October 17 to 23 3rd Party News Roundup

Megami Meguri

Although Megami Meguri is a free-2-play title, it will be getting a physical release in Japan via the “Complete Edition” and the “Collector’s Box Edition”.

Capcom recently detailed the contents of the Collector’s Box via the website Gamer.ne.jp. Thanks to Perfectly Nintendo who translated the news, we now know it includes some physical goodies, and 20 jewels, the in-game currency that allows you to do things, such as:

  • “cheat” during the game’s board game section, allowing you to teleport to other locations or influence the dice rolls, for example
  • open more than once treasure box at once
  • retake trials at a lower difficulty should you fail them

The rest of the Collector Box’s contents are as follows:

  • Megami Meguri collector’s package
  • Special art book – A4 size, with 36 pages. Includes illustrations for Mikumo, the Seven Pillar Goddesses, interviews and comments from the developers, storyboards for the opening animation, and artwork of Tsukumo’s expressions, among other things
  • Original soundtrack CD
  • A1-size “Summer-style Tsukumo” cloth poster
  • Download code for five exclusive costumes: “Relaxing Room Wear”, “Cute Maid”, “Attending Shrine Maiden Costume”, “Book Girl Sailor Outfit”, and “Wedding Dress”

The music list of the soundtrack CD includes the following tracks:

  1. Megami Meguri – Game Size Version –
  2. Gatan Goton
  3. Hajimemashite
  4. Heaven’s Voice
  5. Kyoumi Shinshin
  6. Yukaina Kibunbun
  7. Tsukumo Kyun no Theme part. 1
  8. Tsukumo no Theme
  9. Gokigen Ikaga?
  10. Sugoroku no Theme
  11. Tsukumo Tsuujou Unten
  12. Junbi wa OK?
  13. Ganbarunoja!
  14. Tsukumo Kaiwa Kyoushitsu
  15. Buubeebubbuppee
  16. Yabai kamo…
  17. Norinori Battle
  18. Tsuku Mode
  19. Tsukumo no Nayami goto
  20. Okashi na Tsukumo
  21. Tsukumo Centimeter
  22. Tabi wa Tsuzuku
  23. Yoru Sugoroku
  24. Heaven’s Voices
  25. Heaven’s Door
  26. Heaven’s Trial
  27. Happiness Forever
  28. Tsukumo Elegant
  29. Tsukumo Kyun no Theme part. 2
  30. Megami Meguri – Off Vocal Version –

Finally, you can find some screenshots of the Collector’s Box contents below, followed by some videos of the game recently released by 4Gamer.

Monster Hunter Generations

Monster Hunter Generations has received more free DLC ahead of Halloween.

Players can now download the “Trick or Treat” item pack, which includes the following items:

– 10x Psychoserum
– 10x Demondrug
– 10x Poisoned Meat
– 50x Spider Webs

And here’s the official tweet:

Monster Hunter Stories

monster-hunter-stories-original-soundtrack-1Monster Hunter Stories recently released in Japan on October 8, and now Capcom is preparing to release a soundtrack based on the game, which is currently set for launch on November 9 with a 3,000 yen price point.

The soundtrack features a cover jacket that’s the same as the game’s package illustration, where you can see the protagonist riding on his Rathalos.

Capcom’s soundtrack will include two discs, and all copies will include a full-color booklet. It also comes with a QR code that unlocks a usable in-game item.

Dragon Ball: Fusions

Bandai Namco recently announced that an update is coming to Dragon Ball: Fusions on November 2.

The update in question is going to add two characters from Dragon Ball Super to the game, Trunks and Goku Black. Naturally, since this game is all about fusions, both of these characters will get special EX fusions too. Trunks (from Super) can fuse with regular Trunks to form Trunks (EX), while Goku Black can fuse with Broly to form Karoly Black.

You can find pictures of these additions in the screenshot gallery below.

