Being a great fan of Valkyria Chronicles I couldn’t help but notice that finally the game is getting some interesting figure treatment (if we exclude the awful promotional launch figure); this Alicia figure is due for release in September, and apparently is designed with the aid of some novel software; the results certainly seem impressive (boots and armour are particularly well done, see below), but I am still not sure about the face – perhaps it is just the photograph or angle, but it looks a little plain.
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Tales fans, at least the few who own an Xbox360, can rejoice with the knowledge that Namco has officially announced the Japanese release as being August 7th, with an expected price of ¥7,800. The game has been designed with full internationalisation in mind (so forget about a Japanese dub), with an English language version set to follow shortly. No word on the PS3 release, of course.
A few items of news about this interesting looking eroge cum RPG, due July 17th, are apparent. Famitsu has some shots of the game system; the element circle system and leader skill system are covered a bit – looking promising as an SRPG. Also see the updated official site for more.
More interestingly, Dengeki provides some shots of the CG event scenes running on a large TV – they look fantastic. If only actual eroge ran at that resolution, maybe they would sell more (I can’t be the only one who doesn’t like looking at 800*600 on a 27 inch monitor). Lastly, AkibaBlog has some shots of the promotional antics in Akiba, though little actual new info
Finally some substantive SF IV news; we have details on three new characters (with more apparently to come), release news (game is in final testing stages, announcement likely soon), and of course plenty of screens of the new characters.
The characters:
Rufus: giant American fat man type – can’t wait to see him in motion.
El Forte: Mexican lucha libre masked pro-wrestler type.
Seth: evil scifi shiny cyborg CEO boss type.
Nothing uneventful there then. And so on to look at Famitsu’s numerous screens. Now only to wait for the release details?
Some release details for the latest instalment in Capcom’s Street Fighter series have emerged, and in part they are extremely surprising. Famitsu confirms it will be a multiplatform release for the PS3, Xbox360 and, oddly enough, the PC. Details of the price and release date for each platform are unfortunately yet to be announced. The article also carries some details of a tawdry Hollywood cash in, which I will not bore you with.
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Wasn’t this supposed to be the last in the series? Snake’s last battle? Well, it seems that only applies to Snake, but the Metal Gear series will go on, Hideo Kojma reveals in the recent interview (scan below), also saying “I’ve got to get to thinking about Metal Gear Solid 5”. Clearly Kojima is not one to abandon a successful franchise, although this hardly seems surprising. Via Ore-teki.
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With Metal Gear Solid 4 complete, all the details regarding the marketing arrangements in the game have come to light. It seems the game will be a vehicle for product placement on an unprecedented scale for an A-List title, with 10 product “collaborations” evident; but it is not so much the number as the prominence and lack of consideration for fit which stand out. Read on for the full details.
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Any ardent fan of the excellent Tales series of RPGs will already know about the magnificent looking テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア / Tales of Vesperia, the latest and next generation incarnation of the series, but there has been something of an upset over the bizarre decision to release the game first on the Xbox360, with a PS3 release not even confirmed yet – whilst no denials, and the eminent logic of releasing the game to its main market on the PS3, as well as prior precedents in porting this series and others, all tend to suggest the PS3 release is all but inevitable, no official announcement has been forthcoming, until now… sort of.
It seems some observant soul managed to spot buried in a Bandai Namco financial presentation an entry (now amended) for ToV listed as due for release later in the year for both Xbox360 and PS3, however no sooner had the news got out than the document was amended to refer only to the Xbox360 release; the original page is mirrored below.
Just what kind of mistake this was may only be revealed by the passage of time, but most Tales fans can but hope it represents accidental confirmation of the PS3 release, and hopefully for this year and not next.
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According to the official announcement, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is now completed, so all that remains is to wait for the release. Whilst a variety of dubious marketing endeavours are underway (placing Regain into the game seems positively tawdry), the biggest change this brings is the opening of the official site, filled with movie based quizzes which you can “complete” for “Digital Download Points”, exchangeable for a variety of wallpapers and the like – how very original. Still the game movies are interesting enough.
Hideo Kojima may have put his foot in his mouth recently, and again just now if you read the drivel he spouts in the press conference comparing SCE to space pioneers, but this hardly has any bearing on what will doubtless prove to be the biggest PS3 release to date; it will certainly be interesting to see how well the PS3 fairs with the upcoming releases of its major titles – my guess is well.
More Details on クロスエッジ / Cross Edge / XEdge, the newly announced PS3 mixed franchise RPG are provided here by Famitsu. When I first heard of this game, I was sceptical, and seeing those screens (which look distinctly PS2 in calibre), and also hearing the somewhat mixed reception in the Japanese blogosphere has done nothing to allay my concerns, even if it does include Etna.
Including a bunch of popular characters from a variety of games and then letting the player dress them up might cut it for a dojin game, but my suspicion is that such a pastiche of characters will not result in a rewarding story. Perhaps it could more accurately be thought of as charcter goods. Still, it remains to be seen how this will turn out; the developers involved can hardly be keen for their characters to be involved in a licensing debacle (or can they?).
As Tears to Tiara has piqued my interest, and with recent details looking all the more promising, I couldn’t help but notice this comparison of the character designs for the PS3 versus those for the PC (large picture mirrored here); looking like a vast improvement in art (downloading the PC version CGs no longer looks very appealing does it?) and a promising game, even if it is a shame to lose the erotic elements of the game. Still, if that is the price to pay for the next generation reincarnation, perhaps it is worth paying…
Having finally finished 戦場のヴァルキュリア/Valkyria Chronicles, I am in a position to review and recommend it; my earlier impressions also still stand, view them here and here for additional detail and more screenshots. Valkyria Chronicles is really one of the first truly next generation games for the PS3, and probably heralds the maturation of the platform. It is easy to recommend, in fact difficult not to recommend, on every level; for anyone who is a fan of wargames, RPGs or anime, it is a game which is absolutely indispensible. Enough with the general impressions – what of the game proper? What of Alicia’s swimsuit? Read on for both.
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Charming Futaba Nendoroid
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Delectable Dizzy Cosplay by Lechat
Dark Elf Cosplay by Non Very Dark Indeed
Titillating Tamako Cosplay Perfectly Pink
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Raunchy Reisen Inaba Cosplay by Tsuyato
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Youmu Ero-Cosplay by Madoka Adachi Deadly Sexy
Comiket 89 Cosplay Sickeningly Sweet
Comiket 89 Cosplay A Guilty Pleasure
Comiket 89 Cosplay Ceaselessly Sexy
Comiket 89 Cosplay Scorching Hot
Comiket 89 Cosplay Bottoms Out
Comiket 89 Cosplay Constantly Charming
Comiket 89 Cosplay Continues To Impress