Nippon Ichi Software just announced what appears to be a Half-Minute Hero rip-off for Vita, and I'm more than OK with it

After all, it's not like Marvelous, the maker of the Half-Minute Hero games, seems all that interested in continuing the series. So why not let the folks at Nippon Ichi Software, who have shown a similarly deft touch when dealing with quirky, sprite-centric titles, have a go at it?

This is assuming the just-announced Vita game, whose title apparently translates to something like World’s Longest 5 Minutes, actually is some sort of Half-Minute Hero rip-off or clone. At the moment, all we have to go by is its name and the image of what appears to be its pixelated protagonist that's placed front and center on its teaser site.



It's quite possible, of course, that the final product won't be a clone of the series that's called Yūsha Sanjū in Japan. Even if that's the case, though, I have a feeling I'll be interested enough in World’s Longest 5 Minutes to want to pick up a copy of it at some point down the line.

Actually, I might want to pick up a copy of it at launch. I'll probably hold off on that a bit, though, as you never know--some brave company may decide to bring it to North America. All bets are off in that regard, though, if World’s Longest 5 Minutes winds up with great cover art.

How about all of you? Are any of you intrigued by this game, which will be released in Japan on July 28, despite the fact that you don't know a whole lot about it? Or do you need to see it in action--or at least see a screenshot or two--before you can make that kind of decision? Share your thoughts one way or another in the comments section below.

Who else is thrilled that Nippon Ichi's Yomawari will be released in North America later this year?

What timing, eh?

I'm talking about the timing of the post I published yesterday, of course. The one about Yomawari's lovely case, cartridge and instruction sheet.

If you're wondering why I'm so pleased with the timing of that write-up, that would be because last night NIS America announced it'll release the previously Japan-only Vita game named above in my neck of the woods (North America) late this year.

That's some pretty thrilling news, if you ask me. After all, this spooky title features some absolutely stunning environments--not to mention some beyond-creepy enemies.

Both of those aspects are on full display in the game's first trailer, below:



As awesome as Yomawari: Night Alone (that's the full North American title) looks, I'm not sure I'll buy it once it's finally available here. That's only because I already own a copy of the Japanese version, though. What would push me toward buying it? A cheap price tag probably would be enough to do the trick. Should it be sold for more than $30 or even $40, I'll likely pass.

In the meantime, I'm going to make it a priority to spend at least a couple of hours with my Japanese cartridge in the next week or two. Assuming that actually happens, I'll whip up post about it so those of you who are on the fence regarding Night Alone can turn to my impressions when you go to make a decision.

Speaking of which, do any of you think you'll buy Yomawari: Night Alone, even if it's only given a digital release in this region? Or does the trailer above make you think it's not going to be your cup of tea?

See also: 'Nice Package! (Yomawari, Vita)'

Nice Package! (Yomawari, Vita)

Just before Halloween last year, Nippon Ichi Software released Yomawari, a Vita title that ticked off so many of my personal "these things make a great game" boxes that I decided early on it would be a travesty if I didn't pre-order a copy as soon as possible.

After all, Yomawari is both adorable and sort of creepy. Also, it has a great logo and sports some unquestionably stellar cover art.

And then there's the fact that it was made by the wonderful artists and programmers at Nippon Ichi, who have more than earned their reputation for being able to produce endearingly odd video games. 

Pretty much all of the components I just mentioned are showcased in the photo above, by the way. 

I guess you could say they're on display in this post's second snapshot, too. Sure, the yummiest traits of this Vita game's cover art are kind of compressed on its cartridge label, but I think it's still pretty snazzy even in its slightly altered state.

Sadly, Yomawari's otherwise beautiful packaging doesn't include an instruction manual. It does include the following slip of paper, the flip side of which is filled with text that appears to be of the "don't step on this cartridge with your smelly feet" and "try not to dunk this cartridge into a mug of steaming hot coffee" sort.

