Ten Games Japanese Gamers Reccomend

Following up on that article from Kotaku I mentioned in my Dungeon Travelers 2 post, I can agree on most of their recommendations.  Aside from Dungeon Travelers 2 I've also played Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus and DmC.  Those are really fun games and they play really well (ignoring Senran Kagura's excessive fanservice).  I'm surprised as with most people that the Japanese loved Far Cry 3, which I haven't gotten my hands on yet but am looking for it to be on sale during the Steam Summer Sale.

Demon Gaze and 7th Dragon 2020 II are some RPG's I haven't really heard much of, but they do like like excellent games.  The 7th Dragon series has never and localization and probably never will, but as Demon Gaze is a new IP, I'm hoping one of the niche developers here in the US like Atlus, Aksys, NIS America, or Xseed will pick it up.

NIS's The Guided Fate Paradox is coming over sometime in the Fall and I am looking forward to the spirtual sequel to Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs Darkdeath Evilman.  That was a fun spin on the roguelike RPG genre and had quite a few cameos from Disgaea and various manga/anime.  Hoping Guided Fate Paradox will do the same.

Soul Sacrifice is out right now but I haven't the opportunity try it out/ buy it, but the reviews have been positive.  Macross 30 is something the states will never see but as new Macross fan I'll believe the Japanese to its quality.

Hatsune Miku Project Diva F PS3 version details

Developers of the popular rhythm game featuring Japan's famous virtual idol Hatsune Miku have given details about the PS3 version of  Project Diva f in a recent interview with Weekly Famitsu.

Originally announced along with the Vita version of Project Diva f, the developers had only said they were making a PS3 version.  In the interview, they have revealed some new features and additions in the console port.

The PS3 version of the game will apparently feature a larger F, system data transfer from the Vita version, and six new songs and a few new modules.  However,they will not be bringing over some Vita specific features such as the AR mode and the scratch notes.  The game will also not feature a cross play feature where you can use the Vita as a controller.

As to a release date, it hasn't been determined but they have hinted it for sometime during Spring.  I'm not sure whether I would want to purchase it again but I'll have to wait and see when more info is released.

[Playstation 3] Mugen Souls Limited Edition Unboxing

Well I didn't expect my copy to arrive a day early, but I got my copy of Mugen Souls that I pre-ordered at NIS America's Anime Expo booth this summer.  The set includes a pair of Nendoroid figurines made by Good Smile Company featuring the characters Chou-Chou, Shampuru, and Altis.  Inside the box we get the Shampuru Bath Set(hand-towel and sponge), a full-page color hardcover art book, a soundtrack for the game and of course the Mugen Souls PS3 game.  Gonna hold off a bit on playing this game since I did just received Code of Princess this weekend.

Tales of Xillia 2's DLC Costumes

As I'm eagerly waiting for Tales of Xillia 2 to be released and my pre-order to be shipped,  screenshots and ads for the anime-crossover DLC costumes from Madoka Magica and Code Geass have been revealed.

The Code Geass DLC includes the original series Lelouch of the Rebellion and the new Akito the Exiled series.  As for the Madoka Magica costumes, Milla as Homura, Elise as Madoka, and Leia as Mami.  Certainly not what I expected and where's Kyouko and Sayaka?  I honestly thought Milla could have had Sayaka's costume as she uses a sword, and Leia would have Kyouko's since she uses a staff.

Anyways, each costume will cost 500 yen a piece and there's also a Kyubey attachment for 200 yen.  Tales of Xillia comes out November 1st and I'll be getting my copy soon after it's released.

NIS America's TGS 2012 Announcements

NIS America's recent Prinny Bomb Newsletter has revealed that NIS America will be releasing Hyperdimenion Neptunia Victory in spring of 2013.  They've also got an iPhone Neptunia app in the works. Wonder what that will be? 

Next, they got Generation of Chaos: Pandora's Reflection for the PSP via the PSN.  I'm not all that familiar with the series but I'll check it out as it looks interesting.  They expect it to be released sometime 2013 as well.

Lastly, they will be publishing Atlus' Persona 4 Golden in Europe for release in spring 2013.

Kami Jigen Game Neptune V 7th PV

With the game's release today in Japan, Compile Heart put out a 7th PV for Neptune V featuring some of the game's CG images, a handful of cleavage, and gameplay with the game's opening theme "Kami Jigen! Fortune Material" by nao.

I've noticed the game returns to using 2D character portraits like the first game rather than 3D models from mk2.  Also the animations and 3D models during battle are much improved and they're finally not lagging the game down.  The past two games have had really choppy and low FPS battles which kinda dragged down all the action in my honest opinion.

I'm waiting on NIS America to pick up this game for North American release.

