Japanese Playstation Store Update

Posted on July 28 2008 by Roy

PS Store

Today out of sheer boredom, and inability to find something decent to post about, I stumbled onto the Japanese Playstation store. I figured it would be pretty interesting to see what is coming out over there to buy. End result: I am pretty damn jealous. But alas I feel that my jealousy will not last forever, odds are if Japan is getting these games, were next on the list right? Anyway here are some of the cool things worth mentioning:

Xenogears
  • Xenogears
    • Price: 600 yen (6$)
    • Size: 755 MB
    • Compatible with PSP and PS3.
    • If you have never heard of this game, then you should just run toward the nearest sharp object until you suffer a mortal blow. Or you could just click on the link and read the wikipedia summary. Anyway, it’s a groundbreaking PS1 game, which is next to impossible to find these days. The 6 dollar price tag is much easier to swallow than well… the standard going price…
Metal Gear Solid
  • Metal Gear Solid
    • Price: 600 yen (6$)
    • Size: 780 MB
    • Compatible with PSP and PS3.
    • This is the game that really makes the series. If you want to play Metal Gear Solid 4, at the very least you should be familiar with this game. Obviously the whole series is ideal but if you’re in a rush to play MGS4 at least play this one! There is a whole chapter of MGS4 that probably won’t make sense to you if you don’t. I would love to have this game for my PSP too, the graphics seem to work well for the smaller screen.
    		•
    Ehrgeiz
  • Ehrgeiz
    • Price: 600 yen (6$)
    • Size: 490 MB
    • Compatible with PSP, PS3, and Dualshock 3.
    • This game is the predecessor to the highly anticipated (but much more complex) fighting game Final Fantasy: Dissidia. There are better fighting games out there in the world, but if you have ever wanted to show your Sephiroth-loving friend up, no better way to do it then with this game. At least for now…
    		•
    Brave Fencer Musashi
  • Brave Fencer Musashi
    • Price: 600 yen (6$)
    • Size: 230 MB
    • Compatible with PSP.
    • I bought this game for the soul reason that it came with a demo of Final Fantasy VIII when it was released. Much to my surprise at the time, it was a damn good action/adventure/RPG game. The first one I had ever played which featured night and day, unbelievable!
    		•

    Seeing such awesome downloadable content on the horizon makes me very glad that I bought my PS3. Hopefully, since all these games were localized, they will also be available on the North American Playstation store soon.

    Makai Senki Disgaea 3 Jobclass: Brute Warrior

    Posted on July 26 2008 by Roy

    Berserker

    Job class: Berserker (???) NA= Brute Warrior
    Evility: Madness (?????)
    Evility Effect: If Brute Warrior’s HP goes below 25%, his attack increases 50%.
    Prerequisite: Armor Knight and Beast Master level 40
    *NOTE* Must also pass bill entitled “????????”, or “I want to make a Brute Warrior” for 800 mana in homeroom.
    Suggested weapons: Sword, Axe
    Move: 4
    Jump: 20
    Counter: 2
    Throw: 5

    Stats

    Rank Lvl HP SP ATK DEF INT RES HIT SPD
    Barbarian 0 110%
    28    		 70%
    6    		 130%
    18    		 110%
    14    		 70%
    6    		 70%
    6    		 90%
    10    		 100%
    12
    Crusher 45 115%
    31    		 70%
    7    		 135%
    20    		 115%
    16    		 70%
    7    		 70%
    7    		 90%
    11    		 105%
    13
    Marauder 100 120%
    34    		 75%
    8    		 140%
    22    		 120%
    18    		 75%
    8    		 75%
    8    		 95%
    12    		 110%
    14
    Berserker 200 125%
    37    		 75%
    9    		 145%
    24    		 125%
    20    		 75%
    9    		 75%
    9    		 95%
    13    		 115%
    15
    Avenger 400 130%
    40    		 80%
    10    		 150%
    26    		 130%
    22    		 80%
    10    		 80%
    10    		 100%
    14    		 120%
    16
    Genocider 800 135%
    43    		 80%
    11    		 155%
    28    		 135%
    24    		 80%
    11    		 80%
    11    		 100%
    15    		 125%
    17

    Evilities

    Rank Ability Effect
    1 Dodge Master Equipment Aptitude for SPD stat is increased by 10%
    1 Resistance Mastery Equipment Aptitude for RES stat is increased by 10%
    1 Poison Prevention The chance of Brute Warrior being inflicted with Poison is decreased by 50%.
    2 Ultra-Adrenaline Every time Brute Warrior kills an enemy unit, his stats increase 5%.
    4 Forgotten Arts When Brute Warrior is inflicted with Forget, his ATK increases 50%.
    6 Fury Strike When equipped with an Axe, Brute Warrior’s critical hit damage is increased 100%, but his accuracy decreases 30%.

    I translated all of this info from a Japanese Disgaea wiki, which is very informative. The Brute Warrior is made for the front ranks of a team. Their job is to blow through enemies with no regard for their own status or HP. For this reason it may be advantageous to also have a Cleric in the back ranks to keep his HP up.

