Friday 27 March 2015

This Week's PSN EU/AU PSN Releases, JRPG Style! (27/3/15)


Hello, hello!

This week's PSN update includes two new releases, including a JRPG dungeon-crawler I've been excited for - the sequel to the Guided Fate Paradox, the Awakened Fate Ultimatum (although...still need to finish the first one). Along with that, there's a some good games on sale right now as Easter is coming up and the PSN does amazing seasonal sales.

My main recommendation for the Easter sale would be Freedom Wars for it's addictive and complex action game mechanics, but there are definitely other good games in there too so check it out, especially if you're a fan of anime games.

Have a good week and enjoy the update!

New Releases


  • The Awakened Fate Ultimatum (PS3)
  • Toukiden: Kiwami with Bonus (PS4 and PS Vita)
DLC

Atelier Shallie:

  • Free:

    Additional Character: Solle
    Additional Collection Area: Abyss
    Additional Cos: Lily Classical and Glamourster
  • Paid:

    Additional Costume: Magical Ribbon
    Additional Costume: Natural Frill
    Additional Costume: Sky Vacation
    Additional Costume: Wild Bikini
    Costume Pack 1
Deals
Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed (PS4, PS Vita)
Arcana Hearts 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! (PS3)
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (PS Vita)
Freedom Wars (PS Vita + extra discount for PS Plus members)
Muramasa Rebirth (PS Vita)
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment (PS Vita)
Tales of Hearts R + 6 Tales of franchise Costume Set (PS Vita)

You can check out these games and more at the Playstation Network Store.
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What's your pick of the week from the PSN?
I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow if you want to keep up the content we post. Thanks for stopping by!

Please note the content available is subject to change by region and the content listed in this post is based on the European/Australian PSN at the time of writing.

Thursday 19 March 2015

This Week's PSN EU/AU PSN Releases, JRPG Style! (19/3/15)

Tokyo Ghost Hunters
Hello, hello!

I'm aware it's been over six months since I've done one of these posts, but I really wanted to bring this back as a) it's a really good excuse to lurk the PSN and b) I'm aware a few people on Twitter used to enjoy this series, so why not, right?

Truthfully, I was checking if Danganronpa 2 was still on sale (spoilers: it's not) and it seemed like a more productive use of my time. So without further ado, here's everything new on the PSN this week!

New Releases

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters (PS3)

DLC
Dragon Ball Xenoverse - GT PACK 1 (PS4, PS3)

Includes: 3 Playable Characters (GT Goku, Pan, GT Trucks), Episodes and Quests, Masters and Master Quests, 1 Stage, Skills, Costumes, accessories and Z-souls


Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd (PS3, PS Vita)
  • Paid:

    Aile D'Ange Module
    Fairy Macaron Module
    Just Be Friends Song
    Magnet Song
    Megurine Luka Conflict Module
    Nagisa Replica Module
    Snow Miku 2015 Module
  • Free:

    Butterflies (Colour) UI
    Butterflies (Gold) UI
    Butterflies (Silver) UI
Free Demos

Toukiden: Kiwami (PS Vita)

Trailers

The Guided Fate Ultimatium
(Note: these trailers are also available on NIS America's Youtube Channel)
  • Free:

    Official Trailer 3: Main Trailer
    Character Trailer 3: Phyllis
    Character Trailer 4: Hien
    Character Trailer 5: Eri
    Character Trailer 6: Mariel
You can check out these games and the rest of them on the Playstation Network Store.
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What's your pick of the week from the PSN?
I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow if you want to keep up the content we post. Thanks for stopping by!

Please note the content available is subject to change by region and the content listed in this post is based on the European/Australian PSN at the time of writing.

Thursday 12 March 2015

Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa Review (PS Vita)


There aren't many games that render me unable to be a normal functioning human being, but I'm strangely proud to say that Danganronpa is one of them. Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa's positively gripping plot and immersive world took me by surprise and gripped me with it's thilling story and fun puzzle-like gameplay. If your PS Vita has been lacking a worthwhile visual novel with unique gameplay and a thrilling mystery, look no further than Spike Chunsoft's masterpiece, Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa.



