Author Archives: InTheSky

Etrian Odyssey V

Etrian Odyssey V: Launch DLC Plans For Japan

Famitsu published an article disclosing the initial wave of DLC to be made available alongside Etrian Odyssey V: The End of the Long Myth when it launches in Japan on August 4th. To begin with, five different character skin options will be available, at 300 yen each. These are: the “School Uniformed Boy”, “Sailor Uniformed Girl”, “Sweater Wearing Girl”, “Etrian Odyssey 1 Paladin New Illustration”, and “Etrian Odyssey 1 Medic New Illustration.”

Besides character options, there are also extra quests to check out. Both priced at 300 yen, Adventurer Training Plan yields an accessory that triples experience points per battle, while the Adventurer Good Luck Plan yields an accessory that boosts the yield rate to 100% for materials that don’t have drop conditions (kill by Petrification, by Ice, in one turn, etc.) from enemies.

You’ve probably seen our article about the FM soundtrack option. Priced at 800 yen, this item and a sixth Etrian Odyssey character skin (or pack?) option will be dated and detailed at a later time.

Source: Gematsu by way of Famitsu

By the way, the Famitsu article linked for this writeup mentions that the July 28th issue of Weekly Famitsu will contain a special Yuzo Koshiro (composer for many games, and the Etrian Odyssey titles) interview and a “Aeolian Coloring Book” themed by Etrian Odyssey V.

The King of Fighters XIV Team Mexico

The King of Fighters XIV: Team Mexico Trailer

This week’s The King of Fighters XIV team trailer features Team Mexico! It features two returning characters who haven’t been around in some of the recent games: Ramon and Angel. It also features a newcomer in the King of Dinosaurs. It all makes sense.

Check out AtlusUSA’s description and the new team trailer below! Keep an eye out for KOF XIV at EVO2016 this year, two weekends from now.

The King of Fighters XIV: Team Mexico Trailer

As we’ve been introducing the teams that are going to be in THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV, we’ve come to realize an issue: None of those teams have a GIANT DINOSAUR MAN on their team! Well, thanks to Team Mexico, we’ve fixed that right up!

The tyrannosaur-man is known as the King of Dinosaurs and he’s ready to lead Team Mexico to fame and glory. To be honest, not much is known about the mysterious KOD, but we do know he’s a professional wrestler with a mysterious past, who’s fighting in the tournament for a personal matter. Seriously though, when you’re dressed like a dinosaur, is backstory really all that important? All you need to know is that he’s literally a giant man in a dinosaur costume who bites, claws, and tosses his opponents around like a rag doll. Since the Dinosaur can’t win the tournament alone, he’s enlisted the help of the fiery Angel and mighty Ramon. Angel is a former assassin of NESTS who boasts superhuman strength that allows her to deal some devastating damage. With a vicious combination of Muay Thai strikes and astounding pro wrestling moves, it’ll be tough to outshine her in the tournament. Well, unless you’re the legendary luchador Ramon a.k.a. “The Mightiest Tiger.” The confident Ramon wants to compete for the love of the “sport,” and wants to assist the King of Dinosaurs in his personal quest by throwing down some of his signature moves in the ring.

EVO 2016 logo

The King of Fighters XIV Announced as EVO 2016 Side Event; Free Play Stations and More Planned

AtlusUSA recently announced that The King of Fighters XIV will be featured as a side event for EVO 2016. AtlusUSA will be running their own booth at the EVO venue, at which a tournament for The King of Fighters XIV will be held on Saturday, July 16th. The latest build of the game will be played – which means not all characters will be present, to be sure. There is no entry fee for the event, though it does cost money to sign up for EVO itself, at least as a spectator.

There is also prize money for the top three finishers: $1,400 for 1st, $700 for 2nd, and $350 for 3rd.

Besides this, other promotional events for KOF XIV are planned. On Friday and Saturday, the Atlus booth will host free play stations for KOF XIV all day. On 12:00 PM Saturday, SNK will host an hour-long developers’ panel for the game, followed by a half-hour-long autographing session. The KOF XIV tournament is scheduled from 2 PM to 4 PM, with a special exhibition match and the commencement of Top 8 held afterwards at a time that is to be determined.

To enter, visit the signup page Google Doc linked in the blog post above. It contains the ruleset: stipulations on Dualshock use, structure of sets (best of 3, with the exception of Winners Finals, Losers Finals, and Grand Finals, which is standard for EVO), and only the loser of previous match can change team composition. Importantly, it also notes that the entrant cap for this side tournament is 64.

EVO 2016 is coming up soon! There should be some good matches to watch.

SMT IV A Nanashi

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse – Release Date, Cast Trailer Published

Atlus has published a new press release detailing lots of information regarding Shin Megami Tensei IV Final. You’ve probably seen the news regarding Deep Silver’s partnership with SEGA and Atlus, but this statement also announces a September 20th release date for the Americas-based release of the SMT IV Final. Additionally, the press release offers some character sketches on the partners you find in the game.

