SEGA sent out a fresh round of details and screenshots pertaining to Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX today. Head on below for all of the latest content.
When Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Megurine Luka, MEIKO, and KAITO take center stage in Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX this September, there will be 48 full-length songs to play through – but that’s just a fraction of all the gameplay packed into the upcoming Nintendo 3DS™ rhythm game!
For the U.S. release, the songs in Project Mirai DX are fully rendered in Miku’s 3-D Nendoroid style, allowing players to customize their characters, or even swap them out in songs. One of the game’s special features is being able to change the character who performs a particular song – if you account for the additional vocal tracks, the playlist balloons up to 79 songs in total.
Project Mirai DX blends traditional rhythm game elements with companion-based events, simple creativity tools, and sharable customization. During rhythm gameplay, players can customize the size, color, and even behavior of the rhythm icons, so as players get more comfortable with higher difficulties, they can adjust the display to fit their play style.
Theatre mode lets players relax from tapping or button-pressing and watch the music video. The videos are browsable, so players can skip to their favorite parts, and make playlists of their favorite songs. It’s even possible to create scrolling messages on the videos (a la Nico Nico Douga), which can be shared via StreetPass, and updated via SpotPass. Theatre Mode also has “Jam Along” mode, which lets players interact and add their own sound flairs to songs!
Source: SEGA PR
The official E3 2015 trailer for Anima: Gate of Memories has now been released. Watch it below.
One last bit of Shovel Knight news for the day. Yacht Club Games has confirmed that, since launch, the game has sold more than 700,000 copies. We don’t have a specific breakdown per platform, but Wii U and 3DS should have contributed quite a bit to that amount!
Shovel Knight’s retail version wasn’t the only important news shared about the game today. In a blog post, Yacht Club Games touched on the upcoming Plague of Shadows content, Battle Mode, and a tease of Nintendo exclusive content.
Plague of Shadows will arrive before the boxed version in October, according to Yacht Club Games. The team is “in the home stretch and are polishing every detail, pixel, and potion right now.” New screenshots are in the gallery below.
In terms of what’s happening with Battle Mode, Yacht Club Games said:
Even in the chaos of all this new stuff, we are still plugging away on new features. New single player adventures are always fun, but it will soon be time to shake it up in Battle Mode! Lots of playable characters, stages, battle types, options, and more are coming! Here’s a taste:
We hope everyone is looking forward to the wild battles!
Last but not least, Yacht Club Games shared an interesting tease regarding Nintendo exclusive content:
Wow…was that too much information? Stay tuned this coming month because we have even more crazy cool news to reveal. For instance, a final Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows release date and trailer! Also… we’ve heard the cries of bringing more exclusive content to Nintendo platforms. It might not be quite what you expect… but keep an eye out for another MEGATON announcement soon!
God of War’s Kratos was in the PlayStation versions of Shovel Knight, while Battletoads are in the Xbox One edition. What might Yacht Club Games be cooking up for Wii U and 3DS?!
Following a Best Buy leak from April, Yacht Club Games has confirmed that Shovel Knight is making its way to retail. The physical versions are planned for both Wii U and 3DS.
In North America, Shovel Knight’s physical release is planned for October 13. Europe will be receiving it on October 16. Pricing is set at $19.99.
Here’s an overview of what’s included:
The physical version of Shovel Knight contains everything we’ve released so far. First, there is the original Shovel Knight campaign with all the content you know and love! Also included is Shovel Knight’s first content update: Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows. Finally, there’s a full-featured Challenge mode with more than 50 crazy challenge levels to explore!
Of course, like the digital version, every boxed version will also receive FREE future updates as they become available:
Specter Knight’s Campaign – A full campaign starring the shadowy scythe spinner!
King Knight’s Campaign – A crazy campaign with the gilded goob himself!
Battle Mode – Duel with up to 4 players as your favorite heroic or villainous knight! (Wii U/PS4/XB1/PC exclusive)Body Swap Mode – Did you ever wish Shovel Knight was a lady, or Shield Knight was a dude? Well, now you’ll be able to change them all around, along with the rest of the cast!
Oh, and one more thing: every boxed copy of Shovel Knight will include a lavish instruction booklet similar to the Kickstarter reward. No 2-page inserts here! You deserve a full manual, to hold in your hot little shaking hands and pore over as you wait to get home!