Hyperdimension Neptunia RPG's gets anime adaptation

It's like a dream come true! Japan's next issue of Dengeki Playstation magazine lists a Hyperdimansion Neptunia anime adaptation to go along with Thursday's release of the next game of the series, Neptunia V(Kami Jigen Game Neptune V).

Now the big question is, is the anime going to be based on the new game or the older ones, or will it be entirely original?  Once more news comes out I'll post on them as soon as possible.

Source from Anime News Network:Compile Heart's Neptunia RPGs Also Get Anime

[Review] Persona 4 Arena

What do you get when you mix Arc System Works, the creators of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, with a popular franchise from Atlus like Persona 4?  You get one awesome fighting game and a well written but lengthy story mode.

Set two months after the ending of Persona 4, our originally unnamed hero, Yu Narukami, returns to Inaba for a Golden Week break.  Upon his return, he and his friends discover that the Midnight Channel has returned.  This new broadcast is stranger than the ones they've seen before however, as Yu Narukami and his friends are all featured in what appears to be a fighting competition labeled the P-1 Grand Prix.  Yu and his friends all join up to reform their Investigation Team to solve this new mystery.

Persona 4 Arena comes with a handful of game modes typical of modern fighting games such as Arcade, Versus, Training, Network, Score Attack, and a Lesson Mode for beginners.
The story mode originally starts with four members of the cast, but will expand as you complete them, further unlock more characters stories.  You will be spending most of your time in story mode reading through dialogue with only a few fights in between.  It's definitely a more enjoyable and immersive experience if you have played the original game before so I recommend it if you haven't.

The gameplay in Persona 4 Arena is slightly different from other fighters.  There is an automatic combo mechanic which if you continue pressing the light attack button it will create a basic combo.
Whats also unique is in the fact that every one of the 13 playable character has their own Persona that is controlled independently.  Personas though should be sent out cautiously as they can be rendered unusable for a limited amount of time if they get hit too much, leaving you to fight at half strength.
Each character has a very unique play-style and no one plays like each other.

Online play features ranked games and custom lobbies that can hold up to 8 players.  Each match is recordable and replayable from the gallery.  A neat little feature is the ability to create you own title that is displayed by your online username by putting 3 different phrases together.

The game has a wonderful soundtrack and includes both Japanese and English audio dubs.  The game includes a lot of the soundtrack from Persona 4 with a few from Persona 3 as well, with a handful of new songs for the game.  One note though for fans of the original Persona 4 dub is the replacement of Chie Satonaka and Teddie's voice actors.  Though we will miss their original voices, the new actors still do a great job bringing them to life.

Since Persona 4 Arena is developed by Arc System Works, you can expect sharp, 2D HD character sprites similar to BlazBlue on a 3D background environment.  There's loads of well made animations, flashy moves and effects, and the color scheme of game fits well into Persona 4 with all the yellow menu screens and in-game HUD.

Persona 4 Arena is a wonderful package and a must buy for fighting game enthusiasts and for fans of the original Persona 4 who want a worthy sequel.

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Revealed

The official third series of the BlazBlue fighting game has been revealed at last.  The game is scheduled to be released in Japanese arcades this winter, no news of console details yet.

From the PV here we can see that there's three brand new characters added, lots of new moves for existing characters, and costume changes for Noel and Tsubaki.  Notably missing are Lambda/Nu and Mu from this game's roster for obvious reasons, though I feel people who mained those characters are now screwed...also was expecting Jubei to at least be playable by this point.  Here's hoping they are at least included in the console port in the future.

[UPDATE] 8/9/2012
Arc System Works has now announced that it will be releasing BlazBlue:Chrono Phantasma on the PS3, but no news on an Xbox version.

Kami Jigen Game Neptune V 2nd Promo Video

A new video detailing the battle system for Kami Jigen Game Neptune V (God Dimensional Game Neptunia V) was recently put up on Complie Heart's official website. (Video is not my re-upload; visit MasterLL on YouTube)


This game is a follow up to last year's Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 which I'm still currently playing through.  The battle system looks to be identical with some improvements to the UI.  Looks like this game is going to be filled with more fanservice than the previous Neptunia games with just as much "moe" otaku filled goodness.  The Japanese release date is on August 30th and will cost 7,329 yen (about US$93) and a limited edition is available at 10,479 yen (US$133).

There are currently no news regarding a US version but I assume NIS America will announce it sooner or later.

Atlus Huge 50% off PSN Sale Ending Soon

One of my favorite game publishers Atlus USA had a huge 50% off sale for many of their games on PSN including the popular Persona series and Catherine during the entire month of July.  The sale will end next week and this is a good chance to get these really great games and JRPGs for a really good price.  I myself have bought their Dept. Heaven series from this sale, and may be thinking of grabbing another game before the sale ends.