Otaku Review: K-ON!! Ho-Kago Live!! (PsP)

 

I've decided to start up a new subset of reviews entitled 'Otaku Review'. This will focus on games that would need to be imported & played in there native Language (or patched with a fan translation if available) When there isn't any reviews to publish, these could fill the gap with original content. Anyway, Ive been playing a lot of Japanese games lately on the PsP, so the first review in this new subset is going to be K-ON! HO-kaga Live!! Now I became interested in the title due to it being a rhythm game, but of course also because its K-ON!!. I do like these rhythm games and I find they fit the handheld medium perfectly, so how does this one fare?

New Persona Q Trailers

Another 2 trailers for Persona Q have been released today. Focussing on cross game interactions. The more I see of this game the more I love, hopefully an announcement for a European release won't be too far behind Japanese release

News: Planeptune to release a console!?

Remember the april fools joke last year about a Neptune console launching in the Summer of 2013? While everyone knew it was a joke, Im sure most were hoping otherwise. It seems that it wasn't a joke afterall! But it was really.....What is to be released is a mock console that houses the currently released music CD's -

The Hyperdimension Neptunia Share Complete Discs is a compilation of vocal songs from the PS3 games, anime series, and the PlayStation Vita title Hyperdimension Neptunia PP Idol. You get five CDs with original versions and remixes. It’s the packaging that makes this set unique since the discs are in a Neptune console. The "system" measures 330 mm x 330 mm x 60 mm. You also get a mock Neptune controller that’s 140 mm x 20 mm!

The CDs are packaged together inside a mock manual for the console and you get a map of Gameindustri too as an added bonus. The Console will sell for 12,800 yen ($122) and release on March 26th. Quite a costly bit of merchandise, but one that is oh so tempting. Must. Fight. Otaku. Urge. For. Neptunia. Merchandise.....

Mock images available over at Siliconera

Famitsu Interview with FFX/X-2 writer Kazushige Nojima

Theres been a few rumblings of Final Fantasy writer Kazushige Nojima wanting to work on a possile FFX-3. With X/X-2 just being released in Japan. Famitsu caught up with him for an interview and he shares some of his thoughs on FFX/X-2 & the future...

Famitsu asks him to share his thoughts of the time when Square Enix first decided to start working on FFX-2
“‘Huh?!’ and ‘Seriously?’ were my honest thoughts at the time,” shares Nojima. “And especially having Yuna even get a new costume design.”

Famitsu asks him to walk us through the process of writing for Final Fantasy X-2 and Last Mission -
“We had several ending patterns prepared, but when it came to ‘what about a happy ending?’ at the time, I thought ‘no, there can’t be one’,” shares Nojima. “However, after the game was released and I was able to see the fan reaction to it, I changed my mind.”

Famitsu then asked about his thoughts when the HD Remaster was first announced -
“I also thought ’Huh?!’ and ‘Seriously?’ for this as well,” shares Nojima with a laugh. “In the past, when we had a new console generation, we couldn’t play older games on them, but recently I felt that we really can’t lower our guard for that anymore.”

Famitsu asks him about his thought process during the writing of new material for FFX -
“I wrote it while thinking ‘this should be a game’,” says Nojima. “So it was a mix of thinking ‘ahh, all the spoilers’ and ‘but I would want to surprise them’ and things like that. For the record, there’s a plot from start to finish, and if there’s some way we can have it show up elsewhere… well, so I’ve said to Square Enix.”

Famitsu asks who the easiest character to write in the series was -
“It’d have to be Tidus during the first half of Final Fantasy X,” answers the writer. “He was always full of questions and such, so it was pretty easy.” That said, Nojima continues, Tidus needs to search for answers in the second half of the game, and Nojima struggled alongside him.

Famitsu then asked about the most difficult to write for -
“It’d have to be Lulu,” says Nojima. “If she were just cute, it would’ve been simpler, but I had no samples in mind of how a pretty or beautiful lady like her would think or live. I don’t think that Watanabe (Daisuke) who worked with me had any ideas either.”

Famitsu finally asked what kind of story a FFX-3 would entail, upon which the answer was “It’s a secret,”

FFX/X-2 HD remasters launch on March the 18th (US) & the 21st (EU) What do you think of the possibility of a FFX-3? Should the story for FFX be left alone or should the lore be expanded?

Muramasa Rebirth DLC Trailer

Marvelous AQL decided to share a trailer earlier for the upcoming release of the 2nd piece of DLC for Muramasa Rebirth on PSVita. The DLC is titled Uprising of the Oone Resistance and focuses on a farmer rebellion due to unjust taxes imposed by Daimyo of Oone. When or If we see this DLC on our shores is anyones guess, but at least you can enjoy the trailer to see what entails.

Dream C Club: GoGo release penned

 

D3 has finally penned in a release date for the latest release of its Dream C Club: GoGo title on Playstation 3 for April in Japan. This follows on from the Free-to-play Dream C Club set to release at the launch of the Playstation 4.

