preorder

Sony promises more PS5 preorders will be available in the coming days

By now one thing is clear. The launch of PS5 preorders was complete chaos. Sony has promised plenty of advanced notice and that preorders would not be a surprise. They even had a secret mailing list where they would pick and choose people to preorder the console before anyone else. Then in a live event Sony announced preorders would begin the next day. Retailers didn’t get the memo.

I believe it was Walmart who started the chaos. They took to Twitter immediately after the Sony press conference with a tweet something like “Make you wait for a PS5? Naw that’s not us. Order your PS5 now.” read more

Sony promises more PS5 preorders will be available in the coming days Read More »

Zelda Legendary Edition Zelda Manga

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- Preorder Now Available

I just came across a press release in my inbox sent to me by someone at Viz Media with details about the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Legendary Edition which compiles all 10 volumes of Akira Himekawa’s manga based on the Legend of Zelda video games. Each Legendary Edition Contains 2 volumes of the manga. This is the 5th, and final Legendary Edition.

Amazon currently has the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Legendary Edition available for Preorder at the link below. It will begin arriving on door steps on July 11th. https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Legendary-Vol-Swords/dp/142158963X

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- Preorder Now Available Read More »

Time Travel, SciFi, Fantasy, Cat, Cats, Kitty, Kitties, Kittens, Kitten, Neko, Nekos, Cat Cafe, Cat Cafes, JRPG, Sega, 7th Dragon, 7th Dragon Code VFD, Dressup, Dressup Game, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Handheld, Portable, Game, Gaming, Gamers, Gamer, Games, Video Games, Videogame, Videogames, Video Game, Preorder, Preview, News, Release Date, Customize Everything, High Customization, Otaku, Japan, Japanese, Otaku Pandering, Kawaii, Cute, Adorable, RPG, Roleplaying Game, Dungeon Crawling, Dungeon Crawler, Dating Sim, Quirky, Sega, Game News, News, Announcement, Localization, Heading West, Heads West, New JRPG

Kawaii Cat Cafe JRPG, 7th Dragon, Heads West with Over 96 Ways to Customize the Appearance of Your Hero

7th Dragon until now, has remained a title only available in Japan, but that is about to change with 7th Dragon III Code VFD on the Nintendo 3DS.

This quirky little Time Travel RPG sees us in a not too distant future which is at war with powerful dragons. In order to save the world from destruction, you must travel to the ancient city of Atlantis, future capital of Eden, and present day Tokyo.

The artwork features chibi super-deformed, bobble head, big head, tiny body style character designs, giving everything a very cute anime feeling. Check out the trailer below to see what I mean. Very Kawaii!:

With the cute art work, and almost endless ways to customize your hero, this game immediately sparks my radar. I admit, I’ve not heard of 7th Dragon until now. I’m somewhat surprised to see Sega’s name attached to this project, but then again, not really no, because they do own Atlus who is well known for “risky” games like this which “cater to Otaku” – I wonder why they wouldn’t brand this title under their Atlus flagship since it has a lot of loyal fans already which they could then leverage to get more attention for this cute little game.

From the very brief teaser, it looks like it will be an emotionally engaging story as well – We see a character sick in a hospital bed for example.

Most intriguingly of all Destructoid reports that “And as if that weren’t bizarre enough, the role-playing game involves rescuing stray cats from dungeons and sheltering them in a cat café.” And if you don’t know what a Cat Cafe is, you can check out my post for 10 Cat Cafe you can visit in North America.

The whole “Cat Cafe” concept makes the game even more Kawaii and immediately appealing to me (and likely also to my readers). I’m becoming more and more intrigued by this little game and can’t wait to check it out.

The game will release on July 2016 and is available for preorder on Amazon here: Preorder 7th Dragon III Code VFD

 

Those who click the amazon link above can read even more of the game’s features – Incredibly enough, it even features a dating sim element. Given that the series originally was created and handled by Imageepoch who made Fate/Extra which plays INSANELY SIMILAR to Persona 3 and 4… I can imagine that THIS dungeon crawling RPG will also be very similar to Fate/Extra and Persona 3 and 4.

