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[Review] Corpse Party (PSP)

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:19:56 +0000

Welcome to the abandoned and (reportedly) demolished halls of Heavenly Host Elementary School, where vengeful spirits dwell and the fires of corporeal existence are repeatedly and mercilessly snuffed. We hope you enjoy the tour, as it’s not about to end anytime soon. It may even last an eternity… At this accursed school, a series of incidents occurred in which, ultimately, four students were kidnapped… and murdered. And though this ocurred 30 years ago, the corpse party still continues to this very day. Now the site if a perfectly ordinary high school, one unlucky class representative with a penchant for telling ghost stories makes the mistake of invoking a forbidden charm know as “Sachiko Ever After”, a charm that unknowlingly serves as the invitation to another space — a shifting, almost sentient echo of the long-closed school wherein these horrific mutilations occurred so long ago. And once you’ve been invited to this party, you have no choice but to attend. Willingly or no, all who find themselves in the dilapidated halls of Heavenly Host must persevere, fort their only companions along the way are the mournful spirits of the dead and forgotten… along with a few who consider themselves the very arbiters of lie and death. Will you remain a guest here forevermore? Or will you have the power to defy the saddest and strongest fate of all? Corpse Party is not your average scary game. It does have some strong images, and the content is sure to make you feel a little woozy, but there are no cheap scares in some dark corridors here. Instead, the excellent story is what sets the tone for the whole thing. At the very start of the game, a tale is told with just a handful of images lit by candlelight and from there, things just get spookier. Just watching the first 30 minutes of the game will give you nightmares about those damned children. Yes my friends, even the bravest of us will squeal at the sight of this game. This game was actually created in RPG Maker several years ago, and it was later ported to the PSP last year. Here’s some insight into this, directly from XSEEED Games: Believe it or not, Corpse Party has actually existed since 1996! The very first appearance of Corpse Party was as an independently-developed freeware game for the popular Japanese NEC PC-9800 series of computers, created by a small software startup who call themselves “Team GrisGris.” The title was put together using the popular game creation software RPG Maker (specifically, a PC98 adaption of it called RPG Tsukuuru Dante98), and billed itself as a no-holds-barred horror adventure reminiscent of Japanese 8- and 16-bit classics such as Capcom’s Sweet Home and Human’s Clock Tower. In 2008, perhaps spurred by the runaway success of similarly-themed horror titles like Higurashi: When They Cry, Team GrisGris released a Windows-based reimagining of their original opus titled Corpse Party: BloodCovered. This was not a mere port, but an upgrade in every sense: the graphics, the music, the gameplay and even the story itself were all changed, improved and expanded upon (and the initially unnamed side characters who later starred in Corpse Party Zero had their names retroactively applied to them, as a nod to the dedicated fans who kept the series alive during Team GrisGris’ long hiatus). The title was split into five chapters which were sold episodically at conventions, fan events and through an online store. This updated remake was also ported to cell phones, allowing Japanese gamers to horrify themselves on the go. Corpse Party was officially a hit. Novels, drama CDs and soundtrack albums were released one after another. Then, in 2010, popular Japanese visual novel publisher 5pb took notice and Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear was born. This PSP title is an enhanced remake of Corpse Party: BloodCovered featuring further updated graphics and music, additional story elements and full voice-acting recorded via binaural audio technology for simulated three-dimensional surround sound. XSEED Games fell in love with Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear just after Halloween 2010, and negotiated a license with 5pb to release it in the English-speaking world. Since no other version of the game has ever been officially published outside of Japan, we felt it prudent to drop the dual subtitles and release this game under the name that started it all: Corpse Party. Short, simple and catchy! It is, after all, the beginning of the story. While it was a full PSP release in Japan, it’s a PSN-only release over here. Honestly though, I’m just glad we got the game at all. It has some pretty meaty content with 5 main chapters to play and up to 10 extra ones that can be unlocked depending on your actions (you gotta to love multiple endings!). Each extra chapter is a small insight into other characters and their journey from here to the other side, and take about 1-5 minutes each at most. Bringing new information and perspective to the whole story is what they’re all about. Some of them you don’t even play, since you just read about the interactions and conversations. In this unusual experience you’ll do a LOT of reading, but we embrace that change with open arms. It’s good to actually read something instead of button mashing my way across yet another action game. Every line of dialogue is voiced (in Japanese) with English subtitles added for those of us that can’t really tell one word from the other. The gameplay is simple, you use the D-Pad to move (analog doesn’t work), use the triangle button to open the menu, and use X to interact with everything else. Since it’s a digital release, loading times are down to a minimum and won’t break your experience. There is a lot of revisiting the same spaces over and over, which might sound boring, but since you’re actually trapped inside a school, but each group is in a different dimensions, and every time you revisit places they change! How you interact with the (dead) people is what defines your actions and the story outcome. It isn’t about surviving, but rather about choosing how you’ll die. No one is safe, and all will eventually meet their end in this macabre journey. Or is there still a small ray of hope in all this twisted and macabre darkness? You’ll find the decaying remains of those that were trapped before you, and that could never find their way home. You can collect their name tags to add their information to your list. You’ll be surprised to learn how many have already seen their flame disappear, suffocated by this crazy place that slowly eats away at your mind and your soul. Sound plays a huge part in this game. Be sure to use your headphones and set volume as high as possible. Playing at 12 am with the lights off will also get you in the right mindset, though nightmares may wake you up in the middle of the night. You see, imagination is a veeeeery powerful thing. Not being able to see what is going on, but being told about it and listening to screams, blood splatter, breaking glass… that is certain to mess with your head. Graphics are simple (16-bit goodness!) and the illustrative images that pop out every once in a while are horror manga at its prime. Corpse Party is a must buy for every PSP owner. Visual Novels are hard to find, and when we’re given one of such high quality as Corpse Party, it is our duty to support them by buying ASAP. You’ll play for 15+ hours in order to see everything the game has to offer which, for a $19.99, is really a great value. XSEED Games wants us to join the party, and the dead want to lead us into the afterlife… Review Pros Cons Visual Novel Gaming at its Finest Great story A release for the sequel hasn’t been confirmed yet Rating 95% Published by XSEED Games Cost – $19.99 (PSN-Only PSP Digital Release) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 15 hours This review is based on a copy of Corpse Party provided by XSEED Games.