For those unaware, the series is basically a dating-sim of sorts whereby you talk & drink with the various hostesses. Each girl has a different taste & personality to the others to keep things interesting. Drinks now include a rank on how potent they are and the girls can also partake in Karaoke, with a performance boost if their spirits are raised!

The most intriguing prospect for the title to me is the costume crossover that D3 has implemented with Earth defense Force. Ive only ever tried the game on PsP myself so the series is relatively unknown to me otherwise.
Are you looking to import?

Tales of Zestiria screenshots released

Namco Bandai released some fresh screenshots for Tales of Zestiria earlier. Not really much to go on judging from the screenshots, but they do show large open fields which may point to the protracted 'open' environments that were promised during the reveal. Some commentators though have stipulated previous Tales games have looked like this but still had the areas broken into smaller zones. If anything, things do look quite similar to previous entries (Xillia especially) so we'll have to wait for more information on mechanics etc before making assumptions. These new screenshots have you excited? Will the promises made at the reveal come to fruition? Who knows. Theres plenty of time yet for more information. Heres a few screenshots:

 More screenshots available over at Siliconera

Senran Kagura 3DS/Vita/PsP news!

 

This weeks issue of Famitsu has teased & confirmed some Senran Kagura goodies for both the 3DS & Vita

It seems the 3DS will be getting the next instalment of the series, while the Vita gets a spin-off. Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson is being developed by the same studio as the original release (Tamsoft) and will see a release on August 7th in Japan. Gameplay is said to be be the same as Burst, so very much in the same vein as a side-scrolling brawler. Notable differences so far come in the form of Boss encounters now playing out on a 3D plane & also the inclusion of 2 male characters added to the roster (Named as Kagura & Naraku with Murasame added if you import saved data from Burst) The biggest inclusion though stems from the addition of Co-op & Tag-Team modes, although little information is shared for how they work just yet. With Burst receiving a western release, this could also make its way to our shores depending on how the EU launch fares in February I guess.

and.....

....the Vita spin-off release entitled Dekamori Senran Kagura, has been categorised by Famitsu as a “hyper big-breasted cooking-rhythm game” A bonkers Vita spin-off, what a surprise! While the game does focus on the rhythm game mechanics for gameplay, characters still manage to 'lose' clothes somehow (probably dependant on your performance) in true Senran Kagura fashion. Its still a little early to to gather my thoughts on the game, but I do enjoy rhythm games (loving K-ON for the PsP at the moment) so my mind is open to tying this. Dekamori Senran Kagura is slated for a release on 20th March in Japan. With Shinovi Versus not making its way west on Vita, We probably wont be seeing this one.

Theres also Seran Kagura EV, related somehow to Shinovi Versus, that is rumoured to be launching on an unspecified Sony platform. No more news yet released for that one though.

My Tribute: Ys Seven

Introduction to Ys Seven

The Playstation vita came out in Europe at 22th of February 2012. After 3 weeks i was a proud owner of the Playstation vita.  My launch games were Uncharted golden abyss, Escape plan, Rayman Origins and Super stardust delta. Other launch games failed to attract my interest. Since the moment i had my Playstation vita i was in desperate need for a good JRPG because the novelty of my new handheld console wore of fast. Since i never owned a Playstation Portable ( Shame on me!) i missed a lot of great games. The Vita at that moment had no JRPG at all. After some research i came to the conclusion there where enough awesome JRPG's on the Playstation store although PSP games. The one game that caught my eye was Ys Seven. Well, till this day i am happy that i downloaded Ys Seven because it's one of the best games i ever played.

A Pleasant surprise
What a pleasant surprise was this game. The first thing what i love about it are the soundtracks. I never thought a PSP game was so well polished in the sound department. Every time you come in a new area you will hear the most awesome tunes you will hear in any game. Even the opening video is one of my most listened soundtracks till this day. Ladies and Gentleman it's that good.

I'm not done yet. There is more soundtracks that will give you goose bumps. The first song i heard was Mother Earth Altago. This song starts when you enter the plains of Altago. No game make me feel like I'm exploring another world better than this one ( Yes, you can keep you Skyrim in my opinion some games are much better without all that freedom).

This is how every game should make you feel. Like you exploring the world without thinking of the real world. When you don't have the feeling you are leaving the real word the game fails to get my attention. Falcom has done an excellent job with this game soundtracks and i wished i came earlier in touch with this amazing game.

Adol Christin
Adol is a adventurer and swordsman with redhair. He has the ability to arrive at the right time at the wrong time. He is always there to help but always comes in to trouble. The thing i like about Adol is because he is a real ladykiller. Everywhere he goes girls fall for him. What has this to do with me? Well, i love Harem themed animes ^_^

Action Action Action!

Well, i confess i love action and by that i mean action RPG. I'm not a guy with a lot of patience. I tend to enjoy turn based RPG's. However, i did notice i sometimes don't want to fight in turn based RPG's. You get pulled out of the world transported to a static screen where the enemy is waiting for it's turn to attack you. I want freedom, i want to explore the world without being pulled from the world and if there is an enemy trying to come across me i will defeat it in order to go explore some more.

