Famitsu interview with Kenichiro Takaki

During an interview with Famitsu, Senran Kagura producer Kenichiro Takaki talks about the upcoming Vocaloid rhythm game, titled IA/VT Colorful for the PlayStation Vita that he is currently working on -

Famitsu starts by asking Takaki if he could share his thoughts on how the project came about.
“Sure. Well, there were several ideas, but the simplest one came from the thought of ‘I want to do something new’,” says Takaki. “Again, I spend every single day thinking about all the different amusing things this world has to offer, and how to express them through games, and this time, I decided to go with Vocaloids. I personally also like the trend of the Vocaloids, too.”

Next, Famitsu asks Takaki to share some more of his thoughts on the Vocaloid trend
“As the Vocaloid trend continues to grow with Hatsune Miku at the center, the appearance of IA, who sings softly, really had an impact on me,” elaborates Takaki. “Her colors also gave her quite the different image. As a creator, I can now say that recording songs is actually very difficult.”

“[The songs] all have their own charms, and we’re choosing the ones that suit the game best, so it’s not quite as simple as just picking whatever,” he continues. “I also believe it’s easier to make detailed adjustments for Vocaloids, and they also have the advantage of being able to sing impossibly fast compared to humans. With all that in mind, I believe that it leaves us with many possibilities.”

• Takaki briefly mentions that the game’s title of IA/VT Colorful comes from its emphasis that it will have on the different colors throughout the game. His idea is to have the background colors represent the feelings that match the player’s control as they play through the songs on the game.

Famitsu asks if that means that it could be a different experience depending on the player.
“That’s right, there will be more feedback to the action instead of your usual ‘Good’ and ‘Nice’,” says Takaki. “The results will be different each time, as I want to have something that represents the ups and downs of the player’s feelings.”

“In other words, it’ll follow the basic elements of a rhythm game; for example, you’ll ‘catch’ a sound with your controls. Then the voices and sounds you catch will be released in the end, which will be met with a climax.”

“We’re still in a stage of trial-and-error, so I can’t share too many details, but all I can say for now is that it won’t simply be about pressing buttons to match the flowing icons in a timely manner.”

An interesting release for those rythmn fans, like myself, within our readership. IA/VT Colorful will be launched in Japan on July 31, No announcement yet of a western release - but with how much traction the Vocaloid trend seems to be gaining on our shores we may see at least a digital release eventually. Does the game have your interest?

Here Comes Some Old Challengers!

Today brings another 2 character trailers for upcoming 3DS title Persona Q: Shadow Of The Labyrinth.

These trailers focus on Shinjiro Aragaki & Yukiko Amagi. Still no word on a US or EU release as of yet but I will keep you updated as and when. 

Persona 3

Persona 4

Project Diva F 2nd Tracklist Trailer

A lengthy trailer was unleashed by SEGA recently (standing at over 10 minutes!) that acts as a roundup for the music to be included in the release of Project Diva F 2nd. The game is rumoured to feature at least 40 songs, but this trailer only shows 32 so there are still at least another 8 to be announced.  You'll find the full list below of confirmed tracks from this footage  -

• Decorator
• Nisoku Hokou
• Two-Dimensional Dream Fever
• Karakuri Pierrot
• Hello, Worker
• erase or zero
• Suki Kirai
• World is Mine
• Luka Luka Night Fever
• Miracle Paint
• Romeo and Cinderella
• Packaged
• Paradichlorobenzene
• A Thousand-Year Solo
• Ura Omote Lovers
• Kokoro
• Double Lariat
• Colourful x Melody
• Melt
• Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru
• Spica –39’s Giving Day Edition-
• Meteor
• Kochira Koufuku Anshin Iinkai Desu
• Tsugai Kogarashi
• Musunde Hiraite Rasetsu to Mukuro
• Cantarella ~grace edition~
• Narisumashi Genger
• soundless voice
• Kowase Kowase
• Akatsuki Arrival
• Envy Catwalk
• Glory 3usi9

Its been alluded to that most of the tracklist conforms to the songs used for the Magical Mirai 2013 concert. Its one Ive been looking at importing lately, so if the rumours are true maybe its time to bite and see whats in store for Project Diva F 2nd. A western date has still to be announced, but no doubt that will be announced in due time. The title is due for release in Japan on March 6th. Any tracks in particular you fancy? Personally I'm just glad Two Faced Lovers will be making a return...

