Are you itching for more new stuff involving Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia since our last report? Well, Namco Bandai has a new website and a new video trailer out for eager fans of the series. Unfortunately, they're both in Japanese, but at least you don't have to be fluent in the language to get an idea of what Tales of Vesperia will be like once it's finally released.

View the video after the jump!

Dragon Ball Z video games have spawned on practically every video game console that has come out, and now it's the next-gen consoles' turn. As the appetizer before the main course, we've got new magazine screenshot scans of their upcoming Dragon Ball Z game Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit (PS3, Xbox 360).

View the Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit scans after the jump!

Mitra Pahlabod of Davenport Lyons sent MCV a "warning" that those who sell PS3's to Europe (importers) may face legal troubles, and ultimately legal finances extending beyond the profit of selling a PS3. This warning however comes from a law firm rather than Sony themselves, most likely based off of the previous annihilation of Lik-Sang by Sony themselves. The warning proceeds as the following -

As far as importers of PS3s are concerned, they should bear in mind that any profit they may make from importing the consoles into Europe without Sony’s consent this Christmas may well be short lived,” Pahlabod stated. “They run the real risk of defending lengthy and costly trademark infringement proceedings.”

This situation is mainly a concern that some major importing websites (that specialize in importation alone), but as an average consumer selling one on eBay, there shouldn't be much of a concern. Sony's defeat of Lik-Sang harmed the importing community, but some still live on.

Thanks Badam for sending this in!

In our previous PlayStation 3 pre-orders coverage, we noticed that AudioCubes.com has the more expensive "premium" version up for grabs. Right now, AudioCubes is the only store that offers pre-orders. So if you don't live in Japan or North America but you really, REALLY want a PS3, then you might want to check the site out.

Since they're the only site that offers pre-orders, you'd think that they'd have their own reasons for raising the product's price a little higher. However, you might want to change your opinion once you know the product's price. Just how much is it? A whopping $999.

But we're pretty sure they didn't select that price tag on a whim. After all, the PS3 weighs more than six kilos, and they've included part of the shipping costs in the price. Also, they based their price on the Japanese version, which will be different from the one in Europe or North America. And oh, they're also giving out a Voltage Converter/Transformer worth $30 in case you live in Europe.

So if you can afford the steep price, you might want to order one now (click the link below), so as to save the part where you have to sleep on a pavement for two nights just so that you can get one at launch time!

AQ Interactive and Mistwalker team up for new titles.

Source: IGN

         

December 20, 2005 - If you`ve been keeping up with the Japanese game scene over the past few months, you might have heard of a new game company called AQ Interactive. This publisher released one of Japan's Xbox 360 launch titles, Tetris: the Grand Master Ace and went on to announce a few additional titles for platforms that include the Xbox 360 and PSP. But it wasn't until today that we learned the true nature of the beast.

AQ held a press conference today in Tokyo to formally introduce itself. The company, whose name stands for Artistic Quality, opened its doors on 10/1 as a publisher for three group development studios, Artoon, Cavia and Feel Plus. Together, these companies are known for such properties as Blinx and Drakengard. Artoon is currently working with Mistwalker on Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360 while Feel Plus is doing the same for Lost Odyssey. All together, between the three studios, the publisher claims to have 350 staffers creating games.
While the three studios will continue to work with different publishers, a number of projects will come under the AQ publishing brand. In addition to the previously announced Onimyou Nikki for the PSP, the company is working on an original RPG for the portable. DS will be getting an adventure game and an edutainment title. PS2 will be getting a game based off a girl-oriented comic license.

Revolution is included in the list, making AQ one of the first 3rd parties to commit support for Nintendo's new platform. The company is working on an original action title and a game based off a major comic license. Additional details were not provided at the press conference.

More details are known on the company's plans for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Xbox 360, in addition to a previously announced mahjong game, will get a new Cavia-developed title called Bullet Witch. Set in 2013, the game tells the story of a desperate fight between man, who is on the verge of extinction, and demons. You play as a witch named Alicia. Although the game clearly features some fantasy elements, it actually takes place in a realistic world setting.

Bullet Witch is an action adventure with story sequences intermixed with gun fights and magic. The game promises to make full use of the Xbox 360`s visual capabilities for its enemies, including giant dragon-like demons. Development is currently at 40% with a Japanese release planned for Spring of 2006.

The next title announced by AQ is Vampire`s Rain, which is being developed at Artoon for the Xbox 360 but will also be released on the PS3. Artoon CEO Naoto Oshima, one of the creative forces in the creation of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, is working directly on this title and promises a game that makes vampires scary once again.