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[Review] Corpse Party (PSP)

Zipper Interactive’s Unit 13 Set for a March 2012 release

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:50:50 +0000

Socom series creator Zipper Interactive formally announced a Japanese release date for the third person PlayStation Vita game Unit 13. The game will be released March 8 priced ¥4,980 at retail and ¥3,900 in download form. Visit the official Unit 13 site here .

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Zipper Interactive’s Unit 13 Set for a March 2012 release

Video Confirms Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Will be Available on PS Vita

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:50:09 +0000

A video released today by the Japanese site Adriasang confirms what Kojima told us during our interview at Spike TV’s VGA awards about the release of Metal Gear Solid HD collection for the upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld. For those of you who missed our interview you can watch it after the jump. Kojima also told us directly that you will be able to play the same exact game in the Vita and your PS3 console seamlessly presumably via “transffaring”. The PlayStation Vita will be released in North America in February 22, 2012.

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Video Confirms Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Will be Available on PS Vita

PS3BlogCast Episode 30

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:27:21 +0000

Welcome back to another week with the podcast. This one is light on the news, with FooBear and yours truly. We don’t get into a whole lot, beside the basics of new releases and a few bits on the Japanese Vita launch. For those of you who don’t feel like taking a trip to Spoilerville, FooBear and I talk about the ending to Assassin’s Creed Revelations. We do the code giveaway and the secret word before hand, but if you want to skip over it stop the podcast at 51:30 and you can pick it back up at about 1:02:43. We also won’t be having a podcast next week, so we’ll see you all next year! At least…in the podcast. Stay active on the site! Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 75 points. The first 10 people to enter it correctly get double points! As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there. You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here . We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well. Here’s a list of some things (or everything) we discussed: Vita Launch Issues New Releases Code Giveaways! Secret Words Assassin’s Creed Revelations Spoilers