The Japanese voice cast has been left in tact, and not only do you customize your heroes’ appearances, but also their voices, with more than 40 voices to choose from!

This game is Kawaii to the Max! Very Otaku Pandering, and very very very cute and quirky. Personally, I can’t wait! BRING ON THE CAT CAFE DUNGEON CRAWLING DRESSUP JRPG! This game is right up my alley!

Kawaii Cat Cafe JRPG, 7th Dragon, Heads West with Over 96 Ways to Customize the Appearance of Your Hero Read More »

Top 10 Subscription Boxes for Geek Girls

Amazon Prime now gives 20% off all New Game Releases and Preorders

Have you been trying to justify an Amazon Prime Membership? Well if you’re a gamer, here’s the perfect reason to join Amazon Prime! I’m going to join next time before I purchase a new release or preorder another game. I already use Amazon when I want a physical copy of a game anyways (still mostly rely on steam for the digital, though I think this discount also applies to digital stuff too!), so why not take advantage of this awesome Prime benefit?!

This is not just a “sale” or an “offer” – This is a FEATURE – a permanent benefit to being an Amazon Prime Member.

You will get 20% off all new releases if you purchase within 2 weeks of launch date or also receive 20% whenever you preorder a new game!

Let’s do the math. Most new release titles go for $55 to $65. 20% of $55 is $11 and 20% of $65 is $13. Which brings the cost of the game down to $44 to $52.

That’s a large savings, but it’s not ideal for everyone. Amazon Prime Membership is $99 a year. – In order for gamers to benefit from this discount they would need to purchase at least 9 new release games a year.

Amazon Prime does have a slew of other benefits though – Free shipping alone could be worth it for people who use Amazon often. In addition, I for one, would love to have the Amazon drones deliver my package within hours of my order. Unfortunately that feature is not available in my area just yet – but Amazon does plan nation wide rollout of their same day delivery program in the near future. I live in an extremely rural area – It takes me 45 minutes to an hour to drive to walmart or gamestop or best buy or similar game retailers – and thats one way. Factor into that the time spent wandering through the store, time spent in line, time spent in traffic, etc. and Amazon’s delivery service looks very attractive.

They also have a streaming service similar to those of Hulu or Netflix that is exclusive to their Prime Members. I recently paid iptv, where I can get all my favorite tv channels.

Perhaps now is the best time ever to join Amazon Prime – especially if you are a gamer.

You can learn more and sign up at https://www.amazon.com/prime

Amazon Prime now gives 20% off all New Game Releases and Preorders Read More »

Sonicomi Communication English Preorders Begin. Game Release Date Scheduled for Summer 2016

Sonicomi Communication English Preorders Begin. Game Release Date Scheduled for Summer 2016

Sonicomi English Preorder is now live on JLIST. Up til now, the game has only been available in Asian regions. This new English release is the original Sonicomi Game from 2011 for the PC; however, JLIST has licensed the visuals from the much improved 2014 PS3 version.

Preorder Sonicomi Communication – and use Coupon Code: MOE-22Y-E8BNV5 to get 5% off!

Gameplay puts you in the role of a professional cameraman as you photograph a “Gravure Idol” (which loosely translates to Magazine Model), the busty, pink haired, Sonico. You get scores and combos for taking better photos. Outside of the photography element, you interact with the model in visual novel fashion.

The game features a ton of customization with well over 100 items to dressup in.

The replay value is also very high, because depending on your advice, Sonico’s career is at stake and she will evolve to reach one of 18 different endings, including a special ending where she falls in love with you.

Unlike most visual novels, this one is fully animated and in 3D.

In all, from the descriptions, Gameplay reminds me of a very perverse, echi style “Pokemon Snap” X Princess Maker 2 Crossover lol.

Super Sonico is Nitro+ special mascot and makes cameo appearances in many other games, and even has her own anime series.

