Author Archives: InTheSky

New Blade Arcus from Shining EX Battle Demo Videos

InTheSky November 14, 2015 Leave a reply

It’s less than two weeks until the November 26th launch of Blade Arcus from Shining EX on Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 in Japan. Ahead of this occasion, Sega has released some new battle videos to promote the game.

The videos feature a couple of event scene dialogues for the cast members, and a couple rounds of fighting afterward. Continue reading to check out the two new videos! They make a point to highlight the special promotion for Sonia Blanche from Shining Resonance at the end of each video. It looks like waiting fans will have to keep an eye out for first-print copies!

Yakuza Kiwami Receiving Korean and Chinese Versions

InTheSky November 10, 2015 Leave a reply

While the West gears up for the English release of Yakuza 5, the next major Yakuza title to be released in Japan is Yakuza Kiwami, a full remake of the first Yakuza game. And this time it won’t just be Japanese Yakuza fans that will get to play the game – Yakuza Kiwami is set to receive Korean and Chinese localizations. The Korean-subtitled version was announced on the Japanese official website for the Yakuza series, and was noticed by KHHSubs. The Mandarin Chinese version was mentioned in this tweet from the Ryu ga Gotoku official Twitter account. This tweet also provides us with our featured image for this writeup. There’s a tall banner for Yakuza Kiwami on the right, and this banner is an advertisement in Taiwan.

Toshihiro Nagoshi has in the past expressed doubts about the sustainability of Yakuza maintaining a Japan-only presence, so this is a logical step. It also seems unsurprising given Phantasy Star Nova and Shining Resonance‘s Chinese localizations. It isn’t as if Sega’s had a strong console presence in China or Korea (especially the former, since laws against games have only recently been relaxed there) though we might attribute that to the relative weakness of console gaming nowadays compared to the past. So what we’re seeing here is Sega should be Sega doing their best to cement a foothold in Asia.

Ideally, what we should also be seeing is greater Western presence for Yakuza games too! Let’s hope that such a path pans out.

Genei Ibun Roku #FE Trailers: Tsubasa and “Side Stories”

InTheSky November 9, 2015 Leave a reply

The newest set of Genei Ibun Roku #FE trailers feature Tsubasa Oribe and formally introduces “Side Stories”, a special type of gameplay segment found within the main scenario of the game.

Tsubasa Oribe is a name and face that we should all be familiar with. She’s the heroine of Genei Ibun Roku #FE. She wants to be an idol, and believes that she can reach the spirits of everyone when she sings. Generally a good-hearted person all around.

Side Stories function as extended and comparatively more fleshed-out sidequests. They grant a greater spotlight to your companions’ background than the standard story campaign does. These Side Stories also involve you more in the world of being an up-and-coming personality in the world of entertainment, especially through all of the activities that help you build up your characters build a name (fan meetings, taking roles in shows, concerts and more.) The Side Story featured in the video below features Toma as you go with him to an audition, and end up taking a part with him in the same show. To unlock the ability to pursue a Side Story, involve party members in battle as much as possible.

Continue reading to check out the trailers!

Sakura Wars Cycling Gear: Now Featuring Sumire Kanzaki!

InTheSky November 4, 2015 Leave a reply

Remember the Sakura Wars cycling gear inspired by Sakura Shinguji that we wrote about some time ago? It is a great idea and it obviously makes sense that such gear is represented by the postergirl of the series. But I’m sure there’s a part of us that hoped that maybe…a cooler, just generally more interesting character could also be represented in such a clothing line?

Like perhaps…Sumire Kanzaki? Monoclover’s Sakura Wars section has been updated with Sumire Kanzaki versions of all of the previous six Sakura Shinguji-themed Sakura Wars cycling gear items. The idea is the same with these new items – the item prices, the sizing options.

It makes you wonder if any other characters are going to be introduced. After Sakura Shinguji, Sumire is probably designed to be one of the more prominent female characters of the Teikoku Kagekidan, next to Maria Tachibana. Honestly, I would not be surprised if either the cycling gear character features stopped now or if it continued to include all six (or eight, if you include the newer Teikoku Kagekidan members.) While Sakura Wars has quite the legacy in Japan and each character has their fans to a degree, the items can be too much for any collectors . At the same time, Sakura Wars seems to have a rather busy 19th Anniversary outside of this cycling gear promotion, so maybe Sega would be interested in going all out for this promotion?

Remember that if you plan to purchase any items from Monoclover and you’re not a resident of Japan, you’ll need to use their (English!) Facebook application.

Credit for images goes to Monoclover.

Stella Glow EU Release Date: March 11, 2016

InTheSky November 4, 2015 Leave a reply

Following the recent announcement of The Legend of Legacy‘s release date on February 5th, NISAmerica has revealed that Stella Glow will release in Europe on March 11 of next year. It’s good spacing for both of the titles. It also means that most all recent Nintendo 3DS games under the Sega/Atlus banner have been localized so far, barring 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. The importance of including Europe in localization decisions is important, so as to avoid situations like Guilty Gear Xrd: -SIGN- or Shin Megami Tensei IV, though nobody involved wants to repeat anything similar to those titles again.