Also offering some character sketches is a new trailer published by Atlus USA, which you can find at the bottom of this article. It includes English voice samples.

The press release mentions that Atlus will be running a livestream on twitch.tv/atlususa while playing Shin Megami Tensei IV. It begins at 4 PM PDT!

SMTIVA’s Release Date is Officially Confirmed for Sept. 20!

And Speaking of Confirmed, We Partnered with Deep Silver to Release a Physical and Digital Version in European Territories (Release Date Still TBD)

Don’t let your guard down – the end is nigh! Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse will release in the Americas on Sept. 20. And for our European fans, as mentioned in a separate announcement this morning, SMTIVA will be released physically and digitally in PAL regions by our new partner, Deep Silver. (Release date for Europe is still TBD)

Oh, and if you missed it last week, our two SMT Scrubs…er…newish employees are trying to find their footing through the original SMTIV on our Twitch stream, today at 4 p.m. PDT. twitch.tv/atlususa

Lastly, we’ve got a new trailer for you to peruse:

With Tokyo being ground zero for scheming gods and monstrous demons, only the strongest and craftiest can survive in the former metropolis turned literal hell on earth. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse has a varied cast of characters that players need to utilize properly in order to endure the harsh realities — mostly the very high possibility of death around every corner — of post-apocalyptic life.

Here’s a look at some of the useful partners that players will bring into battle:

  • Nanashi – Nanashi is the silent player controlled protagonist who’s trying to become a full fledged member of the Hunter Association.  He gets murdered early in the game by a demon, but is given a second chance at life by the god Dagda.  In return, he must serve as Dagda’s personal “Godslayer” in the world changing events to come…
  • Asahi – The ever optimistic Asahi is Nanashi’s childhood friend/Hunter Association teammate. She’s eager to prove herself in the field, but will need to overcome her doubts in order to become a key member of the group.
  • Navarre – This familiar Samurai from the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado is making a return! Well sort of, because Navarre is no longer what we would call “alive.” He’s now a green ghost who can use his ethereal powers to the benefit of the team.
  • Nozomi – Nozomi is another familiar character who is the newly appointed Fairy Queen working under the protection of the goddess Danu. She’s a level-headed and mature ally who will provide valuable skills and insight for the party.
  • Hallelujah– This young gray haired individual is a member of the Ashura-kai gang, who is ordered to join Nanashi and co. in their journey to “watch” them. Hallelujah is accompanied by his foxlike pet demon Chironnupu, who will support him in battle.
  • Gaston – Gaston, or as he likes to call himself Gaston the Magnificent, is the brash and arrogant younger brother of Navarre. He is the leader of an elite squad of Samurai called the Crusaders and will undoubtedly be a useful partner during fights. That is, if players can stand his braggadocios nature, but you know what they say, “no one fights like Gaston!”
  • Toki – This mysterious Oni mask wearing girl in black is an assassin for the Ring of Gaea faction. She absolutely does not have an ulterior motive for joining the squad. Nope, totally doesn’t have a hidden agenda or anything like that.
  • Isabeau – This steadfast Samurai is the best friend and confidant of the heroic Flynn (the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei IV). Isabeau is an experienced warrior who will act as a great role model for the younger members of the party.

One finds Beauty & The Beast references in the most surprising locations.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Cast Trailer

Blade Arcus Sonia

Sonia Blanche is Free DLC for Blade Arcus from Shining EX in Japan

Late last year, SEGA released Blade Arcus from Shining EX for Playstation 4 and Playstation 3. We haven’t heard much of it since then, until a blog post from SEGA confirmed that Sonia Blanche of Shining Resonance, previously a paid-DLC character, can now be downloaded for free on the PS Store. When the game first launched, Sonia was only available to people who bought first-print copies of Blade Arcus from Shining EX, and these first-print copies contained a code to download Sonia.

Additionally, the blog post mentions that Blade Arcus from Shining EX will be discounted on the PS Store from July 6th to July 19th. That’s less than two weeks, and the discount period has already begun. The discount is 20% for people who don’t have a PS+ membership, and 40% for those who do have a membership.

Featured image and initial announcement credited to this official SEGA news post, dated June 6th, taken from the Shining website.

The King of Fighters XIV: Team South America Trailer, E3 Exhibition Match Archive

Team South America graces us with their presence this week in The King of Fighters XIV’s cycle of playable character videos. I do like the theme music for this team, and their stage background. Wonder if they will also be a favorite of other players of this game? These are all new characters, so be sure to watch the trailer to see what they’re about. Atlus U.S.A.’s character description immediately follows the trailer, in this article.

…but before that, don’t forget about this YouTube archive of 11 exhibition matches played at E3 2016! AtlusUSA has captured the exhibition videos of skilled KOF players and uploaded them to their YouTube account. This is an amazing opportunity to watch great players go at it. The sets are Best of 3, and there are knowledgeable commentators for each match. Don’t miss it!

