DO NOT TOY WITH MY EMOTIONS, SEGA

When Sega bought Index, everyone had at the very least an uneasy feeling about the whole matter and weren't really all that afraid to voice it.  As someone -not- in Japan who enjoys RPGs, it's got all the potential of being the worst news you could stand to hear, since Atlus (one of Index's main companies) is one of the big last bastions of RPGs and Sega is one of the few big companies that clearly does not give a shit about everywhere that isn't Japan anymore.  Technically, this meant that Sega has the power to decide what came out of Atlus and how and where, but we all really, really hoped that they simply wouldn't exert that authority and would instead just allow Atlus to do what Atlus does which is making money.  Which is likely something Sega would like them to do.  It's what we all want, clearly.

Thankfully, that's what Sega says they're intending on doing.  They say they're going to let Index (which basically means Atlus) operate independently and continue just doing what they're doing.  Which would have meant a -lot- more if it had been stated before the massive Persona announcement event last weekend, but, well, Sega's thing has never really been good timing.  Regardless, it's comforting to know that, beyond Persona Q, Persona Ultimax Suplex Hold or whatever it's called, the strangely convenient Persona:  Dancing All Night that's being co-developed by one of Sega's studios that does rhythm/dancing games and Persona 5 that Atlus will be free and able to do whatever they please.  Which apparently goes on to have an even deeper meaning than it appears on the surface.

You see, in addition to claiming that Atlus has free reign over their own affairs, Sega has basically said that if Atlus wants to take a crack at some old, under-utilized Sega IPs, they're absolutely free to them.  This is the part where rational thought leaves your body and you consider an Atlus-developed Phantasy Star V and somebody has to call over somebody else with a mop.  And then you go "Oh, they actually wouldn't do that because Phantasy Star is just the online series now" and be a little sad.  But then you'll go "WAIT SHIT VALKYRIA CHRONICLES" and start thinking about a Valkyria Chronicles game with S. Links Officer Bonds and here comes the mop again but then you start to wonder if Atlus can nail the specifics of a third-person shooter/turn-based strategy game since that's a little outside of their realm.  So then you just think about Skies of Arcadia 2 and you're cautious now and sure enough, you wonder the same thing about Valkyria Chronicles, but with the Ship-to-Ship combat and such.

So basically what I'm getting at is that it would be pretty awesome, but I don't know how awesome.  I have the utmost faith in their ability to create a compelling story with compelling characters that have compelling motivations and actions with compelling direction, but, well, I've never played a Persona game for the dungeon-crawling.  That may be a sort of blasphemy and I understand that, but I'm well within my rights to be a little wary of the situation because the games in question - Valkyria Chronicles and Skies of Arcadia - are very particular games, and require a delicate touch by those familiar with it, -or- a company that's so damn good at mechanics that they can spoof them well enough while tightening and improving them.  Atlus is probably capable of that!  I just haven't seen it happen, and I can't say that I would enjoy a Valkyria Chronicles 4 if it was any less of a game mechanics-wise than 2 was since it was my last dip into the series.

Still, it's good that Sega is attempting to assuage fears, even if I'm just going to say "Pfft, whatever Sega, you goddamn liars" and reserve my judgment til such a time when Atlus has released their last four Persona games and are working on another one or SMT V or something that concludes 'business as usual' for them.  Or, you know, actually working on a Sega IP even if I'd be biting my nails the entire time it was being developed.  But I'm still mad at you, Sega.  I'm going to be mad for a while because you keep hurting me, and no amount of Persona is going to make up for the Yakuza-shaped holes in my heart and gaming collection.  Though since you have access to Atlus USA, you know you can fix that.  They know it.  They just don't care.

honestly, if Atlus could just remake Phantasy Star I-IV I would buy the ever-loving shit out of it

Persona Persona Persona

The other night, there was all sorts of Persona announcements and it was a pretty great time unless you were actually watching it as it was happening.  Because that was a nerve-wracking experience, I'm told, what with Atlus trolling the shit out of everyone.  On a molecular level.  Which is...admittedly fun to experience after-the-fact as a sort of educational bit of how to endlessly torture someone in the span of the hours the actual event covered during the announcement parts.  Regardless, the important part is the games that they revealed in the event and not so much the means with which they did so.  Even if it was just...just hilarious and fantastic on some schadenfreude-laced level.

Probably the second-most high-profile announcement of the night was that of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth which will release on the 3DS in June of 2014.  Details were scarce at the time of announcement, but we've since learned a few more bits about it.  First, there was a trailer (linked to the page, not the video itself) that showed off a good bit of the gameplay alongside some words in the actual page itself that seemed to suggest, yes, the SEES Team from Persona 3 and the Investigation Team from Persona 4 will be crossing over, but not in some sort of free-for-all.  Which...is kind of weird to say when the actual video shows Yu, Yosuke, Mitsurugi, Yukari and Aigis in the same All-Out Attack, but they basically mean for story purposes.  Which is precisely the wrong way to approach a cross-over game, but, hell, what do I know, I suppose.  Not like I wanted Brosuke and Junpei to brofist and thus uncreate the universe through a Bro-Singularity or anything awesome like that.

Of course, there were even more details meted out since then, but they're fairly sparse in what's actually being revealed.  The game takes place in Persona 4's school though there seems to be a Persona 3 Tartarus theme to it since there's a clock tower that just sort of appears out of nowhere and is rumored to usher in the death of all who hear it ring.  You know, normal stuff.  Of course, it also seems like there will be Day/Night sections to the game, as the page mentions school events as things that will happen that allow the P3 cast and P4 cast to have some limited interaction.  Honestly, that means that it really just sounds like Persona 3 at Persona 4's location with both teams....which is fine by me.  The same dudes on Persona Team seem to be handling the game as well, though perhaps not in their usual roles.  Still, Shoji Meguro will be producing the soundtrack which means it's going to be awesome.  Certainly something to look out for.

Probably the most....special announcement of the night was that of Persona 4: Dancing All Night for the Playstation Vita.  If you were wondering just what would come of the recent buyout of Index by Sega Sammy, well, here's the first proper product of it.  Dingo, the developers of the Hatsune Miku:  Project Diva games are the folks behind this, so if you bought either of the versions of the game that Sega decided to localize over, you know, any fucking other game at all, then you'll know exactly what you're looking into here.  From what I can tell, there's only Yu Narakami, Rise Kujikawa and a new character who has a Megidoloan Cute smile and a name I can't quite parse nor do I care to google for because ehhhhhhhhh.

I'm not really sure what I think about this game.  I see the 3DS getting what essentially looks like a proper Persona game that's a cross-over of P3 and 4, albeit with an unpleasant art style for me, and then I see the Vita getting...a rhythm game.  A rhythm game that only pulls from Persona 4 in music, and only has three announced characters that might not actually get more characters.  I'm hoping there's going to be more to the game than what we've seen, but I'm just not seeing -how-, and that coupled with the knowledge that it'll still release at full price (as in likely $40) just seems to drag my potential mirth for the game to below sea levels.  Especially since it's all but dashed my dreams of seeing Kanji do a righteous step to Mass Destruction.  That's right.  Tell me you don't want to fucking experience that now so I can call you a goddamn liar.

Persona 4:  The Ultimax Suplex Hold (I don't know either) is getting the highly-expected Playstation 3 port next year to match the Arcade release of it.  Uncle Dojima's partner Adachi was revealed as one of the new fighters in it, alongside Yukari and Junpei who were announced months back.  That's...uh...

Yeah, that's about that.

So really, there were some assorted announcements and they ranged from pretty interesting to "okay", but overall it wa-

Oh, right, there was one other thing announced.  Some little thing that you might not even really care about called Persona 5.

Persona 5 was announced for the Playstation 3 and will release sometime in "Winter" 2014 in Japan, which most likely means Winter Quarter which is...you know, the tail-end of the year.  Which means we probably won't see it on American shores until 2015 and what part of 2015 is very much up for debate.  After the other announcements, I'm sure you can guess, but there aren't very many details out there about the game except for a few tidbits released later.  Tidbits that are, apparently, the only ones we'll see during 2013 which is kind of disappointing, but it only further serves to feed the hype-machine which is...what they want, after all.

Like Persona 3 and 4, Persona 5 will take place in a high school setting, though the theme of the game is a bit different.  Instead of facing the miserable truths of the universe ala Persona 3 and facing the miserable truths of oneself ala Persona 4, Persona 5 will be about 'being restrained by modern society' and the breaking of those bonds.  They also claim that it's going to have a different 'mood', but it'll still be familiar and reassuring for the fans.  Which...I cannot even really fathom what it's going to mean.  Between Persona 3's sometimes-overly-depressive narrative and Persona 4's always-upbeat-even-though-we're-tracking-a-serial-killer tone, they've covered a rather wide swath of moods, but I suppose there's still ground to be broken, though just where it is, I'm not sure.

