Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

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shivan128

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Welcome to the Japanese niche games deals and discussion thread!  Feel free to talk about local and import Japanese games here.  Our goal is to maintain a thread dedicated to active deals on niche games including RPGs, Visual Novels (VN), Shoot'em ups (Shmups), Musou, etc.  Also maintained are pre-orders for standard, limited and collector's edition games with key release dates provided.

I've wikified the thread to make it more friendly and open to others that can actively update with important information. You can find the wiki post directly below this one.

NOTE:  Please, leave the censorship discussion away from this thread.  It's common for japanese games to have questionable content outside of the country.  We want to keep discussions to the game itself and not about cultural/societal tolerance.

A message from Thorbahn:

Our CAG Japanese Niche Games Thread also has a community on PS4, where you can interact and game with other members of the thread.

Our moderators are: Draekon, Las_Hole, and Waffleswanton

You can basically friend any of our members, or any moderator, and you will be able to request to join the community under "Communities friends are in" tab, and a mod will approve your request.

You can also leave your PSN ID in the thread, saying you want to join, and we can invite you directly as well.

As always, have fun and enjoy your stay!

 
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Hey guys, it's BRW and I wanted to give a first impressions of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 for the PS4, I see a few of you guys don't have it yet, and might be on the fence, so this might help you with your decision.

tumblr_nc2tcuUgqw1qj00eyo1_500.gif


Side note: I don't know why, but I wanted to get a Marie Rose gif, so I typed in Marie Rose into google, you know, like a normal person. Second result is her Rule 34 page ... O.O 

So, first things first, this is probably not a good game. It's got it's quirks and it's moments, but I feel like this should've been an additional mode in Dead Or Alive 5, or maybe a mini $15 PSN game. It's not worth the $60, especially when I beat one of the girl's vacation in like an hour (of course, I picked Marie Rose...) But there's still stuff to do after wards, like clearing the game with all the girls, and collecting everything.

So in terms of actual gameplay, I feel like they missed the mark, the Volleyball is cool for a bit, but then get's really simple and repetitive as the "set up into spike" is like your only way of scoring points. The other games are even more simple, rock climbing and pool hopping is just press buttons on screen, tug of war and butt battle (yes...) is like rock paper scissors, and flag racing is just button mashing. I guess my favorite is the butt battle, there's a little bit of depth with side stepping, and dodging and stuff, but it's just too simple. Would be nice to have more stuff, maybe Jet Ski racing? Sand Castle building? Dowser treasure finding? Idk, there's not much to do on a beach... oh wait... How about swimming? Casino games are also surprisingly weak, only 3, poker, black jack, and roulette, but it's not executed well. The only good thing I have to say is that the cards have the girls on them, and they say cute stuff when they fold.

Graphics are surprisingly nice, I think it's better than DOA5LR, the water is nice, the rocks, and the girl's clothes. But way too much hair clipping. And yes, the bikinis coming loose, and sun tan is in the game, and the bikinis fall off in like seconds, it's kinda crazy, in fact, I've never played tug of war with the bikini intact by the end.

There's no story... there's like a funny intro, and then it's gone... There's tidbits of references to the character's roles in the game, Marie Rose is a maid or something, and Helena is her master, but nothing much. I can't help but feel they missed the mark but not putting some visual novel elements in there, and having the partner system more developed.

Music is... okay. There's one good track, like in the hotel room, but other than that it's bland.

So, there are a few good things though. Like there's a huge assortment of bikini costumes (although some of the bikinis look more like lingerie...) I thought you would have to pay for most of them with the DLC tickets, but you can grind in-game currency. They also seem pretty generous with the currency earning, there's missions, and even failing activities gives you a little bit. Although it's harder to earn in owner mode. Another good thing is that the menus are easy to navigate, there's an inventory for the girls, and for you, and a closet. It's easy to keep track of everything, and the missions are also direct and straight forward, no bad translations or penetration (sorry, I had to...) or anything. The physics in the game are also really good, (no not that kind of physics), I mean more like the bed in the hotel room and the net in volleyball. Sorry, I'm really trying hard to come up with good things...

