The Making of Mind Zero #1: Aksys Games, All Is Forgiven!

Posted on April 23, 2014 by geelw

Or: Yeah, I paid full price for Magus and Yeah, I laughed more than I thought I was going to. That wasn’t a good thing, by the way. Anyway, it looks as if Aksys will redeem itself with this upcoming Vita exclusive, Mind Zero. Thankfully, it happens to be a dungeon crawler that actually looks pretty decent and I still have enough respect for Aksys to give them another chance. Of course, this could be another Beyond the Abyss (eek!), but I don’t think so, as it has more the look and tone of a Shin Megami Tensei game if anything. Well, we shall see soon, as this one ships out digitally and to retail May 28, 2014.

Akiba’s Trip 2: Undead & Undressed PS3, Vita Bound This Summer (THANKS, Xseed!)

Posted on March 5, 2014 by geelw

Well, now… this is cool news. I’d been meaning to check out one of the imports when I got the chance, but now I don’t need to thanks to Xseed Games (again!). They’re releasing the second game, AKIBA’S TRIP 2 in North America as AKIBA’S TRIP: Undead & Undressed, on the PlayStation 3 em and PlayStation Vita in summer 2014. The game is an adventure game/action RPG that pits you up against modern day vampiric creatures called “Synthisters” in a extremely well-rendered digital version of Tokyo’s world-famous electronics district, Akihabara where beating their clothes off and exposing them to sunlight is the only means of destroying them.

Yeah, it’s VERY strange in that manner some of the more offbeat Japanese games can be, so hats off to Xseed for grabbing this for localization. Funny, it actually took me until a few minutes ago to see that the title is a fun play on words, as “Akiba” is the abbreviation for Akihabara and “Strip” is just what you’ll be doing to those vampires in the game. Ha! Well, this one also goes on the radar for a look-see later on when more info comes out – stay tuned…

rain Story Trailer: It’s Absolutely Dripping With Atmosphere…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Oh, ha-ha. I couldn’t resist that one, sorry. Anyway, Sony’s Japan Studio’s upcoming PSN exclusive is looking quite good and should be another one of those innovative games that shows the “old” PS3 isn’t dead by a long shot. Sony at least seems to realize that killing off all the content made for them on PSN is a really bad idea when the PS4 rolls around (at least I really HOPE they don’t expect longtime consumers to repurchase digital content they’ve already paid for), unlike Microsoft, which seems to e taking a damn the torpedoes, all our eggs in one basket approach to the upcoming Xbox One. Well, E3 will reveal all, so I’ll let that happen and see if either corporation has a strategy that brings in as many past, present and future gamers as possible…

Class of Heroes 2 Pre-Sales Now Live (Via Amazon ONLY, Unfortunately!)…

Posted on May 7, 2013 by geelw

COH2_small While it’s absolutely great to see Gaijinworks finally get this game out in a GREAT physical/digital pack for a measly $36.99 (with shipping!), the SOLE payment option (Amazon, via credit card ONLY, no Amazon credits, sorry!) means folks like me who don’t use credit cards are going to be holding out longer for the digital-only (boo!) PSN version to ship before we can actually buy this one.

Sure, I get that it’s much easier for the company to set up and deal with than multiple payment types (and those assorted fees they’d need to pay, plus PayPal’s stupid in general manner of doing business), but it also means they’re not going to see those pre-sales sell as fast as they should at the end of the day. So yeah… so much for that convenient Paypal option for those of us stuck with money burning a hole in our accounts or anyone with Amazon credit looking to polish that off.

Griping aside, a poke around the forums reveals that the game seems to be pre-selling well enough that Vic Ireland isn’t sweating the loss of a few cranky jerks like me who want to throw him our money but can’t – yet. Still, I hope to hell that we see some way we can get the game without paying a shit-mint on eBay for. And of course, there are people already “selling” the game there when it hasn’t even been produced yet. Well, a fool and his money are sooner parted than later, right? Anyway, looks as if I’ll have to “settle” for a digital version when the game is released.

rain Gameplay: Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful…

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

Here’s a look at SCE Japan Studio’s rather interesting adventure/puzzle/horror game, rain in action on the PS3. This one’s coming soon as a PSN download (but for some reason won’t be on the Vita, grrrr!). Sony is really doing a nice solid for indies on the PS3, but it would be nicer if we could get these compiled onto a disc much like that Journey: Collector’s Edition from last year. I’m betting a dollar that there are an awful lot of PS3 owners that either don’t know about these games or (eek) don’t care because SCEA isn’t bothering to ask them if they’d buy them if they put about 4 – 6 of these (relatively) short games onto a Blu-Ray, priced them reasonably, stuck a few extra demos on for good measure and saw what happened at retail. Hey, not every PS system owner has access to broadband, Sony. Work on getting those gamers some of these great-looking games and perhaps you’ll see even more love from your large user base in the future…