SEGA 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage

Famitsu recently revealed Alien Syndrome and Columns as the latest additions to SEGA 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage.

We now have some information regarding what will be included as features in these titles.

Alien Syndrome is getting a new element is two-player co-op via local wireless. Interim Save, Interim Load, Replay, and Round Select are all included too. With Round Select, you’re able to start from the last cleared round, but it isn’t available in local play.

Alien Syndrome lets players choose from five difficulty levels. In the lowest one, enemies will not shoot bullets and have reduced health. There’s also a Time Limit feature in which players are able to choose from six levels, two of which were not available in the original version of the game.

Alien Syndrome includes both the Japanese and international versions, with their respective differences, as follows:

– In the Japanese version, exit will open after rescuing all 16 people, while in the international version it will open after rescuing just 10 of them
– International version has lesser time limit
– Stage 1 and Stage 2 bosses are switched
– International version has BGM at Name Entry
– International version has a hidden character at Stage 3 boss
– In the international version, the hidden 1-up that’s obtained by taking a Question Mark with exactly 100,000 points, doesn’t include 100 points (which allows repeatedly getting 1-ups, since the score stays at 100k)

The different screen options include:

– Normal: Same 4:3 ratio as original
– Wide/Full: Stretched to fully cover 3DS screen
– Classic: Screen becomes convex to simulate CRT monitor

And lastly, Game Volume, Voice Volume, and BGM Test make up the sound settings. It’s also possible to hear all 17 BGMs in the game, including unused songs.

When it comes to Columns, it has two unique modes, which are:

– Flash Columns: A 2-player versus mode where players need to quickly erase predetermined jewels
– Doubles: 2-player co-op mode

Like in Alien Syndrome, Interim Save, Interim Load, and Replay are all included in this one. Japanese and international versions are both included, with the latter one offering English text for messages. Screen Modes are divided between Normal and Classic, with Normal optimizing 3D Binocular Vision, while Classic makes the screen more convex to simulate CRT monitors. You can also choose between Mega Drive and Mega Drive 2 versions of the game’s Sounds.

Finally, we now know that this is the first game in the SEGA 3D Classics Collection series to receive a CERO C rating (over 15 years old), because of the inclusion of Alien Syndrome, which has horror graphics.

Finally, you can read a message from producer Yosuke Okunari below, followed by a bunch of screenshots from the two games covered above.

“Turbo Outrun and the enhanced restoration of Thunder Force III by Technosoft are the number one in the port wishes ranking. Originally we thought that we should finish the new compilation with these two titles. However, it just isn’t enough to decorate “Final Stage” of the series, so the staff considered the possibility of implementing one more title within the limited development schedule. As a result, we decided on having Alien Syndrome in the compilation, as a port has been requested as long as ten years ago and it hasn’t been able to realize. Please look forward to miniature garden-like three-dimensionality of this game that overflows with horror feel! And fourth unexpected new title is Columns! We weren’t able to do this for Puyo Puyo 2, but now jewels have been turned into three-dimensional one-by-one. That’s what you’d expect from M2. Please look forward to playing supremely beautiful Columns!”

 

Puyo Puyo Chronicle

SEGA has released a collection of 18 videos showing off the various rules of the main Puyo Puyo Chronicle gameplay mode.

Check out the first one below, and the remaining 17 on their official Youtube Channel.

7th Dragon III Code: VFD, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Deep Silver has announced a concrete release date for SEGA’s 7th Dragon III Code: VFD and Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse in Europe.

The games will be launching on December 2nd, and in the case of 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, it will come with a bonus art book.

You can find new trailers for both of these titles below.

Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki

Level-5 has released a commercial for Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki. Check it out below.

The Alliance Alive

the-alliance-aliveThe latest issue of Famitsu covers a ton of information about The Alliance Alive. Along with a preview of the game itself, the magazine also spoke with a few of the developers.

