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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The Nintendo DSi’s Japanese release is getting close.  Today the results of a Japanese group survey were released which breaks down how consumers feel about the DSi.  The focus group consisted of 81% men and 16% women with an average age of 26.28 years old.  I am surprised there wasn’t a more even divide among the sexes.  During my time in Japan, I think I saw more women playing their DSs than men.  It could have to do with the PSP release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G which the emperor himself insisted that everyone purchase.  Anyway, here are the results:

• 40.7% Say they will not purchase the DSi
• 29.4% Say they will wait and see before buying
• 26.2% Say they are undecided
• 3.6% Say they will buy it right away

When asked which of the DSi’s new features the individuals found most desirable, the following was the group’s findings:

• 30.8% The larger screen
• 29.5% Nintendo DS Ware
• 15.1% The built in camera feature
• 11.6% DSi sound
• 3.4% SD memory card slot

When it comes to the color, there was little to choose from with only black and white.  Some members of the study group express their disappointment with such a lack in color selections, although they prefer the matte finish which eliminates those nasty fingerprints.

• 53.4% Black
• 45.9% White

I think these results are a pretty accurate reflection of my feelings on the DSi as well.  I am not in any hurry to buy it, but I am intrigued.  I am a bit shocked that the larger screen beat out Nintendo DS Ware.  I think that the DS Ware has the greatest potential when it comes to the system’s attraction over the old DS.  A .25″ screen size increase may just be a bit tough for me to really imagine…

The DSi is set to hit shelves in Japan on November 1st, and already they are popping up on sites like eBay.  The great thing about the DSi (and its games) is region freedom, meaning if you buy a Japanese DSi, it’ll be pretty much exactly the same as the ones that will go on sale in the US who-knows-when.  The only difference really is about $100 you have to pay the middle-men getting it to you.  The going price is around $300 in contrast to the DSi’s official price of 18,900 yen, which is closer to $200.

If you are interested in purchasing one, they are also available at Play-Asia at the standard gouging price of $299.99.  They have both black and white.

Related Entries:
Nintendo Unveils The Nintendo DSi

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Violence in video games is an issue of furious debate here in America.  The general argument is that assuming the role of anyone who performs acts of violence can cause blurring between reality and entertainment.  This belief causes some obvious taboos and restrictions for companies which publish games in America.

In Japan however, just about anything goes (ANYTHING), as long as it will sell.  When I first saw Higurashi Daybreak Portable, I found the idea of school children dukeing it out with lethal (and sometimes non-lethal) weaponry hilarious.  But there was no doubt in my mind that it would never see a Western release – and for once it was not because of any complex cultural undertones.

My guess is the game would be seen as a liability to any publisher who brought it to the West.  It only takes one person to cleave their friend in the face and spit out the game’s name for a one-way ticket to Lawsuit City (population too damn high).

Japan gives people more credit for their actions: if you murder someone, you are a murderer, and in some instances even minors are tried as adults.  This is surprising considering Japan is probably the bizarre-murder capital of the world.  One would think the more bizarre the murder, the more likely some external stimuli had an effect.  My research has shown that while the affects of video games are suggested in Japan, often deeper psychological disorders are found to be the cause of extreme violence towards others.

Higurashi Daybreak was released for PC back in 2006, and is now making its way to the PSP this November.  The game is a 2 vs. 2 brawler which purposely mimics a popular series of Gundam arcade games.  If you’re interested in purchasing the game, it’s available for pre-order at Play-Asia for $58.90.  There is also a special edition which includes 3 figures and a drama CD.  The special edition is available for $89.90.

Higurashi Daybreak was based off of a line of mystery solving computer games and a manga series which has been licensed for release in America.  Both have nothing to do with children battling each other.

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Sting’s newest volume in the Department Heaven series, Knights in the Nightmare, appears like it will have a learning curve as steep as Baldwin Street.  (Sorry, Wikipedia-nerd-humor.)

This is a great way to prepare for the game’s release on the 25th of this month.  The downloads will be available until October 7th.

It’s nice to see the Nintendo DS’s features being used to their full extent.  Who would have thought you could play demos of Nintendo DS games legally?  It’s too bad such options aren’t available to Western gamers.  Hopefully they will be at some point. 

I might play around with Minnano Nintendo Channel and see if I can figure out how to download the FSEE.  If I can, I’ll post a how-to. 

I think this is personally my most anticipated DS title of next year.  Hopefully Atlus or Sting will be announcing some details of the game’s localization soon.  Since the other Dept. Heaven titles were brought over, it seems obvious this one will as well.  Judging by these screens though, it looks like there will be a lot of engrish to clean up.

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Knights in the Nightmare for Nintendo DS Preview
Knights in the Nightmare Opening Movie
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On August 22nd Atlus held a special concert featuring live music from the most recent Shin Megami Tensei: Persona titles: Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, and Persona Trinity Soul. The event was held in Akasaka, Tokyo at a special concert hall called BLITZ.

Japanese concerts are very different from American concerts.  (Unless you go to a lot of N’Sync concerts or something…)  As you can see, it’s quite a production–dancers, effects, a huge fucking screen, the works.

The theme of the concert was that everyone who attended was a “Main Character”, and that they were actually entering the Velvet Room.  The screen up top featured witty dialog between Igor, Elizabeth, and Margret.   As always, there was loads of awesome merchandise that you’ll probably never ever own.  Sorry.

Tickets to the event were 4,500 yen, around $40 USD. Not bad considering it looks like a lot of fun.  You can check out more photos of it here.   Below is the complete setlist.  I left the songs in their original Japanese…  hope that doesn’t piss anyone off.  If you are not familiar with the songs, you can find links to download them at the Related Entires section of this post.

On a side note, this is my 200th post since starting this blog! I think it has changed a lot since it’s humble beginings as a way to burn spare time while attending school in Osaka, Japan.  I think the changes are for the better though.  I hope you guys feel the same way! 

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Persona 4 OST Download
Persona 3: Burn My Dread OST Download
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne OST (2 disc) Download

Roy atlus, japan, persona 3 comments