Tag Archives: Japanese Media

Valkyria Chronicles 3 Logo

Massive Japanese SEGA PSN Sale Features Valkyria Chronicles III, Phantasy Star NOVA, and More

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The Japanese PlayStation Store was recently updated with a special sale featuring large list of SEGA games being discounted. For the full list, click here. It’s a sale meant to celebrate the arrival of the Spring season and will last until April 13th.

Among the list of games are Valkyria Chronicles III (PSP) and Phantasy Star NOVA (PSVita), both of which remain unlocalized for Western audiences. 7th Dragon 2020 and 7th Dragon 2020  – II are also marked down. As we know, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (due for release this summer in the West) marks the first 7th Dragon game to be localized for the West.

The list extends beyond modern SEGA games and goes to the classics. To start, Phantasy Star Complete Collection, and Phantasy Star Generations 1 and Phantasy Star Generations 2 (the PS2 remakes of the first two games) are on sale here. Additionally, some of the other notable classics include Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes: Treasure Hunters (PS2 version of the original game), Comix Zone, and Streets of Rage II. Even more recent releases like Hell Yeah! and The Cave are on sale too.

While it stings to realize that the West is missing out on some key games like Valkyria Chronicles III and PSNova, the sale is also a testament to the vast library of IPs belonging to SEGA. Many of these are quite cheap, too; most of them run for ¥500, with the outliers being PSNova at ¥2000 and Valkyria Chronicles III at ¥1300.

Be sure to check out the list for yourself!

Puyo Puyo Quest Cafe Logo

Puyo Puyo Cafe! Featuring An Extensive Menu And Other Special Treats!

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Lately it seems that cafes for many Sega franchises are operating in Japan! And certainly, why not? From Valkyria to Yakuza, if I had the opportunity, I’d check these out myself.

Sega opened up an official webpage for this new cafe, featuring image previews and menu item descriptions. There are quite a lot of menu items to choose from at this cafe! Patrons who purchase a set of menu items together (the set of descriptions that can be found above the beginning of the menu) will also receive special bonus items like coasters. The cafe is set to last from March 17 to May 15. Check out a gallery of menu item preview images below (credit to the Sega webpage linked in this paragraph.)

Puyo Puyo Quest Cafe Latte Mocha Green Tea Latte
Puyo Puyo Quest Fondant Chocolat
Puyo Puyo Quest Green Soda Red Juice
Puyo Puyo Quest Cafe Fluffy Soda
Puyo Puyo Quest Egg Sandwich
Puyo Puyo Quest Witch Drink
Puyo Puyo Quest Peach Parfait
Puyo Puyo Quest Pasta Tarako
Puyo Puyo Quest Omelette Rice
Puyo Puyo Quest Oekaki Pancakes
Puyo Puyo Quest Katsu Sandwich

Unfortunately, it’s not quite clear to me what the Witch Drink is comprised of. My apologies to our readers!

Additionally, there’s a special Puyo Quest promotion for those who order the Puyo Quest Cafe Special Set. The cafe has its own Wi-Fi hotspot set up – connect to it, and search for quests while connected, and you’ll find a Puyo Quest Cafe quest. You can participate in it by yourself or with a friend. Completion of the quest will net you special exclusive items.

In addition to this, there is a special booth for fingernail decoration at the cafe! The planners have certainly went all-out for this cafe. This Japan Trends article (written in English!) notes that this year actually marks the third year of cafes for Puyo Quest! Be sure to check out their writeup as well!

Additionally, Dengeki Online recently went live with a preview of a newly-opened Puyo Puyo cafe, based in Sweets Paradise at Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Their own article features many pictures of the menu items and some images of the cafe’s interior.

Valkyria Chronicles Cafe Menu Spread

Valkyria Chronicles Cafe in Japan!

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Surprise attack! Valkyria Chronicles and Sweets Paradise are collaborating for a Valkyria Chronicles-themed cafe in Japan. February 26 marked the grand opening, and the project will run until May 8. Quite a long time! The cafe project is taking place at the Marui Kinshicho department store in Tokyo. Look for it on the 7th Floor, running from 11:00 A.M. to 10:30 P.M.

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Medusa FINAL

Shin Megami Tensei IV Final Character Video: Medusa

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Another Shin Megami Tensei IV Final character monologue video for you to check out! This feels rather fast after the release of the Krishna video not too long ago. Anyway – we have Medusa, and Atlus’ interpretation of the iconic Greek monster with snakes for a head of hair. She is affiliated with the Polytheistic Alliance. Seems the characters that are going to be introduced here in these videos are all new – which makes sense. But we have less than a week until Final is released in Japan, so you have to wonder who else might receive a video in the few days that are left.

真・女神転生IV FINAL　神話動画 #3 メデューサ（語り部/沢城みゆき）

Credit for the featured image goes to this blogiswar article.

