Review: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

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Zombies_ESRB_coversheetPlatform: PlayStation Vita/PSTV

Developer(s): Idea Factory/Compile Heart/Tamsoft

Publisher: Idea Factory International*

# of Players: 1 – 4

MSRP: $39.99 (retail/PSN)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Sneaky, Tamsoft, SNEAKY. Teaming up with Idea Factory and Compile Heart and getting your Onechanbara in my Neptunia while making it a ridiculously fun and ridiculously cute hack & slash with a ridiculous amount of replay value. Ridiculous! MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is an absolutely silly blast of a game that’s easy to get into and deserves a sequel of some sort down the road. Yeah, I missed out on Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (it’s on my list of stuff to get to, really!), so I’m going into this one as it’s an all-new and different experience.

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While it’s packed with characters and content, the “Hey, let’s put on a show!” hijinks that revolve around the female students of Gamicademi trying to save their school from closing by making a low-budget zombie movie also makes for a pretty amusing plot. The game is part visual novel, part action/RPG and definitely going to take up a small to moderate chunk of your time thanks to all the variables that come into play. That tongue-in-cheek humor it bashes you over the head with gets you into the groove right from the start, but it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Your Vita will either pop out of its hiding place and kiss you for making this purchase or slap you in the face with a smirk if you get too serious while playing this game. Or both. Continue reading

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies: Time To Kill (Some Kind of Cute Undead)

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Zombies_ESRB_coversheetWell, in the North American territories, that is. You gamers overseas in Europe and the UK need to hold on for a few days longer, but you’ll get what’s coming to you soon. Or more precisely, those nasty zombies will get what’s coming to them from YOU (POW!). MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies hits the Vita running, all cute gals slapping the slime out of zombies in colorful, fast-paced action. I hear a voice saying “Get it, or get HIT!”, but that’s my brain calling forth demons or an old slogan I saw somewhere something. Still, this one looks as if it’ll be portable thrills galore guaranteed to make you miss your bus or train stop.

Hey, don’t blame ME for that, now. I play most of my games at home so the only stop I miss is when I forget to stop playing. Yes, I probably have a problem. But that’s not your problem, right?

The trailer, in case you need a friendly reminder to nab this one soon (as in NOW!):

IFFY News Is Not “Iffy” At All. It’s Quite Awesome For JRPG Fans

So, Idea Factory International has been a bunch of busy bees of late. This is a great thing for fans of their console and PC games as a number of cool projects are coming soon and you’ll be wanting to get that disposable income dispenser (or wallet, purse or whatever you keep your plastic in) pointed in the general direction of whatever you’re reading this on to do some pre-ordering now or flat out buying later. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s hop to it!

BlancZombies_US_logo_1000px-660x237 MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies Limited Edition Pre-orders!

Look at it. Just LOOK AT IIIIIIIIT!

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Isn’t is all so CUTE AS HELL? Yes it is! And all that stuff is a measly $62.99? Excellent. Now stay out of my way while I hug my monitor into a different shape (squeeeeeze, CRACK!!… oops). Um, anyway. For a more sedate (and actually informative) look at what’s in the box, see below:


Somehow, even that teeny-tiny unboxing is CUTE. Or David and Ari at IFI are giants straight out of Attack on Titan (without the crazy faces and people eating) and that box is the correct size. Hmmm… Anyway, go get that LE before it sells out, I say. The game hits retail and digital May 10 (a few days after my birthday IFFY you’re buying me a gift. HINT. HINT. HINT.

Continue reading

Gallery: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

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Idea Factory, Compile Heart and seemingly ever busy Onechanbara developer Tamsoft team up once again to bring you what’s looking like another fun chase & chop experience set in the multi-game Hyperdimension Neptunia universe. Now, I missed out on Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed last year thanks to a stupidly busy backlog and me not paying attention to a bunch of games I should have played. But there’s no way I’m going to pass up this *new* guaranteed guilty pleasure called MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies.

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Set to hit the Vita April 26 (North America) and April 29 (Europe), the game will feature 1-4 player action, a cast of cute gals versus not so cute undead and plenty of unlockable customization options. Continue reading

PS Vita Review: Trillion: God of Destruction

Trillion_Coversheet_US_Front_1000pxPlatform: PlayStation Vita/PS TV

Developer: Compile Heart

Publisher: Idea Factory

# of Players: 1

MSRP: $39.99 (retail/PSN)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+ (85%)

 

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While it’s not perfect, fans of Compile Heart’s offbeat and often gal-filled JRPGs should find Trillion: God of Destruction right up their respective alleys. Actually, you’ll probably need to travel through at least one of those alleys and hope there’s a game shop located somewhere at the end of that trip so you can pick up a retail copy if digital isn’t your thing. The game feels like a hybrid that mixes Princess Maker-style mini-games, nice art that looks quite like a Disgaea spinoff (former team members from that series worked on the game), and core gameplay that’s akin to a Mystery Dungeon game meets Vandal Hearts 2 but with a more awkward camera that will mildly to moderately mess with your mojo.

