Wow and double wow. First we get the spectacular news that Pandora’s Tower is headed to North America and now Xseed is setting out to make 2013 even better for their fans (and possibly their best year to date) by announcing a VERY cool selection of new titles plus yet another classic Nihon Falcom JRPG set heading to PC gamers via Steam. Even better, everything but the Steam download is getting a retail release!  Yes, I’m typing this post with a big fat grin on my face, as I want everything here that’s coming.

More below the jump!

KILLER IS DEAD:  Oh. Hell. Yeah. Set for a summer launch, this upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 action game reunites Kadokawa Games, Suda 51 and his talented Grasshopper Manufacture team in another action-packed game set in a violent future world. Expect the usual trademark mash-up of comedy, violence and oddball villains (along with the usual amount of “fans” that don’t quite understand Suda’s a really nice guy in person and isn’t the “crazy” persona they think he is). Hey, his recent games were about personal relationships between people… very strange people, yes… but there’s depth under all that super-stylized death, folks! Our hero in the picture, one Mondo Zappa, along with his sword and interchangeable weapon hand is on a personal quest to “execute various heinous criminals scattered around the world”, but I’d imagine there’s a lot more to this story.  Artistically and thematically, the game seems to recall Grasshopper’s cult PS2 and GameCube hit, Killer 7, as well as the two No More Heroes games but there’s no word yet about this even being related to those titles.

Rune Factory 4:  What started as a futuristic Harvest Moon styled spin-off has turned into quite a super cool simulation franchise, this time coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Each game in the RF series has added more features and as they combine simulation and JRPG elements quite well, there’s an emphasis on exploring your kingdom inside and out as the game progresses. This time out, you can choose to play a male or female character, there are new romance options and what looks like an even larger and more active game world to explore. Monsters can be used to help in field work or in dungeons as helpful combat creatures, so there’s a nicely family-friendly familiar blend of “catch ’em all” fever brewing up for 3DS owners coming this summer…

Valhalla Knights 3:  My other “Oh. Hell. Yeah.” game is this Vita-exclusive sequel to a pretty quirky RPG series. The first PSP game was a turn-based dungeon crawler, the second was more action-oriented, we never saw Valhalla Knights: Battle Stance in North America and Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga was soundly panned by critics on the Wii, but under its quirks and flaws is a pretty interesting open-world ARPG. VK3 looks to get the series even more fans as it heads to the Vita with offline and (what looks like up to seven player) online play, excellent visuals and an overall more polished entry. Given the popularity and loyal fan community of GungHo Online’s Raganrok Odyssey on Sony’s handheld for Xseed, VK3 just might be your next big niche addiction. I know I want this one as soon as it’s released…

Ys Memories of Celceta:  Hmmm, let’s see now: a new Nihon Falcom Ys game that’s also a sort of remake/sort of prequel that’s based on Ys IV (one of a few games in the immortal action RPG franchise which has never been localized) coming to the Vita this fall? All hail Xseed for making the Vita even more of a home for high-quality JRPGs, I say. OK, that screenshot is muy grainy, but if you know Falcom’s work over the past few years on the PSP and PC, you KNOW this game is going to be fantastically addictive and hard as hell in those boss battles.  Repeat after moi, people: Oh. Hell Yeah.

Ys I & II Chronicles: Speaking of PC games, this super enhanced port of the PSP hit (itself a superb remake of the first two entries in the franchise) heads to Steam on Valentine’s Day, February 14, so if you’re a JRPG fanatic without a sweetie to swoon over or have a siggy-o (er, significant other, that is) who’s a gamer into these types of experiences, this makes the PERFECT present. Hey, Xseed knows this and is putting the game on sale NOW, so click that link, pre-order and get 15% off the $14.99 price. I usually prefer my JRPGs on a TV or handheld, but I may give this a buy, as I rarely use my Steam account at all and I think it misses me something awful…

Well, that’s it for now – release dates and more media to come. I just need to sell a half-kidney now so I can buy all this stuff. It won’t be MY half-kidney, by the way – any volunteers out there willing to help a brother out? I’ll be a nice guy and let you watch me play the games I buy thanks to your donation…