NIS America Press Event 2010: Disgaea 4 to be Shown at Tokyo Game Show 2010

Every year NIS America has a press event in San Francisco. Every year they invite me and every year I can’t go, and it will probably stay that way until I move considerably closer to California, or I become incredibly and independently wealthy.  At said event some rather exciting things get announced and some big shots from NIS’s home-base in Gifu show up — oh, and booze. Lots of booze.

Anyway, I have gathered up the press event highlights.  Here are the games that are being localized for the US, along with when we can expect to see them:

Cladun will be a direct to PSN download for the PSP where Z.H.P will be receiving a physical release.  And the last and most exciting announcement from Souhei Niikawa himself:

“This year the latest Disagea will be released in Japan and it will be for the PS3. Plans to make Disagea evolve to a new level and also plans to surprise everybody is in progress. By the time Tokyo Game Show comes around we will be able to release more information, so please look forward to it. Thank you very much.”

This single announcement, to me, trumps most everything at this year’s E3, but I am a bit obsessive when it comes to Disgaea titles and NIS game in general.  Expect me to follow up on the game as in-depth as possible come TGS time!

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NIS: Christmas Comes Early To Kotowari

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OMG Toys: Kingdom Hearts Avatar Mascot Collection Vol.4: Final Fantasy XIII

Despite your feelings of Final Fantasy XIII as a game, you have to admit it had some great character design.  Lightning is just plain awesome, and who at this point doesn’t know about afro-chocobos?  Still, I never thought in a million years that the Kingdom Hearts Avatar Mascot series I write about so frequently would ever choose the characters from Final Fantasy XIII for their next series.

The character included in this set are:

  • Lightning
  • Serah
  • Vanille
  • Sazh
  • Snow

The estimated release of this set is late October but you can pre-order each for just shy of $10 USD on Ami Ami.

They are certainly cuter than these rather frightening King Mickey from the last volume which I never got around to writing about — you’re welcome.  That can’t be unseen by the way.  So which figure(s) will you be ordering?  In addition to Mickey or course.

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

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Indie Time: Gundemonium Collection Review

Gundemonium Collection Logo

Rockin’ Android had setup their camp tucked away in a narrow hallway somewhere in the back-end of E3’s South hall showroom. For the uninitiated, Rockin’ Android is an American-based company that deals with the importing and localization of Japanese doujin games. They’ve already opened up a few of the most cherished games to come out of the Japanese indie scene to the rest of world, including titles such as SUGURI, Flying Red Barrel, and QLIONE. Their latest offering is the Gundemonium Collection, which I had the opportunity to try out at E3.

As I settled myself in front of the cabinet housing the PlayStation3 with Gundemonium running, one of the Rockin’ Android employees was on stand-by to give pointers and tips while playing. It wasn’t until later that I found out that the “employee” was actually the president of Rockin’ Android, Enrique Galvez. After chatting with him a bit, he commented on my shmup skills and handed me a PC copy of Gundemonium he happened to be carrying with him, with the intention that I review it for Kotowari. Considering the limited amount of time I was able to spend with the game at the booth, I eagerly accepted the PC copy and was more than happy to fulfill Mr. Galvez’s request.

collage
As the title of the game implies, the Gundemonium Collection houses three danmaku, or bullet hell, shmups for you to indulge in. On offer is Gundemonium Recollection, GundeadliGne, and Hitogata Happa. All three were originally developed and released exclusively to Japanese audiences by the doujin circle PlatineDispositif. Demos of all their games are available on the official PlatineDispositif site, but it wasn’t until Rockin’ Android came along that we now have a fully localized and released version of what is arguably their most acclaimed series.

Each game has its own set of rules and gameplay techniques that you’ll have to master if you hope to make it past the first wave of enemies. Even so, they’re all very open to newcomers of the bullet hell genre and even the most novice of players will feel welcome to the Gundemonium Collection experience.

Gundemonium Recollection

The first game in the Gundemonium trilogy takes you to a re-imagined 18th century setting where alchemy plays the role of the end-all means to the world’s problems. However, when that same alchemy starts to be used for more nefarious purposes, it’s up to a young Alchemist named Eryth to set everything straight.

As is the case with most stories that deal with alchemy today, Recollection absolutely oozes with a steampunk aesthetic. Add that to a beautifully hand drawn, 2D art style and you have yourself a game with some stellar visuals. Some people might be detracted by the anime influence in the game, but the intricate, screen-filling bullet patterns should be enough to distract them from their less-than-favorable character design of choice. Oh, and what is a wonderful art style without an equally wonderful soundtrack to back it up? The best way I can come up with to describe the music in Recollection is “orchestrated trance”. Heavily synthesized chords and snare hits backed by fast-paced raver music in the background. It compliments the game by providing the perfect mood for a danmaku.