After the titular titan Trillion bumps off Zeabolos, the Supreme Overlord of the Underworld, his brother and about a million minions, it’s up to his female Overlords to get revenge on that massive one plus a dozen zeroes HP creeping terror before it lays waste to their home. Poor Zeab is revived and reconstructed to the best of her ability by a lady with an appropriately Faustian name (Faust) who makes him an offer he can’t refuse. She creates a single ring that the Overlords can wear that will boost their powers considerably provided they also train while Trillion sleeps parked near the gates to the Underworld. Of course, Faust’s deal comes at the cost of Zeab’s soul once the big baddie goes beddie-bye for good. But whomever defeats Trillion instantly becomes his successor and new Overlord of the Underworld with all the riches, sweets and other treats that entails. Continue reading

Trillion: God of Destruction Trailer: You’ve That Many Reasons to Grab This Vita Game


 

Trillion banner ifiIdea Factory and veteran developer Compile Heart have a nifty new game for Vita owning JRPG/SRPG fans looking for something hellishly cool and fun to play. Trillion 1,000,000,000,000: God of Destruction, coming to the PlayStation Vita on March 29 for a MSRP of $39.99.

The game is a cornucopia of doom and cuteness that features a single titanic enemy with that titular trillion hit points that needs to be stopped before it stomps all over the six layers of the Underworld after its ruler is severely incapacitated. Players can expect a hybrid of the classic Princess Maker with a shake of Disgaea-like humor and a initially daunting battle system where you pit sassy female Overlords against Trillion after training them in assorted skills pre-battle. There’s a lot more, but this isn’t a review as you’ll see when you read the next sentence under that screenshot below.

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Guess what? Yours truly is currently in the process of reviewing the game, so I’ll have to keep you all in suspense for a wee bit other than to note quite an entertaining time is being had here. Back with more on Trillon shortly.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory LE: Time (Capsules) For Lunch!

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For JRPG fans who crave omake items galore, Nippon Ichi Software America has been leading the charge thanks to direct pre-order sales from their online shop that over time has allowed them to put together some incredible value priced collector’s editions that are worth snapping up. For Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, NISA Online is offering up a ton of bonus items for the measly price of $64.99. Granted, you need to love really offbeat JRPGs, cute metal lunchboxes (they call them “time capsules”, but I say no matter what size it is, if it looks like a lunchbox, it’s a lunchbox!). The game is shipping out on March 12, 2013, but NISA says this limited edition is selling out rather quickly. So yes, you know what to do, right?

Anyway, what’s in the box, you ask? Well, let’s see now:

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory game for PlayStation 3
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory original soundtrack
Online Store exclusive: Hardcover 36-page art book
Online Store exclusive: Small Time Capsule Tin
Online Store exclusive: Large Time Capsule Tin containing all the items listed above

So, it’s like a Russian nesting doll, but it’s not a doll. And you need a PS3 to get the most out of this nifty package. Well, you could call the cute anime gals in the game dolls, but they’d probably get kind of upset and beat you up or something like that. Pillow fight! Or not – game characters don’t get offended my much unless they’re always IN character. Well, that’s what I’ve heard..

Hyperdimension Neptunia* Mk2 Trailer: Fan Service, Plus Tax (Where Applicable)

Yikes, Nippon Ichi is doing it again (and doing it again sooner than you think). Yup, the beloved (and mildly insane) Hyperdimension Neptunia is getting a sequel and yup, it’s looking like another otaku dream game come true. OK, I bought the first game and it baffled me mightily (I must be getting too old for certain things, eek!), but I just might give this sequel a chance just because the promised improvements look, well, promising!

As usual, NISA is pulling out the stops with a slick Limited Edition Premium Box at an excellent price direct from their Online Store (The best place to buy any Nippon Ichi games, I say). Yup, it’s NOW available for pre-order (as is the standard edition). Did I mention the NISA Online Store has FREE domestic shipping? No? well, it does!  Hmmm. I bet February 2012 can’t get here fast enough for some more of you, right?

*And yup, it SHOULD be Neptuniaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *cough!* aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!, but NISA probably hates when I do that…

Hyperdimension Neptunia Premium Package Pre-order Goodies Update – It’s In the Cards…


So, you want MORE Hyperdimension Neptunia (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!) goodness? OK – NIS America has revealed an upcoming pre-order program for the PS3 exclusive that will net the first 1000 folks who sign up for a copy of the game through their online store a set of limited edition playing cards. This “Limited Edition Gamindustri Premium Pack” include the Premium Edition of Hyperdimension Neptunia and that fully customized deck of playing cards. Expect to see the game’s super cute CPU Goddesses for all the face cards and with a customized Neptunia card back and perhaps a few special Jokers in the deck. This one keeps getting better and better…

Hyperdimension Neptunia Premium Package Art Revealed

And here you go: BOOM. Courtesy of NISA, one Hyperdimension Neptunia(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!) Premium Package to go. Nice cover art AND that Premium inside the Package just so happens to be a rather cool art book packed with lots of art (dang, I’m good!). Anyway, hit your favorite retailer and go pre-order this gem.

In other Nippon Ichi news, Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! is out NOW, so I need to go buy a copy sometime this week and let you folks know how it is, right?