Fallout: New Vegas is far on the horizon of games I’ve sufficiently overdosed on.  Still, yesterday’s release of the most recent DLC, Old World Blues, enticed me to check into the new perks the game unlocks.  As with the previous installments of DLC, the level cap has been raised by five levels.

The new perks are rather unimpressive. I am starting to think the gang at Obsidian are running on fumes in that department:

Atomic
Required: Level 20, Endurance 6
With the Atomic perk, you are 25% faster and stronger whenever you’re basking in the warm glow of radiation. Outside of irradiated areas, your Action Points (AP) regenerate faster the higher your level of radiation sickness becomes.
My Thoughts: I don’t know how literal “faster and stronger” is in this description so this perk is hard to judge. This may be a fun perk for those who like to live on the edge and frequent VATS, neither of which I am partial to.

Mile In Their Shoes
Required: Level 20, Survival 25
You have come to understand Nightstalkers. Consuming Nightstalker Squeezin’s now grants bonuses to Perception (+1 PER), Poison Resistance (+5), and Stealth (+5 Sneak) in addition to the normal benefits.
My Thoughts: Regardless of the availability of “Nightstalker Squeezin’s“, the benefits this perk brings are nothing to write home about.

Them’s Good Eatin
Required: Level 20, Survival 55
Any living creature you kill has a 50% chance to have the potent healing items Thin Red Paste or Blood Sausage when looted.
My Thoughts: These items have a high drop rate, and are a completely RAD-less food.  At a campfire you can even combine them into more effective versions.  If you’re playing on hardcore and are sick of carrying around your own food, this perk can definitely help find some on-the-go.

Implant GRX
Required: Level 30, Endurance 8
You gain a non-addictive subdermal Turbo (chem) injector. This perk may be taken twice, with the second rank increasing the effect from 2 to 3 seconds and the uses per day from 5 to 10 [Activated in the Pip-Boy Inventory.
My Thoughts: This perk has a very high Endurance requirement. If you can get past that, the benefits are awesome. Basically you can inject yourself with Turbo without fear of addiction or worry about carrying them around. This can be done 5 times a day, each hit lasting 2 seconds. On the second rank the doses double, but you only gain an additional second of Turbo-time. I think one rank should be sufficient for most players — if you need 10 doses of Turbo in a game-day you may have a problem…  This may be one of the coolest perks of Old World Blues.

For the first time, the new DLC also includes brand new traits as there now exists an NPC which allows you to change your traits one time.

Claustrophobia
Benefit: + 1 buff to SPECIAL attributes while outdoors
Penalty: - 1 debuff to SPECIAL attributes while indoors
My Thoughts: I am always leery of traits like this.  I learned from Four Eyes that this trait doesn’t help when it comes to getting perks.  That means it would only help by providing a small boost to your skills and maybe the occasional SPECIAL based speech check.  More trouble than it’s worth!

Early Bird
Benefit: + 2 buff to SPECIAL attributes from 6am to 6pm
Penalty: – 1 debuff to SPECIAL attributes from 6pm to 6am
My Thoughts: Of the SPECIAL influencing traits in the new DLC, this one is the most appealing since the boost is bigger than the penalty.  Also, if you tack on the Night Person perk the debuff doesn’t hurt quite as much.  Another option is just waiting twelve hours whenever you fall out of your comfort zone, but this is less of an option for those on hardcore mode.

Hoarder
Benefit: + 25 lbs to total carry weight
Penalty: – 1 debuff to SPECIAL attributes while current equipment weight is below 160 lbs
My Thoughts: Kind of interesting since I am almost always pretty burdened, otherwise see Claustrophobia.

Hot Blooded
Benefit: + 10% damage increase while below 50% health
Penalty: – 2 debuff to Perception and Agility while below 50% health
My Thoughts: This trait gives a very minor benefit and a pretty severe penalty. Now, you may be saying to yourself, Hulk want smash, why Hulk need to perceive things and do so in an agile manner? Well, Hulk… If you want to get the Slayer perk (requiring 7 Agility) which believe me, you do — then you will have to have your Agility at a staggering 9 points when it comes time to take the perk.  This assumption is based on how Four Eyes, a similar trait functions.  Being able to attack 30% faster or hit 10% harder, which would you prefer?