This particular danmaku is set on a horizontal plane, but instead of all the enemies filtering through the right side of the screen, they can show up anywhere to completely surround your character. You will have to be quick on your feet and mindful of your hitbox (indicated by a small heart located on you) so you don’t get completely destroyed by the onslaught of pretty, colorful bullets being aimed at you. A nice addition to this game is that character slow-down occurs when you use your main shot key. No need to worry about using another key – you can efficiently weave through bullets all while doing damage to the enemy.

There are two characters to choose from: the main character Eryth or one of the alchemic Earl types. Your weapons are your standard shmup fare, with one key being your primary shot, a magic attack that uses up a mana gauge near the top of the screen, and a third “bomb” type attack that will destroy nearly anything on screen. With the Earls, you have four different types to choose from and you can even choose an option to mix and match their weaponry. By far this is the best option for beginners, as it offers a lot more personal, customizable experience; the weapons on offer for the Earl types are much more powerful than what Eryth has to deal with.

Recollection
GundeadliGne

On the outside, GundeadliGne looks to be the exact same game as Recollection. The story continues on after the first title: the settings looks the same, Eryth returns, and even the “orchestrated trance” music is heard in full within the soundtrack. What sets it apart from Recollection is that it gives the player the option to flip your character, so you can shoot your enemies from either side of the field. Now, this might not seem like a big deal, but it throws a gigantic wrench into the gameplay, creating a new, more challenging experience than what the first game attempted to achieve.

What this new gameplay effectively does is take a traditional horizontal field and puts an arena type shooter twist on it. Your key presses will have to be made in a more timely and precise fashion than the first game as you’ll have enemies flying at you from either side. While this adds a higher level of difficulty to the game, the key that the switch command is mapped to is a complete pain to work with – and the real kick in the nads comes from not being given an option to remap it. Sure, you can reassign your shot, magic, and bomb, but I guarantee that you won’t find a comfortable combination to play this game on a keyboard. This is why I suggest you use a good old-fashioned arcade stick with your PC to play, or my personal favorite, a SEGA Saturn controller with a USB connection that can be easily purchased off of eBay.

As mentioned above, Eryth makes a return, but the Earl types do not. Instead they’re replaced in favor of a new character by the name of Elixiar. As the Earl types before her, she becomes the new beginner type character for novices. She wields a scatter-shot type main weapon which can be held down to create a large, forward-moving beam for massive amounts of damage, as well as slow-down for weaving through complex bullet patterns. Your secondary magic shot has also been replaced with a total time freezing technique that will bring your enemies to an almost grinding halt. Definitely useful for those difficult patterns that seem impossible to get through, but with the aid of this new skill the task will become that much easier. Eryth on the other hand stays pretty much the same as her previous iteration, but with the exception that she now has several “Matrixes” to choose from which will be assigned to your bomb key. These are full-bodied spirits that can be summoned into battle to help in a number of ways – from creating barriers around Eryth to shield you from oncoming enemies, or to simply create a large shockwave that will destroy anything that comes in contact with it.

GundeadliGne successfully takes everything that made Recollection a fun, unique shmup experience and makes it even better. I find it pretty amazing that a game can be made to seem so fresh and new with just a simple change to the gameplay, like giving your character the option to shoot in the other direction. A 2-player cooperative mode is also on offer with GundeadliGne, and while I didn’t get the chance to test out this feature, I can only imagine the madness that could be had with two players on the screen. After trying out the hardest “Demonic” difficulty, co-op will be almost necessary in order to be able to complete it. If you ever do decide to pick up the Gundemonium Collection, then GundeadliGne will more than likely to be the one game in the trilogy to snatch up most of your playing time.

GundeadliGne
Hitogata Happa

The third and final game in the Gundemonium trilogy – and arguably the most difficult selection out of them all – is Hitogata Happa, or “person-shaped leaves”. This game decides to go in a completely different direction than the two previously mentioned titles. It reverts into a vertical-shooter, which is the more vanilla flavored plane for a danmaku shmup. PlantineDispositif took some cues from retro gaming as it hearkens back to those gaming days of old with a brutal difficulty and bosses that completely fill up the playing field.

In lieu of a ship or a living girl as your main character, you’re instead in control of small dolls that each follow a particular theme. There are 8 dolls in total and new ones can be purchased in a shop with points in between levels. Each new doll has its own primary shot and special ability, so it gives you more of an option to choose your own playing style. Be sure to try out many of the different dolls to find the one that best suits your danmaku needs. What’s also unique to Hitogata Happa is a “kamikaze” system that can be utilized with your dolls. At the top right of the screen is a “Flow” gauge that fills up as you blast away enemies. Once this gauge is full, you will see a little indication above your doll’s head that will tell you a bomb is ready. This is when you steer your doll straight into an enemy to do a serious amount of damage. While the prospect of blowing up one of my own dolls only leaves me with a feeling of heartbreak, this is a totally new mechanic that I’ve never seen used before in a shmup.