There's a cool photo mode, where you take pictures of the girls when they relax on the beach. They'll do cute stuff, like run around, kick some sand, play on a float. It follows how the characters act in the canon, Marie acts cute, Nyotengu is strange, Honoka is shy, etc. Voice acting is also pretty nice, but the characters say the same lines again and again.

Overall, it's not really a game for you, unless you're a special case where you really love the DoA characters and universe, or you are a big part of the anti-censorship movement. Even if you're in it for the eye candy, you can just look up videos online. I stream it too, but I can't play for more than an hour, I just get bored. Ultimately, I would recommend really thinking through before buying it.

Thanks for reading!

 
Olengie said:
Looking forward to the Starfox NX game.
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Starfox on Wii U and Starfox Special Edition on NX with Different controller, Game modes & New Stages. Super Smash Bro. Ultimate Edition includes all DLC's on Disc plus extra 4+ characters (More Amiibos coming) and Pokken Tournment Ultimate with new DLC and 6+ Characters includes new game modes & stories. Coming soon in Holiday 2017 :)

 
FullmetalPain22 said:
Are the Estival versus dlc characters worth the money besides Ayane (she has been a favorite of mine since DOA2)? The dlc all together is a lot of cash.
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Naraku and Kagura each have their own issues. Naraku fights with a ball and chain but feels just as bad as playing Yozakura. Kagura destroys almost everything, but there are some real troubles trying to hit an enemy out of the sky. Ayame is another take on Katsuragi with some added punches and store themed attacks. The Ikki Tousen characters play l***carrier lost****


shadowysea07 said:
it was changed in japan and the rest of the world mr. so stop whining as if its the wests fault. Makes you sound like an ignorant bigot.
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Japan has a ratings board too, and they've been cracking down on panty shots and a lot of other things. I think 2005/2006 they revamped the ratings system so a lot of classics are getting hit hard with their 5th and 6th entries.

 
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bappt said:
Naraku and Kagura each have their own issues. Naraku fights with a ball and chain but feels just as bad as playing Yozakura. Kagura destroys almost everything, but there are some real troubles trying to hit an enemy out of the sky.
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mind went totally went to inuyasha.

 
bappt said:
Naraku and Kagura each have their own issues. Naraku fights with a ball and chain but feels just as bad as playing Yozakura. Kagura destroys almost everything, but there are some real troubles trying to hit an enemy out of the sky. Ayame is another take on Katsuragi with some added punches and store themed attacks. The Ikki Tousen characters play l***carrier lost****
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Thanks for the post. I'll probably just get Ayane & Kagura, and the Morrigan from Darkstalkers Outfit. We got Dadouji for free thankfully. I still need to get some of Ayane's weapons from Warriors Orochi 3.

 
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whoknows said:
I couldn't be more disappointed the new Star Fox is another retread of the original. Why does Nintendo like to keep telling the same story over and over? The Corneria footage is pretty much exactly the same as 64.

Thanks Nintendo.
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A few years back, they where under pressure to justify that expensive as tablet controller, so for that E3, they rush Star Fox and 2 other titles to the table to show what the tablet could do. In my opinion, they had already "failed", as by that point the Wii U had already been out a decent time, and just showing some bare bone ideas that where years away wasn't going to change the Wii U's fate.

Sadly, recycling themes, stories and settings is what they do, and always have done. In case of SF, they should have done something new, with new characters, stories and settings, but that takes time, and "N" doesn't function that way. Look how long it takes them to do the same games again and again for each new generation. They should be spitting these retreads out annually, but instead it takes them years.

This is another of the big issues I've had with them over the years. I figure if your using the same characters, stories, ect(even music tracks to some degrees), Why does it take so long to spit out the same game over and over with a new coat of paint? They did just enough in SFZ to say it's kind of new, but we can all see through that BS the minute they open their mouths.