Oh, well. At least it features another gorgeous--and moody--illustration, right?

As for the back of Yomawari's case, well, it's far from the heights of the front cover, but it's also not a disaster. (Click on it to take a closer look at it, if you're into that sort of thing.)

Would you believe I've yet to even stick Yomawari's cart into my much-loved-but-often-ignored Vita? Yeah, you probably would--especially if you've been coming to this blog for any period of time.

I promise to do my best to rectify that situation in the next couple of weeks, though--despite the fact that I'm not really in the mood for a scary game at the moment. I'll also do my best to play some of the other Vita titles that have found their way into my arms in the last few months--some of which I'll chat about in my very next write-up.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Nippon Ichi Software's teasing a new game, and I think it may be related to the Cladun series

Raise your hand if you had a blast playing Nippon Ichi's Cladun: This is an RPG at some point after the quirky dungeon-crawler earned a worldwide release (for the PSP) back in 2010.

Now raise your other hand if you also enjoyed that game's sequel, Cladun x2, which first saw the light of day in 2011.

To those of you who now have both arms raised: I'm not quite sure how you're going to read the rest of this post (or start the video below), but I'm sure you'll concoct some sort of solution.



To the rest of you: watch and listen to the snippet above--yes, even those of you who have yet to even think of raising a hand--which the folks at NIS helpfully and straightforwardly named, "Title Teaser BGM."

In other words, the musical numbers featured in this teaser probably are from an upcoming Nippon Ichi game.

Given the chiptune-y sound of the tracks and the character sprite revealed at the video's tail end, I have a feeling the title's related to the company's Cladun series in some way. What do you think?

Feast your eyes on the first gameplay footage of htoL#NiQ's soon-to-be-released spiritual sequel, Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight

Is it weird to be excited about the sequel to a game you've never played?

If it is, I'm not embarrassed. The sequel in question--Roze to Tasogare no Kojou, which translates to something like Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight--looks amazing, and that's enough for me at the moment.

Plus, it's quite possible this soon-to-be-released Vita game will be less aggravating than its predecessor, htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, seems to be.

Speaking of which, I finally bought a copy of the Asian version of htoL#NiQ a couple of weeks ago, and it should be in my grubby little hands by the end of this weekend.



While we wait for that to happen, and while we wait for me to play it and then pass along my (hopefully not completely exasperated) impressions, let's check out the first footage of Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight. It certainly reminds of htol#NiQ, doesn't it?

The question is: will the gameplay be more enjoyable than that of The Firefly Diary? I have a feeling it will be, but there's no way to know for sure until April 28, which is when Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight hits store shelves in Japan.

Do any of you have designs on picking up this Vita title? Let me know why that is in the comments section that follows.

Pre-order: the regular (Japanese) edition of Roze to Tasogare no Kojou or the premium box edition

5 games I bought in 2015 that I've regrettably (some might say embarrassingly) failed to play

Here's an admission that should shock almost no one: I bought quite a few games--both old and new--in 2015.

Even less shocking to those of you who've been reading this blog for even a few weeks: I've only played a handful of those pick-ups so far.

I'll spend some time chatting about the ones I've actually spent time with in a post that'll be published in a couple of days. In this one, though, I'll blab about some of the ones I've regrettably (and embarrassingly) ignored.