Ys Seven uses a simple mechanic how to deal with monsters in the world of Altago. Most of you who have played Ys seven or Ys Memories of Celceta know this mechanic. Slash attacks are effective against monster with low armor, while punch attacks are effective against monsters with a lot of armor ( There is also thrust attack but that is not relevant at the moment). I like this mechanic because  it helps to make the game feel fast paced but also let's you think which character is the best for that particular situation. Furthermore, there are special attacks that may come in handy when you are facing the more challenging titan monsters and boss fights.

Freedom! Sandbox?

As i mentioned before this game made me feel like exploring a world ( Still better than Skyrim / Grand Theft Auto. Some of you guys may love it but it becomes boring after some hours). It felt like i had freedom to explore every corner of the world of Altago and that was what i did. This game let you backtrack every area thanks to new abilities you unlock during the story.Furthermore, you can visit every town after it's been unlocked in the story. Most of the times i was exploring those towns, visiting houses, talking to inhabitants for side quests to earn some moolah for improving your party's weapon or armor. Yes, you heard it backtrakking in this game isn't as tedious as in most games. I never felt bored when i revisited an area because there was always something new things to do. Furthermore, the game rewards you when you are exploring. It wasn't uncommon for me to explore every corner of the map because the rewards where superb. Treasure chests where everywhere if you put some effort into it. This is way this game felt like an open world to me. This game is an example for many games how to grasp my attention and never lose it.

Rada Manj

The bossbattles are the highlight of this game, and showoff why this game is so amazing. In the beginning of the game the bosses aren't that difficult. However, further down in the game you will notice how much stronger the bosses have become. You will have to grind sometimes in this game but thanks to the fast paced action this never felt boring.However, they never become to difficult that it seems unfair. As i written above with some grinding the bosses aren't that difficult but are challenging enough to keep your attention. Furthermore, you will notice how much effort Falcom has taken to design the enemies. Most of the time i was evading the attacks to observe the beauty of designs. Behold the awesome Earth dragon boss Rada Manj.

Conclusion 
Ys seven is a gem i noticed to late. However i am still happy that i came a cross this game. This game is an example how many developers should do their soundtracks. Every time i listen to the music it feels i can take on the whole world. The music isn't from this world! Ys seven made me an addict to the action RPG. The gameplay is fast paced and fun. The world feels alive and like a sandbox game. It even exceeds a more open world feel than a game like GTA V or Skyrim.The bossfights are the highlight of the game, and show off how awesome this game is. Guys, this was my tribute to Ys seven. I'm more than ever looking forward to reviewing Ys Memories of Celceta.

If you have a Playstation Vita or a Playstation Portable get this game! It's €9,99 on the PSN store

Latest FFX/X-2 Remaster Revelation

When Siliconera spoke to Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase he said Square Enix partnered with an outside developer to create Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. The company that handled the enhanced port was Virtuos, a Shanghai studio that worked on a couple of Ben 10 Ultimate Alien games and Wii ports of 2K sports games. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was the studio’s biggest project to date.

Now that is a suprising revelation as some of you will already be aware of since Siliconera wrote about the story earlier today. Not only myself, but many people have been under the assumption that the FFX/X-2 remaster was an internal job. With recent horror stories regarding out-sourcing (Aliens: Colonial Marines is one that still cuts deep) of games, its no wonder some are left worrying. To be honest though this is looking like a really well done remaster and with how long it has taken, it should be safe to assume it will be fine.

It does beg the question though - with most assuming they've been working on this remaster themselves, what have Square really been working on? Just lightning Returns & FFV? I guess we'll see

Sohei Niikawa Talks 2014 for Nippon Ichi

It looks like Nippon Ichi Software are getting busy already in 2014. Not only are they currently working on a brand new title for release this year, but two titles, and maybe even three according to company president Sohei Niikawa!

“2013 was the 20th anniversary of our company’s establishment, and also the 10-year anniversary of Disgaea,” Niikawa said in an interview with 4Gamer. “The challenge is now for us to come up with two or three new masterpiece titles.”

“In that sense, in the year 2013, I felt that it was huge that we were able to release The Guided Fate Paradox and The Witch and the Hundred Knight,”  “We intend to take on various challenges in the year 2014. As for myself, personally, I’m presently overseeing two current titles.”

“I apologize for not being able to share more details for now, but we’re currently preparing so we can release one title this summer and another this winter. Please look forward to it,” Niikawa concludes.

So what could these titles be? What platform will see there release? When will they be released? Only time will tell but its good to know a few new titles will be announced by Nippon Ichi at some point this year.

INAZUMA Coming to US

A link on Nintendo's US site shows Inazuma Eleven under 3DS with the text saying coming soon. Hopefully this means the US will get a new Inazuma title, though nothing is announced it's most likely to be Inazuma 3.

This title launched a couple of months ago in Europe and has an enhanced version coming out this year.

As an Inazuma fan I hope you will enjoy the title as much as I did and hopefully we will see the GO! Series out soon 

Andi