Playlist: THE KINF OF FIGHTERS XIV E3 Exhibitions

And now, back to your regularly scheduled team trailer:

The King of Fighters XIV: Team South America

The agile members of Team South America — Bandeiras Hattori, Zarina, and Nelson — are focusing their energy towards fighting anyone and everyone in THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV Tournament!

Even though each member of Team South America are fighting for different reasons, they’ve banded together to help each other out. First off, Bandeiras Hattori is a self-trained ninja who practices the legitimately dangerous art of, uh, Brazilian ninjutsu (not to be confused with Brazilian jiu-jitsu!). Basically, Bandeiras is a 100% certified Brazilian ninja who wants to win the tournament to earn respect and get students for his dojo. Next up is Zarina, the savior of rain forests! She wants to raise money and awareness for the environment, and has zero issues beating up competitors in the name of nature. Zarina will dazzle opponents with her acrobatic Capoeira fighting style and is a strong member of this team. Oh, she’s also bringing along her adorable toucan friend Coco. Lastly, there’s Nelson, the boxing prodigy who wants to punch his way to the top in order to raise money for a loved one. He lost one of his arms in an accident, but was lucky enough to receive a mysterious cybernetic replacement that you could say gives him the upper hand during fights. With his fancy footwork and nasty hooks, Nelson will be a difficult opponent for anyone.

Featured image taken from Atlus U.S.A.’s team trailer video linked above, credit for the image goes to Atlus U.S.A.

Sakura Wars 20th Anniversary

Sakura Wars 20th Anniversary Event Coming This September to Japan

The Japanese official Sakura Wars website recently posted scheduling details for a 20th anniversary Sakura Wars event. Titled “Chisa Yokoyama’s Sakura Wars 20th Birthday Party”, it will be taking place the weekend of September 23rd-25th – which, incidentally, is the weekend before the franchise’s 20th anniversary on September 27th. That is one extreme party!

Across these three days, five different performance and talk events will be held. Each event will feature different guests, but Chisa Yokoyama will be present at all of them.

Continue reading »

Toshihiro Nagoshi SEGA Nama Featuring Hideo Kojima Archived on YouTube

Missed the recent SEGANAMA broadcast with Toshihiro Nagoshi and Hideo Kojima? The archived footage was uploaded to SEGA of Japan’s YouTube account. Check it out below. It runs for a little under two hours, and Hideo Kojima, the guest of honor himself, shows up at around the 38:00 mark, with Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone being demoed before then. After Kojima departs from the show, The World End Eclipse is then promoted.

Hideo Kojima shows off the trailer for “Death Stranding”, the inaugural Kojima Productions title as an entity separate from Konami. The three speakers basically hang out for an hour.

Do remember that there are no English subtitles at this time. Anyway…

Cheers!

『セガなま ~セガゲームクリエイター名越稔洋の生でカンパイ~』2016年6月放送回

The King of Fighters XIV: “Official Invitation” Team Trailer

New week, new The King of Fighters XIV team trailer. This one features a trio of new faces. Very colorful people, with the exception of the bleak (but deadly) Kukri. Swanky stage background, too.

Reminder that The King of Fighters XIV will be present at the fighting game tournament CEO 2016 both as a competitive event and as a game that can be demoed by players. CEO 2016 is taking place this weekend. It’s an opportunity to view more footage of the game, if you weren’t already satisfied with E3 2016.

Anyway, check out the new team trailer below. For this article, we’ll post Atlus’ press statement describing the three new characters after the trailer.

The King of Fighters XIV:Team Official Invitation

So what does a crack team of ultimate fighters look like? First up is Sylvie, a former member of the shadowy NESTS organization, whose modified body allows her to unleash electrical attacks on opponents. While those powers are deadly on their own, what makes her so dangerous is the fact that she’s as nutty as a fruitcake. Apologies, they call that “being quirky” nowadays right? Just look at her crazy eyeball-themed outfit and completely unpredictable attacks! Next up is Kukri, the mysterious hooded underground fighter whose gritty personality compliments his ability to wield sand. I mean, just imagine fighting someone who constantly attacks with pocket sand and multiply that by a thousand to get Kukri. Lastly, we’ve got the magnificent Mian who turns every fight into a performance worthy of the Chinese Opera. She’s skilled at Bian Lian — the art of face-changing — and her attacks involve a lot of graceful and vigorous dance moves.

Yakuza 6 Japanese Official Website Launched, Preorder Opening Date Announced

Last night, Toshihiro Nagoshi participated in another SEGANAMA stream on Niconico. It was announced then that preorders for Yakuza 6 will open on July 26th. No details on actual release date at this time, but presumably they’ll be surfacing in the near future.

Incidentally, Nagoshi was accompanied by ex-Konami producer Hideo Kojima. Here’s a post-show image taken from Hideo Kojima’s English Twitter account:

Kojima NagoshiAdditionally, the Japanese official website for Yakuza 6 has launched. It provides this article’s featured image. There really isn’t a lot to see here at the moment; as the preorder date approaches, hopefully the website will be filled with more content.