The difficulty for Hitogata Happa is what sets it apart from many other shooters in the genre. I’ve been playing shmups for a good portion of my 19 years as a gamer, and even with the game set to its easiest difficulty level I still found myself dying within only the first few minutes of playing. It wasn’t until I got a better understanding of my current doll’s ability – and the all-important “kamikaze” mechanic – that I even managed to pass the first boss. Shmup veterans will definitely gravitate the most towards Hitogata Happa in the trilogy, as it serves that important, masochistic drive that experienced players live off of.

Hitogata Happa
Conclusions

As far as shmups go for the PC, it doesn’t get much better than this, folks. The Gundemonium Collection is also available for purchase on the PSN and you can even purchase each game individually instead of the bundle, though I would still suggest buying them all as a whole. PlantinDispositif did a fantastic job developing these games a few years back and Rockin’ Android did an equally amazing job localizing and releasing them on our shores. They’re doing a great service to gamers everywhere by giving us the opportunity to experience first hand the games that are coming out of such a rich scene as the Japanese doujin one.

As a relatively small and new company, it’s natural for the populace to assume that they wouldn’t do the best job possible that is required in releasing a video game, but Rockin’ Android passes the test with flying colors. That’s not to say there aren’t a few minor technical difficulties with some of the games – such as not having an option to exit a game during GundealiGne or even having the choice to skip the cutscenes in the game. These are minor issues that don’t affect the gameplay whatsoever. The option to play in window mode also doesn’t work for all three of the games on some PCs, and unfortunately my PC is one of them. This was a bummer to me since I usually prefer to play windowed with all PC games, but it’s still an easily-overlooked issue. Some players also complained about the lack of TATE mode for Hitogata Happa, but seeing how that game is closer to a 1:1 screen ratio, the lack of TATE is hardly an issue.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a veteran or a total newcomer to the world of shmups, the Gundemonium Collection will scratch that itch for danmaku lovers everywhere. You’re also getting a fantastic value with this collection, as you’re getting three titles bundled into one slick, physical copy. You simply can’t go wrong picking up this trilogy and as a fan of both shmups and the doujin gaming scene, I eagerly await what Rockin’ Android has in store for us next.

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Red Dead Redemption: DLC Makes Absent Multiplayer Features Available for a Fee

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.

Posted in dlc, ps3, red dead redemption, rockstar | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable Review

The other day I was chatting with a friend who compulsively pre-orders everything Atlus makes.  I told him I was reviewing Persona 3 Portable and was shocked when he told me he had since canceled his pre-order of the game.  “I have already put too much time into it,” he said.  His 100+ hours spent on both Persona 3 and its enhanced spin-off FES proudly reinforced this.

My site certainly caters to and (hopefully) attracts the Persona fan, so I am in a unique situation reviewing Persona 3 Portable: odds are good you have already played either the original title and/or FES, and maybe like my friend you plan to pass over P3P.  Or maybe (also like my friend) you pre-ordered it the moment you could.  My review is tailored to Persona fans; hopefully providing direction as to whether they should try P3P, or like my friend, let it pass.

Story -– The Gender Bender

The game’s flagship feature is the ability to play the game as a new female protagonist, which I did.  Many things remain the same as with the male’s scenario, but many things change as well.

Will you be choosing the male or female protagonist for Persona 3 Portable?

  • Female - pretty in pink. (55%, 76 Votes)
  • Male - takoyaki-pounding. (28%, 38 Votes)
  • Don't own a PSP, why would I? (12%, 16 Votes)
  • Gonna pass on the game -- played the others too much! (5%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 138

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I will start by saying that there was a time when I harbored a deep hatred for Junpei.  He was annoyingly upbeat, lazy, dumb, perverted and only occasionally funny.  I liked to think we are opposites in every way.  When I learned he was a social link in P3P, I was not happy to say the least.

Then, out of pity perhaps, I sat down and had tea with him at Chagall Cafe.  Moments before drowning myself in my own teacup, I realized that there is more to this lazy jerk than I thought.  He has real thoughts, emotions, hobbies, and interests.  He started taking me to eat desserts at different cafes (Junpei? A desserts connoisseur? Who knew?) as he felt awkward going on his own; he needed to have a girl there as an excuse.  Damn, not only does that pull the heart-strings, it also gives him something he really lacked in the other versions of the game: depth.  I should mention that this was still at a relatively low S-link level, so it’s just a glimpse – it gets deeper and sadder.

The male’s story brought you close to the female supporting characters, but now the female’s story brings you closer to the male supporting characters.  For the first time the whole picture is visible.  The sense of really knowing the characters around me reminded me of the polished product that was Persona 4 — where all supporting characters were social links.  I think adding the female scenario was a successful and creative way to accomplish this — and thankfully, it was done tastefully (i.e., no how-many-bananas-can-you-eat-at-once-in-this-bathtub fanservice).

