Spiders and Focus Home Interactive announce The Technomancer

Earlier today, Spiders and Focus Home Interactive announced that they were making a new sci-fi themed RPG called The Technomancer for PS4, Xbox One and PC.  It is slated for a 2016 release.  The press release touts that there will be four skill trees, three fighting styles, dynamic conversation choices and crafting.

Since it takes place on Mars, and features technomancy, it's probably in the same story world as Mars: War Logs.  It also sounds like it takes a lot of those systems, since it had three skill trees, conversation choices and crafting.  I did like Mars: War Logs, and other Focus/Spiders games like Faery and Bound by Flame.  They are fun and unique, but they have uneven difficulty.  Even so, I'm looking forward to the game next year.  Here's two screenshots they sent over:

Stella Glow Coming West

Atlus announced today that it would bring Imageepoch's Stella Glow to the 3DS later this year.  Imageepoch might be most well know in the west as the people who made the Luminous Arc series (which I enjoyed).  They also made a few others that I enjoyed, like Sands of Destruction and Arc Rise Fantasia (which was fun despite the terrible voice acting).  I'm excited to check out there latest game, and hoping it's one I get to review.

The game stars Alto, a young knight that enlists the help of several Witches to combat the Witch of Destruction (awesome name) and her Harbingers.  You must have the Witches on your side unleash the powerful song magic to fight.  Atlus doesn't have any localized assest yet, but I will be sure to link the official trailer when it is up, and when we have some more details on Stella Glow.

Senran Kagura 2 and Onechanbara Z2 Announced for US!

Xseed announced a few days ago that they were localizing (for the US) both Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson for the 3DS and Onechanbara Z2: Chaos for the PS4.

I'm a fan of Senran Kagura after playing the first one on the 3DS.  I prefer the fighting system on the PS Vita one, Shinovi Versus, but the original is still solid.  Deep Crimson is supposed to be a direct sequel, but doesn't mention the SV girls, so I have to assume it is set in the sixth months between those two games.  Either way, I'm eager to get my hands on it later this year.  Wait... I probably should have phrased that better, considering the game...um... here's the trailer!

The other one is another Onechanbara game.  As far as I know, only one other has come over here, both on the Xbox 360 and Wii (?!), which was Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad.  I played the 360 version and have all achievements in the game.  It was a lot of fun!  There were a few frustrating spots, like the final boss, a boss fight halfway through, and trying to perfectly time combos for some unlocks and achievements... but you do fight a killer whale zombie boss in it!  What other game can boast that?

Anyway, the game was fun, it was a budget title and I ended up buying the expensive DLC for the extra characters.  I kept hoping someone would bring another of the series over, and I only had to wait 8 years!  (Seriously, I asked the people at the D3 booth at PAX one year if they were going to bring out any more)

You can see the announcement trailer here.  XSeed teased that they would release an Onechanbara game this year, and the silhouette matched to a previous game on the PS3.  It seems we will get this instead, but at least it's on PS4!  Just like Deep Crimson, I'm excited to play Z2: Chaos.  Maybe we will get both Onechanbara games?  I'd be happy with that.

Paperbound dated for PS4 and Steam

Paperbound has been given a release date of March 31, 2015 for the NA PS4 and Steam (April for EU) at a price of $9.99.  It is a downloadable title that sounds a little like Smash Bros or Towerfall Ascension.  It sounds like the multi-player is local only, so hopefully it can be Shareplayed.  They also announced that bots are included to round out a team or so you can play single player.  Here's their description of the game from the press email:

"Paperbound is a smash-up brawler that combines platforming, twitchy combat, and gravity redirection in a competitive couch multiplayer setting. Between one and four players (with AI bots added in the mix) run with scissors, walk on walls, and lob ink bombs in whimsical-yet-intense battles within the pages of old books. In addition to the 360 degrees of gravitational freedom, several other twists add to the tension and drama of a match, such as the "escape through the page tear" victory mechanic which brings a second phase to the combat and causes players to momentarily team up with their adversaries."