The world of Danganronpa is based at the prestigious Hope's Peak Acadmey, where ultimate students of their fields (brilliant examples include Ultimate Fashionista, Ultimate Fanfic Writer and Ultimate Gang Leader) are scouted to attend this elite high school that boasts guaranteed success later in life. This sounds all well and good, until protagonist Makoto and the other students find that everything isn't what it seems and are now trapped inside the school. The only way out? Killing a classmate and not getting caught will allow a student to 'graduate', but if they're caught they'll face punishment, as in, their own execution. If the wrong student is selected as the main suspect of the murder, the rest of the class is subject punishment while the killer is set free. It's a pretty dark story, but the students are next required to kill anyone – they have the option to live a communal life together. In turn, this plot characters many morality and though-provoking questions for the player and the game is filled with a wonderful cast of amusing and zany characters to lighten up the game and solve the mystery with.


Umm...
The show shopper for the game is Danganronpa's immersive story and atmosphere. Like a good book that sucks you in, Danganronpa has that effect with it's constantly moving plot full of incredibly interesting characters and surprises. The plot is constantly moving until the very end, decorated with wicked twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout the 25+ hours of story. What I was happy to see is that in the games six main chapters, there was only one where I was 100% sure who the killer was - each mystery is heavily veiled, requiring careful examination of all possible evidence to get the right clues to find the blackened student.


He seems nice.
Thanks to music, voice acting and quirky graphics, the game's atmosphere does a lot to keep it's mood and essentially never break character. The game's graphics are rendered in a 2.5D art style, with 2D characters placed on a 3D background. Cutscenes also look unique, combining anime art and sketch artwork to create a visual style that is distinctly it's own. One of my favourite parts of the game's graphics that if a part of the game really doesn't need crazy artwork, it instead uses a retro feel, with pixel art and sprites used on things like the map or each character's door signs. The music and visuals all have a distinct feel that fits perfectly - things like having gruesome murder scene but hot pink blood and dark looking school corridors lit by a neon light create a disturbingly dark but light-hearted feel that fits the game perfectly. Partnered with incredible voice performances whether you choose the English or Japanese voice track, the game is well-polished and stylish all at once.



Taking advantage of the visual novel format, Danganronpa's detail heavy and absorbing story is delivered in the best way possible between it's text and gameplay functions. While the game is text heavy, the way Danganronpa adds gameplay to the visual novel format is smart and fits the 'who-dun-it' vibe by using puzzle-like elements. In each chapter, the first half goes through Daily Life, where you're taken through the chapter's main story and get the chance to get to know the cast through the mini-social sim Free Time section. Once a murder occurs, the chapter switches to Deadly Life. You're given Investigation Time where you find the Truth Bullets you need for the Class Trial in the form of evidence from the scene of the crime. During Class Trial time, you literally shoot down weak ideas spoken by the class members, using the Truth Bullets you found earlier to counter against contradictions.


I was impressed at how the Class Trial takes full advantage of the PS Vita's hardware, incorporating the back-touch pad, front touch-pad, triggers and other buttons all in this one section of gameplay, which isn't something I've seen in a Visual Novel style game. Class Trial throws in timed mini-games such as Hangman's Gambit (a mini-hangman-esque game) and Bullet Time Ballet (to my delight, a mini-rhythm game for when someone is mouthing off suspiciously) to keep things interesting and finishes off with a puzzle game where you put together a chronological comic of all the events that have been proven as fact in the class trial. The whole experience, along with the story each murder and the school's own mystery unfolding really kept me on my toes and I found myself becoming as shocked as the other character when a surprising fact was unveiled.



If you like Visual Novels, are looking for an introduction or a game to lose yourself in, let me suggest one of my new favourites, Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa. The plot left me entangled in it's depths for nearly 25+ hours and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. Partnered with varying gameplay elements and styles to keep things interesting, it cannot be missed by fans of Visual Novels and rich stories for on the go. At this point in time, I call it the best visual novel game I've ever played and one of PS Vita's finest.

Score: 10/10
Just play with the crazy bear, goddamit!

Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa is available for purchase now at Play-Asia.com.