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PS3BlogCast Episode 30

Huge Savings Part 2: PSN Store Edition

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:14:03 +0000

There’s a LOT of content on sale right now at the PSN store. So much that I’ve had to place it all after the break AND in quotes to really make the list pop-out. My PS3 is set to be back by friday morning and I’ll be getting the L.A. Noire Complete Bundle (even cheaper at only $24.99 thanks to my PS+ sub), Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, Age of Booty, Breath of Fire IV, Dino Crisis 2, Cyberbots and Earthworm Jim HD. What are YOU buying? Resident Evil 5: Untold Stories Bundle (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $12.49) Alpha Protocol Gear Pack (Sale) (now $5.99, original price $14.99) Section 8: Prejudice Blitz Pack (Sale) (now $2.09, original price $ 2.99) Section 8: Prejudice Overdrive Map Pack (Sale) (now $2.79, original price $3.99) Section 8: Prejudice: Frontier Colonies Map Pack (Sale) (now $2.79, original price $3.99) 1942: Joint Strike (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Age Of Booty (Sale) (now $2.99, original price $4.99) Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $14.99) Bionic Commando: Rearmed (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Final Fight/Double Impact (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Flock (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (Digital) (Sale) (now $19.99, original price $29.99) Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Wolf Of The Battlefield: Commando 3 (Sale) (now $2.99, original price $4.99) Grandia (Sale) (now $5.99, original price $9.99) Blokus (Sale) (now $1.99, original price $4.99) Earthworm Jim HD (Sale) (now $2.99, original price $9.99) Modern Combat: Domination (Sale) (now $2.99, original price $7.99) Bomberman Ultra (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Trine (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) L.A. Noire (PS3) (Sale) (now $31.99, original price $39.99) L.A. Noire Complete Edition Bundle (Sale) (now $34.99, original price $49.99) Red Dead Redemption Digital And Undead Nightmare Collection Bundle (Sale) (now $34.99, original price $49.99) Daytona USA (Sale) (now $6.99, original price $9.99) Renegade Ops (Sale) (now $11.99, original price $14.99) Sega Bass Fishing (Sale) (now $6.99, original price $9.99) Sega Rally Online Arcade (Sale) (now $5.99, original price $9.99) Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I (Sale) (now $6.99, original price $9.99) Space Channel 5 Part 2 (Sale) (now $6.99, original price $9.99) Armageddon Riders (Sale) (now $6.99, original price $9.99) Homefront (Sale) (now $19.99, original price $29.99) Cuboid (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Interpol: The Trail Of Dr. Chaos (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Magic Orbz (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $6.99) Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Wakeboarding HD (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Hamsterball (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Ricochet HD (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Far Cry 2 – Digital (Price Change) (now $19.99, original price $29.99) Activision Hits Remixed (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Bakugan: Defenders Of The Core (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Cabela’s African Safari (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts Ultimate Challenge (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Cabela’s North American Adventures (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $29.99) Crash Of The Titans (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Crash Tag Team Racing (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Gun: Showdown (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Monster Jam: Path Of Destruction (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Rapala Pro Bass Fishing (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Rapala Trophies (Sale) (now $7.49, original price $14.99) Swat: Target Liberty (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Doodle Pool (Price Change) (now $0.99, original price $4.99) Retro Cave Flyer (Price Change) (now $0.99, original price $4.99) Zombie Racers (Price Change) (now $0.99, original price $6.99) Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Capcom Classics Collection Remixed Umd Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Capcom Puzzle World Umd Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Darkstalkers: Chaos Towers Umd Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Fate Unlimited Codes (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Umd Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Digital (Sale) (now $9.99, original price $19.99) Power Stone Collection Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $5.99) Ultimate Ghosts N Goblins Umd Legacy (Sale) (now $4.99, original price $9.99) 5-In-1 Arcade Hits (Sale) (now $0.99, original price $3.99) Blimp: The Flying Adventures (Sale) (now $0.99, original price $1.99) Minisquadron (Sale) (now $0.99, original price $1.99) One Epic Game (Sale) (now $0.99, original price $1.99) The Impossible Game (Sale) (now $0.99, original price $2.99)