Lost Dimension coming this summer to US

Atlus sent out a press release this morning to announce that they are going to bring Lost Dimension to the US (NISA is going to do the EU release).  Here's their information on the game:

IRVINE, Calif. ­­­-- March 11, 2015 -- In Lost Dimension, a tactical RPG published by ATLUS, an extraterrestrial being literally called "The End" is here to bring about the...uh... end of the world. Only a group of 11 psychically gifted warriors - each with unique abilities - are even remotely powerful enough to challenge this madman, but it won't take long for players to discover The End is not their only foe. As the protagonist, players have the extra special gift of psychic visions, a power that reveals that amongst his most trusted allies are traitors working to bring about the apocalypse. Lost Dimension will be available in stores and digitally beginning summer 2015, exclusively on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system for $39.99.
To subdue the threat The End poses to the entire planet, several countries create a special forces group called SEALED, which is comprised of eleven psychics with superhuman abilities. Each soldier has their own talents and skillsets to use in combat, which can be expanded after gaining enough experience in the field. Bonds of friendship will form amongst the members of SEALED, but be mindful of which allies to keep close, as The End mandates the player must begin eliminating teammates.  Make sure to accuse the right teammate of being a traitor though - once the final battle with The End begins any remaining traitors will fight the main character alongside him.

KEY FEATURES:

• A Cataclysmic Whodunnit! - Not only will players have to keep their eyes focused on strategically defeating the enemies laying in wait on the field of combat, but they need to carefully watch party members' tendencies in order to expose the traitor. At the end of every floor, players will be forced to vote and eliminate one of their trusted allies, and the consequences for choosing incorrectly could be dire...

• Spoiler-Free Zone - In addition to a variety of game mechanics to help assess teammate loyalty, Lost Dimension's traitor system is randomly determined, assuring that no two players will be faced with the same playthrough. Sorry, kiddies, but it's impossible to look up the answers this time around.

• Psychic Warlords - Each character in the party is a master of a different sphere of powers. There's the girl who controls molecular behavior to burn or freeze anything/anyone in her path. There's the guy who can teleport all around (also with the bonus superpower of being satisfyingly cocky). And there's even someone with an identity crisis because all he knows how to do is steal everyone else's powers.

• Keep Your Friends Close... - In between battles, players will have the option to chat with teammates and develop closer bonds with them. Juggling these friendships and keeping track of who participates in battle will be the key to sussing out the traitors and assuring that, by the time you reach The End, it won't be... the end... for you and your allies!

Lost Dimension is a tactical RPG from ATLUS and developed by Lancarse. It will be available in the Americas beginning summer 2015. NIS America has publishing responsibilities for Europe, also slated for a summer 2015 release. For more details on the game, please visit the official website at http://www.atlus.com/lostdimension. This game is not yet rated by the ESRB.

When I read about the game late last year, it sounds really interesting.  I think the mysterious traitor aspect sounds like a unique idea, and could make each playthrough very different.  It is coming to the PS3 and PS Vita, and the title is PSTV compatible.  No word on cross-buy, but I'm thinking it will go the way of Dragon's Crown, and forego that awesome feature.

Etrian Odyssey 2 release window/information

According to a press release from Atlus this morning, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is coming out this summer.

The Etrian Odyssey series is a hardcore-slanted dungeon crawler where you assemble a team of create a characters and well, dungeon crawl.  Similar to the Class of Heroes or Wizardy games, the enemies are tough and it takes a lot of careful planning and grinding to make your way through the game.

The Untold series also features a story mode that helps introduce the various aspects of the genre in addition to the near-storyless excursion into the dungeon depths.  I haven't played the first myself, and I'm not really a fan of these types of games, but the missus really likes them (she grew up playing the old Wizardry games on PC).

However, the new character, the titular Fafnir Knight can transform.  I do really like characters with that ability, so it's a shame that he's only in the story mode.  I'd really prefer that to be a class than some of the ones I wouldn't use.

If you are interested, you can watch the announcement trailer here.  The game will launch in the summer at $49.99 on the Nintendo 3DS system family.