 
Ace of Seafood Now Available on Steam – An Underwater Itano Circus
http://nichegamer.com/2016/04/10/ace-seafood-now-available-steam-underwater-itano-circus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfwrVxhLp94
 
I Want To Be Human’s PC Release Date Announced
http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/04/10/i-want-to-be-humans-pc-release-date-announced/201883/
 
Final Fantasy XIV Has Been Making 7-Eleven Stores Sell Out Of Sodas In Japan
http://www.siliconera.com/2016/04/10/final-fantasy-xiv-making-7-eleven-stores-sell-sodas-japan/
 
Ace Attorney 6’s TV Commercial Shows Special Costumes


http://www.dualshockers.com/2016/04/10/3ds-exclusive-ace-attorney-6s-tv-commercial-shows-special-costumes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6kd9aLigQE
 
Online Japanese Learning Institute Holds First Entrance Ceremony in Virtual Reality
http://nichegamer.com/2016/04/10/online-japanese-learning-institute-holds-first-entrance-ceremony-in-virtual-reality/
 
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Olengie said:
I don't complain about localization changes anymore since I'm going to buy that s*** anyway
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ikr? Unless its something really serious like a party member or something is removed or they are getting some dlc or whatever I really wanted. Still mad that tales of games never got the code geass outfits.

 
BlackRockWaifu said:
DOAX3 Review
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Guess I'll give my 2cents on the vita version then. I pretty much agree with your assessment. The cost was just too high. It'd be a solid game at $20. But the girls are cute at least. I found pool hopping to be the most difficult activity, just because it messes with my motor skills in matching shapes along with distance. But I'm getting used to it. The casino AI is pretty good. As someone that used to play Hoyle casino on the PC, the girl's poker bluffing is varied and convincing. Each girl plays a little differently, so Helena and Nyotengu will bluff like mad even if they don't have a hand. And love the volleyball physics. Hitting a girl in the face with a ball never felt so good.

So let's get to some shortcomings of the vita version. You already know about the lack of breast deformation, tan lines, bikini malfunctions, and obviously lower resolution. So about tans, there is actually no tanning in the vita whatsoever. No alternate skin textures, no suntan lotion or sunscreen to buy. The girls will always look as pale as when they started. Inventory takes a second to populate. The lighting can be harsh on the girls during the afternoon and sunset, making their skin look shiny and plasticy. I don't know if hair clipping is as bad in the PS4, but it constantly cuts through their neck.

Something I don't see mentioned often is that the girl's models take a noticeable hit during activities. The graphics are turned down to maintain a steady fps. This is only during activities. In the Hotel or when they're relaxing you get the full quality character model. When you take pictures of an activity, you see the choppy models, but once you click the shutter, it saves a high quality version.

1460082716288.gif

While on the topic of photo mode. I wish there was a faster way to change f/stop. They could have made it a button combination with rotating the right thumbstick or something. It'd be much faster and intuitive than pressing down + triangle. Also, I really hate that if I'm taking shots of volleyball it keeps resetting my camera position and zoom between points. Barely gives me time to get in position for a good shot. Won't be able to set up good shots until I get the time stop ability.

If you only have a vita, I would not recommend it at full price. PS4 is the only way I would recommend playing this game.

 
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motaku96 said:
Guess I'll give my 2cents on the vita version then.
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Thanks! I was wondering about the vita version. Yeah, you're absolutely right about the A.I. and the poker thing, they really do have unique styles. I also agree completely about the camera angles and control. Pool hopping just kills me, there's such a small difference between holding a button down for a jump and tapping it for a hop that it screws you over, but if you take your time with it, you lose the race... I have a tip though, is that when they stack 3 short blocks together, you can actually long jump over it, and not have to step on the middle one. You can also press the same button and ignore the colors and shapes, but it slows you down.

One other thing is that I think if you have the PS4 version, you can unlock a costume in the Vita version, and vice versa, but I'm not sure if it's just a one-time code, or if you have the trophy data on your profile or what not. The PS4 game from Playasia does include a special code for the Marie Rose devil Bikini, and I assume the Vita version will have the Honoka angel one.