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Huge Savings Part 2: PSN Store Edition

PS3 Firmware Update 4.00

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:09:08 +0000

Getting ready for the Vita Japanese release? Well, The new PS3 software update was released yesterday to get your PS3 ready for the arrival of the PS Vita. According to the official PlayStation blog , “update ( v4.00 ) will prepare your PS3 to serve as a content management device”. That basically means that you will be able to save all your digital content (music, movies, saved data, games …) between your PS3 and the PS Vita. You will also be able to update your Vita using the PS3 network. Although the main theme for this update is introducing the PS Vita management system to your PS3, but there will be some other features ( mainly for PlayStation Plus members ) installed in the process, as after the update PS+ members will be able to choose to enable of disable each of the previous (v3.72) automatic update features (game patches, software update, Sync trophies …). There will be also a “new PlayStation Network setting for filtering friend requests and messages” for all users. For more information, tips on installation or questions regarding the new software update, visit this link .

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PS3 Firmware Update 4.00

PS3BlogCast Episode 27

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:06:44 +0000

The podcast is back and in good form after taking a week off because of the holiday! I hope you all had a good one, ate plenty of turkey and what have you, I sure did. Now it’s time to kick back by the fire, keeping warm, and listening to your favorite podcast of the week. Tune in to catch FooBear and myself discuss all the video games news that’s been coming out, as well as catching up on FooBear’s gaming issues as of late. We also ran a little bit longer than usual on this one, and we didn’t even get to talk about Assassin’s Creed Revelations! BAH! Next time…Gadget…next time. Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 75 points. The first 10 people to enter it correctly get double points! As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there. You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here . We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well. Here’s a list of some things (or everything) we discussed: Battlefield 3 PS3 patch is live Skyrim Patch Uncharted Comic Issue 1 is released GamePro Shutting Down Title Fight Creator of The Last Guardian might be leaving Sony Price of Games GameStop listing Vita memory card prices HD PVR My Battlefield 3 clips FooBear’s Sad Story IGN’s Flaming MW3 music parody video

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PS3BlogCast Episode 27

Ni No Kuni Magical Edition Bundle

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:50:45 +0000

Alright, so Japanese gamers were treated yesterday with the latest RPG from Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni. Namco Bandai will publish the north America English version of the game, which was confirmed earlier for an early 2012 release, exclusively on the PS3. The Japanese exclusive “Magical Bundle” of Ni No Kuni was released yesterday with a 160GB PS3 in cream-white and gold , a matching Dualshock 3 controller, a copy of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and surprisingly , just like the DS version, a fantastic looking spell book . Sadly, This limited quantity bundle will cost ¥33,780 ($440) and will only be available for Japanese consumers. Well, unless you want to import one … Do you?