    Brute Warriors are always weak to magic, and in Disgaea 3 specifically, his weaknesses are Fire (-50%), and Wind (-25%). This of course means to avoid the Magic users of the corresponding colors. Since the Brute Warrior has one of the highest HP scores in the game, it shouldn’t be a huge concern.

    Fury Strike is possibly the Brute Warrior’s most interesting skill. By equipping him with an Axe, critical hits will deal twice as much damage. But how can we guarantee a critical hit? Why our friend Male Gunner of course. The Gunner’s Evility means that the people who attack after him in a combo attack always hit critically. This means a team of two male Gunners, a Brute Warrior, and an Ifrit would gain incredible momentum on the battlefield.

    The only problem is of course making sure the Brute Warrior actually lands the hit. He suffers a low HIT score and Fury Strike lowers it another 30%. My suggestion would be to equip him with a fine pair of spectacles and hope for the best.

    Check back for more info as I am always on the lookout for news on Disgaea 3.

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

    X-Edge (Crossedge) Video and Website Update

    Posted on July 25 2008 by Roy

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL-eCj24NOU[/youtube]

    X-Edge made a lot of noise in the gaming world when it suddenly appeared in Famitsu magazine. Five major video game companies collaborating on one title, how could that possibly be bad? Well the game’s website has finally been updated, but not with a whole lot of new info unfortunately.

    Etna in Kimono
    Etna Suku    		 The only real update is that some images of Form Change have been revealed.

    Form Change is an option in the game that allows the player to dress up female characters in cool costumes. Doing so causes stat increases and other bonuses.

    To the left are two of Etna’s Form Changes. I really love the Kimono! If you are interested to see what costumes other characters have, you can check out the game’s newly updated site here. Just click on the characters icon, then the face of the character you want to see.

    If they have available Form Changes icons should appear on the left for each form.

    Not all female characters have Form Changes, and as far as I can tell no male characters have them at all. The Prinny also lacks a form change, which had the potential to be hilarious. I kinda hope there will be Form Changes for guys, it seems strange that you can only dress up girls. I suppose it’s some strange fetish that I don’t entirely understand.

    Anyway I am really excited for this game, and hope to hear something about it’s localization after its Japanese release this September.

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    X-Edge Preview

    Make Perfect Eggs Every Time With Konamistyle’s Ga-ko Alarm Clock

    Posted on July 24 2008 by Roy

    Gako Alarm Clock

    If you played Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, this little guy should look familiar. It’s Sunny’s Ga-ko alarm clock that she uses to make her trademark eggs. In true ultra-merchandising style, Konami decided to produce the clock for the public. It will be available in Japan on July 31st at the price of about 3,000 yen, or roughly $30.

    In game Play-Asia.com will be selling the clock to westerners at a yet unknown (but certainly higher) price. You can check that out here. I will try and keep tabs on when a pre-order is available.
    Customers in Japan who pre-order Ga-ko get this spiffy cell phone strap as an added bonus. This would help make the high price tag a bit more manageable in my opinion, but I doubt Play-Asia will be including this accessory.

    You can check out the official Konamistyle page for Ga-ko here, there is also a short video highlighting the clock’s features here. It doesn’t look like the timer is set in the same fashion as the game, but hey, you can’t have everything

    If you’re not sure who or what a Ga-ko is, this site may help a bit.

    		 Ga-ko strap

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    Three Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice Pre-Orders to Choose From

    Posted on July 23 2008 by Roy

    Disgaea 3

    It seems Nippon Ichi wants to give its Disgaea fans some options when it comes to purchasing the game. Depending on your level of commitment/obsession there are three different versions already available for pre-order at Rosenqueen.com. Here are the three versions, their content, and prices:

    Possible Bonus Alma Mater Set Delinquent Pride Set No. 1 Honor Student Set
    Game Disc + OST O O O
    Main Theme CD O O O
    Game Guide X O O
    Digital Media Disc X X O
    OST X X ?
    Artbook X X ?
    Flag X X ?
    Price $49.99 $69.98 $89.97

    *UPDATE* The “?“‘s mean that either the OST, Artbook or Flag will be included at random in the No. 1 Honor Student Set.  If you are willing to take your chances and end up with the flag that is probably worth about a dollar, good luck!  Hopefully everyone ends up with what they want.

    Personally, I am just going to buy my already pre-ordered, ordinary version from Gamestop. My reason is simple: I want to play Disgaea 3 as soon as humanly possible. If I pre-order from Rosenqueen.com, it has to get shipped to me which means about 1-2 days before I get to play it. Instead I will probably be camped outside of Gamestop waiting for the shining golden UPS truck to get there. And in case you’re wondering… I took the day off of work. Is that sad?

    It is worth mentioning that the Alma Mater Set is the exact same price as purchasing the game in any store, so if you don’t mind the wait, might as well get a bonus CD. Although there is still the price of shipping.

    So, are you a Alma Mater, Delinquent or Honor Student?

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