So basically there was just so much Persona announced which is good for us fans, since, well, more Persona is always a good thing.  Just what titles we'll end up seeing in the west and when are up for debate, but the big one is definitely coming over so that's what matters.  Still...the wait is going to be painful.

I can pretty much just list a bunch of Persona 3 songs that I want Persona 4 characters to dance to, goddamnit Sega

Goddamnit Sega - Yakuza 5 Localization "On Hold"

So, you guys like Sega news, right?  Well, how about Sega non-news?  Is that also good?  Because that's what this amounts to, really.  Sega's CCO recently stated that Yakuza Ishin is getting all their man-power to ensure it makes the PS4 launch, meaning things like localizing Yakuza 5 simply aren't on the table for now.  As in the game that's already been out in Japan for just under a year (released last December), there's been absolutely no work done on a localization for it in that year.  Presumably because they started on Ishin right away, but still, that's a bit egregious.  Also more than a little worrying considering this is fucking Sega we're talking about here.  But it's not like Yakuza 3 didn't take its sweet time getting over here either, so it's not exactly unprecedented.

Yakuza Ishin, if you weren't aware, is another game that goes back to the era of Japan where Samurai still wandered the lands, much like Yakuza Kenzan! which...well, you know how that story ends.  Or rather, you probably don't since it was never ever released outside of Japan.  So I'm not exactly buoyed by the news that they're working on a game that is potentially going to stay inside of Japan for its entire lifespan instead of localizing a game that could have and should see a release in the rest of the world.  There have been rumblings that it'll get localized, sure.  Potentially by Sony's new Third Party Productions division instead of Sega proper, but maybe even by Sega.  Or maybe by Atlus USA since that's definitely a possibility now.  It would definitely be nice, and a boon for PS4 and Vita both since the game is releasing on the PS4 and will at least be Remote Play-able on the Vita as well, if not boasting some other sort of functionality on top of that.  Not to mention the PS4 will be wanting for games in the first year or so as all new systems are (especially since it can't rely on backwards compatibility) so a Yakuza game to ease into the system would be very good.

Of course, that's all considering whether or not it makes it outside of Japan and just how long it'll take.  It's launching alongside the PS4 in Japan and we get the PS4 a little bit earlier on top of that.  That's sort of the key point in the matter here, and it's expressed through a line that absolutely just...kills me to read because it's so absurd when you think about it.

Nagoshi explained that due to the Yakuza team's size, they decided to pass up working on a port of Y5 to focus solely on Ishin. Nagoshi feels that he and his team "owe it to PlayStation fans" for Ishin to be a PS4 launch title, "even if it means a bit of pressure."

Emphasis mine, obviously.  If nothing, that's ridiculously telling of Sega's attitude towards the whole situation, since he says "Playstation Fans" when this is really only for Japan, are you fucking kidding me?  That is the specific situation here - this is a game being finished up for the Japanese PS4 launch and -only that-, but you're saying you owe it to "Playstation Fans" to do that?  The point I'm clearly leading to is that there are Playstation Fans everywhere outside of Japan and they fucking know this by now.  Their constant lack of acknowledgement is frustrating, and is definitely at least somewhat the reason for their lackluster sales in the West.  There's no guarantee that a Sega game you like will be continued and if it is, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to play it, which tends to stay the purchasing hand in the first place.  It happened with Phantasy Star, it happened with Valkyria Chronicles and it seems to be happening with Yakuza here (could argue that it already has with Kenzan! and Black Panther series) and it's hurting Sega far more than anything else.  Pick a side of the fence and stick with it.

And it's not like it'd take much effort to make the Yakuza series seem like it's going to be around in other regions.  Advertising is crucial, of course and they did a lot of that with 4, but it didn't seem to really take which is unfortunate because 4's advertisement was grand.  That had a lot to do with the residual distaste of Sega that clearly still lingers today, however.  All you need to do, if you're Sega, is announce that the Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Remaster is getting localized (Physical and/or Digital, I suppose.  Would prefer Physical, but I'll take what I can fucking get) and then get Yakuza 3 and 4 on the Playstation store with a bundle version of the two as well.  ($40 individually, $60 for both+the few bits of DLC that came out for them or something, maybe even a super bundle of all four games)  Then announce that Yakuza 5 is indeed getting localized and point to those previous efforts to show that you can get the whole Yakuza experience on Playstation 3 in order to be prepared for the launch of 5.  Punctuates the lead-in and you suddenly have a series that is expansive and crazy but accessible to anyone because it's just two purchases (or maybe even one) has it all right there on a single console.  No muss, no fuss, it's all just there for you to enjoy.

If you'd do all that and also work out with TPP to localize Ishin (or Restoration as it'll probably be called) then it creates an exponential effect, because it establishes a sense of security.  It's suddenly a series that you -can- get into because it's going to keep coming and it's going to keep coming out -here-.  Do a little focused advertising on top of that (maybe a goddamn commercial, yeah?) and you'll have an entire new pool of customers to dip into who will grow to appreciate the product as the quality work that it is.  That I even have to figure this out and explain it, however, is the height of frustration since it's very obvious things that they could do to bolster goodwill.  And if Sega needs anything at this point and beyond, it's goodwill because without that, they could release Call of fucking Duty and it'd sell like shit.  Maybe one of these days they'll figure it out themselves.

by the way, still waiting on word for Phantasy Star Online 2 which will literally print money in the West

Sega Sammy Bought Index Corporation

Pretty much anyone who follows gaming news in the slightest has probably heard the news, but if not, then it's best to just say this fast and get it over with.  Sega Sammy has purchased Index Corporation for 14 Billion Yen, which, as we know, means that Sega Sammy now owns Atlus.  Since Atlus was one of the myriad of subsidiaries of Index Corporation, who went bankrupt when it was discovered that they were cooking the books because they felt like they just weren't making enough money.  Because Persona doesn't sell gangbusters or anything over there.  My point is that Atlus probably made Index a ton of fucking money and they're kind of idiots for....not just being happy with that, getting their entire corporation into insolvency to the point where they're bought by fucking Sega Sammy of all things.

Sega Sammy, as you might know, is the proper name for the entirety of the Sega enterprise and does not specifically refer to the entity that we know as Sega.  Also known as "Those assholes who won't localize any of their fucking games".  Sammy actually bought out Sega years ago, since they had the cash to do so, what with their crazy pachinko empire and such, hence the merger name Sega Sammy.  That explanation was made, of course, to reinforce the fact that it is Sega Sammy, the parent company, and not actually Sega proper, the subsidiary, that purchased Index Corporation   This is an important tidbit!  Because it allows you to think that Sega, the subsidiary, who is full of assholes that make amazing games and refuse to sell them to 95% of the world, does not have control over Index Corporation or, more importantly, Atlus.

So of course, this is where I crush all your hopes and dreams by stating that "Sega Dream Corporation" was created as a subsidiary of Sega to handle Index Corporation and all its holdings.  Because clearly, you want the company that you had to financially bail out, and has never really recovered to handle your newest asset that you purchased because they were also facing money troubles, albeit on sort of the other end of the spectrum.  Clearly, this is a brilliant business move that I just don't see the intelligence of.  What I -do- see, myself, is basically two ways that this scenario can play out.

Scenario the first: in which we exist in a just world filled with sugar landscapes and rainbow-farting unicorns.  Sega (either directly or through SDC which is basically just semantics) looks over Index's holdings and goes "You know, aside from the whole massive fraud, you guys were doing pretty great, so we're not going to change a whole lot.  Aside from the....massive fraud thing, clearly."  Then they take a look at Atlus and by extension Atlus USA and get a light bulb over their collective heads.  They decide to hand off any combination of Valkyria Chronicles 3, Yakuza Kenzan (this will never happen, btw), Yakuza 1&2 HD Collection and Yakuza 5 (if Sony's new Third Party group isn't taking this one as they might be taking over Restoration) to Atlus USA for North American localization and publishing.  They also announce and advertise these projects in an attempt to actually see them sell.  Everyone is surprised and delighted.  Everything is amazing, life is wonderful.

Scenario the second:  in which we exist in a world prone to abject shittiness filled with disappointment and bad decisions.  Sega decides to gut the bulk of Index Corporation as nicely as they can to maximize the profits they can pull in from it for the very, very short amount of time wherein such a thing is viable, leaving Atlus Japan more or less untouched because delicious Persona money.  Restructuring hits Atlus USA to make it a shell building that doesn't really get to do a whole lot because Sega just don't give a fuck about Localizations.  Not only are Sega's franchises still never coming to American shores, but now we have to legitimately worry about Atlus titles (aside from Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem) coming out in America for absolutely no fucking good reason.  Everyone is surprised and horrified.  Everything is terrible.

