As of November 28th, several new characters have been added as downloadable content for Makai Senki Disgaea 3 on Japan’s Playstation Store.  Of the characters available, 2 are from Nippon Ichi Software’s PS2 title Soul Nomad & the World Eaters:

Gig The Master of Death who was sealed away in the Onyx Blade which the main character of Soul Nomad will come to possess.  His extraordinary power is rivaled only by his bad attitude.  He Magichanges into the Onyx Blade
Reyva The female version of the main character of Soul Nomad and wielder of the Onyx Blade.  Depending on the player’s choices throughout the game, Reyva may be consumed by Gig’s power.  In some cases, the opposite is also possible.
Dragon What is any RPG without a dragon?  Fear his tiny, tiny arms.  The Dragon Magichanges into a spear.
Scarved Prinny The unlikely hero of NIS’s upcoming PSP title, Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero? He dons Takehito Harada’s trademark of any good main character: a crimson scarf.

This DLC doesn’t seem like it will be available anytime soon on the North American Playstation Store.  [Insert feelings of betrayal, distrust, anger, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.]

Related Entries:
All other Kotowari posts relating to Makai Senki Disgaea 3 can be found here.

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Bandai-Namco revealed a bit more info concerning their upcoming Wii title Fragile: Goodbye Ruins of the Moon, and has released the game’s cover art, which I love.  You can view it by clicking the banner above.  Here’s hoping the North American cover art won’t be unnecessarily altered…  If you want to see the art without the logo you can find that here. 

In addition to the cover art, a new character profile has been released to the public:

In addition to the news of Sin, we now have a few screenshots of some cut scenes from the game.  They reveal a mysterious young girl who appears to be (like many others) a phantom or ghost.  She meets Seto, and appears friendly.  She may even be giving him something in the screenshot on the right, but I obviously can’t confirm this.

I find it interesting to see how Bandai-Namco, a Japanese company, produces a game taking place after the end of the world, versus Bethesda’s Fallout 3 which features similar themes.  When I saw this girl I was reminded of a trip I took in Fallout 3 to an abandoned elementary school.  At one point between blowing the heads off Raiders I noticed the floor was littered with tiny skeletons, obviously belonging to children. 

While I found this disturbing, giving a face to the dead makes it more personal, which I feel pulls the player in emotionally.  Fallout 3 seems cold and distant about the end of days, where Fragile’s quiet sadness seems to provide more powerful storytelling.  It’s like comparing an action movie to a Yasujiro Ozu film.

Related Entries:
All Kotowari articles concerning Fragile can be found here

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When I heard the news that the Fallout 3 downloadable content would be exclusive to XBox and PC, I patiently waited to hear otherwise, having confidence that Bethesda would not punch PS3 owners in the face.  The December release of the first bit of DLC is close enough for me to give up all hope.  I have been punched.  In the face (see above).

There are 4 DLC packages which will be spread out from December 2008 through March 2009.  These are substantial additions which offer hours of gameplay – it’s not some freaking armor for your horse to wear:

• The G.E.C.K
  • December 2008
  • The G.E.C.K (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) update is a PC exclusive that allows players to effectively create and add content to the game.  This includes characters, areas, story elements etc.
• Operation Anchorage
• • January 2009
  • Operation Anchorage was the battle that won Alaska back from the communist Chinese in January 2077.  With this package, players get to take part in the battle… if they own the Xbox or PC version of the game.
• The Pitt
  • February 2009
  • The Pitt is the name of a Raider stronghold located in the remains of Pittsburg.  This package brings the player there to make friends… if they own the Xbox or PC version of the game.
• Broken Steel
  • March 2009
  • This patch allows the player to join the Brotherhood of Steel and destroy the remaining Enclave forces of Capital Wasteland… if they own the Xbox or PC version of the game.

Patrick Klepek at MTV’s Multiplayer spoke at length with Bethesda’s product manager Pete Hines concerning the DLC and the decision to exclude the PS3:

Hines and I debated what would be the full “Fallout 3″ experience. Without the option for downloadable content, PS3 owners would be missing out on something. While Hines agreed they’re missing something, he didn’t see it as a negative.