There are 2 editions available for preorder. The standard edition includes preorder bonuses of an action figure, steam key (for when the game is later released on steam), and art cards. The special “collector’s edition” includes a “full body” mouse pad which is “2 times larger than other moe mouse pads” and they said the mousepad has never been sold before anywhere, not even in Japan, and features brand new artwork by the designer of the game, just for the US English release and once preorders end this Mousepad will no longer be available. $100 bucks seems Crazy to me for a Mousepad – but if you’re really into this character, I guess some people may be interested in it. Meanwhile, the standard edition will run $55 – which yes, is a lot for a visual novel. Clannad recently released with a $50 price tag too. Now that visual novels are gaining popularity in the west it seems we can expect typical “new release” prices on par with other genres of gaming. I plan to preorder the standard edition when I get paid this week.

Preorder Sonicomi Communication

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Sonicomi Communication English Preorders Begin. Game Release Date Scheduled for Summer 2016 Read More »

Higurashi, Watanagashi, Chapter 2, Preorder, Higurashi Chapter 2, Higurashi Chapter 2 Watanagashi, Higurashi Chapter 2 Watanagashi Preorder, Visual Novel, Kinetic Novel, Anime

Higurashi Chapter 2 Watanagashi Preorder Now Live. Game Launches Friday the 13th.

Manga Gamer sent me another email today to let me know that Higurashi Chapter 2 Watanagashi is now accepting Preorders and that the game will be available on Friday, November 13th, 2015 (although their website says the 14th). It costs $7.95, but if you preorder, you can save about 50 cents off that price (not much of a preorder incentive).

Like the original, the new release will also feature exclusive special artwork for the characters that’s only available in this version of the game. You can also play the game in either Japanese or English.

Higurashi is a murder mystery presented through 14 different chapters. It’s also a Kinetic Novel, which means that unlike most visual novels, there is not a branching plot nor multiple endings, and there’s in fact, absolutely no interaction by the player. It’s just a story. A very good story though. So if you like murder mysteries, you might like it!

Since this is chapter 2, you should play chapter 1 first to better enjoy this game. Check out my review of Higurashi Chapter 1 Onikakushi — right here to see if it may be something that you’d like. You can also see the lovely new sprites MangaGamer has developed for this release (and comparisons to the Japanese ones).

You can learn more, and preorder Chapter 2 Watanagashi on Manga Gamer’s Site (and soon also on Steam) at http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=154

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Higurashi Chapter 2 Watanagashi Preorder Now Live. Game Launches Friday the 13th. Read More »

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Higurashi: When they Cry Chapter 1 Onikakushi Visual Novel Review and Chapter 2 Higurashi Watanagashi Preorder Announcement

Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc.

MangaGamer just sent out an email that says Higurashi Chapter 2: Watanagashi will be available for preorder “this” month. Since there are only 8 days left in this month, it must be sometime soon. With this exciting news, I thought I should review the first chapter of Higurashi for those who have not played it yet.

Gameplay: 1/10: Higurashi is a kinetic novel. This means that unlike other types of visual novels, there are absolutely no choices which you, the player, makes through the game. Click and read, Click and read, Click and read… One story, one end, one “path” — That’s it. It’s little more, than a story with some pictures and a soundtrack.

 

Does that mean it’s bad? Not necessarily. People like to read. What people don’t like, is when they buy a GAME and discover only later that it has no “Gameplay”. So I want to preface my review by making it clear what it is, and what it is not. If you’re still cool with a game in which you absolutely, do not, interact, at all, ever, then read on to learn what Higurashi has to offer.

Concept: 10/10 Higurashi is a murder mystery. It spans multiple “episodes” (14 of them to be exact). I’ve read that each episode is about 10 hours long; but I must read slow because I think it took me about 23 hours to complete the first “chapter”. Your mileage may vary. Even with a conservative estimate of 10 hours, to read the entire thing, all 14 chapters, it’d take a minimum of 140 hours. That’s a LOT of bang for your buck.