There is obviously a middle-ground between the two scenarios, which is -likely- what's going to happen at the end of this, but I am not optimistic for the chances of Scenario the first.  It probably wouldn't be so worrisome if it was something branched off of Sega Sammy proper overseeing Index's husk, since they'd be far more apt to let everything run as it was, again, minus the massive fraud.  It's very decidedly a thing to watch and see develop, however, which means it's going to be a tense while til it's apparent which way the pendulum is swinging.  Here's hoping for more Atlus USA love, however.

there is a specific reason why I have a tag for "Goddamnit Sega"

Sega and Nintendo Are Getting Cozy

If you've been paying attention to Wii U news at all in the last day or so, then you've seen the above screenshot.  You know what it is.  You know -why- it is.  So you know why I'm using it - not only because it's like the only damn screenshot flying around (I believe), but because it's already created a little bit of a buzz on its own merits.  For those in the dark, the above is a screenshot or concept shot of Sonic:  Lost World, the newly announced Sonic game that will launch exclusively for the Wii U and 3DS at some point in the near-to-far future.  However, what it represents is something far bigger than just one game, no matter how good or not the game itself will be.  Personally, based on Generations, I'm hedging towards "really good", but we'll just have to see on that one.

Sonic:  Lost World is the first of a three-game exclusivity deal titled as a "Worldwide Partnership" that Sega and Nintendo have decided on with regards to the Sonic franchise.  This was announced during the Nintendo Direct from the other day and, as mentioned, made something of a splash considering Lost World -seems- like it's going to be a big-deal Sonic game.  Of course, Sonic games coming out exclusively on Nintendo consoles isn't anything new - look at Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Colors, all exclusive to the Wii, with at least Colors being fairly well-regarded.  So to find out that they're running with that (ha!) still isn't much of a surprise, even after Generations skipped the Wii (and I believe the 3DS version wasn't quite full-featured).

The second game of the three-game deal, you might be wondering?  Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for the Wii U.  It's the fourth installment of that particular franchise that I really don't see how it has seen four iterations.  It's...probably going to release sometime around Winter.  Moving on...

Switching gears for -just- a moment, and offering a nice little segue in the process, another part of the Nintendo Direct was the announcement that the 3DS' Virtual Console is getting more classic Game Gear games.  And classic in this case actually means classic, and not 'classic'.  With just about every Sonic game that came out for the device announced - Sonic Blast, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic Labyrinth, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the tangentially related Tails Adventure - and a few other things to write home about surely - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Shining Force II:  The Sword of Hajya and Vampire:  Master of Darkness - it's more than a little bit of a welcome development.  Announced all at the same time, it sort of elevates it by that much more, and makes me wonder how Sega can manage to get that many games up at once (or at least lined up at once), given how....difficult it seems to be to actually populate the Virtual Console.

Getting back to that third game that was mentioned as part of the deal, you're probably wondering what it is.  Truth is, we -all- are, since it's yet-to-be-announced and is likely going to be an E3 hold-over (even though Nintendo still isn't going to have an official E3 presser, just an obvious presence).  But simple knowing that it's going to be -something-, and that it's going to involve Sonic in some fashion leaves the door wide open to a whole network of possibilities.

From my little bit of investigating and a little bit of my own thought, one prominent theory seems to be a Mario Kart/Sonic All-Stars Racing Cross-over.  Which, I personally think is rather brilliant.  For some reason, to me it's felt like the Mario Kart series has been going a little downhill, though I'm not quite sure if I base that on my own personal opinion or opinions I've gleaned from portions of the internet.  Still, regardless of quality or lack thereof, the Wii U has not yet seen a Mario Kart game and with Nintendo's pro-crossover stance (as evidenced by Pokemon X Nobunaga's Ambition, Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei, etc.) combining what are, in fact, two actual popular franchises into one with the added effect of that extra impact seems like a no-brainer.  Who -wouldn't- want to hop into a vehicle as Knuckles and Dash past Bowser, for instance?  Or, maybe even drive Luigi right past Sonic to pick up a last-moment first place?  It's definitely the thing I would expect from the last game of the deal, but we won't hear anything about it til about E3.

Now, my own personal hope would be for something a little more....inspired.  Which is a funny thing to say since my idea is basically Sonic Generations, but with Sonic -and- Mario, but, hey, Generations was pretty damn inspired, really.  Both franchises have seen shining installments in side-scrolling and fully 3D games and doing a mash-up of their various levels and styles would be something to see, especially since you have to find a happy middle ground for their clashing design philosophies.  Since Sonic is 'Gotta Go Fast', meaning he's got to have a longer track to go on than most of the classic Mario levels could offer, perhaps they could do a sort of system where all levels of a zone are connected end-to-end (as they are in the game, really) so Sonic speeds through an entire zone in a go rather than just 1-1 or 3-2.  Alternatively, having Mario bounced around by bumpers in a 3D, brightly-lit Casino-themed level from one of the Sonic installments with badass music in the background just brings some sort of sensation of joy to my brain and I'm not sure why.

If nothing else, that just goes to show just how open speculation can be on this sort of thing since details are very very sparse and we're just given a few things that are, likely just meant to inspire certain avenues of thought.  I know people are already thinking Lost World might be in the vein of a Mario Galaxy-type game because of the look of that single screenshot and Nintendo's involvement, and hell, that might actually be a good idea.  And even if the third game is 'just' a Mario Kart/Sonic All-Stars Racing Cross-Over, well, that's not a bad deal at all.  Of course, the game doesn't -have- to involve Mario at all, but it would seem a bit silly to announce two Sonic games...roughly at the same time, which is what they'd do, so unless he's partnering up with a different character (which isn't a bad thought), then look for -some- sort of Mario involvement.  Just one more reason to eagerly await E3, I suppose.

Sega also announced Yakuza 1&2 HD for the Wii U in Japan only and I couldn't think of a way to integrate that since it means nothing for North America, goddamnit Sega

Valkyria Chronicles 3 Characters See a Western Release This Summer

So that means Valkyria Chronicles 3 is getting localized, right?

No, of course not.  That would be silly.

Instead, Project X Zone, the very Japanese collaborative 3DS project between Namco, Capcom and Sega is going to see a release everywhere outside of Japan this summer under Namco's publishing.  This is only marginally less silly, but less silly is less silly regardless.  Of course, given Nintendo's unfriendliness to importers, this is basically the only way we would be able to play this game over here outside of buying a Japanese 3DS, so it's a victory all around.  I admit, prior to tonight I really didn't pay any attention whatsoever to news of the game since I had imagined its chances for a release outside of Japan were quite low, especially with Sega's involvement and especially especially because of Sega's characters from games which will never be officially released outside of Japan, but Namco apparently wants to make a splash in the whole publishing scene, I suppose.  A PR splash, that is, because let's face it - Project X Zone is going to be a niche title at best.  Best to accept that up front.

So what -is- Project X Zone aside from a really weird title that will hopefully(?) be updated for the localized release?  I...am not quite sure, really.  It's very much one of those games that I suppose you are just supposed to know about since nobody really seems to want to explain what it is.  After some digging, however, I did suss up a bit of a clue to its nature.  Apparently it is a sort of Strategy RPG game with Action RPG elements for the times where you initiate battle on the board tiles.  And when I say it is a sort of Strategy RPG with Action RPG elements, I think I am supposed to switch that, saying that it is an Action RPG with Strategy RPG elements, since it seems fairly light on that and really focuses on the times where you actually fight, as pictured above.  It seems to be an ultra-damage, get your ridiculous number blinders on type of affair if I'm hearing right, so that's certainly a thing.

Oh, it's also a cross-over game, which is probably worth mentioning even though you have probably figured that out by now.  Characters from a multitude of Sega, Namco and Capcom franchises are going to be involved in all sorts of ways, totaling to over 200 characters from all involved, including a few original characters here and there.  The bulk of the rosters will be featured on the field as playable characters, most of them in the battling pairs that you navigate around the map for that portion of the gameplay, though some of them are single combatants, some are simply support characters (or NPCs, I imagine) and some, actually, are probably enemy characters that are in the world solely for you to have someone to fight other than 'original' things.  Probably.  I mean, I cheated a bit and looked at the Wiki Page for the game because I really want some goddamn information now, but I'm not sure what to think.

Notably, the game will see characters from both Valkyria Chronicles 3 in Kurt, Riela and Imca, and the first one in Selvaria Bles, as well as all three protagonists from Resonance of Fate to rep Sega's franchises.  (Yes, there's plenty of others, but I only really care about those ones.)  Capcom brings the usual suspects in Mega Man X (who they still trot out every now and then, see?) and Zero, Dante from Devil May Cry (classic Dante, though it really doesn't matter) and a handful of Street Fighter characters, not to mention some Darkstalkers and Ghosts N' Goblins characters to remind everyone of the older stuff.  Namco, not to be outdone, is throwing in a few Tekken characters, not to mention characters from .Hack, Tales of Vesperia and friggin' Xenosaga, which takes the third place of 'series from which there are characters that I care about' after perusing the whole list of the confirmed cast.  I loves me some Xenosaga...as long as it's the first and third episode.  Jenseits von Gut und Böse never happened as far as I'm concerned, throwing it into a surprisingly large category of 'series where the second game is utter shit'.