Clock Tower (WonderSwan)--I was so excited when I finally acquired a WonderSwan system (along with five WonderSwan games) a few months ago. I've been buying WonderSwan games for a number of years now--read about some of them in these previously published posts--but until my black WonderSwan Color arrived on my doorstep in mid-October I was unable to play them. Anyway, you'd think that all of this would've prompted me to cram my freshly obtained Clock Tower cart into the aforementioned portable as soon as possible. After all, I've wanted to experience some version of Human Entertainment's point-and-click horror game for ages. Alas, it's still on the to-do list. As is the case with all of the games mentioned here, though, I'm planning to rectify matters in 2016.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)--I'll be honest here: I wasn't entirely sure what to think of this turn-based strategy game when Nintendo first unveiled it. Sure, Intelligent Systems' involvement thrilled me, and I also loved that they dared to take the genre in a unique direction with the comic-book setting and steampunk aesthetic on display here. On the flip side, though, I wasn't so enamored with their seeming obsession with garish colors. Still, I pre-ordered a copy as soon as I was able--and then promptly neglected to even open it after it was delivered.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)--True story: I've wanted to play Majora's Mask ever since I conquered the original Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina of Time back in the day. For whatever reason, though, I passed on Majora's Mask when it was released in 2000. Actually, I believe my brother and I owned a copy of it at one point, but I never went through its adventure myself. With that in mind, I happily pre-ordered this 3DS remake-of-sorts and then ... you know how this story ends by now, right?

Taiko no Tatsujin V Version (Vita)--When I first heard that the folks at Bandai Namco were prepping a new Taiko no Tatsujin game for the Vita, I was stoked. I own and love all three of the Taiko titles that were released (in Japan only, sadly) for the DS a few years back, and that affection pushed me to purchase iterations for the PSP and 3DS, too. So, why not add V Version to the pile, too, right? Unfortunately, I didn't give my Vita the attention it deserved in 2015, so this and other releases basically fell by the wayside. Hopefully that won't be the case in the coming year.

Yomawari (Vita)--Of all the unplayed games name-checked in this post, this one bugs me the most. Why? Yomawari is "my cup of tea," as that old saying goes. Specifically, it's cute, it's scary and it's portable. Yet it continues to sit in the same stack as the titles noted above. Admittedly, one reason I've been dragging my feet when it comes to booting up my copy of this Nippon Ichi production is that I'm a bit worried the in-game text will be over my head. Even if that proves true in the end, though, I won't know it for sure until I've actually given Yomawari a try, wouldn't you agree?

With all of that out of the way, what are some of the games--new or old--that you picked up in 2015 but failed to play?

Has any game ever looked as frightening *and* adorable as Nippon Ichi's Yomawari?

Seriously. Just look at this new trailer (below) for Nippon Ichi's Yomawari.

At first glance, it appears to be a cute, but dark, adventure game for the Vita. Then the enemies start popping around (around the 1:25 mark) and everything literally goes to hell.

As much as those hungry, toothy eyeballs scare the bejesus out of me, though, I'm going to do my best to play Yomawari as soon as my pre-ordered copy arrives on my doorstep.



That won't happen until sometime in early November, sadly, as the game doesn't hit Japanese store shelves until Oct. 29 and it'll take my purchase at least a week (if not two) to make its way to me.

I don't mind as much as I may be letting on, though, as the delay will give me plenty of time to figure out how I'm going to keep a grip on my precious pink-and-white Vita whenever one of Yomawari's adorable-yet-frightening baddies surprises me with its presence.

Are any of you similarly curious--if also a smidge apprehensive--about this upcoming spookfest? If so, please tell me why in the comments section below.

See also: previous posts about Yomawari

Speaking of Nippon Ichi's Yomawari (Vita), it's going to feature some really awesome enemies

I know I'm going a bit overboard with the posts about Yomawari at the moment. (Hell, I just published one yesterday.) Sorry about that.

If any upcoming Vita game--Japanese, North American or otherwise--could be said to be "right in my wheelhouse," though, it's this one. After all, not only is it cute as all get-out (look at its adorable protagonist for proof), but it's got a decidedly spooky edge to it, too.

Don't believe me? Check out some of the baddies that you're sure to find hiding in Yomawari's darkened corners and stalking its empty roadways:

That last one is my favorite, I have to say, although I like the idea of that disembodied cat head, too--especially since I can see it sending a chill or two down my spine if it caught me off guard.