Unlike most games in this genre – there is no “season pass” – so there’s no good way to save money if you’re wanting all 14 episodes (although I did pick up Chapter 1 in an awesome bundle from indiegala – I’m hooked now though and will not be waiting for a discount or bundle before ordering Chapter 2. I have GOT to see how it all ends – I refuse to watch the anime until I’ve completed all 14 chapters of the game to avoid any spoilers.) Also, Manga Gamer, being a very small company, is doing it’s best to translate the games as quickly as possible, and are releasing them one by one upon completion. Chapter 1 was released in May of this year…. I hope they are able to release chapters more quickly than this… It’s been almost 6 months now since Chapter 1’s release. And Chapter 2 STILL doesn’t have a definite release date, just that they are taking “preorders”. If they continue with 2 chapter releases per year, it will take 7 years to get all of them released. Perhaps this project was too large for Manga Gamer, or perhaps they should have just purchased the translation rights from one of the many fan translations that were already done for this game.

Graphics: 8/10 However, Manga Gamer is also doing a lot of good with this game. It’s one of the first times I’ve ever seen an English release get HUGE improvements and upgrades over the Japanese version!!! We can make Japanese non-english speaking gamers totally jealous with our beautiful new sprites. When I first saw this feature, I had assumed that Manga Gamer was giving us the option of using the original (horrible) sprites from the PC Japanese version (which they are keeping as an option in Manga Gamer’s release too) OR I THOUGHT that they were giving us the option to select the much improved Playstation sprites from the Japanese version — BUT that is NOT the case!! Manga Gamer Went ALL OUT and developed BRAND NEW artwork for the English release. Sadly, they left the original Japanese PC version background art… The playstation Japanese version has REALLY nice background art — BUT their character sprites are no where near as nice as the ones Manga Gamer contracted for this release. Having these HIGHLY improved sprites makes me feel really special. For ONCE we get something in a port that is a HUGE big deal, and huge upgrade over what Japan has. That makes me feel like Manga Gamer really appreciates their customers and wants to do their best with this project.

See the sprites here below. Look at the level of detail in shading and better proportions. This makes the sprites much cuter than either of the Japanese versions. P.S. Click To Enlarge :).

Translation Quality: 10/10 In fact, also from a writing standpoint, the translation was very good. I can’t recall really almost ANY typos (though I’m sure there must have been a few) Compared to my most recently completed play through a similar style game (Amnesia Memories which is FULL of typos and inconsistencies) the translation of Manga Gamer’s version of Higurashi is REALLY high — I appreciate that, because it helps to immerse in the story

Music: 10/10 Sound wise, the music and especially the sound effects and atmospheric sounds REALLY stand out and add to the mystery and horror aspects of this game. Actually, I read before that Higurashi is what they call a Sound Novel instead of a Visual Novel, Higurashi relies on the soundtrack more than its artwork (especially when you look at the really amateur artwork from the original PC version).However, both the original PC version and the Manga Gamer release do not have any voice acting at all. The Playstation version had full voice acting and if you’re feeling brave, there are tutorials online to patch your game to have voice acting – Would have been nice if Manga Gamer either could have bought the rights to that version’s soundtrack and incorporated it, or cast an English dub cast for the game — I don’t particularly like English dubs, but It would have been another concession on Manga Gamer’s part towards pleasing their fans.

Story: 8/10 I don’t want to ruin anything for people who have not yet played Chapter One Onikakushi – but this game is very very very slowwww starting out — BUT… it rewards you if you put up with all of that by starting to REALLY pick up more horror/suspense/mystery themes towards the last 4-5 hours of the game. PRIOR to that, it’s very very light-hearted, slice of life, fluffy, happy…. When shit starts to go down though, that dark contrast against the MAJORITY of the first chapter being so innocent and pure, really stands out, and it is that contrast that becomes the real “heart and soul” of the first chapter.

Higurashi also leaves you to draw your own conclusions about wtf is going on – and I don’t know if it ever really explains things fully or if it leaves it up to you a la similar murder mysteries such as gone girl which end with an open ending. Since I’ve only played the first chapter I can’t be sure. Is it the occult? Is the town cursed? Do they hate outsiders? Is it all a coincidence? Is everyone just crazy? lol.