Speaking of bad games, we should be careful not to get ahead of ourselves in the whole excitement department here.  Opinions opinions and all that, but in my digging, I did not find super glowing remarks about the game....or even kind of sparkly remarks about it.  It should be noted that the game was worked on by a developer named Banpresto who you probably have not heard of since their main claim to fame is the Super Robot Wars franchise....which has seen precisely three releases in Not-Japan (under the banner of Super Robot Taisen) thanks to Atlus.  Monolith Soft, who had their hands in the Xeno- games (including Xenoblade Chronicles) has also been attached to the title, but I'm not sure it's Monolith Soft proper (possibly like a B team) and I doubt their involvement was very major.  It seems like a Banpresto project through and through which...might not be the best thing one could say about it.

Still, perhaps I'm wrong.  There really isn't a whole lot of chatter about the game on the internet, which is slightly worrisome in terms of how well it will actually do, so it's entirely possible that the people yelling about it are the vocal minority that comes out of the woodwork to complain about everything and anything.  We'll all have a chance to find out the truth behind the quality of the game come this Summer, and, if only because Sega is attached, I do genuinely hope that it does at least decently.  I know there's no real way to tell any one single of the three companies "I am buying this because of you," which is a little unfortunate, because if we could I would consider it just to tell Sega that I want VC3 -that badly-.  Even though they don't care about that.  And they don't care that I've been playing Binary Domain and I absolutely goddamn love it and I will sing its praises from the rooftops one of these nights like I have done with the Yakuza games so many nights here.  So there you have it - a story that doesn't even have that much to do with Sega, and yet I still find a reason to say it.

Goddamnit Sega.

Jet Set Radiooooo!

I like the Graffiti maker..

You better believe I got in on some of that sweet sweet Jet Set Radio love as soon as it was available and indeed, it was just Tuesday night, the very first night it was available that I had the game downloaded and picked into it for the first time.  I don't remember a lot about the game in its initial release on the Dreamcast, though I own it and still have very easy access to the disk and theoretically could have, at any point, tried to connect the console to my TV and re-experienced it.  But really, it wouldn't have been the same and after looking at the crisp appearance of it on the Vita's screen, I'm equal parts glad that I waited, and equally wish I'd tried it just to see the depth of the upgrade, but no matter.  I have tasted of the sweet sweet fruit that is the Vita re-release of the game and I am happy on the whole, even though I fear some of my affection for the game might be steeped a little too heavily in nostalgia.  Not too much, of course, and not in a big way, but still, there's some things I am poking at with a frowny face because I do not like them.

First off, from a positive view-point, the game does look incredibly wonderful thanks in no small part to the art style and the use of vibrant colors that makes everything pop deliciously.  And for what it's worth, I -believe- I heard complaints that the FPS chugged a bit in the console versions, but I've not experienced anything like that which honestly surprised me a bit, as the game does get chaotic fairly early in terms of a lot of things on screen that would make it chug.  Maybe that'll change in later stages, but I'll just believe that when I see it, really, because I have faith that it's pretty well set and can't help but wonder if the slightly extended wait was simply to optimize it; if it was, it certainly worked.  And even more impressive, I think, is the way that custom graffiti (as seen above) comes out looking, for the rather rudimentary editor you're given to play with.  I couldn't add the 'ed' to the end of it, but hey, 'Kupower" is a thing if by virtue of 'Kupowered' as a word is suggesting a thing that is powered by 'Kupower'.  There, I have made a thing.  Enjoy it.

Perhaps I was not in a way to enjoy the overall sounds of Jet Set Radio when I was younger, since I didn't remember it being quite so....well, fantastic, but I love it now and that's certainly what matters.  Whether it's the upbeat, enjoyable tracks playing during the stages themselves, never managing to be monotonous despite their extended exposure, or it's the exaggerated, excited voice of Professor K as he slings down the story as it is in his own way (while making sure to yell "Jet Set Radioooooo!" whenever possible), it's all an absolute treat for the ears.  I've taken to using headphones in general when I play my Vita because of the Youtube app (since I find some videos hard to hear otherwise) and it's games like this that truly make that worth it.  I'd put some serious thought into arguing that it is, in fact, a necessity, which is certainly not something I say about most games, but a strong audio direction like this has practically begs for it and you're doing yourself a disservice by not adhering to that.

The only gripe comes in when you slowly start to realize that while Jet Set Radio is a fun game, it is not an easy game by any means.  The controls are from the past to be sure, and precision is not its strongest suit.  It's an acquired taste, of course, as we've grown beyond such things with advancement, but that does not make them -bad-, simply harder and requiring more skill to truly make your own.  I have my complaints about this, a lot of them vocally as I play the game, but I don't begrudge it as I can feel myself getting better at it with every minute that I play it, since that is simply how it works.  As I go through the levels, it's easy to tell that the things that were issues in the earlier ones become trivial tasks to perform and when the time comes that I'll be able to try them again, it will be sweet, sweet vindication as I see that skill put to work.  When that day comes, I will be ready.

For the price of free, considering you have a Playstation Plus subscription, which you almost -need- to have at this point unless you hate value, Jet Set Radio is proving to be well and truly beyond the $10 it otherwise sells for.  Maybe it's just my joy at being 'reunited' with the game as one is reunited with an old friend and I'm simply swept up in the fun of it all, but I'm having an absolute blast with it despite the minimal grumbles it causes.  But grumbling is good.  Grumbling means that I'm invested, which I clearly am.  And I'm only going to get sucked in more and more as the grooves keep coming, getting to some of the even more memorable tunes.  Perhaps I'll even get to the end this time, which I'm quite sure that I never did back on the Dreamcast, which means it's something I am looking to rectify.

Why Sega Whyyyy

With all that's been going on this week, the releases, the wonderful Halloween Sale on PSN (Seriously, if You're a PS+ Member, inFamous 2:  Festival of Blood is two dollars and fifty cents and Costume quest with the Grubbins on Ice DLC is just under four dollars; you can't not buy them at that price) and my health not being the greatest, I've let something very terrible slip by for this long and it's slightly irked me.  Not only that I just haven't spoken of it, but because it happened in the first place for seemingly no reason, or at least reasons that are very bothersome to consider, since the implications no matter what are rather dire.  These things happen, of course, but when they do, no matter what, it's a hard thing to take and it just makes everyone all-around a little more annoyed at the company which, considering it's Sega that the ire is being directed at here, is a very big problem.  They attract enough negativity as it is, and moves like these only help to further that sentiment.

What am I talking about, you might ask?  Why, Jet Set Radio for Vita getting an 11th Hour Delay of course.  At literally the last possible moment, Sega came out and said that the Vita version of the game had to be delayed for rather unspecified reasons, citing only optimization needs which is rather broad.  Considering that the game was running and playable, and sharply at that, if we can trust those who played it at PAX, this is rather suspect, though certainly not really unthinkable.  If I were a betting man, I'd put it on something that only happens in the long-term - perhaps memory leaks after extended periods of playtime or even a dreaded saving issue.  Redesigning the game to save to something that isn't a VMU could probably be tricky as most things are, after all.  And with Sega, all things are possible....in terms of how little credit I give their QA department, at least.  For games that aren't Yakuza games, that is, since those always come out impeccably, and it's only after playing something that doesn't offer quite that level that you truly appreciate games that are damn near bug-free like the Yakuza series.  Or at least, in my experience, I've never seen something untoward or anything that made me cock a brow and wonder how it slipped by.

The thing that really burns is that they just don't know when it's going to be released now.  Again, that makes sense in the sense that issues take sometime between an hour and forever to fix when they're found, leaving a window of uncertainty out there, but it's already out there for everything that isn't the Vita (or a Nintendo product) and for those of us that were planning on the intrepid little handheld being our home for the game are feeling the burn because of it.  Not only was it going to come out later regardless, necessitating a wait, but now the wait isn't even a completely certain one, just a faint glimmer of 'sometime' now in the Vita's release schedule which is filling up, no matter what anyone says.  If it misses October completely, that'll really burn for those of us who were expecting that $10 to go towards the "Spend $100, get $20" deal that's going on.  At $10 that's, well, 10% of it right there, and only for the grace of options are there about four dozen PSOne RPGs for that price that you could pick up in lieu of the game.  (Like Xenogears!)