By the way, if you'd like to take in images of a few more of the nightmare-inducing enemies that have been conjured up for this sure-to-be-unique Vita cart, which is set to be released in Japan on Oct. 29, head on over to game.watch.impress.co.jp as soon as you're able.

See also: 'I'm not entirely sure what we're going to get gameplay-wise from Nippon Ichi's Yomawari (Vita), but I think I want it anyway'

After eyeballing its beautiful debut trailer, I want Yomawari (Vita) even more than I did before...

A month after they pleased the three people in the known world who were clamoring for an adorable horror game that could be played on the Vita by revealing Yomawari, the brass at Nippon Ichi Software made the aforementioned folks even happier yesterday by finally making available a trailer that shows the in-the-works title in action.

Admittedly, I'm still a bit unsure as to how Yomawari will play--does the cute-as-a-button protagonist simply run away from the various baddies that are shown throughout this video, or will she be given means to battle them?--but that isn't doing much to dampen my interest in its release.

Speaking of which, Yomawari will hits store shelves (both physical and digital, I'm guessing) in Japan on Oct. 29--just in time for Halloween.



Will I be pre-ordering a copy--say, via amiami--so that I can play this girl-searches-for-her-sister-and-dog-in-a-creepy-setting game shortly after everyone's favorite spook-centric holiday takes leave for another year? I'm not sure.

On the one hand, I really want to experience Yomawari as soon as it humanly possible (even if I'm only able to understand a fraction of its story), while on the other, I can't shake the feeling that Nippon Ichi's North American arm will bring this Vita game to the region I currently call home sooner rather than later.

How about you? Are any of you also a bit conflicted about this upcoming adventure--especially after watching the trailer shown above? If so, please share why in the comments section below.

I'm not entirely sure what we're going to get gameplay-wise from Nippon Ichi's Yomawari (Vita), but I think I want it anyway

A few days ago, the powers that be Nippon Ichi finally loosened their lips regarding a horror-themed game the company first teased in late June.

The name of that game: Yomawari, which translates to ... actually, I have no idea what "Yomawari" means in English or any other language, I'm sad to say. Regardless, this in-the-works Vita game both sounds and looks pretty darn intriguing.

In terms of the former, the earliest reports about this autumnal release (Oct. 29--in Japan) have summarized its story as such: "lost in darkness, a girl attempts to find her sister and their dog."

In terms of the latter, feast your eyes on the following Yomawari screenshots:

Admittedly, what is shown here is a far cry from what was suggested by the first teaser video Nippon Ichi put out, but I personally prefer this htoL#NiQ-esque aesthetic to something more realistic, so you won't hear me complaining anytime soon.

So, what do all of you think? Does Yomawari sound and look interesting to you? Also, are any of you considering pre-ordering it? (You can do so now at amiami.com and play-asia.com, if so.)

Whatever the case may be, please feel free to share your opinions on the matter in the comments section below.

Nice Package! (The Adventures of Puppet Princess, PlayStation)

One of the byproducts of my most recent attempt to learn the Japanese language (don't worry, I'm still working on it, albeit slowly) has been a reignited interest in a certain world-conquering system made by a little company called Sony.

The system in question is the original PlayStation, naturally (OK, so I could've said it was the PS2, but to be honest I've always preferred Sony's first effort in this space to its second), and the focus of my renewed interest in this console has been on its amazingly diverse catalog of Japanese releases.

The game seen below, known outside of Japan as Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, is a good example. I mean, it's an RPG that stars a female protagonist and features all kinds of sing-songy cutscenes.



My original plan was to buy the North American version of this Nippon Ichi-made game, by the way, but I quickly changed course after I came across (while perusing eBay) the copy shown throughout this post.

Granted, it helped that this particular copy carried a surprisingly cheap price tag. (It was less than $5, to be exact.)



It also helped that I found The Adventures of Puppet Princess' cover art to be rather appealing in its Disney-esque simplicity.

The art produced for the front of this title's instruction manual (see above) is even nicer, if you ask me.