This was Imageepoch’s last title before they shut down. Besides this, they were also involved in development for the 7th Dragon series.

Valkyria: Azure Revolution Trademark Filed

InTheSky November 4, 2015 Leave a reply

We all know about Aoki Kakumei no Valkyria or “Valkyria of the Blue Revolution.” Now, it’s come to light that Sega of Japan has filed a related trademark for “Valkyria: Azure Revolution.”

So, the difference here is that the previous trademark was filed in Japanese, while this one is in English. But note that both were filed by Sega of Japan. (Those two trademarks in the image above after the Valkyria one were filed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and aren’t related to this story.)

We’re sure to find out more about this soon! I can confidently say that anyone reading this wants this to be a full-fledged Valkyria Chronicles game on a dedicated gaming platform. Let’s all hope for the best! Valkyria Chronicles definitely deserves more as a franchise, and I think it has the potential to become bigger than it has been thus far.

Credit for the featured image goes to this Gematsu article.

Phantasy Star Online 2 to Receive 7th Dragon III Code: VFD Costumes

InTheSky November 3, 2015 Leave a reply

Sega has announced new collaboration content for Phantasy Star Online 2, featuring 7th Dragon II Code: VFD costume scratches. Alongside revealing Episode 4: REBORN (which is to be implemented further in the future,) a new livestream segment showcased the character costumes from Code: VFD for an upcoming event called Dragon Raid Chronicle.

These costumes are set to arrive in mid-November, while 7th Dragon III Code: VFD has just released in Japan not too long ago. Check out a trailer for them after the break. The 7th Dragon III Code: VFD-related content can be seen about a minute into the trailer.

Genei Ibun Roku #FE Trailers: Featuring Toma and More

InTheSky October 31, 2015 Leave a reply

Another week, another round of Genei Ibun Roku #FE trailers! There are three for this article after the break.

First is the trailer for Toma. Toma is a spirited guy who is also quite genial and laid-back. He’s all-in-all lovable. The World trailer walks you around Japan, passing passers-by and engaging in the occasional conversation. It’s a rather nice touch that characters that you can’t interact with are portrayed as moving colored silhouettes – it adds to the colorful and poppy feel of the game, and conveys just how populated the world is. The trailer takes a sharp change in tone after a minute or so, though, thanks to the Mirages.

Last is a System trailer showcasing a dungeon and some battles. The Dungeons are wrought with the influence of Mirages and are dark reflections of locations within Tokyo. Genei Ibun Roku #FE does not feature random encounters; battles start when you make contact with an enemy in the dungeon. Battles are turn-based and you fight in groups of three (and also have a sub-cast of currently inactive party members.) After the battle is won, players are treated to experience points, skill points (which you can use to acquire skills of your choosing), money, and Performa (used for weapon crafting.)

Continue reading to check out the trailers.

Sonia Blanche Trailer for Blade Arcus from Shining EX

InTheSky October 31, 2015 Leave a reply

Of the Shining Resonance characters, Sonia was always a clear favorite. She ended up overtaking the other heroine Kirika in popularity despite Kirika receiving slightly more promotion leading up to Shining Resonance‘s release.

So if there were a Shining Resonance character to be included in Blade Arcus from Shining EX, it’d naturally be Sonia. Sega recently uploaded a 2 minute showcasing a bit of Sonia’s fighting style. She is purely a short-ranged fighter, but some of her attacks come out quickly, and she has a handful of options with wide range (especially one of her aerial attacks!) The closer she is to the opponent, the more dangerous she becomes, as Sonia has some follow-up options even if her opponent is blocking. Unique to her character is the ability to play her Armonic (the sword that doubles as an instrument, unique to Resonance) as a violin. In addition, she can also access her “Dress Armor”, the golden armor that shows up sporadically towards the end of the trailer. On the flip side, she seems to move rather slowly when not attacking. So while Sonia is strong once she’s next to her opponent, Sonia also has to get in first.

Continue reading to watch the trailer for Sonia! Do remember that she is a bonus character exclusive to first print copies of Blade Arcus from Shining EX.

Dengeki Online’s 10/28 Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition Livestream Archive

InTheSky October 30, 2015 Leave a reply

Missed the recent livestream for Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition? It’s fine – Dengeki Online have uploaded the stream footage to their YouTube account. The stream clocks in at around a hefty hour and a half! But, you’ll want to be aware that most of the footage features discussion from the panelists or skits.

The stream is notable for featuring the first gameplay footage of Kuroko Shirai, the newly-announced playable character for Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition. You can see her at the 38:20 mark and the 1:04:50 mark (and the two matches that follow directly after this.) It’s an opportunity to glean a little more insight into how she might play as a character.

Check out the footage at around the 28-minute mark (the first instance of gameplay footage being demoed,) and you’ll notice a new stage. It’s the SeHaGaga Academy from Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girls! It’s the central location for all of the SeHa Girls’ shenanigans in the anime series that aired last year, and features a number of Sega-related shoutouts. I think NiGHTS floating around is a cute touch, but I personally just like NiGHTS.

Continue reading to watch the YouTube video!