I also have no idea how to unlock pole dancing, there's mention of it in early articles. I guess you get it if you get the girl's satisfaction rate high enough?

 
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Jake_Jenova said:
I thought I was the only one who enjoyed that game!
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I would think so, as I found that game to be a HUGE disappointment, but it does have it's fans. I wish Rare would have kept the Dinosaur Planet skin and released it that way. It really seemed like it was less than it could have been due to the forced changed by "N".

 
BlackRockWaifu said:
One other thing is that I think if you have the PS4 version, you can unlock a costume in the Vita version, and vice versa, but I'm not sure if it's just a one-time code, or if you have the trophy data on your profile or what not. The PS4 game from Playasia does include a special code for the Marie Rose devil Bikini, and I assume the Vita version will have the Honoka angel one.

I also have no idea how to unlock pole dancing, there's mention of it in early articles. I guess you get it if you get the girl's satisfaction rate high enough?
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Oh, do you want my code for Honker's angel bikini? It's a one time code. I was thinking of giving it away on /v/ since I couldn't use it effectively on the vita without going through the card swap nonsense. But if you want it, I'll just give it to you. Just lemme think it over a bit, make sure I definitely don't want to hold onto it.

You unlock dangerous tickets in the owner shop to get the pole dancing. I think you unlock the tickets after winning a certain amount at the casino. There are 4 tickets, each does a different dance. You give it to a girl, and if they accept it, you get the video for that girl. They're just more likely to accept with a higher satisfaction. If they reject, just keep it in the gift wrapping and try sending it again and again.

 
Jake_Jenova said:
I thought I was the only one who enjoyed that game!
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Star Fox Adventures was my first Gamecube game, and I enjoyed it a lot. You can really see where Nintendo had them change the development to tie it in to Star Fox, but that doesn't detract from the game being fun. I'd gladly buy a second, especially if it turns into a Krystal solo outing.

 
Sad reading the impressions about DOA volleyball. New gen, same issues I had with the previous two titles. If I didn't know, I would've thought people were talking about the second game. Not sure why I was hoping they would change the formula.
 
Im thinking of putting in a Pre-Order for Gal Gun Double Peace Mr Happiness Edition but im conflicted on which system to order it for...Vita or PS4 x__x

 
dios said:
Im thinking of putting in a Pre-Order for Gal Gun Double Peace Mr Happiness Edition but im conflicted on which system to order it for...Vita or PS4 x__x
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I read possibly the Vita version may lag or something like that. It's your choice but i guess the shooting gameplay would be aight on the small screen. It doesn't look like a heavy graphics game. I think i'm going for the PS4 version myself...though i'll likely wait till release and afterwards since my summer gaming purchases are relatively crowded.

Also for Senran Kagura the newest one, the PS4 is generally considered the better version with more enemies on screen, consistent FPS, better graphics, likely better controls. If you really need portable I heard it plays better than the previous one Shinovi Versus. I'm sure either is fine though.

 
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Square Enix announces Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin

Square Enix has announced Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin, a new RPG “planned for distribution” in Japan in spring 2016. The teaser website includes a logo featuring the Valkyrie Profile series’ familiar goddess. Although, given its imminent release and use of the word “distribution” in its release window, it is likely a smartphone title.
ESRB rates Corpse Party for 3DS

A preview of NieR Automata’s theme song - Preview

My Hero Academia: Battle for All Videos Demonstrate Ochako And Tenya’s Quirks

One Piece: Burning Blood trailers show Japanese download version and first-print bonuses

Check Out Yo-kai Watch: Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ Early Chapters

Square Enix announces PAX East 2016 lineup, events

 
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salty tbone said:
Sad reading the impressions about DOA volleyball. New gen, same issues I had with the previous two titles. If I didn't know, I would've thought people were talking about the second game. Not sure why I was hoping they would change the formula.
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I actually had it in my cart all yesterday at Play-Asia, as I was going to get Digimon also and use a coupon code. I went back & forth all day, and I almost pulled the trigger then I happened upon the reviews here, and decided against it.