Logan’s Loophole
Benefit: Chems last twice as long and addiction rates are set to zero
Penalty: Locks the level cap at 30
My Thoughts: Now this is interesting.  If you design a very focused character (to make up for the lack of skill points) and abuse the hell out of chems, would that make up for ~15 levels of progress?  Hard to say, but I wouldn’t mind finding out.  Adding on the Chemist perk would extend the life of your stash making you an increasingly dangerous junky.

Old World Blues also has some new implants which can be acquired from the same NPC who lets you re-select your traits.  At this point, I can’t say for sure if the player’s ability to install these implants is based on Endurance (as was the case for the implants which appear in the stand-alone version of the game).  I will try to find this out and update this article accordingly.  If any readers know, please leave a comment confirming/refuting this!

• Implant C-13: +10% damage to Cazadores
• Implant M-5: Crouched movement speed increased 20%
• Implant Y-3: Removed RADS from radiated water sources
• Implant Y-7: Gain more AP and HP from food

Another body modification perk available upon clearing Old World Blues is possibly the greatest reason to acquire this DLC.  The player may select from an improve heart, brain, or spine:

Big Brained
Head cannot be crippled, +10% resistance to chem addiction, +10% DT if your DT >= 10 or +1 DT if your DT < 10
My Thoughts: This is the obvious choice among the body modification for a sniper class.  A crippled head means blurred vision and difficulty aiming.  This is less important the closer you get to your enemy.

Cardiac Arrest
50% poison resistance, Healing items boosted by 50%, Robots have -25% crit chance
My Thoughts: The main draw for this perk is the boost to all healing items, but increased poison and critical resistance is also a nice addition.  If you’re not playing on hardcore, this is a better option than Big Brained.

Reinforced Spine
Strength+2, DT+2
My Thoughts: This is a game changer.  Consider my current melee builds (1,2) obsolete.  This perk allows melee users to start with much lower strength and thus be more well-rounded as a whole.  The added DT is awesome, but honestly I would take this perk without it.

I am pleased to see the broad variety of character buffs available in Old World Blues — and I haven’t even looked into weapons yet!  Old World Blues is available now for all platforms for $10 USD, a shockingly low price to have your organs rearranged.

NIS Japan has released details for their upcoming second installment of DLC for Disgaea 4 in Japan.  The new content will be available whenever the Japanese Playstation Network is resuscitated, as it is still down in Japan.  Three familiar faces may be added to the player’s roster, including Mao, Priere, and Saber Pink from Disgaea 2’s Axel mode.

I neglected to post details on the first bit of DLC for Disgaea 4 (other than Asagi) so here is a list of every confirmed character being released in Japan:

• Asagi (DLC #1)
• Adell (DLC #1)
• Rozalin (DLC #1)
• Mao (DLC #2)
• Priere (DLC #2)
• Saber Pink (DLC #2)

Two weapons modeled after Sony’s feline “mascats” Toro and Kuro are also available, however, I doubt these will make it to the states.  One is a Toro-spear, released in the first pack of DLC; the other is a Kuro-axe, released in the second.  The DLC details make no mention of the cost of the DLC, but NIS America usually separates it so cost is irrelevant to most of us.

I could care less about Mao, but I love Priere and Pink both for their personalities and sheer clobbering power.  I have made a Saber Kitty every game since Phantom Brave. I love the little guys!  But Pink is much more versatile in the special abilities department.  I have had a soft spot for Priere ever since La Pucelle, which features an amazing story despite the gameplay being a little rougher than Disgaea.  Seeing so many beloved characters filling the ranks of Disgaea 4 makes me that much more excited for its release this September.

The most recent Fallout: New Vegas DLC, Honest Hearts, raises the level cap 5 additional levels to an even 40.  With the increased level cap come six new permanent perks the player can select.  Here they are, along with my thoughts:

Eye For Eye
Required: Level 20
For each crippled limb you have, you do an additional 10% damage.
My Thoughts: Initially this may sound like a pretty terrible perk.  Being crippled is not much fun; your vision blurs, your hands shake, and you cannot run depending on the limb.  But keep in mind that you have a total of 6 limbs, and they can all be broken — trust me.  That makes for a 60% boost to damage which is huge.  Characters best assisted by this perk include melee, explosives, and unarmed users — all of which require minimal finesse and accuracy, meaning being concussed ain’t no thang.