Still, this was supposed to be something to Sega, and I can't help but wonder if they're intentionally trying to sink it.  I imagine the endgoal is to release -something- on the Vita (aside from Sonic Racing thing) to see how it sells to gauge whether or not it'll be worth it, but it almost can't be that because the playing field is so goddamn skewed that it's not going to produce results worth any paper they're printed on.  Which I fear Sega will take directly to heart, thereby keeping any other Dreamcast games off the handheld in the future which would break my heart.  Releasing it on day one next to the rest of the platforms it's on would have been a hard enough sale, but then a month after?  And then not even that after a last-minute "NEVERMIND GOTTA WORK ON IT" notice?  God help them if the game runs even less than as smoothly as the console versions after all this, because they will be crucified and it might just be justifiable if it happens.  Because this is amateur stuff right here and we all joke that we expect this stuff from Sega, but goddamnit stop playing along.

It -is- a bit of a blessing, admittedly, that Jet Set Radio will not have to compete for time with everything else out there (as well as the things that I'm just now starting to play like Final Fantasy XIII) but that's barely worth any sway in the areas where it really counts.  I'm still going to buy it the damn day it comes out for Vita just to send Sega the message that I am very, very willing to play Dreamcast games on my Vita, and I can only hope that enough other people out there do it as well for it to be viable.  I'd even take them late, so long as they come around.  Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 would be most welcome to the handheld for me, and I would be more than willing to pay ten of my dollars for each if Sega would just let me do that.  Maybe after figuring Jet Set Radio out, they'll have a firm enough grasp on the whole porting from PS3 to Vita thing to be able to swing it easily, since I can't imagine Sega -not- trying to sell Sonic wherever friggin' possible.  And I'm more than willing to put my money where my mouth is.  Sega just needs to come through with one of these things that I have bet good money on.

Wii U Scores Bayonetta 2 As An Exclusive

Ridin' off to new platforms....or just the one, really.

So, arguably the most talked about piece of news from the entire Wii U media blitz dust-up and such is the fact that, at some point in the future, which is undetermined currently, Bayonetta 2 will debut on the console exclusively.  As in, the direct sequel to Bayonetta, the game on PS3/360 which is touted as one of the best action games ever, will only be available to anyone who goes out and buys a Wii U when it comes out.  Or, you know, at some point between when it comes out and when the actual game itself comes out, which is probably going to be a good half a year at least.  Probably more, seeing as Platinum has a lot on their collective plates as is, which is a bit of good news, at least.  This is probably the busiest they've ever been, and it's most likely going to make some good bank for them.  And good - it couldn't happen to a better studio, I should think.

That said, I still have yet to play Bayonetta.  I know, I know, I'm a filthy heretic and such, but as you all might know, I haven't had a whole lot of PS3 time in these summer months and it's only now that the temperatures are falling....sometimes....that I have been able to really turn the system on and have some fun with it.  And that said, my first task is to finish Sleeping Dogs since I absolutely adore the game and not being able to play it has been torture for me because of that.  After that, I'm not sure - it depends on what strikes my fancy.  But I can't definitely say it will be Bayonetta and it's for now two very, very clear reasons.  The original, which was the one that gave me pause to start with was that I -know- that it is a technically inferior version of the game, and that sort of thing eats at me and just really kills my enjoyment.  Even with the patch, I've seen accounts that say the 360 version is like playing a whole other game and that is not something I like to hear.  The second reason is now that I know if I actually enjoy Bayonetta and want a sequel, I'll have to shell out $400-ish to get to it in about half a year or better, provided the Wii U hasn't price-dropped by then.  (It probably won't.)

But it could always get ported, right?  I mean, that would be the sensible thing, right?  Sensible or not, it is not a game that is going to get ported and that's just simple fact right there.  There's two basic reasons floating around out there with the people discussing the game, and they have a bit of the truth in them, but neither of the reasons is -the- reason, and one of them is actually just kind of poorly thought-out.  The first, biggest reason that people don't expect a Bayonetta 2 port is because Nintendo themselves is publishing the game on Wii U.  It's actually being suggested that Nintendo is putting a little more money than just that into it, but it's hard to say if that's for sure or if Nintendo is just sort of 'guiding' the game as it's being built.  Regardless, the case generally is that if a company publishes the game, they're fronting some dough and just having that game out there to generate revenue isn't going to cut it in terms of their own benefits for doing so, so generally some exclusivity is guaranteed to make it so that you're the only place someone can go for this particular game.  Everybody does it and there are very well-documented cases of it out there, but there are also many, many cases showing that Publishing a game doesn't mean it can't stray elsewhere.

Publishing contracts are just sort of a nebulous thing that generally infers -some- expectation of exclusivity, but really, just how much of that is never assured.  XBLA exclusivity with promotions like Summer of Arcade and the like, where Microsoft -does- publish the game seems to last something like a year, after which the developer is free to take their game to whatever else platform they desire using whatever the hell means they want, basically.  And even on-disk publishing isn't an exact guaranteed 100% exclusive thing, as Ninja Gaiden 2 showed us all, releasing on PS3 a year (again) after the 360 release as a self-published game from Tecmo KOEI (then Tecmo).  So for anyone saying "Nintendo's publishing it, which means end of story", that really is not completely true, as history has proven.  It solely depends on just what sort of contract they have with Platinum Studios (and Sega by proxy) regarding the exclusivity, which is likely determined by just how much Nintendo is doing to help fund it and/or what additional resources they're putting into the game (actual development time or even just marketing).

The other reason that I've seen for why the game simply 'cannot' be ported to PS3/360 is because, and I am probably directly quoting someone with this, "it just won't work because the Wii U is just so much more powerful" which is...well I won't say patently ridiculous as I wanted to, but it's not an accurate comparison.  Firstly because we don't -really- know what kind of power the Wii U is pushing, as in the CPU/GPU, and we probably will not learn this for some time, but it's not going to be -miles ahead- or anything.  All we do know is that the Wii U apparently has an entire gig of (console) RAM (which is different than Computer RAM) dedicated to the games, where the other gig that it has is dedicated to running the OS and such.  This is not an uncommon practice.  None of it is indicative of the Wii U being 'so much more powerful' than the PS3 or 360 that you can't put Wii U games on those consoles, and made much more a silly notion when you consider just how many friggin' PS3/360 ports are scheduled to release on the Wii U.

Despite all that, the core of the matter is that, while it's not going to be a launch window title, Bayonetta 2 is slated to release fairly early into the console's lifespan and unless Nintendo are stepping in to show Platinum just how to make the game sparkle and shine with technical wizardry, it -likely- won't be making full use of whatever power the console has to offer.  Which means that power is honestly not much of a variable to bet on in this whole situation.  Nor how little 'power' actually means in down-porting which is, as we know, still a fairly common practice and if you're really looking to make some extra sales, you're going to do it right.  In such a case, I'm sure Platinum -would- do it right, but I'm not quite sure who would publish it which is, honestly the issue here.  This is precisely the reason why Bayonetta 2 is likely going to stay exclusive to the Wii U, if there is any.

As we all know, Sega, not Platinum Games, is the owner/holder of the Bayonetta 2 IP which means any game in the series has to be done with their blessing.  Platinum Studios was the developer of that game as per a four-game deal they signed with Sega (the other three games in the deal being MadWorld, Vanquish and Infinite Space) but that and the fact that they're working on Bayonetta 2 doesn't mean they hold reign over the Bayonetta series.  Being the IP holder, Sega could arrange for just about any other studio out there to make a Bayonetta game, and that's where the problem is.  Sega has themselves convinced that they just can't afford to pay attention to games beyond their basic top-selling series and has basically pulled the plug on any sort of Western releases of anything beyond those series.  (Which, unfortunately leaves Yakuza up in the air for now, but that's another issue entirely)  It could likely be inferred that Bayonetta 2 is only a thing that exists because Nintendo fronted the cash they did, which means for the game to show up on any other platform, in theory, Sony and/or Microsoft would probably have to front the same amount of cash to make it happen.

Worldwide, between the two platforms Bayonetta released on, the game sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.3 million copies.  Again, worldwide.  It didn't set the world on fire with sales, is basically what I'm saying, as generally a good-selling game could break or come close to a million in a single region.  So it's already a hard sell to Sega because of that, and then you have to consider just what you're looking at in costs otherwise.  Nintendo's already fronted for Bayonetta 2 so Sega has that money and they likely don't care anymore beyond that.  But to convince them that they need to work out a publishing deal with -somebody else- to take Bayonetta 2 to PS3/360 would require that they can prove there's reason to.  And this is where it gets tricky because this is where splitting your fanbase really, -really- comes around to bite you in the ass in the end.  Or, at least it should in theory.

What I mean by that is that even if we're not all heavy in somebody's corner, we're likely going to follow series rather than platforms.  Platforms grow by featuring certain series to them exclusively or at least in a way that makes it the place you want to get it on so that when the next iteration of the platform comes along, you can bring along those people by continuing the series.  It's pretty simple really and to use something as an example, we'll go with Yakuza.  The first two were on the PS2 and the second two on the PS3.  This is just a basic progression, as it's not that much of a stretch to think if you bought a PS2, you might buy a PS3.  It's linear logic in a vacuum, basically as it doesn't account for anything beyond that, but you'll be hard-pressed to tell me how it doesn't make sense on some level.  You lose that when you try to say "Because you bought a PS3, you'll buy a Wii U" or "Because you bought a DS, you'll buy a Vita".  The actual words to quantify what I'm getting at escape me at the moment, but using 'something like linear logic' as a vague indicator will probably work, as I'm sure you're all understanding where I'm coming from.