I don't mind a game being slightly less on a handheld vs. console, but they just seemed to not even bother for the Vita version in this case. Not Cool, especially for the price. T&A can only take you so far! LOL

 
chrislaustin said:
I don't mind a game being slightly less on a handheld vs. console, but they just seemed to not even bother for the Vita version in this case. Not Cool, especially for the price. T&A can only take you so far! LOL
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Not having enough gameplay was definitely a big reason I didn't pick up DOAX3. If you are going to just stare and take screenshots of girls in bikinis for most of the game, you might as well just watch a stream of the game or watch actual porn instead.

 
So I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to pick up a clearanced PS TV at Walmart for $30. Are there enough good Vita-only games (focus being on RPGs of course) that I can't already play on a PS3/PS4 to warrant picking up yet another thing to hook up to a TV? 

I do already own an ancient PSP for it's games.

It seems like it should be a no-brainer, but I hadn't looked at a Vita much until recently because I wouldn't use a portable system very often. This seems like the best place to ask as JRPGs seem to be the Vita's focus lately. ...Either that or that's all the games I focus on for the system.

 
Offthecrossbar said:
So I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to pick up a clearanced PS TV at Walmart for $30. Are there enough good Vita-only games (focus being on RPGs of course) that I can't already play on a PS3/PS4 to warrant picking up yet another thing to hook up to a TV?
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Best version of Persona 4, Danganronpa series, and Zero Escape alone are worth a(n extra) $30 investment IMO.

 
Danganronpa 1 & 2 are on Steam (2 is releasing next week). Zero Escape 3 is also coming to PC, but 1 is DS/iOS only if one wanted to play them in order. Unless someone is against playing anything on PC, they should run on basically anything that isn't a rotting potato.

If I were to name some others though it'd probably be:

- Ys: Memories of Celceta

- Tales of Hearts R

- Demon Gaze

Then you have some others that are both Vita/PC:

- Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1-3 (Can be very hit or miss and you should really space them out if you do plan to play them. Also, I don't think #1 is PSTV Compatible)

Ports with exclusive content:

- Atelier Series Plus Versions (Except Rorona Plus as that was on PS3 too. Does have framerate issues.)

- Muramasa Rebirth (Wii Port with new 'premium dlc' content)

Upcoming games that at least look interesting, depending on your tastes (There are of course others, but they're also on PS4):

- Stranger of Sword City (Also on Xbox One)

- Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate

And I of course always recommend the Trails series despite it being PSP/Vita/PS3/PC titles. However Trails in the Sky: The 3rd will be PC-only. There are others of course, but I was mainly focusing on RPGs and ones that aren't the same as their console counterpart. Also trying not to name anything under the sun that would qualify just simply because of its genre. Here's the PSTV compatibility list as well.

 
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Offthecrossbar said:
So I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to pick up a clearanced PS TV at Walmart for $30. Are there enough good Vita-only games (focus being on RPGs of course) that I can't already play on a PS3/PS4 to warrant picking up yet another thing to hook up to a TV?
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I got a PSTV for free and still haven't opened it, lol. Problem is those memory cards are crazy expensive and I haven't bought one yet. And from what I hear, you essentially need a memory card for it.

 
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Offthecrossbar said:
So I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to pick up a clearanced PS TV at Walmart for $30. Are there enough good Vita-only games (focus being on RPGs of course) that I can't already play on a PS3/PS4 to warrant picking up yet another thing to hook up to a TV?

I do already own an ancient PSP for it's games.

It seems like it should be a no-brainer, but I hadn't looked at a Vita much until recently because I wouldn't use a portable system very often. This seems like the best place to ask as JRPGs seem to be the Vita's focus lately. ...Either that or that's all the games I focus on for the system.
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I snagged one for $60 a ling white back and was extremely happy to do so. Sometimes I'd rather sit and watch the games on a larger screen whenever I'm looking for drops, or places to pick up items on the overworld. I've had a lot of luck with my games working. I know that Tales of Hearts R gives you some issues here and there, but I could get it to load and work. I platinumed Akiba's Trip, as well as some of Ar NoSurge Plus, Hypdeminsion Neptunia ReBirth 1, and 2, as well as Senran Kagura, ToHR, and the old PSP/PS1 games.