The Alliance Alive should be considered a new classic RPG. It uses the standards of RPGs while reconstructing the genre with the latest technology.

The premise is that a thousand years ago, the Demon Clan invaded the human world to control a chaotic energy that could endanger the demon world. The Demon Clan also set up a Giant Barrier here that disrupted weather and caused the sky to no longer be blue, as well as causing earthquakes and generating a Black Current on the sea that split the land into several zones, consuming many other cities and killing about half of the whole human population. A few hundred years later, each of these zones were put into their own administrations by the Demon Clan, eventually developing unique cultures as well as a caste system that puts the Demon Clan at the top.

Three of the various zones split by the Black Current are introduced in this first batch:

1. Rain World

A world where it never stops raining even after the Demon Clan set up the Giant Barrier. Plants have become accustomed to the unique weather. It’s relatively easy to live here, unless you count the fact that you will definitely get drenched if you’re moving outside.

2. Burning World

A world surrounded by countless volcanoes. Despite its extreme environment, it has more advanced science & technology than the other worlds. When exploring volcanoes, people are advised not to misstep since they might end up slipping (into the magma).

3. Prison World

An eerie world which has a giant prison shrouded in miasma. It is always dark, so people rely on city lights when moving outside. You have to wonder what kind of people live in this world.

The player controls the protagonist and moves them on a field map. The battle system uses Symbol Encounter.

The game features nine main characters, all of them protagonists who begin their journeys with different plans at first, but eventually gather and move towards a single goal.

Characters include:

1 – Galil: A young boy under the Night Crows resistance. Has a mild personality but very passionate heart.
2 – Ursula: A blonde young girl also under the Night Crows. She’s completely ignorant and keeps speaking her real intentions. She always manipulates Galil.
3 – Barbarosa: A ghost knight under the Night Crows. His life was saved by Ursula’s father, so he swore allegiance to him.
4 – Vivian: Daughter of a noble from the Demon Clan. She likes studying history, is interested in the human world, and has a gentle personality.
5 – Ignace: A demon butler serving Vivian. His personality emphasizes order and social rank just like the usual demon.
6 – Rachel: A mercenary hired by the Seal Technique Guild. She has deep humanity/empathy and will act instantly once she makes up her mind.
7 – Renzo: An adult informant under the Night Crows. He’s optimistic but also has eyes that calmly looks at things.
8 – Jean: A technique user in the Seal Technique Guild which serves the Demon Clan. He overlooks everything and does not act impulsively.
9 – Tigi: A young girl researching the Black Flow. She calls herself a professor and creates many inventions.

Next we have some information from the developer interview:

– After researching what the world wants but what hasn’t been made by other companies yet, the conclusion was that they want a RPG with a balance between story and gameplay.
– The team wanted the world setting to have variety so it will be fun to even just take a stroll.
– The team dared going against the current trend by fixating on how to present the world map. They wanted to make an old-school world map that allows one to actually imagine the whole picture when actually strolling inside there.
– They handled the distances between towns and dungeons, as well as the frequency of battles so that it won’t become too stressful.
– There will be vehicles that help expand the movement range.
– The reason why there are nine protagonists is that the team wanted players to find their favorite characters among them.
– Equipment can be freely changed to weapons like the greatsword and spear.
– The battle system will have features like learning new skills inside battles, and Awakening which raises stats.
– The stronger the enemies you fight, the faster your character’s stats will grow. There’s also a feature to raise the growth rate even further.
– The party will have up to five characters with various formations available. There will be a Guild system that is used to strengthen the party.
– The team had concerns about the amount of worlds in the game. If they added too many worlds, they might end up being considered just dungeons. The ultimate goal of this game is to have the player travel around the world, so they needed to give the various worlds a meaning and connections between each other. So the more worlds they add, the more features they had to draw in as well.
– Most humans are now content living under the Demon Clan’s rule, and Ursula is the only one who believes that the sky once used to be blue, a long time ago. Galil, Renzo, and Barbarosa know that there are other worlds outside the Rainy World they live in, so they join Ursula in a journey to ‘take back the skies’.
– The story starts from the perspective of human adventurers Galil & co, and then from the perspective of the Demon Clan characters Viviana and Ignace, and Tiggy who’s together with the former two. After that the perspective switches to the human faction that is closer to the Demon side like Gene and Rachel. How these protagonists from different races, ideologies and worlds will end up banding together will be a point of focus in this game.