Sentai Sakura Wars TV DVD Disc Art

Sentai Filmworks’ New Promotional Images for Sakura Wars TV Anime DVD Package

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New promotional images for Sentai Filmworks’ Sakura Wars TV anime compilation on DVD have been found on this Amazon preorder page. The featured image above shows off the art for each disc. We’ve attached the rest of the preview images of the casing below for your viewing – check it out!

Back Cover
Reversed Covers
Front Cover

The 4-DVD set of 25 episodes is being sold at $29.88, with a planned release date of April 5, 2016.

On the technical side of things, the video has a 480i resolution with a 4×3 aspect ratio, and the audio is available both in English (Dolby Digital 5.1) and Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.)

Here’s the description for the show posted on the DVD collection’s preorder page at Sentai Filmworks:

Young Sakura arrives in Capital City to fight for the Imperial Floral Capital Defense Force, but all she finds is a weird opera company preparing for a big performance. What’s worse is that the ladies in the company won’t let Sakura join in any of their Rheingold games. Can she win them over by unleashing her Spirit Energy? Based on the video game that took the world by storm, Sakura Wars TV brings you even more of the beautiful warriors made popular in the original Sakura Wars. Follow Sakura as she joins the fight of her life. Will she ever be accepted? Does the world have a chance against the evil Wakaji and the mysterious Crimson Lady? Can everyone learn their lines before opening night?!!

PSO2 Episode 4 Web Commercial

New Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 4 Reborn Trailer

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Sega has uploaded a new trailer for a large 2016 Phantasy Star Online 2 game update – collectively known as Episode 4 Reborn.

New promotional campaigns include a Valentine’s Day theme for the ARKS Lobby, with Valentine’s present boxes containing items (chocolates! Rappies!) littering the lobby. There will also be themed weapons and accessories for this Valentine’s event alongside a new set of Street Style Scratches. The Street Style coincides with the introduction of the new futurist Tokyo world introduced in Episode 4. Besides that, the first trailer introduces some new boss enemies and battle clips (the Summoner is briefly shown off.)

Eagle-eyed readers or fans of Phantasy Star Online 2 may have noticed a slight logo change for Phantasy Star Online 2 in our featured image. The change is being celebrated by Sega as the new year starts and even received its own web commercial video.

Check out the new trailer for Episode 4 Reborn below!

PSO2 Episode 4 Reborn

『PSO2』大型アップデート2016「Reborn:EPISODE4」紹介ムービーPart2

Valkyria Chronicles Remaster Trailer: Characters

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The gang’s all here!

Sega of Japan has released a very brief character trailer for Valkyria Chronicles Remaster, leading up to its February 10 release. It runs through Alicia, Welkin, Isara, Faldio, Cordelia, Maximilian, and Selvaria. Covers most of the major characters, but leaves out some of the Squad 7 members and Drei Stern. I’m personally happy that Alicia was featured first – I think it makes sense given the events of the story, and I have always wished that she was the face of the series rather than Selvaria, even if unofficially so. Though I understand that Selvaria’s background makes her popular. Selvaria, along with characters like Faldio (!) and Alicia, also have major impacts on the unfolding of story events.

In any case, it is nice that these news updates are being reflected through Sega of Japan’s social media and official Valkyria Project portal site.

In case you missed it somehow, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is coming to the West in Spring 2016! Keep an eye out for more information on the game’s release.

『戦場のヴァルキュリア リマスター』キャラクター紹介ムービー

Full Yakuza 6 Demo Segment in HD from Recent Sega Livestream

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Sega recently posted the full Yakuza 6 demo segment from their recent niconico stream to their Ryu ga Gotoku YouTube channel. There are a handful of battle segments and dialogue scenes, and this HD capture allows the viewer to really take in what a Yakuza experience with opponents plus lifebars and the new camera adjustments might be like for this new entry. Of course, we have to stress that Nagoshi has stated that this doesn’t represent the finished product, but clearly Sega wants to try new things with Yakuza 6.

So, with a crisper look at the footage – tell us what you think!

『龍が如く』情報局(2016年1月放送回)

Yakuza 6 Demo Footage From Yesterday’s Live Stream

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Sega recently broadcasted footage of the Yakuza 6 demo on Niconico. Gematsu has archived the Yakuza 6 section of the stream and put it on YouTube for your viewing. It’s about 11 minutes long.

The demo is accessible to those who purchase a copy of Yakuza Kiwami, which released on January 21. However, the demo itself won’t be playable until the 28th.

Additional comments from the NeoGAF thread on the demo (and this post in particular) help to provide context to the demo. Here are some (not all) of the notes: represents only 70% of what the final product will look like in terms of quality, nothing is pre-loaded until the end of the demo, and new to this game will be the introduction of Heat actions specific to certain body parts.

In related news, the managers of two gaming outlets based in Tokyo have commented that early sales data for Yakuza Kiwami shows the PS4 version selling slightly better than the PS3 version, according to this DualShockers article. One of them expressed confidence in the long-term performance of Kiwami.

Anyway, check out the video below! Look at the seamless transitions!

Yakuza 6 - Sega-Nama Early Demo Gameplay (01.25.16) (Stream Recorded)