What -that- all means is that those 1.3 million copies sold on PS3/360 for Bayonetta does not, in any way, shape or form, guarantee 1.3 million copies sold on Wii U.  Generally speaking, even if the majority of games are bought as a series by the same people (meaning people who buy game 1 buy game 2 and 3 when they come out), not all of them are, as you have to account for people who didn't care for the first and thus don't buy the second as well as people who buy the second without caring about the first existing.  So, by that logic, Bayonetta 2 could really out-sell its predecessor if a lot of people who didn't play the first buy it, but if you're trying to market the game -to- the people who bought the first, and counting on them jumping ship as it were, you are definitely not going to get all of those people.  Even in a straight console progression, you don't get all those people, so that much less for abstract console progression.

So -basically- what I've danced around saying without just getting to it is that the real reason Bayonetta 2 won't see a PS3/360 port is that the game probably just isn't going to sell well enough to justify it to any one party.  For a Bayonetta 2 port you're going to have to A) Make it worth it to Sega (which will be hard enough) and then B) Hope Platinum can port it.  Point A pretty much entirely depends on Bayonetta 2 selling well on the Wii U which is an entire gamble in itself as for that to happen you have to assume that everyone who bought the first buys this, as well as many, many more people, which would entice Sony and/or Microsoft to approach Sega to do it.  I say it's this way simply because of Nintendo's involvement as Sega was clearly ready to step away from the series entirely for the time being before Nintendo threw some money at them.  And in all reality, Bayonetta 2 selling really well on Wii U would signify that your potential buyers elsewhere have already bought it.  It's a vicious circle, really.

A lot of people, including myself, don't really like it, but that's pretty much how it is.  For my part, I only dislike it because I just don't like abstract console progression since I like following series...es, and when I cannot without throwing down cash beyond the game itself, I lose interest rapidly.  That's why I never bought into Dead Rising 2, as the first is never going to come to the console I want to play 2 on, so I simply wouldn't enjoy it.  Dead Rising isn't the best example, of course, as it's not particularly story heavy, but it doesn't really -matter- to me; if I have to cross platform lines to play a whole series that is linear, then it has to be damn well worth it, and I'm not convinced a whole lot of games are.  Of course it becomes a lot more palatable if I have both consoles that the series is on, but not entirely so because I am picky like that.  Again, this is just with the sort of crazy jumps across platforms and not the natural progressions.  And I suspect I'm not alone in this, but I do like to think that I'm at least a bit more rational about it.  I really don't hold any ill-will to Platinum, Sega or Nintendo over this whole Bayonetta ordeal, but I suspect it might be because I don't have an attachment to the series yet.  Still, if it tickles my fancy enough, I suppose I'll have to weigh it against the other prospects of owning a Wii U, since I don't expect Bayonetta 2 to stray anywhere else from there.

Helloween4545 Reviews Valkyria Chronicles

Earlier today, thanks to a little twitter conversation with Helloween4545, I was reminded of something that I meant to do up a little post about last week.  You see, Helloween did up a little review of Valkyria Chronicles and since I made a post about the review he made for Nier, it's only fair that I write a little something here about this one as well.  I make no secret of it, but I love Valkyria Chronicles and Nier both dearly, so whenever I can point out something for either of them, I will do just that and happily so.  Funnily enough, during the post I made for the Nier review, I mentioned that he was doing an A-Rank (because I am pretty sure it's A, not S) Run of Valkyria Chronicles and manage to absolutely forget that between then and now.  Presumably because I can be a bit thick at times which we've all seen at various times, but regardless, due props to the man since he actually pulled it off which is certainly something I did not do.  Maybe it will be a goal to strive for next time I play, in the off-chance that I ever, ever find a cache of free time somewhere, but personally, I think I'd just be happy to play the game all over again, no matter what.

I'm going to do my best here to not review the review, but I'm making no guarantees, as I do want to point out some things said in the review.  Nothing really to argue -against-, but maybe just expanding a bit on what's said or voicing how I agree instead of just nodding my head and going "yep, yep, this is also how I feel" like a twit.  I like to add substance to things that are substantial already, as you know, which is honestly not a rare thing either.  A few things of note did pop out that are things what I could comment on, including the burning question of "Why didn't this game sell well?" to which I might have an answer to!  Perhaps several answers!  Because it is a thing that I spent a lot of time thinking about while playing the game, playing the sequel and dealing with the heartbreak in knowing that the sales of both games were not enough to ensure Valkyria Chronicles 3 safe passage to the states.

I would not be surprised whatsoever if the art style, while beautiful, put some people off of the game, since they took a look at it and scoffed.  "Oh, just another anime thing", they likely said and it's an infuriating thought, certainly, but one I probably couldn't put past a lot of people.  If not the art, then probably the story on that front since, regardless of how good it was, and it really was, some people just don't pay attention, they grab on to pieces here and there and use those pieces to just toss the whole thing aside.  I honestly cannot see anyone really disliking the game for the actual gameplay of it unless they just don't really grasp it and don't make an effort to do so, because the itch it scratches is a broad one, and it scratches that itch in the best, best way.  Though maybe, just maybe, the system they had to play it on might've been a breaker as well since it came out when there was still (hell, there -is- still) massive distaste for the PS3, which means being exclusive to that meant losing a lot of sales from people who could not or chose not to buy it for that reason.

I was honestly a little surprised by the comment that the soundtrack was beautiful, but forgettable because I remember the soundtrack being, well, really nice to listen to, certainly.  I also realized that I could not recall a single song outside of maybe a few beats here and there.  It was a pretty strange revelation and I even took a dip into some of the OST tracks on youtube to sort of reconfirm or at least refamiliarize myself with them.  Even still, I could hear the tracks, I could feel 'familiar' with them and such, but I could not remember how they went, nor after I listened to them, could I keep the tune without a bit of difficulty at least.  It's still got me a little surprised and I feel like there are one or two tracks that I am overlooking that are ingrained in my memory for good reason, but whatever they are, I simply cannot recall them right now, even though I really want to, clearly.  So I can't help but agree completely on that front since there is absolutely no way I can refute it, despite feeling like I should be able to.

Really, the review is something that I do encourage you to listen to because it pretty much reaffirms what a lot of us feel about the game already.  Not that we exactly need the constant reassurance that the game that we liked, that I liked, was liked by others, but it's nice.  Especially since there apparently aren't -that- many of us who bought and loved the game, despite it seeming otherwise sometimes.  It's hard saying just what's going to come from Valkyria Chronicles as a series in the near future and if we'll even get to enjoy whatever that is, thanks to the sad truth about VC 3.  Currently, the 'thing' about the series is Duel which will burn bright and fast before it's passed over for the next bright candle, and after that any number of things could happen.  An attempt to revitalize the series with a bundle deal that might actually hit the West, a new installment for any given system across the board, hell, maybe just a steady mange/anime thing that will be missed out on by most of the fans regardless.  We just don't know.  And it's a real shame because VC1 really was as brilliant, as wonderful as people like Helloween, like Chance or even myself would have you believe, but the series has simply found itself caught in hands that aren't as steady as it requires.

Sega Makes Me Want Samurai & Dragons, Are Teases

 Samurai & Dragons, the free-to-play Vita game that we are likely never ever ever going to get in America, is going to get quite a bit of support in the coming months, and it's all being done with very, very familiar faces.  Being that it was announced in the end of January and has released in Japan without so much of a whisper of localization and, considering Sega's status of being mostly dead on that front, it's safe to assume that I will, in fact, never get to play this game, despite being excited back then at the prospect of it.  And really, much like the rest of Sega's practices, this just makes it sting all the more since it is a genuinely awesome move.  One that, because I don't, nor won't, have the game, I have no idea of its implementation, so bear with me on it while I try to muddle my way through it.

Starting today, through September, the pack of cards initiative begins with players who simply log in to the game.  They'll gain a pack of Tokyo Jungle cards which include the Pomeranian, the dog that's become the unofficial mascot for the game because of how often it was used in trailers and the like.  Players can also get a pack of cards based on Toro if they own a 3G Vita and update their plan with the chosen 3G supplier over there.  Toro, of course, being Japan's unofficial Sony Mascot character, who you might recognize better as an announced character for the up-coming Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.  As far as 'free' cards goes, that seems to be the whole of it, but that's not even close to the whole of the cards that will be offered.  What all these sets will do is sort of up in the air, of course, as is just what the cards will be, really.  Of course, knowing me, I see "cards" and stop caring about anything that makes sense, and just start impulsively throwing money at things.