The inside of The Adventures of Puppet Princess' manual is stuffed with similarly adorable illustrations, with the ones shown above and below being but a fraction of what's made available to those who pick up copies of this PlayStation game.



Have any of you played some iteration or other of this lovely little RPG? If so, which version have you experienced, and what did you think of it?

See also: other recent 'Nice Package!' write-ups about Hyakumanton no Bara Bara (for the PSP), PoPoLoCrois Monogatari (for the PSone) and my new 'noble pink' Nintendo DS Lite

What I'm playing for #NISNovember: Marl Jong!! for PlayStation

Those of you who follow me or the Chic Pixel blog (or both) on Twitter probably have already heard that Chic Pixel's proprietress, Anne Lee, has proclaimed this month to be #NISNovember.

For the uninitiated, all that means is that Lee would like whoever is interested to play one or more games that have been developed or published by Japan's Nippon Ichi Software or NIS America at some point during the month of November and then use #NISNovember to tag any social-media posts that are related to your playthrough.



Anyway, thanks to the header above, I guess the cat's out of the bag in regard to which Nippon Ichi game I'm currently playing as part of #NISNovember.

Should Marl Jong!! not ring a bell for you, here's the gist: it's a Japan-only PlayStation game that combines NIS' "Marl Kingdom" characters--featured in games like Rhapsody, Little Princess and Tenshi no Present--with what seems to be a rather basic version of mahjong.



I say "seems" in the sentence above because I'm far from an expert when it comes to mahjong. I know enough to have beaten a few of my opponents in this particular game, though--which is more than I can say about my experience so far with, say, Nintendo's Yakuman for GameBoy.

Although I only recently acquired the copy of Marl Jong!! that can be seen throughout this post, I first became aware of the game some years ago, shortly after I discovered the wonderful world of emulation.
 


Don't worry, I attempted to track down an actual copy of the game as soon as I fell in love with its adorable graphics and accessible gameplay, but accomplishing that feat proved to be rather difficult--until, like I suggested a few sentences ago, I came across one on eBay.

Thankfully, the wait was worth it, as not only is the cover art that was made for Marl Jong!! all kinds of cute, but so is its disc and manual.



Along with Marl Jong!!, I'm also hoping to play one or more of the following DS titles as part of #NISNovember: Atelier Annie, Disgaea DS and Rhapsody. Have any of you played any of these games? If so, I'd greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts (good or bad) about them in the comments section of this post.

See also: 'On the one hand, I'm glad I finally own a copy of one of Nippon Ichi's first PlayStation games, Cooking Fighter Hao'

On the one hand, I'm glad I finally own a copy of one of Nippon Ichi's first PlayStation games, Cooking Fighter Hao

On the other, I wish I actually enjoyed playing this cooking-themed import.

Sadly, I doubt the latter is going to change anytime soon, as Cooking Fighter Hao has proven to be a monumentally tedious experience for me so far. It was fairly evident from the word go that would be the case, actually, as the game opens with may well be the world's most boring--and wordy--introductory cutscene.

After that, players are transported to a drab, gray arena and then tasked with battling a bunch of SNK rejects in an what can only be described as an Iron Chef-esque competition. Here, though, participants produce dishes by bashing the adorable (well, kind of) animals that scurry about each stage and then pressing the PlayStation controller's buttons or control pad in various ways once the cattle, chickens, crabs and such have been stunned into submission.

Although that may sound acceptable enough on paper (or, er, on blog), in reality it's anything but.

Add to this the fact that the aesthetics of Cooking Fighter Hao would have been considered middle of the road even if they'd appeared in an early Super Famicom release--although I personally quite like the sprites found in the battle scenes--and you've got yourself a rather disappointing PlayStation pick-up.