“For us, with a game that offers 100 hours of gameplay, we don’t feel like we’re sort of short changing you up front,” he said. “You’re gonna get your $60 worth out of this game, no matter what platform you buy it for, because there is so much content and so much stuff to do. And you can replay it and have it play out differently. So I think we feel pretty confident in terms of, no matter which platform you choose, you’re getting a good experience that will hopefully be one of the best, if not the best game you play this year on that platform.”

Still … the PS3 version doesn’t have the content. Period.

“Beyond that,” he admitted, “if you really sort of deadlocked and you’ve gotta have your reasons to make a decision between one platform or the other, then yeah, DLC may be one that may push you towards one platform.”

_source

Hines seemed unwilling to admit that PS3 owners have purchased a crippled version of Fallout 3.  In case my elaborate ranting didn’t make that clear, I disagree.  Show the world your hate.

Related Entries:
Fallout 3: An Ethical Dilemma
Fallout 3: Post-Apocalyptic Humor

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I never really got around to making an initial post on Devil Survivor, Atlus’s upcoming DS title.  I was holding out for some more detailed information.  Well yesterday Atlus updated the Japanese website with some new characters and story info.  Here is what we know so far:

The game’s story revolves around a team of three main characters:

Protagonist	Tanikawa Yuzu	Kihara Atsurou

All three characters are 17 and are sophomores in high school.  Yuzu likes indies bands, especially one called D-VA.  Judging by her character art she seems to also be fond of sweets.  Atsurou is somewhat of a gadget fanatic and frequents internet message boards.

One day the three characters meet in Shibuya when suddenly demons begin appearing from a nearby subway.  Tokyo is closed off to prevent the death and destruction from descending upon Japan, or the world.

Generally humans stand little chance against demons, but thanks to a portable device simply called COMP, the trio are able to form contracts with demons.  With only 7 days before the complete destruction of Tokyo, the player must unlock the key to saving the city.

This info is fairly old news, but as I mentioned Atlus updated the game’s site with some new story elements that revolve around two new characters:

	Naoya Naoya is the protagonist’s cousin.  He lived with the protagonist at his home for the last year after Naoya’s parents died.  He has much insight, and in case his cape didn’t give it away; he is an excellent computer programmer.  He installed the Devil Summoner Program into the protagonist’s COMP.
	Kuzuryu Amane The protagonist will meet Amane outside of Aoyama municipal cemetery shortly before the blockade is constructed around Tokyo.  She is the daughter of the head of a religious group called “The Gate of Sho”.  The aim of said group is to rescue people from their fears.  Amane is a modern day shaman or sorcerer.

I love the dark aspect of this game, – hell, it’s the reason we all like MegaTen titles.  I think a chaotic, closed off Tokyo will provide a really cool setting for the game.  As I have said before I love settings which are confined, I think they provide very unique story opportunities.

The battle system is still a bit mysterious and hasn’t even been discussed on the game’s Japanese site.  From what I have seen, I am reminded of games like Etrian Odyssey and 7th Dragon, which is a good thing.

At first I was a little mad that Kazuma Kaneko wasn’t doing the character design, only the demon design.  But I think the art styles work quite well together.  Kaneko’s art always looks a little other-worldly, and this way there is a clear distinction between human and demon.

Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor will be released January 15th of next year in Japan.  Man am I looking forward to having a new DS game to play at work.

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Everyone seems to have a favorite Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 character already – and the game hasn’t even been released in North America yet.  If yours happens to be Yukiko, you’re in luck.  The first figure being produced from the game is none other than the fan-wielding vixen.  The figure is scheduled to be released late February 2009 in Japan and is available for pre-order at KidNemo for $63.19.

Yukiko comes fully equipped with her bright red glasses (removable) and sakura patterned fan:

You can check out 6 additional detailed images of the figure here.

With a game like Persona 4, I have a really hard time picking a favorite character, so I don’t know which figure I would want to purchase.  Life can be so cruel…

I am thinking of waiting for Chie, as I think she will probably be in some cool kung-fu pose.

Which character are you holding out for?

Related Entries:
All OMG Toys posts can be found here.

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