Tribal Wisdom
Required: Level 8, Survival 70
Your limbs take 50% less damage from Animals, Mutated Animals, and Mutated Insects, you gain +25% to Poison resistance, and can eat Mutated Insects when you’re in Sneak mode.
My Thoughts: This perk is interesting, but has a very high survival stat requirement, one which I doubt many players would strive for. If you are concerned with limb health then Adamantium Skeleton is a better choice, and if you just want to eat weird things go with Cannibal since humans exist in greater profusion than mutated insects.

Sneering Imperialist
Required: Level 8
You don’t take kindly to raiders, junkies, or tribals trying to “settle” or “stay alive” in civilized lands. Against dirty raider and junkie types as well as Zion’s tribals you do +15% Damage and have a bonus to hit in V.A.T.S.
My Thoughts: Raiders don’t exist in New Vegas the way that they did in Fallout 3.  Odds are good that you will more often be dealing with a faction angry at you for something.  Still, there are a lot of them in Zion, and you can return there even after the DLC.  Unless you’re big on V.A.T.S., there are better damage boosting perks to be had.

Fight the Power!
Required: Level 10
You’ve had enough of the so-called “authorities” pushing poor folks around! You gain +2 Damage Threshold and +5% Critical chance against anyone wearing the faction armor of the NCR, Legion or Brotherhood of Steel.
My Thoughts: This perk is a better version of Sneering Imperialist.  It will be useful much more often, and it’s both offensive and defensive.  Characters focused on increasing their critical hit rate should definitely get this as a 5% boost is huge.  The DT is great for melee characters, but truly benefit all classes.  I would, however, not suggest explosives characters take this perk since they are not capable of critical hits.

Grunt
Required: Level 8, Guns 45, Explosives 20
Just good, honest infantry work! You do 25% more damage with 9mm and .45 Auto pistols and SMGs, Service Rifles, Assault and Marksman Carbines, Light Machine Guns, Frag Grenades, Grenade Rifles and Launchers, and Combat knife.
My Thoughts: This perk is a game changer, people.  This is essentially the autoloader equivalent to Cowboy, only with less annoying requirements.  Some very powerful weapons can be augmented by this perk including the All American and the recently improved grenade launchers.  It’s a must for explosives users since its increased grenade damage is one of this perks biggest assets.

Home on the Range
Required: Level 8, Survival 70
Whenever you interact with a Campfire, you have the option of sleeping, with all the benefits that sleep brings.
My Thoughts: Again, this perk’s survival requirement is steep. It’s doubtful that many non-hardcore players would have a survival score that high, but really, they are benefited by this perk the most. Sleeping on non-hardcore not only heals you but also restores limb condition. On hardcore, the only benefit is your SLP gauge goes down which is… not much of a benefit. Also, there are not many campfires in the game — there are probably more beds.

Some of the new perks are helpful, some are fun, and some are plain useless.  I look forward to trying them out first hand once the DLC becomes available for Playstation 3.  The recent Playstation Network has sadly delayed it with an unknown ETA.  But rest assured, I will continue covering the new perks for the remaining DLC on the horizon.

Right, so this is most likely the last update on Dead Money before its release, which is tomorrow for Xbox 360 owners.  Recently, Jason Bergman of Bethesda appeared on the Major Nelson podcast to reveal a few tidbits about the DLC.  The finer points of the podcast were collected at The Vault — I am essentially repeating their findings and throwing in my thoughts, for what that’s worth.

The DLC is aimed for higher level characters: 20 and above to be somewhat specific.  This means, as I have stressed before, it is a good idea to create a hard save of your current file, preferably before the end game events.  This especially goes for Xbox owners.  Since there will most likely be a healthy gap of time before PS3 and PC owners can get the DLC, this is less important.  In fact once the new perks are revealed (which will likely be tomorrow) that may change your ideal character, so you may want to start from scratch.  As much as it pains me to say, I will probably be doing this.

