Next up is Sony’s time in the spotlight. Sony dropped the mic last year when it took jabs at Microsoft’s DRM policy with withe their Xbox One. The PS4 launch was strong, but not a lot of big games have come out for it, at least not exclusively. While the PS4 leads in the graphics and hardware department, there are still some that are hanging tight to the 7th generation as games are still releasing on the PS3 and Xbox 360. On the Vita, while it is getting the identity as the Niche Gamer’s Handheld, sales of the Vita are still a little slow to move. They did reveal the new Vita slim however, but it still needs that big game that moves the handheld in the sales department. What will Sony show off to attract more people to their newer systems? Will they once again drop the mic like last year? Or will they be on the receiving of said mic dropping?
Tag Archives: PSV
Rejoice! Dragon’s Crown Artbook Is A Pre-Order Bonus In The U.S., Guest Starring Three Veteran Capcom Artists
Yes! Booyah! Go baby go! Woooooo! USA! USA! USA!
Ahem… pardon my lack of professionalism (and constant fellating of Dragon’s Crown). So then, it’s confirmed that the artbook Japanese gamers get when they pre-order Dragon’s Crown will also be available for U.S. fans as well. Judging from the image above, it looks to be a soft cover if the the sort of “depth” of the spine is anything to go by.
Vanillaware games have been really deserving of an artbook, and and we’re finally getting one. Along with George Kamitani’s art and concepts, other popular artists have contributed to the book too with their interpretations of the Dragon’s Crown cast. They include Code of Princess artist Kinu Nishimura, Darkstalkers artist Akira Yasuda (aka Akiman), and Street Fighter/MvC veteran artist BENGUS.
Dragon’s Crown North American Website Finally Updated
In the midst of all the tasty hoopla surrounding Dragon’s Crown, I thought why don’t I go check out the website of the game I covered extensively since its UTV Ignition days. I already knew that the Japanese site was updated with new U.I. and enchanting music courtesy of Hitoshi Sakimoto. So I wondered if the North American site was still the same as we saw it when UTV was still publishing it. Lo and behold, they did give it the same facelift that the Japanese site had gotten, though it probably took long for them to change it. Last time I checked was around the release of the Sorceress trailer.
The Fighter Blocks While The Sorceress Casts in This Duo of Trailers
The release of Dragon’s Crown draws ever closer in Japan, so Atlus will be putting together videos detailing each of the individual characters players can choose from. Starting with the Fighter, he seems to be the go-to person if you want a balanced character with attacks and defense. That shield of his can protect allies who might be in harm’s way. Take for instance the scene in 0:27. The Fighter stands in front of the Sorceress (more on her after the break), blocking enemy attacks while she casts some magic against the enemy. Alongside some sick combos, Fighter also has some good crowd control in the form of a shoulder tackle. If things get to hectic, the fighter can tackle an enemy, sending them flying across the screen and away from him (and probably to another ally that can properly deal with it). Fighter’s also got an attack that’ll bring surrounding enemies to a crumple state, giving him some room to breathe.
Dragon’s Crown Is Alive, Gets A New Trailer [Screenshots Included]
Previously on News Regarding Dragon’s Crown, Atlus took over publishing duties from UTV Ignition. They also started lending a hand in the actual development of the game. Since then, well not much else was known (outside of Atlus censoring the Amazon and the Sorceress in the U.S. side of the official website). The trailer itself is pretty short, but quite a few new things are shown. For starters, we see some new art for all the characters. We can also see what seems to be player indicators over each character’s head and damage output numbers for attacks. We also see some new locales not seen in the initial trailer, including a ruined tower that can be traversed from the inside and outside via magic carpet. Finally, we see more of that mysterious merchant-like person that followed the heroes in the previous trailer. This time, he’s accompanied by a fairy.
Many feared that the game was in trouble after reports surfaced that developer Vanillaware were having problems making both Grand Knights History and Dragon’s Crown at the same time. The troubles piled on after XSEED cancelled GKH‘s localization since Vanillaware would have to do the programming (XSEED lacks this), and they already had their hands full. Now that GKH is released in Japan, they can now focus on Dragon’s Crown development. Atlus is also reported to begin talking about the game this March. Screenshots from the trailer after the break.
Rejoice! Vanillaware’s Dragon’s Crown gets a new trailer! [Japanator]
[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Soul Sacrifice
Mega Man creator Keiji inafune is back, and this time he’s on his own without Capcom. But that’s not stopping him from making videogames as he’s still at it with Soul Sacrifice. Inspired by the likes of Monster Hunter and Demon’s/Dark Souls, Soul Sacrifice sees you making a choice as to what to do with certain enemies. Do you heal the corrupted souls that haunt the lands as beasts, or do you sacrifice them to boost yourself? The choice is yours.
Prota: Soul Sacrifice is a game I’ve been looking forward to for some time. The premise seems deliciously dark, but sadly some of that was lost in translation since the demo was only in Japanese. The gameplay felt similar to Gods Eater Burst, but instead of devouring monsters, you can sacrifice the souls of enemies you defeat to raise your evil alignment and power up or save their souls in order to recover life and align yourself with the righteous. The representative at the booth compared the alignment meter to Infamous’ moral system. If so, I’m really curiously how that will will affect the strength and availability of certain powers. I think that’s where the charm of the game comes from, all of the quirky powers you can use. I need to see how the co-op feels though before I totally get behind the game though, as I think that’s going to be an important aspect of it. Overall, it was definitely interesting, but I want to see more of what differentiates this title from others that fall under the same category.