[Review] Akimi Village

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:12:11 +0000

Akimi Village was a very interesting experience for me. While I was downloading it I thought this would be lame and boring, but after a couple hours I was pleasantly surprised and even played it to 100% completion and obtained all trophies which I rarely do for PSN titles. This is a village creator game, themed around a floating island inhabited by a crazy raccoon and Akimis (very short blue guys), the art style and setting is very Japanese and made me interpret this game as a virtual sand garden, where you have to keep things tidy. This is a very relaxing game and a good getaway from all the tension of Dark Souls and the blood and gore from Dead Island (the games I have been playing lately). This is an unpretentious adventure, with zero challenge and it compels you to take your time and enjoy it. There are no limitations in terms of difficulty, you’re given a quest to revitalize this little island and you can do it for as long as you like. Despite it being fairly easy and simple, some smart thinking should come into play if you want to make a fully functional home for you little blue friends. Like any strategy game you must collect resources to build stuff, the difference though is that those basic components must be transformed into many other different ones through the use of different buildings. Creating a viable non-stop gathering and production of all materials really made me slightly addicted to this game, definitely the main incentive if you’re a perfectionist like me. Those materials are then used to create different structures that combined will make dozens of different buildings. The pacing is completely up to the player, but having a smoothly ran village will certainly speed things up, otherwise you’ll probably waste a lot of time gathering stuff and that would be boring. There is no need to create multiple buildings of the same kind if you place them all well enough, which is kind of cool and shows an interesting level of balance to the game. The game is no graphical wonder, but runs smoothly at 1080p and looks better than the average PSN game. Most things about it are built with the Japanese culture in mind, so you can expect to see a lot of Sakura trees, dragons, gates and things of the sort. This certainly made the game feel ever more “zen” to me and fit the overall concept of it perfectly. The colors are very bright with high contrast, as most games focused on a younger audience are, but also has some interesting darker tones and models on “gloomy” areas (places where you can’t build). Most things will glow and sparkle when active or going through some sort of transformation, those effects are also decently done and work well for the theme and purpose of the game, never feeling overdone or getting in the way of everything else. The soundtrack is very peaceful, though it got repetitive after a couple hours, but since I didn’t play it for longer sessions than that it wouldn’t annoy me when I got back to it. There are few sound effects, and those also get repetitive after a while, but since they’re not continuous possibly it isn’t as bad. Playing with the music on is certainly the way to go though, in case you’re one of those people that like to turn off all sounds and choose your own tunes the immersion and therefore the relaxation will be certainly a lot less effective. In terms of gameplay Akimi Village functions are very simple, you walk and interact, basically using two buttons, however it’s very easy to access and navigate the menus with blueprints for the buildings as well, which is nice, since it’s a rather important part of the game. The interface for creating new structures and interactions with the environment are also extremely effective and very helpful, making the game a lot more enjoyable than if you had to guess where things go. My only complaint is the same that afflicts most PSN titles I’ve played: camera angles. I seriously don’t understand why a game that allows you to rotate and zoom does not offer the option to actually change it, instead you’re forced to actively hold the camera on the desired position. I also believe the overall ease of navigation through the island is hindered by it, and I’d certainly would like to have seen a top view with more distance. It isn’t a major problem, you’ll get used to it, but it would have been a great feature. As I have mentioned earlier, the game is fairly addictive and encouraged me to go all the way and get 100% completion and trophies (the gold trophy is “missable”, so watch out!), it took me approximately 7 hours to do so, but unfortunately there’s very little replay value to it if you’ve gotten everything on the first go. You can keep playing after you finish the main “story” if you so desire, but again, this will only interest those who haven’t really put too much effort into it, and chances are if you haven’t you won’t want to do it anyway. Akimi Village is certainly a fun game and worth purchasing if you’re looking to relax from a stressful day at work. It’s a nice little break for anyone that doesn’t need realistic graphics or blood to entertain yourself. While playing, I had a strange feeling that if EdEN had created a video game, this would be it, don’t ask me why though. As a long time fan of Harvest Moon, I have always loved tidying things up and this reminded me of that, which was nice. Some mechanics will appeal to those who like real time strategy games and others might enjoy the weird sense of humor. This is a unusual game, where the player sets all the rules and challenges and utterly decides how much fun can be had with it, so if you’re up for it, this shall definitely be much appreciated. Review Pros Cons Very relaxing Interesting mechanics Fairly addictive Low replayability No challenge Rating 80%

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[Review] Akimi Village

Releases for the Week (September 4th-11th)

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:26:44 +0000

September is in full swing and we get a PACKED week that starts to prepare us for the holiday rush… and oh what a rush it will be! PS3 RETAIL RELEASES You Can Buy Resistance 3 Right Here! Or go with the Resistance 3 Doomsday Edition! You can Buy the Uncharted Dual Pack Right Here! You can Buy Driver San Francisco Right Here! You Can Buy Dead Island Right Here! You Can Buy Disgaea 4 Right Here! Or go with the Disgaea 4 Premium Box Edition! PSN RELEASES minis * Alpha Mission * T.N.K. III * Vanguard II PSOne Classics This is a JAPAN Import so it’s possible that manuals/in game text are in Japanese so do consider that! I had pre-ordered Disgaea 4 at the NIS America Store so I already have my copy of the Premium Edition of the game along with a free soundtrack AND free shipping! What are YOU buying this glorious week?

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Releases for the Week (September 4th-11th)