The names of the three characters joining you on the quest have been revealed.  We were able to get a look at each in the trailer released just last week:

• Dog/God: A schizophrenic super-mutant.  Depending on what personality is in the foreground, his name will change.  I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Dog/God can be seen attacking the courier…
• Christine: It has been confirmed that Christine is a mute, and apparently very well written.
• Dean Domino: A once famous lounge singer who sang on the Las Vegas strip before it was New Vegas.  He is described as having his own agenda.

The DLC is said to be about four to six hours long.  It will open up all new conversation options with Veronica, which all but confirms that Elijah will have something to do with the events of the side story.  Through these new conversation options, Veronica may learn a new perk, depending on the decisions you make.  This is good because Veronica isn’t already an insanely powerful ally.  I wonder if future DLC will enhance other companions and provide more background on them.  If so, I would be much more willing to open my wallet.

In terms of the setting, some details were revealed about the inhabitants of the area around the Sierra Madre: the ghosts.  As you may already know, these individuals managed to survive a toxic cloud escaping from below the Sierra Madre by wearing gas masks and hazmat suits.  Their sanity however suffered quite a bit and they roam the deserted area, killing any who wander too close.  Killing them is said to be difficult, requiring decapitation.  At least it’s more creative than ZOMBIES ROFLOMGBBQFTW.  Lastly, there is said to be many new weapons, including a Holo-Gun and a Bearclaw Fist.

The last bit of Dead Money information that I care about will be the new perks that are being added.  Expect a post on this this as soon as details are out, along with a full rant from yours truly on what this means in terms of character customization.

My biggest complaint with Red Dead Redemption was that the online experience was lacking many of the activities available offline.  Simple, innocent me.  I should have known that Rockstar was just planning on adding these features through paid downloadable content.  I have underlined features which I specifically stated were absent from the multiplayer in my review:

Legends and Killers Pack
New active map locations, characters and more:

• Release date: beginning of August 2010
• 9 new multiplayer map locations — more than doubling the amount of territories in the multiplayer competitive modes
• 8 new multiplayer characters — play as characters from Red Dead Revolver
• Introducing a new projectile weapon: the Tomahawk, with corresponding challenges for single-player and multiplayer gameplay
• New achievements and trophies
• Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

Liars and Cheats Pack
New competitive modes, multiplayer mini-games in Free Roam, and more:

• Release date: TBC
• Attack and Defend multiplayer competitive mode and challenges
• New multiplayer horse races, complete with mounted combat
• Play as the heroes and villains of Red Dead Redemption, as well as 8 additional multiplayer characters
• Multiplayer versions of Liars Dice and Poker from the single-player game
• Introducing a new weapon: the Explosive Rifle, with associated challenges available in single-player and multiplayer gameplay
• New achievements and trophies
• Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

Free Roam Pack
Delve deeper into the world of Red Dead Redemption with new modes, challenges and gang hideouts to discover:
• Release date: TBC
• Additional Free Roam challenges
• New action areas and defensive placements
• Posse scoring and leaderboards
• New anti-griefing measures in Free Roam
• Pricing: TBC

Undead Nightmare Pack
Ghost towns and cemeteries come alive in a West gone horribly wrong:
• Release date: TBC
• Brand new single-player adventure, challenges and quests
• 8 new multiplayer zombie characters
• Additional animals unleashed in the world
• New dynamic events and more
• Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE).

Let’s face it: the first three packs do little more than add more character avatars, territories, 2 new weapons, and make some of the improvements I suggested.  Not one of these packs offer any extension of the offline experience — the only area I would like more content of.  To further prove my point, as I am writing this, I decided to go back and bold every utterance of “multiplayer.”

That felt strangely good.

I have to hand it to Rockstar though, they know how to hide the bad news: with zombies!  Everyone fucking loves zombies, right?  I can see it now — 372 posts just like mine, but thinking there is nothing wrong with this because ZOMBIES OMFG.  Packaging content that should already be in a game as paid DLC is the wrong way to offer it and that’s why many are against the concept of downloadable content at all.

Today Bethesda officially announced the different DLC pre-orders that vault-wanderers can look forward to when Fallout: New Vegas is released.  There are four in total which differ based on where you order the game.  Below is each pack, where to find it, and its contents:

The Classic Pack available at Gamestop

• Armored Vault 13 Suit: a homage to the ending of the first Fallout.
• Canteen: helps stave off dehydration when wandering the deserts of FNV.
• Weathered 10 MM Pistol: a well-worn 10mm pistol that packs an extra punch despite its modest size.
• 5 Stimpacks: a small supply of stimpacks to get you started.