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What did you think of Danganronpa? And what's your general opinion on monochromatic, deranged bears?
I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow if you want to keep up the content we post. Thanks for stopping by!

Note: This article does contain an affiliate link. You can read our Affiliate Link Policy here.

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Japan Stuff: Yokai Watch is EVERYWHERE

I've had friends ask me if Pokemon is everywhere, if I can find underwear vending machines and if I've eaten my body weight in sushi yet. While the last part may be true thanks to the seven conveinence stores in walking distance from my Tokyo apartment, the one thing I have found to be taking over Japan is a 3DS game and now popular anime series, Yokai Watch.

I've posted a little on Yokai Watch before, but to summarise it's a highly popular ghost capturing JRPG aimed towards a younger audience. It has been compared to Pokemon before by Kotaku and Yokai Watch II was one of Japan's top selling games last year, selling over five million copies.

As someone who has a small interest in the game and a little knowledge of it's popularity, I was still not prepared for the onslaught of Yokai Watch merchandise I would see pretty much everywhere I went. I've seen toilet paper (which I couldn't take a photo of sadly), to candy to I don't even know, here's just some of the Yokai Watch merch I've seen throughout convenience stores and supermarkets in Tokyo.
(Which by the way, this doesn't include all of the toy stores that are indeed full of the Yokai Watch toys.)


In a Japanese supermarket, some sort of Yokai Watch cheese bar?


Trading cards, of course.


Yokai Watch tissues, for when you need a ghost to wipe your nose for you.


A Yokai Watch capsule machine. Capsule machine's are pretty common in Tokyo around convenience stores and grocery stores. While Attack on Titan and Sailor Moon have a presence with these, Yokai Watch will usually always be at least one of the machines in a group of them.


I think these are gum boots? Let's be honest, these are kinda cool.


If you look closely, these are actually some Yokai Watch sausage!
(insert ghost sausage joke here)


Stickers, tissues and lots of Yokai Watch at this Family Mart!


Another Yokai Watch capsule machine....


....With this on the other end of the aisle!


I truly can't remember what this is or where I saw it (probably a grocery store). But it's a drink or an ice block or something!


Oh, of course - Yokai Watch Pocky! I actually want to try this - does anyone know what flavour this is?


Stickers, toys and convenience store 'Yokai Watch' magic.

I think it's amazing how much a game has taken over so many different varieties of products! I can't even think of what it must be like to be a Japanese parent with a Yokai Watch loving child. My wallet bleeds for you.

Luckily, the Yokai Watch monsters are kinda cute and I don't have a child, so I don't mind seeing it everywhere. Thank goodness this isn't Persona or something though, as I would be broke.

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Have you played Yokai Watch? What JRPG would you plaster all over Japanese toilet paper?
I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow if you want to keep up with these articles. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday 2 March 2015

Japanese Finds: The Digivice Is Back?!?!

Photo source: famitsu.com
I've never grown out of my tendency to click on any Digimon related news I find. Today was no exception, but it ended with some really cool nostalgic news!

Famitsu's original post's headline states that for the Digimon Adventure's anime's 15th anniversary they will be releasing a brand new colour digivice. A Japanese trailer can be watched below, which will most likely fill 90's kids with major nostalgia.


While the Digivice seems to be quite expensive (according to Bandai's toy website, you can order it for 9,990 yen, which is roughly $100 Australian dollars), these still look like a lot of fun to play alone or with friends.

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Japanese Finds is a new JRPG Jungle post series where I sometimes attempt to learn more Japanese by translating Famitsu headlines and/or articles and report my finds. If I have incorrectly translated any of the information here, please feel free to let me know and...help...me...grow? #badrhymes
This is a learning experience for me, but I want to share my finds to those interested. Naturally, I won't share anything that I'm unsure about, so please enjoy the information.

More importantly, did you have a Digivice when you were a kid? I had three editions (I think my favourite was one of the later ones which used trading cards as well), although if series one toy was a digivice style when I was younger, I missed it! I used to sit in the car with my family, shaking my second series digivice until it evolved and had all the step counts memorised. I was a very social child.

Let me know your digivice stories in the comments below or on Twitter via @JRPGJungle, where you can follow us for immediate JRPG Jungle articles and updates!