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.
Read the rest of this entry »
It seems that unofficial confirmation of a Tales of the Abyss anime is forthcoming by way of a mention of the title in an anime producer’s portfolio of products worked on. Apparently the production staff has already been settled up to episode 7, so an official announcement can’t be that far away. Other details are still lacking. Moon Phase thinks this can serve as reliable confirmation, and Moon Phase certainly qualifies as a reliable source for such matters.
As an aside, the same source reveals the progress of a new Inuyasha title, although details on this are even scarcer.
I can’t help but be enthused by this news, since Tales of the Abyss probably ranks as my favourite console RPG; hopefully they will do it justice. Looking forward to seeing some more of Anise and Ion, and all the others…
The latest game in the Star Ocean series, スターオーシャン 4 THE LAST HOPE / Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope, will be an Xbox360 exclusive to be released in 2009, it has been announced.
Read the rest of this entry »
Famed seiyuu 釘宮理恵/Rie Kugimiya is set to voice one of the characters in Persona 4, perhaps a welcome break for her from voicing slot machines. She will voice Rise Kujikawa, an idol who returns from the big city to her hometown, the backwater country town setting of Persona 4.
Read the rest of this entry »
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
An address was given by Megami Tensei/Persona series creator 岡田耕始/Koji “Cozy” Okada at the University of Tokyo recently, as part of the May Festival, in which he was kind enough to expound in some detail about his thoughts about the excellent Megami Tensei series as creator.
Famitsu has published a very interesting and quite detailed article covering this, and I have prepared a full translation below; this should be of particular interest to Megami Tensei and Persona fans, as well as those interested in the creative processes leading to a prolific franchise which is not only extremely successful, but also highly adventurous and original.
Read the rest of this entry »
Obsessive followers of Disgaea, such as myself, will be interested to note that for the first time Pleinair will be a playable character in a Disgaea game: in 魔界戦記ディスガイア 魔界の王子と赤い月 / Disgaea: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon, the refined DS edition of the PSP release set for release June 26th, Pleinair will be added, and Adell and Rosalind will also feature. Dengeki has plenty of tiny little screens.
There also appear to be numerous interesting additions to gameplay, and of course Etna mode will be intact, along with new dialogue for Etna. I am none too happy that these games don’t seem to be finding their way back onto the non-portables…
Famitsu brings news of the story and characters of Persona 4, as well as more screenshots, due for release in a month or two, almost inexplicably for the PS2. The story centres around a string of murders at the protagonist’s school/countryside town, and the character featured is a ruffian; does this sound familiar to you?
The screens and details thus far revealed really do tend to mark this out as a rehash or expansion pack rather than a true sequel, although at least the production values will not be a let down, and the new setting looks to be a departure from the urban environments used previously. It looks interesting enough, but I am still a little disappointed that they chose the PS2 as platform, as it would be nice to see them push the series forward with a next generation game, rather than simply ride the coattails of the anime.
Falcom offers up a promising looking action RPG for the PC, “ZWEI II”, set for release this summer, with a few screenshots just released, and mirrored below. This is refreshing news given the poor condition of PC gaming in Japan (if we exclude visual novels and the like), but what I am really keen to know is whether this will be fully voiced or not – no info as yet.
Graphics look none too bad; full 3d, and there is the comment that characters display their current equipment on their actual models, a nice touch. I am liable to comment favourably on any RPG involving demon girls – there is indeed one in evidence, with splendid crimson eyes the colour of hellfire, and she is co-protagonist. In case you were wondering, the original ZWEI is a title from 2001, which I will confess to having never heard of.
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
How You Wish KyoAni Made Phantom World…
Togijo no Senhime: Another Story Unexpectedly Gory
Coming of Age Day Illustrations Quite Formal
Atelier Shallie Plus Trailers Unbearably Cute
Pyramid Head’s Great Knife Replicated
Mortal Kombat X DLC More Gruesome Than Ever
Top 10 Most Anticipated Anime of Winter 2016
Splatoon “Super Play Time” Absolutely Cringe-worthy
Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut “Dragons & Mechs?”
Monster Hunter X Megaman Event Profusely Blue
Love Live! Sunshine!! MV “Will Brighten Up Your Day!”
Top 10 Best Anime Girls of 2015
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar “Has Oppai!”
Picking Up Japan Express Vol. 36 Worth a Pickup
Dimension W Out Of This World
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir PV Certainly Nostalgic
One-Punch Man Soundtrack PV Packs A Wallop
XmasTrickStar “A White Christmas Indeed…”
Wo-Class Carrier Ero-MMD In Dire Straights
Voice Translation Tool Promotional Video “Inexcusable!”
Luck & Logic Far From Lucky
Yandere Simulator Possibly Headed to Kickstarter
Top 20 Recent Anime Most In Need Of A Sequel
Hyrule Warriors Legends PV Clashes Interminably
Akagami no Shirayukihime English Dub Surfaces
Koukaku no Pandora Really Opens That Box
Gate Season 2 Darker Than Ever
Super Sweet Sonico Bikini Figure
Skimpy Elf Bikini Cosplay by Saku Supremely Sexy
Gothic Lolita Hatsune Miku Cosplay Busts Out
Delectable Dizzy Cosplay by Lechat
Dark Elf Cosplay by Non Very Dark Indeed
Titillating Tamako Cosplay Perfectly Pink
Goddess of 2ch: “Full of Lust & Urges (& Also Videos)!”
Raunchy Reisen Inaba Cosplay by Tsuyato
Haruhi Bunny Girl Cosplay Rocks Out
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