for the 360, but people without Microsoft's console are still out of luck. That's why we're hoping that Spectral Force Genesis, which is featured in the trailer above, sees the light of day outside of Japan.After the two minutes of introductory fodder, the video shows us two minutes of (tiny) gameplay. The size of the screens and Japanese writing makes it difficult to tell exactly what's going on, but we like how the stylus seems to be utilized. We also know a bit of what to expect from the gameplay already.If this does get localized, the mostly likely candidate to do so would be Atlus. Aside from the fact that Atlus is bringing Spectral Force 3 to the 360, the company has a good track record on the DS, so we're going to have faith in Genesis. For those of you who can handle Japanese without a problem, though, the game releases in the Far East on June 19th.[Via Ruliweb]
Fighting monsters and dating boys in Hiiro no Kakera
Once again, blogger Jenni Lada proves to be our ultimate source for Japanese otome games (i.e., dating games for girls). The latest otome on her DS pallet was Hiiro no Kakera, which debuted in Japan a little less than two weeks ago.What makes this title stand out from some of the others in its genre is its fantastical plot. The heroine is a girl named Tamaki, who starts seeing monsters in her small, mountain town. With her sacred sword and the help of six studly (and eligible) bachelors, Tamaki must defeat the monsters and save her village from destruction. A little dating on the side couldn't hurt, though, could it? In fact, that sounds like a good gig to us.Hiiro no Kakara was actually a PS2 title first, but voice-acting and other content were added for the DS version. The game also boasts some nice artwork and imagery, making it a visual novel of sorts. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of kanji in this otome, so unless you can read kanji well, you'll probably be in for a struggle. Should you be determined to give it a try anyway, Siliconera has a handy guide for starting up your game. If you're looking for an easier otome to get through, though, Lada recommends trying Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 2nd Season.
Learn English, sort of, with Moetan
Moetan is a series of English lesson books which follow Nao, a high school student, and Ink-chan, an underdeveloped magical girl who is the subject of the moe content. The series combines bizarre, terrible Engrish with inappropriate-looking young girls to create something that is, of course, popular.While we are, of course, fairly disgusted with the depictions of the girls in here (magical girl transformation scenes in particular are always off-putting), we're more worried about what passes for English teaching. Just as in the books and anime, the English text is far from native-speaker quality. An example sentence found in Moetan DS: "They say lunatic people are making the English word book."[Image via ITMedia]
Idea Factory's next title, Cross Edge, houses Nippon Ichi faves
We need to maintain our composure and monitor our excitement on here, or else we'll seem incredibly biased. It's difficult, though, because ever since we heard about Idea Factory's next character crossover title (Chaos Wars was their last one) dubbed Cross Edge, we can't sit still. JRPG's are very slow to hit the PS3, but this title not only brings a PS3 JRPG to the table, but one with characters from cherished franchises to Nippon Ichi loyalists as well as other big titles.You play as the hero, Yuuto and heroine Mikoto and basically free a bunch of girls from other video games. You'll see Dark Stalkers, Atelier game characters, Ar Tonelico characters, Disgaea characters, and more. The game itself plays like a cross between "dress up" and Valkyrie Profile. Depending on the costume your ladies are in, they will have a different attack assigned to the face buttons when in battle. Well, perhaps it's best you check out the screens SiliconEra has put up. Let's hope licensing isn't a big issue and we see this hit outside of Japan.
Clean Keeper is the dirtiest Wii game
We've always heard that "cleanliness is next to Godliness," but Housekeeper Squadron Clean Keeper seems to contradict that saying. Yet, the game's "ick factor" comes from more than just cleaning evil dirt with girls in maid outfits. Some details have emerged on the title, and we've come to realize that the gameplay involves cleaning dirt off of these child-looking girls.When they're attacked by evil starburst dirt, the player must clean the girls using the Wii's motion controls. Depending on what cleaning tool you're using, you'll be imitating a different gesture, such as wiping or jabbing. The trailer for the game also shows a whip tool, which proves to us that the whole "cleaning" story is just an excuse to do naughty things to little girls.Aside from the risqué content, the game will be your everyday Japanese dating sim adventure. But, we're sure that's not what folks will be buying the game for. It's also interesting to note that this game only has a CERO C (equivalent to an ESRB "T") rating in Japan.To see some NSFW video footage of the game (the video doesn't show any inappropriate body parts, but do you want to explain it to your coworkers?), which also happen to have "not safe for ears" audio (it's appropriate, just horrible), move on past the break.
We've warmed up quickly to Spectral Force
Another Japanese SRPG is making its way to the DS, known as Spectral Force: Genesis. If you haven't heard of the Spectral Force series, it's probably because the games usually don't get released outside of Japan. With the exception of Innocent Rage, an Xbox 360 game that's being brought to North America by Atlus, most Spectral Force titles don't get localized. There is hope for Genesis, though; since it's coming out for the Nintendo DS, aka "the system that a lot of people own with a lot of niche titles," it's not impossible. We're pulling for it, at least. Yes, we say that about almost every game released in Japan, but we really mean it! If you read this far, you're probably wondering right about now why we're so intrigued by this Idea Factory game.