News: Monster Monpiece censored content

This image above shows some of the 4th evolutionary form cards that have been cut from Monster Monpiece in the west.

Yaiba Developer dairy

A game that seems to be splitting a fanbase, unjustly if you ask me, but still leaves much to be intrigued about. This developer dairy aims to give the viewers an idea on how the ideas for the game came about & the processes taken to finalise concepts. Will it change the haters minds? Probably not but at least people will have more of an understanding about the game in question. With a release date of 28th February (EU) & 4th March (US) on PC/Ps3/Xbox360, you can look forward to a possible review from ourselves if your on the fence.

Ace Attorney Trilogy Re-Re-Re-Release

OBJECTION!!!!!!

This week Famitsu magazine has reported that the first 3 in the Ace Attorney games will see yet another release in the form of a 3DS title.

All three of the trilogy will feature on the same cartridge & have 3D features added into them, feature both Japanese & English language & are also releasing a limited edition which comes with a bonus Drama CD. First print also get some download codes for BGM & an original background image!

Ace Attorney 123: Wright Selection releases April 17th in Japan. No other region release has yet been mentioned

Tales of ROUND UP!!!!!

As snappy and trendy as that title sounds, no I don't have secret information about a new Tales of game called Round Up!.

Instead it's just a healthy reminder of the upcoming Tales Of games coming over to Europe & the US in the coming months. As 2 of our members are currently playing through Xillia I feel it's the perfect time to show people what is in store for them from Namco-Bandai's premier RPG series 

Tales of Xillia 2 

Release Date: TBA 2014 

TALES OF XILLIA 2 focuses on the events a year after the climactic end of TALES OF XILLIA.  Players assume the role of Ludger Kresnik, a young man with a zest of cooking who lives with his older brother and his cat, named Rollo. On his way to his first day at work for a local cafeteria he runs into a young girl named Elle Marta and the two soon become involved in an accident that will change both of their lives forever

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles 

Release Date: 25th February (America) 28th February 2014 (Europe)

PS3 HD Port of the now legendary Gamecube RPG smash hit Tales of Symphonia, it also includes the follow up Wii title Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Relive the classic adventure which brought Tales into many a home in redone HD Textures. 

Tales of Zestiria 

Release Date: TBA 

Recently announced late last year this is the latest in the Tales of series & judging by the trailer the most impressive HD looking of the series. Dragons are supposed to play a huge roll in the game & unlike the Xillia series it is pure fantasy without the cyberpunk styling. Expect to hear more about this title during the year after Xillia 2 & Symphonia Chronicles have released 

Credit to Blue Sky Gamez for the HD trailer 

Resident Evil 4 gets re-re-released on PC

Want to play Resident Evil 4 at 1080p/60? (1920x1080 not confirmed as selectable yet though) Then rejoice as this classic will be available on Steam for $19.99 (same price in EU/UK) from the 28th February for you to play on your swanky PC. All the usual Steam gubbins - Resident Evil 4 on PC will include the “Separate Ways” bonus episode. The game will also include Steam platform support with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Steam Trading Cards, global leaderboards, and full game controller support, Will be included. Resident Evil 4 has already had a release on PC before, but this one promises to be the 'defintive' release. Always liked the Wii edition myself the best....

Will you be double/triple/quad dipping for this latest re-release of Resident Evil 4?

Resident Evil 4 on PC will include the “Separate Ways” bonus episode. The game will also include Steam platform support with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Steam Trading Cards, global leaderboards, and full game controller support.
Read more at http://www.siliconera.com/2014/01/21/resident-evil-4-coming-pc-hd-graphics-60fps/#cpYr7GcIEw5q6A32.99

Danganronpa EU release dated

A blog post has just recently gone up on the EU Playstation BLog concerning this Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc release date. A 14th February date has been set (Valentines day. Now you know what gift to seek) but there has been no mention yet as to whether we are looking at a digital or retail release - 

Trigger Happy Havoc is a revamped edition of the very first Danganronpa that appeared on PSPs in Japan in 2010, and now includes updated graphics, touchscreen functionality, and a new game mode. Now get your thinking hats on, because murder’s afoot, and you’re going to need more than a #2 pencil to survive the tests this high school’s got in store for you.