So why did I buy a copy of it? And why am I happy about it? My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the game was made by the folks at Nippon Ichi and, as such, it would be worth hunting down even if it literally were a piece of crap. After a bit of reflection, I'd add that, despite all of the criticism I've leveled at it so far, I still like Cooking Fighter Hao enough to own a copy of it--especially given the price I paid for this particular copy.

Plus, the game's packaging is pretty nice, as a quick glance at any of the photos strewn about this post should prove. I especially like its cover and disc art, by the way, although the manual sports some nice illustrations, too.

Have any of you experienced Cooking Fighter Hao in some form or fashion? If so, do you agree with my rather negative assessment of it, or have you enjoyed what you've played of it thus far?

After taking in its first trailer, I'm still hot to trot for Nippon Ichi's htol#NiQ (Vita)

I'd be even more hot to trot (hotter to trot?) for this upcoming Vita game if said trailer, below, did a better job of showing or explaining how it will play, of course, but even in its current state I'm still pretty hot for it.

The game's full title is Hotaru no Nikki, by the way, which translates to something akin to Firefly's Diary or Firefly Diaries.



A digital version of htol#NiQ will hit the Japanese PlayStation Store (with a price tag of 3,086 yen, or approximately $30) on June 16, while a "premium box" will arrive at retail (for about $58) on the same day.

See also: 'You say htol#NiQ, I say gorgeous Vita game'

Calling all present and future Vita owners: here's a Q&A about DanganRonpa that's worth a peek

I'm going to have a very interesting decision to make once Sony finally gets around to announcing the Vita TV's North American release: am I going to buy one of those sleek (and cheap) micro-consoles--along with a handful of games, of course--or am I going to buy a regular ol' Vita?

Regardless, I think the writing is on the wall that I'm going to buy a Vita in some form over the next 12 months or so--thanks in large part to the release of delicious-looking games like Spike Chunsoft's DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.



Speaking of which, DieHard GameFan's Joshua Moore recently picked the brains of two Nippon Ichi Software of America staffers about their employer's decision to localize this enhanced remake of the first DanganRonpa title, which achieved a respectable amount of attention from Japanese PSP owners all the way back in 2010.

A few of the passages of this Q&A--with Phoenix Spaulding, the NISA editor working on the project, and David Alonzo, the company's marketing coordinator--that particularly stuck out for me:

Spaulding on why NISA decided to work on this title--"We’d been doing a lot with the Vita and wanted to do something that was a little bit outside of our normal wheelhouse. The tone is really different from anything we’ve done and the gameplay is different, but we saw with 999 and Virtue's Last Reward that there’s an audience [for this type of game], not just in Japan, but an establishing audience here as well."



Spaulding on DanganRonpa's being like 999 mixed with Phoenix Wright--"In terms of style, I guess that closest thing that a lot of people would know would be the Phoenix Wright games, where there’s sort of two components: the research and investigative part, and the trial portion. It’s sort of an information game where you have to keep track of a lot of details and look for those little points in the game." Also, like 999 and Virtue's Last Reward, the tone and style are "very dark, where you can’t really trust anyone and your life is on the line, while you’re sort of under pressure to figure out what’s going on."

Spaulding on the title's "hardcore gameplay"--"A lot of people tend to describe [the game] as sort of a visual novel, or that kind of thing, but I think people will be surprised that there’s a lot of hardcore gameplay elements that people don’t realize: there’s a lot of timing-based stuff, once you get to the class trial you’re not just sitting there. It’s very active, you have to be paying attention. There’s a lot more than just sitting there reading a lot of text."



To read the full comments of Spaulding and Alonzo, direct your browser of choice to diehardgamefan.com.

DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc will be released in both Europe and North America--and in both digital and physical formats, I believe--in early 2014, courtesy of NISA. Pre-order the boxed US version here.

Box art déjà vu

A few weeks ago, the folks at Nippon Ichi opened the proverbial floodgates related to its upcoming (it'll be released in Japan on Sept. 26) PS3-based ARPG, Arcadias no Ikusa Hime.