Be wary of tentacles in Octomania
Atlus is once again publishing a quirky game, this time aimed at puzzle fans.The game, called Octomania, seems to be full of the kind of craziness that we've come to expect from an Atlus title. A shower of Octopi attacking the kingdom of Lonropia must be stopped, and what better way is there to do that than in puzzle fashion?Along with arcade, endless, and multiplayer modes, the game will also support Wi-Fi play. That factor, along with the silly concept and cheap $19.99 price tag, might make this game more than worthwhile for puzzle fans.Of course, the game's release date of March 11th might end up hurting it. There's another multiplayer game coming out that week, a little title you might have heard of ... Super Smash Bros. Brawl. If Octomania is as fun as it sounds, let's hope that it doesn't get drowned out by Nintendo's big-name fighter. [Via press release]%Gallery-15386%
Clean Keeper has an ironic title
Housekeeping Squadron Clean Keeper is the first game from a new division of Idea Factory called Lupinus, which focuses on moe stuff (as in "mo-eh," not games about Moe Howard, which we would prefer). It's a game about a bunch of young maids who band together to defeat some kind of evil dirt or something.Mostly it'll be a game about looking at some young girls in maid outfits, navigating a whole bunch of conversation trees, and participating in exactly as many gesture-based cleaning action sequences (which seem to involve giant dirt particles) as Idea Factory thinks they have to put in. While the theme of the game is cleanliness, we seriously doubt Idea Factory's intentions are in any way "clean."
Record of Agarest War gets some hardcore strategy on
If you've been eagerly anticipating the collaboration of three fairly large role-playing developers/publishers from Japan, you will have probably heard of Record of Agarest War. As a mixed effort between developers RED and Idea Factory, published by Compile Heart, you know you're getting two things: anime girls and role-playing. Everything else is just bonus, like a strategy RPG. If you want to see more on the game, look at the official site.The screenshots released for this game are, well, only impressive to those actually looking for an SRPG. Two of the screens are admittedly throwaways, but one gives you the opportunity to see what to expect. The layout of the game seems to be a strange cross between Disgaea and Suikoden Tactics. Since both of those games were fantastic, we're not going to pass judgment on this game yet. We do wonder how much titles like these benefit from the move onto Blu-ray and HD gaming, though.
Record of Agarest, formerly known as Phantasy Star III, enters
The crowd who enjoyed the Phantasy Star series on the Sega Genesis are surprisingly sparse. Not because the games weren't that great, or niche, but because the Genesis wasn't exactly the system to turn towards for your role-playing fix. The third Phantasy Star game, subtitled Generations of Doom, was the black sheep of the bunch and left a sour taste in many longtime fans' mouths. Why? Don't ask us, or Morgan Webb. We thought it was fantastic. Apparently Idea Factory, Red Entertainment, and Compile Heart thought so, too, because their new title Record of Agarest shares the most interesting factor to that "black sheep".Record of Agarest puts you in a the position of controlling a main character, going through what we assume will be a paper-thin story, choosing a bride and having a kid. You then take control of the child and so on and so forth for five generations. Each generation explores a new continent, much like the "generations of doom" explored more and more parts of the Alisa III in PS3. We expect more partner choices and branching stories in Agarest, though. That aside, it seems to be planned out as a standard RPG -- turn-based battles and all. Does it sound like we're bitter? We're not. We're excited, since we thought the whole generation-spanning aspect of the Genesis classic was wonderful and we'd love to see an evolved form of it take shape. Our eyes are on this probably-import-only title, due out at the end of September in Japan.
Mist of Chaos -- voted worst PS3 game so far?
This is kind of a smack to the face for all the tactical RPG fans out there. According to the Japanese blog LiveDoor, Mist of Chaos has been deemed the worst PS3 game so far by Famitsu magazine, based on the raw scores given to it. Totalling a massive 16/40, the game was faulted on these fronts: System and story are hard to understand The graphics are underwhelming Everything about the system is unforgiving (think Fire Emblem, but even less friendly as far as character deaths go) Sometimes, the text is impossible to read It's tough to get into Sounds like the Famitsu guys have a case of the "I don't get it, I can't beat it"s. Tactical RPGs are difficult. It's true. The stories are generally epic, with tons of characters and a really complex storyline that's nigh impossible to follow unless you've a copy of the script in front of you. Multiple endings don't help either, especially if you get the worst one possible (damn you, Tactics Ogre... I tried so hard). So, does the game deserve such a low score? Absolutely, but not because it's a bad tactical RPG. It's just not a good game for anyone to buy unless they've experience being incredibly frustrated at a game and don't mind retrying a map multiple times, tediously watching every move so that one healer just doesn't get killed by that damn archer that appears on turn 9.Thoughts?
SRPG Mist of Chaos experiences a release delay of one month
Ahh, the Playstation 3's first strategy role-playing game, Mist of Chaos. Initially slated for an early February release of this year, the game has recently been pushed back to March 22, for obvious reasons. A lot of games are coming out in Japan between February and March -- many of these are decently anticipated. Not sure if this game is coming to the US or Europe yet, but hopefully it'll make an appearance.The game is by Idea Factory, the same team behind other titles such as Spectral Souls and Generation of Chaos. They like chaos. Keep in mind that SRPG's never really fully take advantage of graphics, but focus more on character development and intensely, er, strategic gameplay. With that said, the game does boast a large amount of simultaneous on-screen characters as well as large, open maps. Since this writer is an SRPG whore (who truly craves a full English patch of Fire Emblem: Thracia 776), he'll try to pick this one up and let you know how easily it is to get absorbed in the story of, most likely, betrayal and political intrigue.
Spectral Souls trailer
It's been a long, long time since we've heard any news of this game from Idea Factory. RPGs are becoming more and more plentiful on the system, and with the excellent Valkyrie Profile already on the shelves, and Jeanne d'Arc on the way, can this baby compete? I guess we'll find out when it launches in October.