Vampire`s Rain takes place in a city in suburban Los Angeles, where vampires have been determined to reside. Players take control of a special operative called John Lloyd and, having entered the city, must wipe out the vampires. The game will make heavy use of rain. A trailer shown at the press conference displayed realistic lighting and water effects.

Artoon is working network features into this title. The game will feature some sort of gameplay system where players need to figure out who's a vampire and what they would do if they themselves were a vampire. Online gameplay will involve competitive play of some form.

Vampire Rain is set for Japanese release next Winter. The game is far enough in development that Artoon was able to demonstrate a real time version at the press conference.

AQ also has a third Xbox 360 title in the works, Cry On. This one is a joint project between Mistwalker and Cavia. It turns out that Mistwalker founder Hironobu Sakaguchi is actually a share holder in AQ Interactive, and he appeared in person to announce the game.

The theme of Cry On is tears. Sakaguchi, in a classic Sakaguchi moment, pointed out to attendees that tears come not just from sadness, but from happiness and being moved as well. Players will take control of main character Sally in this action adventure, working through scenarios that promise an emotional response.

Cry On takes place in a world where people live amongst giant sand creatures. We mistakenly reported earlier that Sally fights these giants. In fact, she's actually in the company of one of them, a creature named Bogle, and fights alongside it. Although normally tiny, Bogle can transform into a giant beast to fight. He'll do so when Sally is in danger. The game promises to give players the perspective not just of Sally, but of Bogle as well.

Sakaguchi himself is serving as producer and scenario writer on the title, and he promises a title that offers lots of freedom to players and also makes them think. Long-time musical partner Nobuo Uematsu is handling composition and says we can probably expect a vocal song to be included with the title. The game's scenario is currently fifty percent complete, suggesting an early title, and one without a set release date at this point. AQ is putting some big funding behind this one, with a budget reportedly at 10 million dollars.

Finally, AQ made vague reference to a second PS3 title. The company is working on a major 3D game of some form, but that's all the information that was provided.

With all these games backed by big names like Uematsu and Sakaguchi, AQ Interactive may end up with the name recognition that its first title, Tetris, didn't suggest.

source: IGN


Remember Nippon Ichi's planned PlayStation Portable strategy / RPG Makai Wars? Well, don't worry about it if you don't, because Nippon Ichi does. Long thought cancelled due to its long absence, it turns out that the game has been moved to the PlayStation 3 instead. Though no other details beyond the sheer fact that it exists have been revealed, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan did confirm that the game is in development and headed for a PlayStation 3 sometime in the near future.

For the unfamiliar, Nippon Ichi is the developer / publisher responsible for such cult classics as Disgaea, La Pucelle, and Phantom Brave. If Makai Wars plays anything like those titles while taking advantage of the next generation graphical hardware available in the PS3, strategy fans could be in for quite an experience.

source: IGN


If you like oversized noggins on your athletes, then Konami's newly announced Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyuu kyu for the PlayStation 3 may be your game. Announced for the first time at TGS this morning via Sony's PlayStation 3 video wall, Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball (as it's more commonly known) will bring humor and homeruns to Sony's next-gen system.

The trailer itself really didn't give too much away -- it just showed a big-headed pitcher throwing a fiery ball to a big-headed batter who then smacks it all the way into the scoreboard in an ode to the movie The Natural.

Expect Konami to reveal more on Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyuu fairly shortly.

A new screenshot (above) has been shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2005 for Genji 2, being developed by game designer Yoshiki Okamoto's Game Republic studio for the Playstation 3. Older screenshots are below.

  
 

Source:IGN


The PS2 has been the main platform this generation for games in the Shin Megami Tensei series of titles, and it looks like Atlus plans on keeping things as they are going into the next generation. According to reports from Japan, Atlus will be bringing a new entry in the series to the PS3. Currently, the game is going by the tentative name of Shin Megami Tensei.

Known by fans as the "Megaten" series, Shin Megami Tensei has seen four installments on the PS2 and will see a new one shortly in the form of the offshoot Devil Summoner series. The series is known for its demonic themes, with some entries requiring that players suck the souls out of their enemies.

Source: PlayStationSquare
 

The upcoming issue of Japanese gaming bible Famitsu lists a preliminary release schedule for PlayStation 3 software.

It has been revealed by our source that the new entry in the Megami Tensei series of role-playing games (released previously Stateside as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga) will make an appearance on Sony's next generation hardware. No information regarding the title or any such details has been announced by Atlus, the company responsible for the niche RPG.

With Tokyo Game Show starting in just over a week, it is possible that more information will arise.