Shortly after it released a bunch of stunning screenshots of this Odin Sphere-esque game, in fact, it also unveiled its beautiful box art:

Call me crazy, but the first thing that came to mind after I stumbled across the box art above was the imagery that will front Japanese copies of another coming-soon-to-a-store-near-you PS3 title, Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Granted, this kind of "arrange all of the game's characters in a circle" design is hardly new--see the cover art produced for Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, among others--but I was still a bit shocked when I realized just how similar the two examples above are to one another.

See also: 'Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better? (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn edition)'

Oh, hey, yet another PS3 game I'd probably buy if I, you know, had a PS3

One thing that I forgot to mention in yesterday's post about the recording of the third episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever: We also discussed my admittedly surprising lack of a PS3.

Full disclosure: It's always been my intention to own all three of the "current gen" consoles at some point in time. Thanks to my current obsession with the 3DS, and to Nintendo's idiotic decision to region-lock that particular portable, though, I've yet to a PS3 to my collection.



Although I recently commented (in this post) that I was considering forgoing the PS3 and its games altogether, I have a feeling the more likely scenario is that I'll wait until the PS4 (or whatever Sony winds up calling it) is released and then I'll pick up a PS3 "on the cheap," so to speak.

The question is: Which games will I purchase alongside it? A few of the obvious ones I've mentioned here before include Journey, Ni No Kuni, Tokyo Jungle and Valkyria Chronicles. Well, an additional possibility was added to that ever-expanding list yesterday, with that "possibility" being NIS' Kami-sama to Unmei Kakumei Paradox.



All you really need to know about this "spiritual successor to Zettai Hero Project" is that it's being made by the company's Disgaea team. Should you need to know more about it, though, hopefully the following comments, shared by NIS America's Jack Niida during a recent interview with RPGamer, will suffice:

"In this title, a young man wins a department store lottery game, only to discover that what he's won is a divine power to change people's destiny. In order to save people, he has to take on various roles and somehow find a way to change whatever fate may await them.

"The actual gameplay in Kami-Para is the sort of thing that NIS is best known for: Hardcore tactical combat. Any quirks or environmental factors in combat have yet to be revealed."

Cladun X2 kinda, sorta gets a North American release date

NIS America's Nao Zook took to the PlayStation Blog earlier today to chat about three of the company's upcoming games: Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, Cladun X2 and Disgaea 4.

The most interesting comment to escape Zook's lips? That Cladun X2--packed full of Mota's wonderful character designs, one of which can be seen above--will hit PSN at the end of this month. (To those of you who are interested: Atelier Totori will hit the streets on Sept. 27 while Disgaea 4 will precede it on Sept. 6.)

Admittedly, I would have preferred a solid release date, but as is far too often the case I'll take what I can get.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Disgaea 4 edition)

One of the first games I'll buy after I (finally) obtain a PS3 will be Disgaea 4. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Until then, I'll stare longingly at the game's beautiful box art.

But which piece of art will I stare at--the one that graced the cover of the Japanese version of this Nippon Ichi-developed game (released in late February), or the one that will welcome Disgaea fans when the series' latest sequel appears on store shelves in the States sometime in the next few months?

Here's Disgaea 4's Japanese box art, by the way:

And here's the game's US box art:

Hold on to your hats, because I'm actually going with the US box art for once. The Japanese art is nice enough, but it's a bit too busy, don't you think?

See also: Every previous 'Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better?' post

Don't you hate it when a sequel is announced before you've had a chance to buy the original?

I sure do.

As such, I was a bit bummed when I read (here) that the dedicated staff at Nippon Ichi Software are busy prepping a sequel to Classic Dungeon: Fuyoku no Masoujin (ClaDun: This is an RPG in the States).



Apparently, Classic Dungeon 2 will feature more job classes, more magic and, most importantly, more loot. (I love loot, don't you?)

I guess this means I should buy the original sooner rather than later--especially if I want the sequel to show up on our shores.