I should interrupt for a moment here and explain myself a little better.  I have, in fact, absolutely no idea what cards do in Samurai & Dragons.  Were I pushed to guess, I assume that the cards are the things that have all the actions on them that you can use in the city-building mode of the game.  So, buildings to make, improvements to enact, things of that sort, I assume that's all relegated to cards and, perhaps there's just a random element to it in the form of drawing from a deck, though I'm not sure of that at all.  One could then assume that these cards, specifically made with these characters in mind, are probably going to be universally more beneficial than those in the game already since they are 'premium' items.  Or, if nothing else, they certainly (probably) aren't going to be negative in nature, so there's that.  Could I be wrong in this?  Absolutely.  Should I have....like checked into it some before posting about it?  Most times, I would say yes, but this is a game that A) we're never getting, and B) a game that, if we were to get, -somehow-, I would want to be a little fresh on.

With that out of the way, I can begin talking about the card support that's been announced to start November 29th.  For starters, a 'deluxe pack' will be released with cards from such series...es....as Sonic, of course, Bayonetta, Yakuza, and Virtua Fighter.  (Suggested characters in the set are Sonic, Bayonetta, Kazuma and Akira Yuki)  That pack will also contain some in-game money, presumably so you can buy other cards that are less premium or hold out for the sets from the list of other announced supporting series...es, listed below:

• Vanquish
• Anarchy Reigns 
• Resonance of Fate 
• Nightshade 
• Sakatsuku 
• Sakura Taisen 
• Jet Set Radio 
• Super Monkey Ball 
• Space Channel 5 
• NiGHTS 
• Panzer Dragoon 
• Virtua Fighter 
• Sonic 
• Yakuza 
• Bayonetta 
• Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity 
• Shenmue

That is....well, that is pretty much everything, as you might notice.  Pretty much the only thing not listed that's immediately thought of is Valkyria Chronicles, which is strange since Samurai & Dragons is likely going to stay in Japan forever like everything else Valkyria Chronicles.  Actually, double-weird since Valkyria Duel is out over there which is, surprise, a card-based game as well and you'd think there could be some sort of cross-promotion there.  Maybe there will be, but it's not announced just yet, I suppose.  Also surprising to see not listed is Shinobi, I suppose, considering Nightshade is the direct sequel of it or something of that sort, but maybe that's sort of an implied thing.  I know a card dedicated to Hotsuma's scarf would be the buff to end all buffs because that scarf was boss as hell.  Still, support for Resonance of Fate, Jet Set Radio and Vanquish all seem like very very good signs for the franchises there, seeing as they're likely not the hottest IPs Sega has.  Even if they should be hotter than they are because Sega is bad at doing good things.

Of course, it doesn't end there because why would it?  That would be insanity if it left there.  Also mentioned in the Siliconera article that I linked to is the fact that there are characters designed by the Hatsune Miku illustrator that are Sega Consoles brought to some sort of life.  It specifically mentions 'characters', so I assume these aren't merely going to be cards, but perhaps playable characters?  Or just outfits that will make you look like them, I'm not quite sure.  There is basically a character for every Sega console released, including the friggin' Game Gear, so that's pretty cool on its own merits.  It seems a little bit much -just- for cards, which is why I'm suggesting it's more, but I don't really know.  When they all release in Japan and never in North America, I guess we'll see, but I can't guarantee I'll remember it by then.  What with the whole not releasing over here thing and all.

So, did I really just spend all that time detailing a big, expansive update schedule for a game that will almost positively never see the light of day in North America?  Yes.  Yes I did.  Because it's Sega, it's Vita, and it's overall just something that I think is my kind of game, even if it's not.  I'm trying to keep myself under-exposed to the game because I hold out hope that I'll be able to play its likely only-decent offerings.  The Free-to-Play structure is profitable as hell in the right conditions, and I'm sure Sega knows this, so there is a very, very faint hope that they'll release this in more territories to try and get a cashflow from them, being that there are people out there who will buy luxury things for the game when offered.  Some people who might be me if it comes to things like Yakuza-related things and the like.  Some people who honestly, truly wish for this game to hit the West now just so they can buy Yakuza cards even if they are just a thing for a single game and not an actual TCG.  Please, Sega?

Yakuza HD Collection a Possibility

So, Joystiq brought it to my attention (almost personally, it feels like) that the possibility of an HD Collection of Yakuza 1 and 2 is a thing that could happen.  Listed for a brief moment on a Sega Japan Release Schedule, the Yakuza 1&2 HD Edition leaves little to the imagination, suggesting that it is simply HD Editions of Yakuza 1 & 2 (Presumably sold separately, since Japan seems to be finnicky about bundling games, as is referenced by the Ico/SotC Collection, and Peace Walker HD).  Of course, I saw this Joystiq post and proceeded to immediately lose all of my shit.  Look around, do you see things that shouldn't be there?  Yeah.  It's my shit.  Because I lost it.  For a moment that was entirely too sweet, entirely too brief, I experienced what I can only describe as ecstasy unlike any I have experienced in recent memory at the mere thought of being able to re-visit Yakuza 1 and 2, older and wiser and more well-versed in the series as I am now without plugging in my PS2 and dicking around with Memory cards and all that we have more or less sworn off since the days of the PS2.  To see Kamurocho as it started in a resolution that isn't torture on the eyes, even if it will not be as detailed as 3 and 4's (seen above) offerings.

For that all-too-brief moment, life was amazing and everything was wonderful.

And then I had that reality check that I'm sure you have already been thinking of since you read the title of this post.  Sega is in the shit.  It makes perfect sense to start doing things like this, up-porting old games for a quick buck that has fairly little spending associated with it.  It makes sense to do this and release it to a public that absolutely loves the Yakuza series where the sales numbers shows as much.  And that all happens.....in Japan.  Not so much here in the States.  So that sort of makes one think that the Collection just might not make it over here because Sega doesn't want to part with the paltry cost of localization.  And if they do, then the chances of them doing it on an actual disk are pretty much incomprehensibly infinitesimal.  Which for me more or less means that they shouldn't bother localizing it at all since I'll never be able to play the fucking things.  So this whole thing has the potential to be bittersweet at best, and infinitely disappointing at worst unless Sega just kind of magically does the awesome thing with money that they presumably don't have.

That means there's really not a whole lot I can do or say alongside this, honestly.  If this happens to play out and get localized on-disk, I'll be a very happy man, but if it doesn't, or if it's DD-only, I don't know what I'll do.  I'll probably buy them anyway just to throw Sega the $30-40 and the support, even if I won't be able to feasibly play the games by any stretch of the imagination.  (It takes me a ridiculous amount of time to download shit.  Like, three hours to download a 500 MB game at best ridiculous.  Not so much an issue on Portables since they're not about to explode or anything, but my PS3?  Nah.)  But goddamn if I won't be bitter as -fuck- about it the whole time and for quite a time thereafter.  It's pretty much this sort of scenario that I was basing an entire "Digital Distribution is Not the Answer to Every Fucking Problem" article around and never got around to writing because I just started to lose a little bit of the venom I had with it.  The thing is, I'm not anywhere near alone in the "I have shit internet and I must scream" territory, but it just doesn't seem to matter one bit since way of the future and other such utter fucking nonsense.  In a world of data caps and shit internet infrastructure not to mention shoddy internet security (From everyone, not just Sony don't even -start-) we can't just throw every fucking thing on the internet and do Jazz Hands until magic happens, people.

It's honestly a little more than depressing to have that realization weigh-in like that.  At first, I thought that maybe the Collection, should it exist and come out, could be an example of Sega's willingness to give physical media for the Yakuza one last shot, despite it not being one of the 'key' franchises that they're basing their physical releases on.  But it's hard to think of a scenario where I could realistically expect them on-disk, which means I still don't know what to think of Yakuza 5.  Even though I'm in the camp that says it would be the worst fucking idea imaginable to go DD-only with Yakuza 5, I can't realistically say it's not a possibility.  And one that'll be all the more real if the sales numbers of the theoretical DD-only Collection run more or less along the lines as they would expect it to, meaning the people who buy the series are still -there- and willing to buy it no matter what.  I guess I am over-thinking it more than a little bit, but as I've made it perfectly clear more than once here, the Yakuza series is that series for me, and it sucks that the reality for it is as negative as it is.

With any luck, all my sudden sullenness and negativity will be for naught and we'll get some good news from the whole scenario.  It's wholly unlikely, of course, but Sega does so love proving me wrong (I figured they would've announced a new Phantasy Star for Vita - PSO2 doesn't count - by now, I figured something would happen with the two Yakuza:  Black Panther games for us, figured we'd hear -something- about VC3 in the west, I could go on and on) so that does leave a slight window open.  I can say with some certainty that if they -do- prove me wrong and throw us a disk, I will probably be buying several copies of the game if just to send the message that physical games will still sell, I assure you.  So there's at least some incentive there.  Only thing left is to see it play out, I suppose, which will likely be more painful than several things that I'm not going to bother to explain because I'm sure you can think of painful things.