The staff lineup is as follows:

Producer/director – Masataka Matsuura
Scenario – Yoshitaka Murayama
Game Design – Kyoji Koizumi
Art Director – Masayo Asano
Composer – Masashi Hamauzu
Character Design – Ryou Hirao
Developer – Cattle Call

And Famitsu concludes by saying that The Alliance Alive launches in Japan next spring, with development currently sitting at 65% complete.

Finally, you can find a big batch of screenshots in the gallery below, followed by the debut trailer for the game.

Attack on Titan: Escape from Certain Death

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, Attack on Titan: Escape from Certain Death is now in development for 3DS, and being made by Koei Tecmo’s Ruby Party. The anime’s visual staff is also involved.

Here’s what is knowm about the project thus far:

– Original story set in a certain old castle
– The protagonist is an original character who belongs to the Survey Corps
– In a desperate situation after losing their equipment and wandering an old castle, players must plot to escape alongside familiar characters
– Choose the protagonist’s gender
– If you select a male, Mikasa will be your partner
– If you select a female, Levi will be your partner
– As the story progresses, you’ll be able to take action with various characters
– The game takes place before the encounter with the Female Titan
– The game has voice acting, including all the main voice actors from the anime.

Development of the game is only 30%, so it does not currently have a release window.

However, you can take a look at some artwork and screenshots in the gallery below.

Harvest Moon: Skytree Village

Natsume has recently uploaded a new video showing off some early gameplay from Harvest Moon: Skytree Village. Check it out below.

RPG Maker Fes

The latest issue of Famitsu featured RPG Maker Fes once again, sharing a few new details about designing enemies, dialogue, and maps.

For enemies and combat, there are six main elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Ground, Light, and Darkness. There are also nine status conditions that enemies can be resistant to: Poison, Burn, Paralysis, Sleep, Confusion, Silence, Blind, Slow, and Death. You can also edit the look, name, stats, abilities, drop items and rates, and more for enemies.

When it comes to cutscenes and dialogue, players will be able to choose text, adjust facial expressions, and change character movement. Players can also adjust areas on the map that are off-limits, so that characters won’t be able to walk through walls or off cliffs, for example. This will also let players make secret paths in their games, if they so wish to.

A new batch of screenshots illustrating these options was also released, which you can find in the gallery below.

Darksiders Warmastered Edition

THQ Nordic has now confirmed that Darksiders Warmastered Edition will arrive on the Wii U eShop on November 22.

A physical retail version will follow “at a later stage”.

Originally, the release was planned for October 25.

darksiders-warmastered-edition-boxartLEGO Dimensions

LEGO Dimensions will soon be adding a new pack based on Sonic the Hedgehog, and turns out, Sonic isn’t the only character from the franchise that will appear in the game.

A tweet was recently published on the LEGO Dimensions Twitter account showing off Shadow, Tails, Big the Cat, and Knuckles. It’s the only image we have of them so far, but they are confirmed to be in. You can see them all in their LEGO look below.

sonic-lego-dimensions-4Virtual Console Trailers

Below you can find trailers for some recently released Wii U and News 3DS Virtual Console titles.

Super Chinese 2: Dragon Kid (Japan, NES, Culture Brain, Wii U)

Super Castlevania 4 (Europe, SNES, Konami, New 3DS)

Super Ghouls’n Ghosts (Europe, SNES, Capcom, New 3DS)