An interesting Vita release and a good pick by NISa for localisation by the sounds of things. Already have the game pre-ordered? Looking forward to solving some mysterious murders?

Full blog post: EU Playstation Blog

Another Deception IV trailer unleashed

Another Deception IV trailer has made its way online. Interest for the game seems to be gathering momentum as TK were announcing features like Youtube video uploading, Cross-save & cross-play between the Ps3 and Vita versions of the game on Twitter earlier today. The game will be launching in Japan on February 27th, before hitting the west on March 25th (US) & the 28th (EU) The latest trailers & info raised your expectations?

Borderlands 2 Vita release date

...Wait..what? Exactly. Without even a batch of screenshots or a trailer or, well, anything to back up the announcement - 2K has decided to give us a release date of March 18th. Which regions that's for hasn't been stated either, but I'm sure we're not the only ones a little unsettled by the date. Without anything being shown of the port, we have a release in less than 2 months time? Lets hope it doesn't end up like the recently released Amazing Spiderman port. Are you cautious now? excitement dulled a little maybe? With nothing shown, it is a worry

UPDATE: 2K recently tweeted (Their exact tweet was retweeted by us if you'd like to read it fully) & it stated that the release date spoken of on Twitter this morning was incorrect. 

Demo: Toukiden Age of Demons invades the shore of NA and Europe

Attention ! Attention! Hunting fans ! The Twitter of Tecmo Koei Europe just revealed that a demo will be released on the PSN store for North America on the 21th of January. Yep, that's is tomorrow. The EU has to wait till the 29th of January. Furthermore, saved data will be tranferred into the full game ( Just like the soul sacrifice demo). The download size is 996 MB. So, make some room for this fantastic hunting game.

I'm really looking forward to this game. It's one of the most visual impressive games on the Vita. I posted a screen below .Furthermore, i posted a video of Toukiden: age of demons played by Gadgetgirlkylie. This to illustrate how beautiful and fun this game is.

Isn't beautiful

I have this game preordered. You can always add me if you like to play some Toukiden age of demons in the future. My PSN ID= Sanquine90

Rune Factory 4 EU release cancelled

 

So, you've been eagely awaiting the EU release for Rune Factory have you? Well this latest statement will no doubt leave you tearful.

MarvelousAQL’s statement reads as follows;

“We regret to inform you that the European release of Rune Factory 4 for Nintendo 3DS has been cancelled.

While MarvelousAQL has made every effort to secure the title’s release for this territory, it is, unfortunately, not possible to do so at this time.

MAQL and MAQL Europe would like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm for their European releases. Please look forward to announcements on new MAQL titles over the coming months.”

Its times like this when the 3DS region lock really does haunt it somewhat. Rune Factory 4 has been getting played by our american cousins for the past few months since release last year, which will no doubt frustrate fans in the EU knowing that an already english-translated version of the title is available but not playable due to the 3DS region lock. This is all that the statement released has noted, so hopefully more news will come to the fore on why this has happened as the game was due for release here with a penned date of Q1 2014 (Probably has something to do with the closure of developer Neverland Co) Were you looking forward to the release? Vent your frustration in the comments below

Famitsu interview with Hiroshi Kawano

Japan still has just over a month to wait for the Ps4. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia president Hiroshi Kawano recently had an interview on the subject and more with the ever fruitful Famitsu.

 “As for the release timing [in Japan,] we put a lot of serious thought into it,” Kawano tells Famitsu. “We very well understand that many of you were disappointed by the fact that the Japanese release date would be later than other regions. Our staff members, who love the PlayStation and are also considered a group of players themselves, strongly suggested ‘let’s release it in Japan first’.”

“It was a decision that came after a lot of brainstorming from everyone,” continues Kawano. “However, since it was decided, we need to prove with our own actions that we care deeply for our customers in Japan. I believe it will be an effort that we will continue to work on from this point on.”

