Gaming News (476)
During the press event in San Francisco, Haru Akenaga, President of NIS America apologized sincerely for the technical and translation issues in the localization of Ar Tonelico II. Instead of trying to make up excuses, Akenaga admitted some of the problems were "careless mistakes" and promised "to put their best efforts into improving the quality of localization".
We will have our interview up later with the Localization Coordinators at NIS America who talked a little about the overall translation process at NIS America as well as some of the problems that happened with Ar tonelico II.
So apparently we were completely fooled into believing that Trinity Universe would be the game announced at the NIS America press event; instead, NIS unveiled a new action orientated RPG in early development stages titled Last Rebellion. Players can free roam around the world but will enter into turn based combat when encountering an enemy. The interesting aspect is that players will be able to target different parts of the body which will affect the way enemies attack. Attacking the legs will slow an enemy down, while damage to the arms will weaken their attacks. From the brief gameplay footage we were shown, it looks like the game still needs some work, hopefully adding some more textures.
The game is currently a join project between Nippon Ichi Software Japan and HitMaker and is expected to be released in Japan around Fall 2009; no word on a stateside release yet.
NIS America announced last night at their press event that they will be publishing Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (Japanese: Sakura Taisen V: Saraba, Itoshiki Hito yo) for the Playstation 2 and Wii. Sakura Wars is a long running series developed and published by Sega in Japan with its popularity spreading into anime, manga and live action musicals. Fans of the Ah! My Goddess series should instantly recognize the artwork as creator Kosuke Fujishima is the character designer for the Sakura Wars series. The game is strategy RPG mixed in with sim based story system with combat involving ground and air battles. The game has a projected release date of Fall 2009.
Scans from the latest issue of Famitsu is circulating around the internet of a new multi-company collaboration project, Trinity Universe. Apart from Nippon Ichi Software, Gust and Idea Factory are also working on the game with an estimated release in Japan this August. This game will most likely be released in the United States later though only time will tell if the American audience will be as receptive as the Japanese.
We should have more details for you tomorrow after we come back from NIS America's press event tonight. Scans inside.
Editor's Note: This was not the game announced at the NIS America press event, but rather a new PS3 game titled Last Rebellion.
We've been invited to NIS America's press party for the localization of Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? Joining the guests list include Producer Masami Yamamoto, Director Haruyuki Ohashi of the game, and interestingly Souhei Niikawa Producer for a new game. Niikawa is probably best known as the producer for Disgaea 2, and Disgaea 3. We received confirmation from NIS America that the game is in fact a new unannounced title, and other sources confirm it will be a Playstation 3 title. Possibly Disgaea 4?
The event will be held on May 7 where the new game will debut. Look forward to our report with lots of pictures as well as our interview with Niikawa and the rest!
Probably one of the most artistically stunning game of the year, we received word from Ignition Entertainment yesterday that have picked up the publishing rights to Muramasa: The Demon Blade after publisher XSEED dropped the title. Notable games Ignition Entertainment has published or will publish includes Lux-Pain, Blue Dragon Plus, The King of Fighters XII, and Metal Slug 7.
Fans who liked Odin Sphere's side scrolling action will enjoy this game. I've played the game briefly for a couple hours on an imported copy of the game and loved every minute of it. I am definitely looking forward to reviewing the localization of this game. Full press release inside and a short promo video included.
Anime Expo announced earlier today that Toshimichi Mori and Daisuke Ishiwatari will be joining as Guests of Honor at this year's Anime Expo. Toshimichi Mori is the Director, Lead Artist, and Designer for the 2D fighting arcade game, BlazBlue. Daisuke Ishiwarari is often associated as the creator of Guilty Gear and has also done work as a game music composer. Anime Expo will be held from July 2 to 5. Press releases located inside.
So apparently our previous prediction was horribly wrong, though you can bet NIS America (NISA) will be bringing Disgaea 2 Portable to the States sometime in the near future. NISA will be bringing over Yuusha no Kuse Ni Namaikida, localized as Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? The basic premise of the game is to protect Badman from wannabe heroes who are entering his lair to defeat him. As the God of Destruction, your job is to dig an underground labyrinth filled with demon and monster traps. The game will be released later this year in July but for now, you can head over to the official site for more information. 
NIS America notified us yesterday that they would be announcing later today about a new Playstation Portable (PSP) game coming over stateside described as unique and fun. Our best guess would have to be the recently released Disgaea 2 Portable for the PSP in Japan. We'll update this post as soon as we receive word of the release information.
Update: Looks like we were horribly wrong! Happy late April Fools?
The official website for the localization of Cross Edge in the United States opened last week, and we've received the official press announcement for game last night.The game will be released later this year in May and feature dual audio.
NIS America is also holding a voting contest for your favorite character in costume. Four winners will be choosen to obtain a gislee print of the two top voted characters in costume. For full rules, please visit the website.
We'll also let you know if and when we receive a test copy of the game. Press release inside.
And oh yeah, we called it.
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Probably the company that makes the most played games in the world, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled today the new Battle.net. Battle.net will allow user to add their existing and future Blizzard titles to their account. This will allow users to download their games from any computer from Battle.net similar to game maker Valve's Steam.
Future games such as Starcraft II and Diablo III will require the new Battle.net account. Previous games such as Warcraft III, Diablo II, and Starcraft will remain running on the current system renamed as Battle.net Classic. Blizzard promises hoards of new tools and features coming soon.
In celebration of the localization date of Puchi Puchi Virus for the Nintendo DS, NIS America released a PC demo of the game which you can download from us here. If you can acquire a score over 10,000 points, an ID number will be issued allowing you to enter a contest where 10 lucky players can win an international navy colored only Nintendo DS and a copy of the game.
The game will be released this May 2009. Press release inside.
Fans were eagerly awaiting the Blu-ray edition of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children almost 3 years ago, but was told that Square was doing some touch up work on some the scenes. Later it was mentioned that a few scenes would be redone from different angles including a few graphical enchancements. Now, with the Japanese Blu-ray release nearing, a new trailer has been released with a ton of new scenes. Full trailer inside.
Capcom released 2 new artwork of Cammy and 4 new screenshots of her in action.
Click read more for the pictures.