Japanese RPG companies team up to bring you Cross Edge

The latest issue of Famitsu has shown a potentially epic (or potentially poor) idea from some of the main Japanese developers called Cross Edge. The game, to be released on the PS3, is an RPG collaboration from Capcom, Nippon Ichi, Namco Bandai, Gust and Idea Factory. The game will feature characters from games such as Disgaea and Darkstalkers. Currently, it's known that the battles will be turn-based and the plot is something about rescuing souls.

The game is scheduled for a release on the PS3 in Japan in September. A US release is not likely and a European release has a near zero chance of happening. PS3 games are import friendly though so you might want to take the plunge!

Source: Kotaku

Clover Studios written out of Okami Wii credits

In recent news, Hideki Kamiya from the now defunct Clover team was disappointed with Capcom's and Ready at Dawn's removal of the credits sequence in Okami. It wasn't that they weren't getting credit for their work but more because of the fact that the sequence is an integral part of the game and shows a "combination of thoughts, emotions, and messages" which is a reward for the players that reach the end.

Players of the original Okami were not happy at the cutting of this great scene (and also the great ending song Reset by Ayaka Hirahara was removed), including me. Capcom say that this is because they weren't able to edit out the Clover Studios logo at the end of the credits as they didn't have the source files and couldn't explicitly say that it was a Clover Studios production.

So, if you're playing the Wii version, once you finish, have a look at this YouTube video (I won't embed it as there are potential spoilers) to see what you're missing. This is also the latest gaffe surrounding Okami on the Wii, with the US box art and the US strategy guide using an image supposedly from IGN. We found out because they left the watermark on it...

Back again!

Hello!

Apologies for the sudden disappearance but you can be rest assured that I have returned once again. The reason for my absence? Well, I suppose it's because I was struggling to find myself time to post a story when it breaks. I've survived this patch though and I'm back. There are a few changes though that you should know about.

First of all, I'm no longer doing a weekly round-up - at least not in it's current form. I might just list the stories that I posted in the week. I haven't fully decided yet. Apart from that, there will be no more "regular" features for the time being. This really sapped my time up and when you're playing games in the middle of everything, it becomes nearly impossible. Finally I did a quick tidy up of the tags section on the right. Well, actually, I got rid of it. The list became too long to be useful. The archives are still around and of course the search function at the top will prove useful.

So, what can you expect? Well, apart from the weekly features going, you'll get more news as I stumble across it with as much information that I can give as well as a source. There's not much to it. I'll be sticking the odd review in as well. The first on my hit-list being Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3.

I hope you enjoy the blog to read what gems we can find!

Trailer 2: Time Hollow

This trailer shows a lot more gameplay than the previous trailer. We can see that you need to draw on the scene to reveal clues of some kind.

We're still not sure what to make of it but we'll keep an eye on it...

Official UK release date for The World Ends With You

Square-Enix have announced that the fresh looking DS title, The World Ends With You, will be unleashed in the UK on 18th April 2008. The game is an action RPG where you only have a limited amount of time to complete your adventure, or die in a modern day Tokyo.

Source: Eurogamer

Echochrome demo released

A Japanese demo of the upcoming headache making puzzle game Echochrome was released today which consists of 3 full levels and 5 tutorial sessions. The demo can be picked up on the PSP Demo Center or the official Japanese Echochrome website. The game sees you manipulating the level to try and get your character to retrieve all of the shadows. The level can be rotated to block out obstacles, or use them to your advantage, for example, blocking a gap with a pillar.

Disgaea heads to the DS

The Playstation exclusive JSRPG giant is no longer exclusive to the Playstation family. This week's Famitsu magazine in Japan has shown that Disgaea will be released on the DS, confirming a lot of rumours that have been hitting the gaming news sites for a while. The only thing that has been revealed though is that the translated title is Disgaea DS: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon. More news as it comes through, but for now, DS owners can rejoice!

Source: Pocket Gamer

Last Week (25th February to 2nd March)

The big story of last week was the announcement that Valkyria Chronicles will be released in Europe and the US in the Autumn. There was also an update to the latest release dates for Europe.

Upcoming release dates (Updated: 28th February 2008)

It's time for an update to the list of games that are coming out soon:

Beautiful Katamari - 29/02/2008
Lost Odyssey - 29/02/2008
Persona 3 - 29/02/2008
Fading Shadows - 07/03/2008
Odin Sphere - 14/03/2008
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - 21/03/2008
Riviera: The Promised Land - 28/03/2008
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Spring
The World Ends With You - Spring
LittleBigPlanet - September

Renamed Valkyria Chronicles comes to Europe this Autumn

The seriously brilliant looking Valkyria Chronicles (formerly Valkyrie of the Battlefield) has been confirmed for Europe by Sega today for the PS3. The game takes place in a make-believe Europe in the 1930's with two ruling powers, the Empire and the Federation attempting to take over the neutral Gallia. The game has been given a vague Autumn 2008 release period for the game in both America and the US.

Source: Eurogamer

Last week (18th to 24th February)

There were 2 announcements last week. For the PS2 posse, Odin Sphere got a fully confirmed release date, and for the Puzzle Quest fans, there was some information on Galactrix.

Galactrix shown at GDC 08

Galactrix has finally come out of the shadows with some limited details of the game being shown at the Game Developer's Conference 2008. The game, which now boasts the Puzzle Quest moniker to become Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, is going to be similar to surprise hit Puzzle Quest, but the game will now be played on a hexagonal board in a sci-fi setting. Also, the state of gravity in the game (blocks falling to the bottom of the board) has been revamped to expand on the sci-fi theme and gravity will come in different directions, meaning that the blocks may not necessarily fall downwards like in the original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. No confirmed release date has been given but the game has been announced for the DS, PC and XBox360.

Source: Gamespot

Odin Sphere release date set

The PS2 RPG that I never thought was coming to Europe got a solidified release date of the 14th March 2008 this week. The official European website has also been spruced up with new information about the characters, story and the world of Odin Sphere. The wait is almost over...

Source: Eurogamer

Last Week (11th to 17th February)

There wasn't much to go on, but the Patapon demo came out a week early, and a new RPG called Soma Bringer was given the trailer treatment.

Trailer: Soma Bringer

An interesting looking trailer for Soma Bringer on the Nintendo DS has surfaced on Gametrailers. I'm not aware on what it is but it certainly looks like your standard "Hero needs to go out to save the world" type thing. More information as I get it.