The Tribal Pack available at Amazon

• Tribal Raiding Armor: protects but doesn’t inhibit.
• Broad Machete: deals massive damage to limbs and dishes out quick blows.
• 5 Bleak Venom Doses: when applied to melee weapons, increases damage dramatically.
• 10 Throwing Spears: can pin limbs to walls and more stealthy than guns.

The Caravan Pack available at Wal-Mart and when pre-ordering from Steam

• Lightweight Leather Armor: protects but doesn’t inhibit.
• Sturdy Caravan Shotgun: a reliable shotgun can never be had soon enough.
• 4 Repair Kits: assists in repairing weapons and armor.
• Binoculars: allow you to spot trouble before it spots you.

The Mercenary Pack available at Best Buy

• Lightweight Metal Armor: protects but doesn’t inhibit.
• Mercenary’s Grenade Rifle: reloads faster than the standard version in the game.
• 3 Super Stimpacks: when you absolutely, positively, need to keep your blood inside your body…
• 3 Doctors Bags: knock those broken limbs back into place.

They all seem to have at least one awesome item, but I am really on the fence as to a best choice.  I guess it also depends on your style of play.  There is only one pack that seems to accent a melee type character, so if that’s your style the choice should be obvious.  Personally, although I hate to admit it (I hate Wal-Mart), the Caravan pack looks the best to me.  I am guessing the shotgun degrades slower than normal ones, and the binoculars would be great for my play-style which focuses on stealth.  November can’t come soon enough!

Capcom’s dropped fighters

I’ve really been enjoying the latest Japanese fighter to hit American shores, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Of course, with every new fighter, there’s that given moment after its release to lament what could have been.  For a game on such a massive franchise-scale as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, the number of characters you would want to appear in the game from either side can be staggering, so sadly many don’t make the cut.

In an interview with Dengeki Online, three of TvC’s head honchos, Ryota Nizuma, Mr. Bancho and Ryota Igawa gave some insight into the game’s early stages while they were still deciding which characters to include in the game.  The most interesting of which was the inclusion of the star from the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright.  I remember the days when TvC was just newly announced and Phoenix was a definite hopeful to join the game’s ranks.  To find out that they actually did consider adding him to the game is pretty amazing. Although, what’s more amazing is the way thought up on how Phoenix would actually fight his opponents.

Some difficulties came up while deciding on moves for Phoenix. For one, the only movements he really makes in the game are hand gestures, and not much could have really been made from that.  Secondly, for the most part, you only see Phoenix from the waist up in the games.  This led to the decision to have Phoenix and his desk act as one whole character, with wheels attached to the underside, making him some sort of rolling, justice-bringing tank.  While I think this sounds awesome in theory, it would just end up looking really stupid in-game.  Not to mention I expect his hitbox to just be massive.

Other TvC wannabes were Arthur from Ghosts N’ Goblins fame and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Jam.  Even though none of these made the cut for the first game, Ryota Nizuma said that if a sequel were ever made, he’d work really hard to get these characters into the game.

More revealed on the 5th generation of Pokémon

Remember that new Pokémon game that was teased about a few days ago? I was under the impression that it was just going to be a Pokémon Crystal remake, but it actually turned out to be a whole new generation Pokémon game. This latest piece of news comes straight from Coro Coro magazine, and though the details are scarce, the rag says that more info will become available in the coming month.

For starters, the silhouetted pokémon was revealed to be Zoroark/Zoroaaku (ゾロアーク). Many people mistook him to be the next evolution step for Lucario (myself included), but who knew it’d end up being a new pokémon entirely? Zoroark also has a pre-evolution by the name of Zorua/Zoroa (ゾロア).  Click the above image for the full picture including Zoroa.  The few details on Zoroark is that he’s a Dark-Type and classified as a Monster Fox.  He will also be playing a major role in the upcoming Pokémon film Phantom Champion Zoroark.