Suikoinfinity: I still feel terrible for holding up the line for like 3 minutes just so we could try getting our games synced up. I hope the terrible connectivity is an issue with the demo games/vitas and not something that will stick with the final product. Having us play on the Japanese demo felt just a little lazy. Aren’t they already working on localization? With the relatively small amount of text encountered in one short mission, a build with English text should have been given. You get to pick from a pool of spells to use before combat begins, but the little picture given to each spell does little to describe what each one actually does, so the majority of the demo was spent trying to figure out how each power functions… I don’t think I was supposed to summon a giant plant monster at the start when there’s no enemies to kill. Aside from the big guessing game, once I found something that functioned like a regular weapon, the demo became much better. What wasn’t better was trying to talk over that loud ass Niconico booth they decided to put right next to Soul Sacrifice. I wasn’t able to hear shit, but it looked and played nice!
Persona 4: The Golden’s Swanky Opening
Man, look at MC’s dance moves! Straight swag all over the place. I will admit, this opening is very weird, especially when you compare it to the opening of the original Persona 4 and Persona 3 Portable. But man that song is so damn awesome! Carefree and smooth. Love hearing a song like this in a game. I gotta admit everyone looks like they went to the suburban school of dance. Regardless, I really like the kaleidoscope theme these guys were going for. Bravo to Atlus for another awesome opening.
Persona 4: The Golden is expected to release this October in the U.S. for the Playstation Vita.
Dragon’s Crown Now Belongs To Atlus
Finally some good news for this ambitious title from Vanillaware. After concerns popped up as to whether or not Dragon’s Crown was alive, and if Ignition was capable of publishing the game after parent company UTV’s acquisition by Disney, Atlus has come in to save the day. Late this evening, Atlus has announced that they will be taking over publishing rights to Dragon’s Crown. Not only that, they’ll also be sending over some of their own to help out with the production of the game. Dragon’s Crown was slated to release this Spring, but Atlus has stated that it’ll be pushed back to 2013. They also stated that the game can’t retail for $30. Not sure if they’re referring to price of the PS3 version or the Vita version. But hey, Joystiq is right. Since Atlus is doing this, we’re probably gonna get some kind of extra goodies when getting the game. Speaking of which, this is the first time Atlus has published a Vanillaware title since Odin Sphere.
But man, you gotta feel for Ignition. Just when it looked like things were going good for them, Disney comes in and makes things a bit iffy.
Atlus picks up Dragon’s Crown publishing, also assisting with development [Joystiq]
Sumioni, Where Okami Meets Muramasa [UPDATE]
The other day when I was lurking around, I noticed a certain blog talking about another Vita game coming out. I saw the image of the princess that they posted, and I thought “Huh, this kinda looks like Okami, but with a little bit of Muramasa thrown in.” So I investigated what Sumioni was. I came away very impressed with what I saw. If you look at the trailer above, you’ll see that not only does it resemble Okami with the visuals, but it too has a “Celestial Brush”- like mechanic. But like Muramasa, combat is fast paced and is done in 2D. What I really like is how you’re actually writing out the Kanji characters for certain techniques, unlike the abstract shapes and lines like you did in Okami. Being done by Acquire, Sumioni is slated for release on the Playstation Vita sometime in 2012.
No release date is set for NA, but it looks likely according to the developer. Nevermind. Sony has just confirmed it is coming to the US. I switched the above video for the NA version. Original trailer here.
The PS Vita’s Best-Looking Game Gets a New Heroine, Multiple Endings [Kotaku]
Persona 4: The Golden Screenshots
While we at TWF have been going nuckin’ futs over the news of Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (or P4U… god that sounds dirty), screens of the other Persona 4 gameing coming out, Persona 4: The Golden, has surfaced. Slated for release on the Playstation Vita, this will be an enhanced port of the PS2 entry and will retain everything from that version (unlike P3P, which made some dramatic changes), and add on some more features. The features include new cutscenes, more voices than the original, a new character by the name of Marie, and the still-mysterious ability to call your friends for help in a dungeon when the shit hits the fan. From a graphical standpoint, it looks like they’ve toned down the heavy yellow hue that seemed to dominate the town of Inaba like god farted down there (and we’re talking about non-fog days). Well, I guess this means I have to hurry up and finish P4 on the PS2 then. I feel so behind…
Screens after the break.
Dragon’s Crown Screens and Art [UPDATE]
In case the huge knockers didn’t give you a hint earlier, Vanillaware has revealed a new game for the PS3/PSV called Dragon’s Crown. Before giving ya’ll the goods, some details on the game has surfaced. The game is going to be a 4 player co-op game and can be played online, with an option for solo single-player. Kinda sounds similar to their efforts with Grand Knights History. It also seems to be taking a more character building route, with treasure and loot to be had. You can play as 6 characters: Wizard, Sorceress, Fighter, Elf, Dwarf, and Amazon.
Update: Vanillaware’s Dragon’s Crown Facebook page has made available super high-res versions of the Sorceress and Amazon.
Hit the jump for the screenshots and artwork.