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Characters: 8/10 The characters are all highly likeable which makes it even more alarming that one (or more) of them could be capable of murder – especially on such a high brutality scale, in such a way, that they enjoy murder, enjoy watching their victims suffer – pretty creepy when these are just CHILDREN. But well, creepy children are a staple of horror films too; such as exorcist, ringu, grudge, children of the corn, etc. Children are kinda creepy with their small frame and large eyes and sometimes strange movements or gestures etc which I guess is why there are so many horror movies and books which focus on the whole creepy kid thing. But children are also pure, innocent, adorable, etc. And Higurashi does a perfect job of showing that, despite being murderers, the children are otherwise, perfectly normal little kids, who like to play tag, hide and seek, and go to school.

For awhile, it looks like there will be some romance options (well not that you the player have any choice anyways), but then the game decides to take a VERY different approach. If you don’t dig visual novels because they’re all sappy happy slice of life romance anime etc — Well you might just like Higurashi… BUT keep in mind what I said, the MAJORITY of the first chapter IS VERY MUCH like most any other novel, light, happy, innocent, slice of life, boring, slow, REAL slow in fact. — But it REALLY takes a dramatic turn that makes it unlike pretty much any other english visual novel on the market today. — And I hear the following chapters are even more bizarre and darker and that the first was merely a prologue/introduction. So fasten your seatbelts – you’re in for quite a ride.

The emotional impact of Higurashi was high, not only a sense of sadness, but perhaps more over, a feeling of isolation and desperation, a feeling of fear. It really gets creepy. It presents more questions than it solves and makes you the player think and reflect back on the story.

Overall: 55/70 79% C+ “Good Game For Girls”

Note: if you don’t count the lack of gameplay against the game, it then becomes 54/60 or a 90% 🙂 So if you don’t mind the Kinetic Novel genre, this is probably one of the best, if not the, best, kinetic novels to play. – I personally don’t like Kinetic Novels, but I am hooked on Higurashi!

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    Higurashi: When they Cry Chapter 1 Onikakushi Visual Novel Review and Chapter 2 Higurashi Watanagashi Preorder Announcement Read More »

    King's Quest To Get a Sequel King's Quest IX on July 28th 2015.

    King’s Quest To Get a Sequel King’s Quest IX on July 28th 2015.

    I think I recall hearing about this a year or two ago… but it fell to the back of my mind… until a facebook ad told me to like Sierra Games for updates on the “new” king’s quest game.

    Upon clicking that ad, I saw the game is about to release on July 28th…. and I SPAZZED OUT. I can barely contain myself to even write this right now…

    I own ALL of the games. My favorite is “heir today, gone tomorrow” because it was the first one I played 🙂

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    They are beautifully hand drawn point and click games with charming (Although sometimes cheesey) characters and humor mixed in.

    Their last title, was NOT a good move for the company and I assumed would be the death of the series (They made an ultima-ish first person action-rpg) King’s Quest Mask of Eternity was very different and not a hit with fans of the familiar old style gameplay. It also lacked the same quaint charm and sometimes cheesy / blatantly bad humor.

    Anyways… NOW we get back to the ROOTS of the game. It looks so fricken beautiful like a storybook brought to life. PLUS it looks like for the first time ever in the series, it will have a branching plot, like visual novel games, and decisions YOU make will affect what parts of the game you see ! I LOVE that!! That has me even MORE excited!! OMG… Because it says choose which tale you will tell in the trailer. !! I am hyped about that. The replay value will be sky high.

    It’s gonna open up all the old games to young kids who never got to experience them (hint you can buy the collector’s edition from GOG.com which has all the old games <3).

    If you’re excited like me…. check out the trailer and go see their facebook page or website for more info. http://www.sierra.com/kingsquest/

    Also if you preorder the game you get an EXCLUSIVE playable epilogue after the game’s “ending” available only for preorder-ers.

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    King’s Quest To Get a Sequel King’s Quest IX on July 28th 2015. Read More »