Five additional games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015

Last Friday, I published a post that featured blurbs about five soon-to-be-released 3DS, Vita and Wii U games that I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of the year.

In that write-up, I mentioned that a second such post would be published sometime this week. Well, today is that day, and here are five more upcoming titles that currently take up space on my ever-growing "play as soon as humanly possible" list.

Dragon Quest VIII (3DS)--I know a lot of folks in Japan and elsewhere were unimpressed (at best) when this PS2-to-3DS port was announced a short while ago. I am not one of them--although, to be honest, that's probably due in large part to the fact that I've never played this particular entry in Square Enix's triumphant series of RPGs. (I own a copy of it, but it's yet to leave its packaging, I'm embarrassed to admit.) Regardless, I'm pretty stoked that an upgraded--in the areas that matter most to me, at least--version of Dragon Quest VIII will soon be playable on the system I favor most at the moment. That said, I'm dragging my feet in terms of pre-ordering it, as I want to wait a little while longer to see if the powers that be at SE decide to bring the game to North America. (Yeah, right.)

Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (3DS)--This super-cute music-rhythm game was supposed to be released stateside in May. Just before its "arrival date," though, publisher Sega revealed that it wouldn't hit store shelves in the region until early September. Although I know some folks were upset by the delay, I actually applauded it, as I barely had time to play games--even those of one of my favored genres--at the time. Now, though, my schedule is much less hectic (or at least a bit less hectic). Hopefully the same will be true in a couple of months. Even if it isn't, though, I'm maintaining my pre-order--no ifs, ands or buts.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night (Vita)--Oh, hey, another rhythm-music game. What a surprise, right? Especially since I just told you it was one of my "genres of choice." Anyway, this Persona spin-off only recently leaped onto my "to buy" list, and mainly because it looks to be the definition of cool. One of the reasons I passed on Dancing All Night earlier, by the way, was that I pre-ordered Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version ages ago and I was all that sure that I needed to own two rhythm games for my criminally neglected (so far) pink-and-white Vita. After seeing more footage of it around this year's E3 event, though, I changed my mind. Plus, the new Taiko will be out in a matter of days, so surely I'll be all set for a similar-ish title by the time September rolls around?

Splatoon (Wii U)--OK, so this game doesn't belong in the "soon-to-be-released" category that pretty much all of the other ones that have been mentioned here and in my last post on the subject fit within, but I'm including it here anyway simply because I'm beyond interested in it. Is most of that interest tied to this Wii U shooter's completely fabulous art style? Yes, it is, but I'm OK with that. Also, I've read and heard enough positive impressions of this Nintendo-published effort that I'm willing to take a chance on it despite my general lack of love for the first- and third-person shooter genres--or I guess I should say that I'll be willing to take a chance on it after I finally obtain a Wii U console.

Steins;Gate (Vita)--Why is this oddly named visual novel taking up valuable acreage in this post instead of other portable games that don't include random pieces of punctuation in their titles? Because it's been hyped to the heavens in various online spaces, that's why. Oh, and then there's the fact that I find the VN genre to be pretty darn fascinating at the moment. Unfortunately, no one seems to know when Steins;Gate will finally show up in North America. (Both physical and digital versions have been available in Australia and Europe since the beginning of June.) Thankfully, I'm in no particular hurry to play it, so I'll happily pick up a copy of it--preferably a boxed one--whenever it eventually sees the light of day in my neck of the woods. (Update: apparently it was announced earlier this morning that it'll be released here on Aug. 26.)

Are any of you also planning to buy one or more of the 3DS, Vita or Wii U games mentioned above? If so, which ones? Or maybe there are other titles--even for systems like the PS4 or Xbox One--that have you eagerly anticipating their arrival on your doorstep? Regardless, please let me and others know about them in the comments section below.

See also: 'Five games I'm really looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015'

I really like these recent examples of Japanese Vita box art, too

You may recall that at one point in the post I published yesterday (about recent examples of Japanese 3DS box art that I also like) I complained that far too many games released in the Land of the Rising Sun these days sport cover illustrations that are little more than lazy collages of the title in question's colorful cast of characters.

Sadly, that's exactly how some folks will describe the four pieces of Vita box art showcased below, and even though I agree with them--to a point--I'm still more than a bit fond of each of them.

The cover art shown above, for Persona 4: Dancing All Night, is my favorite of the bunch. Of course, how could it not be, right? After all, it features a bunch of the Persona series' regulars striking furious poses while a glittery disco ball bathes them in rainbow-colored light. In a word: fabulous.

As much as I love Dancing All Night's cover imagery, I think I love the example above just as much. Or at least nearly as much. It's for a game called Fushigi no Gensokyo, or Mystery Gensokyo: The Tower of Desire, by the way, and I'm desperately hoping it makes its way to North America sometime soon.

That's not because of its box art, mind you, but because of its adorable roguelike gameplay. Also, it seems this title is going to be a digital-only affair in Japan, which means me picking up that version probably is going to be out of the question. So, here's hoping someone brings it to my neck of the woods--and soon.

In the post I devoted to Bandai Namco's oh-so-attractive RPG, Ray Gigant, a couple of days ago, I mentioned its also-beautiful box art. Well, here it is. Stunning, right? Possibly not as stunning as the pair of examples that preceded this one, I guess, but it's definitely "pretty nice."

This is another Vita title that I hope crosses the pond, as they say--as long as it winds up being a better game than the similar-looking Time and Eternity.

Full disclosure: I know next to nothing about this particular game. Well, other than its title, which is Makai Shin Trillion, I mean. And that it was made by the folks at Compile Heart. That last fact doesn't fill me with much hope, I've got to admit, as I've nothing but complaints about that developer's past efforts.

Not helping matters is that Makai Shin Trillion looks to be some sort of Disgaea ripoff, which rubs me the wrong way for some strange reason. Oh, well, at least its cover illustration and logo are kind of snazzy, right?

See also: 'I really like these recent examples of Japanese 3DS box art'

Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Persona 5 sure look (and sound) like a lot of fun, don't you think?

I may not have much (any) experience with Atlus' vaunted Persona series, but that has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of interest on my part.

In fact, I've been interested in this series since I first read about Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment back in the day.

Sadly, I can't tell you why I've yet to buy or play any of the games that have been released in English since the original, PlayStation release of Eternal Punishment back in 2000.



I can guarantee you, though, that the Persona-free portion of my life isn't going to last much longer. In part, that's because I recently bought a Vita (don't get too excited--it isn't due to be dropped on my doorstep for a week or so), and as such I'm planning to pick up a copy of Persona 4 Golden "tout de suite," as the French like to say.

Another reason my Persona virginity is likely to end soon is that I just watched the latest trailers for both Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Persona 5, and I'm now beyond stoked for both of these upcoming games.



Am I a bit bummed that I may not be able to play Persona 5 due to not owning a PS3 or PS4 (for the moment, at least)? Undoubtedly.

Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4: Dancing All Night are sure to keep my busy for some time, though, and after that, who knows? Maybe I'll get such a kick out of these Vita titles that I'll finally be willing to buy a PS3 just so I can play Persona 5 (and a few other games).

How about you? Are you, too, frothing at the mouth for either of these delicious-looking games?