Famitsu points out the release date of 2/22 being a repdigit number, characteristic of Sony.
“Actually, we decided on the release without being aware of the number’s order,” says Kawano. “Firstly, we wanted to definitely release it within the year, and then have it released on a Saturday, which was our main premise. It would have been tough to prepare for release right after New Year’s in January, and we also didn’t want to make it too much later. After narrowing it down and deciding on February, it just happened to be on that date.”

Famitsu asks Kawano to share his thoughts on the lineup of launch titles for Japan.
“We have 26 titles that are set to be simultaneously released, but what I’m looking forward to seeing is the rich variety of titles between the Japanese publishers we regularly meet and titles from Europe and America,” answers Kawano. “Lately, games from the west have been really heating up, so I’m very interested in seeing how you all will select your titles.”

Famitsu asks if it’s safe to assume that we’ll be hearing announcements of new titles afterwards.
“We plan on having releases on a constant basis,” responds Kawano. “In March, we’ll have Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes from Konami’s director Hideo Kojima, and after that, well, we haven’t been able to announce them yet, but we have all kinds of titles lined up. At the moment, we’re currently reviewing how we should be announcing them, so please look forward to it.”

Famitsu asks Kawano to share his opinions on how long the period of “co-existence” will last between PS3 and PS4.
“It’s really hard to say,” shares Kawano. “When you think about the hardware and software separately, the PS3’s popularity is really spread out, so for the game creators to offer a new title for it, comes naturally. As for the hardware, they’ll still sell as part of bundles, so it’ll really be up to the players and their decisions.”

“However, as for us, it’s safe to say that we’ll be strategizing with the PlayStation 4 as our main focus.”

Nothing concrete for future titles gleaned from the interview unfortunately, but its good to see Sony acknowledging that the Ps3 is still going to be around for a while. Hopefully once the Ps4 has hit the market in Japan we will start to see just what is in store from the studios in the east for Sony's latest machine.

Noire's Vita spin-off has more new characters..

Head on over to the website for the latest Hyperdimension title (the spin-off is titled Planet destroyer Black Heart) and you may find some new character profiles. Lets have a quick look..

Win appears to be a play on football/sports games, Winning Eleven springs to mind with it being a Japanese produced series. Win thinks about the team over herself, as you would expect from a football player with football being a team game, and her outfit is styled like a football kit complete with what looks to be shorts. A surprising & interesting inclusion.

Ain Ar might actually be a joke on the more 'epic' Jrpg's out there like the Final Fantasy series. With her somewhat stylish appearance (is it just me or does her hair remind you of Cloud from FF7?) and older demeanour compared to some of the other RPG characters, It seems a little obvious the Final Fantasy assumption to me. I could be wrong though as there are a few old epic RPG series still around.

Lee Fey is clearly a Street Fighter gag. One look at the character and your instantly reminded of Chun-Li. With Lee Fey & Win here so far being from out side of the RPG genre, looks like Compile Heart are expanding their parodies for characters into other genre's.

Saori looks to be the main protagonist in a Romance/Dating-sim. Always dreaming & talking of love. Siliconera has an idea of just who she could be based on - I think she’s a Tokimeki Memorial joke since she looks an awful lot like Shiori Fujisaki also Compile Heart just switched one kana out for another to make her name

Lestra looks like a Record of Agarest War parody, which shows Cmpile Heart are also looking towards their own for parodies. Lestra seems to like bananas and has an interest in ecchi, huge giveaways. Anyone that has played the Agarest series will see. Even her character design is reminiscent of that series.

Lady Black looks like a poke at arcade games of yester-year. Her ribbon clip may hold some clue as to her basis (Pac-Man maybe?), plus she just so happens to be the oldest of the girls which would imply that shes from an age before these series came to fruition. Everyone could be completely off with this character, but there are enough clues to make that assumption (She also has cherries as an accessory)







Planet Destroyer Black Heart is due for release on May 29th in Japan. No announcement has been made yet regarding the West, but since the Hyperdimension Neptunia PP Idol game was slated for release in 2014 in the west, it looks as though NISa will be bringing as much Neptunia as possible over. PP was the one game no one thought would see a release in the west which makes each new release almost a cert for localisation at the moment in the Neptunia series