Looks like the Metroid-esque Xeodrifter will be my first Renegade Kid game

I guess it may surprise some of you that I've yet to buy any of Renegade Kid's previous releases--such as Dementium: The Ward, Moon, Mutant Mudds or Planet Crashers--but the fact is that I've never been a fan of first-person shooters (which explains my of interest in Dementium and Moon) and until this game I've never been much of a fan of this Texas-based developer's character designs (see Mutant Mudds and Planet Crashers).



Renegade Kid's latest effort, Xeodrifter, however, is a Metroid-esque side-scroller--see the trailer above for evidence of that fact--that stars an attractive-enough protagonist, so for the moment, at least, I'm planning to pick it up whenever it finally finds its way onto the 3DS eShop--assuming it's priced appropriately, of course.

Attention Vita owners: Dokuro is now available for purchase via PSN

OK, so most of you probably don't own a Vita. And if you do, you likely already know that GungHo's 150-level puzzler-platformer Dokuro is hitting PSN today. Just in case any of you weren't aware of that fact, though, I thought I'd remind you.

Oh, and I also should remind you that this "two-dimensional Boxxle and ICO mixture with chalk graphics" title (according to NeoGAF user deimian86) will cost you just $19.99.

Here's a (Japanese) gameplay video of Dokuro--which is Japanese for "skull," basically--for those of you who've yet to see it in action:



If you just can't get enough of Dokuro, you may want to watch this video, too, which takes viewers through the game's Japanese demo. (Warning: The guy playing said demo is very annoying.)

Personally, if I owned a Vita I'd probably pick up the Japanese retail release of Dokuro, as I'm pretty fond of its box art, rather than the North American PSN version, but I'm weird like that.

See also: 'Surprise, surprise: The first (and only) Vita game that interests me is an odd, niche-y one'

Aliens + Sega + WayForward = What's likely to be my last must-buy DS game

Actually, Aliens: Infestation will be my second-to-last must-buy DS game should Professor Layton and the Last Specter hit the streets after Sept. 30 (the former game's release date).

Regardless, I'll be picking up this WayForward-developed, Sega-published piece of software at some point this year. Why? Well, for starters, it's based on the Alien franchise. (Both Alien and its sequel are on my short list of all-time favorite films.) Second, it looks like a 16-bit game--which, in my mind, is pretty much always a good thing. Third, it plays like a Metroidvania title according to 1up.com's recent preview. (All of the above and more are on full display in this 13-minute video, by the way.)

The only aspect of Aliens: Infestation that I'm not completely sold on at this point is its cover art (above). I wouldn't say it's bad, but I wouldn't say it's menacing, either--and menacing is exactly what I expect from anything and everything related to this classic franchise.

See also: 'Curiosity of the day: Square's Aliens game' and '8-bit Ellen Ripley'

Ooooooooooooooooh

That was my exact reaction upon seeing the screenshot below--which was taken from Vanillaware's just-announced PSP RPG, Grand Knights History--for the first time.

Vanillaware is the tiny, Tokyo-based developer responsible for such eyegasm-enducing games as GrimGrimoire, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Odin Sphere, by the way.



I'm currently looking forward to the somewhat-awkwardly titled Grand Knights History even more than I looked forward to the PS2 and Wii titles above, though, because it's supposedly going to be a turn-based RPG. Oh, and even better: It's going to allow players to customize the appearance of their party members.

For more information on this title, check out these two posts (here and here) over at andriasang.com and this NeoGAF thread.

You had me at 'spiritual successor to Half-Minute Hero'

Although I've only played the demos of Half-Minute Hero that I downloaded from the PlayStation Store shortly after I purchased my PSP a few months ago, they were enough to assure me that I'd love the full experience.

As such, I'm sure I'd love Jikan de Phantasia too. After all, it's being made by the same folks--at Opus Studio--responsible for Half-Minute Hero. Also, it's being billed as a "spiritual successor" to that MMV-published title.

According to someone in the know (OK, it's just a NeoGAFfer), Jikan de Phantasia, which will hit the streets in Japan on July 8, is supposed to be the perfect RPG for the on-the-go gamer, as a full game session--including events, dungeons and boss battles--is generated based on the amount of time a player has to devote to it.

For more information (and images), check out this NeoGAF thread or this Famitsu.com article.