I might have to break it out tonight now that I've talked about it.

 
ARsignal11 said:
I got a PSTV for free and still haven't opened it, lol. Problem is those memory cards are crazy expensive and I haven't bought one yet. And from what I hear, you essentially need a memory card for it.
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Yeah, this is probably the worst part about the Vita. Proprietary memory cards that are expensive as fuck, but it's a little less bad price wise if your entry barrier is the PSTV+Memory Card. Then on top of that a memory card can only hold one account unless you want to format the card and use a different one or use a separate memory card for another account (such as a JP account).

Oh and deleting games from there can take anywhere from a minute to 15+ minutes which is absolutely ridiculous.

 
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Thanks for all that.

Yeah I was interested in Danganronpa and possibly the Hyperdimension series on steam, but I'm also trying to make my games a collection so I like having the physical copies.

I've played the first 3-4 in the Atelier series, I'm way behind on them so the Plus versions did seem like the way to go. I have the original version of Muramasa and Odin Sphere so I didn't really want to have to buy them again

The benefit of also being able to play my PSN collection of a few PS1/2 games on the secondary TV helps, as does the PS4 remote play. I guess I should just go pick one up!

The memory card issue (as usual with Sony handhelds...) does seem to be a problem though. It'd come with a 4GB card but I hear that's only going to let me store basically 1 Vita game. Unfortunately none of my local stores seem to have any of the clearance cards to pick up at the same time.

 
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Exploration-Focused KOI Swims to PS4 Next Week
http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/04/11/exploration-focused-koi-swims-to-ps4-next-week/201918/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1yUAY8akr8
 
Puzzler ‘Love You to Bits’ Hopes to Charm Greenlight
http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/04/11/puzzler-love-you-to-bits-hopes-to-charm-greenlight/201941/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPjuh86LH9c


GungHo Online Entertainment Has Announced Its Lineup for PAX East 2016; Grasshopper Manufacture's Let It Die Will Be Playable, New Screenshots and Update
http://gematsu.com/2016/04/let-die-playable-pax-east-2016-new-screenshots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUGGUdcmVU

 
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Offthecrossbar said:
Thanks for all that.

Yeah I was interested in Danganronpa and possibly the Hyperdimension series on steam, but I'm also trying to make my games a collection so I like having the physical copies.

I've played the first 3-4 in the Atelier series, I'm way behind on them so the Plus versions did seem like the way to go. I have the original version of Muramasa and Odin Sphere so I didn't really want to have to buy them again

The benefit of also being able to play my PSN collection of a few PS1/2 games on the secondary TV helps, as does the PS4 remote play. I guess I should just go pick one up!

The memory card issue (as usual with Sony handhelds...) does seem to be a problem though. It'd come with a 4GB card but I hear that's only going to let me store basically 1 Vita game. Unfortunately none of my local stores seem to have any of the clearance cards to pick up at the same time.
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I just swap between my Vita and PSTV. Usually is just has to do a quick config on the card and then I can play it. I haven't used it in some time, but being a Dad and having my nieces, and nephews over often (plus the neighborhood kids) I like the ability to hide in the bathroom and play my Vita.

 
Just got my physical copy of Summon Night 5 (PSP) in the mail today. Completely forgot about this and never did receive a confirmation email or really any notices at all after I preordered it ages ago so I thought I missed out lol. Was a nice little surprise.

 
Fragems said:
Just got my physical copy of Summon Night 5 (PSP) in the mail today. Completely forgot about this and never did receive a confirmation email or really any notices at all after I preordered it ages ago so I thought I missed out lol. Was a nice little surprise.
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Hopefully mine will be in today as well. I've checked the site daily for months.

 
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