Yacht Club Games is publishing the retail version of Shovel Knight. The studio is partnering with distributor U&I Entertainment, who will ship the game to stores.
Atlus has announced that Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is getting a demo in North America. The demo, which features the starting floor of Story Mode, is slated for release on the 3DS eShop on July 14. After playing the demo, users can transfer save data to the full game.
Atlus also prepared a video for Bertrand today. We’ve posted that below, along with an overview of the character.
This next one goes out to all the shield-carrying, plate-wearing, unsung heroes in all of RPG-dom. Sure, they may mitigate tons of lethal monster damage and keep the rest of your party safe with guard abilities, but at the end of the day, holding a shield just never gets the same respect as those flashy magic spells or the glint of cold steel as it hacks monsters in twain.
WELL, TODAY IS YOUR DAY! We’re giving a big ol’ RPG salute to the key of any party – the tank. And in Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold’s Story Mode, your tank is Bertrand, the loyal (albeit reluctant) Protector. Your party comes across Bertrand and the war magus Chloe in the early areas of the Ginnungagap Ruins and they’ll join up with Flavio, Arianna, and you!
The Protector’s skills are incredibly useful – early on they get abilities that boost a line’s defense, and skills to protect against elemental damage. They also can provoke enemies into attacking them, and even retaliate with shield attacks. And while Bertrand and Protectors are quite good at soaking up damage, they even have some abilities to heal themselves and allies as well.
Protectors do have support and a few offensive skills, but their skillset leans overwhelmingly towards defense, so they’re probably best left to the tank role.
Source: Atlus PR
Speaking with Mashable, Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the negative reactions that Metroid Prime: Federation Force has been receiving thus far. However, he was quick to point out that those who went hands-on with the game at E3 2015 have “come across really pleased.” Reggie ultimately asked fans for their trust.
“We’re taking our great IP and transforming them and making them new again — making them fresh and appealing for the fan who feels they know the franchise. But we’re giving them new things to enjoy. What the fan at home saw was something in the Metroid Prime universe that they weren’t expecting. The reaction has been negative. There’s no sugar coating it. This is an example where fans who aren’t able to get their hands on the game may be at a bit of a competitive disadvantage. Everyone who has played what we are showing regarding Metroid Prime, they’ve come across really pleased. My ask is that fans trust us.
Reggie also spoke about the need for Nintendo “to keep the franchises fresh.” This is what Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has set out to do with Zelda, and it’s what the company believes is necessary “in order to propel the franchises forward”.
Mr. Aonuma has said that he is challenging many of the conventional wisdoms of Zelda gaming in this new Zelda, and that’s what we do. We believe we have to do that to keep the franchises fresh. We believe that in order to propel the franchises forward, we have to be the ones to constantly challenge the paradigms, challenge the conventional wisdom, challenge what we thought was the essence of the particular franchise, and a particular form of gameplay.”
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes lets players put on the princess’ dress, but you can’t actually play as a woman in the game. Some may wonder why this is so.
Director Hiromasa Shikata offered up an explanation as part of an interview with IGN. When asked about only being able to play as Link, Shikata brought up Tri Force Heroes’ story in his reasoning.
He said:
I’m going to tell you a little bit about the story quickly and we’ll circle around, here. There’s this kingdom, an event happens, and the king needs heroes. So, he puts out a call for heroes to gather and one of those is this guy Link. He sees this audition, basically, ‘Heroes needed; apply here.’ And, that’s the start of his adventure.
The story calls for this sort of legend/prophecy where heroes will come together to help solve a problem. And in that, they are male characters. So, because the game is set with that as the story background, you cannot choose a gender; you are a male character.
I understand what you’re saying (being disappointed), and just as general information, we do have a lot of female staff members who are playing this game and enjoying it. It doesn’t seem to be a big issue to them. They still are getting emotional investment in this game. And to be honest, Link isn’t the most masculine of guys in the world, depending on how you want to project yourself into the character.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes launches this fall on 3DS.
Dragon Quest VIII details – Skill Master System, Red/Morrie skills, monsters, High Speed battle mode
Square Enix sent out another round of Dragon Quest VIII details today. We have information about the Skill Master System, skills for Red and Morrie, monsters, and the High Speed battle mode. Head past the break for all of today’s details, courtesy of Gematsu’s translation.