The most time I dumped into Persona 3 Portable in a single sitting was on the plane ride to and from LA.  In the dark and white noise of a Boeing’s passenger cabin I became a Japanese girl.  Let me explain: for the first time in my gaming career, I was assuming the role of a character in a story that was not male as my SOLE protagonist.  I made all the decisions as the player, and yet some female persona arose in me that was playing it all out.  “I won’t hang out with him, he’s weird,” I would think. “I would rather take a part time job at the cafe than the spa.”Is this what it’s like when girls play games as a male character?  I am not sure, but it felt strange.  If you are a girl who loves Persona games, maybe this strangeness I felt is something you have simply gotten used to, and maybe P3P can make it go away.

System -– After Class

For the most part the battle system is the same great element driven, weakness exploiting system we remember.  Some updates taken from Persona 4 were incorporated to modernize things.

Hands down, the best update is the ability to control your allies in battle.  No longer do you have to hold your breath and hope that the game’s AI will figure out what to do in a jam, because odds are, it won’t.  I found that on normal difficulty I was flying up Tartarus.  Perhaps this is why there is a new higher difficulty added.  I almost wish I had selected that, and would probably encourage veterans to do the same.

Another P4 carryover is the ability to heal while inside Tartarus.  There is no leaf-wielding, bib-wearing fox – in fact I am not really sure HOW you get healed, but something heals you for money.  And the price is right; in fact, it’s almost unbalanced.  I was able to consistently reach the barrier of Tartarus in one day every time it was raised.  The fact that becoming tired doesn’t take effect until the following day makes things even easier.

While it felt really good to get the dungeon crawling out of the way so I could maximize time for my social links and such, I couldn’t help but feel like some of the reality of having to balance a high schooler’s life was gone.  I missed feeling like I had really worn myself out and instead became more aware that this was a game where reality was on hold.

Outside of Tartarus I was happy to see that there are a variety of new ways to sculpt your high schooler’s stats.  By stats I mean academics, courage, bravery, and charm.  Now you can play arcade games, take purikura, go to a healthy spa, and even get a part-time job.  All of which either increase your stats, wealth, your persona’s stats, or change your status to “great.”  The area surrounding the dorm feels much more real now that there are so many places to go and more decisions to make.

Presentation — Pink Orb

Another big change with this port concerns the game’s basic interface when exploring.  Maps and character sprites are simplified to an almost flat 2D look, and your character moves around as an orb interacting with whatever you select.  At first I wasn’t crazy about this system. To me it screamed “look at what the PSP can’t do.” But the sprites are actually really cute, and the ease of getting around really saves time. I should mention that the press-square-go-where-you-want feature from Persona 4 is in place to accent this.  This is a great example of art direction and functionality bro-fisting.

The game also received an updated score from composer Shoji Meguro.  There are about ten new tracks, all keeping in the Persona 3 style with poppy beats and nonsensical lyrics.  Since the game is for PSP, it was easier to enjoy these tracks with headphones, which I recommend!  Somehow the songs feel different and yet like they were there the whole time.  Ultimately they are a nice way to keep the game feeling fresh.  On a side note, my favorite of the new songs is Way of Life — give it a listen!

Conclusions — Soul Phase

Today’s release of Persona 3 Portable marks the third revisiting of Persona 3 since it was released in 2007.  The original was an incredible, award-winning game.  Sometimes building on incredible things lessens the value of said original thing, muddling up what was good.  I can say without a doubt that Persona 3 Portable was altered just enough to make it feel new and yet familiar.  Its new protagonist, new interface, and new features make the gameplay more fun and deepens the already interesting characters. Bringing the whole experience to the PSP makes for a highly addictive portable title, which will easily drain you of 100+ hours if you give it the chance.

Posted in atlus, persona, psp | Tagged , , | 13 Comments
  • PS3

    Image of Final Fantasy XIII
    Image of 3D Dot Game Heroes
    Image of Red Dead Redemption
    Image of Demon's Souls
    Image of Fallout New Vegas
    Image of Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition
    Image of Metal Gear Solid Rising
    Image of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
  • WII

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    Image of Monster Hunter Tri Classic Controller Bundle
    Image of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
    Image of Wii Classic Controller Pro - Black
    Image of Wii Classic Controller Pro - White
  • PSP

    Image of Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
    Image of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Entertainment Pack
    Image of Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Accessory Set
    Image of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
    Image of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
    Image of Valkyria Chronicles 2
    Image of What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2
  • DS

    Image of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
    Image of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
    Image of Limited Edition Pokemon SoulSilver Version with Figurine
    Image of Limited Edition Pokemon HeartGold Version with Figurine