Gaming News (477)
Manga Gamer announces today that the visual novel PC game Higurashi When They Cry will be released this month on December 15. Only the first four chapters will be released initially, while the remaining four will be released sometime in 2010. Most fans are probably more familiar with the 2006 anime adaptation. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When the Chicadas Cry) which also spawned its successful sequel, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, in 2007, and OVA Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, in 2009. Manga Gamer also announces they will be opening an all age section for their website when the game releases, as currently they release adult visual novel games including Shuffle!, and KiraKira. Full press release inside.
A new trailer has been released on the American website for Blade & Soul revealing four playable races. The game is being developed by NCSoft, well known for its previous games, Lineage II, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, and more recently, Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Blade & Soul is shaping into a promising new MMORPG, with gorgeous graphics utilizing the Unreal Engine 3. On top of that, character designs are being provided by famed Korean artist, Hyung-tae Kim best known for his art in the Magna Carta video game series. The developers have promised a faster action gameplay in comparison to current MMOs available on the market. They also noted that Capcom's Devil May Cry series inspired some of the gameplay. Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2011 when the game is currently set to be commercialized along with Guild Wars 2; however, NCsoft is planning some beta testing next year (2010.) We'll keep you up to date as new development release, until then check out the video inside.
Are you a BlazBlue fan? Will you be in Southern California on November 14th? Are you tired of v-13 players mashing on and breaking the D button? Then head out to Active Gamers LA's Triple Threat tournament, which will feature the new BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. Not only can you be amongst the first to try the game, but Aksys Games will be on site to hand out free schwag as well! Hit the jump for more.
(Update: John Nelson of Active Gamers LA has just informed us that there were some technical difficulties with the last build of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Aksys Games had; as a result, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift is not 100% confirmed at Triple Threat, but both Aksys Games and Active Gamers LA will do their best to bring the game out for fans at Triple Threat.)
Previously announced at E3 2009, Ubisoft will be launching their digital live action shorts titled Assassin's Creed Lineage on YouTube, October 27. The film is made by Ubisoft Digital Art, which includes the recently acquired Hybrid Studio. Hybrid is probably best known for their work on films such as Sin City and 300. The film will flesh out the background for the upcoming Assassin's Creed 2 video game and act as a prequel. The environmental backgrounds for the live action shorts are actually created from the Anvil Engine, used in the Assassin's Creed video games adding an interesting dynamic that blends Hollywood and video games. Trailer for the film included inside.
(Update: Video One has been released and included inside)
While the Wii may not be the best console for hardcore gamers, it does occasionally have a few surprises here and there. Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade is one such surprise. Muramasa is one of the most visually appealing and artistic games and a perfect example of art in entertainment. I had to dust off my Wii just for this game, which is a testament to the lack of hardcore games on the system. Will Muramasa be enough to make the Wii worthwhile for hardcore gamers?
If you wanted to play Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?, but you wanted to own the UMD instead of a digital copy, you may now have the chance do so! NIS America may release Badman on UMD, pending fan interest. NIS America has promised that if they receive 1,000 preorders, they will distribute a UMD version of the game. You can place your pre-order at RosenQueen.com from now until November 13. NIS America has also revealed that if they get enough retail support, they will distribute the game on UMD with or without the 1,000 preorders. 
Metal Gear Solid Philanthropy, a fan made movie based on Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid (MGS) series has final been released online available for download or stream after numerous delays. The film runs roughly an hour long ending with a cliffhanger. Hive Division, the fan made studio, has expressed interest in making two more sequels, though they are awaiting for fan and critic responses. Surprisingly the voice for Snake in the film sounds quite similar to David Hayter, the American voice actor for MGS. If you are a fan of MGS, you might as well hop on over and watch the film if you haven't already.
With the PSPgo just released, Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) is releasing some of their PSP games onto the Playstation Network at a discounted price. In celebration of this, NIS America will be having a 50% off sale for the following games; Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?; Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light, Mana Khemia: Student Alliance, Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness; Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? and Dragoneer's Aria in the Playstation Store. These titles will range from $4.99 to $9.99 for one week only. Hopefully in the future, we will see other NIS titles come to the Playstation Store. 
Although shown for the first time ever at Tokyo Game Show 2009, both Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes and Ghost Trick will be coming to America in 2010. Fans will no longer need to wonder about about whether or not these two upcoming titles will be coming shoreside, unlike what happens with most games. Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue in the future. Hit the jump for the full press release.
We've introduced Muramasa The Demonblade briefly in the past when publisher XSEED relinquished the license rights to the game to Ignition Entertainment (I am sure XSEED staff members are kicking themselves). Having played Muramasa for the Wii when it was initially released in Japan, we had considered visiting Vanillaware several times in the past for an article, though nothing to the extent of Play Magazine's 18 page feature. Probably the first jaw dropper is the cover of the September issue featuring one of the game's playable characters, Momohime gorgeously painted battling one of the game's secret boss. The image is a bit risque and definitely can't be missed at newsstands (we have included a detexed scan inside). Play also included a 13 page interview with Director George Kamitani and Lead Designer Yoshio Nishimura. If you are a true fan of the game, I would highly recommend picking it up.
Look forward to our review coming soon!
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A quick gaming update for the Nippon Ichi fans, Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy for the Playstation 2, and Phantom Brave: We Meet Again for the Wii have both been released in the United States while the Playstation Portable port Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days will be released on September 8. We'll have reviews for all 3 games up soon, so stay tuned. 
Record of Agarest War, a strategy RPG from Idea Factory, Red Entertainment, and Compile Heart, will be coming stateside soon according to Aksys Games' teaser site here. The site only has a teaser image for fans at the moment. Already released in Japan and confirmed for release in Europe, Record of Aagarest War seems to be coming to the US a little late. The game features a battle system like Cross Edge, where players will use AP to attack and must gain SP to use special attacks. The game also features a "Soul Breed" system, where players can engage in romantic relationships with other characters to create new characters. This process can also be repeated. We'll update this with more information as it trickles through.
A reliable source has informed us that the new Sakura Wars game coming to the United States will be packaged in a 2 disc set, with one disc dubbed, and the other will be subbed with the original Japanese voices. Players will be essentially getting 2 copies of the game. There apparently are also talks of a releasing the game in a premium bundle. We should have official confirmation very soon.
(Edit: Confirmed, see inside!)