Class of Heroes 2 Adds A Dash Of Funny To The Daily Grind…

Posted on March 14, 2013 by geelw

COH2_small Just like the first game, Acquire is keeping things light and humorous in Clash of Heroes 2 when needed, as you’ll see above in this slightly spoiler-y (but not spoiled!) gameplay footage. I sunk way too much time into the first game and this one looks twice as fun. Now, all I need is a release date. Gaijinworks and Monkey Paw Games should get that out within the next week or so, I’m gathering, but I hope they let us poor press folk in on the news through a more direct means (like an email), as I’m not living on Twitter or Facebook like I used to back in the “old” days…

And hey, you may not live there or anywhere else online either, so I’ll do my best to dig up whatever info drops into my inbox and share it with you once I finish dancing around the room like a nut. hey, I like this old-school meets new school stuff – what can I say?

Class of Heroes 2: A Crowdfunded Coolness Alert for Classic JRPG Fans…

Posted on March 11, 2013 by geelw

COH2_covers Monkey Paw Games and Gaijinworks’ upcoming Kickstarter-funded PSP sequel to Acquire’s pretty cool Wizardry-inspired RPG (say that ten times fast!) is indeed coming soon to PSN as well as selected retail outlets to be announced (I’m guessing directly through Gaijinworks to cut out the middleman expenses). But that actual concrete release date will be announced shortly by the companies. Here’s a look at the nice cover art that’s being coin-flipped by fans to decide which one goes for Kickstarter backers and which goes to those who pre-order the physical/digital combo pack. You want gameplay with that cover? OK, look up! Look down! Not too fast, as I don’t want you to hurt anything…

(*snap!* *crackle!* *POP!*)

Too late? Oops… Well, it won’t hurt for too long, as the game should be out shortly and it’s Vita compatible so you don’t have to poke around in the closet for that “old” PSP…

Xseed’s August One-Two Punch: Way of the Samurai 4 and Gungrave: Overdose Hit PSN

Posted on August 21, 2012 by geelw

Normally, I’d suggest running the other way at paying $40 for a game that doesn’t come in a case with a manual, but I’ll make an exception for something this wacky, challenging and fun. Especially as it’s supporting the fine folk at Xseed Games who seem to be doing quite well with their digital releases these days. Acquire’s open world sword-swinging samurai series has gotten quirkier and more intriguing with each new installment, so if you’re into the Yakuza games and their weird (and more modern) riff on all things Japanese, you’ll like what here quite a lot. WoTS 4 has ten endings, loads of stuff to do in your travels and too much Japanese humor on display that you’ll have to play through a few times just to confirm that the game was that nuts. Check out the full features list on the PlayStation Blog post or at the game’s official site

Gungrave: Overdose is also super insane and while shorter and cheaper at $9.99, the more action-packed run ‘n gun gampelay found in this PlayStation 2 sleeper (now part of the PlayStation 2 Classics lineup) from 2004 (originally published by Mastiff Games in North America) might appeal to those who aren’t quite fans of wandering samurai in feudal Japan as it moves kicking and screaming into the modern era. Granted, you may not be into anime or manga either, but I say take a chance on one or both titles if you haven’t played them before. Of course, if you’re into offbeat Japanese games, haven’t played either of these and want to support Xseed, well… here you go. Just poke around the PSN store and you’ll find these with ease.

Sumioni: Demon Arts Coming To Vita From Xseed Spring 2012

Posted on December 17, 2011 by geelw

As someone who’s into Japanese art of all types, I love it when developers are inspired by old woodblock prints, Sumi-e and textile art from the past when creating new games. While some less savvy gamers will see this Sumioni trailer and immediately think of the late Clover Studios’ wondrous Okami, in Acquire’s upcoming Vita exclusive, I see yet another in a long list of Japanese games that takes from the past and presents itself to modern gamers with an eye toward a bit of education under all that fun. Well, that’s how a bit of MY mind works, folks… Er, anyway: GO, Xseed!

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls Website Goes Live

Posted on May 6, 2011 by geelw

Well, alright! Xseed has set up a beautiful website for the upcoming PSN-only release and I’m loving every bit of art and info I see there. Still, with PSN possibly under attack again, will US audiences actually get to download this game? We shall see…