The name for the new region has not yet been revealed, and other gameplay details are incredibly scarce at the moment.  I’m also curious as to what the next set of games will be called. The last two were Diamond and Pearl, so I think it’d be a good guess that the next two games would be named after some precious metal or gem. As with the unveiling of any new Pokémon game, I’m incredibly excited and eagerly anticipating more news from Coro Coro next month!

Sega announces bonuses for Yakuza 3

The wait for Yakuza 3 has been a long time; the fact that it was announced at all for an international release still seems pretty crazy to me. Well, Sega announced this morning that they will be offering up some goodies for those who will be purchasing the game, although the sweetness of the deal depends on where you hail from.

Sega Europe is offering a “battle pack”.  The battle pack includes a 31-track soundtrack, a Yakuza Who’s Who which acts as a dossier for all the characters in the game and 4 separate pieces of DLC:

• Battle Survival: A boss-run mode
• All-Star Tournament: A 7 character tournament
• All-Star Tag Tournament: 8 tag-team tournament
• Haruka’s Request: Missions given by Haruka, where you’ll be made to play mini-games to keep her entertained

European pre-orderers will also get access to alternate costumes and two-player mini-games (pool, golf, darts and bowling). However, if you’re in North America, the deal is a little less sweet as pre-ordering the game will only get you the 4 pieces of DLC.  If your primary place to pre-order from is GameStop, you’ll also get access to the alternate costumes and two-player mini games.

Overall I think this is a good idea on Sega’s part. I know one of the main fears of bringing Yakuza 3 outside Japan was the less than stellar sales of the first two games, so maybe these added bonuses will bring in more buyers.  Hell, if this ends up selling well than we might just have a chance of seeing Kenzan! and Yakuza 4.  I really wish they would go the extra mile for us Americans and give us the Battle Pack.  I’d love to get my hands on that soundtrack and character dossier.

Again I awoke to few, if any, Tokyo Game Show updates worth mentioning.  It looks like the event may be losing its momentum as it gets closer to being opened to the public.  I still wish I got to go for swag and food purposes.

A few more disappointingly short trailers, devoid of new information have surfaced.  Take this Persona 3 Portable trailer for instance:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s mostly a fusion of existing trailers we’ve already seen, arranged to distract the viewer from the fact that they aren’t learning anything.  Kind of like watching reality TV right?

I daresay the most successful and interesting enterprise of the event is easily Kojima’s Metal Gear Solids.  He’s somehow managed to really provide substantial information about both his two projects (Peace Walker and Rising) and his philosophy on gaming in general.  Case in point: this excellent article by Stephen Totilo via Kotaku.  That’s right: I just liked to Kotaku.  Boo-ya.

If there was a Kotowari award for Tokyo Game Show Champion, Kojima gets it.

PODCASTING

Mark and Glenn of PSNation were nice enough to have me on their most recent podcast to discuss current events and review a few recent/upcoming RPGs.  It was a lot of fun and I think we did a pretty thorough job discussing Demon’s Souls specifically.  I plan on having my review up soon for the game, but if you want a preview of my thoughts this is definitely a good place to start.

I noticed I said “like” a lot.  Damn.  I guess I am more eloquent when writing than talking.  I knew I should have taken public speaking in high school!  Anyway, if all goes well I will probably be back on Mark and Glenn’s podcasts sometime again.

FALLOUT 3 DLC HITS PSN

Yesterday, Broken Steel went on sale on the PlayStation network.  I cannot tell you how long I have waited for this day.  Fallout 3 blew me away last year and is still one of my favorite games for the PS3.  This particular piece of DLC really builds on the game by providing story after the somewhat controversial ending.  It also increases the level cap from twenty to thirty and provides some more difficult enemies to keep things interesting.

Bethesda was kind enough to provide me with a PSN code for Broken Steel, so I plan on diving into it as soon as possible.  Expect a review soon!

Persona 3 Portable:  New Video

A new video for Persona 3 Portable appeared on Famitsu last night.  It’s on the longer side and is quite a mixed bag of scenes.  Most of it we are familiar with: the significance of personae, the game’s story, yada yada.

There were a few things in the video which peaked my interest.  We do get a first look at a team attack with Mitsuru and the female main character.  I am still not sure how to trigger these but we’ll find out sooner or later.  Also the screen when initiating an all-out attack looks a bit different.