Update!:  Aaaand it's official.  For Japan, at least.  I'm sure we'll get localization news....uhh....sometime.

Maybe.

Please give us this, Sega.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Officially Coming Westward

Nobody believed me when I said it (Okay, several people believed me, shut up), but now it's official:  Phantasy Star Online 2 hits NA PCs in 2013.  It was pretty much a foregone conclusion, of course, since it's a game that a lot of people are going to play if only on the merits of it being Free-to-Play (which means quite a few chances at people throwing money at it through micro-transactions.  Which will happen.  Bitches love micro-transactions) and a lot of players only means good things.  Still, as always, it's nice for these types of things to be official, especially in the face of the hardships that Sega is going through which some might expect would keep them from doing something like this, despite the monumental chance of profit occurring.  Also because that is kind of how Sega rolls, with the whole not doing things that are smart, which has pretty much done poorly for them as you might expect.

Though, the move is not without its critics already, of course, considering that the game actually just released last week on PC in Japan.  As in, full release, final build, etc.  Granted, it will be updated and such, in fact one update is already in the works, but it's an officially released product.  So "Early 2013" seems to be a little late already for some people who are understandably anxious for the game.  These same people worry that the game will be in a constant state of being behind in terms of months for the Non-Japan version of it, which is apparently a practice that occurred with Sega's last real online venture:  Phantasy Star Universe.  I know nothing of it, of course, but I would suppose that if the servers are meant to be region-locked (an unfortunately very real possibility), that such a thing could go on again.  Wouldn't bother me too much, however, since I know precisely one or two people I would ever play PSO with, they're in the same country as me, and I'm sure PSO2 will launch with enough content regardless of it's the exact same as the Japanese launch, or if it has everything incorporated into it at the start and remains at an even update with the other versions.

Also worth wondering about is, of course, the Vita and Mobile versions that have been talked about.  Not -just- because I am obsessed with the Vita, but because they are certainly things that have been announced already and, judging by the comments, are things that are heavily being looked forward to.  Moreso the Vita version than the Mobile, of course, as they will be two very different things, where the Vita version will more or less simply be a mobile version of PSO2, if all goes well.  I do worry that perhaps Sega announced the two versions a little too early, and promised too much, what with saying that the Vita version would allow cross-play (which is not an easy task) as well as promising the Mobile game would connect to the account while offering a more 'social' aspect that they simply haven't gone into since.  Granted, those games, whatever they might be, simply aren't even in the Beta phase or anything, so anything could happen with them.  Still, I don't doubt that they -will- come out, and I really don't doubt (as I didn't doubt this would) they won't make it to the States, as Sega will simply want to make it available for just about anyone who would want to play the game.  Aside from making it on every platform, of course.  That would just be silly.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is pretty much the only MMO I've been completely invested in and interested in since it was announced, and it will, by all accounts, likely be the only MMO I even bother with.  Barring The Old Republic going free-to-play as well and getting ported to non-PC platforms, it'll pretty much be the only MMO I have a real chance at playing, of course, without splurging for a big computer and such.  And that's just my kinda price range, so to speak.  Regardless, I won't be able to experience PSO2 as it first comes out, much to my chagrin, and will simply have to wait for the Vita version, hoping that it will allow for character creation and the like on it, rather than simply being a companion version to the PC game, which I can imagine being an all too real possibility, given the way several Apps have worked for the portable.  However, with the game requiring you be online all the time (unless that changes in development or thereafter), I would assume that it's a full-featured version of the game regardless, which I'm certainly hoping for.

I find it a little hard to say a whole lot about this, as I haven't been paying a lot of attention to PSO2 news, having simply waited for it to be announced for the West.  Even then, it's more one of those things that I can't put into words, so much as she anxiously await, as it'll be like going home again, I suspect.  Sliding into the character of a Cast Hunter, likely, as that's just kinda how I do, will be something that never gets old, and will simply be constantly associated with fond memories.  Though whether nostalgia overshadows what I can expect from PSO2 or not will be something to see.  I certainly hope it won't, but such is the way of these things sometimes, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it.  Aside from, you know, just enjoying it for what it is, which I will need no invitation to do.  Just lemme play it how and where I want to, and I'll be a happy lad, that's for sure.

Nights Into Dreams HD Is a Thing That Is Happening

In their continued effort of reminding everyone why they were liked in the first place, Sega has chosen another of their classic games to get the HD treatment for the current systems out there.  Nights Into Dreams, a Saturn Title (which would likely be the explanation for why a lot of people haven't played it) is getting all gussied up for the Fall when it will release on the Playstation Network, XBLA and Steam for PS3, 360 and PC players respectively.  Though, to say that it's from the Saturn title -might- just be stretching it as apparently the game was remade for the PS2 which would likely be the version of the game we'll be getting ported from, as I can only imagine it would simply be easier to work with, code-wise.  Or, at least that's what a commenter on the story over at Siliconera seems to think, and it does make a lot of sense, so hell, I'm running with it.  The PS2 version was Japan-only, but featured much the same as what we could expect from this HD version, since the PS2 version also had a "Saturn version" which was simply the same game with Saturn graphics, versus the remastered ones for the remake.

On top of the Saturn mode and the obvious widescreen support, Nights Into Dreams HD will feature the usual trophies/achievements as well as Leaderboard support so you can prove to your friends just who is the best flying Jester thing.  Which wasn't meant to sound flippant, but it did, but this explanation should sort of absolve that since I just cannot think of a different way to say it, considering I don't usually factor Leaderboards into much of anything.  But it was listed, and there's not a whole lot else that was mentioned in regards to being added to the game.  It's fairly unclear if, as stated, the game is being based on the PS2 remake or not, but if it was, then it would suggest that the Christmas Nights 'demo' that came out will be bundled in with the game.  Of course, being that Sega -needs the money-, it's just as logical to think that the Christmas thing might be held off for a few extra bucks (I'd figure a $2.99 pricetag on it) for a DLC add-on which, let's face it, everyone (including me) will likely be more than happy to buy, despite it just being a couple levels.  Because they will be Christmas levels.  This is important.

If it isn't painfully obvious by now, I have not played Nights Into Dreams and it's only due to my in-recent-years championing of Sega that I'm concerned with the game at all.  Or, rather, I like to think that even if I wasn't a super Sega supporter currently, the lovely look that the game carries, as well as the fairly magical charm it seems to have would sway me, but I'm not so sure it would.  Being that I had no idea it was considered a platformer, despite knowing of the game previously in a cursory manner, speaks volumes for my hesitation in admitting I'd buy the game otherwise, but hey, we don't really have to worry about that.  That is kind of the point I'm trying to make.  Knowledge that there is a Christmas -thing- involved whatsoever with the game might have swayed me otherwise now that I think of it, but until I know just what capacity it will come in (Originally included or as DLC, which, come on, we know which it'll be) I'll just default to the Sega thing.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the only thing I'm not too happy with, in regards to this all, is the lack of a Playstation Vita version being announced alongside the others.  I know I bring the Vita up like every day, but it's because I like it, which is pretty obvious, I should think.  And I like Sega.  So it makes sense that I would like to play Sega games on it, as I am being slightly lead to believe is a thing Sega wants as well, what with Jet Set Radio HD and Phantasy Star Online 2 both being playable on it and all.  Being that there's a good chance this up-port is being ported from the PS2 version, it's a good bet to say that it would be simple to port the port of the PS3 version to the Vita, since that is apparently an exceptionally easy process and profit.  Because people will buy it several times!  I'm sure I have made this much obvious with my previous statements of such with regards to other games being ported to the Vita.  Once again, simply because I really like the thing and it's....well, a great gaming device.  For gaming.  Which is why I want a lot of games on it.

Maybe they're just waiting for the sales of Jet Set Radio HD on the Vita to see if it will be a profitable platform for their games, but logic would dictate that it's....probably better to just give it a couple shots before getting skittish about it.  I mean, it's not like it's going to make Sega super-duper financially screwed porting the game over, but maybe I'm wrong.  And maybe it's just as simple as saying Sega might not be thinking that far ahead with the Remaster, considering Christmas Nights is just completely up in the air at the moment.  They do have a bit of time to play around with setting things firmly in place, of course, considering "Fall 2012" is a rather loose schedule, so I'm sure we'll be getting a bit more news about the game in the coming months featuring some more concrete details.  But the moral of the story, of course, is buy the shit out of Jet Set Radio HD on Vita if you're even the least bit hopeful of getting Nights Into Dreams on the platform as well.  Since at the very worst, you'll just get friggin' Jet Set Radio HD on your Vita to enjoy the magical soundtrack and entertaining gameplay of tagging neighborhoods and pulling off mad tricks and the like.  Not a bad deal.