PSP Dual Shock Clip

Posted on July 5 2008 by Roy

Dual Shock Clip

My biggest complaint about most handheld systems is that after a while they take their toll on your wrist. Sony’s (arguably patented) dual shock controller on the other hand causes minimal wrist-fatigue after several hours of play. Since the button layout of the PSP is exactly the same as the dual shock controller, it seems obvious that someone came up with a way to combine the two. Thus the PSP dual shock clip accessory was created.

ggl12.gif The PSP dual shock clip slightly takes away from the system’s portability, but is definitely designed for the serious PSP gamer. You probably won’t wanna bring it around on the go, but for any long term play at home, it’s ideal.
ggl09.gif If you enjoy watching UMD movies, or playing games, with long cut-scenes, it features a kick-stand that pops out of the back.

Also every feature of the system is still accessible with the clip attached. This includes all buttons, the UMD slot, and all accessory jacks.

The Dual Shock Clip goes on sale at Play-Asia.com on July 10th for $14.90, you can view it here. Now that I am back in the states there are several games I wanna get copies of, close to the top of the list is the warmly received Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. I think this clip will make the 40+ hours a bit more enjoyable.
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Disgaea 3 Guide Available for Pre-Order + Bonus

Posted on July 2 2008 by Roy

Cover Art

The Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice Doublejump Books game guide is now available for pre-order for the reasonable price of $19.99. The guide is scheduled to ship August 19 giving you about 10 days to study up on the game before it’s released. As an added bonus, each copy sold before the ship date will be autographed by the guys at Doublejump books.

The guide includes:

Score the official strategy guide and learn how to:

  • Ace the Demon Academy
  • Dominate Every Battle
  • Witness All Endings
  • Learn the Most Delicious Secrets
  • Stomp Everyone

Detailed info for everything else including:

  • The Dark World
  • The Hospital
  • Weapons, Armor and Items
  • Skills
  • The Home Room
  • The Student Council
  • Clubs & Seating Arrangement
  • Teachers
  • The Item World
  • Specialists
  • Rarity
  • The Class World
  • Team Attacks
  • Combo Attacks
  • Linking Skills
  • Geo Effects
  • Lifting & Throwing
  • Magichange
  • The Bonus Gauge
  • Side Quests
  • The Land of Carnage
  • EXP, HL and MANA
  • Reincarnation
  • How to Max Stats and Damage
  • Complete lists of all Data

and much more, plus exclusive bits and awesome interviews!

You can pre-order the guide here. Once Doublejump guides go out of print, they become quite hard to find and coveted in the gaming world. Don’t miss the chance to add this one to your collection.

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

Arc Rise Fantasia for Wii

Posted on June 30 2008 by Roy

Arc Rise Fantasia

Arc Rise Fantasia is the next game in Marvelous’s Luminous Arc series. Normally these titles don’t generate a whole lot of press, but the fact that the next installment is going to be released for the Nintendo Wii seems to have placed the game in the spotlight.

Marvelous released the game’s prologue which tentatively translates to:

Dragons

As the dragons die, the world crumbles
The world’s divine providence should be their choice
Man does not know yet the consequences
Surround the providence as the battles start

In the game, the Meridian empire is waging war against the Dakuryu dragons. Unbeknownst to them, the dragons are a force which keeps the balance of the world in check.

The game has 4 main characters:

Bright Name: Bright

Bright is a mercenary who is employed by the Meridian empire. He is extremely blunt but on the inside he is concerned for his ill mother. His weapon of choice is any enormous sword.		 Rifia Name: Leafia

Leafia is a bit naive, and at times emotional, but she is hiding an enormous power. She is actually a very adept Couda, or summoner.
Adelle Name: Adelle

Adelle is the granddaughter of Bright’s trainer, who was also good friends with Bright’s father. She uses a powerful secret art known as hikarishyoujutsu and tries to teach it to the other party members. She is always smiling and has a bright personality.		 Alusu Name: Arus

Arus is the second of the Meridian empire’s princes. He is extremely diligent and has a strong sense or morals. The country relies on him to one day become a great ruler. Arus meets Bright and the others while being trained by Adelle.

Battle

The game has a very interesting battle system called “Trinity Battle”, which revolves around a 3 person party. The team starts each battle with a set pool of Ability Points (AP), which are consumed whenever anyone performs an action. It’s up to the player to decide how to distribute the points among the three characters.

Later in the game the player will be able to exchange a contract with Logures, allowing players to summon different Logos. Below is an image of Shimumaf, one Logos the player can form a contract with.

Logos

This game will definitely be seeing an American release date, it’s only a matter of time until Marvelous makes the announcement. Wii owners, look forward to this one! The game’s official website can be found here.