A message near the end of the video (1:41) reads “You can have a new evolution/progression in your hands.”  I am not sure if that just means this game itself is an evolution of Persona 3 or if there are new story elements.  It then shows (1:42) an area with a bunch of free standing doors, similar to what we saw in Persona 3: FES.  The name of this area is “Vision Quest Gate” and the male protagonist scans over a few different doors.  Each door appears to be for a different shop.  I also noticed that the date is January 22nd, which is pretty late into the game.

I don’t really know the significance of all this, but I feel like it has something to do with the missing person quests.  The new characters shown near the end of the video are almost certainly these rescue-able missing people.  I am glad to see that these people get their own dialog art and everything.  This leads me to believe this aspect of the game will be pretty involved.

Disgaea Infinite Website Goes Live

Today the Japanese website for Disgaea Infinite went live, unveiling a decent amount of info on the game.  I busily began translating what I could this morning.

NIS has definitely outdone themselves this time in terms of originality.  Imagine, if you will simple game enthusiast, if Disgaea and Groundhog Day somehow fused together.  Would that not be the greatest game ever?  Maybe you’re having a difficult time imaging that, so I will elaborate.

The game takes place in Laharl’s castle after he regains his title as overlord of the underworld.  One of Etna’s Prinnies is assigned the task of cleaning Laharl’s room, where he discovers an unusual pocket-watch.  For some reason the hands don’t move at all, so the Prinny attempts  to fix it.  When he does so, he hears an unusual voice:  “User information confirmed.  Commencing soul link — please remain still.”  Soon, the Prinny falls unconscious.  When he wakes up, aside from being in trouble, he learns that he is now able to replay the past few hours in an infinite time loop.  With this immense power he can surely do something to increase his meager salary right?  But if he fails, his salary will surely be severely cut…  I guess it’s a chance he’s willing to take!

The main character Prinny is accompanied by the bizarre talking pocket-watch found in Laharl’s room named Tokiwatari-san.  In addition to being able to re-live the past few hours in a loop, the Prinny soon learns he is also able to leave his body and possess other people in the castle.

The possession system allows the Prinny to experience different conversations during different hours that normally he was not able to.  This allows him to gather information and unlock more of the story.  When possessing someone, the Prinny can also hear the characters thoughts and occasional humorous soliloquy.

The game has been confirmed to be a PSN download-able title for the PSP.  It will be released on the Japanese PSN on November 11th for a yet unknown price.  You can watch a trailer of the game here — be forewarned: you will see a lot of delicious flan.

Fallout 3 DLC Coming to PS3 FOR REAL This Time

Today Bethesda announced the definitive release dates for each item of DLC for Fallout 3 for us PS3 owners.  I have been waiting for this forever it seems, since the dates have been pushed back multiple times.  Anyway, here they are:

• Broken Steel — September 24th
• Operation:  Anchorage — Oct 1st
• The Pitt — Oct 1st
• Point Lookout — October 8th
• Mothership Zeta — October 8th

The release date for Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition will be October 13th.  Most people will probably wait and just purchase this version since it includes all DLC as well as the game itself which makes it the most economical option.  All I know is I gotta bring my character out of retirement.  He’s a low INT build which I guess works better with the new level cap.  I cant wait to find out!

At last glance I had upwards of 180 hours in Disgaea 3.  This doesn’t include time spent resetting after unsuccessful class world runs or reverse pirating missions.  Earlier in the week NIS America announced that there would be an upcoming patch which, if installed, would render current save files obsolete and inaccessible.

I am sure everyone’s intial reaction to this boarded on fear-filled-panic.  I admit I was there too.  Luckily the official press release for the trophy patch states that this is an optional patch and repeatedly warns of the possible data loss.  I am going to put my faith in NIS America until the patch is released next Thursday and not go rabid-badger-crazy.

I think this is a cool bonus for those who may be picking up the game at this point, but for most I don’t think it’s enough incentive to abolish your save file.  To those who are interested there is a complete list of each achievement and corresponding trophy here.

Trophies are mainly just for show right?  I guess I will never be able to display these trophies on my PSN account (which is tanuki_tea if you’re interested), but just assume I have all of them.

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