Makai Senki Disgaea 3 Jobclass: Armor Knight

Posted on June 28 2008 by Roy

Heavy Knight

Job class: Armor Knight (???)
Evility: Aegis (????)
Evility Effect: When attacked from the front, Armor Knight receives 30% less damage.
Prerequisite: Male Warrior and male Martial Artist LVL 15.
*NOTE* Must also pass bill entitled “????????”, or “I want to make a Armor Knight” for 150 mana in home room.
Suggested weapons: Spear, Axe
Move: 3
Jump: 15
Counter: 2
Throw: 6

Stats

Rank Lvl HP SP ATK DEF INT RES HIT SPD
Heavy Knight 0 120%
32		 80%
8		 110%
14		 130%
18		 70%
6		 110%
14		 100%
12		 70%
6
Iron Knight 20 125%
34		 80%
9		 115%
16		 135%
20		 70%
7		 115%
16		 105%
13		 70%
7
Steel Knight 50 130%
36		 85%
10		 120%
18		 140%
22		 75%
8		 120%
18		 110%
14		 75%
8
Mythril Knight 100 135%
38		 85%
11		 125%
20		 145%
24		 75%
9		 125%
20		 115%
15		 75%
9
Admant Knight 200 140%
40		 90%
12		 130%
22		 150%
26		 80%
10		 130%
22		 120%
16		 80%
10
Aegis Knight 400 145%
42		 90%
13		 135%
24		 155%
28		 80%
11		 135%
24		 125%
17		 80%
11

Evilities

Rank Ability Effect
1 Mind Mastery Equipment Aptitude for SP stat is increased by 10%
1 Snipe Mastery Equipment Aptitude for HIT stat is increased by 10%
1 Status Immunity 20% less chance of being inflicted with a status ailment.
2 Last Fortress When Armor Knight’s HP is less than 25%, his DEF and RES increases 50%.
4 Advanced Guard When defending, Armor Knight receives 80% less damage
6 Spear Defense When Armor Knight is equipped with a spear, 30% of his base ATK stat is added into DEF.

I translated all of this info from a Japanese Disgaea wiki, which is very informative. I have never been all that fond of Armor Knights as I usually prefer more offensive characters. As anyone can see, Armor Knights are very much about defense. I figured at the very least it was worth researching them to know how to fight them.

Armor Knights as low as rank 2 will begin to present a problem to your front ranks. They take less damage when attacked from the front, and if Last Fortress is activated, they will be very tough to take down. Armor Knights have insane HP, so even at 25%, it will be an uphill battle. My recommendation for taking on one or more of these guys is to attack from a distance with guns and magic. All Armor Knights are by nature weak to Wind element (-25%), so bring out your green Witches and Magicians!

If you plan on having one on your team (they do make awesome throwers) , you’ll probably want to equip him with a spear which is ideal since many spear abilities require the character to be surrounded. You can basically walk an Armor Knight into the middle of a map, wait until hes crawling with enemies and have him wave his spear around like mad. If you prefer to go with axes make sure you equip his Snipe Mastery skill since his HIT isn’t too high, and axes are inaccurate.

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

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

Fragile: Goodbye Ruins of the Moon Update At Last

Posted on June 27 2008 by Roy

Seto

I have been eagerly awaiting new information about Fragile: Goodbye Ruins of the Moon since I first wrote about it. Namco sure took their sweet time, but I guess I should just be happy that rumors the game was canceled are false. Fragile is a game for the Wii that takes place after human civilization has been destroyed by an unknown event. The main character, Seto (pictured above), miraculously survives and is searching the ruins of earth for others as well as items and treasure.

Ren The game’s mysterious heroine has finally been given a name; Ren. Not much else is known about her other than the fact that Seto crosses paths with her at some point in the game. Apparently his search focuses on finding her again. Could she be related to the mysterious phenomena that wiped out humanity?

Sai

 2 New characters have also been introduced. The first is the cynical Psy. This unusual girl’s body is covered by bandages and what appears to be surgical plans written out in marker. And of course a friendly pig who rides on her shoulder. Psy is actually only a spirit who occasionally follows Seto to tease him.

Kurou

 The second new character is called Kurou. His name could mean dark or evil if it were written in kanji. Kurou is a survivor like Seto who is searching the ruins near Tokyo Tower for treasures. He seems a bit more twisted than Seto… As if his name didn’t give it away, he has a dead crow head coming out of his left shoulder. Kinda creepy… I sure wouldn’t wanna meet this guy on a dark night with not another living soul around.

Apparently Kurou has lost his memory and all that remains of his past is a single photograph. Kurou believes that if he can find the place in the photo he will regain his memory.

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